So I should totally mention that my daughter (and son for that matter) are not perfect. I think sometimes I make them sound perfect... but frankly I am completely smitten with them either way!
M has certainly had her moments, like when she woke up in the middle of the night and needed to be held that second by MOMMY. Oh, and along with that I think we've had two nights where she's slept all night long since Baby C made his arrival at our house. Like last night... so fabulous... C was up about every two hours and in between those, M was up twice... In other words, it's time for my NAP!
M has been confused a little about Mommy being home all the time too. Since I'm here, I should just play with her ALL day every day, right?? We're working on that... She HAS requested to go to M's house at least once already... she just loves M and her friends there.
We've also had some issues with her being able to access everything now. 1. The refrigerator. Ugh. It is such a battle for her to keep it closed. I'm honestly contemplating one of those fridge locks. It may not be so bad for ME either... I KNOW, I know, I'm breastfeeding and need some extra calories, but it's just that we have so much delicious food here because of wonderful and generous friends that it seems like all I'm doing is EATING! 2. The sink. Double ugh. M is a water girl. She LOVES to play in the water, which isn't such a bad thing except for when she runs the water for forever. She always has a valid excuse, too. When she hears me coming, she's quick to be "brushing M's teeth!" or "washing M's hands!" I've instituted a 20 second rule. She can play for a little bit and then Mommy counts to twenty. When I get there, the water needs to be shut off. When it doesn't happen, Mommy closes the door (we now have a child lock on THAT door) and the bathroom is off limits for the morning or afternoon or whatever. That'll be a thing that'll need to change quickly if M ever decides to pick up potty training.
Daddy, Mommy, Big Sis, Big Bro, and baby #3!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Announcing... The BIG Sister!
So not only did we add a new baby to the mix, but we added/changed a role to our beautiful daughter: Big Sister. I was so nervous it's not even funny at how she would do. That whole "hope for the best but expect the worse" thing was my mantra. We geared her up as much as possible -- we read books about being a big sister, and talked her up about being a BIG girl, and helped her pick out a few BIG sister toys, and just plain talked to her about what would happen. My Mom flew in to town Tuesday night (before the big induction date) so M didn't see her before she went to bed, and we were gone in the morning before she woke up. While we had talked this over with M, it was still a quite abrupt transition. Oh distress of distresses for this momma.
But guess what???
She did and IS doing an awesome job! I am so, so proud of her! Of course having Grandma here for almost two weeks helped out tremendously! M transitioned right in to hanging out with Grandma on Wednesday and by 4pm she was strolling into the hospital to meet baby brother. She was in awe right away. She always wanted to "hold it." And had the cutest little coo sounds for baby brother along with a million or so kissies. She has been awesome about sitting down to hold him, but I can tell that she really wants to just pick him up one of these times... I've been watching very closely!
We did run into a bit of snag with the fact that I could still not feel my legs while they visited Wednesday so I could not get out of bed. This was hugely distressing to poor M girl and she wanted absolutely nothing to do with my hospital bed -- even after I showed her how cool it is to move it up and down.
Thursday morning I texted my mom a picture of baby C and here is how the text conversation went:
Me: Good morning!
Gma (and M): I showed this to M... she said "tiny"... now she wants a pic of mommy.
Me: (sent a picture of me waving) Hi M! Mommy loves you! Muuah! Muuah! Muuah!
M (via Gma text): mommy get up
I just about died laughing because I could just HEAR her saying that. Bless her little heart, she was still thinking about me not being able to get out of bed. The next two hospital visits went much better because I could show M how well I was feeling.
But guess what???
She did and IS doing an awesome job! I am so, so proud of her! Of course having Grandma here for almost two weeks helped out tremendously! M transitioned right in to hanging out with Grandma on Wednesday and by 4pm she was strolling into the hospital to meet baby brother. She was in awe right away. She always wanted to "hold it." And had the cutest little coo sounds for baby brother along with a million or so kissies. She has been awesome about sitting down to hold him, but I can tell that she really wants to just pick him up one of these times... I've been watching very closely!
We did run into a bit of snag with the fact that I could still not feel my legs while they visited Wednesday so I could not get out of bed. This was hugely distressing to poor M girl and she wanted absolutely nothing to do with my hospital bed -- even after I showed her how cool it is to move it up and down.
Thursday morning I texted my mom a picture of baby C and here is how the text conversation went:
Me: Good morning!
Gma (and M): I showed this to M... she said "tiny"... now she wants a pic of mommy.
Me: (sent a picture of me waving) Hi M! Mommy loves you! Muuah! Muuah! Muuah!
M (via Gma text): mommy get up
I just about died laughing because I could just HEAR her saying that. Bless her little heart, she was still thinking about me not being able to get out of bed. The next two hospital visits went much better because I could show M how well I was feeling.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
He's HERE!!
Alright! Here's the story!
6:15 we checked into the hospital. We got the paperwork all signed and met our fantastic nurses. We LOVED C and M!! They got me settled in, took my vitals and all that and poked me. I don't know what exactly it was -- the needle stick? The warm room? The anticipation? The fact that I hadn't eaten or drunk (ugh, what is that past participle?) anything since about 10 pm the night before? But I started feeling VERY lightheaded. They actually ended up putting oxygen on me as well as a cold compress. JJ said I did not look good - all white. I eventually turned around and they started pitocin. My doctor came in around 7 am and my water was broken around 7:15. My doctor asked me about an epidural. She said that she anticipated things to move pretty quickly so if I wanted one I should think about doing it sooner rather than later. I asked a few questions like don't epidurals slow down labor? She said that actually sometimes people without an epidural get stuck at a stage and can't get through it because they're so tense. The nurses also were super supportive of me going naturally but said that in their opinions epidurals were the way to go.
I pondered it some more with JJ, who was like, dude, you've done it naturally why not try the epidural? After already feeling so faint in the morning I decided it just wasn't worth trying to stick it out. AND then I got an epidural about 8:15 am! The anesthesiologist came up right away and began reviewing my charts. He was concerned a little with my prior history (HELLP/low hemoglobin generally/feeling faint already this morning) but after reviewing my chart he felt like everything would be just fine. He began prepping me and it was SO EASY. It was not painful at all -- the oddest thing actually was sitting up and hunching over and having practically all of my amniotic fluid burst out! The nurses were like, oops, we should've warned you that would happen!
Then I just rested and relaxed. JJ and I were ecstatic to find that Bravo was doing a Top Chef marathon! We don't get Bravo and love that show! I ended up falling asleep and then WHAM. About 10:00 I woke up with a startle as people started pouring into the room. My nurse (C) was all over me rubbing my belly saying, "Come on baby! Come on baby!" The other nurse (M) said, "Baby's just not so happy right now. We're trying to make him happy again." Two more nurses accompanied my regular nurses as well as two nurse anesthetists and an anesthesiologist. Then an OB on the floor came in. The whole while I was just totally out of it not sure what was going on. They tried turning me on my right side. Nope. Left side. Nope. What about on my hands and knees? This was interesting. By this time I could not feel my legs... at all... So some people had to hoist me up. I was crying just so not sure what was happening.
Eventually we found out that baby's heartrate had gone to 60. It was comforting to know that the nurses responded so quickly. As his heartrate went back up, up, up to mostly the 120s, my doctor, who had come in at some point in the commotion, checked me. In just a little bit of time, I had dilated two cm at once. Also, the medical staff was wary of how baby was responding to the pitocin. A third thing was that baby didn't seem to like me lying on my back. So. Pitocin was shut off. I was told to lay on my left side. And also, the epidural was shut off in the commotion - everyone was preparing for me to have a c-section.
With baby comfortably hanging out in the 120s (and me now watching the heartrate monitor like a hawk!) we just sort of hung out for a while. My contractions lessened (with no pitocin) BUT I started being able to feel them. And feel them. And feel them. JJ asked the nurse at one point why the epidural was off. She was like, "It shouldn't be!" He reminded her that it had been shut off during "the commotion". She quickly got in touch with my doctor and the anesthesiologist, who said to turn it back on. The pitocin was also started again at a much lower "dose". Baby's heart rate would go lower at times (never back to 60 again) and pitocin was dropped down and then gradually increased, etc. I continued to feel every contraction so the anesthesiologist was called again (a different one). This guy came up and said that I shouldn't still be feeling them. He gave me a bolus of meddies and, well, let's just say that did the trick. Now not only could I not feel my contractions, but I could no longer feel my legs at all OR be able to move them. At all. That got to be a little interesting!
The rest was just totally smooth sailing. At 1:45 I was at a "9 +" and the nurse prepped my room. The nurse had me do a "practice push" and the top of the head was out! Randomly my doctor called my nurse right at that moment and she said, "YES! Come over right now!" The nurse (with JJ in total agreement!) told me to sit out the next few contractions. Sure, whatever, I couldn't feel them anyways. At 2:00 I started to push and at 2:15 on the nose, Mr. CEJ was crying!!! It was SUCH an easy delivery. I am now the poster child for an epidural, let me tell you! My recovery time was so minimal -- the worst part afterward was (IS) the cramps (I was told they're worse with every pregnancy).
So that's the story! More details about CEJ and BIG SISTER MVJ to come!
6:15 we checked into the hospital. We got the paperwork all signed and met our fantastic nurses. We LOVED C and M!! They got me settled in, took my vitals and all that and poked me. I don't know what exactly it was -- the needle stick? The warm room? The anticipation? The fact that I hadn't eaten or drunk (ugh, what is that past participle?) anything since about 10 pm the night before? But I started feeling VERY lightheaded. They actually ended up putting oxygen on me as well as a cold compress. JJ said I did not look good - all white. I eventually turned around and they started pitocin. My doctor came in around 7 am and my water was broken around 7:15. My doctor asked me about an epidural. She said that she anticipated things to move pretty quickly so if I wanted one I should think about doing it sooner rather than later. I asked a few questions like don't epidurals slow down labor? She said that actually sometimes people without an epidural get stuck at a stage and can't get through it because they're so tense. The nurses also were super supportive of me going naturally but said that in their opinions epidurals were the way to go.
I pondered it some more with JJ, who was like, dude, you've done it naturally why not try the epidural? After already feeling so faint in the morning I decided it just wasn't worth trying to stick it out. AND then I got an epidural about 8:15 am! The anesthesiologist came up right away and began reviewing my charts. He was concerned a little with my prior history (HELLP/low hemoglobin generally/feeling faint already this morning) but after reviewing my chart he felt like everything would be just fine. He began prepping me and it was SO EASY. It was not painful at all -- the oddest thing actually was sitting up and hunching over and having practically all of my amniotic fluid burst out! The nurses were like, oops, we should've warned you that would happen!
Then I just rested and relaxed. JJ and I were ecstatic to find that Bravo was doing a Top Chef marathon! We don't get Bravo and love that show! I ended up falling asleep and then WHAM. About 10:00 I woke up with a startle as people started pouring into the room. My nurse (C) was all over me rubbing my belly saying, "Come on baby! Come on baby!" The other nurse (M) said, "Baby's just not so happy right now. We're trying to make him happy again." Two more nurses accompanied my regular nurses as well as two nurse anesthetists and an anesthesiologist. Then an OB on the floor came in. The whole while I was just totally out of it not sure what was going on. They tried turning me on my right side. Nope. Left side. Nope. What about on my hands and knees? This was interesting. By this time I could not feel my legs... at all... So some people had to hoist me up. I was crying just so not sure what was happening.
Eventually we found out that baby's heartrate had gone to 60. It was comforting to know that the nurses responded so quickly. As his heartrate went back up, up, up to mostly the 120s, my doctor, who had come in at some point in the commotion, checked me. In just a little bit of time, I had dilated two cm at once. Also, the medical staff was wary of how baby was responding to the pitocin. A third thing was that baby didn't seem to like me lying on my back. So. Pitocin was shut off. I was told to lay on my left side. And also, the epidural was shut off in the commotion - everyone was preparing for me to have a c-section.
With baby comfortably hanging out in the 120s (and me now watching the heartrate monitor like a hawk!) we just sort of hung out for a while. My contractions lessened (with no pitocin) BUT I started being able to feel them. And feel them. And feel them. JJ asked the nurse at one point why the epidural was off. She was like, "It shouldn't be!" He reminded her that it had been shut off during "the commotion". She quickly got in touch with my doctor and the anesthesiologist, who said to turn it back on. The pitocin was also started again at a much lower "dose". Baby's heart rate would go lower at times (never back to 60 again) and pitocin was dropped down and then gradually increased, etc. I continued to feel every contraction so the anesthesiologist was called again (a different one). This guy came up and said that I shouldn't still be feeling them. He gave me a bolus of meddies and, well, let's just say that did the trick. Now not only could I not feel my contractions, but I could no longer feel my legs at all OR be able to move them. At all. That got to be a little interesting!
The rest was just totally smooth sailing. At 1:45 I was at a "9 +" and the nurse prepped my room. The nurse had me do a "practice push" and the top of the head was out! Randomly my doctor called my nurse right at that moment and she said, "YES! Come over right now!" The nurse (with JJ in total agreement!) told me to sit out the next few contractions. Sure, whatever, I couldn't feel them anyways. At 2:00 I started to push and at 2:15 on the nose, Mr. CEJ was crying!!! It was SUCH an easy delivery. I am now the poster child for an epidural, let me tell you! My recovery time was so minimal -- the worst part afterward was (IS) the cramps (I was told they're worse with every pregnancy).
So that's the story! More details about CEJ and BIG SISTER MVJ to come!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Recipes --- QUICK!
I need to post these quick -- M's naptime is burning up and I have a few more things to do!
Crescent Roll Caserole
I looked everywhere for the actual recipe (from my Momma!) and could not find it. Consequently, you get my ramblings. Sorry!
*We've been using an 8x8 pan lately instead of the standard 9x13 to make this -- I'm going to give ingredients for 8x8, about double it for the 9x13!
One tube of crescent rolls
1/2 lb. of ground beef (or turkey or whatever)
chopped onion
12-ish oz. spaghetti sauce (our favorite? Hunts -- use half the can)
random gatherings from the fridge: noodles, peas, carrots, broccoli, etc.
sour cream (enough to spread one layer)
shredded cheese
Parmesan cheese
This recipe is amazing because it's almost a "whatever you got throw it in the pot" type of recipe. I love that it's so forgiving!
So, you layer half of the crescent rolls on the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan (try to spread them out so they cover the whole bottom and pinch the seams together). Cook at 350 for 10ish minutes to puff it and cook it a bit. In the meantime, brown ground meat and add onions. Add the spaghetti sauce for a little bit to blend flavors. Throw in any veggies, noodles, or other things you want to add! Take the pan out of the oven and add the spaghetti mixture to the pan. Spread with a layer of sour cream, add the shredded cheese for another layer. Put the rest of the crescent rolls on top of this - again trying to spread it over the whole thing. Lastly, sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until crescent roll on top is golden brown. Let cool and enjoy!
Mueslix
This is a great go-to breakfast recipe I picked up from my SIL, LJ. Mmmm!
The night before: soak 2 cups of oats in 1 cup of milk.
The next morning: add 3/4 c. of yogurt and 1/4 c. of sugar (or less).
Serve cold with any fruits or nuts you enjoy. Examples of things we've added are: cheerios, chopped walnuts, chopped almonds, diced apples, sliced bananas, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, even chocolate chips!
Crescent Roll Caserole
I looked everywhere for the actual recipe (from my Momma!) and could not find it. Consequently, you get my ramblings. Sorry!
*We've been using an 8x8 pan lately instead of the standard 9x13 to make this -- I'm going to give ingredients for 8x8, about double it for the 9x13!
One tube of crescent rolls
1/2 lb. of ground beef (or turkey or whatever)
chopped onion
12-ish oz. spaghetti sauce (our favorite? Hunts -- use half the can)
random gatherings from the fridge: noodles, peas, carrots, broccoli, etc.
sour cream (enough to spread one layer)
shredded cheese
Parmesan cheese
This recipe is amazing because it's almost a "whatever you got throw it in the pot" type of recipe. I love that it's so forgiving!
So, you layer half of the crescent rolls on the bottom of a greased 8x8 pan (try to spread them out so they cover the whole bottom and pinch the seams together). Cook at 350 for 10ish minutes to puff it and cook it a bit. In the meantime, brown ground meat and add onions. Add the spaghetti sauce for a little bit to blend flavors. Throw in any veggies, noodles, or other things you want to add! Take the pan out of the oven and add the spaghetti mixture to the pan. Spread with a layer of sour cream, add the shredded cheese for another layer. Put the rest of the crescent rolls on top of this - again trying to spread it over the whole thing. Lastly, sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until crescent roll on top is golden brown. Let cool and enjoy!
Mueslix
This is a great go-to breakfast recipe I picked up from my SIL, LJ. Mmmm!
The night before: soak 2 cups of oats in 1 cup of milk.
The next morning: add 3/4 c. of yogurt and 1/4 c. of sugar (or less).
Serve cold with any fruits or nuts you enjoy. Examples of things we've added are: cheerios, chopped walnuts, chopped almonds, diced apples, sliced bananas, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, even chocolate chips!
Just call me Julia...
...Ms. Child if you're... uh... oh... nevermind!
I am not a cook. I don't really enjoy cooking like I've heard some people actually do. JJ ENJOYS the whole process of cooking. I think part of it is that I'm so darn picky. New flavor combination? Fancy-pants ingredients? Most likely not super appealing to me. Pooooor JJ. Siiigh.
BUT I do enjoy providing for my family. I get proud of myself when I have made a meal so that JJ doesn't have to. I get REALLY proud of myself when I plan ahead. I get even more proud of myself when I do it thriftily (hey, cool, that's a word!)!
Friday evening was Craft Night at my Church. LOVE IT. I brought scrapbooking stuff. It was fabulous. During that time, one of the fabulous women from the Church did a presentation on organization. I told JJ later that I was that girl who kept right on scrapbooking as she presented (dedicated time when I have everything spread out?? I've got to take advantage of it!). But, I WAS listening intently and DID bring home a bunch of tips --- as well as some follow-up questions. One of the basic things she talked about was meal planning.
So, back to food. Sunday evening I decided to create a meal plan for the week. Here's the catch. JJ could just think of a million meals off the top of his head. I have to a) rummage through our pantry/fridge/freezer to see what we have (and especially what we should be using up) and b) look up recipes for basically EVERYthing. Knowing baby boy will be here TOMORROW(!!!!) added to the meal planning conundrum. But, in the end, I got it done. I delivered. AND, grocery shopped for the whole week for under $40!!! (With a $20 gift card).
I'm not fancy, you've heard me say THAT a few times, but here's what's shaking and baking at the J house this week (not necessarily in this order!):
rotisserie chicken salad (and then later sandwiches!)
crescent roll casserole
meat loaf/mashed potatoes (ok JJ is making the mashed potatoes --- I can't deny him his enjoyment in the kitchen ALL week, can I??)
lasagna
baked corn with pasta (new crock pot recipe... we'll see!)
bean with bacon soup/cheesy bread
I also made a double-batch of mueslix (I think that's how it's spelled! LJ? Help me out!) and then some banana bread yesterday with the Chooch-Monster (baking with a 2 year old is way easier said than done in my opinion!).
This post is long enough, and my 4 am cereal break is over. I will post recipes soon!
I am not a cook. I don't really enjoy cooking like I've heard some people actually do. JJ ENJOYS the whole process of cooking. I think part of it is that I'm so darn picky. New flavor combination? Fancy-pants ingredients? Most likely not super appealing to me. Pooooor JJ. Siiigh.
BUT I do enjoy providing for my family. I get proud of myself when I have made a meal so that JJ doesn't have to. I get REALLY proud of myself when I plan ahead. I get even more proud of myself when I do it thriftily (hey, cool, that's a word!)!
Friday evening was Craft Night at my Church. LOVE IT. I brought scrapbooking stuff. It was fabulous. During that time, one of the fabulous women from the Church did a presentation on organization. I told JJ later that I was that girl who kept right on scrapbooking as she presented (dedicated time when I have everything spread out?? I've got to take advantage of it!). But, I WAS listening intently and DID bring home a bunch of tips --- as well as some follow-up questions. One of the basic things she talked about was meal planning.
So, back to food. Sunday evening I decided to create a meal plan for the week. Here's the catch. JJ could just think of a million meals off the top of his head. I have to a) rummage through our pantry/fridge/freezer to see what we have (and especially what we should be using up) and b) look up recipes for basically EVERYthing. Knowing baby boy will be here TOMORROW(!!!!) added to the meal planning conundrum. But, in the end, I got it done. I delivered. AND, grocery shopped for the whole week for under $40!!! (With a $20 gift card).
I'm not fancy, you've heard me say THAT a few times, but here's what's shaking and baking at the J house this week (not necessarily in this order!):
rotisserie chicken salad (and then later sandwiches!)
crescent roll casserole
meat loaf/mashed potatoes (ok JJ is making the mashed potatoes --- I can't deny him his enjoyment in the kitchen ALL week, can I??)
lasagna
baked corn with pasta (new crock pot recipe... we'll see!)
bean with bacon soup/cheesy bread
I also made a double-batch of mueslix (I think that's how it's spelled! LJ? Help me out!) and then some banana bread yesterday with the Chooch-Monster (baking with a 2 year old is way easier said than done in my opinion!).
This post is long enough, and my 4 am cereal break is over. I will post recipes soon!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Bazinga!!
Are you sick of highly paid teachers? Teachers' hefty salaries are driving up taxes, and they only work 9 or 10 months a year! It's time we put things in perspective and pay them for what they do - babysit! We can get that for less than minimum wage. ... That's right. Let's give them $3.00 an hour and only the hours they worked; not any of that silly planning time, or any time they spend before or after school. That would be $19.50 a day (7:45 to 3:00 PM with 45 min. off for lunch and plan-- that equals 6 1/2 hours). Each parent should pay $19.50 a day for these teachers to baby-sit their children. Now how many students do they teach in a day...maybe 30? So that's $19.50 x 30 = $585.00 a day. However, remember they only work 180 days a year!!! I am not going to pay them for any vacations. LET'S SEE.... That's $585 X 180= $105,300 per year. (Hold on! My calculator needs new batteries).
What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year. Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here!
There sure is! The average teacher's salary (nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!
What about those special education teachers and the ones with Master's degrees? Well, we could pay them minimum wage ($7.75), and just to be fair, round it off to $8.00 an hour. That would be $8 X 6 1/2 hours X 30 children X 180 days = $280,800 per year. Wait a minute -- there's something wrong here!
There sure is! The average teacher's salary (nation wide) is $50,000. $50,000/180 days = $277.77/per day/30 students=$9.25/6.5 hours = $1.42 per hour per student--a very inexpensive baby-sitter and they even EDUCATE your kids!) WHAT A DEAL!!!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
DO vs MD...
... I should probably know this!
JJ stayed home sick from Church this morning. The sick made its way from M-girl to me and hopefully has claimed its last victim. While in the nursery picking up M, I was chatting with a gal and the topic of JJ wanting baby to come after his final on Monday came up. We started talking about med school and she, of course, assumed he was at KU-Med. I explained that he was at KCUMB and thus the DO vs MD discussion came up. It always does. I should be prepared for it. I was not. She was all excited to be informed because they have started seeing a DO pediatrician that they LOVE but have always wondered what the DO meant. She asked, sooooo, do they do herbal stuff? When I relayed the conversation back to JJ and at this point was sharing how I said that I didn't think so, his eyes about popped out of his head and he told me he couldn't talk to me right then.
A few minutes later, after he had apparently calmed down (I AM exaggerating a bit - and for those of you that know JJ know that his high emotional response would be about my average every day reaction...), he showed me a great website that explains the DO vs. MD thing and now - bring it on - I can confidently say, NO, it does NOT mean they do herbal stuff! Phew! Glad we got that cleared up! I love my future DO!
Here are the notes for you:
See - you can learn something new every day!
JJ stayed home sick from Church this morning. The sick made its way from M-girl to me and hopefully has claimed its last victim. While in the nursery picking up M, I was chatting with a gal and the topic of JJ wanting baby to come after his final on Monday came up. We started talking about med school and she, of course, assumed he was at KU-Med. I explained that he was at KCUMB and thus the DO vs MD discussion came up. It always does. I should be prepared for it. I was not. She was all excited to be informed because they have started seeing a DO pediatrician that they LOVE but have always wondered what the DO meant. She asked, sooooo, do they do herbal stuff? When I relayed the conversation back to JJ and at this point was sharing how I said that I didn't think so, his eyes about popped out of his head and he told me he couldn't talk to me right then.
A few minutes later, after he had apparently calmed down (I AM exaggerating a bit - and for those of you that know JJ know that his high emotional response would be about my average every day reaction...), he showed me a great website that explains the DO vs. MD thing and now - bring it on - I can confidently say, NO, it does NOT mean they do herbal stuff! Phew! Glad we got that cleared up! I love my future DO!
Here are the notes for you:
DO's and MD's are alike in many ways:
- Applicants to both DO. and M.D. colleges typically have a four-year undergraduate degree with an emphasis on science courses.
- Both DO's and MD's complete four years of basic medical education.
- After medical school, both DO's and MD's can choose to practice in a specialty area of medicine such as psychiatry, surgery, or obstetrics. They both complete a residency program, which takes typically two to six years of additional training.
- Both DO's and MD's must pass comparable state licensing examinations.
- DO's and MD's both practice in fully accredited and licensed hospitals and medical centers.
- DO's comprise a separate, yet equal branch of American medical care. Together DO's and MD's enhance the state of health care available in America.
- However, it's the ways that DO's and MD's are different that can bring an extra dimension to your family's health care.
DO's bring something extra to medicine:
- Osteopathic schools emphasize training students to be primary care physicians.
- DO's practice a "whole person" approach to medicine. Instead of just treating specific symptoms or illnesses, they regard your body as an integrated whole.
- Osteopathic physicians focus on preventive healthcare.
- DO's receive extra training in the musculoskeletal system - your body's interconnected system of nerves, muscles and bones that make up two-thirds of its body mass. This training provides osteopathic physicians with a better understanding of the ways that an injury or illness in one part of your body can affect another. It gives DO's a therapeutic and diagnostic advantage over those who do not receive additional specialized training.
- Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is incorporated in the training and practice of osteopathic physicians. OMT allows physicians to use their hands to diagnose injury and illness and to encourage your body's natural tendency toward good health. By combining all other medical procedures with OMT, DO's offer their patients the most comprehensive care available in medicine today.
See - you can learn something new every day!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Quickie Update
So I seriously can't believe I made it through to Spring Break. Ah-mazing. God is so great!! Of course I want to be holding my little man... NOW... so the waiting game is getting me a little anxious. It's weird to have this open schedule now. I thought for sure I wouldn't make it to our Church's craft night, for example, Friday night and there I was! Saturday morning was a friend from Bible Study (SS)'s Baby Shower that I was sure I'd have to miss. Nope, there with Mads. Although, really, it was about like missing it. The Divine Miss M decided that 5 am was a great time to wake up this morning and despite all of my best efforts (including rolling over and trying to just go back to sleep myself --- which really DOES take my best concerted effort these days!!), she would not budge on going back to sleep.
So anyways, 5 am. We had a fun shower to go to later that day, so I enlisted the help of my awake little girl to help wrap the present and make the card. She was getting so excited about the whole deal and kept singing, "Happy Birthday new baby!" Apparently the only parties she goes to are birthday ones! : ) She even picked out a "party dress" that really was so cute - she was pretty much yellow from head-to-toe. Our whole morning seemed to shift forward, putting the baby shower, oh, right about nap time. Glorious. If I could've I would've left her at home, but Daddy has a midterm Monday morning and needed to study (especially since who knows when I'll go into labor).
Daddy update: Med School continues to go well. They wrapped up cardiology and are on to GI. Exciting. As JJ was telling my Mom the other day, today was all about poop. : ) He's getting really sick of all the competitiveness. No one wants to study together lest they perhaps incidentally help out a fellow classmate. No one wants to do anything, like play racquetball in the new fancy\-pants workout center, because they are studying nonstop or at least want everyone else to perceive that they are studying nonstop. I'm just thankful JJ sees the bigger picture and realizes how important a little downtime really is.
Back to Baby Shower: M did pretty well the first half-hour or so and then she just wanted to play with the legos in the other room. No problem. Oh, wait, she would only stop howling if I played WITH her. I tried explaining that I didn't come to the big party to play legos in the other room, but that excuse didn't fly with the M-ster. I would've just left with her, but there are three preggos in our Bible Study (including me) - due in March, April and May - so we really wanted to get a picture together.
So now here we are. Today I am officially, technically 39 weeks along and am just hanging out until Wednesday morning at 6:15 am... if not before...
So anyways, 5 am. We had a fun shower to go to later that day, so I enlisted the help of my awake little girl to help wrap the present and make the card. She was getting so excited about the whole deal and kept singing, "Happy Birthday new baby!" Apparently the only parties she goes to are birthday ones! : ) She even picked out a "party dress" that really was so cute - she was pretty much yellow from head-to-toe. Our whole morning seemed to shift forward, putting the baby shower, oh, right about nap time. Glorious. If I could've I would've left her at home, but Daddy has a midterm Monday morning and needed to study (especially since who knows when I'll go into labor).
Daddy update: Med School continues to go well. They wrapped up cardiology and are on to GI. Exciting. As JJ was telling my Mom the other day, today was all about poop. : ) He's getting really sick of all the competitiveness. No one wants to study together lest they perhaps incidentally help out a fellow classmate. No one wants to do anything, like play racquetball in the new fancy\-pants workout center, because they are studying nonstop or at least want everyone else to perceive that they are studying nonstop. I'm just thankful JJ sees the bigger picture and realizes how important a little downtime really is.
Back to Baby Shower: M did pretty well the first half-hour or so and then she just wanted to play with the legos in the other room. No problem. Oh, wait, she would only stop howling if I played WITH her. I tried explaining that I didn't come to the big party to play legos in the other room, but that excuse didn't fly with the M-ster. I would've just left with her, but there are three preggos in our Bible Study (including me) - due in March, April and May - so we really wanted to get a picture together.
So now here we are. Today I am officially, technically 39 weeks along and am just hanging out until Wednesday morning at 6:15 am... if not before...
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Please stop all this Llama Drama
Seriously - have you checked out the Llama Llama books yet? They're so cute!
My work has some drama 'up in here'! I'm so sick of it. I really don't want to use my blog as a spot to complain, so I'm not going to give too many details. But if you think of it, say a little prayer for me that I could just make good choices even if it's standing up to rude people. Thanks! I want to remember that I'm a Christian who happens to be a teacher. Know what I mean? I'm pretty sure having a baby in the spring is just about the best thing as a teacher. Time for me to exit stage left! Because by the way... LAST DAY WITH KIDDOS until mid-May was today (err... Wednesday... I forget that it's actually Thursday now since I'm up in the middle of the night with a feeding frenzy)! As one of my facebook friends (JH) pointed out, soon I'll be feeding not only myself at 3:00 am, but also a certain little man! Of course I AM still counting that it's him who I'm feeding right now too! You do like toaster strudels, right Mr.?
My work has some drama 'up in here'! I'm so sick of it. I really don't want to use my blog as a spot to complain, so I'm not going to give too many details. But if you think of it, say a little prayer for me that I could just make good choices even if it's standing up to rude people. Thanks! I want to remember that I'm a Christian who happens to be a teacher. Know what I mean? I'm pretty sure having a baby in the spring is just about the best thing as a teacher. Time for me to exit stage left! Because by the way... LAST DAY WITH KIDDOS until mid-May was today (err... Wednesday... I forget that it's actually Thursday now since I'm up in the middle of the night with a feeding frenzy)! As one of my facebook friends (JH) pointed out, soon I'll be feeding not only myself at 3:00 am, but also a certain little man! Of course I AM still counting that it's him who I'm feeding right now too! You do like toaster strudels, right Mr.?
Monday, March 7, 2011
LAST appointment!!
Wow... I still am in utter amazement that I've made it this far! I had my LAST preggo appointment this afternoon! My doctor said everything was good: weight gain (right about 25 pounds ... which seriously can't be accurate after JJ made chocolate dipped oreos the other night! Remind me to take the rest to work - PLEASE!), blood pressure (can't believe that after two slightly stressful meetings today) and baby's heartrate. Then the moment I was waiting for - had I progressed or not?? My doctor checked me and gave me the bad news. I had not progressed since last week... I was still at a 3. I was like, "Woohoo!!" She was slightly confused - most women are looking to have progressed, especially this close (Wed. we are at 39 weeks!! Well... technically 38 1/2 but since the induction was scheduled, I moved that date to 40 weeks... know what I mean? I'm just kind of getting myself ready for THE DATE.).
So there you go. I got the skinny on when to call, when to just come in and am also all set up for March 16th -- the big Induction Date!
So there you go. I got the skinny on when to call, when to just come in and am also all set up for March 16th -- the big Induction Date!
Saturday, March 5, 2011
How do you FEEL??
Lately whenever I see someone (especially at work) I get one of two questions. You're still here??? and/or How do you FEEL???
I'm sure everyone has good intentions, but it does make me wonder just how big and uncomfortable I'm looking these days! To be honest, I have been feeling more and more pressure in my lower abdomen. And there really is no room in there - but who really needs to be able to fully expand their lungs or, say, put on their socks??
Other than that I have been feeling SO GREAT. Honestly. It's weird. A few weekends ago I had some contractions and thought this is it. Here we go. But since then I have definitely been having Braxton-Hicks, but no more contractions. It's just so weird to think about a potentially normal delivery. The only things I've started worrying about are my water breaking (still TOTALLY freaked out about that... I'll be honest) and pushing out a baby bigger than M. She was just so little (at almost 6 lbs.) it wasn't such a crazy thing. I just do NOT envy my friends with big babies. I mean obviously you get through it and have a healthy, happy baby and it's all good. Right?
I'm really hoping for a Friday night baby... we'll see how much Momma's timeline is followed. I've decided that I'm going to walk about 7 miles and eat food as spicy as I can muster after work Friday. Why Friday? It's the start of SPRING BREAK (no work for a full week!) and AFTER spring break, my sick leave takes me into April, so I can be out until mid-May. Make sense? Get my logic? I'm talking to you, too, Mr. Man!
I'm sure everyone has good intentions, but it does make me wonder just how big and uncomfortable I'm looking these days! To be honest, I have been feeling more and more pressure in my lower abdomen. And there really is no room in there - but who really needs to be able to fully expand their lungs or, say, put on their socks??
Other than that I have been feeling SO GREAT. Honestly. It's weird. A few weekends ago I had some contractions and thought this is it. Here we go. But since then I have definitely been having Braxton-Hicks, but no more contractions. It's just so weird to think about a potentially normal delivery. The only things I've started worrying about are my water breaking (still TOTALLY freaked out about that... I'll be honest) and pushing out a baby bigger than M. She was just so little (at almost 6 lbs.) it wasn't such a crazy thing. I just do NOT envy my friends with big babies. I mean obviously you get through it and have a healthy, happy baby and it's all good. Right?
I'm really hoping for a Friday night baby... we'll see how much Momma's timeline is followed. I've decided that I'm going to walk about 7 miles and eat food as spicy as I can muster after work Friday. Why Friday? It's the start of SPRING BREAK (no work for a full week!) and AFTER spring break, my sick leave takes me into April, so I can be out until mid-May. Make sense? Get my logic? I'm talking to you, too, Mr. Man!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
M-girl Update
I just have a feeling some posts in the near future may have baby brother written all over them (hoping we have 8 more days!! CRAZY!!!), so I better slip in an M update!
*She does this thing now where she crouches down and yells, "Oooooooooooh JUMP!" and jumps up "high". It is so stinkin' cute, except when she's on the couch. (THAAAANKS cousin A -- and Daddy -- for having a video of A diving off of the couch. M requests it often!)
*I'm trying really hard to streamline our nuh-nigh routine. We have a pretty good system down, including three books. She has a few all time favorites that get requested almost every night (including: Llama, Llama Red Pajama, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Corduroy, a farm book (she has three to choose from), a Pony book (cute little My Little Pony board books she got for her bday -- more on that later), an art book (from the Mini Masters book set) and more). She would love for JJ or I to rock her to sleep (and sometimes it's just divine to hold a sleeping baby), but we avoid that at all costs. Also, at this point, it's very, very hard for me to snuggle too much with her anyways. Not the way we're used to anyways. We did "Oh baby" a little bit tonight (where I hold her like a little baby and coo at her) -- at her request. : ) M's daycare gal has said that she's been trickier to put down lately -- MVJ wants MP to rock her. I've been trying to tell M she's a big girl and can just lay down for naps like a big girl and doesn't need MP (or Mommy or Daddy) to rock her.
*So along with bedtime, M has a new "trick". She loves opening and closing doors. For our very first time ever, M walked out of her bedroom in the middle of the night. I must've subconsciously heard her rustling around before she actually opened the door, but it scared the bejeezers out of JJ. It has only happened once, thank goodness! I'm sure there'll be more where that came from, though.
*I'm so not ready to jump on kiddo fads, but I have learned some things from M's My Little Pony books --- did you KNOW that the little images on their butts have a name? They're their "cutie marks"! haha! JJ now calls them a tramp stamp (not in front of M --- goodness knows she would certainly pick up on that and repeat it!).
*M has started finishing things --- like my sentences and words in books. It's pretty cute! She's so engaged in conversations and communicating. She is right about 90% of the time too! She also has a few memorized lines in books, like "Not today dear," her mother sighed. -- from Corduroy.
*M has become a little bossy thing. Some things are good -- she'll make sure I have my seat belt on and that I'm drinking water. Some things are not so good -- she'll want to play in M's room "right now" and demand one or both of us to "Get up!" She also has a "Noooooo" and "Yeah" that sound oddly teenager-ish. No, no, no... so not ready for that.
*One of my favorite new things because it is so darn funny is her "eating" noise. She has a kitchen now, so we do lots of pretend cooking and eating -- but this sound has also come up while she's actually eating too! It's like this big 'ole chomping noise! CHOMP!
*M has kind of become a little scaredy cat. I can tell she finds comfort in Mommy and Daddy and often reassures herself with, "Mommy (or Daddy) is right there." The other day we were shopping and M tried out a little rocking horse. I was at a very nearby clearance rack and noticed a little boy walked up to her. I observed her staring at him, and then out came the biiiiig lip. His parents rushed over thinking he had pushed her or demanded a turn or something. No, she just got a little nervous. When I picked her up, she started bawling. I had to talk her down explaining how the boy wanted to say hi to M and she was just fine. When we got home, she had to reenact the whole story to Daddy.
I could share more, more, and more stories, but I better stop here! My big girl is growing up so quickly!
*She does this thing now where she crouches down and yells, "Oooooooooooh JUMP!" and jumps up "high". It is so stinkin' cute, except when she's on the couch. (THAAAANKS cousin A -- and Daddy -- for having a video of A diving off of the couch. M requests it often!)
*I'm trying really hard to streamline our nuh-nigh routine. We have a pretty good system down, including three books. She has a few all time favorites that get requested almost every night (including: Llama, Llama Red Pajama, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, Corduroy, a farm book (she has three to choose from), a Pony book (cute little My Little Pony board books she got for her bday -- more on that later), an art book (from the Mini Masters book set) and more). She would love for JJ or I to rock her to sleep (and sometimes it's just divine to hold a sleeping baby), but we avoid that at all costs. Also, at this point, it's very, very hard for me to snuggle too much with her anyways. Not the way we're used to anyways. We did "Oh baby" a little bit tonight (where I hold her like a little baby and coo at her) -- at her request. : ) M's daycare gal has said that she's been trickier to put down lately -- MVJ wants MP to rock her. I've been trying to tell M she's a big girl and can just lay down for naps like a big girl and doesn't need MP (or Mommy or Daddy) to rock her.
*So along with bedtime, M has a new "trick". She loves opening and closing doors. For our very first time ever, M walked out of her bedroom in the middle of the night. I must've subconsciously heard her rustling around before she actually opened the door, but it scared the bejeezers out of JJ. It has only happened once, thank goodness! I'm sure there'll be more where that came from, though.
*I'm so not ready to jump on kiddo fads, but I have learned some things from M's My Little Pony books --- did you KNOW that the little images on their butts have a name? They're their "cutie marks"! haha! JJ now calls them a tramp stamp (not in front of M --- goodness knows she would certainly pick up on that and repeat it!).
*M has started finishing things --- like my sentences and words in books. It's pretty cute! She's so engaged in conversations and communicating. She is right about 90% of the time too! She also has a few memorized lines in books, like "Not today dear," her mother sighed. -- from Corduroy.
*M has become a little bossy thing. Some things are good -- she'll make sure I have my seat belt on and that I'm drinking water. Some things are not so good -- she'll want to play in M's room "right now" and demand one or both of us to "Get up!" She also has a "Noooooo" and "Yeah" that sound oddly teenager-ish. No, no, no... so not ready for that.
*One of my favorite new things because it is so darn funny is her "eating" noise. She has a kitchen now, so we do lots of pretend cooking and eating -- but this sound has also come up while she's actually eating too! It's like this big 'ole chomping noise! CHOMP!
*M has kind of become a little scaredy cat. I can tell she finds comfort in Mommy and Daddy and often reassures herself with, "Mommy (or Daddy) is right there." The other day we were shopping and M tried out a little rocking horse. I was at a very nearby clearance rack and noticed a little boy walked up to her. I observed her staring at him, and then out came the biiiiig lip. His parents rushed over thinking he had pushed her or demanded a turn or something. No, she just got a little nervous. When I picked her up, she started bawling. I had to talk her down explaining how the boy wanted to say hi to M and she was just fine. When we got home, she had to reenact the whole story to Daddy.
I could share more, more, and more stories, but I better stop here! My big girl is growing up so quickly!
Adventures at the DMV
A few weeks ago we received a note in the mail from our county sheriff's department (I think it was the sheriff... something like that). For some reason I immediately thought JJ was summoned for jury duty so I teased him a little bit. It's just been his luck. He was called three times while we lived in GF. But I digress. When he finally opened the note, it was about us being negligent about not changing over our licenses to KS. Ooops... I seriously didn't think we would have to do that. When you're a student, don't you not have to get state licenses? Well, in any case, we needed to do it... and fast! Good thing the highway patrol and DMV have amazing hours. Something like 8-3 or some such nonsense. WHO can make times like that??? Finally the time came when we both had time off AND my parents were here (to watch M-girl). We decided to take advantage of it! The DMV was quite the adventure. It was in a strip mall, so that was kind of interesting. AND they have this thing where you check in at a computer leaving your cell phone number. The last four digits become your code and your place "in line" shows up on TV screens. THEN, you can go about your business and the DMV texts you when there's about 15 minutes left of your wait. I thought it was all pretty interesting. So, long story short, we finally took care of our licenses and now I can never find my car. The end.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Feelin' Lucky Tonight!
I'm sort of feeling on a roll because of my last three entering "binges", I've won twice on Take It From Me! So... here we go!
1. Mmmm... popcorn!
2. Coconut Oil
3. Gift Sling -- sounds kinda fun! You fill out a survey about a person you want to give a gift to, pay $30 and the site picks something out and sends it to that person!
4. Neckties! I like novelty neckties, even if J probably wouldn't wear them THAT often...
5. Do You Bake? -- fun mixes and meals
6. My Little Legs and My Little Noggin -- could just the name of the store be any cuter??
1. Mmmm... popcorn!
2. Coconut Oil
3. Gift Sling -- sounds kinda fun! You fill out a survey about a person you want to give a gift to, pay $30 and the site picks something out and sends it to that person!
4. Neckties! I like novelty neckties, even if J probably wouldn't wear them THAT often...
5. Do You Bake? -- fun mixes and meals
6. My Little Legs and My Little Noggin -- could just the name of the store be any cuter??
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Cool Site/Program
My school district has this cool thing called "Parents as Teachers" that supports early childhood learning at home. But, there are also play groups --- including one that meets on Saturdays every other week! Two of my coworkers (plus kiddos), M and I went to a "jamboree" put on by the Parents as Teachers program. This jamboree included a kiddo concert, which I wasn't sure M enjoyed at first. She was so clingy and not her usual dancing self. She even wanted to take a break and run around the cafeteria instead of staying, listening, singing, dancing and hanging out in the gym. But, after we left, a few songs really stuck with her --- thankfully I had taken some video of her at the concert so we could at least listen to snippets to satisfy her requests for "Bright Light!"
A friend of mine at school suggested checking out the Apple Tree website and basically getting to know the Parents as Teachers program better a long time ago, but it didn't sink in until I saw how much M enjoyed the songs. This last weekend I finally checked out the website and found ALL SORTS of fun things! If you live in the area, you need to take a look. Hey - maybe even if you're not - I'm not sure if you can still make use of the great resources. M loves the movies -- one of her favorites is "Mother Goose Rap". Today she totally shut me down telling me to stop the rap (not the video of course, but my singing along!).
Each month has a new song, video, book, library list, sensory activity, family game, family fun, and parenting pointer (like how to use Mother Goose to teach important developmental skills).
A friend of mine at school suggested checking out the Apple Tree website and basically getting to know the Parents as Teachers program better a long time ago, but it didn't sink in until I saw how much M enjoyed the songs. This last weekend I finally checked out the website and found ALL SORTS of fun things! If you live in the area, you need to take a look. Hey - maybe even if you're not - I'm not sure if you can still make use of the great resources. M loves the movies -- one of her favorites is "Mother Goose Rap". Today she totally shut me down telling me to stop the rap (not the video of course, but my singing along!).
Each month has a new song, video, book, library list, sensory activity, family game, family fun, and parenting pointer (like how to use Mother Goose to teach important developmental skills).
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