HighMaintenanceBaby

Conversations with HMB

2011-12-18T11:40:00.001-08:00

It's been three months since a post, sounds about right for me! I do have a good excuse since Brother of HMB was born on October 25!

On to some long awaited Conversations with HMB:
Jake: Cody what game do you want to play on the iPad?
Me: He wants to play the "drink the booby milk" game.
Jake: I don't think I have that app.

At the zoo -
Random Mom to her kid: Is that a chimp?
Kid: No, it's a monkey.
Jake (butting in): NO, it's an orangutan!!
(It was, indeed, an orangutan).

Chris: Have a good day Jake, I have to go to work and bring home the bacon.
Jake: No, we have bacon at Grandma's!

And last but not least, while checking out his little brother while I was feeding him -
Jake: Look at his little feet! Look at his little hands! Look at his little nose! Look at your big booby!

Crocs, boats, and Beibers

2011-09-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

Conversations with Jake:
On the way to the store while in PA, we pass a river.
Me: A river!! What's in the river? (nothing is actually in the river).
Jake: a crocodile! And a boat!

Later in the day we are at a department store that happens to have a life sized cut out of Justin Beiber.
Me: A giant Beiber!
Jake (excitedly): A giant beaver!

Conversations with HMB

2011-09-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

HMB is no longer a baby. He is 2 and a half, moving swiftly from toddler to little boy. He is not just LIKE a real person, he actually IS a real person. It's crazy and hilarious and awesome! My husband, Chris, has been posting some "Conversations with Jake (aka HMB)" on FaceBook and we thought it might be a good idea to start to chronicle some of his funnier moments on a blog.

As my due date with HMB's brother fast approaches, I know my spare time will be even more limited. But a "Conversations with Jake" blog seems more manageable. When he says something funny, I write it down and post! Easy as PIE! I figure I will likely throw in some anecdotes and pictures occasionally. Let's see how this goes....

To start it off:
(Jake sitting on kitchen counter): "Mommy, can I wash dishes?" Me: "Sure". Jake: "Mommy can I have the SpongeBob?" Me: "The WHAT?" Jake points to the sponge: "The SpongeBob!"

I am a FRAUD!

2011-06-07T19:12:00.000-07:00

So now, after HOW long without a post, I am just supposed to pick up where I left off? Really? What do I even blog about now? Damn good question! If I knew the answer to that, I would probably blog more!

The fact is, we all know I am a terrible blogger. This blog really had NO direction, basically the ramblings of a mom with a slightly high maintenance baby, now a 2 year old, who had (has) sleep issues and mommy issues but is pretty amazing all the same.

What I will do is leave with some recent funny quotes from HMB:
Grandma Mary: Mommy will be right back.
HMB: But I need her, I really NEED her.

After giving HMB (aka picky eater) a bowl of macaroni and cheese -
HMB: Mac and cheese, I LOVE IT! Thank you!

Boy in Airport pointing to HMB: A baby!
HMB running up to said boy: I am NOT a baby, I am a big boy!

Me: What do you want to name your little brother?
HMB: Tyler! (Where the hell did he get this??)

OK, I realize that written down, the quotes are not nearly as funny as HEARING HMB say them. But since I cannot possily record all the different things he says, this will just have to do for now.

That's a post, as good as it's gets with this blog, I'm afraid. Oh, and for any of my lovely "readers" who do not know, I am, indeed, having another little boy, due at the end of October. But he most likely will NOT be named Tyler, sorry HMB!

"Sibling" Rivalry

2011-02-11T06:06:00.000-08:00

No, this is not a post where I tell you all that HMB will be a big brother! He already IS a pseudo big brother to our little friend Lily. I have been watching Lily, who is just over 6 months old, every Thursday while her mom does some training. And it has definitely been a learning experience for us all!

HMB loves Lily, from the way he says her name to the way he runs to the door when he knows she is coming over. But...he is quite jealous of her, too. I am certainly not surprised since it's been me and HMB for the past two years. He goes from doting older "brother" to bully in two seconds flat! Every toy Lily plays with is ripped out of her hands (unless I quickly intervene), even when said toy IS actually Lily's toy. I even put HMB in his first ever time out for throwing Lily's giraffe at her (it missed Lily, thankfully, and even if it had hit her, it's very soft).

This experience has prepared me for when an actual sibling for HMB does arrive, how to prepare HMB for it, as well as the need to read up on sibling interactions and how to help us all! The times when HMB loves on Lily make it all worth it, he says "Gentle" and pats her foot or arm. And he puckers up for smooches when she has to leave.

One last thing to mention - HMB does not call Lily his sister, instead she is his girlfriend! Of course she is, HMB has a couple of those already! Although I am convinced HMB will be the sensitive, caring best friend and his crushes will go for the bad boys, running back to HMB with their broken hearts...Nice that I have already made my son's future love life into an after school special!

Party at 11pm?

2011-02-01T19:20:00.000-08:00

A sleep post, surprising! Actually, since HMB got his very own queen sized bed, he has been sleeping better. He still wakes up at night, at least once a night. Sometimes he wants milk, and how can I deny his little cries of "Milk, mommy, milk, mommy", as well as a "Tank too, Mommy" when the milk is delivered??

But last night, a strange thing happened. HMB went to bed after reading books and singing songs, at about 8pm. Of course, as soon as I snuggle in and try to fall asleep at about 11:30pm, HMB cries out and I go in and check on him. "Hi Mommy" he says and pokes my face. He does not fall back asleep. After an hour of laying with him, trying to get him back to sleep, we get up. It's like it's the middle of the afternoon, HMB is playing with toys, wants to read all his books, watch Diego.

Please, please go to sleep! I am TIRED! It's 2am! We finally head back into his room and he FINALLY falls asleep, thank you! Which leads into a very cute thing about HMB - he tosses and turns in his new, big bed and usually ends up belly down with his arms under the pillow (and his head on it). It's pretty damn adorable. In fact, my husband just checked on him, told me all of this and exclaimed "He's like a little person!" Yes, yes he is!

He's Two!

2011-01-27T13:58:00.000-08:00

Wow, I cannot believe it was just about two years ago that some MONUMENTAL things happened! On January 20th, 2009, the first African-American President of the United States was inaguarated about 5 miles away from my home. DC was a crazy place to be, and a VERY cold place to be. I was sitting, waiting, with a GIANT belly, in the comfort of my warm home, watching it all on television.

Since I was due on January 13th and it was now the 20th, it was a running joke in my family that my baby refused to be born until Obama was offically president. A joke, but I tend to agree! It wasn't until the 22nd that HMB came into the world (after over two hours of pushing, in case you have forgotten from previous birth story post). So technically, he was an HMB even BEFORE he was born!

And now he is two. When you get older, not that much changes in two years. Our faces might have a few new wrinkles, our hair might be longer (or shorter, or darker, or lighter) and some of us might have lost 35 pounds (ok, it was because I actually had a baby, but still!). But for HMB, he two years means a hell of a lot! First, he has gone from 7 pounds 6 ounces to about 27 pounds (official weigh in at the doc's next week). He used to just cry, poop, sometimes sleep, and EAT. Now, he still eats and poops, and sleeps a lot better. But he also says words, and sentences! He knows his full name, and mine and my husband's first names! He can work the DVD player and count to 12 (or so). It's just crazy!

HMB had a very nice birthday, spent at the aquarium with me, my husband, and my husband's mom and his dad, as well as his dad's girlfriend. Then we had dinner, and back at home, CAKE! HMB got an awesome easel from our friends for his birthday, as well as a lot of magnetic of letter, numbers, and animals. Perfect for putting on the fridge, and taking them off the fridge. ANd of course a stuffed Diego, Dora, and Boots from Grandma of HMB.

So here's to another year of the HMB, we love you!

A New Year, A Better Blog?

2011-01-05T14:31:00.000-08:00

Probably not! I really can't make any promises that I will keep this blog up better in 2011 than I did in 2010 (at least the end of 2010). But at least I am here now, right?

Can I do a Year in Review for 2010...maybe. Can I do an update of HMB...definitely. Perhaps both? OK, here goes.

YEAR IN REVIEW 2010:
January - Mom of HMB breaks her wrist playing a vicious game of flag football (but we made it to the Final Four, woo hoo). Had EXTREMELY high blood pressure and heart rate at ER, they told me to check it out. HMB turned 1 on January 22nd! He ate cake and ice cream and got some excellent toys. HMB weighs in at about 22 pounds at his 12 month visit. At this point, HMB was sleeping in bed with us.

February - Mom of HMB found out about crazy HYPERthyroid issues. BOO! Went into hospital for two days, had to stop breastfeeding for two weeks due to radiation. Dad of HMB got him to sleep in his crib! HMB and mom went to CO for two weeks to rest and relax. HMB, who already says mama and dada, says his first realy word - BALL! He also says dog soon after.

When we got back, HMB was once again on the boob. And not sleeping through the night...and not sleeping in his crib. HMB and mom were sleeping on a futon couch together for most of the night. Wow. HMB gets pneumonia and continues to have trouble breathing - asthma! Sadly, best friend of HMB moves to London!

March - Mom of HMB doing better on medication. But she and HMB are still sleeping on the futon couch, sometimes HMB sleeps in his crib for a couple hours.

April - Pretty much the same thing as March.

May - Mom of HMB decides to run a half marathon on Mother's Day...very, very slowly. She also decides to have her unfortunate thyroid removed on May 26th. HMB does well with dad and Grandma. Once again, he sleeps better with mom not in the house, surprise, surprise. HMB gives up the boob for awhile but mom of HMB gives in and he generally nurses at night and before napping.

June - Mom of HMB is healing well and getting her strength back, happily she is able to run again, yay! Dad of HMB has a birthday :) HMB continues to say more and more words. He is OBSESSED with Elmo, which he pronounces Melmo. He loves him. He also loves eating beans and broccoli with dip, and cheese. He also loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Handy Manny. But HMB is not a huge eater. He still prefers the boob, sigh.

July - HMB is talking up a storm, and running everywhere. He plays with other kids at the gym daycare, he is making friends! The "teacher" says he seems to understand what they are saying a lot better than some other kids. Woo hoo! My kid is smart! Unfortunately, he is too smart because he has mom of HMB still sleeping next to him at night and still giving him the boob.

August - HMB gets sick and we go to the doctor. We realize we missed his 18 month appointment so on top of being sick, he gets some shots. He weighs in at about 25 pounds now. He is still not the best eater but at least he is enjoying food that is good for him!

September - HMB is so verbal and expressive. He is getting into Dora and Diego, which is both cute and annoying. Nothing like waking up in the middle of the night with the Diego theme song stuck in your head! Grandma of HMB and uncle of HMB come to visit. HMB LOVES his uncle and spends lots of time listening to his iPod with him. Every morning, HMB came into the family room where his uncle was sleeping and said "Hi". We put the air mattress on the futon for Grandma of HMB. HMB and I sometimes sleep with her and sometimes with dad of HMB.

October - We keep the air mattress on the futon and HMB and I continue to sleep there most of the night. In fact, despite crazy development in all other areas, HMB seems to have regressed with his sleeping, WHAT? (In mom of HMB news: Finally able to run, pace and mileage getting better and FINALLY losing weight put on during thyroid issues. Also learned medication was too low so increasing synthroid has helped). At the end of the month, HMB and mom travel to CA to see Grandpa of HMB on mom's side, as well as Great-aunts, uncles, and cousins. And the Giants win the WORLD SERIES, woo hoo!!

November - Mom of HMB has a birthday :) HMB family travels to PA for Thanksgiving and had a great time. Grandpa of HMB and his fiance had gone to Disney World and HMB got some exciting presents - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse figures, cars, a t-shirt, Phineas and Ferb figures, etc. HMB and mom are still sleeping on air mattress/futon but we decide to take down the crib because it's honestly a waste of space!

December - HMB and mom travel to CO to see another uncle of HMB graduate from college. We have an awesome time!! We come home on Christmas Eve and have a nice, quiet Christmas at home. Grandma of HMB on dad's side comes after Christmas and watches HMB on New Year's Eve - thanks Grandma! We get a new KING SIZE bed and give HMB our queen. Yes, our almost 2 year old has a queen size bed. For Christmas, I give myself the present of my boobs. Yep, I FINALLY stop, once and for all, night time nursing. And in the past couple weeks, HMB has slept through the night twice - twice more than the past 6 months. Wow!

OK, so I think I made up for the lack of posts for the past year in this one post. I wish all my lovely readers (if I have any left) a very Happy New Year!!!

Yikes!

2010-10-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

Over a month since my last post, I am a really bad blogger. Wait, I am not even really a blogger at all, I have a blog...and sometimes I remember to write in it.

I would say I will try and be better but I don't know if that's possible?! There are a few reasons why blogging has been hard - first, HMB loves the computer and when I have it out, he wants to "use" it. And by "use" I mean watch the trailer for Finding Nemo (we have the actual movie) or an episode of Dora the Explorer.

Since I work from home, I don't have a time or place I can blog except when HMB is napping or asleep for the night. When he is napping or asleep for the night (more on sleep later), I have a lot of other things I want and need to do, like WORK! So blogging is not high on my list of priorities right now. In fact, I haven't even been good about READING some of my favorite blogs lately. But I am happy that work is keeping me busy, my business partner and I are about to publish our first book - a career development workbook (we are taking pre-orders, reserve your copy NOW!!) and we have been doing a lot of press, which is cool (The Hill Newspaper and Washington Post Express). It's exciting!

So all that being said, HMB is still an HMB in regards to sleep. He does not sleep through the night, usually he wakes up around 2:30am and 5:30am then sleeps until about 8am. IF he decides to nap, he doesn't go to sleep until about 9:30pm. If he doesn't nap, he passes out by about 8pm. But his bedtime doesn't seem to affect when he wakes up, it's so odd! HMBs sleep has always been odd and honestly, I never did anything about it except for reinforce bad habits so I only have myself to blame at this point (21 months later...).

In all other ways, HMB is not really an HMB at all! He is a funny, chatty, curious babe who likes Dora and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and reading Green Eggs and Ham (he calls it "Sam") and Go, Dog, Go. His favorite phrases are "There it is" and "I do it". He is also a very good helper and cleans table after he is done eating, and sometimes the floor, the couch and the tv.

It's so amazing how much they learn at this age, it's something new every day! HMB loves animals and has a complete farm set (ok, he has a couple). He also has a true to life size gecko named Moy and a mini rubbery dinosaur named Joe. Joe and Moy come everywhere with us. If we leave the house, Joe and Moy always seem to come with us. Also, if HMB sees the Geico gecko on tv, he yells "MOY!" We have names some of this other animals, but Joe and Moy are special and HMB truly loves them. In fact, they got a bath with him tonight and he took great pains to wash them with his soap and to make sure they "closed eyes" when he washed the soap off their heads.

As for me, life without the thyroid (almost 5 months) is going all right, even though it's taking time to get my meds right. Running regularly has seriously helped me both mentally and physically and I am grateful to be able to do it as often as I do! FYI I am still wheat and meat free (6 months).

Anyway, since this is a blog about HMB, I will end by saying that he is currently obsessed with whipped cream and if we see it in the store, he wants to buy it and if we have it in the fridge, he wants to eat it. Since I am a permissive parent, I generally give in (whipped cream is really just milk with a tiny but of sugar) and HMB has had whipped cream for breakfast, with or without pancakes! Since HMB also still loves his beans, broccoli and spinach, I'm thinking it's OK that he eats the occasional bowl of whip cream!

Pictures of the visit

2010-09-11T10:39:00.001-07:00

Grandma's Visit

2010-09-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

My mom and 17 year old brother came out to DC for a visit last week. It was so nice having them here, not just to visit with but wow, SIX hands and one baby is so much easier!!

My mom was actually supposed to come out for my surgery back in May but she wasn't able to make it out. She rescheduled her trip for the end of August but then wasn't able to come out because my brother got caught with a fake ID. Yep, he did. Having a fake ID is not a good idea WHEN YOU ARE 17, but if you DO have one - a word of the wise to my brother: don't get caught!

So after talking to his teachers and his probation officer (!), my mom decided to have my brother come along! I was upset she wasn't able to come when she originally planned but happy to have my brother come out. He really is a great kid and I am SO happy it happened that way. HMB LOVED him! My brother was sleeping on the couch (my mom got the spare room) and every morning, HMB would shuffle out to the family room and say "Hi" to my brother to wake him up.

My brother was so great with HMB, he was patient and helpful and it was so sweet to see them together. My brother is really into working out and often walked around our place with no shirt (at least we don't have to worry much about his self-esteem) and HMB decided he, too, would wear no shirt. So they hung out together, listening to my brother's iPod, eating goldfish crackers, watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. It was hilarious!

I was a little nervious that HMB would be shy around my mom and brother since it's been 5-6 months since we've seen them. But HMB was chatty with them right away, calling for MaMa (Grandma) and reaching for her "rock" necklaces (HMB is obsessed with rocks). My mom even brought me a camera for my computer so we can Skype, something I have been meaning to get myself since my good friend and HMB's possible future wife moved to London! Skype is amazing and I am happy that HMB will be able to "see" and talk to our loved ones who don't live close by.

Overall, we had a wonderful visit with my mom and brother. We didn't do anything exciting, just hung out and talked, watched some college football, ate some good food, and enjoyed each other's company. We were sad when they left but hoping to get out to CO in early November and again over the holidays. Kids change so fast so lots of visits are IMPORTANT!! Besides, it's nice for us to have that extra help :)

Some updates

2010-08-19T12:19:00.000-07:00

To my few readers, I am so sorry that I haven't posted in a LONG time! I guess as blog readers and writers well know, sometimes life gets in the way and it seems like the summer has been a hard time to be consistent with posting! A few other things that have lead to less posting: my computer charger "died" and I just got it replaced, lots of softball games to be played, and sadly that's really it! We haven't even gone on vacation! I figured I could take this blog to do some updates, both on my recovery and HMB's sleep and overall development.

My revovery: So far, so good! It will be three months on August 26th since I had my thyroid removed and I am finally on a good dose of synthroid. I take 75 mcg Mon-Sat and a half a tab on Sun. Kind of random but that's how it works. I take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach and wait at least 30 minutes before eating breakfast.

Overall, I feel so much better! Compared to a year ago, it is night and day! I will say that when I was on the anti-thyroid meds, I didn't have any symptoms at all. For some reason, even though I no longer HAVE a thyroid, I seem to have a couple symptoms still - some stomach issues, crazy hair loss, and a very strong pulse (not fast, just strong). The doc doesn't seem too worried but even though my levels are normal, she decreased the synthroid that last little but to see if those symptoms disappear.

I plan on seeing a gastroenterologist in the near future to assess my stomach issues and make sure there isn't something else I should be doing. But as I said, I am so much better than I was before - more energy (running every day, woo hoo), no high blood pressure (110/70 at the doc), no tremors, etc. Sadly, I have lost none of the weight I gained when I started taking the medication back in Feb, but I am taking that one day at a time and continue to tell myself that my health is more important. Also, since I lost up to 50% of my muscle mass, I am working on getting that back and as we all know - muscle weighs more than fat :)

HMB and Sleep: The kid is almost 19 months old, he still cannot sleep through the night! He takes great naps, he tosses and turns and gets himself back to sleep, but at night, there seems to be a block! We went through a rough period when both top and bottom molars were coming in when HMB wouldn't even go down in the crib at night. He seems to be feeling better and now will go down in the crib and sleep anywhere from 2-4 hours. Then he wakes up and without that damn handcuff, I sleep walk and get him and lay with him on the couch until about 6am. That's all I have to say about that...

HMB and Growing: At his 18 month visit, HMB weighed in at 23 lbs, 1oz and was 34 in tall. Head size still big at 80th percentile, even though he is about 35th percentile for both height and weight. I was not a big baby/toddler so I am not too worried that he's a little below average. The kid does like to eat - including spinach and broccoli, and any kind of bean!

HMB and Talking: HMB is a talking fool. He will repeat any word you say, most recently "Dude" when I said it last night. He has a bunch of words he uses regularly, too many to count now, which is pretty cool.

HMB is also into mimicking and has started to cross his arms over his chest, as well as squat down low and look at you like his dad does to him. It's pretty hilarious! HMB is a very social kid and loves to be surrounded by attentive, attractive women. He will give hugs and smooches, but prefers high fives and fist bumps. He is also obsessed with "cheersing" with his milk and whatever you are drinking. Also hilarious!

I guess that's about it! Hopefully, you are still checking this blog and didn't give up on me! I will try to be better about it for the rest of the month!!

The "Question"

2010-08-01T05:54:00.000-07:00

We got pregnant with HMB about a year after we got married. I guess to most people this seems like an acceptable amount of time to wait, or even too soon. I'm not sure but I don't remember getting many "When are you having a baby?" questions at all. But now...woa! I guess once you pop one out, people are very interested in knowing when there will be another one coming. I have fielded this question from friends, family members, and perfect strangers in the past few months.

Now, I am generally one to give out too much information (TMI) even when not prompted or asked. And the inquiries don't really bother me too much. It's just a matter of explaining the reasons, then realizing that I don't have to really justify anything to anyone (good friends excluded because sometimes they just want to know).

Chris (my husband, just in case there is anyone left who doesn't know his name) was talking to a couple of women from our softball team the other day. In their defense, I do think the question was more along the lines of ARE you guys having another baby as opposed to WHEN are you having another one. When he relayed this story to me, he couldn't quite remember the exact words but it was something along the lines of: Well, due to breastfeeding for almost a year and a half and having a hyperthyroid, Susanne hasn't gotten her girly thing back yet...but she's taking some medication to get it back and then...(he stops talking here). Then an awkward pause. Hey, they asked and he answered!

OK, I give Chris props for talking cycles with two women, and I could care less who knows all that information (as a previously mentioned TMI'er). But this is why it's sometimes better to just stay away from that question. Sometimes the answer is long and involved, sometimes people don't want anymore kids. I have thought about the answer to this question a lot after being asked it so many times over the past few months. My answer to people I don't know (at all or very well) is: It's none of your damn business! No, not really! I just say that we would like to have another baby but not right now. Again, due to my TMI nature, if you are a friend or I know you even relatively well, watch out because you WILL get the full story!!

The fact of the matter is, we would like to have at least one more child, a little brother or sister for HMB who will hopefully have the same disposition but sleep better (please please let our next one sleep better). First, I need to get myself healthy and the last year has been a little rough on me. Creating a new life is pretty damn exhausting and I feel like I need to be on the top of my game, not two months out of recovering from a disease that hit me like a ton of bricks.

All that said, I honestly don't care if I am asked that question, I just don't always know how to answer it! Everyone will just have to wait and see!

The Meeting of the Toddlers

2010-07-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we had a meeting of the toddlers - HMB met a girl he has heard about (and met once) as well as seen videos of, for about a year now. The girl is my friend Melissa's niece from NYC. For this post, I will call her Brooklyn Niece or BN. She is nine months older than HMB and has more personality than most actresses!

After a softball double-header (of course), me, Chris, HMB, and my mother in law headed over to Melissa's house to hang out and have dinner. But really, Melissa and I were there to see HMB and BN interact! Since we all know HMB has his own personality, we were interested to see how they did together. HMB doesn't go to day care and we haven't been able to go to our playgroup for awhile, so the only kids he interacts with on a regular basis are the kids in the gym kids center (which is about an hour and a half, pretty much Mon-Fri).

When we arrived, BN had just gone down for a nap after an afternoon spent at the waterfront in DC. HMB had not had a nap at all so we finally got him down...and waited for them to wake up and let the fun begin. Despite BN going down for her nap first, HMB was the first the awaken after only an hour of napping. He was in an OK mood, not really that great but I've seen worse! Brooklyn Niece woke up, her parents went into the room (where she was SO NICELY sleeping in a PacNPlay). She told them she "needed a minute". AWESOME! So she stayed in the PacNPlay until she said "I ready" and they came in and got her.

The first few minutes of HMB and Brookyn Niece was precarious, to say the least. BN sat in an arm chair with every possible toy and stuffed animal (including HMB's favorite, the stuffed Cartman doll from South Park). She was playing hard to get! I sat with HMB on my lap at the kitchen table and he started to fling the place mat off the table onto the floor. Brooklyn Niece laughed. He did it again, she laughed again. Brooklyn Niece said "You're so funny, HMB" and the ice was broken!

The rest of the evening was spent with HMB staring at Brooklyn Niece in awe as she serenaded us with a lovely rendition of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star at dinner, and mimicked my husband when he talked to HMB. A good time was had by all!

After reflecting on the evening and talking to Melissa about it, nine months is a big difference, as far as verbal development goes. Brooklyn Niece was singing full songs, HMB can say a lot of words but just started to string two together (No more). But they had a great time together, mostly involving HMB gazing in wonder at Brooklyn Niece's energy and spunk! And HMB attempting to show off a bit with some of his own stunts - he had to win the lady over somehow!

Hopefully we will spend more time with Brooklyn Niece in the future!

Pictures from NYC Trip

2010-07-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

HMB Takes Manhattan

2010-07-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

HMB and I headed up to NYC this past weekend to visit a couple friends from college. The trip was a definite success, beginning with an early departure on Saturday morning (we had a wedding Friday night). HMB slept for the first two hours, we stopped for the breakfast of champions - coffee (for me) and a chocolate milkshake (for HMB). We made it to the city in about 4 hours and had the whole day to enjoy!

We headed to a park near my friend's apartment and HMB had a great time playing in the water (and trying to drink it off the ground) and just running around. At one point, he attempted to play basketball with the grown-ups.

HMB proceeded to nap for 3 and a half hours, until 6:30pm! I normally would never let this happen but I figured HMB would be able to hang late night after that nap. We headed downtown (my friends lives way uptown on the West side) for some Tasti D Lite and fun. HMB loved his yogurt treat, of course, who doesn't love TDL?

I have to admit we didn't do any sight seeing or anything else that most people would find too exciting. We did some "shopping" at Duane Reade, CVS, and Walgreens. And by shopping, I mean we chased HMB around the stores in search of random items. HMB was the luckiest of us all, he got an Elmo (aka Baby Crack) doll and book. We stopped in to visit with my friend's brother in law and adorable nephew. OK, look at the time, it's 10:30pm and we are all a little crabby - HMB because he needs a new diaper and he is tired, and us because we haven't eaten dinner yet. A quick stop at the grocery store and we were on our way back uptown.

Sunday was nice and relaxing, even though HMB woke up early despite his late bedtime. We took him to breakfast at the place we always go to and he packed away a spinach and mozzarella omelet, toast, and some potatoes! After hanging out for a bit, we headed up to a cocktail party (ok, it was more of a gathering of a few people but it involved cocktails). HMB did very well even though the party was held at an apartment that was not baby proofed whatsoever. I think I spent much of my time moving items like candsticks, electronics, and glasses off the table. BUT, HMB was great, he placed with my friend's nephew, ate some cheese and grapes, and charmed the guests.

After saying our goodbyes, we started our journey back home. HMB again did well, napped for awhile, ate some M&Ms (it's true people, chocolate is a good travelling treat) and got home. OK, we actually went straight to the gym so I could run off some of the cocktails and Tasti D Lite we ate over the weekend. Although, let me point out that we did not eat out at all except for our breakfast and we all had egg white omelets with veggies (and cheese). BUT, champagne was brought out to toast my friend, CLC, who just finished nursing school and starts her job next Monday.

All in all, I think we enjoyed our weekend. It was nice to catch up with dear friends, and just get out of DC for awhile (DC, you know I love you). HMB had so much fun and loved being the center of attention (as well as playing with all the fun stuff my friend had, including her computer and wine glasses). He was a good babe, though, and I see many trips to NYC (and other places) in our future!

HMB and the City

2010-07-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

HMB and I are taking another road trip, this time to NYC! I am a little nervous about HMB and the car ride, since Chris is not coming with us so there will be no one to sit in the back and keep HMB entertained!

We are heading up to visit two good friends of mine from college, one of whom LIVES in the city and another who is driving down from Massachusetts (or I think she actually lives in RI). Anyway, after college, they both moved to NYC and we have had many, many good times in that crazy city.

As we exchanged e-mails discussing the trip, I started to think about how different it would be with a toddler. We weren't exactly clubbing it up back in the day, but our visits usually involved margaritas, wine, 3am subway rides, and an assortment of random encounters with strange people. I can imagine this visit will be a little different...but GOOD different! I e-mailed my friend and said, "I think it might be weird because I have a BABY!". And she said we are all different now and it might be weird but it will still be fun. And of course she is right!

I read another blog post recently of a friend from high school and she talked about how good friends can live far away from you and you might not talk to them very often, but when you DO see them or talk to them, it's like no time passed at all! I am fortunate that although some of my friends live far away (MA/RI, NYC, CA, and now the UK) I feel this way about them all! I can pick up the phone, send an e-mail, or pick them up from the airport and we can pick up where we left off!

I am also very lucky to have good friends who DO live close by, thank goodness! That doesn't mean I can't try and convince the ones who live far away to all move here! Maybe not in the 100 degree humidity that is the DC summer...Ha, ha!

Anyway, I hope to have fun and exciting stories to post after the weekend all about HMB and the City, to include some good food and probably some margaritas and wine even WITH an HMB!

Obsessed

2010-07-07T06:50:00.000-07:00

HMB is obsessed with the refrigerator! We will be playing in the family room and he will casually walk into the kitchen and point, point, point to the fridge! Sometimes I do open it for him. He looks around, takes out a yogurt (even if he JUST had one) and usually plants himself on the little shelf at the bottom.

If I am in the kitchen cooking dinner, HMB will venture in and wait until the moment I open the fridge to get something out and pounce! He likes to re-arrange the salad dressing, taking them from the door to the little ledge mentioned above that he sometimes sits on. Occasionally, HMB will attempt to climb up the shelves in search of milk and other fun items.

I try hard not to let him play in the fridge, knowing how much energy he is wasting by having that door wide open! Secret confession time: when he is playing in the fridge, I am free to make dinner (for 5 minutes) without having to hold HMB, or give him a cracker, or keep him from pulling my shorts/pants down (a new favorite, only at home thank goodness). So I do sometimes relish those 5 minutes and let the door stay open...

Since HMB also has a "transfer Goldfish crackers and veggie chips from one Tupperware container to another" obsession, I can usually distract him away from the fridge. But anytime he is in the kitchen with me and I have to get something out of the fridge, I am very aware of little hands flying out in order to stop the door from closing so he can have his salad dressing party!

Sick and Sleep

2010-07-01T18:41:00.001-07:00

The title of this post is exactly what I feel like I post about! My poor HMB went from the stomach bug/flu to a bad cold. Monday and Tuesday, HMB seemed like he was on the road to recovery, he was eating well, drinking his milk, and overall being a happy HMB. Wednesday morning was all right but I noticed the runny nose. OK, could be the teething, since that damn molar still hasn't popped out yet (I suppose it's waiting for the other 3-5 to make an appearance!?). Then the cough started. It's all very familiar since HMB has this very same chest cold just about every 4 months.

With the cough comes even more sleep issues than usual. HMB had been going down in his crib with little trouble (minus the days of the stomach issues). But with a cough, forget about it. I know how I feel when I cough so much that my throat hurts and my eyes water, I can't imagine how tough it is for a toddler who doesn't really understand what's going on!

I called the doctor just in case, since HMB has a history of pneumonia and may or may not have asthma. Of course the nebulizer we bought when he did have pneumonia isn't working! I finally called the manufacturer about it and they were very nice. They suggested a couple things then told me I could bring it back to where I bought it and figure out if I needed it fixed or exchanged. I brought it today and it seemed to be faulty tubing. I also realized I have been putting the medication in the wrong way this whole time and I think I busted the filter! Ah, this poor kid just needs a breathing treatment! Hopefully tomorrow I will get it all figured out. They also suggested warm apple juice (HMB refuses, he doesn't like juice, go figure) and nasal spray.

Anyway, hopefully it will pass soon. I will say that HMB took THREE naps today! We woke up at 6am, he napped in the stroller while I jogged at 9:30am, another nap at 12pm and one more (very short) nap at 3pm! The kid MUST not be feeling well for him to nap three times in a day!! Here's also hoping that I have a more upbeat post in the near future!

Road Trip

2010-06-29T18:43:00.000-07:00

Before I start this post, I was inspired by a friend who blogs and has stopped referring to her husband as "my husband" and calls him MM. I also find writing my husband ever time to be long and unnecessary, especially when his name is shorter than the word husband! Since I post pictures and my name is on this blog, I will call him by his first name from now on (Chris). Besides the fact that pretty much all the readers know his name anyway.

OK, now that that's out of way :) Let's discuss the road trip we all took this past weekend. We decided to go to an alumni picnic up in Pittsburgh so Chris could see some of his old college friends and show off his cute HMB (and me?). We planned on making it just a one night trip, leaving Saturday morning and coming back early Sunday morning. Friday morning, HMB was sitting on the couch, before his nap, but after playing at the gym daycare, and puked all over. He had chugged some milk earlier that morning so needless to say, the puke was pretty gross. We changed clothes and HMB had a quick bath before he napped.

Do I freak out yet? This was his first bad vomiting session but it was all milk so it definitely could have been that the milk didn't agree with him, right? Also, the day before we had been running errands and HMB had been in and out of potentially germ-infested shopping carts and at least one public bathroom. So maybe he had a little bug? After the nap, HMB seemed to be completely fine. I stuck him in the jogging stroller and we walked over to a Happy Hour with my former co-workers. He happily played, ate a waffle fry dipped in ketchup and caressed the waitresses leg when she came over to clear some glasses from our table.

Fast forward to Friday night, another puking session. HMB didn't get a bath this time, I was so tired I tossed all of our clothes into the tub, toweled us both off, and back to sleep we went. HMB woke up happy as could be. Do we still go to Pittsburgh? HMB is so happy and he would have so much fun playing, and he seems to be all right except for the puking? Chris and I decided that he was OK and we could still go.

About an hour or so into the trip, HMB throws up again, in the car this time. Fortunately, by some miracle, he mostly puked to his right side, so clean up (with all the wipes I had with me) wasn't too bad. We stripped him down and put a new outfit on him and he was running around the parking lot in no time. We called my mom, and Chris' mom, for some guidance on what to do. Chris' mom decided that he didn't have the flu since he wasn't feverish or even really crabby. Do we go on to the picnic or turn around? Again, we decided that HMB would have a lot of fun playing at the picnic and he was fine otherwise, full of energy, strangely enough. So we stayed our course.

We made it to the picnic without any more vomiting and HMB was actually great on the car ride. He took an hour nap and woke up with a smile. As we thought, HMB was in heaven at the picnic. He played in the water with the big kids (prompting another outfit change), ran around the jungle gym/playground and overall had a great time. Chris and I had decided to drive home that same night (about 4 hours) for a couple of reasons - one being we were supposed to stay with a friend who has a 5 month old baby and we did not want to get him sick! We also thought HMB would be better in his own bed in case something did happen, even though puke did not make an appearance at the picnic, thank goodness!

As we said out good-byes and headed over to the car, we noticed something peculiar about the left rear tire. It was flat. I must quickly tell you all about my tire karma. It's bad. I must have done something to tires in a past life because they don't like me. I once had every single tire go flat in one car, all within about a month. When I turned in my last car (the lease was up), I drove Chris' Jeep Wrangler. He had the Jeep for 6 years with no flats. I had the car a month and had a flat (those suckers are HARD to change). I drove Chris' beloved Volvo C70 to my first mom's night out after HMB was born. As soon as I pulled into this amazing parallel space in DC, I heard the sssssss sound. Really? Tire karma is getting me on mom's night??

Anyway, needless to say I have had a lot of experience changing flat tires. I once changed a flat in front of a client when I was doing home-based therapy, in SE DC. It was actually very good for our therapeutic relationship after she saw I was sort of a tire changing bad ass. And although I had not had to change the tire on this car (Ford Escape SUV), I had a bunch of big, strong men to help me out (and the directions on how to do it).

We got the tire changed but realized it was way to late to get it fixed anywhere. The friends we were supposed to stay with told us it was fine to stay with them, especially since HMB hadn't had an incident all day. So we stopped at a SuperWalmart for some food and headed to their place. HMB was asleep as soon as he hit the bed and seemed to be doing all right. At about 1am, I woke up to see HMB writhing around on the bed next to me (Chris was sleeping downstairs on the couch). I was hoping and praying this was not a precursor to some puking. My hopes and prayers were not answered and HMB puked all over the comforter. He didn't seem to be any calmer and I was worried there was more left to come out. I wrapped him in a towel and took him downstairs to get help from Chris. While standing on the hardwood floor, HMB let it all out. Then he was fine, laughing and playing with his dad while I did some major cleaning. HMB and I also took a bath and went back to sleep.

Sadly, this was not the end of the vomiting for the night. However, this time I was prepared!! I had a towel with me and as HMB woke up whimpering at about 4am, I held him and armed myself with the towel. ALL the puke went into the towel! HMB went right back to sleep, I rinsed out the towel, and we all slept until 7:30am.

After some strong coffee and lots of apologizing (our friends were completely fine with everything), we headed to a Pep Boys and got our car flat fixed (there was some metal in the tire). HMB was in a good mood, even eating some crackers and fruit for breakfast. The car ride home was uneventful except for some traffic that made us late for our softball game. And NO PUKING! Let me mention here that we were out of clean outfits for HMB and down to one clean pair of pajamas. Thank goodness for that SuperWalmart, I bought HMB a new pair of shorts and shirt. Even though I couldn't wash them before he wore them, I decided this was better than him going around naked or in long sleeved (but very cute) pajamas in 90 degree weather.

The past couple nights have been rough, I don't know if at night, HMB still isn't feeling well? But he has been an eating machine the past two days so I know he HMB is definitely feeling a lot better overall. We survived our rough weekend and even though I know there will be more, it's nice to get that first one out of the way!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2010-06-24T10:13:00.001-07:00

I will start with the good! HMB is a talking fool, he loves to chat away, whether we understand him or not. His most recent trick - he will pick up our cell phones and say "H'lo?" Not hi or hello, but H'lo and it's freaking adorable! His vocabulary is expanding, which is amazing, funny, and scary at the same time! What happened to my BABY?? Ball, dog, more, no, yeah, bath, night night and nap, milk, bite (as in, give me a bite of your food), and airplane are all at the top of his favorite word list. He also says book but really accentuates the K in a way that makes him sound like he is Russian. I have no idea if this explanation makes sense written down, though? HMB will say other words as well, pretty much repeat after us, but the above words are ones he will say without prompting and uses on a regular basis.

The bad: I think HMB is getting a molar. I feel like it's been trying to pop through for a long time, too long maybe! It makes for a very cranky and drooly toddler at times. His disposition overall is still pretty good, but worse during the "witching" hour and right before his nap. I am hoping this damn tooth pops out soon. Oh wait, then it will be time for another one to come in!!

And the ugly: We seem to have regressed significantly in regards to sleep. A week and a half ago, when we returned from the beach, HMB slept in his bed all night. He has not had a night like that since. Most nights he still sleeps in his bed for a few hours, but it's gotten earlier and earlier that he wakes up and less and less likely that he ends up back in his crib.

So there it is. I am really hoping the bad and the ugly get a little better soon. But at least we have the good to focus on in the meantime!

Milk Boycott of 2010

2010-06-21T10:01:00.001-07:00

For the first 8 months of his life, HMB was a chubster! He weighed in at about 19 lbs at his 6 month check-up! He slowed down considerably since then and hovers around the 23 pound mark now, losing a few ounces back in February when he was sick, then gaining it back after awhile.

Since introducing solid foods, I would not say that HMB was a great eater. He definitely preferred breastfeeding to anything else. Slowly, he started to eat more and now he will routinely put away: 2 baby yogurts, half a piece of toast with peanut butter, broccoli with dip, and some goldfish in a sitting. In addition to the food, I still give HMB milk at least twice, usually 3-4 times per day. Since he didn't start taking a bottle until he was 13 months old, I was still giving him his milk in bottle in the morning and evening.

Since HMB never took a bottle, we didn't have too many bottles and nipples on hand. When he had the occasional bottle, we used the generic nipples we got for free from the hospital and those seems to work just fine. As many of you know, with babies comes losing things. I was down to two nipples until one day HMB decided to chuck his bottle on the hardwood floor and the nipple cracked, spilling milk everywhere. Down to one...until that one also cracked (I think I actually dropped that last one).

At first, I tried to give HMB some Born Free bottles that I had and that didn't work out so well. I then bought some more generic type of nipples (and bottles) and those didn't do the trick either. Wait a minute, HMB is almost one and a half, can't he stop drinking from a bottle? YES, yes he can! So I bought a few more sippy cups and went for it. HMB is now not interested in drinking milk from the cups either!

So do we have a milk boycott on our hands? HMB might be getting what he needs from his food so he doesn't need the milk, but I would think that first thing in the morning he would be hungry enough to drink some milk? HMB also used to get a little bit of Pediasure in his milk (the doc suggested this after he lost weight being sick) and we stopped doing that a few weeks ago. So maybe straight milk isn't sweet enough for him? I really don't want to have to top his milk off wiht Pediasure to get him to drink it!

All I know is, HMB is certainly not starving and he will eat when he wants to eat, he will eat A LOT when he wants to eat A LOT! And he seems to be getting bigger! We'll see!

Beach Highlights

2010-06-15T19:43:00.000-07:00

My husband's dad and his girlfriend rented a beach house in Virginia Beach for the week. We are about 3 hours away (no traffic) so we ventured down on Friday night after our softball game to take HMB to his first swim in the Atlantic Ocean. We had already been in the Pacific Ocean during our trip to CA last August. It's true, the Atlantic in Virginia in June was warmer than the Pacific in Half Moon Bay in August!

Anyway, I though I would offer some highlights of the trip:
-HMB passed out about 20 minutes into the drive and slept until we had about 20 minutes left. It was wonderful (except when he decided that he was awake when we got there and proceeded to play for an hour or so - at 1am). It was actually pretty cute!

-HMB LOVES sand. He loves playing in the sand and being very sandy. He loves eating sand and doesn't mind having it all over his chubby little body.

-HMB LOVES the ocean! He kept on going back for more, wanting to go further into the water. He loves the waves crashing down on him, as long as he was aware when they would crash into his face!

-Running near the beach in 95 degree heat is a little tough. But I knew were were having fajitas that night so I persevered!

-We did bring the Pack n Play but were too tired the first night to set it up. So HMB slept with me in one of the two single beds in our room. He tossed and turned before falling asleep and I DO think he actually likes his space...but he also likes to know I am there! More on the sleep thing in a minute!

-My husband's sort of step-sister actually lives in VA Beach and she came over with her little boys 13 and 21 months old. HMB ran up to the 13 month old, gave him a giant hug and while attempting to smooch him, they both fell over. HMB thought it was hilarious, but the other little boy did not and he cried. We need to teach HMB how to be a little less exuberant with his hugging and smooching.

-It was my husband's birthday on Sunday so we had a cake. Both he and HMB enjoyed it very much! I did taste the icing and it was delicious!

-The ride home was not fun, we sat with all the other beach traffic and HMB napped for about an hour. He was good, though, and played with toys and ate some licorice (yeah, I know). We made it home and HMB had a great night sleep (9pm-5am) in his crib!

Side note on sleep: After the 9pm-5am, HMB lasted only until 3am last night. I got him and rocked him for a bit but I made the mistake of sitting down on the couch, next thing I know it's 6:30am and my husband is leaving for work. Damn, I meant to put him right back in his crib! Why do you even pick him up, you might ask? Well, we have learned that the longer he cries, the more agitated he gets and the less likely he will get himself back to sleep in a reasonable time. And we can't fall back asleep until he does (living in 800 sq feet will do that). But if we either pat his back or pick him up for a minute and get him calm, he will usually go back to the crib (not always, of course). Needless to say, we are still dealing with an HMB as far as sleep goes but we are working on it!

Beach Picture

2010-06-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

More to come on the trip but wanted to post a couple of pictures!

A Week in the Life...

2010-06-10T19:44:00.000-07:00

It's true, I am not a very good blogger! It's been almost a week since the last post! And the reason why I love so many blogs is because of frequent posts (and good content, of course). Although we have had a busy week, which I would love to talk more about :)

Mondays are always a little hectic since I provide supervision to a group of counselors, which means wake up, go to gym, hurry home for HMB's nap, respond to e-mails, eat, shower and get ready during that time, head to supervision, and, if necessary, do any errands afterward. It's definitely no harder than any other day a working mom has and for this, I praise mom's who work full-time!

This Tuesday we had to take my husband's car to get fixed. Instead of us both trekking out to the dealership in the suburbs, my husband promised me it would be an hour job and HMB and I could wait for the car. I dropped the car off at 8am, all bright eyed and chipper. After the drop-off, HMB and I walked to the drug store, perused the aisles, and bought some Father's Day cards. Then headed to Starbucks and had coffee and a gluten free snack. All the while I had my phone on LOUD ring just in case the dealership called. After HMB had climbed on every chair and table and eaten goldfish off the floor, we headed back.

Once back at the dealership we waited in their waiting area (which is, to their credit, a pretty nice area complete with a coffee machine and two lounge areas). And we waited...and waited. After THREE hours, I went down to check it out. Soon, I was promised. OK, HMB had been doing really well up to this point. I had come prepared with goldfish, fruit, and milk but that's about it. We were both a little hungry and he was getting to the point where he needed a nap so badly he was spinning like a top! I made sure they had my cell number again and HMB and I trekked out to a grocery store nearby.

And lo and behold, when we returned, FOUR hours after we dropped off the car, it was ready. But....yep, there is a but....they couldn't fix it all because "someone" had spilled something in the window and the whole system had shorted. Of course they didn't have the part so I had to come back again on Thursday. The man looked me in the eyes and said, "It will take 25 minutes, and you heard this from me". OK, I can handle that. HMB napped on the way home and I was able to get a reservation at the gym for the afternoon.

Wednesday was Wednesday and I ran a lot of errands in order to get our condo ready to be placed on the market and seen by the general public. This also included attempting to buy a bathing suit (or really those boy shorts and something to cover up my belly). I did not succeed whatsoever with the suit but did get some skirts and a dress on sale.

Thursday, up early and heading to the dealership with HMB still in his jammies rubbing his eyes. We get thre before 8am but they open at 7am so no problem right? Well, the woman tells me it will be about an hour. Wait a second, I was told 25 minutes! Yeah, she says, but our technicians are just getting in and some aren't here yet. Ah, ok, no biggie. HMB and I head to our regular route, hitting up the drug store then Starbucks. We go back and wait and make friends with a nice woman who told me to start investing in HMB's college now because he will definitely be an engineed. I didn't have the heart to tell her that HMB was actually planning on going to college on a scholarship and become an NFL long snapper.

After an hour and a half I am getting crabby and so is HMB. He was doing really well, especially after I got the M&Ms! He particularly likes the yellow ones, probably because he can say yellow. I go down and check and I am told that it will be soon. I wanted to shout "You looked me in the eye and told me 25 minutes!!" But of course I did not. Oh wait, no, just kidding, we are having more issues and now the back windows will not go down.

Now, I am all about putting things in perspective and this is so not the worse thing ever. BUT, I also have commitments today that I would like to keep and this affects other people. I tell him this and he offers a loaner car. I accept, even though getting the car seat out is slightly painstaking, I don't even care. A technician is able to get the car seat out and just as we are bringing it to other car, he comes out "It's fixed". SWEET! So we put the car seat back in, I get the key, and we are all happy!

Lesson learned people, always just drop the damn car off and go back and pick it up! Through it all, HMB was pretty awesome, I must say. He was making friends and chatting with everyone he saw. He also tried to stick his head through the railing and climbed on top of the newspaper rack, but he's just curious! He also took the satellite card out of the tv, fell over on the little chair about 10 times, pressed the button for water about 10 times, sang loudly every time we walked by someone on the phone, and overll had a great time!! And I love that about him!

Some updates

2010-06-04T12:35:00.000-07:00

I just thought I would give you all some updates, especially since it's been awhile since I posted anything - sorry! First, my recovery is going very well. I have seen both my endocrinologist and surgeon and everything seems to be healing nicely. I started my synthroid and I am HOPING that it all goes well with the dosage.

The surgeon was very nice and gave me the go ahead to strength train as I see fit. Since my throat does feel a little tight, I see fit to wait another day! I have been running (slowly, as usual) and even played softball last night and felt pretty good. I did find out that my thyroid was very enlarged and very obviously had been hyper. So I guess it's a good thing it was removed?!

On to my next update: HMB and sleeping. I haven't wanted to post about this, just thinking about posting it makes me nervous that I will junx it and we will be back to square one. BUT...HMB has been sleepig in his crib all night! Not always THROUGH the night, as he has been waking up once at about 2:30am, but he goes back into his crib after a little rocking and sleeps until about 6:30am. A couple of things I think are helping: we FINALLY have a routine and no more BF at night (or during the day).

Really, why didn't we, COULDN'T we have a bedtime routine until now? I'm not sure why, but we do now and it's very helpful. HMB gets a bath, gets into his jammies, he has his milk, we brush teeth, read a book and to sleep he goes! Even with softball, we came home (late), he still went into the bathtub to start off the routine. The no BF has helped because when he does wake up at night, HMB doesn't NEED to BF to get back to sleep!

It has been a week, so not that long, but maybe long enough for HMB to get into his routine (I hope). I wanted to wait a week to post, because of superstitous reason, which I hoep is just ridiculous, but I will let you all know :) Props to HMB, we KNEW you could do it!!

Life Without A Thyroid

2010-05-28T03:59:00.000-07:00

Ladies (and a couple gentleman), I am very happy to report that things went very smoothly with the removal of my thyroid and I am recovering pretty well so far!

I was knocked out by a nurse anesthetist at about 7:20am on Wednesday morning and woke up in the recovery room in fairly good spirits. In fact, when the nurse asked me if I needed anything in recovery, I said "Why yes, I would love a cup of coffee". Lo and behold, a Seattle's Best cup of delicious coffee was placed before me! What? I don't know if that is even allowed 30 minutes post-op but it happened and it was SO GOOD!

Soon after I was brought up to my room and was feeling pretty good, all things considered! I ate some jello and the most delicious popsicle ever a little later in the day. I was able to eat a "regular" dinner and received roast beef, carrots, and rice. Of course I ate the rice and carrots but since I am still eating vegetarian, I decided the roast beef was not for me! I think even if I was eating meat, I probably would not have eaten it, it was a little scary.

Thank GOODNESS, my husband brought me a giant McDs milkshake at about 6pm and that got me through the rest of the night. I love how most of this thyroid post is about food!

Anyway, I was up and able to walk around the unit pretty much all day and evening and felt pretty good. I was given just one percocet right after surgery and opted for ibuprofen the rest of the time. I watched the season finale of American Idol (and thought Janet Jackson was the best part of the TWO HOUR(!) show). I was hoping to pass out early but wasn't able to fall asleep until about 11:30pm and was woken up at 1:15am for ibuprofen then again at 4am for vitals and bloodwork and couldn't get back to sleep until 5:30am (up again for the day at 7am).

The doc finally came to check me out at about 9am and he actually glanced at me sitting up in bed reading a magazine and walked past me to peer into the other bed. He came back, with a confused look on his face. Uh, hi, you just performed surgery on me? He apologized and said I was looking so perky and in good spirits he didn't realize it was me. I am taking that as a compliment! He answered some questions, talked to me about how I might be feeling over the next week and sent me on my way, YAY!

As for how HMB held up while I was gone - he actually slept in his crib from 1am until 4:30am! But wait for it people, last night, when I was home, HE SLEPT IN HIS CRIB FROM 10pm until 6am!!!!! Yes, you read that correctly! I'm hoping it's not a fluke but of course it probably is...Maybe he just knows his mom needs her rest!

Anyway, the worst part of the surgery has been this sore throat. It was pretty rough that first day and has gotten a lot better. It feels like I was lifting weights with my neck with a tight necklace on. And I am definitely more tired than usual, which could be due to the anesthesia. But overall, I think my experience was pretty positive, as far as surgery goes. I will be hyperthyroid for the next week because when they remove the thyroid, the squeeze all the extra hormones out and they go into the bloodstream. But I will start on meds and even all out (hopefully).

I am definitely starting off slowly but was able to take a walk with HMB in the stroller today and hope to be playing LOW IMPACT/NO CONTACT sports next week as well as more walking. I certainly DO NOT want to hurt myself so I am all about taking it slowly (no, really I AM)!

OK, this has been a long and semi-convoluted post that was really just supposed to be about my little surgery story. I am pretty bad at telling a normal story straight through, as you might have noticed! I hope that everything works out for me without my thyroid and I am sure I will have more to share (about the thyroid and HMB, too, I promise). Thanks for reading :)

Thoughts Before Surgery

2010-05-25T19:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the big day for me! I head to the hospital at 6am to get my thyroid removed. It was a tough decision, one we debated for a long time, even after the date was set. But I am tired of riding the Graves' roller coaster so I am going to get off! And hope that I get myself HEALTHY soon.

This is my first surgery, I have preparing myself for awhile. I did all the appropriate pre-op stuff - bloodwork, chest x-ray, EKG. I am packed up, clothes, magazines, etc (even though I will likely be too groggy to read much). I cannot eat after midnight and I am contemplating eating until 11:59pm (OK not really but I did think about it). I have stocked up on soft, gluten/meat free foods (yogurt, applesauce, bananas, rice). And I did have spinach and corn enchiladas for dinner, YUM!

My mother-in-law is coming since my mom wasn't able to make it out from CO. Of course I am worried about HMB and his night away from me! Oh wait, really I am just worried about MY night away from HMB! People, I have only ever been away from HMB when I was in the hospital! I really need to think of other way to get a break!

I thought about making a list of things HMB might need but realized that my husband is capable and I would only be gone for one night and completely accessible in person and by phone! Wish me luck, mostly on managing being away from the family...and with the surgery :)

Should I be concerned?

2010-05-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

HMB seems to be making both developmental and physical milestones at the appropriate times. He walked just before his 1st birthday, he started saying words soon after, he goes through growth spurts and moved to cow's milk at a year as well. But there is one thing...he hasn't gotten a new tooth in about 5 months! He got his bottom two on schedule, soon after came the top two, then the top side. And that's where it stopped. He has 6 teeth and he will be 16 months tomorrow. So I ask, should I be concerned? So far what I have heard and read all lead me to believe that NO, I should not be concerned. But people, we are talking about my baby! Sometimes no matter what you hear, you still worry!

There is one good thing about not getting any teeth - no painful teething! I have been hearing horror stories about kids HMB's age getting their molars (molars?!? I would take the bottom side teeth at this point). So I am happy that nothing ELSE interupts his sleep right now.

A sick babe update: I got a call from the pediatrician last night at 6:45pm (the actual pediatrician, not just her office!!). She said that HMB's allergy tests came back negative, which is great, although he could still have asthma. We are still on the nebulizer about once per day and he still is not a fan.

I also found out that HMB's thyroid levels are all normal. No, we didn't have this done to see if he also has a thyroid condition. We did it because, at the previously mentioned 16 months old, HMB is still nursing about 2 times per day (usually before naptime and bedtime). I know, I know! But I am starting iodine drops from now until my thyroid surgery and I CANNOT BF while taking those. So, once again, HMB will be weaned and NOT like it one bit! He needs to be cut off at some point and I think we actually needed a reason to stop...

Cough, alleries, asthma, oh my!

2010-05-16T09:05:00.000-07:00

First, let me start off by saying I was a single mom this weekend. My husband went out of town on Thursday...to New Orleans...for a bachelor party! So on Thursday, I dropped him off at the airport and headed up to a friend's (and business partner) house for dinner. We had an early morning meeting so HMB and I stayed at her place and we all went to the meeting the next morning (with a high school art class who had done the art work for our book).

HMB had started coughing Thursday morning, I just figured it was allergies. He has had a runny nose and a little goop in his eyes for a couple weeks, but nothing else adn I chalked it up to allergies, just like me. But as his cough progressed, I could see it in his eyes that this was not allergies. So instead of spending the rest of the day working, I called the doctor and got an appointment around lunchtime.

After 30 minutes of waiting (not bad for an emergency appointment), we saw the doctor and found out a DOUBLE ear infection was the cause of the crabbiness, as well as a respiratory infection or some type. After looking through his chart, the docotor said HMB might have asthma or allergies.

While we were there, HMB had a breathing treatment and it was HORRIBLE! He cried the entire time, I had to hold him down while the nurse held the mask up to his face. But his oxygen went way up afterward so it worked. After all that crying and deciding that HMB was going to have ice cream for lunch, HMB had to have blood taken to check for allergies. I think the anticipation (for me) was worse than the actal blood draw. HMB survived and off we went to get his antibiotics, albuterol, and ICE CREAM!

After 24 hours on the antibiotics, HMB was definitely feeling better, we even made it out for a run and to my soccer game. He was in very good spirits and passed out at about 7:30pm last night and slept well, thank goodness!

Overall, it wasn't too bad and HMB is on the road to recovery. Although I am worried about the possible asthma. We will cross that bridge when we come to it!

Return of Witching Hour?

2010-05-10T18:05:00.000-07:00

As I recall, when HMB was about 2 months old, we had a witching hour (or hours, really). HMB would be great all day, napping well (in my arms of course, but at least he slept), eating very well, and overall being a good babe...until about 5 or 6pm and ALL HELL BROKE LOOSE!! HMB would be cranky and nothing would calm him down! I don't remember him screaming and crying, mostly just really cranky and not wanting anything to do with anything! I'm not even sure when it all stopped, but it did. Suddenly, he was happier, even in the evening!

A few months ago, HMB transitioned to one nap. He generally goes down at about 11:30am or 12pm and sleeps for 2-3 hours. It's so nice to finally have him on a more regular schedule since "scheduling" hasn't really been our strong suit! He knows when it's time for his nap (nah or nigh-nigh) and he sleeps really well! HMB wakes up refreshed and ready for me to take him to work, or possibly a trip to the park or maybe just more playing.

But lately, when 5pm rolls around, he gets CRABBY! He becomes even more of a tazmanian devil, only an angry one instead of a happy one! Every toy is out of it's place, all the books are out, socks come off, it's madness! Actually, it's not nearly as bad as when he was little, thank goodness! And he usually comes out of it after an hour or so, usually after some milk and dinner.

I think it has to do with the one nap thing - he is getting a little tired but not enough for bedtime. Then after he eats, he gets his second wind and plays again happily until it's time for bed. If I handled it once, I suppose I can handle it again! And HMB is so happy most other times, I will let him have his witching hour if he needs it!

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

Its my second Mother's Day, I'm not sure of the tradition I started - a half marathon? But lovely readers, I did finish! I refuse to reveal my pace, but I crossed the finish line and I was not last (and I did run the whole thing...slowly). At the end we received a flower (and a medal, which I gave to HMB because he loves medals).

Side note: Not sure how many of you enjoy participating in races, but generally after the race, there are tents and tables filled with bagels, water, cookies, bananas, oranges, trial sized power bars, etc. This race was slightly ghetto because at the end, there were three tables with Power*Ade, bagels, packaged pb and cheese crackers, and water. It's a fairly small race so I understand. I might also be a race snob? OR, I might just have finished so late they packed up all the good stuff and moved out, in preparation to re-open the street. Yep, that's probably it! Oh well!

After the race, we stopped at Whole Foods (it was packed with people buying M-Day flowers) and got some treats, although I realize that treats to me aren't necessarily treats to other people. My treats include: gluten free ginger snaps, tortilla chips, a Think Thin bar, kombucha (it's sort of a carbonated, cold tea drink), and French Vanilla Soy Creamer. Odd combination I guess, but all very tasty!

So I am enjoying my coffee with my delicious creamer, while HMB and my husband nap. I might even take a shower WITHOUT an HMB in the tub with me (which happens often because even if he doesn't need a bath, he always wants to climb into the tub when I am showering).

I will spend the rest of the day getting a massage and pedicure, then shopping and dinner with my husband at a gluten free restaurant. Ha, ha IN MY DREAMS!!! We have two softball games this afternoon then we will ALL be eating (a delicous salad) at the sports bar that sponsors our team! And that really is fine by me!

Happy Mother's Day to all you new moms, veteran moms, and moms of the future!!

Some of HMB's Favorite Things

2010-05-07T13:07:00.000-07:00

HMB is such a funny kid, although I'm betting a lot of kids are pretty funny! He is still very social. I have my blood drawn to check my thyroid levels every two weeks and he has made very good friends with the women who work at the doc's office. I don't even remember how it started out, but now when we go, the woman who draws my blood goes and gets a nurse and she comes in and holds HMB while I get my blood drawn. He smiles and plays coy for them and nods at appropriate times when they ask him questions like "You are so cute, aren't you?". Nod. Smile. It's pretty hilarious. And they assure me that they aren't like this with every kid who comes in the office (yes I am bragging).

HMB also loves waving to random people. In the parkoing garage at the gym yesterday, he waved at a harried looking woman walking past. She spotted him, smiled and said "You just made my day!" I was very proud of him!!

HMB is also getting really into books but he still has such a short attention span. He brings me a book, usually this bedtime book he calls night, night or the farm animal sounds. But by the time I get to the second page, he brings yet another book.

Some things he is obsessed with: finding a way to get into the coffee, playing with my husband's old phone that plays "Baby Got Back" and Soulja Boy, balloons, trying to pull down our standing lamp, eating beans of any type, and balloons (did I mention that already??). What he is NOT really obsessed with: eating vegetables (besides asparagus), sleeping through the night, and tv (thank goodness).

So that's a little of what is going on with HMB right now. 15 and a half months old, I have no idea what he weighs or how tall he is. I do know he still has a big head!

2010-05-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I have a cohesive post, but I need to get one up seeing that it has been a little while and I am TRYING to be consistent with this! SO, here goes with some random thoughts and happenings!

- HMB is saying words like crazy! He will repeat most easy words if you say it a couple times. Well, he TRIES to say the words. Some come out pretty well (bird=brr and tree=trr). Some not so well - we see airplanes every day and he points and says something that sounds nothing like airplane.

- HMB and sleep is still not going that well. Some nights he is great and sleeps in his crib for a few hours, some nights he doesn't even seem to want to do that. The good thing is, it's A LOT better than where we were a year, even 6 months ago so at least we have that going for us.

- I just scheduled my total thyroidectomy for May 26, ahhhh! But I think this is the best option for me right now. I am hoping that my mom will be able to come out for it, which would be nice! So many people have been so supportive and I am very grateful for my friends and family!

- I am supposed to run a half marathon this Sunday and I actually DO think it's the best way to spend a Mother's Day morning, no lie! However, I am not ready for a 13.1 mile run, maybe a 10 miler, definitely a 10k. So we'll see what happens...

Amazing Things!

2010-04-21T04:32:00.000-07:00

The miracle of life is obviously just that - a miracle! It's just amazing what happens from a group of cells (hello cellular BIO). And once a baby is born, it is just incredible the growth, both physically and developmentally, that incurs! HMB has been making strides with words lately. Every day he seems to pick up another word, so I thought I would share. And by "talk" I mean, HMB attempts to say a word and clearly knows what the word means. He started with ball, as we all know (in addition to mama and da). Then came dog, and I lose track of the sequence?! But we are now up to: bag, night night, nap, AND the most incredible ones - balloon and banana. Really? So he might not pronounciate like an English major but the kid is DEFINITELY saying balloon and banana. I might have to catch it on video and post it up here for the masses: my 9 readers :) Once a week, I meet up with my friend and biz partner to work. She SWEARS HMB has said some other words and that he can count to three. We are still working on the counting thing, he definitely repeats something after you say ONE, TWO, THREE. But so far it doesn't always sound like ONE, TWO, THREE. We did pretty clearly hear him say "Yeah" yesterday but I haven't heard it again so might have been a fluke...but who knows!?

I am allowed to brag once in a while, right? Especially since HMB's sleep is, and always has been, less than stellar. Physically, I think he is still a little string bean with some baby leg chub left over, but the kid doesn't stop moving long enough to eat! And he is a climber, on pretty much anything and everything, including rock walls at the park. Yes, it's true! I need to get him signed up for something so we can start training for whatever sport will make him wealthy enough to buy his parents a vacation home in Maui! Just kidding....

What's up with Mom of HMB?

2010-04-19T09:42:00.000-07:00

This will be another post about mom of HMB - I have some thyroid updates and thought I would share. I have been on a medication to control my hyperthyroidism aka Graves' disease, for over two months. I get labs done and go to the doctor every two weeks to see how my thyroid levels are as well and to check and make sure the medication is not damaging my liver or lowering my white blood cell count. The past two visits, I was informed that my thyroid levels are getting better, woo hoo!!! Sadly, my white blood cells are low and my liver isn't doing too well. I was told we would wait two weeks and check again. I went to the doctor last week and was told that although my WBC count has stabilized, my liver is still not doing well. So I am off the medication...and on another one....that could also cause liver damage and low WBC count.

At this point, it is important to note that I was on the original medication (PTU) because the doctor knows I would like to get pregnant sometime in the next few months. With the new medication, this is not the case. In fact, it could take a year to a year and a half to be stable and get pregnant on this new medication. WOW! OK, my health is the most important thing because if I'm not healthy, how can I take care of a baby (and HMB) or even BE pregnant? The doctor stressed another option, that will not only allow me to become pregnant within a few months, but be free from hyperthyroidism forever - a total thyroidectomy. Yep, take it all out! So I will meet with a surgeon in the next couple weeks to talk about what he/she thinks and possibly, possibly, schedule a surgery.

This is a big decision, one I will live with forever, as I take synthroid or another type of medication for the rest of my life, as I will NEVER have a thyroid again. Another issue at the doctor, which seems silly compared to the whole TT thing, is that I GAINED a pound!! I have been running 5 miles, 5 times per week PLUS a longer run on the weekends, AND been on a gluten free and meat free diet (and alcohol) and I gained weight?!? In the grand scheme of things, the weight gain and the thyroid are things I can handle. I have A LOT of things to be happy for and I don't want the masses (all 9 of my readers) to think I am not grateful! Because I most definitely am, HMB and all!

I actually wrote all of this the day I found out about the meds not working but didn't post it. I think I just needed to vent. OK, keep you all posted :)

"What do you do?" Addendum

2010-04-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention a few important things in the last post! First, I did a workshop for new moms a couple weeks ago on Work/Life Balance and Deciding Whether to go Back to Work. It was amazing to hear all the stories from these wonderful women! It was such a wide variety, too! Some moms were going back full-time to high powered jobs with law firms and government contractors, some were teachers, some were working from home, others has nannies and some were putting their child in daycare. Overall, it was a great forum for the moms to see that they are not alone with whatever they decide, that they have support out there! AS a counselor, I was so happy to see women supporting each other, reglardless of their own situations. GO MOMS!!!

What do you do?

2010-04-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

As I have said in a previous post, I read a lot of blogs. I read a lot of mom blogs. Some moms work outside of the home, some moms work in the home, some have many kids, some have one. Well, I definitely only have one child (so far) but when I am asked the question of whether or not I work, it's a little more complicated.

I do have a Master's in Counseling Psychology (you pretty much have to go to grad school to do anything in the counseling field) and I am also a Licensed Professional Counselor in the District of Columbia - so I can see private therapy clients and call myself a therapist, as well as bill insurance.

That's nice, but what does this all mean?? It means that I DO work, but not in a traditional 9-5 job. After HMB was born, I quit my crazy, on-call 24/7 job as a supervisor for a team of family counselors. In 2003, I started a business with a good friend and colleague called Washington Career Services (www.dccareerservices.com), and we provide workshops and trainings t universities and companies, as well as provide career counseling to individuals. So when I left my other job, I decided to dedicate myself to private clients and the business. I also provide supervision to a few (awesome) counselors at my old company so they can also get licensed, too.

So let's see, I am a career counselor, a clinical counselor, a supervisor, a trainer...and a mom. I guess that's about it. I usually work at least 2 days per week, NOT counting various workshops and evening clients. HMB comes with me to supervision and plays while we talk, he also comes with me to work with my business partner once a week. We call him our little intern.

I could say it was a tough decision as to whether or not to work full-time for an agency after HMB was born. But it really wasn't. The toughest part was leaving my co-workers and supervisor, who I love (and still get to see once a week). But it just made sense for me, both professionally and personally. I can now focus on building up my private client base and expanding the business, as well as be with HMB. Although being self-employed has it's challenges - no guaranteed paycheck every two weeks, no paid vacation, etc - it has been worth it.

Good Weekend With the Grandparents

2010-04-13T12:34:00.001-07:00

As I think I have said in previous posts, my husband's parents live about 4 hours away in PA. We make the trip a few times a year and it's not too bad. My husband's mom tries to come down at least once per month. She has helped us out a lot - painting, cleaning windows, and watching HMB when I need to work. This time, we went up to help her so some Spring cleaning, as well as celebrate my husband's dad's birthday on Sunday. We headed out on Friday and I was so happy because although HMB generally just takes one nap per day, he had had a very early nap that morning and was bound to take another nap in the afternoon. And he did, a short little nap on the way to meet my husband. Dang. So he was up the entire 4 hour trip! And when we got there and met up for dinner, he was running around the restaurant like a crazy man!!

Saturday, we took HMB over to his grandpa's house so they could watch him while we cleaned. Grandpa and Carol B. played and played with HMB, took him for a walk, fed him lunch, theywere worn out but HMB didn't seem to want to nap. Finally, I went and got him and he finally crashed...for three hours!

Sunday was the big party and we headed over for a barbecue. Although I am meat and gluten free right now, there was plenty for me to eat by way of vegetable, cheese, and fruit! After all the veggies and fruit, I figured I could treat myself to some ice cream! HMB had a great time showing off for all of his great-aunts and other family. They loved that he made a car sounds when he rolled the toy car around and actually knew how to use to play blood pressure cuff (hmm, maybe it's because he comes with me to the doctor every two weeks).

All in all, it was a great weekend, with HMB sleeping about an hour on the way home and doing all right the rest of the way. So maybe more four hour trips to PA will be in our future!

Some pictures

2010-04-13T12:26:00.000-07:00

Sleep and Other (Fun) Things

2010-04-07T10:45:00.000-07:00

Although our sleep issues continue, HMB has been MUCH better about going down in his crib...initially! And even if I get him, as I did last night after waking up in a frenzied terror thinking that he was falling out of the crib (he wasn't, of course), he will go back into his crib, usually without too much fuss and go back to sleep. Until he wakes up at 2:30am like he did last night. And I think my husband got him, but honestly I am not sure!? Do we really have to resort to handcuffing me to the bed so I am physically unable to go get him?

In other news, we love the warm weather! I have been taking HMB to the park in the afternoon at least three days a week and he LOVES it. Although we don't have a backyard (or front yard or side yard for that matter) we do have a plethora of parks within walking distance and many more within driving distance (in addition to the National Mall about 3 miles away)! HMB pretty much loves anything park-related - slides, sandboxes, toys (they have TOYS at the park and no one steals them!!!!), other kids, and of course, BALLS! We usually bring a ball to the park but HMB manages to find dirty tennis balls that he would rather play with. At two of our parks, there's a basketball court nearby and what HMB really loves to do is chase the big kids (or teenagers or adults) around and scream BAH, BAH, BAH! What I like to think he is really saying is: "I know you are bigger than me but give me the ball and no one will get hurt". I think we are in need of a basketball, among some other things I have on my list (gate for the kitchen so HMB stops opening the over door and climbing on it).

So despite our continued sleep issues, HMB is such a great 14 month old! He is so smiley and waves and blows kisses when he says good-bye! Oh, and I almost forgot! He says dog now! Well, he says DAH, whenever he sees a dog. We were slightly confused as to why he says dog, since we don't have a dog and although my mom does and my husband's dad does, he doesn't see them regularly. But what do we do regularly? Read Go, Dog, Go! And he loves it! So he learned dog from a book, damn kid, you are smart!

The Delicate Art of Blogging

2010-04-04T08:35:00.001-07:00

I am new to this, I am not keen on blog etiquette, but I try and make this blog interesting and informative! I was re-acquainted with a good friend from high school about 2 years ago and she sent me the link to her blog. I had certinly HEARD of blogs, but rarely read any and definitely did not have my very own. Mommy Esq (www.mommyesq.com) was suh a great way to catch up without having to spend hours on the phone, while trying to corral twins on Mommy Esq's part and an HMB on mine. So I follow what's going on with her and make comments and look at cute pictures of her kids. I found out her sisters have their own blogs and started to occasionall look at those as well. It has been so nice being aa part of their lives through the blog, seeing pics of the kids, and reading about work and life challenges. Then I started my own and try to be good about posting. When I went gluten free, another friend suggested a blog and from there, you could say I became obsessed. I just kept reading and clicking links to other blogs and reading more and more!! This all happens after both HMB and my husband are fast asleep. Suddenly, I realize hours have gone by, precious hours of sleep I could have gotten before HMB wakes up! I thought I would give a list of my recent favorites!

http://fedupwithschoollunch.blogspot.com/ This one is my fave right now, an anonymous teacher decides to do an experiment and eat a school lunch every day in 2010. So brave!

http://www.theslowcook.com/ A DC dad who writes this blog but also went into his daugher's DC public school kitchen to check out how they do things.

http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/ A GF mom and great cook!

http://www.elanaspantry.com/ She has AMAZING GF recipes, like lemon poppy seed bunny cookies today, uh YUM!

Then there are my friend's blogs and since I don't have many followers and you can't search for this blog, I don't think they will mind if I post them!

http://20lbstogo.blogspot.com/ A friend who is blogging about her quest to lose weight (she is prett hilarious).

http://mommyesq.com/ Previously mentioned blog written by a friend from high school and mom of two children with one on the way (did I mention she is also a lawyer!?).

http://staceysbloghasgotitgoinon.blogspot.com/ Blog by Mommyesq's sister, also a great blog about being a working mom (she has an adorable little girl about two months younger than HMB).

http://uncontrolledexperiment.blogspot.com/2010/03/who-am-i-kidding-theres-no-title-for.html Blog also by the sister of Mommyesq, also a working mom with two little ones.

OK, thats it for now, ENJOY!!

Gluten Free, is it the way to be?

2010-03-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

Since I started to not feel well, the idea of going gluten free has fluttered around in my head. I have talked with a good friend about it, she has gone GF to see if it helps her own (scarily similar) symptoms. Right before I found out about the Graves', I was about to go GF to see if it would help. Of course, once I found out about the Graves', I figured all my symptoms, including the stomach issues, were related to it. I am now a month and a half into the medication and many of my symptoms have subsided or at the very least gotten better, except my stomach. I have read, as well as talked about with the friend mentioned above, that thyroid issues and gluten issues often go hand in hand. Today was day one, and not as bad as you might think. There are a lot of GF options - rice, potatoes, corn, plus all the flours made from non-wheat sources. And although I would rather have a potato than a piece of bread (ok, maybe not a piece of delicious sourdough bread), I will miss not being able to have a sandwich, or a bowl of cheerios. Or cake. Or pizza. Not that I eat those things often but when you can't have something, you want it even MORE! I am thankful that I have a friend who is going through it all and has already helped me in so many ways. She and I will just have to get some soy flour and make our own GF cake!

It WILL get easier!

2010-03-28T10:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, so we have gotten to the point again where HMB goes down in his crib at bedtime without hysterics. I know, I know, sometimes he is passed out when I put him down, but he used to wake up no matter HOW passed out or tired he was. He even sleep for a good 3-4 hours before his first wake-up. And it's this wake-up when HMB realizes he is in bed, alone, in the dark...and cries! Last night, I was about to go to bed when he had said wake-up. But I didn't give in and you know what, I might have even drifted off before HMB went back to sleep. He woke up at least once, maybe twice, and each time I did not get him. My husband claims at one point he had to practically jump on me to keep me from getting up, but hey, whatever it takes, right?? We finally did get him at about 4:30am and you know what, I would TAKE sleeping from 7pm-4:30am if it meant sleeping in his crib the whole time! We can work on the last couple hours later!! Although this time, HMB did go back to sleep next to me until 7am. I'm hoping this is progress for us all and HMB will continue to get back to sleep on his own...and I will continue to resist the urge to scoop him up and get him back to sleep!

Lovebirds!

2010-03-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

The first pic was taken when they were about 7 months old, the latter was when they one year.

Lots of firsts!

2010-03-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

As much as I LOVE to focus on HMB's sleep challenges, I thought I would try something a little more positive! For one, HMB as gotten taller (sadly not chubbier) and he has been eating like a mad man (even with his picky tastes). He still likes baby food, which is fine, and drinks his milk up pretty well. But he would prefer to just eat goldfish and cheese, and really I don't blame him. And he said his first word, besides mama and da - BALL! He actually said it about a month ago when we were in Colorado. BA, BA, BA and he throws he ball. Balloons are balls, too, as HMB reminds me whenever we are in the grocery store. HMB also knows who he is, when I say, "Where's HMB?", he raises his hands over his head and laughs. He has learned his socks and shoes and can get them for you on demand (when he wants to). And one of the funniest things is that he copies animal sounds! We have an animal book and when I make the sound, he tries his hardest to imitate, it's hilarious!!! It's so amazing to see him learn so much and explore his world with wonder!

I am a liar

2010-03-25T11:16:00.000-07:00

It's true. When people ask how HMB is sleeping or if I am having a conversation about his sleep habits I generally lie. I might say "Oh, he always goes to sleep in his crib but he wakes up a couple times throughout the night." First, he doesn't always go to sleep in the crib. Some nights he wakes up and screams before we even go to bed. And I will get him and lay with him on the futon couch (a futon that is pulled up into a little bitty couch in his room) and we will sleep the rest of he night on the couch. OK, you caught me again, not really sleep the rest of the night, sleep for a little while until HMB wakes up again and again, until about 5am when I try and decide if we are up for the day or not. He was doing better...for a little while. When I was in the hospital and my husband was alone with HMB, he just him cry it out. And then when I got home, I still had the radioactive iodine in my system so I wasn't allowed to snuggle with HMB for long periods of time so we had to let him cry in the middle of the night. Things were going well. Then HMB and I headed to CO and although grandma of HMB had a pack n play, she had no mattress so for the first few days, HMB slept in the bed with me. But he was actually SLEEPING! It was so nice! Then he got sick and it was miserable for us all! I prefer to not even count those days!! When we got back, HMB was still pretty good for awhile. He was going to bed well, crying for a few minutes then passing out. I was in bed with my husband, READING before I was to sleep! WHAT!? But it's been a slow and steady downward spiral. First it was 5am, then 2am, then 1am, then 12am...and now he doesn't to be in the crib at all. I have tried to put him in about 5 times tonight. I have tried when he is already asleep, half asleep, awake, I tried to give him another bottle to make sure I wasn't starving him. I want to stay strong and tell myself "I DO NOT want to sleep on the futon couch tonight!" But his cries are hard to handle!! It's my fault, I spoil him and now we both have to deal with it, or else I may never get a good night sleep again!

This post about me

2010-03-22T13:39:00.001-07:00

Sorry grandmas, this post is about mommy of HMB, not really HMB! I have to get out some recent struggles and I might as well do it here, especially since I just read the blog of a high school. She is chronicallying her struggles trying to lose some weight. Jake was born on January 22, 2009. I signed up for a half marathon at the end of March, that didn't happen. I signed up another one May 10th and started training. I ran the half marathon, maintaining just under 10 minute mile and I felt tired at the end, but pretty damn good. And all the baby weight was gone (ok, I still had to fasten my pre-baby jeans with a rubber band but they fit).

Then it all started, first as really bad heartburn and difficulty swallowing. About a month later, my stomach issues started, as well as the high blood pressure. I wasn't running as much as I wanted to, mostly due to my mom visiting then vacationing in CA and eating LOTS of food! I did the army 10-miler and although I finished, my pace was almost TWO minutes slower than my run in May. So from August to October, I gained a few pounds. Fast forward 4 months and many symptoms later and I am finally given a diagnosis: Grave's disease, or a very hyperactive thyroid. I had been working out but not running nearly as much as I had in the past, when I would try to run, I would get tired so quickly and my breathing was labored. And I finally knew WHY! I had gained a few more pounds, even though people with HYPER thyroid usually lose weight despite being hungry and eating like a crazed teenager! But for me, even though my metabolism was racing, I wasn't running as much as I was used to and I was eating all the time. Then I start on the medication, while my symptoms got better, my belly grew! All in all, I was about 15 pounds heavier than I was before I got pregnant.

I can definitely put things into perspective and I am so happy that I know what is wrong with me and making the moves to get it taken care of. But that doesn't mean I have to like it! I dusted off the 30 Day Shred by Jillian Michaels and put it to the test. I might have gone a little two far, doing two of her workouts at once, come on - twice as much equals a 15 day shred, right? WRONG! It equals a crazy amount of lunges and busted knees! The knees healed after a few days and back to the shred I go, in addition to running, lifting, and other cardio. As my friends will tell you, I can get down with the best as far as working out, it's the eating that usually messes me up. And we're not talking about big macs and krispy kreme, either! I tend to overdose on triscuits and cottage cheese, cheerios, and natural peanut butter. But calories are calories, so I need to be careful! I am not aiming for pre-baby weight, but 10 pounds less wold be ideal. I will keep working at it and see what happens!

OK, I know HMB stories are much more exciting but I had to get it all out! As I blog, HMB is asleep in his crib, which is where he starts out...inevitably, he will wake up and scream! And I will get him, sometimes I remember, sometimes I don't, and sleep with him on the futon couch for the rest of the night. Needless to say, he is still a little HMB (but of course a freakin' cute HMB). I will keep working on that and also see what happens....

Are you kidding me?

2010-03-12T10:33:00.000-08:00

The day started out like many (fabulous) others, HMB was a happy boy and even slept in his crib until 5am! He napped while I ran and took a mini nap later in the afternoon, wow! We headed to basketball and brought HMB along since we finally had a 7pm game (most are 8 or 9pm, too late for HMB). HMB ran around chasing balls shouting, "BA, BA". Then we had to pick him up because games were starting and he got pissed! My husband gave him some goldsish crackers and although he was crying, he tried to eat one and ended up inhaling it. He coughed, sputtered, and finally spit out orange fish bits. He was OK, just a little shaken. But he was also coughing...a lot. He coughed a lot through the night and through Wednesday. Wednesday night he went to sleep in his crib but I noticed that he was breathng fast and wheezing a little. Was a piece of the goldfish stuck in his lungs? What s just the aftermath of his cold? My husband reassured me and I went to sleep, until about 12am when HMB woke up and we tossed and turned together until 2am, finally going to sleep until 4:30am, then up again, me for the day, HMB finally went back to sleep for another couple hours. OK, still wheezing and breathing fast, something is wrong. We went to the doctor and HMB's oxygen was low, he got two breathing treatments and it went up. The doc suggested getting a nebulizer and also prescribed some steriods. As well as a chest x-ray just in case. $100 at the pharmacy and a nap later, we headed to the hospital for the x-ray. HMB was such a trooper through the waiting and the x-ray and the waiting! Finally, we found out the new, nope, the goldfish was NOT the culprit. PNEUMONIA! What??? Are you serious? Yes indeed! So the doc called in a prescription for antiobiotics and HMB's breathing is alread so much better. I just couldn't believe it! Fortunately, HMB has been in a pretty good mood throughout except that one night. Last night he did pretty well, waking up at 3am and going back to sleep (with me on the futon cough) until 6:30am. He is napping now and it's going on 3 hours, I think the antiobotics are kicking in!

2010-03-08T18:02:00.000-08:00

I will assume I have loyal followers, and to all of you, I apologize for not posting in a LOOONG time! I ended up spending two awesome weeks visiting my family, most of which we didn't even leave Ft Collins proper!

First let me tell you that grandma of HMB has a boyfriend who loves to cook! It was like a Food Network show every night of the week! We had veggie fajitas with chile rellenos, lasagna with spinach and artichoke hearts and amazing fresh mozzarella...Needless to say, I was well fed. Thank goodness for the elliptical maching my mom recently bought and daily walks (sometimes in the snow). I hung out with my brothers, even going out to a college bar! Good times! HMB had a great time as well, except when he was SICK! Yep, HMB got sick a few days into the trip and he was MISERABLE! Cough, runny nose, fever, not sleeping, not sleeping, not going to anyone else but me! It was pretty bad!! We finally took him to the urgent care and he didn't have another ear infection, but he did have a crazy virus that all the kids were getting. I decided to stay a couple extra days, for two reasons: one being, I did not want to take even a remotely sick baby on a three hour flight by myself, and two, grandma of HMB had not been able to spend much quality time with a healthy HMB. So we stayed and HMB was happy and eating again, sleeping again, and playing with his grandma and uncles.

Finally it really was time to head home, we had a 7:30am flight and I was hoping HMB would pass out soon after take-off. But the nap he got on the way to the airport was fabulous and HMB was ready to PLAY! Fortunately, the flight wasn't full at all and HMB ran around the back of the plane, climbing on the seats and flirting with the flight attendants. He is so damn social, he started climbing on a stranger's leg! Good thing the stranger was a very nice grandpa who had just visiting his own grandchildren.

We were sad to leave grandma and all our other family, but it was nice to see my husband and get back into the groove of things here. Hopefully grandma of HMB will come visit us soon!!

Things that suck

2010-02-20T05:55:00.000-08:00

When I got my radioactive iodine pills for the thyroid scan, I was told no breastfeeding for two weeks. Since HMB is 13 months and I have made it that illustrious year, I figured weaning would be just fine and life would go on with HMB happily drinking cow's milk and eating people food. Well, it didn't turn out exactly as planned. While I was in the hospital, I pumped before I had the iodine to give HMB a little more breastmilK and to make myself a little more comfortable! I pumped and dumped a little more to also make myself comfortable but then left the amazing Madela industrial pump at the hospital and found my little baby pump just wasn't going to do the same for me. There were definitely a few uncomfortable days but I got through it, the worse part was the emotional loss of breastfeeding. Sorry to post about breastfeeding but I have to get it out. I was seriously going through a mini depression from having to stop! Am I sane? I wasn't sure until I started to talk to some other people about it, namely one of my very good friends who had a baby12 days before HMB and she weaned at 11 months. Things are getting better, thank goodness, even though HMB started to "ask" for it again by pulling my shirt up but he will survive! And I thank everyone for their awesome support through it, whether you've been there or not!

Another thing that sucks: HMB waking up before 6am for three straight days in a row! We don't call him HMB for nothing, it's true! But come on, baby, maybe just until 7? I don't want to pass out at 9:30pm every night when I am trying to hang out with my (younger) brothers! The nice thing is that he is going to be OK, even though he has to sleep with me so far becuase although we have a pac n play, we have no mattress for it!!!

One thing that did NOT suck: HMB was awesome on the flight out to CO!! We had the whole row to ourselves and he played and played until he tired himself out and passed out for the last hour of the flight! He didn't cry or really even fuss much, it helped that he had so much room to play in! Thank you, HMB, for not being so HMB for a few hours!

Sick baby, sick mommy

2010-02-09T20:19:00.000-08:00

Oh wow, lot's to talk about! First, HMB has been sick (again) with a cough, runny nose, and, most recently, a fever! After sleepless nights, warm foreheads, and snotty noses, we called the doctor and took him in. Verdict: HMB has an ear infection and is taking antibiotics! As for mommy of HMB, she is not so lucky. As I have discussed before, I have been having stomach issues for about 6 months. Lately, I have had some other symptoms - hand tremors, fast heart rate and high blood pressure. I went to my doctor last week and they decided to test my thyroid. I left hoping and praying for an answer! This morning, I woke up with a start to find my heart racing and thudding in my chest. OK, something is wrong, I thought. My husband woke up, feel my chest, I said, as I poured a cup of coffee. Wow, he said, that's crazy...and slowly back away from the coffee!! I called my mom even though it was only 5am in her time zone. She didn't answer so I frantically called mother in law, a retired nurse. She asked me some questions and said it might be thyroid related. My mom called me back and asked her own questions. I looked at my husband and he asked me what I wanted to do, go to the ER, I said. So we packed up HMB and headed over. Now, I went to the ER about a month ago for my fractured wrist. It was 10pm on a Sunday and I was in and out in 2 hours! Not the case this Tuesday morning, with fresh snow on the ground and more in the forecast. We waited about 3 hours to see a doctor. The hooked me up, marveled at my high blood pressure and crazy heart rate, and took some blood. A couple hours later, after HMB had gone home for a nap, I got the answer: thyroid, a very, very hyperactive one at that! The doctor told me I might need to be admitted due to my heart rate. What? I have never been without my HMB!! I didn't believe him, but I was wrong! The nurse came in and filled out some paperwork, a doctor came in and asked questions, a physician's assistant came in and asked questions, another doctor came in and asked questions. Then I was whisked upstairs to a private room with a nice view. After I was taken down for a thyroid ultrasound (no nodules!), another doctor came and discussed the next steps. They didn't know if it was thyroiditis or Graves disease. Tomorrow, I will be filled with radioactive iodine to find out. After that test, I will not be able to breastfeed for two weeks or hold HMB for long periods of time and definitely NOT swap saliva (no smooches?!?!).
My husband is all alone with HMB and I love him for being so wonderful and supportive! It might be a rough two nights without mommy there, and more rough nights when I can't pluck HMB out of the crib and snuggle with him on the futon couch for half the night. But I am so glad I finally know what is wrong. Thyroid issues cause hand tremors, high blood pressure, rapid heart rate, and other symptoms I didn't even know were related (sinus issues) plus the stomach issues. I know HMB and my husband will be all right, and I just might be, too!

Friends Forever...even across an ocean!

2010-01-31T12:47:00.001-08:00

Birthday Madness

2010-01-29T19:13:00.000-08:00

HMB turned the big 1 last week! We didn't do anthing major because as exciting as a first birthday is, let's face it, HMB probably won't remember it!! We had a few friends over and my husband's parents came down from PA. The best part of the night, by far, was the amazing mess HMB made with his cake and ice cream (ok, frozen yogurt). It was over the place and a sight to see! HMB went straight from the high chair to the bath and opened his presents in his jammies!
HMB's first birthday also made me reflect upon the last year we have had with our curious little chubster! I couldn't have imagined the life change that is being a parent, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Yes, HMB doesn't sleep well and he's a mama's boy. But he laughs when he throws things on the ground, he loves the splash in the bathtub, and he LOVES to dance and listen to music. Happy first birthay, HMB, Bearsky, Pooper, etc. WE LOVE YOU TONS and can't wait to see what the next year brings!!

Do I have cake on my face?

2010-01-24T06:53:00.001-08:00

Sleeping baby...sick baby!

2010-01-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

We were doing so well!! HMB was going into his crib at night and sleeping until at least 1am, sometimes 3am, 4am, once even until 6am! It was amazing and I was enjoying going to bed in my own bed at night without a 23+ pound chubster next to me. Then he got sick...Runny runny nose, cough like a baby should not have, watery eyes. Poor kid! The first night was rough, he did go to sleep in his crib but woke up soon after, not able to go back to sleep. I have a hard enough time letting him cry it out let alone whenhe is hacking away. The next few nights were tougher, HMB would wake himself up coughing then he wasn't able to stop coughing. I broke down and got the futon bed out and slept with HMB two nights in a row. Last night, I had a meeting and my husband put HMB to bed - and by bed I mean HMB fell asleep on his chest and ended up on our bed. I am hoping he is getting better and on the upswing. I called the doctor and they said to give him a little Benadryl to dry him out. I gave him some this morning and he has been napping for 2 and a half hours. HMB's got a big weekend of partying coming up so I hope he gets better for that, and he starts sleeping in his own bed again for my sake!

Took me 27 years...

2010-01-16T13:45:00.000-08:00

My husband and I like to stay active, we were active before we had HMB (I played softball until I was about 17 weeks pregnant) and we will continue to be active. Well, last weekend, while being active, I didn't do so well...We were playing flag football for the University of Colorado alumni team. We won two games on Saturday and made it to the Elite 8. In a heated game against Johns Hopkins University, I ran aggressively on to the field and fell...hard. I was in shock for a bit, my knee and left hand hurting. Our resident orthopedic surgeon on our team took a look and said I was fine. I went into the game a few plays later. We beat JHU, woo hoo! We were the lucky ones who go to stay out in the 25 degree weather for another hour and a half. The next game, we were up against Tufts, we were good but they were better and we lost! We held out heads high though, making it to the Final Four! I trekked home with HMB in tow and did some cleaning. Dang, my left hand and wrist REALLY hurts! I eat some lunch, the left wrist is now throbbing, I take some Tylenol and put some frozen corn on my wrist. I called my husband to tell him I was thinking of going to the ER. He came home soon after, looked at m wrist and told me I would be OK. He said I should just call the doctor the next day. The hours go by and my wrist is swollen and seems to be getting worse. OK, HMB is in bed (his crib, more on that in another post) so I head to the ER. Forunately, our city isn't too bad and the hospital is small so there is NO wait! I go right in and see a physicians assistant. Wow, you are the second girl today to come in with a football injury, she says. I get some x-rays done and they tell me I have a hairline fracture. I am all wrapped up in a splint and given some pain meds(THANK YOU!). I schedule an appointment with an orthopedist. The day before me appointment, the ER calls. To follow up,I think? Nope, to tell me that the radiologist looked at me x-ray and there is no hairline fracture (thank goodness) but an actual break in the bone (dammit). I see the ortho and he puts me in a soft cast that I can take off when I shower (or feed HMB or wash dishes or make dinner...). Oh, and by the way, you also have a fractured bone in your elbow! Gee,thanks! No worries, there isn't anything you can do for that!
I started playing sports when I was about 5 years old, playing softball for the Chipmunks and soccer for the Unicorns. It took me 27 years to break a bone, I guess that isn't so bad!

Top Ten Reasons...

2010-01-07T05:29:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about HMB and how we have mutual unconditional love and chatted with a friend about it. She suggested I create a list. So here is my:
Top Ten Reasons to Have a Baby:
10. You can eat whatever you want for 9 months and no one judges you.
9. You now have a reason for those dark circles under your eyes.
8. Two Words: Sesame Street!
7. While pregnant and with a small baby, people are SO nice and helpful!
6. No matter how bad a hair day you are having and even if you haven't showered in a week, your baby will still love you.
5. Your friends will buy your baby FUN TOYS!
4. Trendy strollers.
3. Did I mention the eating??
2. A reason to get a new camera or video camera.
1. Babies are DAMN CUTE!!!!!

Happy New Year...and one resolution

2010-01-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

The New Year has begun and HMB will soon be one year old, wow time flies! We decided on one resolution this year. Get HMB in his crib!!!!! So for the last two nights, we have had to let him cry it out. And honestly, how many times can one baby wake up between the hours of 9pm and 12am? About three. So three times he woke up, cried anywhere from 5-15 minutes. Not bad. The first night, I finally got up at 1:30am to feed him and fell asleep with him in the futon in his room. It was me, really, I needed to feed him because I was feeling very full and uncomfortable. Last night, I don't really remember getting him, it was about 2:30am. So, at least we are making progress. It takes everything in me to NOT go in the room and get him. But I'm working on it!

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

2009-12-27T12:16:00.000-08:00

HMB had a great Christmas. My husband's dad and his girlfriend came down a week before Christmas and gave him his presents, one of which is an Elmo's World riding car thing that makes lots of noise! His Grandma came down for Christmas. HMB got a little basketball hoop and a piggy bank from Grandma. We got HMB an old school Fisher Price phone and he loves it. He picks up the receiver and puts it up to his ear (he tries at least). I say, "Hello, who is it? Is it Grandma?" And he laughs! On Christmas evening, we went to my friend's parents for dinner and HMB got even more gifts! A Steelers place setting, including a plate, cup, bowl and spoon and fork. And some adorable Merrill shoes! Oh, and how can I forget the Sleep Sheep from Jeanelle!! I think she wants HMB to get in his own bed almost as much as we do!

11 months old!

2009-12-22T08:53:00.000-08:00

My, how time flies! I cannot believe that about 11 months ago, my mom was here and we were trying everything to get HMB to come out! First was the hot sauce - my mom bought a bottle and I ate it on everything! Then the castor oil, which I had a breakdown after I took because I thought I might hurt HMB, but that didn't work either! I was already walking an hour a day so I didn't think walking would coax him out. HMB had his own plan! I was induced at about noon on the 21st, but didn't make much progress. My water was broken at about 5pm, epidural at about 7pm, no pushing until TEN hours later!! And after 2 and a half hours of cursing, ice chips, and pain, a little boy was born! 7am on the 22nd.
Because I was in labor for so long and had a fever, HMB was wisked to the NICU and given an IV flush of antibiotics to make sure he didn't have an infection. He didn't and 2 days later, we were on our way home. Sadly, because HMB took so long to get here, my mom had to leave the day after we came home. She cooked up a storm that day though, leaving us with mac n cheese, soup, and other tasty treats. Thanks, mom!! Then, the real fun began!
HMB - you are so cute! You have a giant head and I love it! You smile and dance whenever you hear music! You day mama and make lots of noises. You might even walk soon! Happy 11 month birthday HMB! I love you!!!

What to blog about?

2009-12-20T05:44:00.000-08:00

I guess I could write about the Winter Wonderland that has kept us hostage in our house for...ok, I guess it's just 1 day but I get antsy!! I attempted a walk to the store yesterday, there weren't many cars out and it was eerily quiet. There was a crabby HMB back home so I didn't make it the store. Instead I went to the 7-11 100 yards from our building and got some goodies. This is the biggest storm we have had in December since the 60's, I think. We have probably 15 inches outside, which is huge for DC! I hope this isn't a preview of what's to come this Winter. I am not a fan of the snow, or cold weather for that matter.

Something else to ponder is HMB's continued cough. It has been almost a week! Tomorrow, I think I will call the doctor. Don't they always say, if symptoms persist for 7 days...It seems to be just as bad as it was when it started, maybe he doesn't cough as often but it's a raspy cough. Poor little guy!

Sick Boy

2009-12-16T10:27:00.000-08:00

The night before last, HMB was up many times during the night, coughing and hacking. I felt so bad for the little guy! He woke up with a full blown cold - runny nose and cough. I know there isn't much I can do except keep his little nose dry and hope he doesn't get too crabby! I have also been trying to keep him away from other little babes, I haven't gone to the gym in two days and I was supposed to watch my friend's daughter but had to cancel. I thought about bringing him to the gym this afternoon anyway but I think it's kind of selfish to bring your sick child to the daycare just so you can work out! Looks like I will be running outside in 30 degree weather when my husband gets home...and here's to hoping we don't spread this cold around the family several times!!!!

4am Trips to 7-11...

2009-12-15T03:39:00.000-08:00

Thursday started like any other day. HMB and I went to the gym, he played, I sweated. We ran some errands and had a good day. That night, the Steelers were playing so we ordered some calzones from one our favorite places, YUM! I went to sleep at about 10:30pm...then woke up at 12:44am with horrible stomach pains and an unhappy baby. HMB was up and awake and stayed awake for at least an hour, then the real fun started. I threw up violently and proceeded to about once an hour for the rest of the night. There was nothing left in me, when would this stop?? Through it all, HMB was not sleeping, but screaming like I have never heard before! Do I call my mom, do I call the doctor, do I go to the ER - for me, for HMB? All of these questions going through my head, we both fell into a fitful sleep. Thankfully, at about 4am, my husband walked over to our strategically placed 7-11 next door for ginger ale and gatorade (neither of which I would be able to hold down for a few hours). As I sat on the bathroom floor, puke in my hair, not caring if my hands hit the toilet water, I thought: It must have been the calzone! Although my husband wasn't sick, we had different toppings - him meat, me veggies. E. coli maybe??
At about 6am we woke up, puked one more time and then, calm. My abs were sore, my throat was on fire, but I didn't feel like I was going to vomit. HMB, having not really slept at all either, napped from about 7am-10am, I napped with him for an hour. My husband went off the work, with a furrowed brow and his own bags under his eyes. I canceled the daycare reservation at the gym and didn't even have second thoughts (and you know I must have felt bad if I did that). HMB and I went to the store and got some Cup O Noodles, the best sickness food. And we relaxed as best as we could all day. My stomach would not be the same until Tuesday morning (as I write this). Saldy, my husband caught the bug (not food related as we thought) on Saturday and is still not feeling right. Of the 5 parties we had over the weekend, we managed to make it to 2 of them!! We wouldn't have been any fun anyway!!

Why I Love My Doctor

2009-12-09T13:43:00.000-08:00

I've been having some stomach issues for the past few months. I have been to the doctor before and have tried a couple different things. Since my symptoms persist, I headed back with HMB in tow to get checked out again.

First, let me tell the story of my first meeting with Dr. P: It was December and I needed a physical, I had just run a marathon and felt good and strong. I got weighed and the first thing Dr. P did was circle my weight. "We need to take care of this", he said. "What?" I gasped. I just ran a freaking marathon, I thought to myself. I told this to Dr. P and he reported that humans were indeed meant to run and good for me! We went on to talk about other things and I found that, despite the weight thing, I loved this doctor! He listened to me and asked questions. He was crazy, but he was mine!

This leads me to my current visit. The first thing Dr. P did was ask about HMB: how old, how much does he weigh, does he sleep through the night? HA HA HA! NOPE! We proceed to talk about different things I could possibly have and, of course, Dr. P asks if I am pregnant. I don't think so and I couldn't imagine going through a first trimester with an HMB that doesn't sleep! Dr. P tells me some doctorly things to help my symptoms. As I am walking out he says, "You don't have anything bad, but if you do, we will cure it!!" Sweet, thanks Doc!

Christmas is coming...

2009-12-06T13:38:00.001-08:00

It's true, it's December 6th and I haven't bought a single gift! Luckily, my family doesn't really exchange gifts (four younger brothers, 3 still in school and the whole family 2-3,000 miles away). But my husband's family does exchange gifts, which I actuall find quite nice, since it means I get to do some shopping and gift-giving without having to buy for a hundred relatives (which I have). So, I will brave the stores over the next couple of weeks searching for the perfect gifts for grandparents, for my husband, and maybe a couple for HMB.
In addition to Christmas coming, my husband and I have been talking about the holiday traditions we want to keep and have with our own family. One will be getting an advent calendar each year, as well as stuffing little things in stockings that the kids can open before the parents wake up. Now if we can only get a bigger place so we can actually decorate the right way and maybe even have a real tree one day!!

ABBA...really?

2009-12-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago, I was watching Mamma Mia! on HBO with HMB in the room playing. When the first song came on, he turned to the tv and stared in awe. Hmm, my baby liked Mamma Mia!, musicals, or possibly ABBA songs? I didn't think much of this until the movie came on again, and the same reaction from HMB only this time, he seemed even more interested. A couple weeks later, I came across my old ABBA cd (I got in from Columbia House, remember that scam?). I popped it in the cd player in the car and started playing some songs. Oh my goodness, HMB started shaking his head to the music, he was so happy. Now, any time HMB is in the car and a little crabby, I just put on a little Dancing Queen and he stops fussing and bobs his head around. It's the funniest thing! A couple days ago, we took HMB to a condo association board meeting, he started to get tired and fuss so my husband decided to take him home. I got a text message a few minutes later saying "He loves him some ABBA". And indeed, he does!

Good sleep, good food, good time

2009-11-29T10:18:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving, we headed up to my husband's hometown in Central PA. I took my husband to work that day since he works about 30 minutes into the 4 hour drive. So when I picked him up in the afternoon, we were a half an hour closer to our destination. I had gone to the gym earlier in the morning and when we got home, HMB passed out for a great nap. Great that he napped, but we were really hoping he would nap as we drove. Fortunately, HMB was in a great mood so I sat in back with him and he played happily for about 2 hours. Then he passed out and slept until we were about 15 minutes away, YES!!
At my husband's dad's house, there are two extra bedrooms with two wonderful beds. So for the 3 nights we were there, HMB and I slept in one bed and my husband in the other and it was blissful! We all got some good sleep!! And we happily ate the two Thanksgiving dinners that come with having divorced parents. We had Thanksgiving dinner as our wedding meal so we were more than happy to eat more turkey and stuffing.
We left PA a little while before HMB was set to take hi second nap and he did not disappoint. After an hour or so of playing, he passed out for an hour and a half. I spent the remaining hour and a half trying to keep him happy with anything I could find - my wallet, my hair, my iPod. But we made it home and a couple hours later, HMB fell asleep (in our bed because we forgot that after Thanksgiving we were going to try and get him in his crib, ha, ha, ha.....).

One nap?

2009-11-24T12:17:00.000-08:00

For the past few months, HMB has been taking two naps per day. We have a pretty good schedule. He usually naps in the morning around 10 or 11 and I can jog while he naps, the breeze in his hair, no worries in the world. Then we come home, some days I work, some days we run errands. About 4pm, he usually naps again. Ususallyat home (in our bed of course NOT in his crib). For the past two days, HMB has woken up ANGRY about 30 minutes into our run. This means I spend the second half of my run trying to tell HMB that it's so much faster if I run home instead of pick him up and walk while carrying him and pushing the jogging stroller. Then, at about 2-2:3pm, he goes down for his long nap. I wonder if he is transitioning to the one, long nap? I would not be a huge fan but as I mentioned in an earlier post, since I joined the gym with a daycare, this won't be too bad.
In other news, I am making my first pie! I'm not so sure how it will turn out?! For one, I tried to make a whole wheat pie crust. I followed the directions, I swear, but it turned out kind of funky and didn't go up the side of the pie pan all the way? It's also a somewhat healthy pie, made with less sugar and fat free condensed milk. We'll see......

Road Trip

2009-11-22T14:44:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, HMB and I headed down to Richmond to attend a baby shower for a good friend of mine from college. I was a little nervous because HMB can be a little difficult to travel with, he is not a huge fan of the car seat although he has gotten better. We had a football game so right after I headed home with HMB in tow to change and get ready for the party. On the ride home, I tried everything I could to keep HMB awake - rolled the wondow down, turned the music up and sang at the top of m lungs. Of course he passed out despite my best efforts. And he slept and slept...the entire time I got ready (including taking a shower and drying my hair). He slept as I put him back in the car, until about 10 minutes away from my friend's house. And when he did wake up, he happily played as I navigated through Richmond. HMB, why did I doubt you?
While at the shower, HMB got tons of attention from the ladies and he basked in it, of course, smiling and flirting. One of greatest things that HMB does right now is dance. I sing Beyonce to him and he skakes his head and wiggles his booty. He smiles and laughs! It's freaking hysterical! He danced up a storm for the ladies at the shower.
We stayed the night and hung out until I thought HMB would take his first (and possibly only nap of the day since he woke up at 8:45am). And before I even got on the highway, he passed out! And slept until we were about 30 minutes from home. Thank you again, HMB, you are the best and I love you tons!!!

Will he be ok??

2009-11-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

Since HMB was about 4 months old, he would happily doze off as soon as I started to jog with him in the jogging stroller. But lately, it has not been so easy. I had been contemplating joining the gym that has a daycare for awhile, and with HMB not liking it as much and the cold weather coming, I decided to give it a try. Apparently, all the moms like to work out in the morning and it's impossible to get a reservation (2 days before). I like the mornings but I don't necessarily care and since I work just 2 days a week, I am fine with the afternoon. HMB and I rolled into the gym a little early, I was pretty nervous, I'm not gonna lie! The girl working seemed competent enough and very used to crazy moms who don't leave their babies very often. HMB settled in with some toys and I snuck out. I won't say I didn't think about HMB a million times but 4 miles and some stretching later (damn, time flies!), I went back to the room and peeked in. HMB was loving it! He had attention, a million new toys, and big kids in room with him! I asked how he did and she said "He's very active!" Yeah, no wonder I am passed out by 10pm every night!!
I am SO happy HMB did well! This means I can go back and have a little bit of alone time during the day HALLELUJAH!!

Only child...but a happy one!

2009-11-18T13:28:00.000-08:00

That's right, if HMB continues to sleep in our bed, he will be an only child. And last night was a rough one. Why does he wake up every hour, screaming and unable to get back to sleep unless I get up and rock him? He is a few days shy of ten months. He can eat as his leisure all night if he wants, and we cuddle and everything! Anyone else, under those amazing sleeping conditions, would sleep just fine!
On other, happier news, HMB is the most social baby I have ever seen! We met up with a college friend for lunch today and everyone who passed our table got a huge smile and a wave (and by wave I mean HMB sticks his arm out in more of a "Power to the People" thing). My college friend could not get over how happy and smiley he was, and it's true. He will smile at everyone. I was pretty sure I was going to have to leave HMB at the grocery store this morning because all the women were fawning over him. No wonder he wants to be an only child!!

My, how time flies

2009-08-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

I am a horrible blogger, it's true! HMB is now almost 7 months old!! What is STILL our biggest challenge, you ask? SLEEPING! HMB has been great with naps. It's the nighttime that we still have issues with. Why do you still wake up so much, HMB? Why can you not get to sleep by yourself? HMB usually goes down around 9:30pm (sometimes earlier depending upon that last nap). Inevitably, he will wake up between 12 and 1am. I usually feed him at this point, which isn't too bad because he still breastfeeds. Then it's anyone's guess - will he go back in his crib? Will he toss and turn in our bed? Will he be awake for an hour? This goes on until about 5am when he decides to sleep (usually in our bed) until about 7 or 8am.

OK, enough about the bad stuff!! HMB smiles at anyone and everyone and people in the store can't help but smile back and say "What a happy baby!". He LOVES people and loves to be "in the mix". He is a happy baby!

Almost six months old...

2009-07-09T04:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, Jake was born on January 22nd and I am just getting to this blog. Let's just say I have been a little busy these past months! Let me first reflect upon the title of this blog. OK, I LOVE my son soooo much, he is the greatest and I am so happy to have him in my life. But he is a high maintenance baby. From the very beginning, he liked to be held. That's fine, he's my first baby, I love holding him! So I held him while he was awake, while he ate...and while he slept. Now, my almost six month old cannot sleep on his own. I've spoiled him, I know this, but how do I get out of it now?? We try to let him cry it out but the kid can CRY...for a long time...and then NOT even fall asleep! I know there are plenty of parents out there who deal with this. The problem is, I don't know many! Thus, the creation of my blog (finally)! As a shout out to all the parents out there who do not have babies who sleep well and who need to hold their babies all the time or else they whine and fuss! Next post on all the things Jake does that are wonderful :)