No more weaning = no more whining

My poor son... Wednesday was beyond difficult, and he was such a trooper - until 2:00PM hit and he turned into a non-stop screaming MACHINE. Seriously, don't babies need to breathe??

That being the experience of our first day of full-on forumla, we decided to stop this weaning business and continue breastfeeding. There has GOT to be something out there (medicinal, homeopathic, or otherwise) that can provide me with some relief while we get my thyroid figured out that does not require me to stop nursing my 3 month-old son!

I'm sure Dr. Ball is going to blow a gasket, but he's so close-minded and old fashioned about breastfeeding that that is to be expected. Plus, he really does have my (the patient) best interest at heart, so I have to respect him there.

I just know how good breastfeeding is for babies, and how much Bruce loves it... so we're considering this the first big "mommy sacrifice" that I'm having to make for him. I would gladly continue to feel like crap in order to give Bruce the best start possible.

ESTJ - "Administrator". Much in touch with the external environment. Very responsible. Pillar of strength. 8.7% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

Weaning and Whining

Anyone want a malfunctioning thyroid?

Thanks to this wonderful master-organ, my Endocrinologist (Dr. Ball) has put me on a beta-blocker. Unfortunately, those are HUGE nursing no-nos, as they pass into the milk and are extremely bad for baby. You know what that means? Yep.

I have to wean my son.

I don't think my heart has hurt so bad in years... and it's not getting any easier. Bruce has taken to formula (soy) amazingly well. We tried him on Similac Sensitive first, but he got so gassy on it that we had to switch. He will take a bottle from anyone, even me, although he will glare daggers at me the entire time now. We started weaning him on Wednesday, so it's still really early in the process. I nurse him every other feeding when I'm there, and only pump at work to relieve the pressure from getting so full. Oh, and I still nurse him in the middle of the night; it would be cruel not to at this point.

Even though this is nowhere near when I had intended to wean Bruce off the breast, I really am thankful that we got in three solid months of nursing. He's such a chub, so I know he got a lot out of it!

This may sound incredibly stupid, but I have this fear that he and I won't stay as bonded as we are now once I quit breastfeeding him. He's only 12 weeks... he still smiles at just about everyone (then again, he CAN be pretty selective with whom he graces with a smile... we think he's just a VERY social little guy), so how do I know if he really loves his Mama? It's so stupid and so selfish, but breastfeeding was the only thing going right for our little family for the last 12 weeks, and now it's leaving... it's really, really hard to cope with that.

On studying, rolling, and wisdom (teeth)

The first (of many) projects for my Medical Coding & Billing class is here... and it is so insanely simple that I want to scream. More than half - I'd say a good three-quarters - of this course so far has been on Office Procedures; how to act, how to dress, what a fax is, etc. Now there's this project (an 800-word paper, big whoop there) on Interpersonal Communication.

*cricket*
*cricket*

It's like eating an appetizer, even though it is horrendous, just because you're insanely hungry. I want to get to the good stuff, damn it!

On to Bruce-news (since that is ALWAYS classified as "good stuff")...
He's amazing.

At 11 weeks, and a whopping 16.4 lbs., my son is showing some serious signs of fierce independence, with an adorable need for cuddles afterwards. He rolled over (from belly to his left) during Tummy Time this afternoon, and is still content to gnaw on his fingers while staring at "Friend Clock", the grandfather clock, in my in-laws' living room for nearly 30 minutes. Of course, he has to be sitting up like a big boy (oh yes, he does) or else there's a loud re-enactment of Chernobyll... oy. After such bouts of independence, my little trooper always wants a snuggle (read: "GIVE ME BOOB, WOMAN!") and really seems to love kisses from his slightly overwhelmed Mommy.

Finally, I had my three wisdom teeth removed on Wednesday. Let's just say that God and I are going to have a little chat about the creation of body parts that have little to no purpose, because OUCH. Sure, they knocked me out for the procedure (two were completely impacted, one was partially so), and sure... they warned me that that afternoon would be "a little tender", but CRAP. I was NOT prepared for the resulting throbbing, stinging, stabbing and otherwise painful sensations.
My word.
Of course, Bruce was completely unaffected by the entire experience and continues to bash his gigantic noggin into my jaw.

I think that's it for now... my "project" calls.

Bruce has a game he loves to play... one that Mommy and Daddy aren't too fond of. We like to call it "Rapid-fire Diaper Durby". The rules? Bruce has to poop his pants as soon as possible after the fastening of a new diaper. The prize? A stench unlike any other...

Aside from changing stinky diapers and feeding my bottomless pit of a son, I've found that Life has settled into a fairly stable routine. I take Steve to work in the mornings, and then Bruce and I spend the day together. Around 4:30, we leave to pick-up Daddy from work and play "Swap the Son", while I head into work for about 4 hours. At that point, I go home, feed Bruce, and head off to bed to start it all over again.

Since being a full-time Mom and part-time employee didn't seem like enough stress (both good AND bad), I decided to add "student" to the mix! I'm taking a Medical Coding & Billing certificate program through Penn Foster - online - with the hopes of finishing by the end of June. I started on Feb. 28th, and there are 44 lessons... so that's definitely a lofty goal. Not only that, but I'm planning to take one online class per Quarter through my work at the University. I'm currently enrolled in their Bachelors of Arts in Management degree, so I might as well make use of it while I'm still here, right? Who knows... I may change my mind about this last one.

Medical Coding & Billing, however, is a definite. Sure, it's not my first choice in a profession, but the healthcare field is one field that is guaranteed to grow like crazy (hello, Baby-boomers!). That means definite job security, good pay, and the ability to find a job in that field just about anywhere in the country. I'll be testing for my Certified Coding Assistant (CCA) certs once I've completed this program, so that should help me stand-out when looking for a position.

I think that's it for now. I got my three wisdom teeth pulled yesterday, so the happy-happy Oxycodone they have me on for pain is starting to kick-in...

Recipe Time!!

Meal: Dinner

Dish(es): Roasted chicken and parmesan couscous with shallots, chiken and apple sausage, and lemon pepper baby carrots.

Ingredients:
1 lg. shallot
2 boxes of instant couscous (one roasted chicken, one parmesan)
2 1/2 cups of chicken stock
2 TS olive oil
1 TS Italian seasoning
1 TS garlic paste
6 fully-cooked chicken and apple sausage links
2 ts basil paste
1 - 1 1/2 lbs. of baby carrots
3 TS lemon pepper
2 TS butter

Directions:
1. Put a medium pot of water on to boil (for the baby carrots).
2. Heat 2 TS olive oil in a medium pot, and turn to med-high.
3. Mince the shallot, and add to the pot along with 1 TS Italian seasoning. Allow to carmelize.
4. Add carrots to the boiling water, stirring occasionally. Boil for 10 minutes.
5. Slice 6 chicken and apple sausages on the bias (diagonally), and place in a large, non-stick skillet on med-high, stirring occasionally. (Since the sausages are already fully cooked, we're just warming them up.)
6. Add 2 ts basil paste, and 1 TS garlic paste to the sausage. Stir to distribute.
7. After the shallot has carmelized (will become translucent in color), add 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock and allow to come to a boil. Once it boils, add the couscous, stir, cover, and remove from heat. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
8. Once the carrots are done, turn off the heat, drain the water, place back on the stove, and add 2 TS butter and 3 TS lemon pepper. Stir to coat.
9. With a fork, fluff the couscous and shallot. Place on a serving platter, and serve with the chicken and apple sausage links on top.

So... what do you think?
This is my first attempt at actually posting one of my meals. We had this last night and, according to Steve, everyone enjoyed it!

I'm in love

... with being a Mom.

Yesterday, after dropping Stephen off at work, running to the bank, going to Safeway, taking care of Bruce (and if you're a Mom, you know all that entails!), doing the dishes, making dinner, picking up Stephen, going to work, and doing some reading for my Medical Coding & Billing cert. program... it hit me: I'm exactly where I never knew I wanted to be.

I always thought that sure, one day I'd like to have kids and do the whole "mom thing", but I never knew how incredibly rewarding it could be.

That's all.
An "ah-ha" moment from me, to you.