Monthly Archive for September, 2007

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Over-thinking the hair situation – part one

Published on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 in Hair and Random Thoughts. 4 Comments

Okay, I have a hair situation, and it’s twofold. I’ll divide it into two sections: Mine and Claire’s. I have a ton of work to do today, so my time is limited. I’ll write about mine first. Stay tuned for the over-thinking of Claire’s hair situation tomorrow.

I’m kinda frustrated with my hairstyle right now. My hubby rolls his eyes whenever I bring it up. He LOVES my hair long, and he just doesn’t understand why I can’t be happy with long hair. I don’t know either, and I wish I could figure it out.

Back in the day, I really wanted long hair and I grew it out. My college years were spent trying to grow out a really interesting perm, bangs, and short layers. I succeeded by the time I graduated. Then, I decided to grow it long. I was in the process of doing that when I had a little setback (see this list, #42.) Because of that situation, I got a cute little no-bangs bob, and I loved it!

That’s the style of hair I had when I met my hubby. He really likes long hair, and he convinced me to grow it out again, so I did. He loved it. Personally, it was okay, but I really enjoyed a short and sassy haircut. Years went by, and when I became an independent consultant for a cosmetic company (that shall remain nameless), I jumped on the really short and sassy haircut bandwagon, because I was in the public spotlight a lot, and I needed hair that was spunky and chic. My hubby was really nice and never really complained, but I could tell he really liked my hair long.

I shifted gears, got out of the public spotlight, and when I got pregnant with Claire, I decided to let my hair grow long again. With all the pregnancy hormones, my hair went into overdrive, and it grew super fast. My hair has always grown fast, but this was amazing. It got to be too difficult to maintain a short and spunky hairstyle without breaking the bank, so I went long again. My husband was quite pleased.

Fast forward two years. My hair is still long, and I see short and sassy hairstyles everywhere. The longing has started growing inside me again, and it’s going to drive me mad. Then, just when I think I have the courage to take control of my hair again and do the style *I* want, I have a really good hair day, and I think…wow, that was lucky! I almost cut all this off. Sadly, those hair days happen rarely.

Most of the time, I twist it up and wear a clippie. How exciting.

So, a couple weeks ago, I went to get my hair cut. I also got it highlighted, because the grays are starting to scare me. Thankfully, the highlights had grown out subtly, because I realized it had been seven months since my last haircut!! My hubby begged me not to get it all cut off, and I caved. I told him I’d have her do some face framing and maybe cut three inches off. Secretly, I was hoping she’d chop it all off, and I could blame her. My hubby would have seen right through that…what with my huge smile and the skip in my step.

So, she cut off just over three inches, and it’s still below my shoulders. She did some face-framing and long layers, and when she was done it looked great! She curled it for me and styled it, and I told her that I honestly wouldn’t have time to do that, so to give me a cut that would dry well.

I don’t know if it was her or me, but I’m just not happy. She’s cut my hair before, and the cut is different this time. I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s just not quite right. I’m afraid to tell my hubby, because he’ll just roll his eyes and tell me it looks great and to stop complaining.

I spent what I consider to be a lot on my haircut, so I can’t go back and have her re-do the cut. I just can’t justify the money in my head. I can’t go to a cheap place to have it cut, because those are always luck of the draw, and it’s a huge gamble. Plus, if I ever want my highlights updated, I’d have to explain to my stylist what happened. I wish I didn’t care what my hubby thinks, but in reality, I do. So, I’m stuck with this haircut for at least three months. Maybe around Christmas I can convince him that I need a change? Will he really understand that I need this, or will his pouting be unbearable and I’ll cave again?

I hope I can wait that long.

In the meantime, I feel like I’m stuck with this really expensive clippie.

Thoughts?

And it’s making me twitch

Published on Monday, September 17, 2007 in Claire and Venting. 0 Comments

How is it possible to replicate the exact noise a screen door would make if it were made of Styrofoam and rubbing on something else made of Styrofoam? How is it possible to make such a loud piercing noise with human vocal chords?

I don’t know.

You’ll have to ask Claire.

A tongue-twister of sorts

Published on Monday, September 17, 2007 in Claire, Language and Parenting 101. 2 Comments

This weekend, we had Edamame as an appetizer. It’s one of our favorite foods, and Claire loves Edamame. I shell them for her, and we make sure we don’t put too many on her tray at once, because portion control is not really her forte. She tries to put them all in her mouth at once, and I really don’t want her to choke.

So, we’re sitting there eating our Edamame, and Claire starts saying, “Momma! Momma! Edda-mommy! Momma! Momma! Edda-mommy! Edda-mommy! Momma! Momma! More Edda-mommy pleeeeeeeeeeeeease, Momma.”

It was so cute! How could we resist? She said this every time all the Edamame disappeared off her tray, and of course, before we knew it, she’d eaten about two pounds of Edamame. Do you know how much fiber is in two pounds of Edamame? Well, let me put it this way…there isn’t a diaper big enough.

The next time we have Edamame, she’s not allowed to have quite that much, no matter how cute she is when she asks.

Claire’s Birth Story

Published on Sunday, September 16, 2007 in Birthdays, Claire, Drama, Photos and Pregnancy. 1 Comment

People have been asking me about my birth story, and Claire was born before this blog existed, so I haven’t had a chance to share. Part of me wanted to wait until November to post this, but the other part of me thinks there’s no time like the present!

So, here it is. If you’re not into birth stories, feel free to skip this post. If you are, here it is!

Claire was due Friday, December 2nd, 2005. On Tuesday, November 29th, at 1am, my labor started. The contractions were pretty strong and varied between 10 minutes, 7 minutes and 5 minutes apart and back. I timed them all night and tried to get as much rest between them as I could.

I wasn’t really shocked that I was going into labor, since toward the end of my pregnancy Claire had started measuring “big.” In fact, at my most recent appointment, the doctor said that I could go into labor at any time. My doctor had been saying this for two weeks, so it was about time!

At 8am, I told my hubby that I was pretty sure I was in labor. I didn’t tell him sooner, because I didn’t want him to freak out and not be able to sleep. We decided that he shouldn’t go in to work. I didn’t know if I’d really have her or how long this would be, but he worked from home, just to be safe.

At 9am, I called the doula to tell her what was going on. A doula is a labor coach that we’d hired. (She’d worked with me throughout my pregnancy on relaxation techniques and she also did personalized one-on-one classes in breastfeeding, etc. We also took the hospital classes, but that was more for my hubby’s benefit than mine, since I’d practically done enough research to get a degree in Birthin’ Babies…) I wanted to do my labor and delivery completely drug-free, and I didn’t want my hubby to have the responsibility of being my only labor coach. I wanted him there, but I knew that he would be concerned about me, and I wanted a professional there. (A doula doesn’t replace the father.) The OB nurses are great, but they change with the shifts, and they aren’t with you constantly. I wanted constant attention, especially if I was going to do this without drugs. Anyway, I told the doula what was happening, and she said I was definitely on my way. She told me to continue using the birth ball and try to get as much rest as possible, and to call her if anything changed.

I also called my doctor’s office to tell them I was in labor. They said that she actually had the day off and another doctor was on-call that day. The receptionist jokingly said I could wait until tomorrow if I really wanted to. Uh, no thanks! Little did I know…

I labored all day and at 3pm, the contractions became really strong. I was able to focus through them, and the birthing ball really helped. They were consistently 5 minutes apart, so I called to update the doula. (Our hospital doesn’t even want to see you until the contractions are 3 minutes apart…)

At 5pm, the contractions suddenly jumped to 3 minutes apart and I panicked. Panicking made me lose focus and the contractions seemed a lot worse (I’m sure they were the same; it was my focus that had changed). I called the doula and she got me back on track. While on the phone with her, they went back to 5 minutes apart. Still, she decided to come over, and she got to our house at 5:45. (She lived a few minutes away, but she had to get her little girl situated, etc…)

At 7pm, the contractions were consistently 3 minutes apart, so we decided to go to the hospital. I remember being really annoyed that I had to put clothes on. My hubby wanted me to wear a coat, but I was boiling. I refused to wear a coat and I remember walking up to the hospital wondering how it could be so hot. (It wasn’t. It was actually close to freezing outside.) They checked me into triage, and I was 4cm dilated, 100% effaced and I had a bulging bag of waters.

We got settled into the birthing room (you give birth and recover in the same room, and the hospital is newly remodeled and very nice). My doula suggested we go to the spa room and I got to use the huge birthing tub for over an hour. That felt so good!

They didn’t require continuous monitoring there (which I didn’t want anyway), but they did require that I lay on the bed for so many minutes every hour or so to be monitored that way. That was excruciating. (We’d tried using the monitors while I was on the birthing ball, but they kept slipping, and the nurse on duty was getting snippy with me. Luckily, we found a compromise that made her happy and let me labor – for the most part – how I wanted to.) How women labor in beds is beyond me!! I could totally handle the contractions while on the birthing ball with the doula rubbing my back. Lying in the bed was pretty unbearable.

Close to midnight, they checked and I was 6cm and the doctor could feel Claire’s head through my bag of waters. I gave them permission to break my water, and they said she’d be born within a few hours.

2:30am November 30th – I’d reached 10 cm! Without drugs! There was a slight lip on my cervix, so the doctor wouldn’t let me push yet. For some reason, not only did it not go away, but because Claire kept turning her head and the contractions were so violent, my cervix had started swelling! So, I went from 10 cm to 9 and back to 8!!

At 4:30am, the doctor came to tell us that we should consider an epidural. We wanted to wait a bit longer to see if the swelling would go down. It didn’t. The doctor said that if I didn’t get an epidural to slow things down, I’d need a c-section. I remember the doctor being very calm, and she had a copy of my Birth Plan in her hand. She was so respectful of our wishes, but very concerned about what needed to happen. Part of me was really proud of myself for making it to 10cm without drugs, but another part of me was devastated. But, we trusted the medical professionals. We reluctantly agreed to an epidural, so that was administered at 5:30am.

I got instant relief, and Claire and I tolerated it well. I was able to rest, and sure enough, just like the doctor said, the labor slowed down and my cervix was allowed to stop swelling.

During this time, the shift change happened in the hospital staff, and my own doctor was the one on-call. I joked with her that it was her fault this had happened, because Claire was so intent on meeting her. I also asked one of the nurses if “Kim” was on duty. She was the little labor and delivery nurse that had taught our hospital birthing class. Sure enough, she was on duty, and she signed on to be our nurse! She was excited, because she rarely gets to see her students in action. Gee…no pressure!

At 11am, I’d gone through transition again and was close to 10cm. They gave me pitocin and at 12:15, I had the overwhelming urge to start pushing. Even through the epidural, I could feel the contractions, but didn’t feel the pain. (After having gotten to 10cm without any meds, I was fine with that this time!!) But, even with the epidural, that ‘ring of fire’ when the baby is crowning is the most intense pain I think I’ve ever felt. How women can say they’ve forgotten that pain is beyond me! It’s been almost two years, and I’m still waiting to forget!

At 1:49pm, on Wednesday, November 30, 2005, after having pushed for an hour and a half, out came Claire! She came out SIDEWAYS!! What we all (including the doctor) thought was her nose, was actually her ear! No wonder this had taken forever! My doctor later told me that first time moms in this situation usually push for THREE HOURS. I couldn’t believe it! I can’t imagine pushing more than I did!

Anyway, she was perfect, and we were so happy. I actually got to cut the cord! I’d put that in my Birth Plan, since my hubby really wasn’t sure if he wanted to, and I really wanted to, the doctor agreed! That was really cool. My hubby was a trooper throughout the whole thing. He was by my side the whole time and handled all the blood really well. I’m really glad he was able to relax and not panic, and that was all possible because of the doula.

I only had a second degree tear, which was unfortunate, but better than it could have been. I was up on my feet that day and recovered really quickly. Claire breastfed right away, and we were able to leave the hospital on her original due date, December 2nd.

Claire was 8 lbs. 6 oz., 20 3/4 inches long with a head at 13 3/4!! After 37 hours of labor, we finally met our baby girl! (Well, it was 36 hours and 49 minutes…but who’s counting?)

My Birth Plan

Published on Sunday, September 16, 2007 in Claire and Pregnancy. 0 Comments

This goes along with my Birth Story. (See next post.) I’ve had people ask, so I’m sharing it now.

We were encouraged by our doctor and our doula to put together a Birth Plan. I’ve taken out our names, and replaced them with the pronouns. (With our full names in there, it reads like a more formal document.) My doctor signed a copy of this and it went in my chart.

As you’ve probably figured out, I totally dig lists, and the opportunity to share my opinion makes me giddy. We fully realized this was a “plan” and not necessarily the way things would go. It was good to organize our thoughts before the big day, and I’m really glad we did. So, without further ado, here it is:

Birth Plan

She will be having her first baby at This Hospital. Her primary OB/GYN is Dr. Y. Her pediatrician is Dr. B. Her goal is to have a labor and delivery, with no pain medication, if at all possible. She understands that the health of the baby and mother are paramount. She will be assisted by her husband and their doula.

The following items are extremely important to her during labor and delivery:

Do not offer drugs (or an epidural) for pain relief, unless medically necessary.

She would like a heparin lock (or hep well) instead of a full IV.

She would like to labor in a variety of different positions.

She would like to have her husband and/or her doula with her at all times.

The following items are other preferences that she has for her labor and delivery:

She would like to have the option to push in different positions.

Please allow the umbilical cord to stop pulsating before clamping and cutting.

She would like to cut the cord.

Regarding emergencies:

Her husband can authorize procedures if she is unable to do so.

The following items are preferences in newborn care:

She would like to try to breastfeed the baby as soon as possible.

Please do not supplement with formula, unless medically necessary.

We trust the doctors and staff at This Hospital to help us make proper medical decisions in regards to emergency situations that may arise. We also understand that certain circumstances may not allow all, or part of, this Birth Plan to be followed. If possible, we would like to be kept informed of our choices and be given adequate time to discuss options and ask questions.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read and consider this Birth Plan.

~Signed by both of us

So, a Princess it is…

Published on Saturday, September 15, 2007 in Claire and Halloween. 7 Comments

“Okay, Claire. Momma needs to get your costume ordered,” I say as I put the catalog on her tray. “Which one do you like the best – the bumblebee or the ladybug?”

“Oh, a princess! Momma, look…a princess!” she screams with pure joy, pointing to a different costume on the same page.

And the begging continued throughout the call I placed a few minutes later. Even the lady taking our order could hear the pleas. “Well, it sounds like you made the right choice!” Something tells me that the “seven to ten business days” required for delivery are going to seem like an eternity.

A Picture for Today

Published on Friday, September 14, 2007 in Claire, Milestones and Photos. 6 Comments

So, I was thinking about how I haven’t posted pictures lately on the blog, so I went into my September 2007 folder where my pictures are stored, and I saw the September 2006 folder, right above it. I cracked it open and was looking through all the great shots of Claire. A year ago, she was just pulling herself up and cruising all over, but she hadn’t taken any “real” steps yet.

I then found the picture of when Claire had first pulled herself up to see her “Fishies.”

She LOVES her “Fishies.” One of my friends had given these to me at my baby shower, and Claire learned from an extremely early age how to turn them on herself, by kicking them with her little feet. She’s played with them ever since.

I looked at the date, and I couldn’t believe it! It was taken exactly a year ago, to the day!

She was in her crib, finishing up her nap, so I went in to see if I could get a “here she is one year later” shot. And, I did! She was very accommodating. (With toddlers, you never know…)

No, there isn’t anything extremely notable about September 14th…it just happens to be when I took the first shot last year, and I couldn’t believe the coincidence.

Take a look!

9-months old and 21-months old

Have a great weekend!

Good news!

Published on Friday, September 14, 2007 in Random Thoughts. 1 Comment

Well, the doctor’s office just called, and there are no fractures on the x-rays! Woo hoo!! This is the news we were hoping to hear!

This is a great way to start the weekend!

It’s time to kick-back, relax, and try not to fall down any more stairs.

I feel giddy!

Published on Friday, September 14, 2007 in Random Thoughts. 0 Comments

Okay, my back still hurts, but my pain-medication-induced screaming headache and horrific vomiting are gone! I feel GREAT! Yes, I still have the back-pain, but the thought of facing another day with only that is awesome.

Funny how that works.

(Someday, I’ll post about my bout with “morning” [read: all-day] sickness when I was pregnant with Claire. I threw up every four hours for almost three months. That may give you some insight as to why the vomiting from yesterday was SO annoying to me.)

I’ve been taking the pharmaceutical-grade Ibuprofen, and it’s taking the edge off. I can lift Claire from certain angles, and I can hold her at certain angles. I can’t walk well with her or go up and down stairs while holding her, but that’s okay. Baby steps.

I should know more today about what the x-rays reveal, and I’ll try to post an update later. Edited to add: The results are in, and it’s good news!

Meanwhile, I’m going to watch the butterflies flit about in the sunshine as the birds sing outside my window.

Attack of the Side Effects

Published on Thursday, September 13, 2007 in Drama, Random Thoughts and Venting. 6 Comments

So, I went to the doctor yesterday. He insisted I get x-rays just so that we know what we’re dealing with, and we can get a better feel for how things are going to heal. He said the results of the x-rays won’t change the course of treatment, but it’s good to know what’s going on.

Then, he suggested a pain medication. I told him that I’ve never had good success with pain medications, and all the good stuff makes me vomit. I don’t like vomiting while in pain. It tends to make me feel worse. Go figure.

He assures me that I should try Tramadol. He said he’s had good luck with it. It does have side effects, just like every medication known to man, but he thinks this will help with the pain.

I’m supposed to take one pill twice a day, as needed. I took one last night before going to bed, and by the time bedtime rolled around, my back had actually started to feel a little better. It was definitely taking the edge off of the pain! My tummy felt a bit upset, but I couldn’t tell if it was from the pill or what I’d had for dinner or just because I’d been in pain for so long. I took some Tums, and that seemed to help.

I slept all night! That hadn’t happened since before I fell on Monday! But, I had a piercing headache. That’s odd. Isn’t it weird that a pain medication would give you a headache? Isn’t that a bit counterproductive? I looked at the paperwork. Yep, that’s one of the side effects. I also felt a tad dizzy. I knew that was one of the side effects without even looking. And then I threw up. Let the fun begin.

My hubby had already gone to work, and Claire was in her highchair. I won’t go into gross details, but let’s just suffice it to say that not only has Claire seen Momma cry, she’s also seen her toss her cookies. Luckily, all she saw me toss was the water I’d had to swallow my pill, and odds are, the pill too.

This isn’t good. I still felt sick. I was told that I didn’t have to eat anything before taking this pill, because it’s not like the other pain medications. Still, I decided to eat breakfast right away. Luckily, I had Claire moved to her play area in my office before emptying the contents of my stomach that time. I was able to get a “Momma has to go to the bathroom. I’ll be back!” out before running to the bathroom next door.

Okay, the pill is probably definitely gone now, which is fine with me! I don’t want it in my system if it’s going to make me so sick. Of course, the pain in my back has started to rear its ugly head.

Now, I’m sick, hurting, AND angry. I had SAID I didn’t want any pain medication because I couldn’t handle being in pain AND being sick to my stomach. I’m pretty good at focusing through pain, but not pain AND nausea. All this, and my head is still screaming in pain. I did discover that the absolute WORSE position for my back is kneeling in front of the toilet.

So, I call my hubby in tears. I hate doing that to him, because he’s an “I gotta fix things right away” kinda guy, and he can’t fix it from work. But, I thought he needed to know that this was happening. He told me to call the doctor’s office and tell them I’m stopping the Tramadol and see if they’ll give me a prescription for those mondo Ibuprofen pills, and to see what they suggest I take for my head. (Like I’d be able to keep it down!!) I told him Claire was napping and I was going to, too.

The doctor’s office hasn’t called me back yet, which is fine, because they would have interrupted my nap. And, it was wonderful! My headache has subsided and I haven’t thrown up in a couple hours. I think the only ailment I have now is the pain in my back. Aren’t we back were we started?? I would have preferred to get to this point without all the vomiting and splitting headaches, thankyouverymuch.

Actually, as I was typing this, my doctor’s nurse called. My doctor is out of the office today, which I knew from our conversation yesterday about how the x-ray results would be in today, but he wouldn’t be able to see them until tomorrow. Anyway, his nurse has already sent a new prescription to our pharmacy for the mondo Ibuprofen. She said that should help my headache AND my back pain. What a concept!

My hubby will pick up the pills on his way home from work. (He decided to come home early and will be here soon.) It’s a good thing he knows the Heimlich, because with my luck, I may choke on them.