There are only a few things that are awesome about ridiculously cold weather. Sun Dogs tops the list, in my opinion. While on my way home from my morning work shift (4-8 am) I spotted some the likes of which I haven’t seen since my first month in Winnipeg Canada- 12 years ago. I didn’t get a photo, but it looked pretty close to this:
Today is my birthday. Events from this weekend (a traumatic visit to the ER, Zoe, Jed and Lucy all having the stomach flu, no sleep, etc) had me coming into it with low expectations. This morning we decided to go out for breakfast. After we finished our meal and asked for our check the waiter said our meal had already been paid for. We sat there a little confused and told the waiter there must be a misunderstanding. The waiter then explained to us that people from another table had paid for our meal, and he gave us this:
Wow! If that doesn’t put you in the holiday spirit, what does? Feeling inspired, we picked someone else in the restaurant and paid for their meal. I wonder if they were inspired and paid for someone else’s meal, too!
The whole experience made my day!
My hope for this holiday season – that everyone who reads this post does an anonymous act of kindness for someone else this month. Pay for someone else’s meal next time you are at a restaurant, the drive-through, or even Starbucks. Or do something else that will lift someone else’s spirits! Please leave a comment about your experience and, hopefully, in a few weeks this post will have a bunch of great stories of spreading Christmas cheer!
Like everyone, Thanksgiving reminds me of the millions of things I am grateful for, big and small. This year I’m especially thankful for my little family. I love my babies!
And who doesn’t love fabulous dessert?
We spent Thanksgiving day in MN with some friends and their family. We were too busy eating and hanging out to stop and take pictures, but we had a great time and SO much food! Especially dessert (all homemade): apple pie, cherry pie, pumpkin pie, banana cream pie, creme brulee, eggnog, chocolate bunt cake, chocolate covered nuts and marshmallows, cookies and (not homemade) ice cream! Whew! That’s a lot of suga!
Pictures for this week…Zoe and her “babies” (Lion, Sheep, Dino, Charcoal and Striped Kitty) without whom she rarely voluntarily goes anywhere and is very, very grateful for…
Lucy proudly showed off her new cheeks.
Uncle Ryan (rivaled only by Uncle Preston as Zoe’s favorite Uncle) came out to visit and meet Lucy.
I’m constantly in awe by everyone else’s fantastic blogs. Especially all of my friends who have beautiful blogs and more children than I do. For some reason, I can’t manage the two. I have a ton of other things I have to do, and honestly, so many other things I’d rather do. And since everyone decides to email me about every post (which I do appreciate) instead of post comments, I end up emailing updates to people instead of blogging. So I’m going to simplify my life (or use that as a front). Instead of being bummed about how lame my blog is, I’m going to admit it and embrace it by just posting pictures weekly. Here are a some from this week (and Halloween:)…
Yes, it’s been four weeks since she was born – I’ve resurfaced and feel human again.
Let me start by saying that she’s beautiful!!! I was completely unprepared for the rush of emotions and the familiar ache that comes when a new helpless little person enters your heart and your life. I remember feeling overwhelmed by it when I had Zoe, and it was just as powerful this time. Having a baby is so incredible. Lucy and Zoe are absolutely worth everything I endured to get them here. But I’m so glad they are already here!
Lucy’s birth stats:
September 16, 2008 at 7:54 pm
5 lbs 13 oz, 19 inches
She’s so tiny, but she’s healthy! I feel so much better about having to boot her out three weeks early. In fact, she’s healthier than Zoe was. She only had one hiccup with breathing and that was when she choked on some amniotic fluid still stuck in her tummy the day after she was born. She turned blue and then purple, and scared me to death! The nurse helped us get her breathing again. I cried the rest of the night, but she was fine. We also had to take her to ER a few Saturdays ago to double check her bilirubin level, but it came back fine. As of last Monday she passed up her birth weight and was a whopping 6 lbs and 3 oz. In just the last week we’ve noticed her little skin rolls are filling out – she’s going to be chubby in no time! I love plump babies!
(During her first bath in the nursery at the hospital.)
Thank you for all of the emails, texts, phone calls and packages that still keep arriving in the mail. It means a lot to all of us to have so many great friends and family thinking of us. A big thank you to everyone who has prayed and fasted for us over the last 8 months. Babies are miracles, and me actually getting mine here is a miracle, too. I’m certain I’ve met my miracle quota.
Zoe and Lucy’s first meeting was a bit uneventful until after they both took their naps. Jed posted some video footage of it on Flickr and a follow-up to it on his blog.
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For anyone who’s interested, here is my L&D story. I typed it up so that I could remember it, but thought I’d include it anyway….
Needless to say, the amnio results were positive and I was induced the next day! I had an epidural during my labor with Zoe and it was so strong that I sat around reading magazines while Jed ate sushi until it was time to push. This time it was completely different.
It took a nurse, a nurse anaesthetician and then the anaesthesiologist to get the IV started (which would make my homecare nurses feel better about their failed attempts). It actually wasn’t that bad because they gave me me a shot of litocaine before each stick so when the veins blew it wasn’t very painful, just ugly. Although it was a lot of shots. I was already having big contractions a few minutes apart when I got to the hospital and the pitocin made them more intense, so it got really painful pretty fast. Unfortunately, I had to wait forever during contractions that were peaking on the machine and two minutes apart to get my epidural because the anaesthesiologist was tied up in some insanely long c-section. Big thanks to the dead fly in the light on ceiling of the L&D room that helped me keep my focus during the contractions. It stopped me from screaming like a lunatic. I now understand why laboring women get loud.
After I got my epidural (I may have actually told the anaesthesiologist that I love him), I felt great until I got dizzy and started throwing up. I guess my heart rate went down and I wasn’t breathing very well so they stopped the epidural and gave me one of those fun little nose breathing tubes. That helped with the dizziness and nausea a little, but not with the pain. Finally they let me dispense little doses of the epidural to myself. It worked off and on through the rest of labor until I didn’t give myself any and went into transition. Big, big whoops. The pain was insane. I cannot even describe it. But after pounding on the epidural button for 35 minutes it kicked in just as my doctor showed up and I started to push. I felt the delivery, just not that much pain. And I actually liked it better than my delivery with Zoe because I felt the contractions and knew when to push, and I could walk right afterward. When I had Zoe, I couldn’t walk unassisted for a day.
I left the hospital feeling great less than 48 hours after I had her. The recovery has taken a few weeks, unlike the three months it took last time. Wooohoo!
I’m not going to even bother with an update – this entire year has been insane. In fact, this year has been a nightmare for me and my family, and if I think back, I could throw up. I’m trying to avoid doing any more of that so I will likely have to review this last year somewhere down the road in a therapy session. I can sincerely say that if how I feel were terminal, I’d be suicidal.
Alas, there is a light at the of the tunnel. This coming Monday I’m scheduled to have an amnio to check the baby’s lung maturity. If it comes back positive the doctor will deliver her the next day. WOOHOO! I’ve been trying to hold out until at least 38 weeks, but I’ve reached the point where I am not capable of coping any longer. And neither is my sweet little family.
But 37 weeks is early (I was induced with Zoe at 39) and I’m concerned about the baby’s well-being. I’ve read all of the stats and discussed the potential problems with my doctor, Jed, etc. So here my need for advice and input comes: I’ve had very little luck finding people I know who have had an amnio or opted for a 37 week induction (then again, I rarely leave my house or communicate with people). If any of you have experience that you are willing to share, please comment or send me an email.
That being said, here are some photos taken this summer to sweeten the post…
Jed, Zoe and Turner having hobo dinners in Wyoming
Jed and Zoe chilling after Jed’s surgery
Fourth of July in Utah
Jed and Zoe with Grandma Geri
Jed and my brothers in Utah
Jed and Zoe visiting Mount Rushmore
isn’t all that bad. I’ll always love the city, but living in Lakeville, MN has it’s perks. 15 minutes away from the airport, St. Paul and Minneapolis, the biggest mall in America, a zillions Super Targets, no traffic, clean parks, nice people, sweet neighbor kids selling lemonade, ETC. And we have a garage! 
We don’t have most of our stuff here yet, but we’ve still settled into life. Zoe has started going to daycare (“play school”) a couple mornings a week so Jed can have some solid work time (he works at home now) and I have some extra time to rest. Play school really is like a school with a curriculum and a very structured schedule, which makes me feel a lot better about having to have her go there. Right now they are studying animals – one of Zoe’s current obsessions. She can sign and give the sound for almost any animal. She’ll wake me up in the morning by signing all the animals you see in the aquarium or on a farm. It’s really cute.
I’m still sick. (I almost threw up and passed out in Zoe’s play school classroom as I was talking to her teacher on her first day. I managed to land in a very small chair before I hit the floor. It was embarrassing.) But, I still feel like I’m making some progress. The biggest being that I’ve started exercising again. For the first time in eight years I’m back to swimming. Two or three times a week I go to the swimming school by my house and do laps for an hour. It feels so good! Amazingly, I’m never sick and never in pain when I’m swimming. I love it!
Another thing that I love about living here is that we see Jed a lot more. He’s not teaching early morning seminary and graduate classes anymore, going to a bunch of business meetings and working – he’s just working. He still gets up at 4:00am and works a ton of hours, but he’s around. And the last couple weeks have been great family bonding time. Jed is so caring. I’ve still spent most of my time in bed sick, and he always helps out around the house and with Zoe, even in spite of all of his business pressures. He’s such a great guy.
