...the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight. Ok, I mean my baby sleeps tonight. Well, he sleeps every night for a week!
I took Reed to his two month doctors appointment on Monday (where he weighed in at 13 pounds 3 ounces!) and the pediatrician asked me if he was sleeping through the night. I told him that Reed has been waking up just once in the night, sometime between 2:30 and 4am. I then asked Dr. Pruitt how I can get him to sleep through the night. His response: let him cry. So I spent the rest of the day prepping myself for letting him cry when he woke up that night. Side note, he told me I could have caffeine so I promptly went out and got me a fountain coke, which I haven't had for a year and it was glorious. Ok, so I go to bed that night ready to not jump out of bed when Reed cries. I get up at about 2:30 when I woke up thirsty. I got me a drink of water, knowing that I might just fall asleep and Reed will start crying in just a few minutes. So I dose off and when Reed cries a minute later, I look at the clock and it isn't a minute later, it's 5:45am! Sweet! The very night I was going to force him to make it through the night without a feeding, he decides to do it himself!
I cross my fingers for Tuesday night and low and behold, he makes it to 6am. Thursday morning, he didn't wake up till 6:30! It has now been a whole week and every single night, he sleeps all the way through the night. It's crazy how rested I feel! And I get to only do 6 feedings a day, which is also awesome.
My kid continues to be totally awesome! Pictures soon!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
UT-arded
I'm not sure that I'm qualified to call something Utarded because I'm not from Utah, but I figure that 10 years living here gives me the liberty to call out a Utard. Now, if you are not from Utah, you may not know what "Utarded" means. It is a term to describe popular "stupid" things such as trucks that are jacked up so high, you need a ladder to get in, cutting off people in traffic, or hairstyles that are truly unique to Utah (see my friend Amy's blog about Bumpits).
So I'm driving home this afternoon and driving up I-84, through Weber Canyon. Right now Weber Canyon is down to two lanes, all traffic is directed to the south side of the road, with barriers in between the lanes. We fondly call it "the gauntlet" due to the tight conditions of the road. So anyway, as I'm approaching the on ramp for the highway, this car jumps from the left lane to the right lane to get on. It's a Subaru (also a Utarded thing, everyone's got one) and it's got a Utah license plate. It is packed full of stuff, you could not possibly see out of the back window. And then it's got so much stuff on top of it, it's comical. Clearly, they are going to a water activity, they've got water noodles in the back. That's about the only thing I could identify because it was so jam packed.
Anyway, we get on 84 and this Subaru gets behind a semi-truck, I'm following "Utard". U is so close to the truck, I'm pretty sure they could not see more than than the door to open the back of the truck. I'm also pretty sure that the truck driver had no idea that the U was even there cause it was so close. So as we drive up the canyon, U is following so close and has got so much crap on it, I'm starting to laugh out loud. So I take out my camera and decide to take a picture. Making sure that I'm not going to get caught, I look in my rearview mirror and the dude behind me is so close I can see his face! So I've got Utarded all around me! So I took the picture anyway and here it is:
There you go - story for the day. Sorry I've been lagging on the blogging, I don't just want to write about Reed (though I could), and feel like I should not make people stupider for reading my blog and I should have something meaningful to say. Not sure if the explanation of Utards is meaningful but it was comical, wasn't it? If you are in a Reed story fix, here you go:
After I got home from the Utarded experience above, I fed Reed. As I'm feeding him, he has a nice "juicy" fill of the diaper. So I finish feeding him and he proceeds to puke so much, it completely covers my shirt and I am forced to change my shirt. As I'm processing the puke, he fills the diaper again and I'm pretty sure it's going to blow out the diaper. So I carry him upstairs holding his feet and head out in front of me. I go change my shirt then go to change him. As I get the diaper off, he pees all over the wall (my pee protector hadn't gotten there in time!) and then poops AGAIN! Now it's all over the changing table cover and pretty much all over him. So I finally get this all cleaned up and put him in the crib so I can change the cover. I go to pick him up and put him over my shoulder where he proceeds to puke all over my BACK! So I put him down again and go change my shirt, again, and try to clean my back off (which I can't really reach). I pick him up again and bring him downstairs where he pukes on me, again (on my knee this time). So I officially smell like a "mom". Oh well. The life of me - poop, puke, pee, poop, puke, puke. Aren't you jealous?
So I'm driving home this afternoon and driving up I-84, through Weber Canyon. Right now Weber Canyon is down to two lanes, all traffic is directed to the south side of the road, with barriers in between the lanes. We fondly call it "the gauntlet" due to the tight conditions of the road. So anyway, as I'm approaching the on ramp for the highway, this car jumps from the left lane to the right lane to get on. It's a Subaru (also a Utarded thing, everyone's got one) and it's got a Utah license plate. It is packed full of stuff, you could not possibly see out of the back window. And then it's got so much stuff on top of it, it's comical. Clearly, they are going to a water activity, they've got water noodles in the back. That's about the only thing I could identify because it was so jam packed.
Anyway, we get on 84 and this Subaru gets behind a semi-truck, I'm following "Utard". U is so close to the truck, I'm pretty sure they could not see more than than the door to open the back of the truck. I'm also pretty sure that the truck driver had no idea that the U was even there cause it was so close. So as we drive up the canyon, U is following so close and has got so much crap on it, I'm starting to laugh out loud. So I take out my camera and decide to take a picture. Making sure that I'm not going to get caught, I look in my rearview mirror and the dude behind me is so close I can see his face! So I've got Utarded all around me! So I took the picture anyway and here it is:
There you go - story for the day. Sorry I've been lagging on the blogging, I don't just want to write about Reed (though I could), and feel like I should not make people stupider for reading my blog and I should have something meaningful to say. Not sure if the explanation of Utards is meaningful but it was comical, wasn't it? If you are in a Reed story fix, here you go:
After I got home from the Utarded experience above, I fed Reed. As I'm feeding him, he has a nice "juicy" fill of the diaper. So I finish feeding him and he proceeds to puke so much, it completely covers my shirt and I am forced to change my shirt. As I'm processing the puke, he fills the diaper again and I'm pretty sure it's going to blow out the diaper. So I carry him upstairs holding his feet and head out in front of me. I go change my shirt then go to change him. As I get the diaper off, he pees all over the wall (my pee protector hadn't gotten there in time!) and then poops AGAIN! Now it's all over the changing table cover and pretty much all over him. So I finally get this all cleaned up and put him in the crib so I can change the cover. I go to pick him up and put him over my shoulder where he proceeds to puke all over my BACK! So I put him down again and go change my shirt, again, and try to clean my back off (which I can't really reach). I pick him up again and bring him downstairs where he pukes on me, again (on my knee this time). So I officially smell like a "mom". Oh well. The life of me - poop, puke, pee, poop, puke, puke. Aren't you jealous?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Carnitine
Yeah, I didn't know what it was either. It's a vitamin. Here is my story about carnitine.
When you have a baby (after the year 1996), they do a routine screening, formerly called PKU, now called Newborn Screening test. Before 1996, it was the responsibility of the doctors and hospitals to do these tests and they didn't always get done. So the state took over these tests, making it a requirement for every baby born in a hospital, your tax dollars used to run the tests. So when Reed was born, they did this test, a heel stick and sent it off to the state. Right before his 2 week appointment, the results were sent to my pediatrician, telling him that one of the results came back abnormal. The grouping of diseases that it tested abnormal for has something to do with the mother so both Reed and I went and got blood and urine tests. About a week later, those also came back abnormal (low for both of us) and we were referred to specialists down at Primary Children's to figure out what was going on.
We tested low for a vitamin called Carnitine. It is primarly found in meats but can be found in many other things as well. There was a few reasons why we both tested low for this vitamin. I'm a vegetarian and it could have well been because I wasn't consuming enough of the vitamin, and because Reed gets all of his nutrition from me, he would also not be getting enough. The other reason he would be low is because I had a disease called Primary Carnitine Deficiency (also called Carnitine Transporter Deficiency). This means that I was consuming enough of the vitamin but my cells weren't knowing what to do with it and I was just peeing it out, therefore he would also not get it. The third reason he would be low is because he also had the disease.
Carnitine is important because it is used in the cells to convert fat and amino acids into energy. When you don't use or get enough carnitine, the muscles are affected, primarily the cardiac muscle. In other words, the heart is affected first. The first symptom is sudden death, other symptoms include cardiac events, mostly an enlarged heart, and the liver and kidneys may sustain damage. I was told that 1 in 40,000 people have this disease, most of them not knowing they even have it (as there are no physical manisfestation). I was also told that 9 in 10 people that test low for carnitine don't actually have the disease, they have something else wrong, like low consumption.
So after consulting with the doctors, we were both put on a carnitine supplement for 2 weeks. Reed is to take 5 ML a day and I was to take 3 grams (3000 ML). If I had the disease but he didn't then my tests would still be low but his would be normal. If he also had the disease, then we would both be low. If it was because I was a vegetarian and not consuming enough, then we would both be extremely high.
And the results are.... I have the disease but luckily Reed does not. His tests came back with him having way too high and we reduced his supplement to 2 ML a day and may go down to 1 ML if it is still too much. Again, because he doesn't get nutrition other than from me and my body is disposing of it, he will need it. When he gets formula and food, he will no longer need to take the supplement because he will be getting it from that. I, however, will have to take the supplement the rest of my life.
The supplement is in the form of 9 pills a day that are big and smell like fish. Fogg and I have named the pills "fishies". Hopefully I will not need to take that much forever, but I will have to take some the rest of my life. To give you perspective, normal range in the body is 34-68 ML, my test after taking 3000 ML a day was 24 ML, the initial test I had 7 ML. So in order for my body to retain just 24, I have to take 3000. The doctors told me that I have to stay above 20 to stay out of the danger zone. I go back at the beggining of August to have further testing on my heart, liver and kidneys to make sure that there isn't any damage so far.
Being a vegetarian had NOTHING to do with this disease for me. I've probably had it my whole life. If I hadn't have had Reed, they wouldn't have found this unless I had a health problem (which could have been either a heart problem or death!). So here is to my little boy who could have saved my life! Here is him smiling for me this morning:
So that's the story for the day, more another time...
When you have a baby (after the year 1996), they do a routine screening, formerly called PKU, now called Newborn Screening test. Before 1996, it was the responsibility of the doctors and hospitals to do these tests and they didn't always get done. So the state took over these tests, making it a requirement for every baby born in a hospital, your tax dollars used to run the tests. So when Reed was born, they did this test, a heel stick and sent it off to the state. Right before his 2 week appointment, the results were sent to my pediatrician, telling him that one of the results came back abnormal. The grouping of diseases that it tested abnormal for has something to do with the mother so both Reed and I went and got blood and urine tests. About a week later, those also came back abnormal (low for both of us) and we were referred to specialists down at Primary Children's to figure out what was going on.
We tested low for a vitamin called Carnitine. It is primarly found in meats but can be found in many other things as well. There was a few reasons why we both tested low for this vitamin. I'm a vegetarian and it could have well been because I wasn't consuming enough of the vitamin, and because Reed gets all of his nutrition from me, he would also not be getting enough. The other reason he would be low is because I had a disease called Primary Carnitine Deficiency (also called Carnitine Transporter Deficiency). This means that I was consuming enough of the vitamin but my cells weren't knowing what to do with it and I was just peeing it out, therefore he would also not get it. The third reason he would be low is because he also had the disease.
Carnitine is important because it is used in the cells to convert fat and amino acids into energy. When you don't use or get enough carnitine, the muscles are affected, primarily the cardiac muscle. In other words, the heart is affected first. The first symptom is sudden death, other symptoms include cardiac events, mostly an enlarged heart, and the liver and kidneys may sustain damage. I was told that 1 in 40,000 people have this disease, most of them not knowing they even have it (as there are no physical manisfestation). I was also told that 9 in 10 people that test low for carnitine don't actually have the disease, they have something else wrong, like low consumption.
So after consulting with the doctors, we were both put on a carnitine supplement for 2 weeks. Reed is to take 5 ML a day and I was to take 3 grams (3000 ML). If I had the disease but he didn't then my tests would still be low but his would be normal. If he also had the disease, then we would both be low. If it was because I was a vegetarian and not consuming enough, then we would both be extremely high.
And the results are.... I have the disease but luckily Reed does not. His tests came back with him having way too high and we reduced his supplement to 2 ML a day and may go down to 1 ML if it is still too much. Again, because he doesn't get nutrition other than from me and my body is disposing of it, he will need it. When he gets formula and food, he will no longer need to take the supplement because he will be getting it from that. I, however, will have to take the supplement the rest of my life.
The supplement is in the form of 9 pills a day that are big and smell like fish. Fogg and I have named the pills "fishies". Hopefully I will not need to take that much forever, but I will have to take some the rest of my life. To give you perspective, normal range in the body is 34-68 ML, my test after taking 3000 ML a day was 24 ML, the initial test I had 7 ML. So in order for my body to retain just 24, I have to take 3000. The doctors told me that I have to stay above 20 to stay out of the danger zone. I go back at the beggining of August to have further testing on my heart, liver and kidneys to make sure that there isn't any damage so far.
Being a vegetarian had NOTHING to do with this disease for me. I've probably had it my whole life. If I hadn't have had Reed, they wouldn't have found this unless I had a health problem (which could have been either a heart problem or death!). So here is to my little boy who could have saved my life! Here is him smiling for me this morning:
So that's the story for the day, more another time...
Monday, July 6, 2009
Fourth of July
We had a great Fourth of July! We got up early and went to Huntsville for a picnic breakfast. Then we headed up to my parents place to show my in-laws the cabin. Then back home for some hang out time. In the evening we had great friends come over for a BBQ. Lots of Reed's friends came to visit.
Mardi with Brinnley, me with Reed, Amy with Jane, and Bree with Carden
More later....
Monday, June 29, 2009
London at Summer Camp 2009
London spent time with his girlfriend Syringa (well one of his girlfriends anyway) at summer camp while we were on vacation. Here is an awesome video that the "counselors" put together of his camp experience. Thanks Doug and Katie!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Lucky
Fogg and I are lucky. And we know it. And we knock on wood about it. We are lucky because things always seem to work out great for us. We don't know why and we certainly do not want to jinx it. We thank God for all the great things in our lives and hope that things continue for us as they have. There is no doubt, there have been some unlucky things and some sad things and some sucky things, but when we look around us, we realize that those things are not so bad and they don't happen too often. And all the good things are so great, that we deserve a few bad things to offset all of our good. Our hearts sink when bad things happen to good people and wish for good things to happen to them. We recognize when bad things happen to people and are so thankful that those things are not happening in our lives (not in the selfish way but in the thankful way). I don't write this to sound conceded or bragging, but more to share how lucky we feel. Here are some great things that have happened to us:
We have a FANTASTIC marriage and are so lucky to have each other. Fogg and I are best friends and truly love to do EVERYTHING together. I couldn't imagine finding someone more perfect to share my life with!
We have a great house in the perfect place. How the heck did we luck out to find this place? Typically we could not afford to live in this big or nice of a house in our perfect location.
We don't have much debt. Ok, we have two mortgages, and two car payments but really, other than that, we don't have debt. We pay off our credit cards each month and if we need to buy something (like a new roof - which is on the list for this summer), somehow it works out.
We have great jobs in a great industry. Seriously, I work for one of the biggest online outdoor gear retailers (backcountry.com) and Fogg works for one of the most well respected ski and climbing companies (Black Diamond Equipment). We love our jobs (even though we sometimes complain), and are fairly successful.
We have an amazing son. We were blessed with an uncomplicated pregnancy and birth and he is just about perfect. We wanted a son and got him!
We get to do really fun stuff. We love to dirt bike and climb and cycle and hike and play in the water and travel and camp and do all kinds of fun stuff. We are lucky to have the finances and live in the right place to do all kinds of fun stuff.
We have amazing friends and family. Both of our parents are still married and we have two great brothers. Our friends are so much fun and caring and just great people.
And the list goes on and on. So I take a moment to say "thank you" to everyone in our lives that have made it so great and thank my lucky stars that we live such a fortunate life. And in the words of Napoleon Dynamite - "lucky".
We have a FANTASTIC marriage and are so lucky to have each other. Fogg and I are best friends and truly love to do EVERYTHING together. I couldn't imagine finding someone more perfect to share my life with!
We have a great house in the perfect place. How the heck did we luck out to find this place? Typically we could not afford to live in this big or nice of a house in our perfect location.
We don't have much debt. Ok, we have two mortgages, and two car payments but really, other than that, we don't have debt. We pay off our credit cards each month and if we need to buy something (like a new roof - which is on the list for this summer), somehow it works out.
We have great jobs in a great industry. Seriously, I work for one of the biggest online outdoor gear retailers (backcountry.com) and Fogg works for one of the most well respected ski and climbing companies (Black Diamond Equipment). We love our jobs (even though we sometimes complain), and are fairly successful.
We have an amazing son. We were blessed with an uncomplicated pregnancy and birth and he is just about perfect. We wanted a son and got him!
We get to do really fun stuff. We love to dirt bike and climb and cycle and hike and play in the water and travel and camp and do all kinds of fun stuff. We are lucky to have the finances and live in the right place to do all kinds of fun stuff.
We have amazing friends and family. Both of our parents are still married and we have two great brothers. Our friends are so much fun and caring and just great people.
And the list goes on and on. So I take a moment to say "thank you" to everyone in our lives that have made it so great and thank my lucky stars that we live such a fortunate life. And in the words of Napoleon Dynamite - "lucky".
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Rain
What's up with the rain? If you aren't here in Utah at the moment, than let me explain this weird weather to you. It's been raining for at least a month here. If you don't know, we live in the desert. It's a high desert, but still a desert. I think there has been 2 days in the last month that have been sunny and maybe a couple of mornings, but seriously, every single day it's rained! Sometimes it's dumping rain all day, and sometimes it's on and off drizzling. All of the plants and grass are growing huge and I feel like we live in a rainforest. The biggest annoyance with the rain is that it's hard to go outside with a new baby. I can't go for walks and running errands is difficult. Seriously, do we live in the pacific northwest? Fogg and I (and Reed) are going to Portland this weekend for a week. I hope it's sunnier there, I figure it's opposite world and sense it's rainy here, it must be sunny there! Well, anyway, surprisingly, it's raining right now, what to do today...
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