The one where I feel old

I realized recently that the high school class of 2008, the incoming frosh at college this fall, were born the year I graduated high school. That certainly made me feel a little old(er). Although it is fun to poke fun at what was considered fashion in the early 80's. How about some awful examples of male (really, mostly gay-male-with-no-taste) fashion from 1986. Check out this post here. There's Adrian Paul modeling long before Highlander. This year's high school graduates probably don't even know who Adrian Paul is.

Oooo, lookit the jeans with pressed creases! And slouchy socks worn outside the pants legs. The best has to be the purple flight suit. For those boyz with a Top Gun fetish.

BTW, when did Top Gun come out? (pause while I search the interweb) Ah-hah, it came out in 1986. No wonder they have a flightsuit in the IM 1986 fashion catalog. The comments to the post above are funny. Then, I read the comment from the woman who said that 1986 was her birth year. Oh, lord.

Hai, I can feelz old now?

How to have a fun afternoon (by Little Bit)

1. First, beg for more tyee-vee, more tyee-vee. Make sure to do it when Mom wants to get some chores done so she'll turn the tv back on.

2. Next, when a commercial for Dora the Explorer comes on, cry, "Dorya! Dorya!" because Mom hasn't DVR'ed any Dora episodes, so you'll be stuck with whatever is on Noggin or the DVR'ed Mickey Mouse clubhouse you've seen 5 zillion times.

3. Make sure to cry real tears and snuffle loudly because Mom can't produce Dorya.

4. When Mom is playing cars with you later on the floor, and she makes the mistake of lying down, do a full on WWF drop onto her stomach. She'll make a great sound. That shit is funny!

5. Go from having a wonderful, happy time to hysterical crying for no logical reason (like when they try to put socks on you). You gotta keep the parents on their toes.

6. Charm Mom and Dad by setting out your toy cars one by one and showing off your mad counting skills. "One...two...free..." Parents love that. (You have to throw them a bone sometime.)

7. If Mom and Dad take you to the pool, show that you have no fear of the water anymore, unlike the first few times. You can do this by waiting until Mom is standing on one side of the pool, while Dad is walking with you on the other side. Throw your toy into the pool, so Dad will jump in after it. Then, toddle to the side of the pool as Mom is shouting in panic, and jump into the deep end of the pool as Dad comes up and catches you. This will give Mom some new grey hairs. You know that Dad won't let anything happen to you.

8. Fart while you're in the pool. Then, laugh like hell.

9. Be observant. If Mom and Dad try to sneak a cookie for themselves by sleight of hand and subterfuge, catch them and demand a cookie, too.

10. Make sure to load up your diaper with number 2 when Dad is holding you so he has to change it. (No, really, Little Bit wrote that one. Not me, his Mom.)

Oh, say can you see...

Watching the Olympics has certainly been interesting this year. I suppose I should feel bad about sitting on the couch eating chocolate while all these fine young athletes work so hard. I tell myself that once my chronic sinus infection gets better, I'll have more energy to get back to dancing. Meanwhile, the men's swimming and diving competitions are a nice diversion.

I have to say though that the outfits for beach volleyball are unfair. The women (like May and Walsh) wear bikinis, while the mean wear loose tank tops and long board shorts. That is so unfair! I want either equal oggling time or the women should get to wear baggy stuff, too!

I love living in Texas sometimes.

Everyone has to follow the same rules!

Scene: We were heading home from picking up Little Bit at daycare with DH driving and me in the passenger seat. DH was talking and not quite paying enough attention to the stopped traffic ahead of us. As DH slammed on the brakes, I sucked in my breath and tried to keep from screeching. We stopped just before hitting the car in front of us.

DH said, "You can hit me."
I reached over and hit his arm for scaring me like that.

Little Bit piped up from the back seat, "No hitting!"

Updated to add: DH wants it known that he thinks I was exaggerating about slamming on the brakes and such. He says we came to a quick, but controlled stop. Yeah, ok.

This post brought to you by the letter 'L'

and the Lazy Bloggers' Post Generator:

Holy crap! I just returned from my daily swim on the beautiful Fijian beach and realised I have not updated this since I had to start working to pay the ridiculous food and petrol prices to feed my kids... You would not believe the amount of people that are totally stalking me. Stupid Global Warming!.

I am hopped up on caffeine with discovering time doesn't stand still, being distracted by the shiny, just generally being a worry to my psychologist, my day is passing in a blur from now to 11pm at which point I fall asleep on the couch. I am so tired of my kids wanting me to give them attention and stuff. can't they see I am blogging.

I promise I will make more of an effort to blog more often until the nice men in the white coats come back. No, really! I mean it!.

Monday meanderings

Random meanderings for Monday morning --

We took Little Bit to the neighborhood pool yesterday and had an awesome time. Unlike the first few times, he needed no coaxing to get in. He loved standing under the mushroom waterfall and "swimming"/flying through the water in our arms. Even when his head went all the way underwater, he wasn't afraid. We'll turn him into a water baby yet.

I found out why none of the antibiotics I've tried the last six months (six months!) have cleared out my chronic sinus infection. The culture that the doc took showed that I have a particular strain of antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria in my sinuses. The only things that work against it are certain nebulized or IV antibiotics. So, nebulized antibiotics and a follow-up for me in three weeks. Maybe I'll finally have energy again!

I have to say ptpthpthth!!! to hormones. I really got spoiled the last few years thanks to lactational amenorrhea. In essence, I got to go about two and a half years without a period, through pregnancy and beyond, except for the normal post-partum stuff. I'd forgotten what a pain it is having a period every month. And of course poor DH has to deal with Prehistoric Monster Syndrome every month now.

Updated to add: DH was stunned recently when I snapped at him out of the blue for "smirking" at me. He wisely returned from grocery shopping with offerings of chocolate and mini powdered doughnuts. As Undomestic Diva said, I mean, what do we get to throw in your face every 28 [@#$] days? Except, of course, that YOU'RE AN IDIOT?

And I wish my boss would actually tell me the due dates for things so I don't get emails from someone else a few days before a big report is due asking if my item will be ready. This was the second time she didn't tell me a due date, and I got caught out on the short end of the stick both times. Grrrrr...

Support

It's actually the last day of World Breastfeeding Week, but I wanted to post something about it anyway. This year's theme calls for supporting the mother in giving her child the best nutrition. I've heard breastmilk called 'liquid gold' before, and it is.

Two of the big supports I have had in being able to continue breastfeeding my son were the St. Luke's Hospital Milk Bank while he was in the NICU and the policies of my work. When Little Bit had to stay in the NICU for two weeks, I was able to use the hospital grade breast pumps at the Milk Bank, just down the hallway from the NICU. I also rented a hospital grade pump from them to have at home. Encouragement and information helped me to continue pumping every 3 hours, even when I got out so little milk. I was tired and worried, but providing Little Bit with what only I could give him was important to me. The walls of the pump room had pictures of success stories -- pictures of little ones in that NICU and then months later as happy, healthy toddlers. The antibodies and nutrition of breastmilk are so important, especially when a baby needs the extra care of the NICU. I was able to keep my supply going, and Little Bit was fed my milk along with supplementation when he was able to eat again.

Once I returned to work, I had the use of a dedicated breastfeeding mother's room. There is a mother's room at all locations of my company. This program came about due to the hard work of other women before me, including a coworker who had to pump in the restroom a few years before. She (and other women) protested having to basically prepare her baby's lunch in the restroom. Yuck. Once when I was at a meeting at another site, I had to pump in the ladies' room. I had to balance on the toilet with a pump and supplies, trying desperately not to let any of it touch the walls around me...if that was my only way to pump, I just don't know if I could have kept up with it. A clean, quiet room with a lockable door, a table, a chair, and an outlet is a much better option.

How much to ship from France to Texas?

I want one of these:

At least our power wasn't out, so we could wash laundry

We survived the great storm of 'aught-eight. Our highly trained outdoor weather cats reported damp fur and wet paws. But, hey, I got a whole day and a half off work.

Little Bit was home with us yesterday. Poor little bugger didn't want to eat very much, and later we found out why. He snuggled onto my lap, then began that cough which makes me go, uh-oh, and barfed all over himself and me. Ewwwwww. I managed to keep the barf from the couch and our rug, though. After a bath for both of us, I wrapped him in a towel and held him. He threw up several times more as the evening progressed, until there was nothing but stomach spasms. I felt so bad for him, because I know how it sucks to feel like that. Finally, after 2am this morning, he was able to keep down some water. He seems much better today.

In other news, DH and I arranged for a date night this past Saturday. My friend came over to babysit. DH and I rushed off to catch the next showing of Batman. We got home later to hear about my friend's little adventure. She had gone out on the back patio to pet our cats, while Little Bit watched some cartoons.

She got locked out of the house! Little Bit came to the window in the back door and smiled and waved at her, but he wandered off when he couldn't open the door. Of course, she didn't have her cell phone on her and couldn't remember my cell phone number. She went to our neighbor's house, but we hadn't given anyone an extra key. They ended up calling the police, who were able to get in. By the time they got inside where she could get her ID to show the police that she was who she said she was, she was almost in tears. All told, Little Bit had run of the house by himself for 30 minutes.

Definitely time to get some extra keys made and give them to the neighbors.

So, we're gonna get a little rain

Tropical Storm Edouard is headed our way and predicted to ramp up to hurricane strength. Work is closing today at noon.

Coming out from Quarantine

Little Bit has been sick this week. It started with a cough and runny nose on Sunday. By Tuesday, daycare called us to come get him -- he had a fever of 101. Late Wednesday night, he was really burning up with fever, 103.3 under the arm, so more like 104.3. I got into a lukewarm bath with him, holding him in my lap and snuggling him. I poured the water over his feverish body. I waited and worried, like so many other parents in the middle of the night with a very sick little one. The bath and the Motrin helped. His fever lessened so he was able to sleep. During the last few days, he was either snuggled in my lap or next to me on the couch, feeling bad, or he was running around playing when the Motrin had brought down his fever. No fever since yesterday afternoon, thankfully. He was his usual energetic and bright eyed self this morning.

I've been sick, too, with the zombie sinus infection. I've been on antibiotics about half of the last four months. I finish a course of antibiotics, then two weeks later, I have another acute sinus infection. I saw the partner of my regular sinus doctor/ENT the other day for the first time. He used an endoscope to look into my sinuses. His reaction? "Hell's bells!! That's quite an infection you've got in there!!" I hope the new class of antibiotics and the steroids to reduce inflammation work. Next stop may be nebulized medicine, which is one step away from IV antibiotics in the hospital. The doc actually (ahem) suctioned out some of the gunk in my sinuses. Ouch. Not pleasant. I so hope that Little Bit cheats genetics and doesn't end up with awful sinuses like his dad and I have.