Who Designed this Stupid Urethra Anyway!!!

Dear Boobjuicers and Friends,

ARGH! Okay I know I promised more boobjuice this time but I must rant. What the everloving crap is up here. I am a pretty healthy specimen and I am following all the known rules of female self care and I have ANOTHER stupid urinary tract infection. For crap sake. How did the species reproduce before antibiotics? Presumably petri dishes like me just died of kidney infections (which is what happens if you let a UTI run rampant, not that anyone would these days since they freaking HURT and are easy to treat) and did NOT in fact successfully reproduce. Further proof that I am a mutant. And the whole yeast in the breasts thing is poorly designed too, although I suspect that it was less common before my aforementioned, beloved antibiotics. Grumble.

So other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play? Well, a lot of mamas look forward to having their bodies to themselves again after their little ones wean. Once Kiddo got down to one nursing a day, except for being afraid to miss a day (which was probably not a big deal but felt like it), it was pretty easy, and I enjoyed the nursing, and didn't mind sharing. It's not as hard as when you feel like you can't get three minutes alone to pee with both hands free, let alone take a shower. Or when you're eight months pregnant and battling aches, and heartburn, and having someone jumping up and down on your bladder. So now that he's done, and we're not quite ready for Blessing #2 (I'm thinking January...), it's kind of lonely in here all by myself! How silly is that. And mamas who haven't been able to spend 24 hours alone for years are probably rolling their eyes right now. Can't blame ya. But there it is.

Well, make hay while the sun shines, after all. So I went to Nice Boss, and explained, trying very hard to avoid Too Much Information Syndrome (Nice Boss is far too polite to tell me if I were to subject him to TMI but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen I'm sure), that we have a "window of opportunity" at the moment where it's going to be very easy for me to travel, and then the window will close, in a few months, or perhaps later. And therefore what travel would he like me to crank out while we have the chance? Which is how I ended up with a trip to Anchorage for a December 21 meeting. That's right. I'm going to Alaska on the shortest day of the year. Pretty hilarious. Unfortunately I will be in that fine state for less than 24 hours, but if I'm lucky I might see the Aurora Borealis. And I won serious points from our vendor for being willing to visit in December. Besides it doesn't feel like that big of a deal - I went to college in Minnesota, after all, and my meeting is like five miles from the airport. So I get to win points for doing something which strikes me as pretty easy.

I'm also, as I think I mentioned, taking advantage of this window to do all the Scary Research and other planning for Blessing #2 so that I can relax and enjoy my pregnancy when (hopefully) it starts. I have the ICAN website pulled up. I haven't clicked on any of the links yet. Too scary looking. Medical studies are so varied, and technical, and can be quite slanted, or just poorly executed. And it's that one in a million stories where the poor mama actually *does* spontaneously combust in a pool of despair on the hospital floor that seems to stick in my head, instead of those other 999,999 women who just had a few stitches afterwards. Bleh. There's this whole, "you need to arm yourself with information in advance" ethic, which is very sound advice, but I am feeling paralyzed, because I know I can't possibly learn all of it and besides the idea that I'm going to remember any of it when I'm in labor is sort of ludicrous. I'm reading Ina Mae's Guide to Childbirth, which so far is very non-scary.

On the more fun side, I'm also thinking, what gear and fun stuff do I want that I liked or wished I had for Kiddo? Doula, natch. I want a fancy pants recliner to nurse in. That may or may not happen given that there is no where in this cute little riverfront apartment to *put* such an item, except in Kiddo's room, and I'm not going to make him deal with a newborn in his room until hypothetical Blessing #2 is at least 6 months old. Plus I think this time I want to keep the baby with me much longer. We moved Kiddo into his own room at four or five months. It hurt me way more than him, and it was impractical, and when I finally worked up the courage to say "screw this 'sleep training' bullpoo," it just meant that much further to walk to console the little guy when he needed it. So we'll have to see on the recliner, anyway. Bassinet or cosleeper of some sort. Our bed is too small and high-up to put the baby in it with me, I think, except while actually nursing. But within arm's reach sounds like totally the way to go. I may try cloth diapers this time around. Or I might get some that are supposed to fit all sizes of kiddo now to try on my first little dude, and see how we like them. And I want a nursing bracelet so I'm not constantly taking notes about which boob was when. And I only have like four kid carriers, so it seems high time to try a couple more... I have a sling, and an ergo if my mama friend is done borrowing it by then (and if not I have an excuse to buy one in a color I like better!), and a sort of crappy Jeep branded one by Kolkraft which is a baby bjorn knockoff, and a moby wrap. Moby wrap is great for tiny ones and until they can squirm around, but doesn't feel secure enough to me for out of the house. Sling is well loved by many mamas but I need someone to teach me how to nurse in it. Mama RR tried, bless her, but I think I'm going to need like a hands on tutorial... Better start saving now!

Back to tending my upset tummy (mmmm... Cipro... another advantage to weaning I guess, that the Cipro is okay for now) and lying on the couch staring out at the Wintry Mix.

Much love,
Suzi