Nursing Covers

For any of you new moms or old moms who are (still) nursing, I just got emailed a fantastic promo code for a FREE nursing cover from uddercovers.com. Yes, you do have to pay for shipping (like $8.50, I think), but it's a $32 nursing cover that would normally cost about $40 if you include the shipping. I'd say that's a pretty sweet deal.

Go to uddercovers.com, click on "Shop Now", and select the product you would like (they also have 3 piece gift sets available with this promotion). After you've added the product into your cart, type in the promo code, and it will subtract $32 from your order. You can even use the code more than once - you just have to open a new browser/window to do so.

This promotion gives you a $32.00 discount off your total order no matter what you put in your cart! This promotion code is valid once per transaction, so you can order as many times as you would like!

(If you're not currently breastfeeding they make great baby shower and holiday gifts, too!)

P.S. The promo code is the word "planning" and no, I didn't get paid to pass this along...I'm just a nice person. :-)

Back to School

That's right, folks. Elana's made the big decision to go back to school to get a degree in something she can actually get a job with. But first, I need to take several (read 9) prerequisite courses. You may ask "Why does she need prerequisites? She already has both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree." Well, it's because I didn't take *any* real science or math courses in college. I haven't been in a real science or math course since 11th grade. That's nearly a decade! You may also ask "What on earth do you need 9 science courses as prerequisites for?" Well, I'd like to become a nurse. More specifically a labor & delivery nurse. After I get my BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing), I may decide to continue schooling to become a CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife), who is like a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner who mainly does pregnancy monthly checkups and delivers babies. I think that will be the perfect fit for me. I won't have to cut into people (for C-Sections or hysterectomies), but I'll still get to take care of pregnant women and deliver babies without having to deal with too many bedpans. How does that sound?

I'm taking my prereqs at Roxbury Community College, which is a few blocks from where my hubby works. Then I'm hoping to get into Mass General Hospital's accelerated nursing program. The prereqs will take me through Spring 2011, and then I'll hopefully start nursing school in May 2011. That program should take me about 14 months after which I'll take my exam to become an RN. Then I need to be a labor & delivery nurse (or postpartum or even NICU) for at least a year before I can take courses to become a CNM. This spring I'll be taking Bio 101, Chem 101 and Statistics. Wish me luck!

Teeth

My children actually have teeth! Well, at least I can see that Chana is getting her two bottom middle ones...I have yet to see any from Dovid, but our au pair insists she sees some coming in on the upper row. Poor Chana has been miserable, and she's not going to sleep quietly like she used to. During the day it doesn't seem to be a problem, but as soon as you put her in the crib for nap or bedtime...well, her screams could wake the dead.

Even after the pediatrician INSISTED that I start pureeing the twins food so they'll learn how to swallow food, I am continuing to give them pieces. :-) According to Molly, who is my personal Baby-Led Weaning expert, swallowing mush and learning to chew and swallow food pieces are two totally different things. Giving them mush will not help them to learn about chewing and swallowing other foods. If they know how to dip (say a green bean into hummus), then you can have them do that or dip it for them so they get something that's supposed to be mushy. I've been doing that and they seem to like the hummus. But more importantly they CAN swallow it. They had some applesauce a few weeks ago in Rochester that didn't cause trouble either. It's a learning process. They have to figure out themselves that chewing is an essential part of eating solid food. Once they figure out how to chew it enough that it becomes mushier, they'll be able to swallow with no problem. And then swallowing bigger things shouldn't be an issue. Until then, I have to put up with Dovid's gagging/throwing up/coughing fits during meal time. Let me tell you, there's nothing scarier for me than meal time with him, but I have to pursue or the kid will be taking formula with him to college.

I don't know if Chana has actually gotten to the "swallowing" stage. I think she's still just exploring food, because she doesn't gag nearly as much as Dovid does, nor is she as into her food as he is. She'll put it in her mouth, but it doesn't stay there long. She'll get it! And it'll probably be easier for her when she does get into it, because she'll already have some teeth to bite with!

Molly also says that the pediatrician is overreacting about needing them to eat a ton and wean off of formula. At this point I do *not* need to worry about the twins solid food intake. This is why it's called BABY-Led Weaning and not Mommy-Led Weaning. The twins will figure it out when they are good and ready developmentally. Even if that's not until they're a year old, it's fine. They'll get it, and they'll be just fine.

Incommunicado

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I've been super busy. The diet isn't going so well...I still can't seem to get out of my plateau.

In other news, the twins are being as adorable as ever. Chana was trying to imitate me saying "mama," but she could only get out "mmm" lol. They're still learning how to eat, and still they're having trouble swallowing. They make gagging faces/noises that scare the ever-living you-know-what out of you. You think they're choking, but about 2 seconds later they get it down and smile at you as if nothing happened. Then they go right back to playing with their food. It is SO nerve-wracking, and I wish they'd just learn how to swallow properly already!

I can't believe Thanksgiving is coming up next week. It will be the 4-year anniversary of meeting my husband. Wow...I can't believe it's been that long! We're hopefully going to be going to a friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner, and hopefully Shifra and the twins will be able to join us as well. It'll be a really great time! What do you all have planned for Thanksgiving?

I Puffy <3 Metformin

I really do... I big, fat puffy heart Metformin. I ate myself silly last weekend. Thursday dinner at my mom's, Shabbos dinner at the Simon's, Shabbos lunch at the Simon's, Grandpa Irv's party on Saturday night, and my mom's open house on Sunday. I stuffed myself...I munched cookies, I drank soda, I ate whatever the heck I wanted. And guess what...I gained 1 lb and then promptly lost it + more. FLOATING MEGA PUFFY HEARTS!!!! :-) And now that I'm home, I'm not hungry all of the time. Heck, last night I was reminded of being pregnant when I was nauseous around dinner time. It made me smile, and I knew the Metformin was doing its job. <3 <3 <3

Check out the ticker on the right...it's at the lowest it's been so far...

Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street!

I grew up on Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. I love Sesame Street and still do! I also loved watching Shalom Sesame, the Jewish American version. I enjoyed all of the characters--Ernie was always my favorite--and it's become a staple of children's television worldwide. My personal favorite Sesame Street of all time is actually a movie called "Don't Eat the Pictures" which was made in the early 80's.

Today I watched a clip from the show that I had never seen before. Well, that might not be true...the clip aired on Thanksgiving Day in 1983, when I was about 3 1/2 months old. So it is possible that I watched it with my sister, but I definitely don't remember. In either case, this episode is called "Farewell, Mr. Hooper," and during this episode Mr. Hooper's death is explained to Big Bird. I watched a clip from this episode for the first time today thanks to one of my bloggy friends. It is done so brilliantly and so emotionally, and I have to share it with you. Make sure to keep some tissues nearby, because I was in tears and my hubby needed to bring me a few to mop up my face and blow my nose. Seriously, I'm still tearing up just thinking about it. Enjoy!

Grosgrain Giveaway

I know I've been terrible about posting every day since I was away in Rochester having fun this weekend. Unfortunately I'm still catching up on things and don't have time to go into all the fun from this weekend. In the mean time, I'll leave you with a link to an incredible giveaway going on right now! Aunty Ollie $100 Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!! And, don't forget to check out my brother-in-law's blog for pictures!!!

Back on the Met

Yep, I'm back on Metformin. That's on purpose and no we're not trying to get pregnant again (yet). My cycles have been messed up since they came back post-partum. It's been driving me bonkers. The other thing driving me bonkers is my appetite. There were days I would just be hungry all day. No matter what I ate I was still hungry. I remember the first time I was on Metformin (when that was the *only* fertility drug I was on) I was so NOT hungry that I could barely eat the required food to actually take the pill. Therefore, taking the drug can not only make my cycles bearable but it will also help my appetite be normal again. Seriously I've been hungry as if I were still pregnant (which I'm not at all), and my weight loss has plateaued. No good...I'm still way higher than a good normal weight for my height. I've been on the Metformin for 3 days and already I've noticed a better appetite--meaning it's normal, and I don't think about food all day long. And right now I'm on the lowest dose, which is 1/3 of what my dose will probably become. I'm happy now. I'm not starving, I'm eating normally, and hopefully I'll finally be able to get down to my happy weight. On top of that I shouldn't have 40+ day cycles anymore! Woooo!

Shifra's Back!

Yay! My au pair is finally back from vacation, so I can start working again. I think first I'll do the website coding lessons that my "boss" (i.e. my best friend Melanie) wants me to do. She eventually wants me to help her with creating websites, but first I need to learn how. Next, I'm going to work a bit on my Names Unlimited page, which is still under construction (although you're welcome to look at it and order things...just email me for info). Then I'm going to sort all of the laundry that's sitting on the couch opposite me, and finally I'm going to start packing for Rochester. How long do you think this is all going to take me? Probably a few weeks, so I'd better get started now (seeing as I leave for Rochester in 2 days). :-)

Scavenger Hunt

Since yesterday I've been spending my free time doing The 10th Semi-Annual Great Cloth Diaper Hunt. Half of me loves it, and the other half hates it. I love it because I could win free stuff. I hate it because it takes up my time, and I get so frustrated when I can't find something quickly. hehehe Anyhoo, go check it out if you want to try to win free cloth diapers and other "green" products. You also get a discount code to use at some of the merchants that are participating in the hunt. Yay for discounts!

300th Post!

Whoops, I missed it! This is actually my 303rd post. I'll link to the actual 300th post here. It was the one about the twins' appointment with the neurologist and their weights. The funny thing is that my 200th post was also about their appointment with the neurologist...six months ago. Hehehe If you read that post again, you'll also see that I was talking about poor Dovid's pooing habits. Luckily he's gotten better on that account, and we don't even have to give him Karo syrup any more.

The twins have gotten so big, and I'm really looking forward to bringing them to Rochester this coming weekend!!! They're finally going to get to meet many people who have been waiting (and waiting and waiting) to meet them. There will be lots of pictures (especially on my brother-in-law's blog, I'm sure). Yeeeee!! Going to Rochester!

I've also decided to try posting something every day during the month of November in honor of National Blog Posting Month. (You can see the link on my side bar.) Wish me luck!