A Case of the Runs

Here are some thoughts I've had as we settle into a new lifestyle... It's incredible how one day, things were totally normal, and the next, things changed permanently. We are incredibly lucky that the baby is mostly good, at least for a newborn. He has been on a 2-3 hour feeding schedule and generally sleeps in between with some exceptions. Since I was so drugged up at the hospital, it took longer than expected to start a supply going, and it isn't enough still (I'm still working with the lactation folks and a tedious routine at each feed). So figuring out which supplement won't make him so gassy has been a struggle. I'm not sure how long I can keep this up, but I figure whatever I can give him now will help. "The Ukrainian" is going back to work soon, so  I am going to have to learn to somehow balance everything during the day. Terrifying. I am definitely looking forward to the little one growing and settling into a less exhausting rou...

EVENT: Our Baby's Arrival! DATE: Tuesday, November 18, 2014 LOCATION: Baldwin Park, CA RACE BEGAN: 5:00 AM, Monday November 17, 2014 FINISH TIME: 25 hours, 44 minutes (approximately) ***I will try to keep this as non graphic as p ossible... but this IS a birth story...*** At around 5 in the morning about a week before I was supposed to be due, I woke up from a dream in which "The Ukrainian" was telling me he was worried about the baby. I woke up to a dribble and decided to go to the restroom. I was a bit soaked, and having not had any incontinence issues thus far, I was suspicious.  Maybe half an hour later, I told "The Ukrainian," who was about to get up and get ready for work, what happened. I was hesitant to call L&D because I wasn't totally sure and didn't want to seem paranoid, but eventually I did. They told me to shower, eat, and come in. We arrived at the hospital at around 7:30 and managed not to get clogged in Monday morning tra...

I have blogged about posture before, and here's another way of helping it! I am kind of reaching a point where no shoes are comfortable on me.  I spent my last days at work in grey tennis shoes during lunch or commuting times and wobbled around in heels the rest of the time. Thankfully, I quit super-tall heels long ago, but any heel height was a feat. I didn't spend a lot of time wearing flats, although I should have.  I simply did not have a pair that fit anymore.  My harder, normal flats got tight, and then even my "forgiving" flats got tight. I wish I had had these BackJoy StandRight Bliss shoes around earlier! From their website: Created for women on the go, the Bliss Ballet style offers classic simplicity with all the benefits of our patented Natural Gait Line System™. The Ballet guides your foot during walking while a neutral position keeps your head, hips and feet balanced in good posture. Shock-absorbing materials cushion the foot and heel at i...

It's no secret that I miss my previous job and the days when I had the option of telecommuting. However, it has been a full two years since I was laid off and another year-and-a-half-plus since I've been working at my current job.  Since then, I've kind of just been working just trying to get to that next vacation or even the next paycheck, not worrying about progress or the future or anything like that.  Perhaps it was because I knew we'd be starting a family in the foreseeable future and didn't want to get myself into an unideal situation.  Looking back, that was kind of an irrational way to approach things, but that's where I was, mentally.  I knew that I'd have to face the whole family vs. career thing sooner or later, and with this week being my last before maternity leave, I find myself having mixed emotions about that. Working during the pregnancy has been, well, rough.  I was lucky that I wasn't running off to the toilet all the time... well,...