where everybody knows your name.
So, I have always wanted to be the girl that walks into the bar and everyone shouts out my name. Well that technically never happened. However, I am sure in my youth, that there were several bartenders that knew what I wanted to drink when I came into the bar. First, there was Hogue Barmichaels, then Bennigans, then Riley's, then Sharkeez, then the Newport Beach Brewery, and finally Malarkeys. I frequented these bars at different times in my life and I knew the bouncers and bartenders and they knew me.
Fast forward to present day and the lady at Katy's Korner remembers that I order the B.L.A.T with french fries and a side of mayo(to dip my fries in along with some ketchup.)
Boy how my life has changed.
Not the Norm moment I was looking for, but I guess it will have to do.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Here it is...Benjamin's birth story.....
Okay, I may have been kidnapped by those pesky aliens I mentioned in the previous post. I am writing this a couple of weeks later, so my memory may only be partially erased. :)
My doctor was worried that Benjamin was big and because of my gd she scheduled an induction for August 25th. I was to report to the hospital on the 24th at 6:00 p.m. I kept hoping that the labor would come naturally, but little Benjamin just wasn't ready.
I, of course, tried to get my house prepared for guests. Thank God for my mother who gets on her hands and knees to clean the kitchen floor.
We checked in and they put me right into a gown and started the gel. Apparently this gel is used to soften the cervix. They inserted it a total of 3 times. The first time was with an exam. Not super comfortable, but not the worst I have ever experienced. The second exam was horrible and actually brought tears to my eyes. Not sure if the nurse had enormous fingers(or hands, since that is what it felt like,) or if she was just a sadist. Of course, I was only dilated to 1/2 cm at the beginning. I don't know how I lost 1/2 of cm in a week or if the nurses and doctors measure differently. Anyhow, this was the beginning of a long sleepless, uncomfortable night.
The nurses monitored my blood pressure and I had an iv in too. The actual worst part was a killer blood pressure cuff that monitored me every few minutes. I swear to God that thing just about cut off my circulation. Unfortunately it took the nurses until morning to realize that this thing had a death grip on me. Any hopes of sleep, went away with each horrible squeeze.
By 6:00 a.m they were ready to start the pitocin. Here's the thing....I expected that contractions came every 15 minutes or so and then worked there way from there. Oh no, not with pitocin. Apparently for me the contractions started to come every 2- 2 1/2 minutes with some ferocity. With each contraction I looked at the monitor and realized they were at about the 20 level. I kept thinking, "holy shit, what must 100 feel like?" By about 9:30 I started to think that I could use some advice about when to get an epidural. By this time I was trying to find a position to squat in during these contractions. I just couldn't catch my breath. One would end and the next was right behind it.
I asked for the epidural. I was at about 4-5 cm at this time. So, everyone says that the epidural is so relieving. Okay, but what if the doctor tells you to hold completely still while he sticks a huge needle in your back? Did I mention that he asked me to do this while I was in the middle of one of those heinous contractions? Not easy and I probably crushed Brian's hand in the process.
My mom arrived about this time and I started to feel gloriously better. I wouldn't say paralyzed, but I felt really sleepy. My mom and MIL chose to visit a lot for the next few hours. Brian's family noisily filled the waiting room. I looked at the computer, maybe watched the tv. I remember seeing my ob come in to check on me and I noticed she had on some perfectly pressed white pants. She always dresses flawlessly. Anyway, she left. Brian went for some grub and my mom came in. At about 3:00 or so, my mom was asked to leave when the nurse examined me. She said, "oh my you are all ready at 8 cm and your bag of waters is bursting out." The doctor then walks in and breaks it. I didn't feel a thing. I guess that was good because, my friend Cara gave birth a few days after me and said that it hurt.
From then on, I thought it could be anytime. However, Benjamin was firmly planted in the birth canal and wasn't making much progress. The nurses were flipping me from side to side about every 45 minutes or so. I was in and out at this time. Super sleepy. Brian came back from food and was sad that he missed the water breaking, but happy that I was dilating. A few hours later panic set in.
When the nurse turned me on my left side, the baby's heart rate dropped. She decided that I was to stay on my right side. My blood pressure was really irregular and higher than normal. My glucose levels were also really low and so they were forcing me to drink juice. At this point, all I wanted to do was sleep. The nurse told Brian that she was worried and that she was calling the doctor to come in. I could tell that she was thinking it was time for a C-section. I started to tear up a little bit because it was the last thing I wanted. At this time my mom came in again and Brian kind of let her in on what was happening. He wasn't going to worry anyone until he knew for sure what was happening.
It seemed like hours before the dr arrived. I think it was more like an hour. She walked in said I was dilated to 10 and that I was to start pushing. My mom was leaving thinking, "oh, thank God he is almost here." Then the nurse said something that made my mom crazy....."the pushing usually will last for 1-3 hours."
To a normal woman, this may seem reasonable to my mother, her labors don't last that long. She was worried about how tired I was. They had put me on oxygen about an hour before and I was exhausted.
Somehow, I started to push. I couldn't really move my legs at first, but feeling came back quickly. The anesthesiologist came back in just before to give me something since the epidural was now gone. Whatever it was, it didn't really work. Not that it mattered, it wasn't that bad, just exhausting.
So here's my biggest complaint....Why in the hell do they have a huge clock in my view? I kept looking at it thinking, how much longer? Every time the freaking nurse or Brian said he's almost here, I wanted to scream..."You said that 1/2 an hour ago." I remember getting real whiny and telling Brian I couldn't do it anymore. But I plugged on. I pushed every contraction, every two minutes, three times each contraction for two whole hours. That's a lot of freaking pushing. At some point other nurses were piling in. The pediatric nurse would try to get me to push 4 times for each contraction. I secretly wanted her dead. She also decided to pepper me with stupid questions at this point. I closed my eyes. When she asked me what I was going to name the baby, I snapped and suddenly got angry at Brian. I punched him in the chest(lightly according to my recollection) and said, "Answer Her."
A few minutes later, Benjamin's head popped out and then his shoulders. When they held him up, all I could think was..."He's huge." Brian cut the cord and they started getting him cleaned up. It seem to take forever and I just wanted to hold him. Brian counted fingers and toes and took a picture of him on the scale. He looked great. Found out he got a 9 and a 9 on the Apgar taken at birth and 5 minutes after birth I think. Leave it to our child to be an overachiever so early on. Doesn't take after his momma in that respect. :)
Benjamin Joseph was 22 inches long, 8 pounds, 11 ounces and just about as perfect as you can get. I fell in love at first sight.
Things happened quickly after that, Brian left to make announcements. They stitched me up and cleaned up super fast and transformed the room for guests in a matter of minutes. I had a rush of adrenaline after he came out. I was super excited and wide awake.
I tried to spare the gorier details. I think Brian saw a lot more than he needed too.
I also wanted to mention that all of the nursing staff at San Ramon were awesome. I couldn't have asked for better care. Every nurse came in and helped with whatever I needed, be it food or nursing tips. I think that I wouldn't have been that successful at breastfeeding if it weren't for all of the nurses involved.
******************************************************************************
Okay....here is the truth about how I felt about labor...I was pretty disappointed with my pain tolerance. I really thought I could have done it without pain meds and instead I caved pretty early on. I learned later that they can really only track the frequency of contractions and not the level of pain or how strong they are. That would have been nice to know before I asked for the epidural. I wished I would have been in better shape. I wished I would have taken some yoga classes. I wished I would have been better prepared. I was kind of kicking myself the first week because I thought maybe the epidural impeded progress and that maybe Benjamin could have been born earlier.
2 weeks later...I am no longer kicking myself because the end result would have been the same...A beautiful, HEALTHY, perfect, little boy named Benjamin Joseph. ;)
My doctor was worried that Benjamin was big and because of my gd she scheduled an induction for August 25th. I was to report to the hospital on the 24th at 6:00 p.m. I kept hoping that the labor would come naturally, but little Benjamin just wasn't ready.
I, of course, tried to get my house prepared for guests. Thank God for my mother who gets on her hands and knees to clean the kitchen floor.
We checked in and they put me right into a gown and started the gel. Apparently this gel is used to soften the cervix. They inserted it a total of 3 times. The first time was with an exam. Not super comfortable, but not the worst I have ever experienced. The second exam was horrible and actually brought tears to my eyes. Not sure if the nurse had enormous fingers(or hands, since that is what it felt like,) or if she was just a sadist. Of course, I was only dilated to 1/2 cm at the beginning. I don't know how I lost 1/2 of cm in a week or if the nurses and doctors measure differently. Anyhow, this was the beginning of a long sleepless, uncomfortable night.
The nurses monitored my blood pressure and I had an iv in too. The actual worst part was a killer blood pressure cuff that monitored me every few minutes. I swear to God that thing just about cut off my circulation. Unfortunately it took the nurses until morning to realize that this thing had a death grip on me. Any hopes of sleep, went away with each horrible squeeze.
By 6:00 a.m they were ready to start the pitocin. Here's the thing....I expected that contractions came every 15 minutes or so and then worked there way from there. Oh no, not with pitocin. Apparently for me the contractions started to come every 2- 2 1/2 minutes with some ferocity. With each contraction I looked at the monitor and realized they were at about the 20 level. I kept thinking, "holy shit, what must 100 feel like?" By about 9:30 I started to think that I could use some advice about when to get an epidural. By this time I was trying to find a position to squat in during these contractions. I just couldn't catch my breath. One would end and the next was right behind it.
I asked for the epidural. I was at about 4-5 cm at this time. So, everyone says that the epidural is so relieving. Okay, but what if the doctor tells you to hold completely still while he sticks a huge needle in your back? Did I mention that he asked me to do this while I was in the middle of one of those heinous contractions? Not easy and I probably crushed Brian's hand in the process.
My mom arrived about this time and I started to feel gloriously better. I wouldn't say paralyzed, but I felt really sleepy. My mom and MIL chose to visit a lot for the next few hours. Brian's family noisily filled the waiting room. I looked at the computer, maybe watched the tv. I remember seeing my ob come in to check on me and I noticed she had on some perfectly pressed white pants. She always dresses flawlessly. Anyway, she left. Brian went for some grub and my mom came in. At about 3:00 or so, my mom was asked to leave when the nurse examined me. She said, "oh my you are all ready at 8 cm and your bag of waters is bursting out." The doctor then walks in and breaks it. I didn't feel a thing. I guess that was good because, my friend Cara gave birth a few days after me and said that it hurt.
From then on, I thought it could be anytime. However, Benjamin was firmly planted in the birth canal and wasn't making much progress. The nurses were flipping me from side to side about every 45 minutes or so. I was in and out at this time. Super sleepy. Brian came back from food and was sad that he missed the water breaking, but happy that I was dilating. A few hours later panic set in.
When the nurse turned me on my left side, the baby's heart rate dropped. She decided that I was to stay on my right side. My blood pressure was really irregular and higher than normal. My glucose levels were also really low and so they were forcing me to drink juice. At this point, all I wanted to do was sleep. The nurse told Brian that she was worried and that she was calling the doctor to come in. I could tell that she was thinking it was time for a C-section. I started to tear up a little bit because it was the last thing I wanted. At this time my mom came in again and Brian kind of let her in on what was happening. He wasn't going to worry anyone until he knew for sure what was happening.
It seemed like hours before the dr arrived. I think it was more like an hour. She walked in said I was dilated to 10 and that I was to start pushing. My mom was leaving thinking, "oh, thank God he is almost here." Then the nurse said something that made my mom crazy....."the pushing usually will last for 1-3 hours."
To a normal woman, this may seem reasonable to my mother, her labors don't last that long. She was worried about how tired I was. They had put me on oxygen about an hour before and I was exhausted.
Somehow, I started to push. I couldn't really move my legs at first, but feeling came back quickly. The anesthesiologist came back in just before to give me something since the epidural was now gone. Whatever it was, it didn't really work. Not that it mattered, it wasn't that bad, just exhausting.
So here's my biggest complaint....Why in the hell do they have a huge clock in my view? I kept looking at it thinking, how much longer? Every time the freaking nurse or Brian said he's almost here, I wanted to scream..."You said that 1/2 an hour ago." I remember getting real whiny and telling Brian I couldn't do it anymore. But I plugged on. I pushed every contraction, every two minutes, three times each contraction for two whole hours. That's a lot of freaking pushing. At some point other nurses were piling in. The pediatric nurse would try to get me to push 4 times for each contraction. I secretly wanted her dead. She also decided to pepper me with stupid questions at this point. I closed my eyes. When she asked me what I was going to name the baby, I snapped and suddenly got angry at Brian. I punched him in the chest(lightly according to my recollection) and said, "Answer Her."
A few minutes later, Benjamin's head popped out and then his shoulders. When they held him up, all I could think was..."He's huge." Brian cut the cord and they started getting him cleaned up. It seem to take forever and I just wanted to hold him. Brian counted fingers and toes and took a picture of him on the scale. He looked great. Found out he got a 9 and a 9 on the Apgar taken at birth and 5 minutes after birth I think. Leave it to our child to be an overachiever so early on. Doesn't take after his momma in that respect. :)
Benjamin Joseph was 22 inches long, 8 pounds, 11 ounces and just about as perfect as you can get. I fell in love at first sight.
Things happened quickly after that, Brian left to make announcements. They stitched me up and cleaned up super fast and transformed the room for guests in a matter of minutes. I had a rush of adrenaline after he came out. I was super excited and wide awake.
I tried to spare the gorier details. I think Brian saw a lot more than he needed too.
I also wanted to mention that all of the nursing staff at San Ramon were awesome. I couldn't have asked for better care. Every nurse came in and helped with whatever I needed, be it food or nursing tips. I think that I wouldn't have been that successful at breastfeeding if it weren't for all of the nurses involved.
******************************************************************************
Okay....here is the truth about how I felt about labor...I was pretty disappointed with my pain tolerance. I really thought I could have done it without pain meds and instead I caved pretty early on. I learned later that they can really only track the frequency of contractions and not the level of pain or how strong they are. That would have been nice to know before I asked for the epidural. I wished I would have been in better shape. I wished I would have taken some yoga classes. I wished I would have been better prepared. I was kind of kicking myself the first week because I thought maybe the epidural impeded progress and that maybe Benjamin could have been born earlier.
2 weeks later...I am no longer kicking myself because the end result would have been the same...A beautiful, HEALTHY, perfect, little boy named Benjamin Joseph. ;)
Monday, August 18, 2008
Current aches and pains...
Just so I can remember this later and not tell the lie of feeling wonderful all of the time. ;)
1. When I try to turn over in bed, it becomes a whole ordeal. Sometimes I even get a pulling pain in my lower right side that feels like ripping.
2. TMI Alert.....Why didn't anyone tell me I could get aches in my vagina that would make me gasp?
3. When I go pee, the squatting kills my kneecaps.
4. Sometimes it feels like the baby's foot or hand is gonna come right out of my vagina. It is by far the weirdest sensation. This happened weeks ago, I don't really have this experience anymore.
5. My ass muscles currently feel like I ran a marathon. Not sure why, but when I go to stand up now, my butt hurts something awful.
6. Stretchmarks are not only ugly, they hurt. I had stretchmarks before, but nothing like this. These actually have a burning sensation.
Now for the part women always tell you. I'll call it a disclaimer....Not that I know this for a fact yet.....
It will all be worth it. Once I meet my sweet baby I will forget all about the aches and pains and I will embrace motherhood completely. I will also, apparently, be kidnapped by aliens and have my memory erased so that I will want to go through this all over again in a couple years.
1. When I try to turn over in bed, it becomes a whole ordeal. Sometimes I even get a pulling pain in my lower right side that feels like ripping.
2. TMI Alert.....Why didn't anyone tell me I could get aches in my vagina that would make me gasp?
3. When I go pee, the squatting kills my kneecaps.
4. Sometimes it feels like the baby's foot or hand is gonna come right out of my vagina. It is by far the weirdest sensation. This happened weeks ago, I don't really have this experience anymore.
5. My ass muscles currently feel like I ran a marathon. Not sure why, but when I go to stand up now, my butt hurts something awful.
6. Stretchmarks are not only ugly, they hurt. I had stretchmarks before, but nothing like this. These actually have a burning sensation.
Now for the part women always tell you. I'll call it a disclaimer....Not that I know this for a fact yet.....
It will all be worth it. Once I meet my sweet baby I will forget all about the aches and pains and I will embrace motherhood completely. I will also, apparently, be kidnapped by aliens and have my memory erased so that I will want to go through this all over again in a couple years.
Mother's never tell you the truth
I think if pregnant women told all of the mysteries of pregnancy, women may never have kids. I feel like it was some secret club and no one tells of their aches and pains. If I hear one more time that being pregnant, "was the best they ever felt," I will punch someone. Or what about the b!tches that tell you they had a 45 minute labor with "no real pain?"
If anyone wants to know the truth, i'll tell them a thing or two. I can't tell you about labor yet, but I will if when the time comes.
Brian and I have been "nesting" all weekend. Buying things we need(or don't need. Who really knows?)
We have so many things that seem so frivolous once they have been put together. Brian is currently putting together the Sweet Peace Swing. I hope the baby enjoys it because it sure is taking up a lot of space.
It took forever to figure out the carseat/stroller system. I know I will not attempt to leave the house without Brian to show me how to put it all together. I also realize now the need for taking the carseat to get it checked out by the fire or police dept. Who knew these things could be so friggin complicated?
I really don't mind if I go into labor soon. I honestly can't wait to see Benjamin's sweet little face. Will he be bald or have a ton of hair? Will he have blue eyes that stay that way or brown? Will he be long and lean or have little chubby rolls? I seriously can't wait to meet him.
If anyone wants to know the truth, i'll tell them a thing or two. I can't tell you about labor yet, but I will if when the time comes.
Brian and I have been "nesting" all weekend. Buying things we need(or don't need. Who really knows?)
We have so many things that seem so frivolous once they have been put together. Brian is currently putting together the Sweet Peace Swing. I hope the baby enjoys it because it sure is taking up a lot of space.
It took forever to figure out the carseat/stroller system. I know I will not attempt to leave the house without Brian to show me how to put it all together. I also realize now the need for taking the carseat to get it checked out by the fire or police dept. Who knew these things could be so friggin complicated?
I really don't mind if I go into labor soon. I honestly can't wait to see Benjamin's sweet little face. Will he be bald or have a ton of hair? Will he have blue eyes that stay that way or brown? Will he be long and lean or have little chubby rolls? I seriously can't wait to meet him.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Officially 6 days from D day!!!!!!
My ob said that she would not let me go to much longer after my due date. She also said that he was a "big baby." Just what a girl wants to hear.
I am having a rough time lately with Brian. He seems angry and stressed out. This in turn causes us to bicker. Last night I had another psycho moment. The other occured when I stared at Brian while he slept and wanted to put a pillow over his head. How's that for pregzilla? Last night I pictured hacking off his toes with a cleaver. Lack of sleep is making me loopy.
Almost everything is done for the baby. Still need to put in the carseat, but that should be done this week.
I don't anticipate the baby coming early. Just a hunch, but I feel like he wants to stay in for as long as he can.
Tonight:Looking forward to some Banchero's Soup and garlic bread. Yum!!!!!!!!
I am having a rough time lately with Brian. He seems angry and stressed out. This in turn causes us to bicker. Last night I had another psycho moment. The other occured when I stared at Brian while he slept and wanted to put a pillow over his head. How's that for pregzilla? Last night I pictured hacking off his toes with a cleaver. Lack of sleep is making me loopy.
Almost everything is done for the baby. Still need to put in the carseat, but that should be done this week.
I don't anticipate the baby coming early. Just a hunch, but I feel like he wants to stay in for as long as he can.
Tonight:Looking forward to some Banchero's Soup and garlic bread. Yum!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
What I've learned!
1. Never marry a procrastinator when you are also a procrastinator.
2. Don't try to work on home improvements or build anything with your spouse. If you do, realize that it will more than likely result in an argument. Also, realize that said argument will result in a hormonal crier. This weekend that hormonal crier was me. :)
3. Two pack rats are not better than one.
4. You have ligaments in your groin area that can be super painful at the end of pregnancy.
5. Don't send your father babycenter updates. He does not want to hear anything about mucous, a bloody show, or avoiding sex after your water breaks. Apparently these terms are more disturbing when referring to your daughter.
6. People aren't really concerned about how you are doing towards the end of your pregnancy. They really only want the baby to get here and you are just a pod.
7. Our parents did just fine without a co-sleeper,baby monitor, moby wrap, pack and play, boppy, a play gym, wipe warmers, etc.
8. Work on the nursery as soon as possible. You don't want to be running around last minute making sure you have everything you need.
9. Take some baby classes, even if you have done it before. There is bound to be something new to learn.
10. Don't be a hero! Get that epidural.
2. Don't try to work on home improvements or build anything with your spouse. If you do, realize that it will more than likely result in an argument. Also, realize that said argument will result in a hormonal crier. This weekend that hormonal crier was me. :)
3. Two pack rats are not better than one.
4. You have ligaments in your groin area that can be super painful at the end of pregnancy.
5. Don't send your father babycenter updates. He does not want to hear anything about mucous, a bloody show, or avoiding sex after your water breaks. Apparently these terms are more disturbing when referring to your daughter.
6. People aren't really concerned about how you are doing towards the end of your pregnancy. They really only want the baby to get here and you are just a pod.
7. Our parents did just fine without a co-sleeper,baby monitor, moby wrap, pack and play, boppy, a play gym, wipe warmers, etc.
8. Work on the nursery as soon as possible. You don't want to be running around last minute making sure you have everything you need.
9. Take some baby classes, even if you have done it before. There is bound to be something new to learn.
10. Don't be a hero! Get that epidural.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
He fell asleep....
Brian and I had our birthing class for 8 hours on Saturday. It was really informative and I felt like the instructor really knew her stuff.
We learned what to expect and about the stages of labor. Of course I know all of this will goes out the window when we actually go through it. No two birth stories ever seem to be the same.
I went into it thinking I was going to go the all natural route. I still might, but the anesthesiologist and the nurse teaching the class sure were pushing epidurals. My favorite line from the doctor...."Women in San Ramon, don't want to feel pain. They ask for pain meds when they hit the parking lot. " :)
My favorite part of the class was not unlike the end of most yoga classes I have taken. Except that it probably went on for 45 minutes.
The instructor was showing us relaxation and breathing techniques. I was deeply into it. I had a focal point in my head. I didn't need a object to look at, I just pictured my happy place which is my friend Katie's house in Montecito. It is seriously the most beautiful and comfortable home I have ever been in. Right on the water.
Anyway, at some point I hear the instructor speaking softly telling our coaches to check if we were truly relaxed. We were laying in the back of the room and I could see all of the other husbands lifting there wives arms and then slowly letting them go to see if the women were limp enough. I waited and waited and finally turned around to see Brian. He looked to be waking from a slumber. I mean we were all relaxed, but he is suppose to be my coach.
Doesn't build up my confidence in his ability to keep me relaxed on the day I go into labor. :)
Another highlight from the class...
The instructor told our husband to try a technique of massage when their wives seemed tense in a particular body part. Of course most men would rub their wives backs or bellies. Brian chose to rub my boob. Um....I don't think I have ever had a tense boob.
God I hope my Dad isn't reading this.
We learned what to expect and about the stages of labor. Of course I know all of this will goes out the window when we actually go through it. No two birth stories ever seem to be the same.
I went into it thinking I was going to go the all natural route. I still might, but the anesthesiologist and the nurse teaching the class sure were pushing epidurals. My favorite line from the doctor...."Women in San Ramon, don't want to feel pain. They ask for pain meds when they hit the parking lot. " :)
My favorite part of the class was not unlike the end of most yoga classes I have taken. Except that it probably went on for 45 minutes.
The instructor was showing us relaxation and breathing techniques. I was deeply into it. I had a focal point in my head. I didn't need a object to look at, I just pictured my happy place which is my friend Katie's house in Montecito. It is seriously the most beautiful and comfortable home I have ever been in. Right on the water.
Anyway, at some point I hear the instructor speaking softly telling our coaches to check if we were truly relaxed. We were laying in the back of the room and I could see all of the other husbands lifting there wives arms and then slowly letting them go to see if the women were limp enough. I waited and waited and finally turned around to see Brian. He looked to be waking from a slumber. I mean we were all relaxed, but he is suppose to be my coach.
Doesn't build up my confidence in his ability to keep me relaxed on the day I go into labor. :)
Another highlight from the class...
The instructor told our husband to try a technique of massage when their wives seemed tense in a particular body part. Of course most men would rub their wives backs or bellies. Brian chose to rub my boob. Um....I don't think I have ever had a tense boob.
God I hope my Dad isn't reading this.
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