Cervical Dilation and such...

If you don't want to read about my cervix, then just close the window right now.

After doing some web research, buying sterile gloves and lubricating jelly, Olaf has learned how to check my cervix for dilation. Pretty cool if you ask me. He checked me on Saturday and said I was 2 cm. He checked me this afternoon and said I am 4 cm. Woo Hoo! He said it is so cool to feel the baby's head right there. He can feel the pulse through his soft spot. We have those stacking cup toys and Olaf can tell me how many cm the opening is just with his fingers, so I know he is fairly accurate on my cervix:) I wonder if labor will go fast once it starts, or will my water break again before I have a contraction? Only time will tell I suppose.

I bought the cutest signature tag from Susie's Graphics. I will change my tag on every post when I have Simon. Here is a preview:



She also did my pregnant sig tag that is on the blog right now. All of her signature tags are adorable. Go check them out.

We decided to eat at Steak and Shake today. The ulterior motive is that it always gives me diarrhea and I am hoping that will put me in labor. Hee hee. I actually took a nap this afternoon which is just weird for me. I usually don't like to nap, but I was tired. Olaf took care of the children and kept them quiet. It was very nice.

Hope y'all had a great weekend.

Nothing, nada, zip

Nothing new to report. No contractions, no nothing. I really was hoping for an April baby, but who knows??

The bad thing is, the person that would normally watch the children if I should go into labor cannot do it this weekend (She won't be available until Monday). My back up person cannot do it from this evening until Sunday morning. It's not like we have any family that we can call on. So, I have made back up, back up plans and hope it all works out. It would be so much easier if I would just give birth at home. Maybe Charity can come over and help me. You really don't need anything special to give birth at home. Just some chux pads and some shoelaces to tie the umbilical cord. (I can just see some of your faces right now and I am laughing!)

I'll keep you posted...

He's coming

I had contractions every three minutes for over four hours last night. Lots of bloody show this morning. I think I will have an April baby versus a May baby! Keep me in your prayers.

2 cm and counting...

I had my OB appointment today. She checked me and said I was 2 cms but can stretch to 3. Now, I know that means absolutely nothing in the long run. However, I am hoping that with the increased braxton hicks contractions and the loss of some mucous, it will be sooner rather than later. Don't take my hope away:)

I'd love, love, love to have the baby Friday. That way we can be home on Saturday and not have to worry about anyone else getting Caleb ready for school. I am such a worrier that I am certain no one can get him ready correctly and have him outside on time for his bus.

Caleb had Special Olympics today. It is the first year that we have missed it. He came home with 2 second place ribbons and 1 third place ribbon. We'll go next year. I can barely waddle along now with this back pain I have had the past two days.

Lazy Monday

I didn't sleep well last night. Mostly because any position I am in hurts. Left side hurts. Right side hurts. Sitting up doesn't hurt but I cannot sleep. Kind of sounds like a Dr. Seuss book.

Left side hurts,
right side hurts,
hurt, hurt, hurt,
Earkle Mcfert.

I finally fell asleep after I put Caleb on the bus (about 6:50) and then slept in until 10:00. It is fabulous having an eleven year old who can tend to her siblings.

Caleb's IEP meeting is tomorrow afternoon, then Camille has a piano recital. Olaf is going to take Camille, and I am going to stay home with the other children. He will video tape it for me though.

I love watching House of Babies on Discovery Health. I wish we had a free standing birth center in Georgia. It is so much more fun to watch natural unmedicated births than to watch A Baby Story on TLC. That is not to say that I won't have an epidural, because I probably will. I had my natural unmedicated birth at home with Grace. It was painful, but I loved being home. The pushing was much harder for me unmedicated than with an epidural. I didn't want to push past that unbelievable pain when the head slips under the pelvic bone. I screamed like a mad woman. Totally NOT serene at all. It's all caught on video and I have never, not even once, had an inkling to watch it. Maybe I should so I can make up my mind if I want to try it at home again, or head to the hospital. If we give birth at home there will be no cord blood banking though. The midwives that deliver at home in the state of Georgia are all lay midwives. They are not certified nurse midwives that you see in the doctor's office. They are not considered medical personnel at all. Just women helping women give birth.

I like this quote

To laugh often and love much
To win respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children

To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends

To appreciate beauty
To find the best in others
To leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child,
a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition

To know even one life has breathed easier
because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Stomach virus round two

Caleb woke up Thursday night with a vicious stomach bug. I'll spare you the details, but just keep in mind he is mentally challenged and Olaf and I cleaned up our fair share of bodily excrements. Blech. Now we are waiting to see if anyone else comes down with it.

And just for fun (and because we figured out how to use the scanner):



Simon at 12 weeks gestation.




Simon at almost 20 weeks gestation. Notice the arm by the head:)

And for Simon now, look at the post below.

Simon 37 weeks

His face is smashed against me, so it looks like his nose is smushed. Kind of like when you smash your face against a window. He still has his arm in front of him. He likes his hands near his face.

Lookie, lookie!

First of all, see what my dear friend, Mari, sent me. I got it in the mail today. Thank you so much. It is gorgeous and oh so soft. I can't wait to wrap it around Simon.



Second of all, Simon moved head down. I think he did it yesterday because I noticed that my belly looked like it dropped. We have never figured out how to use our scanner or I would show you his ultrasound picture. If we can figure out how to use it, I will post a picture of him. He has peach fuzz for hair and a wide nose.

Now I am off to take a walk with my family on this fine April evening.

My opinion

I am coming out of the closet with this post. I fear all my evangelical friends are going to disown me, but this is my blog and my opinion.

I just watched Jesus Camp and it made me cry. Not a happy cry, like isn't that great that these children are growing up in this Christian environment...no, not that kind of cry at all. I am so sad. I cannot express my thoughts well. I have never been a writer so it is very hard for me to relay why watching those children at this camp made my heart ache. Rent it and let me know how it affects you. If you have already seen it, leave a comment with your thoughts.

Only 48%???

You Are 48% Cynical

Yes, you are cynical, but more than anything, you're a realist. You see what's screwed up in the world, but you also take time to remember what's right.

How Cynical Are You?

Nothing special...

I just took Camille to her final piano lesson. She has a recital next Tuesday evening and then we are taking a break, maybe a permanent break, from piano. She doesn't like it anyway. The piano teacher had to convince her to play in the recital. She told me she didn't want to do it and I wasn't going to make her. Now she says she will play in the recital, so that will be her swan song.

Ella has been put on thyroid medicine. They also gave us a pain killer to give her once a day. I think it really did make a difference last night. She seemed a bit more perky. At least the thyroid medicine isn't expensive. Hopefully it will help her a little.

Simon is still not head down. I am convinced he will not turn at this point. At least I get an ultrasound this Thursday. It will be fun to see him. I am looking forward to having him in our home.

Camille is waiting for the computer so she can play Toontown. I guess I should go eat some lunch.

My Little Man

We bought this suit at Kohl's today for about $6.00. It was on clearance for $8.00 and I had an extra 30% off coupon. It is the first time he has ever worn a tie. Isn't he the most handsome four year old you have ever seen?

My Shower

Here is a link to my shower pictures. They are public right now which means anyone can view them, however in a few days I will switch them over to private so they can only be viewed by the contacts on my "list." I just wanted to give everyone a chance to look before I switched them to private. They are mostly of my friends that came, but I put a few of me (aka whale) on there. I cannot stand to look at pictures of me. I seriously need to lose weight.

The shower was fabulous. Charity did a lovely job hosting. The food was great, the company was better. I got TWO Bumbo Seats. Everyone there introduced themselves and then told how they knew me and said something that they appreciated about me. It was like hearing your own eulogy. I wanted them to go around a second time, but they didn't:) Almost without fail, they all said "what you see is what you get" but in different words. It's true. I don't play games with people. That is why you either like me or hate me. There is usually no middle ground. Miss Mike did a devotion and then we ate cake and opened presents.

Now I am tired. I need to take off make-up, write thank you cards, and have a piece of cake. Not at the same time. Have a great weekend!

Showers for my shower

Well, tomorrow night is my baby shower and some strong thunderstorms are supposed to move through as well. So there will be showers at my shower. Charity is giving it at her home and there are about 18 adults and some children coming. I really didn't expect that many people and I feel bad about all those people crowding into her home.

Olaf took Ella Jones Boney to the vet this afternoon. He said she wasn't going to die anytime soon and didn't recommend putting her down yet. They did do blood work and based on the results from that, he can give us a clearer picture of her overall health. We will know something next week. She just looks like she is in so much pain. Here is a picture Camille took today thinking it would be her last.



She is very stiff and has trouble moving her head. Her eyes just look like she is in pain. She still eats and drinks. She is still able to get outside (albeit slow) to go potty. She coughs a lot. And snores really loud. And her gas is worse than rotten eggs. She will be 10 on the 4th of July.

Deacon got his bath and shave today. I take him to the groomer about every 8 weeks. He is half peke and half shitzu, so he gets long shaggy hair that grows over his eyes. I don't like all the shedding, so I take him in for a shave. After these two dogs die, I VOW here and now to never, EVER, own a dog again. Only cats. Cats are so much easier to take care of. I don't get so attached to cats either. I mean, they are fine and cuddly, but they have a personality and really don't "need" an owner. The have an attitude.

OK, dinner is home. Zaxby's Chicken Salad Sandwich. YUM!

Cough, cough, hack, hack

That is how I sound all day. Then I wheeze and gurgle to top it all off. I had insomnia last night too. I was awake until 4:00 am. Now that just stinks.

My dog, Ella, isn't doing too good. I think her time here on earth is short. I am not sure what the problem is, but she will yelp for no reason whatsoever. I think it's time for the big needle and doggie heaven.

My baby shower this this Saturday night. That should be fun. Hopefully noone will mind that I am coughing all over them. I hope I am not contagious, but I don't know for sure. Maybe I should wear a mask. What do you think Charity? I think I may take my girls with me, but I am not certain. We'll see... I know I need to wear some make-up though as I want pictures.

I have eaten more than my fair share of minature Snickers since Easter Sunday. You know those little tiny square ones? I eat like four at a time, then forget I have already eaten four and have four more an hour later. I go through about 16 a day! Honestly. I'll be glad when they are gone. My children don't like the Snickers, but they like the Milky Way and Three Muskateers that came in the same bag. Guess who gets the Snickers?

I got Grace's first grade books today. It brought back memories of doing first grade with Camille. Camille has been doing school with Olaf for a few weeks now. Our relationship is MUCH better:) He has her reading an American History book that was written in 1888. It is called "A History of the United States and its People" by Edward Eggleston. We have old history books that we bought off Ebay a long time ago. It is inscribed with very fancy penmanship with the owner's name and date. It says: Fred Richardson. South Livingston. March 20th, 1894.

Tonight is LOST. Woo Hoo! I wonder what Juliette is up to?

Better...

Grace was better after 24 hours. I am thankful for that. Last night Josiah woke up at 11:30 pm with stomach cramps so we moved him up to our bed. He never threw up and seems just fine this morning. So far, so good. It has officially been 48 hours since Grace started puking, so maybe...hopefully...we are safe.

My friend, Stephanie, sent me the cutest onesies. She hand embroidered them. She also created notepads with our family's name on them. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness my friend.


I haven't posted any pictures of the girl's room now that it is finished.



Yes, Josiah still sleeps with them. He doesn't want to sleep with Caleb. We are hoping that once we get the girl's old room painted blue and have a lot of Thomas the Tank Engine stuff in there, he'll want to move...but I doubt it. He loves Camille too much. He has outgrown his toddler bed, but what can I do? I am not moving another twin in there and letting him think he can share their room forever.

Olaf did get the furniture moved into the family room. I haven't taken a picture yet, but it looks fine. Our next project is to clean out all of the toys and junk from the girl's old room. Not an easy task...

I am coughing and wheezing horribly again. I really want a CT Scan on my lungs after this baby comes. I have been coughing non-stop since December. I am scared that it is something horrible of course.

I had an OB appointment yesterday. Baby is still oblique so she scheduled an ultrasound for next Thursday. If he doesn't move head down, and depending on where the cord is, we may have to schedule a C-Section. That is my worst fear. I am praying he engages in my pelvis soon. And for all of you expecting photos of Simon once he is born...just a heads up. I have really ugly babies. It is true. They look like aliens. You do not have to say "He is so cute" because, quite honestly, I know that he probably will not be. A blessing? Absolutely! Cute? Ummm...no. Once my babies fatten up a bit, then they start to get cute.

I wrote too soon

Grace started puking at 1:00 pm. You know how much I love the stomach virus... I was hoping it was just too much chocolate from her Easter basket, but no such luck. She is now in the midst of vomiting every half hour and I am not looking forward to doing it myself in the next day or two. Blech.

Happy Easter

It's been a great morning so far. The children got their Easter baskets with new Bibles (a new devotional for Camille), found a TON of candy Easter eggs that Papa hid, and had a pancake and bacon breakfast.

We really need to move the furniture into the basement. It should have been done yesterday but it took ALL DAY (literally over 8 hours) for Olaf to paint the doors. I have no idea why. I wish I weren't pregnant so I could get down there and do it myself. The problem is there are so many heavy boxes to move out of the way before you can get to the furniture. In my mind I would just move the boxes and push out the furniture, but in Olaf's mind it isn't that simple. He has to rearrange another part of the storage area so he can put the boxes that need to be moved into the area he just rearranged. Then he will have to sweep, and possibly mop, the concrete floor before he can push the couch into the living area. At that time he will have to vacuum and wash the couch before putting on the slip cover that we bought for it. The cover will take him exactly three hours to put on because every seam will have to be perfectly aligned before he tries to figure out a way to keep it in place. This will require a trip to Lowe's in order to buy upholstery pins only to remember that today is Easter Sunday and Lowe's isn't open. Because he HAS to do the pins before he can progress any further, the day will end with the couch being pushed back into storage and waiting for next weekend. All in all, he will spend 8 hours to move the couch out only to push it back in. You would think after nineteen years of marriage this wouldn't bother me anymore. Heh...not so.

Thankful Thursday

1. I am so thankful for the health of my family. Especially after seeing this.

2. A husband who loves me.

3. A finished basement.

4. A baby almost born.

5. A God whose mercies are new every morning.

6. Homeschooling DVD's.

7. Ice to chew.

8. The Office is on tonight. And it's a new episode to boot.

9. Cloth diapers and baby cologne.

10. Jasmine and Vanilla Hand Soap from Bath and Body Works.

11. Gracie who tries to read everything now. And when she can't she says, "Mom what does I-N-C-O-R-P-O-R-A-T-E-D spell?"

12. Dog Groomers.

13. Tide detergent.

Carpet is IN!

The carpet is in and the new TV is up! No furniture has been moved yet, but that will probably happen this weekend. Woo Hoo! There were three installers, one of them spoke English. Olaf had to come home from work because there was a screw up with the measurements and they wanted to put in an extra seam. That'll learn him for going into work when he should be home overseeing projects.

I am going to go to a chiropractor this Thursday. I am hoping that an adjustment may help move the baby into a birthing position. He is still transverse.

My children are all getting so big. I look at Josiah and am amazed at how much he has grown and what a little boy he is. He is getting more handsome everyday. He is very tall with very big feet. You know how you look at a puppy and can tell it's going to be huge by the paws? That is Josiah. He is skin and bones, but he has some huge feet!

No carpet

Of course, there had to be a screw up in the carpet appointment. They are coming tomorrow instead of today. Oh well...

This week is Spring Break for Caleb. Tomorrow I am going to keep track of how often he asks me to eat. Just for fun:0) I wish there were year round school for children with special needs. He loves to go and be entertained. Being home is so boring for him because my life cannot revolve around him alone. I am not the mom who has planned activites and outings. I am a homebody that doesn't like to take my children anywhere because I fear the stomach virus and any other germ that may make us sick.

How much of a germophobe am I?

• Hand sanitizer in my purse and van.
  
• Anti bacterial wipes in my purse and van.
  
• I will not use my hands to open a public door. Only my hip.
  
• Before I use a grocery cart I go to the Lysol aisle and completely spray the entire cart down. To get to said aisle, I cover my hands with my sleeves or a coat so as not to touch it.
  
• I wash my hands more than you do.
  
• I spray Lysol on my own toilets everyday.
  
• Lord help the child that gets the stomch virus at our home. They are quarantined to my bedroom and bathroom and not allowed out!
  
• The stomach virus is only spread through poo and puke. So, if you have the stomach virus you have ingested someone else's poo or vomit. Now that, my friends, is just nasty.
  

Can you say nesting?

Yes, he is vacuuming under the bed. Yes, I asked him to. Less than six weeks until Simon gets here.