Skip to content

Month: February 2008

All the Whine Without the Tantrum

Things that are making me want to whine like a two-year-old today:

  • I’m super bored with my blog theme and desperately want to change it but don’t have the energy or the time to mess with it right now.  I’m really digging Kerflop’s new theme and am thinking of simplifying things a bit around here…when I can think straight again.
  • I’m very nearly 36 weeks pregnant and hurt every time I move more than a 1/4 of an inch.  I’m guessing this isn’t going to get any better until I manage to birth this baby.
  • I’ve now gained 39 pounds since the start of this pregnancy.  That’s one pound away from doubling my pregnancy weight-gain goal and I CAN NOT STOP eating.
  • I’ve been awake since about 4:30 a.m.  After laying there awake for an hour and a half I finally got out of bed at 6:00 a.m., an entire hour earlier than normal.  I am tired and wish I was in my bed taking a nap.
  • Even after getting Zach up extra early this morning it took me over an hour to get him dressed and out of the house.  Tantrums, threats, spankings, and many tears (his and mine) happened in that hour and I still want to cry over it now.  I never even managed to get his ear drops in his infected ear.  Tonight he is going to bed in his clothes and I’ll be accepting my mother-of-the-year award.
  • My in-laws headed home this morning and while I will enjoy having my house to myself again, I will desperately miss all of the help that I was getting while they were here.
  • Did I mention how tired I am?
  • It is only Wednesday and I already feel like this week has lasted an eternity.  I am so ready for it to end.
  • I really want a nice warm sunny day so I can go outside and play with my camera.  Of course that would also require me to be able to walk more than two steps without wincing in pain.

Somehow I thought that would make me feel better, but nope, it didn’t.  I think I need to go curl up somewhere and just sleep until tomorrow morning.

Comments closed

Consider the Other Ball Dropped

So the title of my Wednesday night post became eerily appropriate just a few hours later.  I awoke Thursday morning to my phone ringing.  On the other end was my dad’s wife saying that they were at the hospital and that my dad had a mild heart attack that morning.  By that time he was stable and doing fine, but there were lots of tests yet to be run on him.

As the day went on and more reports came in, it was determined that he did not actually have a heart attack, but that he did have some inflammation and infection around his heart that was causing part of it not to work properly.  I’m not really sure what all of that means, but it most definitely sounds better than a heart attack at his age.

My first reaction when I got the news was to get to the hospital as quickly as possible.  Then I looked outside and realized that wasn’t going to be possible.  The roads were covered in ice and according to the news and radio reports no one was getting anywhere very quickly in the city.  On top of that, Zachary was still sick so I decided to stay home and wait by my phone instead of jumping in the car.

As it turns out, I made the right choice because by evening I wasn’t feeling so well myself.  Apparently Zach’s illness was finally passed on to me after a week of him coughing and sneezing in my face.

On top of feeling quite crappy myself, Zach got extremely clingy and whiny last night.  I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him other than knowing that he didn’t get a nap so I was quite frustrated with all the whining.  Nothing seemed to make him happy.  He wanted a drink, then he didn’t want a drink.  He wanted his blanket, then he didn’t want his blanket.  He wanted to be held, then he didn’t want to be held.  Rinse, repeat, all night long. By about 3:00 a.m. he was whining and moaning so much that I finally just got up with him.

I finally ended up propping myself up on a pile of pillows and sitting up in the bed for the rest of the night with him lying on my shoulder.  Shortly after that I figured out what the problem was.  He had finally calmed down enough to talk to me and told me that there was water in his ear.  Suddenly it all made sense.  The boy now has an ear infection.  I think he finally relaxed and fell back asleep around 5:00 and I followed shortly after.  When my alarm went off at 6:20 I wanted to kill it.   I let myself hit the snooze button for about another hour before getting out of bed.  When I finally made it up and to the bathroom the first thing I noticed was a bunch of icky ear drainage on the shoulder of my shirt where Zach had been sleeping.

I was dialing the doctor’s office as soon as they opened at 8:30 and was able to get Zach an appointment to see the nurse practitioner.   The consensus was that he most likely has the flu, although it is too late in the cycle now to medicate it so they didn’t bother with the flu test.  I guess I should have pushed a bit harder for them to test him on Monday when they told me it was most likely just a virus that would pass in a few days.  All of the congestion apparently pushed the crud into his ears and caused the nasty ear infection.  Fortunately, it is only one ear (for now) and the other one was still completely clear.  At least I know that the tubes are working because there is all kinds of stuff draining from the infected ear.

After the doctor’s office, I took Zach home, gave him some Motrin for the pain and the first dose of his antibiotic ear drops, and had to leave him with Granny and Papa so I could get to work.  I’ve hardly worked at all this week and I’m feeling terrible about that.  At least I was fairly caught up at the end of last week so I’m not really behind at all.  I just didn’t get ahead of things like I had planned on doing this week.

At this point, I am just so done with this week.  I want it to end so I can move on to better times.  We have no big plans for the weekend other than to enjoy visiting with the in-laws.  Personally, I plan to sleep in as long as possible for the next two days and try to make up for all of the sleep that I’ve missed out on all week.

Comments closed

Waiting for the Next Ball to Drop

It’s nearly 10:00 on a Wednesday night and I’m sitting here contemplating whether I should blog or just go to bed.  Obviously the blogging is winning out, although the burning in my eyes suggests I should be in bed instead.  The last few days have been quite tiring and I’m not really sure when or if I’m ever going to feel truly rested again.

The weekend started out in a cleaning frenzy.  With my in-laws arriving Tuesday and my lack of ability to do any physical activity for more than about 10 minutes at a time, I knew I had my work cut out for me.  Fortunately Hubby was very helpful and my mom even ended up coming over and pitching in a bit.

Saturday afternoon, a good friend of mine had a baby shower for me over at my mom’s house.  Hubby and Zach ended up coming along since there were going to be some other kids there.  Shortly after we arrived at my mom’s house (and just before people started showing up) I realized Zach was running a fever.  His nose had been running the night before but I didn’t think anything of it until the fever started up.  Luckily my mom had some Tylenol at her house and that helped knock the fever down a bit.

The shower was nice.  I ended up getting several things that I needed and wanted, as well as some other really cute things that I didn’t expect at all.  Plus, I got to eat some yummy food and cake!  All in all, it was a good time.

After the shower I was exhausted, but there was still cleaning to do.  My mom came over to the house to help me out for a while.  Zach fell asleep on the way home and was pretty much out for the rest of the night.  His fever kept creeping higher in between doses of Tylenol and Motrin.   The poor kid was just miserable.

Sunday morning we woke up to what they said was going to be our worst snow so far this year.  My mom, who absolutely hates driving in snow, called saying she was on her way over.  I had asked her to come over to keep Zach while Hubby and I went to church because we had a couples baby shower being thrown for us and another couple from our church that afternoon.  Even though the snowfall wasn’t really that bad, the roads were terrible.  Had it not been for the baby shower, we wouldn’t have ventured out at all and I certainly wouldn’t have asked my mom to drive in it.

By the time church and the baby shower were over, the snow had pretty much melted away.  The roads were clear and it was nice and sunny outside.  We got home to find Zach snuggled up with Grandma and his fever up to 103 degrees.  Another dose of Motrin knocked it down for a while, but I went ahead and called my boss to let him know I wouldn’t be at work Monday.

Monday was spent snuggling with Zach, doing some last minute cleaning, and taking Zach to the doctor.  They tested him for strep, checked his ears for infection, asked a million questions, and finally decided that he just has a virus that has to run its course.  By that time his fever had broken and he was acting a million times better so I was feeling a little foolish for taking him to the doctor.  I was ready to send him back to school on Tuesday, but his fever decided to spike back up that evening.  I was supposed to be picking my in-laws up at noon on Tuesday, so I made another call to my boss and we agreed that I should just stay home with Zach until after the in-laws got here.

Tuesday morning I woke up around 5:00 with terrible cramping in my stomach.  My first thought was that I was having contractions, but I quickly realized that was not the case.  Not sure whether I was going to throw up or not, I forced myself out of bed and into the bathroom.  I spent a very unpleasant hour in the bathroom before informing Hubby that there needed to be a change of plans for the day.  There was no way I was driving to the airport to get his parents so he was going to have to leave work early to go get them.

Instead of getting back in bed, me and my germs went and crashed on the futon for a couple of hours.  At some point Hubby left for work.  Then I awoke to Zach crying when he realized no one was in bed with him anymore (he ended up sleeping in our bed and woke up to find mommy and daddy both gone).  Once I got him calmed down a bit, we made a big bed out of the futon, watched movies, and spent the day laying around until Hubby got back to the house with his parents.

I felt like a pretty terrible hostess, but tried to perk up a bit once they were here.  We visited for a while, then had dinner.  While I was trying to force down a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, Zach climbed up on my lap and snuggled up.  I could tell he wasn’t feeling well and a few seconds later I was covered in puke.  It was a great ending to a lovely day.

Zach was still running a fever this morning so he stayed with Granny and Papa while I attempted to go to work.  I was feeling much better, but very worn down.  I must not have looked very good because my boss told me to go home early if I needed to.  I ended up staying until around 3:00 and left at that point because I wasn’t really doing much good being there.  I had no energy left and my head was killing me from looking at the computer screen.

Shortly after I got home, I got a text message from my friend (the other recipient of the joint baby shower) saying that she had her baby.  She wasn’t due until March 7th, so it was quite a surprise.  Mom, Dad, and baby are all doing fine.  I’m dying to go visit but until we make sure we’re rid of the germs around here I’ll have to stay away.

The rest of my evening was actually rather relaxing and now that I’ve wrapped this up, I’m ready to get to bed and get some sleep.  Everyone else has turned in for the night but I can still hear Zach coughing in the back of the house.  I just wish there was something I could do to make him feel better.

Comments closed

34 Weeks

34 Weeks

I’m going to attempt to take a break from the computer this weekend basically because I’m going to have pretty much no free time at all. I have two baby showers this weekend, one thrown by a friend, and another by my Sunday School class at church. I’m looking forward to both of them. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t excited about getting wee little baby things in the form of presents! Who doesn’t like presents?

In between the two baby showers, I’ll be cleaning my house like a mad woman because my in-laws are coming up next week. Let’s just say house cleaning hasn’t exactly been on my priority list for the last couple of months so there’s a LOT of work to do. Fortunately, hubby is more than willing to help out and do the heavy work that I can’t do right now. I just have to figure out how to keep Zach from trashing it as we clean!

Comments closed

Love Notes

Be Mine
(scrapbook layout from Girl Talk’s Love Struck Valentine’s Album)

Dear Hubby,

On this Valentine’s Day, I just want to thank you for putting up with me.  I know I’m not always the best wife or the easiest person to get along with (especially when I’m pregnant).   You have shown a lot of patience lately and for that I’m very grateful.  I know I gripe and complain a lot, but regardless of what you think, I do actually appreciate you.  I know you don’t think I show it enough but I really do love you and need you.  I couldn’t make it through this world without you by my side.

Love,
Me

p.s.  If you could have dinner ready when I get home, that would be great!

Dear Zachary,

You are without a doubt the light of my life.  Before you came along, I had no idea that I could love anyone as much as I love you.  There are days when you frustrate me to no end with your tantrums and stubbornness, but in the end all it takes is a hug to make me melt into a puddle and forgive you.  You are growing up so very fast that I can barely keep up.  You are quite the companion these days and I’m really going to miss all of the time we spend together after your baby sister arrives.  I guess that will make it even more special when we have a few quiet moments together, just the two of us.  I just hope you will always remember that you are my special boy and no one can take your place.

Love,
Mommy

p.s.  Please go to bed on time tonight.  Your daddy deserves a little snuggling too and I would really like to watch Lost uninterrupted.  Thank you in advance.

Dear BabyG,

We have just about six weeks left on this little journey together.  Soon you will join your daddy, big brother, and I in the outside world.  Each day that goes by I feel a stronger and stronger bond with you.  As you move around and push on my belly I feel a connection with you that I just cannot explain.  When I place my hand on my belly, you often push back as if you are trying to reach out to me too.  Each time it happens feelings of love just wash over me.  You are the little girl that I have dreamed of my entire life and I can’t believe that my dream is finally becoming a reality.  You are already so very loved by so many people.  We absolutely cannot wait to meet you.

Love,
Mommy

p.s.  Feel free to start knocking on that door a couple weeks early if you are ready.  I would love to have you here by Easter if at all possible.

Comments closed

When Did I Become That Mom?

Valentine's Cookies

I just spent my entire evening slaving away in the kitchen making cookies for Zach’s Valentine’s Day party at school tomorrow. Okay, so I bought the pre-made dough and icing in a can, but I still had to roll the dough out, cut out the heart shaped cookies, bake them, wait for them to cool, ice them, and then add sprinkles. It was supposed to be a group project, but my “group” tuckered out on me shortly after we started. He prefers to just eat the cookies, not decorate them.

I never really pictured myself as the type of mom who would get into this sort of thing. Sure I care about Zach’s school and I love the kids in his class, but never did I see myself as the homeroom type of mom. You know, the type of mom who wants to be there for every little party or volunteers at the drop of a hat to bring snacks or anything else they might need. I’m not really sure where this person came from.

I also made my first formal complaint about a teacher today. I felt bad doing it, but I felt something needed to be said. Zach’s regular teacher has been out sick all week and I’m not very thrilled with the care that he is getting from the subs. He came home with a big scratch under his eye that no one could explain yesterday. Plus, judging from the looks of his underwear the last couple of days, he’s not getting the assistance that he needs in the restroom. He may be potty trained, but you can’t really expect a 2 1/2 year old kid to be able to get themselves clean after going to the bathroom.

The school director was very understanding about my complaints, but I still felt bad doing it. Zach really does get good care at his school for the most part, but these were two things that I just couldn’t let slide by this time. I don’t want to be known as a bitchy parent, but I also want to make sure Zach is getting the supervision that he needs when I’m not with him. I’m certainly paying enough money out each week to expect nothing but the best care.

It is really funny sometimes how becoming a parent changes you. I’ve always had a hard time standing up for myself, but when it comes to my kid I have no problem saying exactly what is on my mind.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger... Comments closed