Is Dave Trying to Tell Me Something?

DAVE KNOWS!!!

I had an ultrasound today, everything looks good. 10 fingers, 10 toes, no cleft lip, closed spinal column, good heart, good kidneys and bladder, nice long femur, etc. I have been preparing myself to find out I'm having another boy, but at the last minute, I just couldn't do it. I turned my head away and closed my eyes. The sonographer showed Dave, and typed it out for him in code (extra clicks so I couldn't tell) and that was that. She was 99.9 % sure she was correct, which would mean boy 10 years ago, but with the high resolution on today's machines, I'm not letting that spoil my hopes that it is a girl. So, Dave is under strict orders not to tell a soul. I may change my mind and want to know at some point, but not now. Sigh.

Family Room Makeover

We finally decided to do something about our odd orange and pillared wall. First, We bought the behemoth, I mean beautiful flat screen. After living with that overpowering everything else on the wall, we had someone (Shane Seyboldt of Seyboldt Construction) put in shelves and build a cabinet below the TV.

Here is before (with sick kids watching whatever is on):

And here is after:

I just threw some photos and books and Christmas items on the shelves to take up space. If you look carefully, you can see Ben and Liam playing with one of the kids' nativities. It will take years to adorn these shelves properly, and many years, I'm sure, of them being cluttered. But at least they will balance the huge TV a little better, we think.

In other news, I went in to wake up the boys a week or so ago, and couldn't see Liam. Sometimes he gets up early and crashes on a couch, so I left the room and looked elsewhere. No luck. So I went back in and realized he was there all along at the foot of the bed rather than in his usual head of the bed location.



Going back a little further, we had a huge family reunion in Cottonwood, AZ for Dave's paternal grandmother's siblings and posterity. All of Dave's family was there, so we attempted a photo session in the cold and windy weather. There is not a decent shot in the 30 or so attempts, seriously. But here is one which captures the mood and shows the faces of our family, at least.


In closing, the only photo I have from Thanksgiving is a scan of one of Alex's first grade projects.

Tagged

Our little family in Aug, 2003

Elaine on top of "the sibs".

Alex does not want his picture taken.

Ben and Georgia (actually Gwyneth at the time) in utero.

Most of the cousins.

Jer and Elaine, best buds. Oh, to go back in time.

Kissing Cousins.

The actual photo to fulfill the tag.

I've finally been tagged with a tag that I can actually figure out how to do! Without help! It is to go to your 4th photo folder (or event, for you maccies out there) and then the 4th picture, and post it on your blog. So here is mine. It is of Alex (~22 months) and Jeremy (barely 4 yrs) sleeping in the car after a day on the grassy knoll in Dallas. I think this was when Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Tammy were visiting, and they wore the kids out. But it might have been a different grassy knoll outing. We went there fairly often. I'm posting more photos from that folder, which are of a trip we took in Aug 2003 to Sedona. And then I tag . . . Emily K P and Chelsea, cuz it has been ages since Emily updated, and I know Chelsea will follow through. (Somebody tell Emily . . . does she ever get on the computer?)

Don't Kill Bats! (by Alex)

Don't kill bats they help farmers. I do not know [why] people will kill bats. I mean it's crazy! I hope somone will tell them the right thing to do. And if they get the mesege I hope they do it. I read a book about bats and it said they [people] block caves. I feel bad for bats. I will wish upon a star. Because I think bats are Inportint well even I used to think bats wir scary but then I learnd that there not.

Ben faces the future

Today after church, while getting into the car, Ben for some reason said: "Boys rock! Girls suck!" I reprimanded the use of the word "suck", then the other kids reminded Ben that he would be marrying a girl someday. He replied, "I know. I gotta figure out who to love, but I can't think of ANY girl to love right now."

My Musical Geniuses

After enduring this song for about 15 minutes I decided I'd better capture it for posterity.

Halloween, Finally

I didn't get a decent shot . . . for various reasons . . . (what kind of face is Liam making?) but at least you can see their costumes here. The little boys also had gloves and boots, but it was 90 deg. for Pete's sake! We took off their helmets after the pictures. The little boys also threw tantrums over their baskets, they didn't want the vampires (which have their names on them . . .) so the older boys kindly switched after much coercion from frustrated mom. Alex actually had a last minute costume change. He was originally a wizard, but he ripped my ancient Japanese kimono aka wizard robe (Jeremy 2007) aka jedi robe (Jeremy 2005) so he lost the privilege of wizardry and had to join the military (Jeremy 2006) sans weapon instead. At least Elaine got creative and "made" her own costume, with a little help from Twice as Nice and the DI. We lost the rope belt she was planning to use, and the straw hat was too scratchy, so she is wearing a comfortable hat of mine.

How far along am I?

Just click on the number of days on the widget and it will take you through several counting methods: weeks along, days along, weeks left, days left. And the image of the baby is the approximate age as well, the limb length to body length to head size gradually changes to correspond with its age in utero. Pretty cool, even though it doesn't look very cuddly yet . . . just wait until 7 or 8 months . . .

Ultrascreen Results and Fun Visit

I got a call from the specialist who "read"/"interpreted" my latest ultrasound measurements and we have encouraging news. My initial risk for carrying a Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21) baby was 1/56 (based on my age alone). After the measurements, that risk has dropped to 1/1300. My initial risk for carrying a Trisomy 18 baby was something like 1/200 (I can't remember) but that risk dropped to 1/10,1000. So, although that is only an indicator of risk, and not a sure thing, my odds look good. But like I said before, if God blesses us with an extra-sweet spirit that needs extra care, we can handle it.

We had a good time at Dave's High School Reunion last weekend, and hurried back to our house for a fun visit from some good friends from 10-13 years ago. Dan and Maria Townsend came to Tucson for the weekend for his Architecture Class Reunion. It was like stepping back in time to see them. Maria is as gorgeous and youthful looking as ever. We had no problem picking conversations up right where we left off 10 years ago. (Well, we have spoken on the phone a few times since then.)

So, now we just need to get together with the rest of you from that extraordinarily idyllic time of our lives! (Maybe it wasn't idyllic for you . . . but it would still be fun to see you!)

The Joys of Sinus Rinses

We took a vacation to Mexico . . . did I mention that already? I forgot our cameras, so hopefully I will get pictures from others eventually. Anyway, I caught a cold down there. Some people got a stomach bug, but that didn't hit our family til this past week. WARNING: FROM THIS POINT ON GROSS DISCUSSION OF HEALTH THAT SOME READERS MAY FIND OFFENSIVE.


Anyway, you know how you look forward to getting past 12 weeks of pregnancy because you start feeling better? Well, it is actually longer than that. And when you add in a sinus infection after a bad cold, you beging to wonder if you will ever feel better. I don't know how people survive sinus infections without being married to an Otorhinolarygologist. Talk about convenient. Except that being pregnant, I can only take Tylenol for fever/pain. I did start a course of Augmentin last night, along with picking up a few generic Lortab, but it was a bad combination. Both of them must be taken with food, which I did, but I overwhelmed my poor pregnancy sensitive stomach and added vomiting to my list of ills in the middle of the night, just as the pain (excruciating, by the way) was slightly subsiding.

Anyway, I took enough tylenol from the Lortab and other sources that I only have 1000 mg to spread out until 8:30 pm tonight. Luckily, the pain is nowhere near as severe today, although the nausea from the Augmentin is nothing to laugh at. The one bright spot is that I have finally discovered the joys of a sinus rinse. If you have never tried that, you are missing out. I don't often get sinus infections (the last time was when Ben was born and I also had pneumonia . . . what a memory) so I've never flushed my sinuses before. Now I live for it. It is so satisfying to blow your nose, think you've got it all out, then flush the sinuses, and blow out ten times more green gunk. And then you can breathe through your nose for at least 20 minutes.

So now I have 9 more days of nausea thanks to the Augmentin when I thought I only had a few days left of slight "morning sickness". Please nobody get sick for Thanksgiving or Christmas . . .

Spilling the Beans

Well, yesterday someone asked me if I was feeling okay because my tummy looked a little swollen. So, for those of you still unaware, I am expecting again. We've seen the heartbeat on ultrasound, heard it on the doppler, so an early miscarriage doesn't seem likely. I am about 12 weeks along and due May 4, I think. Pray it is a girl.

Chelsea and I were actually due just a few days apart and we were going to send out a cute announcement together, but with things happening the way they did, I'm opting for this boring, pictureless post instead.

This will be a large gap between Liam and the baby . . . nearly 4 years. I feel old. I have an "ultrascreen" scheduled for Wednesday, where they take a few measurements that can indicate Down Syndrome. It will only tell me if I am at an increased risk or lower risk than I already am by being 39 years old. If the measurements indicate an increased risk, then we decide if we do any further tests. However, after spending the week with nephew baby Isaac (Down Syndrome) I am not as nervous as I used to be about it. He is such a doll.

So. The beans are spilt.

Wicked Vacation

I guess it is about time that I post about our midwestern experience. Unfortunately, I don't have many pictures, but if you bug Jonnie enough, she might post some on her blog!

Dave had his yearly Otolaryngology Meeting in Chicago this year, so we decided to make a weekend of it and visit Chelsea and Matt, and Denney and Jonnie. We flew out Friday morning early (thanks to my mom and dad who drove down to watch/chauffer/parent our kids!) and got to Chicago about noon. We rented a car and drove up to Milwaukee. We had a blast with Chels and Matt. They recruited us to play softball on their intramural team. I struck out 5 times. I used to be a hitter! Oh well. 15 years without swinging a bat will do that to you.

We ate a traditional Friday Fish Fry, and walked around by the lake. After the game, we spent a while driving around looking for the perfect flavor of frozen custard. Then slept soundly. Saturday morning I lazily got ready for the day, to the tune of "don't you want to do your hair?" from Dave. Weird. I didn't think anything of it though. We left Chels and Matt around noon and drove to Rockton/Roscoe Ill to go to Chicago with Denney and Jonnie. They've got a great house on a huge, grassy lot. A nice change from AZ!

Dave had been telling me we would be going to a nice restaurant in Chicago, which was why he wanted me to get ready, etc. But the truth was revealed at Jonnie's that we were actually going to the musical WICKED! A little background: 4 years ago we went to the annual meeting in NYC. My sister Monica told us we should see Wicked. Dave wasn't excited by that and we went to 42nd Street instead. Which was fun, but I felt a little cheated that we didn't see Wicked, which was, in Monica's opinion (as a New Yorker) the best musical playing at the time. So for the next 4 years we endured the rising popularity of Wicked amongst our friends and relations while knowing we could have seen it on Broadway. I tried not to show irritation everytime someone asked, "Have you seen Wicked? You've got to get the CD!" etc. I decided we would never see it, just to spite all those who were in the know, tee hee. (See my I Am A Pig post.)

Anyway, I was thrilled by the surprise that I got to see Wicked in Chicago! It was really fun, and had a different ending than I was expecting. (Thanks everyone for not giving it away!) And, I did have some time beforehand at the hotel to do my hair and makeup.

On Sunday, we took a double decker bus tour, walked around Millenium Park, went into the art museum, and snacked at the top level of that really tall building that I can't remember the name of now. Not the Sears Tower, but the free one, all the while enjoying visiting with Denney and Jonnie. Tons of fun. Then on Monday, I caught the train out to O'Hare and flew home. Dave stayed until Wednesday going to his meetings.

So here are a few pictures.

I Am A Pig

I thought this was funny. It is pretty accurate. Who knew. I tried a crayon quiz, but it said I was a red crayon, which might be accurate, but this feels more like a description of me.

You Are a Pig

You are very intelligent, and you enjoy being around people. You can trust others easily. You have great reasoning skills, and you are quick learner. You are able to adapt to most situations. You tend to be very territorial and picky. You don't like people messing with your stuff. You have keen senses and reflexes. You can defend yourself well and quickly sense danger.

What Animal Are You?

Time Constraints and Conundrums

So I don't know if I've mentioned that Elaine is playing softball at the middle school. We are so proud of her for going outside her comfort zone. She gets up at 5:40 am, heads out the door at 6:20 am, and arrives home at 5:20 pm. Long days. Every so often and on Fridays she has a day off from practice and gets home a few hours earlier. She usually has an hour at least of homework.

Anyway, she has only made it to swim practice about 5 times all month, as opposed to the ideal 5 times a week. The boys have made it often enough, but now soccer has started. So, we have decided to take a break from swimming during September, and reevaluate at the end of the month. With the new September schedule, I would be driving for about 3 hours twice a week, and 2 hours thrice a week to get everywhere where they needed to be if they kept swimming. I am a little sad, since they are all really good swimmers, but Elaine may decide to pick it up again, or she may just wait til high school and swim then. In the meantime, our weekends will be a lot simpler, not to mention our weeknights!

The boys are all going through an illness. I was scheduled to give a presentation at a Buffelgrass Training Workshop this morning, so I took the youngest two to a friend's, left recouperating Jeremy at home, then drove to the training and gave my presentation to grand accolades, then got a call from the nurse that Alex needed to be picked up. So I left early (after arriving late -- I warned them beforehand) and spent another hour rounding everyone up. Now I am debating taking a nap to build up some energy reserve to avoid getting sick myself. Thank goodness I'm not driving to swim practice! Although it is the Middle School Meet the Teacher(s) Night.

Sigh. Anyway. Here are some pictures of our vacation to Sedona last month. Great Fun. I need another vacation already.

I just know you are all checking my blog everyday wondering when I will ever get around to posting. Wait no longer. Dave and Elaine got our fall birthdays off to a great start. Dave has yet to wear any of his presents, but I won't consider it a failure until next summer. Elaine got her ears pierced (thanks, Maria Elena) and looks so grown up. She gets on the bus at 6:30 am about 7 min. away from our house. It has been nice to get up early, but we are all very tired.

Last week we were eating breakfast, looking out the window and Dave says excitedly, "great horned owl!" So I grabbed the camera and carefully walked toward it. It wasn't scared of me at all until I got within about 5 feet. It was eating a lizard. It hung out in our trees all day long. Haven't seen it since. We wonder if it is the same one that hung out on our porch as a baby.

I haven't uploaded birthday photos to my computer yet, but I will post again when I do. In the meantime, let me tell you how I much I love The Children's Place Monster Sale. I got matching shirts for 17 boys, and Melissa got matching shirts for 7 girls for a fun family photo at the beach in October. The boys are a blue button down mix of madras plaid and Hawaiian print, and the girls are a mix of pink jersey knit and Hawaiian print. It's ridiculous, I know, but less expensive than t-shirts thanks to the sale!

Summer

Targhee Trail Hike
Alex and Bryce on the River.
Jeremy and Brittny at Mesa FallsBaking in the Easy-Bake with Georgia
This is the life.
Wacky costume day at soccer camp.
Hiking in Yellowstone National Park (Mystic Falls).
Floating Henry's Fork from Big Springs.

Memory of Chelsea

On Chelsea's blog she asked for us to comment leaving a memory of her. Here is the picture to go along with the memory. Unfortunately, the negative was damaged, and this is the best adjusting I could do but I think you can see plain enough what is going on with 4 year old Chels just out of her bath. I cropped for decency's sake.

Buffelgrass Invasion

This is a quick post to refer everyone to watch a youtube video called Buffelgrass Invasion. It shows you about what I am volunteering to inform the public. It is really scary. Please look it up or link from my youtube links list.

Swimming Jeremy

Here is a vid of Jeremy swimming butterfly. He forgot to breathe every other stroke until his second 25. He had a good season. Unfortunately for him, his birthday is on the age deciding day, so if he had been born one day later, he would have been swimming with the 8 and Unders all season. But as it was, he had to swim with the 9-10's, even when he was still 8. He weathered the competition well.

Mom is Getting Old

So I had another birthday. No pictures, sorry. But it was quite the day. It was the first day of Soccer Camp for Jer, Alex, and Ben at 5 pm, so we tried to have a big meal for lunch. It worked for us older than Alex. Anyway, I spent some leisure time reading (ignoring laundry . . . it was my birthday, after all), and the kids were pleasant during the day, then we got all the soccer stuff ready and on feet and in backpacks, then drove the 15 minutes (hooray! it is close!) to soccer camp, leaving Elaine and Liam behind. Ben looked adorable in his shin guards and cleats. (All the boys were in hand-me-downs . . . I love this stage.)

Dave met me at the soccer fields, and took me to TMC with him to scope a baby with breathing problems, then we went to Outback to eat before rushing back to pick up the boys. They had fun. In the meantime, Elaine made my birthday cake and cooked up a little something for the boys for when they got home. Then I opened my presents.

I got a new rice cooker to replace the 8.88$ one we've been using for 5 years. I got a pair of sunglasses, and I got a Coach purse. That's right . . . a nice, leather, beautiful purse. I am still in shock. I just started taking it with me today and it feels like it has a life of its own. I'm constantly checking to make sure it doesn't wander off. Who needs a baby when you could have a Coach purse? Oh . . . and Dave is getting me TiVo or a version thereof.

So, it was a fun birthday. Thanks for all the calls and emails.

Yesterday Ben and Alex had almost private swim lessons with Elaine and Jeremy's coach. Alex loved it. He wants to be a swimmer now. Ben was less enthusiastic, but he did well. He hates being on his back . . . hence the lessons rather than me teaching him.

Day Camp

I went with Jeremy to Day Camp yesterday. What a day. The theme was Medieval Castles. Our den was Cardiff Castle. They jousted, made chain mail, arched, made catapults, and made shields. He was so excited to go again today.

In other news, a new library branch opened up today. It is only 5 minutes away. We are so excited. We popped over for awhile today and the kids made pirate hats and little boats in a storytime/craft/drama/science session. It pooped Liam out.

Benjamin's the Man!

Here is Ben with Ms. Alicia right before his preschool program.
And here he is with Ms. Lynette. Notice his handedness.
Here's the group of Lord of Grace Little Ducklings performing in the chapel.
Benjamin in his performance regalia.
The next day at his graduation celebration.

This picture was supposed to be first. It is on the way to the program. He refused to keep his shirt tucked in. His hair is freshly spiffed . . . notice the water spots on his shirt. By the way, his teachers got as big a kick out of him as we did. They were always telling me cute little Ben-isms. For example: they read a farm book and Ben kept saying how cute the little kittens were! "Aren't those little kittens so cute!" He just couldn't get over it. The next day he noticed a little trash can shaped like a big one (like Oscar's can with a lid) and he said, "Look at this cute little garbage! Isn't it cute?"

About what he learned this year he says, "to write my name better." I'll have to scan his name writing efforts sometime.