Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Jumping and Making Noise
As Beckett and Theo get bigger and stronger, they are able to have more and more fun in the jumper. In this video, Beck shows off his leg strength a bit while also exercising his vocal chords.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Weekly roundup
I haven't done a Differences post in a while, so I thought it's be good to do that, for posterity if nothing else.
Naps: Theo loves his routine, and so he naps from 9-10am and 12-1 or 1-2 every day. I just put him down in his crib, he finds his thumb to suck on, and he closes his eyes and goes to sleep. Beckett, on the other hand, resists most attempts at napping and prefers to fall asleep while in motion--stroller, carseat, carrier, arms. He will eventually fall asleep if put in his crib but will sometimes moan and giggle and fuss for up to 20 minutes before falling asleep. Both really need a late-afternoon nap so that they can make it through the grumpy time of 5-7pm before bedtime, but they both resist being put down then. Some days we go for a walk for them to mellow out, sometimes we walk around the house, and sometimes we struggle through a very grumpy early evening together because they are overtired.
Play: Beckett loves everything physical. If we put him down on his belly, he rolls over to his back almost immediately, or he pushes way up and giggles and laughs. He scoots on his belly to some degree forward and sideways, and he is very adept at grabbing for things, transferring them from one hand to the other and holding them with both hands. Beckett enjoys being read to for a short period of time but then gets bored and starts trying to eat the book or turn the pages or he arches his back and tries to scoot away. Theo, on the other hand, could be read to for hours. He loves looking at the pictures and often "talks" back as I am reading to him. He smiles and looks very eager and alert in front of a book.
Nighttime sleep: Theo, again, is happy to be put down in his crib at 6:30 or 7pm, and he just finds his thumb, starts sucking, and goes to sleep. He wakes up once between 7pm and 7am to eat, but other than that, he is asleep. Beckett resists being put down and wakes up more during the night. He also almost immediately hooks his fingers through the crocheted blanket we put over them in their cribs, and pulls it over his head. Beckett is also more likely to wake up before 7am, sometimes as early as 5am, but can usually be coaxed back to sleep if he is cuddled in with one of us in our bed.
Similarities: Both Beckett and Theo smile and laugh a lot. They both love the "full body examination" game, where I start at their toes and work up to their foreheads, massaging and naming every part of their bodies. They usually start giggling by the time I make it to their ankles. They also love the "Five Green and Speckled Frogs" song and classical music on the radio in the car. They also have the same favorite toy, a handmedown from Kate and Aaron (and Dylan and Ollie) which is four rings connected by a hard plastic piece with a mirror on one side and moving balls in a window on the other. When the rings move, they make a mechanical clicking sound. This is the toy that Beckett steals from Theo when he is within striking distance.
Brief mama medical update: I go back to the endocrinologist for followup and blood testing in three weeks, but I'm done with everything else. I went to the surgeon yesterday for him to check out the incision, and everything looks good. It is simply amazing how good it looks after only ten days. He says I will have no perceptible scar within a few months. He described more about the surgery and why I still have neck stiffness, which is because my thyroid was quite vascular and thus difficult to extract. He likened it to an orange with a difficult-to-remove peel, where as you go to remove the peel, you dig your thumb into the flesh of the orange a little bit (ouch). Interestingly, the surgeon said that he had no doubt that the vascularness (?) of the thyroid was related to my having taken Tapazole, the thyroid drug I had been on, as that is a known but uncommon side effect of the drug. I questioned, then, whether he thought the Tapazole had anything to do with my lung event in September. He said that he had no doubt that the Tapazole exacerbated the bleeding, but that he did not know whether it caused the bleeding.
In other lung news, I saw Pulmonologist No. 1 again for a followup Tuesday. I was up-front with him about having seen another pulmonologist for a second opinion, and about the fact that Pulmonologist No. 2 believed I had some upper respiratory tract bleeding that drained into my lungs rather than a lung hemorrhage, none of which was related to Tapazole. Dr No. 1 said that because he had done the scope of my lungs, he was the only one in a position to determine where the bleeding had originated, and that he is positive that I was bleeding (massively) in my lungs. He said it was impossible for that much blood to have drained to my lungs from somewhere else, as the bleeding was massive and in both lungs, and because it continued to bleed as he performed the scope. He said he has no doubt at all that the Tapazole caused the hemorrhage. So we are left with the opinions of two doctors which differ significantly, with no room for common ground. I guess all I can do is be grateful they agree that I am fundamentally healthy and that this will never happen again. There's still so much we don't know, but we're moving on....
Naps: Theo loves his routine, and so he naps from 9-10am and 12-1 or 1-2 every day. I just put him down in his crib, he finds his thumb to suck on, and he closes his eyes and goes to sleep. Beckett, on the other hand, resists most attempts at napping and prefers to fall asleep while in motion--stroller, carseat, carrier, arms. He will eventually fall asleep if put in his crib but will sometimes moan and giggle and fuss for up to 20 minutes before falling asleep. Both really need a late-afternoon nap so that they can make it through the grumpy time of 5-7pm before bedtime, but they both resist being put down then. Some days we go for a walk for them to mellow out, sometimes we walk around the house, and sometimes we struggle through a very grumpy early evening together because they are overtired.
Play: Beckett loves everything physical. If we put him down on his belly, he rolls over to his back almost immediately, or he pushes way up and giggles and laughs. He scoots on his belly to some degree forward and sideways, and he is very adept at grabbing for things, transferring them from one hand to the other and holding them with both hands. Beckett enjoys being read to for a short period of time but then gets bored and starts trying to eat the book or turn the pages or he arches his back and tries to scoot away. Theo, on the other hand, could be read to for hours. He loves looking at the pictures and often "talks" back as I am reading to him. He smiles and looks very eager and alert in front of a book.
Nighttime sleep: Theo, again, is happy to be put down in his crib at 6:30 or 7pm, and he just finds his thumb, starts sucking, and goes to sleep. He wakes up once between 7pm and 7am to eat, but other than that, he is asleep. Beckett resists being put down and wakes up more during the night. He also almost immediately hooks his fingers through the crocheted blanket we put over them in their cribs, and pulls it over his head. Beckett is also more likely to wake up before 7am, sometimes as early as 5am, but can usually be coaxed back to sleep if he is cuddled in with one of us in our bed.
Similarities: Both Beckett and Theo smile and laugh a lot. They both love the "full body examination" game, where I start at their toes and work up to their foreheads, massaging and naming every part of their bodies. They usually start giggling by the time I make it to their ankles. They also love the "Five Green and Speckled Frogs" song and classical music on the radio in the car. They also have the same favorite toy, a handmedown from Kate and Aaron (and Dylan and Ollie) which is four rings connected by a hard plastic piece with a mirror on one side and moving balls in a window on the other. When the rings move, they make a mechanical clicking sound. This is the toy that Beckett steals from Theo when he is within striking distance.
Brief mama medical update: I go back to the endocrinologist for followup and blood testing in three weeks, but I'm done with everything else. I went to the surgeon yesterday for him to check out the incision, and everything looks good. It is simply amazing how good it looks after only ten days. He says I will have no perceptible scar within a few months. He described more about the surgery and why I still have neck stiffness, which is because my thyroid was quite vascular and thus difficult to extract. He likened it to an orange with a difficult-to-remove peel, where as you go to remove the peel, you dig your thumb into the flesh of the orange a little bit (ouch). Interestingly, the surgeon said that he had no doubt that the vascularness (?) of the thyroid was related to my having taken Tapazole, the thyroid drug I had been on, as that is a known but uncommon side effect of the drug. I questioned, then, whether he thought the Tapazole had anything to do with my lung event in September. He said that he had no doubt that the Tapazole exacerbated the bleeding, but that he did not know whether it caused the bleeding.
In other lung news, I saw Pulmonologist No. 1 again for a followup Tuesday. I was up-front with him about having seen another pulmonologist for a second opinion, and about the fact that Pulmonologist No. 2 believed I had some upper respiratory tract bleeding that drained into my lungs rather than a lung hemorrhage, none of which was related to Tapazole. Dr No. 1 said that because he had done the scope of my lungs, he was the only one in a position to determine where the bleeding had originated, and that he is positive that I was bleeding (massively) in my lungs. He said it was impossible for that much blood to have drained to my lungs from somewhere else, as the bleeding was massive and in both lungs, and because it continued to bleed as he performed the scope. He said he has no doubt at all that the Tapazole caused the hemorrhage. So we are left with the opinions of two doctors which differ significantly, with no room for common ground. I guess all I can do is be grateful they agree that I am fundamentally healthy and that this will never happen again. There's still so much we don't know, but we're moving on....
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Beck cooks with Mama
I also just put us on the list for half a pig from a local farm, so in January or February you may see a photo documenting Beckett or Theo helping Mama butcher a pig! Just kidding, they butcher it for us. So much for filling that chest freezer with breastmilk! It's meat meat meat all the way!Here's a couple of Grandma Joanie reading one of her favorite books to Theo last week when she was here helping me recover from surgery.
PS I'm feeling pretty good! I still have some soreness and stiffness in my neck (especially looking up) but I have had almost no pain since leaving the hospital. I will see the surgeon tomorrow and have the tape removed and then we'll see what I look like. For now, it's turtlenecks every day. They say that in 3-6 months no one will ever know, but I'll believe it when we get there.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Mama goes to work
First, the singing naked telegram is winning the poll right now. Nice note is losing. Get those votes in!
Second, best news since surgery went well last Monday: Mama's going back to work part-time! Following some negotiations with the executive director, we have agreed to a plan that will have me working a half-time schedule. I'm excited to be putting my feet back in the work pool, as well as to reconnect with a part of my brain that has been on hiatus for nine months, and to have more time with adults! I'm sure it will be hard to be away from the babies at all but I feel very confident that they are in good hands with our neighbor Mindy, who will be watching them all day Monday and a half-day Wednesday. My parents are going to come up Fridays to watch the babies most weeks, and when they can't either Mindy will watch them or Jeff and I may split the day, or we'll find another sitter. Altogether it couldn't have gone a lot better and I'm grateful to be one of the first HLAS employees able to transition to part-time, on my own terms. Hooray! I go back the Monday after Thanksgiving, November 28.
Second, best news since surgery went well last Monday: Mama's going back to work part-time! Following some negotiations with the executive director, we have agreed to a plan that will have me working a half-time schedule. I'm excited to be putting my feet back in the work pool, as well as to reconnect with a part of my brain that has been on hiatus for nine months, and to have more time with adults! I'm sure it will be hard to be away from the babies at all but I feel very confident that they are in good hands with our neighbor Mindy, who will be watching them all day Monday and a half-day Wednesday. My parents are going to come up Fridays to watch the babies most weeks, and when they can't either Mindy will watch them or Jeff and I may split the day, or we'll find another sitter. Altogether it couldn't have gone a lot better and I'm grateful to be one of the first HLAS employees able to transition to part-time, on my own terms. Hooray! I go back the Monday after Thanksgiving, November 28.
Funny Series of Pictures
Bro, get your hand of my face.
Seriously bro, move your hand or I'll bite it off.
OK, you called my bluff. I can't bite your hand because I don't have any teeth yet, but i will suck on it!
Thursday, October 27, 2011
New Poll
I want to do something nice for my awesome endocrinologist who has managed my care so carefully over the last month, who arranged my surgery and talked me down numerous times from a steroid- and hyperthyroid-induced hysteria. She found me pulmonologist #2 and is tapering me off the steroids. She has seen me every week throughout this nightmare, fitting me in to her very busy schedule, and has spent countless hours coordinating my care with both pulmonologists, my primary care physician, and my surgeon. And throughout, she has made me laugh and feel taken care of at the same time. She has also, ever so carefully, suggested on multiple occasions that the care I received at the hospital I first went to was sub-par.
So how do I thank her for everything she's done? Keep in mind that she's semi-offbeat, no kids, and has a foul mouth. She is rough around the edges but sweet. She talked for 10 minutes last visit about how much she loves Halloween, but won't dress up because last time she had the office dress up a nurse dressed up as Snow White and her first patient was a dwarf. Awkward!
Let me know in the poll or in the comments below how I should thank her--I really need your help!
So how do I thank her for everything she's done? Keep in mind that she's semi-offbeat, no kids, and has a foul mouth. She is rough around the edges but sweet. She talked for 10 minutes last visit about how much she loves Halloween, but won't dress up because last time she had the office dress up a nurse dressed up as Snow White and her first patient was a dwarf. Awkward!
Let me know in the poll or in the comments below how I should thank her--I really need your help!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Post-surgery
First things first: I had a total thyroidectomy yesterday and everything went really well. I arrived at the hospital at about 5:15am and was in surgery by 8:00. The afternoon was rough as I came out of the anesthesia and adjusted to the soreness and stiffness in my neck but because I was doing so well (and wanted to get home to the babies) I was discharged around 6:30pm. The surgeon got the whole thing out and everything went perfectly. I really finally feel like the worst is over, and I am on the way up.
My endocrinologist visited me in the hospital and was really happy with how the surgery had gone and how I was recovering. I was glad my mom got to meet her and see what I love about her. She talked a little bit about how scared she had been when I first came in four weeks ago after I had been in the hospital, and that she really did not know what was going to happen to me. But she said I am through the "dark dark forest" and that I am going to be perfectly fine. It's a huge relief.
We have been blessed with lots of delicious meals and food this week, which has been awesome with everyone here. Jeff's mom Kathy left this afternoon and his dad Greg was here yesterday and this morning. My dad was here yesterday and came back again this afternoon after work. Heidi and Meghan brought food Sunday and Monday, and Divya brought another meal for tonight. Everything has been amazing and it has been a huge gift not to have to worry about food. The Women's Bar Association Board has been amazing and I am so grateful to have gotten to know these amazing women. Deb and Renee sent over an Edible Arrangement and Mary and Danielle sent a Wegmans gift card. I can't believe everyone's generosity. The babies have been keeping everyone smiling and laughing. Apparently they were a little stressed out yesterday (possibly reflecting the stress felt by Kathy and Joan waiting at home to hear news about the surgery) but I think they were back to normal today.
I feel uniquely qualified to rate the hospitals where I have been admitted this year, of which there have been four (five hospitalizations, four different hospitals). St. Joe's, where I had the surgery, wins the award for best food. By far. Though they sure were stingy with bringing it at first. I liked that they brought two desserts with every meal. I'm a big fan of that policy. And not some crappy gelatanous ice cream like at Crouse. I got cream puffs and berry jello for dinner dessert at St. Joe's, and rice pudding with real whipped cream with a dusting of cocoa powder for lunch dessert. Not too shabby! And to be fair, when I really bitched about not getting food after I got out of surgery and had nursed once and pumped breastmilk three times since I had last eaten, they did bring me two containers of yogurt and a bunch of milk and juice. After offering me graham crackers and toast. I looked at her like, you idiot, I just had throat surgery and was intubated. My dad actually called her an imbecile. Which wasn't very nice but was true. The lactation nurse who came down from maternity to help me pump when I got out of recovery was awesome, and so I rate the lactation nurses at St. Joe's better than Crouse because no one at Crouse was as helpful or friendly (or attractive, but that shouldn't really figure into the ratings). The room was a tie for the crappiest room I have been in (tied with St. Luke's in NYC). It was bad enough to be in a tiny cubicle twice the size of the hospital bed, in a double room where the woman next to me watched/listened to Fox News all day (seriously I thought I was in hell). But she also had some kind of bladder or urinary problem so the bathroom was a total disaster and reeked of old stale pee all day that was never cleaned up. I thought Jeff was going to boot the first time he went in. So St. Joe's gets serious demerits for lack of cleanliness. The nurse I had when I first got to the post-surgery floor was not very nice and in general they weren't very responsive or friendly or helpful. They seemed very understaffed and busy. I always worry about patients without advocates with them, especially advocates as pushy as Jeff and my parents. I worry that they don't get food, or help to the bathroom, or pain medication. And I'm grateful for my advocates who never left me alone and who got me everything I needed.
So from here on out, things should get better every day. My voice still isn't great so I'm not great on the phone yet, and my neck is still pretty sore and stiff so it's hard to move around a lot and I look a little suspicious because I can't turn my head that much so I just look around shiftily. But I think I'm getting better all the time. I'm going to try to keep resting some each day the rest of the week and then we'll see if I can get some help for next week, when Jeff will be in New York City Tuesday through Thursday. I have a babysitter lined up for Monday afternoon for one doctor appointment and another for Wednesday's doctor appointment, and Lauren's going to help out with at least one other night for the witching hour and putting to bed. Thank you to everyone for the calls, emails, texts, food, and good thoughts sent our way--every little bit has helped and I am so grateful!
My endocrinologist visited me in the hospital and was really happy with how the surgery had gone and how I was recovering. I was glad my mom got to meet her and see what I love about her. She talked a little bit about how scared she had been when I first came in four weeks ago after I had been in the hospital, and that she really did not know what was going to happen to me. But she said I am through the "dark dark forest" and that I am going to be perfectly fine. It's a huge relief.
We have been blessed with lots of delicious meals and food this week, which has been awesome with everyone here. Jeff's mom Kathy left this afternoon and his dad Greg was here yesterday and this morning. My dad was here yesterday and came back again this afternoon after work. Heidi and Meghan brought food Sunday and Monday, and Divya brought another meal for tonight. Everything has been amazing and it has been a huge gift not to have to worry about food. The Women's Bar Association Board has been amazing and I am so grateful to have gotten to know these amazing women. Deb and Renee sent over an Edible Arrangement and Mary and Danielle sent a Wegmans gift card. I can't believe everyone's generosity. The babies have been keeping everyone smiling and laughing. Apparently they were a little stressed out yesterday (possibly reflecting the stress felt by Kathy and Joan waiting at home to hear news about the surgery) but I think they were back to normal today.
I feel uniquely qualified to rate the hospitals where I have been admitted this year, of which there have been four (five hospitalizations, four different hospitals). St. Joe's, where I had the surgery, wins the award for best food. By far. Though they sure were stingy with bringing it at first. I liked that they brought two desserts with every meal. I'm a big fan of that policy. And not some crappy gelatanous ice cream like at Crouse. I got cream puffs and berry jello for dinner dessert at St. Joe's, and rice pudding with real whipped cream with a dusting of cocoa powder for lunch dessert. Not too shabby! And to be fair, when I really bitched about not getting food after I got out of surgery and had nursed once and pumped breastmilk three times since I had last eaten, they did bring me two containers of yogurt and a bunch of milk and juice. After offering me graham crackers and toast. I looked at her like, you idiot, I just had throat surgery and was intubated. My dad actually called her an imbecile. Which wasn't very nice but was true. The lactation nurse who came down from maternity to help me pump when I got out of recovery was awesome, and so I rate the lactation nurses at St. Joe's better than Crouse because no one at Crouse was as helpful or friendly (or attractive, but that shouldn't really figure into the ratings). The room was a tie for the crappiest room I have been in (tied with St. Luke's in NYC). It was bad enough to be in a tiny cubicle twice the size of the hospital bed, in a double room where the woman next to me watched/listened to Fox News all day (seriously I thought I was in hell). But she also had some kind of bladder or urinary problem so the bathroom was a total disaster and reeked of old stale pee all day that was never cleaned up. I thought Jeff was going to boot the first time he went in. So St. Joe's gets serious demerits for lack of cleanliness. The nurse I had when I first got to the post-surgery floor was not very nice and in general they weren't very responsive or friendly or helpful. They seemed very understaffed and busy. I always worry about patients without advocates with them, especially advocates as pushy as Jeff and my parents. I worry that they don't get food, or help to the bathroom, or pain medication. And I'm grateful for my advocates who never left me alone and who got me everything I needed.
So from here on out, things should get better every day. My voice still isn't great so I'm not great on the phone yet, and my neck is still pretty sore and stiff so it's hard to move around a lot and I look a little suspicious because I can't turn my head that much so I just look around shiftily. But I think I'm getting better all the time. I'm going to try to keep resting some each day the rest of the week and then we'll see if I can get some help for next week, when Jeff will be in New York City Tuesday through Thursday. I have a babysitter lined up for Monday afternoon for one doctor appointment and another for Wednesday's doctor appointment, and Lauren's going to help out with at least one other night for the witching hour and putting to bed. Thank you to everyone for the calls, emails, texts, food, and good thoughts sent our way--every little bit has helped and I am so grateful!
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