The other morning we were rushing around like usual, getting ready to face our days at the office (and babysitter). It was a normal morning in our household, 3 of us rushing around in our semi-organized chaos and R2 silently watching it all unfold in front of him. J and I were in a state of half dress, working on getting fully dressed. R1 had instructions of her own to go get herself dressed and she wanted to join J and me in our room for a little “family” dressing time. In the usual fashion of R1, she was jabbering on about various things when I heard her say, “Mommy, I’m going to wear hanging boobs like you when I grow up.” J about lost it. But managed to keep a relatively straight face in the moment. Now a multitude of responses went through my mind in the few seconds following her remark, but I decided simple was the best approach, so I responded with “Probably so.” To which she says, “Yeah, like when I’m a teenager.” And proceeded to walk out of the room. Now the laughter that J was doing so well to hold in came bursting forth. I looked over to him, looked down at my chest, and said, “They don’t look that bad, do they?” and pulled my shirt down over my head. Finally, dressed for the day.
R1’s observation about my “girls” got me to thinking more about them. These two “gals” have been through a lot in the last few years. These magnificent mammaries have been a source of food for 2 children. R1 nursed for just a few weeks past 1 year, and R2 has preferred them to any artificial source of food or comfort (bottles and pacifiers) since his birth, just a mere 4 months ago. I’m going to brag here just a bit, but I’m still amazed that he hasn’t had to have one drop of formula during his life to date, which for a working mom is quite an accomplishment. It also means that not only have my “girls” been introduced to the wonderful art of breastfeeding, but they have also gotten to know Medela (my breast pump) very well. So well in fact, that I have over 125 oz. of milk frozen in my freezer on any given day. R2 is starting to gain and make a dent in his popsicles, but for the most part, I’m replacing what he consumes.
(I refer to breastfeeding as an art because it takes a creative mind and a little luck, to figure out how to successfully hold a squirming child with one hand while with the other hand undoing those tricky little clasps on nursing bras while lifting up a shirt AND managing to somehow keep a blanket draped over the whole event so one doesn't accidentally flash boob flesh to anyone happening to be looking.)
The girls have also served another purpose for R1 and R2. These girls have been the soft pillow for tired heads on countless occasions. They have been the padding to soften the blows of skinned knees, bumped heads, bruised shins, stubbed toes and pinched fingers. In their squishy glandular form, they have been napped on, cried on, drooled on and spit up on. Yet despite all the punishment I have put them through in the last few years, they continue to “hang around’, waiting to solve the next problem I decide to throw their way. There have been times when R2 is really fussy and just can’t seem to get that darned gassy burp all the way out. The remedy to this problem seems to be to place his belly directly on top of the left breast, push in with just the right amount of pressure and pat his lower back. This technique has produced results almost every time.
These “ta-ta's” may not always be the prettiest or the perkiest. They aren’t often seen in cutsie little tank tops or sexy lace bras. It’s not easy to find lingerie or a swimsuit in a size needed to offer them adequate support they so much deserve after their dedicated years of service, but I’m not trading them in. Nope, these gals are mine, and I’m proud of them, high or low, thick or thin, left and right, they’re not going anywhere...these peepers are keepers. I just hope they don’t start to drift below the belt. Keep your heads up girls! Stand proud! (Please??) You’ve earned it!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Lessons in Life, Through Death
Have you ever tried explaining death to a small child? It’s not as simple as you might think. There are a lot of questions involved, and it’s difficult to put emotions aside to answer them all honestly.
Grandma K (J’s grandmother) passed away recently. This was a Grandma that R1 had quite a bit of interaction with. We took her to the viewing. This was her first time seeing a deceased person that closely. (When my Grandma P passed in Dec, we didn’t go up close to the casket while it was still open, she knew her body was in the big box, but she didn’t really see it) I tried my best to prepare her for what she would see while on the way to the mortuary. Leave it to a child to provide the comic relief at such a somber event. Grandma J took R1 up to see the body, which was lying on a table with her lower half covered with a sheet, and explained to R1 that she was in heaven now with all the angels. R1 looked down at her body for a minute and asked “All of her?” Grandma J said, “Yes honey, all of her, she’s in Heaven now.” R1 looked at her body again and shook her head. “Just her legs are in Heaven, because the rest of her is still here.”
It was just the thing that Grandma J needed to hear in that moment. To be able to bring laughter to someone grieving is a talent. Seeing a smile on the tear stained face of my mother in law was priceless. I’ll forever remember the image of my mother in law holding my daughter in the funeral home crying and laughing at the same time.
I truly believe that children are God’s way of helping us find smiles and laughter during even the darkest times.
Rest in Peace Grandma, we’ll all miss you.
Grandma K (J’s grandmother) passed away recently. This was a Grandma that R1 had quite a bit of interaction with. We took her to the viewing. This was her first time seeing a deceased person that closely. (When my Grandma P passed in Dec, we didn’t go up close to the casket while it was still open, she knew her body was in the big box, but she didn’t really see it) I tried my best to prepare her for what she would see while on the way to the mortuary. Leave it to a child to provide the comic relief at such a somber event. Grandma J took R1 up to see the body, which was lying on a table with her lower half covered with a sheet, and explained to R1 that she was in heaven now with all the angels. R1 looked down at her body for a minute and asked “All of her?” Grandma J said, “Yes honey, all of her, she’s in Heaven now.” R1 looked at her body again and shook her head. “Just her legs are in Heaven, because the rest of her is still here.”
It was just the thing that Grandma J needed to hear in that moment. To be able to bring laughter to someone grieving is a talent. Seeing a smile on the tear stained face of my mother in law was priceless. I’ll forever remember the image of my mother in law holding my daughter in the funeral home crying and laughing at the same time.
I truly believe that children are God’s way of helping us find smiles and laughter during even the darkest times.
Rest in Peace Grandma, we’ll all miss you.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
1th...errr...1st
The other day I was rushing around as usual in the morning, getting ready for work, and asked R1 if she had everything she wanted ready to take to the sitters for the day. She asked to take the Robot movie with her. (this is an animated musical DVD that is really neat to watch. You can check out the Animusic Videos here: http://www.animusic.com/ She's been mesmerized by both of these DVD's since we bought them when she was about 1 year old.)
Anyhoo...I went and grabbed the one that has been her favorite and tossed it in the bag of items that was to go with us to the sitters for the day. She seemed concerned that maybe I didn't grab the correct one because she asked,
"What one did you get, Mommy?"
I told her that I got her favorite one. To which she replied,
"But I want the oneth one."
"The what one?"
"The ONETH one."
"Oh, you mean the FIRST one."
"Yeah, the first one." (while holding up one finger) "Make sure you got that one."
I absolutely LOVE talking to kids. The English language is so complex to teach. But hey, she's getting the idea!
-A
Anyhoo...I went and grabbed the one that has been her favorite and tossed it in the bag of items that was to go with us to the sitters for the day. She seemed concerned that maybe I didn't grab the correct one because she asked,
"What one did you get, Mommy?"
I told her that I got her favorite one. To which she replied,
"But I want the oneth one."
"The what one?"
"The ONETH one."
"Oh, you mean the FIRST one."
"Yeah, the first one." (while holding up one finger) "Make sure you got that one."
I absolutely LOVE talking to kids. The English language is so complex to teach. But hey, she's getting the idea!
-A
Friday, June 12, 2009
BBQ Rules
This was sent to me in an e-mail from a friend. I found it so truthful and funny, I had to share it with all of you.
B B Q RULES
We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity, as it's the only type of cooking a 'real' man will do, probably because there is an element of danger involved.
When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:
Routine...
(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.
Here comes the important part:
(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.
More routine.....
(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.
Important again:
(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.
More routine....
(8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.
And most important of all:
(10) Everyone PRAISES and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off.' And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....
B B Q RULES
We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity, as it's the only type of cooking a 'real' man will do, probably because there is an element of danger involved.
When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:
Routine...
(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.
Here comes the important part:
(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.
More routine.....
(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.
Important again:
(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.
More routine....
(8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.
And most important of all:
(10) Everyone PRAISES and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.
(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed 'her night off.' And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....
Thursday, May 28, 2009
I've Misplaced Something Important...Myself (It's Important to Read the Labels)
Just when I thought I was getting my life under control, we go and have another baby. Now I’m back to the balancing act of managing my mommy guilt but yet still finding time in the average 24 hour day for myself. I think prior to R2 coming into my life I had finally gotten R1 to the stage of being independent enough that the “pre-mommy me” had started to peek through all the labels I had applied to myself in the last 4 years. Labels, yes, I know, I said labels. I’ve sat here trying to figure out what word I’d use if I had one word to describe myself. (my brain hurts now, by the way…) Words like: Mom, Wife, Female are all pretty obvious. Then we get into the other words that define me such as Friend, Caregiver, Sister, Neighbor, Co-Worker. Those too, are pretty obvious. I could go with Christian, Believer, Faithful, but yet those still don’t encompass who I am entirely. Optimist isn’t present very often anymore, although Determined and Strong stick around even when I don’t think they will. Hopeful tends to be present more often than I expect. Manic, Frantic, Crazy, all visit at least a few times a week - especially in the mornings while trying to get out the door on time. Spontaneous doesn’t really apply often, unless you count actually going into BK instead of hitting the drive through. I’m not sure that there even is just one-word that would define a person. I just know that the “Mother of an Infant” label that I’ve re-acquired for myself is draining my energy and ability to perform up to par on the other labels I’ve tried to live up to, or even the labels I’d like to live up to. The label of “Wife” seems to be lacking in performance as of late. The Wife label is on vacation with Friend and Employee I think. Somehow I have to figure out what beach they are on and try to get them back. (However at this point, I’m not sure if I were them, I’d want to come back right now, until the Mom label gets R2 settled into a schedule and can actually cook dinner for a family once again.) Maybe I’ve lost myself in the middle of the growing pile of fast food take out containers that seem to be piling up on my kitchen counter. In the midst of all these words and labels, I seem to have lost myself. It makes me think of the commercial line that says “Help! I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up.” Only my commercial tag line is “Help! I’ve lost myself and I don’t know where to look.” (Secretly I think if I could only acquire the label of “Lottery Winner” so I could be a “Stay At Home Mom”, the old me that I’ve been looking for and missing would magically appear.)
-A
-A
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
D Day. Finally!
Well, we elected to induce labor the earliest my Dr. would agree to it. Which was at 39 weeks. March 11th. At 7am J and I checked into the hospital as two, and on March 13th, we went home as 3. The short and quick timeline goes a little like this:
7am check in
10am broke water
1pm epidural
5:29pm delivery
If you want thegory details keep reading.
We checked into the hospital at 7am. the nurse started me on saline and pictocin IV drip right away, as well as hooked me up to monitors to record the heartbeat of the baby and length and time of my contractions. I was still dilated to 3cm when we started, so we elected to walk until the contractions started to get stronger and more frequent. We walked and walked and walked, and still no progress with dilating. Dr. B came in to check me around 10am, and broke my water then. (Supposedly that's supposed to speed things along as well.) It was at that point that J and I knew there was no turning back. Once your water has broken, you have 24 hours to get the baby out or risk infection for mom and baby. So after I ahemmm...."drained" the equipped me with jumbo maxi pad SUPER absorbency and the lovely hospital issue mesh underwear and sent J and I back out to walk some more. The idea behind all the walking is to put more pressure on the back side of my cervix in hopes that this pressure would help the cervix to soften and dilate faster. This walking did help me out a little, as I progressed to 4 - 5cm when we returned to the room. However at that point, the contractions were no longer comfortable (when are they ever?) and I just wanted to sit down to rest for a bit. After the nurse got back from her lunch break I elected to proceed with getting the epidural, which means you are now bed bound for the remainder of labor. But ahhhh the relief. It's quite fun to watch the monitor show you that you're having a contraction and not have any pain or discomfort along with it. Ahhh the wonders of modern medicine. The next few hours of labor were kind of boring. So nothing really to report. Aside from them checking to see how far I'd progressed, not much was really happening. Around 4:30 the Dr. called to see how I was doing. I think she was looking to decide if she was going home after she was done at the clinic or heading over to the hospital. The nurse checked me again and I was at 7cm. My nurse was a very smart woman. Since I had a good epidural where I was still able to move my legs, but not feel the pain she had me get on all fours on the bed so I could be more in a squatting position. This would allow the baby's head to put more pressure on my cervix, and in theory help me to dilate faster. Well, it worked because 20 minutes later I was at 9.5cm and almost ready to push. Once they called the Dr. in I was at 10cm. They had me turn back over onto my back and got the bed ready for delivery.
One thing they asked me this time that they didn't ask me when I delivered R, was if I wanted to watch too. They had a mirror on a stand that they could tilt so I could see what all was happening "down there". It was like my own episode of 'Special Delivery' on the Discovery Channel. When they told me to push with the next contraction, I could see the baby's head. Very freaky, but very cool as well. Then with push #2, we had a torso, and push #3 at 5:29 pm, resulted in our baby boy! They put him up on my chest right away and J was able to cut the cord. He was beautiful. There's something very magic in that moment when you get to meet your baby for the first time.
After that they took him to check his stats, weigh and measure, etc. He weighed in at 8lbs 8oz. Was 21" long, had all 10 fingers and 10 toes, and was crying as expected.
I don't post full names on this blog, but RDK is now the newest member of our family. We have started referring to him as R2. Jer is calling him Deuce. So as you read future posts, he will be referred to as one of those, or possibly just "the boy".
All of us are well, adjusting to our new addition, and we'll try really hard to post more frequently. For now, here's a photo of the little guy ready to com home from the hospital.
7am check in
10am broke water
1pm epidural
5:29pm delivery
If you want the
We checked into the hospital at 7am. the nurse started me on saline and pictocin IV drip right away, as well as hooked me up to monitors to record the heartbeat of the baby and length and time of my contractions. I was still dilated to 3cm when we started, so we elected to walk until the contractions started to get stronger and more frequent. We walked and walked and walked, and still no progress with dilating. Dr. B came in to check me around 10am, and broke my water then. (Supposedly that's supposed to speed things along as well.) It was at that point that J and I knew there was no turning back. Once your water has broken, you have 24 hours to get the baby out or risk infection for mom and baby. So after I ahemmm...."drained" the equipped me with jumbo maxi pad SUPER absorbency and the lovely hospital issue mesh underwear and sent J and I back out to walk some more. The idea behind all the walking is to put more pressure on the back side of my cervix in hopes that this pressure would help the cervix to soften and dilate faster. This walking did help me out a little, as I progressed to 4 - 5cm when we returned to the room. However at that point, the contractions were no longer comfortable (when are they ever?) and I just wanted to sit down to rest for a bit. After the nurse got back from her lunch break I elected to proceed with getting the epidural, which means you are now bed bound for the remainder of labor. But ahhhh the relief. It's quite fun to watch the monitor show you that you're having a contraction and not have any pain or discomfort along with it. Ahhh the wonders of modern medicine. The next few hours of labor were kind of boring. So nothing really to report. Aside from them checking to see how far I'd progressed, not much was really happening. Around 4:30 the Dr. called to see how I was doing. I think she was looking to decide if she was going home after she was done at the clinic or heading over to the hospital. The nurse checked me again and I was at 7cm. My nurse was a very smart woman. Since I had a good epidural where I was still able to move my legs, but not feel the pain she had me get on all fours on the bed so I could be more in a squatting position. This would allow the baby's head to put more pressure on my cervix, and in theory help me to dilate faster. Well, it worked because 20 minutes later I was at 9.5cm and almost ready to push. Once they called the Dr. in I was at 10cm. They had me turn back over onto my back and got the bed ready for delivery.
One thing they asked me this time that they didn't ask me when I delivered R, was if I wanted to watch too. They had a mirror on a stand that they could tilt so I could see what all was happening "down there". It was like my own episode of 'Special Delivery' on the Discovery Channel. When they told me to push with the next contraction, I could see the baby's head. Very freaky, but very cool as well. Then with push #2, we had a torso, and push #3 at 5:29 pm, resulted in our baby boy! They put him up on my chest right away and J was able to cut the cord. He was beautiful. There's something very magic in that moment when you get to meet your baby for the first time.
After that they took him to check his stats, weigh and measure, etc. He weighed in at 8lbs 8oz. Was 21" long, had all 10 fingers and 10 toes, and was crying as expected.
I don't post full names on this blog, but RDK is now the newest member of our family. We have started referring to him as R2. Jer is calling him Deuce. So as you read future posts, he will be referred to as one of those, or possibly just "the boy".
All of us are well, adjusting to our new addition, and we'll try really hard to post more frequently. For now, here's a photo of the little guy ready to com home from the hospital.
Welcome to our family little guy! We're glad to finally bring you home.
-AK
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
"Any Day Now" x 2.......Really?
“Any day now.” Yes, that was the remark from my Dr. again this week. I guess the words “Any day now” could mean 1 day or 15 days. No telling. Guess this little guy will come when he’s ready.
Now for the technical details: Still at 3cm dilated. Still 50% effaced. No progress over last week. Both the Dr. and J & I were thinking that will all the contractions I’ve been having off and on for the last few days would have meant that we’ve made more physical progress. Apparently not. Dr. did say that the baby’s head was lower in my pelvis than it was last week. (Something I could tell already due to the extra pressure I’ve been feeling in that general vicinity. I walk like you do when you try to walk with a ball between your thighs and not drop it. Sound awkward? It is.)
Dr. said that she would be happy to induce me once I hit week 39 which would be on March 11th. Since I was induced with R, I’d really like to experience going into labor naturally, but I am feeling very ready to have this baby…so we’ll have to weigh all the options once we’re at the 11th and still have no baby.
I’ve been trying a lot of different things that are supposed to help “jump start” labor. Proven and unproven. In the last few days, I’ve:
Eaten 2lbs of fresh pineapple
Tried massage and acupressure on pressure points to cause contractions
Eaten food with lots of hot sauce
Taken Evening Primrose
Walking – a lot more than I had been
What got baby in, is supposed to get baby out (think about it and it’ll make sense)
Warm baths, warm showers
So I suppose if you know of something else I can try, I’d be willing to give it a shot. Leave me a comment and I’ll let you know if it works or not.
Until we hear something different, I guess this is where we stand on updates.
-A
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