Cosmic Cousin Connection

Tonight was progressing like any other Friday night.  Ben went down for a quick post-daycare nap...I fixed dinner...we all sat down and ate together as a family before Branden headed off to his second job.

Ben was still in his highchair, finishing up dinner, when Branden was leaving.  He gathered his things down at the other end of the house (well out of eyesight of either of us) and then told us goodbye from there.  Only this time, Ben said "BYE!" right back to him!!  A brand new word!

So of course, Branden had to peak around the corner to wave at him, and Ben said it again!

But it only gets cooler from there.  I sent a bragging text to my mom, my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law.  And my sister-in-law sends one back...saying that her daughter, Ben's cousin Macy, just said bye for the first time right after Ben did!!

Now if that isn't a cosmic cousin connection, I don't know what is.

And since a post doesn't feel complete without a picture, here's one of Ben from his friend Emma's birthday party last weekend.

14 months, 1 week, and 4 days

That's how long I breastfed my son.

I can say that now, because it's over.  We're finished.  We had our last nursing session last night before bed.

We were down to just that one time a day anyway - had been since his 1st birthday.  I noticed over the past week or so that he wasn't falling asleep at the breast like he used to.  And our sessions were increasingly consisting of kicking, slapping, poking, and pinching - nothing vicious or mean-spirited, just the result of trying to be in close contact with an energetic toddler.

I feel so very fortunate that I was able to provide my son with breastmilk for so long.  What I didn't know before I started was how attached I would become to breastfeeding!  As silly as it sounds, I feel like I'm losing a part of my identity. 

Until our next baby, of course...

More Ben videos!!

Since that last post was so down-in-the-dumps, I figured I'd better hurry up and post some cute videos of my son to make up for it!

Rough times

We've been going through some rough times lately...especially for my husband.  I don't want this to be too much of a downer post, but I do want to be honest about how things are going.

Branden finished his master's degree nine months ago.  He's been applying for planning jobs ever since - and has yet to get one single interview.  It's such a demeaning process, even in the best of times.  But the job market out there just plain sucks right now.  He's competing against so many people for so few jobs.  One of the jobs he applied for was even taken off the market due to a lack of funding (a local city government).  I try to keep his spirits up, but I completely understand why he's so frustrated.

As if that wasn't enough to deal with, last Saturday, Branden had to make the agonizing decision to put his dog Pepper to sleep.

We miss you, buddy.



Pepper had a large cyst on his side, that we originally believed was just a benign subaceous cyst.  Unfortunately, after it ruptured, Pepper's condition quickly went downhill - and when the vet examined him, he determined it was probably cancerous.

So you'd think it'd be about time for Branden to catch a break, right?  How about being offered a promotion at his job?  Sounds pretty sweet, and definitely something he deserves.  How about being offered a promotion, and then having it taken away?  "Oh, we decided to keep the person we have in that position - just forget we ever mentioned it!"  Yeah...I'm still fuming from that, and I can't believe his employer treated him that way.

Branden could definitely use some good thoughts right now.  He works so very hard - especially now that he has the 2nd job on the weekends (Fri & Sat nights, 7pm - 2am).  I've tried to pick up the slack at home and do as much as I can to make things easier on him.  But it's still rough, and things would be so much easier if he could find a planning job!  If you know of anyone who needs a city planner/transportation planner/neighborhood planner, etc. - let me know!!

National Infertility Awareness Week

In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW), and all of my (IRL and online) friends who have dealt with infertility (IF), I'm blogging to bust an infertility myth.

Myth:  Infertility isn't all that common - I don't know anyone who's dealt with it.

Not true!  The problem is, infertility is still taboo.  It's not talked about - it's whispered about in back rooms.  Men and women who struggle to conceive on their own often hide their feelings - crying in private, month after month, as the negative pregnancy tests pile up.  They feel shame when they have to make an appointment to seek medical help.  "Why couldn't we just get pregnant on our own?"  "It's so easy for so many people!"  "Teenagers can get pregnant from one drunk night!  What's wrong with me?!"  "I'm broken!  I'm not a woman because I can't get pregnant."

If we just spoke up a little more, perhaps infertility wouldn't feel so alienating.  I hope I don't sound insincere, because I haven't dealt with IF first hand.  But I know so many women who have, and it pains me that they have to suffer in relative silence.  It frustrates me that so many insurance companies still don't cover IF treatment.  It saddens me that many of my friends have had to pay tens of thousands of dollars just for the chance to get pregnant.

If you'd like to know more about infertility, please visit the Resolve website.

And he's off!

Look at him go!



Another...this time holding his new ball:



And finally, showing off his new words - "kitty" and "uh oh!":

My First 5K!

A couple of days ago, I found out about the Free to Breathe 5K, which is taking place in a suburb of Dallas on May 21. I found out about it through this news story, forwarded to me by my mom.

As most of you know, my father died of lung cancer in the fall of 2009. The chance to raise funds for the National Lung Cancer Partnership was an opportunity I just couldn't pass up. Last fall, I found out about another charity event put on by the American Lung Association, and even signed up, but it just wasn't the right event for me(a 52-story stairclimb? Yikes!) This one is much more palatable.

So, I signed up yesterday - and in a little over 24 hours, I've already raised nearly 50% of my $500 goal! I have no illusions that this is all because of me. I know people are giving money to the cause because they loved and cared about Wayne, or because they were by my mom's side through the whole ordeal.

This will be my first 5K. I'll probably walk most of it, but I may get up a jog or two in there. I'm hoping to push Ben in a (borrowed) jogging stroller, so he can be along for the journey (otherwise, I'm going it alone - which I'm fine with). My mom will be there to cheer me on from the sidelines. And Branden would be walking with me, except that he just started a second job, and will be working until 2 AM the night before. I'm giving him a pass on this one.

If you'd like to donate, you can visit my fundraising page here. Or just go and take a look at the little tribute I wrote about Wayne. He was such a special guy, and I am so, so fortunate I got to know and love and be loved by him for 20 years of my life.