Thursday, March 31, 2011
OB Appointment
So I had an appointment this afternoon. She checked me, and frankly, not too much is happening! I am only a fingertip dilated, and not too effaced either. I was pretty surprised, because usually by this point in pregnancy (38 1/2 weeks), I am around 3 cm dilated and about 50% effaced. So that was quite discouraging. I go back again next Thursday. I've been having more and more Braxton-Hicks contractions in the afternoons and evenings, and it is always sad to realize they have been accomplishing nothing at all! I know people who rocket from 0 to 10 in a few hours--but I am not one of them, LOL. And you would think if it hasn't happened like that in 7 births, it's probably not going to happen with this one either! I had posted on Facebook that I hoped this baby wasn't going to take after Jonathan, who is #4. He was 2 weeks overdue and had to be induced--except that I really think my dates weren't that accurate with him. I was nursing when I got pregnant, and I never had an early ultrasound. He was the last baby I did the triple-screen, or any of the bloodwork for possible problems, because his numbers came back really low. Obviously he didn't have any problems, and if we were off a bit on his due date, that could cause the low numbers. I am not uncertain about this baby's due date, however--in fact, the doctor moved his due date back to Ap. 11 after an early dating ultrasound! So maybe he just doesn't want to come out. Sigh. I am ready for him to be born! My pelvis is aching, my pubic bone is so sore from his head being on it--I'm done! Jonathan was my biggest baby, at 9 pounds, 6 ounces, and I really don't want to have one bigger than that. I like to lurk on this doula website, and one of the websites often mentioned there is Spinning Babies. The site tries to help women get their babies in the best position for birth. I'm going to try some of their exercises--maybe he's just not in a good position. We'll see. If you drop by in the next few days, and I am crawling everywhere on my hands and knees, you'll know what I am doing!
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Birth Curiosity
Jonathan has been quite curious about birth with this pregnancy. He has suggested a few times that I just have the baby at home, so he could see the whole show, LOL. When I told him it was kind of messy, he suggested I just have the baby outside! That way the carpet wouldn't get dirty. Good thinking! I am sure our crabby neighbors would LOVE that! ("I'm sure there's a covenant about that, 'David'--keep looking!!") Ha!
Anyhow, when I was at the library last weekend, I picked up a video called From Conception to Birth, put out by Discovery Channel, thinking that might answer some questions. I watched it that night, and tonight all the kids and I watched it together. It wasn't bad, as far as the actual pregnancy part went. They were very tasteful about conception, never really mentioning how the sperm and egg got together, so that made it nice for a multiple age range viewing. And they had lots of nice computer graphics to show how the baby develops during the 9 months in the womb.
But the birth scenes--oh, my goodness! They drove me crazy! The video follows 9 women who are expecting, and it shows the births of 3 of them. Two are having their 3rd babies, and one is having her first. They all have total hospital births. They never come out and say they were induced, but it seems like they all could have been. The two women having their 3rd babies get epidurals pretty much immediately, but the first-time mom wants to hold out. You can hear the nurse say something like, "Well, the contractions only get more intense, so be sure to tell me right away whenever you want your epidural." Shockingly, she gives in pretty soon after and gets an epidural as well. And all 3 of these women are just laying back, like huge beached whales, during the whole labor! No changing positions, no walking around, no comfort measures . . . NOTHING! I kept telling the boys, "They could be doing things so much differently, and maybe they would cope better with their contractions!" But no one was suggesting ANYTHING to them to do differently, or even to the husbands to help them.
And during the whole time, the narrator was intoning drivel basically about how impossible it was to give birth, how scary, how painful, etc. Gah. No encouragement for expecting mothers there! All 3 women pushed again pretty much laying flat on their backs. I seriously can not imagine a more uncomfortable position to be in to push, not to mention the bad physics of then having to push the baby UP over the pelvic bone from that position. And sure enough, the first-time mom had a really hard time. She pushed for while with no progress until the doc threatened her with a section ("I'll let you try for 15 more minutes . . ."). Then somehow she got a second wind and managed to push the baby down. Again, no one suggested anything that she might do differently!!! As if a c-section is the only other option out there! I kept telling the boys, "Laying flat is THE worst position to push in! Work WITH gravity, not against it!" Gah . . . so frustrating.
The actual births were filmed very nicely--all from above or from the shoulder. You could see the baby emerging, but not really anything else, so that was really nice. They did a great job with that. The boys couldn't believe all the tugging on the babies as they were being born! And the girls were a bit alarmed at the blood and goo all over the babies, LOL. I do think the video answered any questions about childbirth, so that was good, and I didn't hear Jonathan say anything about wanting to see this one, LOL. I think seeing all those precious newborn babies made us all very excited to have this little guy come soon, though! And hopefully everyone will have more sympathy and understanding for me!
Anyhow, when I was at the library last weekend, I picked up a video called From Conception to Birth, put out by Discovery Channel, thinking that might answer some questions. I watched it that night, and tonight all the kids and I watched it together. It wasn't bad, as far as the actual pregnancy part went. They were very tasteful about conception, never really mentioning how the sperm and egg got together, so that made it nice for a multiple age range viewing. And they had lots of nice computer graphics to show how the baby develops during the 9 months in the womb.
But the birth scenes--oh, my goodness! They drove me crazy! The video follows 9 women who are expecting, and it shows the births of 3 of them. Two are having their 3rd babies, and one is having her first. They all have total hospital births. They never come out and say they were induced, but it seems like they all could have been. The two women having their 3rd babies get epidurals pretty much immediately, but the first-time mom wants to hold out. You can hear the nurse say something like, "Well, the contractions only get more intense, so be sure to tell me right away whenever you want your epidural." Shockingly, she gives in pretty soon after and gets an epidural as well. And all 3 of these women are just laying back, like huge beached whales, during the whole labor! No changing positions, no walking around, no comfort measures . . . NOTHING! I kept telling the boys, "They could be doing things so much differently, and maybe they would cope better with their contractions!" But no one was suggesting ANYTHING to them to do differently, or even to the husbands to help them.
And during the whole time, the narrator was intoning drivel basically about how impossible it was to give birth, how scary, how painful, etc. Gah. No encouragement for expecting mothers there! All 3 women pushed again pretty much laying flat on their backs. I seriously can not imagine a more uncomfortable position to be in to push, not to mention the bad physics of then having to push the baby UP over the pelvic bone from that position. And sure enough, the first-time mom had a really hard time. She pushed for while with no progress until the doc threatened her with a section ("I'll let you try for 15 more minutes . . ."). Then somehow she got a second wind and managed to push the baby down. Again, no one suggested anything that she might do differently!!! As if a c-section is the only other option out there! I kept telling the boys, "Laying flat is THE worst position to push in! Work WITH gravity, not against it!" Gah . . . so frustrating.
The actual births were filmed very nicely--all from above or from the shoulder. You could see the baby emerging, but not really anything else, so that was really nice. They did a great job with that. The boys couldn't believe all the tugging on the babies as they were being born! And the girls were a bit alarmed at the blood and goo all over the babies, LOL. I do think the video answered any questions about childbirth, so that was good, and I didn't hear Jonathan say anything about wanting to see this one, LOL. I think seeing all those precious newborn babies made us all very excited to have this little guy come soon, though! And hopefully everyone will have more sympathy and understanding for me!
Happy Birthday, Anna!
Well, I am a few days late with this post, but Anna turned 5 years old on Monday, hard as that is to believe! She has been eagerly awaiting her birthday for quite some time now! Bob had to go TDY to California Monday, but fortunately he didn't have to leave until 1:30, so we were able to still celebrate with him before I took him to the airport. We had Anna's birthday meal at lunch ("tuna pockets"), and then she opened her presents and we all had a chocolate chip cookie (we made them Monday morning) and a scoop of ice cream. It was kind of nice to have the celebration in the middle of the day like that! Anna got a magnetic princess book from Grandma and Grandpa B (because she loves the one Aunt Amy gave Grace so much!), a princess coloring book and puzzle from us (puzzle is already missing 3 pieces . . . sigh), and a set of pink pom poms from Uncle Dan and Aunt Melinda (she knows what to do with those from watching all the basketball games, LOL!). She got to play with her presents the rest of the day, so I think she liked opening them up in the afternoon as well!
We are going to take cupcakes (at Anna's request--no big cake! Woo hoo!) to Bible study on Friday night, so we will continue the celebration then. Bob flies back Friday afternoon, and my parents drive in then too, Lord willing, so there will be lots of people around for the second party! In the meantime, Anna is enjoying being 5, along with all the added maturity and growth that goes along with this huge jump in age, LOL.
We are going to take cupcakes (at Anna's request--no big cake! Woo hoo!) to Bible study on Friday night, so we will continue the celebration then. Bob flies back Friday afternoon, and my parents drive in then too, Lord willing, so there will be lots of people around for the second party! In the meantime, Anna is enjoying being 5, along with all the added maturity and growth that goes along with this huge jump in age, LOL.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Winding Down
It's hard to believe that the school year is winding down for us, especially since we're not really slowing down, LOL. Well, I am, but that's a different story! At the one co-op for the younger kids, they are in their last unit, which is weather. They'll finish that up and then have 2 weeks the end of April where they will take the Presidential Physical Fitness test. People have been practicing here, although some have been practicing more than others, so we'll see how that all goes. Nathan actually has to take a PFT Tuesday for Civil Air Patrol as well.
As far as Rivendell goes, we officially end May 10 (our 32nd week), so we have a few more weeks. Life science, however, only had 27 chapters, and we have diligently plowed through them, so we will be done with science in 2 Tuesdays, on April 5! This worked out perfectly, since I am due April 11. That week we will have our spring break, since another mom will be busy with last minute details of her only daughter's wedding that next Saturday. After spring break, the boys will just have literature/writing, Spanish, and history, so I know they will think they have it easier!
I have been very pleased with the BJU Life Science text this year. It has given the boys a very thorough overview of biology, and I know they will be quite prepared for their high school biology class. It covered a lot, though, and there were definitely some chapters where I would have liked to spend 2 weeks! The next time I teach it, which will be Lord willing in 2 years, I probably won't be having a baby, so we will be able to slow down a bit. Next year we are doing physical science, or, as it is currently faddish to call it, "Integrated Physics and Chemistry", and that book only has 21 chapters, so I am looking forward to going at a slower pace. I will say, however, that I am not looking forward to the subject matter as much, LOL. I love chemistry, but physics is NOT my favorite. Oh well.
We will also be stopping the official memory work part that I have been doing with the younger kids in the afternoon after spring break, although I have everything all copied out for the rest of the year, so they can do it individually if they want to. That's what we'll do, anyway! The kids have learned a ton of stuff this year--we're almost all the way finished with Hebrews 11:1-12:2, and we've memorized 5 poems completely. We're on point 27 ("The Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression--1929") of the 32 point timeline, and the kids are really doing well, even with the dates. They've also memorized a science fact each week from the life science chapter that the older boys are working on, and I must say it has been helpful for the older boys to hear the younger kids chanting things through the week like the formula for cellular respiration, the stages of mitosis, and the main bones of the skeletal system!
I have been so pleased with Nathan's progress in Spanish, writing, and history this year as well. In Spanish, he is so much more fluent than I ever was after 2 years of high school French! Siri is going to have them keep working on some stuff over the summer so they don't forget everything before August. And now that we have started doing Latin again, Nathan is singing the praises of Spanish, as compared to Latin! Luke is looking forward to starting Spanish next year.
I have also seen vast improvement in his writing, thanks to Theresa and her wonderful teaching. He has become a lot quicker at expressing his thoughts on paper, as well as clearer. He is still much more succinct in comparison to some though, LOL. He has also enjoyed the books they have read and discussed for the literature part. Luke is also taking a literature class from Theresa in the afternoon, and he has also really enjoyed the discussions and books. Theresa pretty much has them writing something each week, which has been great, and Nathan has had to do a lot of timed essays for practice as well. Right now he is doing a big research paper on blood.
In history, the boys have finally reached Rome. Christine tells me each week about the lively discussions they are having, which is Nathan's favorite part. Tapestry of Grace also moves really quickly, and in fact next year, when we do TOG Year 2, we are going to split it into 2 years, since it covers so much so fast. That will hopefully give the boys more time to do some of the extra more hands-on activities that we just haven't had time to do this year. They have covered so much ground, and they are retaining a lot too, as evidenced by all they talked about at the museum in Philadelphia!
The past 3 weeks we have met at our house, as opposed to our church, where we usually meet. Our church building is being remodeled to make room for more offices. When Craig, the church administrator, first told us this was on the agenda, way back in August, we thought, "Oh no!" But the timing has worked out perfectly. It's been really nice to not have to lug all my science stuff up and down stairs in the church--it's right here at my fingertips! When I'm not teaching, I can sit on my own couch, in my slippers! And my bathroom is right around the corner, as opposed to up the stairs. Nice! Plus, the girls can just play in the playroom, and we don't have to spend time cleaning like we do when we're done at the church each week! We do really miss the big field outside for the boys to play football, but they have the trampoline (I am sure our crabby nieghbors love that we now have 17 kids over here Tuesday afternoons, LOL), as well as the basketball hoop. We do love meeting at the church--it is nice to have a dedicated place that feels more "school-like" and official, and where the classes can be a little more spread out, but this has worked out well for the short-term, and it has sure been nice for me at the end of pregnancy. Craig said today that they are really coming along and hope to be done in the next 2 weeks--they should for sure be done when we are back from spring break. And the women's bathroom is being remodeled as well, so I know it will be very nice!
So that's where we are. We are already making plans for next year, and I think it will be just as great! The Lord has been so faithful with this co-op--what a wonderful group of ladies and kids! We have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them!
As far as Rivendell goes, we officially end May 10 (our 32nd week), so we have a few more weeks. Life science, however, only had 27 chapters, and we have diligently plowed through them, so we will be done with science in 2 Tuesdays, on April 5! This worked out perfectly, since I am due April 11. That week we will have our spring break, since another mom will be busy with last minute details of her only daughter's wedding that next Saturday. After spring break, the boys will just have literature/writing, Spanish, and history, so I know they will think they have it easier!
I have been very pleased with the BJU Life Science text this year. It has given the boys a very thorough overview of biology, and I know they will be quite prepared for their high school biology class. It covered a lot, though, and there were definitely some chapters where I would have liked to spend 2 weeks! The next time I teach it, which will be Lord willing in 2 years, I probably won't be having a baby, so we will be able to slow down a bit. Next year we are doing physical science, or, as it is currently faddish to call it, "Integrated Physics and Chemistry", and that book only has 21 chapters, so I am looking forward to going at a slower pace. I will say, however, that I am not looking forward to the subject matter as much, LOL. I love chemistry, but physics is NOT my favorite. Oh well.
We will also be stopping the official memory work part that I have been doing with the younger kids in the afternoon after spring break, although I have everything all copied out for the rest of the year, so they can do it individually if they want to. That's what we'll do, anyway! The kids have learned a ton of stuff this year--we're almost all the way finished with Hebrews 11:1-12:2, and we've memorized 5 poems completely. We're on point 27 ("The Stock Market Crash and the Great Depression--1929") of the 32 point timeline, and the kids are really doing well, even with the dates. They've also memorized a science fact each week from the life science chapter that the older boys are working on, and I must say it has been helpful for the older boys to hear the younger kids chanting things through the week like the formula for cellular respiration, the stages of mitosis, and the main bones of the skeletal system!
I have been so pleased with Nathan's progress in Spanish, writing, and history this year as well. In Spanish, he is so much more fluent than I ever was after 2 years of high school French! Siri is going to have them keep working on some stuff over the summer so they don't forget everything before August. And now that we have started doing Latin again, Nathan is singing the praises of Spanish, as compared to Latin! Luke is looking forward to starting Spanish next year.
I have also seen vast improvement in his writing, thanks to Theresa and her wonderful teaching. He has become a lot quicker at expressing his thoughts on paper, as well as clearer. He is still much more succinct in comparison to some though, LOL. He has also enjoyed the books they have read and discussed for the literature part. Luke is also taking a literature class from Theresa in the afternoon, and he has also really enjoyed the discussions and books. Theresa pretty much has them writing something each week, which has been great, and Nathan has had to do a lot of timed essays for practice as well. Right now he is doing a big research paper on blood.
In history, the boys have finally reached Rome. Christine tells me each week about the lively discussions they are having, which is Nathan's favorite part. Tapestry of Grace also moves really quickly, and in fact next year, when we do TOG Year 2, we are going to split it into 2 years, since it covers so much so fast. That will hopefully give the boys more time to do some of the extra more hands-on activities that we just haven't had time to do this year. They have covered so much ground, and they are retaining a lot too, as evidenced by all they talked about at the museum in Philadelphia!
The past 3 weeks we have met at our house, as opposed to our church, where we usually meet. Our church building is being remodeled to make room for more offices. When Craig, the church administrator, first told us this was on the agenda, way back in August, we thought, "Oh no!" But the timing has worked out perfectly. It's been really nice to not have to lug all my science stuff up and down stairs in the church--it's right here at my fingertips! When I'm not teaching, I can sit on my own couch, in my slippers! And my bathroom is right around the corner, as opposed to up the stairs. Nice! Plus, the girls can just play in the playroom, and we don't have to spend time cleaning like we do when we're done at the church each week! We do really miss the big field outside for the boys to play football, but they have the trampoline (I am sure our crabby nieghbors love that we now have 17 kids over here Tuesday afternoons, LOL), as well as the basketball hoop. We do love meeting at the church--it is nice to have a dedicated place that feels more "school-like" and official, and where the classes can be a little more spread out, but this has worked out well for the short-term, and it has sure been nice for me at the end of pregnancy. Craig said today that they are really coming along and hope to be done in the next 2 weeks--they should for sure be done when we are back from spring break. And the women's bathroom is being remodeled as well, so I know it will be very nice!
So that's where we are. We are already making plans for next year, and I think it will be just as great! The Lord has been so faithful with this co-op--what a wonderful group of ladies and kids! We have thoroughly enjoyed each and every one of them!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Three on Thursday
Nathan pointed out that I hadn't blogged for awhile, so I thought I would steal an idea from my friend Beverly and give a brief summary.
1. Our top oven is not working. Last Monday I was making cookies to take to our small group dinner. I had chosen to finish the Latin exercise I was working on first, so I was a bit pressed for time. I know I heard the oven beep when it was preheated, but when I turned around to put in the cookie sheet, the oven temperature display was blank! Huh! So I turned it back on again. A few minutes later, it was back off again. For some reason, I kept on playing around with the buttons, but it never did work. At some point it occured to me that if I wanted to bake these cookies, I had better get the bottom oven heated! That's what I ended up doing, and we took 2 minivans over so I could finish up. I was hoping it was an isolated incident, but alas, the oven has continued to not work. Now it doesn't even bother heating up at all--it just shuts off a minute or 2 after being turned on. So we are in the market for a new double oven. Of course, the family who lived here before us had 5 kids, so between our 2 families, those ovens have gotten a lot of use! They are almost 20 years old, so I guess I can't complain too much. And the bottom one is still working, so it is not completely urgent. But still . . . I do like having 2 ovens, and I use them both frequently!
2. Friday night Jonathan asked me to cut his toenails, since one was jagged. As I was doing so, I noticed a big wart on the bottom of his big toe, right where his toe joins to his foot! Jonathan said it hurt, but he could offer absolutely no clues as to how long it had been there, LOL. He then pointed out a smaller wart on the palm of his hand, which probably came from his picking at the one on his foot. Was he ever going to mention these to me?! Bob and I talked about over-the-counter remedies, but we decided I should take him in, since (once it was noticed) he was complaining about it hurting quite frequently. Also, with the baby coming, if an OTC remedy didn't work, then I would have to take him in along with the baby, and that's a hassle. The computers were down Monday, but I was able to get an appointment for his yesterday at 1:15. This doctor was very nice as well (and her last duty station was Okinawa!), and she decided to freeze off the palm one, but not the toe one. She said it would be really painful, because it was in such an awkward place. So now we are soaking his foot in warm water with some vinegar every other day, and then we put a piece of mediplast bandage over the wart. Hopefully that will work with some degree of speed. Jonathan was a trooper for the freezing part, although he was a bit nervous.
3. Our church has started a new women's ministry model (men's too, actually), where you are paired up with one or 2 other people, and all the groups go through Romans. Then we meet every few months as a big group (well, just women or just men) for something fun and social. So this afternoon I had my first meeting with my partner Kimberly, and we had such a great time! She has 3 small kids (4, 3, and about 5 months), and I have enjoyed talking to her at church and when I brought them dinner after her baby was born. I am really looking forward to getting to know her better, and I think our study of Romans will bear a lot of fruit in both of our lives!
So that's a quick update. I want to post an update about where we are with Rivendell, but I just haven't gotten around to it. Hopefully soon!
1. Our top oven is not working. Last Monday I was making cookies to take to our small group dinner. I had chosen to finish the Latin exercise I was working on first, so I was a bit pressed for time. I know I heard the oven beep when it was preheated, but when I turned around to put in the cookie sheet, the oven temperature display was blank! Huh! So I turned it back on again. A few minutes later, it was back off again. For some reason, I kept on playing around with the buttons, but it never did work. At some point it occured to me that if I wanted to bake these cookies, I had better get the bottom oven heated! That's what I ended up doing, and we took 2 minivans over so I could finish up. I was hoping it was an isolated incident, but alas, the oven has continued to not work. Now it doesn't even bother heating up at all--it just shuts off a minute or 2 after being turned on. So we are in the market for a new double oven. Of course, the family who lived here before us had 5 kids, so between our 2 families, those ovens have gotten a lot of use! They are almost 20 years old, so I guess I can't complain too much. And the bottom one is still working, so it is not completely urgent. But still . . . I do like having 2 ovens, and I use them both frequently!
2. Friday night Jonathan asked me to cut his toenails, since one was jagged. As I was doing so, I noticed a big wart on the bottom of his big toe, right where his toe joins to his foot! Jonathan said it hurt, but he could offer absolutely no clues as to how long it had been there, LOL. He then pointed out a smaller wart on the palm of his hand, which probably came from his picking at the one on his foot. Was he ever going to mention these to me?! Bob and I talked about over-the-counter remedies, but we decided I should take him in, since (once it was noticed) he was complaining about it hurting quite frequently. Also, with the baby coming, if an OTC remedy didn't work, then I would have to take him in along with the baby, and that's a hassle. The computers were down Monday, but I was able to get an appointment for his yesterday at 1:15. This doctor was very nice as well (and her last duty station was Okinawa!), and she decided to freeze off the palm one, but not the toe one. She said it would be really painful, because it was in such an awkward place. So now we are soaking his foot in warm water with some vinegar every other day, and then we put a piece of mediplast bandage over the wart. Hopefully that will work with some degree of speed. Jonathan was a trooper for the freezing part, although he was a bit nervous.
3. Our church has started a new women's ministry model (men's too, actually), where you are paired up with one or 2 other people, and all the groups go through Romans. Then we meet every few months as a big group (well, just women or just men) for something fun and social. So this afternoon I had my first meeting with my partner Kimberly, and we had such a great time! She has 3 small kids (4, 3, and about 5 months), and I have enjoyed talking to her at church and when I brought them dinner after her baby was born. I am really looking forward to getting to know her better, and I think our study of Romans will bear a lot of fruit in both of our lives!
So that's a quick update. I want to post an update about where we are with Rivendell, but I just haven't gotten around to it. Hopefully soon!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Faith's Well-Baby Appointment
So I just posted on Wednesday that I didn't have any more appointments scheduled until my OB one the last week of March! But yesterday morning I was thinking about how I had never scheduled Faith's 2-year well-baby appointment, and how it would be so much better to get that out of the way before the baby comes. So I called the appointment line, and miraculously they had a well-baby appointment open for 1:00 today! I took it, and Faith and I got to spend some "Mommy/daughter time" at Bethesda this afternoon!
We had the absolute nicest doctor. Actually, he was a third year (resident? intern? Can't remember which, and I get them all confused), so there was another doctor in there for part of the time, but eventually she went off and did her own thing. This guy was also the 7th of 8 children! How cool! His family's pattern was "3 boys, 1 girl, 3 boys, 1 girl". Anyhow, he and his wife have a 2 year old, and his wife is 8 months pregnant as well. She is thinking she wants to homeschool, so we had some talk about how that worked for us, how the older ones help, etc. You know how sometimes you can just tell that a person is in line with your choices and doesn't think anything you do is weird?! That's how this was, and it was such a pleasant appointment!
And Faith is perfectly healthy. She is 25.6 pounds, which puts her about in the 30th percentile--pretty chunky for one of our babies, LOL. I think she is going to pass Grace up! She was smiley and happy, but she was not very cooperative, as far as saying anything or pointing to anything, like her nose, when asked, even though she definitely knows that! Oh well--she wasn't going to put on a show, LOL.
Then we went to get shots. She only needed the second hepatitis A one, and we went ahead and got a flu shot for her. Now I need to remember to take her back after 30 days for the second one. Apparently 2 years ago we got one flu shot for her, but not the second one, and you have to have 2 the first time. Then, whenever you get another flu shot, you only need one. We rarely get flu shots, but I figure this way she'll be set. It's not like I won't be in several times getting shots with the new baby, so she will just tag along! Anyhow, she was a real trooper while getting the shots. I wished I had brought certain other family members *ahem* to see a demonstration of an appropriate amount of crying (about 20 seconds, LOL). By the time she got to pick out a sticker, and I gave her a lollipop, she was way done with the tears. So nice!
So Faith is healthy, and I still don't have any appointments lined up for next week! But things could always change . . . I'm sure there are plenty of other things that I need to get done, and maybe something else will jog my memory!
We had the absolute nicest doctor. Actually, he was a third year (resident? intern? Can't remember which, and I get them all confused), so there was another doctor in there for part of the time, but eventually she went off and did her own thing. This guy was also the 7th of 8 children! How cool! His family's pattern was "3 boys, 1 girl, 3 boys, 1 girl". Anyhow, he and his wife have a 2 year old, and his wife is 8 months pregnant as well. She is thinking she wants to homeschool, so we had some talk about how that worked for us, how the older ones help, etc. You know how sometimes you can just tell that a person is in line with your choices and doesn't think anything you do is weird?! That's how this was, and it was such a pleasant appointment!
And Faith is perfectly healthy. She is 25.6 pounds, which puts her about in the 30th percentile--pretty chunky for one of our babies, LOL. I think she is going to pass Grace up! She was smiley and happy, but she was not very cooperative, as far as saying anything or pointing to anything, like her nose, when asked, even though she definitely knows that! Oh well--she wasn't going to put on a show, LOL.
Then we went to get shots. She only needed the second hepatitis A one, and we went ahead and got a flu shot for her. Now I need to remember to take her back after 30 days for the second one. Apparently 2 years ago we got one flu shot for her, but not the second one, and you have to have 2 the first time. Then, whenever you get another flu shot, you only need one. We rarely get flu shots, but I figure this way she'll be set. It's not like I won't be in several times getting shots with the new baby, so she will just tag along! Anyhow, she was a real trooper while getting the shots. I wished I had brought certain other family members *ahem* to see a demonstration of an appropriate amount of crying (about 20 seconds, LOL). By the time she got to pick out a sticker, and I gave her a lollipop, she was way done with the tears. So nice!
So Faith is healthy, and I still don't have any appointments lined up for next week! But things could always change . . . I'm sure there are plenty of other things that I need to get done, and maybe something else will jog my memory!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
It's What We Do . . .
Grace: "How old will I be on my birthday?"
Me: "4"
Grace: "And then I'll be 5 . . . and then I'll be 6!"
Me: "What will I do when we have such a big, big girl?!"
Grace: "Have another new baby!"
Me: "4"
Grace: "And then I'll be 5 . . . and then I'll be 6!"
Me: "What will I do when we have such a big, big girl?!"
Grace: "Have another new baby!"
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
On the Other Side
I am happy to report that I am have survived these past 2 1/2 weeks of the "cold that wouldn't leave", as well as all the appointments every day. I am finally feeling better! Last Wednesday was the worst day--I was certain the whole thing was turning into a sinus infection because my face felt so heavy and full, and my teeth were hurting so badly. Fortunately, Thursday was a better day, and things seemed to finally really start draining. It took the weekend for me to actually start feeling better, though. We were supposed to go to PA to visit Bob's family last weekend, but we ended up not going. It was a hard decision, since his sister Rose drove in with her girls, and his sister Ann was going to ride up with us, so we would have seen all the siblings, as well as Bob's parents, but it was the right one. I was still feeling so miserable, and the kids were mostly all snuffly and hacking away with coughs as well. Not good to travel with (or sleep in a hotel room all together!), and certainly we didn't want to pass the love onto all Bob's family! So we just hung out here at home and rested. It must have worked because I think we are seeing the tail end of this dreaded head cold!
I am so glad to be done with all these random appointments as well! The last 2 weeks I have had at least one appointment every day, and occasionally two, and that's not even counting our two co-ops or the Latin class! Teeth are cleaned, Anna's tooth is fixed, the pantry is full, my back is aligned, Nathan's eyes haven't changed since his last eye exam (and 2 new pairs of glasses are coming our way, since he was down to only one pair), we got pictures of all the kids done, and Luke's braces are adjusted. Whew! And this morning I had an OB appointment where everything looked good. I'll go back in 2 weeks, when I'll be 38 weeks. And right now, I have no other appointments on the calendar until that one! Woo-hoo! It will be nice to actually stay home and have uninterrupted time to do school, especially with Anna and Grace! I haven't exercised very consistently the past 2 weeks either. Part of that is just because I felt so crummy, but most days it was because I really didn't have time. So it will be good to start walking on the treadmill regularly again too. Got to keep the baby moving down! Less than 4 weeks to go!
I am so glad to be done with all these random appointments as well! The last 2 weeks I have had at least one appointment every day, and occasionally two, and that's not even counting our two co-ops or the Latin class! Teeth are cleaned, Anna's tooth is fixed, the pantry is full, my back is aligned, Nathan's eyes haven't changed since his last eye exam (and 2 new pairs of glasses are coming our way, since he was down to only one pair), we got pictures of all the kids done, and Luke's braces are adjusted. Whew! And this morning I had an OB appointment where everything looked good. I'll go back in 2 weeks, when I'll be 38 weeks. And right now, I have no other appointments on the calendar until that one! Woo-hoo! It will be nice to actually stay home and have uninterrupted time to do school, especially with Anna and Grace! I haven't exercised very consistently the past 2 weeks either. Part of that is just because I felt so crummy, but most days it was because I really didn't have time. So it will be good to start walking on the treadmill regularly again too. Got to keep the baby moving down! Less than 4 weeks to go!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Anna at the Dentist
Anna had her appointment at the dentist this morning to fill the spot on her tooth that never enameled properly. Although Anna has really looked forward to her last few visits to the dentist, she started off more shakily. Before she was 2, she fell and one of her front teeth turned gray. That dentist appointment, back in December 07, went fine, but that was before Anna started her "terrified" phase, where she was petrified of pretty much anything. Her appointments back in the summer of 2009 were ones for the books, where one time she wouldn't even open her mouth until I laid back in the chair and had her lay on top of me! Fortunately, she is past all that now, and her cleanings go just fine. But I was a bit worried about getting a cavity filled . . .
I am happy to report, however, that I had absolutely nothing to worry about! Anna marched off back to the dentist chair all by herself with nary a backward glance! When the lady came out to get me about 30 minutes later, she was full of praise for Anna, saying she couldn't believe how she just laid there and didn't make a peep! She said she had never seen anyone so young be so calm and composed, with no nitrous oxide or anything! LOL--we've come a long way!! And now Anna is happy not to have that orange-y spot on her tooth anymore!
I am happy to report, however, that I had absolutely nothing to worry about! Anna marched off back to the dentist chair all by herself with nary a backward glance! When the lady came out to get me about 30 minutes later, she was full of praise for Anna, saying she couldn't believe how she just laid there and didn't make a peep! She said she had never seen anyone so young be so calm and composed, with no nitrous oxide or anything! LOL--we've come a long way!! And now Anna is happy not to have that orange-y spot on her tooth anymore!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Bad Mom Award
Yesterday was a busy day! Caleb and I made what is hopefully our last trip to the commissary before the baby comes. Now Caleb has actually come down with the cold I have, so we were a snuffly bunch, and we brought a ton of kleenexes in with us!
Actually, our main challenge came when we drove up to Ft. Myer and realized that the gate we usually enter was "closed for repair". That did seem like a good plan, since the gate was a pile of rubble, but nonetheless, it was a total surprise to us! That particular gate had been completely remade not long after we moved here, so maybe 5 or 6 years ago. I never dreamed it would be redone again so quickly. Since it had been closed awhile back, I knew there were other gates, but I was stuck in the van with no map, no GPS, and no real memory of how to get to these other gates. And the problem with being down in Arlington is that you pick the wrong road and suddenly you are headed somewhere you really don't want to go with no possibility of recovering, so I was quite hesitant about trying to wander around and find the gate on my own. I told Caleb we'd try one thing, since I had vague memories of a gate being off of Rt. 50. Indeed, there was a gate there, and it only took a few missed exits (and lots of prayer, and a phone call to Elizabeth L.) to get to it, LOL. It's technically off of Clarendon Rd., just for my future reference . . .
So eventually we got there and got all our stuff. This was indeed a big trip--almost $900--and we are hopefully set to eat for awhile, as well as have this baby! I got a ton of newborn and even some size 1 diapers.
We arrived home around 2:30, and we started unloading. Finally all the stuff was out of the minivan (although not stowed away), and I was working in the garage to put away to freezer and extra fridge stuff. I heard Faith fussing away by the van. She was upset because I had closed all the doors, and she wanted to go back in there. I left her there and went back into the garage. Finally I finished up and collapsed on the couch for a few minutes before our afternoon Latin class. Luke and some of the other kids were playing outside, but eventually they came in and Luke shut the garage door. (Do you see where this is going . . . ?)
After resting about 15 minutes, it dawned on me that I should put Faith down for a nap . . . she had been getting crabby, so why wasn't I hearing her anywhere? I asked where she was, and no one knew, so we all leaped up and started looking. I went out the front door and some of the boys went out the garage just as the McC's were pulling up for Latin. Fortunately, Caleb happened to glance in the minivan window. There was Faith, who obviously did manage to open the door for herself at some point, sound asleep in her carseat. She had even buckled herself in! Whew! I think I lost 10 years off my life in those few minutes! She ended up napping for a good while during Latin class, while I sent boys out to check on her every few minutes.
I was already a candidate for the Bad Mom award earlier this week, as I left Grace's little Beanie Baby puppy, the one I used as a model for her 2 year birthday cake, in Philadelphia. Ooooooops! Thankfully it was found and is supposed to be on its way back to us. We've been praying every night for safe travels for Grace's doggie, LOL. She has actually been remarkably philosophical about the whole thing. Luke was generous to let her have his old Beanie Baby elephant that he used to sleep with, and that has helped.
So I have definitely not been on top of things this week! Less then 5 weeks to go . . . but unfortunately, as others have so rightly observed, those brain cells that turn to mush during pregnancy never really return!
Actually, our main challenge came when we drove up to Ft. Myer and realized that the gate we usually enter was "closed for repair". That did seem like a good plan, since the gate was a pile of rubble, but nonetheless, it was a total surprise to us! That particular gate had been completely remade not long after we moved here, so maybe 5 or 6 years ago. I never dreamed it would be redone again so quickly. Since it had been closed awhile back, I knew there were other gates, but I was stuck in the van with no map, no GPS, and no real memory of how to get to these other gates. And the problem with being down in Arlington is that you pick the wrong road and suddenly you are headed somewhere you really don't want to go with no possibility of recovering, so I was quite hesitant about trying to wander around and find the gate on my own. I told Caleb we'd try one thing, since I had vague memories of a gate being off of Rt. 50. Indeed, there was a gate there, and it only took a few missed exits (and lots of prayer, and a phone call to Elizabeth L.) to get to it, LOL. It's technically off of Clarendon Rd., just for my future reference . . .
So eventually we got there and got all our stuff. This was indeed a big trip--almost $900--and we are hopefully set to eat for awhile, as well as have this baby! I got a ton of newborn and even some size 1 diapers.
We arrived home around 2:30, and we started unloading. Finally all the stuff was out of the minivan (although not stowed away), and I was working in the garage to put away to freezer and extra fridge stuff. I heard Faith fussing away by the van. She was upset because I had closed all the doors, and she wanted to go back in there. I left her there and went back into the garage. Finally I finished up and collapsed on the couch for a few minutes before our afternoon Latin class. Luke and some of the other kids were playing outside, but eventually they came in and Luke shut the garage door. (Do you see where this is going . . . ?)
After resting about 15 minutes, it dawned on me that I should put Faith down for a nap . . . she had been getting crabby, so why wasn't I hearing her anywhere? I asked where she was, and no one knew, so we all leaped up and started looking. I went out the front door and some of the boys went out the garage just as the McC's were pulling up for Latin. Fortunately, Caleb happened to glance in the minivan window. There was Faith, who obviously did manage to open the door for herself at some point, sound asleep in her carseat. She had even buckled herself in! Whew! I think I lost 10 years off my life in those few minutes! She ended up napping for a good while during Latin class, while I sent boys out to check on her every few minutes.
I was already a candidate for the Bad Mom award earlier this week, as I left Grace's little Beanie Baby puppy, the one I used as a model for her 2 year birthday cake, in Philadelphia. Ooooooops! Thankfully it was found and is supposed to be on its way back to us. We've been praying every night for safe travels for Grace's doggie, LOL. She has actually been remarkably philosophical about the whole thing. Luke was generous to let her have his old Beanie Baby elephant that he used to sleep with, and that has helped.
So I have definitely not been on top of things this week! Less then 5 weeks to go . . . but unfortunately, as others have so rightly observed, those brain cells that turn to mush during pregnancy never really return!
Monday, March 07, 2011
The Infamous Haircut
So back on that horrible Sunday, Grace took a pair of scissors to her own hair and lopped off a big chunk right in the middle of the back of her scalp. I knew theoretically that it could have been worse, but I still had such a hard time dealing with it. It took me 2 days before I could even really look at her to begin to evaluate how I could attempt to make things better! Here is what it looked like. She cut up and down, so there was a nice, long hunk missing, and no possible way to do layers or a block or anything like that to disguise it. I guess I could have shaved it, LOL.
So after contemplating for awhile, I finally just cut everything shorter and tried to blend the back as best I could. It really isn't as noticeable now, unless you are really looking.
And, thankfully, you can't tell anything from the front, so we are still going to attempt pictures sometime in the next week or so. Before anyone else gets hold of any scissors or gets a black eye or anything . . .
So after contemplating for awhile, I finally just cut everything shorter and tried to blend the back as best I could. It really isn't as noticeable now, unless you are really looking.
And, thankfully, you can't tell anything from the front, so we are still going to attempt pictures sometime in the next week or so. Before anyone else gets hold of any scissors or gets a black eye or anything . . .
Sunday, March 06, 2011
Belly Shot!
Melinda asked for a belly shot, so here is one from this afternoon! I'm 35 weeks along. First, the view from the front:
Now, the side view. Oh my goodness!
I am at the stage where no clothes are really comfortable--my shirts ride up, and my pants ride down! Oh well--only 5 weeks to go!
Now, the side view. Oh my goodness!
I am at the stage where no clothes are really comfortable--my shirts ride up, and my pants ride down! Oh well--only 5 weeks to go!Penn Museum
Yesterday we had such a fun day! We went on a little field trip to the Penn Museum with our Rivendell co-op. One family couldn't come, but we still made for a large group--6 adults and 16 kids! This is the same museum that we visited back in June 2009, when we took our weekend trip to Philadelphia and stayed with my college friends. Back in the fall, someone posted a message on a homeschooling email loop that Christine and I are on about this great deal they had seen for the museum--buy 4 tickets for $16! So we all did that, although it seemed like the beginning of March was light-years away when we were planning this trip. I think we were all doubting if it would really work out as the time actually got closer, but we all made it there and had a terrific time. It was a great review for the kids too of all the ancient history we've been studying this year with Tapestry of Grace year 1.
We started out on the 3rd floor with the gallery on Upper Egypt. The mummies were impressive, as always!
Then we moved on to the Asian gallery, where the crystal ball was admired.
In several places, Christine had the 3 Rivendell boys go through the room and pick one thing to explain to the younger kids. Here Nathan is explaining about the lion, which would have guarded a palace or something. The Chinese lions look like dogs because lions aren't native to China, so the artists used dogs as models. I had always wondered about that! Also, this is a male lion because it has a globe under its paw. Female lions are depicted with baby lions under their paw. Interesting!
Here is a group shot taken by a kind passer-by in front of a Japanese Buddhist shrine. I told you we were an impressive group! Buddhists at one point in time underwent a period of persecution in Japan, and so they started making these minature "portable" shrines, of which several were displayed.
We started out on the 3rd floor with the gallery on Upper Egypt. The mummies were impressive, as always!
Then we moved on to the Asian gallery, where the crystal ball was admired.
In several places, Christine had the 3 Rivendell boys go through the room and pick one thing to explain to the younger kids. Here Nathan is explaining about the lion, which would have guarded a palace or something. The Chinese lions look like dogs because lions aren't native to China, so the artists used dogs as models. I had always wondered about that! Also, this is a male lion because it has a globe under its paw. Female lions are depicted with baby lions under their paw. Interesting!
Here is a group shot taken by a kind passer-by in front of a Japanese Buddhist shrine. I told you we were an impressive group! Buddhists at one point in time underwent a period of persecution in Japan, and so they started making these minature "portable" shrines, of which several were displayed. We moved on through the Rome and Greece galleries before heading outside to eat our picnic lunches on the benches in front of the museum. The weather was beautiful, praise the Lord, so the kids got to run around this fountain and work off some steam. Then we headed back in and finished up with the Lower Egypt gallery, as well as the American Indian and African galleries, which aren't that big. Here are the 3 Rivendell boys in front of one of the excavated pillars from a palace in Lower Egypt. You can see a doorway in the background.
We were done by 3:30, and we all headed back home, exhausted. The 3 girls fell asleep pretty quickly in the van! All the driving and walking about did me in, and I am still so tired!
We were done by 3:30, and we all headed back home, exhausted. The 3 girls fell asleep pretty quickly in the van! All the driving and walking about did me in, and I am still so tired! We are supposed to go to PA to visit Bob's family next weekend, but this drive has made us have second thoughts. I might be too far along to make another drive--it was so frustrating to have to stop all the time for me to go to the bathroom, and I was so uncomfortable sitting! So we'll see how I am feeling in a few days.
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Pregnancy Update
I'm now over 34 weeks along--less than 6 weeks to go! I am feeling big and uncomfortable, so yeah, everything is normal. I have definitely been mushy-brained lately--I made whole wheat biscuits a few nights ago and used baking soda (4 1/2 tsps!) instead of baking powder! Blech! I am even more foggy-headed because I have a cold and am all snuffly. I'm sure I could kick this thing if I could just lay around all day for a day or two! Ha, ha, I crack myself up!
I had an OB appointment yesterday, and everything looks fine. The little guy is a very active kicker! I lurk on this doula forum, and someone posted a link to a woman's blog, where she had a slideshow of her last birth, which was a homebirth. It was all lovely and quite natural, but she had an 11 pound baby and had to push for like 2 hours, even though it was her 5th baby!! Ack! So that is my latest nightmare and worry, LOL, especially since I already do have big babies (Caleb was 9#, 5 oz., and Jonathan was 9#, 6 oz.). Anyway, I asked the doctor if I should take another 1 hour glucose test, just to make sure I didn't have gestational diabetes. She was quite surprised at this request, LOL! She was really not that concerned. She said I passed the last 1 hour one with plenty to spare (my number was 102, and anything under 140 is passing), I haven't gained too much weight, and the baby is measuring right. She also said that the 1-hour test, which is just a screening anyhow, gets less and less accurate once you get more than 28 weeks along. So I didn't take another test. I guess I'll just keep up with the exercise, although I didn't exercise today. This cold is making it hard for me!
As I was walking up to the line to make my next appointment, 2 pregnant ladies were talking. I heard one of them say she was 35 weeks along, which surprised me because her belly was clearly larger than mine! I don't like to brag, but I usually win most belly contests at this point, LOL. I asked her if she was expecting twins, and she said yes, in a surprised voice. She looked really great--all belly! She called it a "torpedo belly", and that was what it looked like! She actually lives in Annapolis, but the Naval Academy doesn't have an OB department in their clinic, so all the ladies have to come to Bethesda. That's quite a drive, especially when you are pregnant with twins! So whenever I am tempted to complain, even about the drive to Walter Reed, I need to be glad I am not having to come from Annapolis!
I had an OB appointment yesterday, and everything looks fine. The little guy is a very active kicker! I lurk on this doula forum, and someone posted a link to a woman's blog, where she had a slideshow of her last birth, which was a homebirth. It was all lovely and quite natural, but she had an 11 pound baby and had to push for like 2 hours, even though it was her 5th baby!! Ack! So that is my latest nightmare and worry, LOL, especially since I already do have big babies (Caleb was 9#, 5 oz., and Jonathan was 9#, 6 oz.). Anyway, I asked the doctor if I should take another 1 hour glucose test, just to make sure I didn't have gestational diabetes. She was quite surprised at this request, LOL! She was really not that concerned. She said I passed the last 1 hour one with plenty to spare (my number was 102, and anything under 140 is passing), I haven't gained too much weight, and the baby is measuring right. She also said that the 1-hour test, which is just a screening anyhow, gets less and less accurate once you get more than 28 weeks along. So I didn't take another test. I guess I'll just keep up with the exercise, although I didn't exercise today. This cold is making it hard for me!
As I was walking up to the line to make my next appointment, 2 pregnant ladies were talking. I heard one of them say she was 35 weeks along, which surprised me because her belly was clearly larger than mine! I don't like to brag, but I usually win most belly contests at this point, LOL. I asked her if she was expecting twins, and she said yes, in a surprised voice. She looked really great--all belly! She called it a "torpedo belly", and that was what it looked like! She actually lives in Annapolis, but the Naval Academy doesn't have an OB department in their clinic, so all the ladies have to come to Bethesda. That's quite a drive, especially when you are pregnant with twins! So whenever I am tempted to complain, even about the drive to Walter Reed, I need to be glad I am not having to come from Annapolis!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Anticlimactic Allergy Appointment
This morning Caleb and I trekked back over to Walter Reed for another follow-up allergy appointment (after his big anaphylactic scare before Christmas). This time we brought samples of all the food he was eating at lunchtime--pepperoni pizza from this local restaurant, fresh pineapple and grapes, and decaf Folgers coffee. I thought he was going to eat them in an oral challenge-type thing, but as it turned out, the doctor just wanted to use those things to prick Caleb's back. So the tech made a slurry of the dry coffee, and for everything else just stuck the pricker in the food, then stuck it in Caleb's back. Caleb had prick tests done back in July, on his forearm, and he was a basket case! He moaned, wailed, and otherwise carried on. I am thrilled to say that this time he just laid there and read a comic book! Yay!
And he didn't show any positive reactions to anything, which was not that surprising. He had a tiny wheal by the pineapple prick, but it evidently wasn't big enough to be called a positive reaction. But he's had all those food many times before without any problems. He has had mild reactions to fresh pineapple before, but only when he's had a ton of it in the previous days. So I think my theory of him being sensitized by the exposure to his friend's pets the day before the reaction is probably the best one, and I expect it is the pineapple that was the culprit.
So with no positive reactions, the doc sent up over to the lab to do a blood draw for a RAST test. We'll see if anything shows up there, and based on the results, they will bring Caleb back in for an oral challenge. Hmmm . . . I really don't know if I want to make yet another big trip out to Walter Reed in the next few weeks! But we'll keep on avoiding fresh pineapple for a little while more, I guess.
One interesting thing was this pediatric doctor who was shadowing our allergy doc. He was seriously the tallest man I have ever seen in person--he had to duck to go through doorways! Our allergist is not a short man by any means--probably 6'1" I would say. He almost came up to this other doctor's shoulders! When we were sitting in the waiting room before our appointment, I heard some tech asking who "Doctor So-and-so" was. "You can't miss him. He's the really tall guy in the black navy uniform" was the response. And as soon as I saw him, I realized he was obviously the guy being discussed! Definitely not someone who blends into a crowd of uniforms!
And he didn't show any positive reactions to anything, which was not that surprising. He had a tiny wheal by the pineapple prick, but it evidently wasn't big enough to be called a positive reaction. But he's had all those food many times before without any problems. He has had mild reactions to fresh pineapple before, but only when he's had a ton of it in the previous days. So I think my theory of him being sensitized by the exposure to his friend's pets the day before the reaction is probably the best one, and I expect it is the pineapple that was the culprit.
So with no positive reactions, the doc sent up over to the lab to do a blood draw for a RAST test. We'll see if anything shows up there, and based on the results, they will bring Caleb back in for an oral challenge. Hmmm . . . I really don't know if I want to make yet another big trip out to Walter Reed in the next few weeks! But we'll keep on avoiding fresh pineapple for a little while more, I guess.
One interesting thing was this pediatric doctor who was shadowing our allergy doc. He was seriously the tallest man I have ever seen in person--he had to duck to go through doorways! Our allergist is not a short man by any means--probably 6'1" I would say. He almost came up to this other doctor's shoulders! When we were sitting in the waiting room before our appointment, I heard some tech asking who "Doctor So-and-so" was. "You can't miss him. He's the really tall guy in the black navy uniform" was the response. And as soon as I saw him, I realized he was obviously the guy being discussed! Definitely not someone who blends into a crowd of uniforms!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Happy Birthday, Luke!!
Today is Luke's 12th birthday! We started celebrating on Friday, when we brought Air Force dessert to Bible study. I'm still not entirely sure how this delicious dessert got its name, but it is an old favorite from White Sulphur Springs, and it is much yummier (and easier to make!) than a traditional cake! I had to ask Marty Thomas and Carri for help with the recipe--thank you, ladies!!We also celebrated tonight by finishing up the Air Force dessert. Luke also opened his presents.
He got a Transformer, as well as 2 comic books (Zits and Foxtrot) Nathan and I picked out from Half Price Books while we were in Ohio. Of course, we actually started celebrating Luke's birthday IN Ohio, where he received a Lego Minotaurus game from Aunt Amy, as well as a really challenging flag puzzle from my parents, where the flag is actually made up of a ton of tiny pictures. He has already started working on this puzzle!
Luke is such a tremendous help with the girls, and I definitely appreciate his attention to detail, especially when he is helping me find something that is missing! He still finds a ton of money whenever we are in stores. He is also an amazing basketball player--taking after his cousin, Pilot! He just finished up another undefeated season.
Here is a close-up view of the Air Force dessert. I doubled the recipe to fit in my big pan (it's a roasting pan, but I use it for casseroles and other big things--like desserts!). We only had a little bit left!
Air Force Dessert
16 oz. Oreo cookies, crushed into crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 gallon ice cream, softened (we used cookies and cream, which is the traditional kind, I believe)
1 jar chocolate fudge topping
1 small cool whip container
Reserve 1/4 cup crushed cookies for topping; mix remaining cookie crumbs with butter, and press into bottom of 9x13 pan. Spread softened ice cream evenly over cookie layer. Drizzle fudge over ice cream, then spread cool whip on top. (We added another layer of chocolate topping here, just for good measure, LOL.) Sprinkle with reserved cookie crumbs. Freeze.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Another Random Conversation With Jonathan
So before we left for Ohio, I was changing Faith's diaper, and in wandered Jonathan. He told me he really wanted to go back to visit "Florida". This threw me for a loop, since the last time I could think that we were in Florida was to visit the L's when they were stationed down there, and I was actually pregnant with Jonathan. So . . . hard to imagine him having fond memories and missing it, LOL.
I suggested that perhaps he was thinking of Virginia Beach, where we spent a couple nights last spring. That was fun, although we were all squished together in one small hotel room for 3 nights. He insisted it was not there, and that we had stayed in a nice house with a dog that Faith wasn't afraid of. They played ping-pong, and the dog kept picking up the ping-pong balls . . . I was really stumped, as I was still stuck on "beach-y" places, and I couldn't think of any friends who lived near a beach and had a dog. Fortunately, Nathan came in then. He was able to think outside the beach box, and he suggested that Jonathan really wanted to visit PHILADELPHIA again, where we had stayed with my college friends Phil and Sandra in their beautiful old house, back in June 2009. They have a big dog named Sox who had indeed played ping-pong with the kids. Bingo! Well, you know--Philadelphia and Florida . . . practically the same place! So easy to get mixed up! LOL! And of course, the big memories from that little trip were not the Liberty Bell, the tour of Independence Hall and Betsy Ross's house, or meeting "Ben Franklin". Ah well . . .
So next Jonathan asked if Sox was dead. Ummmm . . . I don't think so . . . what brings that up?! Well, Jonathan was concerned for his health because the pets of ALL of our friends are either having to be put to sleep, or are moving away. Apparently, knowing our family is the kiss of death for pets, in Jonathan's mind. Actually, Amy had to put her cat Pumpkin to sleep a few months ago, and the McC's dog Stormy died a few weeks ago, but both pets had lived at least 17 years, so this was not totally unexpected, and I don't really think the deaths can be pinned on us, LOL. And the L's dog Ned finally was able to go live with Anthony, his actual owner, since Anthony is in pilot training now and has a house with a yard. So that's 3 pets we know . . . I don't think you can draw any statistically meaningful conclusions from that small sample size, so I think we are still safe to be around those of you with pets! I did send an email to Sandra, however, inquiring after Sox's well-being. I will let everyone know if he is still enjoying good health and happiness (as we all fervently hope, LOL).
I suggested that perhaps he was thinking of Virginia Beach, where we spent a couple nights last spring. That was fun, although we were all squished together in one small hotel room for 3 nights. He insisted it was not there, and that we had stayed in a nice house with a dog that Faith wasn't afraid of. They played ping-pong, and the dog kept picking up the ping-pong balls . . . I was really stumped, as I was still stuck on "beach-y" places, and I couldn't think of any friends who lived near a beach and had a dog. Fortunately, Nathan came in then. He was able to think outside the beach box, and he suggested that Jonathan really wanted to visit PHILADELPHIA again, where we had stayed with my college friends Phil and Sandra in their beautiful old house, back in June 2009. They have a big dog named Sox who had indeed played ping-pong with the kids. Bingo! Well, you know--Philadelphia and Florida . . . practically the same place! So easy to get mixed up! LOL! And of course, the big memories from that little trip were not the Liberty Bell, the tour of Independence Hall and Betsy Ross's house, or meeting "Ben Franklin". Ah well . . .
So next Jonathan asked if Sox was dead. Ummmm . . . I don't think so . . . what brings that up?! Well, Jonathan was concerned for his health because the pets of ALL of our friends are either having to be put to sleep, or are moving away. Apparently, knowing our family is the kiss of death for pets, in Jonathan's mind. Actually, Amy had to put her cat Pumpkin to sleep a few months ago, and the McC's dog Stormy died a few weeks ago, but both pets had lived at least 17 years, so this was not totally unexpected, and I don't really think the deaths can be pinned on us, LOL. And the L's dog Ned finally was able to go live with Anthony, his actual owner, since Anthony is in pilot training now and has a house with a yard. So that's 3 pets we know . . . I don't think you can draw any statistically meaningful conclusions from that small sample size, so I think we are still safe to be around those of you with pets! I did send an email to Sandra, however, inquiring after Sox's well-being. I will let everyone know if he is still enjoying good health and happiness (as we all fervently hope, LOL).
We're Back!
We drove back yesterday from Ohio, and it was such a dreary day! The one spot of excitement was as we were merging onto I-70 from I-68 in Maryland. It goes to one lane, and a semi had overturned in the median between where we were merging and where the cars coming south from Breezewood on I-70 merge. There were ambulances, fire trucks, and police cars, plus a bunch of people milling around. The police officer had set out some flares, but other than alert us to the fact that something was going on ahead, they didn't clearly lead us anywhere. There was a pickup truck ahead of us, and he was really zipping along. It was actually a miracle that he didn't hit the police officer, who had to jump backwards as the guy zoomed past. I just followed along, but as we passed, I saw a paramedic holding his hands up in the air, like he was asking, "What is going on?!" Then I looked back and realized that all the cars behind us were stopped. So obviously the policeman was trying to stop traffic, and we were the last vehicle to get through! Whew! None of us were in the mood to just sit on the highway for however long!
Our book on CD was The Mysterious Benedict Society, a book which I actually had not read before. I also had out Tom Sawyer, so there was some debate about which book to listen to when we started. The book ended up being quite interesting, with lots of little puzzles to figure out, so I was glad we picked one I hadn't read! Also, it is very long--13 hours--so we still aren't done with it. We have a little trip next weekend up to Philadelphia with our jr. high co-op (field trip to the Penn Museum of Anthropology and Archaology), so we'll be able to finish it on that drive.
So now we are back home. I spent the morning unpacking and trying to get the house back in some semblence of order before everything starts back up next week. I was able to get a little bit ahead in Latin while we were gone, so that should be helpful. I still have some prep work for science on Tuesday, though. Tomorrow is the last day of Upward basketball games, so we have 3 games to attend. Then we have church on Sunday. It will be good to see everyone, but I do confess I am not looking forward to it. Hopefully kinks will have been worked out, but it was just so terrible last time. Oh well--stiff upper lip and all that. I want Sunday to be a good day--it's Lukie's 12 year birthday! We're actually celebrating at Bible study tonight!
Vacation is over--back to the real world!
Our book on CD was The Mysterious Benedict Society, a book which I actually had not read before. I also had out Tom Sawyer, so there was some debate about which book to listen to when we started. The book ended up being quite interesting, with lots of little puzzles to figure out, so I was glad we picked one I hadn't read! Also, it is very long--13 hours--so we still aren't done with it. We have a little trip next weekend up to Philadelphia with our jr. high co-op (field trip to the Penn Museum of Anthropology and Archaology), so we'll be able to finish it on that drive.
So now we are back home. I spent the morning unpacking and trying to get the house back in some semblence of order before everything starts back up next week. I was able to get a little bit ahead in Latin while we were gone, so that should be helpful. I still have some prep work for science on Tuesday, though. Tomorrow is the last day of Upward basketball games, so we have 3 games to attend. Then we have church on Sunday. It will be good to see everyone, but I do confess I am not looking forward to it. Hopefully kinks will have been worked out, but it was just so terrible last time. Oh well--stiff upper lip and all that. I want Sunday to be a good day--it's Lukie's 12 year birthday! We're actually celebrating at Bible study tonight!
Vacation is over--back to the real world!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Fun in Ohio!
Well, it has now been a week since I last posted. We definitely had a much different (and better!) weekend this time. We packed up and drove to Ohio on Friday! It is the winter break for our co-ops, and it was definitely time for a vacation!
The weather was absolutely beautiful for driving (although Luke did comment that it was a better day for playing outside, rather than driving, LOL). Our book on CD was Cheaper By the Dozen, one of my all-time favorites. There was a tiny bit of language that was a lot more noticeable to me when it was read aloud, as opposed to me just reading it. I guess I just skipped over it. Still, it is such a funny book, and as we have more and more kids, I can relate more and more to the book! We'll be painting Morse code messages on the walls and listening to language recordings in the bathroom in no time! Ha!
We are staying with my best friend Amy for the weekend, which has been so much fun. Satruday was a day of basketball. We went to Jacob's Upward game at 11:00, and then on to Zach's middle school game at 12:00. The weather was still nice, so the boys played outside all afternoon long while Amy and I caught up. Then we met my parents at Young's for dinner and ice cream before heading over to Cedarville to watch the last regular season basketball game at the university! The Yellow Jackets won handily, and we got to see Zachary L. cheer, so it was a very fun evening!
Yesterday Zach woke up running a fever, so he has not been up to par yesterday or today, poor guy. But the rest of us all went to Amy and Jason's church, where there was plenty of seating and no threatening black curtains, LOL. Nice! The service was nice, and their assistant pastor preached an excellent sermon. Afterward, ew came back here, where Amy had a delicious meal of chicken and noodles waiting for us in the crockpot. Amy and I go to do a lot of scrapbooking yesterday afternoon/evening. I finally got Faith's little album started--actually, it's almost finished! Now if only I wasn't 3 years behind on my regular albums. Maybe this summer I'll have some time to work on those.
Some time today we'll move over to my parents' house for the next few nights. They actually lost power last night and are still without it this morning, so we'll wait until it comes back on before making the big move! In the meantime, the kids are all playing nicely, and I am contemplating exercising. Ahhh . . . I can feel the stress melt away! So relaxing to not have to do anything or go anywhere!
The weather was absolutely beautiful for driving (although Luke did comment that it was a better day for playing outside, rather than driving, LOL). Our book on CD was Cheaper By the Dozen, one of my all-time favorites. There was a tiny bit of language that was a lot more noticeable to me when it was read aloud, as opposed to me just reading it. I guess I just skipped over it. Still, it is such a funny book, and as we have more and more kids, I can relate more and more to the book! We'll be painting Morse code messages on the walls and listening to language recordings in the bathroom in no time! Ha!
We are staying with my best friend Amy for the weekend, which has been so much fun. Satruday was a day of basketball. We went to Jacob's Upward game at 11:00, and then on to Zach's middle school game at 12:00. The weather was still nice, so the boys played outside all afternoon long while Amy and I caught up. Then we met my parents at Young's for dinner and ice cream before heading over to Cedarville to watch the last regular season basketball game at the university! The Yellow Jackets won handily, and we got to see Zachary L. cheer, so it was a very fun evening!
Yesterday Zach woke up running a fever, so he has not been up to par yesterday or today, poor guy. But the rest of us all went to Amy and Jason's church, where there was plenty of seating and no threatening black curtains, LOL. Nice! The service was nice, and their assistant pastor preached an excellent sermon. Afterward, ew came back here, where Amy had a delicious meal of chicken and noodles waiting for us in the crockpot. Amy and I go to do a lot of scrapbooking yesterday afternoon/evening. I finally got Faith's little album started--actually, it's almost finished! Now if only I wasn't 3 years behind on my regular albums. Maybe this summer I'll have some time to work on those.
Some time today we'll move over to my parents' house for the next few nights. They actually lost power last night and are still without it this morning, so we'll wait until it comes back on before making the big move! In the meantime, the kids are all playing nicely, and I am contemplating exercising. Ahhh . . . I can feel the stress melt away! So relaxing to not have to do anything or go anywhere!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
What a Day
We've had quite a time here today. We're still dealing with some sort of mild bug, which apparently only strikes on the weekend. Luke, Faith, Grace, and I were all sick last weekend. Friday Nathan wasn't feeling 100%, and eventually he did throw up once Friday night. He felt better then, and was fine Saturday. Saturday night, however, he awoke around midnight, thought he had more time than he actually did, and sort of vomited while turning his head. Some did make it into the trash can next to the bed, whil some sprayed in a lovely fan on the carpet. Then, in a complete surprise, Luke threw up at 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, and 6:00. What in the world?! Luke is never sick, and now 2 weekends in a row?! When Caleb woke up this morning, he said he wasn't feeling good either, so we let all 3 older boys stay home from church. Nathan and Caleb seem fine now, but Luke is struggling more. He basically just laid on the couch all day today and ate a bit of applesauce and toast. Hopefully tomorrow he'll feel more like himself. And hopefully no one else will get this second round.
It turned out to be just fine that the boys stayed home from church, as that was a huge source of stress for our day as well. Our church meets in a school auditorium because we outgrew our actual church building a few years ago. The nice thing about the auditorium is that everyone fits with no problem! But this past week the powers-that-be (PTB) decided they want everyone to squish together, so they were going to rope off the back sections. Originally when we first moved, they had done this as well, but as more big families came in, we needed the back parts of the auditorium, where the rows are shorter, so we could have access to the aisle, and so we would just move the ropes aside as needed. But this time they cooked up this idea to have huge black curtain/screen things all along the back where they were blocking off the back rows. So now if you move the ropes, you would be sitting behind a big black screen so you wouldn't be able to see anything.
Of course they said they would leave a few rows in the back section, but those rows were quickly filled. We got there this morning right on time, but we have to sign kids up for children's church, put Faith in the nursery, drop food off for fellowship meal, etc., so we can't just waltz in to the auditorium and claim our huge row of seats. When I saw the curtains this morning, I got so upset. I literally started crying, which is rare for me, but I am feeling quite hormonal and emotional lately. This was like the straw to break the camel's back.
I'm sure the PTB have reasons for this that they consider are perfectly important and reasonable, but for me, all I see is one more day of stress. We have to get to church early so we can claim 9 seats (on the aisle no less, so that pregnant me can get out to use the restroom during our 2 hour long service), or else our family is going to have to be split up and spread out everywhere, just like in the old small building. And if we are late, then we will be punished by not having seats, so that is stress, and if we are early, then we are just causing another family to have to be split up or just stand in the hallway or whatever. VERY stressful for someone like me who already hates being late, but unfortunately is responsible to get a lot of other people out the door, as well as have my house ready for our small group to come over right afterward 2 Sundays a month. So they can say it's not about me, but it certainly makes for a day where it is easier to choose to just stay home, rather than face the stress and humiliation of not being able to sit anywhere. This probably all seems like such a tiny deal, but there really is nothing less welcoming in a church, especially for a big family, than walking in and realizing you just don't fit anywhere.
So what ended up happening today: we only had Jonathan, Anna, and Grace, since we left the older boys at home. We went in to find seats after my little meltdown, only to find, of course, that the only seats left were up in the second row. I immediately turned around and walked out, way back to this area in another hallway that is curtained off for nursing mothers. I sat there in a rocking chair all by myself and relaxed. It was nice and quiet. Bob took the kids up to the second row, where the music was so loud Jonathan put his hands over his ears and shouted "NO!" So they got up too and went outside the auditorium where they have a TV screen set up so moms with little kids can be and still watch the service. The good news is that in only 8 more weeks we'll have another baby, so I guess it will be natural for us to be there, since that is where I see us unless they open up more rows or something.
After we got home, Bob and I were so tired after our interrupted night that we took a nap. Eventually Anna came up to inform us that Grace had cut her hair with scissors, NOT the paper, like she should have been cutting. Anna was quite upset about this. We called Grace up, but it was dark and I couldn't really see anything different, so I figured she had trimmed some little piece of hair with the little kiddie scissors. Wrong! After we got up and went downstairs, I could very clearly see that Grace had cut 2 big hunks from the back of her hair, almost down to the scalp. The hunks are separated by a long hunk of hair. There really is no way to repair it, short of buzzing the entire back of her head. I can hardly stand to look at her. I had wanted to get pictures taken before the new baby comes, but I don't see how that will work now. Her hair grows so slowly. This will literally take years to grow back. It is very upsetting to me, on top of everything else for the day.
So that was our very bad day. I'm still weepy, and I'm not feeling up for another week. I ate a ton of chocolate this afternoon, so now I'll probably have an 11 pound baby. Tomorrow Luke is supposed to get his second set of braces on, bright and early in the morning. And Friday we're supposed to drive to Ohio for about a week. I do need a vacation. And at least we won't have to deal with church next weekend.
It turned out to be just fine that the boys stayed home from church, as that was a huge source of stress for our day as well. Our church meets in a school auditorium because we outgrew our actual church building a few years ago. The nice thing about the auditorium is that everyone fits with no problem! But this past week the powers-that-be (PTB) decided they want everyone to squish together, so they were going to rope off the back sections. Originally when we first moved, they had done this as well, but as more big families came in, we needed the back parts of the auditorium, where the rows are shorter, so we could have access to the aisle, and so we would just move the ropes aside as needed. But this time they cooked up this idea to have huge black curtain/screen things all along the back where they were blocking off the back rows. So now if you move the ropes, you would be sitting behind a big black screen so you wouldn't be able to see anything.
Of course they said they would leave a few rows in the back section, but those rows were quickly filled. We got there this morning right on time, but we have to sign kids up for children's church, put Faith in the nursery, drop food off for fellowship meal, etc., so we can't just waltz in to the auditorium and claim our huge row of seats. When I saw the curtains this morning, I got so upset. I literally started crying, which is rare for me, but I am feeling quite hormonal and emotional lately. This was like the straw to break the camel's back.
I'm sure the PTB have reasons for this that they consider are perfectly important and reasonable, but for me, all I see is one more day of stress. We have to get to church early so we can claim 9 seats (on the aisle no less, so that pregnant me can get out to use the restroom during our 2 hour long service), or else our family is going to have to be split up and spread out everywhere, just like in the old small building. And if we are late, then we will be punished by not having seats, so that is stress, and if we are early, then we are just causing another family to have to be split up or just stand in the hallway or whatever. VERY stressful for someone like me who already hates being late, but unfortunately is responsible to get a lot of other people out the door, as well as have my house ready for our small group to come over right afterward 2 Sundays a month. So they can say it's not about me, but it certainly makes for a day where it is easier to choose to just stay home, rather than face the stress and humiliation of not being able to sit anywhere. This probably all seems like such a tiny deal, but there really is nothing less welcoming in a church, especially for a big family, than walking in and realizing you just don't fit anywhere.
So what ended up happening today: we only had Jonathan, Anna, and Grace, since we left the older boys at home. We went in to find seats after my little meltdown, only to find, of course, that the only seats left were up in the second row. I immediately turned around and walked out, way back to this area in another hallway that is curtained off for nursing mothers. I sat there in a rocking chair all by myself and relaxed. It was nice and quiet. Bob took the kids up to the second row, where the music was so loud Jonathan put his hands over his ears and shouted "NO!" So they got up too and went outside the auditorium where they have a TV screen set up so moms with little kids can be and still watch the service. The good news is that in only 8 more weeks we'll have another baby, so I guess it will be natural for us to be there, since that is where I see us unless they open up more rows or something.
After we got home, Bob and I were so tired after our interrupted night that we took a nap. Eventually Anna came up to inform us that Grace had cut her hair with scissors, NOT the paper, like she should have been cutting. Anna was quite upset about this. We called Grace up, but it was dark and I couldn't really see anything different, so I figured she had trimmed some little piece of hair with the little kiddie scissors. Wrong! After we got up and went downstairs, I could very clearly see that Grace had cut 2 big hunks from the back of her hair, almost down to the scalp. The hunks are separated by a long hunk of hair. There really is no way to repair it, short of buzzing the entire back of her head. I can hardly stand to look at her. I had wanted to get pictures taken before the new baby comes, but I don't see how that will work now. Her hair grows so slowly. This will literally take years to grow back. It is very upsetting to me, on top of everything else for the day.
So that was our very bad day. I'm still weepy, and I'm not feeling up for another week. I ate a ton of chocolate this afternoon, so now I'll probably have an 11 pound baby. Tomorrow Luke is supposed to get his second set of braces on, bright and early in the morning. And Friday we're supposed to drive to Ohio for about a week. I do need a vacation. And at least we won't have to deal with church next weekend.
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