Any time now...

I went to the doctor today and everything looks great. I am still pretty much closed, but almost effaced. I know, too much information, but my cervix is still posterior and hasn't moved to the anterior position yet. But, the baby is very very low. It was at -2 last time and is even lower now. As a matter of fact, the midwife told me to forget what they said about coming to the hospital when contractions are 5 minutes apart. I need to start getting on the road when they are about 10 minutes apart. She thinks that it won't take long since the baby is already so low. She said she wouldn't be suprised if it happened this week... but she wouldn't be shocked if I went another 2 weeks. We just don't have that crystal ball.

We've made a lot of house progress lately. I have been working to keep things clean and Jeff has been working to finish the living room. These two things clash at times (like when sanding the floor), but even though I am a hormonal mess and ran around dusting and mopping up the sawdust from every room in the house... I know it all must be done. I tried to explain to Jeff (through uncontrollable sobs, with a dust rag in my hand) that I was upset because I wanted it all cleaned, not upset WITH him for making the dust. I must have looked pretty pitiful given the look on his face.

So, now I continue to get things in order and try to walk around the grocery store with a baby between my thighs...

Relief x 2

(This is another cross post with our other blog)

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Mom for coming to help me with the house Sunday and Monday! Mom came Sunday morning, Waffle House breakfast in tow, and proceeded to work magic on my house. I moved from lying on the couch to lounging in various chairs in various rooms while she worked. At about 11:30 that night, as we were standing in my very unfinished dining room (the sheet rock is in very rough shape, we tore a closet out when we moved in and never patched any of it up, and the door to the one-day-porch has a long gap where the sheet rock doesn't meet the trim... let's face it, when you bought a house with 3 livable rooms and no kitchen, the aesthetics of the dining room are far from a priority!) Mom threw out the idea, "Hey, why don't I just putty what I can, smooth what I can, and throw some paint on these walls!". So, that is what she did. That night, she puttied some holes before bed. The next morning, she dropped the boys off at school and took me to my doctor's appointment.

The midwife checked me out and much to our amazement, I have had no cervical changes since Friday. The baby is now at -2 station, which is pretty significant, but since there were no more cervical changes, she lifted my bed rest! I can't "run any marathons", but I can perform normal routine life stuff. This is very good considering I have no idea how I would have made it through the week... and I really didn't want Asa and Addison to miss private and group violin lessons.

After the good news, Mom and I picked out some curtains, found paint that matched exactly, grabbed some trim for around the door, and headed home. I picked up the boys from school while mom moved all the furniture away from the walls. When I came home, I sat and painted window trim while she edged the room. I managed to do the vast majority of my painting while on my rump... and Mom managed to kick serious butt on the rest of the room. By the time Jeff came home, the extra trim piece was added to the sides of the doorway, the trim was all painted, the corner cabinet that Randy made me in 2001 and I still hadn't painted- was painted, the walls had two coats of paint that the boys said looked just like melted chocolate, the curtains were hung, and the house was clean again.

I have lived here in this house for 4 years. I started out sleeping in the dining room. Every night I had to lie in bed and stare up at the holes and tears and the obnoxious gaping marks that the old closet wall left on the sheet rock. I had to cover up the door to the imaginary porch and the two windows because the trim wasn't finished and the gap down the side required extensive effort to fix. To have this room looking decent is amazing. We aren't saying it is finished... the sheet rock is still bumpy and needs a lot of work, the tacked up trim job I did is far from professional, the floor will have to be pulled up, subfloor laid, and then the planed flooring put back down... all of these things still need to be done. But, in the meantime, I can relax instead of cringe... and finally enjoy eating in a pretty room!

Thanks Mom!!!

Whoa Momma

A few nights ago, I was lying on the couch with Jeff and realized that my contractions had picked up. I was having around 5 per hour for a little over 2 hours... and my back was killing me. I called the Dr's office to see what they wanted me to do. While I was on the phone, my back completely locked up in the worst back spasm I could imagine. It was horrible!

When we moved into our first house, I was working on the computer one night and Jeff was desperate for attention. He decided to swing from the doorframe and do a chin up (thus bringing his feet up to meet the ceiling, his body horizontal). As he had managed to reach the peak, the doorframe broke and he crashed straight down onto his back. Yes, it was just as funny looking as it sounds. He seemed to be okay after he could breathe again... but the next night his back locked up to the point I was driving him to the hospital in a panic because he thought he was dying. I saw he badly he must have hurt... and the other night I realized just how it felt.

The midwife suggested I take Tylenol PM and a warm bath, which helped greatly. My contractions had kicked up a notch since then, but nothing too terribly exciting. Yesterday, I woke up at 6:30am with cramps that felt just like mentrual cramps. I couldn't go back to sleep. My contractions weren't too bad at the time, but it was the day I was supposed to pick up the boys from school and drive stragith to Fayetteville for my baby shower. The crampiness made me nervous. I hadn't felt anything like that. It didn't stop between contractions, just lessened. I also felt that the baby had dropped. I decided to call the docs to get checked out before I made the drive to Fayetteville.

I dropped the boys off and ran over to Athens in the morning, in my pajamas, so I could hurry and get it over with and get back to my to-do list before our trip. They checked me, and
much to my surprise I was 85% effaced and "softening", but closed. The midwife decided to put me on the contraction monitor for about an hour. If I was "pumping out contractions" I would be sent to the hospital. If not, I go to my shower. Well, I knew I was having about 2-3 per hour just as I had been for weeks, so it was a big waste of time for me. I told them that I needed to be out of there by 12:30 to get the kids from school and hooked up.

Ten minutes went by and someone popped there head in to see if I was okay. I thought it was a little odd. In about 5-10 more minutes, the midwife came in and said that I was heading to the hospital. WHAT? To my suprise, I was contracting every 2 minutes. I only felt the "big ones" and not the ones in between. She checked me again and this time I was a "fingertip" at the front, but she didn't want to try to force anything. I was opening, so off to the hospital I went. Jeff came home and picked up the boys from school.

Over at L&D, they put me on the monitor and gave me IV fluids. After seeing my "irritability" and all the contracitons, they gave me a shot of terbutaline (I had forgotten how jittery that stuff makes you feel!). After a little over an hour, they gave me another shot, since the first one wasn't doing the trick. They had settled down, but my uterus was still very irritable. Wow. I felt like I had downed about 12 grande lattes.

By 4pm the midwife checked me again. I was still opened about a "fingertip" and very soft at this point. Still about 85% effaced. There was discussion about putting me on Procardia and keeping me over night... but the doctor eventually decided to send me home on bedrest and hopefully I will go to 36 weeks. So, I am on bedrest for the next 7 days. After that, I'm free to roam. Seven days, doesn't sound to bad?

I checked out at about 5:15. I had not eaten breakfast when I went to the doctor's office, and they wouldn't let me eat at the hospital, so I had gone from my 2am Instant Breakfast fix to 5:30 with no food. I drove through Chic-fil-A and came home to Jeff, Asa and Addison. My shower, remember was supposed to be at 6:30 in Fayetteville! Yes, I'm on bedrest. But, Jeff argued that the ride in the car, lying on the couch, and getting back in the car would be no less "restful" than being at home. So, off we went!

I made it to my shower, an hour and a half late, but I am so glad I went! It was a lot of fun, even if I couldn't get off the couch. I ate, opened presents, and got to be in a room full of people so excited to meet this little guy or girl! It was much needed after a REALLY crappy day.

So, today I lie here and count contractions. At this point, they are coming about every 6-10 minutes. When they get to 5 minutes for at least an hour, we'll head on to Athens...

Today's Peek

We had an ultrasound today to measure the baby- and we have a perfectly healthy 5lb 2oz peanut! Wow! He/she is still head down and everything looks great. I am 34 weeks today. If I were to go into labor in the next two weeks, they would try to stop me. After 36 weeks, I'm good to go! Just watch me go to my due date or longer this time!

It was so crazy to see chubby little cheeks and lips. Baby was moving his/her mouth like he/she was eating or sucking. Then, I noticed that he/she had the frowniest (is that a word?) face! Turns out, the placenta is squishing his/her cheek down and caused such a pouty face. This baby was in true form- kicking and squirming all over the place. Now, I just need to hold him/her in for at least 14 more days!

Big Sibling Class

Today, I took the boys to their "Big Kids and Babies" class at the hospital. They were really excited about the class and have been looking forward to it for a while. Personally, I can't believe it was already time to go. It seems like I made it for so late in my pregnancy- and now here we are!

They learned what babies look like, including that gross little belly button that you "don't touch". They also learned things they can do with the baby, how to hold a baby, how to change a diaper (ha!), how to swaddle, and a big reminder of how much babies need to eat, sleep, and cry. They have a packet of coloring sheets, a couple "I'm Your Big Brother" signs for the baby's little bed, and a "Big Kid" tee shirt. We also were taken on a kid-sized tour of where mommy will have the baby, where the nursery is, and where mommy and daddy will be after the baby is born. I thought the tour was especially great to take the fear out of the hospital room. They learned about some of the gadgets and buttons, the warmer, etc.



To my surprise, Addison was particularly into the class. I think this is partly because it was "a class" and Addison really likes to be the best student ever, where as Asa gets shy in a group of new people. I also think it was because they passed out a packet of coloring pages... which means Asa dove head first into his artistic genius. All in all, they both did great. Addison said he would help with the baby, but he just doesn't want to kiss it. With all that slobber, I can do that.

The class was made up of mostly boys. There may have been 12-14 kids and all but 3 or so were boys! By the time we made it around the the postpartum rooms, we completely lost every single one of those boys to the fabulous view of the parking lot. Cars beat babies any day!

Sure, It's the hormones..

As I sit here, two days just a day away from making it to 34 weeks, I am becoming more and more overcome with emotion. With the end of this pregnancy comes the end of almost 8 long years of either trying to get or trying to stay pregnant. It has been a crazy long road, with more twists and turns that we would have ever imagined possible (and most people still can't believe). It is just amazing to think of the number of tests I have gone through, number of treatment cycles, number of shots, number of dollars spent, number of losses suffered. I know for most people, having their last child must be emotional... but I'm sure it doesn't bring with it such an overwhelming sense of satisfying exhaustion. The marathon, treadmill, and fierce battle is ending. It is one that I have spent almost my entire marriage, my entire adulthood, fighting.

It was a wild ride leading up to the birth of Asa and Addison. As most of you already know, it took thousands of dollars, multiple losses, 2 1/2 years of trying, 3 months in the hospital, and 2 months in the NICU to get there. We started trying for this one only 6 months after the boys were born... and here we are 5 years later with a healthy baby kicking me in the bladder as I sit here. Five years, again thousands of dollars, more losses, too many shots to count, cycles and cycles of trying, a failure of an adoption experience and the resulting legal fiasco that followed and continues to follow. Wow. After all of this chaos, I'm so glad we decided to give it one more go... which we did after we had already decided to write off the possibility of baby #3.

It's just so hard to believe that in only a few weeks time, that baby that we had hoped and prayed for will actually be in our arms. Asa and Addison will actually be big brothers. They have no idea how difficult it was or how much of a miracle it is that they will get to have this little brother or sister... just like they have no idea how equally miraculous it is that they have each other.

But, we sure do.

Listmania

Until the living room is finished and we can move our bedroom downstairs, I am unable to set up the baby's room. At first, I was unable to cope with the inability to put away tiny things and build my "nest". But, now that I have accepted that the room may not be ready in time, I have been able to shift into Plan B. At least now I am able to do something, even if it's not exactly what I want to be doing. I have started getting out baby things and cleaning them up. The swing is in the living room. The baby bath is at least out where I can find it. I have at least located the boxes of clothes and separated them into "unisex" and "boy". They may be stacked up in the upstairs foyer, but at least it's a start. I did find a used co-sleeper for our room. Asa made me set it up at 7:30 one morning, so it is up and ready to go.

One thing that I have been doing obsessively is writing lists. I have always been a list-maker, but lately I have lists coming out of my ears. I have a whole notebook of lists- lists of things I need to buy, things I need to do, things I can't do yet but will need to do, things I need to find, lists of my lists. It's a bit crazy. I do feel better knowing that my friend Bethany is doing the same thing. Like me, she will wake up in the middle of the night and need to make a list. I must not be the only crazy pregnant momma out there.

Maybe I'll be suprised and the room will be ready in the knick of time. Jeff has made a lot of progress lately. With only six weekends until my due date, and no guarentee that I'll make it that long, I think I'll play it safe and stick with my Plan B.

Kindergarten Here We Come!

I went to the school last night for the parent orientation meeting. The boys have been going to Bethlehem First since they were in the two year old Mom's Morning Out program wince a week. Now, here I am with five year olds ready to start Kindergarten. Instead of being sad to see them start, I was able to be purely excited. I'm not sending them off for a 7+ hour day, nor are we in a new environment. I know next year we will be venturing off to another school (to be determined), but as for now we are sticking close to home. Literally. I can walk there if I have to. I loved school. I loved the organization, the charts, the folders, the work. I am excited for them and hope they love it, too!

Although I have been to many parent orientations with the same director and some of the same staff in the same building, this one was markedly different. Kindergarten is the real deal! It is amazing to think that my boys will be reading and writing this year. They will have a homework folder with real assignments that they really have to do, a weekly behavior chart that goes home, and progress reports. I feel so old!

Jeff took them this morning to Open House, where they saw they got acquainted with their classroom. They have a class of 10 students, Ms. Kim and Ms. Susan. There are only 2 or 3 kids that they don't already know. They were all given tote bags and they put a red hand print on them. I stayed at home, sick. But, I heard all about it when they came bouncing in the door! They want to start tomorrow, and believe me... I want them to, as well.

Things that Dangle

So, I have said it before, but I'll say it again. I went to school to be a public health educator so that I could navigate this Mom business with some grace. Once you've taught middle school sex ed for a few years, not much suprises you.

I questioned whether or not this should make the blog, but Jeff insisted...

(This took place while getting ready for bed.)

Asa: Do I have two of these little ball things underneath my penis?
Me: Yup. Sure do.
Asa: And you only have one?
Me: Nope. Girls don't have any.
Asa: Oh. But everyone has those things that hang down in their throat, right?

Um. Yes.

Roots

When we were at the lake this summer, Jeff (not our Jeff, but Jeff Scheule) sat and talked Addison through adding "big numbers". It was not a long drawn out lesson. He simply showed Addison how to put who double digit numbers on top of each other and add down. Well, little did he know that this would start math-fest-2008. A few weeks after we got back, Addison had mastered adding two and three digit numbers that didn't require "carrying". He could add three of them. Recently, we introduced carrying and much to my surprise, he had it down in under an hour. Asa, although not as interested in math problems as a fun entertainment activity, has followed right behind Addison by a single step. I was floored.

For my doctor appointments, I print out worksheets, mazes, coloring pages, and now Addison requests pages of math problems. Thankfully, you can find these online in 2-digit, 3-digit, with or without "regrouping". Now, he has a heck of a time sounding out words, but he can add 456 and 692. As we enter Kindergarten (which starts in a week), I know that they will be adding 4 apples plus 4 apples. Luckily, the boys will be staying in the same private program that they were in last year. Fourteen students, two teachers who already know the boys. I feel very confident that they will keep him interested. Plus, if he is bored by the math he can always spend some extra time trying to figure out what sound "bus" starts with. As interested as he is in Math, he is equally as uninterested in taking the time to sound things out!

At Shelby's birthday party the other weekend, Addison, Asa and Shelby sat at a small picnic table to eat. Shelby, being two, stuck her bread into her mouth only to realize that it wasn't quite what she wanted. She pulled the bread back out... sending Addison to carry his plate to sit on the cooler. This child has one incredibly weak stomach. Later on, he was standing beside me with the grown-ups when Shelby came up to the table with a very runny little nose. Maria went to wipe it and Addison started to heave. I mean, heave. Now, this is nothing out of the ordinary for my little boy. He actually gags and heaves when he sees someone else eating something that he doesn't like. He has lost his lunch over having to taste a grape (he hates fruit, except bananas and applesauce). Recently, he told me that he was giving my belly all these kisses because when the baby comes it'll be slobbery, so he won't want to kiss him or her then.

Some might think this is totally bizarre, but I grew up with my brother. Hal could vomit and the sheer thought of something gross. To this day, he can't eat at the same table as a baby. Once, mom made tuna with relish in it. Hal didn't like pickles in his tuna, but mom made him at least try it. He swore he would throw up. But, she argued, how did he know he didn't like it if he didn't try it? After a fight, he gave in... and sure enough he threw up all over. It's not a weak stomach, it's a stomach with an overactive eject button.

Another amazing similarity between the two is their overwhelming appreciation for their own intelligence. Addison, for example, loves to answer questions, loves to talk about things he knows, and loves to be right. Often, his love for being right and love to talk are at odds- as he can't seem to be quiet long enough to listen to the question. Hal and Addison both seem to have a double helping of self-esteem.

The combination of Addison's attraction to numbers, his healthy ego, and his overactive gag reflex has made me realize how alike he and Hal truly are. They both really love sports. Addison is incredibly competitive and driven. Hal was a puzzle addicted kid, just like Addison. I remember Hal sitting for hours in his room at a very young age. We would go in and he had put together every puzzle we had on his floor. Addison puts puzzles together before I wake up in the morning. The 100 piece ones are a bit too easy for him. I have been looking for some 200 piece ones. Hal bought him a 1000+ piece puzzle for his birthday and although we have worked diligently on it, we aren't quite finished yet.

Although I don't remember Hal being particularly into cards (Addison plays solitaire constantly), I do know that he had a strong interest in board games. Hal was more into Monopoly, Addison is into chess and checkers. However, video games served as the center of Hal's young universe much as they do Addison's. Addison would play video or computer games all day every day if we let him. He does get to play, in limited amounts. He does not get to play every day. But, even when he isn't playing them he is thinking about the games. He talks about what he can try next time, he creates his own games, his own boards, in his head. If we didn't have a tight rein on him, he would be lost in an electronic oblivion. Heck, while on a recent ban of t.v. and video games (which was not for a punishment but just as a "break"), Jeff caught Addison staring for a very long time at our screen saver! Jeff said something to him and Addison replied in a dazed voice, "Daddy, it looks like it's coming AT me." Hal would get up at 5am so that he could play Mario Bros before school. He was equally in love with video games. Yes, he would even break down into tears when he would lose... just like Addison.

The good news? Even with all his quirks, Hal turned out to be a fully functional, social, happy adult. With this, I can take a sigh of relief. Maybe like Hal, Addison will eventually learn that you appear smarter when you stop talking so darn much. As of the moment, Addison prefers to talk without ceasing every minute that he is not asleep. Maybe one day Addison's body shape will change and his pants will stay up, like Hal's eventually did. Both of those boys had/have no hips and would walk straight out of any pair of any pair of pants no matter how tight the belt. Addison is currently in a 24 month bathing suit and still can't get out of the pool without showing his crack. Luckily, puberty helped Hal in that department and I haven't seen him showing off his crack in many many years. There is hope.

Now, this may be an all-about-Addison post, but don't get me wrong, I am constantly just as amazed by Asa's abilities, his love of all that is art, his focus on projects and details, his jaw-dropping Lego creations, and his fascination with science. Over the course of the summer, I have witnessed both of these boys blossom into big smart five year old boys... and soon to be big brothers. I know that the future holds absolutely no guarantees, but I know that these kids have such amazing potential and I am so proud to be their mom and their teacher. I hope that they will keep this interest in learning for as long as possible. I promise to keep googling all the answers that I don't know...

or I'll keep calling uncle Hal.

Vote

Graduation!

I had my last maternal/fetal specialist appointment today! We have been a little worried in the past week or so. My contractions took another jump in the past week and are not averaging about 2 per hour. But, everything is holding tight and there's no sign of preterm activity. The baby is measuring 3 lbs 12 oz and is head down. All is well!! Given that I'll be 31 weeks along on Friday, the specialists don't need to see me again. I have graduated!

Now, if I could just get some sleep. I have been so uncomfortable at night that I toss and turn for hours and hours. Between the tiny bladder, the big belly, and a very hyperactive baby, it's nearly impossible to rest... and the major growth spurt is just beginning! Baby should put on about 1/2 a pound a week from here on out!

Hitting the Beach!

We just got home from a long weekend at the beach. It was just what I had hoped... nice and relaxing with no itinerary and beautiful weather. We drove down on Friday morning, stopping in Savannah for lunch. The boys had never seen Savannah. We parked and got out to walk to River Street. It was a hot, muggy, Southern summer day... and there I was just entering my 8th month of pregnancy. Walking seemed like a good idea at the time. However, about a third of the way to River Street I was grinding to a halt. My body physically wouldn't go. We did not realize that we had parked a mile away.

Having never been very pregnant and walking at all, I was amazed by my inability to function in the heat. I'd heard of people talk about how bad it was to be pregnant in the summer. This was the only time I had experienced that. It was miserable. By the time we made it to the elevator to go down to the Riverfront, I was lightheaded and nauseous. The elevator was tiny and un-air conditioned... and I truly thought I was going to pass out! Luckily, once I sat, ate lunch, and drank a ton of water I felt like a new person. Needless to say I did not walk back to the car. Addison and I hung out around one of the fountains and chased pigeons until Jeff and Asa picked us up.

We made it down to Amelia Island and check into our hotel in enough time to hit the beach. The boys made sand castles and threw themselves into the waves like crazy people. They were too small to be able to boogie board on their own, but Jeff figured out that he could ride with one on his back... so that they did. Over the weekend they spent hours and hours riding the waves and letting the waves knock them flat on their backs over and over and over. Addison was particularly entertaining. He would stand in the roughest part and get knocked down over and over again, head over heels. A couple actually stood by and watched, ready to jump in to save him. Surely he was in distress, right? Just to look like a good parent, I got up and asked him if he needed any help, which he emphatically turned down. They were amazed. "Your boys are crazy" they said! At dinner that night, Addison started to fall asleep while chewing. Luckily, we caught him before he fell out of his chair and he slept the rest of dinner on Jeff's lap.

We wanted to go out late one night and look for crabs. Jeff and I explained that crabs like to come out late. With the nighttime exhaustion, it didn't work out. The next morning, Jeff planned to wake the boys up early and get to the beach to see the sunrise. They woke up a little late, and as they ate breakfast, Jeff mentioned that he wanted to go out early, but it was later than he planned. As they headed out to the beach, Addison looked concerned. He was being overly cautious. When Jeff asked what was wrong, Addison explained that crabs came out late, and they they were getting to the beach late. He was scared the crabs were going to get him. With that, Jeff explained that the crabs came out late at night, in the dark. They weren't out then. Addison looked up at him and asked... "Where are their homes?" If they weren't out, then where were they? Inquiring (and nervous) minds want to know.

To scoot around the island, we rented a little electric car. It was expensive, but SO worth it! We were able to cruise around the historic district, take it to dinner, and go to Fort Clinch in our "funny car". The boys were happy riding, I wasn't passing out by trying to walk, and we weren't driving around in the van, missing the details. It worked so well... but we did look ridiculous.

Fort Clinch Park was beautiful. We drove back to the fort and walked through the old buildings and tunnels. The fort was in great shape and we really enjoyed it. Again, it was insanely hot out there, so I ended up sitting in the shade frantically fanning myself with the tiny fort map and praying for relief while the boys drug Jeff through every inch of that place. Actually, they wanted to drag him through every inch, but Jeff tried to get it through to them that they did not actually need to go through each and every tunnel or climb each and every stair there. If it were up to Addison and Asa, I think they would have been there two extra hours.

Jeff and the boys did make it out Monday morning for a sunrise on the beach. They saw dolphins off the shore for the second morning in a row. The dolphins seem to go one direction early in the morning and then come back by a few hours later. They were beautiful!

This was our last trip as a family of four, and what a great trip it was. I wanted to be able to give the boys one last hurrah before their worlds turn upside down. Although walking in the heat was a bit tough, I thoroughly enjoyed being pregnant and out at the beach. It felt so normal. I think getting to experience a relatively uneventful pregnancy is a bit of therapy for me. To top it all off, the boys were great, they were angels when we went to dinner (even though they were exhausted beyond belief), and they were little troopers in the car. It made us feel so great to have other customers at both restaurants comment to us on how well behaved they were being. They are such good boys. I can only hope that this next baby is half as good as they have been. Guess we'll know soon enough!

Taco Stand Thursdays

During the summer, we have toned down on violin quite a bit. The boys don't seem to be backsliding, but we aren't exactly blazing through Twinkle as I hoped we would be. With their trips to the grandparents plus all the other summer craziness, it just has taken a bit of a backseat. With that said, we are still practicing here and there and we see Ms. Becca every two weeks or so. I'm not too worried about it, but I hope to get back on track soon!

During the rest of the year, we had our lessons on Thursdays. The boys LOVE tacos (they choose tacos over any other food choice) and last Spring I broke them away from their Barbarito's/Moe's addiction and introduced them to the Taco Stand. Ahhh... Taco Stand. One of the many reasons that I just can't leave the Athens area. Luckily, the boys have excellent taste and fell in love immediately. Actually, they have made it their lunch stop for lessons... dubbing those days "Taco Stand Thursdays".

We may change the day of the week that we have lessons, but I doubt we will be changing our new routine any time soon! My only concern is my boys' growing appetites. One soft taco doesn't seem to cut it, so they usually have to split a second. Give it a few more months and they'll be up to two a piece!

A Breath of Fresh Air

I had an appointment today with one of the CNM (certified nurse midwives) and I am just so thrilled! Even sitting in the waiting room was a great experience. Instead of people complaining about the wait or talking about the bedside manner of various OBGYN's, two women and I talked about how nice people were here and I listened to them talk about how happy they were with their last (both unmedicated) birth experiences. One said that the midwife actually stayed with her for the entire labor, even though she only went in at 2-3cm.

The midwife consulted the OB on my chart and history. They do want to repeat my glucose test that was screwed up by the other clinic (because they forgot about me and left me in the waiting room for an hour and 45 minutes- instead of an hour after the sugar drink- until I finally went up and asked them when they planned to draw my blood... I will continue...and then they proceeded to make me wait for a total of three hours, FASTING since the night before, and I STILL never saw the OB. I digress...) My cervix is still nice and closed, so these contractions are still not causing any problems. They did the Fetal Fibronectin test today, which will tell them if there is a risk of preterm labor in the next two weeks. I should have the results back today. If positive, we'll know to really really take it easy and start taking major precautions. If negative, I'm good to go! My belly is measuring right at 30 weeks, so I'm on target there. The baby is now head down, which may change-- this little sucker seems to like to do a weekly flip! Believe it or not, I am a PERFECTLY NORMAL PREGNANT WOMAN!!

The midwife saw me for about 40 minutes, herself. I was able to ask questions and talk to her without feeling rushed. She was amazing. I have a feeling that I am going to leave every appointment hoping that the midwife I just saw will deliver my baby. They encourage you to have a birthplan, heck, they even give you a sheet of ideas and possibilities for choices during labor. They want to to know what your preferences are for labor and after the birth. They talk and listen. AND, they will watch me closely and even did the Fetal Fibronectin test as a precaution and will repeat it in 2 weeks. I am very happy and I feel much more confident! Now, let's just get me to at least 34 weeks and I'll be home free!

**By the way, my test came back negative!**

The Amazing Ways I Make Money While Parked in this Chair.

So, I have had a CafePress shop for a few years now. I began in the Fall of 2005. The whole thing started because I wanted a cute twin design for Asa and Addison and couldn't find what I was looking for. I drew up my own, stuck it on CafePress, and before I could even get my settings right on the shop I sold two! I quickly added other designs, and now I have 207 sections in my shop... with designs for twins, triplets, big brothers, big sisters, adoptions, and anything else that I could make work. I do a few custom designs a month, usually with a middle sibling or an international adoption needing different skin tones for different siblings. I don't know how long I can ride this out, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts!

In the past 3 months I have sold 325 items. I think that averages about 3.6 per day. I have a ton of designs (It takes four different designs to cover the triplet combinations... which I do for each skin tone... and 3 for each twin design. Heck, I even do quad designs! The mind boggles!) so it really is hard to get accurate tabs on what is selling best. But, the single most popular item by far for this quarter was the "I *heart* My Big Sister" shirt or onesie. It also amazes me the number of triplet orders that come through in a month. I had 43 of them over the quarter. The quads are rare, but have sold a few here and there.

We make a small but substantial little chunk each month, and I hope to be able to continue to put up more designs and stick around as long as possible. Sure, CafePress takes the vast majority of the earnings. But, I don't really do any of the work. I just sit and think of new ideas or answer emails and create custom designs, grow my shop, and get my check in the mail. Maybe baby #3 will inspire me once again and I can come up with a new line of silly baby attire.

By the way... my onesies for IVF babies that says "Second Mortgage" has had an excellent quarter this year. I'm glad to see that moms and dads who cashed it all in for that little bundle were still able to retain their senses of humor!

(You can reach the shop from www.cafepress.com/hollieshobbies or straight from www.hollieshobbies.net.)

The Second Time Around

Now that I have passed the really scary period of this pregnancy, where preterm labor would have meant very bad news indeed, I have started to slowly accept the idea of being able to have a different kind of birth experience. Believe me, I have no complaints at all about my pregnancy and birth of the boys. How could I? That was not the time for any worry of pain management or unnecessary medical interventions. Without medical interventions, they would have never been conceived much less lived long enough to have a birth at all.

This pregnancy shared the same level of initial medical intervention... including estrogen patches, more ultrasounds that I can count, and 55 days straight of intra-muscular progesterone injections in alternating butt cheeks. But, unlike the last one, this one has the potential for me to attempt the birth that I hoped for before I knew I was pregnant with twins last time. Given that this is most likely the last time I will ever have this experience, I would like to be a little more prepared. After 12 weeks in the hospital, I had not even begun to think about their actual birth. Actually, I didn't allow myself to. I was too scared. Once my water broke and those true contractions hit, I had no idea what to expect. I had no game plan except... get the epidural and get them out so they can go to the NICU. Had I realized that I was already in transition by the time I got my epidural, I might have opted to just stick it out.

Now, I went to school to be a health educator - health and human reproduction. Obviously, I have interest in the subject even before I was married. I had many classes that went into the details of the physiological changes and stages. But, I never had any class that mentioned how one might cope with said changes... until now.

I searched for weeks for a natural childbirth class. Sure, they offer classes at the hospital, but I didn't want to pay the money and sit through the classes to cover a bunch of stuff that I already knew about. I know about epidurals and episiotomies and breastfeeding. What I don't know is how to avoid epidurals and episiotomies, or how to keep nurses from whisking your baby off unnecessarily to do a bunch of stuff that can be done right there in the room, or how to keep them from shoving a bottle or pacifier in their mouth. I did end up finding classes in Lawrenceville, but was thrilled to discover an entire Pregnancy Resource Center opening up in Athens! I signed us up for classes at Full Bloom, and convinced my friend and her husband to go ahead and take them with us!

So far, I have been very pleased. Yes, Jeff and I have done this before, so we don't need some of this stuff as much as the others do. Yes, it is a little bit "earth muffin" for Jeff's taste... and can be a little hokey at times, but it is pretty easy for me to drop the stuff I find "out there" and take all the rest in. There is one girl in there who is so far out in the outer rim that we find it hard to hold back the giggles. I thought we were both going to chew through our tongues trying to keep quiet when she said that she wanted to "dance" through labor. Ummm... honey... get back to us on that one... I'd like to hear how that goes...

All in all, I have already taken some very useful tidbits away from our first two classes. I feel a lot more confident in my ability communicate my wishes. I am more motivated to avoid an epidural so that I won't have to lie there in the bed while laboring. I know that I can labor in the tub if I want to and that they make fetal monitors that are wireless and waterproof. I learned that the cool thing that Mom used to do when I couldn't sleep- have me start at the feet and contract and relax each body part- is called progressive relaxation and she must have learned it from other humans even though as a kid I thought she was just making it up. (Asa, by the way, requests that I do this with him when he can't sleep, too.)

Do I know that I will be able to work my way through the pain, drug free? Of course not. Will I refuse an episiotomy even if I really need one? No way. WIll I feel bad if I end up screaming in pain and begging for them to drug me to the hilt? Not a chance. Heck, I don't even know that I don't go into labor too soon or have a baby that won't turn and end up not being able to use any of this! But, at least this time I will feel like I was prepared and gave it my best shot. If I can avoid that needle in the spine, the inability to move around on my own, and some strange nurse that I didn't really like holding my leg.... I'll take it! Plus, I think a part of me just wants to see that my body can do something on its own...

How I try to save while eating out...

Keep packs of single serving Crystal Light or other drink mix in your purse. Being able to order water at a restaurant and magically turn it into a yummy juice is quite the money saver! They charge an arm and a leg for children's lemonade at fast food places!

Kids love DQ blizzards, but no kid can (or should) finish a small one on their own! Heck, I can't! Their smalls are far from small. Plus, they cost $2.59 or so... not something I'd like to buy two of. If you are lucky enough that your kids agree on the type of blizzard... ask for an extra cup and divide it up. Lucky you. BUT, if they want different things, just ask for a small cup of ice cream (a kids cup or a single cup). It's $1.19. Then, add a topping to each for $.39. You save $2.02, which is nice to save or more than enough to upgrade your own selection.

The boys and I can go to Chick-fil-A and order an 8 pack of nuggets, a large fry, and a chicken sandwich... and have a nugget or two to spare. I know some kids just have to have a kids' meal, but luckily mine aren't one of those!

Quizno's has a few subs right now that are $5.00 for a foot long. Do the Crystal Light trick and ask the person preparing it to fix one half one way and one the other and all three of us can eat for under $6.50, with chips.

On a side note, I also have been making large batches of homemade cookies, spooning them very tightly spaced onto cookie sheets that I put int he freezer, and then popping the frozen dough balls into a big freezer bag to cook in small amounts... homemade cookies on demand.

Tensions and Instincts

I am sitting here typing although I should be doing 800 other things. With the summer mostly gone, and my belly ever expanding, I have started to truly panic about my inability to get ready for this baby. I have gone through the boys' old clothes and put them into piles, but I have nowhere for the piles to go. Until we finish this downstairs room, we cannot move our bedroom and set up the nursery. (Our House Blog)

To make things worse, I can't do this kind of stuff myself. Right now, I want to start hauling things up the stairs and moving furniture in the boys' room. Why? Because I feel the intense need to nest. I just want to get to the stuff that I can do... like wash the blankets and sheets and clothes and put them into their proper places.

I know darn well that I am getting annoying... but I cannot help it! It seems like an impossible feat for us to clean out that room, finish the sheetrock, put down the flooring, finish the flooring, trim the windows and doorways, paint, and whatever other things are bound to pop up along the way. It just doesn't seem possible to get this done given Jeff's 60 hour a week work schedule and our dwindling number of weekends. Sure, we could move furniture and rearrange our house after the baby comes... as much fun as that sounds. I am going to be a baby about it, but I want to do it soon, not fumble around setting things up when I'm sleep deprived and have a crying/sleeping baby. I'm sure I'm hormonal... and uncomfortable... and cranky... but I just can't help it. I want a space for my new baby!

So, I will go upstairs and clean my room or put away laundry, or do something else that falls short of the organization that I really want to do. Or, I'll go wake up my napping husband...

Wonderful Weekend

We had the best time last weekend! On Friday, we packed up the van and headed to the Laney's lake house. Mark & Bethany (and Callie), Charles, Ellen & Brian (Anna & Bennett) and Kierstin & Jeff were there at various times.

The kids played awesome together, and the weather was perfect. Sure, we had some boat troubles on Saturday (as in... after hours of effort, we realized it wasn't going to happen), but we totally enjoyed just floating around the lake and letting the kids jump from the dock. Brian and the two Jeffs seemed to have a blast tossing the kids as high as they'd let them... which for my two is as high as they possible could go. (Asa even jumped off the top deck of the boat dock!)

We had a pretty impressive water balloon fight. I must admit, it was a bit unfair that I could launch them at whomever I wanted and no one really wanted to pelt the pregnant woman with water balloons!

On Sunday, Jeff and Kierstin brought their boat and we took turns tubing, skiing, and wake boarding. I must say, I was a bit jealous as I really really wanted to try wake boarding. Maybe next summer. At first, we put Addison and Asa on the two tubes together, but we quickly learned that Asa wanted to go waaayy faster than Addison was comfortable with. So, Asa got to ride doubles with Daddy. Jeff (Scheule) was able to instill just the perfect amount of fear in the kid to make it fun! Asa even gave skiing a try. It reminded me of just how miserable learning to ski was. Wow. I'd forgotten. But, he gave it three good tries, which I thought was great.

A big thank you to Ellen and Brian for inviting us! We really needed it. Replacing email, cell phones, laptops and television with friends, laughter, water and sun was true therapy!

Girls Night Out (not exactly)

Last night, I dropped the boys off at Elizabeth's house and Ellen and Bethany picked me up to take Anna, Bennett and Callie to Athens for a photo session. Because Jeff's truck doesn't have room for the boys, I left my van at Elizabeth's for him and rode with Ellen and Bethany.

I want you to get a good mental picture of this...

We were in Brian's truck with a crew cab with the rear hinged doors. Two bench seats. In the back sat Anna, Bennett and Callie. In the front it was Ellen driving, me in the middle, and then Bethany (which I suppose makes a total of five people in the front seat if you could baby Beekman and Longino), loaded down with bags, hanging clothes for the photo shoot, a cooler bag with sandwiches for the kids, you get the picture. It was no doubt a hilarious sight. I know it was because the two men parked beside us at the gas station were openly laughing at us. We looked like we should have had about three ladders, some 5 gallon buckets, and a handful more of us lying in the bed of the truck.

The photo session went very well. It was the typical fast and furious session, with quick clothing changes, wet wipes flying, sippy cups passing back and forth, adults and children alike squatting in the UGA bushes (come on, who hasn't squatted in the bushes at UGA!) running toddlers and a patient big sister. Mark's mom happened to be in Athens for a conference, so she met us for the fun. I enjoyed taking the shots, and I hope everyone enjoys the results!

After the sun was setting and kids were sick and tired of being there, we packed up and headed out. Here we were, at night, in Athens, crammed in the front of the truck, going through more than one drive through for a quick dinner. It felt to me that we should have been hitting the road to head out on a Spring Break Trip. Of course, it did until the back seat errupted into demands for out fast food loot! My, how quickly things have changed...

Dodging Bullets

I went in to today's maternal/fetal specialist appointment with no idea if I would be walking out and driving home or wheeled out to spend the remainder of the summer on my back. Luckily, all of these contractions that I have been having (I had 13 yesterday... and two while at the doctor's office!) are causing no changes at all to my cervix! It's measuring 41mm, which isn't just "okay", but still great! For a reference, average length at 20 weeks is 40mm and average length at 34 weeks is 32mm. Under 25mm would be a concern, as would any dilation or "funneling". Mine had not changed at all since my check 4 weeks ago!

So, I left the office with no restrictions, other than to have common sense. Activity triggers my contractions, so I just need to make sure to have periods of rest, and to lay down when they are coming on. But, if anything changes (stronger or more frequent contractions or anything "different"), I go back in to check it out and start this process all over. It seems, my "irritable" uterus is also "oversensitive". Funny how similar the two of us are lately.

The baby is measuring right on target, in the 54th percentile, and is 2lbs 2oz! He/she is head down and moving like crazy. We were able to get some great shots!

For those of you FREAKING OUT to find out what plumbing this kid possesses, just know you aren't alone. Asa shares your frustration! I told him this morning that I was going to the doctor to check on the baby. He said, "Don't forget to ask the doctor what kind of baby we're having!" Guess he isn't one for surprises, either.

No, Speedracer, No-o!

I want to make a public service announcement for anyone out there who may want to take a kid (or even not take a kid) to the dollar theater. You may see Speed Racer and think, "It's only a buck, it's PG, and it will entertain the kids for a while". This is a huge mistake. Believe me, I just made it. I wasn't expecting it to be good at all, heck, I didn't even like the Speed Racer cartoon... but I did hope that it would be tolerable. Instead, I spend a little over TWO HOURS wishing and hoping it would end. I even asked the boys three different times if they would like to just leave, to no avail.

I won't go into a full review because, let's face it, we all knew it would be bad... but I will say two things:

1) There is no point sticking a few cuss words into a movie marketed to kids.
and
2) No one who goes through facial reconstruction surgery could possibly come out looking like Jack from Lost. I mean, come on.

I'm fine... it's my uterus that's irritable

Boy did we have some awesome plans for the weekend. Saturday night we had a sitter lined up and were going to head to Athens to see the Fuzzy Sprouts doing Sergeant Pepper at the Ga Theater. We had worked all that day on the foyer (which is finished, by the way!) and were ready to enjoy our evening out. I took a shower, fixed my hair, was in a cute little sundress, and the boys were out of the house. But, before we could make it out the door to go to dinner, the contractions began.

I have been having a few contractions here and there, probably about 3-4 a day, for the past few weeks now. Friday, they increased and I had six within six hours. But, that's still not hitting my threshold of 4 in an hour. The doctor said if I reach 4 in an hour, to call. (I think for most people, it's 6, but for me they want to play it safe). Well, Saturday night I had them in a row.... four. I drank a bunch of water and laid down. Jeff went to get us some dinner (we were starving!) and I called the doctor to let him know that I was having more than usual.

While Jeff was gone to get burritos, I had #5. Sure enough, our evening plans were completely wrecked at this point as we headed to the L&D unit. Neither one of us were particularly scared that this baby was going to come that night, but we were a bit nervous that I may be put on bedrest or stuck at the hospital for all eternity. Being well seasoned in the ways of hospital time, we packed the car with a portable DVD player, a pillow for Jeff, our dinner, and a movie. After this trip, we have decided to bring more snacks and a sleeping bag next time. Those little L&D holding rooms are so tiny and only have a chair for Jeff. He usually curls up and tried to sleep on the floor, which is HARD tile.

We reached the hospital and, or course, my contractions had slowed. I was still having them, but it was more like one an hour at this point. We waited for a room. In the waiting room, there was a woman who was obviously having painful contractions. No doubt, she would be leaving there with a baby in her arms. Her husband was on the phone with various people giving updates. Jeff and I absolutely cracked up when we overheard, "Well, she's not making no noises yet or nothing, but..." I could tell from across the room that the poor girl would have smacked him if she hadn't been silently trying to cope with the pain.

We were sent to our little room where they hooked me up to a contraction monitor and a fetal heartrate monitor. I had been amazed with how insane this baby has been all day. I think the contractions were making him/her mad. The kicks were fast and furious, and didn't seem to stop. When you put sound to it, it is even more impressive. That sucker kept kicking and squirming to the point that Jeff had to figure out how to turn the volume on the monitor down so we could hear our movie.

Much to my surprise, the L&D department could not do a cervical length check. What? Really? They said that they let Maternal/Fetal Specialists do those when they come in each day. So, instead of just looking in and seeing if all was well, they checked my contractions and then gave me the fetal fibronectin test. This test basically tells if you are truly in preterm labor. There are proteins that they look for that are only found when the baby starts to break loose and get ready for an exit. Without going into gory details, the test is performed with a swab. The results would be back in an hour or so (which in hospital time means 2 or more), so we knew we were stuck for a while. Jeff laid down and went to sleep... somehow. Didn't look comfy to me.

When the tests results came back, they were positive. However, the nurse asked me a question that she should have asked me before wasting the time and money on that test. Again, without too much detail, she was asking me if anything could have made the test invalid. The answer was 'yes', so the test was deemed inconclusive. We could have known that two hours prior, but again, hospital time is warped.

This leaves us with an old fashioned cervical check, which showed that I was still closed and the contractions weren't causing labor to progress. (Again, why couldn't we have done this forever ago??) The nurse said that my contractions did show up on the monitor, and that even when I am not contracting, my uterus is very irritable. Boy, do I remember those words... irritable uterus. I was hoping only one baby would make my uterus a little more content than two!

Now, I wait to go to maternal/fetal on Wednesday for a real check. I'm hoping they don't put me on too many restrictions... I have a lot to get done in the short time we have before this baby comes. Plus, I have to try to catch that show we missed!

Stool Sample

For the past few years, we have had a stool in the bathroom. It's a little step stool with storage in the top. As soon as we got it, the boys started using it to hold their collections of various stuff. I can't believe I haven't written about it before, maybe I have, but it used to be quite amusing to go into the bathroom and see what object has been horded away by our little ferret-children.

Well, about a year ago Asa started using the stool to hold all of his treasures and construction supplies. Each time we went to a store, he would scour the floors looking for scrap. The fabric store was a favorite. Sometimes he would get lucky enough to find an old ribbon spool to take home. (I believe it was the discovery of one of these spools that started the construction ideas... he was bound and determined to collect enough materials to build a car. It took 6 months before he found all four wheels!) Walmart and HomeDepot are also great spots for rummaging. Honestly, it was awesome for me, as I found myself no longer having to beg for them to go run errands... errands became the ultimate scavenger hunt!

The boys use the items in the their stool to create things... useless things that mainly consist of just connecting random items to other random items. However, sometimes they make sailboats or contraptions of some sort. Quite often they disappear into the bathroom and sit forever, thinking, creating, taping. I thought I would just snap pictures of what happened to be in the stool today.

Addison working away - Thank goodness for Lysol.

Today's collection-

Also included in the stool- treasures from our recent trip to Lowes (or "the blue HomeDepot" as they call it). Yes, they are the scrap pieces from where people cut their chains. What they plan to do with these, I have no idea.

Conquering Heros

Today was a big day at the YMCA pool. This year, the lifeguards are set up at the gate, giving out orange or green wristbands. The orange wristbands are for all the kids that need to stay in the shallow end. If you pass a swim test, you are given a green band, which means you have full rein of the pool. Those little ropes do not apply to you. The swim test consists of simply swimming across the width of the pool, without touching the bottom.

The boys have been fascinated by these wristbands. When I go in, I just tell the lifeguard that we need orange bands to stick to the shallow end. I did this today, we received out wristbands and headed to swim. But, this time, Asa decided that it was his day to do the swim test. He had made up his mind before we even hit the water. No more orange bands for him. No longer will he stand by and watch his mother assume that orange is acceptable. Not today. Not this boy.

I talked him into doing a practice run before we called the lifeguard over. Sure enough, the little guy plopped in, kicked off the wall, and swam to the other side coming up three quick times for air. I went and got the lifeguard who happily came to perform the test. Yes, this boy deserves a green band. You would have thought it was Christmas morning. The boy was vibrating with excitement. "I can go wherever I want to!" He spent some time by the ladder, right on the other side of the rope, yelling to Addison to proclaim his freedom, raising his wrist high!

It took all of 5 minutes for Addison to find this completely unacceptable. Oh no. He could not sit by and watch his brother have free rein over all this water. Again, I asked for a practice run. We waited a few minutes for Addison's hiccups to subside and he took off. Sure enough, Addison was ready for his test, as well. The smiling lifeguard came back over and watched as Addison gracefully took across the width of the pool only coming up for air once in the middle. Very impressive. Green wristbands all around!

They spent the next couple hours basking in the glory... surveying all that they possess. "The pool is ours! Not really ours, I mean, we can't take it home, but we can go wherever we want!" Asa exclaimed.



And, the two kings of the pool went home very hungry, very tired, and very satisfied with themselves.

That Sixth Sense Kid

Ever since Asa reached 2 years old or so, we have heard quite often that "Hey! He looks just like that Sixth Sense kid!" I never knew Haley Joel Osmont's name until I had Asa. But, when we go out and about I hear that name pretty often, like at the 4th of July Fireworks show. Now adays, when people stop and say, "Your little boys looks just like that boy... from that movie..." We can just fill in the blanks much to their excitement. "Yes! That's the one!"

Yes, he does look very similar. If I were into that kind of thing I might even look into letting Mr. Haley Joel ever needs a flashback or a little brother, I've got his boy. But, instead I will just post to my blog of the amazing resemblence. Who knows if they will look similar as Asa gets older, but the early shots, the early movies, have a resemblence.

Raising Boys

We are standing in the checkout line at Lowe's. There is a man standing behind us watching the boys as they loudly discuss the battery display in front of them. "AA", "AAA", "What's this big one?", "Our music players use these" and so on. But, only parents of boys can hear things like...

"Hey! Here are the batteries that shock you when you put them to your tongue!"

The man behind us smiled a huge smile. Guess he had been a boy once, too.

Quick Outing Turns Sour

On Tuesday, the boys and I left the house for 2 quick errands. First, we needed to go to the bank, sending a deposit up the clear tube of neverending fascination. Then, we were to head to the grocery store for a short list of items. Short and sweet. I pulled my hair back in a ponytail and we headed out.

Step one, Wachovia. So far, so good. While sitting in the line at Wachovia, we all three realized that we were starving. My belly said that I had to eat right then, so I decided that we would hit Arby's for a quick snack before heading to the store. No problem. Arby's is right across the street. The boys split an order of chicken nuggets, which we put into cups to reduce the chance of spillage. They sat with their nugget-cups and lemonade as we exited the parking lot to go right down the street to the store. This is when things all started to go downhill.

As soon as I put their nuggets into Arby's cups, I sensed the silliness from the backseat. Chicken in a cup? I almost drank my chicken! I need a straw to drink my chicken! And so on. I took a left out of the parking lot, heading for the grocery store. In all the nugget furvor, Addison shook his cup, sending nuggets flying. I quickly pulled into the nearest parking lot so Addison could retrieve his food. Buckled up once again, we left the parking lot. Within seconds, Addison's lemonade hit the floor. It was a slow leak, so I pulled into the NEXT parking lot, clipping the curb on my way in. I righted the cup, secured all items in the safest locations that I could find, counted to ten, and drove through the parking lot to get out at the light.

Well, before I could make it, I noticed something was not right. I had a flat tire. Not just a little flat tire... a split in the side had rendered it unable to hold even a little air. Two nice people came out of the strip mall to help, but the spare it in the stupidest spot... directly under the front row seats. Yuck. I called my roadside assistance and waited for the tow truck.

The boys sat in the van and colored while we waited. The tow truck came and the boys ate it up. Something about boys and tow trucks. Addison said multiple times that this was the coolest day EVER! The tow truck got us all loaded up and drove us back up the road to Patrick's Garage, which happened to be basically across the street from Wachovia. The tire was changed and all was well. But, our little quick trip took hours and hours. All of this madness happened on the equivelant of about 4-5 blocks. Ridiculous.

Another Good Report

I saw my OBGYN yesterday and am pleased to report that I had another unexciting visit! The baby is measuring about 1.5lbs at this point, which I think it just wonderful. I have seen babies at the NICU smaller than that. I was a little worried because he/she hadn't moved much since the night before. During the beginning of the ultrasound there was no movement at all (we usually see a little soccer player in there!) so I was holding my breath until he/she woke up and started flailing around. I am now a little over 24 weeks, passing that critical point of "viability"!

Jeff and I have been discussing all of the new experiences that we've had with this pregnancy. My OBGYN gave me information and a chart for me to count the baby's kicks for an hour each day, to make sure he/she is doing fine and not in any distress. I've heard of "kick counting" before as a method of determining troubles with the baby, but when you are hooked up to a monitor 24/7 in the hospital, you don't have to count any kicks. It may have cost a fortune a day, plus my freedom and dignity, but wow- that was some personal attention! Sure, the food wasn't the best, but I didn't have to cook it.. or clean up the mess. Sure, I didn't get to wear any of those cute maternity clothes I bought, but I didn't do laundry for a whole quarter of a year! One of the biggest shockers for me with this public-pregnancy thing is the amazingly stupid things people say. With the boys, I was only visibly pregnant out and about for two months tops. Then, I was in the hospital before I was all that big. This time, I have joined the ranks of my friends who have complained of the insensitive and just plain stupid remarks. For instance, pretty much every third day I have an encounter similar to this one:

Woman in line at Publix, "When are you due?"
Me, smiling, "October"
Woman, "Wow! You're big!"

Um... how exactly is one to respond to such a comment? I just stare. With a confused smile and raised eyebrows. At first, I thought it was just a fluke comment, but no. It is repeated ALL THE TIME.

Foreign woman in the YMCA locker room: "How many month are you?"
Me, "Five".
Woman, "Whoa. Big baby!"

The waitress at dinner, random stranger at the gas station... are you serious?? To my surprise, I have noticed that it is mostly women who make this monumental blunder. I guess the men have had the daylights scared out of them about such remarks in the past and have learned their lesson. Perhaps I should start letting my internal reaction fly out of my mouth. "Wow. You're big!" "Wow! You are too!" or "Well, there ARE five in there" or "What about you, when are YOU due?" or "Wouldn't you smack your husband for making a stupid comment like that?!" I have also thought of simply saying, "Next time, you could just say 'You look great'. I'm sure it will be more appreciated." Or, I could just use my sister-in-law's response. "Well, you're an @$$ hole."

The interesting thing is, I'm not all that big. I'm measuring on target and I look
like the typical 5 month pregnant woman at the doctor's office. I think people assume that you are newly pregnant and not showing, or you are showing and almost due. Anyone in the middle just appears huge, I guess. And, the boys do think that I look like a Sneech.

Anyways, this is all a very new experience... my first public pregnancy. I am thoroughly enjoying my mobility and freedom, but I do miss those yummy smoothies and Wednesday's taco night. Miriam always brought me a double plate.