All Good Things Must Come To An End...

Monster has not nursed for 2 days. At all. He hasn't even asked.

For the past few months, I could tell he's been slowly weaning himself from breastfeeding. By 1 month ago, we were down to only nursing in the morning and bedtime. Somehow that turned into only nursing at bedtime, and only for about 2 minutes, tops. He'd then roll away from me and sign "all done" and I'd put him in his crib.

Well, I'd also been starting to feel weird about it in the past few weeks. I don't know why, but I started feeling almost impatient when he nursed. Like an "are you done yet?" sort of feeling, but I just always pushed it aside - I mean, he would only nurse for less than 5 minutes! How could I be getting impatient with that? But for whatever reason, I was. I no longer had the satisfied bonding feeling when he nursed. I never wanted to admit it to myself, but I was getting to the point of actaully wanting Monster to wean.

So back to 2 nights ago. Like normal, he didn't nurse in the morning when he first woke up. Diaper change, get dressed, then out to the kitchen for breakfast - and he asked for his cup of milk then. Totally normal now. But when bedtime rolled around, for whatever reason, I just never offered the breast. We took a bath, put on lotion & had some diaper-free time, then put on diaper & PJs, and got him his cup of milk which he drank while I read him a story. Once the story was done and his cup of milk was empty, we would normally go turn off his light, grab the boppy pillow, and he'd nurse for all of 1-2 minutes, before wanting to be put in his crib. But last night, after the story was read, we got up, turned off his light - and then walked over to his crib. I said a prayer, told him I loved him, gave him a kiss... and laid him in his crib. And that was that. He never even signed "milk", which he would do whenever he wanted to nurse.

I actually felt relieved that he didn't nurse - but guilty at the same time, because I didn't nurse my baby! But after telling Ben how I was struggling with my feeilngs, he reminded me that Monster never asked to nurse, either. So it's not like he was asking, and I just denied or ignored his asking. I simply didn't offer, and he didn't ask. Nothing to feel guilty about - we just both must be ready to be done. :(

It is a very bittersweet feeling. I am kinda glad to be done, and have my body to myself (for the next 4 months at least, haha!) and very proud that I was able to nurse Monster for 16.5 months. But it's another sign that he's growing up, and that special time between us is gone.

For those of you who breastfed your children - how long did you breastfeed? How did you feel when your kiddos weaned? Did you wean them, or did they wean themselves? Please share your experience!

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Why Do I Do This To Myself?

I just found the most adorable outfit for a little girl... the Paris Romper & Skirt Set.

See how cute this is?! It's a 2-piece set. There's the little romper, and then the sweet skirt. And it ties in back!

 

It's on ShopBelle.com for a normal price of $76. The current price: $54. But then there's a coupon code out right now (FINAL30) that takes an additional 30% off. That brings it down to only $37.80...

Which is still a CRAZY price to pay for a dress for a little kid! People that spend this much money on clothes for kids are either really really RICH, really really IN DEBT, or just plain INSANE. I'm none of the above, so I must, sadly, ignore this adorable dress.

And goodness gracious, I don't even know whether I'm having a girl or a boy! To spend over $40 (after shipping) on a dress for a little girl that I might not even have... no, I'm too smart for that.

But I still think it's stinkin adorable. And I want it.

P.S. - Look, there's a matching Reversible Sunhat, too!

*sigh*



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My Crazy, Kinda-Scary-but-Funny, HIV Test Ordeal

Well, the title sums it up pretty well! If you've ever been pregnant before, you probably know that one of the things your Dr.'s office checks for in the initial blood draw they take, is HIV. If you didn't know that before - you do now. :)

Warning - this post is going to be pretty long. I guess I just have a lot to say! But I can tell you that it's an interesting story, to say the least! And if you're ever one of the unlucky percentage of pregnant women who this happens to, then maybe my story will help you to not freak out like I did!

When I was pregnant with Monster, they did the test, and my blood came back HIV negative. No surprise there. I have zero risk factors for contracting HIV. Ben & I were each other's first sexual partners - and we are still each other's only sexual partner. I've also never done any drugs, so the only needles injected into my skin should have been sterile hospital needles used to draw my blood or give me vaccinations. I've never had a blood transfusion. And I cannot recall ever having been stabbed by a needle from a random stranger.

So fast forward to my first OB appt for this pregnancy. About two weeks after my appt, I get a voicemail from a nurse at my OB's office, asking me to call her ASAP. I didn't think anything of it - until I called. Dr. H wants me to come in to meet with her tomorrow to go over some test results. Tomorrow?! I have another routine OB appt in 2 weeks... what could be so important that I have to come in right away? What does she have to meet with me about that can't be said over the phone?! I of course start going over all the things they tested for in my head:

1. Pee test to confirm pregnancy. What if I'm not actually pregnant? That would suck. But with all my symptoms I doubted it could be that.
2. My Rh factor. I know I'm RH+, so it's not that
3. Drug screening. I know I don't take any drugs, so it's not that
4. HIV and other STD's. I know I'm HIV negative, and don't have any STD's, so it's not that.
5. Cystic Fibrosis. When I was pregnant with Monster, I was not a carrier for CF. So that couldn't change now, right?
6. I think there was another disease they tested for too... but it usually only affected people of Jewish decent, which I'm not. So it was likely not that.

I was at a loss as to just what my Dr. could have to talk to me about... but worried about it, nonetheless.

So finally, the next day rolls around, and I'm scheduled to meet wtih Dr. H after work. I get in the room, Dr. H comes in, sits down in front of me, and takes a deep breath. She tells me not to freak out about what she's about to tell me (and of course I'm getting more freaked out by the minute!). She goes on to explain that sometimes lab work has errors, and she really thinks that what happened is that mine had a error - so not to freak out. Yada, yada, yada. I'm getting ready to just scream at her to tell me because I can't stand the not knowing... and then she says it. "Your blood test came back HIV positive." - Wait, what?!? "But I really think it's just a lab error. You were HIV negative when you had Monster (just 11 months prior) so in the past year, have you travelled to a foreign country?" No. "Had a blood transfusion?" Nope. "Been poked by an unkown needle?" Um... No. "Taken any drugs?" No way.

She tells me that she was surprised when the results came in, so she called up the place that did the testing, and asked for further testing. The further testing came back 'Indeterminate' - how helpful! Not. She was told by the lab guy that their test looks for 9 markers in the blood. My blood had 1 of those 9 markers. Typically, patients that really do have HIV have at least 8 of the 9 markers. But, I had that 1. So it was 'indeterminate'.

So I'm told the standard protocol is to re-test my blood in 3 months, in case it was a lab error. So I schedule my lab date for 3 months down the road, and go home with some AWESOME news to tell Ben. (can you sense my sarcasm?) Good news is, Ben was still as sure as I was that I'm really HIV negative, since there would have been no way for me to contract HIV in the past 11 months. So we just have to wait the 3 months until the blood can be re-tested and all of this can be solved.

Fast forward 3 months. I get my blood re-tested. Fast forward 2 weeks later - I get a phone call from a nurse at my OB's office. She tells me that my blood work came back, and it's the same as it was last time. Meaning, positive/indeterminate. She tells me that my Dr. is going to be calling the Center for Infectious Diseases (doesn't that just sound scary?!) and finding out what to do next. So that's when I turn to my beloved Google. And guess what I found on Google? To sum it up, here's a blip from a website:

"Second and subsquent pregnancies in some women can induce nonspecific cross-reacting antibodies that can cause indeterminate or false-positive HIV-antibody test results. This potential confusion can be quickly sorted out by obtaining the appropriate follow-up tests."

Say WHAT?! So I wait for the call back from the nurse, hoping that my Dr. is going to obtain "the appropriate follow-up tests" for me. I get the phone call the next day, and I'm told that my Dr. has ordered a different blood test for me, and I can stop by the lab anytime to take it. I'm feeling pretty good about it now - totally sure that what I found on Google was going to be the answer to my problem.

Fast foward to 2 days ago. I had my regular monthly prenatal appt, and decided to do the blood work the same day, since I would already be at the office. I'm told that my Dr. doesn't know how long the results to this test will take, but I will get a call whenever they come in. Alright.. the waiting game again.

Well much to my surprise I got a call this morning! Apparently the results from THIS test only take 2 days. And the nurse said... "The results of your test came back... the viral load was negative." So I asked - what exactly does that mean?! And she told me the news I'd been waiting to hear confirmation of for the past 4 months... "You are HIV negative." Woohoo!!

I'm not at all surprised by this result, and in fact I honestly didn't expect anything other than this result. Because I know I have zero risk factor for having contracted it. The only possible way that I could have really been HIV positive is if Ben cheated on me, he got HIV, and transferred it to me. But that possibility really only crossed my mind once, and I immediately wrote it off. Because I trust him completely, and have no reason to doubt his faithfulness. But still, it was nice to hear the "official" diagnosis, and know that in my medical chart, the final result was in, and there would be no more testing.

So there you have it... the story of my false-postive HIV result, caused by the wonderful baby I'm growing!! Now I wonder if this will happen with each subsequent pregnancy, too, or if it's just a random thing?

Has anyone else had this happen to them? Or something similarly crazy?

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Giveaway at Adventures in Fluff!

Chana over at Adventures in Fluff is one talented mama! She sews the cutest baby essentials! Right now, she is giving away a Fluff-N-Stuff Burp Cloths & Wipes/Washcloths Gift Bundle on her blog!

The gift bundle that is being given away is a set of 2 'pocket burp cloths' - they have a pocket on the bottom to catch that wonderful spit-up runoff that would otherwise run straight down your back... eww! (All you BTDT moms know exactly what I'm talking about. Those of you without babies.... just wait. ;) haha! )
In addition to the 2 burp cloths is a set of 5 washcloths/wipes. These can be used a cloth wipes, if you cloth diaper. Or they can be used as regular baby washcloths.

Fluff-N-Stuff is the clever name she came up with for her gorgeous creations - and I know we're all going to be seeing a lot more good stuff come from Fluff-N-Stuff in the near future!  They are just so cute!

Well, enough listening to me talk about the giveaway.... hurry over to Adventures In Fluff and enter the giveaway for your chance to win!

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Saving Money on your Cell Phone Bill with Straight Talk

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Straight Talk for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's a basic fact nowadays - everyone has a cell phone. In fact, home phones are becoming obsolete, and I'd be willing to guess that within 20 years, nobody will even be selling home phone service anymore. Cell phones do so much more than allow you to keep in touch with your family and friends. They can entertain you with games, keep you from getting lost with GPS navigation, and even help you stay organized with the calendar and other apps.

But in order to do all of those great things, you usually need to spend a lot of money on your cell phone bill. Internet usage costs money... making phone calls costs money... texting people calls money....UNLESS you have an unlimited plan! Now, I know what you're saying right now - the unlimited plans are expensive. Well guess what? They don't have to be - with Straight Talk.

Straight Talk offers an UNLIMITED plan for just $45 per month! Unlimited minutes, text & picture messaging, and internet data usage. That's less than I'm currently paying right now - and I don't even have an unlimited plan currently.

But what if you don't want unlimited? Well, Straight Talk has other options, too. One plan that would probably meet my needs (since I don't use my phone quite as much as other people may) is the "All You Need" plan, which includes 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts, and 30 MB of data usage.

Straight Talk truly offers everything you need from a cell phone provider! And you can even keep your same cell phone number!
By switching to Straight Talk, you can be saving hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars each year. What could YOU do with an extra couple hundred dollars? I've got lots of great ideas.

Did I mention that Straight Talk is contract free? Raise your hand if you are on a contract with your current cell phone provider. I see you raising your hand! Well, with Straight Talk there are no contracts. That also means no termination fees or activation fees!

Do you ever need to call a friend or family member in another country? Then Straight Talk International Long Distance Service would probably save you even more money! It’s a flexible pre-paid service that allows you to make international calls for low rates – without surprise bills, since you Pre-pay for the time you want.

And just because Straight Talk isn’t a widely known cell phone provider (yet!) doesn’t mean they don’t have great phones to choose from! They have all the major brands, including Samsung, Motorola, Nokia, LG and more – including smartphones with all the extras. If you want to buy a Straight Talk plan for your young child or teen, they offer refurbished phones for as low as $10 – that include music players, cameras, Bluetooth capability, and even web access. You really don’t have to sacrifice quality for price with Straight Talk!
Last but definitely not least, the service is also reliable. They have amazing nationwide coverage, so you can rest assured that you will have service when you need it most.  The Fantasy Fishing Team even uses Straight Talk as their official sponsor… hear why they chose Straight Talk, and you may fall for Straight Talk “hook, line and sinker", too!

 So if you’re looking to save money in your budget, take a look at your current cell phone bill – and then do your research! Check out Straight Talk to see how much money your family could save.