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...