Life on Courtney Lane.........

Aug. 18, 2008 - Monday Musings

Tristan, who's three, busted his lip on Friday evening. I was taking Brittany to a birthday sleepover at her best friend's house, and when I got back to the truck, noticed I had missed three calls. Normally, when I leave the house I have a twinge of panic that the house will catch on fire, or the baby will turn on the stove or any one of a host of other 911 situations that could occur. Now, of course, David was home, and, of course, I completely trust him and he is completely capable of caring for the kids. But, my controlling self always feels that when I leave, and things are now out of my control, something will happen. That's why I don't like sleeping while someone else is driving. I know that if I nod off, we will certainly go veering off into a river or jump the median into oncoming traffic. So, I call home, to find out that Tristan had jumped off the window (?) and hit the bed with his mouth, busting his lip at least 3/4 of an inch long, and possibly went through to the other side. Could I please stop and get some popsicles? After I got home, and his lip was yucky, we couldn't decide whether to take him in. It didn't seem necessary to go to the emergency room, but there's no where else open on Friday night. So, we opted to wait. Saturday, we began to doubt our decision to wait, and decided to take him to Doct'or's Care that morning. The doctor said he could put a stitch or two in, but it would be very traumatic (yeah!) and he'd probably be fine without it. So, basically we could've not taken him and been fine. You just never know with these things. Normally I hate just running to the doctor for every little thing, but I do remember my sister Alison getting stitches in her tongue after she cut it with a high chair seat belt. So, I guess it's better to be safe when in doubt.

Tristan says to me a few weeks ago, "I don't have anything to do. I'm boring."

One morning after Tristan was being naughty, I sent him to sit on his bed. After a few minutes he came down and said, "Mom, can I get up now? I forgive you."

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Aug. 12, 2008 - Some thoughts

Okay, so perhaps I was a tad bit harsh on the Olympics in my previous post. Probably a bad mood/ high nausea day. lol I did watch the opening ceremonies. They were amazing! Can you believe the precision with those drummers? And those boxes? Wow. And, after reading Anne's post, I did feel a twinge of nostalgia from growing up watching them. And Brittany won't let me turn them off for a minute!

This summer is flying by and I've yet to finish my homeschool planning. What would normally take me a day, is now taking me a week. I'd really like to start the first week in September, but David encouraged me to push it off til the end of September. I just hate to wait that long. But, I guess if need be.........

The kids are certain that this baby will be a girl to finish a pattern: girl, boy, boy, girl, girl, boy, boy---girl, however David is saying that it will be twin boys, so that it will be a 4-boy pattern before the next girl. David has been right about every other baby. Twins? Well, that's something we haven't done yet.

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Aug. 11, 2008 - One more birthday boy

Today is Timothy's birthday. He is number three of seven. He is eight years old today. We are going to celebrate with a little party and he's having two friends sleep over. I'm not sure I'll survive! lol I'm not really feeling any better, but usually by week 15 or 16, I'm over the nausea. So, I've got around 6 weeks to go.

Timothy's birth story

I had a rough first trimester with Timothy, same as usual, nausea and exhaustion, but by second trimester I was feeling good. I worked out during the pregnancy and was in good shape, but my hips were killing me. From this baby on, my hip joints are always so sore. I also got a bladder infection (which I do with every pregnancy) but it went undetected because they didn't take urine samples at the OB visits, so finally when I was doubled over in pain, the lab tech assured me it was a kidney stone. I told him that I didn't think so, but finally some lab work revealed the problem. I also had to drink about 10 gallons of water and not go to the bathroom to have my ultrasound done. "You get more accurate readings this way" they said. "Yes, with your fifty year old equipment maybe" is what I was thinking. Who makes a pregnant woman drink gallons of water, and then mash on her abdomen for an hour, without letting her go to the bathroom? Are they insane? I wrote to the head of the hospital and told them I thought some of their procedures needed to change. She actually called me and was very concerned about my concerns. I don't know if they ever changed anything, though.

Anyway, I started contractions on my due date of 8/08/00 (Tuesday) The day just went on and they weren't getting any closer together. By the next day, they were stronger, but not closer-maybe 15 minutes apart. I went to the doctor for a regular appointment and he told me we could go on ahead over to the hospital and he would give me some pitocin and speed things along. I really didn't want to do that, so I told him to wait it out a little longer. I went ahead and served in the church nursery that night. So by the next day, the contractions were stronger still, but still not closer together. So, I went ahead to my Mom's church group. My mom had taken Brittany and Tyler for the week, so it was just David and me. We went to dinner on Thursday night and walked around and around and around down town Beaufort to see if that would make a difference. And, it did not. So, we decided that we would go ahead and go on in on Friday and get the pitocin.

We went in on Friday morning, and I couldn't stop crying. I just didn't want the pitocin. They admitted me at 9, started the pitocin and and I went ahead and got the epidural. I had been seen by Navy doctors at the Naval Station for my OB appointment, but they didn't deliver babies there, so I actually went to the civilian hospital to deliver with my Naval doctor. Of course, my epidural didn't take all the way, so my entire right side was still hurting. Then around 1:00 pm it was time to push. I don't remember pushing very long, but that could be because the epidural made me throw up several times, so that was the bulk of the pushing. The doctor said, "Wow, Ms. Sanchez! You have yourself a ten pound baby boy!" This same doctor assured me before birth that the baby was around 71/2 pounds. (If you've ever carried a ten pound baby, you know the difference!) He was actually 9 pounds 13 ounces and 21 inches.

I recovered very well, Timothy was very healthy and all was happy. And this hospital had the best hospital food, ever. They even brought me a turkey sandwich, fruit and coconut cake just for my evening snack. Yum!

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Jul. 29, 2008 - An Announcement....

Well, the cat is out of the bag and the beans have been officially spilled. We are haveing baby #8! I'm only maybe 6-8 weeks along at this point and feeling crummy. All day nausea, no energy, no motivation. But, I'm hanging in there. So, my blogging has been very sporadic lately, and this is why. I'm having to push myself to get the rest of the homeschool planning done. And push myself to get laundry done. And, well, I don't even want to think about cooking. But, with 7 other children, some cooking has to get done anyway.

I know that I haven't personally let everyone know (sorry), but by the time you get to number 8, is anyone really surprised? :)

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Jul. 22, 2008 - One more birthday girl........

Yesterday was Brittany's 13th birthday. I am now officially the mother of a teenager. I'm not worried one bit. She's a pleasure to have around. She knows we've been so tight on money for a while, so all she asked for was to have pigs in a blanket for dinner, red velvet cake and for us to play a game together as a family. She has been such a blessing to us. She babysits when I need to run out, or just so David and I can go out together. And, she's even offered her babysitting money when we've needed it. I knew she'd been really wanting a digital camera and, for about the last year, I've been thinking how I really, really wished I could get her one for her birthday. So, I kept praying that God would provide some way for me to get one for her. A few weeks ago, someone gave us some extra money, and I took that as answer to prayer. We went out and got her the camera from Wal Mart, with a memory card and carrying case.

We had a book club meeting yesterday afternoon at a friend's house, who also let me bake the cupcakes in her oven, and then had the appliance drama (see the previous post) that evening, so we didn't actually get to "partying" until around 8 pm. She finally opened her gift and was in shock. She loved it! As I knew she would. She kept asking, "Is this a real camera?" "Is this for real?" I'm so thankful to be able to do that for her.

Brittany's birth story.

Hers was a surprise pregnancy in a whirlwind wedding. I turned 20 in June and she was due mid July. David and I had just gotten married the previous February, and I had just moved out to Hawaii in April. David was in the Marine Corps and this would be my first lovely and moving experience with military doctors. (Sarcasm is kind of hard to write.)

Anyway, I didn't KNOW nothin' bout birthing no babies. I think that one must give birth at least 3-4 times to really understand exactly what it going on. I think I just assumed everything would somehow just happen, and sort of likened myself to an innocent bystander. I read "What to Expect" and all, but nothing really wakes you up like actually having a baby.

I was due with her on the 16th of July, and starting the trend, that day came and went. On the 19th, in the early am, I started having contractions, but we decided that David should go on ahead to work. By that evening, we went to Labor and Delivery thinking that certainly things were happening now. They sent us home, because I wasn't far enough along, and there wasn't anything they could do. "What do you mean, nothing you can do???" We went back home and Brittany gave new meaning to the term "back labor". The next morning David went on in to work again, but came home later that morning with tonsilitis. I had an already-scheduled appointment at 2 pm, so David drove me in. The doctor discovered I was at 6 cm. and they rushed (wheelchaired) me upstairs to L and D. Hours later things still weren't progressing. They tried to break my water with this stick-thingy that must've existed in medieval torture chambers. Finally the other nurse had pity on me and told the other nurse to stop. I was quite exhausted. No sleep and no food going on 40 hours. I decided to get the epidural and of course, threw up, right as my pregnant friend and her husband showed up. She was due the next month with her first child. I must've have made quite a scary impression.

I eventually got to ten cm, and the nurse said to push, but I was so tired that I couldn't stay awake. And, she still was not coming out. So, the doctor decided, shortly after midnight to do a c-section . At 2:18 am, we had a Brittany. 6 pounds, 11 ounces and 17 and 3/4 inches. I had "failed to progress" because Brittany was sunny side up (babies are supposed to be face down with their spine facing up, but she was facing up with all her weight on my back-hence the back labor) and she was also crooked with her should trying to come out with her head.

David had opted not to come into the operating room. He was sick and more than a little overwhelmed. You know all the "risks" they let you know about with an epidural? There are even scarier "risks" they let you know all about with a cesarean. He must've been terrified.

So, they sliced me open, ripped out a human being, took out my insides and examined them, put them back in and stapled me shut. Literally. And, that's literally what I felt like had happened to me. Although, I was still numb from the epidural for a while after, they wheeled me to the recovery room for a few hours, then onto my own room. (I only got my own room because I had a c-section, I had to share a room when I had Tyler at the same military hospital) It must've been 4-6 hours before they even brought her to me for the first time. I don't know if they fed her, I don't know what happened. And, of course, I didn't know any better. The nurse came in that morning and wanted me to get up to take a shower. I thought she must be crazy. I had been in quite a bit of pain since the epidural had worn off. They gave me a morphine pump, but I was a little afraid of overdosing or something, so I don't think I ever really turned it up high enough. It would take me about 30 minutes just to get up and go to the bathroom and get back in bed. And of course, as soon as I would lay back down, Brittany would start crying.

The day before I was released, a student nurse came by to take out my staples. Well, I guess they have to practice on somebody. Ouch. I did heal fine, though, with no problems. I was so thankful for a healthy baby, but I knew that if I had another baby, I was NOT going through that again. Think VBAC.

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Jul. 22, 2008 - More Appliance Drama

Aren't major appliances supposed to last more than a few years? I know we have 7 children and all, and we USE our appliances, but good grief, our washer, dryer, refrigerator, oven and dishwasher have all bit the dust in the last 6 months or so. All but the washer/dryer were only 7 years old. Okay, maybe things aren't made like they used to be.

Last Tuesday our oven went out. On Friday, I was getting a pot out of the cabinet and, rather lightly, bumped it into the oven door. The oven door then shatters into thousands of tiny pieces. Sigh. At least we have a crock pot and a microwave.

But, yet again God provides. My friend, P, had a friend who had a stove to give away, and P was getting her dishwasher. So, Monday, afternoon we caravan over to the friend's house to discover it is a gas stove. (We don't have gas hook up.) But, P, out of the goodness of her heart, offered us a stove from her MIL that she'd had in storage, and was waiting for her husband to install it. She also offered for us to just take the dishwasher as well. Yah, P!

So, last night, and also on my oldest's 13th birthday, David installed the flat top, self cleaning oven and dishwasher.

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Jul. 14, 2008 - Monday Musings

LIttle Thomas loves Alvin and the Chipmunks (the movie). He especially loves the song "Funkytown" that the chipmunks sing outside the window. He "asks" to hear it (he grunts "Uh, Uh") and point to the TV and loves to dance to it. I usually let him watch it in his crib before he takes a nap. So yesterday when I was getting him dressed for church, Tyler walked through the living room and went upstairs singing the "wah-ah-ah-ah-ah" to the beginning, and Thomas, naked, starts dancing and running upstairs thinking Tyler was putting on the movie for him. It was the funniest thing! He also says "Geeen Geeen" for the "Gotta get that green" song at the beginning. He's a mess!

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Jul. 9, 2008 - Answer.......

Just, FYI, keep checking back (if you want) to all the resources links because I'll keep adding as I come across new site.

Also, to answer a comment, we aren't doing a unit on the Olympics. I am not overly enthusiastic about the Olympics. I don't understand why some folks devote their entire lives just to be "the best" at a sport. I'm not a sports fan and I don't care for a lot of sports figures' lifestyles (including Olympians) whom we tend to idolize as a society. (Don't even get me started on football.) (Note: this is just MY opinion.) There is a place for sports in our lives, but sports tend to overshadow lots of other areas, to the point where they can take priority over everything.

So, all that to say, we watch a few Olympic events and even some other sports some, on occasion, but I really didn't want to spend any time on studying it. We covered a little about the beginning of the Olympics two years ago when we studied the Ancients.

There is an Olympic unit on Homeschoolshare, though, if anyone wants to do one.

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Jul. 5, 2008 - Fireworks

I heard about the new fireworks display they just started at the Village ( a new massive mall area) just yesterday morning and was so relieved that we could go to fireworks just two miles down the road instead of traveling to the Army base 20 miles away and sitting in traffic for two hours. Yah! So, we went to the Village and the parking lot we chose to park in was maybe only a third full. I guess not that many people had heard about it yet. I'm sure next year it will be packed though, as these fireworks guys were AWESOME! This was, hands down, the BEST fireworks display I have ever seen. They did a fantastic job. Kudos to them! We totally and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and it only took about 15 minutes to get home.

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Jun. 30, 2008 - Monday Musings

Conversations with a five year old:

Brooke (to her Dad): "I love you even when I'm naughty at you."

Brooke's conversation with me:

Brooke: I guess it will be good if we die because then we'll get to be with God in heaven.

Me: Yes, that will be good.

Brooke: Will we get to eat there?

Me: Yes, God is preparing a big feast for us.

Brooke: Will he give us presents?

Me: Yes, lots of presents.

Bethany: I know what I can give God! I can give God love.