It's That Time Of Year Again

The ORIGINAL Fantasy Fudge Recipe From The Fluff Jar
(So Easy Even I Could Make It Without Burning Down The House)


3 Cups Sugar
2/3 Cup Evaporated Milk
1 & 1/2 stick of Margarine Or Butter
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Package Of Chocolate Chips
7 oz Jar Of Fluff


Combine sugar, evaporated milk and margarine/butter in a heavy bottom sauce pan. Bring mixture to rolling boil, then turn down to medium heat and continue constantly stirring for 5 minutes.


Remove from heat and add the entire bag of chocolate chips, stir until blended (place pan back on the burner if it makes it easier to stir). Add in fluff & vanilla, continue stirring until blended. Pour into greased 13 X 9 pan (or smaller for thicker pieces).


Allow to set for atleast an hour.

1st Holiday Not Using Credit Cards

As the holiday shopping extravaganza is drawing to a close I realized something. This is the very first holiday in my adult life, that I have not used a single credit card. While it caused some stress at the time of planning out my gift giving, now that everything is pretty much taken care of, I feel good knowing there isn't going to be a bill waiting at the end of the month. It also makes you really look at whats actually important, and that's not something you can find in a store .... according to Dr. Seuss :-D

Now A Messege From Our Sponsor

In case anyone has noticed, and was wondering why I haven't been my smart mouthed self in a while, I figured I'd offer an explanation. For whatever reason, and I'm guessing it has to do with some kind of hormonal/chemical change from having Mya, my body's been basically falling apart. I have literally no memory, I'm irritable, depressed, anxious, paranoid, my hair is falling out, and I'm spacing out. Mya's almost 6 months now, and it's a little late for the onset of post par tum depression. I'm getting my thyroid check (I have almost all of the symptoms of hypothyroidism), and I'm waiting to get a appointment with a neurologist to get tested for absence/petit mal seizures. About 2 weeks ago apparently I drove to walmart to meet Michael and he said that I apparently "spaced out" when he was trying to talk to me, I looked right through him and was completely confused. I don't even remember driving there or how I got home. That's probably not good. I'll be talking mid sentence and just stop and stare off for a few seconds, and not remember doing it. Sometimes I get confused after, sometimes not. My choking episodes are also much worse. I've been choking more frequently, sometimes on a daily basis, which is followed by an overproduction of mucus, which makes it even harder to swallow. My grandmother is on medication for hypothyroid, and she has trouble swallowing as well, and apparently hypothyroidism can be triggered by pregnancy bc for whatever reason your body's immune system starts attacking your thyroid. My mother also has lupus which is an autoimmune disorder, and had epilepsy, so there is a strong probability that I may have either or possibly both. I would love just to figure out what the hell is going on and stop playing the guessing game. I've been teaching MJ how to dial 9-1-1 because mommy chokes all the time, sometimes I won't even eat if I'm alone with the kids because I'm afraid of choking. The gastroenterologist thought that this choking was a form of allergic esophagitis, and prescribed an maintenance inhaler which has done nothing. So if I seem "off" at work or have the mental capacity of Paula Abdul, that would be why.

What Are You Thankful For

Main Entry: grateful
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: appreciative
Synonyms:
beholden, gratified, indebted, obliged, pleased, thankful
Notes: grateful means feeling or showing gratitude or feeling thankful; gratified means having received what was desired; gratuitous means costing nothing or free - unnecessary or unwarranted - without cause


Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying their turkey day, mine will be spent at work, but I will be enjoying the traditional food coma at my mom's house after work. This really has been the month from hell, pushing me to the brink mentally,emotionally, physically and financially. After everything that's happened this past month it gives today that much more meaning, beyond the football games and Macy's Holiday parade. Even though I am at work today while most are enjoying their turkey dinner's at home, and I am missing Mya's 1st Thanksgiving, I am thankful I have a job, a GREAT job with great benefits and co workers, when many do not have one. I'm missing out on time with my two precious babies, but they are healthy and having fun with their family. I have an amazing husband who is my best friend, and feel blessed to have him when many are alone or have less than loving significant others. I actually have begun attending church, and the members are very nice and seem to be non judgemental, which is nice when you feel like the whole world is judgeing you. I wish there were less drama and stress in some areas, but I can not control or fix what others do. Sometimes people make very poor decisions that are very hurtful to people who they are supposed to treat with love and respect, but the only thing you can do is take that situation for face value so you can have peace in your life. You can only be responsible for your own actions. I'm working on finding more peace, and letting go of stress. For that I am also thankful :)

Diaper Drive

Through the generous approval of my higher ups, the diaper drive to benefit A Baby Center of Hyannis, is now officially up and running at Mashpee PD. I am particularly proud of this drive because it directly benefits our community, there are many charities out there that you will not be able to see how your generosity affects the recipients. The diaper drive will benefit families living on the Cape and Islands who fall under the federal government guidelines for WIC. According to A Baby Center's website :http://www.ababycenter.org/abc/bc/index.html, there is a need of around 15,000 diapers PER MONTH needed to accomodate the babies living in our area.



A Baby Center's
Wish List

Diapers (Sizes Newborn to 6)
Pull-Ups (Sizes 2T-4T)
Baby Wipes
Baby Wash (Head to Toe)
Diaper Rash Cream
Wash Cloths
Infant Towels (Hooded)
Pacifiers
Bedding, Crib sheets and pads
Cribs (No more than 4 years old)
New Crib Mattresses
Children’s Clothing (sizes newborn to 4)
Toddler shoes and socks
Toddler Pajamas
Single and Double Strollers
High Chairs
Potty Seats
Formula (dry and liquid)


Volunteering for Birthday Wishes has really opened up my eyes to all the families and children in need that live among us, and I am so excited about this diaper drive, now I continue on to working with the other two sources I had contacted previously. *Wish me luck*

Mashpee 5k, Halloween & Going Back To School ..... OH MY!!!!!

Time has flown by, I can't believe Halloween has come and gone, and my baby girl is five months old. I successfully completed the Mashpee Firefighters 5K race to benefit the one, the only, Steve Bold. My "race" time was not much better than when I participated last year when I was about 10 minutes pregnant, but I had a good time, so that's really all I care about. That and I managed not to be scraped off of the pavement by rescue, that's always a bonus. My best friend Sara came with me, and we swapped off pushing the jogging stroller with little miss Mya in it, next time it might be a good idea fir the two asthmatics to being atleast one rescue inhalor ..... After the 5k I went to my parent's to get Michael Jr ready for trick or treating. I was so pumped about his halloween costume that I scored from Plush & Plunder Vintage in Hyannis. I actually spent more on his face paint than the actual costume. Thankfully my mom came trick or treating with us, that would've been interesting to be chasing around a 3 1/2 year old with the double stroller ... up hill both ways ... seriously, have you been in the neighborhood of durfee ln/eli ln ?! Literally uphill both ways. After trick or treating we visited my friend Amy Beth's mom's home on Roberta Jean in East Fal, these people make Halloween their profession for the month of October, no joke. They convert their back yard into the "Haunted Acre Wood", complete with 3-D maze, fog, vortex and creepy dead people jumping out at you.





After a weekend of festivities I spent the last day of my 3 day weekend being productive. I must've blacked out yesterday because somehow I managed to re enroll into Cape Cod Community College (aka the concrete jungle) after a six year hiatus. After speaking to an advisor I found out that I have half of an associates in Criminal Justice completed, 33 more credits and I can be the proud owner of a shiny new associates degree. I wish it didn't take me this long to figure things out, but it has to be done, I'd like to have some sort of degree by the time I'm 30. I'm still trying to balance out finances, work, and child care, so we'll see what happens. Fingers crossed.

Taking Responsibilty For Irresponsiblity

It's no secret that I am horrible with money. I do not know why, but as soon as I receive money I feel the need to spend it, like it's physically impossible for me to hold on to cash. I really don't have a good excuse for my financial predicament. Like many in my generation, I was never really taught financial responsibility, or how to budget. Growing up we were comfortably middle class, my mother stayed home with us, and took my dad's paycheck to pay bills and gave him an allowance. This is because, like me, my father is horrible with money. The one time my father was allowed to do the grocery shopping he spent over $200, came home with 3 different types of oreo's, and when my infuriated mother inquired about coupons my father's response was "what coupons"?. So yeah financial A.D.D. is apparently genetic.


Like many kids, I got every store credit card I could when I turned 18, and a capitol one card, bc they'll give anyone a card, well at least they did 8 years ago. So by the time I was 20 yrs old I had racked up $10,000 worth of credit card debt on everything from victoria's secret, clothes, gas, you name it. With the help of my mom who co signed, I took out a personal loan from Rockland trust and paid off my credit card debt. So at 20 I had a loan payment of almost $300 a month and a brand new car payment along with car insurance. I had a good job as an EMT with overtime from time to time, so I wasn't overly stressed at that point.


I met michael not long after, we became engaged and he moved in with me at my parents house when I was 21. While planning our wedding, I became pregnant with Michael Jr when I was 22, and not only was I scared shitless of my parents, but there physically was no room for the 2 of us and a baby. So we had to move, which costs $$. I was staying a float financially until then, but between moving costs and having to live off of credit cards when I got hurt at work while I was pregnant and could not work, my credit card debt that was once paid off sky rocketed to $15,000. I was so incredibly lucky to have the family support I did because we would've never survived. My mother & uncle would take turns helping with the nearly $400 a month car payment on the gas guzzler blazer and accompanying insurance, and we were always given things for MJ. Maybe that was part of the problem looking back.



So after moving back to the cape, I (once again) got a loan to pay off the new credit card debt. I felt ashamed and defeated. My parents were gracious enough to get a home equity loan in order for me to get the new loan, for I have no assets for colladeral. So then I had 2 loan payments, a truck payment, and insurance. Credit Card debt free for a second time.


But of course, due to my 2 loans and bills, I had no money for anything. I buried my head in the sand, and then like an ass started charging again. I had promised my parents I wouldn't charge again after they had taken out the loan for me. I think that the big problem is that the debt wasn't something tangeble for me, it was surreal. My family had always bailed me out, and I had never ever really had a "want" for something, so I've never (until now) gone without. Growing up I was never taught how to budget, and when I got credit cards in my own name my mother just took money from me and paid the bills. In school they don't teach you how to budget, or how real world expenses work, they teach you (or atleast try to) how to balance a check book. That's it.


Now $32,000 in credit card debt alone I have nothing to show for it. My friends are buying their own homes, have their own apartments, and I have to live with my grandfather bc we cannot afford to live on our own due to my debt. It's embarassing and infuriating bc it took me this long to get a grip. We owe my grandfather almost $800 in utilities, and it kills me. I hate owing money I feel like such an ass. It scares me to know that we are dependant on him right now bc we have no where to go.


I finally buckeled down and stopped crying, and got honest with myself and my husband. I briefy entertained the idea of settling my debt, but after tlaking with a company and doing research, I know that I would not be able to sleep at night and be even more stressed not paying my creditors. Michael had found American Consumer Credit Counseling (http://www.consumercredit.com)which not only sets up a debt management plan with you but teaches you the skills you need for budgeting. I joined the program and the counciler helped me set up a household budget that works for me, and I will send them a set amount every month that they will disperse the payments to the credit cards as agreed. The counciler was able to get my apr's down to almost nothing, in once instance getting my sears MC from 20.40 % down to 2 %. With this debt managment plan I will be debt free in 4 1/2 years or less, with my credit intact. As apposed to the debt settlement where I don't pay the creditors, and while I may be debt free in 3-4 years, I will have ruined my credit and run the risk of being sued, not to mention the collection calls.As part of the agreement I have to cancel my credit cards. It is empowering and terrifying at the same time. My crutch is being taken away from me, cold turkey. I find it disheartening that people are more sympathetic when addressing drug or alcohol addiction as apposed to shopping or credit card addictions, maybe people see shopping as something that is more easily controlled, and when you start to drown in debt often the response is "well its your own damn fault, no one MADE you go shopping". No one made alcoholics pick up the bottle, but they did. I'm not making excuses for my behaviors or addictions, I'm just facing the facts and trying to understand the problem in order to manage it and get my life back.


It breaks my heart to know that my kids miss out on things because of my debt, we couldn't afford MJ's preschool bc of my debt, but now I'm determined to fix this. I also am going to get help, bc I've come to the realization that I am addicted to charging/shopping just like a drug addict is addicted to drugs. When I go shopping, and I go up to the register, its instant buyer's remorse, but at the same time I was getting the euphoric feeling of getting whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, regardless of if I could actually afford it or not. I would just pull things off the shelves, and have a instant sick feeling in the pit of my stomache, I would make up some kind of lie in my head to justify it "Well I already have a balance anyways". Even the physical feeling of swiping the credit card is addicting to me. I come from a line of alcoholic lineage, I briefly had a drinking binge the summer I was 19, but never really became addicted, and I never got into the drug scene. Shopping and charging my credit cards is my drug of choice. I have nothing to show for all my debt. I don't have a closet full of clothes, or a box full of jewlery. I had entered the endless cycle of working to pay the bills, not having enough money for necessities because of the credit card debt, and then bc of that having to use the credit cards in order to put gas in my car. I'm not living like this anymore, I'm not hiding my debt anymore, I'm taking responsiblity and making damn sure I teach my kids what I never learned.

Birthday Wishes

In my EBay adventures I happened across a great organization www.birthdaywishes.org. As a seller you have the ability to donate some or all of your profits to a organization of your choice, and I thought this was a great idea. I was looking specifically for a local group to benefit, and this is when I found Birthday Wishes. Birthday Wishes was founded in Newton,MA in November of 2002 by Lisa Vasiloff, Karen Yahara, and Carol Zwanger when the three women started volunteering at homeless shelters, and noticed that children's birthday's came and went without recognition. Birthday parties, something you & I take for granted and often grumble about having to plan, are a luxury to the homeless shelters and families that live there.


Having taught preschool, worked in after school programs, and run various birthday celebrations in the past, I've always enjoyed ambience of the celebration. It is my opinion that a birthday is part of your identity, and something that should be a staple in your childhood. You never really appreciate something as simple as a birthday cake and a song sung off key until you expierience situations were it doesn't exist. When you emmerse your self in that situation its something that hits you in the gut, and definatly pulls at your heart strings.


My first birthday party was tough, because as I arrived at the transition housing, it honestly looked like a crack motel, and couldn't believe that people, never mind children, lived here. It was one step above being homeless, between the very outdated appliances, the smell, and just over all atmosphere I was saddened to know that people lived like this. Its easy to judge families in that situation. I'll be honest, when I saw a new mom holding a baby my daughters age, in nothing but a jean jacket and diaper on that cold September night, I was pissed and heart broken at the same time. I was pissed because I was thinking to myself "why is the baby out here dressed like that!" and heart broken because I knew that she probably couldn't help her situation and I could never imagine bringing my family up that way, even though she could be you or I in a heart beat.


It really is an amazing feeling to watch these kids get excited over gifts, because they truly appreciated everything given to them. These kids were beside themselves over things like pajama's, back packs and lunch boxes, items some kids would turn their nose up at. For the first birthday party we were able to get a moonwalk donated, and the kids went bats for it. They bounced until it got dark and the mosquitos came out to feed, and came in to the communal kitchen for cake and gifts. The second party I volunteered at was in the Angel House in Hyannis. The Angel House is a shelter that helps reunite families recovering from substance abuse and traumas of homelessness. We were fortuneate to have a DJ donate his services, he played all kinds of games with the kids, provided a bubble machiene and dance instruction.The electric slide was painful for me, hillarious to them. After we were all successfully covered in bubble soap, feasted on my mosquitos and handed out prizes from the limbo contest, we made our way into the main house for the long awaited cake and gifts. After cleaning up the cake plates, spilled capri suns and melted hoodsie cups, one of the birthday boys came up and gave us a hug and a high five. His mom said he had the best day ever. It was totally worth the incessent scratching from bug bites that followed.


All the parents were so grateful, and were great to talk to. Many would probably be hard pressed to talk to these people, as human nature, forming an opinion about their situation. Naturally you want to ask "how did you get here?". I don't think many of them know, nor do I, and a lot of times people in this situation do not know how to help themselves. Thankfully, there are people out there who do, and I feel priveledged help out in something as simple as giving their child a birthday party.

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How To Create The Worst Possible Listing On EBay

After surfing EBay for the first time in months, I've come across some questionable listings, many are well meaning but clueless sellers. I came across this post on EBay and thought it was hillarious (written by seller suityourselfinternational):

HOW TO WRITE THE WORST AUCTION LISTING ON EBAY

1. Confuse the bidders at every opportunity.

2. Decide what you've got to sell. But forget about it when you create your listing.
FOR EXAMPLE, when selling a sweater, forget what color it is and just make up a color instead,
and never remember to include measurements like bust size and length or fabric content for concerned allergic people.

3. Take a photo of your item, but be sure there are lots of other distracting things in the picture too.

4. Post a photo of only part of your item in your listing, so bidders have to bid sight unseen, and even
better yet, post a picture in your listing of something else entirely, out of focus. Like your dog.
OR DON'T USE ANY PHOTOS AT ALL.

5. Make sure the gallery photo you use contains an image that bears no relationship whatsoever to what you're selling.

6. Post your gallery picture so your item is pictured on its side and not upright. Better yet, take your picture
of the item with the item upside down. Even better, hide the item under the sofa and just show the sofa in the picture.
You can point to the hidden item with big yellow arrows.

7. For the auction's title, don't describe the item -- people might find it! Never state what the item it or what size or color it is.
Keep 'em guessing.

8. For the description of your item, tell everybody you're on vacation and don't know when you'll return.
But you'll ship when you get back.

9. OR for the description of your item,
try telling them about your recent eBay purchases instead, or a bit of your life's story; for example, go into
great detail about why you are being forced to sell this wonderful thingy in the first place. BUT NEVER SAY WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE
SELLING AND NEVER GIVE AWAY ANY DETAILS ABOUT IT. NEVER POINT OUT FLAWS.

10. DO NOT USE CORRECT ENGLISH SPELLING OR PUNCTUATION. Tell buyers to
SNED NO NEMOY until you bill them.

11. Better yet, forget the item description entirely and just take up two full pages with your Terms Of Sale, family photos,
and ads for other items in your eBay store, not in correct English remember.

12. If you have to say what size something is, be sure to indicate only those measurements for the opposite sex of the item you're selling.
For example, when selling a sweater, women want the chest measurement underarm to underam across the back,
but men want the shoulder seam measurement along the top of the garment.

13. Overcharge outrageously for shipping. Better yet, state PICKUP ONLY with only a Puerto Rico P.O. Box for an address.

14. Run the listing lots of times, add counters every time, and never edit them so bidders can see
you're run the listing for months on end with nobody in the least bit interested in all that time.

15. Add an appendix to your listing, several times---and make sure it has nothing to do with the listing. Adding a CHAIN LETTER
at the bottom of your listing is sure to get buyers (and eBay's) attention.

16. Be sure to use an auction listing service that blocks buyers from successfully clicking on any of the links in your listing.

17. Do NOT accept PayPal. Do NOT accept Money Orders or Checks. Tell buyers you want your money sent to you at your PO BOX address
via the US Postal service in a plain brown wrapper with NO RETURN ADDRESS and inside the envelope,
you want NO information as to what the buyer bought or what the money is for. Keep 'em guessing!

18. If you feel you just have to reply to a customer email inquiry about your item,
be sure to point out to the customer how their question was rude and / or stupid and how wrong they were
to ask it of you and your item in the first place. Tell them you are trying to educate them, not be insulting, and include a little smiley face at the end.

19. If a customer asks you for measurements or some basic fact you forgot to put in, or didn't care about,
just tell them you can't measure, or don't know how to measure, or don't have a tape measure, or are away from your desk (and your item)
and will get back to them whenever you and the item are closer together.

20. TRY TO NEVER EVER REPLY TO CUSTOMER EMAIL INQUIRIES. Someone may actually buy something from you!

21. If somebody does buy from you, DO NOT SEND THEM AN INVOICE. If they pay you anyway, DO NOT RESPOND.
If they write you after 2 or 3 weeks asking for their stuff, reply with a sob story and say you've already shipped it, but just yesterday.
Say you shipped it Friday if they write you over a weekend.

22. When you finally do get around to shipping, DO NOT SHIP THEM WHAT THEY THINK THEY BOUGHT!! Just ship them something
else that you don't want. And remind them there are NO returns and NO exhanges.

Good Luck!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Personally I have yet to come across anything truly horrific, but I have seen poor photography skills, or my personal pet peeve, taking only one photo of one big pile of un folded clothes .... seriously. As enticing as that is, I'm going to have to pass on the biding of the contents of your laundry basket. And the selling of underwear. Ick. I don't care if it was "only worn once". There is a line of decency you don't cross. Unless the skiives are in a sealed package don't bother.


I love how some people think that they can reel people in with a collection of clothes from 1992 and sell them at full price. Um no. And don't be sneaky with ridonkulous shipping charges. And is UPS really necessary for a small lot of kids clothes? I personally hate UPS bc they are so damned expensive, unless you're shipping something like furniture or a zoo animal, you don't really need it, they suck.


And for the love of god, don't sell stuff that your kid projectile puked on. I say this bc someone actually sent me a sweater with dried chunky puke on it. Tasty.

Completely and Utterly Deflated

I can't believe this happened to me today and trust me when I say I have NEVER been treated like this in my life. I attempted to make an appointment with my mother's Rhuematolgist the other day in order to be tested for Ehlers Danlose Syndrome, however it is that particular OFFICE's policy to require a referal regardless of your insurance carrier. Fine. So I made an appointment over at my General Practitioner's in order to get the referal. I had seen this particular Dr a few times in the past for refill's so I wasn't a complete stranger to him. He asked what I needed a referal for, and I said Ehlers Danlos. Without even examining me, or looking at my past medical or my family's past medical history he proclaimed I didn't have it. He said because my skin wasn't stretchy and that I've never had a complete dislocation of my joints that I didn't need to be tested. Well ass face if you knew anything about EDS you'd know that there are 6 different types and not all of them have the same markers.

I started to cry.

He says that in relation to my choking episodes and joint pain, and judging from my crying it must be anxiety causing all my problems. No asshole, I'm crying because you just shit on me.

I had hit my breaking point today because I choked AGAIN at work, and kept screwing up at simple tasks because I can't function with out food in my belly. And there's no food in my belly because everytime I eat I either choke, it gets stuck or is proceeded by a volcanic eruption of stomach acid. I had hopes that Dr Asshole would be able to give me the referall I needed but instead was in so many words told that I'm crazy, don't know what I'm talking about, and stop looking at things on the internet. Then he proceeded to give me Lexapro, a fucking psyche med. Then told me he was gonna test me for Lyme's disease. Oh yeah he also asked me if I had OCD, basically said that my Ear Nose & Throat dr didn't know what he was talking about (I had a endoscopy done) and inferred that my husband is lazy (as in if I had more help maybe my joints wouldnt hurt so much).

I'm not some fruit who cruises the internet looking for a disorder to have, or a drug seeker. I don't want meds, I don't want a disease, I just want to be able to fucking eat and function like a normal human being. I'm tired of almost choking to death everytime I eat, I'm tired of not being able to pick up my kids, falling down when I walk, getting stuck getting up out of a chair or out of a car. I'm tired of my joints popping in and out of place multiple times a day.

If I do indeed have Ehlers Danlos it can make a difference in how this whole choking episode is handeled. Medication isn't going to work if I have EDS. And so far the 3 I've tried haven't worked. I have almost all the markers for Classical and Hypermobility EDS, and my mother has 2 disorders related to EDS, and EDS is a inherited disorder with the exception of 1 form.

I've been teaching MJ how to dial 911 in the event mommy needs help due to my choking, and now I'm at the point were I just won't eat when I'm home alone with the kids. I really can't take this any more it's ruining me. I have a barium swallow test scheduled for monday if I don't break down and go to the ER before hand. WTF Seriously.

Barium Swallow Test, EDS, and Other Adventures In GERD

Oh the joys of acid reflux. Previously associated with the feeling of acid shooting up my throat like a volcanic eruption, GERD apparently is the cause of my choking episodes. My ear, nose & throat specialist performed an endoscopy and found my throat burnt and swollen in addition to being structurally small. I've pretty much had a life long problem of these choking fits, and sometimes just having food sit in my throat, with very little to no pain from acid reflux. So I've been going through different medication trials since the endoscopy and have a barium swallow test scheduled. Now in addition to my new found membership of the GERD club I've also had a life long issue with loose joints, subluxations or incomplete dislocations of various joints. Now what does loose joints have to do with GERD.... I came across something called Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which is a genetic disorder of the collagen.







"Individuals with EDS have a defect in their connective tissue, the tissue that provides support to many body parts such as the skin, muscles and ligaments. The fragile skin and unstable joints found in EDS are the result of faulty collagen. Collagen is a protein, which acts as a "glue" in the body, adding strength and elasticity to connective tissue.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a heterogeneous group of heritable connective tissue disorders, characterized by articular (joint) hypermobility, skin extensibility and tissue fragility. There are six major types of EDS. The different types of EDS are classified according to their manifestations of signs and symptoms. Each type of EDS is a distinct disorder that "runs true" in a family. This means that an individual with Vascular Type EDS will not have a child with Classical Type EDS.
"

All of my oddities might have a name, which well it really proves to resolve nothing as there is no cure, it is nice to know that there is a reason behind them, everything from my mitral proplapse,GERD, abnormal scar healing, easy bruising, ortho pedic and cardiac problems and poor circulation. I have to get a referral to a rhuematologist in order to get the proper testing for Ehlers Danlos, and if indeed that is the cause to my multiple oddities there may be surgery needed to correct the incompent esophageal sphincter, and special precautions needed for any other surgical procedures.

The moral of the story kids is to be your own advocate. I look forward to not living in fear of eating :)

Maybe Just A "Little" Colic

I'm not sure if it's possible for a baby to be a little colicky, but I'm trying to figure out why it is princess cries everynight around dinner time for atleast an hour. And by "cry" I mean scream unconsolibly complete with bright red face, real tears and clenched fists. We've tried everything to help her from rocking, burping, rubbing her belly, giving her a tub, but nothing helps, she won't even take her binky. The Mayo Clinic defines colic as:

"If your baby cries about the same time each day and nothing you do seems to offer comfort, your baby may have colic. Colic is often defined as crying more than three hours a day, three days a week for more than three weeks in an otherwise well-fed, healthy baby.
Fussing and crying are normal for infants, and a fussy baby doesn't necessarily have colic. In an otherwise healthy, well-fed baby, signs of colic include:

* Predictable crying episodes. A baby who has colic often cries about the same time every day, usually in the late afternoon or evening. Colic episodes may last from a few minutes to three hours or more on any given day. The crying usually begins suddenly and for no clear reason. Your baby may have a bowel movement or pass gas near the end of the colic episode.
* Intense or inconsolable crying. Colic crying is intense and often high pitched. Your baby's face may flush, and he or she is extremely difficult — if not impossible — to comfort.
* Posture changes. Curled up legs, clenched fists and tensed abdominal muscles are common during colic episodes.

Colic affects as many as 25 percent of babies. Colic usually starts a few weeks after birth and often improves by age 3 months. Although a few babies struggle with colic for months longer, colic ends by age 9 months in 90 percent of cases. "

We switched her formula to Similac Sensitive Formula which is lactose free to improve gassiness & fussiness, we use Dr. Brown's bottles which are made to reduce gas as well as use the Mylicon infant gas drops. She just started fussing at night within the past 2 weeks, she hasn't always done this. She started fussing while she was eating after about 4 weeks so thats when we switched formula which has helped a lot. She also doesn't scream for 3 hours at a time, and sleeps really well at night. So I'm really not sure. Princess is a lot needier than MJ was, so maybe that's just the nature of the beast?

Tuck & Roll

Long time no talky I know. As most of you are aware my absence is due to little miss Mya Renee pulling a fast one and arriving a week early, which is all fine and good with me because I literally felt like I was going to explode. I worked my last full shift saturday May 30th, fully expecting to work until June 4th, but Mya had decided different. I had an hour of contractions on Sunday May 31st, then they came to a hault, which was about par for the course. The next day monday the 1st princess decided to tuck & roll since my labour was under 10 hours start to finish, which is much better than the 17 1/2 I was in labour for with little man. I had a great VBAC expierience at Jordan, my nurse Glenda was the equivalant to Nurse Ratchet, which was fine with me, she was hilarious though. Completely no nonsense, had her scrubs hiked up to her chest and had been a nurse since the creation of time, no fluff, she told me how it was and yes, "it does suck". She literally was in the room the whole time with the exeception of her going to have a quick dinner, and gave instructions to Michael and Sara. This was a far cry from my 1st expierience where they just left you to suffer alone for hours and never told you what was going on. Baby girl is great, she had some usual newborn stuff like baby acne, thrush and blocked tear ducts, but that has cleared up. Little Michael is getting use to his new baby sister, and tries to feed her his corn puffs in the morning .... atleast he's trying to share .... The sleep thing, or there lack of kinda sucks, especially when little man decides at 2am that he "can't sleep", but I have a lot of help, and Michael is a awesome husband and daddy and gives me a lot of breaks so I can take a nap and what not. It's a whole new world getting use to having 2 kids, one was so much easier, but I suppose it'll get easier once she starts sleeping through the night. Now if I can get through the terrible 3's with little man .... I swear to god if I hear the word "no" or the phrase "I don't want to" one more time .... *sighs*

Surviving Memorial Day Weekend

Even though this past Memorial Day weekend was full of false labor and iffy weather, we managed to make the best of it. Thursday I left work early with what I was sure was a sign little miss Mya was on her way, but it was just the beginning of her taunting me for the weekend, which seems to be the on going theme for the remainder of the pregnancy. Friday my sister in law and her boyfriend came by for a cook out, and we busted out the slip n slide, which turned into little man collecting the water in a bucket and dumping it on everyone as well as running around giving everyone cold, wet hugs. Saturday and sunday we managed to squeeze in some bike path & playground time before the weather went south. Monday was the best day out of the weekend, my 38 week marker :-) We woke up bright and early to get ready to go to down town Falmouth to watch the parade and play at the Mullen Hall playground. The turn out for the parade wasn't as big last year, and the sudden heat wave had people dropping like flies, literally. It's always nice to see my parents in the parade with the Brian Boru Pipe Band, but I think this may have been their last, if not one of the last appearances they'll be making. My mom is going to have to give up drumming bc of carpal tunnel & rhumatoid arthritis. Sheldon's side bag piping job is really taking off, and apparently the attendance and practice habits of other band members has been lack luster which is really frustrating for someone like my dad who puts everything into it. Post parade we made more time for slip & slide of course, I think one of the best parts of being a parent is being able to play again. Even though for me it was less slipping & sliding and more waddling and sitting in cold hose water ... hehehehe.


After freezing my round self I went out for iced coffee and gelato with one of my best girlfriends, and gossiped the afternoon away. Upon returning to her house around 4:30 her "little" brother Joe was in the kitchen with his girl "she's just a friend" and their parents making things for the grill. Now Joe will be 14 this August, but to me he'll always be 3, I remember when he was born, BEFORE he was born even. There's 12 years difference between my friend and her brother, as her mom had thought she was going through early menopause when she became pregnant with Joe. I was even there at their dinner table when she announced she was pregnant with him. Anyways, everytime I see little Joe I feel older and older, he has the teen aged swagger, and the teen aged not quite a man but not a little boy voice, he even has a teen gweedo 'stache ... ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!! AND I'm told he's on his 2nd girlfriend. I was talking to my friend outside, and we were all "Do you remember what WE were doing when we were 14?!" OH.MY.GOD. ew ew ew ew ew. And thus the cycle of life continues. And I feel old.

36 weeks, Mother's Day & Martha's Vineyard

All in one day no less. I'm finally coming around the bend of the end of the 3rd trimester. Little miss Mya is already making more progress than her big brother did, so hopefully she'll be here sooner than later. The nursery is more or less finished, I'm just waiting for the last few decorative things to come in. The hospital bags are packed, and we'll be installing the car seats tonight. Some days are better than others, I had to break down and freeze my membership at the gym, it was becoming more of a chore than anything else to drag myself there, and it was at about the frequency of once a week, which is really a waste since I prepaid the whole year. However I'm still trying to do my part with the prenatal yoga card deck I have at home, plus I have free weights and walk with little man. *sighs*

My mother's day was spactacular. I felt kinda bad leaving husband & little man at home, but I don't remember the last time my mom & I did something on our own.So we took the ferry from woodshole into vineyard haven, and spent the day walking around the shops, trespassing on people's lawn's to take picture's in front of their (no doubt) summer homes, and doing the tourist thing. After pillaging Murdick's Fudge in vineyard haven we took the bus over to oak bluffs to see the gingerbread houses and the flying carousel and have icecream. The only thing I didn't get to do, which I totally would have if I wasn't spherical, was ride the carousel, I just envisioned myself teetering over the side of the poor ancient horse for an epic fail , while trying to catch the brass ring.

Bottom Of The Barrel

Here's my take on the "Jon & Kate" gossip that's currently floating around. Jon doesn't belong going out alone with a "female friend" at god knows what hour to a bar located hours away. It's just not appropriate for married folks to be out corrowsing alone with friends of the opposite sex in that atmosphere. Now I'm not opposed to people having friends of the opposite sex, I have quite a few myself, but you'd never see myself or husband out at 2 am alone with them, it's just setting your self up to look bad if nothing else. It's one thing to go out as a couple, or with other people, but generally two people out alone, in that atmosphere, in my eyes resembles a date. Now granted for those who've seen the show, the majority are not impressed with Kate's treatment of her husband, often referring to her as a "shrew". But that does not give Jon the pass to be drinking with college girls, and going out to bars with "female friends". Nor do I think it's particularly helpful for Kate to be across the country promoting her new book when her marriage is in trouble. Here's what Jon had to say about this situation:(From Yahoo.com news)


"Like most people, I have male and female friends, and I'm not going to end my friendships just because I'm on TV," the dad of 8 tells Extra. "However, being out with them late at night showed poor judgment on my part.....What makes me sick is that my careless behavior has put my family in this uncomfortable position," he continues..."My family is the most important thing in my life and it kills me that these allegations have hurt them."


No you shouldn't end friendships just bc you're on tv, but you should know what's appropriate and not appropriate behavior for a husband (or wife if the situation was reversed). I feel bad for the children in this situation, their parents are clearly having marriage problems, and it's displayed as national news for everyone to see, including their friends and other family members.


Next item up for the trash can: Maddy McCann's disappearance from her Portugal hotel room. Her parents fault, absolutely. I'm sorry, but who leaves their small children unattended, even if they are asleep, while on vacation?!?!? In a foreign country no less. These people are smart enough to be doctors, but lack the common sense needed for parenting? It's one thing to have your child asleep in your home, and you be in the house somewhere. But to leave your 4 year old and younger siblings while you go have dinner at your resort? I don't care how "close" you are, you don't do it. A quote from CBSnews.com:

"Without any clues confirming what happened to her, a British former detective who’s followed the case tells Roth probability points to just one conclusion.

“Within three hours,” says Mark Williams-Thomas, “74 percent of children abducted by strangers are dead, and within the first 24 hours, it’s 91 percent. So, statistically, it tells you that the chances are she’s dead, and I believe she probably is.”



And unfourtunatly this is probably the case. Apparently having dinner was more important to these people than the safety of their children. It's called room service.


Next in line: The Miss California gay marriage response. Frankly I don't think the question should've been asked, nor do I think that Perez Hilton was a appropriate canidate for a judge in the contest. He is a widely known controversial celeb-blogger, whom is openly gay. So for him to be completely un biased in the response to such question is a far stretch I'd say. I have the feeling that the pagent deliberatly set out to obtain a controversial judge in order to get more viewers. Here is Hilton's question:(from http://usconservatives.about.com)


"Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriages," Hilton asked. "Do you think other states should follow suit? Why or why not?"


Now, I have gay friends, and am of the opinion that EVERYONE should have the right to legally marriage, because I feel that telling someone you may not marry your significant other based on gender is the equvilant to not allowing marriage based on race.It's ridiculous. Even so, I feel that while claiming that she believes that heterosexual marriage is "biblically correct" in a clearly un biblical vanity pagent is contridictory, she made an articulate, non derrogatory statement of her opinion, which is what she is supposed to do. Now she is being threatened with the stripping of her crown because she excerized her 1st amendment right of free speech.


However Miss California is getting on her soap box as a spokesperson for the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).She also reminded the nation at a press conference that her contemptibly ill-informed comments at the Miss America contest was "not about being politically correct, but about being 'Biblically correct.' About as biblically correct as those fake boobs and capped teeth? I'm under the impression that God "created" those mamary glands to feed newborns not fill out a bikini in a beauty pagant. Just a thought. I'm not a politcal person by anymeans, but if you're going to get on your biblical soapbox and address such a contraversal topic, you might want to make sure that you're not contradicting yourself.

And Now For Something You'll Really Like ...

Last friday my friend Sara and I made our way to Babies R Us in Hyannis, aka "little Brockton by the sea" to navigate the aisles for my friend Tashina's baby shower gift. After about half an hour I left with the Boppy Pillow in hand, and we crossed the parkinglot to my designated "expectant mothers" parking spot, which I quite enjoy since the only other special parking in town is for handicapped or old people. Anyways, as I am the ADD queen I notice everything, and getting to their cars at the same time was a family of 3 (a mom, dad and a seven year old?) and another mom and her child of around the same age. As Sara and I opened my car door to get in we hear the mom from the party of 3 yell "YOU STUPID FAT WHORE!!!!!". Now the other mom was parked about 3 cars away and we were parked directly behind her across the street, so the 3 of us (Sara, myself and the other mom) looked around in confusion in who she was addressing, and discust (UM HELLO THERE'S CHILDREN AROUND INCLUDING YOUR OWN!!!!). Clearly we had missed something, Sara and I would've loved to have watched some kind of white trash scuffle in the baby store (this is Hyannis after all). But of course the big mouthed mom yelled this getting into her car, bc tough guys yell things as they run away in their purple ford escort ... I don't get it, and these same parents are going to wonder why in about five years their gonna have trouble with little Timmy. Maybe because he sees his parents act like pieces of trash every day ... just a thought.

Maternity Photos

The following photos taken on 03/08/09 @ 27 weeks
by Zev Fisher Photography Boston,MA
Stylist Sara Pecce

Mystic, CT

Apparently pregnancy ate my brain and I confused Mystic for Newport, so you can interchange the two locations accordingly on my previous posts bc I'm too lazy to fix it. We left the Cape sunday around lunch time, dropping little man off at my parents. Mj sprinted for his John Deere ride on tractor, so much for me thinking we'd have to peel him off of us. We stopped for lunch at the Tim Horton's on the RI/CT line. You know you're in Rhode Island when they play country music in restaurants/convience stores ... non stop. Tim Horton's is a cool little breakfast/lunch place that has good deals on combos, for the price of a drink/sandwich & side it's the equivelent of a starbucks coffee. We stayed at the Best Western in Mystic, which was nice, and we visited down town Mystic & the seaport. For dinner we went to The Steak Loft, which Michael had pain stakingly researched, it was our anniversary dinner and he wanted to make it all romantic. Apparently what was advertised online, and what it actually was, was two different things. Online it shows one dining room with candle lights and nice seating, etc. We were seated in the other dining room, between the table with the dad wearing a cut off t shirt with his arm pit hair flailing about, and the screaming toddler. Michael was mortified and disappointed, but I didn't mind, I missed our screaming toddler anyways. Plus I thoroughly enjoy people watching, maybe a little too much, but it amazes me that people don't realize what they look/or act like out in public. Besides, I thought to myself, it IS called the "Steak Loft" how romantic did he think it was gonna be ... any dining establishment with the word "Steak/Bar/Grill" you've gotta expect at least one honky sighting .... it's like Murphy's Law. But I digress. After dinner we went to Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT which was about 20 minutes away. Last time we went they had the quarter machines where you carried around your winnings in a plastic cup. Not anymore. Much to our dismay they no longer utilize quarters, only bills, cards or tickets. WTF. That was half the fun. Between that and having to walk through the smoking section to get to the non smoking sections we called it quits after losing $60.00. We had fun shopping in the casino, and having Ben & Jerry's. If I'm gonna lose money I'd rather be shopping. After a good night's sleep (free of spongebob,a baby monitor) we finished up in the Olde Mistick Village, and headed home. We had a nice mini get away for our anniversary, and had as much fun as you can when you're 8 months pregnant.

Recap

Tommorrow being our 1 year wedding anniversary, Michael and I are going on a little weekend getaway to Newport, so I will not be on a computer to post. A lot has happened in a year, and it's crazy how fast a year can go by, but how a 9 month pregnancy can feel like it drags on ... I remember how crazy the week before the wedding was, I planned & organized my husband's bachelor party, finished all the details from decorations, florist stuff, bridesmaid's luncheon, rehearsal dinner, etc. The wedding day was a whirlwind, and I think after the ceremony I saw my husband a grand total of 3 times, the 2 dances, and the 5 minutes I got to sit down and eat. The wedding day weather was absolutely perfect, unseasonably warm for cape cod, and no wind coming off of buzzards bay. I'm kind of sad that was a once in a lifetime expierience, bc I would like to have a wedding every year.


They say that the 1st year of marriage is supposed to be the hardest, but I haven't found that to be true. Michael and I were together for 4 1/2 years and had a baby before we got married, so maybe that helped? Between the trials of paramedic school, raising little man, working all kinds of crazy midnight shifts, and becoming pregnant again, I don't think we've really had the time to stew on things that most people fight over. Maybe we're just lucky. Maybe it's both.Tommorrow we will be spending the night in Newport, having grown up, non spongebob or tantrum filled night. We'll be enjoying the sights, stopping by Mohican Sun, and have a nice dinner.


After we return from our mini get away, we will finally be making the trip to Botello's to pick up paint & supplies for Mya's room, since her ETA is about 7 weeks or less. I could've made the baby blue guest room work with her lady bug theme, but the 20 years of sun fade on the walls showed me other wise. That's what I have a husband & brother for, have fun boys. We still have to put together her crib, her set of drawers, pick up the changing table from my sister in law, wash all her newborn clothes,clean out our cars, install the baby seat and put together the new stroller. Holy crap that's a lot of stuff. I forgot how much stuff babies use. Oh and I still have to pack my (our) bag for the hospital, and of course nest, which entails top to bottom scouring of the entire house. Which should be much easier once the dog is gone. Oh yes, destructo has a perspective new owner.Suckers.Plus the dog humps things, and I just can't deal with that. Anyways, I digress.

Useless Baby Items

Today I was browsing my friend T's baby registry for her upcoming baby shower, and forgot how useless some of these items these companies hawk to new parents are. I'm guilty too, I registered for things like a bottle warmer, but seriously, since when did babies need a spa? So I decided to go through the Babies R Us website and compile a top 10 lost of items that I think are completely useless, and just another way to suck the money out of poor unsuspecting parents to be. In no particular order:


1.
Diaper Genie $39.99: For the price of a couple packages of diapers you too can be the proud owner of this over priced, hard to use diaper trash can. And for an additional $6.99 you can buy the refill that holds 180 stinky diapers. Seriously people, save your self the money and aggrivation, go to Walmart and but one of those mini plastic trash can's for less than $10.00, and use the plastic grocery bags for the liner. Just don't be lazy, but the stink bombs outside immediately. I attempted to use a Diaper Genie one time, and you need a freakin degree in physics to operate one of those things. It's a mechanically operated diaper trash can people, get over it, it's not that fabulous.


2. Bottle Warmer $19.99-$59.99: Boil water in a pan or in a measuring cup and place said bottle into water. Seriously folks. Same difference.


3. Wipe Warmer $15.00-$30.00: You too can be the proud owner of dried up wipes and a pissed off baby when you attempt to use the dried up wipes. One of the most ridiculous inventions I've seen, think about it, you're not going to be transporting warmed up wipes when you go out, and our own t-p is not warmed up and we survived.


4.
Sound Sleeper $23.99: The Sound Sleeper by Dex Products provides soundscapes to soothe and relax you and your baby. Instantly turn your surroundings into a calming sea of tranquility. Choose from over 30 unique sounds including babbling brook and soothing rainfall. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. I think they should make a sound machiene of realistic sounds that can help your child sleep through the sounds of REALITY, such as: Rush hour traffic, barking dog, lawn mower, weed wacker, obnoxious neighbors cackeling way to loud ....


5. Dreft Laundry Detergent $11.99 for 67 oz or 40 loads: That's pretty much the equivalant of 3 or 4 days of laundry with a new born. Save yourself the money and buy any hypo allergenic, non scented laundry detergent/fabric softener/dryer sheets. Same difference.


6. Summer Infant Soothing Spa and Shower $39.99: For parents wanting to give their baby the very best experience during bath time there's the Summer Infant Soothing Spa & Shower. Not only can you rinse your little one with clean, warm water with the motorized shower but your baby can experience their very own whirlpool bath. From birth and up the Summer Infant Soothing Spa & Shower has everything you need to bathe baby comfortably and safely.AND NOW BACK TO REALITY. I geuss when you're a new parent you dream up in your head what bathing your newborn is going to be like. It'll be so cute and sweet, the baby will be immersed in bubbles and will be smiling away as you gently wash his or her hair and tiny baby feet .... or if the baby was anything like my son, scream bloody murder, followed by a stream of pee that archs through the air, which means you have to empty the nice clean baby tub you just filled .... oh the joys of bathing a newborn ...


7. Pacifier prices vary: I'm sure some parents swear by these, but seriously, why would you pay money for your child to develop a bad habit? My son is a thumb sucker, but atleast his bad habit is free ... until it comes time for braces. But think about it, why would you pay for both a pacifier and braces? Nothing drives me more bat shit crazy than seeing 4,5,6, and yes I've seen them older 7 year olds in the store/mall/public function running around with binkies in their mouths. These are the same people that I see strapping their perfectly mobile 5 year old into an umbrella stroller. Seriously people wtf. Maybe I'm cynical, but as soon as I was able to walk my parents didn't allow me back into a stroller.


8.Itzbeen Baby Care Timer $24.99:The Itzbeen Baby Care Timer from Coast Innovations is a great help to every new parent! It is a multi-purpose tool designed to help you remember the basic details of baby-care. Itzbeen has four timers that count up with the touch of a button. These four buttons include: changing, feeding, napping & waking, and one extra that you can customize. Also, the Itzbeen includes a back clip so it's portable, a soft-glow nightlight, nursing reminder for the mother to remember which side the baby nursed from last, and a display backlight lets you read times in the dark. Itzbeen is a must have for every new parent to make those first few months more enjoyable! I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU, but atleast for me it would be one more gadget that would aggrivate me, I would probably lose it, and it would end up in a yard sale. I managed to get by with my mommy instinct. I think that a lot of these companies like to make parents feel like they couldn't possibly get by on their own parenting skills, which come naturally (atleast for most of us).


9. Steam/Electric Sterilizer $16.99 -$89.99: Boiling water? Anyone? I may be a bad mommy, but I think I just washed the bottles in soap and water, and bleached the baby tub and toys when necessary.... and little man is healthy as any crazy 3 year old boy.


10.
Bebesounds NasalClear Nasal Aspirator $19.99: I think this may be one of my all time favorite of the most ridiculous baby products I've ever seen .... "Able to play 12 tunes to help distract your child while in use, the NasalClear Nasal Aspirator from BebeSounds quickly, easily, and safely clears your baby's stuffy nose and helps her or him to breath more freely. The aspirator also provides you with suction that is stronger than that of a traditional manual aspirator, yet gentle enough to use safely and comfortably on your newborn." A BOOGER SUCKER THAT PLAYS MUSIC?!?!?!?! I may have used the bulb syringe from the hospital a grand total of 3 times, and 3 times I had one pissed off baby. Turns out, shockingly, babies don't like things shoved up their nose.Go figure. So I seriously doubt whatever mindless drivel the booger sucker plays will distract the infant away from whatever is being shoved up its tiny nasal passages.


I must confess,while it is not a baby item, I am guilty of not only owning, but using, those baby harness/back pack/leash things. I bought the eddie bauer version that looks like a monkey that goes on like a back pack, except its really a harness .... with a leash .... I know I'm a loser, but in my defense my son is a lunatic, and refuses/is too big for a stroller and will run at the drop of a dime, and he refuses to hold hands. He's a nightmare in the mall, truly. I haven't used it in a while, but it did come in quite handy once he turned 2. I'll go hang my head in shame now, feel free to peg me with spit balls.

Happy Easter!