2009 - The Year Of The Rolaid

I figured that I should probably aim to get my "new years" post done before the end of the first month of 2010. So here I am.

What a year. It was a good year for our little family, as we added our beautiful son and had many, many wonderful moments and laughs watching him grow and develop. I will hit all the highlights of Rece three weeks from now when he turns 1. Unbelievable!

It was also an a stressful and anxiety filled year for me personally. And with all seriousness, came with a good deal of heartburn and hence....Rolaids....Let me re-cap by month,it's a long one so if you aren't up for it that is ok - it is just as much for my therapy as it is for your reading pleasure:

January - Pregnant. Getting things ready at work and at home. Preparing for baby. The economy sucks and we announce a wage freeze at work. We take childbirth classes and hospital tours and infant CPR. Oh and I get the stomach flu at 35 weeks preggo. Rolaids.

February- Nerves start to kick in about Rece's impending arrival - his due date is March 5th. Heartburn is in full effect due to giant baby pressing on all acid pumps. Rolaids. On Friday the 13th I went to the OB to have them check some fluid I was noticing. I was sure it was fine....but....just in case. After an hour at the office of testing and re-testing the OB gives me a piece of paper and points his finger through the lobby - I say "I get to go home" - he says "Nope - over to the hospital" he tells me I am going to be induced. ROLAIDS.

I was supposed to go directly over to the hospital. But I call Jeremy and decide I will go home first. I need to finish "getting ready" and I need to eat. I remember in child birth class that they don't let you eat once you are induced. I go home and I eat a granola bar and two pieces of toast as fast as I can. I am induced at 4pm - 3 weeks early. I spend the first two hours sending work email and finishing up things I thought I would have another two weeks to get done. Pop pop go the Rolaids.

I get an Epidural at 5 am on Valentines Day. It only numbs one side fully. This proves to be an issue during transitional labor. For this - Rolaids did not suffice. At 3:30 Rece was born. Our lives were blessed and bettered forever. You know that old wives tale about heartburn during pregnancy and the amount of hair babies have? Rece had a TON of hair. Thank you Rolaids.

We get home and I have major baby blues. For the first week I cry because I am no longer pregnant and I miss feeling the baby move. Then nursing sucks and does not work for us and Rece is colicky and begins to reflux. Rolaids.

March - Nursing goes from bad to worse. It is all screwed up for us. Rece's reflux gets worse and he barely sleeps. When he does sleep, I cannot and lay awake with anxiety and worry. I stop eating any dairy and soy, tomatoes, coffee, onions, garlic and the list goes on and on. I do however eat Rolaids..... ;-) The days are long and blurry. The nights are short. I pretty much cry on and off all day and often think "what was I thinking"? Jeremy is coaching baseball and has long days away.

April - See March.

We switch to formula. I go on bender of eating cheese and pizza and wine and coffee. I gain back any weight I have lost when I couldn't eat anything. Rolaids sweet Rolaids. Things slowly start to improve.

May - Rece starts daycare and I go back to work. We all get the stomach flu the second week he is in daycare. But miraculously he begins to sleep at night waking only once each night at around 4am for a bottle. We get into a pretty good little routine. I am pretty sure I have died and gone to heaven.

June- Routine continues. Baseball seems to be never ending. Rece gets his first ear infection after being "stuffy" since literally the end of March. Even though Rece is sleeping now and I am sleeping too, I am so so so tired all the time. I am slapping myself in the car on the way to and from work to try and stay awake. I have no energy and I am unable to lose any baby weight. I am stuck. Pass the rolaids please...

July - We road trip home for vacation. Rece gets a second ear infection on the 4th of July when we are in Traverse City. We survive the road trip of mammoth proportions traveling with a 5 month old.

August - Rece turns 6 months old and I am still WAY over my pregnancy weight. Ugh. But the summer closes nice and the munchkin stays pretty healthy all month. Yea! My car dies randomly on the way to work and my engine is completely shot. The infamous "bolt" is not under warranty. For this I consider Tums...but settle for Extra Strength Rolaids.

September - We start a new daycare that we had been on a waiting list for. The month is enjoyable and pretty much uneventful - I am sure we had an ear infection or cold or two but can't remember the details now. I finally begin to feel a little bit like my old self.

October - The swine or not the swine - that is the question. Rece gets sick and I mean SICK. He is out of daycare for a week and is in miserable shape. The nebulizer finds a new home at the Rellingers. And begins Rece's very own "steroid era". Work is crazy when I can get there consistently which is hard when your child is sick ALL OF THE TIME!!! Plus we begin to have issues with the daycare...small at first.... and then they get worse. You know what is coming. I'll take three, Rolaids that is.

November - We continue to chalk up the ear infections, one after another. I find an egregious violation of basic care at the daycare and have a complete melt down. I have to find a new place. Jeremy is super sick and they even consider that he may have Whooping Cough. Thank goodness he doesn't but he misses an entire week of school. In addition, Angel wakes up one day and her back legs do not work anymore. She is put to sleep one week later. Rolaids do not suffice. Much wine is consumed.

December - Tubes go in after 7 ear infections in 6 months. It goes well and we have a marvelous Christmas and New Year and I consider and hope that 2010 will be a calmer less acid inducing year than the one prior. I resolve to try and not sweat the small stuff (above)...and it's all small stuff.

Happy 2010. May it bring more laughter and require less rolaids....