Pregnancy – The Salty Exchange

Kendall: Inflation (Economically and Physically)

May 16, 2022by thesaltyexchangeLeave a Comment

Inflation… there’s that effing word again. It’s EVERYWHERE. But WHAT does it really mean? Well, I can tell you I don’t 100% know. I mean, I understand the basic concept and it’s effect on our economy… and my wallet. Other than that, I can’t give you a great economic break down. What I can tell you is how inflation has impacted me and how it may be impacting you.

I take after my mother in that I study my grocery bill. Over the past two years, I have watched price increases specifically at the grocery store. Let me tell you, there are a ton of increases. From my canned tomatoes to my favorite local steaks, prices have increased. Don’t even get me started on the price of milk. Apparently wanting organic milk for my family is going to cost me upwards of $6. Yup, I still pay it. We have been lucky and can keep buying what we need and want but I do keep an eye on a deal and the best places to buy certain goods. Luckily, I live in a really community centric area and we are aware the food shortage and price increases are a thing for many of our fellow Vermonters. So we are often doing food drives for our local food bank. From Thanksgiving meals to regular ole’ dropping cans and non-perishable items, we want to do our part to ease the burden that inflation can inflict. I don’t say that self-righteously. I am genuinely concerned that food is unattainable for people. Watching inflation and it’s impact on my wallet has made me more convinced that we need to figure out how to make more food and be investing in technology in which to do that. Some groups and studies say that by 2050 we are going to be in a global food supply crisis/shortage. Some disagree with this estimate. Regardless, I think the past two years of have shown us that stability in this category isn’t guaranteed and we need to figure out how to not only adapt but move forward in a positive way so that all citizens of the world can eat… inflation be da^*ed.

Another area of global life that has been heavily hit by inflation is gasoline. I drive a Volvo XC90. It requires premium. It’s annoying. Luckily, I don’t fill up often. But it still hurts when I do. Yesterday, I paid $5.29 a gallon. My final bill was $86 and change. That was about 12 days worth of driving… so not too bad but not great either. Wanna go on a trip? Be prepared for your wallet to take a hit. Tickets have been higher since the pandemic but have now gone up about 25% more. The International Air Transport Association has stated that in the past year alone jet fuel has gone up 150%.

Take all of the above and apply it to every basic part of your life: vacations, school, utilities, general budgeting etc. We are spending more and let’s be honest, it hurts! We feel it. Some say this is a great time to take some risks with the stock market. Full disclosure: Investing is all greek to me. But I get why people say it makes sense. I also get why it scares the crap out of people. Ultimately, you have to do what is best for your money and you should always seek the guidance of a financial advisor.

Know all of this? Good. I encourage all of you to be keeping tabs on your grocery and misc. bills and comparing prices. Why? Simple awareness. How often do you throw in a carton of strawberries and actually consider the price? It may or may not matter to you but you should know the market. It’s just good common sense. Here in Vermont, a lot of the state is on propane or oil. Propane costs are about to rise this next calendar year (starting in July). That makes me so grumpy because it’s already high, I have to have it, and I can’t do anything about it. On top of it, I really dislike my propane company. Most people I know do too but it’s nearly impossible to switch to another company with better rates and service without investing several thousands of dollars in tank installation, fill up, and man hours.

Speaking of inflation, I am inflating every day as I near the end of my pregnancy. This week marks my 37th week of growing my baby boy. My ankles have officially disappeared and my toes resemble pigs in blankets. My nesting urges are strong AF and the reality that my baby could really arrive any day has hit. In an effort to enjoy these last few weeks with my family and give my body some rest, I am taking a break from blogging, grocery store trips (thank you grocery gods for Instacart), and outings in general. It’s getting difficult to get in and out of my car with ease. And with gas being what it is, my checking account will naturally reap the benefits of staying home. I will be back on the blog in a few months. Until then stay safe, have fun in the sun, and just be happy.

Kendall: On Having COVID (In Her Third Trimester)

May 6, 2022May 6, 2022by thesaltyexchangeLeave a Comment

On the evening of April 8th, I tested positive for COVID-19. Here’s what happened…

On Wednesday the 6th, I started feeling like my allergies were coming back with a vengeance. This is a super normal spring time happening and it had been warmer and sunnier than usual. I could step outside and instantly react to whatever pollen was swimming in the air. Since 2017, I get an allergy cough that lasts for most of the hardcore blooming season. I didn’t think much of it. On Thursday morning of the 7th, I noticed my throat was scratchy. Again, this isn’t abnormal for me at this time of year. By Friday morning, I was exhausted. Since I am pregnant, this didn’t seem too off brand either. By Friday night though, I had chills. I instantly knew something was not “normal.” When I couldn’t hold myself up, I excused myself from our visiting family, my husband, and Rosemary to go upstairs and go to bed. I called my UVM midwife team. Please note: I had actually rapid tested at home for COVID-19 on both Thursday and Friday morning just to be sure because I am that super cautious citizen. After telling the midwife on call that my rapid tests had been negative, she told me I needed a PCR and that someone would call me the next day to book it. Me, trying to be on top of things, went on to our COVID state site where you can book that stuff. It wasn’t working (because, you know, technology and/or my lovely WIFI connection). Lucky for me, the site running the PCR tests happens to fall smack dab where a good friend of mine works. I called her asking if she had any ideas on how to make an appointment another way. Now, this wonderful friend of mine is super COVID savvy. She knows her stuff. Per her suggestion, I swabbed my throat (this is a thing… google it). Sure enough, I tested positive. The house went into lockdown. I went into quarantine. The whole family took tests- all negative!

Did you know that vaccinated and boosted pregnant women are currently 90% more likely to have breakthrough COVID than those who have cancer or have recently had organ transplants? Thanks to all of the baby sites I subscribe to, I had received this information earlier that week. I was (and am still) double masking because I know my immune system is down. I am still sanitizing after every trip outside of my car. I am still distancing from people who are generally sick because being pregnant in a pandemic makes me feel like the stakes are higher than when I had my first baby in 2018.

Anyways, despite my caution, COVID still knocked on my door. That’s how vulnerable I am. That’s how pervasive and transmissive these new strains are. According to multiple doctors and medical professionals I have since spoken with, getting the virus is just going to happen. At this point it is hard to completely avoid without going back into a lockdown.

OK, so being pregnant changes the stakes. Not only is my body going through some sh&% but add COVID into that mix, and look out! Friday night was a bad night. I was angry at having COVID. I was scared. I felt terrible; NOT in terms of the cold that was developing. My body felt so defeated, in pain, exhausted, and was experiencing chills. Sleep was hard to come by that night. I wasn’t hungry but my body was showing me signs that I needed to eat (thanks, baby boy). I was confused. My body just felt so… ground up. I felt like I had been spun through a pasta press and then put in a wood chipper machine. My cold, while annoying, was fine. Sure, coughing hurt but I could handle it. I couldn’t handle what my body was going through. The midwife had mentioned that as a high risk (read: pregnant) patient, I qualified for Paxlovid. Finding where Paxlovid was in stock and available was going to be a bit of an egg hunt. Supply has been low and what has been available has gone quick. Luckily, a friend knew it was available at a few local pharmacies and because of this, I was able to give my midwife some leads on Saturday morning. Within an hour, I had a prescription waiting to be filled. This is where I am putting on my unpaid Pfizer brand loyalty hat:

THANK YOU. Thank you, Pfizer. The Paxlovid worked. It really worked. I was sort of scared to take it since I am pregnant and there isn’t a ton of data available on pregnant women and this particular pill. But with the encouragement of my medical team and family, I decided it was worth it. And boy oh boy it sure was. Within 36 hours, I was better; not healed… but better. Able to cope. Able to move without wanting to curl up in a ball. Able to feel hopeful.

But of course as this was happening, my daughter got sick. Very sick. After swabbing her throat, she tested positive for COVID-19. Her symptoms were: fever, nausea, vomiting. We got her pediatrician on a telemedicine call within the hour. Chatting with her put her us at ease. Sure enough, with Tylenol, rest, light food, and water she had recovered within 48 hours and was back to being a regular toddler. It was during these first few 48 hours that my husband then got sick. While Rosemary and I didn’t have to quarantine from each other once we were both positive, I was not able to care for her yet. I was still too weak from my own battle with the virus. It was inevitable that my dear, sweet husband was going to get it. Despite wearing a real N-95 mask around her and me, he had the task of caring for her throughout that first night that Rosemary struggled with the virus. Within 24 hours he tested positive. And it did take a full 24 hours. He was negative the following morning but positive by bed time.

The relief at being able to hold him and sleep next to him paired with the Paxlovid made me feel better. I know, I shouldn’t say that. But it was easier on all of us to be sick together. By Wednesday, April 13th I was better and testing negative. While Rosemary had no symptoms after those first few days, she continued to test positive until day 7- Easter Sunday. Issy was sick for a bit longer. He had a bad cold and body aches. You would never know it since he managed to keep working, go to grad school in the evenings, and workout at 6:30 am most mornings. Unfortunately, the virus stayed in his system for a FULL 11 days.

Some of the big questions we get asked are 1) Do you know who gave it to you? 2) Was it as bad as they say? 3) How do you feel about COVID now?

Answers:
1) It doesn’t matter how we got it. We just did. We could try and pick a person or instance where we were exposed but it doesn’t matter… we still got it. “Blaming” someone isn’t really productive or helpful.

2) We each had different experiences. Issy hesitates on what to say. He says it’s too personal of a question to answer. I get that. And I agree. We can only speak to us and our experience. We realize people have lost their lives to this virus. We respect and honor them. We got through it. It was scary. But we got through it. We do not take that for granted.

3) I feel some relief that we’ve had it. Overall, I still feel the same. I am still double masking. I am still sanitizing like a mad woman. That’s just me.

What I want to drive home is how lucky we were that we were able to get our visiting family out and home safely. They never tested positive. So whatever we did or the timing of it all, we were lucky that the buck stopped with us. We were lucky that we had access to medical care. We were lucky that my sister and brother-in-law could run to the stores for us to grab medicines and even cake for me (yes, I was sick but I was also still pregnant). Neighbors brought us groceries and take out. Our support system here is strong. We opted to keep our journey with COVID off of social media and also didn’t tell a lot of people we were sick. This wasn’t done for any other reason than to protect the mental health of those we love. Worrying can be crippling. We didn’t want that- especially when we knew we were going to be ok.

Fast forward to today. We are good. Healthy. Baby Boy Arguello is doing 100% ok. Rosemary is back to her crazy toddler self. Issy never really changed. My aches and pains are now just regular pregnancy ones. UVM Medical Center is testing all placentas after birth to see if COVID has/had penetrated it. The chances are VERY low that it did. Like, super low. I am thankful for the Paxlovid. If you have any questions about it, PLEASE reach out to your doctor and care team.

Stay safe, friends.

Shari’s Initial Thoughts on Pregnancy

February 26, 2022February 28, 2022by thesaltyexchangeLeave a Comment

This week we did something big, we finally publicly announced our pregnancy. Most of our family and friends already knew and it wasn’t some huge secret but I didn’t want to post anything on social media (or The Salty Exchange) until after we got to see our little girl on the 20 week anatomy ultrasound. This ultrasound was the first time we got to see our baby since the 6 week ultrasound to confirm the pregnancy. Why is it that women aren’t able to have ultrasounds once a month at their OB appointments, huh? There are quite a few issues I have surrounding medical care in regards to pregnancy but I will save that for another blog post and I am sure Kendall will gladly chime in, ha!

My first trimester (like most women) involved several weeks of nausea. The best way I could describe it was 24/7 flu but without throwing up, just nauseous and achy… ALL THE DAMN TIME! After 2 weeks of that I called my doctor to request some pregnancy safe anti-nausea medicine because I was starting to feel depressed by how awful I felt. The only words of comfort to me at the time were, “In most cases, sickness is directly correlated to good fetal health,” or, “Just take the anti-nausea medicine, if someone judges you they have their own issues.” Luckily this part only lasted four weeks for me (weeks 6 – 11 of pregnancy) which happened to be during Thanksgiving time. By Christmas I was almost in my second trimester and already feeling better. The aversions to certain foods persisted into my second trimester but not nearly as nauseous inducing as they had been. My poor husband couldn’t eat ANY meat around me, which was hard for him because he is still eating pretty clean and that includes a lot of meat and veggies.

Along those lines, I now understand why women eat fairly terribly during pregnancy and it is honestly because NOTHING sounds or looks or smells good. I had these lofty dreams of eating salads and smoothies and making nutritious meals but when my nausea hit, I could barely make toast, let alone think of something nutritious that didn’t make me queasy. All that to say, I am glad that part of pregnancy is behind me although some women say some nausea comes back in the third trimester, I am hoping that isn’t the case for me. Another thing I’ve realized is that pregnancy is so incredibly different from person to person. My experience could be relatable to some and not to others. Some women brag about their easy pregnancies and what they credit their lack of symptoms to but that isn’t fair because not everyone will have the same experience and every experience is valid. Kendall told me multiple times when I was in the thick of my nausea, she told me to remember this part of pregnancy because too often women forget how hard and awful those moments are because they don’t last forever. I think that was some of the best advice because I can now empathize with other women in their first trimester who are dealing with the sickness that can accompany major body changes and fetal development. It’s no joke and it was helpful for me to know that I wasn’t in it alone and that other women understood my discomfort.

Now I transition into the latter part of my pregnancy journey. The end of the second trimester and onto the third which will be followed by (drum roll please) the birth of our baby girl. I am trying to stay open and positive about birth but I am not going to lie, that part of the process is intimidating too. I keep reminding myself that women are created for this. This week, seeing baby in the ultrasound reminded me that we are made to create, grow, and give life. Women are amazing. I am amazing. My body is doing something I can’t even fathom, honestly. Baby had her little hands in her face during the ultrasound, opening and closing her mouth… I could envision her doing that outside the womb with cute coo’s and baby squeaks to accompany those precious movements. I cannot wait to meet her, hold her and watch her grow, but I am also stopping in this moment to enjoy the process happening inside me; so intricate, so beautiful, and so primal. Pregnancy is wild. What an adventure!

Kendall: Pregnancy #2

February 3, 2022by thesaltyexchangeLeave a Comment

If you have read any of my other blogs about pregnancy, you might remember that I hated being pregnant. Like, hated it. I was in so much pain. Depression dominated most of the second and third trimesters. I was not myself. But… Rosemary was worth every single moment of that pregnancy. Regardless, I wasn’t sure I wanted to do that to myself or my marriage again.

For a while we were on the fence about a second kid. And then, we promptly decided it was not on the table. I would like to say this is where God laughed. The pandemic happened. We were locked down at home. It was during this time that my mind began to change. The COVID-19 pandemic showed me something super clear; if something happened to Issy or I we never wanted Rosemary to be alone. She needed a sibling.

We agreed to put off the “official decision” until Issy was done with graduate school. BUT in the spring of 2021, I knew that if a second baby was going to happen, it needed to be sooner rather than later. This wasn’t because I felt an urgent need for a baby. Honestly, I knew if we waited until the end of 2022/early 2023, I may not be up to it. It took a while for me to really become a stronger version of myself both physically and mentally after Rosemary’s birth. Our marriage has been in a super strong place (COVID brought us closer in every way rather than driving us apart like it did for so many). Everything just felt “right.” I didn’t want that to fade.

So, we took our time, talked to my doctor, and just started trying to have a baby. That’s code for “doing it” a lot. This fall, it happened. My first trimester was tough but not as tough as the first trimester in 2018. My food aversions were there but, once again, not bad. There were some bad days… but nothing compared to my 2018 pregnancy. We were excited to share the news with the people we love during the holiday season and, finally, celebrate something other than a vaccine shot.

At present, I am 22.5 weeks. I am feeling good. Everything seems to be in a good place. The nursery is pretty much set up (minus the artwork). Rosemary is beginning to understand there is a baby in my belly. She is beyond happy to sing her baby brother songs and give him morning kisses. For the sake of my mental health I am relieved that this pregnancy hasn’t seemed to take me down. It also helps that I am better at communicating my feelings and needs with the people around me. Talking to my girlfriends via Marco Polo has also helped. I feel so connected to them and oddly enough, a lot of us are all in the same place in terms of being pregnant or having children. It’s nice to have a tribe.

My current cravings include broccoli, strawberries, yogurt, strawberry cake, strawberry shortcake, chocolate covered strawberries, hummus, roasted carrots, and Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams. I get sleepy easily and my belly is starting to feel nice and heavy. While this pregnancy hasn’t been as tough, I still don’t love the whole process. I am just not that woman. BUT, I do have a massive appreciation for what my body is able to do and what it is able to handle. I feel stronger than I ever have despite the random aches and pains.

What (or should I say who) I am really grateful for in this whole process is my husband. He has been such a loving force for me. The other night I curled into him and started crying. I didn’t know why. My hormones just needed to get it out of my system and he was there for all of it. I love that he sings to the baby and reaches for my belly at night time. It’s peaceful.

I can’t wait to meet my little man.

Kendall On Depression During Pregnancy

July 21, 2020August 10, 2020by thesaltyexchangeLeave a Comment

I feel A LOT of shame about this topic. Like, a lot. Everyone always talks about postpartum depression… but no one talks about depression DURING the pregnancy. It’s very real. And it feels very shameful.

For starters, I had a really tough pregnancy. On top of a lot of the regular things your body goes through, there are other things that can happen. For some, it’s no big deal and for others, it is a super big deal. Pregnancy wasn’t the experience I had hoped for- and that’s ok. I don’t look back and hate any of it, but I do acknowledge that because of those experiences, I am not sold on having a second kiddo.

**I want to say that I never felt any sadness about Rosemary during her time in my belly. She actually brought me a lot of peace. For this, I am grateful. I am grateful that I didn’t have any unhealthy anxiety over her or dark thoughts about her. She was my solace. I also want to say that my husband took such wonderful care of me during this time. He showed up to EVERY appointment, made sure I ate, and even drove me to therapy. He entertained guests so that I didn’t have to when I wasn’t feeling well. He was, and is to this day, my rock. Unfortunately, the following events are really tough for our family to talk about because of the fact that I was in such a dark spot. I know he shoulders a lot of responsibility (more than he should- but it’s who he is) and despite all the care and comfort he was indeed providing, it was not enough… and the hard truth for me to own is that I don’t know if anything would have qualified as enough. It isn’t logical… sometimes issues of mental health aren’t easily defined. I was not myself. I was not in a good place. I was in so much physical pain and tried to hide a lot of it from him. I was also very good at hiding a lot of my feelings from him because I didn’t want to burden him or bring him down into the trenches. Was keeping him out the right thing? Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe a lot of what I was feeling might have felt less… less crazy if I had let him in? Maybe I would have not felt so “dark?” Maybe. All I can say is that I am grateful for everything he did for me. He loves me more than I sometimes can comprehend. Israel is my better half and he always will be.**

The dark haze started when I was 4 months pregnant and more specifically, after a group of girlfriends visited me in Spain. Seeing my friends was so amazing and I had not realized how much I missed having fellowship with the women who knew me, accepted me, and lifted me up. I loved laughing, having super smart conversations, and showing them Spain. When they departed I realized how much I had adapted to being alone in Spain. Sure, I had Issy. And sure, I had friends… but it wasn’t the same and I didn’t realize how much my heart needed those women that loved me for me as me. I realize that may sound crazy but having people that knew me as my own self and had witnessed me grow up was actually essential. It validated me and made me realize how much I missed witnessing their lives and celebrating their successes and comforting them in times of need. I missed that fellowship. As I was processing that, my pregnancy started to get tougher. And as it got tougher, I felt more alone, more crazy, more unworthy, and more inconsequential. I knew something wasn’t right (years of working on my mental health finally paid off and I was able to notice some important signs). I think I also felt more alone than usual because I didn’t have my mom. That was hard for me. I couldn’t really talk to anyone the way I needed to talk to my mom. I didn’t have my mom and I didn’t have my friends.

It was in June of 2018 while we had company that my mental health got really bad. Part of it was what was going on inside of my brain and part of it was that I was left to myself a lot. Issy is a great host and took charge of showing off everything Valencia had to offer. I couldn’t do a lot of the things our guests and my husband were doing because I was just so damn uncomfortable and life in the Spanish heat made me more irritable. This is no one’s fault… I blame the sun and my ever persistent need to have to pee. It didn’t take a lot for me to just feel… inconsequential. I couldn’t rally to stay up late and hang out or go out and party with friends. I felt so lame. I was so tired (my exhaustion lasted through my whole pregnancy- it was super uncomfortable). Thus, I was alone. And when I could do things, I really didn’t want to. Truth be told, I wanted to… but I literally could not. I was blessed enough (insert an insane amount of sarcasm here) to have SPD, a kind of pelvis issue, starting in trimester 2. Walking literally hurt so bad I could feel my hips pulsing with pain and my pelvis grinding because they were so stiff. I was also lucky enough (NOT) to experience my first UTI during this time in the pregnancy… this would become 1 of 5 UTIs. AND NO- it’s not because I didn’t keep “it” clean. My girl, Rosemary, just liked to lean a certain way in my womb. Each time required an emergency visit to my doctor or the ER to check the intensity of it because it is not uncommon that an untreated or severe UTI can cause preterm labor. Luckily, mine were never that bad; just painful and treatable with an antibiotic… which I had to take… 5 times. Needless to say June was the start of me really not being ok. After having several bouts of painful Braxton Hicks contractions brought on by stress, I knew I needed to get some help.

Normally, getting help wouldn’t be a problem. BUT… I was in Spain. I relied on my husband for most of my translations with bigger things like medical stuff. I could shop, dine, taxi, and converse with neighbors and other NATO families just fine (with a little help here and there) by myself… but medical stuff… I could not. I needed a therapist. And I needed them to speak English. Luckily, I had the BEST doctor. Dra. Marisa Montesinos Carbonell is amazing and she was able to help find me one that did speak English. Talking to someone did help. More than anything, she made me feel not so crazy.

I still struggled. I didn’t feel like myself. And if I didn’t feel like myself, I know I wasn’t acting like myself. Issy won’t say this, because he is too kind, but I know he didn’t know what to do with me. I never wanted to take him away from the things that made him happy so I rarely ever said “no” to anything. I said yes to everything and ended up resenting those decisions. I didn’t want to go over to people’s houses and sit in the uncomfortable Spanish heat. I didn’t want to pretend I was happy when honestly, I wasn’t. I was so upset at doing things I didn’t want to do. I hated having to leave early so that I could go home and just sleep. AND, I hated doing that even more because I always went home by myself. It made me feel more alone and more screwed up. Honestly, it made me feel unworthy. That feeling alone is super complex to remember and it’s something I won’t be diving into right now. Even remembering this particular feeling is painful and brings me a lot of sadness. Normally, doing all of these regular things would have been fine… but between the pain and what was going on in my head, I was a mess. None of these feelings are a reflection of ANYONE who was in my life at the time. Truly. All of what I was feeling was a dark haze of crazy in my head. And I was lucky enough to recognize that… which is also why I did opt to be alone a lot (even if I struggled with that loneliness). To me, it was better to be alone and process my feelings than to drag anyone into it with me… including, the love of my life.

As my final month of pregnancy began, a lot of those feelings started to go away. Happiness began to feel more “normal.” I actually enjoyed being pregnant. Granted, I still had one last UTI and my hips were so stiff I could barely walk in the evenings after a long day without a few tears… but, I had a better handle on all of it. I also just had a feeling that everything was going to be ok and that those feelings and emotions I was struggling with were behind me. Thank goodness I was right. I ended up not having any postpartum depression. Sure, I had a few moments where I felt the surge of hormones but never anything extreme or beyond what I could reasonably handle with little effort. For that, I am grateful.

When I look back on my pregnancy, I get emotional. I suppose this is because I remember being depressed. I remember feeling alone, being treated differently, and being in so much physical pain ALL THE TIME. I don’t look back on the time with a lot of fond memories. With that said, I do look back with a little bit of longing. Feeling Rosemary in my belly was a constant. I felt her kicks early on. I felt her move and swish every day. She made me feel not alone. She made me feel happy and strong. That connection is something unique to her and I.

Something that my pregnancy experience also taught me was that everyone has an opinion. Everyone has an opinion about what your labor experience will be like, what you choose to feed the baby, the things you decide to purchase for the baby (and what they cost), and how you choose to parent. This is totally normal. Everyone is pulling from their own experiences to give you a story of what it looks like. Usually they mean well. Sometimes you can feel their judgement of your decisions and/or experience or even their desire to live vicariously through you. It was a little overwhelming and honestly, at times, irritating. It did teach me about what kind of support I want to be to friends who are pregnant. I don’t really care too much about how anybody does anything. I just want to be supportive! I want to be a safe place for someone to say, today is amazing and here is why OR to say, today sucks and here is what I am feeling. Sure I have opinions on baby swag and feeding stuff, but I don’t think anyone really cares… I am not putting my experience or preferences on anybody… unless they ask!

Currently, Rosemary is crying up a storm because I took the book “Go Dog Go” away from her. I didn’t want her using it as a teething toy. Obviously, I am an evil mama. Just kidding. She will get over it. She was worth it all. Every. Damn. Thing.