Just Taking Notes - Homeschool Blogger

INactive

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:35:00 -0500

This blog is currently inactive, but I like to keep it "active" so I can access my archives.

Baby Boaz is here

Tue, 6 Jan 2009 12:12:00 -0600

Boaz Ebenezer

Dec 21, 2008
9:09pm
10lbs 3oz
21" long

Here is the rest of the brood

I can hardly believe it has been over 2 weeks now since I gave birth to baby Boaz.

We had been chewing on the name Boaz for several months and have even had it on previous name lists, but it was only after he was born that we were able to commit to Boaz and we love it. It is a Hebrew name meaning "Swift, Strong". Boaz was the husband of Ruth in the old testament. He was her kinsman redeemer and a type of Christ. Ebenezer comes from the book of 1 Sam 7:12. It means "stone of help". And if you just can't get Ebenezer Scrooge out of your mind, remember that he too was redeemed in the end and was to be a help and a blessing to those he had once abused.

Birth story below if you like reading such things.
It all began for real on Sun (21st) morning about 4-5am. I woke to use the bathroom as usual and noticed that my usual cxs were a little stronger than they had been. I grabbed my haircombs and brought them to bed with me for sqeezing as needed. We woke as usual, had breakfast and headed off to church in the below zero weather. Brrr.

Cxs which were coming only every 10-30 min were very mild, but were the real kind that you know are doing something down there. I sat through Sunday school wondering if this could be the day. I did not feel comfortable enough to sit through church service so I headed to the nursery to stand and rock and visit with a friend. Nothing stronger or more regular, just more of them than usual.

After coming home and having lunch, I decided to take a nap- and I did. Upon waking I decided that my cxs were here to stay even though they were still quite mild and far from being anything regular or closer together so at 4pm-ish I called my friend who was going to be my labor support to see what she had to say. She said I should just head to the hospital and get checked- she was on her way over. I called the on call Dr. who suggested the same thing and said that with so many babies under my belt {so to speak} that I may never get regular cxs at all- and I didn't.

After arranging sitters for the kiddos we headed out the door arriving at the hospital around 5pm or so. By 5:45 I had been hooked up to the monitor for a while and my cervix measured at 4-5cm. I was told to walk around for an hour and we would check again. Now I was feeling like this really was the big day and I was getting a little anxious. My friend and I walked around the L/D floor visiting, her encouraging me, and me astonished that these labor "pains" felt like little more than BH cxs. I am convinced that her applying pressure on my shoulder acupressure points resulted in easier labor. As I would feel a cx coming on I would usually squat using the hall rail as support while my friend applied pressure. Many times my cxs felt as if they had completely subsided when she did this.

After an hour or so of walking I went to be checked again. I was measuring 6-7cm at 7pm-ish which granted me admission. I went to one of the 2 NCB rooms eagerly anticipating my time in the tub. While the tub was filling I stood about and talked through a coulpe of cxs. Then I donned my tubwear and climbed in. Ahhh- perfect. Total relaxation- almost sleep. I had 2 big cxs that the water eased me through- these required a bit of moaning and vocalizing, but were not painful at all. Then came the strangest transition moment ever. After my last big cx I began to cry and shake- no pain at all mind you- none. I was crying and saying "It's OK it doesn't hurt. I'm OK". My DH still makes fun of me about this. The nurse did a quick cervical check and insisted that I get out of the tub. I told her that she had to call my Dr. because I would surely feel pushy if I stood up as was the case with my other babies- but this one was going to be different. She called for the Dr. and I climbed out of the tub complete- a full 10.

I changed out of my wet clothing into a dry gown and tried to get comfortable on the delivery bed/table. Until my Dr. arrived, I just lay on the bed waiting- complete, not pushy, easy peasy cxs. At this point I was having my friend and DH apply pressure to my feet. Ahhh. Finally my Dr. showed- she told me later she was thinking closer to midnight- we showed her.

Now with my Dr. on the scene I can push-or wait. I tried to get comfy on the bed but could not find any position that I liked- not standing, kneeling, squatting or anything so I just perched my bum on the end of the bed and sat there. OK so it has been 20-30 min since climbing out of the tub I am guessing and still no urge to push. Dr. says "No hurry, just when you are ready." So after growing impatient and making myself nervous about the whole ring of fire part I decide to give it a try anyway. It takes a few pushes, but I finally am getting into the moment and pushing pretty hard to get this guy out because my natural urges are of no use to me at all this time. FINALLY, the head is out but it sure doesn't feel like it to me and the next thing I know I am flat on my back, knees in my face, a nuse is pushing under my pubic bone, and Dr. is telling me to push with all my might like I have never pushed before. Shoulder dystocia. Kind of scary. After what seemed like forever, which I am guessing was only a minute or so, baby pops out 9:09pm and is immediately taken across the room for some O2. Yes, he was huge.

It was a perfect labor and nearly perfect delivery. That is pain I wish on no woman- good thing it was so brief and that I have forgotten it already. Miraculously, I have no tearing, just some small abrasions which are mostly healed up and baby is perfectly fine- no damage. My DH insisted that I do nothing for a week, but with Christmas that did not happen so I am still feeling a bit tired and weary, but mostly I am up and around being as normal as I should. Boaz is nursing well and sleeping 3 hour stretches at night.

He is a treasure that I am so in love with already. I am so glad to have him here with us. Now if only I could get some cute pics of him.

And it is a ........

Fri, 8 Aug 2008 18:57:00 -0500

BOY- who woulda guessed?

My husband and brood went in with me this morning for my big ultrasound to see all the fun. I even got to see my first 3D shots ever. All the baby parts are in place developing well and all is on track for a near Christmas delivery. Lucky for me my new Dr. happens to be on call all Christmas week.

Update time

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:40:00 -0500

I know I do not write anymore, but I at least wanted to share the news with anyone who may happen across my blog.

I am pregnant with baby #9 and am due sometime around Christmas. Well, I am "due" Dec 18th, making me 19 weeks today, but I know that I will be at least 7 days past which puts my EDD closer to Christmas.

Sadly, at 8 weeks we found out that we lost a twin. It was a difficult time of grief and joy for us knowing that we lost a child yet rejoicing that we still have one growing in the womb. God is ultimately sovereign and full of goodness.

The rest of the story

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 15:40:00 -0600

So I guess I got some splainin' to do.

It was a normal Tuesday morning, almost. I had already dropped my oldest off at his 10:30 debate class and had come home to try and complete another hour of school before leaving to pick him up. Really, I was having one of the worst days of my life.

You see, I suffer from mild depression, and in the winter, it really kicks my butt. I used to take meds for it, but I decided after 3 years, that it was not worth the risk and realized that diet modifications and exercise usually will do the trick. If only I could stick with the plan.

Back to the most recent worst-day-of-my-life story. The boys were being boys and driving me crazy. The baby was crying. The girls were demanding. I was almost in tears already when I locked myself in the bathroom to phone my dear husband for some consolation. Fortunately, I was able to reach him and caught him on a good day. Like the perfect husband that he is, I was comforted and consoled. He met my needs and wiped my many tears away. Then I looked at the time only to realize that I should have departed 10 minutes earlier to pick up my son. Oops.

When I ran down stairs to gather my flock, I found the mess pictured below. I shrugged my shoulders, grabbed the camera for a few shots to remember the day by, and ran out the door to get my son from class.

The story I heard was that the baby tipped over the waste bin and spilled the water all over the floor. He must have done that while trying to wash the dishes as well. The crumbs all over the floor are cereal crumbs that I had set aside for casserole topping, but after listening to my kids hound me with "Can we have the cereal crumbs?" for a month, I pitched them.

So, there you have it.

I will also add that my second son quietly cleaned up the whole mess when we came home, blessing my day abundantly. Times are a little better now.

Wordless Wednesday

Wed, 13 Feb 2008 16:08:00 -0600

Tune in next time...

WWHQ

New Year's Eve Bean soup

Wed, 2 Jan 2008 16:25:00 -0600

Remember to eat poor for New Year's so you can live rich the rest of the year, right?

I need to jot down my latest favorite bean soup recipe that I came up with for our New Year's Eve Dinner. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Though name brands do not normally take the spotlight in our home, I feel that I must mention at least one in this recipe. Bush's beans. They are gas free and I love that aspect. Otherwise you can choose to soak dry beans overnight and let them sprout for a day or 2.

Ingredients
3 slices bacon
2 large carrots
2 stalks celery
1 med onion
6 cloves garlic
1lb smoked sausage
2 15oz cans Great northern beans, drained
1 15oz can black beans, drained
1 15oz can pinto beans, drained
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
2 Tbs thyme
1 Tbs oregano
1-2 tsp hickory salt or other smoke flavoring
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 qt water or broth, more or less for desired consistency

How to:

Cook bacon in heavy bottom pot (4qt or larger) until crisp
Remove from fat and crumble
Saute onion in reserved fat until tender
Add garlic, carrots and celery and cook until soft, remove from pot
Slice smoked sausage into 1/2" rounds and cook until brown
Return cooked vegetables, bacon, and remaining ingredients to sausage in pot
Simmer over med heat for 30 minutes or so
Serve with bread of your choice and lotsa hot sauce.

Temporarily unavailable

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 14:33:00 -0600

My blog is going to be on hold for a while as I need to really cut back on some things in order to focus more on my home and family. Though this is but a very small portion of my time, it does take up time that should be devoted to other things.

So I might pop in to jot down a favorite recipe or document the annual Christmas photo, but I need to get some other things in order and this must go.

There now I feel free.

Dave's Cancer Fight

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 10:08:00 -0600

My husband has been employed with the same company for nearly 11 years and for 10 of those years he has worked 1-2 levels under the same man, Dave McCalley who is in his mid-forties. This year my husband has had a much more intimate work relationship with Dave and his respect for him has increased though my husband has always had great respect for this Christian man who is the son of a well known pastor here in town.

I am not fully informed, but from what I can remember my husband telling me, about two years ago, Dave began experiencing severe pain in his neck area. Cancer was ruled out and he was diagnosed with Trigeminal neuralgia, street name- "suicide disease". Just 2 weeks ago he was to have surgery performed to ease the pain and suffering of this horrible condition. However when he woke from his anesthesia, he found that the surgery had not taken place because of last minute complications. Within a day or two he learned that he has a difficult to diagnose stage 4 cancer, giving him a mere 50/50 chance of surviving.

This week he began treatment for his cancer which will last several weeks. I believe it is a clinical study treatment (or maybe that will come later). He has started a blog, Dave's Cancer Fight, for all to follow his progress. Please pray for him and his family as you read this and in the coming weeks when he comes to mind.

This has hit my husband rather hard. Dave is the third person in my husband's department to get cancer in the past 3-4 years. Tom did not survive his cancer and left his wife with 2 baby boys to raise. Mary had a bilateral mastectomy and is in remission and doing well.

Our mortality is staring us clearly in the eyes and, it is not easy to face.

Praise God this is not the end and that we have hope of eternal life with our Saviour. I praise God that he can take something so terrible and use it for His Glory. I know that no matter how Dave's condition leaves him, that he will glorify God in it all.

Wordless Wednesday

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 12:19:00 -0600

What do you do with your old panty hose?