When's The Next One?

Apparently the first birthday is the turning point.

It is then that people find it socially acceptable to start asking when the next baby is coming. Why is that?

To be honest, the thought of another baby came to me when Cade was only three or four months old. In the throes of post-partum depression, I thought getting pregnant would be a good idea. It is hard to explain the feelings I had at that time. I had a perfectly healthy, happy baby boy who I loved with all of my heart. But, I felt like I had lost something when he was born. I am not sure if it was the intimate, personal connection I felt when I was carrying him...or the excitement and anticipation that grew everyday that I was pregnant. I felt lost. And I thought that if I got pregnant again, those feelings would come back and I would be happy. Luckily, before that happened, since I was very much not in the right place to become pregnant again, I went to my doctor. Apparently I didn't need another baby...just a little Prozac.

So, back to the present. Am I ready for another baby? Part of me is really enjoying the "toddler" stage that we are now in. Easier to pack up and leave the house...no bottles or baby food jars. It is just nice. But, part of me longs for a new baby. Teeny tiny toes, the sweet baby clothes...the way they smell and snuggle.

I guess I have some fears of going back to that stage. I am afraid that if I was so manic after my first baby, what will happen after the second?

So am I ready? What? Just because Cade is one you think you can ask that?

All Is Right With the World

If you don’t have anything nice to say…

I guess according to that old adage, I shouldn’t say anything. But what is the point of a blog if not to vent a little? Today was a crazy day. It started by me having to be at work at 7:00am—I know, that doesn’t sound that bad. But going in at 7:00am means a thirteen-hour shift instead of my normal twelve, which is long enough! Apparently a thirteen-hour shift is unlucky…especially when there is a full moon.

It really comes down to one patient. That is sad to me that one person can ruin a full thirteen-hour shift. Yet, it happens. He called at the end of the evening. Wanting to know the Latin words for the abbreviation on the prescriptions. I explained what the abbreviations meant, but for some unknown, completely unfathomable reason, he wanted to know the actual Latin words. Well, they teach us how to read and interpret prescriptions in pharmacy school. I never actually took a Latin course…so needless to say I couldn’t answer his questions. That made him very angry and proceeded to tell me that my education (all 7 years of higher education ending in a Doctor of Pharmacy degree) was a joke. Because I didn’t know Latin?! I have worked in pharmacy for over 11 years now and never once have I been asked this question. I ended up being on the phone with this man who ruined my day for at least 20 minutes while he criticized me. It was upsetting to say the least. Even more so since I was in my thirteenth hour at work and I was tired. And done.

After work I went to pick up Cade from my Mom’s house. (She is so wonderful and baby-sits every Thursday when I work and usually at least one other day of the week.) I walked in and started telling my woeful tale. My parents listened to me vent. Mom got us snacks and Dad poured me a drink. A tall one, with my friend Smirnoff. I felt so much better. Then, ready to go, I picked my beautiful sleeping baby boy out of the crib to carry him to the car. His hair was sticking up in all directions, sleep pulling at his eyes. He snuggled right into me and laid his head on my shoulder. All of the sudden, all was right with the world.

By the way, incase you were wondering…(Thanks, Google!)

Latin medical terms and English translations
bis in die, b.i.d., twice daily
hora somni, h.s., at bedtime
quater in die, q.i.d, four times a day
quiaque die, q.d., every day

ter in die, t.i.d., three times a day

Don't Call CPS

Double, double toil and trouble;

Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,

In the cauldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

Wool of bat and tongue of dog,

Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,

Lizard's leg and owlet's wing,

For a charm of powerful trouble,

Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

I know it isn’t October yet, but I am planning a Halloween party. With kids and everyone’s busy schedules, I thought I better send out invitations now to make sure people can get it on their calendars. So, since I sent out invitations, I got all excited and had to start planning and buying stuff for the party. I searched several stores before I found what I needed for my “Witch’s Brew”. As you can see, I started making it early…

Cade in a Cauldron. Great alliteration if you ask me. I would think that if asked, most moms would say that they have a picture of their child in laundry basket. Just one of those things that as you are folding laundry, you put your child in the basket for a minute and take a quick picture. Pretty common, I am sure… But how many moms can say that they have a picture of their baby in cauldron??? And the bloody severed hand just completes the picture, don’t you think? Don’t worry. No Cadens were harmed in the taking of this picture. Actually, he thought the cauldron was a pretty cool place to hang out—but to show that he does have some sensibilities; he did not like the severed hand. And just to show that I am a “normal” mom (I know—that is stretching things a little) here is a picture of Cade in a laundry basket.

The "First Adolescence"

“During the second twelve months of life, your child will display a gamut of behaviors and emotions that, depending on your frame of mind, you may find confusing, amusing, or downright exasperating. A little preparation and some insight into the emerging worldview of a one-year-old can help you sort out and manage this important developmental passage.”

When I was flipping through my Baby_&_Child_Care_book (okay, so reading word for word to ensure that I did not miss a single sentence that could prove to be detrimental to my child’s growth and well being) I came across this title: Social and Emotional Development: The “First Adolescence.” At first I thought I had turned to the wrong chapter because this book covers the first 18 years of life. I thought maybe I had turned to the chapter on twelve years instead of twelve months. No. I was on the correct page. My one-year-old? And yet, it makes sense…
Cade is at a point where his personality is really starting to come through. He is physically capable of doing more things and has discovered that he can make things happen (whether it makes me scream or not is besides the point). He is beginning to push his boundaries to see how far he can go. And yet, his push for independence is sometimes collapsed by his young emotions and inability to know how to handle certain situations. I suppose it is like a teenager who is also pushing his boundaries and still somewhat naïve in the ways of the world, but thinks he knows everything. So, are we in a first adolescence? I suppose in a way we are. But with love and patience, we will make it through our “ornery ones” and into our “terrible twos”.