Oh Mister You Can Hear!!!

 In a little over a week Mister will have his big hearing test and for once I think he will surely pass! He has been doing so well lately since his tubes were in place. He is forming new words daily and his comprehension  is going up and up! He isn't the best at the new sounds he is forming but he is trying his hardest to do them, most of the time.
 Today he started saying bye-bye and waving at the same time, he did this perfectly to the lady who always delivers our pizza no joke whenever we get from Papa Johns the same lady always comes, I think she loves us cause she knows our names now.. weird? kinda He said up to a friend's husband this morning at playgroup when he wanted him to pick Mister up and hold him. He has been signing way more lately and I think it is because he can hear us and he understands that signing is effective in communicating to us! He wanted me to blow some more bubbles yesterday for him and he said the word bubble along with signing please so essencially he just had a two word sentence! I am so excited for him!!!
 He is still resorting to screaming at the top of his lungs when trying to communicate to people his size, and all the kids at playgroup will tell you about this. He also resorts to pinching and biting when he isn't being understood the way he wants, or throwing his tantrum which involves gently throwing himself on the ground and doing this wimpering cry that is so sad and sorry you nearly laugh. I know these things will over time improve as his speech and comminucation improves, I know not to rush it either. Mister has always been the type to do something in in own time frame not anybody else's frame for anything. He can hear now, everything else is coming along. With the help of his speech therpist and OT lady who comes to see him he is moving along perfectly!
 Now if I can get him to call me Mommy instead of Daddy I will be extremely happy! I think he does this on purpose cause he laughs everytime I try to get him to say momma or mommy and then looks right at me and says daddy then laughs more. He does say momma when he really and truly needs me, so I know he can...it's our game! He is a goof ball!

Charting Tells Me

 My chart is telling me I have some sort of hormonal imbalance that needs fixing. Normally a chart is nearly flatline for the first part of a cycle, then a temp jump when ovulation happens and from there two things can happen 1.) the temp stays up or even higher if you get pregnant or 2.) the temps plumet and you get your period. My chart however seems to be all over the place which makes me sad.
 I started charting this cycle because we have been not exactly trying but not avoiding at all for about 7 months now and nothing has happened. I have a feeling that the fertility problems I had when trying for #1 are coming back into play (Mister was this weird crazy fluke and a total surprise). So I wanted to chart to see what is going on and I now have a good idea. I am looking into some herbs and oils to help regulate things and maybe we will have success. Trying to keep doctors out of this. Going on the more natural path!
 So I also guess this is my big announcement that we are wanting to welcome a third into our lives! As crazy as that sounds this day we do!

A Little More About Your Body

 I had wrote a blog earlier about getting to know your body (here), I hope it sparked a little curiosity in some of you which lead to your own research. I did not want to go too in depth with that blog, mainly just a starting point to jump from for yourself. I want to write now about how you can pin point conception and why it is important in today's health care for you and your future child.
 First let me raise your awareness about the horrid rates of inductions in America. Roughly 1 out of every 3 women have their labor induced, most for very unnecessary reasons big baby, being post dates, doctors convenience, mothers convenience.. Most of these inductions are around 40 weeks when a woman is "term" and surprisingly horrible is that doctors induce women before the baby is even "term". What does this mean exactly? Well having an induction is an almost guarantee that intervention after intervention will be used. Pitocin is sure to be used I will not get into the effects of pit labor right now and some studies say that your chances for a c-section increase by 50% or more. Nobody wants some major surgery, ever. If you do then stop reading my blog and find a shrink please.
 Let me talk about one major thing with inductions before 40 weeks of pregnancy, they can bring out pre-term newborns. A pre-term newborn is not a pre-mature baby but still faces a lot of the same complications and some of their own as a premature baby would. A pre-term newborn is born between 35-37/8 weeks of pregnancy. They can be born with immature lungs, inability to regular body temperature, low blood sugars, poor suckle reflex, they have higher rates of infantile reflux. A pre-term newborn can spend time, and very costly time, in the NICU for these things. When they do come home they have higher chances of contracting RSV, flu, ear infections and a few other things. So who wants a pre-term newborn?... if you said yes then please again stop reading and find a shrink. Even with all of those things pre-term newborns are being born every single day, why? Well because doctors induce women on their  due dates or sooner without knowing exactly when conception happened. They use their best guesses like basing it on your last period, and if you have some pretty wacky cycles that guess can be way way off...like 2 weeks or longer. So just think you are 40 weeks and doctor Mc Stabby Hands wants to induce but your cycles were longer than whatever normal is and so really your baby can be like 38 weeks, now imagine the same doctor doesn't "let" women go to their due dates and wants to induce around 38.5 weeks..so now the baby is what 36 weeks? ..... well now you have a pre-term infant on hand. While most pre-term babies are fine (sorry not percent here couldn't find one) some do not do alright and that is a chance I DO NOT wish to take.

 Ok so here is my education, if you can pin point conception by charting your daily waking basal body temperature as described in the book Taking Charge of Your Fertility then you will know when to accept an induction if that is the path you so should choose. You will be able to know exactly how far you are and how developed your baby is and when it should be safe for them to come into the world if you choose not to let nature be. Charting is easy actually, it is just something that becomes a part of your morning wake up. The alarm (or in my case crazy energetic 3 yr old) goes off you pop the thermometer in your mouth, it beeps, you write it down. Some women then take the temps and chart them to see when the thermo shift happens when ovulation occurs. When you are able to pin-point this you know exactly how far along you are when you become pregnant, and education is your best weapon against unwanted inductions! Seriously, think about it!!

Summa-time

pardon my sausage feet

 Ah summer has hit Northern Alabama, well the temputure says it has, ok well it did last week anyway (this week...chilly!) I set up the pool we got the kids this year, which is nice and big and deep if we want for all of us to relax in our yard if The Marine ever cuts the grass in the back. We bought this pool months ago from toys r us for around $25, a steal! Both kids this year can walk and are able to do decently in a pool, you know with me watching so Ladybig doesn't try to drown her brother and blame it on something else. Her evil streak is coming through, yep she is 3 years old and thats worse than 2.  The 90 degree heat last week seems to have been a fluke as right now it's barely 65 out there, cloudy and a little rainy, boooo, but I will take it as I do not fair well in heat. Never have, I get nicely overheated and passout-able, always a good time. Also as a ginger I tend to burn and sunburns suck along with the insane crackhead like itching that comes along with the healing.

 Ha ha Mister has a slightly harder time getting in and out, it requires him to use his special climbing talents. Maybe we should think about a ladder for him! Our pool sides come up to his chest!

 The kids also got a water table this year, which has been a huge hit since we bought it. Shown above is one part of the table they love so much, going off their love for dumping cups of water onto whatever is around.

 we say it was an early birthday gift for Ladybug, but really it is just because I thought they would enjoy it and they do!

 So summer time! What are you doing now that the weather is nice and enjoyable?!

Knowing Your Body

 Disclaimer: This blog may be too personal for many of you. I am about to talk a lot about womanly things, so if you do not wish to read more about me personally than you think you want to know click away. I warned you.

 So in general knowing your body and it's functions is a good thing. You can become in tune with your body and know illness coming on, tummy troubles, headaches and when they come. However when it comes to women knowing their own body the less known is better attitude happens a lot. Who really likes talking about their periods? Not many, let alone talking about how your period is totally normal, natural, and needed or the reasons behind the period. Most women know about every 28-34 days on average things start sucking. Cramps hurt, PMS sucks for everybody around you (ha ha sorry Marine!), bloating makes sweatpants seem fashionable suddenly. But how many of you know tell me how your cycle really works? ...I am guessing not many, which is sad we women need to know our bodies and take charge of them! Especially those looking to increase their fertility and pregnancy odds. Even more those try to conceive and having troubles, you REALLY need to be in tune with your body. There are some things to learn to help. I want to talk about them here, now.

 There is this book that I recommend to anybody wanting to know more about their body, fertility, and anything related to being a woman. It's Called Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It is an amazing read. It teaches you things I know the majority of you have never known about before. Example have you ever felt your own cervix? ...nah I didn't think so. Have you ever heard about charting your daily basal body temp to track ovulation patterns? Or ever take notice your personal vaginal fluids during the month? All of those relate to your fertility and are important to be aware of.  I know this isn't for everybody and I am not saying everybody needs to go ahead right now and shove your hands up there, but it is your body maybe you should know how it works. Maybe you should get over your high schoolish giggles and stop being grossed out or whatever and understand yourself a little better.

 The cervix is quite the amazing little thing. Did you know it changes positions, textures, opens up and closes all throughout your cycle? Did you know it also produces mucous when you are most fertile, mucous that is stretchy-clear almost like egg whites actually. Have you ever even seen one? If not hop on over to The Beautiful Cervix if you dare, it's pretty cool. You might learn something!

 Have you ever heard of a woman who takes her temperature every morning and charts it? Probably not most likely. It really informative and a great tool to track and pin point ovulation in a woman. During the beginning of a woman's cycle her body temp is low (like around 97degrees) and it should stay pretty steady. As the body ovulates the temp jumps up (know as a thermal shift) and after ovulation the temp stays higher and can either drop back down low when the new cycle starts or can stay high or even higher if pregnancy occurs. It's pretty neat, though can be a pain to remember your temp every morning at first. If you so should choose to read the book above it can teach you more about this method and even has software that tracks everything for you, all you have to do is plug in your temps. Check out the galleries here for some examples of charts. I have been doing this for years, since before Ladybug was born.

 Ok so have you been informed a little yet? You really should read that book, or check out the fourms that go along with the book on their website http://www.tcoyf.com/forums/. Maybe some day you will find out what Mittelschmerz means! I will give you a hint...it sometimes hurts!!!

 We all know our periods suck, what is to love about them? How many of you have been using tampons or pads all your life? Did you ever think there were other options? Ever think about them chemicals in those products you use? Or how much money you have wasted on them? Ever hear of the toxic shock syndrome? If not maybe you should look it up, and come back and read about how to avoid that and probably makes your period way more comfortable (including the elimination of cramps, cause ya know those suck monkey balls). So there are many options out there for you but first you need to get rid of that yuck or eww factor like asap....is it gone? ok here we go

 OK here is option number 1 and the option most women use. It is called a menstrual cup (this particular one is called a diva cup) and I personally use this one. I love it. I never would go back to anything else honestly. So how does it work? Well it's a cup, it goes in (ok yes there is a learning curve on this but once you get it, you get it!) and it collects. It is not gross, you simply carefully take it out and empty it twice a day or more if you have a heavy flow. Rinse it out and put it back in. simple. It's not messy, I personally have never had a spill or a total gross moment using the cup ever. I can personally say I used to get some nasty cramps, like make you think about taking more than one perocept at a time cramps and since using the cup I ever have no cramps or extremely mild whatever mainly annoying cramps. Want to know why? ...well simply put I am not putting some awful chemicals from a tampon in my body. Another reason to love the cup is the no trash factor....like on vacation recently it was simple and easy...no embarrassing trash in the bathroom for all to see. Be honest when you go into a bathroom and see nasty bloody trash you are grossed out aren't you? Or ever had a dog enjoy that trash and bring it out for all to see? Yep...that doesn't happen here with this...nobody knows besides you! When your period is over simple wash/boil (whatever the cup says to do) and store for next time around. It isn't big at all, most come in sizes to perfectly fit you and your needs. It's made of silicone or some have natural rubber so it is soft and flexible, and once in you nearly forget you are even on your period! Seriously this is way easier, cost effective, less gross, and more green than what you are doing now. For about $30-$40 for a cup it will last a few years, how much do you spend for a few years on tampons or pads? ...think about it!  

 Next is a pad, a washable pad. Now I personally do not do this route but plenty of women do. Pictured above is a popular brand called Luna Pads. The idea with these is the same as the pads you use now. The have wings that snap into place and some in light, regular, heavy, and overnight pads. They have fun cute prints (cause I am not sure...women like cute things?). The backing is waterproof so they do not leak and They are super soft and you can buy some with minkee tops, have you ever felt minkee? It is heavenly soft! Your vag would thank you for being so nice if it could! (or that might be creepy....) So these are for those who do not like inserting things, like if it's not comfortable for you or hurts but you want something green and healthy. You would change these like normal and then place them in their own bag (most starter kits come with waterproof bags to keep by the toilet and can be washed too) or I have seen some women keep a wet bucket near the toilet and place in there so they don't stain. You throw these in the wash with a little natural detergent and wash for next time. It's a little more involved than the cup above but a very great product and plenty of women use these. I know a few and they love and swear by them. Me personally I have enough laundry to do, just saying.

 Ok so this one is in my personal opinion a little too out there for me and therefore not for me BUT i do know somebody who uses these. This is a natural sea sponge tampon. It is a sea sponge that is small enough for you (these also come in sizes including teen sizes which I find pretty cool!). When they come to you they are hard but you prep them to get the softness. The idea behind these is simple, they absorb. When you change it out you rinse in the sink, yes you do have to squeeze out these which is where I personally draw a line. You wash them in a little water and some mild soap I think (feel free to correct me if I am wrong) and maybe some tea tree oil to keep bacteria away. They are good for 4-8months and are nice and cheap. Sorry I cannot offer more info on these I just don't have much as I only know the one person to use them!

 There are plenty of more options out there including cotton bamboo washable tampons. You just need to figure out what level of comfort you have with yourself and go from there. I never in my life thought I would be this out there I guess, but honestly the cup is the best thing ever and I would NEVER go back from it. I love my diva cup I really wish somebody had told me sooner about it. So go out buy or rent the book above, use google, browse the fertility fourms, read about options you have and take charge! You may even come back and thank me some day....maybe!

3rd Birthday Coming Up

 Ladybug is set to turn three years old in about a month unless I have figured out to stop time before the date that is.  I cannot believe my little bug is growing up so fast actually. It feel likes recently not yesterday cause I don't think I can remember yesterday anyway that The Marine was coming home from Iraq and we went together to one of those ultrasound boutiques to find out what our baby was sporting-hotdog or hamburger-we waited until 34 weeks to be able to find out together due to stupid deployments and stupid wars, boy that was hard! We were over the moon excited when we found out, I kept asking the lady to zoom in so I could see it better and sure enough there it was in 3d Ladybug decided to sport the hamburger style parts! We bought her uber cute homecoming outfit as soon as we found the nearest store to shop in, right after we three way called family members and yelled excitedly that is!

Meeting Ladybug for the first time, right before she pooped on me.

 Ah I remember labor and how naive I was going into it, just saying you want a natural birth doesn't exactly prepare you for a natural birth with an OP positioned babe. I remember meeting her in person the first time this actually seems like yesterday the memory is so clear she promptly pooped all over me and that's our our relationship has been from the first second. She has called the shots! With gentle discipline and guidance our sweet little 7 pound 13ounce baby girl has grown into this 35lbs super tall, 5t size wearing near 3 year old! She surely is her own person, full of spunk, fun, energy, love, emotion, kindness, and heart all wrapped up into this amazingly adorable package!
 This year she is able to tell me how she wants her birthday cake to look like, something i have been looking forward to actually. I have to say that I personally love birthdays, all birthdays, mine-yours-The Marine's-the kids....I just love birthdays and I always try to do something special no matter what. Just ask The Marine, he hates when I do something and tells me all the time to not but I do it anyway cause it's a freaking celebration dang it! So I have been prepping Ladybug up for her birthday this year, telling her what happens, she gets cake, she blows out candles, and we all celebrate her being here with us, we celebrate her life. She is thrilled actually this year and understands what is going to happen. In fact for the past few weeks she has asked everyday, many times a day, if it is her birthday yet and when you say not yet she asks about a list of people she knows if it is their birthday. So she is excited! This year I have been asking her what she would want on her cake and at first she had the most odd request. Ladybug said she wanted a purple cake ok fair enough I can do purple that looks like her brother um whuck?! Yes she said she wanted her cake to look like Mister and she held onto this for near two weeks! I was starting to sweat, ya how would I pull that off? She would be so dissappointed when I did not present a cake that looks like Mister cause I wasn't doing that. Thankfully however she has settled on Dora the Marketing Whore-a said in a sing-songy voice that has a ring to it so this I can do. It's a good settle I think. She likes Dora, which is fine I mean kids like things they see and since Dora seems to be everywhere it is natural for her to be drawn that direction. So this year's cake shall be a Dora cake and now I have to ggole images to find the perfect easy simple design that I can pull off in my kitchen.
 In the past her cake has been simple and then large.

Her first birthday was spent at her Nana and Papa's house. We had family drive in from Ohio (my dad and great aunt) as well as North Carolina (my brother) and then we all drove up the moutain and had a nice little party with lots more family who all live there to celebrate her. It was great and exciting and was so much fun!

 Her second birthday was spent at home with just a few friends from the area and some other kids both her age and Mister's age to play with. It was nice and the cake was huge! She got a still very awesome trampoline which she totally still jumps on every single day! Best.Gift.Ever! Mister was sickly that day and had just started coming down with whatever he had, she had a doctors appointment for a check up and it was a fun day.

 This year....to be announced!!!



Mister Hearing

 Yesterday afternoon Mister had a follow up appointment after he had his tubes put in place. Well we both had an after surgeyr follow up but this is about him. He finally did alright with the pressure test and now finally both ears have equla and normal pressure in both!! They also attempted a hearing test on him, which he failed miserably actually. I figured he would actually not because I think he is deaf but because I know my son. The audiologist decided to put the ear phones on him and do a test, which caused him to freeze because it was something new. She put the goggles on him and he froze because he didn't know what to think of this something new on his head. He just literally froze, besides from his chest moving up and down from breathing he was totally utterly motionless. This is classic Mister style, when something new happens he freezes completely, he does this with anything new in his life. I am not sure why but I knew this would happen and so I knew he would fail this little test. The audiologist said if the other doctor was there (he was out taking care of the massive storm damage, not sure if you heard about the outbreak we had down here...) they would try the booth hearing test with the cute light up movement bears and things, called hearing play I guess. Now Mister has done this before at a different place and failed and so I am assuming he would fail again this time because that is classic Mister style.
 When we saw our wonderful ENT he checked his ears throughouly and declared his tubes an utter success and he could see clearly and both ears looked great! That was wonderful news but now we have to wait a month before coming back and doing a major hearing test on Mister. This major test will most liekly give us what we need to know about his hear, if he hears and to what degree he hears, which in turn will help us to go further on his speech theraphy. The Otoacoustic emission test is a simple test which a small something will be placed in his ears and it will record and measure how the tiny hairs in his ears are moving in response to sounds and tones. It's non-invasive and shouldn't bother Mister much at all. This test is preformed without his participation at all so he really cannot mess it up unless he is super cranky and won't be good to let it happen that day. His appointment is the day before Ladybug's birthday in the morning, a whole month's wait... I hate waiting...I think we have waited enough for real solid results on his hearing but what can I do besides complain to myself about it.
 So I am nervous and worried and hopeful all at the same time about this major real final yes/yes and what degree he can hear test next month. I hope he can hear and if he can hear than why is he choosing to make us all think he is nearly deaf? Why does he not speak? side note here, he has been saying a few new things recently and this is a huge step!! still will not say mommy but he is forming new sounds and said a few new things!!!  So this is where we are right now in time with Mister and his hearing/speech