I never want to do THAT again...

DRINK YOUR WATER!

It's become my motto of late. And I can't tell people to do it enough. Why, do you ask? What is the purpose of my proclaiming that you need to drink more water?

Simple.

It's the number one, quick and easy, painless, and cheap way to help prevent kidney stones.

After being in the ER twice with severe back pain, I have been diagnosed as having a VERY large kidney stone in my right kidney. I was in agony, L tried to get me there ASAP while still obeying speed limits, and we discovered that V has this uncanny ability to wake from a sound sleep as soon as we enter the ER doors. (I got pain meds that made me loopy, L got no sleep, and V got to watch all kinds of new people and new things. At least someone got some enjoyment out of those nights...) It's not an experience I want to repeat. Trust me on this. I would rather go through childbirth again (and I did it without pain meds) than go through kidney stone pain a third time. Not to mention this last week of being half asleep and sick due to the medications necessary to manage my pain. It's only been the last two days that have been relatively pain-free.

Now, I have to go to a hospital two hours south of my hometown in order to have it removed. In order to do this, I had to find a babysitter for V, and L and I both have to take more time away from farming duties to make the trip.

I had very little risk for developing a kidney stone, but I did. It could be one of any number of things (though the chiropractor thinks it is most likely a pH imbalance that he recently discovered), but drinking more water certainly wouldn't have hurt me. So, I am going to go all Mother Hen on you people out there reading my blog and remind you once again to DRINK YOUR WATER!!!

Baby's First: Crawling and Talking

Yep, my little nine month old boy is crawling. It's so cute because he pushes his bum up in the air to get on his knees and then 'inches' like an inchworm. What makes it especially hilarious is that he can only go backwards! The look of puzzlement when he finds himself backed up into a corner gets me giggling every time. He can also scoot forwards on his belly and while sitting up if he has something to grab onto. His latest trick is to attempt to pull himself up using the furniture. This has resulted in a few tumbles and bonked noggins, but that doesn't deter my intrepid little man.

He's also so very proud of his ability to talk. His extensive vocabulary includes lengthy words like Mamamamamamama and Dadadadadada and AAAAHHHHHHHHH! The latest addition to V's word bank is Uck or Ucka (as in Yuck) and he will proudly proclaim "Uck" before wrinkling his nose and snorting. It's his latest trick and he does it to make Mommy laugh. Seriously though, since most of his babble is still just babble, I've been working on baby sign language with him in hopes that some of it will stick. He sees me sign Milk when I give him a bottle (open and close one hand into a fist as if milking a cow) but it's like working with Pavlov's dogs... I sign Milk and he starts smacking his lips...

The Fourth Go-Round

Seven weeks ago, I was eight weeks pregnant.

Six weeks ago, I wasn’t.

Yes, I have had another miscarriage. Labs, an ultrasound, and talking to the doctor revealed that it was a ‘false pregnancy’. It started out normally but something happened and the pregnancy just stopped developing. There’s no way to tell what went wrong but the doctor is confident that I will have a normal one the next time round though she recommended I go back on the progesterone pills.

In the recent weeks, as a way to keep my mind occupied, I’ve researched possible causes of progesterone deficiency in hopes of finding a way to fix it. I discovered that I am severely deficient in zinc and iodine. Along with my struggle to lose weight and three prior miscarriages, this points to a possible thyroid problem which is a leading cause of hormone imbalances. I am currently working with a nutritionist and my doctor to see if a diet change and the addition of some new multi-vitamins will correct the problem. So far, I am seeing positive results after only a month. I feel more energetic, I’m eating better, I’ve lost weight, and I sleep better at night. I feel hopeful that we found the cause of my hormone issues. It’s encouraging to me and I can only hope that this keeps up.

For the moment, I am focusing on me and getting healthy, figuring out a lifestyle that works best, and drawing up plans for our house addition. It’s enough for now.

Baby's First: Creeping

Yep, my little man is scooting around now. He can't quite get to his hands and knees but V still manages to move around the house. Time to baby-proof the bookshelves and sweeping the floor multiple times a day. Time to figure out how to keep V away from the door and the bathroom and from under the bed. Time to wonder where the last eight months have disappeared. He is no longer content to stay in one place. All too soon, he'll be walking. 'Dada' is his favorite person at the moment (unless Mom has a bottle in her hand) and the dog is a really interesting animal that he can watch for hours. He loves his oatmeal and banana for breakfast, eats more than I do some days, and is already what's on Mom and Dad's plates tastes better than his own food. Today he's creeping and scooting and almost, but not quite crawling. I just hope he's not walking tomorrow.

P.S. For those who are interested, his last doctor's visit showed that he is following his growth curves for height and head circumference but had a VERY large jump in weight. Doctor was quite pleased.