Saturday, September 11, 2010
Grandma's Visit
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 :)
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 :)
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Some updates
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!!
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!!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The "Question"
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!
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!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Meeting of the Toddlers
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!
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!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
HMB Takes Manhattan
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!
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!
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