Vitamin K2
Will this be the answer that I'm looking for? I remembered hearing somewhere that natto, the fermented bean dish that is a Japanese favorite, apparently has properties that can increase bone density. Not being sure if fermented beans would be to my liking, I did a web search to find out more about this and what in the beans made this happens. Turns out, it's believed to be Vitamin K2. I didn't know there was such a derivative, but sure enough, there is. Here is one of the better articles that I found: Vitamin K2 in bone metabolism and osteoporosis

I'll have to look into this further.
- posted by Anne @ 7:27 PM (0) comments

 
New doctor, bone density, breastfeeding, etc
Just so you know I'm covering a plethora of stuff here. ;) I saw a new family doctor yesterday and he was super-nice, I think I'll be with him for a good long while. We talked about my usual list of health issues, asthma (under control), depression (under control) and bone density--kind of hanging here, not sure what we're doing. As mentioned, I have osteogenesis imperfecta. I have low bone density. It's always been low, but it was quantified two years ago when I had a bone density scan. Why didn't a doctor suggest that I get one sooner? I don't know. Maybe I could've been on a bone-building drug a long time ago and not be worrying about this now. Or maybe not. I've had some indications that it's not good to be on one of those and get pregnant later. But I'm not sure about it. It's all so confusing. I'm sure it's not safe to take Fosamax (the most likely thing for me to take) while pregnant. What I'm not so sure about is whether it's okay for me to take while breastfeeding. I saw an OI specialist in Baltimore (Dr. Jay Shapiro at Kennedy-Kreiger, great doctor), and he felt that because of the high molecular weight of Fosamax, it wouldn't pass into the breastmilk easily and should therefore be safe to take while breastfeeding. It's also eliminated from the body within 6 hours of taking it. So, since Fosamax is only taken once a week, it seems logical that all I would have to do is get up in the morning, nurse my daughter, take the medicine, and not nurse her again for 6 hours, at most. She's 11 months old now, and goes longer between nursings (sometimes). Plus, she'll be eliminating the morning nap before too much longer (she nurses before napping). This should be okay, right? Well, my new family doctor, my old one, my GYN, all don't want to prescribe it for me because there's almost no research on a breastfeeding woman taking Fosamax. And no wonder, it's mainly for post-menopausal women. I wonder what the 37-pound woman who just had a baby takes and if she's breastfeeding. Probably not since her baby was so early.

So...here's another slightly crunchy conundrum...what do I do now? For many women, this would be a no-brainer. Wean her. She's almost a year old, no big deal, right? It's not that easy for me. My 3-year old son just weaned a little over a month ago. I want to nurse my daughter for awhile longer, too. I don't know how long, but I really, really want to keep nursing her. She loves nursing and it's so good for her. My sister has already hassled me about "doing what's best" for me. I DO want to do what's best for me, and maybe that includes continuing to breastfeed my daughter. Well, to be continued...
- posted by Anne @ 7:42 PM (0) comments

 
Why is this a "war?"
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/AmericanFamily/story?id=1648502&page=1
Good grief, the first line is awful: "An alarming number of woman....are staying home." Why is this alarming? I was also annoyed at how the women they featured on the show seemed to be willing to live and let live, but because it's "The Mommy Wars," they were prodded to talk smack about each other's choices. Of course, the worse was the "expert" talking about how educated women who stay at home are leading lesser lives. Bite me.
- posted by Anne @ 9:27 PM (0) comments

 
Hooray, I'm normal!
From "Are you a dork, a geek, or a nerd?"

Joe Normal 47 % Nerd, 47% Geek, 43% Dork

For The Record: A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia. A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one. A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions. You scored less than half in all three, earning you the title of: Joe Normal. This is not to say that you don't have some Nerd, Geek or Dork inside of you--we all do, and you can see the percentages you have right above. This is just to say that none of those qualities stand out so much as to define you. Sure, you enjoy an episode of Star Trek now and again, and yeah, you kinda enjoyed a few classes back in the day. And, once in a while, you stumble while walking down the street even though there was nothing there to cause you to trip. But, for the most part, you look and act fairly typically, and aren't much of an outcast. I'd say there's a fair chance someone asked you to take this test. In any event, fairly normal. Congratulations!

- posted by Anne @ 1:34 PM (0) comments

 
We can't decide what church to join. We moved about a year and a half ago, and continued going to the same church for awhile, but the drive is too long to be very convenient. So, we've been on the whirlwind tour of churches in our area. I have always been a Presbyterian, but I'm open to trying other denominations. There aren't many Presbyterian churches in our community and we've tried almost all of them. All have pros and cons, but we just can't seem to find that certain "something" that we're looking for. We know we want a church with lots of young families and programs for children and youth, a minister we can relate to, a good music program, friendly folks, and that "something." It just hasn't fallen into place. The one that's come the closest is a Lutheran church that we visited and all of the rituals there are a little monotonous to me. But maybe I would get used to it? I don't know. We've only visited one Methodist church, maybe we need to try more of them!
- posted by Anne @ 1:37 PM (0) comments

 
37-pound woman gives birth: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Health/story?id=1616224&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312 I share this as a woman with OI also (Type I) who has given birth to two children, neither of whom inherited the OI, and also because it speaks to me about just how powerful the desire to have children can be. This woman risked a lot to have a baby. My own risk was not near as much, but still, I could've lowered my bone density (tests seem to show otherwise) having two kids. I could've broken more bones delivering, but I'm clearly not that bad off. You go, Eloysa!
- posted by Anne @ 8:36 PM (0) comments

 
I really want to try to keep up with this thing more. I will try, I will.

I'm frustrated as hell with my boss. I am happily a stay-at-home-Mom now, but I still need to make a little money, and he said, as he always does, that there would be plenty for me to do from home. Aaaaand, I'm floundering for stuff to do and he is silent. He's turning in my hours, so I know he's getting my e-mails! *sigh*

My other money-making venture, which is struggling to come along, is my birth announcement/invitation/thank you notes/address labels (and now baptisms, too!) business, http://www.boffobabydesigns.com. A few friends have kindly ordered from me, but I need more! :P

And maybe someday I'll make some money at photography, too. Who knows? Stranger things have happened!
- posted by Anne @ 7:34 PM (0) comments

 

Vice President Cheney accidently shot a fellow hunter recently...what can I say, Hooray for the NRA!
- posted by Anne @ 9:48 PM (0) comments