Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Running on Empty

Why am I running on empty? I'm not sure exactly. Maybe it is because I'm exhausted from the move. Maybe it because work is stressful right now. Maybe it is because I have an inexplicably irritable baby who wakes up every hour or two fussing but not hungry. Maybe it is because my house is in shambles, and I lack the time and energy to unpack and clean up. Maybe it is the lovely stomach pains I've been dealing with. Maybe it is the congestion that just doesn't seem to go away. In all likelihood it is all of the above.

I went to the doctor this morning. It could be my gallbladder or it could be something else. Since the ultrasound showed no gallstones or sludge, the first step was to try putting me on acid blockers. If I still have breakthrough attacks of pain and nausea, then he'll have a scan done of my gallbladder. Fun times.

Jeramy bought a riding lawn mower seeing as how we now have a large enough yard to necessitate one. So the good news is that mowing the lawn is finally going to be fine enough that I don't have to do it anymore. It seems that my tenure as the only wife among our friends who mows the lawn is now over. Last summer I even mowed it well into my second trimester when it finally just got to be too much for me between the heat and swollen appendages. Of course perhaps Jeramy will pawn this responsiblility off on Jillian in the near future...

See that building in the background? The advertisement for our house described it as a shed. But in reality, we think it was a grow room. I'm by no means an expert in this area. But what shed has its own breaker panel, heat, underground ventilation, reflective walls and excellent insulation?

I've taken Jillian off of solid food for the time being. Ever since we started the rice cereal she has been extremely fussy and gassy, has horribly nasty diarrhea and blow-outs for the first time since she was about a month old (her poo has been relatively solid for about two months), and has started waking up every couple of hours at night and refusing to go back to sleep even though she is not hungry. On one hand, I doubt that a few tablespoons of rice cereal can wreak such havoc. However, it is the only variable that has changed in the past week. I hope this works, because coming home to an inconsolably fussy baby is incredibly draining.

When she isn't fussing, Jillian is noticing the world around her more and more. In the past couple of weeks she has really began noticing Cujo. He still isn't thrilled about her, but at least he tolerates her existence. I'm sure grow on him more once she starts sending crumbs his way.

All right. Enough whining.

7 comments:

Kathy V said...

I love the camo outfits. We have some too but ours are all in the 9 month size or larger so we won't be wearing the right away. Sorry you are having so many problems. I know it isn't easy to console a fussy baby when you just don't feel well yourself. I have dealt with the cold that won't go away for about three weeks now. I still have a cough but am starting to feel better.

Could Jillian still be adjusting from the move? I know you said that the only variable was the cereal, but I have read that some babies don't adjust well to big changes like moving to a new house. Hope it all works out for you and your baby goes back to being happy. Hailey smiles at our dogs. But then again they are usually right up in her face trying to see what she is up to. Hope cujo gets used to her quick. Wait until she chases him in a few months.

Kathy V said...

I notice from a previous post that you give her the rice cereal at night. our pediatrician recommended that we do it during the day to prevent any sleep issues. Maybe that could be an option for you also. Hope that helps.

George said...

I'm going to say she's teething? Maybe? Hopefully she'll pop out a couple teeth and cool down on the fussiness for you. I never gave Julian rice cereal...I thought it was gross...we did veggies only, then added single grain oatmeal when he was used to eating with the spoon - so I can't give you any advice about poop/fussiness with rice cereal. I hope she gets better for you soon though!!!

It's cool that she's noticing your dog more and more. Julian GIGGLES at our dog Abby all the time - she's the only one who gets giggles these days! Damn dog. ;-)

Nicky said...

Sounds like teething to me. With two teeth out and (I believe) two more on the way, I feel like a teething veteran. Sadly, the symptoms can last a month before you actually see a tooth. I'll say it again: teething sucks!

Sorry you're feeling so run down and overwhelmed. I know what that's like. Hang in there -- once things settle down, you'll get into a good groove again!

Jamie said...

Is that more camo or another pic of the same outfit? I shudder to think what Hubby might dress our children in!

Sunny said...

Teething is EVIL. And Bean seems to do it constantly. Have you tried baby Motrin?

Also, on the food issue, maybe you could skip the rice cereal like we did. (Bean still hates it!) Try avocado or bananas or something and see how that goes.

RBandRC said...

Is she 20 weeks yet? She may be going through a developmental growth spurt (starts around 16-18 weeks and peaks at 20-22 weeks). I got a whole book on the "Wonder Weeks" as Lemy has been a nightmare right when the book predicts she will be one and those coincide with the cognitive growth spurts. Just a thought. Good luck and I hope things settle down soon!