lovecarnievan

Well Child/ Baby visity stuff, for those who care...

2009-08-13T17:56:10Z

David: 21.5 pounds/ 20th percentile weight....finally! Amy was so impressed by my scheme to make him gain weight (and quit nursing every.two.hours at night at the age of 12 MONTHS) that she's going to suggest it to moms of other older babies who are little thin. We just used infant cereal, half and half, and pureed fruits as a fill-in between meals. He still got to go on his finger food eating spree all other times. Honestly, that kid would explode if he couldn't have half my meal. He also cut three teeth and has been walking up a storm lately. Every three minutes or so one of the older kids yells, "MOM, David's WALKING!" He also has a vocabulary of about 12 words and uses them all the time.

Ben: 43 pounds/ 77th percentile weight, 41 inches tall/ 77th percentile height... still on the same curve. Ben seems to have decided to reserve all two-year-old behavoir for his fourth year. The temper tantrums are epic... but he only cares about what he cares about if Annaliese is involved. In his own words: I only care if it's better than Annaliese. Their 19 month difference can really be felt by all now. Also, he may have asthma. He's on a trial of D'allergy and Singulair to see if it can make his 6 week cough go away. He's been working really, really hard on breaking his thumb sucking habit all by himself (which may be attributing to the temper tantrums) without any reminders from us. I'm very proud.

Annaliese: 43 pounds/ 50th percentile weight, 44 inches tall/50th percentile height.... same curve. Annaliese did pretty complex math for her, and when asked to draw an x on the right side of a circle in orange, she drew it as a 3-D X. I was told to completely drop all veggie/fruit issues for her so as to not create control issues over food in future years when pre-teen girls are so vulnerable.

Andrew: 51.25 pounds/20th percentile, 46 inches tall 25th percentile...again, finally! A long time coming to make it to this percentile. Andrew's issue was his eyes. His vision is about the same as mine, which means glasses. Appointment on Monday, glasses before school starts. We're hoping this makes his chronic headaches go away. Also, we have an appointment with an orthodontist to hopefully start addressing his overbite issue, which is at this point almost a cm gap.

The Trip to Utah in Three Days

2009-08-09T20:24:18Z

I'm the oldest female grandchild on my mother's side of a modest Mormon family. I was born in Utah, but raised all over. We used to go back to the farm several times a year, a tradition that I've attempted to maintain because I have many, many happy memories there that I want my kids to experience.

My cousins have all been growing up in the last ten years...graduating, getting married, and starting families. I'm thrilled for them, and wish I could be there. The timing has always been terrible... at the end of the school year or with a week's notice. Not that I'd be welcome into the Temple anyway, being non-Mormon myself, but I feel like I've missed out on a lot.

About six weeks ago my mom was visiting and happened to mention that my cousin Krista was (expecting a baby and) getting married in August. She was marrying someone who was Baptist and in THE SUMMER! so we could possibly attend. I wrangled an invitation and spoke with Chris... and realized it was possible. Secured a hotel and a day off for Chris and planned our first six-family-member road trip to Utah!

We left early on Thursday, at seven in the morning. We packed the car the night before and had bananas, cereal, and a cereal bar out for the kids. We threw them in the car in their pajamas and set out. The trip is about eight hours without breaks, ten with lunch and stops every two hours or so. We took HWY 287 to Laramie (with Andrew asking all the way, "Is this the boring part?" Nope, kiddo. You haven't "experienced" Wyoming yet.) where we had our first stop to change the kids and switch seats around in the van. I had to run into the gas station (that didn't sell gas) to get some Dramamine (blech) from the tattooed ex-football player who called me a Damned Greenie and told me his life story. Much better. I brought rectangular cookie sheets for the kids to color and play with Magnetics on, so we busted out some toys and wrestled Davey back into his carseat. Since we were in the uneventful part of Wyoming (to be kind) I got to drive to keep the car-sicks at bay. Somewhere along here I saw a cougar by the side of the road, which was surprising. We got into SLC valley somewhere in late afternoon, and spent several hours in traffic trying to get to the hotel.

I forgot to mention one of my favorite parts of the trip, so I'll insert it here. At lunch on the drive up we stopped at a general cafe in Rock Springs. Our waitress happened to be Asain, so Andrew ~who watches quite a bit of anime~ orders his hamburger in a fake Asian accent. I quickly covered for him and didn't say anything ( he honestly thought he was being helpful) but giggled internally for quite a while. :)

There was a massive storm battering the southern part of the western half of the US, and it blew a HUGE dust storm into the SLC valley. The light was strange and sodium looking, with a red eye for the sun. Traffic was evil, but not that confusing thanks to the GPS, and we pulled into our hotel at dinnertime. I scored massively on the hotel... I got us a two bed/two bath suite with a full normal sized kitchen. There were flatscreens in every room, and doors for each room so we could seperate the older kids from the (hopefully) napping baby. Once I got unpacked, trying desperately to keep organized despite Chris' best efforts, I called Dave Bible at the Sego Lily Cafe to let him know we got in too late to head up to Bountiful to see him, which was a massive bummer since I heard awesome stuff about the cafe and haven't seen Dave in several years (Gonzaga in 2000... we used to all skinny dip together in a Spokane River tributary). He said it would only be 20 minutes since traffic had thinned out, and once my mom showed up we gave it the old Floyd effort.

The Sego Lily Cafe is an old Farmhouse-turned-restaurant with amazing charm. It's surrounded by pear trees that were all shedding fruit, and a family was out on the lawn collecting fruit. A baby in a white dress was sitting in the middle of the pears munching happily while a toddler ran around. Already I loved it. We sat by a big window (that Davey pounded on because we could not persuade him to sit still any longer) and we all tried out Mr. Bible's test appitizers... tempura veggies with an orange spicy sauce (yum) and a cheese artichoke and spinanch dip that had a touch of heat to it. I ordered the chicken marsala, the kids all had noodles with butter (heathens) and Chris had the battered salmon. I really, really, really, really, really wanted dessert, but by that point we had exhausted and wild kids an hour past bedtime and unwilling to sit or be quiet any longer. But man, that food was superb. I highly recommend it to anyone passing within 200 miles of SLC.

Bedtime meant persuading the wild children to sleep in a king sized bed together. I think they fell asleep around ten or so, while I passed out trying to convince the baby to sleep next to me. He fell asleep staring at the red blinking light on the smoke detector above our heads. I'm not sure when Chris came to bed, but I don't think it was much later.

The next morning was the wedding at an indoor greenhouse that was beautifully layed out with benches and pebble paths. There were only about thirty or so of us. I was amazed to see my cousin Morgaine who went from a little girl with enormous brown eyes to a beautiful adult. She had (I'm not sure what they are called, forgive me) those ear stretchy thingies, piercing implants in her cheek, and a lip piercing through the front middle part of her lip. She also had a massive tattoo on her chest and was bursting with awesome personality. I could see her assess me as a conservative SAHM and seemed have reconciled herself to being judged by me. I loved it when I saw in her eyes that I was actually cool (Andrew's TMBG NO! shirt helped) and she gave me her email address. I even caught up with my more conservative cousins, especially my cous Karin who always seems to be forgotten because she's painfully shy and quiet.

We got the afternoon off before the reception, so we headed back to the hotel to put Davey down for a nap (which meant on me) and Chris took the kiddos swimming. I did some laundry (we had packed very light), got dressed and headed out to the reception at a place that we had to access on an actual swinging rope bridge. Andrew danced on the bridge while I tried my best to hang on to the baby and not vomit everywhere. Dinner was good, but the kids were done sitting still. I chatted with my mom (Andrew asked me within hearing of my very conservative gma if I was getting DRUNK???? ) while the kids ran around outside in the flower gardens. We stayed until the bride cut the cake and speeches were said, and then beat a hasty exit. Yet another late night and more wrestling the kids into bed. I ran off to Target with my mom to get snacks for the drive home, which was a great chance to visit some more with her. She asked me at some point that evening if it was "uncool" to be friends with one's mom on Facebook. Ummm, if I was concerned with being cool, I guess I'd have to think about it. As it is, I'm friends with not only my mom, but several other's as well.

We completely failed getting up early for the drive home. Thank goodness I had packed the evening before. We caught breakfast at the hotel (and what a breakfast!!!! Several kinds of coffee, baked goods, sausages, eggs, pancakes, french toast, waffles, croissants, yogurt and granola, cereals. I love me some breakfast) and left by nine or so. We had hoped to head up to Cache Valley to see my Gma on her own turf, but we got out too late, sadly. Next year! The drive home was a little more squirly than the one up, but that was to be expected. We had Joe and Heidi's DVD player, which killed a little time. We stopped at Little America, and played on their playground after lunch. David cried and cried and cried to be put back in his carseat. The drive back was delayed by small child bowel hide-and-seek (I have to go, I can't go, I have to go, I can't go, I have to go NOW, I can't go), and we didn't get back into Colorado until after dinner. No one wanted to stop and eat, especially since we were being pounded by a hail and lightning storm in Ft. Collins and again in Longmont, so we pushed through and made it home just after seven pm.

And then all child hell broke loose. I think every kid cried until about nine or so. Chris and I watched some Heros (that I mostly listened to because I could not manage to keep my eyes open) and refused to contemplate doing this again for quite some time. But now I get to think about the fact that school is only a couple weeks away! WOOT!

What I've Been Up To:

2009-05-30T20:53:32Z

First, the Garden: We are doing a Square Foot styled garden. We have,...tomatos, beans, oregano, tomatos from seed, cantelope, marigolds for insects, lettuce, basil, petite pumpkins, peppers, green onions, chrysanthemums, broccoli, and cucumbers.
Then are the kids' planters with blood red and flaming orange lilies, and English wall flowers,

my back garden with lilies, roses, minis, mums, imatiens, and cosmos.
Our new space we just cleared for a raspberry bush, strawberries, a rose bush and a climbing rose. We still need to line and mulch. Yay!

We've also been painting the basement and recarpeting the basement:
I've been knitting Davey Pants:
Making Annaliese skirts and tutus (need new pinking shears for the bottoms)
I'm also making hoodie sweaters for each of the kids and I made a bunch of other skirts for Annaliese that I have no pictures for.
Thanks for looking!

PSA

2009-03-31T00:31:29Z

Annaliese's art was chosen as a part of the Annual Catholic Schools Art Show for 2009. If you wish to attend, it will be held at St. Pius X School Gymnasium on 4/24, 4/25, and 4/26 (6-9pm, 9am-7pm, and 9am-4pm respectively).

Derbiser, did you note the location ;)? I haven't been back there in years and years and years.

Yanked from my BIL. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T14:46:09Z

lovecarnievan @ 2009-03-16T10:19:00

2009-03-16T16:20:47Z

Medical Mystery Child

2009-03-14T13:30:50Z

Annaliese has painful bruised palms on her hands and a hip that hurts too much to move. She's not walked since the day before yesterday, and spent the whole night on her back. They wheeled her through the doctor's office yesterday and through the hospital to have an Xray done.

Anyone ever hear of this?

Going On a Trip in Our Little Rocket Ship

2009-03-04T21:05:42Z

I've been mostly ignoring my upcoming trip to CT so I don't give myself ulcers worrying about all the small details that I can't fix until it's time to go. So now I'm there... at the point where I need to worry about the details.

I lost my phone, and I NEED a phone while there, so I had to get a new one. Bad news: we don't qualify for the discounted price (when renewing a contract), so it's mega expensive. We love our current pricing contract ($15 a month for emergencies, .20 per txt) so I don't want to change carriers. Good news: I found a "certified" used one, and they are overnight shipping it to me for free. I just need to program all the stuff in it without the benefit of my old phone. I know that I will probably find my old phone as soon as the other one gets here.

I'm agonizing over how to lug David around the airport(s) with me and not have too much stuff to carry. I will have a medium sized rolling suitcase, a carryon bag/diaper bag, and a infant car seat. I didn't buy David his own seat on the plane, so I have to check the car seat. No one is picking me up on the other side, I'm renting a car and driving to my brother's place, so pushing a stroller, carrying a diaper bag and a carseat, and pulling a suitcase probably wouldn't work. I'm thinking that my best chance is to wear David in my Moby wrap and curbside check my suitcase and carseat. Then all I have to carry is my carry-on. I was thinking of borrowing Rhonda's awesome stroller/backpack, but I'm afraid that, knowing me, if I add anything else to worry about, my head will explode. Too much futzing with stuff makes me cranky and loose my shit at inappropriate times.

I still need to pack for both of us. I want to leave the house clean for Chris, but since he's decided to mostly just take off of work (thanks anyway to Alice and Heidi for offering to babysit Ben... he may take you up on the offer if work explodes without him, but it looks like we mostly won't need you) he can make the house clean for me, right? Diapers, medications, food, toys, oh my.

I have two giant fears. What if someone tries to take David? What if I can't prove he's mine? And the other one is about getting really really lost. I asked for a sat nav in the car, but of course they will tell me there's only one availible in a massively upgraded car. What if it's really snowing badly? I'll be in unfamiliar territory, lost, in the snow, with a baby.

Rainbows on the horizon: I get to see my brother and his new baby, my niece and sister in law. I will hopefully get to see the ocean (yes!). It will be a little vacation. It will be a good exercise in letting go and relaxing for a massve control freak like me.

Happy 8th Birthday, Andrew Bug!

2009-02-18T22:05:46Z

Pictures I'm comfortable with...

2009-01-18T19:51:26Z

No Longer Worrying about David's Allergies.

2009-01-10T00:04:45Z

His tests came back completely negative to all major allergens, plus a few of the foods we had already introduced him to (rice and oats). He has a slight sensitivity to wheat (they like to see the "number" under 3.5, his was .5) and where normally this would be a non-issue, in our family he will avoid all wheat foods for a few months to convince his immune system to forget it.

He's just got eczema. Okey dokey, we can deal with that! It does look better when we take him off excessive amounts of formula, though, so we'll go with that, minus the worry. I have no problems with nursing him more.

Now what to worry about? Oh, yeah. My thyroid results. They aren't good... all numbers are dropping which is still indicating a thyroid "burn out". I guess I insulted it enough and it refuses to play at all anymore. Fair enough, but just so long as this doesn't disqualify me from my laproscopic surgery next week (getting my tubes tied). Yesterday at my pre-surgery appointment the nurse joked that I must be really relaxed about my surgery because my blood pressure was 89/60. Uh, no. That's because y'all just took 20 vials of blood over three days. I lost a POUND in blood over that time span.

Oh, and I wanted to acknowledge the universe's little joke on me: yes, I've been sanctimonious about my approach to baby-sleep issues. Yes, I realize that David has slowly but surely made his way into our bed. Point humbly taken. Not that I'm going to let it rest, though.

lovecarnievan @ 2009-01-08T13:31:00

2009-01-08T20:50:13Z

As a parent I am halfway through my fifth year of preschool, this time with Ben. Each kid was very different in his/her approach and reaction to schooling, but for some reason Ben worried me. I was afraid he wasn't ready, that he needed more time at home with Mommy and his new brother. In my experience, preschool has nothing to do with academics in the sense of ABC's, numbers, shapes and colors. I've yet to meet a 3 year old (or indeed, most 2 year olds) who doesn't excell in those areas. I knew Ben had them down pat... I was afraid he'd be like me in preschool (I still remember this) and feel slightly lost, like everyone else knew what was going on and forgot to tell me. I still have my "report cards" from back then, and they all say "spacey" on them. I floated around in my own little cloud. I dunno, maybe I wasn't ready to let him go yet, and had some mommy guilt for having a baby. I have been spying on him, to see how he's interacting in a school setting (which IS what preschool is about, exploring within certain perameters). At first I noticed he mostly watched, at the edges of the group. I almost yanked him out three times before Halloween. He was having a hard time deciding to potty train, even though he mastered the technique long ago. He didn't want to talk about it or think about it, so at the recommendation of our Ped we dropped the subject. I chatted with his teacher weekly about how he was doing, and she kept begging me to give him a chance and keep him in. I guess he wasn't a hardship on them :). He's so easy to have at home, too, when the other kids are gone.

So I guess my fears were mostly unfounded. I find one of my most used mantras as a mom is "Wait and see. Give him/her a chance to show you s/he can do it." Over Christmas break, he completely potty trained. We still have had one or two "waited too long" accidents, but by and large he has taken control of his own potty habits. And I got his progress report today, and I am very proud of my Silly Goose! He's following classroom routines, showing self-control (a HUGE skill to master), awesome attention span, shares well, willingness to explore activities, and is participaing more and more every week. Big sigh of relief. So much worry off the shoulders.

Now back to worrying about Davi'd's potential allergies.

lovecarnievan @ 2008-12-11T23:26:00

2008-12-12T06:29:46Z

Beemer at Dion and Christine's wedding, about 10 years ago. Jason is a little tot in the background, and I'm a bridesmaid with gigantic red hair.

Doran in Spokane, about a year old.

About 15 Years Ago

2008-12-08T01:25:02Z

The summer Chris and I started dating (1994):

My Fellow Coloradoiadians:

2008-12-02T00:35:34Z

I have an aloe vera plant that is currently attempting to rule the world. It has made two copies of itself and I think they need a home. Would anyone like a free aloe vera plant? Let me know and we can find a time to execute Operation Separation... I can provide soil if you can provide a medium-sized pot.

7 Year Old Funnies

2008-12-01T16:25:21Z

Andrew's Menu for Thanksgiving (2nd Grade):

Drinks:
Rootbeer Float
Sprite
Root Beer
Milk

Side Dishes:
Chips and Dip
Popcorn
Soup
Potatos
Corn on A Cob

Main Course:
Lobster Legs
Shrimp
Eggs
Turkey

Desserts:
Funnel Cake and Icecream

And, in language arts Andrew was asked what the purpose of [animal] camouflage was, his answer was: "So we can less exstinkt anamlls."

lovecarnievan @ 2008-11-11T20:50:00

2008-11-12T03:51:09Z

Yanked from everyone.

If you saw me in a police car, what would you think I got arrested for? Answer, then if you want, post to your own journal and see how many crimes you get accused of.

(Try to post yours without looking at other comments first.)

lovecarnievan @ 2008-11-06T15:13:00

2008-11-06T22:15:50Z

It's Time For:

2008-11-05T20:04:51Z

Cat Hat!

Interesting Factoid

2008-11-05T04:11:19Z

From BBC America:

"Forty years ago President Kennedy was quoted as saying that in forty years America would have grown enough to have a black president."

It almost seems like a message I can't quite interpret.

2008-11-04T04:15:51Z

Alice mentioned that one of her userpics is from googling her first and last name in images. So I gave it a try, and came up with two images side-by-side. The first is me, from my Facebook account. The second one is not me, but eerily similar in form...

lovecarnievan @ 2008-10-17T17:02:00

2008-10-17T23:12:43Z

I want to send out a big fat thank you to the campaign people for letting me know my phone works. Every. fifteen. minutes. Thank you. I was worried, but the 23 phone calls I've gotten today ~ and every day this week~ have put my mind at ease.

Ben and I were having a conversation at lunch today that ended with his conclusion that I am, as a girl, white and saucy just like his 'collage' cheese.

Also, a plea to the Mammary Gods not to take my milk yet. I have a smiling ball of fat and warm to feed, and if they could see way he flops around like a fish at the anticipation of nursing (and baths) they'd surely let me have back what they've taken. Any tips out there to up a supply that have worked for you? I'm trying constant nursing/pumping, fluids, and blessed thistle capsules. I'm down to pumping about 2 or so ounces, a third of what he needs. Assuming he is more efficient at extraction, he's getting twice that, so we're uping our nursings to double of what we were before.

lovecarnievan @ 2008-10-02T00:01:00

2008-10-02T06:09:37Z

One of my goals on SparkPeople is to journal more. So here was my day:

Midnight: Finally getting around to going to sleep ( I actually read a chunk of the voting information book), decided to feed David so he can sleep his six-hour chunk while I am :) and put him back in his crib.

2:30am: David is awake and hungry. So much for that plan. Feed him again and put him back in his crib.

7:30am: Chris brings David to bed for me to feed. Apparently he was just playing and practicing vocalizing. He flirts shamelessly, smiling and talking while eating. Very messy.

The big plan here is to figure out a good carb/protein/fat combo breakfast and eat it, then get in an hour of cardio and weight lifting before I have to take the Kia to Goodyear Tires to have all the tires replaced at 1:00 pm. Seems like a reasonable goal, right?

8:00am David is hungry and wants to eat.
9:00am I get some breakfast.
9:30 am David wants to eat again.
10:00 am snack time for Ben, get him out of his pjs and let him go play outside. I try to put David down for a nap and he HOWLS. I go get him and rock him.... he's asleep in 2 minutes, but I wait a little longer, and then put him in bed. I come downstairs and it's
11:00 am (HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?) and Ben comes inside to tell me there are two dead mice on the back porch and that he rode his tricycle over the head of one and squished it. Yum. And that he pooped and needed to be changed. (Note to self: don't lecture about poops in potty...don't lecture...don't lecture...)
11:30 am Diaper changed and lecture done....Finally getting to my exercise. I get halfway through and giggle while watching Ben in a tutu and a Dr. Seuss hat try them with me.
12:00pm Chris is home. David is awake, so I take him into the shower with me while Chris feeds Ben some lunch.
12:30pm I feed David while Chris makes me a lunch of tuna salad on lettuce with tomatoes.
Things started to unravel when I tried to get the infant seat in the Kia, a double stroller in the trunk, Ben in the booster and down to the car shop and things just wouldn't fit. Deep breaths.
1:15pm I walk David and Ben in the double stroller over to Target to scope out Christmas toys. Found some really great ideas. Oh, and as a side note, I think we need to do small stocking stuffer gifts for each other's kiddos this year, fellow parent friends! We've gone forth and multiplied and have become expensive to gift at the holidays. I'll throw ideas at anyone who needs them.
1:50pm, call to my cell, the tires are done. We wrap up the last of our Target popcorn and walk back to the Goodyear Shop, pay for the tires and I load the kids back into the car.
2:30 pm We drive up to Louisville to trade the Kia for the Van so I can get back to Broomfield to pick up Andrew and Annaliese from Nativity. David is screaming from hunger. Chris and I agreed to put the keys in the glovebox so I don't have to go looking for him in his building (meetings), but Chris FORGOT and I had to unload the kids (AGAIN) and go in search of him. He remembers last second and is going down the stairs as we were going up the elevator. He heard our voices and ran back up the stairs. I grumbled something about making me come look for him, grabbed the keys and ran back to the van to load the kids back in. David is telling us that we reallllllly need to feed him soon. I don't have enough time to go home, so I decide to just drive straight to Nativity and park in the lot and feed him there while we wait for the kids to come out.
3:00pm We are too late. In order to park in the lot we have to get there before the car-line backs up and blocks the entrance to the lot. We are stuck at the mouth of the turn-in for the parking lot. David is really mad. The line isn't going anywhere for a couple of minutes, so I move Ben to the back of the van and sit in his seat and feed David for about two minutes. More flirting :).
3:30 Feed David again, and attempt another nap. He sleeps for all of ten minutes. I, during that time, decide to lay down on our bed and do some deep breathing because I can feel myself get anxious and tense. After my ten minutes I go grab David and bring him into bed with me, and he pretty much screams because I don't have enough milk.
4:30 pm So we head downstairs to make him a bottle. He drinks an ounce and flirts even more with the kids. Can we say milestone??? I give the kids a late snack.
6:00 pm Chris is home and Ben is asleep naked in a weird position on the couch (see picture). We debate going out to eat, but then Annaliese tries to smash Andrew's foot and refuses time-out, Andrew tells me I'm not allowed to tell him what to do with at-ti-tude
and finds himself in timeout, too. Ben is still asleep. Cancel dinner out, make chicken nuggets amongst much screaming and threats from Andrew (he's going to stay up PAST MIDNIGHT)....cue the Muppet Show.
7:30pm Annaliese starts having a panic attack about some papers she left at school. Kindergarten is making her very nervous...too many rules, rooms, and transitions. She's paralyzed by the thought of doing something wrong. Sigh. I have a heart-to-heart with her, write an email to her teacher, promise to come see her at school tomorrow, and we take a picture of her and her kitty to remind her of something nice when she feels anxious during the day. (Picture 2)
8:00 to 9:00 Cranky David alternates between crying, flirting, and passing gas. Finally falls asleep.
9:00 to midnight: Kids In The Hall, 5th Season, On Demand: Joel McHale clips. A toilet paper commercial that has me wondering: Are people really that concerned about ass lint? Chris says that maybe dingleberries are a problem for some people... but the commercials concerning the reduction of ass lint were aimed at cartoon bears (ok, so maybe there are poo-hangers-on) and elegantly dressed women. My personal thoughts are that these commercials are aimed towards that population of women who groom their junk more aggressively than I do. Even if a female retains a landing strip, there will be stubble in some locations as the hair grows back in. THEN there will be ass lint. The commercial is too suave (or I'm too naive) to say that this toilet paper is specifically for Brazilian waxers.
I'll end on that note and with a few pictures:

lovecarnievan @ 2008-09-30T12:12:00

2008-09-30T18:14:19Z

I think I didn't get the memo about Playboy Bunny day at preschool. If I had, I would have found something else to do with Ben and David today... but alas, I didn't know and walked right into a whole lot of perfectly coiffed sized 2 Playboy moms, happily dropping off Heff's by-blows in short shorts and tiny tank tops. They all had babes-in-arms, too, so no extra points there. Today had to be the day that I feel extra disgusted about myself as David barfed all over me right after I dumped my coffee in my lap, and didn't have a chance to take a shower.

All that I can handle... I just can't handle being so big. This just isn't me. I wont get into pounds and inches, because it's all so relative. Alice looks fantastic, wears a smaller size than me.... I'm all jiggly and spilling out everywhere and we weigh about the same. (I'm not upset at all with you, Alice. I think you look awesome and have worked hard to be there). I've been wearing the same f*cking tops and jeans and I hate them, but they're all that fit. I have been working out like a fiend, and I think I have new reason to hate my retarded thyroid. I think it's burning out. All my numbers are low.... tsh, t4, ft4. That means it's not bothering to stimulate, not bothering to produce anything. I feel like an utter ass even complaining as I obviously drew a better card from the Family Auto Immune Deck than my brother (who recently drew MS).

I've always tried to be silver lining lady, so I'll content myself with the thoughts that David is turning into a beautiful baby and I'm completely in love. The way he grins at my boobs when he knows they're for him makes some of the jiggle worth it. I think when I go to pick up Ben I'll feed David first. Then when he's ready to fire vomit, I'll point him at one of the Playboy Moms. She can have her own wet t-shirt contest off of my baby's barf.

Mmmmm... Tastes just like Rotovirus

2008-09-25T20:21:48Z

We had David's (Bling Baby) 2 month visit today. He is 11.5 pounds (75th), 22.25 inches long (75th) with a 15.5 cm head (50th). He's falling right into a nice, average curve pattern.    He still spits up constantly, but the horrid barfing has slowed to a few times a week. We even get through most nights without being soaked.

Speaking of nights we've started transitioning David to his crib (carseat in crib for the reflux) for nights and naps. He wasn't too excited about this at first and it took some crying, about a nap's worth, but since then he's been pretty good about sleeping at night (note: not THROUGH the night... just falling asleep on his own).   It has improved the last few evenings considerably. I did the first transition while the kids were in school, and we actually had a sit down dinner with both parents at the table. He still gets up to eat at night about every three hours (almost six last night) which I am happy with, as I'm not ready to go without seeing/holding him any longer than that. I also keep him in bed with me after the last feeding (which is less than restful since he grunts and squirms continuously, but soooo worth it).

Our visit w/ Dr. Amy took a while since I persist in picking her brains about things I'm curious about, and she's so awesome about answering everything I throw at her. Due to David's 4 shots and a new vaccine, and my fascination with the vaccine debates going on, I was curious to know how this has affected her patients in good ole' conservative middle/ upper-middle class Broomfield. The newest vaccine David was given is for Rotovirus, which isn't an injection. It consists of viral fragments suspented in sugar water and fed orally. He loved it. I asked Amy how it's been recieved, and she said that no one has rejected it, she suspects because it isn't an injection. I requested all of the vaccine information to be printed out (for reasons I'll explain) to read, and according to the patient info sheet, almost all kids get Rotovirus before the age of three. It's incredibly contageous and comes with explosive diarrhea and sometimes vomiting. Annaliese had it when she was 16 weeks old, and hers started with a hitched breathing pattern. I panicked and took her to the ER where they shaved her head for an IV and kept her for several bags. They must have known it was going to be bad, but the neon green liquid poo was beyond my imagination.

Most of what I read about delayed/anti-vaxers centers around a few key points: 1. If it isn't guaranteed to kill my kid (such as Smallpox), disfigure them (such as Polio), or cause long term damage somehow (German Measles) I don't see the point. 2. If it doesn't guarantee life-long immunity, I don't see the point. 3. I'm not sure about the suspension of the vaccine. 4. Too many diseases, too quickly. A few more extreme points made by delayed/non-vaxers: 5. It's all about the money by the drug companies, they don't care what happens to the kids. 6. Doctors aren't fully educated/ too lazy to know what all the implications are of vaccines and they don't convey the risks to patients, especially new parents who wouldn't know to ask. (This, BTW, is why I asked for copies of the patient info, to verify what is conveyed to the patient).

Just for the record, I'm not saying all anti- or delayed vaxers feel all of the above, and I'm not pointing fingers at anyone specific. Just stuff I've seen over the years, and I've been trying to understand since I am so far on the other side of the fence. Another point for the record is that I totally agree that there are some kids who just shouldn't ever be vaccinated, with pre-existing risk factors that make vaccinations dangerous and ill-advised.

So I was curious to know why, if Rotovirus affects something like 99% of the population of children in the US before the age of three, but obviously isn't in the same class as Smallpox in terms of virulence, no one seems to be reacting to it in the same way they do the vaccine for Chickenpox?   I found that strange. Maybe has something to do with the bit about cancer protection later in life by getting the wild strain of Chickenpox. I've asked around about that, and it seems as though that type/risk factor of cancer is almost negligible compared to family history. The wild strain is also apparently heinous enough now that should a parent go the route of deliberate exposure, I would definately hesitate long enough to see how bad it is first. Amy said she saw two cases of Ch Px in the last 1.5 years, one kid (vaccinated) had 5 pox, the other (unvaxed) had several hundred and was very, very sick. It is also important to note that there's enough research to note that most people who end up with shingles later in life were unvaxed. The research is still going on that one, though, so that may change. Still a personal risk assessment on this type of illness though, because the delayed/ non-vaxers are correct in that this just isn't in the same class as some other nasty diseases.

Which leads me to the questions I had for Amy on vax points #5 and #6 above. 5.It's all about the money by the drug companies, they don't care what happens to the kids.   The CDC and several drug companies are footing the expense for a program to compensate patients and families who've been affected by complications due to vaccinating.  How much compensation, I don't know, but if they were uncaring and only about making money, they would deny all culpability and pay nothing.   The approval process for vaccines is also insanely complicated and difficult, and hiding/denying/ignoring something as scary as autism as a known effect for a drug is beyond comprehension. I simply haven't seen an argument for this that convinces me or seems like anything but backed by emotion (understandably but not convincing) or paranoia.   These companies are also not allowed to stop research for something as large as the population they serve. Even though Polio is all but gone (which is why they no longer administer the more effective but contageous Oral Polio Vaccine, since it is now more possible to spread the disease via the vaccine than get it from another infected person) they still have to conduct trial after trial.    Not that there is NO error, though. The patient handouts admitted to previous and discontinued vaccines due side effects that showed up after the initial trials had concluded and the vaccine was released.    Which leads to #6,and my favorite:

6. Doctors aren't fully educated/ too lazy to know what all the implications are of vaccines and they don't convey the risks to patients, especially new parents who wouldn't know to ask.     (Gah, it wont unbold) So the patient information I grabbed today was updated recently by the CDC, seemingly (by the language) written to address some of the allegations about the safety of vaccines. I thought that was interesting. Amy still had her old book, though, that I started reading 7 years ago after I had Andrew. A bunch of the information was the same... such as possible side effects, what to look for, what to report, when to react and how. It also said, NOT ALL VACCINES WORK FOR ALL PEOPLE. It is NOT guaranteed, and never has been.   One of the biggest arguements against the pertussus vaccine (whooping cough) is that "My kid got it anyway. They never TOLD me that was possible".    The book is required by law to be in the office, availible to all patients, and made known to all patients. Amy says that for some parents she actually reads the pages out loud.

Anyway, that's just some of the stuff that's been going through my head. I love talking to her about this stuff, and please, if I missed an important point about vaxing/ non- or delayed vaxing, remind me. Amy's interested also and I want to know her thoughts on it and her policies regarding the different approaches to vaccinations. I'm appalled that some doctors are dismissing their patients from their care because of "vaccination non-compliance" (they do have to keep their practice insurance, though) because those kids, IMO, need to be monitored more than most.

And on the morale-boosting side of things, Amy also spent a good chunk of her time trying to convince me to finish up school as a Nurse Practitioner or Physician's Assistant since she said she couldn't see me not taking charge of my patients and just following orders. :) She says this every visit, and I never get tired of hearing it.