What's w/ these rocks?

Well, today was a beautiful day outside. So mom & I took the kiddos outside. Rachel wasn't a big fan of the sun and wind, but we rigged a tent for her in her umbrella stroller. Simon on the other hand LOVED every second of it! I had forgotten some cold things on the counter at home when mom picked us up, so Simon & I walked to my house. The walk to my house is mainly downhill from mom's, so it was pretty easy, however, it is fairly long - maybe a 1/4 of a mile. Simon ran the whole way. Of course he absolutely LOVED it. We got our stuff & popcicles and started back. Initially, Simon still thought it was fun. There are some mud puddles that we call 'gunk pits' b/c of his favorite show (Bigfoot presents Meteor & the Mighty Monster Trucks). He was also still fascinated by the tracks Andrew's Bronco leaves in the dirt. However, we got to the point where we had to start climbing & he didn't think it was so much fun anymore. He wanted me to carry him, but of course that wasn't really an option. He made it up the hill though I just had to pick things that motivated him.

It wasn't until we got back that I had big signs of trouble w/ the foobs. They felt like they'd doubled in weight and were throbbing. They also felt *really* hard - not just to touch, but actually hard from the inside (my chest wall). Of course, silly me hadn't taken any pain meds since 7 am (it was going on 2 pm by then). They're doing better now, but note to self - take pain meds b/4 walking a fairly long distance.

I also had trouble w/ them this morning b/c last night I'd used some gauze to keep the bacitracin ointment on them over night. I went to pull it off as I usually do & the left (good) one started bleeding like crazy. The gauze stuck to the scab & started pulling it off. Luckily I noticed b/4 I'd completely severed the connection. I doubled up on the gauze & went back to bed (this was at 7 am for Rachel's morning feeding). By the time I got to take my shower (around 11 am) it had loosened enough on its own to come off w/o any effort on my part (or using the shower). Needless to say I was *very* gentle on the left side today!

The right (bad) side seems to be doing a bit better. It seems like I can get some blood flow by gently scrubbing at it. I'm not 100% sure if scrubbing is actually recommended, but to my way of thinking that's what you do to something that's not getting enough circulation. If you think back to when women were fainting all the time (b/c their corsets were too tight) they'd always vigorously rub their wrists & hands. I think people still do that in some instances. Plus, I'm using baby wash-cloths w/ plenty of bubbly soap to make it less rough. Since I personally think there's improvement, I'm going to continue - at least until Friday's verdict.

Well, I'd better go let these rocks on my chest rest a bit. I'm tired & the kiddos are in bed. Andrew's waiting for me too. Good-night/day!