Preludes And Nocturnes

I’m going back to work tomorrow having not been there for almost two weeks.  One week of break, one week of just feeling like ass.  I still can’t hear and I’m kinda anxious thinking about trying to teach when I’m still feeling so out of it.

But, I’m ready to get back to some kind of work.  I think I like working.  Weird, eh?

And staying home too much makes me get all moody and contemplative about big life decisions. This is never really my friend.  Being motivated is good, but being all “what is my purpose in life” and “nothing means anything” isn’t good.

So here we come to the random things I think I want to do.

1. Go to Scotland and do a PhD in something.  No, I don’t know why Scotland. This means selling the house, giving up my ‘job’, and making my mom move with me.

2. Do a PhD here in Education.  Specifically I am thinking about specializing in post-secondary education (ie: a PhD in teaching at college/uni) or curriculum studies.  I’d need to find a job at the college since the uni won’t let me work once I become a student of theirs.

3. Do some Master’s courses in Education here. They’d be free and I could keep working.  Might work out well since I wouldn’t get into a PhD until 2012 at the earliest.

4. Move to Vancouver (see most of the issues around #1) and start the schooling to be a midwife.  I don’t *actually* know if I want to be a midwife.  I think I would.  And I think I’d be really good at it.  And I think there is amazing demand.  But totally freaky and outside my comfort zone.  For the record, my sister Julia really likes this one and keeps sending me links to info on Midwives.  In particular I’d like this because we need more “normal” midwives out here.  In this area there are two midwives and they trend more towards the “eat your placenta after birth” kind of midwives.  I’d go more for that “hey, you want a cool chick to help you deliver who will support you in going natural OR having some of them awesome drugs?  I’m your lady!”  Quickly followed by “anything your body uses as a filtering organ and then knows well enough to push OUT of your body after birth isn’t something you should eat.”

Yeah, well, that’s my brain dump for this week.

Finished marking the last paper at 10:15pm last night.  I have one week until they write their grammar exam- why oh why did I think that was a good idea?  But, until then all I have to do is prep up their grammar review classes.  I’m going to do them on power point and I really like the idea of finally having a comprehensive grammar review that I can use going forward. All my other grammar stuff is on overheads and in bits and pieces in different fonts, etc, as I made them up over the past nine years.

Yep, I’ve been teaching this class for nine years!  Different institutions and with some breaks in the teaching, but my first uni class I taught was Septebmer 2000. I will point out that I had actually typed eight years and as I wrote sept 2000 I did the math again and just went and changed the 8 to 9.  Counting years gets confusing sometimes when it starts with zero.  Or something. And I’m always like, ‘do I count the year to year or do I count once it is done?’  Whatever. You get the gist.

Too busy.  Too crazy. But this weekend I might get some time to craft and paint.  Jim will be writing all weekend as he has a deadline on Monday for some chapters (he’s contributing to a text book), so I’ll be on beeb duty.  Okay, it is after 7am and I have to scarf down my breakfast and get to work!

New hairdo (excuse the bags under my eyes - Malcolm and I had been up that night at 12:30 and then from 3am-6am) I had under three hours sleep. But, my hair looked great:

Oh mom, you are zageratin!

No. No I’m not.

We have had a wonderful past few days. Hope everyone is doing well. If you need some quality computer time, let me recommend this site: http://www.taaz.com/home.html

Oh yeah, and here’s what I did with it:

Mwahahhaaaaaahaaa!

I’ll put up a real post soon.

xoxo

Mom is having and Etsy sale!  For her blog-blog readers only!!

Purchase up to $10 worth of items from her store, say BLOG BLOG in the note to seller, and you can select either:

A free 4.25×5.5 card (or)

A free set of 10 minis without envelopes

Purchase $10 or more worth of items from her store, say BLOG BLOG in the note to seller, and you can select:

TWO free 4.25×5.5 cards OR

TWO free sets of minis OR

A set of minis AND a 4.25×5.5 card

The free cards can be any of the ones listed in her store AND feel free to check out her sold items to see if there is anything there you’d like.  If you really want a free card that is in the style of one of the 4×4 cards, just let her know and she will tell you if she can create a similar card in the larger size (with a regular envelope).

For example, you might purchase the Knitters are Sexy and want your free card to be Don’t Play Koi with Me (revamped to be in a 4.25×5.5 size).

If you like any of the minis (including the Christmas minis) that are currently listed with envelopes, just send mom a note and she’ll confirm that she can make you a set of ten as your free item without envelopes. The envelopes can be added at .50 cents each (yeah, that is what they cost mom to buy them - she’s looking for a better way to purchse them. Auntie Carmen might be able to help her with that in the new year).

You can participate in this sale even if you are not a big commenter on mom’s blog.  Even if you are a lurker!  Just be sure to include the phrase BLOG BLOG in the note to seller along with what you would like for your free gift.

Mom will ask that you be understanding that the free card might vary somewhat from what is pictured as she will be making some of them as she goes. She can’t break up the sets already listed for sale as that would defeat the purpose of having stocked up her store this month.  But don’t worry, the card will be beautiful and wonderful and monkey-liscious.

Is there something special you would like made that maybe you’ve seen her do before - use the custom request form on her shop to ask about what you are wanting.  Even if that order is completed after the sale, you’ll still be eligible for the free items.

And please leave comments here if you have any questions or anything you think she should clarify.  She is new to this still and figuring out how to make it all streamlined.  Also, she has been feeding me on and off throughout this post which can be slightly distracting to do while typing. She said something else about us having been up since 3:30am, but I pointed out is is now after 7am so she should be happy she got such an early start to the day!

I have more to type, but it is 11:53pm and I need to go to bed.  Been crafting for a few days.  On a side note, I really REALLY need a Man stamp so I can do more gay boy stuff.  Just a regular dude.  Or a stick man.  Anything like that!!

Christmas note cards (3×4inch):

Penguin Christmas cards:

Minis with envelopes (3×4inch)

Other set of minis:

I got a new ‘do today, and it is very nifty!  I went darker at the bottom level and my bangs, and I now have brown with blonde and red patches throughout.

Rather than trying to figure out how to say all that, how about I post some pictures?

In that last shot pretend I’m wearing lipgloss.

Okay, I decided that you didn’t need to imagine it - I would make it happen myself!

As opposed to “BOO!” - that would be linked to the little mound of empty mini-chocolate bar wrappers stacked next to me here. Does it make any difference that I bought an exercise ball at the same time as the chocolate?  I’d like to note that last year I was TOOO SICK to eat nary a one of these evil little bites of heaven.  But hmm, my hips got wider anyway. Yes.

The “boo….” is that I cut my eye.  How grotty (and hallowe’eny) is that?  No, no eye patch yet. I get drops to start and then if that doesn’t do it I have to go back in.  I don’t know how I did it, I rubbed my eye in the shower and I don’t know if something washed into it just before I rubbed it, but I thought it was red from the shampoo (I get that sometimes - and by sometimes I mean all the time).  So it was red and then it had a little bump on the side eyeball part and a little bit of red blood or something but, ya know, we had things to do so we were kinda busy.  Then on the way home (Jim with a nice new haircut and both of us with shiney new grown-up Wills) I noticed my eyeball was still really really hurting.

Off to the drop-in clinic and 15 minutes later I’m heading back downtown for a prescription for my mangled eyeball.  While waiting for the prescription I bought some caaandy for tomorrow night - er, I avoided the eyeball candy, that kinda squicked me out - and an exercise ball.  When Melly and I were at the gym on Sunday a woman actually commented to me on how impressed she was with my ab work on the ball.  Thanks to google I now know it is called the exercise ball leg curl as seen here. Please note, not all the pictures are correct.. but you’ll get the idea.  When I got back to the gym two weeks ago I couldn’t get my butt off the ground… at all.  It was like someone was sitting on me - like my stomach was its own person sitting on me.  But this weekend I managed to do a few and a total stranger said nice things to me.  How sweet.  So I bought a new exercise ball to use in the evening at home while watching TV (er, I mean, while reading and being a productive member of society).

I’ve had two of these exercise balls before. Both have been killed by kitties. I’m not sure why this one will be different. It just will.. okay?

So for that we will have a Yay!

I has a bath:

I made faces:

I take naps on the couch with the blanket auntie Leone made me:

I get foods. Many many foods. Nom nom nom:

And Grandma bought me a new chair. But she stressed that it doesn’t replace grandma snuggle time. To prove this point, I slept on her for no less than three hours this afternoon.

2:30am Report.

Wednesday (yesterday) we all did our first family outing. We went to the doctor’s office for our one week check-up. We were only 20 mintues late. I think that is some kind of newborn record, right? I mean, they factored in for that.. yes?

We also went to a great little store and got a sling. I love it.. but, I’m not sure about Malcolm’s placement in it. I am not happy with his constriction and worry about air flow. We will fiddle some more tomorrow, and I watched the youtube on how to make him not squished, but we’ll have to see. Look up peanut shell sling to see them. Might I add that EVERYONE ooh’d and ahh’d over beeb everywhere we went?

Then we went to London Drugs where we picked up ALL their stock of the formula we’re using since to date this is the only place in town that carries the one we use. Formula is interesting. You first get the brand, then you get their particular “formula” of formula, then you get the format. So I don’t know how this brand manages to get on with the hospital, but well done company, well done. I mean, hey I was writing down what we used at the hospital and you can bet your shiney red wagon I was going to find the same. That’s the brand, then the formula. This is the one with iron (duh - what’s up with the low iron?) and the omegas. Check. Then the format - this one is the Ready To Serve. Reason being that the powder is not guarenteed to be sterilized. No biggy according to the LC if all things are equal (she was nicely on board with me re: over sterilization etc), but given Mal is a preemie - we’re doing some extra precautions until his birth date. There is also the concentrate (add boiling water), but right now I don’t want the extra step for pretty much the exact same price.. thanks very much anyhoo.

So all stores have the brand. All stores have ready to eat. All stores have a version of the omega/iron combo. Only one store so far has all three together.

So I bought every single packet (sets of four cans) from the shelf.

Have I talked about boob feeding yet?

As a preemie, little Malcolm had some issues with eating. He was thinking he had a free ride still for another four weeks. Breastfeeding was not good. Plus, I have some milk issues given that I had the breast reduction. Now, I’m producing milk (go boobs go!) but not enough. Combo all this - two frustrating days and Mal losing weight.

No boob Nazis. No horrible pressure. Some conflicting info depending who was on shift, but all in all we went to finger feeding via a tube some formula to suppliment. We still tried the boob, but it wasn’t happening.

So I also started some meds to up my milk production - domperidon (sp?) and bought the mother of all breast pumps (is it okay that even with the discount hospital rate and no tax the $180 made me cry a little?) but I wanted to get some boob milk into my little guy. And Jim has supported me all along with whatever route I wanted to take. He also watched carefully for anyone putting pressure on me.

Now at home we are pumping throughout the day and feeding as much breastmilk as possible with forumla as top-up. I say the formula as top-up, but truth be known the formula is the greater amount of the two. I read some women talk about the frustration of pumping and only getting 1.5/2 oz a session. I pump for 30 minutes (15 each side) and do the snoopy dance of joy to get an ounce. I call out things like “look at what lefty managed today! Good job little lefty!” (Lefty has been a bit behind in all this.) Then I turn to my powerhouse, my saviour in all this pumping, the boob that will get it done. And righty will take the 15minute teaspoon worth of pumping from Lefty and turn it into a solid 30 or even 40 ml. Meeting and possibly exceeding that 1 oz mark!

But it is hard to keep pumping and seeing so little results. I hope to increase the number of pumps and maybe spur on greater results the next few days. Keep you all posted

And I love the japanese inspired Monster Lizard Rupert comments, and yes we’re calling him Mal as well as Malcolm. xxoo

Beeb’s first knitting with auntie Leone:

What he does when we try to breast feed:

Snuggling with daddy:

Napping with grandma:

We’re home! I’m not able to sit for too too long (ooch) but am trying to get around and say a quick hi and let everyone know we’re all good. We were at the hospital a bit longer than expected, but everything is good, and we’re so glad to be home.

Mom and dad and Auntie Leone have been helping like crazy so the house is ready for beeb. Or, if you would like his other name - Malcolm Phineas. And here we are. A few more pictures, much love, and an update - no doubt- in the next day or so.