Teething and Too Little Time

My Little Darling is teething. It's a top tooth on the left side. He is tolerating it rather well for now. He just chews on his clothes and blankets and stuffed animals and is a little extra fussy, but not much. Some of the books I read said babies could start teething now, but I thought it was a bit early. He's watching us eat food now, but doesn't seem to have the motion necessary to bring food to the back of his mouth rather than pushing it out. And breast milk isn't fully satisfying him anymore. He's not yet 4 months old, so he's not supposed to have solid food yet. But soon he'll be ready. I was thrilled to read that recent studies have shown it's unnecessary to hold off cows milk and peanuts and other high allergy foods until after the first birthday. They've found no increased incidence of allergies due to early exposure. So Jamie can have tastes of ice cream this summer. :)

I'm still working on the same projects. The socks are coming along nicely, and it looks like they may be wearable! If my first pair of socks are wearable, I will be SO happy! Once my oral exam is over I'll have more time for everything. I have a baby quilt to make for a friend, and there will only be a month to do it in. So many projects.... so little time!

St. Patrick's Day and Easter

Okay, I never really blog anymore, but I'm still terribly busy with all the aforementioned tasks. And I've started my TA duties again, so there's even more to do. And I feel like I'm behind in everything, even though that's not really true. I'm behind where I'd like to be, not where I need to me, so it's okay. Anyway. I ripped back the scarf I was making for Mama because I didn't like it and am trying something else. I'm doing 4 rows of stockinette and then reversing the "front" side of stockinette to make it reversible and keep it from rolling up all one way.

My boy is growing really fast. He now looks like a young boy, not a baby, even though he's getting a double chin. He seems to be over his colic. I'm now knocking on wood (quietly because he's sleeping), please do the same. He is getting very adept at many things. He can almost sit up without assistance. He really likes sitting up and seeing things. He knows the word "baba" for bottle, and telling him, "Baba? Baba coming" makes it easier for him to wait for the bottle as we heat it up. He really likes it that he gets breast milk most of the time. He smiles all the time now, and even laughs pretty frequently. It's a soft laugh, no squeals, yet. He doesn't usually get fussy during mass unless there's too long a time between songs. He listens for my voice and loves to hear me sing with the piano. Perhaps he'll be a musician.

Pumping has made breastfeeding so much easier, and I can provide breast milk for him without supplementing now, although we still do when we're out. I figured out why I was having such milk supply issues. Jamie doesn't drain the breast completely, just until the flow slows. Then he gets impatient and has a fit. This is likely because we had to supplement from the very beginning, but what can you do? There were just too many complications to have avoided the c-section and the complications from the c-section made it necessary to supplement him. But we've made it together, and I don't grieve over how his birth went anymore. I've worked hard to give him the best I can and it's paying off and he's happy. That's all that matters.

(Vaginal Birth After Cesarean), but my doctor said it was impossible for legal reasons. I asked a bunch of questions, and she didn't really give me answers. From what I could gather from her, if the uterus does rupture during an attempted I'm thinking of becoming a doula. Not full time, mind you, but once a month is very doable. My friend Bridget is training to become a doula and she's gotten me into it. Doulas are very helpful for women in labor, and I'm beginning to think it's important to have one with any birthing mother, even if she's had 10 kids before. There is an instructor in the area and at the local hospital, so if it's possible to go through the classes before my friend Julie has her baby, I'll do it. I'd like to have a doula with me the next time I have a baby. I'm also interested in doing a VBACVBAC, the result is just another c-section, not death of the mother or the baby, but of course the "risk remains" for both. And the incidence of rupture occurs in only 1% of VBACs. But they don't do them anymore because if the rupture occurs and there's any delay in the cesarean then they can be sued. Which doesn't make sense to me because the incidence of VBACs is up, according to all the other literature I've read. Anyway, I have a lot of time to consider the options before I actually need to make a decision. And we already have the names picked out for the next baby. Parenthood agrees with us.

It's been a bit rough for me the past couple of days. Two years ago at Easter, I lost someone I loved very much. She was taken from me with only brief warning. Her absence in my life is profound even though everything about my life has completely changed. I try not to think about this because my grief is still almost too much to bear, but it was brought to mind after reading a knitting blog. I was reading a blog I read pretty regularly, and she brought up the loss of someone she loved who reminded me of my friend. And so I began to be depressed. But I try to remember to have faith, and to treasure the time I have with those still near, especially Jamie, and I feel better able to cope. At mass on Sunday, the priest said to call to mind the ways in which God has blessed us, and I thought how God had blessed me best when he gave me Jamie, and I was comforted. Hopefully Jamie will know one day, that he is my blessing.

Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty

My Darling Boy had his shots yesterday. He zonked out right after the trauma of getting the shots. In the late afternoon, he woke up and was really upset and was crying and screaming in pain. Breastfeeding didn't comfort him, either. I desperately searched the web for tips for soothing his pain. One tip was to rub the injection site with Vicks Vap-O-Rub. I immediately did this and it did help. He didn't scream any more after that, but still cried and fussed and was very uncomfortable. I didn't think I should give him Baby Tylenol after reading about the children's cold medicine debate and the possible negative effects on children under 6. My friend Bridget asked her mom (a nurse) who recommended giving him the dosage for his weight, and Bridget said it had helped her niece and nephew when they had discomforts. So I sent Mama out to Walgreens to get some, and we gave him the lowest estimated dosage for his weight. And he was soothed. He then slept. Blessed relief. Today he slept a lot and was pretty happy when he was awake. He did scream and cry a few times when I accidentally bumped his thighs where the injections were given. A friend of mine told me about how his cousin's child got autism from vaccines. So I spent all day checking the Jamie still made eye contact and reading up on the whole autism vs. vaccines issue. From the studies I read I'm convinced that the appearance of a correlation to vaccines is a coincidence due to age of symptom onset (or when they first notice it and can't explain it away) and the frequency of vaccinations. One study in Japan showed that there was an increase in the incidence of autism even after discontinuing the vaccine in question (MMR). Also, with decreased vaccinations there has been an upswing in the cases of measles and mumps and polio, which have led to deaths of some infected children. Even after reading all of this and deciding that the connection did not seem scientifically reasonable, I still watched Jamie like a hawk and worried over every move he made. I logically believed that he was not in danger of contracting something debilitating. However, as a mother, my greatest fear is that I might do something that could harm my child. And so now I'm pretty stressed out. Jamie is fine. He's smiling and wide mouthed grinning at his Daddy's funny dancing. He's still a bit sore but he can be distracted from it and is interacting with us normally. I love that boy.

A Gratuitous Photo and Current Projects

Let us start this blog with a gratuitous photo of my darling boy. He's wearing his Winnie the Pooh jacket with the ears. He falls asleep in the carseat, but tends to wake up anytime the car stops, unless he's really tired. He's also wrapped in the blanket Mama knit him. It's one of our favorites and he uses it all the time.

After finishing Jamie's blanket, I had no problems finding a new project. I have some that are still unfinished, but after such a long time working on one project almost exclusively, I had to cast on for something new. That something was the reversible cable scarf in a purple variagated yarn Amanda gave to me years ago. I'd been looking for a pattern for this yarn, and finally found the perfect one and have been waiting to knit it up for almost a year. I didn't bring it with me to Livermore last summer because knitting wool in the summer in the deserts of California was just not an attractive idea. Then I had another project that took priority. :) It's not portable since I have to count rows and use a cable needle, but it's simple and easy and a snap for tv/breastfeeding knitting. The photo maybe a bit out of focus, but it shows off the pattern better than the other photos I took and is actually true to color.



I also found a yarn this week that is just gorgeous and so I cast on a scarf for my mom. She really liked the yarn and I couldn't think of what to make with it, and she needed a scarf. I made up a simple pattern, but I have to count rows, so it's not portable, but not mentally consuming either.



I also found an old project that I had started for a friend of mine when she was pregnant with her third and last child. I never finished it because after it got tedious I put it away and forgot about it. I later gave her a store bought gift she had been hinting about wanting. It's another baby afghan, this time crocheted, in greens and yellows. It's tedious because it's very simple and the yarn is very small and I'm using a small hook. It's going to take forever, but I really like the effect. The yarn is a very soft acrylic, so it'll be nice but probably not an heirloom. It's hard to see in this photo, but there are two greens. One is variagated green and the other is solid.



There's also a scarf I started while I was still pregnant in a bamboo yarn that is just lucious! It's a rich red color and there are creme beads. I started it for a friend for Christmas, but got derailed by the carpel tunnel. Now that my hands are mine again, it's become a nice project to work on while out and about. I put on the beads with a crochet hook as I go along, and you'd think it wasn't portable, but it is, and since I don't need to think about it as I go along, it's perfect for rides in the car.





Oh, and I'm making three quilts. And I'm preparing for my oral Candidacy Exam. And I'm raising an "active" son (a.k.a. pain in the butt precious darling who screams like a banshee when bored and will not sleep without someone else in the room).


PS:
This was posted on Feb. 24th, not Feb. 2nd. It took me that long to finish the post, and the photo of Jamie is from Feb 16th, the day before he was baptized "James Michael".

Baby Photos, and Baby J's Finished Afghan

Here is Baby J sleeping the sleep of the innocent.


Isn't he just the most beautiful boy ever? Here he is with is Nana:


Again with Nana.



And now the long-awaited afghan.


I finished the border on Sunday, and finally wove in all the ends today. I still need to wash it to shrink the border, but it'll only shrink a little. My fingers have regained most of their feeling, and so once I was able to work on it again (last week) it went pretty quickly. I'm very happy with the finished product.

Baby J has arrived!

I finally went into labor on Saturday December 22. I had had a really long day and hadn't had a nap so I was really tired. I started getting ready for bed and all of a sudden, I made a mess. My water had broken. I found this to be very strange given I hadn't been experiencing any hard contractions. The doctor sent me to the hospital, where I was admitted 50% effaced, 1 cm dilated Baby J was a 0 station (at the cervix) and turned face up (not good). As the morning progressed I was given Pitocin. I found some comfort on the birthing ball, also called a yoga ball by non-birthing persons. The projectile vomiting commenced after 4 hours and continued until they gave me some very nice drugs for it. Around noon the epidural was suggested (again) and this time gratefully accepted. Sleep commenced for 2 hours. Around 4 pm the fever set in and Baby J began to have difficulty. Pitocin was shut of and antibiotics begun. Around 5:30 pm the fever was gone and Baby J's heartrate returned to normal and Pitocin was reistated. I was checked at this point and found that I was 90% effaced, 5 cm dilated, and Baby J was at a 0 - +1 station (right at the cervix and ready to go) and still face up. They had me try laying in a position to help turn and waited. The c-word came up during this phase. I tried to ignore that, determined to have a normal birth. At 10:30 the doctor came to check me, found that Baby J was a 0 - +1 still, but now face down which was perfect. I was 100% effaced, and........ wait for it......... wait........ 5 cm dilated. So at the 24 hour mark (the window for normal birth after water breaking) I was not dilated enough to deliver. For whatever reason, my body failed to dilated any further during the last 4 hours of active labor. The instinct to push was setting it, which was not helpful. So the cesearean section was again suggested. I couldn't have continued in labor for a few more hours. Even if I managed to stave off pushing (try ignoring instinct and see how you do) I wouldn't have had the energy to push, and Baby J was again having heart rate issues. So I agreed to the c-section. I love my ansethsiologist. He had a wonderful bedside manner and was very skilled and gentle in his work. He was very supportive and comforting during the whole c-section. Mama came in with me and Husband would have passed out as he nearly did during the epidural (which he hadn't even actually watched). My Darling can't handle people doing hurtful things to me, even if it's necessary. Baby J was born and cried right away. His 1 minute and 3 minute epgars were both 9, which is wonderful, so he came through everything very healthy and doing very well. I however lost way too much blood. I heard them order blood to have ready for a transfusion. Several minutes later I heard them say they had it under control. So I am fine, but taking iron and dealing with some side effects of massive blood loss. We settled in to breastfeeding right away and have had a little frustration but it's going quite well. He is adorable and very healthy. We will get to go home soon. Thankfully everyone has time off and so we'll all be able to be at home while I recover and while Baby J needs the most attention. So Christmas gets put off for a day in our household. Our little miracle arrived and is healthy and so is everyone else in the household. It has been a wonderful and contented Christmastime.

Updates: No baby or afghan, yet

I haven't posted in a while because I haven't had anything real to post about. But I have been steadily working on Baby J's afghan as my numb hands would allow, even working with completely numb hands at times. It's strange how much knitting I can still make my hands do without any sensation whatsoever. Okay, so the fine motor skills are impaired somewhat, but my hands know what they're doing, even if I do have to pay a little closer attention. And here's the big news: I'm finally on the border! Let me repeat that. I'm finally on the border!!!!! I thought this day would never come, and yet, here it is. I decided on a moss stitch border to add a little contrast and to prevent any rolling, and I must say I do like it so far. There's something fitting about having a moss border in green for an afghan with a lace leaf motif. Okay, maybe it's a bit cliche, but I like it. It satisfies something in me. I refuse to post a photo of it in this unfinished state, mostly because it's on circular needles all the way around and it looks like some sort of sea creature. I cast on for the border going around the corners rather than starting and ending at them, so it's not flat. That makes for a bit of a mess, but it works, and I wanted to protect the corners from being stretched out too much since they'll get enough of that in use. In a few days, I expect to have it finished and blocked and ready to show off.

In baby news, he's still snug in the womb. He's big, but the doctor says he's confident I can deliver him normally because he's already in the pelvis (has been there for a while actually) and he wouldn't be there if he couldn't fit. Makes sense. I'm still very uncomfortable all the time and actually, there are a few new aggravating pregnancy woes, but I'm not going to get into that. You're welcome. I am a bit concerned that I won't really know when active labor starts. I've been having real contractions hourly for over a month, and I've learned to mostly ignore them, even hard ones. It rather surprised the nurse when she hooked me up the the fetal monitor and found I was having a strong contraction, but I didn't feel any more pressure than normal. Oh, well. I guess we'll see when the time comes. Whenever that is.

There was a major breakthrough in my work. But that means having to redo a bunch of models that had already been "done". So the breakthrough means a redo as well. Such is research. At least we have confirmation that the method is improved and correct.