Cheerio Confessions

Today marks 31 weeks! Woooo whoo!

What's keeping Tiny busy this week: Your not-so-little-one is just a bit closer to their birth weight and height at around 4 pounds and 17 inches. With each added layer of baby fat, your baby's skin starts to look more and more like it will when they finally get to see the light of day. The heavy news: you can expect your miracle-gro muffin to gain about a half a pound of weight per week from now until about two weeks before birth. Great. That's just what you needed. Even more weight to carry around! Your baby's still-developing immune system has gained substantial strength over the past few weeks getting them in full gear to face our disease-ridden world o’ wonders. Obviously, a large majority of your child’s immune strength will be derived from exposure to breast milk as well as the outside elements. Their cute little noggin’ (which could already be covered with luscious locks or just purty peach fuzz), is still soft because the skull bones have not yet fused together. As much as that sounds a little too vulnerable, their “skull softness” allows for a much smoother passage through the birth canal during labor—something both you and your little swimmer will appreciate when it’s finally time to “go!” Also, some babies will have that “soft spot” on their head for up to one year after birth.

but you can't take the country out of the girl!

So I was doing my morning blog rounds a little bit ago and I found an interesting blog by Heidi, my cousin Sam's best friend. She was talking about the differences between her upbringing and her husband's. She, more so than me, was raised a "country girl". Her husband, much like Rob, was raised a "city boy". (Only her husband lived in a bigger city than Rob.) She makes note of all the things that she figured everyone grew up experiencing. And it got me thinking along the same lines.

Okay, so I technically grew up in a city. Granted, not a large city but a city nonetheless. However, I am a county girl at heart. (Although over the years my affection for dirt and bugs has waned.) My parents lived in the city. My Granny lived on a farm. She and my Po-Po (a name I gave him as a toddler, don't ask me why because I don't know) lived on the farm. They worked the farm. They made their living from the farm. So farm life has always been a huge part of my life.

So here are the things I grew up doing that I thought most people experienced...

1. Riding tractors.
2. Spending the 3rd week of August every year setting up a booth in some part of the county fair/Helping prepare for 4-H competitions.
3. Picking all the fattest blueberries I could carry and taking them home.
4. Herding cattle back into the fenced area because they had escaped (again).
5. Caring for cattle/pigs (tagging ears and transporting sold animals).
6. Getting up with the sun to be at the county fair the moment it opened.
7. Staying at the fair until after it had closed.
8. Running around the fair grounds with the grandkids etc of my Granny's friends.
9. Going to flea markets to sell goods not buy them.
10. Living in a Civil War era home.
11. Watching coal come flying down the coal shoot so we could heat the house in the winter.
12. Pet a sheep, pig or holding a rabbit.
13. Ridden a hayride.
14. Eaten homemade ice cream.
15. Been to a county fair.

(The last four are the one's Heidi makes mention of in her blog.)

I feel like I should explain some of the things on my list. Simply because some of you may not have experienced them so you may not realize the finer points of those experiences.

Riding tractors: My parents used to flat out beg and order my Granny not to allow me on the tractors. They were terrified something would happen to me. As a child, I didn't understand this fear. As a mother, I totally get it. That being said, I'm so happy that my Granny ignored them and allowed me to have this experience. There is nothing quite like riding a tractor. Being that high on a machine that large...you're effectively cut off from the entire world. It's just you, the tractor and the work that needs to be done. For me, there was always something very relaxing about that.

Spending the 3rd week of August every year setting up a booth in some part of the county fair/Helping prepare for 4-H competitions: When I was younger (Gavin and Elliott's ages) it was a 4-H booth. My aunt was involved in 4-H and my Granny was one of the leaders of her group. So when it came time for the fair, we would have to set up their area with their animals and projects. Part of the fun etc of 4-H is in the presentation. So we always took a lot of time to make sure everything looked great and was as comfortable as possible for the 4-H'ers. Then when I was older it was a booth that my Granny sold her crafts in. I admit when I was in middle school and junior high, this booth embarrassed me a little bit. No one else had family selling wares in the fair. So that made it different and I hadn't quite come to embrace all that is wonderful about being unique. But that week spent helping her set up; I loved that week. It was just her and I. It's actually one of the things I miss most now that she's gone.

Picking all the fattest blueberries I could carry and taking them home: Every spring/summer we would go to the neighbor's house and pick as many as we could carry. We didn't have to pay because we were neighbors and that's what neighbors did...share. I love it! It was so amazing to just go and pick every berry that caught my eye. Of course, the fattest and juicies berries usually never made it any farther than my mouth. lol My Granny also had a grape vine on her farm. So at any given moment I could run out and grab some grapes off the vine. It was an experience I wish my boys could have because it honestly just doesn't get much simpler than that.

Caring for cattle/pigs: Tagging ears and transporting sold animals. Herding cattle back into the fenced area because they had escaped (again). Feeding them. Cleaning up after them. Hauling bailed hay to where it needed to be (for bedding, feed etc.). Repairing the fences. Making sure the babies are being cared for. These tasks were by far my least favorite part of being a country girl but they needed to be done. And since I was raised helping with them, it just seems second nature to me that everyone has done them at some point.

Getting up with the sun to be at the county fair the moment it opened/Staying at the fair until after it had closed/Running around the fair grounds with the grandkids etc of my Granny's friends: As I got older I slept in a little more and of course had to go to school but whenever possible, I stayed at the fair all day, everyday. The county fair was as much a part of summer as not having school. It didn't matter how many times I roamed the fair grounds, there was always a booth I hadn't noticed with some freebie treasure to be collected. There were foods I hadn't tried. And foods I loved and wanted to eat again. I knew all the "shortcuts", which were basically hallways the public couldn't use but we could because we were "fair kids". I knew the good games to play. The one's to avoid. Which vendor had the best fries and where you wanted to go for the best "real" food. I knew what time the marching bands were playing and when the Demolition Derby was. The County Fair was a world unto itself; with it's own secrets and treasures.

After my Granny died in 2002, I couldn't bring myself to return to the fair. I couldn't stand to see her booth with someone else sitting there. I went back August of 2005, I was pregnant with Elliott Richard and I didn't want to be carrying around so much hurt and fear when he was born. Now I can't wait to go back. I'm hoping that Tiny makes it full term so we aren't under "contact isolation" and we can all go this summer.

Going to flea markets to sell goods not buy them: For most people you mention Flea Markets and they immediately begin to think of all the deals to be had. When I was a kid, if you said "Kidron Flea Market" to me I knew that meant a few different things. First, I was spending the night at my Granny's farm. Second, we were getting up with the sun. Third, we'd swing through McDonald's for breakfast and "coffee". (She had actual coffee. I had hot chocolate.) And finally, I would spend the day camped out in a booth or in the car while Granny sold cattle or pigs etc. I usually came home with a treasure or two of my own. Once it was a 6 week old pure bred Australian Sheppard puppy. (She didn't last very long since my little brother was also 6 weeks old and my mother was already sleep deprived without the puppy.) Another time it was an antique makeup compact. I still have that somewhere. The flew market was always an all day trip and always an adventure.

Living in a Civil War era home/Watching coal come flying down the coal shoot so we could heat the house in the winter: The farm was my home away from home. I loved the fact that it was old. I loved the Under Ground Railroad hiding spots. I loved the land. I knew growing up that nearly everyone lived in newer homes but I couldn't imagine not having grown up in a house that old. It was second nature for me to run downstairs to the basement when the coal shipments came. Or to run through the house because nearly every room had two doorways. I learned to roller skate in the kitchen. The curtain that we pulled to cut off the stairway from the hallway always terrified me for reasons I still don't understand. And when I was really little I thought everyone used coal to heat their homes. I didn't realize there were other options available. (lol)

Pet a sheep, pig or holding a rabbit/Witnessing a litter of puppies or kittens being born: I can't imagine growing up and never having pet a sheep, pig or holding a rabbit. How do you not experience these things? How do you have pets and not witness the miracle of birth? It amazed me a few years ago when Rob's parents' dogs had puppies because Mom and Dad G let the kids stay home from school to witness it. Was I really the only one it was common place for? Craziness.

Ridden a hayride: Every year my Granny and Po-Po would have a big...I don't know what it was exactly. I know that people I didn't know would come out to the farm. Po-Po would take them on a hay ride around the farm. Granny would cook corn that we had grown. And I would run around with my dogs and cats killing time until I could eat. I still don't know what the purpose of those days was, however, I loved them. It meant fresh corn and hay rides and everything fun about summer turning to fall.

Eaten homemade ice cream: There is a tiny little barn at the county fair where they milk the cows and turn the milk into homemade ice cream. It's delicious! I guess I'd always figured that everyone went to the county fair so everyone had tried the homemade ice cream too.

Been to a county fair: And again, never been to the county fair?! What insanity is this? I practically grew up at the county fair. I told my Granny that Gavin was a boy at the county fair. I had more sugar-highs from fair food than I can count or remember.

This blog started as a list and realization of the differences in up-bringings (is that even a word? lol) and it morphed into a Memorial of sorts to my Granny. Mother's Day, May 11th, was the 6th anniversary of her death. I can't believe I didn't mention it then. I feel like I should have posted something then, however, this feels "right". What better way to post a Memorial than to share all the experiences I was lucky enough to have because of her. So this post is for my Granny.

72 down ~ 63 to go

I am a hormonal mess. Of course, I'm 30 weeks and 6 days pregnant but still. I feel silly for being so filled with all these emotions. I honestly don't know how I am able to hold all of these emotions.

One of my absolute favorite television shows is "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit". I love it because with my history of being abused there's nothing quite like watching a show where the bad guys are caught, justice is swift and "the system" works to protect the right people (rather than protecting the low-lifes). Usually I can handle the cases covered in the show because I know that somehow, some way in the end justice will be had.

Lately, the cases are getting to me. I just watched an episode where a 16 year old girl went to NYC seeking an abortion. By the time she saw the doctor she was 24 weeks and the abortion was illegal. I only half watched the episode, although I've seen it before (there are very few SVU and CI episodes I haven't seen), because I was distracted by my own thoughts. I just don't understand it. And I admit it, I shed a tear for the situation as a whole.

Another show Rob and I really enjoy is "Bones", which is based on the life of an actual woman. Last night was the Season Finale and I cried through the whole thing. I won't say what happened in case anyone watches and hasn't had a chance to watch it yet but it just tore me up emotionally. Rob kept asking me if I was okay because I was so emotional over the whole thing. I didn't feel so bad about being emotional over "Bones" though because at least it's about an actual person, which means these things took place at some point.

It's all just so over-whelming right now. I'm trying to help Xander grow as long as possible. I haven't slept in what seems like forever. My back is killing me. My ex-mother-in-law couldn't seem to care less about the fact that Tiny's life is at risk with her playing these games. (See below for more info.) I'm trying desperately to get my Etsy store up and running but it's slow going and a lot harder than I planned on. "The Leak" has gotten worse and now parts of our walls are actually rotting out completely. We still have no idea how we will be able to afford to fix this. We don't qualify for the city grants that are available because we owe city taxes. And can I just say that I never realized how much Noggin shows could wear down a person's sanity! If I have to hear one more high-pitched cartoonie laugh...well, it won't be pretty.

The Legal Update: My ex-mother-in-law has filed a second contempt motion against me claiming that I refuse to have contact with her and have cut off her visitations with Gavin. Anyone who knows me or knows the situation knows that's a flat out lie. Nick and I exchanged email addresses. He stopped responding to my emails when I told him he was over-stepping boundaries. I'm not refusing to have contact with her, to my knowledge she hasn't tried to contact me. Plus Rob, Nick and I decided a year ago that she would fill the grandparent role and nothing more. That it isn't her job to try and be Gavin's mother, he already has one of those...ME! She's asking to make-up all the visits she missed over the past year. So she basically wants to make up roughly 25 Friday - Sunday unsupervised visits, a few holidays and 2 weeks this summer (on top of the 2 weeks and every other weekend unsupervised visits she feels entitled to). PLUS wants another 30 days of jail time and an additional $250.00 in fines. Apparently she's forgetting that we all signed an agreement stating that they would only have supervised visits and that would only change if/when Gavin's psychologist decided it should change. But it's just that fact that now she filed it. Oh and the continuance we were ranted...it requires me to be in court 8 DAYS after my due date!!!!! That's unreal!

I have been gently reminded that I need to post an update. (You know who you are. :p lol) So here it is...

Let's see...um...I snuck out yesterday with Rob and Elliott Richard. The plan was to get in the car and go for a ride and then come home. That was it. Not really cheating on my bed rest. More of bending the rules on location.

So we went to the store. Rob and Elliott went in. I stayed in the car and gabbed on the phone to my friend, Debbie. When they came back Rob put Elliott in his car seat and Elliott started screaming "Let go!" which has become his latest defence against the car seat. (lol) Then he started coughing and Rob saw him cough up blood. As soon as he brought it up, he swallowed it again. Then he just started to scream and cry. We tried to look inside his mouth to see if he was cutting a tooth or had bit his tongue but Elliott wasn't playing along. Then it dawned on us that over the past few days, Elliott's had not "black and tarry" stools but definitely black and grainy.

We debated going straight to the Emergency Room but decided that since we were so close to his pediatrician's office we would try there first. Rob called and spoke with a nurse and we were able to get in to see someone right then, which was nice. It wasn't Elliott's regular pediatrician but one of his partners in the practice. We spoke with her and told her what was going on. She said that it could have been a nose bleed. But she didn't really see any evidence of that. She asked if he had been coughing long, thinking he had coughed so much that he had irritated things and the blood came from there. He doesn't have a cough. Just coughed up blood the one time. She said there were a few things it "could be" but no evidence of any of them. So now we are playing the "wait and see" game while we do a test here at home that will help them determine if there is blood in his stool. Hopefully we'll have that finished today or tomorrow so we can send it in and get the results. I just hate playing the "wait and see" game. I feel like we should be doing something. Although I know that if we were to be doing more right now, that would mean a bunch of invasive tests for Elliott. So a lot of pain and suffering and tears and maybe no more answers than we have now. So I'll wait.

For now, he hasn't coughed up anymore blood. Which is good. And his stools have gone back to being a little more normal. So for now, he is doing okay.

I just got off the phone with Dr. D's office. I needed a refill on my muscle relaxers for my back. (Since physical therapy was a bust.) Plus my paperwork on my Heparin injections states that I should start recieving weekly NST's and biophysical profiles (ultrasounds) but I wasn't told last week to schedule those for my appointment next week. And I haven't been sleeping. Between the contractions (that are useless and accomplishing nothing but exhausting me), the back ache and my fibro...I'm not sleeping and I can't survive like this much longer. She talked to Dr. D and called me back. She added the NST (I'm not sure about the BPP.) to my appointment next week and called in scripts for my meds. Hopefully tonight I'll get to sleep...ah dare to dream.

Other than that I'm trying to get some cards made for the Etsy Store. While I relax and try to stay sane. On the bright side, Xander is having a grand 'ole time in there. We've been having these daily battles over who gets to claim my ribs. He feels justified in jamming his head, or butt or any other body part right in the middle of my ribs. I, however, feel that with everything else going on I have a right to evict him from my ribs in the name of breathing (which he doesn't seem to feel is very necessary) or not tasting my food a second time (again this doesn't seem to be a big deal to him). So we've taken to doing this little song and dance of him jamming himself up in my ribs. And then me trying as gently as humanly possible to nudge him down and out of my ribs. This dance will probably continue until he makes his official appearance.

Speaking of his appearance, I've decided that I will do everything within my power to make it to 37 weeks, minimum. If we make it to 37 weeks, then odds are HUGE that we will go home together. I can nurse him without any issues like we had with Elliott Richard. We won't have to decide between nursing or bottle feeding and which will get him released sooner. I won't have to pump. We will spend two, maybe three days in the hospital and then come home. So that's my goal...37 weeks.

I had injection #11 this morning. Painless during and buring after, I should be used to it by now but it messes with my back. I think it's from sitting to favor the injection side that throws everything out of whack.


71 days down ~ 64 days to go
10 weeks down ~ 8 weeks to go
11 injections ~ 7 injections left

We came. We saw. We were released. (Yay!)

They think I just have a contraction-happy uterus. I haven't progressed anymore beyond the 1cm/40% effaced from Sat May 3rd. So that's a good thing. The doctor was super nice. So was my nurse, Carol. I think this may have been a record for us. :)

Elliott Richard got to hang out with his Aunt Teri and Uncle Jonny. He had a blast! (Thanks guys! You were a life saver!) So all in all, things turned out well. And I'm back to my plan to wait for Tiny to be waving before I go back in. :)

The Stats
Weight: 180lb (so I gained back the 1.5lb I had lost PLUS 1.5lbs - yay!)
Pulse: 93 bpm
BP: 90/48 (which is low even for me!)
Tiny's Heartrate: 139 bpm
fFN: negative
Cervix: 1cm/40% effaced

Tiny is moving like crazy and I'm waiting for my meds to kick in. I hope I sleep deeply tonight. These contractions may not be the real deal but they are painful and physically exhausting.

Thanks for the prayers and positive thoughts. They're working. :)

Stupid phone + contractions = premature posting of blog. Sorry about that. (lol)

Anyway, Rob is freaking. I'm in pain. And he's acting as if we've never done this before. Will post updates as I have them.

Pray. Pray. Pray.

We're off to L&D, everyone's favorite Sunday Night hangout. All the cool kids go there, don't you know. (lol) Talked to the on-call nurse. Bath helped some. Nurse yelled at me to get out of the tub and get in to L&D. Rob is freaking out. You'd think he'd never this before

I've been having contractions between 5 and 15 minutes apart for the past 6 hours or so. Going to take my second bath of the day to try and get them to lighten up or go away. Rob is calling Dr. D's on-call nurse. I really hope they go away soon. I'm so tired and sore. Please pray for some relief. Off to soak...

I've been having contractions 15-20 minutes apart for...what a few weeks now? It feels like forever. Too bad I won't end up with "abs of steel" from all this contracting. (lol) Dr. D didn't check me on Tuesday because he didn't want to stir things up. I haven't had an ultrasound lately. So I don't know if they are accomplishing anything. I do know that some of them are down right painful! However, I have come to the conclusion that I am not returning to L&D unless one of three things happens:

1) My water obviously breaks or leaks.
2) I start bleeding.
3) Tiny waves at me - in which case I will call 911.


Unless one or more of those three things happens, I'm not going. Period. I refuse. I will not go back only to be told that I'm having irritabilities of varying strength and it's nothing to worry about. So if Tiny is breaking out, he better make it obvious! Complete with neon signs if he can arrange it. Other wise, I shall soldier on.


We have a first name picked. Gavin actually picked it. We are debating on a middle name...but we may have a winner. I'm waiting for more entries into The Contest to be sure.


My mom, Rob's mom, my sisters (Kate, Teri and Jenn), and my Auntie Paula are throwing Tiny a Sprinkle on Sunday June 1st. I'm really excited! I told my mom that I didn't need a full shower but it would be nice to have something to celebrate the fact that Tiny and I have made it this far. It was going to be in a tea party theme but I'm not sure if that's still the case. (My mom, God bless her, tends to be a little indecisive at times. lol)


It feels so funny knowing that I can use the proper pronouns for Tiny. I've spent so long sounding silly and formal. lol He's definitely developing his own personality already. He loves PopTarts and dark chocolate. If I haven't felt him move for a while, all I have to do is eat one of those two things and within an hour he's going crazy! lol He hates the hiccups, especially if they drag on for a while. The sad part is that he has them at least once a day - just like Elliott Richard. He hates it when I lay on my stomach but doesn't seem to mind when Elliott Richard lays on my stomach and squishes him just as much. lol


I can't wait to see what he looks like! Elliott Richard had strawberry blonde colored hair when he was born. Although he didn't have very much and then it all fell out. His eyes also never changed from that first deep blue that all babies are born with. Gavin had very light brown/blonde hair, which also fell out pretty quick. Then as it grew back in it just kept getting darker and darker. His eyes also started changing to brown pretty much from the get-go. At one point, he had the coolest "gun metal" gray colored eyes. I really hoped they would stay that color because it was just so cool and unusual. Now granted, Elliott Richard and Gavin have different genetics except for mine so Tiny is going to look more like Elliott. But still it should be cool to see how the genetics mixed all those months ago.

I've dropped hints here and there. Some were obvious. Others were not. But just in case you've missed them and you're still dying to know Tiny's sex...here you go...


glitter-graphics.com

I can't make it much more obvious than that. ;) lol

So I've been MIA for a few days. I didn't realize I hadn't posted anything since Tuesday! Although I really couldn't post because my notebook had died a month ago and it's taken Rob the past few days to get it revived. Now I'm back and ready to rock! :) lol

Rob was kind enough to allow me to sleep in this morning. Although I should have known what kind of day it was going to be when I was woken up by toys falling down the attic stairs. *sigh* I think I was awake a grand total of maybe a half an hour before the drama officially began. I was in the kitchen making my Poptarts (the breakfast of champions, I know lol) when I heard Gavin screaming his head off. It sounded as if he had hurt himself so I ran from the kitchen, scooped Elliott Richard up on the way and ran upstairs. (Word of warning: when your back is already messed up and your' carrying an additional 30+lbs on your front, scooping and running is a horrible idea and generally does more damage to your back. Just so you know.) We got up there to find that it was just Gavin melting down because Rob had commented on the fact that his room wasn't clean. Have I mentioned how much I love my life? *sigh*

68 down ~ 67 to go (half-way through bed rest Hell)

What Tiny is up to this week: The light is visible at the end of the tunnel! Your oversized self and amazing growing baby have finally reached the single digits (in terms of weeks till birth)! The fine lanugo hair that has been growing all over their little monkey-like body is going to start falling off this week in preparation for the big day. But don’t be shocked if they’re hairier than you’d anticipated, some babies keep their lanugo until after birth. Still, it’s not any cause to be concerned as it will fall off eventually. No surprises here: your little porker is getting even cuter with increasingly pudgy arms and legs this week thanks to the ever-growing layers of subcutaneous fat. In terms of numbers, your baby should be weighing in at around 3 pounds 12 ounces (or more!) and be nearly 16 inches long.

It has been mentioned that I'm not blogging about life as much as usual. I feel like all I would be doing is complaining if I were to blog about life right now. But if that's what y'all come here for who am I to deny you that.

As I sit here writing this, Elliott Richard is chasing the cat down with his push toy. Although he's technically outgrown the push toy, he goes through these phases where it's his favorite toy. I think he just enjoys pushing it and having the ability to chase Cleo with it. Cleo is a pretty good sport about it all. Even when Elliott grabs fists-full of fur, she just howls and waits as patiently as she can for him to let go. *knock on wood* She hasn't brought out the claws or tried to bite him in self-defense yet.

There's no doubt in my mind that Elliott Richard loves Cleo. However, he's only two years old and doesn't quite know how to express that love yet. We're working with him on "nice touches" and "nice lovin's" to try and teach him that we don't need to pull her tail and/or fur to show her love.

Gavin is upstairs in his room. Where he wants to be. He has been having more and more horrible days lately. Apparently today he was demanding attention all day. Ended up in the Principal's Office twice. And at one point even tried to shove his own foot in his mouth because he was so angry. I don't know what shoving his foot in his mouth was supposed to accomplish but whatever. We don't know if this is because:

a) his bi-polar is under control for the first time so we are finally seeing the "Autistic Gavin".
b) his meds aren't working.
c) he's been away from home with our parents for too long.

I don't know that we'll ever know which one it is. I would bet money that (a) is a large part of the issue. if not the biggest part of the issue. We've never actually seen what "Autistic Gavin" is like. We've always had the "Unmedicated Bi-Polar Gavin" covering up the "Autistic Gavin". As for (b), well it's kind of difficult to prove without Gavin's psychiatrist who is next to impossible to get a hold of or return phone all from. Forget about actually getting an appointment. And (c), well Gavin's psychologist keeps telling us that it has to be "the needs of the many, over the needs of the few". Rob, Elliott Richard, Tiny and myself being the "many". Gavin being the "few". So as much as we may miss Gavin and want him home, it isn't a viable option for us right now. The stress would make an already difficult, high-risk pregnancy even more dangerous.

And of course, I made Gavin and Elliott Richard dinner. Chicken nuggets and carrots for Gavin. Just chicken nuggets for Elliott - he's been grazing all day since he's currently in a "bird phase". (That's where he just picks at food like a little bird.) Gavin didn't eat his chicken nuggets but decides he has room for dessert. Um...no. That of course led to a melt down. Then he demanded tape. I said not - because that's not how we ask. He stomped his foot and said, "Why not?!" Um...because you are being rude and how about "because I said so". That got me another meltdown. Now he's in his room with his "boring tv" and his "boring toys" and his "boring life".

On the bright side, I appear to be adequately fulfilling my promise to "make my children miserable". You know, that promise that every parent takes when we agree to raise our children to the best of our ability and teach them to be mature, responsible adults etc. etc. So at least the parenting police can't issue a citation for that. *shrug*

64 down ~ 71 to go

I can't believe I've already had 10 17P injections! That's just crazy to me! That also means I've been on strict bed rest for nearly 10 weeks! *shock*

Lisa came at 8:00am just like every other Tuesday morning. Of course, Elliott Richard decided to sleep in this morning. Just my luck. It's so nice to have some human contact, besides Rob and the boys that is. Plus Lisa and I always end up chatting for a bit, which is nice because it makes it feel a little more like a social visit rather than a business/medical one. It was another painless injection, although the site is burning like crazy at the moment. As much as I hate these injections, I'm going to miss Lisa. She was the perfect nurse for me to be paired up with. :)

This weekend is finally over. We had some good times and we had some bad times.
Gavin came home this weekend and it seemed like we went from 1 colossal meltdown to the next. It seemed like they would never end.

We also had some good time. Gavin made Lizze a really nice Mother's Day card and took a lot of time to make it. See the post a few down and Gavin sang her a mothers day song. We are very tired and going to take it easy today. Gavin advances to Yellow belt this week and we are very proud of him....

Lizze is working on getting more cards posted and building up her store. Hopefully this will take off and give us a little breathing room.

Other then that Lizze said it was a good Mother's Day which means we did something right and that's all that matters.

Thanks again for all our thought and prayers. We are keeping all of you in ours...

glitter-graphics.com

I'm all for a big family, although it appears that 5 is as big as our family is going to get. However, I'm nowhere near as into the "big family" idea as these two parents. The Dugger family has fascinated me ever since I first saw them in a Discovery Health special. At that time I believe they had 15 kids and were expecting #16. Since then, they've had #16 and #17. And now, in a press release of sorts they have let the world know that they are currently expecting #18!!!!! I can't imagine having 18 kids! Here's the link for the new article: Lucky #18. Craziness.

Just to give you some more perspective, here are some "fun facts" from the Discovery Health Channel's web page on the Duggers.

Michelle’s been pregnant for 135 months of her life. (That's 11 years!)
Average number of months between Duggar births is 18.
Estimated number of Duggar diapers to date is 90,000.
The Duggars do approximately 200 loads of laundry each month.
The Duggars feed their entire brood for less than $2,000 per month.
The only person in the Duggar family whose name doesn’t start with "J" is Mom —
Michelle.
Every Duggar child learns to play both violin and piano.
The family organizes their household chores by assigning "jurisdictions," so everyone knows exactly what their daily responsibilities are.
The Duggars estimate all the family members combined have worked approximately 39,000 total hours building their new house.
The Duggars are debt free.

Lizze, I wanted to take a minute while you were sleeping to says a few things. I have found over the past few years its sometimes better to write to you instead of telling you face to face. You get very uncomfortable with compliments especially spoken ones. So here it goes.

I am proud to know you, and proud to be your husband. You are the most selfless person I have ever known. You are a role model for me and our children. I am a better person for having known you. No matter how much pain you live through each and every day I never hear you complain. I am amazed how you so willingly you have given up your life and freedom in order to keep Tiny safe and sound. You are my best friend and my hero. You are everything that matters in my life. You are the glue that holds us all together. Please allow us to take care of you today. Just relax and enjoy this very special day, you deserve it, so very much.

Lizze, I know you miss your Granny, especially today. If she were here she would tell you how proud she is of you. Before she died she made me promise her that I would take care of you. She was an amazing woman. I know she is proud of the woman you are and mother you have become. I hope you can find comfort in that. I love you very much and would be completely lost without you. I look forward to growing old with you. Thank you for everything you do for me and our kids... I hope you enjoy today you certainly deserve it!!!!!!

Your Loving Husband





PS: Elliott wrote this for you:
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