The JACKPOTTY Potty Training Chair

My mother enjoys slot machines and on her most recent visit last month, she came home with a toy slot machine for Ricky. She gave it to him without asking me about it - and to be honest Mark and I were not very happy about it. We didn't want Ricky to view slot machines as fun. My mom was tickled that Ricky loved it and we relented - maybe it was just harmless fun.....

So after going to Ricky's preschool open house and reading the form that says that children who cannot go to the bathroom independently without the use of pull-ups will NOT be admitted, I took Ricky to Wal-Mart to buy a potty toilet.

Granted, we already have the small Bob the Builder toilet seat that fits inside the adult toilet seat. The problem with this is that they cannot just go to the bathroom and sit if they want to - you need to help them and make sure they don't fall off the throne. So I opted to use both.

At the store, they had about 9 different potty chairs to choose from. I was expecting Ricky to pick Dora, but which toilet do you suppose he picked despite my protests, bribes, and begging?

Breastfeeding in the Hospital & the First Weeks

The thing about breastmilk is that it takes a few days to come in. So after you give birth, you have a choice to either allow your baby to have formula (which is what I did - I can't bear to watch a baby of mine starve - afterall, birth is a major event and he/she would be hungry) or you can do what my friend Cathleen did and not feed the baby (for days) until your milk comes in. It's a personal choice.

Ricky was born on a Sunday morning and my milk didn't show up until Wednesday morning. I pumped out colostrum the first few days - which just seemed like a tablespoon here and there - but the nurses were so excited about it and compared it to a shot that would boost Ricky's immune system.

None of the breastfeeding books prepared me for what I experienced. When I woke up wednesday morning, my breasts were HUGE and hard as rocks. I mean Double D's!! I was never a big breasted girl and it felt odd. I can't lie and say it didn't hurt. It really did. I pumped and tried nursing Ricky multiple times. He had a hard time latching on and I had a hard time figuring out if he was latched on or not. The lactation consultants and my nurses helped me a lot.

Finally, when he latched on, I was overwhelmed by my let-down. I was shocked by the pins-and-needles feeling and my initial reaction was to push him off. I have to say adjusting to the let-down took some time for me but after about a week or so, it didn't hurt at all and my body got used to it.

After about two weeks, Ricky had a growth spurt and I was nursing constantly. I would finish a feeding and would have to start all over again soon after. I was so tired I was tempted to quit, but I knew the growth spurts would end and it would be better. So I pressed on.

After a week or so, Ricky and I both got used to nursing and it was great. I watched as I lost the pounds and he gained them - looking very healthy. I think the only thing is that since Ricky wouldn't take a bottle, I was the one nursing - so I couldn't really be away from him for long periods of time and Mark didn't get to feed him. But everyone has a different experience.

Some advice for the first few weeks:

• Buy some nursing bras that do NOT have underwire. Underwire can constrict your milk glands and create hard little rocks in your breast that hurt later.
• Use an electric pump or rent one from the hospital - they pump faster and generate more milk than manual ones.
• Try your best to stick to a nursing schedule - it's good for the baby but will be good for your breasts and milk production
• Seek the advice and help of the hospital's lactation team and your nurses. Call the lactation consultants while you are home if you have questions. They are there to support you.

Breastfeeding: Lose Weight & Give Your Baby the Best Nature Has to Offer

My mommy friend Michelle is pregnant with her third child and has never breastfed before. She told me last week that she was thinking about nursing her next baby and had several questions about my experience. I realized that I never really wrote about nursing in my blog all that much and I decided that I would blog about my nursing experience over the next few days.

When I was pregnant with Ricky, I went crazy with the milkshakes. I had one just about every day. Needless to say, I gained about 45 pounds with that pregnancy. I knew nothing about nursing, but read so many good things about it that I was convinced to do it. Afterall, my mother nursed me for a few months and she offered me lots of encouragement.

Basically, when I gave birth, I knew very little about nursing, had some ups and downs, but enjoyed watching Ricky put on the pounds I was losing.

I lost all 45 pounds I had gained in my pregnancy in the 14 months I nursed him. It was a gradual loss and I lost the pounds without exercising - while eating lots of yummy fattening foods sitting on my couch!! In addition, we never spent a dime on formula and only used the few cans of samples we received in the hospital - Ricky wouldn't take a bottle so I really didn't have a choice there.

It was also a great bonding time for me with my baby boy. It was nice to know that I could comfort and feed him naturally, all snuggled up next to me.

Whenever a girlfriend asks me about nursing and asks if I recommend it, I always say YES. As long as you are determined to do it and your breasts produce milk, it's a great choice for mother and baby.

Infertility & Insurance Anxiety

I just scheduled my first ultrasound for this week at my fertility doctor. After speaking with their billing personnel, I was told that our insurance will cover 100% diagnostic treatment after my $40 co-pay. This was fabulous news given that I paid that co-pay a few weeks ago - and know that the next few weeks will be covered by our insurance 100%.

The bad news is that after the doctor has determined what is 'wrong" and begins 'treatment" our insurance will cover nothing. nada. I was surprised to learn that Clomid (medicine) costs more than an IUI (Intrauterine Insemination). Medicine costs more than a procedure??

Part of me doesn't care how much we pay -we want another child so badly we will pay whatever the cost. The other part of me - that is the SAHM and part time librarian who makes nothing is cringing at the same time.

To be honest, I just learned all of this about 15 minutes prior to writing this blog entry - so I don't really know how I feel about it yet and want to talk to Mark about it when he gets home.

Therefore, I would say that I am suffering from Infertility & Insurance Anxiety - and I wouldn't be surprised if there were other couples out there in this world who just started fertility treament and who are suffering from the same thing right about now.

Approaching Ricky's 3rd Birthday & the 3 P's - Party Planning, Preschool, Potty Training

Ricky will be turning 3 at the end of next month and this means a few things - the first being "Holy crap, I can't believe my baby will be THREE" and the second being "My my, how you have grown", and the third being "Mommy, you have lots of things to do!"

I like people we invite to our parties to actually attend, so I like giving people lots of notice. This requires lots of planning in advance. We decided to give Ricky a party with his friends at this place called Pump It Up - where they have lots of inflatable jumping contraptions and slides. We attended a birthday party there a few months ago and Ricky didn't want to leave and every once in a while he reminds me of that place and says he wants to go back. Making this decision was an easy one.

On the other hand, deciding where we should have the family party is another story. Mark's grandmother has bad knees and cannot do steps - so our house is out of the question - Even if she makes it to the first floor - she has to climb 4 steps to use the bathroom - and she won't use a Depends. So we have to have it at a restaurant - that has no steps. I don't think restaurants advertise that detail on their websites. Some research is required for this party.

The preschool Ricky will be attending in the fall is having an open house and we are excited to go. The idea of having Ricky attend preschool is great - he is ready - but also makes me want to cry. But that's for a different blog entry. Consequently, he will need to be potty trained by September and I am trying to figure out when & how we should do that. Another blog posting for later.....

Our Toddler Classes This Spring: Little Picassos & Toddler Tumbling

Ricky started a new class yesterday with his friends at a nearby suburban recreation center. I had thought that the class would be more art - and so did my mommy friends but when we attended the class we were pleasantly surprised.

The class is taught by a certified teacher and the room has several stations. One station is Art - there are 2 tables with paper and paints (whatever the art activity of the day) with a teacher there to instruct, a large shelf of various toys (Ricky was taken by the bin of dinosaurs for quite some time), a sand table (which occupied the majority of class time for Ricky) and a carpeted educational-type area.

Of course Ricky didn't want to paint a picture during the class. I was fine with that - after all, it was the first day and he can do what he wants. But after class was over and we were in the car on our way home, he said he wanted to go back to class and paint RIGHT NOW- he cried for a bit. So next week the first thing I will do is try to get him a seat at the art table before he gets captivated by any of the other activities.

Last week was the first day of the new session of Toddler Tumbling - the same class we took in the fall. This time, we have a new teacher and I can't write enough wonderful things about her. Out of me and my 3 mommy friends, I am the only one who is in this class. Michelle and Amy are pregnant with the third babies and watching two kids while your belly is huge would not be fun. Leanne was unable to register - the class was full in the first five minutes it was available online. So I am solo. But that's okay.

The teacher we had last time was very hands-off and it seemed more like an open gym class - and that was fine. This new teacher is very hands-on and engaging and the class seems to have structure. It feels like a class. The stations are different at every class (last time they were the same every class) and she interacts with the kids. There are only two other moms from the last session who are there again and they are so nice. The rest of the moms and dads are nice but not friendly - but that's fine - I have all the mommy and daddy friends I need or want.

As a kid, I never had any classes until I attended kindergarten. I am really blown away at all the activities and classes they have for kids now. That doesn't include the many children's museums and places that target kids. If anything, I hope these classes will help Ricky adjust and prepare him for preschool. I know he is having fun though - and its worth every penny.

Library Adventures, Part 4

A public librarian serves the needs of the public he or she serves. There are days like today that make me use every thing I have to NOT hang up on a patron.

This man called and said that a new dvd we have is still being processed (in tech getting a barcode, security case, cataloged, etc.) and he wanted to come in *right now* to pick it up. It was dvd on Athens by PBS. If something is still being cataloged, we don't care if Jesus comes to the door - you cannot check it out of the library.

I told him that he needs to wait until the dvd is finished being processed before he can check it out, but I can put a hold on it for him. I asked for his name, but when I typed it in the database, 3 records for the same name came. I wanted to verify which record was him and he blew up - yelling at me! He yelled at me for "questioning" him. I gritted my teeth and calmly reminded him that I was just trying to HELP him to ensure that the correct record is used for him. DUH.

I cannot believe how unhappy and neurotic people are - and there are days that I hate the fact that this job puts me in a position where I cannot hang up on them or tell them to fuck off. I would *so* love to do that to this guy.

And yesterday there was a teen boy who walked around the room picking his nose and eating his boogers - at least 7 times repeatedly. Despite the fact that he saw me glaring at him, he still did it. In a weirdo sort of way. I am sure this kid gets his head flushed at school. Today I told my favorite security guard what he missed yesterday and he got mad and asked if the security guard on duty confronted him. I said no - picking your nose and eating your boogers is not exactly a security threat.

Withdrawal

So I went to see a Fertility doctor last week and he told me to only drink half a cup of coffee a day - no more. I guess the caffeine boosts your chances of having a miscarriage - and in my case, I can't take any chances of losing any possibility I might have - I figured that the best thing would be to go cold turkey.

I love my coffee - I look forward to my first cup every morning. Sometimes in the afternoon, I will also have a cup if I'm in the mood for it.

So the minute the doctor told me this, I haven't had a drop - and suffered a migraine headache for two days as a result. Mark had to take Ricky to a birthday party over the weekend without me. I was too busy trying not to puke. When I get bad migraines, the pain is so intense it gives me nausea.

So today I go to a playdate with my 3 girlfriends and 2 of them who are both pregnant and in their second trimester are pounding coffees. They tell me that they have always had coffee every day throughout their pregnancies. ugh - life is so not fair.

I decided to order steamed milk with caramel when I am at a Starbucks with a friend and too sad not to have a cup of coffee. I love hot drinks - hot milk will do just fine.

Lucky Start to the New Year

As a precaution, my sister advised me to use a small billfold instead of toting my entire wallet to work. This is because all the librarians' belongings are in the general office - and if the office is not locked, our stuff could be stolen in the blink of an eye.

Before work today, I stopped at Starbucks to get some coffee for myself and a co-worker and grab a sandwich for my dinner. I dug my billfold in my coat pocket and carried all my stuff to my car and drove to the library. I carried my large library tote bag, coffees, and dinner into the building and worked for 2 and a half hours and thought, hmmm....maybe I should check on that wallet of mine.

Wallet was missing. Not in my bag, not in my pockets. CRAP CRAP CRAP!!!!!

Thoughts of calls to the credit card company and the hassle of replacing my drivers license came to mind. Utter panic.

There, in the snow, next to the driver side of my SUV, was my wallet, covered in snow. I cannot even describe the relief I felt. I felt like lying down in that dirty snow.

Lesson learned - no more storage in those coat pockets.

What a lucky start to the new year. I hope this means that 2008 will be a lucky year for me.

A "Superbad" New Years Eve

This was a strange New Years Eve. For the last 5 years, we have always been invited to our friends' house and spent the evening there - but they recently moved to Hawaii and we miss them very much. Prior to that, Mark and I spent our New Years Eves with our friend Shane and his girlfriend - but they have since broken up and he goes home to Ohio over the holidays.

Mark and I were in limbo and didn't really know what felt right. For some reason, I always felt sad on this holiday - saying goodbye to the year and welcoming the new one with hope. It was always important to me to be having fun on this holiday and spending it with people who are important to me.

We invited our friend Peter and his girlfriend over for dinner and to ring in the new year. We watched "Superbad" and loved it. We had a great time with our friends.

Ricky slept in his room and we were able to celebrate - luckily he's a heavy sleeper. Last year he spent the night at my mom's and we missed him.

We got a snowstorm on New Years Eve and the flakes were huge. Here's a picture of them.