Lessons Learned This Week

It's been a tough week of lessons for me.  I remembered a quote that was on the chalk board (ha ha) when I was in school:

Life gives you the test first and then lesson second.

I tried looking up who said it, but it looks like it's just down as "conventional wisdom"...which means someone who isn't famous said it, I guess.

Well, things I've gotten tested on this week are:

1. Alcohol-free hand sanitizer.  Sounds like a GREAT idea.  Non-drying and still cleans your hands?  Well, don't keep it in your car during a Minnesota winter because it's the alcohol in those things that keeps the fluid from freezing.

2. Just because you're almost done breastfeeding doesn't mean your breastpump is going to last.  Murphy is right:  things are always worse at the inopportune moment.  After nearly two years, I don't suppose I should be surprised that a little motor with (let's see here...15-20 minutes per pumping, 12-14 pumpings per day for roughly 300 days straight...) 1400 hours of use would decided it needed to have a heart attack.  But frankly, did it have to be right in the middle of a snowy, last-minute shopping day?!?

3. Just because you rent a breastpump from the hospital doesn't mean that they're going to get it to you any time soon.  While I understand that oxygen is a higher need than squeezing the milk out of my swollen, burning boobs, it doesn't help that the only people you're talking to are MEN who can't possibly understand; because if they had first-hand knowledge of how it felt, they would find some way to get you that pump sooner.

4. Evidently, it is always possible and permissible to go to the ER to use their breastpump while you're waiting for your convenient home-delivery.

5. The pumps that the hospitals rent out often don't work.  MEN "test" them before delivery by plugging them in the wall.  But as I found out, this does not guarantee that there is any horse-power behind the machine noise.  If you do decide to rent the pump, make sure that YOU test the pump before the driver leaves or you'll be getting in the car at 8:30 at night going to BabiesRUs to get a new one because Target is out-of-stock.

Oh, and I must not forget:
6.  DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH EMPIRE TODAY CARPETING.  That's another story.

Fun Week, huh?