Violet, where are you?

In an hour I will be 12 days past my estimated due date. Or 10, if you go by the internet's EDD instead of my doctor's. Either way...

SERIOUSLY??? You're killing me, kiddo.

Earlier in this pregnancy I had some serious doubts I'd make it to February. Then I made it to February and I thought, "Will I make it to my due date on the 4th?"

And then the 4th came... and then freaking Valentine's Day. And still, this kid is not budging.

And I'm not so happy about it.

I know that I should be. I should just be thankful I'm pregnant and healthy and that Violet is healthy. But there is something about being 38+ weeks pregnant. Once you hit a point {I say around the 38th week} you go completely irrational in your thinking. It's like being insane, I know the logical side of all of this, but I'm still absolutely crazed with all sorts of wild thoughts that make no sense.

For example, I am sincerely convinced that I'm going to be pregnant forever. At this point, I see no other possibility. I'm stuck in this state. Three weeks of nightly false labor is not helping, either. By the time this is over, Justin could very well have more hair than me.

I also see other pregnant women and think completely nasty thoughts towards them. I have cat fights with them in my head, "You think you're more pregnant than me?! NO ONE is more pregnant than me!"

Then there are the totally well-meaning family & friends. God bless them, they can't ask the simplest question about me right now without getting my wrath. {I spent a wonderful afternoon with my parents on Saturday, but to be honest when they showed up at the door looking shocked & commenting at the size of my stomach, I'll admit, I had some fairly violent thoughts towards them in that moment... looooove you.}

I'm sorry. I really am. It's just hard to handle all the questions & comments right now when I'm questioning so much myself...

Like, Is this ever going to end? What if I'm broken? What if I never go into labor? What is wrong with me that she hasn't come out yet? After all, I've already had one c-section...

I'm avoiding a lot of friends & family right now, also not going to church these days. I just can't face the "You're still pregnant?" and the "Where is that baby???"

I should be in the hospital right now, actually. I had an induction scheduled for tonight. At my appointment last Thursday my doctor handed me a card. "8pm, Tuesday 15th" it said. He doesn't want me going past 42 weeks {which I will be as of Friday - or Sunday according to Mr. Internet}. At first I thought, well okay! Here is a light at the end of the tunnel. In a week I will be holding my baby for certain, they won't let me go much further...

But as Tuesday approached, I found myself growing incredibly anxious. I didn't like having a deadline. I had a breakdown in the shower on Monday morning. Valentine's Day and I was bawling my eyes out and crying to God to please end this torture.

I realized that being "put on the clock" was stressing me out. Additionally, they technically don't have a great reason to induce me. Believe me, I'd LOVE to get this over with. However, induction creates a whole new set of complications, such as a drastically increased c-section rate and longer labors, more interventions. When I really got to thinking about it, I decided I didn't want to do the induction. I don't want or need a deadline quite yet.

My blood pressure is fine, glucose levels good, baby is active, ultrasounds good, weekly non-stress tests are good... why rush nature? I'm also not considered "favorable" for induction, which is never a good place to start, and that definitely raises my c-section chances. Even though I'd really love to end this... I just... can't.

I don't think my doctor is really very happy about my decision, but I don't care. I have to be patient, so does he.

Speaking of patience, wouldn't you know this is something I've been praying for in recent months? Ha! My impatience is what I consider to be one of my greatest character flaws. I'm horribly impatient.

So I've been asking God lately to "teach me patience". Again, the irrational side of myself is kicking my own butt right now for requesting such a lesson. What is wrong with me? The logical Heather inside of me knows it's probably good for me, like vegetables, because this is some serious practice in patience.

The logical Heather also knows, you can't be pregnant forever. As Psalm 139 says, I am "fearfully and wonderfully made", I can do this by the grace of God. Violet will come when it's time, because "all the days ordained for [her] were written in your book before one of them came to be..."

Here's to hoping that first day is NOW.

Cravings

{Meet my new boyfriend, Mr. Canada Dry}

They say all pregnancies are different, and at first with Pie #2 I thought it wasn't different at all but now I completely agree.

This pregnancy has been more nausea, more acne, and more cravings. INTENSE cravings.

And the problem with me being pregnant, something that makes me constantly grumpy, is that I am {most days} in a state of constant hunger. But with absolutely no appetite.

Hunger pangs hit me at least every 30 minutes, no matter how much I had to eat at my last meal. Eating is usually something I enjoy very much {too much}, but when pregnant, it becomes an absolute chore. A chore that I dread. About every thirty minutes I have to stop what I'm doing {because pregnancy hunger pangs are at least 10 times more intense than they are for non-preggos, trust me} and head off to the kitchen. "Ugh, I have to eat - again!" Not only that, but I have to find something to eat that won't make me vomit, and that is not always an easy task... I'm talking to you, Cheerios.

The good news is, since I have entered into pregnancy both times now a full figured woman, that my typical cravings for things like chocolate & junk food are replaced during pregnancy with cravings for healthy stuff {mostly}.

Fruit sounds better than baked goods.

A smoothie sounds better than a milkshake.

A salad sounds WAY better than a hamburger.

This is a good problem. This is how I managed to gain only 15 lbs when I was pregnant with Eisley, and dropped a whopping 45 after giving birth {here's to hoping I can pull that miracle off again, and perhaps keep it off this time? This time, I'm prepared, having been enlightened by one Ms. Geneen Roth.}

But then there are the weird cravings. Things that make me feel freakish. My husband still teases me about my habit during gestation #1 - soaking apple slices in Fresca before eating them. {It was soooo good!}

This pregnancy has brought on a passion for Canada Dry Cranberry-Lime Sparkling Water. I'm obsessed with Panera's French onion soup, and have it about 3 times a week on average. If my mister mentions grabbing fast food for lunch I scowl at him, "That's too greasy! Yuck!" {This is something I would not say were there no baby inside of me.}

But they're not all healthy cravings. Last night, 11:45pm, we had just crawled into bed when I sat up and announced, "Ooooh, pizza by the slice sounds SOOOO good right now!" He looked at me like I was crazy, and for a moment I did sincerely feel possessed. {Wait, what did I just say? That wasn't me!}

"Totino's?" He suggested.
I looked at him as if he'd just suggested I dye my hair green, "That's disgusting."

You see, very particular, pregnancy cravings are.

Yesterday also held in store for me an intense craving for Dr. Pepper, a drink which I have always loathed my entire life. Can't stand the stuff - but knock me up and Dr. Pepper is the new man in my life.

I mused during the first pregnancy at how you feel like a totally different person when you're pregnant, and I still stand by that belief.

All that said, sorry for another boring pregnancy rant/post. But - well - it is my blog. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find something to eat...

Miss California: my new hero

I'm not trying to start a debate here, but I just have to say, Miss California is my new hero. She stuck to her guns under HUGE pressure. I think it was incredibly unfair to give the poor girl a completely loaded questions - no matter which way she answered she would have upset people. This is a touchy topic in this country right now.

My opinion - I don't care whether two gay men living together are able to get the same tax and social benefits as my husband and I. However, to me marriage is a religious sacrament that I believe God intended to be between a man and woman only.

Finally, I adore the level of class and poise she exhibited. Whether you agree with her or not you have to admit she made her opinion known in a much more respectful way than Mr. CRASS P. Hilton who just offended millions of women by using the "c" word. For shame!

FREE!!!

There's two types of "free" I'm gonna talk about in this post. I'll start with the exciting one...

My sister alerted me tonite that the big O (and by that I mean Oprah... what'd you think I was talking about???) is giving away FREE Snapfish photo books (REALLY nice ones, I love Snapfish!) Not sure if there's a limit to how many they're giving away, but hopefully you can grab yours here: http://www.snapfish.com/info18

The second type of free I want to talk about is a bit of a mini-rant. Here it goes...

Tonite on the news I saw a blurb on a topic that, come every November/December, really grinds my gears! Yes. It was that stupid and dreaded topic regarding some complainers out there who find it "OFFENSIVE" for city property to have any Christmas themed decor.

Oh PLEASE!

I find it interesting that people seem more upset by the Christ Child displayed in public areas than the hurtful things all these politicians have been saying in the media during recent months.

Well I've got news for you complainos - and I honestly think there's a very small percentage of society that actually oppose the Christmas spirit, so I resent that the news even bothers to cover it, but hey they love a good controversy - this country was based on Christian values! Luckily, we all have the FREEdom to believe and practice whatever religion we like. But like it or not, it's practically a tradition with our government. Our forefathers were Christians. We've elected Christian presidents almost every 4 years. Our money even has the word "God" on it. Gasp!

But I just don't get it... what's so offensive about a nativity scene? The whole message of Christmas and the Christ Child is God's LOVE for humanity. You don't have to believe it, but why is it offensive?

Ok. I'm done. I'm trying to keep my rants to a minumum but I just couldn't help getting on my soapbox regarding this one...

Here's a picture of a certain cutie to cheer us up now:

Happy Voting Day

It's election day! Duh, right? I'm glad all the annoying commercials and mailings will now cease, until the next election season, that is.

Justin and I voted a couple weeks ago via mail in ballots. I used to register as Republican but this year when I registered to vote (since we've moved) I chose to be Independent. There's things I dislike about both parties....

That said, I voted for McCain.

He wasn't my favorite choice for the Republican nominee, but I tend to agree with him on most issues.

I disagree with a lot of Obama's stances. I disagree with a few of McCain's, too.

One of my biggest issues with Obama is regarding the abortion issue. Obama voted against banning partial birth abortions in 2007... yikes! I know, I know it's not really an issue on the ballots and they're not about to make it legal, but still partial birth abortion (actually, all forms of abortion) really bother me. And Obama stands for it. Thinking about it this morning after it came up on the news, I got all riled up inside. Above is a picture of Eisley in the womb. Her heart beat when she was just 5 weeks.

If you're Pro-Choice, I think it's only right and decent for you to know exactly what you're standing for. I won't go into it here, it's way too disturbing and makes me cry, but *I have* educated myself on what really goes on in partial birth abortions and IN MY OPINION (because it's my blog and I can opinionate if I want to) if you are okay with partial birth abortions after learning what they are, you are literally a monster in my eyes.

Think that's harsh? Then you obviously don't know what partial birth abortions are. It's a horrific crime.

If you're pro-choice but not for partial birth abortions, well, I don't get it. How can you say one week this baby can be slain, but the next week it deserves life because it's now old enough? Or is it simply the method we go about using to kill it? I watched a video recently of an ultrasound done during an abortion when the baby was only 10 weeks old... I won't mention details (even though I think if you're pro-choice you should be forced to learn them) because it left me utterly disturbed for days. Let's just say, that 10 week old baby fought for it's life, as much as a 10 week old fetus could.

In the case of rape, first of all, it's incredible rare that someone gets pregnant from rape. But I will say, I've met adults who were the product of rape. They are wonderful people. How could I say to them, your mother was raped and thus you shouldn't have been allowed to live? God promises in the Bible that He turns tragedy into miracles. This is the ultimate scenario for that!

So anyway, putting the abortion topic aside, I just couldn't bring myself to vote for a man with morals like that. It might not be a big issue to you, but it sure is for me.

Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you."
1 Corinthians 6:12-13 – “You may say ‘I am allowed to do anything.’ But I reply, ‘Not everything is good for you.’ And even though ‘I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything…But our bodies were not made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies.”

(And at the risk of sounding snarky... I don't think we should get to pick and choose only the verses we like and agree with in the Bible, after all. God makes it pretty clear where He stands, in my view of things.)

No matter who wins, I pray God continues to watch over my beloved country.

11 Things You Don't Say to a Prego

I find this list amusing, but also helpful. I've had it pretty easy so far. Surprisingly, it's mostly strangers who say the dumbest things to you when you're pregnant. Share this list I created with your friends and help them avoid the 'Wrath O Preggo':

1. "Wow, you're getting big!" Gee thanks, I wasn't feeling enough like a whale already.
2. "Are you sure it's not twins?" or "Are you sure you're not due sooner?" I've been lucky to have only heard the opposite ("You're all baby/looking great!") but tons of pregnant women have complained of this one.
3. "I've heard kidney stones are worse than pregnancy." Really? Did your kidney grow to the size of a watermelon over a 9 month period and give you hemorrhoids and kick your bladder?
4. Your labor horror stories. We've already got enough to worry about, so save it. (My neighbor actually did this to me last week.)
5. "You're just upset because of your hormones." Probably. But belittling the emotions I'm feeling nonetheless isn't helping.
6. "Should you be eating/drinking that?" Um, I'm not paying my OB hundreds of dollars so I can have some stranger give me medical advice.
7. "You're pregnant? Congrats! [insert unsolicited advice about breastfeeding/labor/raising children that worked for you here]."
8. "Wow, you're going to have a HOT SUMMER!!" Yes, summertime is generally hot. Thanks. (For the record, this has been one of the coolest summers in my opinion.)
9. "Oh boy. You have no idea what you're in for!!" Thanks for the support.
10. "Just think, it will all be over soon." That's easy to say when you're not the prego.
11. "Get your *own* ice cream." :-(

So there you have it, in case you were wondering, things you never say to a pregnant woman. This is for your own good, if you piss one off, her hormonal rampage is no fun to try and subdue.

Want to help? - Please read this one!

Of all the difficult times in my life, this is the time I feel most comfortable asking for help and giving commands. So if I may be so bold..

Here are ways you can help out (if you want to!) when Eisley decides to make her arrival. Probably all no brainers anyway, but in case you were wondering how to help:

* Make us a meal. A casserole or pot of soup or even take-out would be helpful, so new mom and dad can forgo having to cook and concentrate on settling in with Eisley. This would be the BEST thing you can do to help!

* If you want to stop by our house to visit, please call first to see if it's a good time. Don't wear out your welcome or be offended if we begin to push you out the door. But please *do* visit! We are social people and enjoy company. New parents just need it on their terms.

* If you stop by for a visit, help keep our house clean and don't leave messes. Or even better, offer to unload the dishwasher or walk the dogs or something.

* Don't tell us how to take care of a baby. We aren't idiots, and will learn as we go. We won't kill her. I promise!

* Be patient with us. Post-pregnancy hormones + new parents + crying baby = not always the most welcoming atmosphere. I apologize in advance.

* Make a peace offering of chocolate or the latest Martha Stewart Living/Kids.

* Accept the fact that Eisley's mom lean's towards the over-protective side and don't take it personally when I don't immediately trust other people alone with my baby for periods of time. We'll be taking you up on offers to babysit soon enough...

Aren't you excited?! I hope I'm not being scary. I just wanted to get it out there that we're not to proud to accept some help and charity when Eisley comes. My friends and family have all been great to us during the whole pregnancy, and we're looking forward to sharing the joy of a new little girl with all of you.

We were also going to ask a few favors.
* We'd love it if someone would make sure to pick up the newspaper on the day Eisley is born.
* We will probably need someone to check in on our dogs/cats during the hospital stay. Also to pick up our mail. (I think J's parents already said they could...)
* Please leave it up to us to announce Eisley's birth and stats once it's done and over. Although we don't mind anyone spilling the beans when I go into labor.

TMJ?!

So the last few days have been uncomfortable in a whole new way... I keep clenching my jaw. I do it during the night too, while I'm sleeping. Now my jaw is sore and my teeth can't close all the way. Sounds a lot like TMJ doesn't it? Something I've never dealt with before...

But out of curiosity, because why would this just start out of no where, I Googled "tmj pregnancy". I was shocked at everything that came up in the search! Apparently, some sort of pregnancy induced TMJ in the last trimester is somewhat common. I even found they're doing a study to figure out exactly what causes it in pregnant women. Although I have a feeling it might be stress related, due to my roller-coaster of a life lately.

Weird huh? I hope this one goes away soon. It's a pain in the ass.

Glucose test nightmare

So at my 28 week appt last Friday, I had to do the 1 hour glucose test again (I had done it early on in pregnancy and passed just fine with a blood sugar level of 112). This time I tested at 149, about 14 points over what the maximum can be. Looking back, I'm kicking myself in the butt for eating that Egg McMuffin right before my appointment. I thought the protein would be fine, but turns out that the EMcM has 30 grams of carbs in it, which might have made my level higher (they tell you not to eat sugar/carb before the test).

So, failing the 1 hour, I had to take the 3 hour glucose test. Not fun. They have you eat tons of carbs the days before the test, then you fast for 12 hours before the test. So I went in starving this morning (pregnant women don't do well 12 hours without eating) and that means I was nauseous. I get sick to my stomach these days when my tummy is empty. Then, they have you drink a whole bottle of sugary drink, which is best described as soda pop syrup. Then they have you sit around in the office and they test your blood each hour for three hours.

My fasting level, before drinking the sugar, was 84. That's totally good. They want it below 95, and my dad told me that around 70 gets pretty dangerous, so I was doing good so far.
But about 45 minutes into the first hour, I couldn't hold it down anymore. The sugar overload was too much for my starved stomach, and I threw up in the bathroom.

What does that mean? IT MEANS I HAVE TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN! The nurses pitied me, and they gave me a prescription for an anti-nausea drug... why couldn't they have offered me that the first time around???

And between the Egg McMuffin crap and the fasting level of 84, I'm wondering if I really need to be doing this anyway? I am at high risk, because diabetes is so prevalent in our family. But I have no signs of gestational diabetes either (other than the slightly high 1 hour level). Eisley isn't over sized, which is a sign. I haven't gained excessive weight (7 lbs total so far) which is a sign of GD.

Ugh... wish me and my tummy luck on Friday. If that anti-nausea pill doesn't work and I puke again I'm telling them too bad. I'm not doing this a 3rd time.

I used to like my job.... really

This is a disturbingly blunt and honest post... don't judge me.

I really did used to like, even love at times, my job. The kids were cute and fun, I was flattered that parents trusted me with their kids hair, and the money was so worth it...

That's all changed. I won't claim to have the hardest job in the world, I know all jobs have their stressors. But honestly - I really do believe it's harder than your average job. Sometimes it seems as if no one really gets it, there's a reason why 75% of beauty school grads drop hairstyling withing 5 years of being licensed. At work, I'm on my feet 8.5-9 hours a day, many times leaning over a shampoo sink or akwardly positioned around a kid who refuses to sit straight or look where I ask him to.

On busy days - which are common - I do anywhere from 20-30 haircuts. Unlike your typical hairstylist, I don't just have to keep 20-30 people happy. 20-30 haircuts at my job means keeping 40-60 people happy - because mom is my client too. And thats if fussy dads or grandmas don't tag along, which they often do. Most days, I at least have one child who screams and/or thrashes during his haircut. 90% of them move constantly during their haircuts. It's really shocking how much I don't mess up or cut a child- usually just my own fingers. If I don't keep up with the rest of the salon and crank those haircuts out in 10-15 minutes, I start to hear about it in our weekly meetings. Busy days I have to fight for my lunches, because families keep walking in for haircuts. Due to the kid friendly atmosphere, I have to fake a smile ALL DAY.

Now add 6.5 months pregnant to all that.

I'm not trying to throw myself a pity party, I realize plenty of people have worse jobs, and I chose this job. You can't deny, however, my job is stressful. And I think I'm losing it. I'm becoming burnt out. I've developed a short fuse with these kids since I got pregnant. And it's not like I just have a 2 or 3 year old of my own to deal with. These kids aren't mine. I don't love them. I don't think they're darlings. I'm not immune to being grossed out by the boogers and cradle cap and messy faces and stinky diapers - I'm not mom! Sorry.

Today I got mad at 3 different situations.
- The first was when a little girl, probably not even two years old yet, stuck her foot against by belly and pushed, annoyed that I was in her face cutting her bangs. The mother bear in me came out and I screamed at her in my head, "MY LITTLE GIRL IS IN THERE YOU LITTLE SHI**!" Please don't think I'm a horrible person for thinking that. At least I still kept my fake smile on...
- The second was a little boy (whose mother had a HORRID mullet) about 5, who kept demanding that I hand him the computer mouse as soon as he sat in my chair (the kids can play computer games during their haircuts). "Give me that! Give that to me!" He kept saying repeatedly. I grabbed the mouse finally and said, "'Please', you mean?" He said "Please" and I said, "You have to use your manners here!" Did mom hear? I don't know. But I hope so. She should be embarassed that her child thinks its okay to talk to adults like that. My mom would have smacked me if I had ever talked to an adult that way!
- The third was when I'd been trying to find a spot for lunch for about an hour, and I was starving and starting to get weak and dizzy. I was just about done with a haircut and there were no more clients waiting - I was about to be able to go to lunch finally! Then some mom walks in again with three haircuts... I can't leave my coworker with three haircuts. I strangled the mom in my head. She did nothing wrong. But I was just sooo frustrated.

Okay, so I admit it! I'm bitter. And I don't like it. I'm totally being honest here, and I'm not proud of what I'm saying. But this job has made me so bitter at people (particularly inconsiderate parents and their rude kids). That, and my back and hips hurt so bad after a full day of working, which is getting worse every week... that I'm thinking I can't do this any more...

I want to be a happy, nice person. This job is no longer allowing that :(

Jerk Husband of the Week

- If you read my previous posts, you know these "jerk husbands" of which I speak are NOT Justin or anything like him -

So this week, one lady talked about how her husband won't try and feel the baby because he thinks "it's gross" and is kinda weirded out by his wife's body. Of course, you can imagine how this makes his poor pregnant wife feel (during one of those vulnerable times of her life already).

GROW UP! I see on the TLC show Bringing Home Baby, sometimes the dads are all sickened by their newborns diapers and refuse to change them. Are we in 5th grade again? Do pregnant women have cooties? It's so flippin' immature and stupid...

These "men" make me sick! If Justin ever acted that way about my body or my newborn (not that he would, it's called maturity) I'd seriously smack him. Hard.

JERK HUSBANDS!

And let me clarify- NOT my husband. He's no jerk. In fact, every pregnant woman should have a Justin.

But since getting pregnant I've been talking a lot of my pregnancy message boards and women at work about their pregnancies and let me tell you...

there's a lot of jerks out there! I see them at work too, and hear about them. Families will come in on Saturdays and for some reason, little Timmy is screaming his head off thrashing around. Mom and I have him in a headlock, trying desperately to give him a good haircut. Where is dad? Glaring at us from the front of the salon or nearby and asking his wife why she "can't keep him calm?"

The women on my online forums talk about their husbands all the time: bitching over the pregnant wife taking up more room on the bed, going to strip clubs cause their wives aren't sexy anymore, complaining about the preggos not doing housework anymore and "Why are you so lazy?" (Uh, do you mean exhausted from growing your baby?) And yet what do they do when THEY feel sick? They become BIG FAT CRYING BABIES!

Where do these men get off shouting orders, making demands, and complaining from the sidelines while their wives do all the work of being pregnant! And it IS work.

And why do the women put up with it? I think it's no secret, I wasn't raised to put up with crap from men. And luckily it's not ever an issue with Justin.

He's actually the other extreme: reads my pregnancy books, constantly asks if he can get me anything, never complains about how I end up taking up 3/4 of the bed with my body pillow... Yes, he's doting, but doesn't the pregnant woman deserve it? It's one of the first pieces of advice I got from anyone after getting pregnant: LET people pamper you! It'll be the last time, since for the next 18 years you'll be doing the pampering.

Stupid jerk husbands [excluding Justin]... no respect for the work it took to bring them and their children into this world...

My HORRID HORRID day with MRSA! (aka, Superbug/Supervirus)

We often get sick kids in, but today's incident really took the cake...

I had a client walk in for a haircut, the little girl looked VERY ill, hunched over and walking like she had arthritis, her limbs were all bandaged and she had dime & nickle sized sores all over her face and body.

We get disabled kids with genetic conditions and all kinds of issues in all the time, however, and since mom was bringing her in, I just thought it must be okay. So I get her seated and she's shaking the poor thing. Her mom starts off by telling me I have to be really careful because her hair will fall out if it's pulled on hard, and her skin will tear and rub off if she's rubbed hard... okay...

Then she proceeds to tell me that I'll need to make sure I wash my hands thoroughly before and after the haircut because she has antibiotic treatment on her skin. At this point, I ask her if it's contagious (state board of cosmetology regulations prohibit me from working on anyone with anything contagious, from lice to your common cold) Mom says, "No it's not contagious but just make sure you have no open wounds on your skin." Which leaves me thinking, if it's not contagious, why would I need to worry about open sores?

So then I tell her, "Okay I just have to be sure because I'm pregnant and I am more limited to what I can be exposed to." (I could SMELL her medications, what if my baby is exposed to that?) Mom asks if there's another stylist who could do it, but ironically every employee at work today is pregnant. So the mom tells me, "You can wear gloves if you want but it's not contagious. She has a disease called MRSA."

RED FLAG! I've been hearing about MRSA, except it's better known in the media as the "Superbug" or "Supervirus!" For those of you who don't know much about it, it's an skin/staph infection that is resistant to all antibiotics and people usually DIE from this because doctors don't know how to treat it. And so I told her that if she didn't mind I'd prefer to ask call my doctor before proceeding just to make sure it was no risk. The mom said, "No problem, better to be safe than sorry."

So I go to the back room and call my OB/GYN on my cellphone, takes about 10 minutes and 3 explanations to assure them that although it's not an emergency, I really need to talk to a nurse or doctor NOW. Finally I get a hold of a nurse and explain the situation to her. She basically says that I should try and avoid it, especially for my peace of mind (I was once exposed to impetigo at work and worried for months about getting it!) and while I'm talking to her I realize, I have the perfect reason! State board of cosmetology prohibits me to work on ANYONE with an open sore or wound! This little girl had them ALL OVER.

So the nurse says well then there you go! So I'm dreading it but I walk back out to my station and say, "I'm so sorry but my doctor has advised me not to cut her hair." The mom started to get upset and tell me, "It's not contagious as long as you have no open wounds!" And I tell her that I'm just not comfortable with being exposed to MRSA and the medications she's on. (Also- hairstylists cut themselves during haircuts ALL the time, so what if that happened???) And so I also tell her that state board regulatins prohibit me from working on anyone with open wounds and that I could get fined or lose my license for doing so.

The woman unfortunately got very emotional and upset her daughter with her own reaction. The litle girl was about 6, and she was very very ill. It was so sad. I was holding back tears the whole time. Mom started saying things like, "She has less than a year to live and she's disabled and I can't believe you would treat her this way. You guys have cut her hair before. This little girl is a person and she deserves to be loved!" And was banging her fist on the front desk (the receptionist had no clue what was going on and another family is watching the scene.) and I just kept saying, "I'm so sorry, I'm just doing what I think is best for everyone's health and safety."

The mom demanded the owner's number and my managers which I willingly gave her. She finally left and I started to cry. The family that witnessed, thank goodness, the dad said, "I'm an EMT and let me tell you, you did the right thing! Especially if you're pregnant." That made me feel a little better. But I called my boss and manager to tell them what happened so they'd know before she called.

Luckily, they both took it very well and assured me that I did the right thing. My manager called State Board and the Public Health department afterwards to check wtih them, BOTH told her that you DON'T have to have open wounds to contract the disease, just skin to skin contact, and that I definitely did the right thing. That little girl should not be out and about exposing the general public.

Still, i can't help but feeling horrible for that little dying girl. But on the other hand, I have a little girl too now! I have to protect her and her mother. Not to mention my next 15 clients I had today that could have been exposed to MRSA too if I had done that haircut.

It was a really unfortunate situation for everybody involved. One thing I didn't expect, the mom called my manager later and left a message upset, but she did tell her that I was very polite throughout the whole ordeal. I'm just so thankful I have a great boss who stands behind me on this.

After they left I Lysol'd and Cloroxed myself, my station and door handles... you can never be too safe.

MRSA is a nasty, possibly fatal infection! In hospitals they quarantine people with it! So I am kinda irked that this mom thought it was okay to expose ME to it, and also that she told me to wasn't contagious- because it IS! And the only reason we've cut her hair before is because my co-workers didn't know what MRSA was. Luckily, from a recent Dr. Phil episode on the disease, I do!

Be careful everyone! Keep your wounds covered and wash your hands a lot. This "superbug" is SCARY! And today I got closer to it than I'd ever thought I would.

Do we *really* need anymore Aidens in this world???

I guess my job makes me super sensitive to the most common names. There are those days where I have 5 or 6 Jacksons or Olivias. But you know how many Jennifers we have in this world? Think of all the stars: Jennifer GARNER, LOPEZ, LOVE-HEWITT, CONNOLLY, ANNISTON, and ALL those Jennifers in your graduating high school class (if you were born in the late 70s or 80s). Really? Do we need anymore Jennifers?

So I took a look at the top baby name list for 2007. For boys, the top names were:
Aiden, Braeden, and Caden. Jayden was #7, but in '06 it was #4! COME ON PEOPLE! For girls, of course, the top names include Ava, Abby, Madison, and Emma.

I LIKE all those names! They're nice names! But when 75% of the population has that name, and because of the fact that I grew up Heather E. my entire life, I just can't bring myself to name my kids that. And to be quite honest, I admit it's not my business what you name your kids. But I *wish* there weren't SO MANY Emmas.

Can't we get a little more creative people? And so if you're wondering why I picked "different" sounding names -- you should be thanking me for not naming my kid Emma or Aiden!

Eisley will do quite nicely, I should think. It's not even in any baby names books.

On a final note to my rant. Let me just put this our there for all the pregnant women in the world! Be nice to us! Be considerate and realize that we're really not "normal" people during our pregnancies. I'm specifically sending this plea out to the mom at work last week who sat her DISGUSTINGLY POOPY DIAPER CHILD down in my chair and declared, "Oh! You're pretty stinky! Oh well, we'll change you after your haircut." THANKS for depriving me of oxygen for about 15 minutes there lady! But hey, pregnant women don't need to breathe, do they??? Hopefully my baby didn't suffer brain damage because I was trying not to use my super-human-pregnancy-smelling abilities on your child's fecal matter smell while cutting your little stink bomb's hair!

Okay. Again, I know it's a rant. But I kinda miss the "lost art" of child rearing that involves NOT presenting your children with snotty nosed, peanut-butter and jelly faces and poopy diapers to strangers. What?! You mean, not *everyone* automatically thinks your child is the adorable angel that you do? Imagine that!

I can't wait to be a mom. Lol.

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Heather

This is what I feel like. Because when you're pregnant, everything you identify yourself with changes. For example...

Heather sleeps through the night without a peep.
Pregnant Heather sleeps 2 hours. Pees. Sleeps 2 hours. Pees. Sleeps 2 hours. Pees.

Heather LOVES eggs. Fried eggs, scrambled eggs, eggs benedict.
Pregnant Heather starts to gag when she sees eggs.

Heather thinks Hallmark cards are cute. Like the one with a picture of baby feet on it that says, "Imagine where they'll go."
Pregnant Heather bawls her eyes out when she sees cute Hallmark cards. Like the one with a picture of baby feet on it that says, "Imagine where they'll go."

Heather has strong cravings for chocolate sometimes.
Pregnant Heather has strong cravings for all sorts of things. Like apple slices soaked in Fresca.

Heather loves broccoli.
Pregnant Heather can't stand broccoli.

Heather thinks that black and white fuzzy ultra sound pictures are interesting to look at.
Pregnant Heather thinks ultra sound pictures are the friggin' most ADORABLE thing that every happened.

And yes, I really did crave the apples and Fresca. I satiated those cravigns too... Justin gave me the strangest look when he saw me eating apple slices out of a mug of Fresca.

But can you see why I feel like another person?