Holden Gets Sick

So, Saturday was such a busy day! I went shopping all morning/afternoon for new pants (yeah, my pre-preg pants are gonna have to stay safely packed away for now) and in the evening we went over to the in-law’s for a family dinner. It was so hot (from all the people and the doors being open) and H was passed from one set of arms to the next, I barely got to hold him unless I was nursing him! (to be fair, he is a cutie!)

Gammy C soothing sick baby H

When we got home late Sunday night, Rob went immediately up to bed and I nursed H again. As I was getting ready to swaddle him, I noticed he still felt really hot, even after the cool car ride and coming home to our cool house. I decided I should take him temperature to be safe, and sure enough it was 101.5. Well, of course I bounded up the stairs to wake up Rob and call the nurse on call (and consult twitter of course) and she said to call her if after a cool bath and Tylenol his fever went up. Well, we bathed his head in cool water, and gave him some Tylenol and his fever went down. So he went between Rob and I and we all fell asleep. When the alarm went off for our next dose of Tylenol, I noticed that H felt even hotter. Sure enough, he fever was now up to 102.5. Another call to the nurse and she informed us that we needed to go to the hospital. So off we went.

At the hospital
We drove down to Scottish Rite, about 35 minutes away. They took a urine sample by catheter and some blood and mama almost had a melt-down. So did baby! All came back negative, so it was decided that he must have a virus. We were told to push fluids, make sure he kept having wet diapers and to give him Tylenol every 4 hours. Well, poor H was so unhappy and fussy all the rest of Sunday! He barely slept at all! Finally, Monday morning, mama made a discovery. She FINALLY (to be fair, mama was severely sleep-deprived at the time) noticed that H would be happy and fine, but that when she tried to make him eat he would suddenly start screaming! So mama looked in his mouth and discovered blisters. A Google search later, and it was determined that he had hand, foot and mouth disease. I called the pediatrician’s office as soon as it opened, and my suspicion was confirmed.

Feeling a bit better & wide awake

So, now we wait. Apparently HFMD can last up to a week or more. I really hope that it doesn’t. It breaks my heart to see H feeling so unwell! At least I got the ok to make him up some ‘magic mouthwash’ to coat the inside of his mouth with; so far it has dulled the pain enough for him to be willing to nurse with a weak suck immediately following an application. This makes mama’s life a LOT easier and definitely makes mama worry a lot less than when H refused to nurse! Not that I can blame him!

sucking on mesh feeder of frozen banana & breastmilk
Looking back, I’m not really certain that it was really necessary for us to have to drive H all the way to the ER super-early Sunday morning. When the ER doctor was talking to us, he didn’t even seem concerned about temperature. I really feel like the nurse on call should have told us to wait an hour or so and see if the dose of Tylenol and a cool bath would bring down his temperature. I mean, he had had a fever for less than 7 hours when we were told to go to the ER. This would have saved us a lot of worry, time and gas money and H a lot of pain as he wouldn’t have been subjected to catheterization and having blood drawn. Especially since the Tylenol and cool bath I gave him while waiting for the nurse’s call back *did* bring his temp down; when we arrived at the ER his temp was down to 100. I understand being concerned, but if the Tylenol and the bath do their job, is there really any reason to rush to the hospital?

I’m not quite sure there is. And at the time I kindof thought so too, but if the nurse tells you to go to the ER you (at least I did) feel like you have to or you’re being a bad parent. At any rate, I feel like I learned a lesson: the next time H has a fever, I will definitely give Tylenol & a cold bath to see if that lowers his fever first before calling the nurse for advice.

Oh, yeah. And guess which super-lucky mama caught HFMD from her baby? Yep, it was me. FML

8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week Three

So, I’m sure you’re wondering how last week went? Once again it was 70-30. I definitely ate healthier – no chips, lots of fruit and veg. I’ve actually been consuming fresh fruit like it’s going out of style! Well… I did consume a lot of pie… but it was blueberry, so it was healthy! ;-) The yard is looking loads better. The husband and I worked on it on Tuesday and Wednesday. The side yard is cut & weeded, the flower boxes are cut and weeded and have marigolds, three tomato plants, one wonder pepper and one jalapeno pepper plant! We bought some pots for herbs, but the only one we’ve bought so far is basil. The other herbs at the gardening store had seen better days. And it’s rained every day since we planted, so I haven’t had to water!

I unfortunately haven’t gone on a single walk. I always mean to, but when H wakes up at 5:30 or 6:30 I’ve been so sleepy I just pull him into bed in between husband and myself, and nurse him lying down so we can both fall back asleep for a few hours. Then, we usually wake up around 8 or 8:30 where I *intend* to take a walk, but after I nurse, change H, make myself breakfast and coffee I just can’t seem to muster up the energy to walk back upstairs to get dressed, let alone go on a walk.

So, I am going to put ‘Go on a walk in the morning’ as one of my goals again this week, and hopefully I can overcome my laziness and accomplish it! So for this week, there are only two new goals:

1. Get dressed! I think this will definitely help me accomplish going on a walk, since getting dressed is half the battle! I know it’s comfy-cozy to stay in my jammies all day, but I think it really would make me feel better - and push me to be more productive - if I got dressed for the day. I’m not saying I have to put on makeup or do my hair or anything, just putting on jeans and a t-shirt will suffice – anything except pajamas or a robe!

2. Start thinking positively instead of griping or worrying! Husband always gets onto me because I am forever ‘what-if’-ing. Or as he likes to call it: only paying attention to or worrying about the bad stuff. For example, instead of being depressed that I don’t have a car anymore and therefore can’t really go anywhere, just be happy that I have a nice house to be confined in and a neighborhood pool that is a short walk away when I can’t stand being cooped up anymore. If you think nice thoughts, then nice thoughts will come your way! Or so I’m hoping at least!

Sour Cream Blueberry Pie

I love to bake and cook. And when I got pregnant I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to do it anymore. “You won’t have time!” people said to me. Well, I decided that *I* would have time to bake, if I had to sacrifice a clean house to have freshly baked cookies then so be it! I remember when H was a 2-3 weeks old, and people would tell me “Nap when he naps!” Well, I may have been tired as all get out, but I baked when he napped! There was one time I was in the middle of making chocolate chip cookies when he woke up from his nap. Well, I picked him up, cradled him in my arm and somehow still managed to roll dough into balls and place 'em on the cookie sheet! We all have our priorities, I suppose!

It’s a bit easier now. I can put H’s Bumbo on the counter and he can watch me cook or bake while he watches me or bangs his plastic spoon I gave him. I like to think he’s practicing for when he gets to help me stir! I’m not gonna lie, sometimes he is not happy at all that I am paying more attention to the food than to him. Those days, I must admit I feel a little bit guilty. Is baking a pie or making ice cream, etc more important than spending time with my baby? No it’s not. But I do believe that it’s important as a mom to do something every day that makes you happy, and baking or cooking is that for me.

I made a delicious Sour Cream Blueberry Pie for my book club yesterday. Today, it was all gone! My bff Erica, who doesn’t even really like blueberries, at two pieces so it must be good! And my mom snagged the last piece when she came to visit me this afternoon. So, as hubby hadn’t yet had a chance to savor a slice, I of course *had* to make another one today. Besides, blueberries are on sale anyway! This pie is so delicious! The crumb topping is my favorite; it’s so crunchy-crispy. I made it finer today, when I took the photo. I think I might like it a bit better like I made it yesterday, more of a chunky consistency – it’s up to you! But trust me… you’re gonna wanna go ahead and bake two pies!




Sour Cream Blueberry Pie

Pie:
Pie crust
3 cups blueberries
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup sour cream
Pinch salt
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Topping:
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup flour
4 T butter
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 f. Place pie shell in pie plate & blueberries in pie shell. In a small bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, nutmeg, eggs, and sour cream. Beat until creamy. Pour over the blueberries. In another medium bowl, cut the butter into the sugar, flour and nutmeg until it resembles either large peas (my preference) or corn meal and sprinkle over the top of the pie. Bake for 50 minutes, then turn up the heat to 425 and bake for 5-10 minutes more or until the top is golden.

8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week 2

So, I know you’re all wondering how I did on my goals last week. I’m going to say I did 70-30. I took a TON of pictures. So that’s a big fat check. But, I didn’t write as much as I should have. Of course, not all of the blame for that rests on my shoulders: on two of my writing days the freaking power was off! - for more than 4 hours one time, and around 9 hours the other time. Ridiculous! I did, however, manage to write for three of the 5 days, which is more than I’ve managed lately so, ‘Go me’! On the cleaning front I think I did fairly well. I’ve been keeping up with the dishes, and the tidying and the laundry! I didn’t clean the upstairs bathrooms yet, but to be fair, that was planned for yesterday when the power went off. Weekly recap: I am a work in progress!

So, here are my goals for this week:

1. Start taking a walk in the morning: a) this will give me some much needed exercise, and b) give Lobo Fluff some much needed exercise. Also, it would probably be kind of nice, like meditation time.

2. Eat healthier! I don’t just mean eat healthier foods, because I do that pretty well already. But I need to make more of an effort to eat fewer sweets. As delicious as ice cream and brownies are for breakfast/lunch, and even though, yes, I made them myself, they’re not exactly healthy to eat as one of your main meals! In that same vein, just because the box of crackers is organic & all natural, it doesn’t mean that I should eat the whole damn box: portion control!

3. Work in the yard. Our yard is so gross right now. And it used to be so beautiful! 2 years ago Rob redid it for me for my birthday, but this year I have really let it go to seed. Not good. And I can spout off a lot of excuses: I have H now, Rob is never home, I’m terrified of bugs, it’s So Damn Hot!, etc., but really the only valid excuse is laziness. Ok, and the bugs one is a valid excuse! It’s healthy to be outside and get some vitamin D, for myself and H, and it’ll give me some exercise. Plus, Lobo Fluff would probably enjoy some company outside occasionally!

So, here’s to Week Two being more of a success than Week One. But, hey, you gotta work at being good at stuff, and working to be a better person is no exception! So here’s to another week of practice!

Wordless Wednesday

This Wordless Wednesday post is a recap of all the photos that I haven't gotten a chance to blog since April. Enjoy!

8 Weeks to a Better Me: Week 1

I cannot believe that it has been so long since I last blogged! Well, I can. I’ve been pre-tty lazy lately. But, really, I have an excuse, right? I have a 4 month old! O-kay, you’re right. There is absolutely no excuse for my laziness. Which is why I have allowed myself to be inspired by Amber over at Not Mommy - who was inspired by Sometimes Sweet - to start my own 8 Weeks to a Better Me program so that I may rid myself of this laziness once and for all! (okay, well if not rid myself of this laziness at least, you know, tone it down a teensy-tiny bit ;D) I am going to pick 3 goals for myself each week for a total of 8 weeks. And at the end of said weeks I am hypothesizing that I will then be the perfect mother, wife, friend… ah. You don’t believe me I see. Well, just you wait!

So, I have decided upon my goals for the first week:

1. Make myself write! A blog post at least twice a week, and creative writing at least five days a week for at least an hour each time. Even if I’m just writing crap. In order to get over my writing hump (okay, laziness) I need to just writewritewrite. Do writing exercises. Do brainstorming. I know this. But it’s hard. And writing shouldn’t be hard. Um, yes, lazybones. Writing is hard. It’s work. And work is… hard. Ah…

2. Be better at cleaning! And by be better I mean, actually keep up with it. And by keep up with it, I mean actually do it! And seriously, clean the shower. Because, I honestly haven’t scrubbed the shower down in about three months. Please don’t judge me. But, seriously. I need to make a chore chart and stick with it. I’m not saying that I want an immaculate house; that will never happen. But it would be nice if I vacuumed at least 3 times a week, cleaned the bathrooms once a week, and made an effort to tidy the downstairs and the kitchen every night before I go to bed. Oh, yeah. And sweep up the escaped litter-dust from the upstairs hall bath even though only the cats use it.

3. Take more pictures, and start doing Wordless Wednesday on here! And, of course, I mean taking more pictures of Holden. Because he is getting big lightning fast, and I definitely feel like I'm not clicking the shutter button enough. But also of Rob, and me, and our furry babies: Lobo, Clara, Percival & Albus. Most of you know that Clara cat secretly escaped last weekend, putting me into Armageddon mode. And when I went to pick out a photo for her poster I realized that I have barely taken any of her and my other fur-balls since Holden! And that is just not fair. I love all my babies, whether they have hair or fur! Life is too short, and too fun, and too agonizing not to document every (or, you know, every other) second!

So these are my goals for the week! Wish me luck, and stop by next week to see how I did. And so you can be jealous of my ever-improving awesomeness! Or, you know… rub my face in the fact that I totally sucked! Either way… fun!

Easter Photoshoot

This past week has been a crazy one! As I get more used to being a mom (Ha!) I’m starting to actually behave once again like a human being and get my lazy a** out of the house! It’s still really hard though. Case in point: Rob had Tuesday off, and he’s been really great lately so I decided that we would all go out to lunch at his favorite place – Taco Mac.
This was the first time that we’d brought Holden to a restaurant, and I thought he was doing well. He had fallen asleep in his car seat on the way to Taco Mac, and then I put him in the Moby and he continued to doze while we each sipped a beer, worked on a plate of nachos, and acted like a couple again. Things were going sportingly until we decided we were still hungry and ordered a burger to share. Then, of course, Holden decided that he, too, was hungry and began to fuss.

Of course I had forgotten the nursing wrap. Of course! So I had to make do with a blanket. Which did not want to do an effective job of staying put and not exposing my boobage to the world. Holden did not want to play along either. He established a good latch and nursed well for about 10 minutes or so, then he unlatched and started crying and would not latch on again or stop crying for the life of me! After a handful of unsuccessful attempts to remedy the situation I escaped to the truck before the other diners turned into an angry mob. Needless to say I did not get to eat my half of the burger, nor finish my beer.

When I got to the truck, I lifted Holden out of the Moby wrap and discovered the problem: a huge blow-out of a poo that had leaked out of the diaper, all over him and all over me (well, the Moby). Grrreat. Now, normally he doesn’t cry when he has a poo, but then again I usually notice and change him as soon as it happens. This time, as he was ensconced in the Moby, I wasn’t aware. So while Rob chugged down the remainder of his (and my) beer and paid the check I got Holden cleaned up and changed and decided that we didn’t really need to go by Trader Joe’s.

On Wednesday, I had to go to the doctor (twice, for they screwed up my appointment time) and on Thursday we took Holden to get his shots. He had to get four of them, poor thing! I held his little hands still, and put my face on his and when he cried it broke my heart! Seriously, if I had to get four shots – two at a time – I would cry too! Luckily, he didn’t cry but for a few minutes, I breastfed him and we left the doctor.

Then we had to go to a business meeting, because of course it would be on the most inconvenient day possible. Then we had to hightail it home so Rob could help his friend change his brake pads. Well, he and Rob had literally JUST left when Holden began to scream bloody murder. I had been nursing him and all of a sudden after I burped him he just started screaming. And screaming. And screaming. I sang. I rocked. I danced. I offered boob soothage. I called the pediatrician’s office and they said that he was probably just reacting to the vaccines but if he kept it up for 2 hours without stopping I should take him to the hospital. Two hours?

Luckily, he only cried for about thirty minutes before I think he tired himself out and fell asleep in my arms. Of course, my dumbass had to go and sneeze and wake him up! But the second time he only screamed for about fifteen minutes before he fell asleep again. The poor guy pretty much slept and nursed for the rest of the night, but no more screaming Thank Goodness!

Saturday was my busiest day of all! In the morning we took Holden’s Easter pictures! Aren’t they cute! I seriously took over a hundred pictures… I may have a problem! He did surprisingly well! I thought he was going to fuss, but Rob held up his Cap’n Calamari and he calmed right down. In the afternoon I met some of my girlfriend’s at Pure Taquera for my bff Misty’s baby shower. After Pure, we went back to my friends’ house and had some champagne and Misty opened her presents.

Holden had slept through my outing and was still asleep when I made it home, so I quickly went through the photos and sent some to Wolf Camera to be printed so I could give them out on Sunday. My mom came over after that so I could run to pick up the prints and the market and stayed to entertain him while I made beignet dough and grit casserole for Easter breakfast & cherry filled chocolate cupcakes for Easter lunch.
Yeah, I didn’t finish until 10:30! And of course Holden wouldn’t fall asleep for my mom so he didn’t make it down till 11. Then I had to clean the kitchen and finish this! Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep! Who needs sleep anyway, right!

Holden has Colic

I cannot believe that Holden is 7 weeks old already! Every day he gets just a bit more aware of the world around him and it is so awesome! He is also growing up a storm! When we got back from the doctor’s office Monday, we found out his weight is 9lb 4oz! I couldn’t believe it!

So why were at the pediatricians you may ask? Good question. The short answer is, Sunday was mommy’s breaking point. The longer answer is, well:

For the past couple of weeks Holden has been sneezing a bit, and he has also been extremely fussy with so-bad-you-can-feel-them gas bubbles in his tummy. Anyway, flash forward to Sunday. We spent the whole day at my in-laws (well, I spent the whole day, Rob had to go into the rink at 2). Holden was grumpy for most of the day, his fussiness seemed to be getting worse over the past couple of days. It was nice to have someone else to hold him and comfort him, but at the same time as a mom you just want to be the one to do it every time he cries!

When I finally managed to pry him from Grandma’s grasp ;-) she drove us home. He cried on the way, but eventually we missed enough red lights for him to fall asleep. Then we got home and he, of course, woke up. And proceeded to cry and cry and cry, well, you get the idea. Then I cried and cried and cried. Not just because it pains me to hear him cry, but because I felt like crap: achey, neck hurty, throat hurty, dizzy, stomach crampy, nauseated. (Could it be sympathy pains you ask? Nah, nothing so awesome. I took myself to the doc on Tuesday and I just have sinusitis & gastritis.)

And of course, he would not go to sleep for the life of me: I nursed him, rocked him, walked him, sang to him. No dice, he was still fussing with wide open eyes. And I know he was overexcited and overtired from being out all day, but it was more than that. This was all that compounded with a hurting tummy. I felt so badly for my little guy, but finally I admitted defeat. I mean, I'll be the first to admit that I am not supermom and I can only rock him and walk him around for so long. I cuddled him against my chest, snuggled into the cozy-corner of the sectional, surrounded us with pillows and allowed myself to doze.

I feel ashamed to say that I passed out before him, but he eventually dozed with me for about an hour, and then woke up again with a vengeance when I tried to move him cus my back was killing and so I could get a snack (I was ravenous, breastfeeding does that to me). Mommy would get no snack or drink of water. My bawling almost resumed as well but luckily Daddy texted at just the right moment to say he was about to be on his way home. Hallelujah! After a changed diaper and some struggling a latch was successful and Holden quieted down while nursing.

Daddy got home soon after Holden finished nursing bearing grilled cheese and sprite for Mommy and a trade was made. While I ate, we discussed Holden’s fussiness & decided a trip to the pediatrician was in order. So Monday afternoon we made the trek to see Dr. Midani. Well, guess what? The sneezing is nothing to worry about; the fussiness and gassiness however... Colic! Yes, colic. The ailment that puts The Fear in all new mommies and daddies. And my baby has it.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised; according to my mother I had horrendous colic. Colic so bad that I would scream at the top of my lungs for hours on end. Luckily (thank goodness!) Holden's isn't that bad. He merely fusses for a few hours - worse in the evenings, of course- and has just a few screaming moments. It still really sucks. It really sucks that Rob works a lot of late nights... the time when he's worst! Go figure.

The doctor gave us some drops stronger than the Mylicon we'd been using and he got his first does this afternoon. I really (knock on wood!!) think it's working! At least, he was chilling & even fell asleep in his infant positioner while I wrote part of this with no screaming fit (well, till the shutter sound on my Nikon woke him up… oops!), most definitely an improvement. Also, he slept for 7 hours in a row last night. 7! And he actually napped today! I bet it’s a lot easier to sleep when you don’t feel like your tummy’s gonna explode! But will the good sleeping continue or is it just a coincidence? Only time will tell, but a mom can hope!

Holden Tags Along to the Eye Doctor

Yesterday was a hard day. Today was a hard day too, but yesterday was worse. Well, the morning was ok, besides rushing around in the A.M. trying to get myself and Holden ready in time. It was the afternoon that was hardest.

I went to the OBGYN office for my 6-week check up (everything is back to... Well, not normal, but I guess as close as I'm gonna get!) in the morning.

Rob came with me, so that was good. I had to nurse Holden once we got into an exam room, and Rob was able to hold him when I finished so he didn't fuss. Of course, as soon as I nursed him he pretty much dozed off. Story of my life. (can we say foreshadowing?)

Rob had to go into work soon after we got home, but Holden & I got to relax (ha!) for a few short hours in the early afternoon. In between his Grumpings I
managed to scarf down some lunch. This pretty much consisted of me holding Holden in my left arm and dipping toast into hummus with my right. It was delicious in any case.

Too soon it was time to head out for my eye appointment. Holden of course fell asleep in the car, but he woke up once we got into the waiting room. He was quiet for awhile, looking around with his wide eyes like he does, like everything in the world is new and fresh, which to him I suppose it is.

However, the quiet wonderment did not last long. Soon, it was replaced with screaming that no amount of cuddling, kissing, rocking, walking, anything could fix. He wanted The Boob and he wanted it now. Unfortunately, I am not quite comfortable nursing in public so I did my best boob-less soothing. It went on for almost 20 minutes. It was AWFUL. I just wanted to cry & scream myself. I felt bad for Holden, I felt bad for all the other patrons, I felt bad for the receptionists... And I felt bad for myself.

Luckily, the very second before I was either going to a) pull my hair out or b) make a run for it one of the nurses came over and said to me: "Is he crying cus he's hungry? I just had my first grandbaby so I thought that might be it. Want me to find an empty room for you to nurse in?"

Bless that women. She took me to the back, put me in a room ("put the chair against the door so no one cam walk in on you") and said not to worry about missing my appointment time, I could take 30 minutes if I needed to.

Of course, I still felt badly about being an inconvenience, but at least Holden was happy. Well, until he finished nursing; he started fussing again as soon as he was full. I luckily got to wait in the special in-the-back waiting room with a tv until the OD could see me because I had to hold Holden in
my arms & let him suck my finger the whole time. And the whole time I was waiting in the exam room. And during the exam.

Happily, all the staff was wonderful and Dr. Hobson was wonderful as well. Thank goodness!

And thank goodness Holden is so cute & I love him so much: because sometimes it's hard to stay positive when it gets overwhelming and I just wanna cry too.

Week Four: Beginning Hopes for a Good Night's Rest

I can’t believe that Holden is already 4 weeks. The time just continues to fly by! I still can’t believe how fast it goes! Yesterday we started trying to get him on somewhat of a sleep schedule, even though I know some people don’t agree. It would be really awesome if I could get a couple of decent blocks of shut-eye a night - it would really do a lot for my outlook on life! Apparently, it takes a few weeks to implement it, but after that he should sleep through the night in about two/three 4-5 hour blocks.


He did fairly well last night - he went down at around 9 and slept until about 1:45 - and so did I! Well, Rob attempted to wake me up and talk to me at one point I’m told, but apparently I wasn’t very cooperative! I must say, I was incredibly excited to get so much un-interupted rest! However, to my dismay he would only sleep for about an hour at a time after that. Then, I woke up at 5am for a feeding, and he would not go back to sleep. After letting him fuss it out for half an hour (that is THE WORST! Makes me feel sooo guilty), we both decided he was awake for the day.


We went downstairs and I settled us on the sofa. After about an hour of cuddling he decided he was hungry again, so I began nursing him to BBC World News… and awoke about an hour and a half later to Gordon Ramsey! How I managed to fall asleep sitting strait up, I have no idea… I guess sleep deprivation does that to a person! Thank goodness for the Boppy pillow, which thankfully kept him safe and happy in my arms and lap!


Anyway, this is why we need the sleep schedule; we all know it’s more for me than for him!

Week Two: First Bath

Yesterday we gave Holden his First Bath. I must say, it was nerveracking! I had never heard him cry so loudly before; it was very overwhelming and I'm surprised none of the neighbors heard his bloodcurdling screams for help! However, we both (and Daddy) got through it unscathed (albeit a little wet)!




Yesterday we gave Holden his First Bath. I must say, it was nerveracking! I had never heard him cry so loudly before; it was very overwhelming and I'm surprised none of the neighbors heard his bloodcurdling screams for help! However, we both (and Daddy) got through it unscathed (albeit a little wet)!