For Day 9, I chose Organization
A topic I truly struggle with in spite of always reading up on it and trying different strategies. I know that the first step I need to get through is decluttering. And I know that if I'm organized and know where everything is, I'm less likely to run to the store to buy something I already have at home.
I've also noticed when I'm disorganized, it contributes to my anxiety. And if you've ever had an anxiety attack, you know how awful it can be.
How else can being organized save money? When I know where paperwork is, I don't have to reprint it. When I am able to pay bills on time, I avoid late fees. The same applies to library books and movies - returning them on time keeps them free. At one point, Scrappy had misplaced enough of his books that by the time I found and returned them all, he had accrued $35 in late fees!! This was also during the time I was in and out of the hospital before and when Chubbers was born. But if they had all been in a centralized - and cleaned area, I could have had my hubby return them. On time.
I need to take control of my home again. I need to be able to find things. I need to be able to enjoy the new addition on our house without worry about tripping over things. I need to get some order in this house. And in order to do that, I need to work on getting things organized. And purged. So that's what I've been working on now with the decluttering. Once I pare down what is here, I will be able to find permanent homes for the things that need to be here.
Showing posts with label organization. Show all posts
Showing posts with label organization. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Summer Declutter Challenge - Day 2
I made it through the first day of the challenge! And I even got rid of more than 20 items! I left them out to get this picture of them:
This isn't even half of the stack I started going through! I'm hoping to make it through more of the stack today (which, for the time being, has been banished to a box that I've left out in the middle of everything so that I can work on a little whenever I have a chance.)
I have 3 piles here - the upper left is my shred pile (which will then be recycled), the bottom left is recycling, and the right hand pile is my "need to file" pile.
I'm continuing going through a huge stack of paperwork that has been piled on my desk. I can actually see part of the top of my desk!!! I will try to get a picture of today's progress posted at some point tonight.
This isn't even half of the stack I started going through! I'm hoping to make it through more of the stack today (which, for the time being, has been banished to a box that I've left out in the middle of everything so that I can work on a little whenever I have a chance.)
I have 3 piles here - the upper left is my shred pile (which will then be recycled), the bottom left is recycling, and the right hand pile is my "need to file" pile.
I'm continuing going through a huge stack of paperwork that has been piled on my desk. I can actually see part of the top of my desk!!! I will try to get a picture of today's progress posted at some point tonight.
Monday, June 9, 2014
Summer Declutter Challenge - Day 1
I don't know about everyone else, but I have a hard time keeping the clutter gone on a regular basis. It has a tendency to build up until it's completely overwhelming. Things get shoved into boxes, bags, and totes, then shoved into a closet or basement or garage where it's "out of sight, out of mind." Since we put the addition on the house, our old dining room became my new office. Unfortunately, the office has become the collecting ground for anything and everything that doesn't have a home that no one wants to take to the basement or to the garage or can't find a closet to shove it in.
It seems overwhelming to me to try to get the entire house clean in one fell swoop. Whenever I try to take on a whole room, I bite off much more than I can chew. I drag everything out in an effort to sort it out and organize it, but run out of time for one reason or another, and everything just gets shoved back and ends up being a bigger mess than it had been to begin with.
I was reading a blog that I could relate to with the demands of having children in the home, homeschooling, having children with special needs, and all the normal chaos of daily schedules. Add into that mix a 3 month old baby, and it's almost impossible to find a large block of time to get anything significant done. Especially when said baby has finally (after 10 weeks) mastered nursing. And now refuses to take a bottle from Mommy. Period. Add in the cystic fibrosis and he wants to feed more than your typical baby.
I know I'm not going to go from clutter to clean and organized overnight. I need to do some every day, but how do you define "some?"
In the above mentioned blog, she had attempted putting 100 things in their place each day. "In their place" includes garbage, recycling, storage, etc. The thought of that many items alone overwhelms me!
But her effort has inspired my personal challenge. Same idea, different number.
Now the Rules:
It seems overwhelming to me to try to get the entire house clean in one fell swoop. Whenever I try to take on a whole room, I bite off much more than I can chew. I drag everything out in an effort to sort it out and organize it, but run out of time for one reason or another, and everything just gets shoved back and ends up being a bigger mess than it had been to begin with.
I was reading a blog that I could relate to with the demands of having children in the home, homeschooling, having children with special needs, and all the normal chaos of daily schedules. Add into that mix a 3 month old baby, and it's almost impossible to find a large block of time to get anything significant done. Especially when said baby has finally (after 10 weeks) mastered nursing. And now refuses to take a bottle from Mommy. Period. Add in the cystic fibrosis and he wants to feed more than your typical baby.
I know I'm not going to go from clutter to clean and organized overnight. I need to do some every day, but how do you define "some?"
In the above mentioned blog, she had attempted putting 100 things in their place each day. "In their place" includes garbage, recycling, storage, etc. The thought of that many items alone overwhelms me!
But her effort has inspired my personal challenge. Same idea, different number.
Now the Rules:
- The magic number is 20 items - must be put in the donate box/bag, thrown away, or put away. (Or have a garage sale, then donate whatever doesn't sell!)
- To help with this, the 2 older kids (5 and 11) must each donate/throw away 5 items per day.
- More than 20 can be done in one day, but if I do 50 today, I still have to do 20 tomorrow.
- I must photograph and post my stuff each day to keep me accountable to myself.
- Items may be from any room, as long as it gets DONE.
I suppose I should get started - Today is Day One, so here we go :)
Want to join in on the challenge? Let me know what you got rid of today!!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Another Year
As the year is coming to a close, I look back and came to a realization. I really didn't do anything this year. Nothing memorable really. Basically a year wasted away, days blurring into one another.
I'm back where I started with my weight loss. I haven't been to TOPS in 2 months because lack of motivation and because I don't want to deal with one of the nasty old ladies there.
There have been a lot of decisions made. Now actions need to be taken on the decisions.
Our house is currently under construction, as we are adding on to the back of the house. But I don't want the new part to be overrun with junk and crap. All the chaos has been greatly contributing to my anxiety. That is why I have taken a little time to find some 'tools' to help me control the chaos. I'll share more on the specific websites as I apply some of the methods, and report on the effectiveness of the methods. I know, not everything works for everyone. I need to figure out what works for me.
Since tomorrow is New Year's Eve, I've already made a list of what my resolutions are for the new year.
1) I am going to give myself designated time to update my blog at least 2x per week.
2) I am going to have office hours at least 1x per week so I can get some work done with my businesses. Even if it is just filing or sending emails!
3) I'm going to focus more on my weight loss. I have 3 steps to this:
5) Spend a little more Me-Time - I want to set up morning and evening routines for myself because a lot of days, my personal stuff is waylaid because of something or another of the kids'.
The dishes are calling my name and the cupboards aren't emptying themselves.... so onward I go!
I'm back where I started with my weight loss. I haven't been to TOPS in 2 months because lack of motivation and because I don't want to deal with one of the nasty old ladies there.
There have been a lot of decisions made. Now actions need to be taken on the decisions.
Our house is currently under construction, as we are adding on to the back of the house. But I don't want the new part to be overrun with junk and crap. All the chaos has been greatly contributing to my anxiety. That is why I have taken a little time to find some 'tools' to help me control the chaos. I'll share more on the specific websites as I apply some of the methods, and report on the effectiveness of the methods. I know, not everything works for everyone. I need to figure out what works for me.
Since tomorrow is New Year's Eve, I've already made a list of what my resolutions are for the new year.
1) I am going to give myself designated time to update my blog at least 2x per week.
2) I am going to have office hours at least 1x per week so I can get some work done with my businesses. Even if it is just filing or sending emails!
3) I'm going to focus more on my weight loss. I have 3 steps to this:
- Going back to TOPS weekly - even if it's only for weigh in and I can't stay for the meeting
- Tracking all of my food and water (since I know I don't drink enough water)
- Do some sort of exercise every day, even if I can't get to the gym
5) Spend a little more Me-Time - I want to set up morning and evening routines for myself because a lot of days, my personal stuff is waylaid because of something or another of the kids'.
The dishes are calling my name and the cupboards aren't emptying themselves.... so onward I go!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
What has gotten into me?
Geez, my to-do list hasn't been getting checked off like it should be... and believe me, it's a LONG to-do list!! I'm really good at making lists of what needs to be done, just not so good at getting it done.
Yesterday I thought I was on a roll!! The kids and I were up at a decent time. We had to be out of the house by 815 to go to our WIC appointment and pick up Scrappy's PediaSure, drop off the last part of the property tax payment at the courthouse, get pull-ups for the little man, then get a few groceries and pick up a receipt from a client. Pretty simple to do since I had to have the kids out anyway. Just one trip and get everything done. Right?
Yeah right. Things are never that easy.
Got to the WIC appointment a few minutes early. The receptionist looked at me funny when I told her I had an appointment. The Public Health Nurse I was supposed to see was working in her office and wasn't prepared to see anyone. Just my luck, right? Um, WRONG! My appointment was actually supposed to be today - maybe I should have looked at my calendar before I left the house? Haha but that would be too easy! She still saw me, the appointment just ended up taking a little bit longer than normal. We also got Scrappy's 297 cans of PediaSure (3 month supply) and 1 can of DuoCal - they'd call when the other 5 cans come in.
Ok, done there. Hubby forgot to leave me the check for the property taxes, but that's ok, just postpone that errand until... today... tomorrow... Off to Walgreens for their brand pull-ups - we find that they work better than the name brand and we don't really care for the WalMart generics. WalMart's don't seem to contain Scrappy's messiness - way too many blowouts! We try to stock up on them when they're on sale. Since they weren't, I only picked up one package. Of course, all I hear throughout the store from Scraps is "Mommy, I want a balloon!! I want a Spongebob balloon!" I dragged him toward the checkout. Beau is following me with "Mom, can we get a treat? We want a snack. Please?" Nope, just getting pull-ups and going! While we're standing at the checkout, Beau starts chasing Scrappy around the store. Then he decides he wants to examine everything conveniently placed near the checkout that would attract a child's attention. Couldn't wait to leave!!!
Grocery store - LAST place to stop! Needed the WIC necessities, along with the veggies and fruit. And it never hurts to check the quick sale cooler since I was going to Nelson's. I've discovered that shopping for meat there is best when I go between 8 and 10am weekdays. Usually they have just marked down all of the "Reduced for Quick Sale" meats - all the meat that is close to expiration date. I've found some pretty good deals there! On this trip, I picked up a 2-pack of split chicken breasts, 2 1-lb packages of pork cutlets, a pork roast, 3 2-packs of chicken leg and thigh quarters, and a 4-pack of chicken thighs. All of this meat was only about $15. Pretty good deal!! I put everything right into the freezer so it would keep. Really wish my vacuum sealer worked so I could prolong the life of the food. The other big savings there? Frozen veggies. 1 lb bags for only $0.68. I had a WIC voucher for $10 in fruits and veggies, so this was an awesome buy!!!
I was trying the pantry challenge last week. That wasn't working too well for us since my husband doesn't always like it when I experiment. He usually tries what I make, but that doesn't mean he likes it. And I've noticed leftovers haven't been getting eaten at our house lately. I don't know why.... They like the food the first time around. They never had a problem with leftovers before. With the kids, I can put out what I want them to eat and that's all they get. With hubby, if he doesn't like what I make, he can make his own food (and often does).
I'm still trying to cook just with what's in the house. There are a few things here and there we need but I'm trying to make due without making a special trip to the store. Last night, leftovers were the menu. Tonight, breakfast for supper :) Pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, and kiwi. Scraps had banana instead of kiwi. The kids love syrup on their pancakes, but I opted for homemade pumpkin butter - sooo yum without being over sweet!
So what did I get done today? Nothing on my to-do list, and really seems like not much overall, but feels like I worked my butt off, which I kinda did (and I'm counting it as some exercise just in case I don't get my workout in!!) I defrosted and inventoried my 7 cubic foot chest freezer, hauling all the food out to the garage to keep it cold until I refilled the freezer. I scrubbed it all out with bleach and warm water and made a huge mess on the floor, but oh well! While the basement freezer was chilling again, before I filled it, I decided to clean out the upstairs freezer so I could have more useful food up here, and inventoried what was in there too. Then I figured, well, since I cleaned the freezer, I might as well clean out the fridge too. I don't know the last time that was done! Originally I was just going to clean out the old food. That turned into taking out all the shelves and drawers and scrubbing the inside of the fridge, complete with peeling some caramel off the bottom of the inside. (Don't ask me how that got there!! I haven't the slightest idea!) Man does my fridge look empty!
The rest of my house is a mess. I need to get it straightened up somewhat before hubby gets home. It's gonna be another late night for him at work again tonight. He says he'll be home earlier tomorrow so I can get some of my paperwork done since I can't seem to get much done with the kids here. It's funny, but I can actually get more done when Beau is at school and I just have Scraps home.....
Got a pleasant surprise from the hubs the other day. I jokingly asked how he liked my blog, not thinking that he had actually read it. To my surprise, I found out he has been reading it. He said he wanted to see how my day had gone.
Awwww, isn't that sweet :)
Yesterday I thought I was on a roll!! The kids and I were up at a decent time. We had to be out of the house by 815 to go to our WIC appointment and pick up Scrappy's PediaSure, drop off the last part of the property tax payment at the courthouse, get pull-ups for the little man, then get a few groceries and pick up a receipt from a client. Pretty simple to do since I had to have the kids out anyway. Just one trip and get everything done. Right?
Yeah right. Things are never that easy.
Got to the WIC appointment a few minutes early. The receptionist looked at me funny when I told her I had an appointment. The Public Health Nurse I was supposed to see was working in her office and wasn't prepared to see anyone. Just my luck, right? Um, WRONG! My appointment was actually supposed to be today - maybe I should have looked at my calendar before I left the house? Haha but that would be too easy! She still saw me, the appointment just ended up taking a little bit longer than normal. We also got Scrappy's 297 cans of PediaSure (3 month supply) and 1 can of DuoCal - they'd call when the other 5 cans come in.
Ok, done there. Hubby forgot to leave me the check for the property taxes, but that's ok, just postpone that errand until... today... tomorrow... Off to Walgreens for their brand pull-ups - we find that they work better than the name brand and we don't really care for the WalMart generics. WalMart's don't seem to contain Scrappy's messiness - way too many blowouts! We try to stock up on them when they're on sale. Since they weren't, I only picked up one package. Of course, all I hear throughout the store from Scraps is "Mommy, I want a balloon!! I want a Spongebob balloon!" I dragged him toward the checkout. Beau is following me with "Mom, can we get a treat? We want a snack. Please?" Nope, just getting pull-ups and going! While we're standing at the checkout, Beau starts chasing Scrappy around the store. Then he decides he wants to examine everything conveniently placed near the checkout that would attract a child's attention. Couldn't wait to leave!!!
Grocery store - LAST place to stop! Needed the WIC necessities, along with the veggies and fruit. And it never hurts to check the quick sale cooler since I was going to Nelson's. I've discovered that shopping for meat there is best when I go between 8 and 10am weekdays. Usually they have just marked down all of the "Reduced for Quick Sale" meats - all the meat that is close to expiration date. I've found some pretty good deals there! On this trip, I picked up a 2-pack of split chicken breasts, 2 1-lb packages of pork cutlets, a pork roast, 3 2-packs of chicken leg and thigh quarters, and a 4-pack of chicken thighs. All of this meat was only about $15. Pretty good deal!! I put everything right into the freezer so it would keep. Really wish my vacuum sealer worked so I could prolong the life of the food. The other big savings there? Frozen veggies. 1 lb bags for only $0.68. I had a WIC voucher for $10 in fruits and veggies, so this was an awesome buy!!!
I was trying the pantry challenge last week. That wasn't working too well for us since my husband doesn't always like it when I experiment. He usually tries what I make, but that doesn't mean he likes it. And I've noticed leftovers haven't been getting eaten at our house lately. I don't know why.... They like the food the first time around. They never had a problem with leftovers before. With the kids, I can put out what I want them to eat and that's all they get. With hubby, if he doesn't like what I make, he can make his own food (and often does).
I'm still trying to cook just with what's in the house. There are a few things here and there we need but I'm trying to make due without making a special trip to the store. Last night, leftovers were the menu. Tonight, breakfast for supper :) Pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, and kiwi. Scraps had banana instead of kiwi. The kids love syrup on their pancakes, but I opted for homemade pumpkin butter - sooo yum without being over sweet!
So what did I get done today? Nothing on my to-do list, and really seems like not much overall, but feels like I worked my butt off, which I kinda did (and I'm counting it as some exercise just in case I don't get my workout in!!) I defrosted and inventoried my 7 cubic foot chest freezer, hauling all the food out to the garage to keep it cold until I refilled the freezer. I scrubbed it all out with bleach and warm water and made a huge mess on the floor, but oh well! While the basement freezer was chilling again, before I filled it, I decided to clean out the upstairs freezer so I could have more useful food up here, and inventoried what was in there too. Then I figured, well, since I cleaned the freezer, I might as well clean out the fridge too. I don't know the last time that was done! Originally I was just going to clean out the old food. That turned into taking out all the shelves and drawers and scrubbing the inside of the fridge, complete with peeling some caramel off the bottom of the inside. (Don't ask me how that got there!! I haven't the slightest idea!) Man does my fridge look empty!
The rest of my house is a mess. I need to get it straightened up somewhat before hubby gets home. It's gonna be another late night for him at work again tonight. He says he'll be home earlier tomorrow so I can get some of my paperwork done since I can't seem to get much done with the kids here. It's funny, but I can actually get more done when Beau is at school and I just have Scraps home.....
Got a pleasant surprise from the hubs the other day. I jokingly asked how he liked my blog, not thinking that he had actually read it. To my surprise, I found out he has been reading it. He said he wanted to see how my day had gone.
Awwww, isn't that sweet :)
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Back to School
It's been a week since my last entry - so much for every day or for every other day!! (I AM working on getting this into my schedule!!) I did get my kitchen cleaned and organized - for the most part. Beau and I spent 6 hours working on it. Crazy, I know!!! But it's nice being able to use my kitchen again. It just seems like so many things have gotten away from me when I was on bed rest and it's taking forever to catch up!!! I've documented a lot of the stuff we buy, and I've made some new rules for the house. I also have a couple new dry-erase boards that have been added to the fridge, in addition to the one that's already by the phone. There is also a corkboard that has been next to the phone for some time. The dry erase board there is for frequently called phone numbers: our CF nurse, Shopko pharmacy, a few friends. Also when checking the answering machine, any one who needs to be called back gets written up there with their phone number until we no longer need it. The cork board holds various notes and business cards. One of the boards on the fridge is our running grocery list. The other is for notes/to-do list for mom and dad. Yeah, at my 'old age' and with the baby brain going on, I don't always remember all the stuff hubby and Beau ask me to do. Write it down and I can't forget it :) Today, for example - call vet (girls need meds), Beau needs allergy meds, call CF nurse about Scrap's meds, order replacement hose for vest. I never would have remembered if it wasn't right in front of me!!! lol!!
Made a couple batches of applesauce yesterday - ended up with 5 pint jars and 9 half-pint jars, plus some I put right into the fridge to have with meals. Scraps hasn't really tried it, but everyone else seems to think mama did pretty good. We bought the pint jars and the half pint jars were given to us. The initial investment will be worth it (along with the 'canning supplies kit' hubs got me - the tongs, funnel, and magnet) because right now for generic applesauce, we pay $2.99 per jar. For ALL of the applesauce I made, plus about a quart I made on Saturday as a test run, we paid $9 for the apples at Farmer's Market. One of the bags was only about 1/2 a bag since the kids had eaten some of the apples throughout the week. Hubs was able to get some really yummy apples from a customer for free too. Next time I think we might just wait and get them from him!! I told hubs that if he can, to get 2 more bags, then we should be set for the next year until apples are ready again :)
Another huge step in this past week was specifically directed to me - being lower maintenence, especially with Baby on the way. So... I cut my hair. A lot shorter. 12 inches donated to Locks of Love. I almost cried, but didn't. Kinda liking the new style, makes it easier to brush, don't have the snarls I did before. Hubs is happy I can't put it in a bun anymore (my go-to style when I have time for nothing else). I'll also save a TON on shampoo and conditioner. It's easier to wash now too since I have to do it under the bath faucet cuz we don't have a shower. Some of my traumatic shots:
It FEELS so much lighter too!! Don't think my hair is going to be giving me too many more headaches :) I'm still not COMPLETELY used to it, but it's working a lot better for my daily routine.
My oldest also started back to school today - 3rd grade already. Of course, we had the usual fight last night because she wanted to finish watching WWE on tv. But much to my surprise, she was already up when I got up at 630 this morning!! Ate breakfast then hopped in the tub with only being asked once. Very smooth first day! My little man didn't even throw the normal fit of not wanting her to leave or wanting to go with her (we live too close for her to ride the bus, so Scraps and I take her to school every morning - she's not old enough to walk on her own!!).
Of course one couldn't get pictures taken without the other one getting them too, but that's fine with Mommy :)
Now I'm off to try getting some homework done and get lunch made for the little man and mama :)
Made a couple batches of applesauce yesterday - ended up with 5 pint jars and 9 half-pint jars, plus some I put right into the fridge to have with meals. Scraps hasn't really tried it, but everyone else seems to think mama did pretty good. We bought the pint jars and the half pint jars were given to us. The initial investment will be worth it (along with the 'canning supplies kit' hubs got me - the tongs, funnel, and magnet) because right now for generic applesauce, we pay $2.99 per jar. For ALL of the applesauce I made, plus about a quart I made on Saturday as a test run, we paid $9 for the apples at Farmer's Market. One of the bags was only about 1/2 a bag since the kids had eaten some of the apples throughout the week. Hubs was able to get some really yummy apples from a customer for free too. Next time I think we might just wait and get them from him!! I told hubs that if he can, to get 2 more bags, then we should be set for the next year until apples are ready again :)
Another huge step in this past week was specifically directed to me - being lower maintenence, especially with Baby on the way. So... I cut my hair. A lot shorter. 12 inches donated to Locks of Love. I almost cried, but didn't. Kinda liking the new style, makes it easier to brush, don't have the snarls I did before. Hubs is happy I can't put it in a bun anymore (my go-to style when I have time for nothing else). I'll also save a TON on shampoo and conditioner. It's easier to wash now too since I have to do it under the bath faucet cuz we don't have a shower. Some of my traumatic shots:
It FEELS so much lighter too!! Don't think my hair is going to be giving me too many more headaches :) I'm still not COMPLETELY used to it, but it's working a lot better for my daily routine.
My oldest also started back to school today - 3rd grade already. Of course, we had the usual fight last night because she wanted to finish watching WWE on tv. But much to my surprise, she was already up when I got up at 630 this morning!! Ate breakfast then hopped in the tub with only being asked once. Very smooth first day! My little man didn't even throw the normal fit of not wanting her to leave or wanting to go with her (we live too close for her to ride the bus, so Scraps and I take her to school every morning - she's not old enough to walk on her own!!).
Of course one couldn't get pictures taken without the other one getting them too, but that's fine with Mommy :)
Now I'm off to try getting some homework done and get lunch made for the little man and mama :)
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Barriers.....
Yes, I'm way overdue on this entry. My life has almost fallen apart in the past month and a half, and I have been having trouble putting it into words. I have had enough trouble just understanding it all myself. It's been more than a little overwhelming.
June 24 saw me back in the doctor's office - on basically an emergency-type visit. The bleeding. Again. I called hubs at work and then Grammy to watch the kids. Doctor L had an appt open at 2 and since I called at 12:15, he thought I could wait (obviously heavy bleeding wasn't much of a concern to him even though it scared the hell out of me!!!) We went in, he listened and heard baby's heart beat, and told me to take it easy. We were in, seen, and out in less than 10 minutes and I was in no way reassured. When asked why I was bleeding, his answer was "I don't know." Well, soon enough we would find out how reliable - and what a LIAR, this doctor was.
After my June 12th appt (and my last ultrasound here), I was supposed to be referred to Maternal-Fetal Medicine so they could get my medical background - supposedly. After my July 15th appt, I was FINALLY scheduled with Maternal-Fetal Medicine and was to go to Rochester to see them to 1) meet with the nurse, 2) have an ultrasound, 3) meet with the OB, and 4) meet with the Genetics Counselor. Um, no, I canceled the last appt right away - there was no reason to meet with the Genetics Counselor after we already did that less than 3 years ago after Scrappy was born. We knew all we needed to about the chances of CF with the baby, the complications associated with CF, and all that other stuff that Dr L didn't seem to know about. So here I still had 3 appts - but when I asked the appt desk AND Dr L's office WHY I was being referred - NO ONE knew!! Was it for the CF or was it for the bleeding?? Turns out we wouldn't actually find out until we got to Mayo.
July 25 - Hubby took a half day off to go with me to my appts at Mayo. Best decision ever. We met with Dr R, who is a specialist in high risk pregnancies. Turns out we'd been referred because there is a blood 'pool' or 'pocket' above the placenta. Dr L knew about it but didn't bother to tell use. Turns out THIS is why I've been bleeding - it's the blood from this pocket leaking. WTH??? He couldn't say "I'm sending you to Roch because idk why this is here?" (Nope, NOT going back to Dr L! Ever!) Dr R told us to expect that Baby will most likely be here before 34 weeks because of the size of the pocket. It's a rare complication and they're not sure why it happens, it just does. (At least it's an explanation and an HONEST one at that!!) Dr R said Baby most likely will end up in Rochester anyway, and it's up to us if we want to continue to see the docs at home or not. Until we make our decision, we're supposed to continue with our appts as scheduled.
Aug 26 - Second appt in Rochester. We had 2 appts with Dr Y, who was ok to being with, seemed nice and friendly, but I really DON'T like liars. Especially when it comes to mine or my children's health. Dr Y told us he's been in contact with Dr R and we're supposed to be having checkups and ultrasounds every 3-4 weeks. According to Dr Y, we would ONLY do the steroid injection to help Baby's lungs develop if I was still ACTIVELY bleeding. My husband and I also decided that I'm not going to get my tubes tied right away, as we had planned, because of the likelihood of Baby coming early. We want to keep our options open. Dr Y, however, said we're still going through with everything as planned, delivering here even though we told him we want to have the baby at Mayo, and that I'm still getting my tubes tied, even though we told him we changed our minds. It was completely obvious he wasn't listening to me. When I asked about when we should follow up with Dr R, Dr Y changed the subject. I finally took it upon myself to call Mayo and found out the only contact he had with Dr Rose was ONE EMAIL. Like I said, I'm NOT a fan of liars. I made an appt to see Dr R, and we've decided that is where all of our appointments are going to be done from here on out.
Went to see Dr R. He was happy to see us. I think switching over there is the best decision we've made. He said it looks like Baby will still be coming early just because of how much bleeding I had earlier on, but it's a good sign that it's stopped. Hopefully it means Baby won't be coming AS early. We weren't scheduled for an ultrasound, but he said let's do one anyway :) We saw that the pocket was still there. We also saw that Baby still has echogenic bowel. (Echogenic bowel in this pregnancy means either 1) Baby has been swallowing blood and it's moving through his/her system (which doesn't do any harm) or 2) it's a precursor to meconium ileus, which is intestinal blockage caused by mucus caused by CF - obviously we're hoping for #1!!!) If Baby DOES have m.i. at least we'll already be in Rochester, which is where he/she would be sent anyway to have it treated. We are supposed to go back to see Dr R in 3 weeks. As we were on our way out the door, Scot mentioned getting a tour or knowing where to go if anything happens - so Dr R set up a tour right then and there for us!! Talk about a great doctor!!
I'm going to wrap this up now, but will keep posted as the pregnancy progresses. And to keep things up-to-date, yes, I'm still attending TOPS religiously. I'm not following my eating plan as religiously, but how often can we when we're pregnant. But to-date, I'm at a 13 pound loss total! I had gotten down a total of 15 pounds, but babies always have an effect on that :)
I've been doing some thinking, and become addicted to a new blog I found. I'm working on making my household more workable... and looking at re-evaluating my blog a bit. Yes it was originally started as a method for me to track my health and fitness efforts, but I may expand that. The title - TODAY is Day One - is all about new beginnings - being able to start over TODAY. This can be health, fitness, financial, or just how to live your life.
Since I've not worked much since June, I KNOW there need to be some budgetary changes made in our house. I'm also tired of the mounds of 'to-do' items on my list and would like to get it all under control before baby comes, especially since school has started for me now and will be starting for Beau soon. My first effort has come in following many of the tips found in the blog I've been reading and incorporating many things from a book I have, "The Family Manager Takes Charge." I'm going to start blogging about how these changes are progressing in our household. I'm also up for suggestions and input. No one ever tells you the reality of being a SAHM and how challenging it actually is. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, and now, more than a year later, I'm working on getting my life in order. Some things just take time.....
(yes at the beginning I said 'the past month and a half.' I started this entry, then life just got in the way. I'm going to make an honest effort to blog once a day or at least every other day. Today's actual date - the completion of this entry - lands on Aug 30, more than a month after it was started.)
June 24 saw me back in the doctor's office - on basically an emergency-type visit. The bleeding. Again. I called hubs at work and then Grammy to watch the kids. Doctor L had an appt open at 2 and since I called at 12:15, he thought I could wait (obviously heavy bleeding wasn't much of a concern to him even though it scared the hell out of me!!!) We went in, he listened and heard baby's heart beat, and told me to take it easy. We were in, seen, and out in less than 10 minutes and I was in no way reassured. When asked why I was bleeding, his answer was "I don't know." Well, soon enough we would find out how reliable - and what a LIAR, this doctor was.
After my June 12th appt (and my last ultrasound here), I was supposed to be referred to Maternal-Fetal Medicine so they could get my medical background - supposedly. After my July 15th appt, I was FINALLY scheduled with Maternal-Fetal Medicine and was to go to Rochester to see them to 1) meet with the nurse, 2) have an ultrasound, 3) meet with the OB, and 4) meet with the Genetics Counselor. Um, no, I canceled the last appt right away - there was no reason to meet with the Genetics Counselor after we already did that less than 3 years ago after Scrappy was born. We knew all we needed to about the chances of CF with the baby, the complications associated with CF, and all that other stuff that Dr L didn't seem to know about. So here I still had 3 appts - but when I asked the appt desk AND Dr L's office WHY I was being referred - NO ONE knew!! Was it for the CF or was it for the bleeding?? Turns out we wouldn't actually find out until we got to Mayo.
July 25 - Hubby took a half day off to go with me to my appts at Mayo. Best decision ever. We met with Dr R, who is a specialist in high risk pregnancies. Turns out we'd been referred because there is a blood 'pool' or 'pocket' above the placenta. Dr L knew about it but didn't bother to tell use. Turns out THIS is why I've been bleeding - it's the blood from this pocket leaking. WTH??? He couldn't say "I'm sending you to Roch because idk why this is here?" (Nope, NOT going back to Dr L! Ever!) Dr R told us to expect that Baby will most likely be here before 34 weeks because of the size of the pocket. It's a rare complication and they're not sure why it happens, it just does. (At least it's an explanation and an HONEST one at that!!) Dr R said Baby most likely will end up in Rochester anyway, and it's up to us if we want to continue to see the docs at home or not. Until we make our decision, we're supposed to continue with our appts as scheduled.
Aug 26 - Second appt in Rochester. We had 2 appts with Dr Y, who was ok to being with, seemed nice and friendly, but I really DON'T like liars. Especially when it comes to mine or my children's health. Dr Y told us he's been in contact with Dr R and we're supposed to be having checkups and ultrasounds every 3-4 weeks. According to Dr Y, we would ONLY do the steroid injection to help Baby's lungs develop if I was still ACTIVELY bleeding. My husband and I also decided that I'm not going to get my tubes tied right away, as we had planned, because of the likelihood of Baby coming early. We want to keep our options open. Dr Y, however, said we're still going through with everything as planned, delivering here even though we told him we want to have the baby at Mayo, and that I'm still getting my tubes tied, even though we told him we changed our minds. It was completely obvious he wasn't listening to me. When I asked about when we should follow up with Dr R, Dr Y changed the subject. I finally took it upon myself to call Mayo and found out the only contact he had with Dr Rose was ONE EMAIL. Like I said, I'm NOT a fan of liars. I made an appt to see Dr R, and we've decided that is where all of our appointments are going to be done from here on out.
Went to see Dr R. He was happy to see us. I think switching over there is the best decision we've made. He said it looks like Baby will still be coming early just because of how much bleeding I had earlier on, but it's a good sign that it's stopped. Hopefully it means Baby won't be coming AS early. We weren't scheduled for an ultrasound, but he said let's do one anyway :) We saw that the pocket was still there. We also saw that Baby still has echogenic bowel. (Echogenic bowel in this pregnancy means either 1) Baby has been swallowing blood and it's moving through his/her system (which doesn't do any harm) or 2) it's a precursor to meconium ileus, which is intestinal blockage caused by mucus caused by CF - obviously we're hoping for #1!!!) If Baby DOES have m.i. at least we'll already be in Rochester, which is where he/she would be sent anyway to have it treated. We are supposed to go back to see Dr R in 3 weeks. As we were on our way out the door, Scot mentioned getting a tour or knowing where to go if anything happens - so Dr R set up a tour right then and there for us!! Talk about a great doctor!!
I'm going to wrap this up now, but will keep posted as the pregnancy progresses. And to keep things up-to-date, yes, I'm still attending TOPS religiously. I'm not following my eating plan as religiously, but how often can we when we're pregnant. But to-date, I'm at a 13 pound loss total! I had gotten down a total of 15 pounds, but babies always have an effect on that :)
I've been doing some thinking, and become addicted to a new blog I found. I'm working on making my household more workable... and looking at re-evaluating my blog a bit. Yes it was originally started as a method for me to track my health and fitness efforts, but I may expand that. The title - TODAY is Day One - is all about new beginnings - being able to start over TODAY. This can be health, fitness, financial, or just how to live your life.
Since I've not worked much since June, I KNOW there need to be some budgetary changes made in our house. I'm also tired of the mounds of 'to-do' items on my list and would like to get it all under control before baby comes, especially since school has started for me now and will be starting for Beau soon. My first effort has come in following many of the tips found in the blog I've been reading and incorporating many things from a book I have, "The Family Manager Takes Charge." I'm going to start blogging about how these changes are progressing in our household. I'm also up for suggestions and input. No one ever tells you the reality of being a SAHM and how challenging it actually is. I didn't know what I was getting myself into, and now, more than a year later, I'm working on getting my life in order. Some things just take time.....
(yes at the beginning I said 'the past month and a half.' I started this entry, then life just got in the way. I'm going to make an honest effort to blog once a day or at least every other day. Today's actual date - the completion of this entry - lands on Aug 30, more than a month after it was started.)
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