Get ur freak on

I don't usually watch America's Got Talent, but yesterday, while flipping channels, I paused at the show. It seems likes it's American Idol (America votes and the results show is tomorrow) and Star Search (a bunch of random talent, not just singing) combined. I saw a pretty good magician, a rapping granny (who really wasn't all that bad except for her red dress with voluminous skirts, but I guess that's her schtick) and this freaky dance troupe on stilts called Stilt World. Does anyone else watch this show? Is it going to be as big as American Idol? Who were your favorites? David Hasselhoff, Brandy, and some British dude are the judges. Confession: the Hoff looks GOOD.

Behold the Power of Tubes

After my son came home from the ear tube surgery yesterday, he was a bit fussy as the anesthesia wore off. But after lunch and a power nap, he was full of happy energy. Boo Boo was so fascinated by the sound of his own voice yesterday that I don't think he stopped talking all afternoon unless he was eating. He screeched and yelled, he babbled and cooed, and everything was a big joke. He was in such a good mood. And then, right before bed, he took his first three steps. He slept pretty well last night too. Maybe they were magic tubes?

I feel good, it's a fine day.

On Friday night, our little family of three went to my company softball game and then out for fajitas. Boo Boo was in a fabulous mood and for once, we were the parents that made it look so easy. A bag of Cheerios and a sippy cup of water was all it took for Boo Boo to enjoy the dusty innings. He even waved his arms and yelled when our team scored and flirted with another little girl that was there. At the restuarant, we handed him an iced tea spoon and it amused him for a good twenty minutes while we munched on chips, salsa and queso. This was what I had imagined parenthood would be like before I knew the realities of teething and ear infections. I wish it was like this all the time, but I guess I wouldn't appreciate it if it were so.

On Saturday, Boo Boo and I went to our Gymboree music class. He’s 10 months old now and I think I’m going to switch him to Music II next week, because he seems a little bored, other than when its time for bubbles, which rock his world.

Saturday evening, some girlfriends and I went to see the Paul Simon concert. It was raining pretty hard early in the evening as we had some cocktails and PF Changs for dinner, but by the time we got to the show, the rain was gone, the sky was clear, and a cool breeze, if you can imagine one in a Houston July, had decided to hang out for the evening. The show was amazing. Paul Simon sang some songs from his latest album, including How Can You Live in the Northeast?, but my favorites were all the oldies he did. In addition to Cecilia, Mrs. Robinson, The Boxer, and Bridge Over Troubled Waters, he played several songs from Graceland. I really wanted to hear Further to Fly or She Moves On from my favorite album, Rhythm of the Saints, but it was a great show nonetheless. He was such a cute man too, much shorter than I imagined, and had the coolest hand gestures as he sang. Not the talk-to-the-hand-while-I-belt-out-the-high-notes gestures like Whitney Houston or Celine Dion. It was like his hands were swimming and dancing and skipping along as he sang. It was so nice to have an adult only girls night out. We talked about books, college, decorating, our kids, our jobs, and it felt great.

Sunday we mostly hung out with Boo Boo and bright and early Monday morning we took him to get his ear tube surgery. It looks like everything went well and he can already hear better! I’m so glad.

Lunch and Hearing Test

Yesterday I had lunch with Becky. We had a great time. We talked about our jobs, our kids, and other blogs, as I figured we'd do, but we also discussed where to get the best bread pudding in Houston (Brennan's) and shared some Park and Ride adventures. It was a fun lunch, and I think we are going to do it again soon.

I left downtown after lunch to pick up Boo Boo and R and we went to the pediatric ENT's office to get a hearing test done. For those that have never had one on an infant, here's what they do. First, they used a tool that looked like a regular othoscope to shoot some sound waves into his ears. It was so they could see how much his ear drum vibrated. There was a monitor attached, and a normal ear drum's vibrations show a series of mountain peaks on the screen but for both Boo Boo's ears, the lines were flat as a pancake. This meant that both ears were completely filled with fluid. The fluid prevented the ear drum from vibrating, and thus there was no signal for the brain to interpret, so he isn't hearing.

Then they took us to a sound proof booth. Boo Boo and I sat in a chair in the middle of the booth. There was a speaker in front, back and to the sides of him. They gave him a toy to play with. Then the technician called his name, whistled, barked like a dog, and said hello at varying volumes from varying speakers. The tech was watching to see when and how often Boo Boo turned his head to the different sounds. Boo Boo completely ignored the lower tones, engrossed in his toy. He could hear some of the louder ones, especially when they said his name, but he would sometimes look in the wrong direction. His hearing is at 50% of a normal child's, so the tubes on Monday are definitely a good idea.

I was feeling a little sad for my boy who can only hear my voice as though he has ear plugs on or is underwater. So when he woke up at midnight, we brought him to our bed and let him sleep with us. This morning, I woke up, gently got out of bed, put a pillow next to him, and went to go brush my teeth. Five minutes later, I hear a thunk, a wah!, and R calling me. Yes, Boo Boo had rolled off the bed and on to the floor. We have a high bed with a deep mattress, so its about 4 feet tall. I have a little step stool to get in bed. Luckily, he missed the step stool, and landed on his belly like a cat, so his head is fine. And he stopped crying as soon as I picked him up and was his sweet cheerful self, grinning and babbling. I felt horrible though. So I dressed him in a cute shirt. I put him in his little chair and tried to get a good picture.

I took one okay picture and then... you guessed it. He fell out of the chair. What kind of mother am I? I think his equalibrium is really off.

Open letter to President Bush...

Go read this.

Cuteness overload

Remember when I blogged about how much Boo Boo loved to drink water ? He also loves to wash his hands.

What is it with water and this kid? Have you ever seen a faucet bring so much joy? Maybe some swimming lessons are in his future.

And remember when I blogged about how much much he liked to climb things? Last night he climbed into the dishwasher while we were cleaning up after dinner. It was kind of gross to see him crawling in there, but since he was already in, I had to take a picture.

I'm blue (da ba dee da ba die)

So yesterday R picks up Boo Boo from day care and the teachers tell him that he fell and bumped his head. No big deal, right, kids scrape their knees, its all part of growing up? But his teachers said that he usually has a great sense of balance and they thought it was odd that he fell while cruising along the little snack table. Boo Boo generally stands without holding anything on our laps, in bathtub, and other surfaces that his uncoordinated mama would surely have slipped on. The teachers said that they are glad we are getting ear tubes on Monday because they think the fluid in his ears is messing with his equalibrium. He woke up pretty about every 90 minutes last night even though we brought him to our bed where he usually sleeps much more soundly. I don't want to build up these ear tubes into some miraculous savior but I am so hopeful that a lot of these problems will go away once they are in. The surgery is Monday, and I just want him (and our household) to be better.

In other Boo Boo news, he is clapping now, and saying "ta" (in addition to "da" and "ba", so we are expanding his vocabulary). I can't believe how big he is getting and how fast he can climb up the stairs. Yesterday in bed R and I were talking about the early days when we first came home from the hospital. I am glad we are past those exhausting days. I am reading a book called The Time Traveler's Wife. It's about a guy goes backwards and forwards in time and views his younger and older self living life when he has moments of stress in the present. It's really a love story, not science fiction, and its very good. The protagonist can't change the past, he can just observe it over and over to get a better understanding of it. I asked R if he had the choice to do it all over again and have a kid or not, would he still make the same choice. R isn't sure.

There are some days I would do it again in a heartbeat. It's all worth it for the smile, the excited hug, the funny face. I have a nurturing part of me that loves to take care of my Boo Boo. But other days, I'm not so sure. I think that's pretty normal. I had lunch the other day with a girlfriend who is pregnant and expecting a baby in September. People keep congratulating her and asking her "Aren't you just so excited!?!" Her response has been that she's happy, but she confided in me that people seem disappointed in her response when they see she isn't over the moon with giddy glee. That's kind of how I feel about my baby. He makes me very happy, I take care of him and love him a lot. But there are lots of other good things in my life too. He is one of my joys.

When Boo Boo was about 10 weeks old, I went to a Christmas party with two girlfriends who were already moms. We were talking about how a marriage changes with a baby. My friend said that as much as she loves her husband, if he and her baby were both drowning and she could only save one of them, there's no question in her mind that it would be her baby. "Really?" I remember asking her. I told her that I might feel that way one day, but was not there yet. I'm still not there.

I'm feeling reflective and melancholy today. I can't get the picture of the suffering Lebanese out of my head. Is that hard to reprimand Israel's disporprotionate response and call for a cease fire? I wish the President would take his blinders off and have a broader world perspective. How long before the hawks say sorry Lebanon, we are just trying to liberate you from the Hizbullah, and actually, it's Syria and Iran who are supplying them all these weapons, and those guys were on our Axis of Evil list anyway, and we are getting kind of tired of the whole Iraq thing, so lets just shift our focus.

Sampling for dinner

I needed to stop by Kroger after work yesterday, and I took Boo Boo with me. I was there to get a couple of things for brown bag lunches during the week and some chicken that I was planning to make for dinner. I strapped Boo Boo into the Baby Bjorn carrier and we stopped at the deli to get some deli turkey and cheese for sandwiches. They let you sample pieces of what you buy to make sure it is sliced at the right thickness and I fed the cheese sample and the turkey sample to Boo Boo. Then we stopped by the produce section to get some oranges and bananas. They had cut up cantaloupe samples and so Boo Boo got fed two pieces of cantaloupe. On my way past the bakery, I saw they had free samples of French bread, so he got a piece of that as well. When I got home, he had had a few Cheerios and a few peas and dinner was done! I never knew I could feed a kid a pretty well-balanced dinner just from free samples. But I'm not the only one. According to this article some people actually go to Costco and plan on having lunch from the free samples! Me, I'm just a busy mom who goes with the flow.

Give peace a chance

I was going to write an update post about my fun weekend, but that is coming later. Right now, I am really saddened by what is happening in Lebanon. Beirut was just recovering from the massive bombings in the 1980s and I read an article recently in The Economist that called it a model for democracy in the Middle East. The Israeli actions are extreme and excessive and will only create further chaos. Israel seeks the dismantling of Hibullah, but what good does destroying Lebanon do when Lebanon was too fragile to deal with Hizbullah when it was whole, seven days ago? Should an entire nation suffer the wrath of Israel because of Hizbullah? I know there are widely varying opinions to answer that question. The President has offered muted support for the Lebanese but has supported Israel's right to defend itself. The problem with George W. Bush's War on Terror is that it paints the USA into a corner. We cannot join the British and the rest of the world in seeking peacekeepers and intervening to stop the disproportional violence because that would make our own response to 9/11 seem unjustified.

Updated to share this funny article sent to me by my sister about a G8 meeting in Russia today. The President uses a bad word while talking to Tony Blair and munching on a roll, and then thanks the British Prime Minister for a sweater.

Biaxin Banana Adventures

Boo boo is now on Biaxin for what is hopefully his last ear infection for a while (we are getting ear tubes a week from Monday). If you've ever taken Biaxin as an adult, you know that even in tablet form it leaves a really gross aftertaste in your mouth. Boo Boo, ofcourse, has to take it in liquid form which is even nastier. In the past, we've been able to put his other medicines in his bottle with formula. On his first dose of the medicine, he refused the bottle and made a face, even though we paid Walgreens the $3 to get the Biaxin banana flavored. I thought it might better to hide the medicine in something banana flavored, so I mixed up some cereal and stirred in two oz. of Gerber bananas, and then added the medicine. He delicately but forcefully shoved the spoon away. Finally, I put the medicine in a banana flavored YoBaby organic yogurt and that disguised the bad taste enough for him to take his medicine. It's a good thing they give you a little extra at the pharmacy. The medicine is to be taken twice a day, too! :( I guess we'll be stocking up on yogurt.

Go Valerie!

New lawsuit filed by Plame against Dick Cheney.

The one where I ask for help from other bloggers and then end up talking about comics...

I've only been blogging a short time and I don't know a lot about the code that goes into making a blog. I really just picked a free blogger template and started typing. So to those of you who know more about all this, can you tell me how to figure out who finds your blog on Google? I know there is a way to see the IP addresses of those that read your blog but don't comment, or what searches led folks to your blog. If it's not too hard, I want to set it up for mine, and I'd appreciate any advice via email or in the comments. We'll save the questions about tags and Flickr for another time.

To switch topics without a nice transition like my English teachers taught me, I heard on the radio today that Houston has passed up Chicago for the honor of the third largest city in the United States after New York and Los Angeles. But unlike NYC and LA, we are a one paper town. The Houston Chronicle is always slammed for being either too conservative or too liberal in the Letters to the Editor section. There is a lot of media consolidation these days, especially since people are reading their news online. I did like it back when had the Houston Post too, just for competition and perspective. But the Chronicle's pretty good.

The one thing that rocks about the Houston Chronicle is the comics portion of their website. You can go to here and build your own comics page by selecting the strips you like to read. Then you can save the url in your favorites, and just open that link each morning for that day's comics. Miss a day? No problem. You can read the strip you like for a whole month back. Even the Comics Curmudgeon, which has funny commentary on the story line of several comics that you can search for by strip uses the Chronicle's build your own comics page. His remarks about For Better or For Worse and Cathy are especially funny.

I like reading some comic strips not just because they are funny, but because I've kind of grown up with the characters. I have watched the kids in For Better or For Worse grow up, get married, and have kids of their own. It feels real to me. I've watched Daryll and Wanda's brood expand from just Zoe to Hammie and Wren in Baby Blues and any new parent can tell you the strip captures the authenticity of having a baby. Even Cathy, who struggled every year with diets in the summer, her accountant in April, and bathing suits in the summer finally got married to Irving as a small part of me cheered. As silly as it sounds to get emotionally wrapped up in a comic, I was really excited when Aaron Hill finally kissed Luann, and sad when he moved away. Jeremy in Zits makes me grin because I know we've all treated our parents as though they know nothing. Sure I read Family Circus and Ziggy, but I don't like those strips as much because the story doesn't continue. The children never age, and you can pick up a year later and it all still makes sense. What's the fun in that? What comic strips do you like?

Tragedies

Several bombs exploded in train stations accross India today, and yesterday's plane crash in Pakistan left no survivors. The bloody Taliban is back in Afghanistan, although the U.S. in considering cutting troops stationed there.

A good friend is going through a difficult loss. Makes my complaints about ear infections seem minor. It's 7/11. I hope someone is having a good day.

Meme time!

Stephanie over at Pickleness tagged me with a “20 Things I Hate” meme before Independence Day, and it has taken me a while to come up with a good list. Jennster pointed out that hate is not a nice word, so here is my list of 20 Things I Strongly Dislike. And my inner Pollyanna cannot help but expand the list to 20 Things I Love.

20 THINGS I HATE (or really dislike)

1. Shaving my legs --I wear pants mostly. But I've been known to run to the store in shorts and stubble. Deal with it guys, women have hair on their legs.

2. Incompetent people --why do you cash my payment checks, Southwestern Bell, but not have a credit show up on my account for months? And why, when I called to add my husband's name to the phone bill so he could complain about the late fees you incorrectly charged me, did you add his name on the second line of the address label, covering up our street address but leaving the city, state and zip, so the next three months of bills never showed up?

3. Rudeness --please, thank you, and good manners are important. I hate when people answer the phone by saying "yes." Or when you say "hello," after picking up the phone and the person calling says "Is so-and-so there?" How about greeting the person, identifying yourself, and then asking to speak to the party? I always say, "Hello, I'm FFF, a friend of X's from work. May I please speak with her if she's not busy?"

4. The freaky conservative --if you like fiscal responsibility, that's one thing. But if you want to talk to me about being saved, or want to adopt frozen embryos, I'm not that into you.

5. Knowing someone is mad at / upset with me.

6. The smell of burps, sweat, and what people smell like after they've been outdoors even if they aren't burping or sweating.

7. Phone trees --I just don't believe you when you say your menu options have changed.

8. Ear infections

9. The feeling of foundation and powder on my face. Sometimes I wear it and when I wash it off at the end of the night, I feel like my face is not weighted down and I always feel like I look like "me" again. I'm not really a make-up girl.

10. Racism, bigotry, discrimination.

11. Contact lenses. I hate poking my eye, and feeling them on my eyeball. I have a disposable pair for when I want to get dressed up, but 99% of the time I wear glasses. So I also hate rain on my glasses and my glasses fogging up in the Houston heat and humidity when I get out of an air conditioned car. (Incidentally, I LOVE air conditioning).

12. Not having enough time each day to to myself so I can read, blog, do my own thing. And when I DO blog, I hate lists not getting posted on time because Blogger is down.

13. Staples in the tags of my dry cleaning. Use a safety pin, or put the tag through the button hole and staple the paper!

14. When people mess up the triangle vacuum cleaner marks I made when I vacuum. Perhaps this should be on a different list: 20 ways in which I may display OCD tendencies.

15. That stupid Arms Wide Open song by Creed. Yes, the birth of a child is miraculous. But could you been any more whiney?

16. Doctors who keep you waiting that don't take the time to answer questions and explain things even when you come prepared with a list of questions.

17. People talking louldly or on a cell phone on the bus when I'm trying to nap. Those glorious 35 minute naps are a necessity, people.

18. The panicked feeling I get when I'm lost. It happens often.

19. Mosquitos. Unfortunately, they love me!

20. Ear infections. Oh, did I mention this twice? I guess this might be worthy of the word HATE. So there.

20 THINGS I LOVE

1. Free samples, gift certificates, coupons, sales, a good bargain. Actually, best feeling ever is deciding you really love the black pants even though they really are kind of expensive for $39.99, but they fit so much better than the ones on sale for $24.99, sucking it up and mentally committing to spend the 40 bucks only to get to the register and have them ring up for $19.99. Fabulous.

2. My digital camera . It's so nice to not have to worry about taking pictures and worrying about if the shot is worth 1 out of 24.

3. Earning praise for a job well done.

4. The Leapfrog Learning Table. It has given my son hours of entertainment. Thanks to CGK for the tip!

5. Collecting magnets from all the places I've traveled.

6. The feeling after you work out . Red cheeks, tired but proud. Too bad I don't feel this way that often any more!

7. Making people smile and laugh. Especially Boo Boo.

8. Buying the perfect gift

9. Pretty stationary, cool pens, an occasion appropriate stamp . You cannot send out bridal shower invitations with flag stamps, in my opinion. That's what the love stamps are for. For my mama friends who got mother's day cards from me: did you notice my stamps featured the Muppets?

10. Perfume sets with the matching body wash and lotion --an extravagence, but such a good deal!

11. Pakistani/Indian food. Ah. My comfort food. There's also all kind of other food I love, but I promise, this list would get too long!

12. No hassle, no reciept needed credit card look up returns at Target (Macy's is going to be doing that too. As sad as this Houstonian is about losing Foleys, that will be AWESOME).

13. Getting a new Newsweek or In Touch Weekly in the mail and reading it after a hot shower on my bed with the ceiling fan on high. Or a good book on the couch when its raining with hot chocolate. I love reading, period.

14. My family and friends. Goes without saying. And, disclaimer. This list is not in order of importance.

15. Matching stuff. I dont like buying say, Dove shampoo and Pantene conditioner. I try to make sure my son's socks go with his outfit. And you have to buy the wallet that goes with the purse, folks!

16. Making to do lists and crossing things off. Such a feeling of accomplishment. I make a to do list at work each morning. I often make one for the weekend errands too. And if I do something I needed to do, but it wasn't on the list, I add it just so I can cross it off. Is this something everyone does, or does it go on the OCD list too?

17. Going out to lunch during the work week. It's a perfect break to the day and way to stay connected with my friends. I get good advice from people who know me outside of my current job.

18. Singing. I suck. I often get the lyrics wrong. I annoy R when I do it on road trips. And when I start with Christmas carols after Thanksgiving. But its fun! I try to always have music on in the background.

19. Getting Pedicures. I also like the cool tile on my hot feet after coming home in the Houston summer.

20. Ultimate TV. Like TIVO, but you can record two shows and watch a third. I don't get to watch TV as much now, but before Boo Boo, I could tell you with a straight face, it honestly CHANGED MY LIFE.

I tag Melanie, E-Lo, and anyone else reading who wants to do this meme!

Boo Boo Likes Bubbles

Boo Boo is becoming increasingly mobile. He can stand for a good five seconds, cruise around on the furniture, and crawl super fast. But he’s also started trying to climb all kinds of things, including his swing:



and the dryer:



as well as end tables, chairs, and other assorted household furniture. So I thought it would be a good idea to take him to a Gymboree gym class where he could crawl through tunnels, climb up on slides and jump on trampolines. For the most part, he was pretty unimpressed, and seemed scared to crawl through the tunnels.

But when we got to the bubbles and the parachute at the end, he was beyond fascinated:

We previewed the music class too, and he seemed to like the smaller group structure better, so we signed up for a 10 week session. I met a couple of really nice moms there who work during the week and bring their kids to Gymboree on Saturdays, and we traded some war stories about day care germs while our kids played at the end of the class. The songs were a little silly, but Boo Boo liked the instruments, and it's a way to get some quality mommy and baby time in. It can't hurt to take a music class if we watching his language development and hearing in conjunction with the ear infections he's had. Hopefully, this will be fun for all. R gets a break, I potentially make new friends that I have some things in common with, and Boo Boo gets music time. I hope the kid can develop a better sense of rhythm than I have. I can barely clap and stomp in time to “We will, we will, ROCK YOU.”

Enron

So, does any one think that when Enron was being investigated Ken Lay bought large life insurance policies with a short suicide exclusion, was found guilty at trial, went on a nice vacation, said good bye to his loved ones, and then, as friend put it, "took one for his family?" He had a good 60 odd years, why mess up the end with prison? His conviction gets vacated, his assets aren't seized, and then there's the insurance money for his wife. He takes some pills, brings on a heart attack, and when his wife gets him to the hospital he's pronounced dead in lovely Aspen. Convenient timing, eh? Just askin'...

Totally Tubular

We took Boo Boo to a pediatric ENT yesterday to discuss the possibility of tubes. He has had 5 ear infections since January, but the last 3 have lingered for over a month, so he's been on antibiotics a lot. The doc says that right now, he's probably hearing like his head is under water, and that if he's had this many ear infections in the summer, winter might be kind of miserable. He wants to do a hearing test in a month, and if there is no improvement, we'll get tubes.

I was pretty concerned about tubes before talking to the ENT. I had thought that "tubes" meant shoving plastic into the Eustachian tubes to keep them open, but now that I know it is actually just tiny (smaller than mechanical pencil lead) tubes in the outer ear to drain the middle ear, leaving the delicate inner ear alone, I feel more comfortable. Apparently, they even fall out on their own sometimes. We are on a wait and see with the ENT. I just want to get the little guy feeling better and avoid any language delay. I'm still waiting to hear him say Mama.

Ketchup

It's been a week since I've updated this blog, and a lot has been going on. My parents were in town last week and they left on Saturday. We had some friends come over for Chinese take out Saturday night and got to visit with their 8 week old baby girl.

Sunday was a day of cleaning and laundry. We also filled out some change orders with our builder for the new house. R will be getting a 5 foot garage extension, and I will be getting a little seat in the shower. I cannot wait to be able to sit to shave my legs! I have the worst sense of balance and when I don't have my glasses on, have lathered calves, a razor in my hand and streaming water, lets just say it will be safer to sit. I might even do it more often!

It has been raining since Friday in Houston and it was dreary all weekend. I worked a little bit on Monday and Tuesday but the days were mostly spent hanging out at home with a ear-infected Boo Boo. He has a new Leapfrog playground toy that he's really digging. I went to the grocery store while R watched him and made a big pot of chilli. Lucky me! I got to go to the grocery store without the baby! Rock on!

Excuse the sarcasm. R and I went through a bit of depression on Tuesday, and we are still working through it. As we sat around and comforted a clingy child this weekend, (he's going through an age-appropriate, annoying yet sweet Mama phase) it sort of hit us that the lazy Saturdays of sleeping in, going to get a late breakfast, running to Target, catching a matinee and then going out to dinner are no more. And that's sad. It may have been replaced by other good stuff. Better stuff, even, maybe, like chubby thighs and toothy grins, and one day, soccer games and picnics. But my life was pretty fun before kids and now its different, and often, I miss it. I miss us. We are different now, focused on the baby. We are tired, and so we argue over little things. At the end of the night, when Boo Boo is asleep, we silently hug in the kitchen, gathering strength from each other in darkness to do it all again the next day, thankful for each other, because there is no way we could do it alone.

A lot of moms I know talk about how much joy their children bring to their life, and how they'd do it all again in a heart beat. I hear those mamas, and I often feel the same way. But the thing is, I liked my life before kids. Friends tell me to hire a baby sitter and go out for a "date night." But seriously, that feels kind of lame. Because we used to do it all the time before. R and I tell each other at least once a day how lucky we are. But sometimes, it gets like this. Where we feel we are just getting through the day, not happy or sad, just surviving. And at times, it doesn't even feel like me, because I am generally a smiling, happy person.

You don't often hear about these low patches. Everyone knows about post-partum depression, but what about just the daily grind slowly wearing you down bit by bit?