Fair of Face

Hi all, this is Jo's sister Jamie with an important message from our family.

Baby Chase was born a little early this morning - around 3am, mere hours prior to his scheduled c-section date. This makes him, officially, the only person in our line of the family currently running early for ANYTHING. 7 pounds, 11 ounces, and 20 inches long. Mom is out of recovery and doing well. We are, of course, very excited.

Just wanted to let you know, per the request of Jo. I'm not sure when she'll get her hands on a computer, but I'm sure details will be posted here just as soon as she does. Happy Monday, everyone!

WHAT a day!

*My day started around midnight.... heartburn yet again! No big news there.
*Around 1:30, I began vomiting profusely. (Do you know what sucks most about that? When your a grown up- you have to clean up after yourself, there is no magic mommy to help!)
*Around 2:00, I began having contractions every 8 minutes or so. This actually sort of thrilled me but they didn't seem to getting any stronger.
*By 4:00, I was worried and called the doctor. He agreed that we should head to the hospital to be checked out.
-- after that things get a bit blurry for a while--
*By 6:00 it had been determined that I was not in labor, I was dehydrated and have the flu.
I'M DAYS AWAY FROM MY DUE DATE AND NOW I CATCH THE FLU!!!???!!!

The rest of the day was spent with IV fluids, sleeping at home in bed, and a big decision.

This baby is probably big... He might even be stuck already... We will have a cesarean section on Monday morning. I can't say I'm happy about that, but I'm not unhappy either. I'm understandably concerned about the whole major surgery aspect and the recovery, etc. I am sort of thrilled to know that the end is in sight.... not some generic end where you wait around for mother nature to flip a switch.... a real end. The end to the heartburn and back pain and cramping and puffiness. And back on the other hand, this is my last pregnancy, I never imagined that it would end this way. At least I have lots of time this weekend to hang out in bed and relax. Never let it be said I can't find the bright side!

No News

I worked myself up so much last night that I didn't fall asleep for a long time thinking about if I was going into labor or not! Here I am... 24 hours later... no baby, no labor, no progress.

I think I may have entered a phase where I just want it so bad, I'm willing to believe any twinge that supports my wishes. Tonight again, I just feel sore and icky and hopeful all at the same time. I won't keep myself up worrying about it though.

I actually have a VERY busy day tomorrow that I would like to make it through without labor. HA! Like I have a choice... we shall see...

Knock on wood?

I hope I don't jinx things but I am feeling very good about tonight being a labor kind of night...
(Jamie- don't tell mom!)

I am feeling very uncomfortable with lots of .... I don't know what to call them.... sort-of, almost, contractions? I'm ready!

I will probably log in tomorrow with no progress made... that's ok though. The 3 of you who read this will forgive me right?

I did it!

I finished the book! It got a little better as I got further in but overall- very forgettable.

I just couldn't let myself start another one 'till that one was done. I had a lot of quiet time this weekend and reading was my activity of choice. Even a not-so-great book was better than nothing!

What say you?

I started a book... nothing important, I picked it out randomly at the library just because it had the little green "Mystery" sticker on the spine. I'm in chapter 4 now but it is going really slow. I am considering just not finishing it. I have to return it to the library on Monday.

When you start a book, do you have to finish it?
(A literal book, not the figurative kind!)

When you get everything you wanted...

When you were a child, what did you want?
More toys? Be a ballerina? All the candy you can eat?
As you grew, how did it change?

I always wanted to be.... a mom of 3, a wife to a great man, a teacher, successful, have a house, enough money to not worry, have friends to rely on, freedom and love.

What do you do when you have everything you want? Is it what you always thought it would be?

As we wait for baby number 3 to make his debut, I find myself questioning my life a bit. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sorry or regretful for a single thing, BUT- what is next? and why am I not content with my own dream come true?

Life- Confirmed!

On Thursday and Friday of this week, I attended a conference to help improve a newish initiative my school took on. I attended the same conference last year, and have been to several other training's on the program. I think, because I've heard so much of it before, the conference was not only boring but only marginally helpful.

HOWEVER- Returning to a "normal" work type schedule was lovely! I can't believe I'm saying it but I genuinely enjoyed getting up and looking nice for the day... talking to adults about engaging topics... learning new ideas and challenging my mind. Most of all, I enjoyed coming home to the best family on earth.

BUT- I enjoyed coming home to them because I'd been away. I loved hearing about their days and snuggling on the couch. I needed to be AWAY so that I could enjoy them more in the time we had.

THEREFORE- I am destined to be a working mom. Even if you gave me a couple million dollars (anyone, anyone?) I would still work for a living. I am a better mom because I go away during the day. If I stayed home all day everyday, I would only disappoint myself and grow frustrated. I am not the crafty, activity, field trip mom. I learned that definitively this summer.

I hope someday my children make their own choices about which life style is better for them. If Brianna, or Grant for that matter, want to stay at home with their children I will fully understand and support them in that choice. I only hope they will understand my choice as well.

I'm not sure I was right...

I have a standing policy to NEVER turn down a night out! I don't get that many opportunities and constantly wish I did, so when a friend asks if I can go out, I go. I don't care what the plan is- I'm there if at all possible.

In about an hour I need to be a couple of towns over to meet up with the ladies for dinner and a movie. Dinner, a necessity... Julie & Julia, not my choice but looks interesting. Going out- not really caring!

After sitting at the conference the last 2 days- I missed my kids and being at home. I'd like a quiet night at home in my sweatpants to reconnect with them and my hubby. However- it's girls night out tonight.

Oh Well, of course I'll make the best of it. Or at least the best I can do without liquor!

Modesty is over-rated

I don't mind tooting my own horn! I've been SO good about posting this week!

However- today I spent my ENTIRE day driving to, attending, and driving home from the world's most boring conference. And GUESS WHAT???? I get to do it all again tomorrow!

Why do I volunteer for this crap? Oh I know... I'm a wonderful person who is willing to go the extra mile when no one else will do it! Just ask me!

A day of torture and bliss!

After many, many days with the rambunctious children at home and mommy getting frustrated that they just can't seem to entertain themselves, the kids went to camp today! (Bliss).

The first item on my agenda for the day was a 3 hour glucose tolerance test. This is a more advanced test they give to preggo ladies if they fear you are showing signs of gestational diabetes.
- First you have to fast for 12 hours (torture)
- Then you have to have blood drawn (torture)
- Then you have to drink this VERY sugary drink, something similar to flat Sprite with extra sugar added to make your teeth ache. (torture)
- Then you can have nothing but water for the next 3 hours while you sit around the hospital. (torture)
- During that time they make you pee in a cup AND take blood every hour. (torture)

After the Oh-SO-FUN glucose test, I drove myself straight to my favorite restaurant for a lunch that was way to expensive for a normal day, alone. But after not eating a single thing for over 16 hours now, I figured I deserved something special, not drive-thru crap! (Bliss)

I followed that up by one of the best massages I've ever had. (BLISS!) If you ever go in for a pregnancy or maternity massage, you have to call around and find someplace that has the special pregnant/belly cushions. It is this great series of cushions they put on top of the normal massage table and it has a lovely cut-out/dent for the big-ole belly! It was the first time I've laid on my front in probably 5-6 months and even without the wonderful massage, I could have just laid there and enjoyed the weightlessness of the belly for the whole hour! Baby liked it too, he was kicking up a storm!

The moral of the story is... Who cares? I am relaxed...

Since turning 6 years old...

Brianna has perfected the following skills:
- teenage attitude
- yelling at her mother
- stomping off to her room to pout
- flipping out over "nothing"
- being stubborn
- doing things before asking if she can

She has taught herself these new skills and is working on perfecting them too... as long as she can do EVERYTHING by herself:
- Getting breakfast
- Pouring drinks (milk and juice, not THAT kind of drink people)
- using a chair to get down dishes she needs
- cooking anything that can be cooked in a toaster
- using the interactive cable guide to select shows on the TV (and turn to them herself)
- getting dressed, usually in clothes far to dressy for the day's activities


Mommy is FRUSTRATED!!!! Growing children are tough! especially without the aid of liquor!

Tender Topics

One of our favorite restaurants, the kind we go to AT LEAST once a week, is over the highway and past a very large cemetery. Sometime last spring, the focus of conversation in the car stopped being all the cars racing under the bridge and became the dead people sleeping in the cemetery. (These are the kids words, not mine.)

I have tried and can't pinpoint when or why this transformation happened... no one we know has passed, not even a pet. It just suddenly seems that we can't drive past this, or any significantly sized cemetery, without one of my children commenting about the dead people. That's what they call them... the dead people.

It wouldn't be such a big deal if we just were able to comment quickly and move past it. Each and every time is followed by a few questions about the people resting there. "Why are they dead? Who put them there? Why do we bury dead people? What will happen when we die? Where will the bodies go?" And so on....

Brianna handles all this well, she is able to conceptualize things without seeing them so seems to understand more and isn't scared by it. Grant on the other hand often ends the questioning session with a question or two vocalized in a shaky, fearful voice. "What will happen to me when you die Mommy?" was the one I had to face yesterday. Can you hear my heart breaking?

I think I put him off a bit by telling him that Mommy wouldn't die for a very (x30) long time. (Grant likes it when we repeat one word over and over to stress something.... it's a phase.) Then we played the "I love you more" game and he was on to a new topic.

One of these days I won't be able to distract him. The thought brings tears to my eyes.