Boobies!

Once you have a baby there's not much about your body that doesn't change. And there's not much you won't talk about. At least there's not much I won't talk about.

So today I would like to talk about my boobies.

In December 2003 I had breast reduction surgery. I went from a 34 DDD to a 34D and it was wonderful. People who didn't know I had had the surgery thought I had lost about 10 pounds! I loved my new boobies. I could buy shirts in the correct size and not have to make alterations. I could wear a bikini and not look like a porn star. It was fabulous!

And then I got pregnant.

And the boobies didn't change much. But the lactation consultant at my OB's office said that I should be fine.

Fast forward to Aug 25. I had Katie and we worked on nursing. It was slow going at the start. Katie had some issues gaining weight. We had to supplement with formula.

But she started to gain, we dropped formula, and she continued to gain weight.

Great! However, since I've been back at work, I've been pumping and Leftie has always been an under producer. So this week I've been trying some things to get her up to speed with Righty.

I made sure to feed Katie from Leftie first every feeding. I also would go back to Leftie after we were done on the right. And I've really been watching my water intake.

And so far it looks like it might be working. I just finished my morning pumping session and got 2 ounces out of both sides!

Go Leftie!

Now we have to see if this was a fluke or if it's the new normal.

Lets talk about GERD

I've decided to start writing in the blog again (ok, again is the wrong word. I'm going to write a blog).

Let's talk about GERD.

If you have a baby and you are not familiar with this lovely acronym, consider yourself lucky.

If you have a baby and you are familiar with this lovely acronym, I am so sorry.

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) in Infants or Children

It is common for infants to spit up after a meal, but frequent vomitingmay be caused by GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), the upward movement of stomach content, including acid, into the esophagus and sometimes into or out of the mouth. Older children also can have GERD.

Most of the time, reflux in babies is due to a poorly coordinated gastrointestinal tract. Many infants with the condition are otherwise healthy; however, some infants can have problems affecting their nerves, brain, or muscles. According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, a child's immature digestive system is usually to blame. They add that most infants grow out of GERD by the time they are 1 year old.

Katie has GERD. But she doesn't have the kind that involves projectile vomiting or lots of spitting up. Katie, my little ninja baby, has ninja GERD (not the technical name, although it should be). Ninja Gerd is the kind that means excessive acid in the stomach making it really uncomfortable to digest her food.

So she squirms a lot. And arches her back a lot. And hates tummy time, a lot. And would rather be held in a standing up position than any other.

The worst part, I had no idea there was anything wrong with her.

I've spent a lot of time with kids, toddlers and babies but not really any time with infants. So I was unaware her behavior was off. Thankfully my mom came in town the week before Thanksgiving to watch Katie while I headed off to my first week back to work. She made me call the doctor. I thought they would laugh and tell me not to worry, they didn't.

So the GERD adventure began. We started with Zantac at the low dose, 1 ml. And it worked! Saturday she was like a new baby! It was wonderful! But after a few days she wasn't as wonderful. So we got permission to up the dose to 1.5 ml. Again, like a new baby! Wonderful! Happy!

Last week was her first week at daycare and I was noticed when we nursed Tuesday night she was squirming and pushing off again. So I mentioned it to daycare Wednesday morning. They had noticed it also on Tuesday. Off to the doctor, again.

Friday we got a new perscription. Picked it up on Sunday (long story but DH had the stomach flu this weekend so I didn't leave the house Saturday, at all). Now we're on Prevacid.

I'll keep you posted.

Oh.My.God!

Here it is.

The test from this morning at 8dpo.





I am excited.

I am scared.

I am nervous beyond belief.

I am thrilled at the idea of this life changing voyage I have just begun.

Family overload!

But in a good way.

I want to fill all of you in on the craziness that is the Greek side of my family but right now I am too distracted.

As most of you know (I think all of my followers come from BOTB, so you know) one of my friends from BOTB--Greenclown-- went into labor last night and delievered her baby at 24 weeks. At last update, mom and baby are doing well.

Currently Greenclown, her husband, and her baby are all I can think about.

All I want to do is get back on a plane to Boston (where I was all weekend) and hunt her hospital room down so I can do whatever they need me to do.

You want food from any where in the STATE? I'll rent a car and get it!

You need your house cleaned and pets taken care of? I'll do it, I'll even clean your toilets, a part of house cleaning I HATE.

You want your nails painted? I'll do it or I'll find the best manicurist in the city to do it!

I think you can tell how I feel.

And by the way BOTB, I would do the same for any of you. You are my online family and eventhough we haven't met, I love all of you.

Bah Humbug!

For some reason I'm not really feeling the Christmas spirit yet which is a problem because I forced the hubbs to go buy a tree on Friday and put it up.

The tree is sitting naked in the entryway.

And I have no desire to get the lights and ornaments out of the basement to put them up.

And I have no idea why.

I am going to force myself to get into the spirit this afternoon. I will put on a Christmas CD and get everything out and go crazy.




And yea me! Two days in a row I have posted.

I am a bad blogger. I would like to appologize to those of you who have been checking my blog and finding nothing new. I'm new to this whole blogging thing and still haven't got the hang of it.

Moving on.

So, I think I need to be a harder teacher. I say this because I work at an alternative school for kids who have been long-term suspended or expelled and today I found out we are getting another repeat offender. His intake was today and he told the social worker he was really excited to come back.

I feel that if I make my class harder (more work load, including homework) maybe kids will not want to come back.

Probably not the case but whatever, I'm totally working on that for next semester. I am going to treat each class as though it's an Advanced Placement or Honors class and see what happens.

Also there are only 14 days left in the semester. I am NOT going to get through all my curriculum in 11th or 12th grades! What did I do this semseter? Where did all the time go? How did I get so far behind? I am FREAKING out! I have to pack so much in the next few weeks that I can barely

I guess I could use these three weeks as practice for next semseter and my new 'honors' class idea.

On a sadder note, my favorite student (I know, I know I shouldn't have a favorite but I do, sue me) is leaving after two semesters with us. It's going to be weird without him there.

I promise I will start blogging more, I hope I don't bore you all too much.

This, hubbs, is why you are supposed to do the yard work!

In case you haven't noticed, fall is here. With fall come leaves. They are so pretty when changing colors on a sunny and crisp fall day. Then they fall off the trees and end up in my backyard. And it's not pretty at all.

So yesterday I decided to bag up some of the leaves. It was 75*, sunny and beautiful. I decided to start with the leaves on the patio. I also decided to rake the leaves out of the gardens around the edge of the yard onto the grass so the hubbs could mow them up at a later date. I didn't think there would be too many leaves, it's just a small patio. I was wrong. 9 leaf bags later I called it an afternoon.

This morning the hubbs decided to mow the lawn. I thought this meant the end to my leaf struggles. Not so much. He looked out at the back yard and laughed. He told me there was no way he could mow over the small piles I had made out there. If I wanted him to mow out back I had to pick up some more leaves.

Ok. Fine. I'll pick up some more leaves. I don't really want to but I'd rather we do it now than in the spring when the leaves are all wet and decomposed from being out in the snow all winter.

I get my gloves. Get some more lawn bags (we only have 6 left so it won't be too bad). Get the rake and get going.

I start filling up the first bag get it about half full and feel a terrible pain on my left index finger. I yank my hand out of the bag to see a yellow jacket stuck to my glove STINGING ME! Glove is thrown off, finger is examined, bee is no where to be seen (dead I hope) and yard work for Tilly ends.

Yup. 5 minutes in I was done.

Yardwork Fail.

And now, 5 hours later, my finger still hurts but at least it's not swollen too much any more.