Carving Pumpkins!
Posted on October 29, 2008
Drawing her pumpkin face
Getting in line to punch the FDA
Posted on October 27, 2008
Ok Becky, I’m on board. Ava got a little cough last night. Not a big deal, but I went looking for the last of the children’s cold medicine that I was hording and…I’m out. I couldn’t find any. Now, when I say “not a big deal”, I mean not a big deal if I can give her some cough suppressant. Ava has a sensitive gag reflex. She will puke if she coughs too much. So not only is she coughing and trying to sleep and there is absolutely nothing I can do but turn on the humidifier and pray, she is also in MY bed. She likes to come sleep with me when Todd is working. So yea. Here I am with a coughing, gagging 3 year old, no medicine, no sleep and a serious need to punch whoever came up with this new regulation:
FDA panel: No cold medicines to children under 6
Some highlights and arguments from me concerning this article:
“A cold does not kill, so people should just relax,” Rausch said. “Kids get sick and there’s nothing that people can do about it, but they will get better.” Seriously?? Ok, this person does not have children. How do I know? Because, when you have a child, the worst moments in parenting are the ones where there is nothing you can do to ease your child’s pain or discomfort.
“Earlier this year, the FDA completed a review that found that between 1969 and the fall of 2006, there were 54 reported child deaths from decongestants and 69 from antihistamines.” Ok you you’re telling me that in 37 years…since before I was born 123 children have died from taking decongestants or antihistamines? Well, that is awful. And I feel bad for the parents, really I do. But can you tell me how many of those cases are from parents overdosing their children- accidentally or purposefully? Can you tell me how many are from complications of the cold/sickness? Can you tell me how many of the parents are underage children themselves? Can you tell me how many of those incidents are from curious children and keeping the medicine out where children can reach?
Also, did you know that 1449 children died in incidents involving car accidents since 2001?
Did you know that roughly 1500 children die every year due to child abuse or neglect?
Did you know there are about 2,500 deaths per year in the United States due to SIDS?
Did you know that 48,589,993 abortions were performed since Roe vs. Wade in 1973?
I’m not trying to downplay the 123 deaths in almost 40 years. Its awful that that happened to all those children. But what I’m saying is, the FDA is freaking out. They are making a mountain out of a mole hill. They are punishing the children who could benefit from cold medicine because of a handful of tragic deaths- most of which probably could have been prevented by reading directions.
“Panel: No evidence that the over-the-counter medicines help young children” Really? Did you actually conduct these studies on children? Because I can tell you right now they work. Last night, I found a bottle of Robitussin Cough. It wasn’t labeled for kids, but it wasn’t labeled for adults either. It also gave instructions on how much to give a child under 6. A 1/2 tsp every 4 hours. Perfect! So, I gave that to her. And within ten minutes (after 1 hour of coughing) her coughing stopped. It doesn’t help? That’s pure BS. I no longer had to worry about her getting enough sleep, I no longer had to worry about her puking all over the bed. She got enough rest and she is fine this morning- no coughing. I know that these cough medicines do not CURE a child of their cold. They help them, and the parents cope with the symptoms. I know that giving more that the recommended dose is dangerous and will not make them better faster. Its common sense and reading directions and following them.
The AAP suggests:
Moisturizing the air with a vaporizer or hydrator Ok, got that. That actually works.
Using saltwater nose drops to dry up a runny nose Sure, try it yourself. The drama that ensues isn’t worth it.
Using a rubber nose bulb to clear up congestion Again…drama ensues. Not going to happen
Feeding the child chicken soup Um, did I mention she is a picky eater? So unless I force this down her throat, this is also not going to happen.
Consulting a pediatrician Her doc is closed after 4 and I’m not calling him for a cough.
“Baltimore Health Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein headed the push that led to the FDA hearing. He became alarmed when four Baltimore children died after their parents gave them excessive doses of cold medicines.” Ok, so again, because of the bad decisions of some parents, we all need to suffer? That’s like punishing the whole class because one kid didn’t do his homework. Grrr.
And so, because of this, some of the leading manufacturers of these medicines have pulled their products in a voluntary recall out of caution. Not because of the dangers of the medicines, but because of the dangers of misuse. I think you are going to find a bigger problem on your hands now FDA. Mark my words, you will now have these same parents who are overdosing their child on children’s medicines and you have taken away the kids medicine. They will find a bottle of adult cold medicine and possibly give their child an adult dose. I think this is potentially more dangerous than having children’s cold medicine available OTC. What we should be doing is educating parents on the dangers of overdosing their children on cold medicine. That would be logical. But no. Thanks for the additional headache. Way to go FDA.
Exhausted!
Posted on October 26, 2008
Todd is at work today and I’m getting up the gumption to finish editing this wedding so I can put it up online for the couple. I had a pretty long day yesterday at a wedding, but it was a good one. The bride and groom paid for a permit to take pictures at Lake Katherine, but for the last two weeks we had been scrambling to find an indoor spot in the south suburbs to take pics because rain was in the forecast. I was so happy that not only was there no rain, but there was sun as well! It was freezing, but we got a LOT of great shots! That pretty much made my day.
Sometimes I forget that I’m pregnant and I need to take it easy. I’ll work a wedding like I’m not growing a baby in my belly. One that I’m supposed to be protecting. I feel bad when I push myself too much just to see if I can. It’s not about me, its about her. I usually will be on my 80% of the day, going back and forth taking pictures here and there, and come the reception I’m all over the place getting everything I can. I absolutely love it. I usually only sit down for dinner or when we are traveling to the next destination. Thats pretty much what I did yesterday. I worked 14 hours, and probably 12 of them I was on my feet. And I’m feeling it today. I’m usually pretty out of it the next day after a wedding, but with this pregnancy, it really takes me out of commission. I’m totally useless today! I’ll probably spend the day hanging out with Ava and maybe getting this other wedding up online.
3 more weddings to go till Im off for 5 months!! Yay!!
Its starting to get painful…
Posted on October 23, 2008
When I was pregnant with Ava, I found out that I had SPD – Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction. Sounds fun huh? Basically, when you are pregnant, your body produces a hormone called relaxin. It is supposed to give your pelvic bone (the symphysis pubis- the joint in the front of your pelvis and the sacroiliac- the joint in the back of your pelvis) a little bit of give while your baby grows. What SPD is when your body produces too much relaxin and your pelvic bone gives too much. It isn’t serious, but it is extremely painful. I can usually keep the pain to a minimum by keeping my knees together for the most part. Like going up a step at a time, sitting down to put pants on, rolling over in bed (which is probably the worst pain of all) with my legs completely straight, etc. If I do a lot of walking one day, the pain will flare up later on in the day. It’s not horrible, its just annoying, especially day after day.
When I was pregnant with Ava, there wasn’t a lot of information on SPD, and if I talked to my doctor about it, he told me it was just normal pregnancy stuff. I found some info on it on the internet but not much. But I did find quite a few other women who had that same pain. All I know was that by the end of my pregnancy, I was fed up. You can’t take anything but Tylenol when you’re pregnant, and Tylenol does nothing for me. The bigger Ava got, the more painful it got. It felt like someone was pulling my pelvic bone apart. I was pretty much ready to evict Ava by any and all means. I stuck it out all the way to my due date when I finally went into labor. I had Ava a day after my due date and the pain was completely gone after I had her. I can’t tell you what a relief that was!
So, when I was about 12 weeks pregnant with Smalls here, I started to get some of the symptoms. Clicking hip bones, small bursts of pain rolling over in bed, and a general stiffness in my pelvic area. I sat in the bathroom and cried. The worst thing (and only real problem I had) with pregnancy was SPD. And here it was again. I hated whining about it, complaining about the pain. I hated people doing things for me. I just wanted to have an enjoyable pregnancy! So now I am resigned to having this again. There is a lot more information on the web about it. And when I mentioned it to my nurse practitioner, she knew exactly what I was talking about. So that is really encouraging. So now there are several things I can do to relieve my pain, different things I can try to help, and they are working pretty well so far. I’m determined to enjoy this pregnancy even through this if I have to.
I’m 20 weeks now, and in the last few days, I have felt a lot more pain. I’m having a hard time getting up from sitting without pain. I have to ask Todd to help me up. Lifting one leg, especially my left causes me a bit more pain. Rolling over in bed, as always, is the worst pain. I can’t figure out how to really do it without pain. Last night, I thought “I’m starting to dread going to sleep.” Pregnancy doesn’t give you a comfortable sleep in the first place, but if I can’t even turn over without pain, it sucks. I remember last time with Ava, towards the end, just screaming every time I had to turn over. I’m really hoping that it doesn’t get to that point.
All I know is, I’m going to try everything I can to keep the pain from getting as bad as it was with Ava. I really want to enjoy this pregnancy, and so far I really am. I’d like to keep it that way.
Ok, I’m done whining. Haha!
Its a GIRL!
Posted on October 22, 2008
We are so excited! We wanted another girl! Its so funny, most of my family, except Cheryl and Chris said boy, but nope! When I got my ultrasound with Ava, she took about a half hour before she showed off her goods (or lach thereof). With this one, that was the first thing she wanted to show! On the ultrasound, everything looked perfect. She’s moving around like crazy. She kept covering up her face so we couldn’t get a good face shot, but we got a couple of great profile shots. And then of course the obvious girl shot. Well, it was more obvious during the ultrasound but the pic is pretty good. Anyway here are my ultrasound pics and my 20 week belly shot. Enjoy! Oh! And yes, we are going to be completely evil and when we actually pick a name, we will be keeping it a secret until she is born. Hehe…
20 week Belly shot!
The “It’s a girl shot!”
An awesome profile shot
Trying to be shy 
Ava Ballerina
Posted on October 20, 2008
Ava LOVES to dance. She has since she was really little. I had been thinking about putting her in some sort of dance class for a while, but I never got around to it. One day, we were at the park in my area and we had to run to the park district building for Ava to go potty. As soon as we walked in, the studio doors were open and there was a ballet class in session. “Wow!! Mommy look!!” She was so excited! I had to keep her quiet while we ran to the bathroom. When we came out, we started to walk out and she started crying hysterically. Not like temper tantrum crying. She was genuinely sad that we couldn’t go in and dance. She kept saying “No mommy, PLEASE!! I want to do ballet, PLEASE!” I felt so bad. So after I got her calmed down, I went back in, got a flyer and found out that classes had just started that week. There was a 3yr old class and she had only missed one class. So, I called up the teacher, Miss Teresa and asked if I could still get Ava in. No problem.
So, every Monday, Ava has ballet class. And she loves it. She loves Miss Teresa and she does so well in class. She has a bit of a listening problem, but I think she’s going to learn fast. Miss Teresa is a fantastic teacher. I love that she realizes these are 3 year olds and they are not going to be anywhere near precise. She shows them what to do and they do it. And they listen to her so well! I love watching Ava have a wonderful time learning something that she is so interested in.
This year the park district is having a big ballet show. There are 4 shows and the little ones (3 and 4 yr olds) are in one or two shows. I just got the paper today and I’m happy to see Ava is in two of the shows. January 16th and January 18th. I can NOT wait! Her first recital! I’m not sure yet about the costumes, they haven’t told us yet what they are or how much, but Ava was measured today. I’m hoping they aren’t too much. But I’m excited. I’ll probably invite family and a few close friends to the show. We’ll see!
Anyway, here are some pics from today. Not the best, but they move so fast! Enjoy!
One of her more graceful moments lol!
Leaping over “puddles”
Is Smalls a boy or a girl?
Posted on October 20, 2008
Well tomorrow afternoon is when I’m getting my 4D u/s! I’m so excited!! I’m 20 weeks tomorrow and I’m feeling pretty good so far. Todd and I both are hoping for a girl, but we both feel like Smalls is a boy. My pregnancy is a little different from when I was preggo with Ava, but I’m sure that’s normal too. I had worse morning sickness this time around. I had SPD last time too, but I think it isn’t as bad as last time because #1 I’m only halfway, and #2 I know what to expect. Other than that, I’ve been really comfortable. So what do you think? Vote on the poll above!
I love Sundays!
Posted on October 19, 2008
I think Sundays are the best days ever. At least when Todd is off shift. We get up, mosey around, sometimes I’ll make breakfast, today I didn’t because everyone wanted cereal. We pile in the showers (I usually have to share my shower with either Ava or Todd, but I don’t mind) and get ready for church. We go to the lazy service (I mean, late service) at 11am. I’m really starting to love this church we found. We went a couple times in the last few years, and we liked it. But now we’re really seeing what a difference our life is without church. So, we started going to Parkview. I’m really happy with it and the kids ministry is fantastic. I’d love to snatch all of my family and friends that used to go to Hope with me and get them to Parkview. I just miss going to church with everyone. But after Hope started dissapating, everyone went their seperate ways. I just hope everyone is happy and comfortable where they are. Anyway, after church, the three of us go out to eat somewhere for lunch. Its just nice not to have any schedules or demands or checking the clock because we have to be somewhere. Its just great to breeze through the day. Some Sundays we’ll go shopping, some, like today, we went home and we all took a nap. Then later I’ll make a big Sunday dinner. Lazy Sundays rock!! I’m not supposed to work on Sundays, but unfortunately I’m a bit behind and I really need to kick it in gear. Other than that, I’m having a great day!! Thank you, God for Sundays!
Hmm…
Posted on October 19, 2008
No go. He worked hard on my hard drive, but all his fancy programs couldn’t see my drive. 
Well, guess I’m going to be looking for a company who will do the job for cheaper than $1500. Lets hope.
Wish me luck!
Posted on October 18, 2008
So the other day, I was working on my computer upstairs and I came downstairs for a few things. When I went back upstairs, my external hard drive was on the floor and making a weird noise. Yea. This is THE hard drive. I look around and I see an orange streak downstairs. Oh. No. Kill cat later. So I go and check it out. Its making this god awful noise and I try to access it. Nothing. There is no drive registering. You are kidding me. I restart the computer. Like 5 times. Nothing. Everytime I turn on the drive, it clicks a few times and just keeps running. In other words, its broken. My 500GB hard drive with everything on it is broken. Ok, so I’m not completely stupid. I’ve put most of the stuff to DVD’s and CD’s. Most of it. Like 85% of it. I haven’t gotten to the rest. The rest means 3 weddings, all of my sittings for the last year, and all of Ava’s pictures from the last two years. Thats the one that makes me want to cry. So after a freak out, I had to go to a wedding and try to pretend like this wasn’t happening to me. I called everyone I knew and asked them to pray. Todd took the hard drive in to the Geek Squad and there was good news and bad news. The good news is, they can get everything off of it. The bad news is, it will cost about $1500.00 and it will take about 3 weeks. Awesome. So I reassess. The weddings are from about 6 months ago. The brides and grooms already have their pictures, so they shouldn’t need anything for a while. The sittings are all done as well, with the exception of my good friend’s sisters newborn twins. I was supposed to give her a CD with them. I told her she may have to wait a bit. And all the Ava pictures? Well, luckily I put most of the best of the best on a portable drive for Todd’s dad. We have it back now, so at least I have those. Up to maybe 6 months ago. The rest, I have either on my laptop here or in various other places. Ok. So, I can breathe. Well, today, Todd and I are going up to my brother’s house, Dave, to see if he can do anything with the drive. He used to be the supervisor for the Geek Squad and now he works as tech support for his church. So, I’m hoping he can do something. Maybe I can forego the $1500 bill and the 3 week wait. I can only pray for a miracle. If this doesn’t work, I’ll have to fork over the money. Ugh. I don’t even want to think about it.
Moral of the story: Always back up. Always, always, always.