Thursday, January 22, 2015

January Brain Dump

I'm feeling a lot better. I changed my diet drastically to low/non fat and it's amazing how much better I feel in the gall bladder area. I haven't had anything for dessert (I did have a tsp of brownie (literally a tsp) and some non-fat sorbet with pretzels and blueberries/strawberries, though) and only some chicken and eggs. I've been eating a LOT of fruits and veggies. So basically, I'm eating the way I probably should be eating, minus the no fats. Because let's be honest --I need some healthy fats (avocado, olive oil, nuts, beans). But it's still good that I'm eating better.

I saw my doctor yesterday and it was good. Really good. Well, except for the 7 pound weight loss (yes, dear reader, extreme weight loss, especially 7 pounds in one week, even when not pregnant, is not a good thing, m'kay? Think about it. Seriously). But the doctor knew it was a result of the diet change and the antibiotics and the hospital stay. So, he's not too worried. He and the resident who was shadowing him (super nice woman) told me I could slowly start introducing those good fats back into my diet (nuts and beans) slowly... very slowly... and gauge how my gall bladder feels. So, I need to be really careful, but I'm glad I can start using good fats again in small amounts. In fact, after the appointment, I had some scrambled eggs (not just egg whites) and I was relieved that it was just fine.

Baby is doing great! She's head down and her heartbeat is strong. She doesn't move as much as I would like, but she's running out of room, so it's normal for it to feel like less movement. Still doesn't stop my panic when it's been too long. I've been praying a LOT this week.

The doctor told me that if I could keep the pain under control (i.e. keep up with my diet), then there's no reason to even think about induction. I'm so relieved! I have lost out on so many things this pregnancy/birth, and so when I am able to have things the way I'd like them, it makes me feel calmer. My hope is that she will come on her own (probably around 41 weeks or so), I'll be able to deliver her the way I'd like to, and all will be well.

Which reminds me: Nesting is in full swing! I have to be careful, though, because when I push myself too hard, I end up having to rest for a few hours before doing anything else. I'm not like I was when pregnant at 22! Or even 33. But so far, I've been able to check the following off of my list:

*Switching rooms --all four boys are in the bigger room, now. The room that had the older boys in it is now a guest room/baby room.
*Going through all the boys' clothes and purging, saving, organizing.
*Re-organizing (and purging/cleaning) the toy closet (we have a medium-sized, shelved walk-in closet in the hallway upstairs next to the boys' room)
*Going through all the baby girl clothes, washing everything, putting them away
*Finishing ordering things like binkies, diapers, boppy-pillow covers, essential oils, etc.
*Organizing, diluting, and putting together all of my essential oils
*Streamlining my laundry system (the dryer is fixed, now!!! HUZZAH!!!)
*Organizing/cleaning out the hall linen/medicine closet upstairs
*Cleaning out and organizing my personal closet
*Get the boys on a better cleaning system
*Get basement rid of mice and keep food storage in bins (well, this is on-going and Brandon is doing it. And he's doing a great job!)

All that's left:
*Help my brilliant, beautiful, well-intentioned girls clean out their cess-pool of a room (sigh...) and go through all of their clothes (purge!).
*Clean out my kitchen (re-organize cupboards and clean behind fridge and stove)
*Clean/organize office/guest room again
*Keep the house continuously clean (reasonably, of course) to maintain.

And it's working.

Why it's working: Brandon. Honestly, that's why. He's home every day, now, and although he's working, he's able to help me stay on top of things. When he's consciously keeping our room clean (which is also his office right now), working on small things around the house as needed, and helping me keep the kids in line after school, it makes a WORLD of difference for me. I feel like I can meet him half-way (or beyond) and keep up the house and stay on top of the kids' chores/homework.

Why is he home, you ask? Long story short: Brandon no longer works for the company that moved us out here. He now has his own consulting business. Short story longer? Well, we've known since October that he wouldn't be working there past December. (It's both an interesting and frustrating and very faith-filled story that I'll share one day.) Brandon has opportunities to work in a lot of places, but for now, we feel really good about his consulting business (which is already building). The kids are happy that we're staying here (for now), and I'm happy because my husband is really happy, too. His stress-levels are so much better than they were during the Summer/Fall. When daddy's happy, mommy's happy, and when mommy's happy, everyone is happy! Well, mommy is happier than normal, but man, these hormones... and I'm hungry! Sigh...

In the next month, we will have four birthdays in our family (#4 turns 8 on Feb 8th, #2 turns 12 on Feb 11th, I turn 36 on Feb 26th, and #6 turns 3 on March 2nd) and one more (Baby Girl will probably be born anytime between Feb 14th and Feb 28th). Did you see that two of those birthdays are pretty big ones? I can't believe I will have two Young Women! And another baptism! We're planning on making March 8th our big family weekend --Baptism and Baby Blessing (assuming Baby Girl comes at a reasonable time). And I guess I'm possibly having surgery sometime in March, too... Maybe... and Yay...

We've only had 2 half-day school closings due to weather this year (so far). Last year, by the time March rolled around, we had accumulated 14 full snow days. It was awful! So, I'm grateful this winter is more similar to the past winters of the region. We get some nice snow occasionally, it rains, but it's very mild in comparison to what it could be. Knock on wood...

Pet Peeves, lately:
*Open letter rebuttals on the Internet (to things people have said, tweeted, or wrote) that are filled with arrogant strings of insults, bad language, and overall rudeness. I don't care if their opinion is justified or even aligned with mine --if you're a jerk about it, I won't support it or share it.
*My sweet 2 year old now wants to help with everything. And thinks he can do everything. And freaks out when he can't or is not allowed. So fun!
*Medical bills. Which will increase very, very soon.
*When Baby Girl kicks me in the gall bladder.
*Mice
*Leaking ceilings (that we hope are now fixed)
*Teachers/administrators demanding that I micromanage every part of my child's educational process in ways that don't seem to even work
*Constant, normal exhaustion
*Tantrums. From me.

Happy things, lately:
*Feeling baby girl move
*Not feeling any pain in my gall bladder area (except an achy feeling when it's touched or kicked)
*My sweet 2 year old wanting to help with everything (seriously, even though it's also annoying, it's kind of awesome)
*Fuzzy socks
*Seeing Brandon more
*Planning our big, epic Out-West trip for this July! (We're coming to Canada, Idaho, Utah, and possibly California for about 5 weeks!)
*Feeling on top of laundry for the first time in nearly a decade
*Forgiveness from my family when I keep losing it and throwing tantrums due to my hunger, uncomfortableness, exhaustion, hormones, and impatience.

This made me feel very hopeful the other day. And peaceful. Calm:

2 comments:

Mother of the Wild Boys said...

I just love you. <3

Anonymous said...

On top of the laundry?? That's amazing! I wish I could be on top of the laundry. Glad you are feeling better.