Gratitude

We recently had an appointment with my Midwife, Cathy. This brought back a flood of memories for me from Daysha’s delivery. I really wanted to thank Cathy for everything she did for us on that day because I sincerely believe that if I wasn’t in her skillful hands, things would have been a lot different. Yes, even in a hospital. The delivery would not have been as quick and there would have been a lot more trauma than needed to be. I can say this, because I now have had 2 deliveries of babies with shoulder dystocia.

I did not go into this birth blind. I did all the reading I could on shoulder dystocia and made sure my caregiver knew how to handle it if it occurred again. Unfortunately it did and now because of it, my delivery options have dramatically changed.

Shoulder dystocia occurs for no particular cause. It can happen to large babies, it can happen to small babies. With whatever risk factors are associated with dystocia come recommendations none of which have had any proven decline in the amount of dystocias diagnosed or the after effects, like brachial plexus injury, contusions and lacerations, and birth asphyxia. There is no way to predict recurrent shoulder dystocia other than a good guess. And the good guess for me is that it’ll probably happen again.

So before having another pregnancy there is a lot of things to consider. I now have to plan on this actually occurring and have another plan of action if it does. Do I have another child? Do I have midwifery care again? Or do I subject myself to the scrutiny of doctors and risk interventions? Either way, the risk is shoulder dystocia and fetal injuries that accompany it.

So that’s all the technical data. The emotional data is something I will deal with every time I think of having another child. Shoulder dystocia is hard. As smooth as my labor went (twice over), the actual delivery is something that is very emotionally draining. So it was very important to me to have people surrounding me that I trust and I am beyond words with the amount of support I received that day.

To Cathy,
Thank you so much. I am so indebted for all of your encouragement, support, and energy that you gave me and my family. I don’t know if I have enough words to tell you how grateful I am for being a part of bringing Daysha into this world. I feel as if everything that occurred throughout my pregnancy was meant to put me into your safe hands. Thank you for delivering our baby girl to us and not giving up on her. Thank you for staying near me when I needed and listening to my concerns. This is only a small token of our thanks to you but you are forever rooted in our hearts.

Many of God’s blessings to you,
Love, Heather, Glen, Ethan and most of all Daysha.

The Quicker Picker Upper

A little fun with paper towel...

Thirty days have September, April, June and November...

There has been an incredible amount of things going on in this household lately. I still haven’t found that balance, lol! The morning of my last post, a dear friend of mine, welcomed her beautiful baby boy into this world. We were all on pins and needles waiting his arrival and sending so many good-delivery vibes her way. I was very proud to know that she had the home birth she dreamed of.

So to help her out a little, my hubby spent a few hours in the kitchen doing what he loves to do. Cook. He cooked up a few hearty meals for them so that they could spend their time resting and enjoying their new bundle. We had meals delivered to us after my homebirth and now, I swear, that’s the gift I am going to give every new mom. Forget the pretty outfits…. food is the way to go!

Not only did a birth occur, but so did a birthday (his big sisters), a follow-up appointment with my midwife, two dental appointments, immunizations for Daysha, a DLS workshop, a Dr’s appointment for myself, bloodwork, and follow-up tomorrow, a Dr’s appointment tomorrow for Ethan, Kindermusik, and a wedding this weekend that we have to travel for but it means family staying here tomorrow night. 3 with us, 3 with mom, and 5 more to join the caravan the next morning. On top of all of this, I finally did up Thank-you cards for Daysha’s gifts, created and mailed out 56 announcement cards (I told you we had a big family), raked up the dead grass in the backyard, vacuumed the house, made a Walmart trip for groceries with the kids, uploaded photos from my workshop that I need to re-upload, and still managed to feed the kids and get them to take their naps, while still potty training a toddler.

This was one week.

You wonder why I sometimes lose my insanity. If what you are wondering about is the mound of appointments condensed into this one week, it was just timing. The dental appointments we’ve put off for a long time, the midwife appt was overdue by 2 weeks, and Ethan has one with a specialist that we’ve had book months ago.

Ethan has two “very” small bumps near his stomach and his pediatrician wants to screen it for possible hernias that may have developed congenitally. If this is the case, there is a possibility of surgery. It would be the tiniest incision, more than likely done by laser which equals a much faster recovery, but still, the idea of surgery scares the bejeebers outta me. I know how Ethan is leary of doctors already and I really wish I didn’t have to take him. So it’s a toss up. I can leave it and it turn out to be something else or end up causing him some pain of some sort, or we can go and take him to a specialist. I am crossing my fingers and toes that it turns out to be “nothing”.

The rest of this month continues to be busy. A little slower than this past week but still crazy nonetheless. I am hoping upon all hope that May will be at a standstill. HA! Who am I kidding??? That’s summer! There’s Ethan’s birthday, my SIL’s birthday, a camping trip…..

On the Run!

I know where my stress comes from, and it is not just from my crazy children (whom I adore just to be correct). It is from the basic fact that my hubby and I are by no question flooded with things to do; things to accomplish. It's our own fault. We know this to be a true and absolute fact. And it is not that we don’t acknowledge it or even try to change it. We have. Many, many, many times. As another fact, this is one of the same “arguments” we have. Why it is, why we do this to ourselves and each other, how to stop and get off this merry-go-round.

I now come to the conclusion that we each get a certain amount of enjoyment of keeping ourselves busy (actually, I’ve come to that conclusion a long time ago. I am just re-acknowledging it). For my own self, I hate sitting still for too long. Either I am occupying myself with life and family tasks or I am sitting and my brain is occupied in a book, writing, or in a discussion with whomever will listen to me. It killed me when I was enormously pregnant and could not literally move to do much of anything. Drove me insane. So as soon as I had my energy back, I did way too much way too soon, in turn giving me a case of Baby Blues that I still deal with.

Anyway, my hubby is the same go-go-go force. We each have huge social circles, and huge families that we so lovingly give our attention to. We LOVE entertaining and putting off a good meal or two (dying for BBQ season!) and love being in touch with people that are important to us. Which is literally, everybody. On top of that, we are organizational nuts. I love to label. I’m sure I’d stick one on your forehead if I thought you needed it… joking (sorta’), and my spouse loves things in “its place” even though half of the time it isn’t. We also love being on the go, taking our kids to places, trying new things, enjoying activities. On top of THAT, we each have hobbies that we struggle to maintain. And now I’m adding a new one to my list BUT I am not relinquishing that one as it has been years I have secretly been addicted to it.

So, we are busy. We both realize that we don’t spend enough time with just the two of us, or even the four of us, doing nothing but enjoying the “quality” time. So it is breeding ground for arguments and tension when we barely rub shoulders with one another and throw a passing “Btw, remember to do….” We have tried many times without success to schedule time for ourselves but always something interferes. ~sigh~

And today was another example.

Glen has been working like crazy the past few months trying to pay back mutuals and pick up OT before the summer, and next month is no different. So TWO months ago we planned for 4 days at the end of March, beginning of April, to spend together. Going nowhere, having no one over. It was going to be a catch up week of time together, a bit of laundry and bill paying, potty training and playing with my new camera. All which could have been done in these 4 days.

Except….

The Grandparents showed up.

We do love them and all. Really. And to be fair, they have called us over the past few weeks trying to schedule some time in to see their grandkids (they live 2 hours away) and we have always had some conflict arise. So they decided they’d just show up. Smart for them, frustrating for us. Now our days have turned into preparing meals on TV trays as we sold our dinette set and are STILL waiting for the delivery of our new one (c’mon Leons!), cleaning dishes, arranging the guest room, splitting up our “quality time” with the kids, and small talk with the in-laws.

So now we literally will not get to spend time together without having something “to do”, until the beginning of May. ~bigger sigh~

April is filled with a Weekend Wedding, dental appts, Dr appts, immunizations, birthdays, Kindermusik, Gymnastics, workshops and other get-togethers. We do love those times (except the dentist), (okay and the shots), but we are dying to spend a few days doing what we need and want to do.

So if ever asked why there is suddenly no answer to phone calls and emails, our house has no lights on, the windows and doors are boarded up and the sound of two yappy weinerschnitzels is missing from the backyard, just assume that we’ve packed our bags and moved to Liechtenstein.

Abschieds!

The Secret's Out!!!

Oh I’m so happy! I finally get to tell the secret. TWINS!!! There will be twins in the family! Yippee!!

My darling SIL and brother are doubling up and are bringing two new little lives into this world. Their little daughter will be thrilled! Two brand new siblings to love and share her toys with. Uh oh. Little Miss. T is only a babe herself so I’m sure she’ll think the Twins are brand new toys. Lol. I can hear her squealing already!


I am so happy for their family. In fact, I am delighted. Our family was only blessed with one little kiddo a while ago and has rapidly expanded. We’ll have 5 children, all under the age of 3, running around. Christmas is going to be a blast. I’ll now have 3 little nieces/nephews to spoil.

*Note: To my hubby’s boss: I think he needs a raise. And to my brother’s boss: he definitely needs a raise (especially if the Twins are girls!!)!

In the meantime, I wish my SIL the BEST pregnancy and all the rest you can possibly get. Spoil yourself with pregnancy spa trips and indulge in only the best foods you can tolerate. Enjoy it as much as anyone can enjoy a pregnancy; relish in those little kicks before they become big ones. Buy a king sized bed and kick my bro out now, so he is comfortable sleeping on the couch, and move it as close to the bathroom as possible. That way you only have to roll over to pee. Lol.

Love you all so much.
Take care of lil’ Bert and Ernie.

(See? The Spring thaw does bring the mush.)

For My Hubby....

~sigh~ 'twas a shitty, shitty day today. And that's putting it lightly. There were some definite highlights such as Ethan's wonderful participation in gymnastics today and a successful "Daddy! Poop!" today as he headed toward the potty (didn't make it but hey, it's success).

Then Glen and I got at each other's throats. It was ugly. We are too much alike. It is almost impossible to argue our differences with a successful debate. We are both stubborn asses and sometimes have that "same fight" over and over. And always, we both feel the same sick, guilty feeling afterwards. It is only because we love each other that we claw each others eyeballs out. I'm kidding.

But here's a small token to him...

(Warning! If you hate mushy stuff, blog on!)

Pastor:
Heather, do you take Glen to be your husband, to live together in the holy bond of married life? Do you promise to honor and uphold him, to join with him in making a home that shall endure in love and peace? Do you pledge to him your complete faithfulness through all the changing experiences of life? And, of your own free will, do you now give yourself to him completely that from this day forth you shall be his alone, so long as you both live?

Heather: “I do”


"I Heather, take you Glen to be my wedded husband. Today as we leave our separate lives behind and begin our walk together as one, I give all my heart to you, promising to love and to always be by your side, in good times and in bad times, in joys and in sorrows. I promise that no matter what may be ahead: I will always love and respect you. God has placed you in my life and he will lead us to grow in faith, to grow in hope and grow in love. Therefore, on this special day, I commit myself to only you, promising you undying love and companionship until the end of our lives."


"With this ring, I thee wed. I seal my promise, to be your faithful and loving wife, all that I am I give to you and all that I have I share with you. May this ring be a symbol of our endless love, and may it always be a reminder to you of how very much I love you. In the name of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!!