Well, it's official! In May I'll be graduating with my MA in Technical Communication. Woot! I received word today that my portfolio passed the committee and I'm officially graduating! I've been so anxious about the news and so I'm relieved to know the 80 hours I spent assembling my portfolio over spring break while Dave watched the boys was worth it (thanks again, Dave). I'm so very happy that I'm finally closing this chapter of my life and starting a new one (even though finding a job might be a little tough at the moment!).
Although everything worked out, I don't really recommend graduate school with two kiddos under three. One was doable. Two = Insanity.
Woot. Woot. Woot.
Showing posts with label announcement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label announcement. Show all posts
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Friday, April 25, 2008
Affirmative - Allergic to Peanuts (and Milk!)
Today we visited an allergist, Dr. Herman (Thanks Misty!), to see about the reaction Moses had to peanuts on Monday. We thought we were just going in for a consult because I was told over the phone that Moses had to be antihistamine free for seven days prior to allergy testing and since he had Benadryl on Monday and Tuesday we'd have to wait. However, once there and visiting with Dr. Herman, he said that we should go ahead and test since we'd still get a positive or negative reaction to allergens from Moses.
I was not prepared for that change in plans and my purse seriously lacked adequate distraction tools. Thankfully, they had puzzles in the exam room and a sink with little cups for Moses to drink from. Two hours of distraction--I'm exhausted.
Moses did really well with the prick test (it's changed so much since I had the test in my teens). He didn't cry and was content to play with the office toys and not scratch his back during the 20 minute testing period. He was tested for the 19 most common allergens--animals, grasses, trees, foods, etc.
After 20 minutes, the nurse and doctor came to survey the results. If you aren't familiar with allergy testing, there's a control "bump" that helps them gauge the reaction of the tested allergens. Moses' control bump rated a 2+ and was compared to the other 19 "bumps." The only bumps, or positive reactions, worth noting were for milk and peanuts--both rated a 2+. I was shocked about the positive reaction for milk since we've never had an issue with milk, but the peanut reaction was pretty much expected after Monday's incident. Dr. Herman said we should count our blessings that Monday's reaction wasn't more troublesome because his vomiting was a sign of anaphylactic shock.
He also said that Moses can continue with milk products for now, but we might have to cut them out of his diet if his "numbers" are too high. Also, his milk allergy might be the cause of all his congestion and ear infections of late. We're to avoid peanuts at all costs and carry an EpiPen in case of an allergic reaction. The good news is that he's not registering for any hay fever type allergies at the moment, but Dr. Herman thinks he has a good chance of developing them when he's a little older since Dave and I both suffer from inhalant allergies. We'll still take this brief reprieve even if that's the case!
We're still waiting to hear about the severity of these allergies pending a blood test Moses had today (with the smallest needle I've ever seen--he did so well). The results of the blood test will determine what part(s) of milk Moses is allergic to and whether or not we can continue having milk products. The test will also tell us how allergic he is to peanuts and give us a "number" to watch over the years. Dr. Herman said that in some cases kids can grow out of a peanut allergy and watching the "number" over the years is the best indicator of such possibility.
That's all the excitement we can handle for one day. Moses is conked out and I wish I could take a nap too, but school work is calling me...
I'll keep you posted on the results of the blood test. Keep your fingers crossed that we see low numbers.
-Lindsey
P.S. Here are some pictures from our gardening adventure yesterday to counter the unwelcome news of today's post. I have to say that it's hard to communicate "be gentle to plants" to a 17-month-old boy--thank goodness the water hose, dirt, and my Taco Bueno cup were more fun that my newly potted plants.
I was not prepared for that change in plans and my purse seriously lacked adequate distraction tools. Thankfully, they had puzzles in the exam room and a sink with little cups for Moses to drink from. Two hours of distraction--I'm exhausted.
Moses did really well with the prick test (it's changed so much since I had the test in my teens). He didn't cry and was content to play with the office toys and not scratch his back during the 20 minute testing period. He was tested for the 19 most common allergens--animals, grasses, trees, foods, etc.
After 20 minutes, the nurse and doctor came to survey the results. If you aren't familiar with allergy testing, there's a control "bump" that helps them gauge the reaction of the tested allergens. Moses' control bump rated a 2+ and was compared to the other 19 "bumps." The only bumps, or positive reactions, worth noting were for milk and peanuts--both rated a 2+. I was shocked about the positive reaction for milk since we've never had an issue with milk, but the peanut reaction was pretty much expected after Monday's incident. Dr. Herman said we should count our blessings that Monday's reaction wasn't more troublesome because his vomiting was a sign of anaphylactic shock.
He also said that Moses can continue with milk products for now, but we might have to cut them out of his diet if his "numbers" are too high. Also, his milk allergy might be the cause of all his congestion and ear infections of late. We're to avoid peanuts at all costs and carry an EpiPen in case of an allergic reaction. The good news is that he's not registering for any hay fever type allergies at the moment, but Dr. Herman thinks he has a good chance of developing them when he's a little older since Dave and I both suffer from inhalant allergies. We'll still take this brief reprieve even if that's the case!
We're still waiting to hear about the severity of these allergies pending a blood test Moses had today (with the smallest needle I've ever seen--he did so well). The results of the blood test will determine what part(s) of milk Moses is allergic to and whether or not we can continue having milk products. The test will also tell us how allergic he is to peanuts and give us a "number" to watch over the years. Dr. Herman said that in some cases kids can grow out of a peanut allergy and watching the "number" over the years is the best indicator of such possibility.
That's all the excitement we can handle for one day. Moses is conked out and I wish I could take a nap too, but school work is calling me...
I'll keep you posted on the results of the blood test. Keep your fingers crossed that we see low numbers.
-Lindsey
P.S. Here are some pictures from our gardening adventure yesterday to counter the unwelcome news of today's post. I have to say that it's hard to communicate "be gentle to plants" to a 17-month-old boy--thank goodness the water hose, dirt, and my Taco Bueno cup were more fun that my newly potted plants.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Toe-tally unfair!
This morning I broke my pinky toe running after Moses. The floor is still littered with things I need to put away, and I tripped over our game, Cranium Turbo Edition, which weighs the same as a small elephant, while chasing down the source of cranky screams. I'm not proud of the words Moses heard from my mouth when little toe met box, but I was in whole mess of pain.
So, now, my once favorite game is forever "the enemy," and I've decided toes are ridiculous--it's unfair that the only thing I've ever broken can't be treated medically.
(I say that my toe is broken, but without an actual X-ray, I guess it's my word against the toe's, and having the only mouth in the pair, I think I win.)
-Lindsey
So, now, my once favorite game is forever "the enemy," and I've decided toes are ridiculous--it's unfair that the only thing I've ever broken can't be treated medically.
(I say that my toe is broken, but without an actual X-ray, I guess it's my word against the toe's, and having the only mouth in the pair, I think I win.)
-Lindsey
Monday, March 24, 2008
Ch-ch-changes
With all the excitement of today, I couldn't wait to change the header on the blog to reflect our family's gender imbalance. Some might think I'm getting ahead of myself, but I'm not the least bit superstitious in that respect. I'm sad to see "Stop and Smell the Moses" come to an end, but it's time to embrace the foursome we'll become in a matter of months. Sure, "Babe in Boy Land" doesn't have the same ring (no pun intended) as "Stop and Smell the Moses," but it's an accurate depiction of our future familial status. I can't guarantee I've settled on that name, but it'll do for now. I hate that searching for "Babe in Boy Land" returns less-than-family-friendly results so my brain will be working overtime until something better crops up.
On a side note, Harry Potter fans will appreciate Dave's current nickname for our yet unnamed second son--he's been referring to the boy as He-Who-Has-Not-Been-Named (and HWHNBN in print). As a fellow Harry Potter fanatic, I had a good laugh at his brilliance. Of course, in no way are we calling our son evil; we just enjoy a little pop culture reference every now and then.
-Lindsey
On a side note, Harry Potter fans will appreciate Dave's current nickname for our yet unnamed second son--he's been referring to the boy as He-Who-Has-Not-Been-Named (and HWHNBN in print). As a fellow Harry Potter fanatic, I had a good laugh at his brilliance. Of course, in no way are we calling our son evil; we just enjoy a little pop culture reference every now and then.
-Lindsey
I would have lost the farm.
It's a boy! Yes, Moses is going to have a partner in crime. Here's the sweet face and profile of the newest edition to our family (note: he resembles Moses--even the technician commented on the fact that they looked alike as she was scanning his face):
I would say that we're surprised, but we're not really. This pregnancy is much different than with Moses, but that was the only thing that served as a possible indicator of a girl so both possibilities were fair game. My mother's intuition was wrong, too, but I'm sure that won't be the last time (shh, don't tell the boys I said that). At any rate, we look forward to endless fort constructs, camping adventures, reptilian requests, and sports events with our boys (it's so fun to say our boys, plural).
The best news is that the baby's development looks wonderful, and he's the picture of health. I'm measuring a few days ahead at this point, too, so maybe we'll see him earlier in August. As for names, don't ask. We have no clue what to name a second boy! We still have Moses' original name in reserve, but we don't even have a long list started.
And finally, this week's belly pic (I don't have one from last Monday) at 20 weeks 1 day:
-Lindsey
I would say that we're surprised, but we're not really. This pregnancy is much different than with Moses, but that was the only thing that served as a possible indicator of a girl so both possibilities were fair game. My mother's intuition was wrong, too, but I'm sure that won't be the last time (shh, don't tell the boys I said that). At any rate, we look forward to endless fort constructs, camping adventures, reptilian requests, and sports events with our boys (it's so fun to say our boys, plural).
The best news is that the baby's development looks wonderful, and he's the picture of health. I'm measuring a few days ahead at this point, too, so maybe we'll see him earlier in August. As for names, don't ask. We have no clue what to name a second boy! We still have Moses' original name in reserve, but we don't even have a long list started.
And finally, this week's belly pic (I don't have one from last Monday) at 20 weeks 1 day:
-Lindsey
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Officially Weaned
This post is a little bittersweet for me. After nearly 15 months of breastfeeding, I can now say that we are done. It was mutual choice for both of us. Moses no longer has the attention span to breastfeed during the day and prefers to carry a bottle around and "do" stuff rather than sit still and nurse in my lap. I probably could have pumped, but I'm a lazy breastfeeder and pumping is a huge time commitment.
The only time he enjoyed breastfeeding was at his 4 a.m. wake up, which was more about soothing him back to sleep than it was about hunger. That habit was physically exhausting for me so I wanted to nip that practice in the bud.
We'd been making strides at weaning until his recent sickness when he reverted back to being an über-momma's boy and wanted to nurse around the clock. At that point in the weaning process, I could no longer keep up with his feeding demands, but I'd try my best at solace.
It's now been over a week since our last feeding and I don't anticipate a need for it soon. I'll miss that special time with my boy. His excitement about nursing was so adorable--he'd start cooing and breathing fast when he knew food was coming. It was such a beautiful experience.
I've got 23 weeks to rest up before I'll start again. I'm not sure the new baby and I will make it as long as Moses and I did, but it's well worth the try. I can't help but think these two bouts of ear infections and colds coincided with the beginning of the end of breastfeeding. He really had a healthy first year in comparison to other kiddos and I commend breast milk for that accomplishment.
-Lindsey
The only time he enjoyed breastfeeding was at his 4 a.m. wake up, which was more about soothing him back to sleep than it was about hunger. That habit was physically exhausting for me so I wanted to nip that practice in the bud.
We'd been making strides at weaning until his recent sickness when he reverted back to being an über-momma's boy and wanted to nurse around the clock. At that point in the weaning process, I could no longer keep up with his feeding demands, but I'd try my best at solace.
It's now been over a week since our last feeding and I don't anticipate a need for it soon. I'll miss that special time with my boy. His excitement about nursing was so adorable--he'd start cooing and breathing fast when he knew food was coming. It was such a beautiful experience.
I've got 23 weeks to rest up before I'll start again. I'm not sure the new baby and I will make it as long as Moses and I did, but it's well worth the try. I can't help but think these two bouts of ear infections and colds coincided with the beginning of the end of breastfeeding. He really had a healthy first year in comparison to other kiddos and I commend breast milk for that accomplishment.
-Lindsey
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Time for a Change
Over the last day or two, my morning sickness (read: all-day nausea) waned and I realize I also have more energy than I have in months so I decided to make some long-planned changes to Moses' blog. I created a custom header, divided the content among 3 columns to help with readability, and added some more widgets (like the Flickr link) for fun.
Expect more changes to come as I become better versed in HTML and Photoshop. I will also try to write some of the posts I promised regarding the past two months very soon!
-Lindsey
Expect more changes to come as I become better versed in HTML and Photoshop. I will also try to write some of the posts I promised regarding the past two months very soon!
-Lindsey
Please, sir, can I have some more!
We take a lot of pictures around here--way more than I could ever post without maxing out my blog's storage limit--so today I added a Flickr widget that allows you to view our family pictures. If you click on the Flickr montage on the left, you'll be taken to our Flickr account and can view any pictures we upload to that account. The biggest perk of our new Flickr account is that you can download and save to your computer any pictures you'd like to have and/or print.
I'm in the process of uploading previous pictures now. I'm not sure how far back I'll go, but I'll try to include a little bit of everything. As we take new pictures, I'll upload them so you all can be a part of our daily lives.
-Lindsey
I'm in the process of uploading previous pictures now. I'm not sure how far back I'll go, but I'll try to include a little bit of everything. As we take new pictures, I'll upload them so you all can be a part of our daily lives.
-Lindsey
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
A Christmas Fortune
When Dave and I found out we were expecting again, I immediately set out to come up with a creative way of telling our parents about their soon-to-be grandchild. I tossed around a lot of clichéd ideas but didn't love any idea. Finally, while battling pregnancy-induced insomnia one night, I came up with the winning idea--a fortune cookie!
For each family, I removed the generic, pre-installed fortune from a fortune cookie (thank you, Pei Wei) with a pen knife and carefully inserted my own, which read, "You will have another grandchild" on one side and "08-11-08 (my then due-date)" on the other side. I placed each fortune cookie in a miniature take out box, tied the box with a bow, and inserted the box into a larger Christmas tin. I then placed some ornament-shaped paper cutouts that said, "A Christmas Fortune" on top of the tin so it'd be the first thing our parents would see as they open the gift. I tied a bow onto the tin and waited patiently for Christmas time--talk about a long wait!
Unfortunately, I didn't save the individual pictures I took of the pregnancy announcement steps and the completed product. The only thing I have to show you is this poorly made picture collage, but I think you can get the idea!
-Lindsey
For each family, I removed the generic, pre-installed fortune from a fortune cookie (thank you, Pei Wei) with a pen knife and carefully inserted my own, which read, "You will have another grandchild" on one side and "08-11-08 (my then due-date)" on the other side. I placed each fortune cookie in a miniature take out box, tied the box with a bow, and inserted the box into a larger Christmas tin. I then placed some ornament-shaped paper cutouts that said, "A Christmas Fortune" on top of the tin so it'd be the first thing our parents would see as they open the gift. I tied a bow onto the tin and waited patiently for Christmas time--talk about a long wait!
Unfortunately, I didn't save the individual pictures I took of the pregnancy announcement steps and the completed product. The only thing I have to show you is this poorly made picture collage, but I think you can get the idea!
-Lindsey
Monday, January 28, 2008
Am I in the record books yet?
This was officially the longest hiatus I've taken from blogging about all things Moses. We had a revolving door of colds during my winter vacation, and just when we were all well, grad school started up again. Is it too soon to look forward to Spring Break?
I promise to be back with oodles of fabulous updates later this week--Moses' birthday party, Christmas, TEETH!...and, oh yeah, I'm 12 weeks pregnant with Moses' future BFF (best friend forever). Details and pictures are forthcoming for all those fun things and more.
-Lindsey
I promise to be back with oodles of fabulous updates later this week--Moses' birthday party, Christmas, TEETH!...and, oh yeah, I'm 12 weeks pregnant with Moses' future BFF (best friend forever). Details and pictures are forthcoming for all those fun things and more.
-Lindsey
Friday, January 26, 2007
Coming Soon to a Mail Box Near You...
I put Dave's photography skills and my creativity to use and made Moses' birth announcement. We've placed the order and will have them in the mail in a few weeks.Keep a refrigerator magnet handy! It's a keeper!
-Lindsey
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