Charlotte has had a rash for a little over 6 weeks now. Lest you think I'm a neglectful mother, I have now visited the doctor (which she actually sees a family nurse practitioner) a total of three times about this very problem. When the rash first started it wasn't that big a deal. She thought it was probably just dry skin. So I started slathering on lotion. Then I tried Aquaphor. That didn't work and the rash got worse spreading across her whole stomach and chest.
On the second visit to the office her FNP thought it was probably a skin sensitivity to something. She gave us an Rx to help with the itching and hydrocortizone cream to use sparingly and told us to put Vaseline on the effected area at least twice a day. I went home, bought new expensive laundry detergent, new hypoallergenic soap, washed everything that touches her body and started the regimen of medicines that the doctor gave us. After a week of this I realized it wasn't working because the rash spread from her front to her back up her neck, down her arms, and to the palms of her hands. Also, it got really red. And she got mad at me every time I tried to get her to stop itching it.
So enough is enough right? Yesterday I went back into the office and saw not only her FNP, but also the pediatrician on staff there. My mind had been going crazy for a few days about what could possibly be causing this. Is there a virus? Is she going to be allergic to something that she will never be able to eat/touch/breathe again? Does she have some other immunity issue? Never, did I envision what they told me she could possibly have.
Scabies.
Gross.
So after that diagnosis and 2 new Rx, I called my OB and got the Rx for myself and my husband (it's very contagious in families). I proceeded to spend the rest of the afternoon being freaked out and educated about this. Side note: For the mommies of any of Charlotte's little friends, it's spread through prolonged skin to skin contact ie. cuddling and snuggling. I don't really think anyone else has a serious threat of getting this stuff.
Now I have to spend the next two days bagging up materials that Charlotte has cuddled with and putting them in the basement. Rolling up the rugs and putting them away, vacuuming all other carpet, and washing, washing, washing all the clothing, linens, and bedding in our home. It only takes 10 mites to have this start all over again so you can imagine how meticulous I'm being about this. I don't want to have to do this again with a 2 year old and a newborn.
On the plus side, at least I'll have my house cleaned and ready for the baby to come. And also, we're throwing away the mattresses we got with Charlotte's bed and getting new ones. I'm almost positive that's where the mites came from. This seems to be the kick in the butt I needed to get things organized. It's easy to organize when everything you have needs to be removed and cleaned anyway.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Wait, when did that happen?
I took a vacation day Thursday. Well, actually I took a day off from being Mommy and went and worked. Well, actually I went in to Dan's school and spent the day being a standardized patient for 3rd year med students to practice on. So I spent the day pretending to have some complications in my pregnancy. And I got paid for it! It was actually quite an enjoyable and eye opening day. I would do it again in a heartbeat if the next time they were doing it weren't in 6 weeks and by that point I hope to no longer be pregnant.
Which brings me to the point, sort of, first let me say that as a standardized patient I was supposed to be measuring 4 weeks bigger than my diagnosed due date. I don't know why, but saying this over and over again all day made me realize that this baby boy is really going to be out soon! I think it must be that if I were actually four weeks ahead of what I thought, my baby could be born and not really considered early in any way. Which makes me realize that I have a boat load of things that I wanted to "get done before the baby comes" that really wont be getting done.
Oh well, I've become accustomed to shifting my expectations of myself in the past two years. Other words that have been redefined for me: goal, success, productivity. I've come to realize that so long as my children (can you believe that I put down the plural form there?) are healthy, fed, clean, and happy I'm doing good. I feel productive when I am teaching my daughter something. The time I get to work on my projects no longer spans a whole afternoon. I get small increments of time here and there, but that doesn't mean I'm not getting things done. My goals are a lot less visible, not only to others, but also to myself. Which makes counting successes much, much more difficult.
Secondly, and only related in the fact that it has to do with my experience this past week, I have found out how difficult it can be to take a history of a patient, listen to their problems, and analyze the situation. Being the patient I knew all the questions the student doctors were supposed to be asking and what they were supposed to be looking for and how they were supposed to be doing it and I realized that it's not really all that clear looking at the situation from their end of the map. I ended up wishing that I could have guided them. Or at the very least, acted as though I would act on presenting myself in the ER. My mouth would be going a mile a minute telling the doctor anything and everything I could think of. As a standardized patient I had to only give responses to questions they would ask. And I realized that sometimes, even though they wrote down my answers, they didn't actually listen to them. They would end up asking me the same question three or four times. If I had a doctor that did that in the ER I would be nervous, very nervous. Unfortunately, the way the system is set up now I couldn't really give them what I would appreciate as meaningful feedback. I just hope that through repetition they get more comfortable with what will be expected of them when they are residents.
Which brings me to the point, sort of, first let me say that as a standardized patient I was supposed to be measuring 4 weeks bigger than my diagnosed due date. I don't know why, but saying this over and over again all day made me realize that this baby boy is really going to be out soon! I think it must be that if I were actually four weeks ahead of what I thought, my baby could be born and not really considered early in any way. Which makes me realize that I have a boat load of things that I wanted to "get done before the baby comes" that really wont be getting done.
Oh well, I've become accustomed to shifting my expectations of myself in the past two years. Other words that have been redefined for me: goal, success, productivity. I've come to realize that so long as my children (can you believe that I put down the plural form there?) are healthy, fed, clean, and happy I'm doing good. I feel productive when I am teaching my daughter something. The time I get to work on my projects no longer spans a whole afternoon. I get small increments of time here and there, but that doesn't mean I'm not getting things done. My goals are a lot less visible, not only to others, but also to myself. Which makes counting successes much, much more difficult.
Secondly, and only related in the fact that it has to do with my experience this past week, I have found out how difficult it can be to take a history of a patient, listen to their problems, and analyze the situation. Being the patient I knew all the questions the student doctors were supposed to be asking and what they were supposed to be looking for and how they were supposed to be doing it and I realized that it's not really all that clear looking at the situation from their end of the map. I ended up wishing that I could have guided them. Or at the very least, acted as though I would act on presenting myself in the ER. My mouth would be going a mile a minute telling the doctor anything and everything I could think of. As a standardized patient I had to only give responses to questions they would ask. And I realized that sometimes, even though they wrote down my answers, they didn't actually listen to them. They would end up asking me the same question three or four times. If I had a doctor that did that in the ER I would be nervous, very nervous. Unfortunately, the way the system is set up now I couldn't really give them what I would appreciate as meaningful feedback. I just hope that through repetition they get more comfortable with what will be expected of them when they are residents.
Friday, March 27, 2009
And Now You're Two
Yes, Wednesday was Charlotte's second birthday. An event which I decided to celebrate by inviting the families of all her little friends over for a small party last Saturday. Because it was so close to my birthday I figured I deserved to have some adults added into the mix. It was pretty fun. I took photos, and videos and all that and have yet to get the motivation to download them to the computer. Then we had our traditional birthday breakfast on her birthday complete with pancake cake and family gifts. After she opened her presents she said, "cake? friends over?" She now thinks that she gets cake and a party just about every day.
Oddly enough one of her favorite presents was a Disney ruler with kitties on it. She carries it around with her and often puts it into the duffel bag that her grandparents gave her along with her baby doll and dog. Apparently the duffel bag is now some sort of crib. I told my mom, the one that gave her the ruler, about the odd attachment and she said, "I knew it! You always loved rulers." To which I think, rulers? really? Very, very strange.
Another discovery she has made is the satisfying sound and feeling of placing a completely in tact goldfish cracker on the ground and then carefully crunching it under her foot. Sometimes in reckless abandon, other times slowly and carefully. I think the real thrill she must feel comes from the liquid that starts to come out of her mothers ears when, upon hearing yet another goldfish smashed into the ground, she gets so mad her brain melts out of her head. That's what I think anyway.
My favorite phrases she has started to say are, "Oh my dosh!" and "Darn it!" because not only does she pronounce them so funny, but she also knows the appropriate times in which to say them.
Oddly enough one of her favorite presents was a Disney ruler with kitties on it. She carries it around with her and often puts it into the duffel bag that her grandparents gave her along with her baby doll and dog. Apparently the duffel bag is now some sort of crib. I told my mom, the one that gave her the ruler, about the odd attachment and she said, "I knew it! You always loved rulers." To which I think, rulers? really? Very, very strange.
Another discovery she has made is the satisfying sound and feeling of placing a completely in tact goldfish cracker on the ground and then carefully crunching it under her foot. Sometimes in reckless abandon, other times slowly and carefully. I think the real thrill she must feel comes from the liquid that starts to come out of her mothers ears when, upon hearing yet another goldfish smashed into the ground, she gets so mad her brain melts out of her head. That's what I think anyway.
My favorite phrases she has started to say are, "Oh my dosh!" and "Darn it!" because not only does she pronounce them so funny, but she also knows the appropriate times in which to say them.
Monday, March 23, 2009
They're Ba-ack
There are so many things I want to write about right now that I'm having a hard time keeping up. Mostly they're the "I don't want to forget this" type things so probably I should put priority on writing them down, but today I have a more pressing issue.
Birds.
When we bought our house and moved in last late spring a bird had built her nest in the beautiful stained glass porch light fixture. Since it was pretty late in the season when we realized why the light was so dark we didn't touch it, but waited for her little birds to hatch. Turns out we were too late on the up take and either all the viable eggs had already hatched or we cooked all her eggs. We couldn't tell when we finally got up there and cleaned all that nasty out. (And when I say "we" I really mean Dan, because eww.)
A few days ago I noticed that the fixture was hanging crooked and thought the wind must have blown it funky. Then this morning I found the culprit. The birds are back. Mommy and Daddy are busily building their nest and they've not been neat about it either. Also, they're really bold. I went out onto the porch and tried to yell at them to scare them away and they just stayed there looking at me like, "Whatcha gonna do 'bout it lady?"
So I'll tell you what I'm going to do about it. I'm going to huff and I'm going to puff and I'm going to pass this job off onto my husband. I hope they haven't yet laid their eggs because I really don't want to go all spring without a porch light. We care about animals, but not that much.
Birds.
When we bought our house and moved in last late spring a bird had built her nest in the beautiful stained glass porch light fixture. Since it was pretty late in the season when we realized why the light was so dark we didn't touch it, but waited for her little birds to hatch. Turns out we were too late on the up take and either all the viable eggs had already hatched or we cooked all her eggs. We couldn't tell when we finally got up there and cleaned all that nasty out. (And when I say "we" I really mean Dan, because eww.)
A few days ago I noticed that the fixture was hanging crooked and thought the wind must have blown it funky. Then this morning I found the culprit. The birds are back. Mommy and Daddy are busily building their nest and they've not been neat about it either. Also, they're really bold. I went out onto the porch and tried to yell at them to scare them away and they just stayed there looking at me like, "Whatcha gonna do 'bout it lady?"
So I'll tell you what I'm going to do about it. I'm going to huff and I'm going to puff and I'm going to pass this job off onto my husband. I hope they haven't yet laid their eggs because I really don't want to go all spring without a porch light. We care about animals, but not that much.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Eat Your Heart Out
While my sister is whiling away the afternoon in her office, I'm outside working in the 75 degree weather. Yes, I'm trying to make you jealous Katie, that's what you get for going to Disney world in the middle of February. I've already told Mom all about it and she was sad too, so there! Hahahahahahahahahahahah! I filled up Charlotte's little pool this morning so that the temperature will be just above turning her lips blue when she wakes up this afternoon.
Growing up as my mom made us work in the garden it seemed every chance she got I never realized how much fun it is when you have your own garden. You mean I can do whatever I want? Oh the freedom! Well, I can't really do whatever I want because we've gotta keep an eye on the budget and also Daniel does get a say, but we are masters of our domain! Should we put in a bleeding heart next to the fence? Of course we should! Also, I didn't realize how much I know about gardening. I guess this is because I was always compairing myself to my mom who knows so very very much. I wouldn't say I'm expert, but I know enough to feel confident to start this project out. Oh this is going to be fun!
Things I've discovered today about my yard:
Growing up as my mom made us work in the garden it seemed every chance she got I never realized how much fun it is when you have your own garden. You mean I can do whatever I want? Oh the freedom! Well, I can't really do whatever I want because we've gotta keep an eye on the budget and also Daniel does get a say, but we are masters of our domain! Should we put in a bleeding heart next to the fence? Of course we should! Also, I didn't realize how much I know about gardening. I guess this is because I was always compairing myself to my mom who knows so very very much. I wouldn't say I'm expert, but I know enough to feel confident to start this project out. Oh this is going to be fun!
Things I've discovered today about my yard:
- Previous owners tried their best to make a raised bed right where we want to put a kitchen garden. They filled it with gravel.
- It's a lot easier than you would think to dig up gravel.
- For every Home Depot bucket sized load of gravel/dirt mix I dig up we have a good 4 earthworms. This makes my little heart sing as it means our dirt is going to be good.
- It also makes the Robbin's little heart sing. He was right out there as close as he dared get to me trying to eat every single worm he saw.
- We have Peonies (I think) poking their little red/green shoots up next to our fence.
- We have tulips.
That's all for now because we can't actually plant anything until we prepare the ground first. That, as it turns out, is going to take a lot of time and effort. Luckily, even at 32 weeks of pregnancy I can still use a shovel. Don't worry, I set the alarm on my cell phone to remind me to sit down in the shade and drink some water every 30 minutes. I've also reapplied sunscreen twice today. Don't you just wish you were me today?
Monday, March 16, 2009
Spring Break '09
Daniel has Spring Break this week! The last Spring Break he will have, EVER. Last year we took spring break to drive from St. Louis to Grand Junction, CO to see his Grandpa. It was a great spring break so when we decided that this year we weren't going to go anywhere for vacation I was a little sad. When we further decided to be grown ups and take this time to work on our house instead of doing fun stuff here in town I was also a little sad. Then I found out that it will probably be raining here Thursday (my birthday). Oh well.
Then Saturday hit and we were off buzzing around like little worker bees. When Daniel is home I can achieve about 4x the ammount of work. I think this is because Charlotte floats between the two of us so neither one has to entertain her all the time. Probably this frustrates Dan because of his lowered productivity, but I find it amazing. I realized that I was so happy with this Saturday because we were doing exactly what I had grown up doing. Saturday mornings weren't spent being lazy or playing in our house. I clearly remember my mom saying to me, "I let you sleep in until 9!" As if sleeping in until 9 were a complete luxury. Then we would all work. We would clean the house or garden outside, whichever the weather permitted. Then if we were lucky we made it to costco for lunchtime. I thought all families did this growing up, but apparently I'm wrong.
What I didn't realize was that when I grew up this tradition would be so engrained in me. I've had a vague sense of purposeless Saturdays for a while now. What do I do? How do I fill the day for Charlotte and me? (Dan usually spends Saturdays studying.) This feeling came mostly, I thought, because I didn't want to take Charlotte anywhere with big crowds of people. Why go to the Zoo on Saturday mid morning to fight the crowds, when you could go Monday right when the gates open? Then you can rush to the carousel and ride for free for the first hour. Anyway, this Saturday I realized as we all worked together, (yes, Charlotte helped me "clean" the tub) that this felt right. This is what family does on Saturday mornings. And I was happy.
Fast forward to this morning, or last night really. After Charlotte was asleep last night Dan and I sat down together and sketched out our rough game plan for this week. I woke up this morning with purpose and it's feeling great. It feels like Saturday again because he's home working along side us. We just finished eating lunch together. And we ate breakfast together. And we're going to eat dinner together. How fun is this week going to be?! I can't wait to find out.
Then Saturday hit and we were off buzzing around like little worker bees. When Daniel is home I can achieve about 4x the ammount of work. I think this is because Charlotte floats between the two of us so neither one has to entertain her all the time. Probably this frustrates Dan because of his lowered productivity, but I find it amazing. I realized that I was so happy with this Saturday because we were doing exactly what I had grown up doing. Saturday mornings weren't spent being lazy or playing in our house. I clearly remember my mom saying to me, "I let you sleep in until 9!" As if sleeping in until 9 were a complete luxury. Then we would all work. We would clean the house or garden outside, whichever the weather permitted. Then if we were lucky we made it to costco for lunchtime. I thought all families did this growing up, but apparently I'm wrong.
What I didn't realize was that when I grew up this tradition would be so engrained in me. I've had a vague sense of purposeless Saturdays for a while now. What do I do? How do I fill the day for Charlotte and me? (Dan usually spends Saturdays studying.) This feeling came mostly, I thought, because I didn't want to take Charlotte anywhere with big crowds of people. Why go to the Zoo on Saturday mid morning to fight the crowds, when you could go Monday right when the gates open? Then you can rush to the carousel and ride for free for the first hour. Anyway, this Saturday I realized as we all worked together, (yes, Charlotte helped me "clean" the tub) that this felt right. This is what family does on Saturday mornings. And I was happy.
Fast forward to this morning, or last night really. After Charlotte was asleep last night Dan and I sat down together and sketched out our rough game plan for this week. I woke up this morning with purpose and it's feeling great. It feels like Saturday again because he's home working along side us. We just finished eating lunch together. And we ate breakfast together. And we're going to eat dinner together. How fun is this week going to be?! I can't wait to find out.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Large and In Charge....Mostly
Pregnancy is the one time in life where being big is celebrated. At least it is for me. My husband would say that I'm constantly complaining about my size, which is true, but mostly it's the discomforts of being this big that I don't like. The feeling of dragging all this extra weight up the stairs yet again to get my daughter to the toilet, to get the doggie that we left downstairs, or to answer the phone, really anything makes me wish we lived in a single story house. Or at least one with a bathroom on the main floor. But that's not what I'm talking about.
What I mean when I say that I celebrate how big I am right now (which I totally mean to get a photo of, but I'm waiting for a day in which I've actually done my makeup and hair) is that when I'm big and round it also means that my baby is big and healthy and strong. I feel that yes, it is an inconvience to be this large, and having all my joints hurt, and having to pee all the time, but also if this is what it takes to get my little one here then I'll do it. The third trimester really is a stinker no matter how you slice it. But that doesn't matter so much to me anymore because I love him already.
What I mean when I say that I celebrate how big I am right now (which I totally mean to get a photo of, but I'm waiting for a day in which I've actually done my makeup and hair) is that when I'm big and round it also means that my baby is big and healthy and strong. I feel that yes, it is an inconvience to be this large, and having all my joints hurt, and having to pee all the time, but also if this is what it takes to get my little one here then I'll do it. The third trimester really is a stinker no matter how you slice it. But that doesn't matter so much to me anymore because I love him already.
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
Cloud Nine
A few weeks ago Daniel yelled down the stairs, "Hey the OB interest group needs a pregnant woman to volunteer to let them learn how to do ultrasounds. You in?" So I said sure I'd do it. What pregnant woman wouldn't want another peek at her little one? So last night he came home and I slipped out the front door while the two of them went out the back to play in our backyard. (Turns out that play means Charlotte spilling water out of the watering can while Daddy picks up the loads of trash that the squirrels bring into the backyard.)
I had so much fun! The doctor teaching all the students about the ultrasound machine is actually the head of the OB department for the school. He is very knowledgable and I learned so much more about what the ultrasound tech is actually looking for when she says my baby is measuring just fine. The doctor kept saying, "Now find the heart. Do you see the heart? See how it's symmetric? That's exactly how it should be." "Do you see that long femur? That's precisely how it should look." "There's the bladder, the kidneys, the umbilical cord." I got to hear for a little over an hour last night about how healthy and normal and perfect my child is! Also, that he's clearly a he and proud to show everyone. It was really fun to have first, second and third year medical students practice on me too because they were as excited to find the different parts of my baby as I was to see them. You just don't see that excitement with someone that does it all day every day.
Riding on the joy from last night Charlotte and I went to the botanical gardens with some friends today. It is a beautifully sunny day with just a bit of chill left in the air. The kids ran and played and generally loved the whole experience. Also, when I looked in the flower beds I saw the bulb plants poking up through the dirt and they had planted a few early spring flowers. I don't know what it is about spring flowers, but they just fill me with a wonderful sense of life beginning anew. Leaving the gardens was hard, but then while walking in from the car I noticed that I too have flowers growing in my backyard! That's a double whammy of goodness because they are just coming all on their own. We have yet to have any time or resources to do anything but keep our yard clean so any flowers that come up are just that more enjoyable. Even if I did realize that they are coming up right where our "lawn" should be.
It's spring and the world and I are full of life! I feel so great today.
I had so much fun! The doctor teaching all the students about the ultrasound machine is actually the head of the OB department for the school. He is very knowledgable and I learned so much more about what the ultrasound tech is actually looking for when she says my baby is measuring just fine. The doctor kept saying, "Now find the heart. Do you see the heart? See how it's symmetric? That's exactly how it should be." "Do you see that long femur? That's precisely how it should look." "There's the bladder, the kidneys, the umbilical cord." I got to hear for a little over an hour last night about how healthy and normal and perfect my child is! Also, that he's clearly a he and proud to show everyone. It was really fun to have first, second and third year medical students practice on me too because they were as excited to find the different parts of my baby as I was to see them. You just don't see that excitement with someone that does it all day every day.
Riding on the joy from last night Charlotte and I went to the botanical gardens with some friends today. It is a beautifully sunny day with just a bit of chill left in the air. The kids ran and played and generally loved the whole experience. Also, when I looked in the flower beds I saw the bulb plants poking up through the dirt and they had planted a few early spring flowers. I don't know what it is about spring flowers, but they just fill me with a wonderful sense of life beginning anew. Leaving the gardens was hard, but then while walking in from the car I noticed that I too have flowers growing in my backyard! That's a double whammy of goodness because they are just coming all on their own. We have yet to have any time or resources to do anything but keep our yard clean so any flowers that come up are just that more enjoyable. Even if I did realize that they are coming up right where our "lawn" should be.
It's spring and the world and I are full of life! I feel so great today.
I'm IT
My aunt tagged me on this one so I thought I'd participate. Here's the rules: go to your computer and open the fourth photo folder, then click on the fourth photo and post it. Put in a little explination of what it is and then tag four other people. This one's pretty simple, which is why I thought I'd do it.
Wow! What a lame photo! I was going to cheat and put a not lame photo up, but then I'd be cheating. So what you're all looking at is a photo I took of when I displayed all of Charlotte's things in her crib before she was born. There they all are, waiting for her arrival. I like it now because I can look and see each of the things she wore or used and how cute she was in them. I laugh now because the crib is now just piles of baby Greg's clothing. You might ask, am I displaying them with the same pride? Umm....no. I feel pretty good that they're even folded and clean and not just dumped in there. When I took some of the old onsies out of storage there were yellow spots where spit up that I swear I cleaned before storing them had left little yellow stains. Don't worry Biz got them all out.
I tag: Mindy, Heather (Dan's sister), Heather (the one in Utah), and I don't know if anyone else with a blog regularly reads this (besides my sister who was already tagged) so I guess I don't have a fourth person. If you do read regularly and have a blog let me know. (TRS-I'm not sure how regular you are or if you'd be interested, but you would be my fourth if I thought you'd read this post.)
Here's a not lame photo for your viewing pleasure. Charlotte and me outside the house of Daniel Boone last October:
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Light My Fire
I have a hard time knowing what and how much to post about my husband on this blog since it's not his and he's a fairly private person. Charlotte doesn't care so I can post pretty much whatever I want, for now anyway, but I always have to sit and think long and hard before mentioning Daniel on this thing. But I decided that he wont care if I share parts of our conversation last night on here.
He came home from school yesterday all fired up about a lunch lecture he'd attended. It was about physicians' rights and responsibilities and how or when the government should be involved. He shared with me all the things that the lawyer presented and how doctors are, as a whole, not very politically involved which is probably not a great thing for them or their patients in the long run. He was also saying all his opinions about it and what some of the other students had been talking about and what he thinks needs to happen with regard to health care in the US.
He was more passionate and excited telling me about this one lecture than he has ever been telling me about any of the classes he's had so far in med school. That is not to say that he's not passionate about learning medicine. I think he doesn't share as much of his school stuff with me because he knows that after about 5 minutes of it my mind starts to wander. Not that I don't find it interesting, I just don't really need to know the depth with which he explains things most of the time.
Noticing his passion coming out (a rare thing indeed) I told him, "It sounds like this is something you're passionate about. If you wanted to pursue this I'd support you in it." He said, "Really? I've thought about it before, but I figured you'd think it was silly." To which I said that he'd really need to work on not calling people that disagreed with him idiots, but other than that he has some pretty great ideas.
The problem with him pursuing this passion probably explains why physicians in general aren't very politically active. You have to sacrifice so much of your time and yourself to become a doctor and you chose something that you really love to do. So then you'd have to sacrifice reaping some of the benefits of all your hard work to go and start something completely new. As Daniel put it, "Do I want to be an orthopedic surgeon or work to defend physicians' autonomy?" Plus, he has no desire to become an MD JD. (I think the initials for lawyer are JD anyway.) To which I replied, "Life is long. You don't have to do everything at once. I bet your dad never thought he'd be acting CEO of anything when he finished his residency, but here he is. Being both a urologist and a CEO."
I don't know if anything will ever come of this passion of his other than just yelling at the TV when the news comes on about health care in our country, but it was kind of fun to see him so excited.
He came home from school yesterday all fired up about a lunch lecture he'd attended. It was about physicians' rights and responsibilities and how or when the government should be involved. He shared with me all the things that the lawyer presented and how doctors are, as a whole, not very politically involved which is probably not a great thing for them or their patients in the long run. He was also saying all his opinions about it and what some of the other students had been talking about and what he thinks needs to happen with regard to health care in the US.
He was more passionate and excited telling me about this one lecture than he has ever been telling me about any of the classes he's had so far in med school. That is not to say that he's not passionate about learning medicine. I think he doesn't share as much of his school stuff with me because he knows that after about 5 minutes of it my mind starts to wander. Not that I don't find it interesting, I just don't really need to know the depth with which he explains things most of the time.
Noticing his passion coming out (a rare thing indeed) I told him, "It sounds like this is something you're passionate about. If you wanted to pursue this I'd support you in it." He said, "Really? I've thought about it before, but I figured you'd think it was silly." To which I said that he'd really need to work on not calling people that disagreed with him idiots, but other than that he has some pretty great ideas.
The problem with him pursuing this passion probably explains why physicians in general aren't very politically active. You have to sacrifice so much of your time and yourself to become a doctor and you chose something that you really love to do. So then you'd have to sacrifice reaping some of the benefits of all your hard work to go and start something completely new. As Daniel put it, "Do I want to be an orthopedic surgeon or work to defend physicians' autonomy?" Plus, he has no desire to become an MD JD. (I think the initials for lawyer are JD anyway.) To which I replied, "Life is long. You don't have to do everything at once. I bet your dad never thought he'd be acting CEO of anything when he finished his residency, but here he is. Being both a urologist and a CEO."
I don't know if anything will ever come of this passion of his other than just yelling at the TV when the news comes on about health care in our country, but it was kind of fun to see him so excited.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Growing Up
First I had a little newborn.
Then I had a chubby little baby.
Then I had a plump tiny toddler.
Now I'm starting to get a skinny kid.
The first day of kindergarten is going to be rough on this momma. This all comes up because I decided to look through all of Charlotte's old clothing in the basement and sort out the gender neutral stuff. There was some, but let me tell you I sure did like to dress her in pink and ruffles! No question she was a girl by those totes. Anyway, as I looked through the tiny dresses and sunday shoes, the frilly little sun outfits and the little swimsuits I started to yearn for her to be that little again! How did it go so fast? It's been two years, but still she's so new and awesome to me every day!
One of my friends says she has a niece who had curly hair like Charlotte's until she turned four and then it grew in thick and straight. I asked her one day if the girl's mom (my friend's sister) missed the curls. I absolutely adore my daughter's curls. Now though I'm thinking that she might miss them, but honestly there's probably too many amazing things about her daughter now that she can't miss the curls too much. It's like that with Charlotte. I don't really have time on a day to day basis to miss my little cuddly bear because I'm so awed by the ingenuity, beauty, and humor I am faced with today. She is so awesome!
But looking at her baby stuff I can't help but remember that she was so awesome too.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Daydreams
Lately I've been having this recurring daydream so I thought I'd share it. In my daydream Dan has time off of everything, school, house, church, etc. We are able to have Charlotte stay with someone (this usually oscillates between either set of grandparents) and I'm not pregnant. Sometimes in my dream I've already had Greg and he's with Charlotte, but sometimes he's just inexplicably taken care of. Either way I'm not pregnant. Then Dan and I have enough money to go on a week long vacation together. The destination changes each time, but here's what doesn't. We take so much time just sleeping. We lay in bed until noon one day. We, of course, go out and see the sights of the different places we visit in my daydream, but mostly we just stay together and sleep, and read and enjoy each other's company. We take no thought of what to eat because we have a budget to just go buy food. There is also no wrangling children into and out of clothing, on and off the potty, brushing teeth ("stop biting the toothbrush!"), or putting them to bed. Yesterday I was thinking about this I had to laugh at myself to know that my dream vacation right now involves a whole lot of doing nothing. Don't get me wrong, I love my children. Charlotte is so wonderful and I enjoy fully being her mother. I feel like I'm starting to bond with baby Greg too so that's great. But also, right now, a little vacation wouldn't hurt anything either.
And in case you didn't know, my sister, brother-in-law, mom and dad are in Disneyworld this week and my mother-in-law, and father-in-law are in Hawaii.
And in case you didn't know, my sister, brother-in-law, mom and dad are in Disneyworld this week and my mother-in-law, and father-in-law are in Hawaii.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Hopeless Romantic
My husband is in a men's basketball league that plays games every Saturday. Every Saturday that, except for this coming Saturday, that is. I noticed this a couple of weeks ago, but didn't think to mention it to him. Then, during half time of the game last Saturday the announcer said, "Well men, there wont be any games next Saturday, so take your wife out and do something nice for her." Assuming he meant for Valentine's Day I thought this was a nice thing for them to do.
Later that afternoon, my husband stood looking at his list of house projects to complete and our calendar of when we might do them and said, "Oh! It looks like we don't have a game next weekend. I wonder why that is?" To which I replied, "Really? You seriously don't know why that would be?" The blank look on his face made me realize that he wasn't joking as I had though. So I walked over to the calendar, pointed to the double underlined "Valentine's Day" on the calendar and said, "You seriously don't know why they aren't having games next Saturday? You didn't hear the announcer say, 'Well men, there wont be any games next Saturday, so take your wife out and do something nice for her.'?" To which he replies, "All I heard was, 'there wont be any games next Saturday.'"
I was laughing about this to myself as I emptied the dishwasher this morning. I'm married to a man that has me help tile a bathroom for our anniversary and has no clue about Valentine's Day. He hasn't once bought me flowers. But you know what he has done? He was the one that filled the dishwasher up and ran it last night, and the night before that, and the one before that too. In fact he's been quietly doing so much stuff around our house since I started this pregnancy I'm overwhelmed by his love for me. So no, I wont be getting any little gifts to celebrate this coming Saturday, but that's ok because he truly is my Valentine.
Later that afternoon, my husband stood looking at his list of house projects to complete and our calendar of when we might do them and said, "Oh! It looks like we don't have a game next weekend. I wonder why that is?" To which I replied, "Really? You seriously don't know why that would be?" The blank look on his face made me realize that he wasn't joking as I had though. So I walked over to the calendar, pointed to the double underlined "Valentine's Day" on the calendar and said, "You seriously don't know why they aren't having games next Saturday? You didn't hear the announcer say, 'Well men, there wont be any games next Saturday, so take your wife out and do something nice for her.'?" To which he replies, "All I heard was, 'there wont be any games next Saturday.'"
I was laughing about this to myself as I emptied the dishwasher this morning. I'm married to a man that has me help tile a bathroom for our anniversary and has no clue about Valentine's Day. He hasn't once bought me flowers. But you know what he has done? He was the one that filled the dishwasher up and ran it last night, and the night before that, and the one before that too. In fact he's been quietly doing so much stuff around our house since I started this pregnancy I'm overwhelmed by his love for me. So no, I wont be getting any little gifts to celebrate this coming Saturday, but that's ok because he truly is my Valentine.
Friday, February 06, 2009
The Squirrel Whisperer
Remember when Charlotte was persistent enough to get a pigeon to let her touch it in our backyard? Today she struck again, only this time with a squirrel. Or at least she would have if I had let her. Knowing her great ability to get otherwise wild animals to let her go near them I grabbed her away just before she actually touched it.
In case you didn't guess today is an unbelievably beautiful day in St. Louis. It's about 60 degrees out, but it has a light wind that makes it feel chillier. I decided to skip our usual Friday activities and packed a lunch and headed for the park. We played there from about 11:30 to 1:30 and I had to pull Charlotte off the slide to get her to go home. Then she blissfully fell asleep on the way home. After I pulled into the parking pad behind our house I turned around to see her little face, smeared with dirt and blackberry jelly asleep and smiling. It was awesome.
But back to the squirrel. This was an usually brave squirrel that saw we were eating a picnic lunch. It saw our bright orange carrot sticks and came to just the other side of the playground fence which is about 6 feet away. Charlotte had long since decided to not eat her carrot stick so I decided I'd let the squirrel have it. I threw it away from us and then asked Charlotte to watch the squirrel. Sure enough not two minutes had passed before the squirrel decided that he wanted that carrot stick more than he was scared of us. He climbed through the fence grabbed the stick then ran away. Charlotte was thrilled. She decided she wanted another carrot stick and ate hers, "just like the squirrel." I was thrilled. Then the squirrel came back. (This is where I became not so thrilled.) I let Charlotte go out and give the squirrel a quarter of a carrot stick. She went out as close as it would let her go (saying, "come mere squirrel, come mere) then dropped it and walked away a few steps. It took the carrot then ran away, and came immediately back. That squirrel knows a sucker when he sees one. In the end I let Charlotte give the squirrel about one and a half carrot sticks until I realized that the squirrel would probably just take the next piece right out of her hand! Which to my mind screamed danger. So then I decided we were done with our picnic. I've got to watch out for this one and the wild animals!
In case you didn't guess today is an unbelievably beautiful day in St. Louis. It's about 60 degrees out, but it has a light wind that makes it feel chillier. I decided to skip our usual Friday activities and packed a lunch and headed for the park. We played there from about 11:30 to 1:30 and I had to pull Charlotte off the slide to get her to go home. Then she blissfully fell asleep on the way home. After I pulled into the parking pad behind our house I turned around to see her little face, smeared with dirt and blackberry jelly asleep and smiling. It was awesome.
But back to the squirrel. This was an usually brave squirrel that saw we were eating a picnic lunch. It saw our bright orange carrot sticks and came to just the other side of the playground fence which is about 6 feet away. Charlotte had long since decided to not eat her carrot stick so I decided I'd let the squirrel have it. I threw it away from us and then asked Charlotte to watch the squirrel. Sure enough not two minutes had passed before the squirrel decided that he wanted that carrot stick more than he was scared of us. He climbed through the fence grabbed the stick then ran away. Charlotte was thrilled. She decided she wanted another carrot stick and ate hers, "just like the squirrel." I was thrilled. Then the squirrel came back. (This is where I became not so thrilled.) I let Charlotte go out and give the squirrel a quarter of a carrot stick. She went out as close as it would let her go (saying, "come mere squirrel, come mere) then dropped it and walked away a few steps. It took the carrot then ran away, and came immediately back. That squirrel knows a sucker when he sees one. In the end I let Charlotte give the squirrel about one and a half carrot sticks until I realized that the squirrel would probably just take the next piece right out of her hand! Which to my mind screamed danger. So then I decided we were done with our picnic. I've got to watch out for this one and the wild animals!
Monday, February 02, 2009
Take 2
Warning: This post is entirely about my pregnancy and probably wont interest anyone but myself, but I needed a place to keep it so there you go.
Before I forget what this pregnancy has been like so far I thought I'd write down a few of the differences I've noticed between Charlotte and Greg. Although I realize that I've forgotten much about my pregnancy with Charlotte already, so maybe this comparison isn't fair. I'm doing it anyway.
First, I haven't taken any nausea medication in about a month. That's awesome. I feel like I have 10x the energy when I don't have to take it so I'm loving that.
Second, Greg doesn't move as much as Charlotte did. I kept thinking that I wasn't feeling it because I remember how Charlotte moved at the end of my pregnancy and I'm not there yet, but I think it's safe to say by now that he's just not as active. He does move. I'm not worried or anything, it's just that his movements aren't so frequent, and when they do happen they don't happen for all that long. I wonder if I think this because I'm busier than I was during the last pregnancy, but that's the observation I've had. Also, he moves very low, down in the pelvis region. That's not to say that he's not taking up more than his fair share of my insides at the moment. He seems plenty big, he just doesn't move up top all that much.
Third, my joints hurt. I will wake up 2-3 times each night because my hips, knees, shoulders and wrists just ache. I've asked other women about it and none so far have told me they experienced the same thing. I'm going to have to bring this up to my doctor when I go in Thursday (has it already been a month?). This pain did not happen with Charlotte.
On the other side, my leg hasn't gone numb like it did with Charlotte. I keep waiting for that to happen, but it just isn't.
Also, I think I'm gaining weight at a more steady pace. Last time with such bad nausea I didn't gain anything for so long then I practically exploded. This time I have been surely and steadily gaining weight. This makes me wonder if I would have gotten the stretch marks last time if I had been able to grow like this. Although the stretch marks that had faded a bit are now the bright angry purple of stretching so perhaps not.
That's all I can think of for now. I'll probably add more to this list later.
Before I forget what this pregnancy has been like so far I thought I'd write down a few of the differences I've noticed between Charlotte and Greg. Although I realize that I've forgotten much about my pregnancy with Charlotte already, so maybe this comparison isn't fair. I'm doing it anyway.
First, I haven't taken any nausea medication in about a month. That's awesome. I feel like I have 10x the energy when I don't have to take it so I'm loving that.
Second, Greg doesn't move as much as Charlotte did. I kept thinking that I wasn't feeling it because I remember how Charlotte moved at the end of my pregnancy and I'm not there yet, but I think it's safe to say by now that he's just not as active. He does move. I'm not worried or anything, it's just that his movements aren't so frequent, and when they do happen they don't happen for all that long. I wonder if I think this because I'm busier than I was during the last pregnancy, but that's the observation I've had. Also, he moves very low, down in the pelvis region. That's not to say that he's not taking up more than his fair share of my insides at the moment. He seems plenty big, he just doesn't move up top all that much.
Third, my joints hurt. I will wake up 2-3 times each night because my hips, knees, shoulders and wrists just ache. I've asked other women about it and none so far have told me they experienced the same thing. I'm going to have to bring this up to my doctor when I go in Thursday (has it already been a month?). This pain did not happen with Charlotte.
On the other side, my leg hasn't gone numb like it did with Charlotte. I keep waiting for that to happen, but it just isn't.
Also, I think I'm gaining weight at a more steady pace. Last time with such bad nausea I didn't gain anything for so long then I practically exploded. This time I have been surely and steadily gaining weight. This makes me wonder if I would have gotten the stretch marks last time if I had been able to grow like this. Although the stretch marks that had faded a bit are now the bright angry purple of stretching so perhaps not.
That's all I can think of for now. I'll probably add more to this list later.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
What you Really Want
Why is it that whenever I decide something that's worthwhile for me to do and save up for I suddenly find 3 or 4 others that I'd like?
A few weeks ago our bishop encouraged every member of the congregation to join an organization that is NOT church related. The point was that to be a good member of the community you have to actually participate in the community and this was a good way to do it. Plus, he figured that most people already have something they'd like to join, but don't because their too busy or something else always comes up. So no excuses. Get involved. I have no idea why, but my mind immediately jumped to taking mandolin lessons at the Folk School of St. Louis. I found this school last year and was really excited about it, but one thing lead to another and it wasn't really a necessity and I didn't have a whole lot of time. I signed up for their emails though and have been receiving them every now and then for a while. I looked them up and tuition for a class for a semester is only $135. That's really cheap. So I figured I should save my money up for next semester. Then I realized that next semester probably runs into my due date. And the semester after that Dan will be in 3rd year and there goes any chance I have of being able to depend on him in the evenings.
Yesterday though, I found out that my husband might be going to Honduras for a week in February and that Southwest is having a heck of a deal on tickets for the next couple of days. I could fly round trip to Denver for $160. Very cheap and it would be a great way to have a vacation when my husband will be gone anyway.
Then today we had an unusually warm day. It was about 50 degrees and sunny. I was not going to miss this opportunity to take Charlotte to the park as it's supposed to be in the 20s by Saturday. So we packed up and walked out. This made me realize that if I ever want to get any running/jogging/walking in that actually raises my heart rate I'm really going to have to invest in a double jogging stroller. Those things aren't cheap.
So now I've got three things that I really would like to spend money on. Three very valid things. I've now got to make the decision what I want to put my money towards. And the whole time I'm trying to decide my mind keeps saying to me none of these things are necessities. You should just be grateful that you even have the opportunity for any of them! This is a ridiculous thing to even spend time worrying over. You have so very much in this life! Don't spend that money at all. You should save it in case of an emergency! And I'm right too. I should just save this money because none of these things are necessities.
Then again....
A few weeks ago our bishop encouraged every member of the congregation to join an organization that is NOT church related. The point was that to be a good member of the community you have to actually participate in the community and this was a good way to do it. Plus, he figured that most people already have something they'd like to join, but don't because their too busy or something else always comes up. So no excuses. Get involved. I have no idea why, but my mind immediately jumped to taking mandolin lessons at the Folk School of St. Louis. I found this school last year and was really excited about it, but one thing lead to another and it wasn't really a necessity and I didn't have a whole lot of time. I signed up for their emails though and have been receiving them every now and then for a while. I looked them up and tuition for a class for a semester is only $135. That's really cheap. So I figured I should save my money up for next semester. Then I realized that next semester probably runs into my due date. And the semester after that Dan will be in 3rd year and there goes any chance I have of being able to depend on him in the evenings.
Yesterday though, I found out that my husband might be going to Honduras for a week in February and that Southwest is having a heck of a deal on tickets for the next couple of days. I could fly round trip to Denver for $160. Very cheap and it would be a great way to have a vacation when my husband will be gone anyway.
Then today we had an unusually warm day. It was about 50 degrees and sunny. I was not going to miss this opportunity to take Charlotte to the park as it's supposed to be in the 20s by Saturday. So we packed up and walked out. This made me realize that if I ever want to get any running/jogging/walking in that actually raises my heart rate I'm really going to have to invest in a double jogging stroller. Those things aren't cheap.
So now I've got three things that I really would like to spend money on. Three very valid things. I've now got to make the decision what I want to put my money towards. And the whole time I'm trying to decide my mind keeps saying to me none of these things are necessities. You should just be grateful that you even have the opportunity for any of them! This is a ridiculous thing to even spend time worrying over. You have so very much in this life! Don't spend that money at all. You should save it in case of an emergency! And I'm right too. I should just save this money because none of these things are necessities.
Then again....
This one's for you Mom
My mom wanted to see a photo of my growing proportions so here it is:
Me at 25 weeks pregnant.
Me at 25 weeks pregnant.And here are the two baby jackets I've just completed. They were just too cute not to share with the world. (I can't take all the credit on that one. Mindy chose the fabric for each of them.)
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
It's Been A While
Because it's been a while and because I know you all are longing to see them, I thought I'd post some photos! Yeah!
I've entitled this first one: cream cheese is best enjoyed when on the bagel, chin, and nose.
This next one is just cute so I thought I'd include it.
When Charlotte was born I realized I had a weird tendency to take photos of my husband and daughter asleep. When you see this photo though you'll know why I do it. This is after 2 days of pink eye and sleep exhaustion.
This next one is just cute so I thought I'd include it.
And finally, Internet, meet Suzie. She not only prefers to drink her water straight from the faucet....
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Just Can't Stop
Ever since Christmas I have found a new deep well of energy inside of me. It has been great. I've accomplished loads of tiny tasks I've been meaning to do for a while. That baby girl jacket? Sewn. Those bathroom curtains? Hemmed. Charlotte's big girl bed? Purchased, cleaned, and put together. (Except for that part where we have to buy bolts that the previous owner didn't include. They don't effect the functionality of the bed.) Litter box problem? Solved. Loads and loads of I have a sick child laundry? Cleaned, folded, and put away.
Today I thought I'd finally finish the baby boy jacket that's been on my list for a while. The only problem, I couldn't find all my supplies. I waded through the mess of my sewing room for about half an hour just to find the red thread I wanted to use as an accent. So then I decided that today was not my day to sew. Today was my day to move all the stinking books out of the sewing room closet to the empty bookshelf downstairs in the living room. So I did that. But could I stop there? No. I was addicted to getting things done. It's a sickness I blame on my mother who has been known to almost cripple herself doing "just a bit more" weeding in the garden. Anyway, compelled like only a crazy pregnant lady can be I went through all the miscellaneous stuff we've been keeping in that room since we moved in. If you'll remember at that point it was named the everything room. I put all the stuff we really didn't need to keep in two big garbage bags and moved everything else to our bedroom. The idea was, that way when I moved the stuff back into the room I would organize it. Then I would finally have a room dedicated to sewing. Unfortunately by the time I got all the things out of the sewing room and the carpet vacuumed it was time to make dinner. Then it was time to eat dinner.
So now I have one bookshelf completed and a sewing room cleaned, but a bedroom full of unorganized mess. I have also run out of energy. Maybe Dan and I will just have to sleep around all that stuff for one night.
Today I thought I'd finally finish the baby boy jacket that's been on my list for a while. The only problem, I couldn't find all my supplies. I waded through the mess of my sewing room for about half an hour just to find the red thread I wanted to use as an accent. So then I decided that today was not my day to sew. Today was my day to move all the stinking books out of the sewing room closet to the empty bookshelf downstairs in the living room. So I did that. But could I stop there? No. I was addicted to getting things done. It's a sickness I blame on my mother who has been known to almost cripple herself doing "just a bit more" weeding in the garden. Anyway, compelled like only a crazy pregnant lady can be I went through all the miscellaneous stuff we've been keeping in that room since we moved in. If you'll remember at that point it was named the everything room. I put all the stuff we really didn't need to keep in two big garbage bags and moved everything else to our bedroom. The idea was, that way when I moved the stuff back into the room I would organize it. Then I would finally have a room dedicated to sewing. Unfortunately by the time I got all the things out of the sewing room and the carpet vacuumed it was time to make dinner. Then it was time to eat dinner.
So now I have one bookshelf completed and a sewing room cleaned, but a bedroom full of unorganized mess. I have also run out of energy. Maybe Dan and I will just have to sleep around all that stuff for one night.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
An STD can ruin a whole weekend
About three hours after going to playgroup yesterday Charlotte's eye started to water. It leaked and leaked and leaked, but didn't seem to bother her so I thought nothing of it. Then this morning the leaking had a few eye boogers in it. Dan said, "It's just a clogged tear duct. Don't worry about it. It'll go away." I totally (well, sort of) believed that right up until the watering started to look clouded instead of clear tears. Also, the skin around her eye was a bit pink. I called the doctor's office and they said to come in today. I did that. I figured worst case scenario she has pink eye. That'll suck, but you give them some drops and then they're fine. As we were sitting in the waiting room to see her doctor her other eye started to get gummy tears in it too. Turns out that she has an atypical presentation of pink eye. Not only that, but they had to swab the gunk to culture to make sure that what she has isn't Chlamydia. When the doctor told me that I thought to myself, "How the hell did my two year old get Chlamydia?!" Anyway, because her case isn't a classic case we don't actually get eye drops. We get eye ointment. That I have to put on her every four hours while she's awake. For a whole week. And on top of all that she can't go around other kids for 4 days.
So now we're stuck at home for four days putting basically vaseline in her eyes every four hours. Tomorrow is supposed to be Music Makers, which is Charlotte's favorite activity of the entire week. She wakes up every morning asking to go to "Makers?" and now I'm going to have to tell her that no, we can't go. We have to stay at home. This is going to be awesome.
So now we're stuck at home for four days putting basically vaseline in her eyes every four hours. Tomorrow is supposed to be Music Makers, which is Charlotte's favorite activity of the entire week. She wakes up every morning asking to go to "Makers?" and now I'm going to have to tell her that no, we can't go. We have to stay at home. This is going to be awesome.
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