Happy 5 months!

Today Hank is 5 months old. Wow. He is so awesome. Unfortunately for him, he is teething. It feels like he is getting his fangs first. Did I already tell you that? Most babies get the bottom front teeth first. He slept 6 hours straight last night, then 2 hours. But the 6 were great.

Total non sequitur, I googled thumb extensor pain and after performing the Finkelstein test diagnosed myself with de Quervain's tenosinovitis. I just did some more googling on treatments, and apparently this is common in new moms. I first irritated it at least 9 months ago while carrying 2 x 15 pound dumbbells in each hand. My right hand could handle it, but my left hand could not. But if I was carrying around 4 x 15 pound dumbbells I had to be pretty early in pregnancy. Apparently hormones released during or surrounding breastfeeding tend to prevent it from healing. Along with picking up an ever heavier baby, it stays irritated. That is my experience. Couldn't find a consensus on whether you can have a cortisone shot while breastfeeding. It looks like no, but I also found many women who had had one. I tried ice and that made it feel worse. Weird because it's inflamed and ice reduces inflammation. Heat feels good except that it's hot outside and wearing a heat pack on your arm makes you HOT. Although, the past 2 days have been unbelievably not unbelievably hot. Amazing.

Happy declaration of independence day! Brad is glad we don't have to bow to the House of Lords. I wouldn't mind afternoon tea, myself. But, I am glad we have fluoridated water. No, I think Britain does also, now. But we (Michigan, actually) were WAY ahead on that one. E.g.
Shane McGowan