Of course...

Of course there would be something to keep it from being revealed Monday morning. Just par for the course. I have spent a total of about 40 hours over 4 days... 6,14,14, and 6 from Thursday to Sunday working on this... and the last 3 hours on Sunday were because everything is inaccessible now and we have to wait on a 3rd party to get things kicked back off for me to finish. Not fun.

In other news, we decided tonight we needed some family time since, considering the hours I put in on that project... I haven't had much of that this weekend. So off we went to Sea World. For about $20 we were planning to drive over, see a few animals, go to the 'late' show (8pm! past the kids' bedtime!!) and then come back home. A great outing for just a few hours. I packed up the kids' PJs, drinks, and diaper bag, we drove through McD's for dinner on our way to Orlando, and wouldn't you know that AS we arrived at Sea World the massive thunderstorms started.

Thankfully we hadn't told the kids WHERE we were going, and they were excited about just the McD's part (even tho we didn't get Happy Meals). We decided to go to Friendly's for ice cream and head back home. We still spent the $20 but instead of paying for parking, we bought ice cream. Ah... well... another night I suppose. We could even go after Mike gets off work one night if the park is open late during the week and there's not supposed to be rain. We really did think the outlook was good for tonight. Lesson learned.

We still got in some family time and the kids were just as excited about ice cream (though try to explain the 45 minute drive for ice cream... I guess it's good the kids don't understand time that well yet! LOL).

We also got Emma's NEW BED today and as I write this she's sleeping soundly, safe, in her brand new twin size bunk bed. What a big girl! Pictures to come... I know several were curious about what the final design might be like. Though we just got it all put together and are using it for the first time tonight, I'm already VERY pleased with how it turned out and I think that a minor adjustment here and there might be found in the coming weeks/months, but overall it's a great plan to keep Emma safe, provide maximum airflow and visibility, have great ease-of-use, and have the ability to grow with her if she no longer needs as high a level of 'protection' in the future. A whole new post on that with photos and descriptions will be coming in the next few days :)

Tomorrow morning is my OB appointment, so hopefully I'll hear the results of the EKG and glucose testing that I had done 2 weeks ago. I don't expect to hear any surprises (I think they probably would have called me if there had been an issue) but it will be good to hear that there's not anything going on. Kristopher's going to come with me to hear the baby's heartbeat and 'help' the doctor :) When my little visitor was with me he came to 2 appointments with me. My OB offered for him to help but he really wasn't interested and hung out in the stroller (which was fine, easier than chasing him down the halls LOL).

Mike's taking Brianna to her follow-up with the ENT tomorrow because it's at the same time as my OB appointment. I hate for him to have to take off work, but it's good for him to be involved with the kids' care and to do a doctor's appointment on occasion! Brianna's doing great, she seems to have bounced back pretty well since surgery but is still a bit more whiney and is definitely about 200% MORE clinging to Mommy since her surgery. Yikes. But I do love her snuggles :) Could do without the following me around wanting to be held and saying 'maaaammaaaaa' with a little sad sob after it and pouting on the floor... oh well...

Mike's taking Emma to a LONG series of x-rays next week too simply because I can't be in the room for x-rays and we don't want her to be scared without one of us there. There will be two sets of x-rays, each said to take about 45 minutes to do. Basically she'll have everything from the neck to her toes done. We'll see the orthopedic doctor the following week and hopefully be able to address a lot of the concerns that we have had brought to us such as leg length difference, hip dislocation, knee dislocation, ankle pronation, foot/ankle asymmetrical bone placement, rotation of the lower leg bone (tibial torsion), and he wants to see her back for scoliosis screening as well. Hmm... her arms might not be x-rayed :) But that and her head are about it. Our PT will be joining us for this visit if she can because she's really curious to hear what he has to say as well... she's been working with Emma for almost a year now but has seen her development since we came home because she works with our other 2 kids (Brianna now aged out of her program tho) as well.

And, just for kicks, Emma's next cardio exam will be the day after her ortho visit- so two big office visits in 2 days. We'll have a thorough echo done, the first complete one in 6 months, and we'll hear whether they plan to do another cath to check pulmonary hypertension levels or whether we'll continue to monitor it as we have with echos. She's also been 'upped' in her blood pressure meds since the last visit but there's hopes of coming off of them. We'll see whether that's a viable option for her.

Now... here's hoping that tomorrow morning my project will be turned back on so I can finish it and release it sometime tomorrow or Tuesday!

Off to bed...

Wow, no posts since TUESDAY??

I've been busy!

I've been working since Wednesday on a project... here and there... but it has consumed my weekend (we planned it that way). I spent about 6 hours on it Thursday, 14 yesterday, and I'm already past 13 today. More to do tomorrow, but MONDAY is the big reveal!

Coming soon... don't you just love surprises??

Eight years...

Dear Michael,
I can't believe it's been eight years since we said our vows to each other. I cannot imagine being happier doing any single thing differently in the last 8 years... When we were talking to people before getting married I remember hearing several times "you both will continue to grow- and it has to be your decision to grow together and not apart." I think we've done just that... And you've helped me become the person that I am today.

We've now been through the purchase of 3 homes and 3 cars, (yes, and the sale of a few of each too), you've made me a mother 4 (ah, well... 5) times, you've sat by my side as we prepared to hand our children over for surgeries eight times, and you've sat by me as we waited to hear the results each time. We've run 4 different youth ministries and worked too many youth camps and weekend outreach camps for me to remember right now. We've visited many different states and even a foreign country together, and spent many days in blissful joy and excruciating pain together. We've laughed together, loved one another, cried together, and most of all, prayed together.

I'm blessed that you chose me to spend our lifetime together, and I'm so thankful to God that He works all things out for the better of His Kingdom. I'm thankful that we can both look to Him and know that there's still more for our lives together and He's not through with any of us yet!

I love you, Happy 8th Anniversary Michael!

Head Banging

Anyone with a child with sensory issues, or one from a sensory deprived past (orphanage) will recognize that this title isn't referring to music or dancing. No, it's about BANGING their heads on stuff. HARD stuff. Stuff that they have no reason to bang their heads on.

Micah does this more so to hear the noise. But the pain doesn't bother him at all. He'll lay down on the floor to get dressed or a diaper change (if someone else is using the changing table) and he'll pick his head up and hit it on the ground a few times. Just for fun. But he will stop when told to, usually, and doesn't do it too excessively.

A few days ago I had a friend over for the day and I put Micah in his crib only to hear banging. I thought it was him kicking the wall through the slats, but went in to find that it was his head. And he was banging it HARD. I stopped him, laid him down, only to hear him start back up a few minutes later. His crib is no longer against the wall. He had a knot on his head after nap that day.

Thankfully, once Micah is asleep he stays asleep for the most part. He doesn't really wake and need attention during the night and I'm VERY thankful for that! Even if he does wake he'll fuss a second and get comfy and go back to sleep. He's a mobile sleeper- all over the crib- and it's sometimes funny to see the positions he gets himself in to. He has a Boppy he'll curl up on or lay his head in or even sit in the center of it and fall asleep on the top of it (sitting up). Anyway, he plays when he's going to sleep but then he's done, he's out, he's quiet for the night.

Emma, on the other hand, is an entirely different story. Yes, she too will bang her head on things for fun. The sliding glass doors that go out to the playroom for example. Or she'll go from sitting to laying down in .002 seconds with a loud KONK on the floor. And then she'll laugh. So we really kind of worry about her pain tolerance because she really doesn't allow herself to recognize pain as hurting. Pretty much ever.

Another difference is that Emma, once asleep, doesn't stop her stimming. In fact, this is one area where we've almost got our hands tied as far as ridding her of the behavior because there's just no way for us to be there monitoring this and looking for when it's about to start and stopping it... We just can't afford to miss enough sleep for that to be realistic.

Emma will wake just slightly during any point in the night and in order to soothe herself, she'll rock. HARD. With her thumb in her mouth. It's mostly just her upper body that goes back and forth, but... she does it so that every rock slams her into the crib rails. HARD. After a few times of hearing this through the monitor, I generally go from my room to hers, move her away from the rail, tell her no, set her in the center of the mattress, and hope and pray she doesn't scoot back over again.

But last night... I was up 4 times. And this morning, when we were all somewhat awake but the kids were all content and there was no reason we had to jump out of bed, she started it up again.

I have no solution for this other than holding her and rocking her... which we have done... but there's just no real way to do this all night every night, and especially on her whim when she wakes just a little from her good sleep and wants to get back to sleep.

So... I'm hoping and praying that since her new bed will not make that same springs and wood banging sound that the current rail makes... that maybe, just maybe, she will decide it's just not as fun to bang her head on the canvas and mesh and will stop. Or at the very least, maybe it won't make quite so much noise so that I can sleep through it. :)

Brianna's big day- surgery pics

Waiting patiently, of course with some Dora goodness.  That gown was HUGE on her :) 

(and look... another pic of me, see? No complaining Ukraine folks, :)  So what if I still have a kid on my lap?? :) )

This was smart-- they brought out the mask with the scent 'pasted' in it and let Brianna play with it for a few minutes.  They brought her back totally awake and then put her under and did her IV after that.  She liked playing with the mask, so that was good!  And I'm also glad that they carried her back, didn't make her ride on the bed.  She went right to a nurse, then the nurse asked if the anesthesiologist wanted to take her (he's about to be a daddy for the first time) and she went right to him too :)  So... she said bye and smiled all the way back.

 

The smiles didn't last all that long though- this is right after surgery.  When she saw Mike on their way through the halls toward the elevator, she sat up QUICK in bed, startled and pretty out of it, but we had to lay her back down and just walked next to her down to the recovery area.  She wasn't in too bad of a mood- I was given a big chair and I sat and held her.  We brought a DVD player and her FAVORITE movie of all time... Disney's Enchanted... and she was content to sit.  You can see that her temples are really swollen in this picture.  That's really the only thing that you could tell she had surgery by- visually anyway.  She kept offsetting her jaw too, but only until the Demerol started to wear off a bit more :) 

Brianna only cried or fussed once, and said "NO!!!" and that was when she was dressed, had eaten 1/2 a cup of sherbet, and we turned off her movie to go home :)  She then watched it in the car on the drive home and finished it up on the couch at the house.

The rest of the day and most of the day Saturday she was a bit tired and clingy, but didn't seem to be in much pain.  She had pain meds twice... once on Fri afternoon and once on Sat evening when she was acting really out of sorts.  Then about an hour later she threw up.  Three times.  So I'm not sure if the discomfort was because she was starting to feel sick, or whether the pain meds made her throw up... but so long as she doesn't seem to need them, we're not just giving her pain meds around the clock.

This morning I'm home with the girls while Mike took the boys to church.  Even though Brianna seems to be doing pretty good, she's not quite ready to be left in the nursery and especially not after throwing up last night.  If she hadn't thrown up, we would have had her just come and sit with us, but instead decided another day at home was in order.

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And this, just for fun, was taken the day before Bria's surgery.  These three kids are little buddies :)  Emma loves to crawl up on the ottoman then flip herself over it.  Gives me a heart attack when she launches herself over it- knowing her head will hit that rug which has no pad, it's just on the tile.  But Brianna and Micah are in on the fun too and Brianna goes over to tickle Emma and Micah just to sit with them and giggle.  They sure have a lot of fun together, it's so neat to see their little personalities taking off!

Ugh- server down

And Mike seems to think we need a new Router... but that the company is going to replace it...

In the mean time, I apologize if it comes up asking for a password!! Just hit "cancel" a few times and it should go away.

I'm afraid this is also affecting a few buttons that I've hosted on other sites, but there's nothing I can do about it until the router is fixed.

SORRY!!
:)

But... in the mean time... I'm so glad to have the ability TO host things that this will make me ever more grateful for my husband's web and computer prowess :)

Brianna did great :)

She had her surgery around 7:30, was out around 8:30, and we were leaving at 9:30! She loves 'ice cream' (sherbet) and ate it about 20 min after coming out. That passed for drinking and we were able to come home :) She's been tired, a little out of sorts, and of course was unsure about talking or moving around much for the whole morning, but Tylenol with Codeine is doing its trick and she's just fine... drinking her milk, eating goldfish and raisins and those freeze-dried type baby food yogurt drop thingies. She's only had one dose of pain medicine and doesn't appear to be uncomfortable.

Thank you all for your prayers! I'm glad Mike was able to take the day off so we could tag-team the kids as well as try to rest a little ourselves (getting up at 5am isn't the norm for us and we didn't get to bed before 12:30!).

So thankful she's doing well! Please continue to pray for her recovery as it is 5-10 days usually and this first day isn't always the hardest.

THANK YOU! :)

Time for surgery...

Well, we have a few more hours...

Brianna's getting her adenoids removed and new ear tubes in tomorrow morning. 5:45 we'll be pulling out to drive down to the hospital and get started. Surgery should be at 7:20.

Please pray that all goes well and she has a quick and pain-free recovery!

It wasn't fun!

Today I've been doing laundry, sheets, hanging shirts, that sort of thing... there was a goal at some point to clean the playroom, but the kids have been enjoying it so much today that I decided against working on that one... no point! I got a shower at noon when Mike came home for lunch and watched the kids, and until then was in my PJs. My boys are still in their PJs because there was nothing pressing today and they could! The girls are out and about in diapers because they both played in the tub this afternoon.

And that's what the fun part is. Or... isn't. Both girls played nicely in the tub, I washed their hair and sat where I could keep checking on them and the boys... Brianna wanted out and got dried off and back in a diaper to play. Emma was enjoying herself so I stayed where I can see her and everyone else and let her have those 3" of water all to herself :) She loved it! I closed the glass doors to keep the splashing inside and watched as she spun herself around, laid on her belly, flipped over and sat up, splashed, and splashed, came up sputtering a time or two but always fine, always in sight, and having fun.

Then I went to get her out.

And noticed the BROWN. WATER.

Yes, she had pooped in the tub. And because the glass doors were closed, even tho I was close, I couldn't smell it. This was a good thing- but also a bad thing. A very. bad. thing. Because it was NASTY.

I put her on the far end of the tub and took out all the toys (of course she had ALL the toys... because it was a fun "play in the tub" time, not just a quick bath and get out). I refilled the tub a bit and scrubbed the ceramic. I rinsed Emma. I rinsed the tub. I washed Emma. With soap. Sweet smelling soap. I washed her hair. Wish shampoo. Nice smelling shampoo. I rinsed with water straight from the tap. Not from the tub. I didn't let the tub fill even.

And she STILL. SMELLS. LIKE. POOP.

Now I'm waiting until after dinner when Mike can keep the kids and I can Lysol the entire tub, toys and make sure there's NO residue of scent anywhere to be found. Then I can give her ANOTHER bath. With soap. Sweet smelling soap. And shampoo. Nice smelling shampoo. And pray she comes out smelling sweet and nice.

Then I can go take another shower myself. Because even if the scent didn't rub off on me, I feel gross.

hmm... playing around...

I'm sure it's not the final product, but I want to replace the button I made almost a YEAR ago that is Emma's face over there on the sidebar. So... to better represent our growing family... I am playing around with a few other ideas. Yes, those are all actual footprints :) The baby's are from the ultrasound :)

Probably not the final product, but I'm having fun with it anyway! And now... off to bed...

Two more buttons are coming off :)

Which means more families are home!

Roman, from Ukraine!


Pavel, from Ukraine!


Welcome home!!

Photos from our day with R

Here are the promised pic's of R with my kiddos... her mom stayed a bit as well when she came to pick her up so she's in some photos too!

With the girls, Emma wanted up on R's lap SO badly... Then when she got there she went limp :)

Even tho the kids weren't super cooperative for this one, I like it :)  Emma was put off that Brianna claimed R's lap, and Micah was an escapee!

 

Kristopher took the rest of these pictures-- he asked for the camera then snapped away!

A warm welcome- when D got here to pick up R, Micah went right to her and put his arms up!  D is the bookstore manager and works at the front desk at our church, so the kids know her well and we stop in to visit a few minutes whenever we're at the church.  As soon as D walked in to the family room, Emma was on her toes wanting to be held, and Brianna eventually got her turn in too :) 

 

See? I really do exist... and Brianna's hiding the huge belly :)

The photographer...

Baby conversations

Tonight I laid in my bed with Kristopher as he watched a Veggie Tales movie- Jonah. This has become a new routine for him- after the other 3 kids go to bed he gets to watch a Veggie Tales, or occasionally a Hermie movie or another short video. It's some quiet down-time for him, a chance for a little drink of water and a small snack, and a chance for the other kids to get a head start on sleep since originally we did it based on the fact that kids were playing when they all went to bed at the same time. But now, it's also a nice time for us to spend some quiet one on one time with Kristopher. Not every night... sometimes he watches alone... but several nights a week.

So tonight when his movie finished he came over and wanted to feel the baby. He sat, patiently (for the first time), and waited for her to move. Except she was obviously not going to move. We had some interesting conversations that came of it, though, including some of the following:

• The baby will not stick her foot out of my belly to kick him, it would just be a bump that he would see or feel
• No, the baby isn't in "those"... but when she's born, they will have milk for her to drink. Yes, very much like a pig (thank you Charlotte's Web). And a cow, yes, but no, a blanket has fur, sortof, and doesn't give milk... it's also not alive and doesn't have babies...
  
• When the baby is born you won't see a foot coming out because you won't be there. And mommy's baby will come out when I have surgery, yes it will be sore for a while after and I won't be able to pick up the other kids or run around, but it will all be ok.
• My belly feels 'mushy' and then hard because there's a balloon in my tummy with water in it, and the baby is in that water. She needs the water to protect her. The hard you feel in the water when you press on my tummy is the baby.
• No, when she's born you won't be allowed to try to wake her up like you're doing now in order to see her move. Why not? Babies cry when you wake them up by pushing on them. We want her to sleep when she needs to sleep and when she needs to be awake she will be!

Ah... the joy of 5 yr olds. If only Mike had been here, I'm sure he would have enjoyed the conversation too :) But hey, I figure I get off easy since the "how do they come out?" question is as simple as "surgery" this time around :) :). What kind of questions have your kids asked you about pregnancy or babies being born?? And if anyone from K's school in the fall is reading this... be forewarned... I can just imagine what he's going to come out with once the baby is born and he goes back to school the next day!! LOL

PS.

Please ignore the super long grass in the photos below... it is Florida, it is summertime, and if it's not mowed every 5 days it's a jungle. I'm so glad my husband decided to spend the weekend playing with the kids and hanging out with us all and allowing the kids to ENJOY the grass (since fresh-cut grass is not as fun to play in!) and put off mowing until tomorrow night. But still, I realize it looks jungle-like in the photos. It didn't bother us one bit :) :)

Pictures and updates :)

We bought a life jacket for the younger kids when we went out the other day- We'd picked one up for Kristopher already but when we found out how much Brianna liked the kayak... we decided to get one that would fit her too.  She didn't like the idea of being put down in the water and let go of... but the life vest DID keep her afloat.  It did NOT, however, flip Brianna onto her back :(  But, the idea is for it to keep her from sinking if something happened.  And when placed on her back she DID float on her back, which was good.

Today I took Brianna in for her pre-op visit.  She gets her adenoids out on Friday and new ear tubes.  Hopefully it will be day-surgery but he said to plan on up to a 23 hour stay depending on how she does drinking after surgery.

While we were waiting in the waiting room... Brianna tapped her diaper and said "uh oh" and then went back to watching the fish.  Weird.  Then she did it again.  I asked if she wanted to go potty and sure enough she went in and peed in the toilet!  And... her diaper was dry :)  Maybe we'll potty train soon after all?

Brianna also ventured out and ate not one, but THREE small mandarin orange pieces today!  She's usually not in to trying anything new... but this worked!  We really struggle with getting her to eat.  Especially things that are healthy.

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We put Emma in the jacket too.  Not necessarily because Mike would take her out in the kayak- not sure she could sit still long enough to enjoy it.  But because I was curious whether it would give us a similar effect to the 'head float' that we borrowed a week ago.  It's not nearly as buoyant, and the head piece is much more flimsy than I would have liked, but as you can see, it did keep her afloat for the most part.  It also DID put her back onto her back if she was on her face.  Problem is when she gets on her side... with 1/2 her head in the water.  She can't breathe nor flip.  Maybe just a skill to work on?  I think we'll hold off on buying the head float and try this out some more!

Emma has been chewing again.  It was BAD then it was GONE and now it's back about 1/4 of what it was when it was really bad... but still there. 

She did, however, begin going to her 'new seat' at the table instead of going to Brianna's chair (her old seat) if Brianna is already at the table.  She's also started to COME to us when we put out our hands and say "come here".  This is HUGE!! 

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This is on the 4th of July, we put out the kiddy pool, the rice bin, and a bunch of lawn blankets as well as a bin of water for Kristopher (on the other side of the driveway) for him to play with his squirt gun in.  Mike and I cleaned out the garage, sorted through some things but mostly just put away stuff that we had 'set aside' and not put back in a good home.  I also found 3 boxes that we never unpacked 2 years ago when we moved here!

Anyway, just before lunch I got everyone drinks and Micah laid right down in the 1" of water and took his bottle there :)

 

Micah's made some big strides here lately.  He comes (most of the time) when we call him and he can see us and we gesture to come.  He also is starting to eat better... again... and I think we're back where we started before he regressed.  Hopefully we can go forward from here!

Micah is walking GREAT, 100% of the time, and is able to go up and down low-incline ramps.  He's even just figured out how to climb up on our chairs AND how to safely get down :)  His favorite is to get on the coffee table we put in front of the TV (to keep the kids just a foot or 2 away from the TV set) and to lay on there.  Of course he's not allowed... but... :)

Micah is also starting to listen when told not to go into an area he's not allowed.  Not always, we're still probably less than 50/50, but it is working SOMETIMES which is a blessing :)

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Kristopher had a good time outside with his squirt gun and 'bugs' in a water bucket.  So much so, that yesterday when Mike offered him 3 choices- go in the pool, go out to the park in the kayak (for the first time), or go in the front yard and play with a bucket of water... he wanted to play with the water!  Mike washed the vans :)

Kristopher is doing great :)  His imagination is in full swing, and he's loving having his siblings to play with this summer.  He's doing better with interacting with them and we've set up a few boundaries that are helping him to not have the opportunity to be in trouble. 

Kristopher has also learned how to unlock the front door with a key, which is great when I have my hands full (of other kids)!  He feels so big being a helper and I appreciate it too!  He also LOVES to go get the mail and can go down to the mailbox by himself, he watches for cars (we're on a dead-end road so there aren't many, but if there is a car often it's speeding...), and he comes back up through the garden area so he's not walking by the parked cars in the driveway.  Often people are coming or going and by the time he's gotten to the driveway I don't want someone to forget he was back there and not look for him!!

Kristopher has also been doing 100% better with bedtime now that the kids are going to bed a little later AND he's being great with his new 'room mate', Brianna.

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This pic is cute, but more than anything, I want to know how Emma got in the bucket!?!?!  I heard Micah fuss and had been out of the room for a few minutes.  I came back to find E and M in the bin, and B was climbing in.  I went and got my camera and came back to find Bria sitting loving on Micah.  K hadn't been in the room... I have NO IDEA how Emma, especially, got in there!  Micah too... but I can see him maneuvering it since he does at least stand-alone!

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And... here they are... the fabulous 4... :)  All sporting their Old Navy 2009 flag shirts.  PROUD to be an American :)  Our 2nd Independence day together!

"smart shopping"

I love getting a good deal. Seriously, it pleases me to no end to shop online, save more $ than I would by buying it at a store, and usually have it delivered right to my doorstep too!

I've been researching products for a while so we'd decided which things we were going to buy... but I hadn't sat down and done it yet or found the best places to buy from until tonight. Knowing some things take 3-4 weeks to come in, we decided to buy the big stuff now so we have it before school starts the 2nd week of August and life gets crazy!

I didn't pay any shipping, though 3 items will have to be picked up at Wal-Mart (not like I'm not there 3 or 4 times a month anyway!). I also saved over $70 on the things we bought based on the lowest price available in-store or without online coupons... And I didn't buy anything I hadn't intended to! Even better! :)

I'm especially pleased at the deal I got on the Graco Snugride 32 Infant Carseat/Carrier! $126 :) This was with a coupon and by ordering it as a 'new customer' through www.diapers.com. I also got $5 off of a pack of the diapers I use all the time... Yes, an ACTUAL $5 savings- less than what I pay at Wal-Mart... with a coupon... and delivered to my door! I may start doing that more regularly if it costs the same as buying them at the store even, because it's one less thing to pick-up while I'm out and there are occasional promotions. You can even use regular clipped coupons there (I think).

Not so bad?

A nice visit ;)

Today we visited with my friend R. We went to pick her up before lunch then went to the park for a bit to let the kids play. After they got some running and climbing in we went to the grocery store and picked up subs for R, Mike, and I and dropped Mike's off at the church.

Then back to the house and I put lunch together for the 4 little ones, we all ate, and K went to my bedroom to watch a movie and 'rest'. The girls played on the porch after Brianna combated rest time and I gave up, and Micah slept. R and I watched Bride Wars. It was cute- I hadn't seen it or really even heard much about it because I don't watch TV but it's one that my sister was planning on renting when I was up there and it didn't work out.

After the movie we sat around the house a bit, R listened to her i-pod and I got a load of laundry started and the dishwasher loaded. The kids enjoyed the freedom of just hanging out and playing, and we had a relaxing afternoon. R and I also looked through some old pictures of Mike and I as little kids and even a few baby photos (not together, we met in junior high...). Kristopher surprised me by actually cleaning his room when asked... a nice treat :)

Around 5 R's mom picked her up but came in and visited for a while. All the kids needed a turn in her lap, too, and Kristopher was having fun playing with my camera- so I actually have some photos from today! I forgot to get permission to post them tho-- will have to ask :)

We enjoyed the day, it's nice to get out of the 'regular' of every day. I can't tell you when the last time that I watched a movie at 12:30 in the afternoon was. Well... one that was actually made for adults anyway :) And the visit to the park is always more fun with company!

I love to see Brianna and R interact. You can see the special place that Brianna holds in R's life and Brianna was telling me she wouldn't hold my hand today at the park, but she held R's hand willingly... so I know the feeling is mutual :) When Brianna was 2 months old and was diagnosed with Ds, one of the first people that we told were R and her mom. That day it was presented to R that Brianna would need a role model and we were so glad to know R and all that she has accomplished and that Brianna would be able to grow up with her as a role model.

Let me tell you, R takes that job seriously and I love it :) We talked a bit about it today, even. It's nice getting to spend time with friends, and a nice laid-back relaxing day was much needed this week :)

Oh, and while we were at the grocery store we ran into another friend and her daughter w/ Ds. L is 14. L's mom hadn't met our newest kids yet-- it's been a while since we saw each other face to face! So as we congregated in the entrance to the grocery store, we had almost 3 'decades' of sweet people that happen to have that extra chromosome, all in one place...

Maybe some pic's in the next few days...

Update on pain...

I forgot to mention, in the fun logistics of needing more tests done yesterday, that I did ask the doctor about the severe hip pain and whether there is anything I could do differently or exercise or vitamins, or... ANYTHING! LOL He explained a few things to me which I thought I'd share simply because I find it interesting :) Some of it I knew already, some I didn't!

During pregnancy the placenta releases a thing called Relaxin, which acts on the cartilage of the body, allowing it to loosen. This is especially important for the rib cage to expand allowing more room to breathe :) But it's not 'specific' to one area of the body, so it works on every area of cartilage.

The pelvis/hips are made up of 4 bones, connected with cartilage. So with this 'loosened' the bones have more freedom than usual. What this means is that some people have this pain or sometimes just some discomfort during pregnancy. He said it essentially feels like two broken bones rubbing against each other. YES! And it HURTS! LOL

He said that I'm getting to the point in pregnancy where I can't take anti-inflammatories (which I'd rather not take at all when I'm pregnant anyway!) and that Aspirin would be a big no-no at this time too (which I believe is ALWAYS the case in pregnancy...). But then he said "because of the heart". Hmm... how so? I was curious... I know you can't take certain meds during pregnancy, but the 'why' of many of them I never thought about. Apparently, Aspirin can cause the baby's PDA to close prematurely resulting in pulmonay hypertension. Who knew? (ok, maybe YOU did, but I thought it was interesting anyway!).

So, I got my little mini-medical-lesson at the doctor's yesterday, I find it fascinating to learn the why's and how's of things. I started out wanting to go into the medical field and going through the CNA training and certification in high school. Then God brought me through a few other 'changes in plans' and eventually I got my teaching degree. I am often glad I took all those medical terminology classes and such all those years ago, though, because I am sure that it helped me to understand much more of the medical complexities that each of my kiddos presents!

Oh, and as for managing the pain that comes with laying down that feels like broken bones rubbing together-- there's pretty much nothing I can do about it. Sleep on a soft matress cover (already doing it, thanks Mom for getting the one you had out for me!) and with a pillow between the knees to keep the hips level (yep, do that too). And if it gets to where the pain isn't subsiding after a little bit... take some Tylenol. Otherwise-- Grin and bear it :)

I gotta say, she's worth it :)

Since it's a holiday weekend

I can't go to the lab and hospital on Friday! Ah, well... the best laid plans...

I called down to the hospital and found out I could go TODAY before 4 for the EKG so I went ahead and did that. My mom was easily available and came over for just less than an hour. I went to one of the hospital's affiliated centers that's just 5 min from my house (and has apparently been there for 2 years and I had NO IDEA!).

I couldn't get a hold of the lab that I have to go to in order to find out whether they're open on Friday or not, so that one may have to wait until Monday... or Tuesday. Monday is Brianna's pre-op for her adenoids and tubes too. And tomorrow I have a friend coming over to spend the day with us so tomorrow's out too.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoys their Independence Day weekend! Any fun plans??

I'm not sure I want to 'win' all the time!

I had my OB appointment this morning. It's been over 6 weeks since I was in last because I missed the appointment 2 weeks ago (that's a whole 'nother story!) and they couldn't reschedule me until now.

Baby sounds good, measuring fine, weight gain is fine, no worries with her.

But *I* win this time. My heartbeat is irregular. Not really a huge surprise because I was diagnosed with an innocent heart murmur when I was 13. But at the beginning of the pregnancy it wasn't even audible. Today it was audible in the BP cuff w/ stethoscope and a palpated pulse. So, as the doctor put it, I have won myself an EKG.

Just what I always wanted... I'd much rather 'win' on insurance issues and such, not on weird symptoms or issues!

My doctor is also wondering whether the episodes of what seems like maybe low blood sugar are actually related to the heart. Who knows. Looks like Friday I get to go visit the hospital for an EKG and then go down to the lab for the glucose testing. Still unsure of whether the glucose test will tell about low blood sugar? It will tell whether the pancreas is working well to deal with a high rate of sugar all at once, but not necessarily what my body does without sugar. I have no idea... but- that's what Friday looks like now, fun fun fun...