Baby smile!

Vacation picture! If you have a baby and just happen to find yourself in Key West, I highly recommend the Butterfly Conservatory. It was just lucky for the butterflies that pudgy baby arms don't move as quickly as their wings!

Assorted smiles...

I had an entire hour of Mommy bliss today when my co-worker and I went to have a manicure and pedicure. Forgot how I love those massage chairs! The only thing that was hard was not letting my head hit the headrest-- too afraid that I'd start snoring right there in the Day Spa.

One day last week my husband stayed home with Mark because we couldn't find a backup daycare for the day. I got up and fed Mark a bottle and then put him to bed with my husband in our big ol' bed. As I was heading to work, I looked back on my boys-- and all I saw poking above the puffy duvet was a little smiling face. As I walked out, I couldn't help but think that all summer long I was prevented from sleeping in by that mischeivious little guy.

Recieved my shipment of Caribou Coffee this weekend. I ordered a bunch of different varieties in addition to Fireside, my favorite. I'm really liking the Mocha Java. I've got a Starbucks close by my school, but no Caribou. Probably a good thing, because I'd weigh a gazillion pounds as a result of waaaaay too many Mint Conditions.

Prison Break stinks this season. 'Nuff said.

Sunday Night Thoughts...

Love my weekends... Who doesn't? I had so much to do this weekend. For once, I got everything done that I needed to get accomplished. I had assessments to grade (you should see the look on the faces of third graders when, on the first day, they are told that they are taking a test), an Assignment Sheet template to create, and Science curricular content to download off of the internet (legally, folks-- my employer is too cheap to purchase materials that match the state curriculum, but wealthy enough to purchase district licenses to educational download websites). I also had shopping to accomplish (we're now House o' Similac again). We were also supposed to go to an HOA meeting, but I wussed out and sent Phil alone.

No news on my Mom. In most cases, I'd think no news is good news, but I still am not in favor of the laissez-faire attitude of her doctor/radiologist.

Wow. The best TV season finale that I've seen in ages was tonight's Entourage. Holy buckets!

Assorted rants...

What do my husband and I fight about? Money, of course. Par example, our daycare provider told us that she is quitting the business-- so we need a new daycare for Mark. We have, therefore, been on the hunt for one of the most scarce resources of which I know-- an infant daycare slot. I have been talking and networking for six weeks now. I finally found a slot. I tell the engineer and what does he start picking apart? That she's just starting in daycare and she's charging as much as the experienced providers in the area. So now he's telling me that he'll haggle with her to decide on a price. Umm... when I go to the store and see that there is a price on an item, I don't haggle. I'm trusting this person with my child-- the boy that I went through two years of waiting, months and months of charting, and a round of Clomid (which caused me to be so off-balance that I had a road rage incident) to concieve. Screw it-- he can take care of daycare issues from now on.

I talked to my Mom today. When she had her screening last week for breast cancer, the radiologist said the tests were inconclusive and she needed additional mammograms and/or a biopsy. She talked to both the radiologist and her doctor today. The radiologist said that he'd compare the mammogram she just had with her last mammogram (which is six! years old) to decide about the inconclusive lumps. Then her doctor says no additional screening is necessary on the inconclusive lumps and that she just has dense breasts.

At this point, you might be thinking, AAK, why not trust the doctors? Let me tell you why. My friend was told by a doctor when she was in her mid-30s to not worry about the lump in her breast. A year later, she demanded screening and he guilt-tripped her about how she didn't trust him. She got her screening, her second opinion, and guess what! She had breast cancer. Had to have a mastectomy, reconstruction, and the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes. Had to have a second surgery to remove all of her lymph nodes. Now has a compression sleeve to deal with the swelling in her arm (aka lymphodema). It's pretty damn easy for a doctor to say not to worry about a lumpy breast. But it pisses me off that they're gambling with my Mom's life.

Boobies

My Mom has been going through the screening for breast cancer. When I went back to Wyoming a couple of weeks ago, I sat down with her to review all of her insurance coverage. Now that her tests keep coming back inconclusive, I'm attempting (from halfway across the country) to help her get a second opinion at a major medical facility once she hears benign/malignant from the doctors in Wyoming. The waiting thing really sucks at this point.

The weird thing is that I don't feel very emotional about this except anger that she's waited so long to get the lumps examined. Turns out that she's had the lumps for a while and she hasn't worked out a time to get screened. I'm pretty upset about that. Aside from that, I just want to know if she's okay or if we have a big fight ahead of us.

If she gets a malignant diagnosis, we've talked about bringing her out here for surgery. One of my good friends had breast cancer treatment at a breast center nearby and was happy with the treatment. I just don't want my Mom to get stuck in po-dunk Wyoming and getting ineffective treatment as a result.

I've also been reluctant to talk to people about all of this. I usually don't mind talking about stuff-- but I guess all of this just scares me too much. It's nice to have Mark and school to take my mind off scary boobies.

A New Start

Yesterday, I found out that I will be teaching a third grade class. I spent a few hours at school and got just a bit of work done. It's fun to unpack and freshen up the classroom for another school year. (That's what I say now-- I won't be loving life this weekend when I have a million and one things to get done by next week.) Since I was out on maternity leave last year, the school year was a bit disjointed. I'm ready to see a class all the way through the year.

I also got a new purse yesterday. I've shifted to a purse that's big enough to be a 'Mom purse.' I do look wistfully at my tiny little purses that are now lonely in my closet-- I'm afraid that those days are over.

Speaking of being a mom, I had a bad mommy moment this morning. I've been leaving Mark to commando crawl on the bathroom floor while I get ready in the morning. It bit me in the butt this morning when I left him alone for a few minutes and he was quiet (bad sign). When I looked back at him, he was rubbing his body with... the toilet brush! AAACCCCKKKKK!!!!!!! I make sure that I only feed him organic baby food and keep his bottles sterilized, but I stand idly by while he rubs caustic chemicals and other bits of ick. I can't even categorize it as slacker mom-- it's definitely a bad mommy move.

sundance and IFC are my friends...

As a teacher, I get about two months off. The summer is my time to refresh and rejuvenate-- and sit my butt down and be as lazy as I want. Being that I have been at home with my wee one and have the power of Tivo, I been watching documentaries. Mobutu, Salvador Allende, Super Size Me, Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (OK, that one was through Netflix), and The Corporation have all been on my viewing list at one point or another. I have been thinking pretty deeply about the way I wish to raise Mark as a result. I don't want Mark to go into a McDonald's or any other fast food restaurant that will try to convince him that eating in an unhealthy way is 'cool.' I want Mark to be a free thinker that questions the status quo. I wish for Mark that he trains a critical eye on the world. It's a big responsibility, though... How do I raise him in this mainstream world without having him buy into everything 'The Man' tries to convince him is good and wonderful?

Home Again, Home Again

Okay, I'll admit-- going to see family isn't exactly vacation. Mark made his command performance at his grandparents' home. I didn't exactly get any 'downtime,' especially with trying to get around to see everyone. Also, it's a bit frustrating to arrive at my parents' place to discover that our time has been scheduled before we even arrived. We had a nice visit, and Mark continues to charm all-- family, fellow airplane passengers, and random strangers on the street.

I'm very happy that we arrived back yesterday and didn't have to go through the 'no liquids' sweep at the airport. Yikes! My question is: are the screeners trained to know what formula smells like? What about breastmilk? (I was always nervous while I was breastfeeding and pumping that the screeners were going to make me justify that it was breastmilk in the containers...)

Now that I'm back at home and school starts next week, I've decided to lose some weight. I truly didn't know how hard it would be to keep the weight off once I stopped breastfeeding. I've previously done W*eight W., but I'm not sure what I'll do this time. I'm a bit intrigued by the Sonoma diet... Has anyone out there tried it? Is it do-able?

My Peanut

Okay, here's the second love of my life. Mark is my six-month old son. He has more personality than I ever expected was possible in a little body. It took 2 years of TTC, much charting, many OPK kits, and a round of Clomid (which turned me psycho, but that's another story) to get him here, and here he is!

People stop us to admire him, which he absolutely eats up. We were on vacation last week (which I'm saving for a future post). My cousin said that she wants to go to law school near us so she can babysit (fine with me), the captain of the boat we took to go snorkeling offered to babysit him anytime, and the cashier at the magazine stand in Fort Lauderdale stopped everything to talk to Mark and me. Want to meet new people? Mark's your ticket!

My Dear Husband is gone right now, but comes home tomorrow. I swear that we should start buying real estate in the cities to which he always travels!

We just got back from a combination trip to Albequerque (to see my cousin get married) and the Florida Keys (to relax), and we leave in a few days to go to Wyoming. We're accompanying Mark as he goes to visit his grandparents near Gillette. What is funny is that we've chosen to go back during the Sturgis motorcycle rally (which takes place in South Dakota, but spills over into Wyoming). So we'll be steering the stroller around the bikers.

It is hotter than hot here today, so we are staying inside all day today. My friends are coming over so we can work on a Mathematics graduate class. (Just what everyone wants to do on a hot day, right?)

Here I Am...

It's my first blog entry! I have been lurking on many blogs for a while, and have decided that it is time for my own. So who am I? I am a teacher, a new mom, and a wife to an engineer who travels endlessly for his job. I'm originally from South Dakota (born in Deadwood-- yes, the same town as the HBO series) and now live on the East Coast. More to come!