Kids say the darndest things!

My little dude says some cute things every once in a while and I had started compiling a list of the stories behind some of the cutest things he’s said.  Unfortunately I didn’t keep it going, so I’ve missed a lot, but I decided to start keeping track again.  So here are a few fun little stories from about a year and a half ago and then one from just recently.  Kids are such a joy and this little guy has been a real source of entertainment for me! If any of you have any stories about your kids you’d like to share, please feel free to leave me a comment!  I love that kind of stuff! 

PS... For those who don't frequent parenting forums,"DS" stands for "Dear Son".    

                                            

January 2014

Super why on mommy's head

(Interaction: Mommy to DS#1)

DS#1 was singing the “Super Why” theme song (a tv show on netflix he likes) and I said to him, “you just got the super why theme song stuck in my head.” He looks at me a little baffled, reaches over w both hands and grabs my head and says, “let me see super why stuck on your head..” So he pokes around on my head a little, then he says, “it's just hair on there, mommy!”

 Hahahahaha!!!!!!!!! Their little minds are so literal at this age! It's cute!!!!

Burgers
(Interaction: Mommy to DS#1)

So we buy a pound of ground buffalo meat and make burgers anytime they have it at Sprouts food stores. Well we made them one night and DS#1 LOVED that burger!!!! He went on and on about it the rest of the night! We also had mashed potatoes and veggies w it. So that night I put him to bed and we say prayers and I start with "dear Lord, we thank you for.."  And he repeats and says, "dear Lord, we thank you for dadda and burgers.." And a few things later he goes, "and mashed potatoes"!!

It was THE cutest thing EVER!

Foot finger

(Interaction:  Dadda to DS#1)

Dadda is noticing how large DS#1’s feet are and he is pulling on his toes and pops one of them.  DS#1 says to Dadda, “You broke my toe!  I need a new toe!”  He obviously knew what a toe was, but promptly forgot, because he then says, “Dadda you broke my foot finger!”

The store

(Interaction:  DS#1 to mommy)

DS#1 reaches in my pocket and says, “you have any money in your pocket?”  I tell him no, I don’t.  So he quickly replies with a very serious expression on his face, “you need to go to the store and buy more money.”

I had a small fracture in my finger and I was telling DS#1 how it was broken.  He says, “Let me see your broken finger.”  Then he says again, very seriously, “you need to go to the store and buy a new finger.”

May 2015

The Garden

(Interaction:  DS#1 to mommy)

Here is the small back story 1^st.  DS#1 and his dad built a garden in the backyard some months ago and DS#1 is very serious about his garden and LOVES it!!!

I am now pregnant with DS#2 and I was not feeling well at all.  So I was lying on the couch in a lot of pain.  DS#1 comes in and sees me lying there and he rubs my back and says (in a very serious tone), “I wish dada didn’t put DS#2 (by his actual name) in your tummy.  I wish we could just grow him in the garden.”

100 days of enjoying the journey!

I have been pregnant 100 days today!  And it is going sooooooo SLOW!  I can’t even begin to tell you how each week drags on!  BUT...  I keep telling myself to enjoy the journey!  Easier said than done at times, but still it’s a very cool concept to live by!  I’m sure there are those women who are like, “I’ll just be happy when my baby is here.”  And some of those women are super discontent in their pregnancies.  And some of them feel that way for VERY good reason.  I know how miserable pregnancy can be for some women and I definitely feel for them.  My 1st pregnancy wasn’t exactly a walk in the park for me mentally, but I got through it.  This time around I am truly ENJOYING THE JOURNEY and remembering that life is about the journey, not the just destination!!  I have my days and my moments where I think, why did I do this to myself (well… you know what I mean!  It takes two!  Ha!)?  I question whether getting pregnant was the right decision and I sometimes beat myself up about various things that aren’t going right in that very moment.  But I’m slowly, but surely learning that beating myself up and questioning my past decisions is not going to get me anywhere, nor will it help me to live happily and fully in the present moment. 

Making a conscious effort to be happy and live in the present moment isn’t exactly the easiest thing most people will ever do.  We all identify so closely with our pasts and a lot of people feel that their past shapes who they are, but I don’t agree.  Sure some of your behaviors are learned from your past, but you have all the power in the world in your mind to change any behavior you don’t like about yourself or break whatever cycle of whatever issue your family has had for generations or whatever the case may be.  It isn’t easy.  And I’m not trying to make it sound like the simplest thing you’ll ever do.  It takes A LOT of work, self-discipline and deeply wanting to make a change.

 I have personally made many MANY changes within myself over the past several years and I feel that these changes have helped me to feel better about myself.  I use positive self-talk as opposed to talking down to myself.  And I am much more grateful for all of my blessings, as opposed to always dwelling upon what I don’t have.  All of this is making my current pregnancy easier for me mentally thus far!  I had a little blip with my bipolar medications, but since that’s been straightened out, I have been feeling over all pretty positive and happy.  It’s a trend I plan to continue with!

As far as how I’m feeling at my 100 day mark of pregnancy… I would have to say, I’m doing pretty well!  I am now officially in the 2nd trimester at 14 weeks and 2 days along and my nausea has been gone for weeks now!  I am also finally starting to get some energy back!  Doing small things tend to make me exhausted still, but I am able to do more things at once than in previous weeks.  My belly is starting to really pop out there!  Wearing loose fitting shirts no longer covers it!  What I can’t wait to have happen is for it to REALLY pop out there so that I can start flaunting this belly!  Hehe!  I love that part!  I am feeling a good amount of movement already from the baby and have been for about a week now!  That part is crazy to me because I didn’t feel movement with my son until closer to 20 weeks along!  So I guess everyone was right about that part!  We find out the baby’s gender in exactly 11 days and that is something both my husband and I are extremely eager for!  Stay tuned for the big reveal!  Don’t get too excited, though!  I don’t have anything elaborate planned to tell the big news!  But it’ll still be fun!

The real truth of my pregnancy and my bipolar disorder... Thus far

As you may or may not know, I am bipolar.  That’s majority of what this blog is about.  I wanted to create a place where other moms (bipolar or not) could turn to and see that they aren’t alone in their struggles as a mom.  Everyone is fighting their own personal battles and sometimes it just helps to know that you aren’t alone and that someone else is fighting as well. 

I am fighting a true battle right now.  Being bipolar and pregnant.  I did try to take precautions before getting pregnant being that it was planned, but I don’t think I gave myself long enough to sort through the issues before getting pregnant.  Here is the back story.  I went to my psychiatrist in December ’14 and I told her my husband and I planned to start trying for another baby and that I wanted to make some adjustments to my medications.  I was on 2 medications.  The 1^st is Abilify, which I’ve been on since 2006 and the other is Lamictal, which I had been on since I was pregnant with my son in 2010.  I asked her to wean me off of the Lamictal because I had been told in the past by a different psychiatrist that it has been known to cause cleft pallet in babies.   Imagine my shock hearing that news after I had spent 6 months of my pregnancy on that medication!  So my current psychiatrist took me off of that one.  My next request was to lower the dosage of the Abilify.  I was on 25mg.  So she took me down to 20mg in January ‘15.  Then I was pregnant by February ‘15.  So my next step was my 1^st prenatal visit.  I went in and saw a nurse practitioner, which is standard practice in my OB/GYN office.  She informed me that when taken in the 3^rd trimester or while breastfeeding, Abilify can cause major issues for the baby.  The most pertinent issues would be withdrawals at birth and the medication passing through the breast milk to the baby.   So of course this raised some major concern on my part and the part of both my obstetrician and my psychiatrist.  So about 2 ½ weeks ago, my psychiatrist lowered the dosage of my Abilify to 15mg.  All is not well.

Last weekend and the early part of this week were extremely ROUGH.   I had mood swings GALORE!!!!  It’s the most unnerving thing one can experience and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.  I will be perfectly fine one moment, then the next, something sets me off and I’m completely freaking out.  I am either crying and sad or angry and irritable.  I somehow seem to cycle between type I bipolar (manic depression) and type II bipolar disorder (hypomania aka rapid cycling).  I don’t know clinically how this works or if doctors even see it as being possible, but I know how I feel and I am extremely intuitive with my own emotions especially with regards to my disorder. 

Monday of this week I saw my obstetrician and discussed my issues.  His only suggestion was to go back on the Lamictal I went off of in December ’14.  There’s a classification system for medications during pregnancy.  A, B, C, D and X.  Class A medications are deemed safe during pregnancy, like prenatal vitamins.  And class X medications should never be taken during pregnancy, like certain narcotics.  I've included a chart below with some information.  All psychiatric medications are in a class C.  There’s not enough information to know whether these class C medications are safe, but nothing terrible has been reported, basically.  So most doctors views all psychiatric medications the same.  Testing these medications on humans is considered unethical.  His decision to put me back on Lamictal was based on the fact that it worked well for me in the past.  So I am on the lowest dosage they make of that medication.  Fingers crossed that it works.  It’s been 3 days. 

I have learned a lot over the years when it comes to controlling my moods and keeping myself centered.  But this pregnancy has really tested me thus far.  I think once I can get my meds under control, I’ll be fine.  I’ve come to find, though, that once this disorder takes a hold of me, it’s extremely difficult to feel in control of anything.  But by getting the help I need with my medication, I’ve taken control.  There are many ways to take control of a situation and they don’t all require the strength of 100 women, mentally or physically.  Sometimes knowing when to ask for help IS taking control of your situation.  Sometimes you just can’t do it all on your own.

I have BIG news, people!!!!!!!

I have been MIA for a while, but I decided it was time to make a comeback!  And with BIG news to make it even more exciting!  Without adding too much suspense to something you could probably already guess, I’ll just come out with it!!

I’M PREGNANT!!!!!!!!  Wooo hoooo!!!

My husband and I were trying to get pregnant so this was not a surprise!  Truth be told, 4 months ago, I wasn’t even sure if I wanted anymore kids.   We have our rambunctious little 4 ½ year old son who is MORE than a handful and for me, he is a lot to handle!  So because of that fact, I really was on the fence about more kids.  Sometimes I would think I didn’t want any more, then other times, I’d ponder it and entertain the thought.  I felt guilty because I knew my husband wanted another child, but I was just so unsure.  That’s definitely not the reason I finally made up my mind that I wanted another, too!   So don’t think I was pressured or anything.  I came to the conclusion on my own and my husband happily accepted my decision being that it’s what he has wanted all along.

One of the reasons I believe my husband and I are meant to be together and as compatible as it gets is the time frame it took us to get pregnant!  We started trying in early February and I had missed my period by the end of February!  So literally like 3 weeks!  My heart goes out to those who try for months (and some for years) and have so much trouble conceiving.  I can’t imagine the heartache.  I feel so fortunate and blessed that both times my husband and I have tried for a baby, it happened so quickly for us!  The Big Guy upstairs was on our side!  Hehe!!!

Now, just for fun I decided to fill out this little pregnancy questionnaire and share it with anyone who decides to read this!  I just thought I’d give a little insight as to what I’m going through at the moment!

How far along?  11 weeks 

Total weight gain/loss:  3lbs gained so far..  I’m not exactly happy about that, because I haven’t been able to eat the healthiest, but oh well..  What are ya gonna do!  Ha!

Maternity clothes?  I actually hate maternity clothes and think they are overpriced!  Haha!  So I will just buy XL in all my shirts and wear tons of maxi dresses and skirts and leggings!

Stretch marks?  I’m just bloated so far, so my belly hasn’t really popped out yet.  Being that this is my 2^nd baby, I expect I’ll be popping out a lot sooner than the 20 weeks it took for my 1^st!  I didn’t get any stretch marks with my son, so hoping for the same outcome here.  I have good genes for it.  My mom had 3 kids and hardly got any stretch marks, so I’m not worried about it.  I will also be greasing up with a DIY body oil every night once I start to pop out!

 
Sleep:  It’s been awful!  I have insomnia a lot of nights and tons of insane dreams.  It’s all to be expected, though.

Best moment this week:  There wasn’t anything in particular that stood out this week.

Have you told family and friends:   We told our families and majority of our friends about 5 weeks ago.  I posted a FB announcement a couple weeks ago, though.

Movement:   Probably not for another few weeks from what everyone tells me!

Food cravings:  No cravings, but TONS of food aversions!!!!!!  I am quite partial to Chipotle, though!

Anything making you queasy or sick:  Up until just a couple weeks ago, I was constantly nauseous.  Nothing triggered it, it was just there.  The smell of peanut butter is the WORST, though!!!!  I gag whenever I smell it!  I consider myself EXTREMELY fortunate to have only had morning sickness (nausea) for about 5 weeks.

Have you started to show yet:  Not yet.  I just have lots of bloating, so basically I just look pudgy in the midsection.  That’s kind of annoying!  I’ll be glad when I do start to show a little!

Gender prediction:  The Chinese gender predictor says I’m having a girl!  Haha!  My husband and I are indifferent about it, though.  We’d be happy with either.  He kind of wants a girl, though.

Labor Signs: None of that business for a long while!
 

Belly Button in or out?  Still in!
 

Wedding rings on or off? I can’t wear my rings.  My hands are too swollen.  I’ll be taking them in to get it sized soon, though with a little room to grow!

Happy or Moody most of the time:  My moods are actually pretty even.  Even more so than before I was pregnant.  I don’t know if pregnancy hormones are good for someone who is bipolar or what, but I haven’t had any troubles mood wise.  I started to feel a little depressed when I was super sick, but that was probably circumstantial.

I have had some issues with my bipolar medication that I’ll post another entry about.

Weekly Wisdom:  Love your body no matter what!!!!!!!

Milestones:  1^st ultrasound!  It went great and everything looks fantastic!

Pics!!  The 1st ultrasound pic!  It surprised me that this was so unclear, because 5 years ago when I had my 1st ultrasound with my son, the pic was super clear and you could make him out and everything.  This one, not so much, but I'm still happy to have seen my baby and to know everything is going well!
The next pics are preliminary belly pics!  Ha!  I have been doing odd days for some reason!  I wanted to do 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 12 weeks and so on.  But it just hasn't worked out that way this time!  I found out I was pregnant at 3 weeks and 1 day, so I got excited and took a pic a couple days later!  Then I decided I need a new one for this entry, so the 11 weeks and 2 days one I took today!  Lots of bloating there!!!!  Very uncomfortable!  Anyway..  I'm quite stoked to be having another baby!  I'll talk about my son's reaction in a different post!  He's been SUPER duper extra cute about everything!!!!!  Thanks for reading, everyone!  Hugs!!!!