tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82172016526485400682024-03-06T22:34:26.187-05:00Amanda's Life CommentaryMy blog doesn't really have a theme. I tend to write about mostly what's on my mind. There's a fair amount of recipes and books in there, but it's mostly my random thoughts.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.comBlogger724125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-13047833276693760262021-11-27T11:06:00.005-05:002021-11-28T08:39:47.705-05:00Mental Health In America<p>I have many hobbies, one of them is reading. As with most working parents, I don't always put as much time into my hobbies as I used to. That's probably why it took me almost two months to finish my recent book. I highly recommend everyone reads Stephanie Giese's memoir, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/All-Never-Knowed-Illness-Mothers/dp/1737206803/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=all+i+ever+knowed&qid=1638027462&sr=8-1" target="_blank">All I Never Knowed.</a> Since finishing her book, I want to reflect some more.</p><p>I'm a pediatrician. I have been called (yes I feel this is truly a vocation) to care for children and to be their advocate. Some may think I mostly give shots, treat colds and ear infections, and make sure children are growing appropriately. Those things are only a small part of my job. Especially during the COVID pandemic, I feel more and more like a psychiatrist and therapist too. I have families tell me, they've been waiting 3-4 months to see a therapist. I have families tell me they took their child to the crisis center because their child's mental health deteriorated while waiting for therapy and they started performing self-harm. I have families wait in the emergency room for days waiting for an inpatient psychiatric bed to open. I have families tell me they agree they should see a psychiatrist but none accepts their insurance. I have families tell me they found a therapist or psychiatrist, but they can't afford the self-pay rate. Receiving treatment for mental illness shouldn't be this hard.</p><p>And now let's talk about the school system for a little. These thoughts are not directed towards teachers. I have not met a single teacher who doesn't want his or her students to succeed. Tell me why our current educational model waits for students to fail before they investigate the need for special education? Tell me why parents have to fight tooth and nail to get a child a 504 plan? Tell me why schools receive funding based on standardized tests scores and not the social-emotional well being of the students? And guess what!?! Having a child fail in school, especially when it could be prevented with the proper accommodations and remediation, increases the rates of mental illness!!!</p><p>I honestly thought I had more to write, but I'm tired. And I'm getting more angry as I think about the broken system, so that's it for now. Go read Steph's book and keep fighting the good fight!</p>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-28920191263918403822021-10-02T22:26:00.001-04:002021-10-03T08:24:38.339-04:00Neck Pain and Headaches <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCt-bPI9wStP7UI60TxR6OA3DUCo6GPTaqThUUjVRYfBtn4ErhNWa1vrBi1CbIEFjnxEn5rgxk4epA5n9-qs5vPlj0sQhWupQ0CD5ApWWIADVPSmq0ZrLRMR2DWzMALa1kM6c929Ykun5h/s2048/IMG_9826.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCt-bPI9wStP7UI60TxR6OA3DUCo6GPTaqThUUjVRYfBtn4ErhNWa1vrBi1CbIEFjnxEn5rgxk4epA5n9-qs5vPlj0sQhWupQ0CD5ApWWIADVPSmq0ZrLRMR2DWzMALa1kM6c929Ykun5h/w147-h196/IMG_9826.HEIC" width="147" /></a></div>Earlier this week while getting ready for work and school, our daughter told us my outfit looks better without my neck brace. I gently told her, it might, but my headaches and neck pain at much better when I wear the brace. It was learning moment that it’s not always about appearances. <p></p><p>Have you ever heard someone say, I never realized how much I couldn’t see until I got glasses? I feel the same way about my neck. The chronic knots I have in my upper trapezius muscles have basically disappeared. I still get headaches, but they’re less, and honestly, I can concentrate better. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZGJ-8BOKbq0xV-uhJlYseZHCsb7xoT6LSTtiFZq6PgDeMmC2Swy4hFCfgsTl10vMzKmQPoBoxzTctgLZlmDmeBez8kHvdHPJM42rBiKx9OAzBetRhD-opBzuqOUr3G8epJv090awv_uX/s2048/IMG_9871.jpg.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwZGJ-8BOKbq0xV-uhJlYseZHCsb7xoT6LSTtiFZq6PgDeMmC2Swy4hFCfgsTl10vMzKmQPoBoxzTctgLZlmDmeBez8kHvdHPJM42rBiKx9OAzBetRhD-opBzuqOUr3G8epJv090awv_uX/w155-h206/IMG_9871.jpg.HEIC" width="155" /></a></div><p></p><p>Tonight we celebrated my cousin’s wedding. I honestly didn’t want to answer questions about my neck brace, so I didn’t wear it. Other days, I’m generally wearing my brace 90 minutes on and 30 minutes off. Tonight once I reached three hours, I felt the neck muscles starting to fatigue, by about 3.5 hours the headache was there. I’m functioning and now I’m laying supine to decompress and ice my head and neck. I know I could have stayed longer at the wedding, but we’re seeing family again tomorrow. I’m learning to tell myself I don’t have to push through. I know I’d be miserable and moody if I stayed longer. So instead, I left a little early and will see them again tomorrow. </p>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-78507351684123366052021-09-24T20:17:00.002-04:002021-09-24T20:17:45.096-04:00Friday Night Outings<p>Today was a rough day. I took a mile walk yesterday. Today my back is hurting so much. And I had a very emotionally draining day at work. I came home and laid on the heating pad for a little bit, now I'm here journaling and I'm about to log back into work. What sucks, is my daughter wants me with her at her school's carnival. I want to be there and I hate that my body needs to be home. I hate that I have no energy to do things on Friday nights anymore. And honestly, if I didn't realize I forgot to send in a prescription, I'd still be in bed on the heating pad right now.</p>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-65892956500747011712021-09-18T20:39:00.002-04:002021-09-19T20:41:02.839-04:00How COVID helped me identify my hEDS.<p>Well hello there!!!</p><p>It's been over 5 years since I've posted on here. As expected, a lot has happened, but I will not recap all in this post. I'm coming back as I need a place to type out my thoughts.</p><p>On May 13, 2021, I was officially diagnosed with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. I say officially, because I kind of self diagnosed myself based on the <a href="http://ehlers-danlos.com/heds-diagnostic-checklist/" target="_blank">2017 criteria</a>, but I wanted a physician other than myself to diagnosis it. </p><p>Since I have last posted, the world has been experiencing a pandemic. I remember sitting in medical school, attending a lecture on avian flu and fearing if it became a pandemic we would run out of ventilators. Well, it's not avian flu, but sars-CoV-2 that is using up our ventilators. I could go on about the pandemic and my thoughts on American society's response to it, but that's for another day.</p><p>Ok, so since my last post 5 years ago, I had some significant hip pain. Long story short, I had a right hip labral reconstruction with the IT band of a cadaver and some bones shaved down in my hip. That was December 2019. Then by summer 2020 when I started doing yoga again, I was having thumb pain so badly it was waking me up at night. August 2020 I was diagnosed with thumb joint CMC subluxation. I was told to brace it and it would get better when I hit menopause. I was 36. </p><p>Let's fast forward a couple of months. I referred myself to occupational therapy for my thumb, stopped doing yoga, kept trying to focus on my hip PT, and then, thankfully, the scientific community developed a vaccine to help prevent severe infection from sars-CoV-2. After my first dose of my Moderna vaccine I had a horrible headache for a week. I felt like I could hardly hold my head up. I also learned a dear patient tragically passed away at this time. I contributed my headache to my grief and not being able to sleep thinking about losing a child so young. A couple of weeks later I had my second dose of the Moderna vaccine. After my second dose I had the same headache, but this time I also had horrible TMJ spasms that lasted about 6 weeks. I also felt unstable in every joint that ever bothered me. I remember laying in bed, trying to tell my body if I fell asleep my TMJ pain, headache, hip pain, thumb pain, back pain, ankle pain, and calf pain would feel better. It was that night I realized, "this isn't normal, you need to figure it out." I had been toying with the idea I had a hypermobility disorder for a couple of months. My astute physical therapist brought up that I was hypermobile in almost every joint, and then I found a <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/preserving-the-hip-with-orthopedic-surgeon-joel-wells-m-d/id1500589216?i=1000468168915" target="_blank">podcast</a> about labral tears in hypermobile individuals and things started falling in place. I am currently still figuring out how EDS and it's comorbidies are affecting me, but I feel like I'm finally in a place (and with a great <a href="https://prismspineandjoint.com/" target="_blank">EDS specialist</a>) to put the pieces to together. I'm also figuring out how to accept I have a chronic illness and to give myself grace that I cannot work as many hours as I expected, be a mom and wife, and take care of myself too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4TjH25VG6xoivoIveK21nVmQk4bKOhRn7g3sDO9yzzcrKYYXNXG30SVaHPszr1hdV2dD1rg9sdg5KZG2QuBldBrW5iJ2W70ad5EnuHwwJzABuRbeND8Xw_CiK_uw5W79TOEUFSPlX9jp/s2048/IM000001-1002+copy+2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1809" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis4TjH25VG6xoivoIveK21nVmQk4bKOhRn7g3sDO9yzzcrKYYXNXG30SVaHPszr1hdV2dD1rg9sdg5KZG2QuBldBrW5iJ2W70ad5EnuHwwJzABuRbeND8Xw_CiK_uw5W79TOEUFSPlX9jp/s320/IM000001-1002+copy+2.jpg" width="283" /></a></div><p></p><p>Looking back, I see multiple times other physicians may have been able to identify signs of my hEDS, but honestly, I think they probably didn't know enough about it. If I knew I had hEDS, the only thing I probably would have changed is my exercise. I wouldn't have done hot yoga after my long runs while training for half-marathons. I can't help but think about all of the micro tears I gave myself during those years. I'm also making it my goal to help identify hypermobility disorders in my patients earlier than identified in me. I also can't help but wonder if the COVID vaccine caused an <a href="https://tmsforacure.org/overview/">MCAS</a> flare, would I still think I was just clumsy and prone to injury and joint pain? It's weird how the world works.<br /></p><p>Oh, and yes, I'd still get my covid vaccines! </p>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-51741234431308117062016-05-08T21:46:00.000-04:002016-05-08T21:46:20.387-04:00I did it! 13.1 Miles!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1m1bukcZfOgmLDfTHTsIRw8UmVrD17xvbLPB-QzBizf_marklDPPNixqJLlhU3vfIWoMcD0ICZAkhimF7f4yiWj0a7Msg2ACo1dOOSMPlfkKnxuE7ZxEmEPefbz3pvZY1ICr5E_I-fhY/s1600/635978294023765022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB1m1bukcZfOgmLDfTHTsIRw8UmVrD17xvbLPB-QzBizf_marklDPPNixqJLlhU3vfIWoMcD0ICZAkhimF7f4yiWj0a7Msg2ACo1dOOSMPlfkKnxuE7ZxEmEPefbz3pvZY1ICr5E_I-fhY/s320/635978294023765022.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About ten miles in.</td></tr>
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Last weekend I completed my second half marathon. I'm not going to lie, this meant more to me than just running 13.1 miles. A couple of months ago I saw one of my family members sign up for the OC Maryland Island to Island 1/2. I saw the date was in April 2016. At that time I was still breastfeeding my son, working full time, and of course being a mom and wife. I learned from my first child that I didn't have the will power to commit to running while breastfeeding and pumping. My goal was to breastfeed Andrew until he was a year old, so that meant January 2016. I breast fed Andrew until about March, but I started getting back to working out and training around February, so an OK amount of time! And little did I know, that when I signed up, I was going to have two co-workers out on maternity leave around the time I needed to be training for this 1/2. I didn't do the best training, I could have tried to do more speed work, I could have done more cross training, but I did the best I could with the time I had. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dTzk8XeGr7gDvKAArraDHrmG80teDK70JKroSYurc3UJ_7Gb_7iFGdN8qAoZLa9n_iov0SFp9GuEhUKGgRfo88qhpQy1GII-oITGpuz4HNesHpWN1prchLfs_Dk17-sxYd58H9RZ7Zh6/s1600/635978293851578574.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dTzk8XeGr7gDvKAArraDHrmG80teDK70JKroSYurc3UJ_7Gb_7iFGdN8qAoZLa9n_iov0SFp9GuEhUKGgRfo88qhpQy1GII-oITGpuz4HNesHpWN1prchLfs_Dk17-sxYd58H9RZ7Zh6/s320/635978293851578574.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was feeling it here! Can't you tell?</td></tr>
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Crossing the finish line for me wasn't about just finishing 13.1 miles running, it was about celebrating me breastfeeding my second child for over a year and celebrating me finding the motivation to get myself back in shape. I shared my body with my son for over a year between breastfeeding and pregnancy, now it's my turn to have my body back. It's time for me to continue showing my children how to live an active life. Running has also helped me to embrace my new post-baby body. I actually gained 5 pounds once I started running again! There will be a time where I'm ready to lose these 20 pounds I'm still holding onto since before becoming pregnant with Andrew, but it's not right now. Right now I run for me, not to lose weight.<br />
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As a freshman in high school I tried out for soccer, but I didn't make the team. The cross country team was willing to take on new members, so I thought I would give it a try. I was never the fastest runner, and I was always ok with. I continued with cross country and track the rest of high school. I never knew what I gift it was not to make the soccer team and to learn the joy of running. It hasn't been easy getting back to running after taking off for over a year, but I knew it would get better, and it has! Exercise soothes my soul. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPNH-tCPVQH62X16gd23Fo6h5AAlrhij_8bcqcCWi5_GGeUAVRw0LSCU1z2BJ2TFJ382mhFhC_F8UzRxY2i01LCGK11wMT2w66VOMA4OzUYw32ag8aiUnXjYRG9srNG1nQPYzVlDQZ5u8/s1600/635978293961577166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkPNH-tCPVQH62X16gd23Fo6h5AAlrhij_8bcqcCWi5_GGeUAVRw0LSCU1z2BJ2TFJ382mhFhC_F8UzRxY2i01LCGK11wMT2w66VOMA4OzUYw32ag8aiUnXjYRG9srNG1nQPYzVlDQZ5u8/s400/635978293961577166.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I finished in less then 2.5 hours, my goal! It wasn't easy, my legs hurt, but when that happened, I ran with my heart. This run was for me!</td></tr>
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As an added bonus, hubby did the 1/2 marathon too! Joe says we distance runners are a special kind of crazy. He's probably right. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrc76rmXOt8wF-Kb_yWNxy5KcK5ngL3BVLen9iodXo5o4j21Iosr-VGzQokXv_nUNojjf0R2zcASHykVM5Gz4I2xLulJTyNiKaWf28YoeXAsyHTDiHY8oIDFn4iVhaHKbbP_d6EPnsbll/s1600/635978293906109126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrc76rmXOt8wF-Kb_yWNxy5KcK5ngL3BVLen9iodXo5o4j21Iosr-VGzQokXv_nUNojjf0R2zcASHykVM5Gz4I2xLulJTyNiKaWf28YoeXAsyHTDiHY8oIDFn4iVhaHKbbP_d6EPnsbll/s320/635978293906109126.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love him!</td></tr>
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I signed up for another 1/2 marathon in September. I think I developed peroneal tendonitis from increasing my distance too quickly, so my goal is to do more cross training the month of May and pick up more miles come June. We'll see how it goes!<br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-16052606144834903442016-01-16T16:52:00.000-05:002016-01-16T16:52:04.955-05:00Happy Birthday!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgSR-VVfIYrWbKZZTU2Jf0Rn1uc1WHCTefHtgHpvXv_FkAUAgzmSAFwQkls_6E8N1fROl9gH37kM71XcFQ57H2IVyhzg60wUU4UbfysEz962Jwf4r8ZToDscQ1cMHhZ8m9lBkTBbgSHaz/s1600/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgSR-VVfIYrWbKZZTU2Jf0Rn1uc1WHCTefHtgHpvXv_FkAUAgzmSAFwQkls_6E8N1fROl9gH37kM71XcFQ57H2IVyhzg60wUU4UbfysEz962Jwf4r8ZToDscQ1cMHhZ8m9lBkTBbgSHaz/s320/16.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo by <a href="http://www.forever-yesterday.com/" target="_blank">Jenni Combs</a></td></tr>
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Ok, so life with two kids is exhausting. My heart is so full, though. Andrew has definitely experienced 2nd child syndrome. As you can see, the last update I did was over 8 months ago!<br />
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Well, this past Tuesday our baby boy turned 1!<br />
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He currently has 8 teeth, four on the top and four on the bottom!<br />
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He can say dada, mama, hi, and hello. He waves bye and blows kisses.<br />
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He sleeps through the night and takes about two naps a day. <br />
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His favorite things are taking a bath and playing with his older sister. Man, you should see him dart across the room as soon as he hears the water turn on!<br />
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His favorite foods are ham and yogurt. He shows us he's done by throwing all of his food on the floor, and he hates to wear bibs! (Probably because he wants a bath!)<br />
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He's not yet walking, but he's cruising and gets into everything. One of his nicknames is "Andrew the Destruct-or!" No joke, you should see how fast a tidy basement can be covered with toys. He's even pulled all of Bri's clothes from her drawers.<br />
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He currently weighs 22 pounds, 7 ounces. He hasn't had his 12 month check up yet, so I'm not sure on the length (and I forgot to check when I had him at my office this week).<br />
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And we're still breastfeeding! I made it to 12 months breastfeeding! I had to supplement more with him than with big sister, but ultimately, he's had breast milk every day of his life. I'm pretty darn proud of that. Now to wean from the pump! <br />
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I can't wait to see what this next year has in store.<br />
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Photo by <a href="http://www.forever-yesterday.com/" target="_blank">Jenni Combs.</a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-38245625442415843792015-05-24T13:51:00.004-04:002015-05-24T13:51:58.716-04:004 Months Old!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMELwYTqN6WHeopFo8kSAL_jxv7BOXIQR_V-9nHQ5JLPbohU1FBSdSG2brkZXfiKcgi4qefWyIUSSbmBvGhhSV2WzkbIvsRyRSw0Ij_xFOqWq11TYc_kBUOaVsIZ48G8O1beA3PYhdH4ZA/s1600/Andrew_4_mos_03+copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMELwYTqN6WHeopFo8kSAL_jxv7BOXIQR_V-9nHQ5JLPbohU1FBSdSG2brkZXfiKcgi4qefWyIUSSbmBvGhhSV2WzkbIvsRyRSw0Ij_xFOqWq11TYc_kBUOaVsIZ48G8O1beA3PYhdH4ZA/s320/Andrew_4_mos_03+copy.jpg" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3l5u_MLWCT7jqeJ695c_T1xhPbDvNYw3TUTHzdFb2849yTFXEOCSXKyIBjQUceOFXR9MjNBtLINd6zeGXKA-oczBZmns3H9etcK8z8oJVown93DWfzOFH5t8yVIrPx3bFL8V_50mDW36/s1600/Andrew_4_mos_36.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY3l5u_MLWCT7jqeJ695c_T1xhPbDvNYw3TUTHzdFb2849yTFXEOCSXKyIBjQUceOFXR9MjNBtLINd6zeGXKA-oczBZmns3H9etcK8z8oJVown93DWfzOFH5t8yVIrPx3bFL8V_50mDW36/s320/Andrew_4_mos_36.JPG" width="213" /></a></div>
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Good thing we had another kiddo or I don't think this blog would have any posts!<br />
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Well, I've been back to work about 2 months now. I think we have a routine. For now at least, I'm sure it will change in another month or two.<br />
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Andrew has officially graduated to 6 month clothing. At his 4 month check up he was 13lbs 14 ounces and 26 inches long! He's eating about 5 ounces every 2.5-3 hours. I haven't quite been able to keep up with him and pumping, so he gets a formula bottle about once every other day. I'm ok with that. When I'm home he eats about every 2 hours. He's finally in size 2 diapers. I should have switched him a little earlier, but I wanted to us up all of my size ones.<br />
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He's still working on his sleep. He does about a 5-6 hour stretch, then every 2-3 hours. I had two nights in a row where he slept 8-9 hours. I had hoped that was a trend of good things to come, but nope, it was just a tease.<br />
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Andrew is doing great with tummy time, and likes watching us. He can roll from his belly to his back.<br />
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Other than eating, I think Andrew's favorite thing to do is kick. We'll put him in the vibrating chair and he'll just kick, kick, kick. He also loves to eat his fingers! I don't feel anything teeth yet, but the drool has certainly increased!<br />
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I'm glad Andrew is the second child, he does not like being by himself! We'll walk out of the room and he'll start crying until someone comes back in to talk to him. Bri's getting more talkative with him and is starting to understand the concept of "gentle" a little better. <br />
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And, I know the statistics aren't in our favor to have 2 blue eyed babies, but his eyes are still blue!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SuSh9YBpTUPfTo98n6oLwJPsR9zqkodSso_VU3wH1IwznuTnsspmDC3Vle5gM6bFZs2FyNevCbz0LIqX8Gfv7U-jsXH47guo0aWyFDLKNhzLc0l6wDkTeO55gE1ky5M1s64d6wRBpsM3/s1600/DSC_0523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SuSh9YBpTUPfTo98n6oLwJPsR9zqkodSso_VU3wH1IwznuTnsspmDC3Vle5gM6bFZs2FyNevCbz0LIqX8Gfv7U-jsXH47guo0aWyFDLKNhzLc0l6wDkTeO55gE1ky5M1s64d6wRBpsM3/s320/DSC_0523.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-70590761610697972142015-04-26T22:18:00.001-04:002015-04-26T22:18:34.319-04:003 Months Old!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhyphenhyphenjHe_JHV8bMaWuQx2K9y_hqXCtpmMaMRUg2U1nEC_eawQeRsRsXuEkURXjNlhRcyeno1_FSXIec1c04y3frvIWwJ94zwc7QSeFm0Z7-msGl7PQfQ6WgTloJj1Sl4-IZL3RCk13I6yJu/s1600/Andrew_3_mos_11b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihhyphenhyphenjHe_JHV8bMaWuQx2K9y_hqXCtpmMaMRUg2U1nEC_eawQeRsRsXuEkURXjNlhRcyeno1_FSXIec1c04y3frvIWwJ94zwc7QSeFm0Z7-msGl7PQfQ6WgTloJj1Sl4-IZL3RCk13I6yJu/s1600/Andrew_3_mos_11b.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a> </div>
And 2 weeks late writing the post! The photos are from when he's actually 3 months old at least.<br />
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At 3 months, Andrew weighed 12 pounds, 8 ounces and was 24.25 inches long. He's a long skinny boy! His weight is tracking right along the 25%. It's so empowering knowing it's my body and my milk helping him grow. I'm still limiting my dairy, but it seems like he can tolerate cheeses and baked dairy. Last weekend I ate icecream, and man, back to horrible, painful crying! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88ZiJ6_dJSPQjiYnuefjUKIRQqj_gq46G1-XVaZPuJ68sS6QAouePUcGEtn7B_G21Ztf9pg7le1rt42ilDgQnoMTQU2UWr160nA0eUMtmJqcPRMPpWQxEfGtwQFBVWWG2uzj7wfqrXGtt/s1600/Andrew_3_mos_02b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh88ZiJ6_dJSPQjiYnuefjUKIRQqj_gq46G1-XVaZPuJ68sS6QAouePUcGEtn7B_G21Ztf9pg7le1rt42ilDgQnoMTQU2UWr160nA0eUMtmJqcPRMPpWQxEfGtwQFBVWWG2uzj7wfqrXGtt/s1600/Andrew_3_mos_02b.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>In terms of diapers, we're still squeezing into size 1. He really should probably be in size 2, but we're using our supply up. And heck, they're not leaking :) He's wearing size 3 month clothing (well he was, but now at 3.5 months has graduated to size 6 months).<br />
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I love baby smiles. He's started to have the social smile and it's just so heart warming.<br />
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In terms of favorite things, I really think it's eating. This boy loves to eat. Fortunately for me, but not really, he didn't really do any reverse cycling when I went back to work. He's sleeping about 6-8 hours at night and wakes once to eat. That would be nice if I was able to pump enough milk at work to compensate for what he eats at home. So since he's not tolerating dairy and he turned his nose up when we tried hypoallergenic formula once, I'm either staying up late or waking up in the middle of the night to add in a pumping session. So far I've been able to keep up. I'm not going to lie though, it's exhausting.<br />
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Bri has started to become jealous. Only I can brush her teeth, only I can get her out of the car, only I can put her to bed. She's overall very good with the baby. She likes to use his stomach as a drum though... I'm really curious to find out how she reacts once he starts moving and trying to play with her toys.<br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-68113963698684845932015-03-19T15:16:00.000-04:002015-03-19T15:21:08.936-04:002 Months Old!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fMJgJE3-k8EIItGHppZVAlc3LcqHePrDIeU3kJhl1TOCK1I5ged1gPZ7cfxiH3cUlQJmMs4xH9JSxgldLkjPUXepzco7J_uWEw_Uhr-8mDxQHPWWcOmgEA_3tw8n7MP0g_2pm9KFFFz_/s1600/Andrew_2_mos_30+copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fMJgJE3-k8EIItGHppZVAlc3LcqHePrDIeU3kJhl1TOCK1I5ged1gPZ7cfxiH3cUlQJmMs4xH9JSxgldLkjPUXepzco7J_uWEw_Uhr-8mDxQHPWWcOmgEA_3tw8n7MP0g_2pm9KFFFz_/s1600/Andrew_2_mos_30+copy.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
We made it to two months without a fever! The pediatrician in me is quite happy with that! Not that I want him to have a fever, but now if he has a fever he won't automatically need blood work. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNc7wMAOmcPf-qJ20q7n8ZYNqzV3xZDthWMBPsVqXy3K4Bl9_jNjminfYMwYr_-lOUKjoaFMHuM4s2IFPY03gNpNhtkVNjxRooJoyNxHo25Xq9lwyLPa5_EHGY4EEvxeEhlqV1nYDoOGX/s1600/Andrew_2_mos_06.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNc7wMAOmcPf-qJ20q7n8ZYNqzV3xZDthWMBPsVqXy3K4Bl9_jNjminfYMwYr_-lOUKjoaFMHuM4s2IFPY03gNpNhtkVNjxRooJoyNxHo25Xq9lwyLPa5_EHGY4EEvxeEhlqV1nYDoOGX/s1600/Andrew_2_mos_06.JPG" height="320" width="213" /></a>Little man is gaining weight like a champ! At two months he was 11 pounds and 23 inches. This puts his weight at about the 20-25%. This is huge for me. When Bri was 2 months old her weight was about 3%. It is such an empowering feeling knowing my breast milk has helped him grow and continue gaining weight. He's eating about 7-9 times a day. I'm still dairy free. I tried a milk shake one day, and man, he was a monster the next day! It seems he can tolerate me eating baked dairy, so I do have an occasional cookie or piece of cake. I'm surprised by how little I miss dairy. It's been better that I can't eat ice cream, because I'm not very good with moderation when I start a pint of Chubby Hubby. I learned I really enjoy almond milk and I've been able to bake with almond milk.<br />
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In terms of sleep, he wakes about once a night. I hope it stays that way, but we'll see now that I'm back to work.<br />
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He has way outgrown his newborn clothes and is starting to be too long for the 3 month clothes! He's officially wearing size 1 diapers.<br />
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Right now, his eyes are still blue! And it's such a handsome blue. Statistically since Bri has blue eyes, he shouldn't (we have a 1/8 chance of having TWO blue eyed children), but only time will tell.<br />
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In terms of things he likes, he LOVES the bath, and of course he loves to eat. Unfortunately he hates tummy time :(<br />
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Bri has realized he's not going anywhere, but she's doing great with him! The biggest thing I worry about right now is she uses his stomach as a drum... Fortunately she's stopped trying to pick him up. She herself wants to be carried more though, which I wouldn't mind if she wasn't almost 40 pounds!<br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-43468678122119288182015-02-16T17:42:00.000-05:002015-02-16T17:42:32.396-05:00One Month Old!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPaR33eVrebe8IWCAI7Wf_nqOyNXs_196Tp7bOheN1kKGmOJLEfl_aAT60174fUrm_gYg1F4R8IB03W70lwbxO83PK6Lov1D3CCoWXC7XvZ0UxhMkYTXvESIpoRluGpI7KTmjma_X91Gh/s1600/AndrewJoseph_23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOPaR33eVrebe8IWCAI7Wf_nqOyNXs_196Tp7bOheN1kKGmOJLEfl_aAT60174fUrm_gYg1F4R8IB03W70lwbxO83PK6Lov1D3CCoWXC7XvZ0UxhMkYTXvESIpoRluGpI7KTmjma_X91Gh/s1600/AndrewJoseph_23.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>I swear, life goes faster with two kids around. Little man turned one month old a couple of days ago. <br />
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I've been going to a breastfeeding support group about once a week, so fortunately I know what his weight is. On his one month birthday, he weighed 9 pounds 2 ounces. (His birth weight was 8lb 8oz). This weight is huge for me! It took his sister about a month to regain her birth weight, and then she gained very slowly. I wish I had known about the breastfeeding group with her because I truly think it was her latch that was affecting her milk transfer, which was affecting her weight gain. I'm blessed to be able to breastfeed my children.<br />
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Overall, his demeanor has been decent. He was very fussy the first week and a half, then I saw blood in his poop, so I cut out dairy. Since cutting out dairy, his demeanor has improved. However, it's hard to say if it was time or dairy that improved things since he only had the blood in the stool once. Joe and I went out to lunch today, so I decided today was the day I do a dairy challenge and ate cheese. We'll see how it goes. Even if it goes ok, I think I'll try to stick with limiting dairy but not stress about the "hidden dairy." Who am I kidding? I'm craving ice cream.<br />
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His favorite thing to do is eat! I mean, what else does a one month old do? Eat, sleep, poop.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTag5dW4FX4_vN4oith5bwOwlPYJ0w1a7nASPkY2PU36NYvdAlVRUy5Fa3iBBKfbE64TIj1FVPTS24qWDBaUsWYY2LxiI52qyhhRvpiDT0jaT5XqdWhXQO12kMPvQERFqQfKYzC_hLuts/s1600/AndrewJoseph_24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxTag5dW4FX4_vN4oith5bwOwlPYJ0w1a7nASPkY2PU36NYvdAlVRUy5Fa3iBBKfbE64TIj1FVPTS24qWDBaUsWYY2LxiI52qyhhRvpiDT0jaT5XqdWhXQO12kMPvQERFqQfKYzC_hLuts/s1600/AndrewJoseph_24.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a>He's straddling sizes in clothes, I'm moving mostly to the 3 month clothing now. He's definitely too long for the one piece newborn clothes.<br />
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For now, his eyes are still blue. I don't think they'll stay blue just because they're a different shade than what his sister's eyes were, plus statistically we shouldn't have two blue-eyed kids. <br />
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Baby sister is adjusting very well! The past week she acquired a cold and wanted to cuddle more and did regress to wanting to be carried more, but I think this will pass once she starts feeling better.<br />
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I want to try to start working out again. Last week I did a 15 minute post-natal workout. I think it's a good way to ease back in. It is going to be even harder now to find time with the two kids though. One day at a time. Plus I can't wait until it gets warmer!Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-39914830295294931432015-02-05T16:09:00.000-05:002015-02-06T10:57:28.259-05:00We had another baby!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNCUWL_zPar9cvjgygsZdaKmdzEtl6o9yG46piRTUe76DellNlBNIH1BCXqu6CiH2z2PagyDzAf9lJBRtjt8kuyhzYR7VGgWDpil2kwY1z152HtNq7Rzpeiy1mq-M6VimqYTKKO811vag/s1600/DSC_0097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmNCUWL_zPar9cvjgygsZdaKmdzEtl6o9yG46piRTUe76DellNlBNIH1BCXqu6CiH2z2PagyDzAf9lJBRtjt8kuyhzYR7VGgWDpil2kwY1z152HtNq7Rzpeiy1mq-M6VimqYTKKO811vag/s1600/DSC_0097.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEo7GYatqJD6GeF5BYlmIvj66dmWQA3wdLj5eeiKTjuw60n5dPZJOy4sk_tAcaJqdGDeUVtW3SLuFKUFVAJvKGlfTSYkNcOANG35nfvNdZLy7V2EBjLk0-v2A1oQRPnmOdYwew5ARxJb2Y/s1600/AndrewJoseph_18b.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEo7GYatqJD6GeF5BYlmIvj66dmWQA3wdLj5eeiKTjuw60n5dPZJOy4sk_tAcaJqdGDeUVtW3SLuFKUFVAJvKGlfTSYkNcOANG35nfvNdZLy7V2EBjLk0-v2A1oQRPnmOdYwew5ARxJb2Y/s1600/AndrewJoseph_18b.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEo7GYatqJD6GeF5BYlmIvj66dmWQA3wdLj5eeiKTjuw60n5dPZJOy4sk_tAcaJqdGDeUVtW3SLuFKUFVAJvKGlfTSYkNcOANG35nfvNdZLy7V2EBjLk0-v2A1oQRPnmOdYwew5ARxJb2Y/s1600/AndrewJoseph_18b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span class="im">Well, my goal is going to be at least monthly updates now that WE HAD ANOTHER BABY! First,
I'll say I was spoiled by our first baby coming 2.5 weeks early. I ended up
having C3P0 at 39 weeks 6 days, but damn, it was a long pregnancy! I
started effacing at 34 weeks and I walked around 3.5-4 cm dilated for
over two weeks. From about 36 weeks on I had intermittent contractions,
which I never had with R2D2. They were such a tease, and honestly, not
the most comfortable experience. So, when I had my first "real"
contraction, it still felt like some of the contractions I had been
having off and on. The difference, these contractions stayed about
every five minutes, and quickly became even more frequent.<br />
<br />
I
decided I wanted to continue to work until I delivered. Since I went
early with R2D2, after 38 weeks we stopped scheduling patients and I was
opening my schedule on a daily basis for sick patients. When I went to
work that Monday morning I had no clue I'd be leaving work to have a
baby! I saw my morning patients, I didn't feel any
different than my new normal back pain and pelvic pressure. While I was
eating lunch around 12:45 I felt a contraction. The contraction was
strong, but it didn't quite take my breath away and no stronger than some
I had the previous weeks. After I had a second contraction about 7-8
minutes later I decided I should pay more attention to them. By that
time my first afternoon patient was waiting for me. Well, by the end of
that visit, I knew this was the real deal, but I had no clue how fast
things would progress! I called Joe, told him where our hospital bag
was, asked him to pick me up, and then proceeded to see my next
patient. Yes, I saw my next patient. I mean, I had to wait for Joe to
pick me up anyway, so what if my contractions were 5 minutes apart by
that time? I warned the family so they understood my pauses during our
visit. Things snowballed after that, I think by the time I left
work, the contractions were about 3.5 minutes apart. I felt EVERY
SINGLE BUMP on the way to the hospital, which was 25 minutes away. By
the time I arrived at the hospital, my contractions were about 90
seconds apart and the pain was INTENSE. They quickly got me back to
triage and unfortunately I couldn't even lay still long enough to stay
on the monitors. My pain was best managed standing up and bending over
slightly. There were several times where the pain was so intense I
truly thought I was going to pass out (how I deal with pain). I
remember saying to Joe so many times, "this is so much worse than with
Bri." Well, while trying to manage the pain, wham, my water broke. I
looked down and saw it was brown. Being a pediatrician I knew this was
meconium and truly said, "Oh sh!t, meconium!" </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEo7GYatqJD6GeF5BYlmIvj66dmWQA3wdLj5eeiKTjuw60n5dPZJOy4sk_tAcaJqdGDeUVtW3SLuFKUFVAJvKGlfTSYkNcOANG35nfvNdZLy7V2EBjLk0-v2A1oQRPnmOdYwew5ARxJb2Y/s1600/AndrewJoseph_18b.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidM72LQ1Jy3zHXA-TwmZ3kgNRu0WYWnRCaoRCGmddxIdWDGsTiagcShrNGb92hGm_s1JRkweBHNDelb5vH3dLEBtgNj5BdUrFnPaUSkuJPEVhCXFpEUvQmATYjNqOc8b_IxY5k76e93z9j/s1600/DSC_0094b.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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After much
troubleshooting to get me into a comfortable position (laying on my back
made the contractions more intense) the doc was finally able to exam me
and ends up I was fully dilated and ready to push. No wonder I was having so
much pain! Once I heard that I looked at the resident doc and almost
begged her to let me deliver. Fortunately the nurse talked me off the
edge and put reason in my head to deliver down in L&D, especially since he was
meconium. Once I knew I was ready, I just wanted the pain to be over.
They immediately whisked me down to L&D, my OB had already started
prepping, they transferred me the delivery table, and I was ready to
roll. My OB quickly finished putting her gown on, I looked at her, said
I was ready, and started pushing. Joe and I can't quite remember if it
was 2 or 3 pushes, but he was here! Since he had pooped before
delivery, the NICU nurse practitioner was there. They took him immediately
over the the baby bed. He started crying, so they did some mild
suctioning, dried him off, and put him back on my chest to transition.<br />
<br />
Well, unfortunately my labor <span class="">story</span>
doesn't end there. At about 10 minutes of life I realized C3P0 was
still quite blue for being 10 minutes old and he was making a sing-song
noise called grunting that often means the baby is having trouble
breathing. Oh, and we were still waiting for my placenta to detach.
Since I knew panic doesn't make things go any faster, I calmly looked at
my nurse and asked her to grab a pulse ox for the baby. My doctor gut was
right, his oxygen level was hovering in the high 60's to low 70's. Fortunately, the NICU
came back and did their thing. They gave him some oxygen, did more
deep suctioning, ultimately he needed a couple of breaths via face mask,
and had him pink before taking him to the NICU. In the mean time,
we're at over 20 minutes since delivery and my placenta wasn't budging.
So as I sat there waiting for the labor process to continue I just had to trust the NICU. I mean, I do, that's why I delivered at a hospital
with a NICU, but it was still hard. It's hard knowing how serious things
COULD be and I couldn't do anything. I couldn't go over to the bed and
see my child. I couldn't let my doctor instinct kick in and start
taking medical care of him. I couldn't do anything other than wince
when my OB massaged my placenta and hope I didn't need to go to the OR.
Ultimately I received some pain medicine through my muscle (still no IV) and my OB
manually retrieved my placenta. Finally, labor was over.<br />
<br />
So, just to put things into perspective into how quick it was, my first contraction was at the earliest 12:45pm, I delivered at 3:36pm. I always said, I think I'd try labor without an epidural and if I couldn't handle it, I'd get one, well, this time around, I didn't have time to even consider any pain medication! <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEo7GYatqJD6GeF5BYlmIvj66dmWQA3wdLj5eeiKTjuw60n5dPZJOy4sk_tAcaJqdGDeUVtW3SLuFKUFVAJvKGlfTSYkNcOANG35nfvNdZLy7V2EBjLk0-v2A1oQRPnmOdYwew5ARxJb2Y/s1600/AndrewJoseph_18b.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEo7GYatqJD6GeF5BYlmIvj66dmWQA3wdLj5eeiKTjuw60n5dPZJOy4sk_tAcaJqdGDeUVtW3SLuFKUFVAJvKGlfTSYkNcOANG35nfvNdZLy7V2EBjLk0-v2A1oQRPnmOdYwew5ARxJb2Y/s1600/AndrewJoseph_18b.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
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Ultimately, C3P0 went to the NICU and received 2 days of antibiotics. He was stable breathing on his own by the time he arrived to the NICU. He's now 3 weeks old and we're all doing well. Soon enough I'll be doing his one month update!</div>
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<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-68701301488016884782014-10-04T09:03:00.003-04:002014-10-04T09:03:40.925-04:00C3P0<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdW-eg3umu9xaNSb42pX0xcfTKrQbUEjpBo1CJZjpkz7Im_CBLHaDPVBe8rDHT4Lz5zdrWP0r02gVbPGUzeVwQWg3pyaQpRJ3JMID4Y_-gt1fxsdarOTXPDwzSnNQVtSYqn58iI8Bo9ESv/s1600/Jul102014_2435.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdW-eg3umu9xaNSb42pX0xcfTKrQbUEjpBo1CJZjpkz7Im_CBLHaDPVBe8rDHT4Lz5zdrWP0r02gVbPGUzeVwQWg3pyaQpRJ3JMID4Y_-gt1fxsdarOTXPDwzSnNQVtSYqn58iI8Bo9ESv/s1600/Jul102014_2435.JPG" height="292" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have nearly given up on updating this blog of mine. Here's the latest thing we're cooking up! We're due in January 2015 :)<br />
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Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-32131209373804600682014-08-03T12:48:00.002-04:002014-08-03T12:48:47.928-04:00Written in My Own Heart's Blood<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17838167-written-in-my-own-heart-s-blood" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Written in My Own Heart's Blood (Outlander, #8)" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366637610m/17838167.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17838167-written-in-my-own-heart-s-blood">Written in My Own Heart's Blood</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3617.Diana_Gabaldon">Diana Gabaldon</a><br />
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My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/966295475">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
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I LOVED seeing some characters come back into the storyline and be developed more, and like always, I love having Roger and Bree in the books. This was the first Outlander series I read on my kindle and I have to admit, it was not nearly as daunting as when I read the hardcovers. Gabaldon delivered yet again and now I'm disappointed I have to wait until whenever the next book comes out for more Highland love in the US.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2523322-amanda-loveofjoe11">View all my reviews</a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-31901407004065185262014-07-22T22:41:00.001-04:002014-07-22T22:41:44.218-04:00We have a 2 year old!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpKP4crwAeIqe2BJQCPctE-5-n0tW0Dn7XNgoeHFYlP1ljMuUD-YkTQlZuql-BSpbk6OgRFm5h1XcQv0vkSYSJeAshuDl_iPwIQSxetDOMQB2t4ABBleeTNxZeeC2ad4TGDxjHkTIsBE2/s640/blogger-image--2025204851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpKP4crwAeIqe2BJQCPctE-5-n0tW0Dn7XNgoeHFYlP1ljMuUD-YkTQlZuql-BSpbk6OgRFm5h1XcQv0vkSYSJeAshuDl_iPwIQSxetDOMQB2t4ABBleeTNxZeeC2ad4TGDxjHkTIsBE2/s640/blogger-image--2025204851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br></div></div>Yes I'm alive. Life has been busy. This past week our baby girl turned two!!! I love seeing her grow and develop. She's developing her own little personality too! We went to Dutch Wonderland for the day. She preferred the water park, and she hated the merry go round! We had bowling birthday party and she loved it! We did duck pin bowling, so it was just her size!<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOd_pXyenZNfjv0txNifsvRHyypN6mZpYOPtqKmP4DBUwpAlSCLpmPuDASG1Ur_xmtU2U6NHzhD9VRduyHFl033rMqjrld1ozwC8e63AE0CdpSSExDLjDu2oKTKXvJbyfrvwro2NkDMrx/s640/blogger-image-423010436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsOd_pXyenZNfjv0txNifsvRHyypN6mZpYOPtqKmP4DBUwpAlSCLpmPuDASG1Ur_xmtU2U6NHzhD9VRduyHFl033rMqjrld1ozwC8e63AE0CdpSSExDLjDu2oKTKXvJbyfrvwro2NkDMrx/s640/blogger-image-423010436.jpg"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauteqm7uYFLWOX4MHpX0KyCzvvZq3sat02V8UN0qAhn3JyXSaVTMRThgQBBMOxO1oaEmZB9KHqocMThAqbHLid4ZjhQcV9yOuTB0xzbAOA9qttUU3AqhtVj8lWMqrHskA3QhoLDRzbwgb/s640/blogger-image-454130502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiauteqm7uYFLWOX4MHpX0KyCzvvZq3sat02V8UN0qAhn3JyXSaVTMRThgQBBMOxO1oaEmZB9KHqocMThAqbHLid4ZjhQcV9yOuTB0xzbAOA9qttUU3AqhtVj8lWMqrHskA3QhoLDRzbwgb/s640/blogger-image-454130502.jpg"></a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpKP4crwAeIqe2BJQCPctE-5-n0tW0Dn7XNgoeHFYlP1ljMuUD-YkTQlZuql-BSpbk6OgRFm5h1XcQv0vkSYSJeAshuDl_iPwIQSxetDOMQB2t4ABBleeTNxZeeC2ad4TGDxjHkTIsBE2/s640/blogger-image--2025204851.jpg" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue Light', HelveticaNeue-Light, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-60573597022250598202014-01-28T16:22:00.001-05:002014-01-28T16:22:44.436-05:00Plated January 21st DeliveryThis was my second week of <a href="https://www.plated.com/invites/1fb464" target="_blank">plated</a>. If you're interested in <a href="https://www.plated.com/invites/1fb464" target="_blank">giving it a try</a>, I definitely recommend it. At first I thought it was a little wasteful sending such small portions of ingredients in containers, but then I went grocery shopping this weekend and realized how much I bought just to use a super small portion of the ingredient that I think it all evens out. I'm also loving that I'm learning new cooking techniques. Oh, and whenever they send garlic, it's already peeled, score!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjGl67_pD7oRgEmIGV8FDUBz3QkMfwzSk1ligx0ckje3_PGGVAtnxXb4u0r4of-UhfWCYzKNV5znhaQoH-oO4I4-Hbzf_mbDnMx4an1gxyCs6APwFwsnvK55GYp-gkEnwTP3BsSs8Vv7k/s1600/MushroomPasta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmjGl67_pD7oRgEmIGV8FDUBz3QkMfwzSk1ligx0ckje3_PGGVAtnxXb4u0r4of-UhfWCYzKNV5znhaQoH-oO4I4-Hbzf_mbDnMx4an1gxyCs6APwFwsnvK55GYp-gkEnwTP3BsSs8Vv7k/s1600/MushroomPasta.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a>First up, wild mushroom pappardelle. I LOVE mushrooms!!! I ended up adding more butter than the recipe called for because I thought the sauce was a little dry. The recipe said it would make two servings, but I was able to get three out of it. I thought it tasted better the next day. I'm still getting used to working with fresh herbs.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOJR3_N4_I-DQhSwcWcLlCc_xikG6_Lnw07HdJo1lC2LItMUL5m1ugbOxuA7TbofgbTQx3qPLVNn2_RqWZDEqLuCcp7cuMj90EjSC0aeIeatgGYmY0htjM4HyNRPdZ9EJ3vDTbz5ayU0u/s1600/SteakwithPolenta.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcOJR3_N4_I-DQhSwcWcLlCc_xikG6_Lnw07HdJo1lC2LItMUL5m1ugbOxuA7TbofgbTQx3qPLVNn2_RqWZDEqLuCcp7cuMj90EjSC0aeIeatgGYmY0htjM4HyNRPdZ9EJ3vDTbz5ayU0u/s1600/SteakwithPolenta.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
And my second plate of the week, balsamic skirt steak with polenta. This was my first time eating polenta, it's ok. It's not something I'll make on my own, but something I'll eat. The skirt steak, oh my goodness, delicious! I'm also liking that I'm learning how to cook steak during the winter in the house that's not on the grill. I feel like I always overcook my steak unless I'm grilling it, but not anymore!<br />
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With me being sick right now, I'm going to have to hold off cooking this week's delivery for another day or two. I ordered mussels (again my first time cooking mussels), but I don't think that will sit well with the GI bug.<br />
<br />Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-47974105431800225402014-01-28T07:42:00.000-05:002014-01-28T07:42:08.241-05:00On being a doctor and taking a sick dayI don't know if it's just me or the influence of society, but I have extreme guilt regarding calling in sick today. Yesterday 1/2 through the day I started feeling sick. I'll just say I tried to get through it and ended up getting sick between patients. The other doctors told me I needed to go home, so home I went. Overnight I developed a fever and I just feel like poo. The hard part about my profession is that me taking sick days doesn't only affect me, but other patients and my fellow doctors. It took a little talking to myself, but finally I realized I wouldn't want my well baby being seen by a doc who's fighting the GI bug and has a fever, so back to bed I go.<br />
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Oh, and can I just say, it sucks being sick as an adult!Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-37702614908574821552014-01-19T21:14:00.001-05:002014-01-19T21:15:00.772-05:00CroupIt's tough being a mom and a pediatrician. This morning my little one woke with a barky cough. She has croup. Right now it's just the cough, but I have enough medical knowledge to know it has the ability to get worse before getting better, which scared the living day lights out of me. I swear, I've brought home more germs working in the office than when I was primarily in the hospital. <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4TrViJuk2YTgEI_5lAKzeR9guZL2GlNkHheU5VPNNRagezts64Wwm78qJ2ISq6aWOU0FfyvSXvOe2SBKij1GQa3uT48Dm2_LhAQI1e1lNJEYENTvWh2wyfFtRl4kmd7CrH7h4hpVlmnn/s640/blogger-image-410671217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr4TrViJuk2YTgEI_5lAKzeR9guZL2GlNkHheU5VPNNRagezts64Wwm78qJ2ISq6aWOU0FfyvSXvOe2SBKij1GQa3uT48Dm2_LhAQI1e1lNJEYENTvWh2wyfFtRl4kmd7CrH7h4hpVlmnn/s640/blogger-image-410671217.jpg"></a></div>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-35286794588508149902014-01-19T21:12:00.003-05:002014-01-19T21:12:56.485-05:00My First Week of PlatedWell hello there, if I have any followers still! Blogging has taken even more of a backseat, but that's ok. The important thing is spending time with my family and friends. Since my last entry, I have found out that I have passed my pediatric boards, woo hoo!!!<br />
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Cooking has also taken a backseat. It's mostly been that I'm not good with meal planning, so then when I am ready to cook, I don't know what to cook and often don't have all of the ingredients. Thanks to social media, I saw an advertisement for some food delivery services. I decided to sign up for <a href="https://www.plated.com/invites/1fb464" target="_blank">plated</a>. This was my first week, so far, I'm enjoying it. This week I tried two meals.<br />
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First meal, Spanish Chickpea and Spinach Soup<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3p-dPzJXe3mtN8TRYFkBBRJnsXnYajCu8nthNmdSdsMgQXqsmu9wAlqDF9d74fR5NxkhwDWLs3dBJ_9aDd-tgSDgPrquJSXB7bE0OUx5vMUrrGhAAtttHQBDiWvaYVou2V4oj-_VJMPCm/s1600/photo+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3p-dPzJXe3mtN8TRYFkBBRJnsXnYajCu8nthNmdSdsMgQXqsmu9wAlqDF9d74fR5NxkhwDWLs3dBJ_9aDd-tgSDgPrquJSXB7bE0OUx5vMUrrGhAAtttHQBDiWvaYVou2V4oj-_VJMPCm/s1600/photo+1.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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The recipe said it should take about 40-50 minutes to make. I find making stews often takes longer, and that was the case tonight. Before adding the spinach, I sauteed it with garlic and olive oil, oh my goodness, deliciousness and a new side! This was my first time putting a fried egg on my food. I could have gone with out, I honestly don't think it added much. I was able to get four meals of this recipe and it was definitely delicious! </div>
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Second Meal, Provencal Steak with Purple Potatoes and Green Beans</div>
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The rub was a little too much for me, so I ended up scraping it off. I also felt this took a little longer than 30 minutes to make since I felt my potatoes weren't done in the recommended time. Either way, it was yummy.</div>
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<br />Overall, I was very pleased with my first plated experience. I'm sure things would have been a little less expensive if I went to the grocery store myself, but truth be told, I'm ok with paying for the convenience. I loved being back in the kitchen and I'm looking forward to this week's delivery!</div>
Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-16279457212442735932013-11-03T20:49:00.001-05:002013-11-03T20:49:32.388-05:00Eggplant Caponata Sandwich<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGszm4O-g6iow1Vx2sJTxZKoT_kIuNESseeEneJ5KjaNXyVWexPud7vkmYrO2T0KS29jWgnd_-M2My8f9BvpnNbORqcxtWtVkm2otAJ06jMimpSaTwM6VF1by0bKy_uiVXq0Ecquze6h-/s1600/EggplantCaponata.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijGszm4O-g6iow1Vx2sJTxZKoT_kIuNESseeEneJ5KjaNXyVWexPud7vkmYrO2T0KS29jWgnd_-M2My8f9BvpnNbORqcxtWtVkm2otAJ06jMimpSaTwM6VF1by0bKy_uiVXq0Ecquze6h-/s320/EggplantCaponata.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
A group of my friends decided to try to use local produce one week and since I've never cooked with eggplant, I decided to use eggplant. I really enjoyed the flavor of it and I'll definitely cook with it again! Eggplant is definitely a substitute for meat!<br />
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The mozzarella definitely makes this this sandwich, so don't leave that out! <br />
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I think next time I'll use another eggplant, as it was, it was a little heavy on the tomatoes. I also heated mine up, I didn't like it cold.<br />
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Recipe adapted from <a href="http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-eggplant-caponata-sandw-57942" target="_blank">theKitchn</a>.<br />
<br />
<em>makes 5 cups of caponata, enough for about 10 sandwiches</em><br />
INGREDIENTS:
<br />
1/3 cup olive oil<br />1 medium eggplant, peeled and cut into small cubes, about 4 cups total<br />1/2 green bell pepper, diced<br />
1/2 red bell pepper, diced<br />1 small onion, diced<br />4 ounces white mushrooms, chopped<br />3 cloves garlic, minced<br />1/2 cup black olives, pitted and sliced<br />1 6-ounce can tomato paste<br />3 tablespoons red wine vinegar<br />1 1/2 teaspoons sugar<br />1/2 teaspoon dried oregano<br />Salt and freshly ground black pepper<br />Baguette or ciabatta bread, to serve<br />Fresh mozzarella, about 2 thick slices per sandwich, to serve<br />Fresh basil leaves, <em>optional</em>, to serve<br />
<br />
DIRECTIONS: <br />
Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven or wide, deep
sauté pan and add eggplant, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms, and garlic.
Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 10 minutes, until vegetables
are soft.<br />
Add the olives, tomato paste, vinegar, sugar, and oregano. Season
again with salt and pepper. Lower heat to medium-low, cover, and cook
for 30 minutes. Stir a few times during cooking, and add a tablespoon or
two of water (or olive brine) if the mixture is too thick and sticking
to the bottom of the pan.<br />
<br />
Allow caponata to cool. Spoon on bread, top with mozzarella and basil, and serve. Or, serve warm as a dip.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-75903266811267414202013-10-31T22:33:00.000-04:002013-10-31T22:33:18.515-04:00Stress EatingI hate stress eating. I hate that I know that I'm stress eating and I still do. I'm still trying to pin point exactly why I'm stressed, but now I feel like I'm starting to stress about my eating, which is a vicious cycle.<br />
<br />
I miss feeling fit and healthy. I know I need to work out. I need to make time to do it and stop finding excuses.<br />
<br />
I miss feeling a part of a faith community. I need to get my butt back in church.<br />
<br />
I miss the longer days. I truly feel like I have seasonal affective disorder. I keep saying maybe I should try a light but never try it.<br />
<br />
Those are the major things on my mind right now.<br />
<br />
I also miss sleeping in, but that's just a whine, not a real stressor.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-57365884919576279342013-10-21T20:44:00.004-04:002013-10-21T20:44:59.460-04:00Race for the Cure 2013This past Sunday was Baltimore's Race for the Cure. I initially didn't sign up because I'm taking the pediatric boards tomorrow and thought I would be studying. I realized I needed some time to relax and wanted to support my family, so off we went! This is the first 5K I fully ran in probably 3-4 years. It wasn't a great finish time, but I ran it!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXPkI2bUFBiCBm71ShMpBZMHm77ml_N7AX16b4ekSABXkPl-krdYfQTujCVlHy7jTjx78JN0icAg5VJlkRdiz1w5KioSmvnCUrkqFwHcssyU162YjYBCVUHZxO7Ml2QJkwRS-JQQJTR4d/s1600/1374242_571725362072_1811481384_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfspgn0mQzBq1YTy2mtKgzxZ5cy2S4cLNdupZjhXa6VegCtVab4qGtJ8wChzUFmAIXUrqhCs_8v4Hu6udSUhaR1e5zBIwuHMUpt2w67QFsif41gqV-k4dl5CyhvkTfGngXXgryhXEkd4k3/s1600/1377099_571725431932_1179617367_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfspgn0mQzBq1YTy2mtKgzxZ5cy2S4cLNdupZjhXa6VegCtVab4qGtJ8wChzUFmAIXUrqhCs_8v4Hu6udSUhaR1e5zBIwuHMUpt2w67QFsif41gqV-k4dl5CyhvkTfGngXXgryhXEkd4k3/s320/1377099_571725431932_1179617367_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlxsl8Fl9Qe4cMEUZ_6emxKv4Z5knaD_b6rJrFKuOj2B9_654l95_xOEPnTm9WLj1lb4KsX-lo8vTxoDghsocO-8vLx3XAdfwQuDXKUYj0UZQaqBqpgLfkdKKddnmWiXJgT0bEk95-r2Y/s1600/1381364_571725731332_1892337176_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimlxsl8Fl9Qe4cMEUZ_6emxKv4Z5knaD_b6rJrFKuOj2B9_654l95_xOEPnTm9WLj1lb4KsX-lo8vTxoDghsocO-8vLx3XAdfwQuDXKUYj0UZQaqBqpgLfkdKKddnmWiXJgT0bEk95-r2Y/s320/1381364_571725731332_1892337176_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXPkI2bUFBiCBm71ShMpBZMHm77ml_N7AX16b4ekSABXkPl-krdYfQTujCVlHy7jTjx78JN0icAg5VJlkRdiz1w5KioSmvnCUrkqFwHcssyU162YjYBCVUHZxO7Ml2QJkwRS-JQQJTR4d/s1600/1374242_571725362072_1811481384_n.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjXPkI2bUFBiCBm71ShMpBZMHm77ml_N7AX16b4ekSABXkPl-krdYfQTujCVlHy7jTjx78JN0icAg5VJlkRdiz1w5KioSmvnCUrkqFwHcssyU162YjYBCVUHZxO7Ml2QJkwRS-JQQJTR4d/s320/1374242_571725362072_1811481384_n.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVPXiwMWDpf_C5Tu5EvDmQNGyh0qS6A82JeotyQWSv08gsgTMbyN47Oy3S5YIoEU_h0H17cWImKrkDjzRNIYTawTroW0BpTwdr7k0KRjKQnmpPnZuOPGH1RbFeKUJ8t0KijBzEiSCMgCf/s1600/1385406_571725686422_254626135_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpVPXiwMWDpf_C5Tu5EvDmQNGyh0qS6A82JeotyQWSv08gsgTMbyN47Oy3S5YIoEU_h0H17cWImKrkDjzRNIYTawTroW0BpTwdr7k0KRjKQnmpPnZuOPGH1RbFeKUJ8t0KijBzEiSCMgCf/s320/1385406_571725686422_254626135_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Mom, Dad and Bri did the one mile family walk. I am so happy to say that Mom is almost one year cancer free now! She has a couple more founds of Herceptin and then she'll get her port out and be done :)<br />
Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-20000463313570997462013-10-05T22:14:00.000-04:002013-10-05T22:14:26.384-04:00I decided to wean<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNQGh-J4TsLGZ6pOTwZs_F8IDqmkVmOLDQlexcBZs5vRa_Wgc4p5VF0UwUrIjUpBkhGkSmx2zu71yzzsp71h00ePvZDospl_26WvMJP3d2wqQCyeSRwZRR-HN4E4bEHuY50L9I3N4KX3u/s1600/Ponytail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYNQGh-J4TsLGZ6pOTwZs_F8IDqmkVmOLDQlexcBZs5vRa_Wgc4p5VF0UwUrIjUpBkhGkSmx2zu71yzzsp71h00ePvZDospl_26WvMJP3d2wqQCyeSRwZRR-HN4E4bEHuY50L9I3N4KX3u/s320/Ponytail.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Shortly after 14 months I decided to wean and stop breastfeeding this beautiful gal. When I went back to work just after her first birthday I decided to only breastfeed morning and night. I was starting to feel a little violated though. It seemed as soon as I came home from work, she was reaching for me, either lifting my shirt or putting her hand down my shirt. I feel like she was mostly nursing for comfort, so I decided to stop. I was fortunate enough to be able to nurse her for over 14 months; the transition has gone well. After about two days she stopped reaching for me and now our bed time routine consists of more reading and cuddling. My baby girl is growing up.Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-20646293853575530932013-08-28T21:09:00.001-04:002013-08-28T21:09:38.678-04:00Opal Fire<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9628111-opal-fire" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Opal Fire (A Stacy Justice Mystery, #1)" border="0" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1357463421m/9628111.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9628111-opal-fire">Opal Fire</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2894399.Barbra_Annino">Barbra Annino</a><br />
<br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/706176716">3 of 5 stars</a><br />
<br />
<br />
I read the comparison before, but I definitely agree, this reminds me of the Stefanie Plum series. Either way, I enjoyed it. It wasn't Earth-shattering, but a fun read.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2523322-amanda-loveofjoe11">View all my reviews</a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-46098540030763876862013-08-23T20:49:00.000-04:002013-08-23T20:49:08.616-04:00Ray of Sunshine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hP2xB0179iAaQAvpFN1e3qlYpv0111E7MkNmVr8m7sXfuvaMonWd1YaEaMcY_4_FE2ZlacEG5eDEsnYOFnyNJDP0Fe6TQNyzfeBRJeCl44kLvNf0et8mignvpiCgP_n9NLykLYjQkpsg/s1600/Aug23_2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hP2xB0179iAaQAvpFN1e3qlYpv0111E7MkNmVr8m7sXfuvaMonWd1YaEaMcY_4_FE2ZlacEG5eDEsnYOFnyNJDP0Fe6TQNyzfeBRJeCl44kLvNf0et8mignvpiCgP_n9NLykLYjQkpsg/s400/Aug23_2013.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
I had off work today so we spent some time enjoying the clouding weather out back. She turned around just as I snapped my shutter. She's my ray of sunshine!Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8217201652648540068.post-78955788340862475782013-08-23T20:21:00.003-04:002013-08-23T20:21:35.510-04:00Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3367956-hotel-on-the-corner-of-bitter-and-sweet" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px;"><img alt="Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet" border="0" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348332221m/3367956.jpg" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3367956-hotel-on-the-corner-of-bitter-and-sweet">Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1421619.Jamie_Ford">Jamie Ford</a><br />
<br />
My rating: <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/210057029">4 of 5 stars</a><br />
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<br />
I really enjoyed this book! Living on the East Coast, I heard little about the Japanese interment camps of WW2 during my schooling. The book goes back and forth between the 1980's and the 1940's and each transition flowed. The book incorporates several emotions. You'll get a story of finding your identity, loyalty, love, and grief. I didn't find it politically overbearing and definitely recommend it!<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/2523322-amanda-loveofjoe11">View all my reviews</a>Amandahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14495569755015240563noreply@blogger.com0