The Spano family domestic church; where we live and learn our Catholic faith. Life is crazy, God is great, counting our blessings every day.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Monday, October 29, 2012
Where I Confess to Being a Hypochondriac
It's true. When I was pregnant with Dominic I had this one small, what looked like a bite, on my arm. It didn't seem to be going away and one day my boss (the ER director and a great nurse) saw it and she said that it looked like impetigo. I called to make an appointment with the doctor immediately. He hadn't even seen me for my first prenatal appointment yet. He had to look up impetigo (it's not like OBs see a lot of it!), and he walked in with a printout comparing what was on my arm to what was on the picture in his hand. He prescribed an antibiotic ointment. But, I knew better...after all, I had the internet!!! After much searching I found that antibiotic ointments can actually be dangerous to the baby! Didn't the doctor know that??? It's a good thing I went to med school a la Google. I found some homeopathic treatments and tossed the prescription. Oh woe to me...that was stupid. But not as stupid as continuing to look things up online. Comparing my one spot to pictures of pregnancy rashes..but my rash was only that one spot. Or was it? I started looking and what do you know, they were all up my arms. On my chest and abdomen as well. The fear quickly came and went of chicken pox or shingles (I didn't have any other symptoms). It was surprising that I didn't start displaying any symptoms, because the more I looked up about my rash the more spots I found. I am certain that I was freaking myself out and causing a stress induced rash. It lasted 6 weeks. Morning (ha!) sickness had nothing on the rash. Itchy constantly, no sleeping, showers were painful. It was bad. It came back at about 36w and lasted until I delivered. Maybe it was pregnancy related, or maybe I'm a nut.
So why am I making this confession now you ask? Because I want so badly to be pregnant and be expecting our next adorable little bundle of joy that I am constantly feeling nauseous (morning sickness for me starts really early and lasts the entire pregnancy), and wondering if it's because I'm pregnant. With both boys I was sick weeks before I tested positive. Also, I found that I am very sensitive to hormonal shifts so I also get sick with any change in hormones. It's so fun.
Oh wait, so my confession, really it's a plea. A plea for prayers if you can spare any. We are not experiencing fertility problems that we know of, but I want more babies. I am struggling to accept God's will in this, in the timing. So my plea for prayers is not for me to suddenly see those two lines, but for me to accept God's will lovingly. And if you have any tips on learning to accept His timing, I'll gladly take them.
So why am I making this confession now you ask? Because I want so badly to be pregnant and be expecting our next adorable little bundle of joy that I am constantly feeling nauseous (morning sickness for me starts really early and lasts the entire pregnancy), and wondering if it's because I'm pregnant. With both boys I was sick weeks before I tested positive. Also, I found that I am very sensitive to hormonal shifts so I also get sick with any change in hormones. It's so fun.
Oh wait, so my confession, really it's a plea. A plea for prayers if you can spare any. We are not experiencing fertility problems that we know of, but I want more babies. I am struggling to accept God's will in this, in the timing. So my plea for prayers is not for me to suddenly see those two lines, but for me to accept God's will lovingly. And if you have any tips on learning to accept His timing, I'll gladly take them.
Friday, October 26, 2012
7 Quick Takes (Vol 5)
I'm almost a regular blogger this week! Woo! Go me! I really love blogging, but sometimes I feel like I don't have anything interesting to say. But, I've realized after reading various of my favorite blogs, that I'm never going to be as awesome and funny as Dwija, Cari, and Grace, but I'm not writing for fans. (ha! Fans!) But I write because I enjoy it. :)
I don't do hyperlinks very often, and even though I looked at it like 20 times, I'm still afraid that I put the wrong links with the wrong names.
It snowed this morning some time. I am so excited! It's not like snow all over the roads type snow, but it's pretty and nice.
[caption id="attachment_646" align="aligncenter" width="300"] From our front porch. Doesn't it look like let's get cozy kind of weather?![/caption]
I'm ready for more babies!!! We are not struggling with infertility (I don't think), we don't practice NFP for avoiding or conceiving, so trying to just "let go" is really hard. We got pregnant with the boys really easily, and quickly, so we expected that would happen again. I know that God's time is perfect...but boy do I have baby fever!
Speaking of babies...Dominic has been saying "want baby" and then hugging Christopher or this morning, kissing him! It is so adorable. He even woke in the middle of the night the other night, and was crying so hard, and when I came to him he said "want baby, baby baby" with his arms held out. I guess he was having a nightmare. It was cute. Even the screams and the cries.
I am seriously so ready for the election to be over. I get a ridiculous amount of calls and mail. Holy cow, the mail I get. For a party that espouses being more green, I'll say that the Democrats in Colorado sure waste a lot of trees to send out giant postcards.
Which leads me to my last quick take. I am so done with people talking about birth control being healthcare and about how women "deserve" to receive it. I even responded to an annoying tweet from Bill Maher last night (no, I didn't get a response) that someone in my feed had retweeted. Seriously, how is it possible that this is what the democratic process in the "greatest country in the world" comes to?! How sad. Just, sad.
For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Thoroughly Thankful Thursdays Link Up (1)
One of my e-friends, Sarah, has this great link up where she reminds us to be thankful so I decided to link up today!
I am thankful for Sarah for doing this link up because I really want to get back into blogging and writing more and this will help me by giving me a theme at least one day a week.
I've been stressing about Dominic's vision lately. So many people have told us about their friends, (or themselves, or their mother's uncle's next door neighbor) who lost their vision in their "lazy" eye. But, I'm thankful because we have a plan. We caught this early enough, and got him into a specialist early enough that we have a good chance of keeping his vision intact. Yes, it is hard for him to do the eye patch therapy, but we're doing it and it is something to be thankful for. We have a plan and we know what to do.
Jason has been working like crazy lately. The hospital is going electronic and this week was a go-live week for one aspect of it. It will be a long journey. There will likely be lots of late nights and early mornings. What's to be thankful about there?? Well, I'm thankful he has a job. And, really, not just any job. But a job that has benefits, that pays enough that I can stay home with the boys, and that gives him some flexibility to come home for lunch (on good days ;-)) and be home early so that I can go work out. I'm thankful for this job that he has. **I might have to come back and read this on a late night sometime. :)
So, what are you thankful for? Link up with us and tell us!
I am thankful for Sarah for doing this link up because I really want to get back into blogging and writing more and this will help me by giving me a theme at least one day a week.
I've been stressing about Dominic's vision lately. So many people have told us about their friends, (or themselves, or their mother's uncle's next door neighbor) who lost their vision in their "lazy" eye. But, I'm thankful because we have a plan. We caught this early enough, and got him into a specialist early enough that we have a good chance of keeping his vision intact. Yes, it is hard for him to do the eye patch therapy, but we're doing it and it is something to be thankful for. We have a plan and we know what to do.
Jason has been working like crazy lately. The hospital is going electronic and this week was a go-live week for one aspect of it. It will be a long journey. There will likely be lots of late nights and early mornings. What's to be thankful about there?? Well, I'm thankful he has a job. And, really, not just any job. But a job that has benefits, that pays enough that I can stay home with the boys, and that gives him some flexibility to come home for lunch (on good days ;-)) and be home early so that I can go work out. I'm thankful for this job that he has. **I might have to come back and read this on a late night sometime. :)
So, what are you thankful for? Link up with us and tell us!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
A Picture Heavy Update
So, again, I've really slacked off and not written at all on my blog. I have all these lofty ideas for doing daily posts, and it just doesn't happen. It should. I should make time for it because it makes me happy. Not because all my loyal (ha! yeah right!) readers will miss my voice, but because writing things that are happening in our lives is enjoyable to me. It's like a journal where I can share what is happening and make it easier to go back and remember moments of our lives.
Christopher has been fighting ear infections for a few months. We just ended #5 and 6 a couple weeks ago and it has been hard. I know that there is some research about the cyclical effect of antibiotics and ear infections, but ibuprofen didn't cut it with him and we had to help him get over it. Being a parent is all about taking information that is available and making the best decision for your children. Choosing antibiotics seemed like the best, right decision for Christopher. Because of the frequency of his ear infections, we will be seeing an ENT at the end of November to find out about tubes. :(
[caption id="attachment_638" align="aligncenter" width="169"] Holding his bottle[/caption]
I also weaned Christopher. I was ready to be done for months, but could tell he was not ready so I didn't push it too hard. We were down to before sleeping and in the night. But, I used the frozen milk I had and some whole milk and started giving him milk in the bottle. And he liked it!! This was a shock because a few months ago if I tried to give a bottle to him he would angrily push it away. So, I knew he was more ready. Now he is happily drinking warm whole milk in the bottle. If I put it in his sippy cup (that he uses for anything else!) he will push it away like he can't believe I would try to force him to drink such a concoction. 14 months of nursing is awesome. I was certain once he got teeth (6 months) I would not continue nursing. Then when that wasn't so bad and I kept at it I was sure at 12 months exactly I would be done and forcibly wean. But, I knew that wasn't right either.
Around 21-22 months old I started noticing Dominic crossing his eyes. Sometimes when he was watching the TV, sometimes when he was looking at me, or just zoning out. So I asked at his 2 year checkup and the doc suggested seeing an eye doctor. We saw a local eye doctor but he wasn't able to get anywhere so he sent us to a specialist in Colorado Springs. They found that he does have lazy eye as well as being far sighted. We needed to do eye patch therapy every day to help keep his lazy eye's vision strong. If the brain gets double vision or bad vision from that eye, it will stop reading that information and you basically become blind in the lazy eye. How scary!!! We won't know if this will save us from surgery, but it is a start. Unfortunately he was not able to calm down enough for them to get a measurements for glasses. Hopefully when we go back in December.
[caption id="attachment_636" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Starting to not hate the eye patch.[/caption]
The boys are starting to really enjoy playing together and it is so fun to watch. We hope to grow our family even more soon! :)
[caption id="attachment_639" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Playing together in a fountain in Chicago[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_640" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Being spun in the chair looking out the pretty window in Chicago.[/caption]
Christopher has been fighting ear infections for a few months. We just ended #5 and 6 a couple weeks ago and it has been hard. I know that there is some research about the cyclical effect of antibiotics and ear infections, but ibuprofen didn't cut it with him and we had to help him get over it. Being a parent is all about taking information that is available and making the best decision for your children. Choosing antibiotics seemed like the best, right decision for Christopher. Because of the frequency of his ear infections, we will be seeing an ENT at the end of November to find out about tubes. :(
[caption id="attachment_638" align="aligncenter" width="169"] Holding his bottle[/caption]
I also weaned Christopher. I was ready to be done for months, but could tell he was not ready so I didn't push it too hard. We were down to before sleeping and in the night. But, I used the frozen milk I had and some whole milk and started giving him milk in the bottle. And he liked it!! This was a shock because a few months ago if I tried to give a bottle to him he would angrily push it away. So, I knew he was more ready. Now he is happily drinking warm whole milk in the bottle. If I put it in his sippy cup (that he uses for anything else!) he will push it away like he can't believe I would try to force him to drink such a concoction. 14 months of nursing is awesome. I was certain once he got teeth (6 months) I would not continue nursing. Then when that wasn't so bad and I kept at it I was sure at 12 months exactly I would be done and forcibly wean. But, I knew that wasn't right either.
Around 21-22 months old I started noticing Dominic crossing his eyes. Sometimes when he was watching the TV, sometimes when he was looking at me, or just zoning out. So I asked at his 2 year checkup and the doc suggested seeing an eye doctor. We saw a local eye doctor but he wasn't able to get anywhere so he sent us to a specialist in Colorado Springs. They found that he does have lazy eye as well as being far sighted. We needed to do eye patch therapy every day to help keep his lazy eye's vision strong. If the brain gets double vision or bad vision from that eye, it will stop reading that information and you basically become blind in the lazy eye. How scary!!! We won't know if this will save us from surgery, but it is a start. Unfortunately he was not able to calm down enough for them to get a measurements for glasses. Hopefully when we go back in December.
[caption id="attachment_636" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Starting to not hate the eye patch.[/caption]
The boys are starting to really enjoy playing together and it is so fun to watch. We hope to grow our family even more soon! :)
[caption id="attachment_639" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Playing together in a fountain in Chicago[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_640" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Being spun in the chair looking out the pretty window in Chicago.[/caption]
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