Kate, Todd, and me

Been busy as heck - actually went to my weekly Mary Kay meeting last night. It had been a month since I went to a meeting. I was really glad I went - I always leave feeling happy and positive. I am still selling product every week - I actually contributed $110 to our anniversary fund. We are going away this weekend, back to the B & B we went to for our 1st anniversary. My mom arrives tomorrow and she is going to stay with Kate Friday night thru Sunday afternoon so we can get away. It is very exciting - adult time!! Figure it might be our last hurrah before we go broke. He,he,he

Kate's health has improved. She has slept straight thru the night the last two nights in a row - very happy! No waking up coughing, or needing to pee, or "I got cold in bed." The other night when she was still rather congested and having trouble getting to sleep, she tells "Mommy, that is a very nice purple shirt you are wearing today." The kid cracks me up!

She got in big trouble yesterday with Daddy. An incident started over her socks at A Play Patch, an indoor play place near our house. When she wouldn't cooperate, Todd said "we're leaving." She freaked out and started hitting him, in the face, no less. For this offense she lost all 3 of her favorite ponies until Wed. Her teachers at school tell us how well-behaved and wonderful she is. I don't understand why Todd and I can't get the same manners at home.

Todd applied to two jobs yesterday - one in Tampa and one in Tallahassee. Tallahassee is about a five hour drive from here. We checked it out online - it looks like a nice place to live. The weather is not quite as hot since it is north FL plus it is right near a huge national park, which Todd likes.

Things are looking up for me too, at my job. Been having some issues with my officemate. Turns out my boss is more aware than I thought and plans on addressing it this week. I am also due for my 90 day review this week - not sure if I get a raise or not. It would be nice but I am not counting on it.

Frustrated!

Kate is sick again!!! I could just shoot myself. We have her on the herbal remedy plus a probiotic to help get her defenses up again. The last cold seemed to not last as long and last week she was definitely better. Now this morning it was runny nose and tonight a fever of 101. I feel like the worst mother in the world. What have I done to my child that she is so sick all the time? It is just not right. I love my job but I feel maybe preschool is what is causing all this. We are tossing around the idea of taking her out of school while Todd is not working. It would save us $612 per month plus maybe she would get better. One child in her class, Ty, has a permanent runny nose. I feel she just doesn't have a chance to ever really get better.

My mother, of course, wants to know what is wrong that Kate is sick all the time. She constantly reminds me how I was never sick as a child. Of course, she stayed home with me until I was seven and I didn't go to school until age 4 in Kindergarten but still. What is going on that today's children are so sick all the time? Something is not right.

Maybe Kate feels all the stress in our house from the lack of funds/Todd without a job. I really try to put on a happy face but Todd is very moody these days and constantly worried about what is going to happen to us. I understand, in a way, but worrying about the future doesn't help you solve today's problems.

Todd has been job hunting like crazy. He is working every contact he has and applying to jobs all over the country. Of course, that would be its own problem. We have negative equity in the house so we would have to short-sell, if we could sell at all. Even if we skip our mortgage payment, I don't make enough to cover all the other bills and expenses.

I just don't know what to do. I feel helpless - I can't make my child better and I can't find my husband a job.

What's going on?

Every night I think about posting but every night I am tired and more importantly tired of the computer. I wonder what people did for communication before the Internet. Computers have been available to me my entire adult life. I live my whole life on a computer. I do my banking, talk to friends and relatives, go to school, and do my job - all online. I love the convenience but sometimes curse the electric "handcuffs". And, believe it or not, I am seriously considering getting a Blackberry b/c apparently I need to be even more connected than I am now. :)

I spent a good part of yesterday on the computer, compiling all our data for our taxes. I have expenses to categorize and we have our info in two places b/c we switched checking software mid-year - Yuck! I have downloads of credit cards and spreadsheets galore.

Different topic - we went shoe shopping for Kate yesterday. This last week it became apparent she really needed new shoes b/c her old ones were too small. Big moment - we have moved to the other side of Stride Rite b/c she now needs a size 9 shoe! Holy Cow! I couldn't believe it. We have a pair of 7 1/2 shoes that we bought in August and now she needs a 9. Of course we measured her the other day and she is now 38" and 32 lbs and mostly wearing a 4T. When Grandma visits in 2 weeks, we are going to have her buy another pair of shoes for Kate. Plus by next month Kate will need summer sandals too.

Spring semester is in full swing - so far, so good. Turned in our 1st group assignment tonight.

See Doc Holly again tomorrow - will post another health update in a few days.

Oh, and, my 20th high school reunion is this year. Just got an email regarding what we prefer for dates, etc. Plan to go - should be in Cincy in the fall.

Health update

Saw Doc Holly again on Monday. We spent two hours with her, going over my options, checking my symptoms, and talking about remedies and diet. Unfortunately, I can't start my regular regiment yet b/c I have a head cold (same as Kate) and she wanted to treat my acute symptoms first before giving me other things. She sent me home with two Chinese herbal formulas and told me to buy Super 8 Probiotic at the health food store. We also talked about Kate and her frequent colds. For Kate, Holly gave us a child's herbal called Windbreaker. It is a liquid - we are dosing her 4x a day. Plus she said to get a probiotic for Kate also.

For diet recommendations, for both Kate and myself, she said to cut WAY BACK on sugar and get all the antibiotics out of our diet, ie. eat only organic meats and dairy. She told us to really read labels and look at how many grams of sugar various things have in them. She told us yogurt with added fruit is as bad as ice cream and suggested we feed Kate plain yogurt sweetened with applesauce instead. Also, she would like us to get juice out of Kate's diet. She gets it at school, so not much we can do there, but we can cut way back at home.

For me, she suggested lots of fresh vegetables and less fruit and less dairy. Plus of course all really bad sugar like cookies or Coke must go.

After less than 48 hours of dosing myself with the herbs for my cold, I started to feel better. Kate has not gotten as sick as she usually does. There has been no nighttime coughing, which she usually gets with these colds.

I am very excited about going forward. I see Holly again next Wed the 4th - will get a 3rd accupunture treatment and hopefully be ready for some other herbs.

Kate

I have a couple of recent things I need to share about Kate. She is so sweet. The other day I was playing with her in her room and said my feet were cold and I needed my slippers. She jumps up and says, "I will get your slippers." and runs off to my bedroom to get mommy's slippers. How cute! She loves to help. She will spray and wipe off the glass tables - love to Windex. She will help me put laundry in the machine and/or in dryer.

Then the funny one. This morning we had breakfast at First Watch. She ate a ton. As we were finishing, she says, "I need to pee-pee." So off we go to the bathroom. I actually thought she might need to poop - she had a funny look on her face. I get her on the toilet seat, she pees, I start to wipe, and then she says, "I need to poopy." So I back away, and she scrunches up her face, and says, "I am trying to push it out; it won't come." It was very funny b/c she said it quite loudly and had this funny look on her face. She did manage to poop. I think she was forcing it b/c her tummy was SO full.

This afternoon we had Caroline, one of Kate's sitters, come over. When we got home, Caroline wasn't sure if Kate had napped or not. Caroline says Kate was quiet in her room for at least an hour and half. If she wasn't asleep I don't know what she was doing. We tried asking Kate but first she told Caroline she did not sleep and then she told us she did take a nap. We aren't sure what to believe. Kate's teachers did mention to Todd the other day that Kate has been "making up" a few stories lately.

Yesterday we had Chick-fil-a and Kate loves their lemonade. After nap the big cup of unfinished lemonade was on the table. She had some but then we told her no more. Then she goes over and gets the lemonade again - when Todd questions her, since we just told her "no", she says, "Mommy wants some. I'm taking it to her." She did bring it to me (even though I did not ask) but of course took another drink before she gave it to me. I'm not sure what to think.

Scheduling

My biggest challenge is fitting it all in. Here are all the things I need to get done - my job (obviously); school work (reading, writing papers, etc.); exercising; keep up with my Mary Kay customer service; plus housework. All of this and of course I need to spend time with Kate and Todd. Kate has been telling Todd, "I miss mommy."quite a lot lately. Tonight I went to the Y to work-out. When I got home, it was bedtime and I got to read her one book. She tells me, "I missed you during lotion." What she means is lotion and jammies - this is usually my part of our bedtime routine. After bath and brushing teeth with Todd, she gets thoroughly lotioned by me and then pjs before short playtime and book.

I've had a few ideas to manage my time - need the discipline to make it work out. I think I am going to start picking Kate up from preschool every day. If I get to work a half-hour earlier, leave at 4:30, and go get Kate, we can spend 5 to 6:30 together before I leave to work-out or go to the office to study. I think that is the most practical option. Will give it a try.

the new doctor

Today I went for my first visit to Dr. Holly. She is not a MD but a DOM, Doctor of Oriental Medicine. She takes a holistic, non-drug approach to health issues. She treats with herbal remedies and acupuncture plus diet modifications when necessary. The visit was 2 hours - it was amazing. I've never had a MD ask so many questions or take such a thorough medical history. She really probes and asks follow up questions. She took tons of notes.

Thankfully she says my case seems fairly cut and dry. My symptoms all point towards two main issues - Candida and liver/gallbladder dysfunction. She feels with some herbal treatments, acupuncture if I want to continue, and small changes to my diet, she can bring me relief from my headaches, neck pain, and sinus issues. I am very excited about the possibility of a pain-free life.

It is hard to describe how my life is with almost constant pain. To wake up in the morning with a headache, or sore throat, or sinuses that feel like they are being pounded, does not make for a great start to your day. It affects my mood and my ability to work efficiently.

In the state of FL, she qualifies as a primary care physician, so I am hopeful some of the cost will be covered by my health insurance. I would like her to see Kate, and eventually Todd, too. She has patients of all ages and with all types of conditions she helps with.

One thing she told me that was very interesting is the deal with antibiotics. I don't take them often and Kate has had them only 3 times but apparently that is too much. Because antibiotics kill off everything - bad bacteria and good bacteria - it actually makes you more susceptible to more illness. It can become a vicious cycle of sick, drugs, sick, drugs.

I go back to see her on the 26th. Between now and then, she asked me to monitor my sugar and dairy intake. She also, for Kate's sake, suggested we go back to hormone-free (organic) cheese and meats. I know they are more expensive but it is important so we will find a way.