You Little Stinker

 

Sunday night/Monday morning, Conor woke up around 3:00 am.  Dave and I had already decided that he wasn’t going to get to sleep in the Big Bed because he’s been getting up earlier and earlier and we didn’t want to get back into the all night nursing habit. 

 

So I got up and nursed him for about 40 minutes.  I couldn’t get him into the crib without him crying, so I relented and brought him to the Big Bed.  I figured I could make Dave get up and finish the crib hand off. 

 

We got into bed, he nursed for 20 seconds, pulled off, said Da-Da as clear as day, and rolled over to Dave.  I heard Dave kiss him on the head and then they both immediately went to sleep. 

 

I leaned up on my arm and looked at both of them slack jawed.  “YOU LITTLE STINKER!” I thought.  Actually, I though much worse, but it’s not appropriate to share curse words one has about one’s son to the rest of the world. 

 

Seriously, am I just the boob???  Am I not a cuddle, too???  We’re pretty sure we heard Conor give his version of the word Patches this morning, so once again, Ma-Ma is behind Da-da, doggie, and Patches.  I am getting a wee bit cranky about my lack of acknowledgement by our little one. 

 

Iron-y

 

Yesterday, I took Conor in for his 9 month shot and a blood panel.  When the doctor called at 5:10 the same day, I figured it wasn’t going to be good news.  Conor is a little bit anemic.  I’m picking up an iron supplement this morning to start him on for the next 6 weeks.  The first thing the doctor asked me, however, was if Conor eats a variety of baby food.

 

Yes!  He does.  He eats more types of food than any one company actually produces.  (I haven’t seen zucchini in the babyfood section of the grocery store.)  And his Earth’s Best rice cereal is iron fortified.  The only thing we haven’t been giving him much of is animal based protein, but really, he’s only now supposed to be starting on meat.  The doctor isn’t worried, but we’re going to keep an eye on it. 

 

I checked out the web sites on breastfed babies and iron to see if there is any issue, although I just can’t imagine, evolutionarily, that there would be.  And normally, there is not.  In fact, breastfed babies are usually less anemic . 

 

Dave suggested that perhaps I was anemic.  “No, I’m not,” I replied.

 

Dave pointed out that AF had just returned and that may cause anemia.  “No, it doesn’t,” I replied. 

 

Dave then kindly reminded me that I have been incredibly lightheaded and dizzy lately.  “You’re RIGHT!” I finally admitted.  “Is that related to anemia?”

 

Dave, as gently as possible said, “Ummm, yeah.” 

 

Just how bad has my dizziness been?  Gardening and yard work has become an exercise in squat and stagger.  I cannot stand up without steadying myself against something for a few moments or leaning over and putting my head below my heart.  As an athlete, I’ve always had low blood pressure and that’s what I’ve attributed the dizziness to, but I’ve never had anything this bad before.  But why now? 

 

Well, when AF came back, she came back with a vengeance.  I haven’t had anything like that since I was in high school.  I was all excited that I was having a period like other women do, but now I’m thinking it was excessively heavy for me.  I also have to admit that I haven’t been taking my pre-natal vitamins as regularly as I should have.  

 

That is the only thing we can figure out that is happening. (Your thoughts are welcome)  Conor’s blood work has been completely normal so far.  He’s eating a variety of iron rich food.  We’re wondering if the culprit could be that my milk has lost some of its iron.  It’s not common, but my AF was not common for me, either.  He goes back in 6 weeks after he’s finished his iron supplements for another blood panel.  I’m going to take my vitamins more regularly and concentrate on eating more iron rich foods.  I don’t mind supplementing him with drops until everything works out. 

 

The ironic point of this story is that 1) if culprit is my anemia due to AF, 2) we wouldn’t have picked it up at Conor’s scheduled 9 month visit because 3) AF came calling on exactly that day and 4) they didn’t take blood/give shots because Conor was sick.  If that is what happened, the timing of the test worked out the way it should have. 

 

Thoughts on Women in the News

 

I think Laura Bush’s stand up routine was very, very funny. 

 

Paris Hilton says "I always wanted to build a brand. Barbie's a brand. I knew I could be like that — an American princess."  I agree that Paris Hilton is like Barbie, if you think that Barbie is a drunken wh*re.

 

I agree with Carolina Karen think the runaway bride from Duluth must have some kind of weird family dynamics that she couldn’t tell them that she was having problems.  I’ll add, though, that at first I thought she was incredibly passive to not be able to stand up and say “No, this is not for me,” but instead run away at age 32.  However, I know think she must have a seriously untapped strength because she didn’t go through with the wedding and she got out the only way she knew how.  Let’s hope next time, she and any other cold footed brides just figure out how to say no in a less dramatic way. 

 

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