interior castle

converting a dress to a nursing dress

2012-02-09T13:14:00.000-05:00

i bought this dress years ago for chris' best friend's wedding. i
thought it would make a good nursing dress since it can just be pulled
to the side and away. but it wasn't discreet enough and besides not
too modest even when not nursing- as you can see it is so low cut that
you can spot my white nursing tank peeking up over the top.
so i decided to convert it to a more modest nursing dress by adding a
panel.
first i put the dress on inside out.
then i pinned the panel to the spots i needed to sew it to- at the
seem on both armpits and along the waist. every other area is just
floating.
i then cut away until i achieved the shape panel i desired. kind of a
top-heavy hourglass.
then i tacked it down using the stretch stitch because the panel is a
cotton knit and the dress is lycra.
i did hem the panel with the stretch stitch before pinning it to the
dress- it provided a more finished look.
another good option would be using the bottom hem of a lacy tank-
cutting a panel from the bottom and using the lacy edge as a more
decorative panel- like a camisole?
anyhow- thought i'd share:)

homemade mobile

2012-02-09T11:34:00.000-05:00

my sister regina gave me this idea.
for birthday parties she decorates her house in creative ways.
at every birthday there are streamers taped to the fan blades. when
the fan is turned on the streamers make a sight and sound that is
irresistable to babes.
so this morning i made a homemade mobile with straight pins and strips
of odd fabric.
and john LOVES it!!!

freedom of religion and conscience

2012-02-07T09:17:00.003-05:00

father augustine tran gave a great homily a couple sundays ago.
here is where you can have a listen...

and here is the itunes link for download. i think father tran's is the top "freedom of religion&conscience" the bottom two are father jack and father tom- also really good.

the wolf

2012-01-30T15:41:00.003-05:00

this is a graph coordinates picture that samantha mapped out. for more on graph pictures and how to do them go here.
******* means that you start a brand new line and the point plotted before the ****** does not connect to the point plotted after the *******.

(-10,11)
(-12,13)
(-7,13)
(-7,14)
(-5,14)
(-3,16)
(-3,14)
(6,5)
(6,-11)
(14,-11)
(15,-12)
(14,-13)
(9,-13)
(7,12)
(4,-9)
(2,-9)
(1,-10)
(1,-11)
(-4,-11)
(-5,-12)
(7,-12)
********
(-2,-11)
(-2,3)
(-4,5)
(-4,9)
(-6,11)
(-6,10)
(-7,11)
(-8,11)
(-10,11)
********
(-1,-11)
(-1,3)
********
(-5,12)
(-5,13)
(-6,12)
(-5,12)

the horse head

2012-01-30T11:15:00.004-05:00

this is a graph coordinates picture. for more on graph pictures and how to do them, go here.

****** means you do NOT connect the previous dot with the next dot- a new line is being formed seperate from the previous line or shape.

(16,5)
(14,7)
(9,10)
(5,12)
(5,16)
(3,18)
(1,16)
(2,12)
(-1,12)
(-5,9)
(-7,7)
(-6,6)
(-14,-6)
(-14,-8)
(-10,-12)
(-6,-12)
(-6,-9)
(1,-5)
(5,-7)
(8,-17)
*******
(11,-8)
(5,12)
*******
(2,12)
(-3,5)
(-6,6)
*******
(-1,3)
(-3,3)
(-4,1)
(-2,1)
(-1,3)
*******
(-11,-5)
(-12,-5)
(-13,-7)
(-12,-7)
(-11,-5)
*******
(-10,-12)
(-8,-9)

graph coordinate pictures- how to

2012-01-30T11:07:00.002-05:00

today for math we did cartesian coordinate pictures. i drew up a horse and plotted the points then gave the kids the coordinates so they could make their own.
here is a good explanation on cartesian coordinate mapping.

i am going to log the pictures here on the blog for future reference- and if you would like to print them up for your kids feel free. i'd say it's a 3rd grade level type thing to do.

spin the bottle- family version

2012-01-26T13:28:00.000-05:00

before you start making comments about chris or his home state or the
flaws of people who live there- i feel obligated to tell you that this
game involves absolutely NO kissing.

the other night we had pulled pork bbq sandwiches for dinner. when
the bbq sauce bottle was emptied henry began spinning it.
whoever the bottle ended up pointing towards would have to compliment
the person it had pointed to previously.
it was alot of fun. every time it pointed to frankie and it was her
turn to compliment someone else she would always say "suwanee town
park!" just to be silly.
and every time it landed on henry the kids would find themselves
complimenting his extensive lego star wars collection.
what a wholesome game of spin the bottle!

baptism tradition

2012-01-26T13:20:00.000-05:00

father kevin says that when the hebrews of the old testament won a
battle or had some other great success they would stop right then and
there and build an altar on site and offer up thanks to God.
so after all baptisms in our family(except of course jedidiah's) the
baby is taken up to the altar and offered in thanksgiving.
here is father kevin and newly baptized john.
i just love this tradition- don't you?

thank you God for my faith and all the rich tradition that comes along
with it!

thoughts on EC- the early days

2012-01-25T19:39:00.000-05:00

john was 2 months on sunday.
- he fusses more before he pees than before #2.
- i had an EC dream last night- where i was helping him in a public
restroom and whatever came out of him made THE most horribly
disgusting sounds- and more than being embarassed over making the cue
sound in a public restroom i was embarassed that my neighbor in the
stall next door thought it may have been coming from me- and then i
was praising him- and what did neighbor lady think of that? i hope
she notices that my shoes are facing the wrong way! but that thought
somehow wasn't comforting either.
-EC needs to be more widely known so i can avoid the embarassment of
the previous mentioned dream becoming reality.
- he wears kaidangku most days around home and they are just too cute
that i wish i could share a picture with most of you! but alas- this
blog is pretty public.
- i don't miss too many of his cues but when i do it's always #1.
- when his personal space gets too small(aka- the doting big sisters
are smothering him) i offhandedly bring up the previous point and his
space is magically enlarged.
- someone once mentioned that potty training a baby is mostly potty
training the adult. and? parenting involves responding to ALOT of a
baby's cues(hunger, need to burp, tired, sick, etc). in fact, we are
pretty well trained well into the baby's first day of life! so why
stop at elimination?
- his cue sound is getting stronger. today he cued to pee and i held
him but forgot to make the cue sound. he fussed a bit- until i
remembered and RIGHT when i began makingthe cue sound he quieted and
focused on his task.
- he gives absolutely NO cues before peeing if he is sleeping and i am
wearing him on a long and brisk walk. that is if you don't count
snoring. the feeling reminded me of what you do when you are out
surfing for a long while and it's cold and you are wearing your
wetsuit and you drank about 46 oz of water before leaving home for the
beach. yep- a warm feeling.
- i am getting the hang of ECing a boy. you have to have aim.
- and we are not hardcore ECists. i still do diapers for bedtime and
for going out for long periods(more than an hour). but if he insists,
i am willing to be flexible on those points.
- he is such a good baby. if he fusses i know that he either is
hungry or needs to go potty.
- his cue for hunger and his cue for potty are still seemingly very
similar. BUT if i try to nurse him and he needs to go potty instead he
half-heartedly tries to latch. however- if he is hungry he will latch
like a champ.

karaoke anyone?

2012-01-22T16:49:00.002-05:00

i love karaoke. especially when i don't have to see the audience's scowls in reaction.
here is a little karaoke gold from 2 years ago- seems like yesterday but as i re-watched it i thought "that me didn't know she was about to conceive jedidiah".

2012-01-21T14:12:00.000-05:00

Late Friday(Saturday) five- 1/21

2012-01-21T14:08:00.000-05:00

1-smiles brought to you by john
2-lego creation brought to you by max
3-sleep brought to you by innocence
4-candlestick holder for baptismal candle brought to you by Joe
Marshall-(who also made jedidiah's coffin).
5-chunkiness brought to you breastmilk.

a mirror that talks an sings

2012-01-21T10:52:00.002-05:00

frankie: mommy, i want a mirror that talks and sings.
me: where does that come from?
frankie: christmas brings that!
me: well, what store would you buy it from then?
frankie: from the mirror store!
me: (thinking) of course!

the baptism of john

2012-01-19T16:17:00.000-05:00

last sunday we all met up at the catholic center at georgia tech and
witnessed john's baptism. fr kevin celebrated the sacrament and we
had a potluck lunch downstairs following the rite. he didn't cry and
bit and thankfully father kevin used SO much chrism that john *still*
smells like a new christian(you know you love this smell!!!)
i had such a strong feeling of jedidiah's presence during the
baptism. i felt him and knew he watched over us and was very pleased
with the goings on of his family below.

olives?

2012-01-18T14:21:00.002-05:00

i went to the farmers market yesterday and loaded up on goodies- some
we've had, some we haven't had in awhile, and some we've never had.
we haven't had kalamata olives or dates in awhile so when i got the
dates out mary jane started begging.
she was disappointed when she tasted them. it turns out she thought
they were kalamata olives. so i opened the olives.
frankie wanted in on the action and started begging too.
mary jane- "can i have more jalapenos?"
me-"kalamata olives?"
mary jane- "yeah"
frankie- "can i have more avocado?"
me- "that one?" pointing to the avocado.
frankie-"no"
me- "you mean kalamata olive?"
frankie- "yes, a colorado olive."

friday five 1/13

2012-01-13T11:29:00.000-05:00

1)john's umbillical hernia post rsv- it has actually grown a bit more
since this pic- he had a rather large fit of crying after geting out
of the bath too soon and it almost doubled in size.
2)george giving john a kiss- this happens VERY often- plus the
request- "can i HOLD him!!!"
3)texting with father kevin about the jeopardy category "catholic
priests". can you answer the questions?
4)mary jane self-imposed a course of copywork. she does this for most
of any day she can find a pen and paper.
5)jedidiah's new mii- samantha's brainchild and max's design. looks
like him- no?

john and pawpaw

2012-01-12T23:50:00.000-05:00

john and his great grandfather- exactly 91 years apart to the day.
ignore the red shirt and houndstooth pants (auburn fail-yikes!)

hello bubble butt

2012-01-03T13:48:00.000-05:00

we made the switch to cloth diapers at a month old- when the extreme
poop fest subsides for the most part. i always am surprised at how
cute i think they are. and a few things changed. he looks chunkier.
his legs look shorter. his carseat buckles had to be adjusted for the
bubble butt.
and not only are they cute, but they are comfy. any woman who has
worn disposible pads and cloth pads will tell you that cloth pads are
the comfiest choice. i bought some second hand kawaii one size fits
all snap covers for him for Christmas and he is enjoying them i think.

frankie tells mike mulligan

2011-12-31T22:34:00.001-05:00

OMG

2011-12-30T13:13:00.001-05:00

the kids picked up on this saying and started making fun and saying it
in a valley girl way. i kind of let them have a little bit of fun
before i asked them what it meant.
they didn't know.
i told them what it meant and reminded them of the second commandment.
they argued that "well, we aren't saying His name! just a letter."
but i argued "but it makes people think His name in vain even if you
aren't thinking it. let's try to only use His name in a reverent and
holy way- like in prayer, when we talk with Him. or when we talk
about Him with others."
and here is where our little first reconciliation trainee chimed in.
"so in confession i can say 'O.M.G., i am heartily sorry for having
offended you...'?"

B.T.W.A.L.O.L.L.
(bite tongue,walk away, laugh out loud later)

except i wasn't so good about biting my tongue. we all had a good
laugh- because if you can't laugh about your religion- then you don't
have a sense of humor.

pregnancy/babywearing coat

2011-12-27T15:38:00.000-05:00

i really liked the pregnancy/babywearing coat that lilliesofthevalley
sells on etsy. i liked everything but the pricetag. so i analyzed
the product pictures and put together my knock-off. it has served me
well. and today it came in handy. it was so ultra windy but the kids
wouldn't be satisfied just staying inside. and john slept warm and
snuggly the whole time.
the kids call it my "ninja coat" because with my hood up i look like a
ninja.
chris says i look like i am wearing a bathrobe. but john thinks i am
beautiful and warm- and so what else matters?

day one with a unicycle: max learns how to fall

2011-12-26T16:07:00.000-05:00

on a beginner unicyclist website it said "if you have a positive
attitude you can do just about anything."
and max has that positive attitude.
he'll be a successful unicyclist in less than a month.
but for now he is learning to fall.
on the way home from the park he said - "i think i learned alot today!"

best quotes: Christmas family get together 2012

2011-12-25T19:46:00.000-05:00

chris: frankie, you didn't eat your turkey.
frankie: it didn't have a marshmallow on top.

peter to max: wait there. i want to give you something.
<he bends over and picks up his nerf sword>
WHACK!!!

merry Christmas!!!

one month old: john

2011-12-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

and wearing a newborn onesie to give you an idea of size.
he grows every day and the only reason i know this-i don't see it with
my eyes- is that his clothes are fitting differently.
his newborn clothes don't fit at all.
and his 0-3 month clothes are fitting perfectly.

big sister and a homemade moby

2011-12-18T10:31:00.000-05:00

fabric at the fabric store- $15
sibling bond- priceless.

late friday five

2011-12-17T09:13:00.000-05:00

elf baby

2011-12-14T22:52:00.001-05:00

i was sitting on the couch this evening, under a very cuddly three
week old when samantha requested a turn holding him. i handed john
over and mary jane looked at my tummy and smiled with a twinkle in
her eye.
"you think i have a baby in my tummy?"
"mmm hmm." she gave my tummy a pat. "an elf baby."

the Creator

2011-12-10T08:59:00.001-05:00

yesterday as we were leaving john's ENT appointment frankie's little
hand grabbed mine.
"God made our hands" she said in her little but loud voice.
"yes He did." i said and i gave her hand a squeeze.

dr erik bauer pediatric ENT

2011-12-09T16:34:00.001-05:00

i was really nervous about our visit with bauer today. i was worried that bauer would clip john and john would take a few steps back nursing-wise and then improve to be about the same as he was before. something inside told me that his poor latch wasn't entirely dependent on his tongue or lip.
so when the nurse asked me what i was there for today i told her "i want a professional to look at his mouth and tell me what's going on."
so he came in. he looked first at his gums- judging about how far back his jaw recessed. he measured the lower gums to be about 8mm behind the upper gums. then he looked at the roof of his mouth. he said it was really arched high. he then looked at his tongue and said the mobility looked good. but the combination of the short tongue, the high arch, and the recessed jaw leaves him having a shallow suck. instead of my nipple being back on the soft pallate it is striking the hard pallate.
my pain level is alot better than before baktha cut- it's just still a little painful- just not "sweating bullets" painful like it was before.
i'm going to stick with it. i'm hoping that the exercise his jaws get from nursing will build him up a bit and bring his lower jaw forward.
i told bauer i was nervous about the appt- i told him i was relieved that he didn't just go straight for the knife. "you know 'to a man with a knife every solution is a cut'?"
he laughed and said "no- i'm going to tell you what i see- exactly like it is."
so i'm such a fan now. he is everything everybody says he is.

friday five

2011-12-08T23:01:00.000-05:00

i am thinking of starting a new friday blog tradition on this here blog.
i'm going to share 5 pictures- could be of anything(of course this
week it's mostly about the newest boy in the house). and don't look
at the date of posting- i know it's thursday, but i am excited to
share! and thursday five just doesn't sound as alliteratively friendly.

john's tongue tie

2011-12-05T20:12:00.003-05:00

the first indication that something was wrong was the intense pain i felt when he nursed. i had to breathe through each nursing session like a long contraction that was focused in my breast. my lips became really chapped because evidently when i am in pain i lick my lips like a crack-head.
the first night in the hospital he had trouble latching on. the next morning i requested a visit from the lactation consultant. she told me "when he's 24 hours he'll figure it out."
"ok"
well- he figured it out. it just was painful.
i remembered something margaret told me when she sat me down during henry's pregnancy. she showed me, using kolbe, how to breastfeed. i remember her pulling back kolbe's lower lip and revealing his pink little tongue working away. she said, "when you pull back the lower lip, you should see tongue."
so in the hospital i pulled back 24+ hour old john's lower lip. no tongue. i let him suck on my pinky. i could easily feel the ridges of both his upper gums(normal) and the ridges of his lower gums(not normal and the cause of all the pain).
the next day- thanksgiving- i asked to see the lactation consultant again. she came in and with a gloved hand assessed his suck.
"he's got a good suck."
that's it?
so i questioned my pain tolerance. maybe i'm a wuss? and i'll toughen up eventually?
we came home and i continued breathing through each nursing session. it was nearly unbearable. i knew that nursing was easier than this.
the next sign that things weren't right was my low milk supply. now- it wasn't low low, mind you. but it wasn't typical for me. my supply in the first three weeks is likened to the BP oil spill in the gulf of mexico. i wet the bed. nursing pads are a joke. i use cloth diapers. it sprays out. if the baby sleeps too long it's painfully obvious. i was worried. if my milk supply was this low- then what would happen when the "glory days" ended. these first few weeks of free flowing milk would end and then where would my supply be?
so i started chatting up my ican friends. what could this be? someone on ican recently had a baby with tongue tie and it sounded very similar.
so i started researching tongue tie. looking at pictures. reading blogs.
it sounded like he had posterior tongue tie.
i had a fellow icaner, friend, and lactation consultant come over the sunday after he was born. i showed her a picture of his cry- his tongue curled up on the edges and the tip stayed down- and she said "yep- that's posterior tongue tie".
she weighed him before and after a nursing session. he was getting the milk. but the pain it caused was so strong that a tongue clip was warranted.
i called monday morning and made an appointment with the pediatric ENT on the next day.
at the appointment the nurse numbed under his tongue with a swab of gel. i brought him into the proceedure room and the doctor held up his tongue with a forked tool while snipping the tight frenulum with a little pair of scissors. he dabbed the blood away with some gauze and i was able to take him into a recovery room and nurse. he nursed a bit and there was a noticeable difference. it was still tough to tell because my nipples were still very beat up and sore. the doctor told us that he didn't treat labial frenulum tightness- that it would eventually stretch out. he also told us to sweep under the tongue once a day to prevent readherence.
the tongue clipping was on tuesday. the following thursday night/friday morning john had a terrible night. it took him between 45 minutes and an hour to latch each time. he seemed to regress to that first night in the hospital- where he would gape his mouth, come toward me, and then just move his jaw without sucking in at all. there was no suction and i was able to easily break free of him- it was just a matter of moving over or away. he wasn't throwing fits. he was very patient. i was frustrated to tears. in the dark hours i cried, worried that the surgery ruined him. he had forgotten how to nurse and what would we do now?
at ten in the morning i decided to time exactly how long it took for him to latch properly. it wasn't until 11:10, 70 minutes later, that he finally latched and was sucking and swallowing.
i got back on ican and was reading up. the other icaner with a tongue tied son went back to another ENT in the practice and got even more of the frenulum cut. i wondered if this is what we needed. she also got his labial tie clipped too. she said now he was able to flange his upper lip out so he was able to milk more of the breast. i watched john nurse. his upper lip stayed down so low and didn't flange out at all. i called the ENT. the doctor who could do these things for us wasn't free until after the new year! this is upsetting for a few different reasons.
1) were we to struggle with a poor latch until 2012?
2) he will be more than 6 weeks old and the surgery will require general anesthesia
3) our deductible is met so the entire cost is taken care of. 2012 would take that away.
i ended up calling a very renowned lactation consultant- anne grider. she listened to all of the information and then gave so much sound advice i had to scribble down notes to remember it all. since his chin is recessed i had to tinker with his position at latch. she said a hyperextended head would force his chin more towards the breast.
he still has trouble at times. when he's tired or when he's super hungry he forgets how to nurse and it takes some time. not as much as before but closer to 30 minutes to latch. now that i'm accustomed to the lessened amount of pain i realize that it is still a bit painful. i plan on calling the ENT every morning for an opening due to a cancelation. and if that fails i plan on sitting in the office with ALL the kids waiting to be seen without an appointment- just seeing if there is any time for us to squeeze in between appointments.
until then we will be patient with each other and be creative at looking for ways to make it work. he is gaining. he is happy. but i know that it can be easier and more enjoyable for us both.

sleeping john and "sleeping" frankie

2011-12-05T13:53:00.000-05:00

john cornelius' wild ride- a birth story

2011-11-29T16:16:00.003-05:00

Friday was Jedidiah’s feast day. The whole week prior I was having signs of early labor. So at 10 o’clock Friday night I sat back into the couch and heaved a sigh of relief. I did NOT want to be in or near a hospital on the anniversary of Jedidiah’s death. I felt a huge curtain lift. I told God I was ready to meet this baby growing inside me.
Saturday 1am I lost my mucus plug. It’s only happened once before that I can recall and I was in labor at the hospital with Max. I googled and found out it’s just another one of those signs that “labor could be hours, days, or weeks away” - ugh. I tried to tell my body- “pay no mind”. But bodies don’t listen sometimes. Or maybe they do? Anyway the “practice” contractions changed then. They had changed the week prior too. It was like a gradual stepping up. First they were Braxton-hicks, then they were back cramping Braxton-hicks. Saturday began the “cervixy” back-cramping Braxton hicks. They were enough to cause me some distraction. They continued and caused me to wake up through the night- no more sleeping through contractions. And of course that caused me to wonder “is this it?" Some women say, ‘if you can’t sleep through contractions then you are in labor’.”
Sunday Since we went to Saturday night vigil we decided to take Sunday easy. I did get out to Denise’s house to have Christina work on my left round ligament. It was giving me some pain during contractions. She loosened it up and I felt relief immediately. I had gotten used to walking around with it being tight but I worried that it would encourage a less than optimal prenatal position.
The rest of that Sunday went just as the days prior. Days were peppered with attempts at trying to encourage the contractions, and my nights were filled with tricks at trying to discourage them.
Chris kind of liked the side-effect of these night waking contractions. “The bathroom is clean, the laundry is done”. I would switch laundry during each waking or spend 5 minutes tidying up an area before returning to bed to toss and turn what had become my large pregnant body until I was comfortable.
Monday I checked my cervix and I felt what likely was “effacement”. It no longer felt like a rubber coke bottle- but more of a flatter opening. I was going to lay down for a nap but I told the kids “if we walk to the park I’ll have the baby tonight”. They all got their bikes ready. I put Frankie in the stroller with a couple bottles of water and we headed out. It was kind of mucky because of all the rain we had gotten. Mud and fallen leaves covered the path. I had only a few contractions walking to and from the park. Mostly I just felt side-stitches.
Of course that night the kids looked at me expectantly.
“Ummm, mom? You said….”
“Well, maybe tomorrow.”
Going to bed I had a few good contractions but looking at the clock told me they weren’t coming in a pattern good enough to do anything.
Tuesday At about 2 am I woke to a real contraction. It caused me to breathe nice deep and slow. I really was quite exhausted so I got up and went downstairs for some wine, magnesium, and a little hulu. I downed a glass of red wine and 2 magnesium pills. I watched a little of an episode of “house” before I decided I’d go give sleep a try. It was beautiful. Contractions kept coming irregularly but they didn’t keep me awake. I’d feel them- breathe deeply through them- but they never got me anxious. I’d go right back to deep sleep- just what I needed.
In the morning I watched Chris sleep and debated telling him. I thought “surely these contractions will pick up once I’m up on my feet and about my day”. I decided not to tell him and let him go in to work- about an hour’s drive away. It ended up being a good choice. It turned out not to be as I thought. Being up and about and handling the kids’ needs slowed the contractions a good deal. And when we began to school at the table- Saxon math effectively killed them cold. It was beautiful outside. My friend Laura suggested a walk. So after math the kids and I walked to the neighborhood park (a lot shorter a walk compared to yesterday’s “labor inducing” park walk). We returned home to lunch and a nap. Once I had the little girls asleep (and Samantha creatively filling a journal at the kitchen table) I sent the boys over to their friend’s house to play with star wars Legos. I took a short nap. Contractions returned. Irregular but strong. They felt really lower-back-ish and rocking my hips forward and back and especially tucking my sacrum forward helped take that pain away. I got up and finished some laundry. More contractions. I decided to check on my cervix. It was so different and completely foreign to me! It felt like a street with a manhole cover missing- and in the opening of the manhole I felt what could be described as one of those red “simple” buttons on the staples commercials. And when I pressed it in, I could feel the baby’s head. When I took my fingers out I looked at them and it was about 2 inches between them. I texted Chris telling him that I was 4-5 and maybe he should come home. Thinking about his long commute and the possibility of driving in labor during rush hour got me a little worried. But I still wasn’t sure this was it.
My friend Michelle (dolphin’s godmother) called and while on the phone with her the contractions seemed to get curiously more regular. I had to put the phone down to breathe through a few and sitting on the toilet’s open seat during the contraction’s peak felt nice. The girls woke up and I decided I’d start a movie for them, put the chicken in the oven (I think at this point it was only 4PM?), and take a bath- which is what I did. In the bath I had a few hard contractions. One contraction gripped me so hard I was wishing the bath had been lined with thick neoprene- it was SO hard a surface to sit on! My butt wanted cushion or an open seat like the toilet! Chris came upstairs and checked on me. He refilled my water and let me know he’d be downstairs if I needed him. I stayed in the bath for a few more contractions- trying to find a comfortable space. I ended up getting out and going back to the toilet. While on the toilet I checked my cervix again. I think my heart flipped a bit when I couldn’t find the sides. It was so open I had to feel twice to see if what I was feeling was surely what I was feeling. Chris must’ve heard me get out so he came up to check on me. He came into the bathroom as I held up my fingers.
“How many centimeters is this?” It looked to me to be about 3 inches. What was that conversion again?
“Big. We need to go, NOW.”
He told me to get dressed while he took the girls to join the boys at Joyce’s house.
“There is chicken in the oven!!!” I yelled after him.
“It’s too late for that. I’ll give her money to order pizza.”
He was back quickly and started packing his bag before I had even figured out what to wear. He asked me if I wanted to pack mine. I remember making a face and thinking, do I have to? I didn’t want to go anywhere so I told him I wasn’t sure what to pack. I kind of threw a coming home outfit in for both “dolphin” and I and Chris zipped it up. I didn’t want to get dressed. I kept looking at my choices of clothes and thinking “hmm, now, what outfit should I wear so I am most comfortable birthing a baby in a car?” Pants simply would NOT do. I finally pulled on a summer dress.
My mind wrestled with itself. “What?! Stay home you fool! Or at least go to the nice shiny fancy hospital 6 miles away!”
“Well, what if I have a lot longer to labor? What if I get to that nice shiny hospital and I stall? Then I’m stuck on the turf of the intervention train, with no water birth at my disposal.”
“You think you are going to stall? You are WAY past stalling sister! You can’t even find your shoes without breathing through a contraction!”
Panic set in. Margaret called while I was standing in the kitchen getting my phone and purse together. I almost whined to her “I don’t think I’m going to make it!!!”
“Is your water broken?”
“No”
“Then you still may have some time”
She spoke so confidently and calmly I immediately calmed down. But in the background I could hear her getting things ready for her to leave and meet us down at the hospital- the one that isn’t 6 miles away.
“Ok. I can do this.” I told Chris. “Did you turn off the oven?”
“Yes. Let’s go!”
On the way I tried to call the midwives. All the choices that the automated person was giving me just served to frustrate me. I thought they were speaking in a circular language. After my second call I gave the phone to Chris and he immediately patched through to the answering service. He made it look so easy! When did he learn to decipher circles? As we headed south I was thankful that the contractions had spaced out. But I knew we had a long drive ahead of us and it was just now 5 o’ clock. As we accessed 85-south I noticed terrible storm clouds gathering over in the direction of downtown.
We had the sunroof opened but soon had to shut it because the rain picked up. Halfway down 85 the contractions really picked back up too. I unbuckled and turned to face backwards over the seat for a lot of them. I faced each contraction to the tune of the annoying “your belt is unbuckled!!!” alarm. My face would get really hot after each one so Chris had the heat and the cool air alternating at intervals. Between Beaver Ruin and the connector I kind of lost sense of time and place. I was so intensely focused on making the contractions ineffective. At some point inside the perimeter the rain became so thick I felt I had to keep my belt on and facing forward which was fine- turning backward in the car was nauseating. I wasn’t sure if the nausea was car-sickness or transition. I grabbed a towel from the back seat and held it in my lap. Chris was doing such a great job driving and keeping us safe. When we reached the connector I felt the baby make a downward movement and I rejected the whole motion. Out loud I said “no, don’t do that- stay up- Lord help this baby stay up.” Between contractions I told Chris to get off at the north avenue exit and take a left. When we passed the 10th, 14th, 17th street exit traffic came to a slow slow crawl.
“I should have gotten off at that exit”, Chris lamented.
He carefully pulled over into the emergency lane and we crawled a little faster. We got to the North Avenue exit and all the lanes going left were packed- and the overpass looked the same. I briefly entertained taking a right and heading to Georgia Tech to deliver. I must have been in irrational transition –land for that to be a viable option. The contractions on the North Ave exit ramp started to get really pushy and I felt my voice descending into grunts. Uh-oh. Keep it up- don’t go down. Don’t drop down. My mantra sounded like this. The surface streets with the bumping and the maneuvering made my contractions really pick up in intensity. I remembered something Margaret said on the phone before we left. Keep your breathing shallow. Pant pant pant . And during the peak of the contraction the skin of my lower abs and back felt as if they were on fire. The feeling was so new and curious.
We proceeded in the stop-and-go traffic getting stopped at what seemed like EVERY traffic light. At one point I said “boulevard should be the next light- take a right”. But it wasn’t.
“NOOOOO” I cried. “It’s the next one”. But it wasn’t. “UNGHHH!!!” Stay up! Stay up! Don’t go down yet!
We finally made our way into the drive through for the main entrance(Chris says that it was about 6:15). Thankfully there was a roof over our heads as we got out because the storm was still raging. I held onto the towel, grabbed my phone, and my pre-registration paper. Chris came around and helped me out of the car. I was having a contraction and didn’t want to move my hips so I kind of floated up the stairs hanging on his shoulder and walking on the very very tips of my toes. He floated me into the lobby and I found a not so thickly cushioned bench. I sat sideways while he asked for a wheelchair. The lady behind the information desk said very blankly would be 30 minutes.
“Call for one NOW!” he said. “Where is the ER?”
“Just through those doors.”
Chris pushed through the doors. I looked back at the car- we aren’t in the best part of town for a new model Honda to be left engine running, doors open. The lobby was relatively empty but for a few people. Some people were waiting and some people were walking through. It was all very anti-climactic and looking back it would have been fitting to have some elevator music playing. Chris came back through the doors with no wheelchair.
“What about the car?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about that.”
“Go park it- I’m fine” I said. I was between contractions- basking in the fake fluorescent light of a hospital- finally. I NEVER would have thought fluorescent lights would be so comforting.
While Chris was parking the car I spotted the elevators from my seat. I stood up and began walking quickly but not so quick as to cause a contraction toward the doors.
On my way past the desk I ask “what floor is L&D?”
“7”
“Thanks”
Providentially, an elevator was already open so I quickly made my way in and pressed 7.
As the doors closed I heard a male’s voice yell “we got a wheelchair!!!”
Too late buddy. And you BETTER not stop this elevator.
The elevator was quick- much quicker than the elevator that takes me to the midwives' office- and I was out on the 7th floor looking for signs to point me in some direction. I should have paid more attention during the tour! Where was the nurses’ station?!?!? I couldn’t find signs. Chris says there were signs but I don’t think my mind was working. The only signs I saw were in Spanish I think. I chose a direction and took two steps but the decision began to not feel right. Right then a contraction hit and I panicked. I could NOT remain standing. I put down my phone, the towel, and my registration papers and I got on hands and knees on the shiny linoleum white floor. A man sitting in the waiting room asked me if I needed help.
I nodded vigorously and my contraction tone turned to deep long grunts. “UNGHHHHH !!!! “ You can’t deliver in the elevator bay!!! You made it all this way!!! I thought. Nurses found me and helped me into the wheelchair. I scrambled for my pre-registration paper- I did NOT want to be questioned about insurance providers before this baby came out. In the wheelchair I couldn’t sit in it straight so I sat sideways on my left hip. As they pushed me one nurse asked “what baby is this for you, hon?”
“Eight”
The pushing got faster.
We got to a room. It wasn’t ready. We found another room that was supposedly ready and I was helped out of the chair.
“Do you want to wear your dress or this gown?”
Decisions decisions.
“Yes. NO!!!!!” I pulled off my dress, they threw on the gown.
“We need to get a strip so I’m going to put these belts on you.
I was on hands and knees in the bed saying “NOOOOO!!!”
They put on the belts and started the strip (records indicate that this happened at 6:33). Chris came in the room at this point. He was standing between the foot of the bed and the bathroom.
In the past he has started waiting in the waiting room during pushing. But I had no support- everyone in the room was a stranger. So I told him to come up by the head of the bed. He came over to me and stood by the head of the bed.
After another grunty contraction the nurse said “we need to check you to make sure this baby doesn’t come on his own”
Huh? “NOOOOO!!!” what did she say to me? How else is this baby going to come but on his own?
The midwife made it into the room. I had never had an appointment with her but I had talked on the phone with her before. She checked me and said “the baby is right there.”
Someone else said “we don’t have time to fill the pool”
I think my non-birthing sarcastic self would have said “no, really, I’ll wait- just let me cross my legs.” But instead, my birthing self said “UNGHHHH!!!” in sync with my next contraction. Baring down was answered with a POP! My water broke with such force it hit the underside of the sheet that was thrown on top of me with a hard “SPLASH!!!”
“Ah, that’s nice” I said- the relief was immediate. Immediate and VERY short lived.
Now for the baby.
I began to push. I never have been so vocal in any of my births. I screamed. I yelled. I looked at Chris and felt sorry that he had to see me in such anguish. His face. Ugh. His classic stoicism was there- but it was paper thin. I wanted to be through with pushing. I bared down but felt the “ring of fire”. I stopped pushing. I reminded myself of Ina Mae’s sphincter law. Relax your face and neck- loosen the edges of your mouth. I quickly loosened my mouth and blew out making the sound of a horse with my loose lips. The burning went away and I began to push again. My legs pushed straight- I needed some leverage, something to push against. The midwife was very hands off, which was nice. She did step in and say, “I need your leg over here to make room for the baby”
His head came out with the next contraction. And then half of his body. I asked “do you see his head?”
“He’s halfway out; I’m waiting on you to push the rest of him.”
The next push gave me this feeling that a long long baby just kept piling out. I kind of crawled backwards like a crab up to the head of the bed as he came out. The midwife put him low on my chest- the cord was short. He was glorious. Completely covered in lanugo- completely. Hair. Screaming. Warm. Long toes. Good lungs. The cord was long enough for him to reach my breast and I offered it. He didn’t immediately latch on but he seemed happy just being there.
The midwife called his birth at 6:45.
The room wasn’t ready for him. There were no blankets, towels, diapers. My midwife was a one-woman show. Between the birth and the placenta she was buzzing about the room setting things up. I’m pretty sure Margaret arrived before the afterbirth. She took my camera and began snapping pictures. These first pictures will be cherished!

I was still reeling. What chaos my body had been through over the last hour and a half. I’m sure if I wasn’t high on birth I could have heard my body screaming. The muscles in my butt and lower back were sure to be sore tomorrow- from just trying to hold the baby back and up. After the midwife showed me the tree of life formed by the vessels of the placenta she checked my perineum for tears. It was intact- a relief to be sure. She then gave me a shot of pitocin in my right thigh saying that since it was my 8th baby my uterus may need help getting back to regular size.
John’s godmother, Michelle(the one I spoke to on the phone seemingly hours and hours ago) showed up soon after Margaret. She battled traffic for TWO hours to get there. She got to hold him- he whom she had prayed for so long. I’m so thankful for her prayers and constant encouragement.

I wasn’t able to really eat the hospital snack bag. It was too sugary and the post-birth cramps were strong enough to irritate my stomach. My parents stopped by Outback Steakhouse on the way to the hospital and got Chris and I each a steak/potato/salad dinner. I took a Motrin and then inhaled my dinner. We hung out in the delivery room for a couple hours, waiting for the hospital to get me and john into their system. Once they loaded us up we were moved to the “mother/baby” floor for the rest of our stay.
Chris’ parents arrived as we were making the move and visited for a little while before heading north to pick up the kids from Joyce's house. I had texted her a picture and his name so she could show the kids- who were going to visit their newest baby brother the next morning.
When I met with the midwife 24 hours later she mentioned he was “sunny side up”. The birth position explains the back burning contractions. It explains how I was able to not have a baby in the car. It explains the prodromal labor.

john cornelius-
born 11/22/11
at 6:45 pm
weighing in at 8lb15oz (probably nine pounds at birth but he peed on me right before they weighed him)
20.5 inches (but he was 22 inches at margaret's office yesterday- pretty impressive if he grew an inch and a half in 6 days!)

what's in a name?

2011-11-29T15:28:00.002-05:00

why did we decide john cornelius? well, the name was on the short list. it was a HEAVY favorite going into the hospital. i struggled with the plainess, the white-breadness of it. but the meaning behind it really brought me home.
here is a short biography of blessed john cornelius.
i know that my husband's family name underwent a change when they moved across the atlantic from england- it's just uncanny that john cornelius was helped by protestant arundell's who were catholic sympathizers.
so while he was still fresh from the womb and nameless, chris spoke with his mom on the phone. after he shared the good news she told him that it was also his grandfather's birthday. we both agreed on john cornelius to both honor his grandfather johnny, and honor the blessed man who so heroically lived his faith until his death.
i'm still not over the white-breadness. at the doctor's office this morning it took me awhile to respond when the nurse called "john?". i stood up and started heading back to the exam room. chris was still in his chair.
"bring the diaper bag," i said.
"uh, did they call our name?"
"no. they called his though."

some nice pics of little john

2011-11-28T10:05:00.010-05:00

john's profile

2011-11-26T09:46:00.000-05:00

introducing john cornelius

2011-11-22T23:35:00.000-05:00

after what seemed like weeks of prodromal labor...
he decided a quick entry would be appropriate.
here is the short and sweet-
departed home @ a little before 5 pm(AKA "rush hour")
arrived at hospital @6:15
made it into an l&d room @6:33
john cornelius entered the world screaming at 6:45
below you will see me texting with his dad earlier today. yes- his
contact name is "ice ice baby"- but that's purely for an "in case of
emergency" situation. his contact name used to be "better than
chocolate" and he lived up to that name and some today.

the atlanta jounal & constitution wrote an article on my brother

2011-11-18T07:43:00.000-05:00

to read it follow this link.

http://m.ajc.com/lifestyle/ill-priest-answers-the-1218785.html

who's your cousin?

2011-11-17T17:33:00.000-05:00

george: gianna is my cousin.
frances: shut down your mouf. she is NOT your cousin! she is MY cousin!

air strikes and the new roman missal

2011-11-16T10:28:00.000-05:00

sometime in september i attended a parents meeting at church as part
of a requirement for george to receive his first communion next
spring. they gave us a sheet with space to enter our kids thoughts
and comments about mass for the next few months. so every weekend i
would ask him what he thought of mass.
one weekend he said that he imagined Jesus at the "big table" instead
of father jack. another sunday we had mass outside at the campground
with our homeschool community. he said "it was cold". so his
comments were perceptive but also deep.
his comment about this last sunday's mass was just funny.
father augustine tran talked on the new translation of the roman
missal. if you hasn't heard his educational points on this look them
up- he's really good. i think you can find them if you click on "fr
jack speaks" link on my blog roll.
anyhow- i noticed george was listening so i figured he'd have
something to say afterwards. of course he did get distracted a few
times during the liturgy of the Eucharist but he's seven. we sat by
the big window so there was lots outside for him to see. at one point
he got really excited and pointed me outside and up. he whispered
heavily "army plane!!!!"
then after mass i asked him "so, what did you think?"
"well, i thought it was really neat that fr tran was talking about the
roman missal an an army plane flew by. they both know alot about
missals!!!"
or was it missiles???

like night and day

2011-11-15T22:46:00.001-05:00

i decided to use measuring tape to record the circumfrence of my
ankles and calves this morning- and then again tonight.
i did this as a scientific experiment to test this hypothesis- my legs
are HUGE at night!
the findings support the hypothesis overwhelmingly. my ankles are two
inches bigger at night, and my calves are too.

more prodromal labor- aka "false labor"

2011-11-14T08:49:00.002-05:00

it seems to like to strike between 3 and 5 am, lingering just long enough to turn me into the walking dead for most of the next day, or at least until i sneak in a little nap.
i thought last night that it would be better for me to think and pray on other people's problems during this nightly routine. so, if you'd like someone to pray for you and your intentions(no matter how small or big) between the hours of 3 and 5 am- let me know.

today's reading advocates "push presents"

2011-11-13T15:55:00.003-05:00

push present- wikipedia defines it as a present a new father gives a new mother when she gives birth to their child. in practice the present may be given before or after the birth, or even in the delivery room.

now, imyself am not a big fan of the push present. i believe that birthing a new life is gift enough in and of itself. but if you were listening at mass today- the first reading advocates the recent tradition of giving "push presents".
bolding is my emphasis.

26 She opens her mouth with wisdom, and loving instruction is on her tongue. 27 She watches over the activities of her household and is never idle. 28 Her sons rise up and call her blessed. Her husband also praises her: 29 "Many women are capable, but you surpass them all!" 30 Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised. 31 Give her the reward of her labor, and let her works praise her at the city gates. Proverbs 31:26-31

so, with that being said- who am i to argue with sacred scripture???

a true weekend for false labor

2011-11-13T11:02:00.004-05:00

or "pre-labor" as the people in the "earthy-birthy" crowd call it. false labor is "just too negative sounding".
my braxton-hicks contractions started feeling different and more "cervixy" about thursday. on friday they were coming more often but not regular and i felt crampy in my lower back. i couldn't sleep much friday night- i'll blame it on a combination of nerves and weird contractions.
saturday i wanted to see what would happen if i tinkered with them. we ate a good breakfast and headed to the gym. i lasted about 25 minutes in a salsa class. when i couldn't take it anymore i sat on an exercise ball at the back of the studio and kept "dancing" along. not surprisingly i had LOTS of contractions.
i moved onto the pool and then to the hottub and again, not surprisingly, the contractions completely slowed down.
we returned home to leftover potato-leek soup and grilled provolone sandwiches for lunch. while warming up the soup and eating the contractions returned. i still needed to take the boys to church to serve a 50th wedding anniversary mass so i focused on that. being away from home made the contractions disappear. i was so tired during mass that i had hoped the contractions would stay away enough for me to take a nap. they cooperated and i got in a good nap.
after dinner i took chris out for some drinks at the local watering hole. i figured it would be nice to get in some adult time that likely would not happen for at least half a year. the contractions picked up again and were causing some nerve tingling down the inside of my right thigh. it made me wonder just how big this one's head was! once we were home but i prayed that they would stop and let me go to bed.
as i lay in my cold bed i cuddled my tummy for warmth. i thought about how someday soon i'd be cuddling a wiggling warm little baby. would that everyone could fall asleep to such beautiful thoughts!
today i'll take it as a normal day. sunday- a day of rest and family. soak them in. take a LOOOOOOONG 10 minute shower- ha! and praise God who's timing is always perfect.

a few days with just the boys

2011-11-10T12:41:00.007-05:00

and this one- awaiting his turn to join the chaos of brotherhood on the outside.

who is this baby?

2011-11-07T15:57:00.000-05:00

it's NOT mariana. this picture was actually taken july 3rd 2007-
exactly 3 years to the day BEFORE mariana was born.

bump thumps

2011-11-04T23:48:00.002-04:00

frankie tells about her day

2011-11-02T19:57:00.000-04:00

last moah-nin (morning), i saw a squeal(squirrel) in the woods and i
was all by myself. the squeal was dressed up like a monstah and he
didn't woah(roar) at me 'cuz he thought i was his best fwend.

all saints' day 2011

2011-11-01T21:11:00.000-04:00

our homeschool group had a party to celebrate all saints' day. i
helped the kids put together some last minute costumes. henry wore
the old tilma from a couple years ago to be juan diego. samantha went
as bernadette. max went as don bosco. george went as martin of
tours. the little girls just tagged along in skirts- happy to be in
on the fun.
before the party the kids played saints soccer. we had a great night-
but i am definitely feeling super pregnant and ready for bed!

guess who is group beta strep NEGATIVE????

2011-11-01T08:53:00.000-04:00

yours truly! i called the office yesterday to see how my swab went
last thursday and was given such GREAT information!
at the prior visit i was told that since my urine tested positive at
16 weeks(never mind that it tested negative at 30 or 31 weeks) that
the hospital would still treat me as positive per the CDC suggested
protocol. and since that was the case i didn't have to get swabbed
for gbs at my next visit.
i politely asked for the gbs swab anyway - because if i am going to
fight dumb arbitrary protocols i need to be better informed.
and now i am. and i am happy.
why?
this means that there will be no stress if my waters break and labor
doesn't swiftly follow(like frankie's birth).
this also means that i don't have to go galloping down to the hospital
the second i detect active labor so that i can receive the all-
important anti-biotics(2 doses every four hours).
so now i am free to labor at home until i deem it necessary to have
chris haul me to the hospital.
so to celebrate i broke my anti-gbs diet last night and had some
halloween candy. one almond joy and three york peppermint patties.
but today i am back on the diet- to insure that come baby's birthday-
i am colonized with nothing but the beneficial guys.
so- will someone please come pick up the leftover candy? i will go
CRAZY walking past it all day.

halloween 2011

2011-10-31T20:22:00.000-04:00

the catch-all stroller

2011-10-29T13:23:00.000-04:00

to celebrate chris' first day off in a month we hit the greenway today.
this is how our adventure began.
chris ran.
i pushed the stroller and walked.
henry rollerbladed.
samantha heelied.
max rollerbladed.
george heelied.
mary jane biked.
frances rode in the stroller.

soon out of the blocks the group split into a "faster group" and a
"slower group".
the faster group was comprised of chris, samantha, and mary jane.
i stayed with the slower group. the boys who have never rollerbladed
or heelied before, limping along on fallen leaves and wet wooden
boardwalk.
before long we were met by the faster group who had turned around for
some water(in the stroller basket).

this is where the stroller underwent metamorphosis.

henry had actually already stowed his skates and helmet on the
stroller. max followed as did george. the boys walked barefoot.
mary jane biked with samantha heeling and chris walked with them.
frances ran and caught leaves, twirling every so often, humming to
herself. The faster group turned and came back again for water.
chris took over pushing the stroller. mary jane got tired. chris
threw her bike onto the stroller along with her helmet. frances tired
and looked for a seat to find none so chris passed the stroller to me
so he could carry frances on his shoulders.
and here is the final product.
samantha and i finished the way we started.
chris was walking.
henry was barefoot and walking.
so was max.
so was george.
mary jane walked in shoes.
and here is the stroller.

the key behind my lapses in culinary delight

2011-10-27T17:47:00.002-04:00

i typically start hating cooking at about 7 months pregnant and it continues on into about the first year of the baby's life.
chris resorts to buying quick frozen stuff that he knows how to cook or taking us out to eat(which now isn't so much of an option since henry and samantha are eating off the adult menu$$$$$!!!!)
BUT- i have found my achiles heal of hating to cook. i may sound pollyanna-ish to some but i can say that i will be 36 weeks pregnant tomorrow and i am still enjoying cooking.
my achiles heal is planning and thinking ahead. i HATE it. but ever since our weekly gym/kroger date night started i haven't had to, or i have had to i just think ahead with my best friend so it's alot more fun.

this is what happens. we go to the gym. i swim. he runs. we meet in the hot tub(yes hot tub, i also eat sushi and deli meat while i'm pregnant- but in my defense i have a pretty good track record). after that we head to kroger and talk about the week's meals. this shopping together also comes with the added benefit of saving money. he keeps me from buying needless(but oh so tasty) things like buffalo mozzarella balls, or babybel wax covered single serving cheese discs. i also hold his hand in the freezer aisle so it doesn't inadvertently shoot out to buy pizza rolls or rolled tacos(bleh!). so we are buying decent food and cutting our shopping bill by almost half! AND getting alone time:)

and i come home and know what will be eaten for the next 7 days. we haven't been out to eat in almost 2 months- and when we have it's been for birthdays.

i have also thought that it's been easier to cook this far along in pregnancy this time due to the fact that the kids are now completely in charge of after dinner cleaning of the kitchen. that could be a very big factor. but when i get ready to cook i like remembering chris and i walking around the store in our sweats- looking date night fancy and planning out the nourishment of our family.

recorders

2011-10-26T07:48:00.001-04:00

this conversation happened sometime yesterday...

samantha- i've heard the story 'frog prince' and it didn't go like that!

max- the one at grandma's house?

samantha- yeah it was on one of those recorders

max- yeah those giant disc thingies.

samantha- yeah and they have this thing that you lay on it and it
scratches it around in a circle.

me- bake the hall in the candle of her brain.

max and samantha- YEAH!

(the muppets version of frog prince on LP record)

yeah- i am old. my first cd was purchased in high school. fugees-
the score, or was it the dangerous minds sound track? closely
followed by outlast aquimini. but my musical childhood was influenced
by records. my dad and mom owned LOTS of records. and my dad used to
illustrate how very different their interests were by saying "and not
one of my records was duplicated in her collection!"
my favorite records were recognized before I could even read- the
bongo drum one- it was white and had a giant black "O" on it, the
singing nun "Dominique-O Nique O Nique!", hooked on swing- black with
neon music symbol on a neon staff(what is the name for that thing- not
an ampersand), marching band tunes- with a (shock)marching ban on
front, traditional navy songs- with a destroyer or some such ship on
front, the chipmunks do the beatles- with the chipmunks and dave in
black shag haircuts, this spanish montessori lesson record- cover
looked interesting but it quickly got boring, the scary sounds record-
with a haunted house on the front, and of course- the muppets frog
prince record.
"have another pop-over froggie!"
"n i'm ineteen n i'm ineteen. by mirthdays dotay- a gig burl a loman
a wady, sey thay."

vent on EDD- please excuse the hormonal drift here

2011-10-23T20:16:00.003-04:00

estimate /ˈestəˌmāt/
verb Roughly calculate or judge the value, number, quantity, or extent of.
noun An approximate calculation or judgment of the value, number, quantity, or extent of something

this little word seems to be forgotten when people talk about when baby is due. at the care provider's office on the chart it will say EDD- standing for estimated due date. but out in the world people will just use the term "due date".
"so what's your due date?"
or
"when is baby due?"

i always want to correct them and say "well, the baby is estimated to be due november 25th."
but i feel like people would just gloss over the "estimated" part- even though i put emphasis on it.
i am on a message board with other pregnant moms from around the world and it seems the american moms are the ones who are saying "will baby come already?" at 36 weeks or so! com'on people! the EDD is an estimate- yes, you could go early but why not plan on going at least 40 weeks?

i think i get testy on this subject because i am a late cooker. i go overdue with everyone- well, almost everyone. and i CANNOT stand all the "baby isn't here yet?" comments.
no- we are working on God's timing. if you have a complaint or a question please ask Him. and if you are important enough- we will notify you of the baby being born. you know who you are. so please- as the time comes, if you feel like you can't avoid asking "is the baby coming soon?" then don't call. because the phone call screening will begin forthwith.

thank you for your consideration regarding this detail,
the management

stop talking!

2011-10-23T11:08:00.002-04:00

sometimes it's hard to be heard in a big family. i know- i was one of the youngest of 11. your voice tends to get lost in the crowd.
i'm not too worried about frankie though. she stands up for herself- very loudly.
this morning max and george were drawing a motorcross track and dirtbikes doing tricks. frankie was spreading watercolors across her paper in big swatches of color. i was frying some bacon.
"STOP TALKING ABOUT DIRTBIKES!!!!" she says loudly.

then after breakfast as we were cleaning up the kids were talking about mario and luigi and blue toad and yellow toad, etc. so i said, "what if we named the baby mario?"
frankie came right up to me and almost yelled "STOP CALLING DOLPHIN NAMES!!!"

i think chris let her watch toddlers in tiaras for one minute too long.
it was kind of like a train wreck though- if you have seen the show you know what i mean.

mary jane is 5ive!!!

2011-10-22T18:12:00.000-04:00

this has been a year of big girl type physical self-mastery for mary
jane.
she has learned to whistle, pump a swing, shin a pole, ride a bike,
swim a lap, and more.
and she is still just as sweet as ever.
we love her bunches and can't wait to see what challenges she takes on
this year!

still no name

2011-10-16T20:59:00.002-04:00

henry likes martin.
samantha says she'll call him dolphin for the rest of his life no matter what name we give him.
max is quiet.
george wants to name him peggy after the knit sweater wearing customer support guy on the discover credit card commercials.
mary jane is stuck on dolphin.
and so is frances.

chris and i can't agree.
so we're making a short list and kind of sitting on it. we're having trouble enough between the two of us- we don't need outsiders to give their $0.02.

why is this so hard?

off road biking

2011-10-14T16:33:00.000-04:00

the city built a fabulous new park near us. i did some thinking and
found out using google earth that if we followed the creek from our
neighborhood it would lead us to the park.
i sent the kids into the woods with water and a cell phone and they
came out on the other side with success.
so i called the city and they were on board with paving a greenway.
they bobcat-ed the path but never paved it. it was hikeable but not
exactly bikeable or strollerable. about a month ago i was out for a
walk with frances in the jogger and i saw a golf cart disappear into
the woods. the next day i had the kids get their bikes and head out
to explore. frankie, mj, and i drove and we met them at the park.
they reported an easy ride.
so we've been going at least once a week on this awesome path. with
all the rain we got this week it was a bit muddy but mj enjoyed
stomping on her breaks and skidding in the muck.
the big kids pretty much take off, but mj hangs out with me, or a
little ahead of me. she's smart. the water and apples are in the
stroller's basket.
max reported biking alongside a couple of loping deer. i think this
path is such a nice gift- i look forward to wearing dolphin under a
coat and pushing frankie in the jogger- and i think it will be even
more beautiful and fun when it snows.

i am SO ordering this t-shirt!!!

2011-10-11T11:10:00.003-04:00

here is the link to the etsy listing.

breakfast with pooh bear

2011-10-11T09:54:00.000-04:00

and i hope your day begins in an equally lovely way.

quiet blog lately

2011-10-10T09:57:00.002-04:00

because i have been feverishly knitting and crafting.
i applied and was accepted for a vendor's booth at the knights of columbus "celebrate america" veterans festival next month. i will be selling kids knit hats in varioius designs from college football and nfl helmets to christmas and just plain cute. and the kids are helping me make rice and lavender heating pads to sell. i'm planning on making a sign that says- "shop handmade this christmas".
this may end up being a bad idea. i am starting to feel nesty- but i need to knit! today i am actually taking the day off from knitting to clean my bathroom and bedroom. it is MUCH needed- believe me!
and while i am cleaning i'll be washing baby blankets, diapers, and some new baby clothes i recently acquired;)
i need to find a space for dolphin's clothes. the half of my dresser that is typically used for baby clothes has a BUNCH of mementos from jedi's life. his baptism and confirmation certificate. clippings from his hair. the pregnant belly oil we used on him in utero. his blankets. some of his clothing and hats.
i was thinking i'd get a nice box for all of that and keep it in a safe place, but i'll probably wait for his birthday to do that- so we can all go through the stuff together and remember him.

pregnancy- and not watching the scale

2011-10-06T09:53:00.002-04:00

this is my eigth pregnancy and as far as weight gain is concerned is the MOST abnormal.
normal for me-
my pre-pregnancy weight is 150.
i gain 50 lbs.
at delivery i typically weigh 200.
within a year i am back to 150.

during jedidiah's pregnancy i was in school so every spare moment i had i was doing homework, case studies, histology drawings, lab reports, studying, etc. i wasn't exercising and our family was eating more conveniently pre-prepared meals. i got up to 210 with him, and he was only 5ish lbs when he was born!
we conceived in march and at that time i had only brought the scales down to 184. i was curious about weight gain- how would it happen? would i gain 50 again like the other pregnancies? that would put me at...what? 234?
during my appointments i made mental notes during the weigh ins. i wasn't gaining weight- but my bump was growing! i was confused and a little worried(pregnant people worry- ok?)
i did a search on google for "pregnancy weight gain based on BMI". i wanted to see where on the scale i would end up. was i healthy? should i be eating more? less? is this baby going to be ok with me not gaining pounds and pounds?
so in my normal pregnancy i would start at a BMI of 20.9 which is considered normal. the little chart suggested i gain between 25 and 35 pounds. but i have learned to trust my body and let it do it's thing because it always seems to find itself back at 150.
but with this pregnancy everything is so new and different. i wondered what i would be suggested and whether my body would do it's thing and hopefully find it's way back.
i started this pregnancy at a BMI of 25.7 which is considered overweight. the chart suggested i gain 15-25 lbs and i feel pretty good that i am close to that. so far i have gained 14 lbs. so i am fairly certain- no matter what weight i start pregnancy out with, my body will gain the necessary weight to support the baby. with all this confidence- why am i still watching the scale at every appointment?

hard to believe: exclusive nursing on demand

2011-09-29T13:17:00.000-04:00

this growing bean used to be the butterball baby in the bottom
picture. people used to ask us what we fed her. exclusively she had
pure breastmilk from the tap whenever and wherever she wanted it. i
used to subscribe to the whole old school theory that parents needed
to limit and measure what their kids ate because otherwise they'd have
weight problems when they were older. exclusive on demand
breastfeeding is the best way to raise kids who are less likely to
have weight problems in adulthood.
she is going through a growth spurt now- eating more than her 12 year
old brother and sleeping for more hours of the day. but she is VERY
active and i trust her body needs it!

she's 11? yep!

2011-09-29T13:09:00.000-04:00

happy birthday samantha!
she loves to read- especially redwall and the chronicles of prydain.
she loves to write. she loves to craft- yesterday she made a rodent
sized raft out of twigs and grass that was pretty impressive! she
loves her cousins. her favorite subject in school is poetry.

fair winds and following seas

2011-09-27T08:56:00.000-04:00

my sister, kathy, retired from the naval reserves this past weekend.
she gave over 20 years and left as a lieutenant commander. i am proud
of her and i know she is going to miss serving. she is such an
inspiration i found myself hoping that our family continues in the
tradition of service to our country.
after the retirement ceremony we had a huge spread put together by
sean. it was super delicious as always. But the best part was having
family come together again. i loved getting to catch up with some
siblings.

here is a picture of her with her family- major dad(brad), dominic,
kt, and jon-luc(the littlest one- my godson).

apple pickin'

2011-09-23T20:22:00.000-04:00

we drove and drove and drove to east of ellijay to pick apples at bj
reece's apple orchard. we were joined by my friend, joyce, and her
kids. our total harvest was a bushel of rome beauties. the apple
pickers were so tuckered out that the van was quiet on the way home.
and the hard workers were met with a much deserved apple crisp at the
end of dinner.

images from today's ultrasound

2011-09-22T13:01:00.000-04:00

everything is good. fluid is good. size is 58th percentile at 4.2
pounds.
i took all the kids(everyone but mary jane- she saw him at 13 and 16
wks). some of the older kids have asked questions about the health of
"dolphin" so I felt it necessary to have them all come and have a look-
see to allay their worries.
and he is head down- which is nice. for the past four weeks he ha
been head up- kicking my cervix. after a few hand stands in the pool
monday night i felt his kicks higher up and my ribs didn't feel so
tender. so- hopefully he'll stay put.

strawberry kombucha second ferment

2011-09-22T09:13:00.000-04:00

and no- i don't put them on the windowsill usually. i just did that
for the picture so their beautiful color would show better.

dr saint francis and mrs. hyde

2011-09-21T21:11:00.000-04:00

she cried at church recently when she was looking in a prayer book at
a picture of the Holy Spirit depicted as a dove on fire.
"don't let the birdie be on fire!"

BUT...
when my scizzors turned up after a few days missing she proudly
announced that it was her who took them outside. i asked her why she
took my scizzors outside.
"to cut the ants. they don't bite me when i cut them."
true. true.

what be not afraid is about

2011-09-21T20:59:00.000-04:00

so many friends donated money to be not afraid after jedidiah's death
in lieu of flowers. here is a nice bit of inormation letting
everyone know what be not afraid is about.

thank you to everyone who gave. the funds make it possible for the
great people at be not afraid to continue reaching out to families
touched by poor prenatal diagnosis.

http://www.ncbcenter.org/page.aspx?pid=1136

peace,
elizabeth

st. jedidiah, pray for us!
http://trisomyjourney.blogspot.com

no poo, chlorine, and straw hair

2011-09-21T19:30:00.000-04:00

i've been doing 'no poo' for almost two years now. and it was lovely-
until this summer. we went swimming in the gym's chlorine pool alot
this summer. last summer we swam just as much but frances was so
little i didn't get to submerge myself as much- so the damage to my
hair was minimal. summer has ended but i am still swimming for
exercise and likely will continue for the next few months until the
babe is here. but to illustrate the damage- here is me last week.
further below is me last winter.
i am researching what to do when doing 'no poo' and swimming. i have
tried recently to wet my hair thoroughly with clean water before
swimming. but the damage has been done- and that won't reverse it.
my next experiment is adding coconut oil to the clean water pre-swim
rinse. it just needs moisture.
if anyone has any tips for 'no poo' chlorine damage i am all ears.
ears and straw dry hair.

learned to ride a bike yesterday...

2011-09-16T19:34:00.001-04:00

rode 1.5 miles today.

it looks like she shares more just than initials with michael jordan.

upcycled baby carrier

2011-09-16T17:34:00.001-04:00

christina's friend from mobile just bought a carrier- her specified
instructions were..."make it masculine. my husband won't wear any of
my carriers because they are too feminine"
i bought this old army duffle in a colorado springs goodwill. it had
so many cool things to work with! and the end result was ever so
masculine. not very pH balanced for a woman at all- but i wouldn't
mind wearing it at all.

mary jane learns to ride a BIG GIRL BIKE!

2011-09-16T09:05:00.004-04:00

she had tried to ride a big girl bike-aka "a bike without training wheels" earlier this year- early spring. she was pretty decent at it but a few minor but scary incidents caused her to back away. she was distracted with other things all summer so we didn't think about biking. tuesday she asked me to "fix" her bike. one of the training wheels was pushed too high. i grabbed a wrench and started to loosen it and she said "mom, i don't need those." i asked if she was sure and she said, "yeah, can we take them off?"
so i took them off. she had only a couple tries up on the "big girl bike" tuesday when she decided to call it a day. i wasn't disappointed. she had tried hard- and to be honest- teaching a kid to ride a bike when you are 30 weeks pregnant is...umm...yeah.
we didn't bike wednesday.
but yesterday she requested another try. after some practice in a neighbors flat driveway(she was already learning to turn!!!) we headed to the street. this is her first real ride on the street...
GO GET'EM!!!

she even started kick starting herself! i remember it took me a few days- maybe even a week of "getting a push" to be able to start when i was learning. but she is at a comfortable enough height on her bike that she can kind of walk a little fast and then bring her feet to the peddles quickly. and her balance is so good that she even wobbles pretty heavily at first but sticks it out and straightens up when her speed picks up.

today i promised her we could practice some more at the park- the one with the flat track around the fields- practice some breaking. she likes to break by putting her feet on the ground. i try not to scare her about things but i HAD to tell her how aunt christina broke her leg- by putting her foot down on the ground flat and secure and unmoving and having the fast still moving peddle come up behind her calf and - just keep moving through her calf basically!
on the street i was careful to set her up in a position where she would be going downhill gently for a little bit and after a flat space it would go uphill enough to slow her down to stop. we want to avoid the combination of a 4 year old with a full length cast and a 30 week pregnant mom. so we practice breaking today- bikes not legs.

here is mary jane biking 2 years ago. love this video- her expressions are priceless.

30 weeks belly shot

2011-09-15T15:46:00.000-04:00

still swimming at the gym often for exercise. i passed my three hour
glucose screen after failing my one hour test. my next appointment is
next thursday with the back up doctor and includes an ultrasound. i
am bringing all the kids to see "dolphin". they ask so many questions
concerning his well-being that i believe seeing him swim and kick on
screen will be a comfort to them.

knit auburn helmet

2011-09-13T08:58:00.001-04:00

using the pilot cap pattern i purchased from little turtle knits i
made a little auburn helmet for "dolphin".
it just seems so little! chris was quick to remind me that "babies
are little".

the way i have found to do patterned colorwork in a knit piece is to
grid it out.
first i do a swatch- just a 20x20 stitch piece in stockinette stitch.
then i measure how many stitches can fit into an inch square area.
there are always more stitches fitting into the height of the inch
square(because stitches are shorter than they are wide).
so after i measure(i think for this particular yarn and needle combo i
came up with 4stitches wide by 6 stitches tall) then i grid it out
using the stitch dimensions.
so on a piece of paper i draw a grid using a straight edge. it ended
up looking a little squashed- remember how stitches are shorter than
they are wide?
so after i drew the grid and established my perimeter(the height and
width I ended up wanting the "AU" to be) i colored in the boxes i
wanted to knit dark blue.

finally, when it came to knitting, I just followed the grid, knitting
blue when i needed to.
after the knitting was done i went back and stitched the edges in
orange to give it more of a finished look.
i have done a dallas cowboys helmet for my nephew- so i think it could
work for any simple patterned football helmet.

samantha's first upside down roller coaster

2011-09-11T20:40:00.001-04:00

she rode on the rides in this order- with other side attractions in between...
batman
mind bender(my first upside down)
georgia scorcher
superman(her favorite)

thank you aunt leslie for taking samantha for a fun fun day!

father joseph has shingles- prayers please

2011-09-09T07:55:00.002-04:00

he came down with them earlier this week and was in the hospital shortly but is now home. they are on his face, neck, head, and upper back. i seriously cannot imagine the pain he is going through. i hope and pray he heals quickly.

frankie is free yeahs ohh'd!!!

2011-09-08T07:44:00.000-04:00

happy burfday big guh!!!!!!

following a schedule- according to henry

2011-09-07T10:35:00.003-04:00

"people who schedule their days don't have time to be good moms"
this said while i was forming a schedule for our day. i think the early wake up time was what elicited this response from henry. he's always keeping me on track, that boy!
i think he should teach a parenting course.

jessie the yodeling cowgirl

2011-09-05T14:43:00.010-04:00

from toy story 3- when buzz accidently gets switched to "spanish" mode.

while in spanish mode he is less inhibited and more open about his affections for jessie- who was completely unaware of his feelings

frankie has LOVED jessie from toy story for a long time. she saw a doll at kroger and has been hoping and hoping to get a jessie for her birthday. i began thinking about making one for her- and the thinking was so much fun that i decided to just go ahead and try. i actually have horded enough fabric pieces that i could put her together without buying a single thing- except skin colored fabric.

yellow fabric was from making binding for duckie hooded towels. red yarn is some left over merino i bought to make a diaper cover. white fabric and buttons came from one of chris' work shirts that got a nasty stain on it.

denim came from a button down size five polo denim shirt that got messed up along the way. it provided just the amount of flex i needed- true jeans were too stiff. the cow print fabric i had left over from making an ABC quilted wall hanging and cowprint stood for "c". i used corduroy for her boots- which actually extend up to her knee below her jeans. the soles of her boots are inside out corduroy.

oh- and to give her a real rag doll type feel i packed air soft bullets in her feet and hands. i actually am going to reinforce her hands a bit because it's just one layer of fabric thick and frankie already plays so enthusiastically with her that i can tell that the one layer will wear quickly. her butt i had to thicken up a bit. originally it was too flat to add the little airsoft bullet bean bag. so i took out the butt fabric and added some with darts so she'd have a solid seat to sit on. it fits the air soft bullet bean bag i sewed perfectly.

her hair i used the merino for as well. i first crocheted a little cap for her- then i cut long pieces of yarn and did sort of a latch hook rug type deal. the picture you see up on top isn't how her hair really looks now. i ended up taking all that out because the end product was a braid that was thicker than her head.

so instead i did one layer of plugs(i felt like a wig maker) all around the crown, then about 3 or 4 layers from the edge of the crown and back- but i did this ONLY around the front of her face. the back and sides remained one layer thick around the edge. not sure if that makes sense.

i toyed with the idea of getting a voice box and recording some yodeling to put into her chest area. but frankie is so good at yodeling and her imagination is just so ripe that she had no problem yodeling for jessie even when she was just a leg!

i tacked the chaps down to her thighs only with a mattress stitch to make the chaps hug to her legs a bit more, but keep the flare at the bottom.

the faceless jessie. i knew the doll would be a hit when frankie HAD to go to bed with her at this point. she didn't have a face and her legs were held to her body by giant straight pins. i wasn't so excited to have straight pins in bed with me but frankie wouldn't budge.

the belt buckle and hair bow are felt from a felt monstrance for a doll st. clare i made last summer.

she's so posable:)

i ended up painting her face. my favorite part was applying the ever so subtle rouge to her cheeks.

"curious george" or "how i met your father"

2011-09-04T15:26:00.000-04:00

during freshman orientation at berry college in 1997 one of my teammates asked, "have you seen 'curious george'?".
"who?"
"the guy wearing the curious george shirt."
i spotted him later that day. he was tall, lean, and looked like he had a fun personality. i mean, he was wearing a curious george shirt, ok? yeah, i thought, he's cute.
school began. classes, soccer games, and practices filled my schedule. meals at the dining hall in krannert. at convenient times i cracked a book while in study hall. during one lunch i sat with a co-ed group of soccer players. since my older sister played on the girls team and graduated the year before i knew most of both the girls and the guys teams. rob, a upperclassman i had known as the ringer on my family's co-ed indoor soccer team asked, "so, peek, who are you
interested in? who do you think is hot?"
i really didn't have time to be interested in anyone. i was really enjoying just hanging out with my team mates. they were instant friends- instant sisters to me. we were already tight after doing two hot weeks of summer soccer camp and surviving one week of preseason intense training.
i told him i wasn't into anyone.
he kept it up.
"awww, com'on. you have to like somebody! just tell me who it is."
"seriously. i don't really care about that kind of thing right now!"
"right: sure. but com'on. just tell me who you think is cute."
just then, across the dining hall, curious george stood up. he was sitting at a table of what appeared to be basketball players. tall skinny folk wearing athletic clothes. he picked up his tray and began to head away to put it up. one of the basketball players must have made a joke because he laughed- his smile was big and earnest. to get rob off my back i nodded in curious george's direction.
"him. i think he's cute, ok?"
"what?!?!?"
"what, you know him?"
i then immediately came to find out he was in fact NOT a basketball player but a freshman on the soccer team. he hung out with basketball players because his room mate and long time best friend, dave, was an incoming freshman on the basketball team. great- i thought. guess who is going to be the talk of the locker room at this afternoon's practice?
that afternoon- sure enough, i suspected he knew. we had to run three mile loop because we didn't have enough time for practice. all the athletic teams were to attend a meeting in ford auditorium discouraging drinking, partying, etc.
my team knew all about it by now so on the run when his car past by us the second time our captain mentioned "that's him in the white honda and it's the second time he's past us". then she added in a sing song voice, "i think he's stalking you"
at the anti-drug/anti-drinking meeting in ford auditorium the boys' team sat behind ours. i could feel his eyes burning through the back of my head. i couldn't turn around to find out if my feelings were correct- if he was looking at me.
what stupidity! why did i open my mouth? why did rob have to be so insistent?
after the meeting all the girls were going to go dancing at tan-ba-tae, a japanese steak house whose second floor turned into a dance club after hours. we met at one of the girls town homes before heading out. a guy on the soccer team was there and all the girls were prodding him for information on "curious george". his name was chris. he didn't speak of having a girlfriend. he actually didn't speak much at all.
at tan-ba-tae chris was wearing the famous curious george shirt, a michigan baseball hat pulled down low, jeans, and black adidas sambas. asked me to dance- he had to know. i figured there isn't a chance i could be more embarrased. only to find out that i was way wrong.
the keeper on the guy's team approached us. addressing chris, he said, "hey, dude! she likes you."
ugh, i thought with red cheeks. thanks.
chris just looked at me and said "if i had a dime for every time i have
heard that today."
after dancing we headed to waffle house with a group of mixed athletic peoples. the more i hung out with him the more i wanted to. he was funny, spontaneous, smart, and caring. two years after that very night we were married. and 14 years after that very night is today.
he is still funny, spontaneous, smart, and caring. he tells the kids that i liked him because he had a car. maybe- but i like to believe i am not that shallow.
his curious george shirt shows up in the laundry from time to time. it has holes in it and is hopelessly faded. but our love endures.

now i can go outside?

2011-08-30T17:26:00.000-04:00

our van breaks down- we fix it- then drive to destin for the weekend

2011-08-29T17:48:00.004-04:00

monday last week i had lots of errands to run so i loaded the kids up in the van. we had 1/4 of a tank and i deemed it totally acceptable for the day's errands. i dropped medical release waivers at my old ob/gyn office and at the hospital at which i had my c-section(my mw needs my post-op report). i returned some things to joann's and bought some yarn for yet another pilot cap for mary jane and some skin toned fabric for a jessie doll for frances. then we headed to costco for groceries and lunch. after costco we headed to the pool. i was upset to find out that henry didn't try on the running shoes we bought at costco- even after i told him to! they ended up being too small! the pool was closed so we ended up going to the gym. we(three oldest and i) had a school-year-planning-meeting on the couches while the little kids played in the child center. we talked about what books we wanted to use, what lessons we wanted this year, what subjects we enjoyed and learned alot from last year, etc. we set up a training schedule for running, biking, and swimming as well as scheduling days for the gym- rock climbing, indoor soccer, basketball, and squash. the kids got to rock climb for a little over an hour before i figured we should be getting home. as we left the gym frankie requested the jessie CD- cue rolling eyes and groaning from the big kids.
at the second light- the last light before we access 400 north the CD player quit. i checked the gas gauge- below empty. the engine started jerking. i told the kids to sit tight- we would have to turn the AC off. after turning the AC off i tried to roll the windows down for some air to no avail. we prayed hail mary's to get us to the nearest gas station- at the next light i reminded the kids that whatever happened we would praise God. the nearest gas station ended up being costco! so henry went to return his shoes. i texted chris letting him know what was going on but it was ok bc we were currently filling up. when i was done pumping and still couldn't start the car i figured it was probably not low gas. chris called as i was soliciting a jump from a fellow gas pumper. he said i would probably last a few minutes from a jump but surely wouldn't be able to get home. he was leaving work to fetch us. we headed inside to get some snacks(a GIANT crate of blueberries) and cool off. it is AMAZING how quickly our car got HOT when the AC went and our windows were stuck. chris was right. it was the alternator.
tuesday during his lunch break he bought another one. tuesday night after work he tried to replace it but ran out of sunlight. wednesday he took the last part of the day off to make sure he had enough daylight. he called me with good news. it was fixed- temporarily. he was coming home to pick us up. he told me to have the kids ready because he didn't want to risk stopping the car. we turned right back around and retrieved his car from costco. at home he had me help him get the screws set on the alternator. we could only get one of the bolts in and tight. he assured me it wasn't going anywhere.
his parents invited us down to destin for the weekend so he took off friday and we left for the beach thursday night. his dad is working a contract job out of eglin AFB for a couple weeks. we were set on going camping up in the smokies but an invitation to the beach was pretty nice too. the kids would have a blast either way- but the destin trip included a visit with grandma and grandpa so that was the winning feature.
friday we ended up getting only part of the way there before chris had to stop. i think we stayed the night in a place called chipley? it was only about a 2 hour trip past that. we went to lunch in destin with his mom to wait for our condo to be ready. at fudpucker's max got to hold an alligator(with it's snout good and taped). after getting to the condo i realize that the bag in which i packed clothes for me, frankie, and mary jane is missing. chris' mom had clothes in the car that would fit mary jane but frankie and i were left to go shopping. we headed to the beach store and bought swim suits. i also bought a swim cover (kind of a strapless dress type thingy) that could double as a pregnancy skirt. we finally hit the beach. chris' parents cooked spaghetti for the kids and left chris and i to fend for ourselves. we made due with a date to harry t's located in harborwalk village or some such place. we strolled the harbor shops before dinner and spotted several parrots perched near a man playing a tin drum. he asked if i'd like to hold one. i held a beautiful conure and then he let the white macaw fly to my arm. it was an amazingly big bird- so strong. it was older than i was! 42 years old!
at the restaurant i had balsamic catch of the day(cannot even remember the name of the fish- i hadn't heard of it before- but it was good) and chris had a burger. we talked about how florida is a nice place to visit- but we doubt we could live there. san diego really spoiled that for us. the humidity is just. too. much. even as we left the restaurant and the sun was down and there was a breeze- it wasn't a cool breeze it was hot and humid. i was craving the cool sweater wearing breezes of san diego- so nice after a hot day at the beach.
saturday we spent the whole day at the beach. the little girls got tired of the messy waves that irene was kicking up. it was nice, not a cloud in the sky, but not a typical day on the gulf of mexico- which is usually as calm and warm as a bath tub. so after lunch the big kids were the only ones to go back out. for dinner we went out to a place called the crazy lobster. it had live music that frankie insisted on dancing to. i ran into a friend on the harbor walk and it was good to catch up. she wants to be my swim buddy since we go to the same gym! back at the condo we just sat and talked- all of us. the kids did not complain when bedtime came- the sun and wind wore them out!
sunday we talked of going to mass on the way back to atlanta so we could enjoy more time with the grandparents. the morning felt delicious. the cool breeze was there, the waves were calm, so we hit the beach early. chris and his dad took advantage of the cooler weather and spent some time getting the second bolt in place for the alternator then they joined us at the beach. since the water was clear as glass henry caught seven blue crabs, a speckled crab, and a hermit crab. he caught more than that but a few were carrying eggs so he threw them back. he kept the others in a bucket for passer bys to ogle. i laid on a raft- taking advantage of the ability to have pregnant tummy time. it was just such a nice day. isn't it always that way? the last day at the beach? i am sorry i don't have pictures. my phone died pretty much the instant we got to the beach. i was able to revive it briefly at moments- but it was actually nice getting a break from it:)
we headed north after we ate lunch in the condo. chris found a 5 o' clock mass at auburn university chapel- called st. michaels. he said we might miss it but there was also an 8 o' clock one during the school year(which luckily just started). we did end up missing the 5 o' clock mass so we ate at the mellow mushroom right there in auburn. during dinner chris told us about the crazy jealous alabama fan that poisoned a tree in toomer's corner last winter. the kids were shocked that someone would go to prison for poisoning a tree but i think they are starting to see just how deep the football rivalry is. after dinner we headed down to take a look at the poisoned tree.
we ran into a group of what looked to be fundamentalists- plain dresses, little white cappish head coverings. chris was walking behind me when i heard one of the men say "you have quite a quivverful!" he said "yes sir!" in reply.
what a stark difference to the old and WAY over used cliche "you've got a handful!"
the quivver reference denotes an attitude of prosperity. anyone with a quivver full of arrows has a better chance at being luckier on the hunt than someone with just a few or none at all. whereas the "handful" comment just sounds like chaos in the making. like we cannot possibly handle one more- our hands are full- our abilities at handling our family have reached their limit.
we headed to mass. 2/3 of the quivver behaved. i think it's because we sat in the front row of an all college student mass. after mass we let them play hide and seek for a few minutes. i asked chris if he thought that going to mass on the week before the first game would insure his team luck for the season. he said "not likely- we can only go down from here. we lost our best offensive player, our best defensive player- arguably the best offensive and defensive players in the nation- so no, i don't think we'll do well this season."
we hit the road- and made it home at 1 in the morning last night. what a great weekend we had! and all because my man is just a genius when it comes to mechanic stuff. well, maybe not a genius- but a couple minutes watching a youtube video on alternators, engine pulleys, and belts pretty much makes him pass for one.
today at 4 pm frankie and i were just about to fall asleep when i suggested we head downstairs for a snack. i am SO exhausted after the whirlwind weekend. but not enough to let a 2 year old fall asleep at 4:15. that would just be foolish!

12 hour growth spurt

2011-08-25T08:02:00.002-04:00

who else thinks this growth spurt is kind of ridiculous big?
first pic is from yesterday morning. i am 26 weeks and a few days.
second pic is from last night?!?!? yes, last night.
i could. not. stop. eating. yesterday.
wonder what is going on... wish i had a womb-cam.
in other news i have my first appointment with the practice who is
going to deliver "dolphin" later today. and yesterday i found myself
really excited for the first time in a LONG time about an appointment!
with jedidiah i always felt apprehensive- kind of a protective stance
before appointments. "what are we going to learn this time?". ioften
couldn't sleep the night before- and them i felt tight all day until i
was through.
and even with this baby. the first appointment when we got an
ultrasound too was a very anxious time for me. and even after the
ultrasound showed nothing wrong i still didn't look forward to
appointments. i think i just hated the practice. they made me feel
like a number, someone to bill. i prayed and prayed to know who i
should deliver with. i couldnt go back to dr.tate- he is such a
skilled doctor and so caring too. but he only delivers at emory
midtown and i couldn't go back there and see some of those nurses.
then after going back and reading frances' birth story i recalled how
much my midwife stood by me- she delivers at a different hospital-
which importantly isn't emory midtown. and i feel peace with this
decision. a deep peace and an excitement that i haven't felt in a
long time.

weekend craft: auburn reupholstered infant carseat

2011-08-22T08:34:00.000-04:00

i kind of wished i could have taken pictures along the way so i could
have made a tutorial- it's pretty easy.
i just pin the fabric to the carseat's seperate fabric sections and
cut- then piece. after piecing i bind the new cover to the old one.
there are some replaceable covers that are elastic around the edges-
kind of a one size fits all type thing and they just slip over the
existing carseat and cover- but i like binding it to make it a solid
fit.
and as an added bonus- ALL this fabric- everything you see, came from
my fabric stash. yes- i am a horder:)
but it has come in handy during this time of financial insecurity. i
have told myself to "be creative with what you got!" and so far it
hasn't been too hard.
i think my favorite part is the little tiger tab covering the strap
adjuster.

most frightening item of the day?

2011-08-20T16:29:00.000-04:00

george is convinced that a little bottle of "five hour energy" would
cure his nightly leg cramps. just the thought of george on that stuff
gives me shivers up my spine.

i say goodbye to daddy, k?

2011-08-19T08:56:00.000-04:00

this is what frankie does every weekday morning. one day she slept in
and made me call him so she could say goodbye. i hope she never grows
out of this.

water pregnancy

2011-08-18T14:33:00.000-04:00

today i beat my wall. so far this pregnancy i haven't been able to
swim much past 20-25 laps. but today i swam 36- half a mile! the
reason the wall has been there is i have one speed- all out. and at
that speed i can only last so long.
but today i felt like i was so comfortable in the water. i probably
could've swam more laps but i figured it was probably not good to push
myself too far.
you know how when you are driving to a place you have never been it
seems to take forever- the miles just stretch before you? but the
more comfortable you are with the road the more likely you are to
check out and start day dreaming? i felt the latter today- just in
the zone and comfortable.
at the end of my workout i thought of the ability to waterbirth. i
actually don't care where the baby comes out- land or water. but
being able to just sit in the water during labor- that's heaven. i am
thankful that the hospital that my care provider works under allows
for vbacs to even BE in the water.
here's to evidence based care, more glorious swimming days, and the
aqua-dural.

today's find: a baby turtle

2011-08-17T15:02:00.000-04:00

found in the creek by the park. these are max's hands to give a point
of reference.
and yes, i made the kids wash up after handling it.

henry kinda likes mustard

2011-08-17T12:26:00.000-04:00

here is his sandwich.
i seriously have to buy a new 24 oz bottle every week. is there a
mineral deficiency associated with an absurd craving for mustard?

how sanitary are our toothbrushes?

2011-08-15T20:35:00.000-04:00

i have doubts about our toothbrushes. i think i might keep mine in a
safe place- up with the medications in a lock box with a code and key.
when chris got home from work i was setting the table and getting the
kids to sit down. i noticed frankie was missing from the toyroom so i
told chris to check for her upstairs.
he came back downstairs and reported his findings. frankie was up in
our bathroom washing her unicorn with a toothbrush.
BUT- before this, while i was making dinner frankie and mary jane came
in from the backyard telling me how they found her beanie baby unicorn
in the babypool. it was nasty and moldy but smelled like artificial
grape. frankie was so proud of herself- she bathed the unicorn in
grape gatorade(is it in you? because it's in the unicorn) to make it
smell so nice and magical!
then- i suppose is when she headed upstairs to get it all sparkly with
the help of someone's toothbrush.
i will have to smell out the special toothbrush before the bedtime
routine starts tonight and see if i can find a quick new replacement
in a drawer somewhere. then find a hiding place for the toothbrushes
until frankie can understand the germ theory.

my purpose driven life

2011-08-15T12:22:00.001-04:00

henry to me: "i think your purpose in life is either to keep us dead
bored or cleaning *ALL* the time."

very profound.

what team will baby be on?

2011-08-14T21:44:00.000-04:00

brown, hazel, or blue?

after a day at the lake

2011-08-14T21:41:00.000-04:00

thanks, skipper!

2011-08-13T09:04:00.005-04:00

we went to the braves game last night and got there just in time to see the induction ceremony. i got going too late to pick up chris from work so chris made up for it by sprinting all of us to the gates and then to our places. i honestly felt like i was having one 20 minute long tectonic braxton hicks contraction the entire race. by the time we got to our places i felt like my left round ligament was going to detatch.

after some water i felt much better! but i was wise enough to not ask for water during the ceremony! my man has a one track mind! bobby cox.

if you watch the above segment you will see some of our family. i am to the right and behind eddie matthews baseball (at about 19 seconds)- bending over and reaching into the stroller to get my camera.

at about 46 seconds into the video samantha appears on the upper right of the screen. samantha is wearing a red bandana and is standing behind and to the left of tom glavine's #47 ball, henry is standing to the right of her in a brown golf shirt, max is standing to the right of henry but is blocked a bit by a security guard- and chris is holding frances in her red baseball dress but they are blocked a good bit too- enlarging it makes it a bit easier to spot them.

this link will take you to a better, clearer video. we enter the scene at about the 3 minute mark.

temporary fixes

2011-08-10T18:36:00.000-04:00

i have to keep a tight lock on scizzors in this house. mary jane
thinks scizzors can solve all of her problems.
don't like bangs? cut them off!
don't like boo boos? cut them off!
thankfully i caught her in the planning stages of this last one.
thankfully.

marshmallow stealer

2011-08-10T12:29:00.000-04:00

mary jane: "mommy, frankie at a marshmallow!!!"

me: (low growl)

frankie: looking scared at first then realizing something and smiling
while she shares her realization with me "mommy- it's already in my
tummy!"

frankie's style

2011-08-08T10:34:00.000-04:00

i think my favorite morning moment is when frankie enters the
kitchen. she wakes later than i an gets dressed out of a laundry
basket* and comes down for breakfast. her outfits are always SO
unique and fun.
*we tried drawers with her but she prefers the ease of an open basket
on the ground. plus it's easier for me to just pick up the pile of
clothes she tried on before deciding on her final outfit and throw
them back in.
she is a "get dressed to shoes" fly lady in training and she
definitely doesn't get it from me!

here she is- in a circo polka-dot turtle neck just perfect for an
august morning breakfast, an old batik hand me down(from samantha)
homemade peasant skirt and the classic lines of her silver mary jane
velcro flats- also courtesy circo.