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This baby is just what the doc ordered!

So its Friday and Im exhausted from working the past 3days, i still have tomorrow and thats a 12hr shift so hopefully the good ole cup of Joe will get me through it! One thing i hated this week was coming home and not getting to spend alot of time with Dreycin, and he would be sleeping! i just wanted to wake him up and play with him! the first day my mom said he just would not nap for her, so his naps on Wednesday were only for 35min each, I think he missed his mommy ALOT! that night he slept all night from 9:30-4am! I fed him, and then we went back to sleep.
My routine is taking a shower at night, being in bed around 9:30-10pm, wake up between 2am-3am(sometimes 4), wake up at 6:15 get ready for work, feed Dreycin at 6:50, leave for work at 7:10, get to work (hopefully) around 7:30am......then the fun begins! I usually pump twice a day at work 1X at 10or10:30am and then again at 1pm or 1:30pm, Dreycin is usually ready to eat about 4:30pm, and I am getting home between 3:30 and 4pm. So yesterday I got on the scale with him and he weighed 15lbs.....little (BIG) chunky monkey! I love him so much, i just kiss him all the time. Today when i got home i laid down with him for a while, and just kept giving him little kisses while he was sleeping. While we were napping i got a call from my Rheumatologist who I saw on monday for my postpartum checkup and after I listened to his message I cried for a while in bed with my precious little boy. He had left a message saying that all of my labs were perfect, yes PERFECT. the two that had been so low were my levels of C3 and C4, back last year they were so low along with my platelets that I had no other option besides to start plaquenil(lupus med). Today they were in the normal range, along with everything else: kidney function, liver function, urine normal, CBC normal, i mean EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT. so thats why I called this blog "This baby is just what the doc ordered." I feel great by the way. Some joint pain in my wrists, but who wouldnt have that picking up a 15lbs porker. Im still at a stand still at 174 but im happy so weight doesnt matter right now. Everyone at work is like, you look so skinny!! I love that! Eventually I'll get this working thing down and incorporate my workouts on the days im off Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and MAYBE 1 of my working days. Its really hard to balance all of it out, but again without mi mama I would be lost.

I leave ya'll with some pics. The one where Dreycin is in the brown, that is the 1st day I came home from work, he was SOOOOOO happy to see his Mama.

Going back to work

So im going back to Norton in just 5days! I cant believe how quickly 12wks(1wkbedrest+11wkold Dreycin) has gone by =( Let me just tell you the main reason im going back to work : the dryer broke yesterday, the heating element went out and my dear hubby saved the day by going to the Sears in indiana and repairing the dryer himself! i love having a husband that is also a spectacular handy man =)
As much as i hated to pull some $ out of our savings, at least I didnt have to put it on a credit card and be worried about that. Things always happen like that in life, it seems that something always needs fixing because it broke...I also saw my w2for the year of 2009 and am really proud of myself for staying in school, i just hope I dont have to PAY taxes this year!

This week my mom and I took Dreycin to the mall and it was so different than the other maybe 2x he had gone. He was so alert looking at EVERYTHING, even people that were walking past us. His little head kept turning every direction, looking at all the lights and signs and bright colors and he was all SMILES. He was having such a good time. We stayed there for like 4hrs! Happy to say that night he slept from midnight until 8:30am!!! I really think in a sense he has derek's nonstop personality, to make them tired you have to keep them busy or they could go days without sleep. Now i wonder if little dreycin is bored at home! I guess we are just going to have to get out more. But i have to tell you I was appalled when this redneck MF came up and touched Dreycin's hand. I could not believe that he could just walk up and do that, WTF? As i sat in disbelief not hearing him, he asked me a second time how old is he? I couldnt respond from shock (you could see it all over my face) so my mom responded as i got my hand sanitizer out. People are stupid, dont they know to RESPECT SPACE. anyways, im also in Kentucky and have to remember that at times, and he was a straight up hillbilly with a mullet. anyways, we shopped got dreycin some soft blocks from PBK and a new boppy cover(with all the spitups i needed a 2nd one) My mom also shopped for some winter gloves, hats, scarves....thats her thing to buy postseason on sale! I also bought some new sports bras from a place called soma intimates, they are owned by chico's and it wasnt your run of the mill victoria's secret(where NOTHING fits me).

Abuelo Doss has offered to buy Dreycin Your baby can read! Im really excited to get it soon! As long as I have the time.....tomorrow at OLOP i start my new schedule
6a-6p and then at Norton hopefully ill be working 3shifts on mondays, thurs, and fridays 8hrs. we'll see Im talking to my boss more on wednesday.


Here are some new pics!

Just feel like writing

THis weekend has been busy and lazy at the same time. First I got on the scale and it said 173.4!!! I havent even had time to work out this week except 1 day! I finished my application for the state board to go ahead and start my supervision hours towards LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) which is basically a psychiatrist without the RX pad. It is going to take me two years of 1hr weekly supervision, and I have to have a total of 200hrs before I can take the LCSW test. I also had to work on thursday for 1assessment and on friday for 3 assessments. Im not complaining, it got me out of the house and am getting paid $85 for each one! I have to admit I was gone all friday night from 6p-midnight and I came home at 9:30 to pump, and it was really hard to leave my baby Dreycin after I pumped. I couldnt wait to come home and cuddle with him. That night he didnt sleep very well for his daddy, but the night before had slept 9hrs (thats from the beginning of the feeding) on & off, and didnt really wake up until almost 6am! His naps have definitely gotten shorter here lately, he'll sleep for 45min-1hr and wake up for a little while, usually because of gas and then go back to sleep for a little bit longer. Dreycin has just recently started holding his rattles and even has a little blanky that has a rattle on it that he will cuddle with when he goes to sleep or is in his swing. He has been sticking his hands in his mouth so much after he eats that i think he is gagging himself, i dunno it could be the reflux but he's never thrown up this much before! We are having to put bibs on after feedings. Dreycin is drinking strictly out of Dr Brown's bottles and the twins. Avent's just push too much air into him, and he is already gassy enough! I usually pump in the morning after the 6or7am feeding so that derek has a bottle to feed him when he gets home for bonding! i really dont know how much he is getting when i feed him, but when he gets a bottle is usually 90-100cc's which is = 3oz or a little more. He still is way too attached to his green soothie.

So we are working on planning our first family vacation, to Panama at the end of March for about 11days. Alot of people are probably wondering why we wouldnt go to Texas but my family in Panama still has not gotten to meet the love of my life, Derek or my baby Dreycin. Back when Derek and I got married my family submitted applications for visas not just once but twice and were denied. So this is it we are going and sometime this month we are going to take Dreycin to apply for his very first passport. Its sad for me to say that the last time I was home was Dec 2005, and in the last few years what has stopped us has been the military, school, and $. What has helped me to be so diverse and grateful was that my mother took me home to see reality outside the "american bubble" and I want to do the same for Dreycin. We are planning on renting a beach house on Playa Coronado for about a week, which the beach will be about 200ft from our back door. Derek has been dying to go on a beach vacation so he is on board! We'll eventually go to Texas prob sometime this summer. But for now this is my priority to see my grandparents.

here are some recent pics, and notice my freezer and deep freezer are beginning to get very full from my supply that I have built up. I guess you can say im pretty darn proud!!

2month well baby

Gosh time is just flying and I cant believe my little piggy weighs 13lbs 11.5oz!!! Yep you heard me, that breastmilk is doing its job and more! He was 23.5 inches long and 90th percentile for weight, 75th percentile for height and 50th for head. Dreycin also got 2 shots and a liquid vaccine for polio, the shots he screamed and I thought i was going to cry but he did good. I expressed a little milk on his soothie beforehand but it really didnt help at all. We have to start poly-visol a liquid vitamin for breastfed babies and we are going to keep taking the zantac. Afterwards my mom and I went by my work to pickup a letter that my boss had signed stating my job description. Im officially applying to the state board to approve me to pursue my LCSW (licensed clinical social worker license). With that license im a psychiatrist without the precription pad, I can diagnose and treat patients. It will take me two years for all the supervision hours but Im starting!!!

Watch out for my SMARTY PANTS Hubby!!!

So Derek is in Engl 1301, he has been hesitant about taking any type of english or math class in the last year but with much encouragement he is taking basics now! This is what his teacher said about his first essay:

Derek, in spite of the errors I have shown you, please understand, I have to show you something.ha! You have excellent writing skills. These are just some other improvements you can make. I do not often get someone who has excellent writing skills not to mention who follows instructions so well. Keep up the good work.

90 (on his first engl 1301 essay)

WOO HOO DEREK!!!!
ps i proofread his paper, told him that i guess it pays to have a college grad wife helping him out!!!!

Video with mommy

I think I needed a shower, and some sleep during this video!!! Yesterday was an OFF day for me, i Just felt very hormonal like I could cry at the drop of a pin? Hope that passes fairly quickly......so thurs and friday I was on call from 6p-midnight and I only got called in for the last 3hrs of my shift on friday night to do 1 psych assessment, it wasnt bad at all. THe only thing I had a slight issue with was driving in the snow, I just had to be extra cautious.

Fixed you tube videos......thanks Bran

So i had no idea that if you chose private on youtube my readers couldnt see my videos......so its fixed for the last three which are the best anyways!

On another note, I didnt get the PRN position at the CHildren's hospital. Im going to go back at least and see if I can work full time and see how it goes, I was telling my mom that I feel like im barely doing anything and I am always tired so I dont know how its going to be when I am back at work. I feel like I am not going to be able to come home and enjoy "quality time" with my precious baby boy. But we'll see like I said im going to reevaluate probably after I have been back at work for 1month.

I started reading Half the Sky which is a really sad book about modern day female slavery, of course I saw the authors on Oprah and was intrigued about the topic since Im a social worker! It emphasizes that women who are educated are the resource to success in third world developing economies. Its a great message to emphasize education for women.

Dreycin playing with daddy's hair

Cooing time with Daddy

Our baby boy is starting to cooooo more and more everyday, especially with daddy! Notice in the video how pepper tries REALLY hard to pull our attention from Dreycin! Guess that is how Dreycin will be when we have baby #3!

Winter wonderland

Today we got our first real snow here in Louisville, and ironically Im working tonight 6p-midnight :( im not happy about going in especially in this weather but I was happy while ago when i stepped on the scale after working and it said 176!!! Ive been busting my butt in the gym this week and finally have dropped from the teeter totter of 177-178! This first week of the new year has been pretty good. Dreycin is working on sleeping longer and longer, but right now only every other night is good!
Yesterday I went into work for a meeting about resources for pregnant women using drugs/in recovery.....i figured even though i was on maternity leave i needed to go because that is the population i work with. Im glad I went bc all the big boss' were there.

Daddy talking with Dreycin

1st post of 2010

Derek and I spent the last few of the days of 2009 lounging around the house. It was very nice to have him home for 2wks to help with the baby. Im still sleep deprived. We are breastfeeding every 3-3.5 hrs, then we play, then we nap. At night its still a battle to get him to sleep, but when he does go to sleep he will sleep for 4-5hrs. The other night it took us from 11am-3am to go to sleep after the feeding? Im definitely ready for him to start sleeping more, I wake up and my eyes dont want to open. Im still working out, my mom and I just joined a new gym yesterday that has newer equipment and a huge sauna which we both love. I havent had any more weight loss, but havent gained through the holidays eating all the yummy food! I did buy some size 14 banana republic jeans(on sale for $28) a couple of days before christmas, and they already are two big for me. When I wear them they are falling off in 1hr, so I have to wash them before I can wear them again! I am a true believer that you will see more "weight loss" in inches rather than on the scale in numbers? but thats my opinion. Onto another subject I have been a pumping milk machine the last week, trying to build up my milk supplly for when I go back to work. I was suppose to go back yesterday Jan 2nd for my PRN position at the psych hospital but some of my paperwork did not go through to work at the ER in the children's hospital. So instead im going to be working on thursdays and fridays from 6pm-midnight doing mobile assessments at different hospitals here in Louisville. Basically they will call me at home, and say we have an assessment and I'll drive there, now that may be my only one for the night but I am "on call" for 6hrs. I dont go back to Norton until Jan 27th, which I am dreading. Hopefully I'll hear back from the position I interviewed for PRN social worker at Kosair?! I really dont see how some women can go back to work at 6wks or 8wks, because I feel like I would be a walking zombie. Defn props to all the women that do go back so quickly! I also wonder if somehow in this exhaustion my lupus is contributing to it. With lupus you often find yourself tired all the time, I remember before I was diagnosed my roommate would comment and say Cindy you are always tired, partly because I would come home from college everyday and sleep all afternoon.....cant do that anymore!!The hardest part for me right now is not getting more than 3hrs of sleep at a time. I know I just have to be patient because soon enough Dreycin will be sleeping through the night. Even then the "baby books" say that the first year the sleeping patterns can vary greatly....we'll see but pray for the best!

Since we didnt go all out for xmas I went and bought a dyson for 15% off original price. I posted the pic of the same model i bought. I think for me it will be a peace of mind to know that when Dreycin starts crawling I wont be as worried about what is hidden in my AWFUL POS carpet in our rental patio home. Not to mention I have severe allergies and asthma and anytime I would vacuum I was destined to get stuffy, but with this it blows so fresh and so clean air while vacuuming.
Derek and I went to eat sushi on new year's eve while Dreycin stayed at home with Abuela. Dec 30th was kind of our anniversary again, Derek and I got married by justice of the peace on Nov 22nd, but did our big family wedding on Dec 30th. So it was a 2for1 deal, new year's/anniversary. Abuela has been a lifesaver for me and Derek. Just this morning she came in at 9am after I got done feeding and took him so that I could sleep for a few more hours....i slept until 12! Last night Abuela also watched Dreycin and Derek and I went and saw Avatar. And to much of my surprise I really liked the movie. The message behind the movie to me, was that we as humans should be connected to all that is on our mother earth and we should strive to take care of everything together or someone/something is going to come and destroy it all. Yes yes im a treehugger at heart and can see myself living in Austin with my hippie loving friends! Anyways its a really good movie and I would suggest for everyone to see it. It has action, treehugging, and a love story = all for 1 as I see it!
The other purchase we made was buying a safety 1st prism color video monitor, which I saved 20% on at babies r us. I dont know how I ever lived without a video monitor. Its amazing. So I guess you could say that the dyson and video monitor were my xmas presents (more for me than anyone else!)

These pics are from 2009! Can you believe Dreycin will be 8wks old tomorrow....man how time is flying! He is wearing mostly 3-6month outfits, some 0-3months but you can tell they are getting too small! He is also in a size 2 pampers 12-18lbs. We have our 2month checkup next week!