Max's Christening

We had Max christened here at the house on Saturday. My dear Uncle Dwayne and Aunt Janice were on hand so they could do the honors. My uncle is a retired pastor and I wouldn't want anyone else to do this for us. He spoke the sweetest words over Max and us and it was perfect. Max wore the christening gown that my mother made for him, and it was perfect too. She really outdid herself on this. It is completely hand-sewn, including the details and even the lace is hand-crocheted by her. I am in awe of this woman! It fit him perfectly, and he looked just like a little angel: I wasn't aware that a christening was an occasion to give gifts, but he got some: his very first Bible, a couple of new outfits, some new books and some toys that have different textures for him to discover. Max is very into textures these days. One of his favorites is his daddy's hairy arms! And, he got....his first potty!No, it's not a joke. We do Elimination Communication with him, and it's been great so far.

Here's few more pictures of Max with his various fans: Lauren, his MawMaw, midwife Ann, and his Aunt Lisa:

In other news, my back is almost completely healed. Thank you Jesus! Mom is staying on this week to make sure I don't get myself in a situation while John is at work, then after that it should be back to normal. I've been mostly caring for Max for the last couple of days. I've tried not to yank him completely out from under her, because I know she's really enjoyed the time with him, but I'm ready to completely be independent again. I am so thankful that she has been available to care for us during this difficult time, but I hate that she's had to. Love you, Mom!

My Husband, the Bird-Whisperer

We love birds. Since we live in the semi-country, we have lots of birds. We also have big windows. Not a good combination. Sometimes the birds fly into the windows and sometimes it's very sad. Most of the time, though, they just knock themselves silly, as was the case last night. We had a female painted bunting fly into the dining room window. We have only just been seeing some painted buntings around, and they are gorgeous! John got to see one for the first time the other day, and then this female nearly offed herself. I was in the bedroom and heard them talking about it. John went outside and grabbed her so no animals got her. After bringing her in to see me, he went to sit with her while she got her bearings before flying off. He's a veritable Snow White, isn't he?Sorry about the photo quality. We really need to get some good lenses for John's Canon and start using that. Hopefully we can get a zoom lens and get some photos of the male painted buntings that are starting to come around. They don't get too close.

I'm feeling even better today, able to get around better at times but still spending most of the time in bed. I hope to improve rapidly from here on out though, since we are having Max's christening on Saturday. Nothing big, just my aunt and uncle who pastored a church for many years in Plano are coming out to do the honors. My mom has hand-sewn a christening gown for Max. I can't wait to put him in it and post pictures! It's beautiful, a real heirloom. I just hope that he fits in it, the way he's been growing!

I have been kind of sad the last couple of days, because Max is starting to babble more, and at times he has been in there just cackling away at Mom or at his swing mobile. I haven't gotten to see that very much. Right now, Max and John are in the living room watching basketball and I am blogging. I'd much rather be with them. *sigh*

I'll be glad when my posts can be happy all the time!

In God (and JB) I trust

So, an update on my invalidity. Yesterday morning I actually got up, showered and dressed by myself. Felt amazing. I use the word amazing but still my pain was 5 out of a 10, but manageable. I could walk by myself, no screaming. Mom was taking me back to see the chiropractor so we could continue to work on this injury and get me back to normal. After I got into the car I called John to tell him the good news. (Let me preface the next paraphrased phone conversation by saying, my husband claims he is not a pessimist. Keep this in mind.)

Me: Hey, honey, how's it going?
John: Okay. How are you feeling?
Me: I called to tell you I showered and dressed myself! Isn't that great?
John: So I don't have to sell the house?

WTH? See, he wasn't trying to be darkly funny, He. Was. Serious. This is my non-pessimistic husband. I get an injury that he has seen improve over the weekend and he is already planning for me never to be able to go back to work. He claims it's a "plan for the worse, hope for the best" coping mechanism. I fail to agree. I think it's fatalist. I will own up to being a pessimist for most of my life, but this guy makes me look like freaking Doris Day, complete with sparkling smile and bluebirds flying out of my ass.


Bless him, I love him dearly. But this stresses me out! And stress hormones do not help the healing process, not to mention my milk supply for poor Max, who has not been handling this well, either. Naps shot to hell by repeated trips in the car, and he's not getting what he needs from me either, in the way of my being able to hold and cuddle him. Thank God For My Mom! She now qualifies for sainthood. She will at least tell me it's going to be okay and nurture me while John is being sullen and planning to downsize. I guess there's something to be said for being totally honest, and he is definitely there. Sometimes you just have to fake it for the ones you love. I mean, if I had terminal cancer would he just look at me each day and say, "you know you're gonna die, right?" I hope I never find out.

So, anyway. Update. Right. Jim Bob adjusts me yesterday, noonish, and tells me to keep icing the back and move around as much as possible without causing spasms. It's more sore than when I went in, but normal, he says. We stopped a couple times on the way home so I could hobble around the car. Better than when I first left the office. I'm feeling optimistic. So, after I get home, I tried to get up a couple times an hour and walk around some. It's getting progressively worse, and after sitting at the table for 10 minutes I had to have help getting back to bed. I texted JB and he said anything he did will cause it to flare up, but it should be better in the morning.

Meanwhile, Max is getting ready for bed, and has gas trapped in his stomach from fussing because he was tired because he hardly napped all day yesterday. So ensues a time of screaming, not as bad as the one he had Monday night (that one had my mom looking for hernias), but not fun either. It is agonizing to watch your poor, sweet infant in such pain and not be able to help him. I know John was doing all the right things, but moms out there will understand how I felt. Luckily this one didn't last long, and I was able to nurse him to sleep. Took my cocktail of homeopathic and traditional meds, and we both slept fine last night.

I get up this morning and it's better than last night, but not as "good" as yesterday morning. Now, instead of my back hurting when I step down on my right, it hurts when I step down on my left. Had a couple of minor spasms this morning. Hard to walk completely erect. Now all the negativity I've sensed from a certain person is starting to chink my armor. I knew it would. So I begin the descent into my own Pit of Despair ("Don't even think about trying to escape")


After crying on my mom's shoulder, (figuratively...she was actually bending over my prone form) I texted JB to get some objective opinion. He said: "We want it to change and move because that means the body is shifting and healing from the original area of injury. All good changes." Well, that makes me feel a bit better. But I wish I knew how long this was going to take. I am scheduled to work on Friday and Sunday, and also it would be nice to be able to care for my son as soon as possible. But I am not rushing things, just laying on the ice pack and taking my cow spleen capsules, et al. Drinking lots of water. Oh wait, I haven't been. Better get on that water thing. And praying, praying, praying.

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Here's what I did not do this week:

Last weekend, while we were on our way to Montana for a friend's wedding, I did not, after finding out that our flight attendant had a baby just a half hour after I had Max, say to her, "Well we were doing the same thing at the same time then." My husband did not then proceed to mortify me by pointing out how perverted that sounded. I really did NOT mean THAT!

I went to visit my dear friend Nancy in Fort Worth on Wednesday. I did not think that I could make it home without feeding Max first, and then proceed to get stuck in traffic with a hungry, sobbing baby. I most certainly did not entertain the idea of just nursing him while we rolled along at 1.5 miles an hour, a la Britney Spears. Nope, not me!

We share our bed with three-month-old Max, so it's more snuggly and definitely easier to nurse him at night. A couple of nights ago, he woke up to eat, and was fussing and not latching on. I did not wake up a little more to find that what I was trying to get latched on to me was not his hungry little mouth, but his ear. Absolutely not!

This weekend, I did not find myself In. Absolute. Agony. My body did not betray me and turn me into a quivering, cold-sweating and shaking mess and confining me to bed for days. I do not have a wonderful network of friends who pray for me and a chiropractor who fixes me and sells me homeopathic remedies to help. I have not, therefore, been taking capsules with ingredients like cow spleen. (I should NOT have read those ingredients!) I also, since I am employed in the more traditional field of medicine, did not turn to pharmaceutical help as well, and did not feel guilty and afraid my natural-minded friends would crucify me for doing so. Nope, not me!

I was not listening to my baby coo lovingly at my mother while she generously takes care of him and, therefore, feeling jealous because she gets to have all the fun and I can barely pick myself up, let alone him. I did not ask my husband to help me take a shower. I am not having a pity party. Not me!

Now that I've divulged some of the more embarrassing things I did not do this week, won't you do the same? Like McKMama says, it's cheap therapy, and fun!

Bed Bound Blogging

I am still hanging out here in the bed, convalescing, so I thought I'd do a little bed-bound blogging. I don't even really have a topic in mind yet...I figured a little stream-of-consciousness post has the capacity to be slightly interesting to someone.

To start, have I mentioned before that I have the best mom ever? Not only is she taking care of Max while I am flat on my back most of the time, but she is also cooking and bringing me food in bed. Which is wonderful. I could enjoy it more if I weren't currently an invalid, though. She's in there knitting Max a beautiful blanket to go with his hand-stitched christening gown. She's a machine! A sweet, loving, selfless machine. And she laughs at my husband's jokes, which is a plus. Although it tends to make him think that he should say more of the strange stuff that makes her laugh, which generally just makes me groan.

Don't get me wrong. He is pretty darn funny. And he has been great to me as well. At first, he was a bit sullen about it all, of course I took it as resenting me for being hurt...which couldn't be more wrong. That's just how my mind works. He's just been upset because he doesn't know how I hurt myself and is at a loss for how to help me. His mood has gotten significantly better as I have improved.

I have, actually, been improving. I managed to get myself to the bathroom AND back all by myself earlier. Simple pleasures, I know, but yesterday that wasn't even near possible. And I haven't broken into a cold sweat once today! Yay!

So it's gorgeous weather outside today and Mom tells me that all kinds of my flowers are in bloom, and I'm in here with this artificial light and recycled air. Blech. Maybe I'll get out later.

Speaking of outside, there's always the chance I'll come across this guy:

And he came back after that! Nosing around the window screen like he wanted to come inside. He was just a rat snake though. Honestly, I'd rather have him than a spider. They say every person will eat an average of 7 spiders in their life. And as my dear friend Lauren tells me, 90% of statistics are made up. Whatever. As long as he doesn't try to eat my baby, we're cool. And I really hope I don't sound that stoned just in regular life. It seems to be my video-camera voice. I channel Matthew McConaughcrazy. I'm surprised I didn't invite the snake to just "keep on livin'".

Sometime soon I will post a video of Max being his cute self. I have briefly entertained thoughts of photoshopping in some airplanes buzzing around his head and a tiny woman in his little pudgy fist. I kid, I kid.

I just looked out the window and John is trimming the hedges outside! Thanks, baby! I was starting to get afraid to use the front door for fear I would be grabbed/eaten alive/maimed by that holly bush out there! And I'm not going near it with a hedge trimmer after the time I tried to do it and John made fun of me. He claims I have a penchant for all things asymmetrical and apparently thought I was extending this to the bushes. Not so! I'm just one of those people who probably should never trim anyone's bangs. I'd probably just cut them crooked and in an attempt to straighten them end up giving them something reminiscent of Bettie Page. Like mine were when I was 5. Love Bettie Page, but...can't pull her off now...definitely couldn't then. Just look at that posture! Horrible. (Mine, not Bettie's, may she rest in peace)

(me, circa 1983) (Bettie Page, courtesy of Flickr)

Nope, no resemblance whatsoever.

I have no more energy to wait any longer on this antiquated, slow, blankety-blank laptop. I think the geriatric pterodactyl inside who hammers the data into stone tablets is about to expire. (This...is an ex...pterodactyl!) Dang it's slow! Bah. No more blogging tonight. I'm just gonna read other people's.

And my mom just brought me a sammich. Yum! Thanks, Mom!

Excruciating, Agonizing Pain

Let me backtrack to this past Tuesday when I took Max to the park. I think I got up wrong from the picnic blanket and hurt my back. That night I had some back pain. I am no stranger to back pain so it wasn't a big deal. Next day, everything was fine, packing Max around and doing what I needed to do, ignoring the mild back pain. I just modified what I did. I also got an adjustment at the chiropractor and went to visit my friend Nancy. Work Thursday was okay, and I went to King Tut as planned, Max in his sling, no back pain. Went to bed, fine. Woke up, fine.

I had planned on going back to the chiropractor Friday and taking my mom to lunch with Nancy and my wonderful midwife, Ann. Well, I sat down to nurse Max on the couch and found I couldn't get up. So I handed the babe to mom and proceeded to attempt standing up. AGONY! It took me several minutes to get to the car. Once I got in I was fine, though.

When I got to the doctor's office my mom took Max in to Mae, who was wondering who this lady was bringing her a baby to hold! Mom and Vicki came out to the car to help me in. I was having trouble even putting my right foot down, it hurt so badly. Dr. Jim Bob put the laser on me and adjusted me, using the percussor to loosen up muscles. He said my hips were rotated like crazy and had a ton of inflammation in the joint (that's what the laser was helping with). All this time I'm trying to joke and stau upbeat but it was so hard. This was a whole new level of pain. Not to mention Max was wanting to nurse during all this, so he stood me up on the "flying table" and leaned me back and I was able to feed him standing up. After this treatment, I was able to stand and walk fine, and he said to come back after lunch, before I left town (his office is an hour from home).

We met Ann, Nancy, and Cindy at McAllister's and again I was having some pain getting out of the car and walking, but it was much better than before. At least no one had to hold me up! During lunch it started getting worse and Ann even had to help me to the bathroom! Luckily she's seen it all before! I hated that I was zero company at lunch, sorry ladies! I had to feed Max in the car before we could leave, then Mom drove us back to the office.

Dr. Jim Bob took an X-ray of my back once I got there, and this was so sad/comical/painful. He helped me back to the room and gave me a broomstick to lean on. I felt like an old woman. After the X-ray we trudged back to the exam room and he worked on my hips some more. Upon developing the X-ray he learned that my hips were rotated the opposite direction than he had originally thought, so now he could really know how to fix me. I felt much better after this adjustment, but was so very sore. I got an icepack for my back, some homeopathic ointment and also some homeopathic capsules to help with inflammation. I think those make me nauseated. Oh well.

Fast forward to when we get back to the house, John has to come and help me to the car, Conga-line style. He hates seeing me in pain, especially when there's not a whole lot he can do. So I can tell he's worried and he's calling for a steroid shot, STAT! I, however, have faith in what we have done and just want to get to the bed. This is about 3:00 p.m. and this has been going on now for 6 hours. I am getting exhausted, emotionally and physically, from being in so much pain. So I lay down in bed with my icepack. The rest of the evening pretty much goes by in a blur of fitful sleep and pain.

Let me just make a point of how agonizing this was. If you've never had a back spasm, count your blessings. It is like the Apocalypse. No, I take that back. The Apocalypse would almost be better because there's always the chance you could die in the Apocalypse. With back spasms, you just have to wish you were dead. And, not to mention, with all the water they told me I should be drinking, there's no chance I got to lay in the bed all night. No sirree! I had to push through spasms just to get off the bed and upright, to the bathroom, and to the toilet. And you'd think it would be okay there. I did. No way; the very act of emptying my bladder sent my back into severe spasms. Now that's an interesting position to be in. Then, to get back up, walk back to the bed (conga-line, thanks John!) and up into our (very high!) bed...excruciating!

About 9:00 I did have to give in and turn to some pharmaceutical help. I know JB and Cindy will be disappointed that I did, but I had taken all I could by that point. I couldn't agonize until....whenever. It did help, and this morning I am still having some spasms, but they don't seem to last as long or be as frequent. I am very, very sore. JB said I would be.

I really hate not being able to take care of myself/my son/my household. Not that I'm the most industrious at the household goings-on, but still...I'd like to at least have the physical capabilities of doing so! Thank God my mom is staying to help with Max and do household stuff while John pretty much takes care of me.

I was supposed to be going to Conroe today to see my great-Aunt, but there was no way with this going on, was I making a 4.5 hour road trip one way, in one day. I am also supposed to be at work tomorrow. I don't see that happening, but we are praying for a healing here. If you are so inclined, please pray for me!

In more happy news, let's talk about Max! The picture I posted last was so cute, was it not? So I said I'd post how much he weighs...15.4 pounds! Yep, that's right folks, my 3-month old weighs over 15 pounds. We grow 'em big around here!

Congratulations...it's a....blog!

So my wonderful friend and baby-chiropractor extraordinaire, Cindy, said I should start a blog. I guess it would be good to post all the goings-on of my life here, so I wouldn't have to tell the same stories over and over again...but I probably still will! And, I was journaling by hand, but I can type much faster than I can write, so be in my bonnet, won't you?

I am a homebirthing, breastfeeding, babywearing mama of a sweet baby boy, Max! I wish I was a stay-at-home mom but I am a pharmacist by trade. My dear husband is also a pharmacist. We have crazy days at work so when we are off we mostly like to hang out together at home. Sometimes I venture out with the babe while John is working on his hot rod.

I am extremely opinionated, especially when it comes to pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. I like to cook but I rarely do it. I endeavor to be green in as much of my life as possible, but let's face it. I live in a modern world where sometimes it's hard. I'm no Ed Begley, Jr.! I would like to eat more naturally so that I am healthier, and so that my son grows up with healthy eating habits. I am inspired by MckMama and her natural food lifestyle. I hope to get better in the future, and maybe so much produce will not perish in my crisper drawer. There's a lot of I's in that paragraph, how my English teachers would groan if they saw it. Maybe I should use the royal "we" instead. Does that make a difference?

You may find that this blog rambles and jumps from subject to subject rapidly. We can't help it. Also, we are not in high school anymore and do not have to answer to English teachers. We may also be silly and/or random. It's our blog, we'll say what we want. Within reason. Also, we tend to be quite sarcastic at times.

I actually think that makes me sound like I have dissociative identity disorder. We thought it was fun, though.

Today Max is 3 months old! Here he is in his "Hunk" outfit that my dear friend Lauren gave him. He is a hunk for sure!

Anyone want to guess how much he weighs? I'll post it in my next entry...I just want to make sure someone comes back at least once!

He is holding his head up great, most of the time, and is just starting to grab at things: the burp cloth, his blanket, the doll that John says looks like a ghost and will give him nightmares, my nose/lips/hair, etc. My baby is growing up! *sniff*

Today Max and I went to our other awesome chiropractor, Jim Bob, who also happens to be married to Cindy the wonder-mama, and then to visit my dear friend Nancy, who was in my Bradley class and also has a son who is 3 weeks younger than Max. We had such a good time chatting and hanging out, eating McDonald's with her small daughter. I also discovered that Max really likes Veggie Tales! He was staring at the TV and smiling. Uh-oh, I hope that doesn't derail my plan for no TV until age 2!

Then, I proceeded to get stuck in traffic at 4:30 when Max was just working himself to a fever pitch, and I was in a scary part of Fort Worth with no safe-looking places to pull over. We finally made it to a Sonic in north Arlington where I pulled a sobbing, blotchy-faced baby from the backseat, apologized profusely and swore to never let it happen again. A few minutes of nursing and all was forgiven. Thank God!

Nancy asked me if I would be interested in pumping some extra breastmilk to help out a lady with an adopted baby. She is just not willing to do the formula thing. Yay! I am glad she is committed to giving her new baby the best start in life, and I am thrilled to (hopefully!) be able to bless her in this way. I will definitely have to build up a supply for Max before I start, but I think I'll be able to contribute. I'm kind of excited...it's paying it forward, you know? God has blessed me, so why not share the love? More on this endeavor as it progresses.

Well, I am pretty tired, so I am going to go to bed. I have to work tomorrow, and then I am taking Max to see King Tut at the Dallas Museum of Art afterward. Long day ahead!