My 28th birthday is in 15 days!! I can't believe how time flies. If any of you are doing the calculation it is on April 15th (and I am a CPA - how fitting right).
I guess I should also mention that Harvey 31st birthday is on April 16th. Pretty hard for me to forget since it is just a day after mine.
The countdown has begun!
Monday, March 31, 2008
Weight Watchers (WW) Update
I am not sure if I have mentioned this before but I work in the business office of a private school. The school has been closed for the last two weeks and therefore I have not been weighed in all of this time. We all know that if we do not see the additional pounds on the scale then they don't count. So, of course I have been cheating. Not every day but a bunch of times over the last two weeks. In fact I even had a pastry at the engagement party last night.
This Wednesday I will get weighed again so I am going to have to stop my cheating ways and start seriously dieting again. I think I am ready but it definitely is true that eating one sweet thing makes you crave more!
This Wednesday I will get weighed again so I am going to have to stop my cheating ways and start seriously dieting again. I think I am ready but it definitely is true that eating one sweet thing makes you crave more!
Congrats!
Last night, Harvey, Andrew and I went to my friend, Deb's, engagement party. We did not get to stay for too long since it was past Andrew's bedtime but it was still nice to go. I never really get to "dress up" and I hardly ever put makeup on (maybe I should start wearing a little to work everyday) so I had fun doing those things. Andrew just went in his pajamas since we wanted to put him to bed as soon as we got home. We all had a really nice time and I got to see a bunch of my friends that I haven't seen for a while and also got to see some other friends that I haven't even spoken to in a while. Two of those friends have children just a few months older than Andrew so we are going to make plans to get together and do something when the weather gets nicer. I am really looking forward to it.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Chicken Soup Cures All
About a day after Andrew seemed to be getting over his cold another one seemed to be kicking. I was looking through What to Expect the First Year, Second Ed
and it said that very often babies will get over one strain of a cold only to develop another strain right after. Obviously this is because they have no immune system and need to build it up. Harvey and I were talking and since we always feel so bad for Andrew we don't want him to be around anybody else so that he won't get sick. We won't though since we know that ultimately it is better for him to be exposed to some things and to build up an immune system.
So last night I decided to make a big batch of chicken soup. I have a huge stock pot so I made a really large one for Harvey and myself. Since I usually add salt when making soup I wanted Andrew to have his own batch because too much salt isn't good for him (I know, it's not good for us either but his little body can handle much less than we can) and so many foods have salt in them anyway so he is already getting enough. So I made a medium pot of chicken soup specially for Andrew. I froze some of Andrews (and ours also) into portions and I think that we will have enough soup to last us until Passover which is in about three weeks. I feel so accomplished.
and it said that very often babies will get over one strain of a cold only to develop another strain right after. Obviously this is because they have no immune system and need to build it up. Harvey and I were talking and since we always feel so bad for Andrew we don't want him to be around anybody else so that he won't get sick. We won't though since we know that ultimately it is better for him to be exposed to some things and to build up an immune system.So last night I decided to make a big batch of chicken soup. I have a huge stock pot so I made a really large one for Harvey and myself. Since I usually add salt when making soup I wanted Andrew to have his own batch because too much salt isn't good for him (I know, it's not good for us either but his little body can handle much less than we can) and so many foods have salt in them anyway so he is already getting enough. So I made a medium pot of chicken soup specially for Andrew. I froze some of Andrews (and ours also) into portions and I think that we will have enough soup to last us until Passover which is in about three weeks. I feel so accomplished.
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Best Friends
On Tuesday night we all went to my in-laws for dinner. We were supposed to go to my in-laws on Friday since it was the Jewish holiday of Purim on that day but after all the excitement with my eye I was not exactly in the mood. So since we missed Friday my in-laws invited us to go over this week. My father-in-law was especially upset at missing Andrew on Friday. He even told my husband that he is not going to see his BEST friend. Yes, Andrew is his best friend. (That's a secret though since my father-in-law has four other grandsons and one is actually just three weeks older than Andrew.)
We had a really nice time. There was so much good food and Andrew liked getting out a little bit. My mother-in-law is really good about making foods that my husband and I like and she always takes my diet into account. Unfortunately for me and for my diet I really like these triangle cookies with jelly inside that are made special for Purim. Although my mother-in-law did not actually bake these cookies, she had some in her house and I just had to have them. Oh well, I am not getting weighed until next week anyway.
We arrived before my father-in-law got home from work but when he did Andrew only wanted to stay with him. See the feelings are mutual. For some reason Andrew absolutely LOVES my father-in-law and stepfather. I mean he also really likes his grandmothers but if his grandfathers are around it is as if nobody else matters.
We had a really nice time. There was so much good food and Andrew liked getting out a little bit. My mother-in-law is really good about making foods that my husband and I like and she always takes my diet into account. Unfortunately for me and for my diet I really like these triangle cookies with jelly inside that are made special for Purim. Although my mother-in-law did not actually bake these cookies, she had some in her house and I just had to have them. Oh well, I am not getting weighed until next week anyway.
We arrived before my father-in-law got home from work but when he did Andrew only wanted to stay with him. See the feelings are mutual. For some reason Andrew absolutely LOVES my father-in-law and stepfather. I mean he also really likes his grandmothers but if his grandfathers are around it is as if nobody else matters.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Sleep
Every once in a while I have problems sleeping. Usually I can sleep a lot even though I rarely get the chance. So last night and the night before I kept waking up all night. I don't know why. There isn't anything specific on my mind or anything that has been troubling me so I hope that it is just temporary and will go away by tonight!
Also, my eye is feeling a little better but it still hurts. The eye doctor said that I need to give it a few days so I am going to try and relax about it a little.
Also, my eye is feeling a little better but it still hurts. The eye doctor said that I need to give it a few days so I am going to try and relax about it a little.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Happy Birthday!!!
Today Andrew turns nine months old!!!
He is getting so big and doing so many new things each day.
I am so proud of him and love him so much!!!
He is getting so big and doing so many new things each day.
I am so proud of him and love him so much!!!
Pain In The Eye
In December, Harvey, Andrew and I were sleeping by my in-laws for a few nights because the heat wasn't working in our apartment. On one of those nights, Andrew was in a fussy mood so I picked him and tried to cuddle him close. As soon as I did that, Andrew began thrashing his arms around and he ended up scratching me in my left eye. I quickly put him into the pack and play since the pain was so unbearable and called Harvey, who was taking a shower. My eye hurt so much and I was afraid to open it. Andrew immediately settled down (he is such a good baby). My mother-in-law, who is a maternity nurse, came and rinsed my eye out with saline. A few hours later my eye was feeling a little better and I could even open it for a little while. This happened on a Saturday night and by the time I woke up on Sunday, my eye was much better. I decided that I would go to the ophthalmologist on Monday just to make sure that everything was okay.
The ophthalmologist said that I had a corneal abrasion but that my eye had already healed and everything was fine. About 2 weeks later the same eye started to bother me. It began a little at a time and gradually got worse to the point that every time that I opened my eyes it would hurt me. I was literally scared to open my eyes in the mornings. I decided that I needed another visit to the ophthalmologist. Harvey drove me the next day and the doctor said that I had what is called a recurring corneal abrasion. Basically every morning when I opened my eyes my eyelid was pulling off the new cells that had healed - so it was getting scratched over and over. The new cells are not as strong as the old ones and do not adhere as well to the layer underneath so they are damaged quicker. It can take anywhere from 6 months to a year for these cells to get stronger and for some people they never adhere well anymore. The doctor did a few things - he put cream into my eye and patched it (this is not something that eye doctors do often anymore but he wanted to make sure that I didn't open my eye at all that day), gave me moisturizing drops and told me to buy a moisturizing ointment for bedtime. I was only supposed to take the patch off before I went to bed and to put the ointment into my eye at that time. He said that I should use the ointment every night for at least 3 weeks. This would prevent my eye from drying out and my lid from pulling off the cells over and over again. I followed his advice but was nervous to stop the ointment since every once in a while my eye bothered me a little bit. I got better at putting in the ointment and continued doing this until about last week. That is where my new story begins.
Last Thursday, when I came home from work I decided to check the mailbox. As I was leafing through the meal I did a very klutzy thing - I scratched the same eye with an envelope. The pain was worse than last time (I guess because not only did I have a new wound but I opened the old wound) and I immediately went into my apartment , laid down and kept my eye closed. I figured that this would help the healing. By later that night the pain had not lessened even with my taking two Tylenol. My husband had already called my eye dr. (who of course was closed by then) and would be closed on Friday. I called up a close friend, Roy (who works in a volunteer ambulance service) and he came over to look at my eye. It was swollen and hurt a lot by then so Roy decided to take me to the emergency room immediately to make sure that it hadn't gotten infected. Roy took me (Harvey stayed home with sleeping Andrew) with his lights and sirens (I didn't know this until later since he had blindfolded me in order to not irritate the eye further). The blindfolded actually hurt my bad eye when it rubbed it against it so I held it away from my eye but still kept both eyes closed. When we got there Roy brought me a wheelchair (since I couldn't open my eyes to see where to walk) and helped me to check in. We waited about an hour - which wasn't bad since we thought that we would be waiting for like 3 hours until a doctor came to see me. The doctor could not get my eye open so he put in these numbing drops (they stung for a few seconds and then there was no pain at all - until it wore off an hour later). Once they were able to get my eye open, they checked and there was no infection - yay - just a scratch which should heal by itself but said that I should follow up with my ophthalmologist within 24-48 hours. They gave me antibiotic drops (2 drops four times a day) until I could see my doctor to make sure that no infection started, a prescription for percaset for the pain (I do not know how to spell that) and gave me a tetanus shot since I couldn't remember when I had gotten one last. Roy then took me to fill my prescription (to two places since the first place did not have it) and then took me home. Thanks Roy!!
Update - By Friday night I could finally stand to put ice on my eye and by Saturday afternoon I could finally open my eye. I went to the eye doctor today and he said that once again everything is healing nicely and it should stop bothering me within a few days. I need to continue using the ointment at night to prevent re-occurrences. My eye still bothers me a little but I know that I need to give it some more time to heal since it was a nasty scratch and an opening of an old wound. So that was my weekend - how was yours?
The ophthalmologist said that I had a corneal abrasion but that my eye had already healed and everything was fine. About 2 weeks later the same eye started to bother me. It began a little at a time and gradually got worse to the point that every time that I opened my eyes it would hurt me. I was literally scared to open my eyes in the mornings. I decided that I needed another visit to the ophthalmologist. Harvey drove me the next day and the doctor said that I had what is called a recurring corneal abrasion. Basically every morning when I opened my eyes my eyelid was pulling off the new cells that had healed - so it was getting scratched over and over. The new cells are not as strong as the old ones and do not adhere as well to the layer underneath so they are damaged quicker. It can take anywhere from 6 months to a year for these cells to get stronger and for some people they never adhere well anymore. The doctor did a few things - he put cream into my eye and patched it (this is not something that eye doctors do often anymore but he wanted to make sure that I didn't open my eye at all that day), gave me moisturizing drops and told me to buy a moisturizing ointment for bedtime. I was only supposed to take the patch off before I went to bed and to put the ointment into my eye at that time. He said that I should use the ointment every night for at least 3 weeks. This would prevent my eye from drying out and my lid from pulling off the cells over and over again. I followed his advice but was nervous to stop the ointment since every once in a while my eye bothered me a little bit. I got better at putting in the ointment and continued doing this until about last week. That is where my new story begins.
Last Thursday, when I came home from work I decided to check the mailbox. As I was leafing through the meal I did a very klutzy thing - I scratched the same eye with an envelope. The pain was worse than last time (I guess because not only did I have a new wound but I opened the old wound) and I immediately went into my apartment , laid down and kept my eye closed. I figured that this would help the healing. By later that night the pain had not lessened even with my taking two Tylenol. My husband had already called my eye dr. (who of course was closed by then) and would be closed on Friday. I called up a close friend, Roy (who works in a volunteer ambulance service) and he came over to look at my eye. It was swollen and hurt a lot by then so Roy decided to take me to the emergency room immediately to make sure that it hadn't gotten infected. Roy took me (Harvey stayed home with sleeping Andrew) with his lights and sirens (I didn't know this until later since he had blindfolded me in order to not irritate the eye further). The blindfolded actually hurt my bad eye when it rubbed it against it so I held it away from my eye but still kept both eyes closed. When we got there Roy brought me a wheelchair (since I couldn't open my eyes to see where to walk) and helped me to check in. We waited about an hour - which wasn't bad since we thought that we would be waiting for like 3 hours until a doctor came to see me. The doctor could not get my eye open so he put in these numbing drops (they stung for a few seconds and then there was no pain at all - until it wore off an hour later). Once they were able to get my eye open, they checked and there was no infection - yay - just a scratch which should heal by itself but said that I should follow up with my ophthalmologist within 24-48 hours. They gave me antibiotic drops (2 drops four times a day) until I could see my doctor to make sure that no infection started, a prescription for percaset for the pain (I do not know how to spell that) and gave me a tetanus shot since I couldn't remember when I had gotten one last. Roy then took me to fill my prescription (to two places since the first place did not have it) and then took me home. Thanks Roy!!
Update - By Friday night I could finally stand to put ice on my eye and by Saturday afternoon I could finally open my eye. I went to the eye doctor today and he said that once again everything is healing nicely and it should stop bothering me within a few days. I need to continue using the ointment at night to prevent re-occurrences. My eye still bothers me a little but I know that I need to give it some more time to heal since it was a nasty scratch and an opening of an old wound. So that was my weekend - how was yours?
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Weight Watchers
During my pregnancy I was pretty good about gaining weight. I started my pregnancy with a few extra pounds so my doctor didn't want me to gain too much weight. By the end I only gained 21 pounds. It would have been 24 but I got REALLY sick a few days before I delivered my baby - that's all you need to know. By about a week or two after given birth I had lost 13 of those pounds. Just 8 pounds to go!!! Unfortunately for me I started having these starving feeling. I just couldn't eat enough, I was always hungry. So I began to eat a lot and the weight started piling on. Of course I didn't weigh myself so I was in denial as to the extent of the damage.
When I went to my ob/gyn a few months later I had regained all of my pregnancy weight and more! I was upset and began thinking about starting a diet but didn't really do anything about it. At Thanksgiving I saw my cousin and his wife who had both just lost a lot of weight recently by joining Weight Watchers. Harvey and I decided that maybe it would be a good idea for us to start it too (he gained a little more than me during my pregnancy).
I spoke to a coworker, Mary, about how I was going to join and another coworker happened to also mention that she wanted to join too. Mary decided that maybe we should have it at work. I called Weight Watchers and got the pricing info and Mary spoke to our boss. He agreed that not only could we have it at school (I don't know if I ever mentioned it but I work in the business office of a private school) but that the school would also pay for it! I was so excited. Mary and I got a large group of interested people together and began the program.
It has been six weeks and I lost a lot of weight. My goal was to lose 10 pounds by the time of the wedding. I had five and a half weeks from the time that I started until the wedding. By the end of the fourth week, I had lost 10.6 pounds and by the end of the fifth week it was 13.2 pounds. I think that I am one of the people that had lost the most at my school.
Since I have really been good, my treat was that I would allow myself to really pig out at the wedding. I was so excited because they had a sushi bar (I love sushi but don't have it a lot) and I just kept eating at the buffet. I knew that I would put on a few pounds from it but it was worth it. After stuffing myself at the buffet, I could barely eat any of my meal. I was really full and I think that it has to do with my new eating habits since I have really been watching my portions more carefully. Now, I eat almost everything I did before but I watch how much of it I eat. I will not be weighed this week or next week since the school is closed (the business office still has to work but no teachers are here) - so we cancelled the meetings. This week was busy for me but I might try to go to an actual meeting at a Weight Watchers location next week. I know that I might have gained a little back but I still feel good.
So my first goal is to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. After that I would like to lose another 20 pounds but if I at least get to my first goal I will be happy. Weight Watchers usually sets a goal weight with you after you have reached your 10% goal, which I haven't met yet so I guess we will see what they say.
I think that I am going to put a weight loss bar so that everybody can see how I have been doing.
When I went to my ob/gyn a few months later I had regained all of my pregnancy weight and more! I was upset and began thinking about starting a diet but didn't really do anything about it. At Thanksgiving I saw my cousin and his wife who had both just lost a lot of weight recently by joining Weight Watchers. Harvey and I decided that maybe it would be a good idea for us to start it too (he gained a little more than me during my pregnancy).
I spoke to a coworker, Mary, about how I was going to join and another coworker happened to also mention that she wanted to join too. Mary decided that maybe we should have it at work. I called Weight Watchers and got the pricing info and Mary spoke to our boss. He agreed that not only could we have it at school (I don't know if I ever mentioned it but I work in the business office of a private school) but that the school would also pay for it! I was so excited. Mary and I got a large group of interested people together and began the program.
It has been six weeks and I lost a lot of weight. My goal was to lose 10 pounds by the time of the wedding. I had five and a half weeks from the time that I started until the wedding. By the end of the fourth week, I had lost 10.6 pounds and by the end of the fifth week it was 13.2 pounds. I think that I am one of the people that had lost the most at my school.
Since I have really been good, my treat was that I would allow myself to really pig out at the wedding. I was so excited because they had a sushi bar (I love sushi but don't have it a lot) and I just kept eating at the buffet. I knew that I would put on a few pounds from it but it was worth it. After stuffing myself at the buffet, I could barely eat any of my meal. I was really full and I think that it has to do with my new eating habits since I have really been watching my portions more carefully. Now, I eat almost everything I did before but I watch how much of it I eat. I will not be weighed this week or next week since the school is closed (the business office still has to work but no teachers are here) - so we cancelled the meetings. This week was busy for me but I might try to go to an actual meeting at a Weight Watchers location next week. I know that I might have gained a little back but I still feel good.
So my first goal is to get to my pre-pregnancy weight. After that I would like to lose another 20 pounds but if I at least get to my first goal I will be happy. Weight Watchers usually sets a goal weight with you after you have reached your 10% goal, which I haven't met yet so I guess we will see what they say.
I think that I am going to put a weight loss bar so that everybody can see how I have been doing.
Wedding
As I mentioned before, Harvey and I had a wedding on Sunday evening. We were very excited since the last wedding we had been to was in October. This weddnig was for a guy that Harvey used to be friends with a while ago and hasn't really kept in touch with lately. In fact, I have never even met him. He lived in Florida for a while and didn't come to our wedding. But, we love weddings, especially now that we don't get to dress up and go out very often.
At religious Jewish weddings the order of events is as follows: smorgasbord (a buffet) then the ceremony and then the meal and dancing. Well, there are obviously more details of different customs that go on but those are the basics. If anyone would like to hear more about it then please leave a comment I will be happy to go through a Jewish wedding and its customs for you.
We both totally pigged out at the smorg (I think I ate more than Harvey). My in-laws were also at the wedding so I sat with my mother-in-law at the ceremony. Harvey and I danced a little and ate some more. I totally skipped the deserts (except for one lone strawberry from the fondue bar - but without the chocolate, can you believe it) because I didn't want to be so bad on my diet (that will be for another post). All in all we had a lot of fun, caught up with a few of Harvey's old friends who will try to get together with soon and ate a lot of good food. We can't wait for the next wedding! I will post a pic as soon as my hubby downloads the pics from our camera onto our computer.
At religious Jewish weddings the order of events is as follows: smorgasbord (a buffet) then the ceremony and then the meal and dancing. Well, there are obviously more details of different customs that go on but those are the basics. If anyone would like to hear more about it then please leave a comment I will be happy to go through a Jewish wedding and its customs for you.
We both totally pigged out at the smorg (I think I ate more than Harvey). My in-laws were also at the wedding so I sat with my mother-in-law at the ceremony. Harvey and I danced a little and ate some more. I totally skipped the deserts (except for one lone strawberry from the fondue bar - but without the chocolate, can you believe it) because I didn't want to be so bad on my diet (that will be for another post). All in all we had a lot of fun, caught up with a few of Harvey's old friends who will try to get together with soon and ate a lot of good food. We can't wait for the next wedding! I will post a pic as soon as my hubby downloads the pics from our camera onto our computer.
Weekend Update
Sorry I haven't written for a few days.
This past weekend we (Harvey, Andrew and I) went to my parents for the Sabbath (we are religious Jews). It was very nice and relaxing. I told my parents that they needed to buy a gate for their stairs because Andrew has started crawling all over the place. My parents really enjoy seeing and spending time with Andrew. They always plan some fun activity for their time together. I think that it is really nice for all of them - my parents get to enjoy their grandchild and Andrew gets to have a close relationship with them. I hope that it continues that way in the future. Also, Andrew really loves my stepfather (and father-in-law) - he seriously does not want to go to anybody else when they are around. I think it is a guy thing :-)
So Andrew was still sick on the Sabbath and because of that he hasn't been napping well. I know that resting would help him to get better faster but try telling that to an eight and a half month old! So on the Sabbath it was the same thing. I felt so bad for him that I let him take a nap in my arms - I really enjoyed it. I love staring at him and he always looks so peaceful. Awww. Then since it seemed like Andrew really needed another nap, Harvey and I took a nice walk. Within a few minutes of us leaving the house, Andrew fell asleep. I think that besides for being sick it is hard for Andrew to fall asleep when he is with my parents and in-laws because he always feels that he is going to miss something.
Harvey and I had a wedding evening on Sunday so my parents graciously watched Andrew for another day. I was really looking forward to this wedding but I will get to that later. So on Sunday, my parents took Andrew to a carnival and they saw a man in a mask and musicians playing instruments. I am so proud of Andrew because he wasn't scared of the man in the mask. He also watched and smiled at the musicians. I guess the musicians liked him also because they let him play the drums with them and then he started to sing with them. I wish I was there!
Later that day, my parents took Andrew to feed the ducks. Since my baby loves to eat (well his appetite has gotten a little smaller since he has been sick but thank G-d he is beginning to feel better now) and thinks that he should eat whenever anyone else is eating I am not sure that he liked sharing his food with the ducks. He just kind of looked at them with a strange face wondering what was going on.
This past weekend we (Harvey, Andrew and I) went to my parents for the Sabbath (we are religious Jews). It was very nice and relaxing. I told my parents that they needed to buy a gate for their stairs because Andrew has started crawling all over the place. My parents really enjoy seeing and spending time with Andrew. They always plan some fun activity for their time together. I think that it is really nice for all of them - my parents get to enjoy their grandchild and Andrew gets to have a close relationship with them. I hope that it continues that way in the future. Also, Andrew really loves my stepfather (and father-in-law) - he seriously does not want to go to anybody else when they are around. I think it is a guy thing :-)
So Andrew was still sick on the Sabbath and because of that he hasn't been napping well. I know that resting would help him to get better faster but try telling that to an eight and a half month old! So on the Sabbath it was the same thing. I felt so bad for him that I let him take a nap in my arms - I really enjoyed it. I love staring at him and he always looks so peaceful. Awww. Then since it seemed like Andrew really needed another nap, Harvey and I took a nice walk. Within a few minutes of us leaving the house, Andrew fell asleep. I think that besides for being sick it is hard for Andrew to fall asleep when he is with my parents and in-laws because he always feels that he is going to miss something.
Harvey and I had a wedding evening on Sunday so my parents graciously watched Andrew for another day. I was really looking forward to this wedding but I will get to that later. So on Sunday, my parents took Andrew to a carnival and they saw a man in a mask and musicians playing instruments. I am so proud of Andrew because he wasn't scared of the man in the mask. He also watched and smiled at the musicians. I guess the musicians liked him also because they let him play the drums with them and then he started to sing with them. I wish I was there!
Later that day, my parents took Andrew to feed the ducks. Since my baby loves to eat (well his appetite has gotten a little smaller since he has been sick but thank G-d he is beginning to feel better now) and thinks that he should eat whenever anyone else is eating I am not sure that he liked sharing his food with the ducks. He just kind of looked at them with a strange face wondering what was going on.
Friday, March 14, 2008
The Ultimate Blog Party
JOIN THE PARTY!!!
Hi, my name is "smileyes" and although I have been reading blogs for a while now I have just recently started one of my own. I am married and have a son who is almost nine months old. It is actually because of my son that I started reading blogs. I wanted to get ideas from other mothers, see what they go through, just kind of have another little "community". Now, I am addicted. Please visit the above link to meet other moms and don't forget to come back to my blog to hear more of my and my family's adventures. Please also visit my other site where moms can share their advice on different products to help other moms.
This is a lot of fun and it would be even nicer if I ended up winning a prize. My top prizes are 59, 60, 117, 55, 140, 39, 129, 89, 116, 64, 56 in that order.
Nursing
Unfortunately, breastfeeding my son did not go as well as I had hoped. I managed to nurse him for a little over 5 months but was supplementing him with formula for the m ajority of that time (or rather the breastmilk was supplementing the formula). In my community many people nurse (it is the norm although there are many who don't). I can remember going to visit certain people and being extremely embarrassed giving a bottle to my son when he was still hungry right after I nursed him. Because of this I was so full of guilt and blame.
I blamed he hospital for not having any lactation consultants working on the weekends (shouldn't they have someone on call for people that give birth then. I gave birth early Sunday morning.) I blamed the lactation consultant who didn't come for hours (on Monday) after I called for her numerous times and did not spend much time with me when she finally did arrive. I blamed the first nurse (who had nursed children of her own and had experience with it) for not helping me enough with it. I blame the second nurse who, instead of helping me, looked at me with disgust and criticized me for holding the baby the way the first nurse had told me to and then for confusing me with her very different methods. (From the way she looked at me, one would think that I was an irresponsible 12 year old single girl living on the street, instead of a 27 year old who is educated, married and has a head on her shoulders - actually in retrospect she probably would have been nicer to the 12 year old.) I blamed my mother-in-law for convincing me that in the hospital my son was starving and for giving him formula (the reality is that all a baby needs is colostrum which is exactly what you are producing until your milk comes in a few days later.) I blamed my ob/gyn who did not have any resources to share with me when I called him for advice, other than the wrong number of a lactation consultant. I blamed my friend who told me (when I requested it) that she would get me in touch with her other friends who are lactation consultants but never bothered to do anything. I blamed my son's pediatricians (we go to a husband and wife team) who each gave me conflicting reports - one said that my babys spitting up was because I was feeding him TOO often and I should wait until 3 hours after his last feeding was finished to feed him again and the other for telling me that I had to nurse more often to increase my milk supply (well what do you think I was trying to do). I even blamed my son for not being a strong enough sucker.
But the only reason that I blamed everybody else was because I was so upset and felt so much guilt. Because most of all I blamed myself. I blamed myself for stupidly believing that nursing would come naturally and for not doing enough research beforehand and preparing myself. I blamed myself for thinking that all of the help and resources I needed would just come to me (as if by magic I guess). I blamed myself for asking and listening to everyones advice. I blamed myself for not asking a different friend for advice (I have a friend who I had spoken to later on who told me that if she would have known that I was having troubles she would have helped me and reassured me because she also had problems but went on to successfully exclusively nurse her two sons).
Yet with all of that, I still plan to take the journey again with my next child. The journey that is the emotional rollercoaster that a nursing mother who is not quite successful feels - getting a high each time you think things are workign out and then hitting rock bottom with each ounce of formula given. Next time though I will be smarter and more prepared (both emotionally for the letdown, knowledgable with all sorts of resources).
I blamed he hospital for not having any lactation consultants working on the weekends (shouldn't they have someone on call for people that give birth then. I gave birth early Sunday morning.) I blamed the lactation consultant who didn't come for hours (on Monday) after I called for her numerous times and did not spend much time with me when she finally did arrive. I blamed the first nurse (who had nursed children of her own and had experience with it) for not helping me enough with it. I blame the second nurse who, instead of helping me, looked at me with disgust and criticized me for holding the baby the way the first nurse had told me to and then for confusing me with her very different methods. (From the way she looked at me, one would think that I was an irresponsible 12 year old single girl living on the street, instead of a 27 year old who is educated, married and has a head on her shoulders - actually in retrospect she probably would have been nicer to the 12 year old.) I blamed my mother-in-law for convincing me that in the hospital my son was starving and for giving him formula (the reality is that all a baby needs is colostrum which is exactly what you are producing until your milk comes in a few days later.) I blamed my ob/gyn who did not have any resources to share with me when I called him for advice, other than the wrong number of a lactation consultant. I blamed my friend who told me (when I requested it) that she would get me in touch with her other friends who are lactation consultants but never bothered to do anything. I blamed my son's pediatricians (we go to a husband and wife team) who each gave me conflicting reports - one said that my babys spitting up was because I was feeding him TOO often and I should wait until 3 hours after his last feeding was finished to feed him again and the other for telling me that I had to nurse more often to increase my milk supply (well what do you think I was trying to do). I even blamed my son for not being a strong enough sucker.
But the only reason that I blamed everybody else was because I was so upset and felt so much guilt. Because most of all I blamed myself. I blamed myself for stupidly believing that nursing would come naturally and for not doing enough research beforehand and preparing myself. I blamed myself for thinking that all of the help and resources I needed would just come to me (as if by magic I guess). I blamed myself for asking and listening to everyones advice. I blamed myself for not asking a different friend for advice (I have a friend who I had spoken to later on who told me that if she would have known that I was having troubles she would have helped me and reassured me because she also had problems but went on to successfully exclusively nurse her two sons).
Yet with all of that, I still plan to take the journey again with my next child. The journey that is the emotional rollercoaster that a nursing mother who is not quite successful feels - getting a high each time you think things are workign out and then hitting rock bottom with each ounce of formula given. Next time though I will be smarter and more prepared (both emotionally for the letdown, knowledgable with all sorts of resources).
Hope to See You Soon
I was speaking to one of my good friends, Pam, last night and she mentioned that her family will probably be moving soon (out of the country). Pam had mentioned it in the past but at that point in time nothing was imminent. They wanted to move before their oldest (she has 4 boys) would start school (well, first grade at least). Since I knew her way before he was born, he still seems like a baby to me so I figured that I would deal with it later. Well, he is turning 6 this month and next year will be starting first grade. Gosh, I am getting old!!! This means that they are going to try to move this summer. I know that they haven't sold their house yet or found any place to live yet so it is not happening at this second but obviously they will be working hard to make this happen. Of course after hearing this news, I was very saddened. It is bittersweet since I am happy for her for, hopefully, being able to realize a goal that she has but boy will I miss her. I am saddened also by the fact that our sons (my son and her youngest son are only a month apart) will not get to really know each other. (BTW - My husband and I are planning to move to her neighborhood in a year or two so the kids would have been in school together.) It isn't even like we see each other often. She lives in NJ and I live in NY and between work, children and life we just don't always get a chance. I know that once she moves we will barely get to see each other and we will end up talking on the phone less than we do now (since it will be more money and harder to arrange the time differences) but we will manage. I believe that our friendship will stay strong.
My husband (I don't think I ever mentioned his name but it is Harvey) was very understanding and told me that of course we can go and visit. Visiting another country will definitely be hard to arrange and expensive to but I think that it will be feasible. So I end this post on a positive note - I will not be losing a friend but gaining a vacation spot!
My husband (I don't think I ever mentioned his name but it is Harvey) was very understanding and told me that of course we can go and visit. Visiting another country will definitely be hard to arrange and expensive to but I think that it will be feasible. So I end this post on a positive note - I will not be losing a friend but gaining a vacation spot!
Poor Baby
My son is sick. He has a nasty cough and runny nose and I am not sure what to do to help him. I mean I guess there isn't really anything to do just wait until it runs its course. Meanwhile I have given him some chicken soup (supposed to help everything right) with all the veggies in it and put a humidifier in his room. His breathing seems to be better with it but he is definitely not sleeping as well. I hope he gets better soon. Any advice?
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Opinions
Please visit my other site. I am basically polling people to get their advice on various items that new mothers will have to buy for their baby but may not have any idea as to how to go about conducting the research. I know that because of this I made a few bad choices. Think of all the new mothers out there that do not have anybody supporting them and helping them with decisions. Even if their own mothers want to help, many of the items on the market today are much different than when they were shopping. Let's help other mothers and other women. Since I will only be listing one item per week, it should only take up about 5-10 minutes of your time on a weekly basis. Please try to visit it often.
Women helping women!!!
Women helping women!!!
The Picture Everyone Has Been Waiting For
This is my adorable son. He is about five months in this picture and he is over eight months now so I really need to post a more recent one.
Angel Baby
My husband and I always say that our son is an angel baby. Not only do we think that he is the cutest thing ever but he is just so good. We feel so lucky but we also feel that we are spoiled and (G-d willing) when we have our next child that child will be a little terror!
Last night, I had to go into Andrew's room to get something after he was already asleep. Unfortunately, he must not have been in a deep enough sleep at that point and started stirring. Then he just put himself into a sitting position, started looking at me and smiling. What a cutie!!! Before he could awaken fully I quickly tiptoed out of the room and closed the door. No sooner did I do this then I hear a cry starting. I went back in, figuring I would give him his pacifier (I know, I know), calm him down and hopefully he would go back to sleep. When I got closer to the crib I realized that I couldn't reach the pacifier or him without lowering the side and I didn't want to lower it since it would make noise. So I looked at him and in a very soft tone I said "Andrew take the pacifier." To my surprise, he actually took it, laid back down and went back to sleep.
How amazing is that!
Last night, I had to go into Andrew's room to get something after he was already asleep. Unfortunately, he must not have been in a deep enough sleep at that point and started stirring. Then he just put himself into a sitting position, started looking at me and smiling. What a cutie!!! Before he could awaken fully I quickly tiptoed out of the room and closed the door. No sooner did I do this then I hear a cry starting. I went back in, figuring I would give him his pacifier (I know, I know), calm him down and hopefully he would go back to sleep. When I got closer to the crib I realized that I couldn't reach the pacifier or him without lowering the side and I didn't want to lower it since it would make noise. So I looked at him and in a very soft tone I said "Andrew take the pacifier." To my surprise, he actually took it, laid back down and went back to sleep.
How amazing is that!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Please Don't Follow Daddy's Example
Last week my husband came into the room where I was and said to me that he had just acted like a drug addict. Intrigued, I asked him what he had done. First let me backtrack a little:
Last weekend (not this past one but the weekend before) my family got together with his brothers family. My brother-in-law has two sons. They are always getting sick. So of course after the get-together my husband wasn't feeling well. First the sneezing started. I thought my husband was exageratting when he said that he couldn't go more than a half hour without sneezing. Well, i can attest to the fact that this was true, although, I think it was more like a sneexe every fifteen minutes. So since we had Nyquil in the house that is what my husband took. After about two days my husband had had about enough and finally decided to go out and get medicine for sneezing (I know, I am a horrible wife but he told me that he didn't want me to go out and since I was completely exhausted I didn't want to either). Later that same night, the sneezing stopped but my husband began coughing up a storm. Unfortunately earlier that same day (probably right after he bought the sneezing medicine) he had thrown out the Nyquil bottle since there was only a few drops left.
And this is what my role model of a husband did - he picked the Nyquil out of the garbage (at least it was at the top with nothing really disusting near it) and downed the last few drops!!! Andrew, please do not learn from your daddy.
Last weekend (not this past one but the weekend before) my family got together with his brothers family. My brother-in-law has two sons. They are always getting sick. So of course after the get-together my husband wasn't feeling well. First the sneezing started. I thought my husband was exageratting when he said that he couldn't go more than a half hour without sneezing. Well, i can attest to the fact that this was true, although, I think it was more like a sneexe every fifteen minutes. So since we had Nyquil in the house that is what my husband took. After about two days my husband had had about enough and finally decided to go out and get medicine for sneezing (I know, I am a horrible wife but he told me that he didn't want me to go out and since I was completely exhausted I didn't want to either). Later that same night, the sneezing stopped but my husband began coughing up a storm. Unfortunately earlier that same day (probably right after he bought the sneezing medicine) he had thrown out the Nyquil bottle since there was only a few drops left.
And this is what my role model of a husband did - he picked the Nyquil out of the garbage (at least it was at the top with nothing really disusting near it) and downed the last few drops!!! Andrew, please do not learn from your daddy.
Open-mindedness
I think that I am a pretty open-minded person. I enjoy hearing other peoples views on a variety of subjects. Hearing about what others think and not just being interested in your own views help you to learn about the world. You get different perspectives and in many situations youre outlook may change. Life is a growing process. How else can you grow than by branching out, thinking new thoughts, looking at the world differently. Don't get me wrong, I do not believe that you always have to change your ideals to match what the other person is telling you.
When I was in college I studied abroad for a year. One of my teachers constantly used a certain phrase. I had never heard it before but do not think that he made it up. It was, "Don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out." I thought it was funny but never really thought about the meaning to deeply. In a different class, the students were asked to keep a book of quotes or incidents that had meaning to them. These quotes could be funny, meaningful, uplifting - basically anything that you wanted to write down and remember. I think almost every single person that had those two classes with me wrote down that phrase.
The other day for some reason this quote came to me. I thought about it long and hard and I realized that it is very true. Many people pride themselves on being open-minded. Some people are easily swayed by the opinions and happenings of others. They sometimes think that acting like others, be it the popular crowd, the wild crowd, celebrities, will make them happy. This is not so. What makes a person happy is being themselves. I am not saying that if you are naturally a grumpy person you should walk around being nasty to other people with a scowl on your face. That won't make you happy either. But it is trying to be the best person you can be. Being grumpy will neither help you nor the people around you, but you don't need to become the most cheerful person to please anyone else. You just need to find the things in life that you enjoy and give you meaning.
So yes, I am open-minded. I enjoy hearing other peoples views, ideas, goals in life. I take each one with a grain of salt. I have learnt many things this way. Some of them make me think about things that I hadn't thought of before. Some of them are different takes on what I had already believed. Some of them I agree with and some of them I don't. I am up to having discussions about these views. I am not up to having arguments about the differences. I cannot lose myself to please someone else. I cannot be so open-minded "that my brains fall out."
When I was in college I studied abroad for a year. One of my teachers constantly used a certain phrase. I had never heard it before but do not think that he made it up. It was, "Don't be so open-minded that your brains fall out." I thought it was funny but never really thought about the meaning to deeply. In a different class, the students were asked to keep a book of quotes or incidents that had meaning to them. These quotes could be funny, meaningful, uplifting - basically anything that you wanted to write down and remember. I think almost every single person that had those two classes with me wrote down that phrase.
The other day for some reason this quote came to me. I thought about it long and hard and I realized that it is very true. Many people pride themselves on being open-minded. Some people are easily swayed by the opinions and happenings of others. They sometimes think that acting like others, be it the popular crowd, the wild crowd, celebrities, will make them happy. This is not so. What makes a person happy is being themselves. I am not saying that if you are naturally a grumpy person you should walk around being nasty to other people with a scowl on your face. That won't make you happy either. But it is trying to be the best person you can be. Being grumpy will neither help you nor the people around you, but you don't need to become the most cheerful person to please anyone else. You just need to find the things in life that you enjoy and give you meaning.
So yes, I am open-minded. I enjoy hearing other peoples views, ideas, goals in life. I take each one with a grain of salt. I have learnt many things this way. Some of them make me think about things that I hadn't thought of before. Some of them are different takes on what I had already believed. Some of them I agree with and some of them I don't. I am up to having discussions about these views. I am not up to having arguments about the differences. I cannot lose myself to please someone else. I cannot be so open-minded "that my brains fall out."
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Smileyes
Why smileyes?
I was trying to think of a new screen name that I would capture something of me. I did not want to use the usual nickname, initials, etc. So I chose this - something a little more original. Everyone has always told me that I have a nice smile - one that is warm, inviting, brightens up not only my face but the whole room. Cliche I know. But I do have a nice smile and I smile a lot. A smile is something that can turn things around. Yes a smile will not change any of your serious problems but for a second, just one second it can sometimes make you forget. This is the power of a smile (or a laugh which starts with a smile). If you are having a bad day and a stranger smiles at you in the street it can make you think that life isn't all bad and you might smile back in spite of yourself.
For me the only real smile is the one that reaches your eyes. When smiles do not reach your eyes they are kind of hollow. Don't get me wrong, a smile is still a smile. Sometimes even making yourself put forth that little bit of effort to give a smile even though you don't feel like it can be good but don't fool yourself. Give it your best effort, really feel the smile, the happiness shining through. Hence, "smileyes" - a smile that reaches your eyes.
I can still remember the photo that I took for my high school yearbook. I was smiling , just regular smiling like anyone would dor for a picture. Then the photographer said something (maybe it was about giving a bigger smile) and I started to chuckle. He took a picture right at that moment. When I got all the pictures back, guess which picture was the best. You got it - the picture taken right after he made me laugh. That was the picture with the real smile or the "smileyes".
I was trying to think of a new screen name that I would capture something of me. I did not want to use the usual nickname, initials, etc. So I chose this - something a little more original. Everyone has always told me that I have a nice smile - one that is warm, inviting, brightens up not only my face but the whole room. Cliche I know. But I do have a nice smile and I smile a lot. A smile is something that can turn things around. Yes a smile will not change any of your serious problems but for a second, just one second it can sometimes make you forget. This is the power of a smile (or a laugh which starts with a smile). If you are having a bad day and a stranger smiles at you in the street it can make you think that life isn't all bad and you might smile back in spite of yourself.
For me the only real smile is the one that reaches your eyes. When smiles do not reach your eyes they are kind of hollow. Don't get me wrong, a smile is still a smile. Sometimes even making yourself put forth that little bit of effort to give a smile even though you don't feel like it can be good but don't fool yourself. Give it your best effort, really feel the smile, the happiness shining through. Hence, "smileyes" - a smile that reaches your eyes.
I can still remember the photo that I took for my high school yearbook. I was smiling , just regular smiling like anyone would dor for a picture. Then the photographer said something (maybe it was about giving a bigger smile) and I started to chuckle. He took a picture right at that moment. When I got all the pictures back, guess which picture was the best. You got it - the picture taken right after he made me laugh. That was the picture with the real smile or the "smileyes".
Previous Incidence
Yesterday morning was just one of those mornings. Since we had changed the clock this past Saturday night ("Spring forward" is never quite as good as "Fall back") I guess I am a little off schedule. My wonderful husband woke up early on Sunday and let me sleep late even though our son was also up. So it isn't like I lost out on sleep.
Of course I overslept on Monday morning. I ended up leaving my house 10 minutes later than I had wanted to. TEN minutes - not bad at all. I would have only been a little late to work except that of course when you have no time to spare (read: negative time) everything else will work against you.
In order to get to work I have to take a bus and two (or three depending on how the transfers go) trains. If anybody lives in NY they can relate to my commuting woes. My bus stop is in the middle of the route. Many times by the time the bus gets to my stop it is packed and will not even stop. This of course happens more often on days when the buses themselves are running late or there is more traffic since it gives people more time to actually get to the earlier stops. So I wait and three buses pass me. I finally get onto the third bus. (Of course by that time there is another bus right behind it.) Then onto the train. There are 2 express trains that stop at my train stop. I just miss my train and I wait as two of the other trains come and go until finally another of my trains come along. Then I get to the last leg of my trip. At that stop there are 2 trains that come - I need the local one but if the express one comes first I will take it and transfer later to one of 2 local trains. This time no trains come. I waited for 15 minutes until any train came. The announcements said "due to a previous incidence there will be a short wait for the __ and __ train. Well at least when the train finally came it was the one that I needed.
All in all, I was only 30 minutes late.
I drove today in order to not have a repeat of yesterday.
Of course I overslept on Monday morning. I ended up leaving my house 10 minutes later than I had wanted to. TEN minutes - not bad at all. I would have only been a little late to work except that of course when you have no time to spare (read: negative time) everything else will work against you.
In order to get to work I have to take a bus and two (or three depending on how the transfers go) trains. If anybody lives in NY they can relate to my commuting woes. My bus stop is in the middle of the route. Many times by the time the bus gets to my stop it is packed and will not even stop. This of course happens more often on days when the buses themselves are running late or there is more traffic since it gives people more time to actually get to the earlier stops. So I wait and three buses pass me. I finally get onto the third bus. (Of course by that time there is another bus right behind it.) Then onto the train. There are 2 express trains that stop at my train stop. I just miss my train and I wait as two of the other trains come and go until finally another of my trains come along. Then I get to the last leg of my trip. At that stop there are 2 trains that come - I need the local one but if the express one comes first I will take it and transfer later to one of 2 local trains. This time no trains come. I waited for 15 minutes until any train came. The announcements said "due to a previous incidence there will be a short wait for the __ and __ train. Well at least when the train finally came it was the one that I needed.
All in all, I was only 30 minutes late.
I drove today in order to not have a repeat of yesterday.
Cutie Pie
Before I continue writing any more posts I am going to introduce you to my son, Andrew, since he will probably be featured a lot :-)
As I said, his name is Andrew and he is just the cutest baby alive. Not only is he cute but he is just so well-behaved. I could not have asked for a better son. (Take this all with a grain of salt since it all comes from the doting mother). So he is now about 8 and a half months and he is my first child. He was born in June at 7 lbs 7 ounces. Now he is over 20 pounds. All that means is that he is damn heavy to pick up ( I really need to do some back strengthening exercises in order to keep up with him) and that we will need to buy him a new car seat soon.
Last week he started crawling, and I mean really crawling, no more gliding or going backwards. This is forward on all fours, getting into all sorts of trouble. He somehow knows just where he shouldn't go and of course those spots are the most exciting!!! Even now with the crawling A's favorite thing to do is to stand but he can't get to that without help. He just looks at you and holds up his arms so that you will hold his hands to give him the leverage he needs. Then once he is up he just stand there, taking in the world. What a cutie!!! Oh, and he still have no teeth.
As I said, his name is Andrew and he is just the cutest baby alive. Not only is he cute but he is just so well-behaved. I could not have asked for a better son. (Take this all with a grain of salt since it all comes from the doting mother). So he is now about 8 and a half months and he is my first child. He was born in June at 7 lbs 7 ounces. Now he is over 20 pounds. All that means is that he is damn heavy to pick up ( I really need to do some back strengthening exercises in order to keep up with him) and that we will need to buy him a new car seat soon.
Last week he started crawling, and I mean really crawling, no more gliding or going backwards. This is forward on all fours, getting into all sorts of trouble. He somehow knows just where he shouldn't go and of course those spots are the most exciting!!! Even now with the crawling A's favorite thing to do is to stand but he can't get to that without help. He just looks at you and holds up his arms so that you will hold his hands to give him the leverage he needs. Then once he is up he just stand there, taking in the world. What a cutie!!! Oh, and he still have no teeth.
Monday, March 10, 2008
I've Finally Found the One
I met my husband at work. It is funny how these things work out. I was waiting to meet someone who was worthy enough to marry me, going on many dates, networking myself, going to different places to meet people and then he just came TO ME! I am pretty traditional and so I guess that is the way that it should have been for me - with the guy finding me.
Now I will backtrack for a little and share some of the story. (Maybe I will share more at a later date). I was at my previous place of employment for a number of years. It was my first real (full-time) job after college. I was moving up the ladder pretty quickly and was at the point where I was one of the people whose job it was to train the new employees (this of course had to be done while still getting all of my other work done on time). Anyway, I actually enjoyed training the new employees. I got to know everyone (and see which of them I would choose to work with later by seeing who had more potential than others). In fact, I was one of the only people who knew almost everyone in my firms name.
Twice a year there was a new group of recruits. In one of those groups was my future husband. Of course I didn't know it then. So we met and nothing came from that until a few months later when we happened to start talking, he asked for my number, we spoke on the phone, he asked me out, we went on our first date. The rest is history.
More details will follow when I have more time. Also stay tuned for stories from our first (and second and third, etc) date.
Now I will backtrack for a little and share some of the story. (Maybe I will share more at a later date). I was at my previous place of employment for a number of years. It was my first real (full-time) job after college. I was moving up the ladder pretty quickly and was at the point where I was one of the people whose job it was to train the new employees (this of course had to be done while still getting all of my other work done on time). Anyway, I actually enjoyed training the new employees. I got to know everyone (and see which of them I would choose to work with later by seeing who had more potential than others). In fact, I was one of the only people who knew almost everyone in my firms name.
Twice a year there was a new group of recruits. In one of those groups was my future husband. Of course I didn't know it then. So we met and nothing came from that until a few months later when we happened to start talking, he asked for my number, we spoke on the phone, he asked me out, we went on our first date. The rest is history.
More details will follow when I have more time. Also stay tuned for stories from our first (and second and third, etc) date.
All About Me
First a little about me - I am happily married with a baby boy. I work full-time. I have created this blog to share different aspects of my life since I enjoy reading others blogs during my day. I have many different views and opinions and would like to express them along with hearing others peoples views. I would also like to share different tips and advice on a large range of subjects - including pregnancy, labor, children, marriage, shopping, working, hobbies, losing weight, getting in shape, cooking and more. I hope you all will come along for the ride!!!
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