Ordinary Time

I know, I know, two posts from me in one day is completely unheard of, but I think I have some good news to share. First the babies are doing well. They have each gained 11 more ounces putting both of them at 4 lbs. 11 oz. They have also completely switched positions. We know we were looking at the correct babies because baby B. still has dilated kidneys. I just don't know how they managed to do it. About the previa...technically what I have isn't placenta previa, but the type of previa where the veins which attach to the placenta cover the cervix. Unlike placenta previa, this type is much less likely to resolve. So you can imagine the ultrasound tech's surprise (and my midwife's...she stopped in to see how things were going) when it appears the veins have moved slightly. Instead of completely covering the cervix (which they were doing two weeks ago), they have moved up to the right a bit. They are still very close, but I'm going to take this as something p...

Here is a link to some pictures from Our Town which opens on Friday. M. is Emily's mother and she starts out in a yellow apron. B. is George; he's in a white shirt and suspenders, then is the groom J. is the Stage Manager (sweater and pipe). http://evanstonhomeeducators.org/ourtownphotos.html

Today was the last day that the children's choir, which I direct, met. They performed their end-of-the-year musical last Sunday and today we did a reprise of the music at a local retirement home. This is the one big volunteer activity which I do, and even when I'm not pregnant, I come home on Wednesdays all worn out. Long about March I was wondering how on earth I was going to be able to finish the year. But I made it! The musical, despite the roughest dress rehearsal I've ever had, went well and several people told me they thought it was the best one we've done. I guess pregnancy is affecting me in odd ways, because though I thought it went well, I'm not sure it was the best one. I feel rather detached about it in some ways. This was the last big thing I had to do before I could just rest and concentrate on staying pregnant until week 37. There was that other list I mentioned a while back, too. I may be as far with that as I'm going to get. I've c...

" 'Susan,' he said, 'are babies very expensive?' I was a bit dumbfounded, Mrs. Dr. dear, but I kept my head. 'Some folks think they are luxuries,' I said, 'but at Ingleside we think they are necessities.' " from Anne of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery For the past few months I have been reading the Anne of Green Gables series to A. and P. and we have made it to the last book. I love the above quote that we read tonight. Actually, I love the whole series...they rank right up there with my favorite books. I'm so glad I will have two more girls to read them to in a few years. Oh, and just so you know, the younger boys are not being left out. J. has been reading to them while I read to the girls. They have finished The Hobbitt and are now working on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe . Truly, one of the great joys of parenting is getting to share favorite books with ones children.

You're probably wondering who got their first haircut. I've shown you pictures of the three youngest sporting new haircuts and the babies aren't here yet, so who does that leave? Well, acutually, P. , at 8 1/2 years old has never had her haircut. She has such pretty long, blond hair there never seemed to be a point, plus I have a preference for long hair on girls. But, I have become aware that the ends were getting a little scraggly (or as my grandmother would have said, "Stringy"). It would look a lot better with everything evened up. So, here is the before shot. You can't really tell from the picture, but her longest hair goes all the way to the end of her t-shirt. She could actually sit on it. And here is the after picture. The longest piece I cut off was probably 3 inches, but most was shorter because the ends were very uneven. It is a little sad to think I was cutting off some of her baby hair. (And yes, I did save some in an envelope.) A. also had h...

TM has been doing so well recently that I forget that his trauma/attachment issues are not just a quick fix and we're done, but something that is long term. The past couple of days have been difficult for him...more acting out, more aggression, more inability to deal with frustration, and with very few positive traits showing through. Since I'm sometimes slow to catch on, it took me until today to realize that something was up and TM's behavior wasn't just a single incident here and there. I also realized that he and I had begun a downward spiral in our relationship. He acts out, I get upset, which causes him to act out more, which causes me to get even more upset. I think it had been days since we had enjoyed each other's company. It's bad when you can't remember the last time you laughed with a child. Now, not to excuse my behavior, because I am the grown-up and should be more able to step outside a situation as opposed to succumbing to it, but I...

Thanks for everyone's concern about the placenta previa. I saw my midwife today and she also consulted with the OB she works under. Right now things seem to be stable and there is still the outside chance that it could resolve itself, though I'm not counting on it. I have my list of warning signs that I'm to call about immediately and I will be taking it easy...because, really, that's all I can manage anyway. If I continue with everything as it is, the OB will probably schedule a c-section at week 37. I'm at week 31 this weekend, so that's 6 more weeks. I'm also going to be trying some sleep medication that's safe during pregnancy in the hope that I can get more than 4 hours of sleep a night. I'll see the OB and have another ultrasound in two more weeks. It's good that things are winding down around here. My last big event is the musical that my children's choir will be performing on the 26th. It does require some exertion, but I can...

I had yet another ultrasound today. For the most part, things are going well. The best news is that each girl is ~4.1 pounds, putting them in the 64th percentile for weight. The not so good news is that Baby B still has slightly enlarged kidneys, one of which is larger than it was a month ago. I've done the whole surgery-on-a-newborn-thing with P., and I'm not anxious to do it again. Prayers for Baby B would be appreciated. The other piece of not so great news is that I still have placenta previa and at this point it is not looking good that anything is going to change. This means I am probably looking at having a C-section to have these two girls. I have a lot of questions to ask my midwife tomorrow in regard to these last two issues. The fact that each baby weighs so much explains why I feel as though I've been walking around overdue for the past couple of weeks. That makes over 8 pounds of baby, plus 2 placentas filled with amniotic fluid. I'm now carrying ...

My head cold was short lived, but then proceeded to make the rounds of several children. I'm hoping by tomorrow everyone will be well again, but D. was sounding suspiciously 'froggy' this afternoon. I also survived the 3-hour glucose test. It was not a pleasant experience. I'm assuming I passed since no one has called me with an urgent message to change my diet. On Sunday, I will be 30 weeks along. That gives me ~8 more weeks to go. I have a bad feeling that the next 8 weeks could be the longest part of the pregnancy since recently I have begun to feel that I will never be comfortable again. It has also become increasingly difficult to go out. Not because I can't walk for long distances or because vehicles are harder to get in and out of, but because of people's comments. I realize that I'm large and look as though I could possibly give birth at any second, but that doesn't mean I need people to tell me that. The comment I hear most these days ...

Today, the 'P' family parents return from their trip to Ethiopia and it's time to send our contingent of 'P' children home. It's been a great two weeks. Thankfully we had no major problems or emergencies, and everyone has gotten along together very well. (I am particularly happy about this, since sometimes when really good friends share spaces, like bedrooms, for a while, things can go awry.) The house will feel a little empty and a little too quiet for the next few days as we readjust to being just our usual 9 people. The 'P' family parents' trip seems to have gone well. They were able to spend quite a bit of time getting to know their new children. It sounds as though the first meeting went quite well after that initial awkwardness that always happens. Now comes the hard part...waiting for all the right courts and government agencies to do their jobs so the children can come home and start life in their new family. If all goes according to plan, th...