This seems an appropriate time to reflect on what I am thankful for, not only because it's Thanksgiving, but because I'm going back to work on Monday and I think I'll need to remind myself of all the wonderful things in my life when I have to leave Anna at home that morning!
-My wonderful husband (and not only because I think I've just about got him convinced that he can handle both girls on his own for at least part of the day after Thanksgiving so Mom and I can go out in the fray of Black Friday shopping). He is an amazing person and I am so glad to have him in my life. He is the best dad ever (right up there with my own dad!). I love watching him interact with our girls. And he is my biggest cheerleader, constantly pushing me to believe in myself more than I ever have.
-My girls. I can't believe that I have two daughters now! Sometimes I have to pinch myself and remind myself that they are indeed my children....still seems odd to use the plural form of child, but I'm getting used to it. Carrie is such an amazing little girl - truly not a baby anymore. She's 2 going on 20 if you ask her. She constantly amazes us with what she's learned in her two short years, talking about how her favorite dinosaur is the T-Rex, and that Thanksgiving is all about the "Penguins" (that would be Pilgrims for those not well versed in toddler talk) and Native Americans. No joke, she really did tell me all about the Native Americans on the way home yesterday. And Anna just is growing by leaps and bounds every day, getting her own little personality. On the one hand I can't wait to see how they interact as they grow up, and on the other hand I want so badly to keep them just as they are right now so they'll never grow up.
-My parents. They have made me into the woman I am today. They love my children as much as I do. I'm finding it so hard to put into words how I feel about them as I'm sitting here typing, so I'll leave it at the fact I hope I am at least half the person they are, because I'd consider myself successful.
-My inlaws. Don't think I would have made it through the past year if it weren't for Whizzy & Pop Pop!! Whizzy runs car pool just about every single day for Carrie and while Jerry was out of town and I was growing more and more pregnant by the second, she knew just when to offer to hang out with Carrie for a bit so I could have some down time. Pop Pop has dealt with our crazy house search and helped us out tremendously, and barring any catastrophes we'll close in about three weeks on our third house!! And when we move out I can honestly say that I truly love my inlaws as much, if not more, than the day we moved in (and I would dare say that not many folks out there could say that!) This also includes my sisters-in-law, which are really more like my sisters :) I've known them for about 11 years now, and they are amazing young women.
-My family. I don't get to see all of the members of my family very often now that we live in SC and they are in GA/MS/FL, but I think about them often and know that, if anything happened, they'd be here for me in a second.
I think that about covers it for now!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Thanks honey!
I have such a great hubby :) He is very conscious of the fact that, in order for me to be a great wife/mother I too need my "Mommy time" which is what we call it when I get to actually leave the house sans children. Yesterday was my weekly "mommy time" and I went all over the place and did all kinds of errands without any little helpers and it was great. Don't get me wrong - I obviously love my kids - but grocery shopping with a two year old and a two month old is not high on my list of favorite things in the world to do. So even though Anna still gets a little cranky whenever I'm not around, he sent me on my way yesterday morning. I immediately went to Starbucks to get my java chip frappuchino (yum!) and started marking things off my list. I was only gone for about 2 hours or so, but it's amazing what two hours can do. I was surprised at how much I got done in that timespan...I managed to go to Starbucks, Target, Petco, Blockbuster, Publix, and get gas all in two hours. Jerry was amazed when I came back home because he thought I was going to be gone for the better part of the afternoon. Be careful what you wish for, dear.... :)
Monday, October 26, 2009
Sign that your newborn nurses too much (or that your husband needs to watch what he says around your two year old)
So the family had a nice get together yesterday at Cedar Bluff in honor of Alston's birthday and her visit to the lowcountry. There were aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, you name it. I was talking with a few of these folks when Anna started getting a little fussy and my darling first daughter Carrie is right there beside me. I ask her a question I've asked a million times since Anna was born.
Me- "Carrie, Anna's upset, huh?"
Carrie - "Yep."
Me - "Yes (we're trying to get her to say 'yes' instead of 'yep' or 'yeah'). What do you think she needs?"
Now, 99.99% of the time when I ask her that question she says "She's hungry" or "she needs food." This, apparently, was the .01% that she busted out with a different answer.
Carrie - "She needs the boob!"
Thanks, Carrie. Appreciate that.
And Jerry - if that's not proof that Carrie is listening to EVERY SINGLE WORD that is said, I don't know what is.
Me- "Carrie, Anna's upset, huh?"
Carrie - "Yep."
Me - "Yes (we're trying to get her to say 'yes' instead of 'yep' or 'yeah'). What do you think she needs?"
Now, 99.99% of the time when I ask her that question she says "She's hungry" or "she needs food." This, apparently, was the .01% that she busted out with a different answer.
Carrie - "She needs the boob!"
Thanks, Carrie. Appreciate that.
And Jerry - if that's not proof that Carrie is listening to EVERY SINGLE WORD that is said, I don't know what is.
My Inner Chef
One good thing I've discovered while on maternity leave this time around (other than having fun hanging out with Anna), is I've been able to actually cook. Not the "It's 6pm what the heck are we having? Tacos sound good" cooking, but flipping through my recipes and cookbooks and trying new recipes out that I haven't been able to try before now. I really love cooking, I just don't seem to have enough time to do it during the week while working and doing the kid thing. I've discovered some great cookbooks that focus on cooking in large batches at once and then freezing, which actually got me through a lot of the time Jerry was in Portugal. We always have homemade spaghetti sauce at the ready in the freezer, and now some homemade chicken pot pie, chicken enchiladas, and some yummy lasagna.
Before Jerry headed to Chicago yesterday morning he said "You know, I'm going to really miss your cooking this week." I think that was the biggest compliment on my cooking I've ever received :)
Before Jerry headed to Chicago yesterday morning he said "You know, I'm going to really miss your cooking this week." I think that was the biggest compliment on my cooking I've ever received :)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Time flies
Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted here!! So much has happened....Anna's doing much better these days. Eating like a champ, as well as sleeping like a champ. We seem to be in a routine of sleeping for 8 hours at night now, regardless of what time we go to sleep. Last night it was 11:30-7:30; the night before it was 10:30-6:30. I think I can deal with any going to bed time if I know there's 8 hours of sleep to be had afterwards :)
Carrie's doing fabulously with her little sister. As soon as she gets home in the afternoons she runs straight over to the couch where Anna and I usually are (sleeping 8 hours at night means pretty much eating non stop during the day), hops up and starts rubbing her feet and talking to her. She's really taken to the role of big sister very well. Much better than I ever anticipated she would. She still has her moments, to be sure....just ask Jerry about bathtime last night :) Let's just say she never really got a bath. I wasn't in there, but all I could hear was crying from Carrie because Daddy wasn't using the right soap. When he switched to the "right" soap, it magically turned into the wrong soap. I guess that's the prerogative of a two year old (and a female to boot!). She still loves school - learning to write her letters. She comes home and loves to show us how to write A, B, C, D, & E, as that's as far as they've gotten so far. It's crazy to me that she's already writing out letters and so forth.
I'm really making an attempt to truly savor my maternity leave this time around. I think with Carrie I was anxious to get back to work to "regain" some of my identity outside of being a mommy to some extent. This time I am not as concerned with work or making sure the house is just so. This could very well be our last kiddo, which means the last time I'll ever get to experience this time in a child's life. Sappy, yes, but it's how I rationalize not always getting the dishes cleaned before Jerry gets home, or accidentally leaving a load of laundry in the washer :) So if Anna eats then wants to nap in my arms, so be it.
Carrie's doing fabulously with her little sister. As soon as she gets home in the afternoons she runs straight over to the couch where Anna and I usually are (sleeping 8 hours at night means pretty much eating non stop during the day), hops up and starts rubbing her feet and talking to her. She's really taken to the role of big sister very well. Much better than I ever anticipated she would. She still has her moments, to be sure....just ask Jerry about bathtime last night :) Let's just say she never really got a bath. I wasn't in there, but all I could hear was crying from Carrie because Daddy wasn't using the right soap. When he switched to the "right" soap, it magically turned into the wrong soap. I guess that's the prerogative of a two year old (and a female to boot!). She still loves school - learning to write her letters. She comes home and loves to show us how to write A, B, C, D, & E, as that's as far as they've gotten so far. It's crazy to me that she's already writing out letters and so forth.
I'm really making an attempt to truly savor my maternity leave this time around. I think with Carrie I was anxious to get back to work to "regain" some of my identity outside of being a mommy to some extent. This time I am not as concerned with work or making sure the house is just so. This could very well be our last kiddo, which means the last time I'll ever get to experience this time in a child's life. Sappy, yes, but it's how I rationalize not always getting the dishes cleaned before Jerry gets home, or accidentally leaving a load of laundry in the washer :) So if Anna eats then wants to nap in my arms, so be it.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Our miracle baby
I was already contemplating a blog post with this title prior to this weekend's events, but now I have two reasons to post here with this title....
My first is because I really do think of Anna as our little "miracle" baby. It's no secret anymore that me getting pregnant the first time required medical intervention. Not being able to get pregnant the "normal" way was a blow to me - as a woman if you can't do that, then what can you do? That's what women are supposed to be able to do, and I couldn't. Thankfully we lived in a town that had excellent medical care and I was able to get in to see the necessary doctors rather quickly (I guess it probably didn't hurt that I worked in the department of medicine, either!). It took right at a year for me to get pregnant with Carrie. At the time that seemed like an eternity, but in the field of infertility, that's nothing.
So imagine my surprise when, just two days before Christmas 2008, I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. I wasn't supposed to be able to get pregnant without medical help....yet there it was staring me in the face. I distinctly remember when I took the job with GT-Savannah sitting at the kitchen table crying my eyes out because their medical insurance didn't cover infertility treatments. I had thought to make sure that their insurance covered my Remicade treatments prior to accepting the job, but I didn't think to check on the infertility treatments. I remember thinking it was going to cost us about $10k a month that we "tried" to conceive child #2, and thinking we'd never be able to do that. So both Jerry and I were a little shocked when I took the test and it came up positive. Jerry was elated; this was what he had been hoping for (me too!), that I'd somehow be able to get pregnant without help so that it would be a big surprise. And yes, it WAS a big surprise!! To top it off, Jerry also got his wish in that, although Anna's delivery date was scheduled, she decided to come early. He got to do the whole "honey, it's time!" deal and scramble around the house making sure we had everything we needed and rushing to the hospital for the baby to be born. I will never forget having contractions in the car and him driving like a lunatic from Okatie to Savannah. I remember telling him "well, it looks like you got exactly what you wanted with this kid - he/she was a complete surprise AND we're doing the rush to the hospital routine!"
And after this weekend, Anna's my miracle baby once again. She spiked a fever of what we thought was 100.4 from our thermometer at home on Friday morning at 2:30am. By the time we got to the hospital at 3:30am, it was at 100.7, which earned us an automatic 2 day stay in the hospital. The doctors explained that with newborns they had to be extra cautious because their bodies could be overwhelmed by infection within a few hours and could die from said infections. This meant Anna had to get an IV straight away so they could administer antibiotics and draw blood for blood cultures and samples, she had to get a catheter to collect a urine sample, and worst of all she had to get a spinal tap to check her spinal fluid to ensure she didn't have meningitis. I truly hope that I never have to witness either of my children ever getting a spinal tap ever again. Jerry tried to keep me from seeing it, but as I was walking back from the restroom at one point I could see her out of the corner of my eye, and it will probably be awhile before I get that picture out of my head. I know there are much worse things that she could have, but this was a first for me and something I hope never to repeat.
Everyone's home now and on the mend. We're attempting to get back to normal. So, if anyone has any tips on how to get little Anna to go back to sleeping on her own and not with me, they would be much appreciated :) She was just a little spoiled when she was sick, and now we're attempting to get back to everyone being in their own beds!
My first is because I really do think of Anna as our little "miracle" baby. It's no secret anymore that me getting pregnant the first time required medical intervention. Not being able to get pregnant the "normal" way was a blow to me - as a woman if you can't do that, then what can you do? That's what women are supposed to be able to do, and I couldn't. Thankfully we lived in a town that had excellent medical care and I was able to get in to see the necessary doctors rather quickly (I guess it probably didn't hurt that I worked in the department of medicine, either!). It took right at a year for me to get pregnant with Carrie. At the time that seemed like an eternity, but in the field of infertility, that's nothing.
So imagine my surprise when, just two days before Christmas 2008, I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. I wasn't supposed to be able to get pregnant without medical help....yet there it was staring me in the face. I distinctly remember when I took the job with GT-Savannah sitting at the kitchen table crying my eyes out because their medical insurance didn't cover infertility treatments. I had thought to make sure that their insurance covered my Remicade treatments prior to accepting the job, but I didn't think to check on the infertility treatments. I remember thinking it was going to cost us about $10k a month that we "tried" to conceive child #2, and thinking we'd never be able to do that. So both Jerry and I were a little shocked when I took the test and it came up positive. Jerry was elated; this was what he had been hoping for (me too!), that I'd somehow be able to get pregnant without help so that it would be a big surprise. And yes, it WAS a big surprise!! To top it off, Jerry also got his wish in that, although Anna's delivery date was scheduled, she decided to come early. He got to do the whole "honey, it's time!" deal and scramble around the house making sure we had everything we needed and rushing to the hospital for the baby to be born. I will never forget having contractions in the car and him driving like a lunatic from Okatie to Savannah. I remember telling him "well, it looks like you got exactly what you wanted with this kid - he/she was a complete surprise AND we're doing the rush to the hospital routine!"
And after this weekend, Anna's my miracle baby once again. She spiked a fever of what we thought was 100.4 from our thermometer at home on Friday morning at 2:30am. By the time we got to the hospital at 3:30am, it was at 100.7, which earned us an automatic 2 day stay in the hospital. The doctors explained that with newborns they had to be extra cautious because their bodies could be overwhelmed by infection within a few hours and could die from said infections. This meant Anna had to get an IV straight away so they could administer antibiotics and draw blood for blood cultures and samples, she had to get a catheter to collect a urine sample, and worst of all she had to get a spinal tap to check her spinal fluid to ensure she didn't have meningitis. I truly hope that I never have to witness either of my children ever getting a spinal tap ever again. Jerry tried to keep me from seeing it, but as I was walking back from the restroom at one point I could see her out of the corner of my eye, and it will probably be awhile before I get that picture out of my head. I know there are much worse things that she could have, but this was a first for me and something I hope never to repeat.
Everyone's home now and on the mend. We're attempting to get back to normal. So, if anyone has any tips on how to get little Anna to go back to sleeping on her own and not with me, they would be much appreciated :) She was just a little spoiled when she was sick, and now we're attempting to get back to everyone being in their own beds!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)