Wednesday, June 03, 2009

I Ain't Sharing My Calcium

I have a very deep need for randomness tonight. Are you ready? Can you deal with this?!?! (Imagine some insane martial arts moves.)

Item 1:
When I had my annual appointment a couple of weeks ago, I got in a little trouble for not taking vitamins. Right now my mom is thrilled that someone else stepped in to nag me about this. Y'all, I usually lie and say I am taking them, but look! The Lord is growing me. My wonderful nurse practitioner told me that if I am not taking calcium then my body is going to take it out of my bones to give it to the baby. Uh, gross. I love you, Annabeth, but I do not want to give you my calcium. I have goals for my senior citizen years, and they do not include having a broken hip while I'm livin' it up with the Red Hat Society. So I'm trying to be a good girl and take my calcium pills and my prenatal vitamins. (You should know that if you drink plenty of milk you don't need to take calcium while you're nursing. As for me, if I drank a glass of milk I would hate myself for 24 hours. You have no idea how much I'd like to down a big ole carton of chocolate milk though.)

Item 2:
Jackson started swim lessons tonight. He's going twice a week for the next month. Not only will this give him something exciting and fun to do, but it will also help us have more fun with him at the pool this summer.

Our whole family attended the first lesson. I wish I had some pictures, but I had left my camera at my mom's house last week. Bummer. During the lesson he was with one "coach" and one other little boy. I'd signed him up for a certain beginning level for kids who have no skills in the water and also have no fear. They are the kids who think it would be awesome to jump right in and then they'd sink straight to the bottom. I was a little apprehensive that I had picked the wrong level for him, but I knew within 30 seconds that I was right. He was lives for the water.

Curt and I watched from an observation room. We were laughing so hard that we were nearly crying. Please picture the most excited, energetic, ants-in-his-pants, wide-eyed, and LOUD little boy you've ever known, add Jackson's face to him and you've got it. He was operating at a level 10 throughout the whole lesson. His coach probably didn't know what hit her. There was a box of pool toys next to their station and that nearly sent him over the edge. This was the happiest day of his life. I'm not sure if it was the other little boy's happiest day. If he likes being splashed by another 3-year-old, then maybe. I fully expected his coach to tell us he needed private lessons because he's such a handful that she can't even concentrate on the other kid, but she didn't. It's a good thing because the private lessons cost twice as much!

Item 3:
I've lost a couple more pounds. Yay. But I'm nearly bald. Boo. Okay, that is an exaggeration, but I do have an obvious bald spot above my right temple. The left side has some catching up to do. Y'all, the hair loss is so bad that I have to clean out my brushes every day. The bathroom trash can is filled with little bird nests made of my hair. Isn't that a lovely picture? I'm getting it cut on Saturday. Hopefully I won't send my stylist running for the hills when she brushes it out.

Item 4:
Are you reading Missy's blog - It's Almost Naptime? She is so stinking funny. You need to read her, particularly if you have or want to have a large family. I especially loved her post today about having to take her 4 kids to Kroger. I cannot even handle my two at the grocery store. I tried it last week and when I was looking for some gourmet ingredient like Rotel, Jackson grabbed a glass bottle of hot sauce off the shelf and held it out like he was going to drop it and see how far it would splatter. At that moment I knew his arms had gotten too long and he was no longer safe to take, even with a baggie of snacks.

Well, I've had So You Think You Can Dance on pause for too long. Gotta get to it. Peace!

35 comments:

Tara G. said...

I was able to handle the randomness- I was sitting down. :)

A bit jealous your 3 yr old will cooperate for swim lessons...if only the Lightening McQueen swim trunks would have been as much of an incentive as the undies...

Have you ever tried Lactaid milk? I don't know what "level" you're at, but that works for me. So sad since I grew up in WI. And I have found that packing a lunch works wonders during grocery shopping time. That and saying we'll visit the bakery at the end for their free cookie handout.

eetomost said...

THIS is too funny!! Oh the 3 year old swim class! I'm so glad that he loves it:) I've gotta run over and read that other blog before going to bed. I too have been watching SYTYCD and put it on pause every time someone calls or comes in the room:) Thanks for a good mental picture of the swim lesson today:0)

leigh-NC
www.northcarolinanewbeginnings.blogspot.com

Tara D. said...

Amanda...have you heard about this?

http://chapmanchannel.typepad.com/jim/2009/06/hey-cinderella-say-cheese-.html

It would be so cute to do with a photo of Curtis and Annabeth...or even your dad and you and Melissa.

Sweet... :-)

lori said...

I love a good random blog

Rachel said...

Item 1: Tell me the Red Hat Society is not actually in your distant future. lol and take your calcium!

Item 2: I want to take my kids to swim lessons, too. So let us know if it's worth it.

Item 3: The joys of having children and what they do to our physical being. I'll pray for you, your hair and your stylist.

Item 4: A friend of mine had 6 children in 6 years. (one set of twins) I think she's insane! But she handles it well. Me? I'd be in the loony bin. I'm barely holdin down the fort with two kids and a puppy.

I LOVE So You Think You Can Dance! Lets be friends. :)

Marla Taviano said...

My girls need swimming lessons, and I keep putting it off. Ack!

Kelly said...

Oh Amanda the hair loss.
I wasn't worried at first because I have thick hair but I now have that SAME bald spot on my right forehead - right where I part my hair so it's super obvious. It's horrible and I'm getting more and more nervous about it. And I had something come up and had to reschedule an appt I had for next week so by the time they could get me back in - I'm going to be completely gray and bald.
Looks like I won't be leaving the house for a few weeks. ha!

Missy said...

I have so many comments about this post.

You crack me up and this post made my morning. Almost as much as the french toast.

I'm not sharing my calcium either...give me some vitamins! Guess I'll stop lying about that now too. stink.

I know EXACTLY what that swim coach was thinking. HILARIOUS. I might have to come watch sometime. :)

Deidre said...

How fun for Jackson to take swimming lessons. My girls LOVE to take and I always wonder if they're processing anything or just having fun.

Unknown said...

You are so funny! I had to buy some Calrate just the other day so that my calcium isn't being robbed from my bones!! I've always been good at taking my prenatals, but as far as keeping up my calcium intake...well, let's just say I'm not that good at it! :)

My daughter turned 20 months old today. When I was pregnant and nursing her, I didn't keep up with my calcium intake at all. Do you know what happened? She took it not only from my bones (shudder), but also from my TEETH!! (double shudder) I had 6 cavities!! The dentist got on to me big time.

As for going to the store with both kids, I'm struggling myself. A 21 month old and an almost 4 week old going to the store with mama isn't the prettiest picture....and it doesn't do much good for mama's joy either! :) haha

Have a great day!

Rebecca

Alison said...

Oh, my, this post just cracked me up! But what really set me over the edge was the "gourmet" ingredient, Rotel. Lol!

Mary @ Giving Up On Perfect said...

What IS it with moms and their vitamin pushing? :) When I was in college (and after), my mom would end every letter or email with "Read your Bible and take your vitamins." Because, really, what else do you really need in life?

Momma-of-5 said...

I'm heading over to Missy's blog RIGHT NOW! I've got 5 and I'm dying to hear how she does it! =)

Thanks for the reminder about the calcium. My mom's a nurse and she nags DAILY about my vitamins (all the way from another state). I'll got take mine RIGHT NOW!

Anonymous said...

Too Funny... I'm a big fat liar on the prenatals, too... and where my calcium went into withdrawl is my teeth! Each pregnancy I ended up with cavities but this last one was the worst... I have EIGHT cavities to be filled, all TINY ones that the dentist swears were a result of the pregnancy... not bad hygiene... And the bald thing... my last one was the worst for that, too. Sophia is 16 months old and I'm at the 2 1/2" hair mark... come on and GROW!

Fran said...

Ok...I'm going to take my vitamin now. Why is that so hard for me to do? Really? Its just a pill once a day. I bet I'm out of calcium and I haven't just had a baby.

I'm with you on the hair thing. Its been 8 yrs...whats up? I don't know. Thank goodness I have mounds of hair and I'm ok.

Have a great day! So proud of Jackson and his swimming.
Love,
Fran

Alana said...

I don't know why, but I hate taking vitamins...I'm trying to force myself though.

I still haven't lost any of my hair...is it all just going to fall out one day????

MEGAN said...

I don't know if I've commented before or not! I loved this post. Bless your son's heart. I hope he has that much entusiasm throughout life!

And your bald spot made me laugh too (not at you, with you). Can you try washing your hair every other day? I have very thin hair (without having children), and I rarely brush my hair, maybe once a day, and I don't have disgusting hair either...just putting that out there. Hope the hair grows back, and your girl doesn't steal all your precious calcium! Calcium chews are good! It's like a chocolate treat.

The Ham Family said...

You young chicks take it from this older Red Hat lady - take your calcium!!! I now have osteopenia - the beginnings of osteoporsis and a shortage of vitamin D. The way I found out about this was intense pain in my bones in my legs. Learn from my mistake please! Gay

Vanessa said...

My daughter is 15 months and I am so ready to take her to swim lessons. Not because I really think she will grasp the concept of swimming, but because she LOVES the water so much. I know she will love them.

I loathe milk. It makes me sick to think about drinking a glass of it. I will use it for cereal or to dip my oreos in though. I really should be taking a supplement.

I can not believe the amount of hair you lose after pregnancy. I really thought I was going to be completely bald after I pulled out clumps and clumps daily.

Thanks for sharing the new blog! I love when people comment about a new blog that they enjoy!

Anonymous said...

I think my most favorite recent Missy post is the Fish Story.

tho the grocery store one is fun too.

personal note: Missy is who led me to you and your mom. And here you are pointing other people to Missy.
funny world we live in.

Jackson in swim class is cracking me up BTW. too funny.

Robin Green said...

If your problem is lactose intolerance, and not allergy, then Lactaid milk is a good choice. They even make chocolate--they also have icecream and cheese products. I also buy the Lactaid pills to use anytime I eat cheese or other milk products. I've been dealing with it for 16 years, and don't know what I would do without Lactaid.

Amanda said...

Alana, you are blessed. Maybe you will be spared.

MEGAN, I'm afraid it's unavoidable for me. Thankfully, I do only have to wash my hair every other day. Sometimes I do go most of the day without brushing it, but it just all comes out the very next time I brush it. That is when it looks like a hair crime scene. It will grow back but it will be a long time before it looks normal again. Hooray for Baby Bangs!

Heather said...

Oh how I love a tall glass of chocolate milk!! I so badly need to take calcium pills and vitamins too. Emma needs another round of swimming lessons too and I haven't gotten around to doing it, I need to get on that! I love random posts!

Missy said...

Thanks so much for the link love Amanda - so sweet. And so ironic for you to do this today because my children have been SO HORRID that I have wanted to sell them to gypsies. Playdate from hades. Massive mom embarrassment.

Congrats on the skinny down - calcium speeds up your metabolism, you know.

(just believe it...)

Kelly @ Love Well said...

Know Missy. Love Missy. I'm secretly plotting a move to Texas so we can be neighbors and ignore our children together. (I'm still laughing about the goldfish story from earlier this week. You?)

So I'm curious if you're intolerant with milk or if you just don't like it?

Oh! And my five-year-old is still too energetic for words at every swimming lesson. The boy is so happy in the water. His teachers adore him.

Keri said...

I love random blogs.......there's just no way around them if you're going to keep the Grandparents happy, right?

I am so bad about vitamins...they make me gag. I have got to figure something out so I don't spend my heavily highlighted silver years hobbling around with broken bones!

I love, love, love SYTYCD. I rewind, watch again, cry...it's ridiculous. You would think I was a dancer of some kind! Only problem? My husband absolutely refuses to watch it with me!

Loved the post......laughed out loud about swim lessons. Go Jackson!! The next Micheal Phelps, without the drug thing of course! Did I just write that?? oh well.....

Heather said...

I meant to say in my last comment about the hair issue, mine falls out really bad too. Matt said he could sweep it up, put a collar on it, give it a name and walk it around the neighborhood if it had legs! Nice thought huh??

The B's said...

girl...I don't take vitamins either and always lie about it...guess I should stop too! :)

Amy said...

Amanda, I can't swallow the big vitamins so my doctor said it was great to take 2 Flinstones a day. So I do. It's now a treat to take my vitamins :) And I recommend Viactiv Calcium chews. Again, another "candy" treat and my sister's dietitian said they were the best for absorbing calcium because of the vitamin D. Hope this helps! Also, can't wait to see Annabeth's stats from her 4 month check up!!

Moose Mama said...

Random is good.

I can't go to the pool to watch Emily take lessons. They make us sit far away and she doesn't understand when I mouth the words..."Pull your suit down, it's riding up" or "Stop splashing the other kids" or "Pay attention". So I stay home and pretend none of that stuff is happening. But I think it is, cuz it's been like 4 years and she's still a guppy or a polliwog or something like that...that doesn't swim too well yet. sigh.

Melana

Anonymous said...

That was good and I liked the randomness...I'm a devoted vitamin woman and glad to hear you are not going to share your calcium!

katiegfromtennessee said...

I like your random post, Little Momma:) I've heard that about calcium being used from the mother to the baby...that's good that Jackson likes to swim and is not afraid, my little sis, Jennifer, when she was learning to swim, I was in high school, and she would cling for dear life to my neck and freak out if I let go of her. But, now, the girl loves to swim. Go figure:)...Aww, hair falling out. My hair is already thin, is this going to be a big issue if I start losing even more hair!?...interesting, Missy has four? Big families are fun, though:) Lots of togetherness:)

((HUGS)) to you,

katiegfromtennessee

Paige said...

Have you seen this? As a mommy of two boys, so far, I thought it was hilarious. My toddler watched it, pointed to the screen and said, "Girl!" and laughed. He wanted to watch it over and over.

http://www.snotr.com/video/2630

Grace said...

Amanday,

Love the randomness! Once again, Jackson at 3 is braver than Grace at 9. She hated swim lessons because she doesn't like to get her face wet. (Oh the drama!) I let her stop two summers ago after she started swimming on her own.

About your hair loss...have you ever had your thyroid checked? Hair loss can definitely happen with thyroid issues and pregnancy can throw your thyroid off. Just saying... ;o)

Kimberly

georgiafulenwider said...

Take your vitamins girl... I am an L&D nurse and when my patients tell me they "forget" to take their vitamins, I ask them "do you brush your teeth." They ALL look at me like I am wacky and then sheepishly tell me "yes." If they can remember to brush their teeth or even eat a meal, then they can remember to take their vitamins.

Looking at your beautiful pictures from Disney and seeing your beautiful smile, I'm thinking that you brush your teeth, take your vitamins girl!!!

I'm loving the Disney trip stories and photos! Looks like you guys had an awesome time!

Now go take your vitamins!!!