2012-02-08T05:51:47Z Gonzo Girl Copyright 2012, Gonzo Girl SPHPBLOG

So, this blog is slowly going to get phased out, feel free to bookmark/ update your links to the new one! It needs some work so, you know, in all my free time hopefully it will start shaping up.]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry081027-211921 2008-10-28T00:00:00Z 2008-10-28T00:00:00Z
****

Dear Santa,
I'd like a really nice espresso maker for Christmas. OR a really big Starbucks gift card...Yen only.]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry081026-215439 2008-10-27T00:00:00Z 2008-10-27T00:00:00Z

(thanks girls for the pics!)













]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry081022-193509 2008-10-23T00:00:00Z 2008-10-23T00:00:00Z
Our nights are not going well. Mackenzie is just noisy, both of our kids were noisy eaters but she is just noisy all the time. She has earned the nickname "grunter" at the thrift store. I keep meaning to take a video clip from the wee hours of the morning, she is like a crazed squirrel or something. She makes cute sounds that are decidedly NOT cute at 3am. I dont mind the late night feedings but I hate the diaper changes....feeding requires minimal effort but by the time you go change a diaper you are fully awake. I tried changing her diaper in our bedroom and that ended up with disastrous results that required a sheet change in the middle of the night. I have to add that my new favorite baby item is my camping headlamp, its the perfect nightlight for finding the lost paci, changing a diaper without having the overhead light on, locating the lost burp cloth etc.

Days are ok, the fact that Nathan goes to school is a lifesaver....I usually go to work or tool around the BX but just having time where Im not trying to manage two kids is necessary. You may wonder why I dont go home and sleep-- truth is I just can't nap- sadly. And Im home enough as it is for the rest of the day--Im not someone who can just hang out at home all day, I go stir crazy so my mornings are my time to be OUT.

I pick Nathan up after lunch and the afternoons are hard...and by afternoons I guess I mean 'time with two kids'. I went to the commissary yesterday with both (for the first time) and, wheew, what an event that was. They have these spaceship carts that Are great when you have one kid but when you have a kid in a carseat and a kid "driving" your space for food is seriously limited. Then I have Nathan whining about a cookie from the bakery and Im trying to power through the store before the baby wakes up and the checkout line is an ordeal because the cart doesn't fit through the checking line plus you cant take the cart out to the parking lot so Im trying to keep Nathan standing next to me, pay, hold the Starbucks cup of water Nathan insisted on bringing in, hold the baby in the carseat, sign the credit card slip, make sure I have $ to pay the baggers etc. I get to the car and the bagger looks at me as though Im crazy when I open the front passenger door and expect him to load all the groceries into one seat. The Capa is NOT working out any longer. The trunk (and I'd use the term trunk loosely) has two strollers and a beach chair wedged in it. The backseat has the two carseats with only enough space in between the carseats for a small diaper bag. The floor of the backseat has my Costco car-emergency kit with jumper cables and whatnot as well as a small basket of toys/books for Nathan. So, space is a REAL problem and Im trying to convince PC that we should sell the van (dont anyone go suggesting I drive it-I have my reasons) he can have the Capa, which is what he wanted in the first place and I want to get a Toyota Harrier. Im still working on it..... Where was I going with that? Oh yeah, so we get out to the car and as Im pulling out of the parking lot I realize we left the Starbucks cup at the checkout line. And part of me was like screw it, Im not going back for a cup. Then the other part of me said noooooo. It was my Starbucks cup from Korea that PC got me, how could I just leave it? So I drive all the way around the parking lot again so I can go through the drive up lane and park. As I do this a taxi drives up behind me and is pissed off because Im parked in the drive up lane and I was angry enough at this point that I just wanted to tell him that he could just WAIT or drive up on the sidewalk to get by me. Nathan throws a HUGE fit about going back in the store, Im dripping with sweat hauling the carseat, I tell Nathan this is mostly his fault because he insisted on bringing the cup in the store. The baggers are hassling me about me going in through the "bagger entrance only" and I dont even acknowledge them. I hit several people with the carseat and I didn't even care. I was seriously grumpy about the situation but at least I got my cup back dammit.

Usually by 4 or so Im going bat-shit crazy in the house with the two kidlets. Im sure about 60% of that is because Im exhausted and Im not one who, shall we say, does well on little sleep. So we end up outside which makes everyone a little happier but then unless I've started dinner before then we have nothing baking away for dinner so then everyone is falling apart at 5:30 when PC gets home and dinner isn't ready yet. Nathan, for the last several nights has landed himself in his room around this time and he is up there screaming crying and it seems like there is no winning. I know that he has had his life turned upside down too but the whining, and the neediness, and the whining and the newest thing is screaming demands at me which has resulted in several "you don't talk to your mom like that" timeouts. On the upside he is GREAT with his sister, always talking to her, telling her she's a pretty girl or making up names for her or asking her "what is your problem?" ever so sweetly when she's crying. He's a really great big brother and I try and keep in mind that he is still only 3, he didnt turn 10 overnight and just because I have this huge added responsibility of a baby doesn't mean he should have to grow up overnight.

One of my friends who lives one street down came to the park the other night and was saying how it took her a good 4-5 months to adjust to life with two. Swell-- so by spring I should have my shit together.

Dont get me wrong, its not all doom and gloom around here, its just a LOT of work. And somedays require more patience than I think I have. And Sassafrass just woke up so on that note, Im outta here. ]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry081021-221739 2008-10-22T00:00:00Z 2008-10-22T00:00:00Z


ts funny how the day prior I was complaining about not getting my membranes stripped and little did I know a little more than 24hrs later I'd be in labor!his Wed night I had bad back pain and bad menstrual like cramps and felt sort of funny . This resulted in me walking up and down the cul-de-sac at like 11pm hoping it would either make it better or make it worse. Needless to say nothing happened. Thursday started out with me deciding to meet my friend Janelle for coffee after dropping Nathan off at school. I procrastinated a bit which resulted in me getting frustrated with Nathan for taking so long to get his shoes on (not his fault) and rushing out the door. We chatted for a while and then I went into work to finish up some stuff.

I picked up Nathan and we headed home. It was lunch time and despite the fact that I was hungry, absolutely nothing sounded good. This maybe should have been a clue to me. I ended up with a PBJ and it was as unappetizing as I thought it would be. I told Nathan it was time to go upstairs for quiet time and I totally crashed while he sort of played in my room. After about 90 minutes I noticed it was silent and knew either something was up or he fell asleep somewhere. I found him sound asleep with his piggy bank and nana in his bed. I decided that was a good opportunity to surf the net for awhile. I had decided that once he woke up we were going to go to the commissary to get the required items to make Special K bars. For whatever reason those sounded SO good and for days I'd been meaning to make them. I went downstairs to get a snack but again, nothing sounded good and I was trying to "save" myself for later when I made The Bars (they are SO good). I ended up with gatorade and a halloween package of M&Ms. Nothing else sounded good at all. I went back upstairs and then there was a knock at the door at about 3:45. It was the neighbor kids wanting to know if Nathan could play and I told them I'd go wake him up and we'd be out in a few minutes.

Nathan was slow to wake up and I just ended up hanging out in his room with him for awhile goofing around while he woke up. I told him the girls were waiting for him and maybe he could stay with them while I went to the commissary real quick. He slowly woke up and I went into my room to go to the bathroom real quick before we went outside. When I went to pee I noticed that, (there's no way to be delicate about this so whatever) I was in need of some new underwear. Not totally surprising in pregnancy so I grabbed another pair put them on and then felt a bit of a warm trickle. No way I just peed again. So there I am standing in my underwear and the trickle becomes a bit of a gush and I have fluid dripping down my legs. Thats when my mind sort of went into overload and I wasn't sure what to do. My first reaction was to go get my neighbor from outside. Then I remembered I only had underwear on and couldn't go outside like that. Then I thought "in order to not get your shorts all wet you should get a pad." The only thing in my bathroom was pantiliners and I went to grab one. And lets be honest-- a pantiliner for this sort of leakage? That is like trying to mop up the Hoover dam with a beach towel. So I figured forget it, let the shorts be wet. You can change after you alert the neighbor.

Nahtan is still stumbliing around from being awoken, the dog is going crazy because she wants her dinner and Im leaking, totally bewildered by what is happening (they always say that the number of women that have their water break in a gush is like 3% or something small like that-- there's no way I thought it would ever happen to me). I yell for my neighbor from the front door and tell her what happened. "No, I dont think its your water, I think you just peed a little." Even after showing her my wet shorts she was like "nah....I dont think it could be your water." So I figure maybe she's right and I go feed the dog and decide at the very least I better go get it checked out. She takes Nathan, I am sort of shakey and panicked (what if this baby comes out in the next 10 minutes at home?) and remember to call PC as well as the hospital.

I grab all my bags and a towel to sit on (no pad....I just figured screw it) and Tricia asks if I want her to drive me. I ask who will watch the kids and she said we'd just have to bring them, so there we are, her two girls, Nathan and the two of us piled in my little car. We left the house at about 4:20 and I hoped traffic would not be too bad. I started to have a lot of back pain on the way there and again was afraid I'd be delivering this baby right on 58. I was a little demanding and told her to just drive through the yellow-red lights. Its Okinawa after all right?

She pulled up into the front circle walked me in and asked someone to take me up to L&D. Some nice corpsman at the front desk got tasked with that duty and was trying to make small talk in the elevator, bless his heart. Once I got upstairs they asked for my ID and were asking me questions when finally I just had to say that if I didn't go get in one of the beds I was going to make a huge puddle right there at the front desk.

At this point it was about 5 pm, PC showed up having just driven all the way from Kinser (did I not say something about that the other day too....like a premonition no?) for work. The corpsman was having severe difficulty getting the baby's heartrate on the monitor. And I dont know if it was just because I was worried or because I was in labor that I was getting SERIOUSLY cranky about it and was about to tell her to JUST GO GET SOMEONE ELSE. The nurse came in and told me she needed to get a fluid sample and confirm that it was amniotic fluid before they could admit me. And Im thinking SERIOUSLY?? What else could produce this much fluid? My bladder can't hold THIS much. Needless to say it was amniotic fluid and we were admitted.

At first check the nurse said I was 4-5cm, 50% and -3.....translation-- still a ways to go. I got into the newly remodeled delivery room (no Bethesda but it was actually really nice compared to the rest of the hospital.) I was pleasantly surprised, compared to Natthans delivery, how much less intervention there was. With Nathan, all totaled I had a BP cuff, pulse monitor, FHR monitor, contraction monitor, regular IV, epidual, foley catheter, an internal FHR monitor and an internal hydration thingy (I forget what they are called-- basically it replaces the amniotic fluid to keep the baby afloat after your water breaks). Here I had the IV put in but was not hooked up. Furthermore they let me EAT which was a big concern since my consumption that day had amounted to a PBJ and a bag of M&Ms so I knew I was going to be hungry once this labor thing got underway. The nurse said I should feel free to eat, that they dont have a problem with it but once the dr. came in he would probably put a cabosh on that. PC went to the dining hall and brought back dinner and then I sent him to the shopette for snacks since everything else had closed. We watched TV and were laughing at the Palin SNL skits. My nurse said she was sure the baby would be born before her shift ended at 11 so I was feeling pretty good about how things were going.



After eating we started to round the 7:00 hour and contractions started to get fairly intense. And then they started to hurt and I told myself I just wanted to make it to 8:00pm before doing anything. We baby-stepped to 8:00 having strong contractions every 3 minutes and by the time 8 rolled around I was MORE than ready for some relief. And its a good thing I didnt wait any longer to ask for the epidural because as it was the anithesiologist was going to be 20-30 minutes before he could get there. I was getting a little desperate so my nurse offered me IV drugs but when she told me that it was going to make me feel drunk, not really give me any pain relief I decided to not start mixing too many drug cocktails and wait it out. That was sort of a miserable 30 minutes. As it turned out they paged the backup and the nurse anithetist came in to give me the epidural. For those of you who have been through this part of the routine you know how hard it is to sit up and sit still through contractions as they are trying to insert a needle into your spine. She numbed me up but not well enough so not only did I feel her poke I *heard* it and I don't think I will ever forget the sound of that needle puncturing my back. (*shiver*; *cringe*) I shot straight up and let out a horrible "ahh"

Knowing that all would be well soon I was hoping I could get some rest. The nurse didn't want to check me since my water was broken and said that we would just wait until the baby's heartrate indicated it was time to push. After about 20 minutes I started to feel some great relief......on my left side. My right side was still feeling each and every contraction. It was about 9:30 at this point and with each contraction I was clinging to the side of the bed whimpering "ow....ow.....ow....it hurts it hurts it hurts." And in the 3 minutes between contractions I kept telling PC, almost in tears that I didn't understand *how* people could do this without any pain relief, or furthermore why you would want to. We called the nurse back in to let her know what was happening and the nurse who gave me the epidural was just like "keep laying on your right side, press the button for a little boost of drugs." Which was dumb because I knew no matter how often I hit that button I knew I was not going to get relief on my right side. So I waited a bit longer and little Mac's heartrate was doing some crazy stuff so they put oxygen on and had me roll to the other side and I told them something had to be done about the epidural.

They paged the anithesiologist and this time it was the doctor. Hmm....how to describe him?? Odd. At first I thought he was really grumpy but I think he just has a very strange sense of humor. He definitely seemed good at what he did and genuinely wanted to help but he took some getting used to. He loosened up and PC and he were joking around to which he told PC would only get him in trouble. PC said as long as one in 10 things he said made me laugh then he figured it was worth it to try. ha ha ha. So Dr. odd said he would try and pull the epidural out about two inches to see if that helped (God.....2"? It totally creeps me out that there is a tube shoved several inches into my back.) So he pulled it out and we waited......and we waited and nothing. And then they started asking all these questions and I HATE the pain questions-- you know, on a scale of 1-10 how is your pain? Because I dont want to sound like a weenie and be all "oh, Im at an 11" but its all about reference too-- if I've never had anything remotely painful happen to me then labor probably would be a 10. However, if I had, say, been shot before, labor might not seem so bad. So I sheepishly tell them an 8. And they want to know how that compares to before and I say it was an 8 before because even though one side is numb the otherside STILL HURTS just as bad as before and having one side numb doesnt mean we go back on the pain scale thankyouverymuch.

He offers to redo the entire thing putting a while new epidural in with the understanding that it could make things better, worse or no different. As PC pointed out if I do nothing it definitely wont get better, but putting in a new one at least I had the chance of improving so I told him to go ahead and put another one in. He went about his business numbing me up again and putting in a second epidural. He then started rumaging through his cart telling me he was going to try a different drug this time. He pulled out all sorts of bottles and vials creating some drug cocktail over on the baby warmer. He gave me a small dose and asked if it helped and after a few minutes gave me a little more. Then, finally.....finally I started feeling some relief. As it turns out he ended up just giving me a spinal block and the actual epidural was not hooked up yet. That was a seriously rough 2 hours-- I'd say that part was worse than any part of Nathan's labor because there was just no relief and the contractions were coming every 3 minutes and they were really strong. At one point the anithesiologist told my nurse that he wasn't sure there was anything that could be done to make the epidural better, that what I was feeling was just my labor progressing and that it was getting to the end. THANKFULLY he didnt give up that easily.


It was now about 11pm and the shift change. I got a new nurse who was just as great as the first one and after she had been briefed on my situation I asked her how we would know it was "time" since I hadn't been checked in a long time. She again reiterated that once your water breaks they really dont like to check you and told me that they would be able to tell by what the baby's heartrate was doing as well as me feeling the pressure to push. I wasn't really sure I'd feel that urge to push, I was fairly numbed up but could still feel a little. She assured me I'd know. The clock kept ticking away and I told her at 11:30 or so that I was feeling pressure- though not as she described exactly. She told me to keep waiting-- I'd know it when I felt it. I told her again about 15 minutes later so finally a little before 12 she checked me. And when she checked me her response was "oh whoa....ok....lets break down the bed down now, this baby's head is almost out already. Dont push." They called for the doctor and we waited, and we waited and we waited. PC took a picture at midnight as a "its time to push but we can't because the doctor isnt here yet." And I dont know what time he got there exactly- 5 after? But it felt like hours. Finally once the doctor arrived he took one look and said "wow....she's got a lot of hair.....just do small pushes" and she was out with two small pushes with two contractions. That had to be one of the easiest deliveries ever. With Nathan I pushed as hard as I could for over 2 hours. It was the most physically demanding thing I've ever done, but with Mackenzie she just popped right out with virtually no effort.

They put her on my belly once she came out and all I could think about is how she looked like her brother, how much dark! hair! she had and how slimy she was. Im glad I got to see her and hold her right away but the slimy smell was a bit much. They took her over to the warmer and cleaned her up. She didn't cry much after the initial 'protest' and was mostly just busy looking around.

I had to wait for my spinal/epidural to wear off and make it to the bathroom before we could move out of the L&D room. As it turned out it took a bit longer to wear off than expected. I got out of the bed once with the help of a corpsman and after two steps my legs gave out and I went falling to the floor. There isn't anything graceful about the birthing process is there? Finally about 3am we were ready to move to our new room. And once I saw the "new room" I was wishing I could have just stayed in the delivery room. Folks, my expectations of the hospital weren't real high, I know its an old hospital and I know we are overseas and its a military hospital, but there was mold growing all over the ceiling. FOUR-newly-delivered women were sharing a bathroom. It was dorm style where two of us shared a room and then the 4 of us shared an adjoining bathroom. Everytime I went in there there was blood on something or one of those plastic "hat" thingys that they make you pee in was full of bloody pee. It was, um, gross. I don't see how that is remotely hygienic? So let me tell you this-- wherever your tax $'s are going-- it isn't into the hospital here.

Thankfully I only had to stay for roughly 24 hours. And let me tell you about the winner that was my roommate. She was American/Japanese. This was her 3rd child. About 8pm the nurses/corpsmen rolled in for their evening chkecks and behind the curtain I hear the nurse ask when the last time the baby ate was. "About.....9 hours ago" she says. I think if the nurse could have cussed her out she would have. Instead she went for the mild freak out and told her a newborn should NEVER go more than 4 hours between feedings. Then she explained why. The next morning when she came back she again asked how long it had been and the lady was like "oh....5 or 6 hours" and the nurse, clearly annoyed/concerned says "didn't we talk about that 4 hour mark?" IDIOT I tell you. She let him scream the entire night we were there together. The nurse came in at one point and took the baby to do it's vital's with a comment about how "your roommate can't sleep your baby is crying so much."

We were discharged Saturday afternoon and I was *overjoyed* to get out of there!]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry081020-221531 2008-10-21T00:00:00Z 2008-10-21T00:00:00Z
Not-so-little-Mac checked in at 10lb 4 oz (thats like 3 lbs in two weeks!) and apparently is now shorter than she was at birth by some fractional amount. My favorite embarassing moment of the appointment is when the dr. was checking her out and he took off her diaper to make sure everything was good and as he was doing that she let out a big 'ole fart complete with shrapnel that ended up all over his white Navy uniform. Ah....it was a proud moment. I guess that is why they make lab coats no?

And because you're asking I'll try and get the condensed version of "labor day" up.]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry081018-232601 2008-10-19T00:00:00Z 2008-10-19T00:00:00Z
After having lunch with PC I got home and while McSassy was asleep in her carseat and Nathan was doing a puzzle I managed to accomplish the following in the span of 20 minutes: brown hamburger, put all ingredients for chili in the crockpot, load and unload the dishes, switch and start another load of laundry, bag up the recycles and empty the trash. So, I guess its all about proper motivation- if you really HAVE to power through it you can. After all this I did manage to squeeze in a whopping 1hr nap while Nathan watched Little Einsteins so I feel marginally better because of it but still exhausted.

And, for as painful as all of this is right now I know how fast its going to go and Im going to turn around and have teenagers and wish I could have these days back. I love to just sit and look at Mackenzie. I wish I could just sit and stare at her all day long, but thats what happens with the second child, they just don't get the same treatment, do they. In fact after the bath last night I told PC "second children really take a beating don't they?"

So, aside from all of my griping Im so grateful to have two beautiful healthy kids. I love having a baby again, especially a girl! and hope it doesn't pass to quickly.....or that Im too tired to enjoy it!]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry081016-035643 2008-10-16T00:00:00Z 2008-10-16T00:00:00Z
My goals for the day were to go to the commissary, bank, mail box, and make my 6 week check up appt. I got groceries but only got the cold stuff put away. Got mail and made it to the bank. Clinic was closed.

I got a total of 0 naps. I went to Starbucks twice.

The combo of sleep deprivation and a head cold is a wicked cocktail.

I thought I was so on top of the game by making dinner early in the day. Things quickly went downhill when we went outside and as I was feeding the baby Nathan was climbing the ladder to the monkey bars as one of the neighbor girls was swinging from them and she swung back and kicked Nathan in the face knocking him off the ladder. His cheek was a little red and on his way down he gouged his leg pretty bad and we had blood soaking trough his shorts, he's screaming like he just lost a limb, I go running over, left boob hanging out, baby screaming because she got cutoff and I started to doubt whether or not I can hack it at this whole two kids thing.

We gave the Mac her first real bath tonight, as much as I just wanted to just put it off, poor thing has some seriously grease ball hair (despite her sponge baths) and her bum was in need of a soak. UGH. Lets just say it wasn't one of those "special firsts." Especially because Nathan was So. Much. Help. There was a lot of pouring of water.

Its 7:55 and I think I could have gone to bed two hours ago. Aaand I get to repeat the whole thing tomorrow. Steep learning curve right?]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry081015-033956 2008-10-15T00:00:00Z 2008-10-15T00:00:00Z

today's favorite....



]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry081013-185100 2008-10-14T00:00:00Z 2008-10-14T00:00:00Z
Thankfully I've had PC around the entire time so that has helped ease the transition from two parents per kid to one. I also have WONDERFUL friends who have brought us meals all week so that we haven't had to make dinner once. HUGE help-- I had to laugh a little when my friend Abbey brought dinner because included with the yummy meal was 3 paper plates, plastic silverware and napkins with a note that said "don't do dishes."

Sweet thang has her nights and days terribly mixed up but slowly things have gotten a little better. Part of her problem is that she is spoiled rotten and from the second she arrived she has barely been put down and gotten way too used to sleeping on her dad's chest, so she sleeps like a champ at night if her dad is holding her. PC and I have alternated nights allowing both of us to get some sleep while the other takes the Mac downstairs and snuggles on the couch with her.

Nathan has been doing really really well. He likes to hold her a lot but for brief periods of time. He has had some moments where he gets a little too amped up and needs to burn off some steam. He has also been a little more needy lately, Im sure just to make sure he still holds a spot in the pecking order but man it can be SO trying when you are tired and have one arm full of baby and he keeps telling you that he cant POSSIBLY open the wrapper on the kraft single cheese.

Right now Nathan and I are battling a cold and I just hope that Mackenzie doesn't get it. WHY is it the second we bring a baby home we end up sick? Ugh. PC has one more day off and then its back to work on Wed and Im in the drivers seat alone. So if you dont hear from me until next weekend dont be shocked, Im sure Im just drowning in a sea of snotty noses and dirty diapers. ]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry081013-024427 2008-10-13T00:00:00Z 2008-10-13T00:00:00Z



She was going for the beach blown look.

]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry081009-180958 2008-10-10T00:00:00Z 2008-10-10T00:00:00Z




The petite princess.... too little for her swing




first trip to Starbucks:




We've discovered her special 'mark' too. Nathan has a little coffee colored birthmark on his foot that we call his "Starbucks kiss." Mackenzie?? She has DIMPLES. Its too cute. Im sure I'll have to wait to get a pic until she actually smiles as opposed to showing them only when she has gas.
]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry081007-161240 2008-10-07T00:00:00Z 2008-10-07T00:00:00Z
She's here!





Notice the 2 epidurals....more on that later

the Mac Mini and the PC

"hi precious girl" (he says that to her all the time...could your heart just melt?)

The Mac

sleepy girl

almost ready to go home

finally!!


]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry081005-153547 2008-10-05T00:00:00Z 2008-10-05T00:00:00Z
Today the dr. would NOT do any membrane stripping as hoped. Midwives will, Doctors wont. Sweet. Im at 4cm so she doesn't think it will be too much longer. We'll see.

So, after this I think I'll just start a little email list of people that want updates and want to be notified when Im *actually* in labor and spare everyone else the details. Subsequently, if you don't see much activity around these parts its not because we've had the baby, its because there's just nothin' to talk about right now.

We went to The Grill with Andy and Janelle which provided some much needed humor. Andy told PC we were having a baby real soon.]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080930-214405 2008-10-01T00:00:00Z 2008-10-01T00:00:00Z
We did end up going to the flea market and left with about $450! ]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080928-215514 2008-09-29T00:00:00Z 2008-09-29T00:00:00Z
Most of yesterday was a good day, it started to go downhill when Nathan and I were making chocolate chip cookies and he threw a fit because I gave him the paddle of the mixer and scraped the majority of the dough off leaving only scraps for him to lick off. Oh, the injustice.

Then my neighbor called me venting about another one of our neighbors. They have a teenage daughter that is the new neighborhood hussie. She makes it her daily practice to get it on with her boyfriend ( a boyfriend, I might add, that she acquired within....DAYS of moving here) on the front sidewalk. And, dummy, she thinks she's being all smarty smart hiding from her parents on the other side of the partition of the front door (the house next to them is empty), all the while the rest of the entire neighborhood gets to see the show. My neighbor is at the point where she is about to go say something because her two pre-adolescent girls can't be watching that "after school special" everyday. Furthermore, we were both even more impressed with that family's dynamics when we had to listen to the dad rip the 5 year old son a new one so loud that it was audible from the park ACROSS THE STREET. And I can't handle the parents that are so STUPID. The mom came out of the house and asked the two teenage lovebirds why they were sitting on each other's laps in the parked car. Lady, if you are that stupid your daughter is going to end up as knocked up and cranky as I am. And for the love of God kids, thats what the love motels are for. Honestly, I cannot think of a more pathetic place to have teenage sex than in a parked car in the cul-de-sac in front of your house. Lastly, Im annoyed by them because they let their dogs crap in anyone's yard without cleaning it up, the mom has bleached white Texas big hair, and because she is a nurse who refers to the proceedure of having your colon looked at as a Colon-OPY.

GAH.

Don't even get me started on the news. Its a good thing that I don't see a lot of it over here because it sounds like our government is spending us into the next century. What a mess.

And today I convinced Nathan to take a nap and made the foolish foolish mistake of not putting a pull-up on him. And of course we weren't sleeping under the covers we were sleeping on top of the covers so I now have a down comforter and its cover reeking of urine.

And while my dear husband has definitely tested the pregnant lady's patience when he does things like: work until NINE PM, the majority of the time I am so grateful to have him as my balancing force because if he wasn't here right now......I might kill the dog. Just because she's lowest on the totem pole. Not because she's doing anything particularly annoying right now like shedding in CLUMPS of hair or requiring me to actually bend over and get her water several times a day.

I don't think Im cooking tonight. I think we will go somewhere where I can have a non-alcoholic, alcoholic drink. Or I might just need to crack open my favorite $5 bottle of white zin that has been chilling in the fridge since January or so and have a half a glass. Im sure after 9 months I'll get a pretty decent buzz and hopefully chill the hell out.]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080925-224419 2008-09-26T00:00:00Z 2008-09-26T00:00:00Z
As for the 37 week update, I don't really have much of an update except the midwife concurred with the ultra-sound I had last week that said the baby is in the 6lb range (Im in disbelief). The belly is even measuring a hair small for 37 weeks so I suppose these are all good things. So, I might have a normal sized child after all. Maybe. Allegedly. She told me the reason Im All Baby Out In Front is because Nathan sort of stretched those ligaments to their limits so now sister is just sort of spilling out in front like a bad case of dun-lap disease. Good thing we're not having a third or it might be hanging out down around my knees.

In other news my friend Janelle had a shower for me this week which was really fun. It ended up being a small group of us (one person got lost, another got heatstroke, another's husband just got back from Iraq the day before etc.) but it's probably just as well because it was then more of a gab 'n' eat fest (yes, I had 3 plates of food) with presents! She did a fantastic job making it special and her efforts seem even more heroic with the knowledge that she did it all with the "help" of a 7 month old.

So, thats it from Nippon. I guess now we just sit and wait...... And contemplate the flea market dilemma. ]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080924-141020 2008-09-24T00:00:00Z 2008-09-24T00:00:00Z
Um, no. No alcohol for breakfast today. You know we save that for happy hour (as someone once told me "you know, its that hour of the day where no one is happy and mom need's a drink.")]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080921-154620 2008-09-21T00:00:00Z 2008-09-21T00:00:00Z
http://www.newsweek.com/id/160080


And I know we are a bit behind the times so this is probably old news but in the event that anyone didnt see SNL, both PC and I thought this was hillarious:

http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/ ... en/656281/
]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080920-142900 2008-09-20T00:00:00Z 2008-09-20T00:00:00Z
N: Can you even believe that?
me: no....at your birthday party next year she will almost be walking. She will be crawling all over the place won't she?
N: Like a bug.
me: what?
N: Crawling. She will crawl like bugs do.]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080918-232245 2008-09-19T00:00:00Z 2008-09-19T00:00:00Z
PC told me I shouldn't be so stressed out about it, it will be fine. Of course, he is not the one who has to extricate this person from his uterus. So, whatever hope I had of having a little 7lb baby is gone. I also told him I am done producing super-sized offspring....next time I'll procreate with a midget.

After much discussion we decided that despite the fact that its highly unlikely I'll go into labor this week, it would be best for PC to head home. So, for the first time this year he is now going to be home for 6 weeks straight.....can you even believe it? Now, lets have this baby.
]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080915-204412 2008-09-16T00:00:00Z 2008-09-16T00:00:00Z
We had dinner with friends last night and they convinced me maybe I should do something about it. Once we got home I called L&D and they told me to drink 32oz. of water, take some tylenol, lay down and call them if I had more than 6 in an hour. I had 10. I really didn't want to ask my neighbor (who I asked to take Nathan when its the 'real deal') to take him for this inevitably false alarm. I took him to Karen and Mike's, and while I know this is what friends are for, I felt bad knowing it was going to be a late night for them now too. Thankfully at the coaxing of my mom I had packed him a little backpack of a change of clothes, books, toothbrush in the event something like this happened. It took me 3 trips to the car to load my hospital bag, Nathan's stuff, a pillow and blanket for him, the laptop (for phone numbers, Im not under any illusion that the hospital has wifi), and the child himself.

It was a quiet night at the hospital and they got me hooked up right away. They wanted to do a 20 minute FHR and contraction strip and after about 10 minutes and 3 contractions they decided to just go ahead and check me then.

(Guys, if you don't want the juicy details you can just stop reading here). Upon checking me I was already dilated to almost a 3. They let me know I would be joining them up there for the next two hours and if there was any change in 2 hours I'd be admitted. Swell. I tried not to dwell on the fact that PC is gone and if things progressed I was going to have to do it on my own. I also tried not to freak out too much about the fact that if I did have the baby last night we weren't going to make it to the flea market AGAIN this month and I need that crap out of her room! Yes, the flea market was at the very top of my list of concerns. After two painfully boring hours with several seriously outdated trash magazines and listening to a woman deliver (the yelling....why all the yelling?) they came back to check me again. And if you've never been checked to see how dilated you are, I'd say its one of the more unpleasant/painful procedures out there. Only made worse when you actually in labor having contractions and they have to do it. Thankfully there was no change and I was free to go.

But, as the Dr. said its pretty unusual to be at 3cm at 35 weeks, so things are starting to happen. Its unlikely I'll make it until the magical day in October....which is good considering the Dr. said "wow....it looks like you have a really big baby in there." Thanks, thats just what I wanted to hear when I technically have 5 weeks to go. At 1:30am PC and I are on the phone trying to figure out what his next move should be and dang if babies aren't so unpredictable. It could be today, tomorrow or 3 weeks from now. Any bets? I also have an ultrasound this week to see how much see weighs (see: previous child 10lbs 6oz)....guesses?]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080914-150929 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z 2008-09-14T00:00:00Z
So this morning, after dropping Nathan off at school when I rounded the corner on the stairs and heard my car door shut and a man walking away from it I wasn't thinking completely rationally when I decided to chase after him. We passed each other on the sidewalk and when I got to the car I saw he had stolen all the change out of my car. Mind you, this couldn't have been more than $5 but today was the day I decided to be a hero. "EXCUSE ME" I yelled at him. I couldnt see him but I could hear him jingling the change so I started going up the stairs hoping to catch him. I got to the second floor and didnt see him, but could still hear the change so I went up another floor. I got to the top of the stairs just as he was opening the door to his apartment and again I yelled "EXCUSE ME"- he turned to look at me and proceeded to go inside his apartment. I then marched my hippo self down the hallway and pounded on the door with no response.

Why I got such a bee in my bonnet over $5 in change I'll never know. I'll blame the hormones. I went back to Nathan's school and told his teacher what had happened and she said we should call the police. I told her I didnt think that was really necessary over $5 but she insisted. In about 3 minutes time we walked down the stairs and I kid you not, at least 10 police officers were there. Some went charging up the stairs, others were talking to me, still others were casing the premises. Two investigators showed up, the property managers of the building, a team of crime scene people (the people that dust for prints- what are they called?) and I was told a translator would be there shortly. My $5 of stolen change had called no fewer than 20 people to the scene.

For the next TWO AND A HALF hours I filled out reports, walked through the whole ordeal, took pictures, answered questions and sat inside a tinted car while they brought the suspect in for me to identify.

The translator asked me if I wanted the man to get in trouble, and I had already profusely apologized for the whole thing because I never intended for this to get so blown out of proportion, and no, I wasn't looking to get someone into trouble. If he would have just given me my change back when I asked him to stop that would have been fine. The translator proceeds to tell me that they have been having a lot of stealing in the area and suspect this is the individual. He told me that the property managers have been wanting him out of the building and this could give them the cause they need to evict him. So, I was gathering that they were wanting me to...um....press charges? (For $5). I told the translator that I was worried what would happen if he and I ran into each other again and he was sure that he would not be residing there any longer and not to worry about that.

I suppose its worth mentioning that this sort of thing is taken much more seriously in Japan. As I was telling Nathan's teacher, in the US if you called the police to let them know someone stole $5 out of your UNLOCKED car they would have laughed at you. In Japan, this guy is getting charged with larceny....for stealing some pocket change. Even though I continued to apologize to everyone involved, they were all profusely thanking me and bowing for calling the police. I guess reporting even the pettiest of crimes is what makes Japan such a safe place to begin with.

I know my parents are shaking their heads saying "what were you thinking?" And in hindsight, I really don't know what possessed me to chase after someone for stealing $5 out of my unlocked car. It was stupid to follow him up to his apartment.

So, none of the things I had intended to get done this morning got done. I needed to go to the bank and get SEVEN HUNDRED dollars to pay for repairs on PC's car (see also: pissed off frame of mind). You know, PC's car that we were just going to junk 2 weeks ago but I said no, dont junk it. We can still sell it. I was supposed to meet friends at 11 for lunch who were then going to take me to go get PC's van. I pulled out of the crime scene at 11:20 sweaty, famished and embarrassed yet angry. I raced home, called my friend and immediately left to meet them for lunch. Janelle then took me to the bank and to get PC's van, then it was back to school to get Nathan. Im exhausted. I decided at the very least I needed a Starbucks since I can't have anything with a good amount of alcohol in it.

It was a really dumb thing to do. I would have never done that in the United States. I think I was mostly just upset by the fact that I caught him doing it and wasn't about to let him get away with it. Had it been 10 seconds later I never would have seen him and would have just have spent the rest of the day wondering where all my coffee change went, thinking I must have lost my mind. Live and learn right?]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080910-223538 2008-09-11T00:00:00Z 2008-09-11T00:00:00Z http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080910-143846 2008-09-10T00:00:00Z 2008-09-10T00:00:00Z http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080909-015905 2008-09-09T00:00:00Z 2008-09-09T00:00:00Z



]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080906-215701 2008-09-07T00:00:00Z 2008-09-07T00:00:00Z
Our batting average at the Kadena clinic is not good. Military medicine can be a bit of a dice roll, of course I've seen some civilian doctors that should have their license revoked but thats a story for another day. I was not happy this morning, after specifically requesting an appt with a specific provider, we saw someone different because they failed to make the appt with that specific person.

Nathan was unbelievably good/tolerant about the whole thing. He checked in at 39lbs and 41.5 inches tall. That puts him right about the height and weight of your average 5 year old. The sheet that the corpsman gave me about '3 year olds' says they should be able to count to 3, know at least one color, know their name, and understand the meaning of words such as 'hungry', 'cold', 'wet'. I was relaying this to PC and was wondering if we got the "s-l-o-w kids playing" version because I have been around many 3 year olds and this seems to seriously underestimate their abilities. Nathan can count to 30 in English, Japanese and Thai (no thanks to his dad's extended time there). He knows all his colors. He knows all of his family member's full names. And not only does he know words like hungry, cold and wet, today we had a lengthy discussion in the car about the definition and use of the word Jackass. And how mom shouldn't say that. And how if I say it again I should have a timeout. And Nathan wanted to know specifically if, "you say that when someone is being bad.....when you are in the car? Because thats when you said it mom, you told that car "Jackass."

Back to the topic at hand, when the Dr. came in to see us she asked if I had any questions and the one question I did have was about thumb sucking. Last year when Nathan saw the dentist they said by 3 he needs to start giving that habit up in order to prevent any dental issues. So, I asked the dr. "do I need to do something about his thumb sucking." To which she responded emphatically "oh nooo.....only when they are 6 or 7 do we start to worry." 6 or 7? Like when they have PERMANENT teeth? I gave her a surprised look and told her that his dentist last year told us 3. She looked a little confused and sort of didn't know how to answer and asked if we had seen a dentist yet this year. I told her not yet and she said it would probably be something I should talk to them about. Right, you're only a pediatrician. I shouldn't expect you to have the faintest idea as to when thumb sucking should stop.

She went through her checklist of "is the house childproof?" (No...is now the time to do that?) "do you keep medicine out of reach" etc. And then she came to "does he ride in a carseat" which reminded me I wanted to ask about a bigger size carseat for him. Nathan has outgrown his convertible one and is now ready (or not) for the booster style seat. Im sure all of us parents of young kids are aware that the current recommendation is that you keep your kids in the 5 point harness for as long as you can. There aren't a plethora of boosters that have the 5 point harness but they do exist. I told her that I was wondering what her thoughts on booster seats were, for three year olds, and she was nonchalant about it like "yeah, its fine. I wouldn't worry about the 5 point harness." And so I pressed a little further and informed her that it seems the current recommendation is that kids stay in 5 point harnesses as long as they can. She again seemed like she was unaware of what I had just told her and said "well, it doesn't really matter....as long as they are buckled the booster seat is fine." I realize that boosters are 'approved' for kids 3 years and up, so its not like what she was saying was incorrect, I just wasn't getting the overall feeling that she knew much about anything relating to kids. Don't doctors have some sort of continuing education or AAP newsletters or dang, even a subscription to Parents magazine to keep up on current information?

The doctor asked me if he was current on his immunizations and I told her yes, except possibly Hep A because he's never had that, but we'd never been offered it either. I gave her his shot record because his 2yr old shots were done at the Naval hospital since I was so unhappy with the immunization clinic at Kadena and I had a hunch that those shots were not added to his record. She assured me she would add them in so that his record with the clinic was up to date. She then took us down the hall so he could get his shot which was sort of spur of the moment (that isnt how it's worked in the past) so I was caught a bit off guard. Meaning, I had assured Nathan that today would be *pain free* they were just going to check how big he was and listen to his heart....no shots, no pain. So as the immunizations guy was getting things ready Nathan and I sat in chairs in the hallway and I tried to explain what was about to happen. We get into the room and I see 2 syringes on the tray. I ask the guy why there are two and he tells me "Hep A and MMR" and I tell him "No, thats wrong. We are only getting Hep A." And then he started in with a bit of attitude about how MMR is a series shot and that he has to have it today. And I insist that he is wrong and we do this back and forth a few times until I pull out the shot record and ask him to show me why Nathan needs that today. "Oh," he says "we don't have any of your 2007 shots on file......yeah, he only needs the Hep A." So....the part where the pediatrician said she would update his record for me? Didn't happen. And the really troublesome part is that I feel like Im a pretty astute individual. When it comes to things like this Im not one to just sort of let things slide or 'take your word' for it. But Im sure a lot of people are. Im sure a lot of parents wouldn't have looked up the immunizations chart before going to the doctor so that they knew what their kids were and were not supposed to get at 3 years old. Im sure a lot of people would have just figured the doctor/nurse/corpsman knew what they were talking about and get the shots they were told their kid needed.

Im not sure what effect of being over immunized is. I know with PC and the military he has had several shots MULTIPLE times because records have been lost or not recorded or whatever and if its not in the file, you get it again. So- the Drew family has learned the valuable lesson of keeping your OWN yellow shot record aside from what the hospital has. (Note: PC seems to have survived multiple doses of multiple shots ok). Nathan was a rock star and didn't bat an eye at getting his shot. Of course I lavished him with praise, a smoothie, AND the promise of having lunch with dad. All for just one shot.]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080904-230530 2008-09-05T00:00:00Z 2008-09-05T00:00:00Z
So, after 4 years 1 month we've finally made it out of the single bar club and have joined the double bars!









]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080902-180145 2008-09-03T00:00:00Z 2008-09-03T00:00:00Z http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080901-042501 2008-09-01T00:00:00Z 2008-09-01T00:00:00Z







]]> http://www.thedrews.net/lisablog/index.php?entry=entry080825-215044 2008-08-26T00:00:00Z 2008-08-26T00:00:00Z