Hubby Sleep Talking, Again

Here's our conversation from this morning:

Me: Hey, your son is awake and is waiting for you.
Rob: Wait.
Me: For what?
Rob: There's someone in his room.
Me: Who?
Rob: A guy, but he's gone now.
Me: Where'd he go?
Rob: I shot him.
Me: With what?
Rob: My sniper rifle!

Hmmm, wonder if he was up late playing Call of Duty on his PS3 last night, eh?

Texting with my BFF

Cathy:  How are you feeling?
Me:   I think i'm gonna die...
Cathy:   I am sorry to hear that.  I guess that means you are going to bite me soon!  (Long story)
Me:  Didn't some celebs recently die of "flu like symptoms"????  Oh no!
Cathy:  Yes but you r not a celeb

Mr. Right

This time of year, 14 years ago, my best friend and I went to Hawaii for Spring Break.  Our other girlfriends went to Europe.  We didn't go with them because for whatever reason or another we didn't think our parents would let us, so we "snuck off" to Hawaii where we wouldn't need a passport.  I'm ever so thankful that we didn't join them, cuz if we hadn't, I wouldn't be where I am today...

One of the nights we were in Honolulu, my BFF and I went to a club, and at this club I saw this really cute guy.  He turned out to be a really nice guy.  The first few things I learned were:  (1) he was in the Navy, (2) he grew up in Germany, (3) I'm the same height as his mom, and (4) my birthday is the day before his brother's.  We hung out that night, and the next day, but the following day my BFF and I were going to catch a flight to Kauai.  So, we made plans to meet up again in a few days. 

We hung out right before I had to fly back to Boston, and before you know it Mr. Right was already making plans to visit me in Boston.  My first thought was, "yeah right, that's what they all say"... but sure enough, he stayed true to his word and visited me in just a couple of weeks.  When he visited me we learned more about each other, and I realized that I liked him even more.  We decided to try to have a long distance relationship and we have been happily married for the past 12 years. 

And they say you can't meet Mr. Right at a bar or club.  Well I did! 

I Shoulda Known Better...

For the past couple of weeks I haven't been feeling well.  When my back hurt and my body was achy, I just figured that I had "slept funny" and went to the chiropractor.  When I felt chills, I just figured I was sitting too close to an air vent and simply moved to a warmer spot.  When I felt run down, I just figured I wasn't getting enough sleep.  When I had headaches, I just figured I was hungry.  And worse... when my boobs were tender and I felt some lumps, I just figured they'd go away when I pumped (and I honestly thought they did). 

Yeah, no.  Turns out that in my attempt to reduce pumping, I developed mastitis.  While my OB couldn't see me today, my PCP was able to, and I now have prescription for some antibiotics that should help me out. 

It's funny how life works and it's absolutely true that the Lord works in mysterious ways.  See, a while ago, when I was contemplating when I should stop pumping, I prayed, and put my trust in the Lord to guide me in my decision.  The other day I decided to stop.  Today I was instructed to increase my pumping to help unclog my milk ducts.  So... back to pumping it is... for at least the next 2 weeks.  And, if by chance I need to continue to pump when I return to work, then I will do so!

The Final Chapter of Pumping (part 2)

I can't believe how much this decision is consuming me.  So to help me put things in perspective...

Pros and Cons of Pumping (in no particular order):

Pros

1. BEST MILK EVER that I could provide to my child.
2. Saves $$$ on the cost of formula.
3. The extra calories my body burns in the process.
4. Watching shows on DVR during my pumping sessions.
5. The 20-25 minutes I "have" to "myself" during my pumping sessions (hence #4).
6. The dessert I can treat myself to (see #3).
7. Unlike formula, which you can only be left out for one hour in room temperature, breastmilk can be left out for up to four hours. 
8. Even though he's bottlefed breastmilk, I still feel a special bond with my child knowing that only I can provide him with this special nourishment. 
9. The (ahem) greatest looking boobs that I've ever had. 
10. My son's breatmilk burps don't stink like his formula burps do. 

Cons

1. Lack of sleep (due to late night & early morning pumping sessions).
2. Having to clean the pump parts and all the respective tubes, caps, etc. after each pumping session.
3. The time it takes to pump.
4. Planning all my daily activities around my pump sessions.
5. Having to drag around a hospital grade pump, and pump in my compact car, if we're out and about for a long period of time. 
6. Suffering through really bad allergy symptoms because I can't take the allergy decongestant medication that I need. 
7. My poor baby gets stuck in his exercauser for up to 30 minutes while I set up, pump, and clean up. 
8. The time I'm pumping I could be playing with my baby. 
9. Losing #6 & #9 from the pros list
10. Once I stop, the milk supply will dry up, and when it's gone, it's gone, there's no turning back...

The Final Pumping Chapter

For the past nine-and-a-half months I've been pumping breastmilk for my son.  Long story short, my little peanut never properly/consistently latched on.  After giving it many tries (with the help of a wonderful Lactation Consultant) I decided to bottle feed my son breastmilk and supplement my supply with formula as necessary. 

The first several months I pumped 8 times a day.  That averaged once every 2-3 hours.  The longest stretch of sleep I got during those months was about 3 hours.  Many months later I dropped it down to 6 times a day, then 4 times a day, and most recently, 3 times a day. 

Originally I told myself that I would do this for my child's first 6 months of life.  Since I wasn't employed when he turned 6 months old, I decided to continue to pump.  I'm thankful that I did. 

In just three short weeks I'll be starting a new job.  Hubby assured me that there is plenty of milk stored in our deep freezer and that I really should stop pumping so that I can finally get a decent amount of sleep.  (Even though I only pump 3 times a day, I still get up at 4am to pump). 

Everyone's impressed that I've been able to keep pumping for this long - both my Lactation Consultant and OB praised me for my tenacity - but to me it wasn't an option, I simply did what needed to be done.  I'm looking forward to getting a decent night's sleep again... but a part of me will miss personally providing nourishment for my child.  I honetly didn't think I would feel this sad about my final month of pumping...

What Not To Wear

Other than maternity clothes, or post-maternity clothes (which were basically just a few pieces of baggy clothes that I could find on clearance at Target), I haven't shopped for myself in a really really long time.  Since I'm hoping to re-enter the working world again soon, I decided to treat myself to a couple of pieces at my favorite store - http://www.whitehouseblackmarket.com/store/home.jsp 

I've been keeping an eye on their sale items, and found two items that I thought were cute.  One was a black sweater (okay, I know I have what seems like a lot of black sweaters, but I swear, this one is different) that would be great at hiding my belly pouch.  The other was a denim jacket that would be perfect as either a casual or business casual piece.  So when the box came in the mail today, and I was super excited, until... 

I opened the sweater, which online looked to be a simple black color, however in person it has these silver strands in it which makes it kinda sparkly.  While I wasn't too excited about the silver thing going on, I have to admit I like a few things about this sweater:  (1) it's soft and comfy, (2) arm length is perfect, (3) it conceals my belly, and finally (4) clearance price is practically a steal.  So, I decided to live with the ever so slight sparkles.

The denim jacket, on the other hand, was not at all what I expected it to be.  The first thing that caught my eye were a couple of the sparkles on the jacket.  WTF?  When the heck did this store decide to bedazzle a classic piece such as a denim jacket?  I asked the hubby if he noticed the sparkles, and he responded, "Uh, which ones... you mean all the ones on the buttons?"  (Again, WTF!?)  To which I replied, "Oh crap, this looks like an old lady jacket!"  which made the hubby laugh, and laugh, and laugh, and, I think he's still laughing right now...  yeah, this one's going back to the store immediately. 

So now, more than ever, I'm really committed to losing my baby weight so I can fit in all my cute pre-pregnancy clothes.  Just had a delicious salad for dinner... here's hoping I can shed the pounds quickly!