*~*~Our litte love-bugs*~*~ FEBRUARY 2013 CHAT - Page 4 « Back to Group Discussions

[forestmushroom]

Originally Posted by rozziemama 

Forest, I am so sorry to hear about your dad. Just sending love and hugs.

thank you! thank you for the love and hugs! It means a lot.

Originally Posted by Onemoreontheway 

FM, no you never mentioned that! Oh my gosh, I am really very, very, very sorry. I just had the fourth anniversary of my own Dad's death. He died at age 51. I miss him terribly. I know what you're going through with an unexpected death. Will pray for your Mom and your family that peace finds you all. Shalom, my friend. I'm sorry.

thank you! I was kind of a zombie for awhile there... thank you for the prayers!

Originally Posted by cristeen 

Forest - I'm so sorry to hear about your dad!  At least he got to meet your little man. 

So Oregon ladies, are you all in the Portland area?  We'll be in state the last week of March, but we'll be out on the central coast and we won't have a car.  I'd love to meet you, but I know it's a bit of a drive for a meet-up. 

thank you! yes, I was happy that he got to meet the little one. I didn't take any pictures of them together, though.  :(  

I am in Portland but PM me maybe we can meet up!

I hope you figure out all of your health challenges... sounds like you are getting good care. take it easy, mama!

Originally Posted by JynxGirl 

Forest - I'm so sorry about your dad. :( *hugs* 

Onemore - Congratulations!!!!

Cristeen - lots and lots and lots of prayers coming your way!!!

Wow, you blink in this place and everything happens at once!!! ;) 
We're back into the swing of things here, I think... I've started teaching sign language again, especially as Patrick has picked up on so many of his own signs! (more, eat, milk, daddy, and all done)  It's really awesome to be working with kids again!

Thank you Jynx!  That is awesome that Patrick is so good at signing.

and I meant to reply about your health challenges awhile ago... how is everything going?

edit to add: I hope I didn't miss anybody! I always feel like I am missing someone...

[Kamiro]

Jynx, thats great you are teaching again. How are you feeling?

Cristeen, I live about 2 hours outside of Portland on the coast of Oregon. I would have no problem driving - Newport area I assume? Thats about 150 miles away but would still be fun!

FM, its expected to be a zombie. *hugs*

[Astraia]

Forest- oh no, I'm so sorry to hear about your dad.

Jynx- I've been reading your updates on FB, and you sound super busy! You're definitely back in the swing of things. I'm having issues in that department.

My work is pressuring me to know when I'm coming back (legally, I don't have to tell them a thing until mid-April, but they're nagging already). I REALLY don't want to go back-  I don't know what I'd do with child care if I worked during the week (minimum wage does not even begin to pay for 3 kids in daycare/preschool), so then I'm committed to working every weekend for the whole summer, which sucks. Unfortunately we had some huge expenses right after Christmas (about $13,000) and are totally screwed right now. Kind of looking at selling our house, and we should have enough to pay down debts but not enough to buy again. So. Hrm.

[rozziemama]

Just need to vent: Today I did the unthinkable, most tragic thing: I spilled half the bag of freaking breast milk that I was pumping at the end of the day before I left work. All over me. I was SO UPSET. I meant how terrible, right?! I feel like that for some reason sent me over the edge. I was like, "enough, I'm not doing this crap anymore." Of course, I am still going to pump. But it's like every day at work, something provokes that reaction in me - and I threaten (myself) that I am going to quit pumping. I don't remember hating it this much the first time around.
But then I remembered that around this age DS1 re-refused the bottle. It was like, solid foods came and suddenly he was like "nope, I either want the real boob or real food." So, at daycare she ended up giving him my milk in a bowl - with cheerios!! So, I didn't have to pump as much maybe? VS Kai, who still happily chugs the bottle. Three more months... And then milk! woo hoo.

I just wanted to share my sad pumping story for the day

[cristeen]

Jynx - how do you get him to sign at 9 mos?  We did signing with the 3 yo starting at 4 mos, but he didn't actually start signing until after 2.  We've done some signing with E, but not consistently, and she's not showing any interest at this point. 

OneMore - that's exactly where I'll be.  I'd love to see you guys.

Grace - The going back to work thing is tough.  My DH makes snide comments sometimes about me going back to work.  But truth is that we can't afford childcare for 1.5, we'd have to get a nanny because of A's therapy, someone to deal with E all day, and get A off the bus (preschool every day) and then be there through therapy time.  I just can't make enough to pay for that, so I stay home.  I can't imagine having to pay FT care for 3. 

Rozzie - I've spilled BM before, and wound up in tears over it.  Granted, I hadn't just pumped it, it was someone else's milk, but it's distressing, and if you're already stressed, that's kinda the last straw.  We're going to introduce E to cow's milk in the next few weeks.  She's 9 mos today, but we just can't wait until a year, as our BM supply is almost gone. 

Not much new here.  I go in for my bloodwork tomorrow morning.  I still don't have an appt with the specialist though.  I need to call them AGAIN.  <sigh>

[Kamiro]

Oh Rozzie...That just sounds like the proverbial straw that broke the camels back..I'm sorry for you and I hope this week is better for you. Pumping was so frustrating and I remember how even the littlest drop spilt would be like a waste of liquid gold.

Cristeen - Awesome! I could make a trip that way. It would be fun :) There is the aquarium or wax museum or ripleys there. We could do one of them with the kids if you wanted??

Oregon mamas --- you guys want to try and plan a trip?

[Astraia]

Cristeen- I get a lot of the "I'd love to stay at home all day and play on Facebook, but i have to go to WORK" comments. Truth is, I'm a poor employee with zero motivation or competitive drive. I have a lousy resume and few employable skills. If I worked and Jeff stayed home, I'd need to work 2 jobs to make the same income he can bring in. It doesn't make sense.

Rozzie- oh NO! That hard-earned milk , that's really terrible :( I'd have a throw-in-the-towel sort of moment myself.

[rozziemama]

yeah I mean, at least there is some satisfaction in pumping a full bottle of milk - knowing that your babe gets that the next day no matter how annoyed you are about pumping. But then when it is all for nothing because when I could have been doing actual work (so I can leave the office in time!), or exercising, or eating a normal lunch - i was pumping milk uselessly as I was just going to spill it all over the place.

UGH.

Kai does get a lot of formula during the day when I am gone.

Grace - I can't imagine how you could afford childcare for three! How old is your oldest? Here, we are hoping that X gets a good kindergarten slot (its really preK but Boston has slots called "K1") so we only have one childcare payment. The financial balance is better for us when both parents are working given mortgage, car, etc. If you have to work, is there any option for you of a daycare coop type thing? Something a little less $$ than daycare? I guess a babysitter would be cheaper for three wouldn't it?

Childcare is so expensive. AND if you aren't psyched in some small way to go back to your work - that makes it so so so so much harder. I am sorry

BUT I would try so hard to ignore the snide comments. People always find something to be critical of.

[cristeen]

Grace - sounds just like me.  I have great skills, but no degree, and no competitive drive.  My highest paying job ever (BC) paid me about half of what DH is bringing home right now.  We couldn't survive on that, and based on what I'm learning about Cushing's, the environment I was in at that job (and it's predecessors), may have been contributing factors. 

It's interesting, because I was diagnosed with PCOS in my 20s, but there's a LOT of overlap in symptoms.  I have to really wonder what the truth is.  But I got pg with both kids immediately after a life-changing event that drastically reduced my stress level for a short period.  Regardless of how many cycles of fertility treatments we went through, after our loss I couldn't get pg again.  But those two events did it just fine, with no help from medical science.  Since Cushings is an excess of the stress hormone, that brief period of stress relief did the job.  It's very strange to contemplate that the basis for a lot of my personal beliefs and behaviors over the last 15 years may be completely wrong. 

[cristeen]

Ok, so my lab results are in.  Elevated liver panel, my LDL is high, but overall cholesterol is fine, my blood sugars were a little elevated (103 when they want 99), but I forgot I was fasting, so had a bite of apple that morning, so that's not surprising. 

The cortisol test was 19.4, which is just inside the normal range.  Literally.  The top edge of the normal range is 19.4.  Everything else they tested was fine (thyroid, pituitary, etc.).  He wants me to do an A1C because of the elevated BS, which is fine.  He offered me medication for the cholesterol, which is stupid, but whatever.  I declined.  I just need to get an appt with the endo now to discuss the cortisol and symptomology.  But they won't even schedule an appt until they get the bloodwork results from the lab. 

So that's where we're at. 

As for E, I did a mouth inspection yesterday, and we now officially have 6 teeth.  Hopefully that's it for a little while.  I couldn't feel any evidence of 7&8 coming in.  Not much else going on around here.  Although A will start taking the bus home from school on Monday (per his request).  I'm excited about that, it's definitely a big step for him.  And it means one less trip/day for me. 

Anyway, busy, busy.  Babysitting right now, so gotta run. 

[rozziemama]

Cristeen - interesting. So it sounds like blood work didn't show anything that odd?? I am wondering what is going on.
Keep us posted...

I am two-ish hours away from completing 5 days of solo parenting, during which K decided to wake at 5 every single day and only occasionally doze off again (after an hour of being up and a lunatic) - and ONLY if he was sleeping with his head nuzzled on my neck- to the point where I was afraid he would choke me but I was so desperate for him to sleep that I didn't want to move! Has anyone else ever had one of those moments when your rational thought is non existent and you find yourself caring more about your baby sleeping than changing positions so you might also fall asleep!!?
Crazy me
But on the plus side I did stop being the crazy lady who peels peas for my kid after you all helped me with that one
And I ran for 30 minutes today.

But now it's 8 pm and I still have work to do and I am so tired. Ugh.

[forestmushroom]

Originally Posted by rozziemama 

Cristeen - interesting. So it sounds like blood work didn't show anything that odd?? I am wondering what is going on.
Keep us posted...

I am two-ish hours away from completing 5 days of solo parenting, during which K decided to wake at 5 every single day and only occasionally doze off again (after an hour of being up and a lunatic) - and ONLY if he was sleeping with his head nuzzled on my neck- to the point where I was afraid he would choke me but I was so desperate for him to sleep that I didn't want to move! Has anyone else ever had one of those moments when your rational thought is non existent and you find yourself caring more about your baby sleeping than changing positions so you might also fall asleep!!?
Crazy me
But on the plus side I did stop being the crazy lady who peels peas for my kid after you all helped me with that one
And I ran for 30 minutes today.

But now it's 8 pm and I still have work to do and I am so tired. Ugh.

yes!  I've had my guy sleep on me or in totally weird position because I'd rather be in a weird ass position and be totally uncomfortable and at least have the baby sleep then move and wake to baby.

I still have work to do , too and it is 9:40 on a friday. :( I am having a total pity party right now. I just feel down about everything...

[Astraia]

Yup, I'm in the letting baby sleep in ridiculous positions jsut to make him sleep. I've also put up with the me and him doing ridiculous things so *I* can sleep a little bit mroe, too.

Cristeen- so the results were inconclusive? It sounds like not a lot particularly helpful came up from your bloodwork, hopefully they get it figured out soon!

Everett is trying to stand up while sleeping/nursing now (which obviously makes for awfully interrupted sleep). He also walked a solid 5 steps yesterday, not holding on to anything, and then repeated it a few more times after that. So far no walking today, but I think it's starting! 

[JynxGirl]

For signing? I just sign everything. Seriously everything. 

But I also teach classes, so that probably has a lot to do with it. He sees it everywhere.

[Kamiro]

http://www.mothering.com/community/t/1375803/march-2013-chat March Chat!