February 2013 Rockstar Mamas Thread - Page 9

[MarineWife]

Yes, we are giving him ibuprofen. That's one nice thing about going to the naval ER, we get free OTC meds from the pharmacy. He was taking it happily for a few days but would not take it this morning. He was also throwing a ball with his right arm so maybe it's starting to feel better.

I've been taking vitamin C, echinacea and elderberry syrup in addition to my usual probiotics, multivitamin and vitamin D. I picked up some more elderberry syrup after you all raved about it thinking maybe it wasn't as bad as I remembered. Blech! The stuff is nasty! It's Sambucol brand, which was the only brand the store had. I haven't needed any other meds except ibuprofen for sinus/headache pain. We've also been running the humidifier at night and I've been rubbing eucalyptus oil on everyone's feet.

[akind1]

If you can get a hold of dried elderberries, making your own syrup is really easy. Plus you can add clove and cinnamon (or whatever) to help with flavor.

Carrie - it sounds really uncomfortable. I hope AF does resolve it, what day are you on? and how long does it last for you? I'd be reluctant to do a cream or suppository only because wouldn't the flow inhibit the medicine from reaching where it is supposed to go?

I am really looking forward to the weekend.

MW: I'm jealous you all saw snow - parts of our area did, but we did not. Just really cold rain. I hope D bounces back quickly - though not too quickly as I'd be concerned of further injury if he over does it. (but maybe I'm being over cautious?)

I've never heard CEC being called that . . . but I've never taken Gabe either. I think my parents did once, when he was 2. He'd probably love it now, but I have a hard time putting money down on that.

[onetwoten]

Been fighting off sick still and trying to be productive this weekend. It's semi working-- I'm still kind of sick, but the house is almost totally clean!  I've been reading along, but mostly on my phone. 

Originally Posted by AnnieA 

OMG. Mama, you need a break from your body!

SERIOUSLY! I've never had a UTI, and only had a YI once, when I was about 38-39 weeks pregnant-- so I actually wasn't sure if it was a YI, or part of my mucuous plug! lol. But 2 days of Monistat cleared it up (I didn't want to mess around and then end up having it still for the birth). I can't imagine having both at once!!

Originally Posted by MarineWife 

Sounds like a crazy weekend for everyone.

I'm not sure how D is doing. The doc told me it was ok to leave his arm and shoulder alone. They don't set breaks like his and a sling won't do much good because he won't keep it on. The area is getting more and more swollen, though, and he's lifting/using that arm less and less. That's what prompted me to take him back to the ER today. He woke up this morning barely using his right arm at all. He just leaves it dangling by his side. Plus, he's crooked. His right shoulder is significantly lower than his left.

Poor guy! :( 

Originally Posted by MarineWife 

On top of everything, we were all getting over our colds until we went to the ER. I guess it could have also been CEC since we were there the same day. But, man! I was feeling better before. Now I'm feeling worse again.

The stress probably doesn't help either, because your body sends its resources elsewhere to help cope there, and then the sickness kind of takes over again. 

Ten is doing well-- SUCH a big girl, and convincing DH day by day that maaaayyyyybbbeeee we can have another baby one day. I'm not ready to have two babies yet, but with my BFF being pregnant right now, it makes me wish I was pregnant! I need Ten to nightwean first, and I need to get my hot body back, and then we'll talk about a second ;) lol

ALSO-- DH got the job he wanted!! There's a bit of confusion because they implied it was full time, and they said in the interview that they didn't hire for part time anymore... but when he got the offer, it says it's for part time temporary. :/  From what we can tell by talking to others who work there, it's just standard practice, and how they hire you until you get htrough the probation period, but it seems really odd. We're still ecstatic, just... a bit hesitant until we hear more. 

[MarineWife]

Kat ~ Where would I get elderberries? I don't even know exactly what they are.

JJ ~ Haha about Ten maybe convincing your dh to come around.

In the US that kind of tactic for new hires is used to avoid having to provide benefits like medical insurance. That's a big reason why so many minimum wage jobs are only part-time. Then the employers are not required to provide any benefits, at least before the new health care reform bill. I don't know how the bill affects that sort of thing. I guess maybe it doesn't work the same way in Canada. ?

[AnnieA]

http://www.vitacost.com/gaia-herbs-rapidrelief-black-elderberry-syrup?csrc=GPF-PA-751063996266&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw=&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=751063996266&gclid=CO-BwczDwbUCFQdU4AodWhkAxQ

I take this elderberry syrup and it's yummy. The kids like it too. Wonder why the other brand tastes so bad?

I took Ava to the pedi this morning. Of course, she wasn't doing the funny breathing then so he couldn't really guess why she was doing it. He listened to her heart and lungs and didn't hear anything out of the ordinary. He said her extra sleeping could just be a growth spurt. I emailed everything to her cardio just to keep him in the loop.
 

[onetwoten]

That's good that he thought everything looked fine with her! Yay for more sleeping! Lol

I think some jobs here do work like that, because we still get health insurance for things like dental and massage and prescription drugs. This one starts all those benefits right away though, even part time, so it's kind of weird. From what we understand, it's based on the fact that they're a union company, and it's obviously soooo much harder to fire someone if they're not doing great once they've entered a contract. For this position you sign a job offer and THEN you do a medical exam and then do 6 weeks of intense training, so it seems like the do this to cover their butts if you fail either the medical or the training, and then once you're through training and doing well on the job, they essentially present you with a new job offer that is full time permanent. This is all kind of speculation, but like I said its based on what's been said by others we know who work there. It seems to range from people who don't get their full time offer for 6 months to a friend of dh's who got it after a week on the job.

Annnyuywayyys... It's just weird and a little unnerving! They guarantee 24 hours a week but ft for the job is 42.

[MarineWife]

Ah, yeah, so pretty much the same principle. Keep the person prat-time and temporary until you sure you want to keep them so you can get rid of them more easily if you don't.

Annie ~ Thanks for that link. The stuff I have tastes strongly of alcohol but I read the ingredients and alcohol is not listed so I don't know. I can stand it if I swallow it fast and wash it down with something else quickly. There's no way my kids will take it, though.

[akind1]

If you have a natural food store there (I have no idea, as I wasn't ever looking for one when I lived there) you can usually find dried elderberries. Otherwise, http://www.mountainroseherbs.com/bulkherb/e.php#h_eld_b is one place.  Or if you can find a pre-made syrup that you like online.

I don't know anyone who likes sambucol. must work, because people will take it regardless.

Man, I'm tired and sore - 2 of Norah's DDC baby siblings have been born. I'm hoping next week is Theo's week.

JJ: sounds like mostly good news! and hooray for potentially more Tenleys!

Hope Ava continues to sound better.

[Baby_Cakes]

Come on Theo!!!  Come out, come out!!  Mama is ready to meet you and hold you in her arms!!  And all those beautiful wraps!!

Hugs to Ava and hopefully she's on the mend.

Sigh. The infection moved to my kidneys.  I'm not taking chances, I ran to the dr (w/finn on my back) and got another different abx.  She did a dip test and it does look like my urine is clearer than it had been, but fever, lower back ache, flu like symptoms -- no freaking way.   waiting on cultures while I start the other abx.

I feel down for the count.

[MarineWife]

Soon, Kat, soon!

Wow, Carrie, what does it mean if it's moved to your kidneys? I hope you can get better fast!

We have two health food stores here now but I haven't seen elderberries at either one.

We saw the orthopedist today about D's clavicle. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the x-ray. His clavicle was broken clean through! I was just slightly upset that they sent us home and didn't do anything. But, again, I was told there really isn't anything they can do. They did say it looked like it was in place and healing well so I guess that's a good thing. We go back in 3 weeks for another x-ray to make sure it still looks good.

The ortho thought he must have fallen again over the weekend when he looked at the first x-rays from the 14th and then the ones taken on the 17th. At first glance at the first x-rays, you can't see anything that looks out of place. When we told him he had only fallen on the 14th he blew it up to show us that it wasn't broken on the 14th and saw the break. He was like, "Oh, there is a break there!" Um, yeah, thanks.

I'm going to counseling by myself tonight. Ryan and Trish can't come to our house to babysit tonight because they both work and I don't want to take D with us because he's too busy. We spend half the time trying to entertain and distract him. I've been thinking a lot about why I'm so angry at dh. I've come to the conclusion that a lot of it is because he is damaging my relationship with my kids. He came home and decided we needed a bunch of rules. I've been trying to back him up and support him so now the kids say I'm mean and they hate me. Apparently, no matter who makes the rule and tells them they have to do it, it's my fault. The thing is that none of the rules are necessary. We were relatively happy and liked each other before he came home. Now everyone is angry and mean to each other. I have to find a way to talk to dh about that without him getting defensive.

So, I'm going by myself tonight so I can be completely open and honest and harsh about how I feel and what I think and see if I can get any insight and help with all of that.

[onetwoten]

Oh Carrie!!! That's horrible! 

Kat I am getting so excited for you! I feel like I've been surrounded by newborns lately, including a mama in our local AP group that just had identical twins. My womb aches!!

MW-- Hopefully it'll be good to get some of that out and be able to talk it out. *hugs*

[akind1]

I've come to peace with the idea that whether it's today, next week, or 3 weeks away, he'll still be here "soon" and I'm ok with that. Granted, some days are more ideal than others for him to arrive. But we'll deal, regardless, won't we?

Carrie - I hope the abx nip it in the bud!

MW: hope that getting some time to talk it out solo is helpful and cathartic.

I have my maternity gallery ready. If you go to www.bluesilkphotography.com/cart and enter in access code SironMaternity2013 you can see the shoot. There are a lot of pictures - she had a hard time edititng down :)

JJ: sometimes being around squishes is the best catharsis - you get to hug and nuzzle that newborn deliciousness without dealing with screaming car rides or fixing latch issues, or any of that. Though I'll be so excited when you are back on the baby train!

[MarineWife]

Kat ~ Did you see the maternity photo contest MDC is running right now? Maybe you should enter.

D has exploded with the sign language in just the past week. All of a sudden, he's signing almost everything I sign. He is so cute when he signs, "bird."

Not much else to report. Last night went all right. I felt better after I left even though I didn't really feel like I accomplished much other than talking. I did get some affirmation from the therapist about my thoughts on DH. She agrees that he seems quite detached and unaware of how he's really feeling, or at least the feelings he's projecting and how they are incongruous with what he says. She did also say that he seems a lot more laid back than most of the officers she knows. I had to laugh because one of my issues with him is that I think he's too uptight. I can't imagine being married to someone who was even moreso.

[Baby_Cakes]

MW all it means is a kidney infection.  Ha, all.  This is awful.  I really was having awful delirious thoughts that I'm going to die.  I was literally driving home from dropping nora off wondering if I was really going to survive this, I feel THAT awful.  And I thought I saw a gorilla walking alongside the road, but it was just a man in a bulky black coat with a hood up.  At a red light I texted my bff saying I really should not be driving.  smh.  I had to get her to school tho.  There was no way I could care for her and finn today.  No way.

I don't have the energy to completely go into it but we had a bad experience at my MILs on Monday night so although I told her I was really sick, I didn't want her involved unless it was really dire.

Chris rebooked his flight and came home early.  Dude got up at 3 am to catch a 6 am flight home.  I swear, I love this man.  He walked in and I was asleep on the couch and Finn was watching Cars.  I didn't hear him come in.  Next thing I knew he was kissing my cheek and letting me know he was there.  I just started crying!  Never been so happy to have him home ever!!

Since napping twice I am starting to feel improved.  I'm sitting up at least!  And I walked to the kitchen a few times, and am eating.  I had a pb & j and a yogurt.

and lots of water!!

I think I'm also fighting a cold.  Very congested today.  Of course.  

MW - finn is taking off with the signing, too!  Bird was one of his first signs.  It's adorable!  Lately he is really into all done, sleep, and milk. He changed the milk sign and I love it.  Instead of clenching his whole fist, he touches his thumb and pointer together on both hands.  Love it.  I got the baby signing time video so we can learn more signs together.  I don't know many others, and since he's been slow to pick them up until now I didn't bother learning any.

[Baby_Cakes]

Katrina - your pictures came out just so lovely!  you look amazing.  And honestly, your children just look so beautiful and so grown up!  It's so hard to believe!  I love both their outfits.  LOVE Norah's boots! The pics are just...wonderful!  I can see why she had trouble editing some out -- so many great shots! 

[AnnieA]

akind1, I love those pictures! The ones of Norah playing with your ears are my favorite!

MW, I'm happy that you are clearer on what exactly is bugging you about your DH. I think that is a huge step and helpful to find resolutions.

Baby_Cakes, yikes mama. I hope you are on the mend. That all sounds awful. I've only had one UTI ever but it was bad. I didn't know I had it until I started vomiting nonstop and went to the ER. Turns out, I had a UTI and that's what was making me vomit.  Because I hadn't treated it. Has there been talk of getting you IV abx if what you are taking orally doesn't work?

JJ, my womb is aching too. I totally know how you feel! I was looking at pictures of Ava's birth the other day and just in awe over the teensy tiny baby she was! I want another one so bad. She's so awesome, how could I not want another?

AFM, Ava is sick. I think she has that awful norovirus. She's been vomiting since this afternoon and DH said she's not keeping anything down. My poor monk!

[MarineWife]

Aw, I hope Ava feels better soon.

Carrie ~ I was worried that having the kidneys infected would be much more serious. It seems to me having an infection of the internal organs would be very serious. I've never had an UTI or any other infection like that, though, so I don't know.

Kidneys are serious business. When Ryan was in the hospital because of his kidneys he had to stay for a week to get IV fluids until he was well enough to go home. He was told he would always have this kidney disease (I can't never remember what it's called.) and needed to be careful about what he ate and drank and make sure he didn't get dehydrated like that again.

I felt so much better after talking to the counselor by myself that I even felt like cuddling with dh a little at bedtime. E and K quickly jumped on us yelling, "Ewww! Gross!"

[Baby_Cakes]

Sending hugs to Ava!  Oh that's an awful bug.  I hope it's a short one!

Yesterday I was close to taking myself to the ER.  I was going to drop Finn off with my ILs and go.  But I was scared they would admit me and I was freaking out about him needing to nurse.  I just couldn't do it.  Somehow I plowed thru the day alternating pain medication, crying, and writhing in pain.  Now that I've been on these abx for 24 hours I'm definitely improving.  I'm not in pain right now, my fever seems to be breaking.  So.  FXed.

I can be very serious if left untreated.  Very.  But.  I'm doing all the right things so far.  And I haven't had any vomiting, just lack of appetite (which seems to be better, I ate dinner and had a few chocolates just now).  

[akind1]

Annie - Norovirus is awful. Gabe had that, and it was bad. Norah probably did too, but she didn't get it as bad. And of course you want another! Ava is awesome :)

Carrie - SO GLAD you are feeling better. kidney infections can be dire if left untreated (MW: pyelonephritis, maybe? I see claims for that alot) - And yay for Chris coming home early to help. you needed that.

Thanks for the compliments on the pictures - I'm so, very, very glad I did them. It was on my pregnancy bucket list :) My mom actually picked up those boots at a consignment store for a few bucks (do you have a Once Upon a Child up there?) I love this style of photography, because everyone's personality really comes through - so much about a memory and not just a "shot". Anyway . . . we're going to have her do some family pictures after the baby is born, like maybe in May or June.

Ultrasound later today to check on the guesstimate of baby's size. I admit I'm a little curious. Bringing kids this time, since Gabe did better at my regular appointment than I thought he would. Thought he might get a kick out of seeing the baby for real.

[MarineWife]

Carrie ~ Glad you are feeling better. I hope you are all better soon!

Kat ~ That's not it. The name is longer. Have fun with the u/s.