Back in March of 2009, just three months before I was due to be married I was working an evening shift at my job. I started experiencing a pain I had never felt before.
It started at five in the evening, and was a sharp pain just under my ribs on the right side of my body. Long story short I spend a few long hours in the hospital emergency room with my mother-in-law to find out I had just had my first gallbladder attack caused by passing a gallstone. Once the stone was passed the pain disappeared never to be heard from again...
Fast forward to approximately a month ago. I started having mild pain in the same area as before. I put off going to the doctor because the pain was mild and I knew what was causing it. I figured I would experience the pain until I passed a stone and then it would go away. No such luck. The pain persisted and I trucked off to my family doctor.
She is convinced that it is my gallbladder, and is sending me for a confirmation ultrasound. The result of the appointment was what I expected. I insisted on the opportunity to change my diet to see if that would improve the situation before jumping into the drastic alternative of surgery.She agreed but also let me know that an improvement in diet isn't always going to "cure" the problem and I may end up needing surgery anyways.
As for now I have decided to maintain a low fat diet, and ultimately, I should lose the weight that I need to if nothing else.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Seventh Month Review
Back when Monster was five months old I wrote a blog post regarding the fact that the 5th month of Monsters life so far had been my favorite.
Right now, I have decided that the 7th month has been the most trying. It really has nothing to do with Monster meeting and surpassing his infant milestones, or growing more and more into a little person but the fact that so far this month we've had a few interesting things to deal with.
Monsters first infant cold hit him early this month, and lasted for approximately a week. We spent that whole week with sleepless nights, sleepy days, and relieving his discomfort as best we could by saline rinses, steamy baths, and Vicks Vapo Rub.
Just when we began to get Monster back into his routine severe teething hit. Luckily teething comes and goes with him so he might have a bad couple of hours every few days. I can handle terrible infant teething because usually it just presses on my mommy patience during the day light hours. Like I said, teething is a Monster I can handle....
However an infant with an ear infection is a whole other ball game! Just when everything started to level out around here Monster was diagnosed with an infant ear infection and so far has been awake at least once every single night. It makes me really feel for the parents who have not had the opportunity to experience a full nights sleep since their infants were born. Monster started sleeping through the night by two months and never experienced the 4th month sleep regression. That means for the last 5ish months (at least) Hubbs and I have had any where from 6-12 hours per night of silence.
Oh how I wish for those days to return... Infant sleep training might be the next challenge on my plate, in order to get Monster back into his nighttime routine.
The Infant Ear Infection
This is Monster 7th month of life, and we've already experienced our first infant cold and an increase in infant teething.
Just when I thought we'd get things back to normal the worst thing happened! Last Monday in the late afternoon Monster was more crabby then usual. He had increase drooling, was chewing and biting and had a low grade fever. I gave him some Hylands Teething Tablets and Hylands Teething Gel to help relieve his teething pain and Infant Tylenol to bring down his infant fever.
Over the course of a day and a half the low grade fever increased to fever and Monster began pulling his right ear. All the teething symptoms started to dissolve but he was still visibly ill. Hubbs and I decided enough was enough and we took Monster in to the after hours walk-in clinic at our family doctors office. After describing Monster's symptoms, and assuring the doctor "Yes, he is *only* seven and a half month old..." he prescribed Monster his first ever antibiotic treatment.
Hubbs was automatically concerned because Monster was prescribed Amoxicillin which is a product of Penicillin. The issue being the fact that Hubbs, his father, and his uncle are all allergic to Penicillin. We both discussed things to watch for in great detail with the pharmacist on duty and were reassured that even people who once were allergic to Penicillin are no longer because the drug has evolved and been "cleaned up" so much in the last decade or so.
Skip to now, four days after the initial diagnosis and prescription, almost all is back to normal. Now we have to work on the damage this month of Monster not feeling well has done to his sleep schedule.
Just when I thought we'd get things back to normal the worst thing happened! Last Monday in the late afternoon Monster was more crabby then usual. He had increase drooling, was chewing and biting and had a low grade fever. I gave him some Hylands Teething Tablets and Hylands Teething Gel to help relieve his teething pain and Infant Tylenol to bring down his infant fever.
Over the course of a day and a half the low grade fever increased to fever and Monster began pulling his right ear. All the teething symptoms started to dissolve but he was still visibly ill. Hubbs and I decided enough was enough and we took Monster in to the after hours walk-in clinic at our family doctors office. After describing Monster's symptoms, and assuring the doctor "Yes, he is *only* seven and a half month old..." he prescribed Monster his first ever antibiotic treatment.
Hubbs was automatically concerned because Monster was prescribed Amoxicillin which is a product of Penicillin. The issue being the fact that Hubbs, his father, and his uncle are all allergic to Penicillin. We both discussed things to watch for in great detail with the pharmacist on duty and were reassured that even people who once were allergic to Penicillin are no longer because the drug has evolved and been "cleaned up" so much in the last decade or so.
Skip to now, four days after the initial diagnosis and prescription, almost all is back to normal. Now we have to work on the damage this month of Monster not feeling well has done to his sleep schedule.
Time for Grief
Before I became a mother, it was much easier to find time for myself to do... Pretty much anything. Including grieving.
A couple of weeks ago I lost someone I loved to cancer. Normally it's fairly easy for me to let my emotions out through anger and tears. Eventually pushing passed my emotions and remembering my lost loved ones, happily knowing they are better off. However, when you're responsible for an infant it doesn't leave you much time to cry and yell out your sorrow.
In the last couple of weeks I've learned to push passed my feelings, carry on my day and care for my son without letting my sadness and anger show. A skill that will only come in more and more handy as the years pass.
Now that I've been given the opportunity to lock myself up in my room, in the dark and let my feelings over come me I'm back in my happy place. How do you cope with not letting your emotions rule how you parent your children? How do you not let your sadness and anger make you less patient for crying infant?
A couple of weeks ago I lost someone I loved to cancer. Normally it's fairly easy for me to let my emotions out through anger and tears. Eventually pushing passed my emotions and remembering my lost loved ones, happily knowing they are better off. However, when you're responsible for an infant it doesn't leave you much time to cry and yell out your sorrow.
In the last couple of weeks I've learned to push passed my feelings, carry on my day and care for my son without letting my sadness and anger show. A skill that will only come in more and more handy as the years pass.
Now that I've been given the opportunity to lock myself up in my room, in the dark and let my feelings over come me I'm back in my happy place. How do you cope with not letting your emotions rule how you parent your children? How do you not let your sadness and anger make you less patient for crying infant?
Monday, October 18, 2010
H-WEEN!
I love, love, love Halloween! I am itching for Halloween weekend to come around already!
We are a Halloween crazed couple, who grew into a Halloween crazed family! I already talked about finding Monsters awesomely awesome dalmatian Halloween costume for a whopping $2, but finding an infant halloween costume is only one tiny step in the whole process!
About two weeks ago I started decorating the inside of our house with pumpkins, spider webs, spiders, skulls and other ghoulish creatures. Last week Hubbs and I purchased $30 worth of pumpkins to carve and line our outdoor walk way. We intend to carve them some time this week, and then I'll cook up the seeds for us to munch on too!
For the last three years it has been family tradition to have a Halloween party and this year is no exception. Thankfully this year Halloween falls on a Sunday making this typical one day holiday a whole weekend of fun!
Our small town does a "down town" trick or treat where kids 12 and under can trick or treat between 3-5 in the evening with their parents in the down town core. That will be the only trick or treating Monster participates in this year. This halloween event is taking place on Friday right before our family Halloween party.
All I have left on my Halloween preparation to-do list is candy shopping for my tick or treaters!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
We are a Halloween crazed couple, who grew into a Halloween crazed family! I already talked about finding Monsters awesomely awesome dalmatian Halloween costume for a whopping $2, but finding an infant halloween costume is only one tiny step in the whole process!
About two weeks ago I started decorating the inside of our house with pumpkins, spider webs, spiders, skulls and other ghoulish creatures. Last week Hubbs and I purchased $30 worth of pumpkins to carve and line our outdoor walk way. We intend to carve them some time this week, and then I'll cook up the seeds for us to munch on too!
For the last three years it has been family tradition to have a Halloween party and this year is no exception. Thankfully this year Halloween falls on a Sunday making this typical one day holiday a whole weekend of fun!
Our small town does a "down town" trick or treat where kids 12 and under can trick or treat between 3-5 in the evening with their parents in the down town core. That will be the only trick or treating Monster participates in this year. This halloween event is taking place on Friday right before our family Halloween party.
All I have left on my Halloween preparation to-do list is candy shopping for my tick or treaters!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Evolution of Baby Meal Time
Once upon a time I had a newborn, who enjoyed a strictly liquid diet... Oh how easy that time was!
Monster first tried rice cereal back when he was three and a half months old, and since then has gained quite the menu of foods he's successfully eaten without an allergic reaction. I've been a good mommy and recorded absolutely everything. Date, time, what food, and his reaction... That was up until about a couple weeks ago.
I'm still writing down the food that he's successfully tried, liked and didn't react from but I'm more "willy nilly" about the process. Monster is an old pro when it comes to eating, so he can chew and swallow without much worry on my part (Note: Having said that I'd like to make it clear that he is never left unattended with his food). I've become quite accustomed to serving him whatever we're eating at supper time, or "sharing" whatever is on my plate with him. Within reason of course, I'm not about to give him hunks of steak that he physically can not manage eating on his own or any "fake" foods I might be eating.
I've designed his infant meal time schedule in a way that will make for an easy transition when the time comes that he wont be eating bottles as a main source of nutrition.
7:30-8:30am - Breakfast #1 (Solids; cereal/yogurt/toast and fruit, sippy cup with 2oz formula)
10:30-11ish - Breakfast #2 (Bottle)
1pm - Lunch #1 (Solids, fruit/veggie/toast/finger foods, sippy cup with 2oz formula)
2:30-3pm - Lunch #2 (Bottle)
4:30-5pm - Supper #1 (Bottle)
6-6:30pm - Supper #2 (Solids, whatever we're eating or veggies, sippy cup with 2oz formula)
8pm - Bedtime Snack (Bottle)
Essentially the way I have it set up is that Monster eats solids at our meal times, ultimately (hopefully) making it easier to "ween" him when the time comes. Slowly changing his bottles at "snack times" into snacks and slowly increasing the amount of solids he consumes at meal times.
Anyone who has just gone through this process, I welcome tips! :)
Monster first tried rice cereal back when he was three and a half months old, and since then has gained quite the menu of foods he's successfully eaten without an allergic reaction. I've been a good mommy and recorded absolutely everything. Date, time, what food, and his reaction... That was up until about a couple weeks ago.
I'm still writing down the food that he's successfully tried, liked and didn't react from but I'm more "willy nilly" about the process. Monster is an old pro when it comes to eating, so he can chew and swallow without much worry on my part (Note: Having said that I'd like to make it clear that he is never left unattended with his food). I've become quite accustomed to serving him whatever we're eating at supper time, or "sharing" whatever is on my plate with him. Within reason of course, I'm not about to give him hunks of steak that he physically can not manage eating on his own or any "fake" foods I might be eating.
I've designed his infant meal time schedule in a way that will make for an easy transition when the time comes that he wont be eating bottles as a main source of nutrition.
7:30-8:30am - Breakfast #1 (Solids; cereal/yogurt/toast and fruit, sippy cup with 2oz formula)
10:30-11ish - Breakfast #2 (Bottle)
1pm - Lunch #1 (Solids, fruit/veggie/toast/finger foods, sippy cup with 2oz formula)
2:30-3pm - Lunch #2 (Bottle)
4:30-5pm - Supper #1 (Bottle)
6-6:30pm - Supper #2 (Solids, whatever we're eating or veggies, sippy cup with 2oz formula)
8pm - Bedtime Snack (Bottle)
Essentially the way I have it set up is that Monster eats solids at our meal times, ultimately (hopefully) making it easier to "ween" him when the time comes. Slowly changing his bottles at "snack times" into snacks and slowly increasing the amount of solids he consumes at meal times.
Anyone who has just gone through this process, I welcome tips! :)
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Mommy Review - Parum Pum Pum Drum
Earlier I posted photos of Monster's first reaction to his awesome new toy the Parum Pum Pum Drum from B. toys this post is my mommy review!
The drum itself is hollow so you can pack all your instruments inside and has a strap, and handle for easy carrying for your baby/toddler. It's also y clean up and storage since the drum comes with 7 pieces. Once the lid is on the drum, you use the centipede drum sticks to parum pum pum on your drum.
The first piece is the Jingle Bell Ant. The ant is on top of a soft plastic A, perfect for teething pain relief. The jingle bells provoke feels of anxious excitement because they sound just like Christmas jingle bells! The toy itself is easy for Monster to hold and use.
The second piece is the Busy Bee Maraca and Clacker. This instrument actually makes three sounds! Shaking, "raining" and clacking all which are easy to do! The letter B is the wings, I think we have found a trend. The third piece is the Cute Caterpillar Tambourine! The cute caterpillar is in the shape of the letter C, the over all circular shape is perfect for the little hands expected to hold the instrument.
Finally last but not least are the two Shaka-Shaka Eggs! When Monster and I play these are my instruments of choice for two reasons. Reason One: I absolutely love the sound that comes out of this tiny, perfectly egg shaped, amazing instrument! Reason Two: The Parum Pum Pum Drum is recommended for 18 months - 3 years and I'm sure one of the reasons is the size of these eggs. They almost fit into Monsters mouth and since he still investigates by putting everything in his mouth, the eggs are Mommy's for the time being.
Overall family consensus: The toy is well worth it's reasonable cost because it's 5 instruments in 1, literally. It's also fun to play with for more then one person making it easy to have family play time with your baby/toddler. Go on, B. You! Start your own family band! ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)