DeQuervain's tenosynovitis

That's what I have . . . DeQuervain's tenosynovitis plus a case of intersection syndrome. Fun.

Basically, DeQuervain's tenosynovitis is common in new mothers I read. And carrying J is how I've gotten it. It started when he was 2 months old and was not large enough to sit on my hip and look forward. So I held him facing out with his back against me. Once the right wrist was inflamed, I switched hands thinking that would give the right time to heal. Well, the left is weaker so instead it rapidly became inflamed. That was May. By August my forearms were hurting and I went to the doctor. Tendonitis was the diagnosis and I left with a script for some NSAIDs. I took those daily and wore the recommended wrist braces. The meds helped but then the Rx ran out the pain came back exactly as bad as it had been.
I asked for a referral and saw an orthopedic a couple weeks ago. Now I'm wearing massive wrist braces with metal splints inside. Very pretty. At least they're black which does go with everything. I also have 6 weeks of physical therapy.

I really wasn't look forward to physical therapy. I've gone for my knee in the past. I'm not good at doing the homework so it was a waste of time. My bad, I know. So far though my wrists are so inflammed that I only have stretches - super simple stretches! I'm actually remembering to do them. Icing on the other hand, well, I haven't done that once. I know I should but I just never remember when I actually have time.
The appointments are cool. I have ultrasound done which heats up the tendons making them feel MUCH better. They feel better than any anti-inflammatory every made them feel. Then I stretch and do stregnth stuff . . . then the dreaded ice. Oh, yeah I may not have mentioned I hate icing too so there's that too.
That's the wrist issue. I really hope to get a handle on this and actually cure it. I need to be able to function better than I am now.

Massive Melancholy

'Tis the season - for melancholy. I absolutely love fall but it makes me melancholy because I do not love winter. It's not the snow, or the craziness of the holidays - it's the darkness. It's the painfully dry and cold air that assaults my nose all season.
The crisp fall air is refreshing, especially after a stifling August. Not that I'd categorize this past August as stifling, though we certainly could have used more rain. The smell of the fall leaves is almost as delightful as their color. I relish the change of my closet - bringing the sweaters down from the attic and packing up the sandals. By fall my feet are as ready to be cozy in socks & shoes as they are ready to be free each spring.

I'm especially melancholy today because though my hubby does not leave for his business trip until tomorrow I really will not see him anymore until he returns. He got tickets to the PSU/OSU game and will be home very late. His flight is insanely early so he'll get most of his sleep on the plane. I would rather see him off at the airport than have things operate this way. I hate saying good-bye knowing the person is still around and I could be soaking up more time in their company. Frankly that adds to the melancholy. I'm happy I will see him for a few moments tonight and again in the wee hours of the morning. And in reality four days or so is not that long. I'm even luckier because my mom is coming to stay and keep me company.

I plan to spend my four D-free days working on my scrapbooks, recovering a couple chairs, and getting ready for Halloween. Oh, and of course hanging out with baby J and my mom. I managed to squeeze in an extra physical therapy appointment too (that's a whole other blog). So there are good points, but I will still miss my vbff, D, while he is away.

We are . . . PENN STATE!

Every morning . . .

Every morning when J gets up, we open his curtains and I show him the sunrise. I tell him the colors and about our day. Then we head downstairs for awhile. I peel back the blankets that are keeping dog and cat hair off my couch and we nestle into the corner. J eats breakfast while I take in a little Morning Joe and the Today Show. When J's done eating we cuddle and play. I keep a few toy and books stashed in the living room for morning play. J sits on my lap and in between hugs and smiles we read, watch TV and he plays with his rattles and keys (or the remote if he can convince me it's his). It only lasts about an hour before his morning nap, but it's one of my favorite times of the day - every morning.



Every evening J also has a routine. Can you tell we (I) am schedule driven? After dinner we often take a family walk. With cooler fall nights becoming downright cold our walk is turning into family play time indoors instead. This is really the only time D and J get time to play. As J starts to get tired we get his bath ready, another time for he and D to bond. Then I step in, and it's another favorite time of day for me. I feed J his nighttime bottle, we cuddle, and I rock him to sleep. He chats with me a bit, we listen to the iPod (soothing singer songwriter music and other easy listening hits from the 70s, 80s, 90s AND today). Sometimes I sing to him. Soon he is off to sleep in my arms. He is so peaceful and perfect. It's a wonderful bookend to our morning cuddles and I will repeat it's one of my favorite times of day.

baby J is 7 months today

Yesterday baby J had his 7-month doctor appointment. This is not an appointment most babies have, but we opted to spread out the vaccination schedule so we go every month. Well, we did. He gets a break for 8-months and we'll see what happens for nine. I need to get out my book and read up and then have a lengthy discussion with our doctor. I'm really happy with our choice in pediatricians. She is very candid when discussing which vaccinations she would not be happy with J skipping or delaying and which she is okay with him not getting.
I'm really torn about vaccinations. Reading the literature on both sides is confusing enough but having a study come out saying there is no proof vaccinations are linked to autism at the same time a family is awarded a settlement saying they are linked muddies the water even further. Personally, I think it's probably a mix of things like genetic predisposition, but also including all the toxins in vaccines and our environment. I figure it's better safe than sorry - on both fronts. J is supposed to get 3x the number of vaccines I got as a baby. That's a lot. We've ended up going with something less than the AAP says is a must but still far more than what I had.
This was the first visit in which J had a vaccine reaction too. :( He was cranky all day and seemed to just feel cruddy, plus had a belly ache which was apparent by the very messy diapers and poor little red bum. He woke up a number of times in the night and now is taking extra long naps today. Unfortunately I'm not.
Baby J is growing so fast! He weighed in nearly 2lbs heavier than last month and is nearing 20lbs! (actual weight 18lbs 15oz) They didn't do a height since it was not a "regular" well baby appointment.

I've been making baby food for him now for just over a month. He had a reaction to broccoli, but has enjoyed everything else. Tonight we try beets. I have roasted them and pureed them into an absolutely beautiful shade of red. Now I just need to choose my least favorite bib for him to wear and ruin tonight.
D & I have been eating the same food as J each week. Fresh sweet corn & avocado were first. Butternut squash is not in our normal repertoire so I googled some recipes. We had butternut squash & apple au gratin which was VERY tasty. For the edammame we had an Asian crunch salad (Asian coleslaw essentially - also very yummy). Tonight for the beets we are adding some feta and vinaigrette for a beet salad to accompany our hummus, flat bread and olives. I'm sure it will be delightful. I'm not sure what veggie is on the docket for next week. Maybe I'll let you all decide!

J is almost crawling. Last night I heard my name being yelled and I raced up the stairs. D claimed J took two "steps" (or whatever you call crawling). He did not repeat it for me nor has he done any forward movement this morning. Soon though, very soon.
I bought him some baby legwarmers from etsy last week. I plan to get some fabric paint to add traction. It's so sad to see him struggle on a moving rug or sliding on our hardwood floors. I'll be creating a Penn State leg warmer out of the navy pair I bought, and an argyle one from the tan. I need to de-girl the Family Guy pair that has Brian in a pink collar with pink flowers around it. I'm just going to cover all the pink in red and black. The fourth pair is checkered - think Nascar flag. D hates these, but too bad. I think they're perfect for keeping his little legs warm while he learns to crawl - and beyond!

landscape of over-thinking

Not to be too Paris Hilton right off the bat, but my bff has left the building, the state, the country! Unlike the last friend to leave, this one has all intentions and plans of returning. Ironically, I was visiting with the former whom now resides in Brisbane, Australia (though sadly we were only in Cleveland) when I got a text message that my bff had safely arrived in Delhi, India. Via texts and a surprise phone call last evening, I learned that Delhi airport does not allow you to spend your 5 hour layover in front of a Cinnabon or Sbarro. Instead you must leave and sit in an outdoor lounge area until closer to your flight. I didn't really expect the Cinnabon or Sbarro but the time constraints on staying there was interesting to learn. I'm excited to hear and read more though I know the communication will be limited.
I said my final in-person good-bye the afternoon before she left. It wasn't until I got 3/4 of the way home that I became sad. I'm excited for her and her adventure but I'll miss her. The rest of that evening and the next day her absence became part of the larger landscape of my current mental obsessing . . . the what, where, when, how, and why of my life. Having J didn't automatically answer all these! Go figure.

One big conundrum we're in right now is (one we're actually revisiting) where to live. Luckily the housing market sucks (no, not really luckily) so we don't actually need to be considering options or fretting. That doesn't stop me though. I need to be prepared. When the day comes that the market has bounced back and people are knocking on (and/or down) my door to by my house I must know where I'll relocate. Will it be down the road, down past the Mason-Dixon line, or across the country?
I have two requests in my new home and unfortunately they do not translate into a singular location. The first is family and friends. Staying at home with J, I talk to far fewer people. It would be nice to live near friends and family so I was less lonely and J was able to grow up with a built-in network of kids to play with. The largest group of family lives in Dallas, and there's the bonus of friends there too. And while I of course have friends here, with the exception of the temporarily departed bff, we are not as close as the TX friend and I . . . hence the lonely comment. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not crying or chained to daytime television because I'm friendless or anything. And I am planning to join a mom group so I can have more of a social outlet for myself. I have to say my largest hold out with that is that I don't want to walk into a group of women who are totally unlike me. I want to find people I have common interests with so maybe friendships would more easily evolve. I sorta want to start my own mom's group . . . Progressive Moms of Northern Central Ohio (or something like that). With all the time on my hands, I should have this done by now!
Yeah, yeah back to moving. So why not go to Dallas and have holidays with the family and all the cousins can play together? It doesn't mesh with the second thing I want most - 4 seasons. I really don't want to lose the four seasons. I would move to Dallas short-term but I don't trust myself. I was supposed to be in Ohio under 5 years and 10 later I'm considering sinking the roots further.
It may not sound like a big issue and maybe it shouldn't be, but I think about it a lot. It doesn't help when I must give the financial planner time frames for things like buying our next house. I'm a 'sit still until you KNOW the right decision' type of gal. I don't really take many risks, especially expensive ones. So I will wonder, ponder, fret and obsess though not one of those has ever helped me come to a decision in the past. What is that saying about doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome?