Emily and Ethan - Best Buds - So Far

The first professional pictures (by JCPenney) of Emily and Ethan - taken when Ethan was one week old.

Ahh...sibling love. Let's hope it lasts.

Isn't she such a ham? Ethan, on the other hand, doesn't seem all that interested.

Little Brother holding onto Big Sister's finger.

I like this one...plus, you can still see the hair on Mr. E's back. (It's gone now, but it sure was funny while it lasted!)

More sibling love...and little brother disinterest!

Holding "bwuddah".

One of my favorites.

Mr. E and Miss Em...the dynamic duo!

Going Back In Time...and Pictures

One thing that I always regretted was not taking Emily to have professional photos taken when she was a tiny brand new baby. (Trust me, we've made up for lost time and then some with pictures since then!) I didn't want to make the same mistake this time, so we took Ethan in for some pictures when he was one week old. All of the following photos were taken by JCPenney. (We own the copyright now.)

Above: My absolute favorite...cradled in Dad's hands.

I always wondered how people got pictures like this with newborns. Turns out, you have to have a laid-back baby. (No wonder I couldn't figure out how that worked when we had Miss Em!)

This one (Above)

just cracks us up. If you've ever seen "Seinfeld", Ethan's pose is reminiscent of George's pose in the "Timeless art of seduction" episode!

I wonder what he's thinking?

Tiny feet in momma's hands.

Just hangin' out, relaxing with his little self.

Developments

Well, it's been an eventful week. As I look around my house, it looks like absolutely nothing got done and a particularly destructive tornado hit most of the rooms. The laundry has piled up again. This is mostly due to the fact that I spend any laundry time trying to keep up with Ethan's spit up...

Which brings me to the newest development: Mr. E is no longer just spitting up, he's moved on to bigger and better (?) things...projectile vomitting.

The first time it happened, I believe it was after he had been crying pretty hard while I was trying to get ready after my shower. He was fed, changed and otherwise clean and healthy, but just angry that I had to put him down for a few minutes. He cried and cried and then projectile vomitted all over his (just bathed, I believe) self. Not just a little spit up this time, but very mobile puking. Oh what fun.

Over the next 3-4 days, he continued to have at least one or two episodes of projectile vomitting in addition to his already copious spit-up. Since he is already on Zantac for acid reflux and the vomitting was getting worse, I made yet another trip in to the pediatrician, with both kids in tow.

Of course our usual pedi. wasn't in (we almost never hit a day when she's in despite the fact that she's in the office 4 days a week), so we saw another doctor. He examined Mr. E and talked with me (all while Emily never stopped talking and Ethan was crying). The doctor finally said that he thought we should do an upper GI for Ethan and that, if he hadn't eaten in two hours, we could probably do it right away. Well, as luck would have it, it had just been two hours since I last fed Mr. E and the hospital could fit us in, so off we went.

After walking nearly a mile through the hospital while carrying a 10 lb. baby in a 10 lb. or so carrier, and trying to keep Emily moving with me, we finally made it to radiology....where no one could find the order that was supposed to be faxed to them. We waited (with a hungry baby who wasn't allowed to eat) and a hungry nearly 5 year old who had no food to eat (it was lunch time) and me, who was hungry as well and trying to keep both kids from totally losing it.

The doctor's orders were finally found (about an hour later) and we proceded back to the radiology room where the techs immediately informed me that Emily could not be in the room with us. This is where the hungry Miss Em and the angry Mr. E both lost it. I had to literally choose which kid to stay with, and since both were in tears and I wanted to know what the test would show, I needed to stay with Ethan. So, I did my best to reassure Emily that the nurse would take good care of her and that I would not leave her and she left, with a quivering chin and tears in her eyes. Mr. E kept crying.

In short, the more serious condition that the Doctor wanted to rule out was indeed, ruled out and no structural abnormalities were found after the barium swallow (yuck!). However the doctor seems to think that significant acid reflux (GERD) is the cause of Mr. E's troubles. His solutions, however, leave me feeling rather uncomfortable.

Basically the options were to A.) thicken his milk with rice cereal, which is pretty darn near impossible to do unless I pump every feeding, and which I have since read, is no longer an accepted treatment for reflux as it only seems to reduce spit-up but not the acid, and may actual make it more likely that Mr. E would aspirate his spit-up, or B.) give him a medicine called Reglan, which helps empty the stomach faster, leaving less to spit up, but again, not really fixing the underlying problem of too much acid. Along with not really fixing the problem, Reglan has some pretty serious potential side effects, in particular neurological ones such as uncontrollable twitching, which I am highly uncomfortable with, since anyone who has ever spent much time around an infant can tell you, they already twitch a lot, so I'm not sure how I would distinguish a problem in time.

So, all in all, I think I'm not going to use the Reglan and will probably try to talk with my regular doctor and ask about something a lot less controversial to try first, like Prevacid or Prilosec...or even formula.

This parenting thing is hard. It's hard to try to make the right decisions when you just want your child to not be in pain. I can only begin to imagine the decisions that parents of very ill children face every day.

It reminds me that I am very, very blessed...and yes, the house is still a mess and may stay that way for the forseeable future, but our kids are healthy and generally happy and that's what really matters in the end.

One Month Old (a Day Late!)

Ethan:

You are one month old today. (8-17-09)

Hopefully we will take pictures just like this in your crib each month and watch you as you grow.

You weren't too sure about this photo session and were a bit less than thrilled, so this is the best picture we got.

You seem to enjoy bath time and hardly fuss at all. We keep a nice warm wet washcloth on you and spray you with the shower to keep you comfy. You are pretty laid-back.

After bathtime, we wrap you up in your puppy towel and make you all warm and cozy and cuddly.

I'm pretty sure you like being cuddled in your towel! You even have a bit of a smile in this picture.

Did I mention that you're easy-going? Here you are asleep on mommy's lap, in your "thinker" pose. You like to sleep...and that makes us all very happy.

This month, you have:

* Grown from 7 lbs. 14 oz. to just about 10 lbs.

* Started to sleep up to 5 hours at a time at night (not often, but once in a while)

* Started smiling at us (not just in your dreams)

* Sometimes you actually laugh out loud when you sleep

* Nearly outgrown the newborn size diapers

* Worn almost all of what we thought was an extensive wardrobe, multiple times, due to extensive spit-up from reflux (yikes!)

* Caused daddy and mommy to change their clothes multiple times, due to the same spit-up issues. Mommy is very greatful for the new, huge-capacity washer and dryer

* Found your hands and you love to suck on them. I think you really prefer them to the pacifier

* Love to swing, but still aren't sold on riding in the car. Sorry buddy, but you're going to have to get used to that one!

* Officially made us a family of four

My favorite thing about this month? Definitely the on-purpose smiles. They make all the late nights and crying worth it. Very worth it.

*

Just For Laughs

I've seen church bulletin bloopers before but these are new and pretty good...so enjoy!!


Those Wonderful Church Bulletins Thank God for volunteer church ladies. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services (Summer, 2008 Release). ----------------------------------------------------------

1. The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.

2. The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.' ----------------------------------------------------------

3.Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King. ----------------------------------------------------------
4.Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands. ----------------------------------------------------------

5.The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict. ----------------------------------------------------------

6.Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say 'Hell' to someone who doesn't care much about you. ---------------------------------------------------------

7.Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help. ---------------------------------------------------------

8.Miss Charlene Mason sang 'I will not pass this way again,' giving obvious pleasure to the congregation. ----------------------------------------------------------

9.For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.. ----------------------------------------------------------

10.Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get. ----------------------------------------------------------

11.The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: 'Break Forth Into Joy.' ---------------------------------------------------------

12. Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days. ------------------------------------------------
---------

13.A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow. --------------------------------------------------

14.At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.---------------------------------------------------------

15.Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones. ---------------------------------------------------------

16.Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children. ---------------------------------------------------------

17.Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered. ---------------------------------------------------------

18.The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility. -------------------------------------------------

19.Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow.. -----------------------------------------------

20.The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon. ----------------------------------------------------------

21.This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin. ---------------------------------------------------------

22. Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done. ----------------------------------------------------------

23.The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday. --------------------------------------------

24.Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door. ---------------------------------------------------------

25. The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy. ----------------------------------------------------------

26.Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance. ----------------------------------------------------------

27.The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan:Last Sunday: ''I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours'

New Normal

Adjusting to life with two kids is going fairly well, but it's still an adjustment. Some days, Ethan is so quiet that I can almost forget he's here for a few minutes. Other days, there's definitely no forgetting.

We are quite seriously considering the possibility that little brother has a milk/dairy intolerance. Every time I have something with obvious dairy (ice cream/cheese for example) he spends hours with his little legs drawn up, screaming in what seems like pain. I got suspicious after I had ice cream one day and he spent the next 7 hours or so screaming. It was such a change in behavior that I knew something was hurting him. I tried cutting out dairy (which is much much harder than I would have expected) and then a few days ago, I had one slice of cheese on a sandwich and just like before, he spent the evening screaming. It was the same kind of experience that we had with Emily when she had colic; hours of uncontrollable screaming, a completely inconsolable baby in pain and two very frazzled parents. I was in tears just praying that this wasn't the start of another 3 month round of colic.

Thankfully, it seems like we're dealing with more of a dairy issue, which while challenging and frustrating, at least can be fixed. It's a new normal for me, as almost every single thing that I cook involves some sort of cheese, milk or butter (or all three) and nearly every convenience/pre-packaged food has milk ingredients. It's a bit overwhelming during an already overwhelming change to have to spend so much time and effort reading labels and trying to figure out what I can and can't eat. I have to admit that I'm rather afraid of accidentally eating something that will hurt Ethan, not to mention the fact that I feel sort of guilty thinking that Em probably had a similar problem (although she also definitely had colic) and I didn't realize it.

So, that's our update for now. If anyone has any good milk/cheese free recipes that they want to share, feel free...I'm going to need them, as well as any prayers you can spare. Nothing sounds quite so good as that which is totally off-limits!

While Brother Sleeps...

While little brother sleeps soundly in his swing (great investment this time around)...

Big Sister plays with his play mat...Silly girl!

Bob the cat sleeps on the lower level of the play pen (under the changing table portion)....

And Puma sleeps above on the changing table. (Usually it's the other way around.)

Very helpful, cats, very helpful.

Wide Awake

Hmmm....so this is my hand! Now if only I could get it to do something!

Generations

Some very nice Great-grandpeople came to visit Ethan and Emily (and I suppose mom and dad too, but we're just background noise at the moment!) this Saturday.

As you can see, Ethan was greatly impressed.

He was passed around to great-grandparents, grandparents, an aunt and a big sister. He didn't wake up once.

Above, a WWII vet and a 2 week vet.



I love this picture (below). Ethan is being held by great-grandpa, his hand is in great-grandma's hand.



And just for fun, big sis Em, still happy with little brother.

Our Update

This will probably come back to bite me in the "boohind" (as Miss Em would say), but little Ethan is a pretty easy-going fellow. Not at all like his high-drama and maintenance big sister. (Of course, I can't imagine her any other way.)

Quite honestly, I had no idea two children from the same two sets of genes could be so diferent.

When Emily was an infant, from her very first night in the hospital, she did not want to be put down. She slept in my arms in my hospital bed, while I barely slept, so afraid I would drop her when I fell asleep. Emily had horrible startle reflexes that lasted well past the 3 month mark, meaning that whenever she would finally fall asleep enough that I could put her down, she would inevitably startle herself awake, over and over again. Miss Emily was a very fussy, colicky, bad sleeper. Okay, horrible sleeper. This lasted pretty much until this year. We visited the behavioral psychologist twice for the sleep issues. It didn't help, but that's how bad it was.

Ethan, on the other hand, seems to be a very laid-back little guy. He is perfectly fine being put down. He likes to sleep in his crib...or the play pen...and the swing (where he has currently been rocking back and forth for about 3 hours. He sometimes sleeps through diaper changes. He doesn't seem to greatly mind his bath. In fact, nothing much really seems to bother him. In huge contrast to his big sister, his little arms and legs stay very relaxed and other than the first couple of days in the hospital, he barely has any startle reflex. He just likes to chill. He fusses a little bit when he is hungry, but certainly not the soul wrenching screaming that Emily did for hours on end. In short, he is, at least to this point (knock on wood, fingers crossed, etc...) a very easy baby. He has his days and nights a bit mixed up, which is making for a bit of mommy hazing, but even that is tolerable as he doesn't spend the wee hours screeching, just merely not sleeping.

I feel great. I must say that although the pregnancy and labor were hard, recovery this time around has been super easy. I almost immediately felt better than I had for the month or so leading up to delivery. All the aches and pains were almost instantly gone and I really have no complaints. I'm liking this kid out much better than in! I've also lost 30 pounds over the last 12 days....okay, probably much of that was during the actual pregnancy, but still, it's a very, very nice thing to be able to say. Hopefully it will stay lost...plus some.

We've (that would be the 2 kiddos and I) have survived two outings to two different Walmarts...one for grocery shopping and the other to find a new phone that the first Walmart was sold out of, and today we tackled the mall. All in all, life with two kids has been pretty good. Emily seems very smitten with her little brother and loves to talk to him, give him his pacifier and try to soothe and entertain him when he starts to fuss. She'll say something like "Hey little buddy, it's your big sister. It's okay. Mommy is a nice mommy." It's pretty sweet. She's a big helper (for real) and seems to relish her role as big sister. Let's just hope that lasts!

So that's our update. Thanks for all the kind comments and congrats.

More Ethan Pictures

Emily and Daddy, holding Ethan.

Big Sister, holding Ethan, all by herself for the first time. She has said all week, "I'll try holding him tomorrow...or when he gets bigger." Today, she finally asked to hold him all by herself. I think she's pretty proud of herself.

She loves to give him his pacifier and make silly faces at him when he cries to try to cheer him up. She's getting a fast education in having a baby around the house.

Ethan just hanging out on mom's lap.

Pop-pop, holding Ethan for the first time.

Aunt Kathy, holding Ethan for the first time.

And Finally....the Pictures!!

My computer has been plotting against me (and still is), but I have managed to finally get some pictures to post.

Above and below, Ethan, on his first day, after his first bath. Look at all that hair!!

Ethan on Sunday, after his official photo shoot. He's a great sleeper so far.

Close up!!

Grammy holding Ethan just about an hour after he was born.

7-17-09

Ethan Paul has officially arrived!

Okay, so it was technically 4 days ago, but this is the first chance I've really had to post the facts and details. I'd love to post some of the pictures we took, but either my computer or Blogger is causing problems, so I'll have to try some other options.

Anyhow, Ethan was born at 6:05 on July 17, 2009, weighing in at 7 lbs. 14 oz. and 20 inches long. He is perfect and has a full head of long dark hair. So far, he is a very sleepy, quiet baby (something to which we are definitely not accustomed.)

We went in to the hospital on Thursday night (the 16th) to begin the induction process. Around 9:00 pm., the festivities began. By 10:30, the medication that was being used that "sometimes" can cause contractions to begin was working a little too well and causing me to have contractions that were literally one on top of the other, with no break. So, although I was supposed to have the medication all night, at midnight, the nurse came back in and stopped it because the contractions were coming too quickly to be safe. They continued, well throughout the night. I have to admit, it was a pretty rough start. I finally was able to fall asleep around 5:00 am., once the contractions had spaced out to around 4 minutes apart. At 7:30 am., I was supposed to be started on pitocin to start contractions, but I was still having them too close together for it to be safe to use pitocin. So, I was officially dilated to about 3-4 cm and in "active" labor. (Yeah, no kidding).

The doctor broke my water around 9:00 am. to speed things along and contractions continued usually around every 2-3 minutes. It was no fun. By this time with Emily, I had had her. This labor was definitely longer and much, much harder. I walked around the halls, the room, rocked in the rocking chair, did a couple crossword puzzles with Andrew and read a little. Basically anything to keep my mind off of feeling lousy. By around 3:00 pm, I was absolutely miserable. I felt far worse than I ever did throughout the entire labor and delivery with Emily. The doctor checked me and told me that I was only 6 cm. I was unbelieveably disappointed. Although I had no intention of using and pain medications, I knew that I wasn't going to make it much longer without something, and at the rate I was going, it could still be a while. So I opted for the Nubain iv meds. I don't know if that stuff works for anyone, but it certainly did nothing at all for me except make me feel dizzy and a little out of it.

And so it was that the epidural and the anesthesiologist and I became friends. And having had a completely natural and pretty easy labor and then a long hard labor with an epidural, I'd have to say, I don't regret the epidural one tiny little bit. I was terrified of the whole thought of a needle/catheter in my spine, but desperate times call for desperate measures. I was exhausted and in some pretty serious non-stop pain for 18 hours...and so the epidural was a wonderful thing. Within a couple of minutes, it was placed (pretty painlessly, I might add) and then I was blissfully pain-free. This was around 4:00 pm. Friday. The doctor went to do a c-section and then said that when she came back, I'd probably be ready for delivery.

The next two hours went quickly and MUCH more pleasantly. That epidural was pretty darn amazing. When the doctor came back, it was time to push...and so I did for about 20-30 minutes, painfree, and Ethan was born, healthy and happy, after a total of about 20 hours of labor.

Did I mention that he's perfect? Recovery this time has been a breeze. I actually feel better than I did before he was born. I have a bit of a backache, maybe due to the epidural, but otherwise, no complaints. Now, we just have to adjust to being a family of four. Emily is doing really well with the changes. She's sleeping in a different room this week because Grammy, Pop-pop and Aunt Kathy are here, helping. This alone, usually throws her for a huge loop, but so far, so good. She doesn't really want to hold little "bwuddew", but she does like to give him his pacifier and kiss his head.

And finally, since I can't post any of our candid shots for some reason, I will send you to a website where you can see some pictures that were taken in the hospital.

The website is www.traditionsphotography.com . Once there, click on the "hospital newborns" tab on the right, then the online gallery. Find the picture of Ethan H. and click on it...then use the password "Teapot".

Thanks for all the prayers and support, they meant a lot!

So....

Here's the deal, for all you inquiring minds who want to know....and even if you don't want to know!

I had my final OB appt. today. It's always encouraging to hear each and every nurse that you see ask why you're still there. "Umm, if it was up to me, I wouldn't be!" The receptionist said, when I checked in, "I assume you haven't moved in the last week". I replied that the only move I was planning on was into the hospital across the street. She laughed. I am quite serious.

I saw the same sadistic (did I say that out loud?) Dr. that I saw last week, much to my discouragement. After doing a thorough check of everything up to my tonsils, she declared me to be 2cm dilated, but not effaced at all. "Teapot" (as we've all grown accustomed to calling him) is still hanging out up high, thus not doing the work he needs to help this process along. So I told the doctor that I was concerned that he was either not head down or possibly too big. She suggested we go check on both possibilities. So off to the ultrasound machine we went.

"Teapot" is indeed head down, but not "locked and loaded", so to speak. He is also getting rather big. The current estimate, based on the ultrasound measurements, is 8 lbs. 11 oz. Emily was 7 lbs. 12 oz. at birth (which is approximately the same time as "teapot" will be cooking.)

YIKES!!

So the doctor asked if I wanted to set a date to induce. I did and she thought that was a good plan. She said she didn't want to schedule for tomorrow, as she was on call and had 4 deliveries scheduled already. I was fine with that (Hallelujah!!) But the plan is to be admitted Thursday evening to start the festivities, then actually begin the induction on Friday morning. I have a feeling it will be a long night Thursday...and perhaps a rough day Friday. I'm not a wimp. I had Emily without so much as a dose of tylenol, and her birth also included Pitocin (used to induce, though I was already in labor with her). However, I spent the vast majority (about 70%) of labor with her at home, walking around and keeping busy. To the best of my knowledge, I'll probably be stuck in bed (the most uncomfortable place) for the duration of this labor, so who knows how this will go. Hopefully I'm wrong about this, but I know it's a good possibility.

So, with any luck, by sometime Friday, baby boy who will have a name, will be here safe and sound. Pray for us. It should be interesting.

No News....

Is no news.

Apparently my children are quite cozy during pregnancy and have no desire to come out and play.

Or maybe they're both going to be stubborn...heaven help us then!

07-08-09

Today was my due date. It would have been a cool birthday for a little guy with no name. However, unless I have a very incredibly fast labor and delivery (like in 2 hours start to finish), today is not the day.

I had another doctor's appointment this morning. There isn't much to report. I will say that I met yet another new OB and after our meeting, I am not a big fan. She was not gentle, to say the least, and I am not a wimp when it comes to pain. Let's just say that we are now WELL acquainted and I'd be fine never seeing her again.

So, anyone want to take a guess when this little guy is going to make his appearance? I might as well try to have some fun with this, since I'm pretty sure it will be another week before the OB's will even talk about inducing. At this rate, this kid is going to be 10 pounds. The most recent guess is 8.5 lbs.

Oh well, today would have been a good day....

They Must Go Now

Yesterday was a very disheartening and frustrating day. While a major energy tax was being considered, and ultimately adopted, all any major news outlet could talk about was the death of Michael Jackson...a pop star....a crazed, quite possibly mentally ill former singer...a man who most likely molested little boys. His life has been seemingly honored, and all the while, the rest of our lives have been significantly changed with hardly a second thought.

Obama's proposed "Cap and Trade" energy tax bill slid through right under the radar, thanks to eight (I believe) cowardly "Republicans" who couldn't even get this vote right. If those eight men and women had stood with the rest of their party, this bill WOULD NOT HAVE PASSED. The final vote was 219-212. Those eight betrayed their constituents and subsequently, the rest of the country. Now we will, quite literally, all pay for their ignorance. Perhaps they were bought, pressured by lobbyists or just too intellectually stupid to understand what was being considered. Most likely not a single legislator (democrat or republican) read the monstrosity of a bill before voting on it....something that has become quite commonplace, and is most disturbing to me. Either way, these eight "republicans" sold out their country and now it's time to get rid of them. They need to go.

Our energy prices will soar. This will effect every single one of us. Obama has admitted this. He simply doesn't care. As a result of the massive taxes and regulations on energy and carbon emissions, businesses (mainly in the manufacturing sector) will cease to do business in America. They will simply go where the rules are less restrictive (think China, India, Mexico...) and the loss of jobs will be staggering. Our electricity prices will rise a whopping 90% over the coming years, not to mention gas prices. We will be regulated beyond anything we can imagine by a president who is much more closely resembling a dictator these days, what with all of his self-appointed, accountable to no one, un-elected "czars".

I wonder when we will wake up. I fear it may be too late and that the damage done will be all but impossible to reverse. After this vote, I have very little hope left that universal health care will not be passed. And once that happens, I truly think it may be too late to fix.

These unread pieces of legislation that are being passed willy-nilly have consequences that many cannot even begin to imagine...and frankly, I'm scared.

Well....to quote the OB today...."I think it's still going to be a while."

That pretty much sums it up. Still nameless baby boy is still insistent on staying up high where it is quite uncomfy and doing little good. Apparently he's comfy enough....I'm the only one not.

I think the doctor was being generous/humoring me when I asked him if I was making any progress. He said I was maybe dilated to a one. Just as a frame of reference, I spent a good month dilated to one with Miss Em. At least I know I don't have quite that long, as they won't let me go any longer than 3 more weeks. Still, I'd much prefer to have heard a bit more encouraging news.

On the up-side, little guy is head down, just high, so in the OB's opinion he will most likely stay that way. At least that takes a load off of my mind. My blood pressure was good (118/82), which is a minor miracle considering that it is hotter than Hades outside. My ankles have started to swell, which is such a lovely sight with shorts, which are a necessity in this heat. I feel huge, like I swallowed a beach ball, even though I have technically gained a grand total of 6 lbs.

And a girl can only drink so much water in one day. Seriously. I'm doing the best I can, but holy moly...I may just float away.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In other news, Miss Em is enjoying her first ever week of vacation Bible school at our church. She was very hesitant about the whole deal (it was something new, of course) and I did not sign up to help this year, as I knew that it was entirely possible that I would be unavailable or unable. After some tears the first morning, she quickly decided that she was okay with the whole experience and has spent her afternoons teaching her imaginary friends all that she has learned.

All in all, I'm worn out and hot and hurting and cranky. I apologize in advance to all who may cross my path over the next couple of weeks.

Where There's Smoke...

So Miss Emily has been complaining a bit of her tummy hurting for the last couple of days. She says she doesn't feel sick (nor does she remotely act like it). She seems fine, but she'll mention it off and on.

Well yesterday, bright mom that I am, it occured to me that it was possible that she could have something like a urinary tract infection that might be causing some minor tummy discomfort. So I asked her if it hurt when she had to go pee-pee. She said no. Then I asked her if it burned when she went. She got a concerned look on her face, but said no again.

A while later, Em went to the bathroom. When she came out she said..."Well, my pee-pee felt hot coming out, but when I looked in the potty, I didn't see any smoke!"

Generally, I can control myself and not laugh in front of her, but I lost it. I told her that no smoke was a good thing and that I thought she was just fine....and her imagination was fantastic.

Life is never dull here.

37 Weeks=Full Term=Another Appointment

Well, I had another doctor's appointment this morning and it was more encouraging than last weeks'.

I, of course, saw a different doctor and came prepared with lots of "what if" type questions relating to the possibility of a C-section or the baby not turning. As it turned out, this little boy is moving and headed in the right direction, though it can still definitely change.

This week, instead of laying diagonally across my uterus, he is definitely "centered" and head down, just not technically engaged in the pelvis, meaning he is still free to float around in there and do as he wishes. This doctor did not think anything was likely happening regarding any progress and she didn't even check, but she did seem very confident that she could tell where his head was. That was a good sign.

Then she asked again how big Emily was when she was born. So I asked, "Does that mean that this one seems big?" Her response was that she thought Baby boy will probably be in the 8 lb. range (Emily was 7 lbs. 12 oz) So....that could be interesting.

So, that's the update. Hopefully everything keeps heading the right direction...pun intended!

The Appointment Update and Prayer Request

Well, true to form during this pregnancy, this little guy is not going to make things easy for momma.

I went to my OB appointment and asked to be checked for any dilation since I've been having lots of braxton hicks contractions and even a few regular ones I think. Since I fared very well with contractions with Emily, I've been a little concerned that I don't notice them as much as I should and that I might miss something important.

I did not.

The OB checked me and said that little boy is "Way up there" and absolutely nothing is happening. I asked her if she could tell whether he was head down or not. She said she really couldn't and when she started feeling my abdomen, said she wanted to do an ultrasound because it was possible that he is lying sideways (transverse) across my belly. I had actually been wondering about this myself because I feel a lot of movement in odd places that I never had with Emily.

So off across the office I went and had the ultrasound. Sure enough, little guy is somewhat sideways. Not completely transverse, but sort of diagonal in there. His head is pointing down toward my left hip and his rear end ("Boohind" as Emily calls it) is sticking up toward my right ribs. At 36 weeks, this is not ideal. Yes, he still has a little time to turn, but it's getting mighty tight in there and usually, babies have chosen their final position by now.

According to all the info I have found thus far, there are three possible options:

1. He can turn on his own in the next week or so and all will be well.

2. The OB can admit me to the hospital and try to do a manual version, which mean that he/she will attempt to physically move the baby into the proper position by pushing on him from the outside. This is closely monitored, often painful for mom, not guaranteed and somewhat risky (thus the constant monitoring and the possibility of the need for an emergency c-section.)

3. Baby will not turn and a c-section will be inevitable.

Obviously, option number one is best for all involved and therein lies my request for prayer. Time and space are limited now and if this little guy is going to turn he really needs to do it ASAP. So if you don't mind saying a quick prayer for this, I would greatly appreciate it. I don't mind telling you that this was not good news for me today.

However, there is some good/fun news. I am healthy. Baby is healthy. He weighs an estimated 6.5 lbs. (which is about average) and should be at least 20 inches or so. His heart rate is around 158 and he appears healthy. My blood pressure is great (110/80 today, despite nerves) and I am not noticeably swollen. I've gained a grand total of 4 lbs. from my intial OB visit weight, which in all reality means I've probably lost a good 15-20 lbs. WOHOO!!!!

The best news of all....the ultrasound tech, while taking measurements of the baby's head, said, "Oh look...he has hair!" This is music to my ears as sweet Miss Em was bald for most of her first year, much like her momma was. Plus, it's pretty amazing to me that you can see hair on a baby's head from an ultrasound.

So, that's the update. Here's to hoping for a cooperative little fellow who feels like giving this tired momma a break. Turn, Baby, Turn!!

Yes, I'm Still Here....

And still very pregnant.

I'm 36 weeks pregnant, to be exact, and feeling worse than I did at 41+ with Miss Emily. This little guy, as of yet still nameless, is making for one very uncomfy, irritable momma. Once I hit 37 weeks (next Wednesday), I'm serving him his eviction notice. He will officially be full term and therefore, if labor were to spontaneously begin, the doctors would no longer try to stop it. I say, bring it on!

These days, I feel like I need the electric lift chairs you see in the homes of the elderly to help boost me out of my recliner. The same goes for a bed, though I don't know if they make those. And speaking of bed, I cannot sleep. Yes, some of that is the normal late-pregnancy discomforts, but I could get past those, were it not for the 3 week allergy/sinus/virus of some sort that has given me a constant sore throat and a stuffy nose, which impedes my ability to breathe. Since I can't breathe properly through my nose, I sleep with my mouth hanging open (a lovely sight, I'm certain) which then makes my throat hurt like I am trying to swallow shards of glass. This wakes me up. Sometimes I go prop up in the twin bed in the baby's room, but I've never been able to sleep propped up, so eventually when my throat starts to feel better, I'll lay back down again...only to be awakened by my own snoring. The snoring is actually my desperate attempt to breathe as my nose is too stuffed and my mouth is closed in an attempt to preserve my throat.

Then there are the nights when it hurts to lay on my right side. Technically, the left side is supposed to be the ideal position for sleeping while pregnant. I don't have a problem sleeping on my left side, but I do need to flip a few times in the night so that my hips don't protest too much. However, some nights when I lay on my right side, there is a burning/tearing/something-is-ripping type of pain that almost renders me immobile. It's not fun either. Oh, how I long for the day when I have the option of sleeping on my back for a few sweet moments again!

So far, I have remained technically healthy. I say this because I have not experienced any major pregnancy related problems such as high blood pressure, anemia, pre-term labor, etc...but my minor overall health has been rotten. I have zero energy, yet way too much left to do. I am down to less than 4 weeks (I hope and pray no longer than that!) and weekly doctor's appointments. I go in tomorrow to see the fifth or sixth OB in this new practice. So far, while there is nothing wrong with any of the new OB's, I still really miss my old one. It's pretty hard to feel like you are anything more than a number when you only see a doctor for all of 5 minutes every 7 weeks or so. I feel a little more timid in asking questions as well, since each doctor has never met me before and I don't want to appear to be a "difficult" patient (a la Elaine on "Seinfeld").

However, I do feel a lot more apprehensive about the whole labor/delivery thing this time around, which really makes no sense. With Emily, I was excited and absolutely ready in every way to have her. When I did go into labor, to be quite honest, it really wasn't frightening to me at all, even though I had never had so much as a single stitch or broken bone prior to that point. I spent about 70% of the labor at home and might have done more, had the OB not decided to have me come in just to get checked out. Even she was amazed at how far into labor I was at that point and sent me straight over to the hospital, where Miss Em made her appearance about 3 hours later, without the aid of so much as a single Tylenol. I surprised myself with how calm I was and how relatively "easy" the whole process had been.

This time, I find myself wondering if I was just extremely lucky. I'm having a hard time not feeling nervous and I don't really know why. I worry about all the "what if's" like all the things that can go wrong leading up to labor (pre-ecclampsia in particular, since my blood pressure did shoot up AFTER having Emily for a while) or the need for a C-section this time around, which, while not the end of the world, is not desireable either. I even worry about the need for an epidural this time, which frankly scares me more than delivering naturally. I'm not terribly needle-phobic, but come on....they're aiming for the spinal cord here. That terrifies me.

Maybe this is all normal. Maybe I'm a freak of nature. Who knows? All I can say for sure is that I'm ready for this part of the journey to be over and to actually get to see and meet and hold this little nameless bundle of joy.

Here's to hoping that some major progress is being made when I go in for my appointment tomorrow!

The Devaluation of Life

Yesterday, while serving as an usher at his church, Dr. George Tiller was shot and murdered.

His accused murderer was caught and arrested about three hours later.

In case you do not know who Dr. George Tiller is, allow me to explain. Dr. Tiller became famous for being one of a handful of physicians who routinely performed late-term abortions (after 21 weeks and the period of viability). His clinic has been protested many, many times. He and his family have been threatened, he was shot in both arms once before, and his clinic has been vandalized. He lived under constant threats and with security guards watching his every move. Yet still, he was murdered in cold blood.

No matter how despicable this doctor's actions are to me, no matter how very wrong it is for a doctor to take an innocent human life....the man who killed this abortion doctor in cold blood is just as despicable and wrong, make no mistake about it.

The bigger issue here is important, however. Many who support abortion see no problem with taking an innocent baby's life for the sake of convenience, because let's face it, that's the number one reason for abortion. In fact, if a woman simply does not want to be pregnant, that alone is reason enough for someone like Dr. Tiller to abort her baby...even after the point at which that baby could easily have survived outside the womb. Pro-abortion supporters cheer the woman's "right to choose". To them, there is nothing wrong or shameful or unlawful about taking this innocent life.

Consider now how this differs from what Dr. Tiller's accused murder did. Presumably, the man who shot Dr. Tiller disagreed with what the Dr. was doing and didn't want him around anymore. To the shooter, Dr. Tiller was an inconvenience and therefore he "chose" to abort his life because he didn't want him around any longer.

Are the situations really all that different, if we take away the emotions?

Don't misunderstand me for a second. I absolutely 100% disagree with what the shooter did. It is unmistakeably wrong for the shooter to kill someone, even if that someone inconvenienced him or disagreed with him. I just wonder why we see abortion, and in particular late-term abortion, as anything different. If we begin to see some lives as valuable and others as worthless, where do you draw the line? If the only difference is that we could see Dr. Tiller's face and hear his voice, if these attributes alone gave him value and worth, then I think we have a whole lot of hypocrites who support one type of murder over another.

They're both wrong and they both should be condemned.

Our Growing Cover Model

These are almost a month old now, but since they were part of a gift for her two grandmothers, I waited to post them.

Em and I went to a local state park and did a mini photo shoot to attempt to get something green and or colorful in our spring pictures. Everything was just beginning to bloom, but it was something.

All of these pictures (and a bunch more) went in photo albums/memory books from Hallmark. There were pages to write her favorite things about her Grandmas and a special place for her to record a short message. I think it was a hit!

Emily being a little silly...aka...herself.

I don't know why I like this picture exactly, I just do.

She got so close to this flower that all the pictures after this one show the pollen on her nose (which I couldn't see until I actually got the pictures back!)

In other, less cute news, I am finally feeling better. I still don't feel great, but maybe 75%, which is significant improvement. Only 3 more doses of antibiotics and two more days of wearing these (stupid), I mean, my glasses.

On the other hand, after a quick trip to the pediatrician yesterday, we discovered that Miss Emily has double ear infections, one quite bad, as a result of the chronic congestion she has from allergies. So she has just started her course of antibiotics which, after the Great Ear Infection from HE** which resulted in 5 days of torture (I mean, trying to force her to take liquid amoxicillin), ended with a shot of recephin antibiotic. This time, I asked for anything different and we ended up with a chewable form of amoxicillin.

I was picturing chewable tylenol size, but no....these things are the size of horse pills and she has to take 3 at a time, two times a day. The good news is that she doesn't seem to mind so far and she hasn't complained about her ears after the initial time that prompted the drs. visit.

So, now that all three of us have had a combined 5 antibiotics over the last month....do you think we might be able to get and stay healthy for a while? Oh how I hope so!!!!

Nine Years Ago....

She married

Him and they

Lived happily ever after.

Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart! Nine years has flown by and I can't wait to see what the next 75 have in store!

I love you always,

Christina

Photos originally by Theis photography. They're much better when I'm not trying to take a picture of them!

Well, I hear it was Memorial Day yesterday, but it sure wasn't one to remember around here.

Why? You ask.

Three reasons:

1. Cold with persistent annoying coughing that will not go away.

2. Strep Throat

3. Acute Bacterial Conjunctivitis

Emily is the one with the cold. Mostly, the cough is just annoying the heck out of her and waking her up for hours at night.

I am the lucky winner of numbers 2 and 3. I spent Saturday evening in the Medpoint Urgent Care center (where I swear they had the heat blasting) with a pink oozing eye and a very sore throat. When the doctor finally got to me (about 15 minutes before closing time), she quickly diagnosed acute conjunctivitis or pink eye (which I've never before had) and then I got to do the throat culture for strep throat, which I've also never had before. The rapid test came back negative, but the doctor prescribed antibiotics anyhow since I had all the symptoms and because, at 33+ weeks pregnant, I am far more susceptible to infections and they don't mess around.

So, starting Sunday morning, I've been taking antibiotic eye drops for my nasty oozing eye. (Seriously, my right eye would be glued shut in the morning and it would take literally prying my eyelids apart to open it.) I've also been taking Amoxicillin for the strep throat. And tylenol for pain....and the occasional sudafed for sinus pressure.

Thankfully, my eye seems to be much better (though it should be after using the eyedrops every two hours). My throat feels somewhat better today (so far), but my head is still pounding and I have a lot more days of antibiotics to get through.

Hope you all had a nicer Memorial Day weekend. As for me, I guess there's always next year.

And have I mentioned that we're down to only 6 more weeks of this pregnancy? I can make it, right?

Preschool Musical 2

Please pardon the sound and picture quality of these videos. I forgot to charge the video camera the night before, so these videos were taken with my regular digital camera. I had never used the video feature on the camera and I stink at holding the thing still, but at least I had some way to preserve these memories.

Her class is the 4-5 year olds and she is one of the youngest. Most are already 5. Clearly, though, she enjoys herself and her friends!

Preschool Musical

Summer!!!

So what does a gal do on her first day of summer vacation?

She hits the pool, of course!

Yes, we have a much larger pool, but it's not warm enough to use at the moment and so this one was a cheap, quick fix...and just perfect on an 85 degree day.

Watering the pool, apparently, is great fun.

Watering yourself is also pretty good.

My view from the swing wasn't too shabby either!

Global Warming My Rear End!

Short and sweet:

It's 57 degrees at 1:11 pm on May 16th.

Oh yeah, I believe in global warming, don't you?

Spring Has Sprung!!

I do believe that May is the best month. I got engaged in May. I was married a year later in May. The weather is practically perfect. The flowers and trees are in bloom, the grass is green, the trees finally have leaves again and the temperatures (around here, in the mid 60's-low 70's) are what I believe God intended year round before Adam and Eve screwed up.

Above is the pink dogwood tree in the front yard.

Here are the tulips at one corner of the house. There were a couple of hyacinths, but they've already bloomed and died.

All along the sidewalk, the tulips that Emily and I planted last fall are finally in full bloom...as are the weeds. However, I'm in no condition (or mood) to weed at the moment, so you'll have to excuse them.

A few of these pink and white tulips just bloomed today. I think they might have been a special variety that helped support breast cancer research, but I can't remember for sure. They took almost 2 extra weeks to bloom, though.

The view out the front door.

So...

You know it's not your day when:

~ You try to accomplish all your errands in one trip (because you are 31 weeks pregnant and just dang tired) by going to the Super Target that always has all the things you know you need....and they are either completely sold out or no longer carrying two of the most essential items on your list.


~ You sneeze violently, while simultaneously biting the edge of your tongue, nearly shearing it off, leaving you with a bruised tongue for at least the rest of the day.


~ You pick up your child from preschool and discover that she has declared your favorite tv show (for a mother's day card) to be "The Young and the Restless". (Yes, I do watch. No, I'm not proud and it's the only show remotely like that which I watch. Still, not my proudest moment.)

~ Your 4.5 year old daughter manages to keep herself completely clean through lunch out at the restaurant, but you spill your own drink all over your shirt and pants. Nice touch!


Still, all was not lost. In the same Mother's Day card from said 4.5 year old daughter, your age and weight are listed at 4 years and 5 lbs.

It could have been much, much worse!