It's a simple request folks, erase the word retard or retarded from your vocabulary when using it in a "casual" way or even worse, when actually referring to someone with intellectual disabilities as a "retard". March 31st is Spread The Word To End The Word day so I'm just asking you to make a conscious effort to not say it any more. And if you are a parent, please educate your children if they are old enough about the use of this word because more than likely they too do not realize how offensive it can be to some people. I realize that displaying this word at school or events to adolescents in an effort to make them aware of it's hurtful use may in turn make them say it more than they would have but that's where parenting comes in, so let's start it there.
When we first found out about Bennett having Down syndrome and the heart defect there was a big part of me that did not think he would be born alive or that I would miscarry. I was told that there is a slightly higher stillborn rate with babies that have DS and with the heart defect on top of that I just really thought he might not make it. This was before I started reading about all of these other babies on other blogs that have had the same heart defect that Bennett has as well as DS and how they are doing fine now.
So I hesitated to decorate his room for a while, but came around to doing that and I will post pics soon :) I hesitated to buy any clothes for him, but came around to doing that as well but I did not remove the tags and I saved all the receipts. So depressing to think about, I know, but I just really didn't know and still don't. No one knows what will happen to their baby regardless if they have DS or a heart defect or if they are perfectly healthy.
So today I opened his closet and because I'm trying to get everything ready, (washing the car seat cover, swing cover, neutral colored blankets that Ainsley and Harper used, sheets, etc.) I looked at his cute little clothes and decided it was time, I started taking the tags off so I could wash them and put them in his dresser because I have to believe and have faith in God that everything is going to be okay. I've been having these awful visions that he's born and then for some reason doesn't make it and it really scares me. But I think today was a big step for me to just let go and realize I need to stay positive and stop thinking about what could happen and focus on the joy he is going to bring to all of us. It's strange because right now I'm not worried about the DS or the heart defect so much, I'm more worried about loosing him and never getting to know who Bennett really is. I'm sorry to be so depressing but this is a turning point in the pregnancy for me, instead of focusing on the DS and all the things that can come with that, I just want to have my baby and I don't care if he has DS right now, I just want to bring him home to meet his sister's and grandparents and aunts and uncles and everyone that has been waiting to hold him. It's truly amazing how much love you can have for someone that you've never met before.
...Harper not taking a nap. This is not the best video- it's me using this new Flip video on Harper's baby monitor video in her room, or actually Bennett's soon to be room. I put her down at 1:30 and it is now 2:50 and she is jumping, playing, screaming, talking- supposed to be taking a nap. My once sweet Harper that went down for naps so easily has now started being defiant during nap time. This has been going on for a week or so now and it's driving me crazy. I'm beginning to fear that my almost 2 year old is ready to give up naps and I'm expecting to get at least another year out of her as far as naps go. Ainsley still takes a nap almost every day and she's 4! I hate to leave her up there for over an hour but right now I just refuse to give into her because I need some down time but I can't relax because I hear the constant jumping and yelling! Not to mention this crib has been through 4 kids now (my sister's 2 boys) and we'd like to have it for Bennett but I think she might brake the thing! Help me!!
Wait...I think she may have finally fallen asleep, she's probably worn out from all the jumping. That poor crib.
Many of you may follow this blog, My Charming Kids, but I am feeling the need to pray and ask for many prayers for her baby Stellan. God performed a miracle once before on this baby but now he is in the hospital and is very sick. He has a heart condition that seems lethal at this time and it's just not looking good. I know if this were Bennett I would want anyone and everyone, whether I knew them or not to be praying for us so please, just ask God to perform a miracle on this baby again.
Alright, I'm not a huge fan of really decorating for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day or Easter. I just feel they are such short holidays if you want to call them that and I don't like to spend a lot of money to only put the stuff away the next day. I do like to decorate for seasons though. Anyways, at my mom's group this morning we made these cute little baskets (it was really for the kids to enjoy) and it only cost us $5.00 to participate so it inspired me to go to Michael's and get a few Easter/Spring decorations. Plus, Mike's parents will be here for Easter so we really did need something on the dining room table for Easter dinner decor.
I think these little birds and bunny with carrot are so cute and it's something Ainsley could have easily done, she really liked them when I showed them to her after school. The eggs are wooden and we just painted them and used sticky glue dots to stick the wings, beaks, ears and nose to the animals. The baskets were included- not bad for $5.00 and good conversation!
Here is my contribution to Easter decor- don't get me wrong, I think Easter is a very special holiday, I've just never really gotten into decorating for it. I'm more of a Fall/Christmas decorator.
While I was at Michaels I saw these cute boxes and I've been thinking of way to contain wipes for Bennett in his room. To explain- Harper has this cute pink/polka dot box with a big ribbon on it and you just put the whole Huggies plastic container in there and it sits on the changing table. It just looks cuter than having the white Huggies container- I got it at some boutique in Raleigh when we lived there and I went online and the ones on there are over $40.00! That's just too much for something so simple so I thought maybe I could put the wipes that come in the small plastic bags (the one's you can fit in a diaper bag) and stick them in this box and cut a slit so they come through like a tissue box although a wipe can't always be sticking out (dries out). I realized I had to add something so the cardboard wouldn't get soggy (thanks mom) so I added some clear packing tape around the edges where the wipes come through and so far it works pretty good. The box was only $3.99 so it's not like I wasted a bunch of money if it ends up not working quite the way I planned. I also hot glued the ribbon to make it "go" with his room a little more. Love that hot glue gun!
Here's Harper's wipe container Another issue I'm having is finding pictures for Bennett's room. I'm not a big "theme" person when it comes to kid's and baby's rooms, I prefer to stick to color themes and object themes rather than character themes. So if Bennett had to have a theme in his room it would be the colors red, chocolate brown, green and tan and cars, trucks, bikes, trains- basically automotive I guess. So this book of card stock was on sale and I thought I could get some cheap frames, maybe paint them and put these cute patterns that go with his colors and just use them as pictures to add some more color to the walls. Another easy, inexpensive project. I must admit it's kind of fun being crafty and saving money at the same time- remember this is coming from a girl who used to just spend freely instead of trying to figure out how to do things on my own. I'm making progress!
The torpedo continues to get larger and longer! Not the best picture here but oh well, I'm pregnant and I'm in exercise clothes, that's just how it goes. It's so fun watching your face get a little bit fuller, week after week, really it is;)
Anyways, I can't believe it's been 5 weeks since my last belly pic! If the next five go as fast, that's just a little scary to think Mike and I will soon have 3 little lives to be responsible for. And to think when we first found out about Bennett I thought this was going to be the longest, most depressing pregnancy. But it hasn't at all! It's been my easiest (physically, although not emotionally) of the three and I've met so many people in life and in the blogging world that are wonderful people with wonderful families, so I'm thankful for that.
On another note, I was getting the mail today and I noticed an envelope from a company called Genzyme. Now, I'm going to be perfectly honest here as I have from the beginning, I've had these two crazy fantasies where: 1. The genetic counselor calls and says "I have wonderful news, we've made a huge mistake, your baby does not have Down syndrome, he still has the heart defect of course but your amnio got mixed up with another patient, I am so sorry for all the heart ache this must have caused you" and then I call everyone we know and post it on my blog that the craziest, most unbelievable thing has happened and 2. Bennett comes out and the doctors say, there's no way this baby has Down syndrome and they do an echo and the heart defect is gone. I know, I know, crazy but it runs through my mind, I can't help it. So when I see this envelope I immediately think (just briefly) "What if this is a letter saying they've made a huge mistake and the amnio was mixed up". As if they would send it in a letter, silly, I know! Well, of course it wasn't, it was only the bill for the amnio and I'm so thankful we have insurance! Along with that one, came another bill from CHOP for the fetal echo and I'm even more thankful for our insurance for that bill.
So I know in the past I've said I'm at peace with Bennett having DS and really I am but I guess a very small part of me has not fully accepted it or fully comprehended it. And maybe it will take a long time for that to happen. It's still so hard for me to believe at times, like "Really, I'm going to have a baby that has Down syndrome?" I wonder if even when he gets here I'll be able to really comprehend it. I'm not saying that I can't accept him or won't accept him of course, it's just still a little strange to think it's really happening to us. Just one of those things you think will never happen to you. So I don't know if any one else that has had a prenatal diagnosis had these crazy fantasies like I do. I don't dwell on them or anything and I'm not thinking about them constantly by any means but every once in a while they creep into my head like they did today before I opened the bill.
My whole thing here is, is that I realize people slip up, say things that they shouldn't have and of course he didn't mean it to be mean, or so he thought- sound familiar?? Why couldn't he say something like "Yes, I bowl like a 3 year old"- I realize this is not that funny (but we all know most 3 years olds can't bowl yet- you get my point) and he was on Jay Leno but who in the world picks on the Special Olympics?? If you do, you're just plain mean! And I've always felt this way so this isn't all because of Bennett. I've never understood why on earth anyone would make fun of the "short bus" or Special Olympians or anyone with a disability. Do you think these people asked to be disabled?? Picking on someone that has unconditional love and would never make fun of someone else? Why would you make fun of someone for something they can't help or control?? This is just common sense I think, really nothing my parents taught me (although they taught me and raised me well!:))
He better apologize without a teleprompter and him alone, not one of his staffers!
For what it's worth, if Bush said it I would react the same way, but he didn't.
For the record, I stayed up to watch it and he did say it but he was sort of laughing when he said it and it wasn't really loud, it went like this: President-"I bowled a 129." Leno- smiling and laughing, said- "oh, that's good" President "it was like the Special Olympics or something..." and they sort of laughed it off.
Hmm, not a very smart thing to say Mr. President. I mean, why would he say that??
Okay, I did not see it and I'm not here to start a political battle but someone mentioned it on Facebook and I googled it- read for yourself- wonder if we will hear about this in the morning?? Probably not, it will get removed somehow. All I have to say is, if he did say that, ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS AND UNACCEPTABLE, come on, he should know better!
Please take 1 minute (really they are short!) out of your day to watch these two videos below, it means a lot to me now- very short and to the point. Don't forget to pause my music at the bottom of the page so you can hear the videos! Oh, and then read my post!
Okay, as a heads up, March 31st, 2009 is Spread the Word to End the Word. In case you're wondering what the "r-word" is, it's retard or retarded. Let's just be perfectly honest here- 4 months ago would I be promoting such a thing? The answer is probably no. Why would I? It really didn't effect me or anyone I knew and honestly I probably would not think much of it. But as with any cause, you usually don't get too involved unless it effects you directly or someone you care about or cared about.
Now, let's be honest again, we've all said this word and if you haven't that's wonderful! I know I have, although not often and of course not recently since I've been educated about it. But I know in my life-time I've said things like "Oh, that's so retarded" or "I'm such a retard for doing that." Not meaning to harm anyone by saying it or so I thought. I simply meant, how foolish of me. Have I ever referred to a person with learning disabilities as retarded? -Never, and that's the honest truth and if you have I am asking you now to please stop. Don't feel bad, just stop. Simple as that. But I think that most of us don't do that, we do what I have done before and just slip it into our every day language, casually, again not meaning to hurt any one's feelings. But we are hurting some one's feelings just by saying "that was so retarded" or "can you believe this person in this car, (while you're in traffic) what a retard!" People, there are sooo many other words you can use instead of retard or retarded.
First off and really this should be a given in the year 2009, when talking about someone with Down syndrome or some other learning disability just say "someone with an intellectual disability". Like for example in a conversation-"there were children with intellectual disabilities (or chidren with Down syndrome) there as well as children with Cancer" NOT "there were retarded children there as well as children with Cancer". I mean, come on, this should be obvious and I realize that using the word retarded when referring to a person with Down syndrome was a word that was excepted long ago but not any more so just don't say that, please!
Now, for the one that is more commonly used and again I will admit, I'm guilty of it as well, ex:"Oh, how retarded of me to do that!!" SAY "Oh, how foolish, (silly, ridiculous, or a million other words you can use), of me to do that!!" Especially around children- just watch the second video (I realize it's a little corny, but teenagers say this all the time and they get it from adults!) I don't even like Ainsley saying "that's stupid!" We say "that's silly" in our house.
So to my family and friends whom I know love us and are supporting us with the birth of Bennett, please do this for me. Stop saying this word, retard or retarded and let others know in a nice way that it's a hurtful word to many. Please don't feel bad for saying it in the past because I know you didn't ever mean to be hurtful, most people don't.
On a very different note but I'm going to put it out there, people with Down syndrome are NO LONGER referred to as mongoloids. This is offensive as well and it's just not used anymore, simple as that. Again, if you've used this word in the past because this it's what you thought the medical field used, don't feel bad, just know that it isn't used anymore and simply say "people with Down syndrome". I'm not trying to be mean with this post or angry at anyone, just getting to the point and bringing awareness to it because I think it's a simple thing to do- change some of the words we use because they are hurtful, whether you think so or not, to someone. So thank you!
I'm feeling the need need to simply my life right now with Bennett's arrival right around the corner. I feel like if I don't get some of these things done, once he gets here, I won't have time with three kids. So I've been doing some organizing as well as decorating/painting and I'd thought I share my progress!
When we moved I had to make a couple of sacrifices, the big one being a smaller house due to the fact that I decided to stay home and we moved from the South to the North so there's just been some adjusting on my part. I'm trying not to complain because I love staying home with my girls but having a smaller pantry, laundry room and closets has been something I just have to get used to. I'm trying to look at it as having a smaller house means less to clean. And really, I'm very thankful for what we have and I know my husband works very hard so unless I want to go back to work I'd better be quiet about that!:)
I'll start with the boring stuff, the organizing. Pantry before...
....and after. Doesn't look like a huge change but using the bins has given us so more more room and now I can find things quickly and easily!
The laundry room, (well not really a room now, it's a closet) before...
...and after.
Here's one of our closets before, clothes either thrown above or below...
And after, amazing what some bins and hanging cabinets can do.
It's so nice to walk in my closet and find exactly what I'm looking for! Purses are now neatly stacked and not in a big pile on the floor. Does this closet fit all my clothes, purses and shoes? Well, no, those are dispersed in all the other closets as well as the basement but we won't go there.
Now for the fun stuff, some small decorating fixes. Let me start by sharing that I have a mom who is an Interior Decorator (now retired) :( , a dad that can do just about anything with his hands (making things, building, fixing etc.) and a sister that owns her own purse making business (again with the sewing, decorating, creativity). Then there's Adrienne. Adrienne is good at spending money. I know how to decorate but I'd rather go out and buy it or depend on my mom to make it for me. I just don't have the creativity and the know how to make my own curtains, slip covers, pillows, purses, clothes, furniture, decks, shelves that my other family members have! I know how to shop. So I've been trying to do some small things without spending a lot of money to jazz up the home a little. Big step for me. My first little project was to fix this stool that belonged to my Grandma. The fabric was torn and just need a little updating so I got this cute pattern at the fabric store and used a staple gun to cover the old fabric. Again, this is big for me people, I'd usually just by another stool. Oh, and the stool is an absolute necessity for our very small Maltese, Sophie to get up on the couch. That's right, she does not know how to jump up on the couch. Just a tad bit spoiled:)
The next thing was something that I've been thinking about doing- not usually a huge fan of the words on the wall thing but I'm also not good at deciding on art work and I don't like to spend a lot of money on art, unless I really like it. So I saw this word art in Target and it was cheap so I thought I'd give it a try. Next, I needed something to go under it but it couldn't be a table because this is a walk way and we need it to stay clear so I was browsing on Bless Our Nest and Shannon gave me the idea of using old picture frames and using extra fabric as the matte. I used the left over fabric from the stool and picked out my favorite pictures of the girls and left one in the middle for Bennett, of course! So it's not complete yet but I just love this fabric by itself so it doesn't bother me how it is. It was cheap and easy to do and now the saying doesn't look as "cheesy" as it did all by itself.
Okay, maybe I shouldn't show the close up because as you can see it's not perfect but as a group it looks good in person and maybe from a distance:). I'm also not a perfectionist when it comes to things like this- my mom would be measuring everything and making sure it was centered perfectly and I on the other hand want instant gratification so I eye-ball everything. But I'm okay with that.
So now I'm off to start painting our room, the last one, finally! I'm excited about the curtains I've done (with my mom's help and sister's advice). I'll show pics of the other rooms when I'm all done. I'm even starting to use a drill all by myself to hang curtains- a real drill- that's huge for me people!
Wendy from Zip-Perdue-Dee-Dah gave me this award! Thanks Wendy!! It's fun getting these little awards and I'm flattered that people even enjoy reading my blog! Anyways, I am supposed to list 7 things that I love and then pass the award onto 7 blogs that I love to read.
So, I love... 1. That my husband just wants me to be happy and he'll pretty much do what he can to make me happy. 2. How supportive my family is and has always been of me. 3. Chocolate chip cookies with diet coke 4. Sour gummy candy. 5. The way Ainsley asks how my doctor appointments go or if I slept well the night before. 6. When Harper runs up to me and says "huggies" and gives me the biggest hug she can. 7. Saturday mornings while drinking my coffee, reading the paper and watching cartoons with the girls.
Now, blogs I love to read: (I only did 5 because I'm still new to blogging and several of the blogs I read have received awards from me or this same award already so I'm trying to discover new blogs to me) 1. The Amicks, Angela is just funny and so honest about her life and her kids, I just enjoy reading her posts.
2. Life with Bubba, Chicky and Nika, Bethany has amazing talent with photography, balancing life with her three kids, her on-line store and she's really good with making blogs look cool. She can do it all! I'm sure she does a million other things I don't know about too. And she's funny!
3. Kelly's Korner, I know I mentioned this blog before but it is one that I was attracted to originally because of the baby that Kelly was preparing for at the time, Harper:). She went through a rough beginning with her baby but now Harper is home and is healthy and Kelly continues to post about fun things and I've found a lot of great blogs from her blog.
4. Bless Our Nest- this is a new one for me, I found it through "Kelly's Korner", Shannon is very creative and you can get some really cute decorating ideas from her. Just a fun blog to get ideas. I'm sure she has received this award numerous times.
5. Magnolias, Marriage and Manhattan, this is another new one for me. MMM has some cute ideas and she seems to lead a pretty interesting life. I know she has won this award as well but I still think she deserves it again!
I did not plan to post anything today, I don't know, didn't have much to say (I thought) but I was reading one of the blogs I follow, "Kelly's Korner"-I'm sure many of you have read her blog, she has thousands of followers. Anyways, I guess she gets a lot of prayer requests sent to her or she just follows blogs that it seems like really sad things happen. Almost everyday she is asking her readers to pray for this family or that family and she has the link to the blog, so naturally I read it and I'm sitting there bawling my eyes out for these poor families. It usually has to do with a baby- either dieing, or very sick or an adoption that goes wrong or something and you're probably thinking, well why would you want to read about that? I know Mike would say that, I can hear him now, "Adrienne, why on earth do you want to read about depressing stories of sick little babies, especially when you're pregnant!??" I don't know why I read them but these people do need prayers and it does make you wonder why so many awful things happen to good people but most of these families have a strong faith in God so they handle their situations with amazing grace. And I'm sure it brings people that maybe don't have faith in God come to believe in Him.
I guess it makes me realize that even though there are times that I think -could it get any worse?- I have so much to be thankful for. Not to say things in my life won't get worse or we won't have hard times, I mean I was naive enough to think since we had the whole ordeal with Ainsley we were pretty much good in the baby department and should not expect any other traumatic experiences, kinda like, we put in our time and now we were good to go. But reading about these families and how they handle their situations really makes me see how important I think it is to have faith that God has his reasons for everything. And of course we don't understand those reasons sometimes, especially when it involves a tiny baby or innocent child, but his ways are better than ours. So if you're looking to get some inspiration or just need to get a good cry out, hop over to "Kelly's Korner" one of these days and follow one of the many links to the blogs she posts about.
I do have small update on Bennett-saw the OB today and it looks like we will shoot for May 22nd for the c-section-it will miss my sister's birthday (May 23rd) by a day but the doctor said they usually don't schedule surgeries on weekends and if we want a cardiologist to be there it's better on a week day. I will start going every 2 weeks now, until I get to 32 weeks and then he feels to be safe, we will start the non-stress tests every week until delivery. This is where they hook me up to the monitors and see how many times Bennett kicks and monitor his heart rate. But his heart sounded good today and I'm measuring on track and thankfully the lovely nurse didn't say anything about my weight this time!:) Oh, how I hate being weighed when I'm pregnant!!
Mike's Aunt Molly forwarded this email to us and I hadn't seen it before but it made me tear up (of course, everything makes me tear up when it comes to kids right now) and it's worth the read! Thanks Aunt Molly!
Subject: Fwd: The Price of Children
THIS IS REALLY THE REST OF THE STORY NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS! The Price of Children. This is just too good not to pass on to all. Here is something absolutely positive for a change. I have repeatedly seen the breakdown of the cost of raising a child, but this is the first time I have seen the rewards listed this way. It's nice. The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into: $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, $171.08 a week. A mere $24.24 a day! Just over a dollar an hour.
Still, you might think the best financial advice is: don't have children if you want to be "rich." Actually, it is just the opposite. What do you get for your $160,140.00?
Naming rights . First, middle, and last!
Glimpses of God every day.
Giggles under the covers every night.
More love than your heart can hold.
Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.
For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:
finger-paint,
carve pumpkins,
play hide-and-seek,
catch lightning bugs,
never stop believing in Santa Claus.
You have an excuse to:
keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
watch Saturday morning cartoons,
go to Disney movies, and
wish on stars.
You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and
collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas,
hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and
cards with backward letters for Father's Day.
For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:
retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
taking the training wheels off a bike,
removing a splinter,
filling a wading pool,
coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
You get a front row seat in history to witness the:
First step,
First word,
First bra,
First date,
First time behind the wheel.
You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God.
You have all the power to heal a boo-boo,
scare away the monsters under the bed,
patch a broken heart,
police a slumber party,
ground them forever, and
love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!
Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren!!!!!!! It's the best investment you'll ever make!!!!!!!!!
Everything looks great! Bennett is measuring around 28 weeks except for his femur bones which have always been about 2 weeks behind-this is common in babies with DS. We got more 3D shots of him and this time Ainsley got to see her baby brother on the ultra sound screen so she really liked that. I guess that's the one perk you get when you're carrying a baby that requires special attention-free 3D shots and a lot of them! At least the ladies in the office I go to do that for me. This time we got the actual print out not through email ( I didn't want to push it) so hopefully I can get them scanned and put them on here. Not much change from last time, he still looks sweet as ever! I can't wait to see him on the outside!!
We then discussed delivery time and the MFM specialist does not see any need to deliver Bennett any earlier than 39 weeks at this time. They will be monitoring him closely to check his growth and any placental problems but they do not foresee any problems that would require an early delivery, unless I started going into labor. So if all goes as planned-he should be here right around my sister's birthday, May 22nd or 23rd! I'm thinking Monday I will be able to schedule the c-section. It's kind of weird to pick your child's birthday!
Thank you everyone for your continued prayers for us! We really appreciate it!
Tomorrow we see the maternal fetal medicine specialist again to do another level II ultra sound on Bennett. I really haven't been that nervous about anything except for the day before my appointment comes. I notice myself acting very anxious like standing in front of the fridge with the door open not wanting anything, or trying to find little chores to do, or being short with the girls. So that just started happening and I realize it's because I am a little nervous for what they may find. So if you could please keep us in your prayers I would greatly appreciate it. I'm praying that Bennett is growing properly for gestational age, his heart looks better if not the same (just not worse!) and that there are no other issues that show up such as Duodenal Atresia or I don't know something strange like excess fluid.
I will be asking the doctors about a delivery time for Bennett because my regular OB suggested that sometimes babies with heart defects are taken by c-section a little earlier and he wanted to see me soon after tomorrow's appointment to see what the specialists think about this. Early meaning around 37 weeks as opposed to 39 weeks. Oh, and please pray the girls cooperate- Mike will be with me but I would like him to be able to stay in the room with me and not have to walk Harper up and down halls.
On a side note Harper threw up all over her car seat yesterday-it's going in the trash because it's in every nook and cranny and this car seat is practically nailed shut as far as getting to the straps to wash them. We had just left Sephora, where I finally got to get my Bare Minerals makeup that I was desperately needing and Harper just let it all out (thank the Lord it wasn't in Sephora-how embarrassing!!), I looked back and Ainsley was covering her mouth looking as if she was going to puke just watching Harper. Rather funny I must say, but I urged Ainsley to look away because I could not take Harper covered in it and then Ainsley covered in it just because she has an easy gag reflex! So hopefully Harper is not sick-she was fine after that and has been a little cranky but no throw up. Ainsley's teachers asked how Harper was today when I picked Ainsley up because apparently she announced to everyone that her sister threw up every where yesterday-great.
Well, we have a little under 3 months before Bennett will arrive and I decided I'd introduce some of you who don't know, to our dogs Blitzen and Sophie. I have a feeling once Bennett gets here things are going to be crazy around our house and Blitz and Soph won't have a chance to get on the blog unless they happen to be in the background of a picture, which Sophie is pretty good at. I'll look back at pictures and there's Sophie, always squeezing herself in-it doesn't take much, she's only 6 pounds!
Blitzen is the oldest- he will be 9 in September and was given to me by Mike as a Christmas gift, shortly after we were married and yes, I named him after a reindeer. Blitzen has "issues" to say the least. Anyone that knows us, knows a little about our strange Lhasa Apso that's on Prozac. He would make a wonderful episode on "The Dog Whisperer" if any of you are familiar with that show. Ceasar Milan would have a hay day with this dog. Why we still have him is beyond me. I always say he's got one paw out of the door and he's working on the other three. If he makes it through this third child, he'll be lucky- seriously. Now, I do love him but much of my stress comes from this dog so I'm trying to just not let him get to me and realize that he loves us and loves being a part of our family and luckily for us we will probably have him for 10 years or more. Lhasa's live long lives. Yay. Note the sarcasm.
Let's just have a run down of Blitzen's issues during his life:
He bit me when he was just a tiny puppy over food ( I know, I should have gotten him in obedience classes but I didn't).
He swallowed a quarter as a puppy and required surgery to remove it.
He swallowed a button from my chair but luckily he pooped this one out.
He likes to pull things out of the bathroom trash cans and eat the tissues
He's been on numerous meds for his thyroid, allergies, his eyes, anxiety and ear nastiness (never ending with the ears).
He has a serious cage issue- many family members as well as friends have witnessed this and let's just say it's quite frightening coming from a small dog.
He does not like loud noises- if someone is mowing their lawn you can forget about him going to the bathroom outside. He freaks!
He snores-loudly-like an old man-it will keep you up at night, it's that loud.
He's terrified of the bath-he will bite you if he knows you're coming to get him to take him to the bath-and yes he knows, just by looking at you, that you're coming to get him- so I get him groomed.
He's pretty posessive over bones, take that back-very possessive, as in he will not put it down until he's finished eating the entire thing-we're talking about plastic chew toys here.
Here's a pic taken several years ago of Mike with Blitzen holding a wrapped bone (Chritmas present for Blitz) that he would not put down- he went to the bathroom outside with it in his mouth, just in case anyone tried to take it from him. I'm telling you this dog is crazy.
The one good thing about Blitzen is that he is really good with our kids and kids in general-he loves people and he loves to snuggle.
Here he is today-your saying, what's wrong with that- he just lays around? Sure after he's licked every body part constantly for about an hour straight, he's tuckered out from that, so he sleeps. Don't you love his look, like "What do you want lady?"
And then there is my angel Sophie who is 6. She is a 6 pound Maltese that is so darn cute I can't even stand it. She follows me around like a baby and truly worships me, so naturally, I kind of favor her!:) However, Sophie is not quite perfect either. Yes, she seems to enjoy chasing small children-other than our own, kind of like an ankle biter but she's never actually bitten anyone. She does, however, have it out for my nephew Ty, poor guy. She also licks the air-almost constantly, oh and furniture as well. Seriously, what is it with the licking!! If you look closely you can see her tiny, pink tongue in lick mode.
Mike and I have battled it out on whether or not to keep Blitzen-have I mentioned he's bitten Mike 4 times? Oh, just little bites, although one time he did have to get a shot so it would not get infected. You see, Mike has a big heart and he just can't get rid of Blitz, he feels it's wrong and that Sophie and him are buds and Sophie would be depressed if Blitzen was gone. Mike doesn't realize my plan would be to get another adorable, tiny Maltese to keep Sophie company! And please don't get me wrong, I would never just want to send him to the pound, just maybe find him an owner that has a little more time for him and maybe a little more patience.:0
So we will probably have Blitz for another decade or so. Oh, I'm sure I will have my moments where my poor mom and sister have to coach me through a "I just can't take Blitzen and his stinky ears and muddy paws" episodes. Usually happens after a baby is born and I'm in my hyper cleanliness mode. But there is one thing about dogs that you rarely come across-that being unconditional love. They love us the same even though they can annoy the you know what out of us, they just want to be loved and fed, not asking for much more than that.
Sooo, anyone looking for a sweet Lhasa Apso with only minor issues???:)
So, many of you know I started selling these adorable clothes (Chez-Ami) in an "effort" to try to get free clothes through commissions, since I love clothes and dressing my girls up. Yeeeah-well it hasn't quite worked out that way. I think I've spent more than I've made! Anyone that knows me, knows I simply love clothes and yes, maybe it's bordering on an addiction and having two girls doesn't help. Whatever, I'm having fun and I've gotten much better now that I'm a stay at home mom.:) So anyways, this past week was my first week to have my parties so I thought I'd share some pictures!
My first party was at my house with some moms from Morning For Mom's- a great group I joined when we first moved here. It was a play date/party so some of the moms came and brought their kids to play. My friend Jen had her two girls, Ava and Emily, dressed in the same Chez-Ami outfits as Harper so I just had to get some pictures of that...
Here they are-don't they look cute?! Of course Harper had to be bribed with food to get her to cooperate. Notice the muffin in her hand...
Um, excuse me Ava, I'm trying to take a bite here...
Miss Emily!
The second party was at my friend Renee's house. This was an evening party- without the kids!-Well, for most of it any way..
Here's a picture of me with my friends Ginger and Renee. They have been great friends since we've moved here. I've bugged them to death about where things are and what doctor's to use, what grocery store to go to among other things. Mike works with Ginger's husband Keith and Mike stayed with them while we were in transition from N.C. Ginger and Keith introduced us to Renee and Tom. Thanks again Renee for hosting a party for me!
Ellie (Renee's daughter) with the girls
Ellie and Ainsley get along great!
My third and final party was in good old Woodbridge, VA where I grew up! The girls and I made the trip, Mike had work commitments this weekend that he could not break. My cousin-in-law Patsy, hosted the party for me! Patsy's husband Garrett (Mike's cousin) is in Iraq and has been gone for nearly 8 months now but will return in just 3 weeks!! It was so nice of Patsy to host this party for me plus, it worked out because they live fairly close to my parents so we got to visit with them as well. Here's me with Patsy!
Here's Ainsley with her cousins, Chapman and Madison! Not the best pic of Ainsley...
I also got to see an old friend of mine (we were best buds in middle school!) - Dana! Dana came down to Woodbridge for the party and we haven't seen each other in 12 years!! We got reconnected through facebook- I love facebook! She is due with her second child in July, a boy as well! I meant to get a picture with her but got busy at the end and forgot! We plan to see each other again in April so Dana, we will have to get one then!
Unfortunately, the visit with my parents was cut short due to the snow storm, that as I write this, is in full force. I'm glad I made it home before it started! It's been a very busy 3 days and I'm just glad to be able to relax a little now!
...and after.
And after, amazing what some bins and hanging cabinets can do.
Okay, maybe I shouldn't show the close up because as you can see it's not perfect but as a group it looks good in person and maybe from a distance:). I'm also not a perfectionist when it comes to things like this- my mom would be measuring everything and making sure it was centered perfectly and I on the other hand want instant gratification so I eye-ball everything. But I'm okay with that. 
Ellie (Renee's daughter) with the girls
