The Race Begins

When I got pregnant, I wasn't the slimmest person in the world. In fact, I felt really horrible about myself. I started a diet program around my 30th birthday that led me to some weight loss ... and then I got pregnant! For the most part, I ate really really well during my pregnancy. I'll admit that I indulged a bit but I wasn't completely sedentary.

Yoav is officially 3 weeks old today and I'm finally feeling well enough to start working out a bit. The downside? The weather here kind of sucks. By the end of my pregnancy, I felt like a whale and I probably looked like it, too. Three weeks later, I've lost 27 lbs. I'm not joking... that's how much fluid was in me. If 7lbs was baby, then another 20lbs was water! I'm still shedding water like you wouldn't believe but I think the worst is over. Another downside? I still have 8lbs left to go before I'm back to my "original" pre-baby weight. Sinking even lower into my hole... 8lbs is just the tip of the iceberg. I want to be back to the weight I was in 2007 - 125lbs. I have a LONG way to go!

I don't want to be skinny. I want to be healthy! I want to be muscular and fit, not thin and flabby. It's time to dust off my old workout clothes and start hitting the pavement with Yoav! I have 11 weeks left of maternity leave which means I have 11 weeks left to lose some weight. We move back around August which means I have about 22 weeks left to lose A LOT of weight. If I lose 2lbs per week from now until I move back to the Motor City, I will have lost 44lbs. Think I can do it?

Let the race against the clock begin!

Ideas for children who want to decorate Easter baskets

One of the things that those who have raised children realize is that children naturally want to be creative. They like doing projects that involve many different art supplies, and they also love doing things like playing dress up, and playing pretend. Along with the love of being creative, there is also the interest in creating things. Typically these projects are centered on the different holidays that are celebrated all over the calendar. There is the Christmas season, and there are also all of the birthdays and other similar holidays. One of the most anticipated days of the year is Easter.

Many people see Easter as a day of candy, brightly colored pastel clothing, and gift baskets for Easter. These are usually filled with candy and other sweet treats for the children to eat. They can also be filled with things like small toys and other amusing items. For the older children this may mean a gift card or something like that so they will be able to choose something that they will especially like rather than having someone else choose the gifts for them.

There are many parents who want to encourage their children to be creative and they do this by giving the children different projects to do. One of the best projects that you can give older children especially during this particular holiday is to have the children themselves decorate their own gift baskets for Easter. They can do this by going to places such as the different hobby stores and they can then choose their own materials in order to make the baskets. They can be as creative as they want to be and the baskets themselves would serve a dual purpose. They are first used in order to hold the different gifts that parents like to place into the baskets. The children can then use the baskets in order to go on the traditional Easter egg hunt that many families and communities decide to put on at this time of the year.

It is also important to let the children be creative when they are making their creations regardless of what they may turn out to look like. As long as they are happy with it that is the most important thing. There are many important parts of the Easter holiday including all of the traditional things that many families choose to take part in.

Regardless of the different traditions that are out there it is also important for families to create their own traditions in order for them to feel more closely knit together. The holidays are often times the only time that families get to spend together without distractions of everyday living. Life provides many distractions that come in all different shapes and sizes. It is essential that families decide to spend quality time together rather than letting other outside distractions get in the way. Easter is a time where families can spend time together and enjoy the day off regardless of what they decide to do.

Welcome to the World

It's been a while since I posted something personal but I have a good reason .... I had a baby!! Allow me to introduce Yoav Rubin Glaser. Our son was born on February 2nd, 2012 via C-Section after 55+ hours in labor. Isn't he cute??

I love Kermit the Frog!

Go Blue!

Yoav is already a half-month old and he doesn't even look like he did when these pictures were taken. It's insane how different he looks every day. So, ready for his birth story?

On January 29th, I went in for a routine weekly OB/GYN check up. After another fetal monitor and blood pressure check, I was sent to my doctor so he could see the results. The verdict: go to the hospital ASAP! Apparently, I was experiencing hypertension and he wanted the hospital to induce labor. So, off we went.

At the hospital's pregnancy ER, I underwent another fetal monitor exam and blood pressure check up. I was asked if I was experiencing any headaches, blurry vision, or tummy pain. The answer: I have a sinus headache from the rain. So, off I went to the regular ER where I waited an hour to see a neurologist. In my opinion, if you make someone wait an hour to see a neurologist, they may as well be dead. If I had any real neurological issues, like a stroke or something, I would have died waiting to see someone. Yet, she gave me a clean bill of health and even wrote out that I know a sinus headache when I feel one. She then sent me to the ophthalmologist to make sure everything was OK before sending me back to the pregnancy ER. The verdict: I was A-OK in the head and eyes.

After realizing that I was OK, the doctor on staff said he'd like to admit me to the high risk ward and he was recommending inducing me. Why the recommendation? Because he doesn't have the authority to decide if I should be induced. Nearly 18 hours later, I was told by a doctor I was being induced. The problem? I was having my own contractions and they wanted to wait and see if something happened naturally. Another 15 hours went by before they gave me my first dose of pge2 (the induction pill). I have never felt pain like this before!! It got really bad and then it stopped. Since my contractions were so bad, the doctors decided not to give me another dose of pge2 eight hours after the first dose. They thought my cervix would dilate on its own. It didn't. My contractions stopped. I was given the second dose over 24 hours after the first one. It did nothing. Eight hours after that, I was given a third dose. That did nothing, too. Then I started contracting on my own, again. And quite badly.

The big problem? I wasn't dilating. After three doses of pge2, nothing was happening!! The next day, a doctor that I refer to as Dr. Nice Guy came by and told me that he wanted to try dilating me using a balloon. At this point I was in tears because I had been examined vaginally so many times that I was in physical pain from my auto immune disease. Plus, as a survivor of sexual assault and rape, I don't exactly want someone I don't know touching me. I clam up. At one point, one examination was so bad and painful that I cried uncontrollably for an hour into Craig's chest and he made it very clear to the nurses that this doctor is NEVER to come near me again. I was then given a sedative and I drifted off to sleep.

Anyway, after two failed balloon attempts, Dr. Nice Guy went to speak to the head physician (the Dean) and I was told they were going to send me to labor and delivery where I'd be given Pitocin and an epidural! Once the epidural kicked in, I don't remember much else about that day. I slept a lot. At some point, another doctor came in with Dr. Nice Guy and I was given two options: give the Pitocin another two hours to see if I dilate or have a C-Section. After about five minutes of discussion, I told them to get the kid out of me. Another two hours of Pitocin wasn't going to do anything since I was no more dilated five days into my hospital stay than I was when I walked into the hospital.

At 8:35pm, on February 2nd, I gave birth to a very loud little boy. The next day, he was taken to the NICU for jaundice. The nightmare continued. He was there for five days and they were the longest five days of my life. The State of Israel takes this stuff VERY seriously- especially since it was my blood that caused the issue. We have an ABO blood incompatibility. By February 7th (the day I was supposed to deliver ... and a day after my parents arrived), we took our gorgeous little boy home. He's been given a clean bill of health by the Dean of the NICU and by his pediatrician!

Traveling Husband

Traveling Husband
This guest post from Hong Alexander

When my husband and I got married last year, I wasn’t prepared for him to be gone so much. Six months after our wedding, he took a job that requires him to be on the road two weeks per month. When he got the offer I was supportive. I thought I would be fine since I lived by myself for five years before we were married. I thought I would be able to spend more time going out with my girlfriends, and that it would be fun. I was a bit surprised when I had problems coping with him being gone. I was scared to be alone at home at night, and my friends were busy most of the time. My husband got us a home alarm system from adt south carolina because he thought it would make me feel better, but it didn’t really work. There is no substitute for having your husband sleep next to you. I’m hoping that in a year or two he will get a promotion that will allow him to be home more. I’m not sure how long I can handle this loneliness.