2 Mommies and a Baby

 

Happy New Year’s to everyone!

2006 had some ups and downs, but overall it was a good year!

We finally bought our first place together
We got pregnant
We saw several babies arrive into the world
I got a great new job

As for 2007, I am contemplating which of my various resolutions I will actually follow through with this year. Here are my resolutions, with some remarks which may give insight into the reasons for why I never follow through with them

1. Lose 45 lbs. (I would be happy with 30, do I have to watch what I eat to do that?)
2. Work out (this involves getting up before 6 am and the treadmill is 2 stories away)
3. Stop drinking so much soda (although it is hard since I have discovered Black Cherry Vanilla Diet Coke)
4. Be a more patient driver (it’s difficult to do when so many people don’t know how to drive)
5. Be less of a clutterbug (hey, the clutter doesn’t bother me)
6. Be more financially responsible (that’s really Lois’ job)

I guess the biggest resolution, one which I hope to actually follow through with, is to be the best damn mommy (second to Lois) to my little boy that I can be.

That might be doable, right?

Oh, and I leave you with a picture of our little Kaden from Christmas Eve. That's my hat he's wearing, but I have a feeling it looks much better on him!






Here's to Kaden and Suzanne having a happy, healthy, prosperous and hospital-free 2007!!!

My First New Year’s Resolution for 2007 – Be Fiscally Responsible.

Sometimes, I am like a kid.

Usually, Lois is able to keep some reigns on me just a little. Not so much lately since she’s on bed rest.

Most of our arguments are about money.

I usually don’t mind spending it, she usually wants to give me a $20/week allowance.

It’s not like I go out clothes or shoe shopping and drop several hundred dollars all the time, it’s more the $2 Dunkin Donuts coffee, $10 take out for lunch, $30 for going out here and there, $25 for a college football jersey. That sort of spending.

So, I need to be better. Like right now, we have a new car payment, a mortgage payment, student loan payments, other stuff and ONLY ONE INCOME. It’s a little scary.

But two things I did yesterday and today really made me happy. (I am fairly easy to please).

One:

I spent $10 on lunch today. It consisted of a diet root bear, a bag of ruffles and a grinder (hoagie to those of you in Philly, sub to the Jerseyites) from the “#1 Grinder” deli in Connecticut – Nardelli’s in Waterbury. I am in absolute glory sitting here with my large Italian Combo grinder with EVERYTHING, including the hot sauce. It’s really the greatest sandwich I have ever had. It totally made my week.
Next week, I will actually go to the grocery store deli and bring my own lunch to work.

Two:

I spent $9 adding NFL Network to my cable plan. It’s $6.99/month + the $2 installation fee. It’s not just the NFL Network, it includes Turner Classic Movies, Speed Channel, Fox Soccer Channel, College Sports TV, Outdoor Channel, BET on Jazz, Fox Movies FXM, Tennis Channel, etc.

When I mentioned something about talking to the cable company yesterday, Lois asked me if I did anything that costs more money. I was very silent for a while, hoping she would get sidetracked onto another issue and forget she asked me that question. It didn’t work. So I promised to cancel it after January.

Why do I need NFL Network, you ask?







Because MY ALMA MATER IS PLAYING IN A BOWL GAME!!!
And since it’s an essentially obscure bowl game, the Texas Bowl, it is only being broadcast on the NFL Network.

Please note that all other bowl games are being shown on ESPN, CBS and ABC.

So, I am buckling down on the spending (I promise LO!!). I am overlooking the $100 that I spent on Lois’ baby gift and the $33 that I just spent putting gas in the car this morning ($2.45/gallon was a deal!).

My New Year’s resolution (#1 in a list of many) will be buckle down and be smarter about money.

I will be driving my car to work from now on. My 4-cylinder Hyundai with 97k miles and a noisy rattle gets about 15 miles/gallon better mileage that Lois’ car.

I will bring lunch to work like I used to do when Lois was taking care of me.

I will make sure that I think "will Lois kill me if I buy this?" before I make any decisions to swipe the debit card.

And I promise to stop rationalizing "she can’t kill me, she can’t get out of bed."

I guess we have finalized Chubby's name.

Changing our minds now would involve removing a lot of stitching.

Now it's in writing:





Here's our diaper bag, courtesy of Suz and Kaden.





Here's Andrew's froggie towel, just like Kaden's hippo towel. Thanks Suz and Kaden!





And the GIGANTIC bag was from me. Lois told me she'd be mad if I spend any money on her for Christmas, so I made up our hospital bag - to be used later as our weekender bag for our trips up to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Niantic.

The hospital bag I got her had: new robe, slippers, jelly beans, hair ties, lotion, body wash, bath crystals (for her bed rest foot washes), Ritz crackers, Sweet n Salty granola bars, breast pads, her favorite lip stuff and a boppy with cover. Not bad, huh? (Thanks to everyone who helped me with item ideas!)

Now we are working on the middle name. Lois might be changing her mind about Keenan.
We're now tossing around a few others. Michael? Richard? Joseph? It might take us a while to settle on that.

We went to bed on Saturday night realizing that we had nothing for this baby. We tried to find a little humor in the fact that if he came the next day, we were like completely unprepared 17 year old parents.

Since we cancelled any baby shower plans due to the bed rest situation, and since we’ve been so preoccupied with just worrying about the little guy, worrying about the loss of an income, we have done almost nothing to prepare for the actual arrival of our son.

I have not moved my guest furniture out of the baby’s room, I have not purchased paint, I have not been crib shopping (the one we wanted is discontinued).

We don’t have preemie clothes, we don’t have bottles, a breast pump, receiving blankets, newborn diapers, a changing table, etc.

We laughed to each other how irresponsible we are, that unsure nervous laughter.

Then Christmas came, and we feel a little better. Thanks to our family and friends.

Suz and Kaden presented us with a diaper bag, some onesies, clothes, lotion, etc. We got a bagful of bottles and receiving blankets from little Kaden. Lois’ sister-in-law got us a basket of preemie clothes (which we are hoping we won’t need) and I presented Lois with her hospital bag – of which I need to actually get together a little better. Pictures of the diaper bag and hospital bag will come tonight or tomorrow.And, again thanks to Suz and Kaden, we do have a bassinet. Plus, I was told that receiving blankets work just fine, not to worry about the bassinet sheets.

The diapers we can get on the way home from the hospital.

The room will be worked on soon. The crib is not necessary for a little while.

Somehow this will all come together.

I’m not stressing about it. (yeah, right)

We hope everyone had a happy, healthy and safe holiday!

 

Lois had a visit with the girls today.

They seemed a little disappointed that we didn't have any presents for them yet, but we promised to take care of them after they do Christmas at home.

We thought they'd be bored out of their skulls, but watching TV all day is an okay Saturday activity for 10 year old girls. Other than some slight disagreements about a show called Rob and Big (don't watch it), the day went well.

we had an appointment today and the news was great!

no hospital stay for loey!

the doc says things look really good. she's been doing great with the bed rest and the numbers look stable. the doctor thinks she can make it to 36 weeks.

lois, of course, is happy about the news, but is trying to swallow being on bed rest for another 4 weeks.

We've made it to 32 weeks!

This is one of those major brian and lung development hurdles. We obviously want him to hang in there longer, but we can let out a little sigh of relief.

As for the pregnant mommy, she is doing a fabulous job! As hard is it might be for her to watch me do the Christmas shopping, cookie baking, vacuuming/cooking/cleaning(or lack thereof), she's been quite the good sport.

And, all of a sudden, she looks very pregnant. She hasn't shown much the entire pregnancy, then overnight on Sunday, something happened.

I caught a picture of her on one of her rare standing moments, on her way back from the potty. She will not be happy that I'm sharing the pic because she didn't make herself up or anything.

I think she looks great.





Keep up the great work Lo!

For the last hour, 4 guys have been outside my office window bickering about how they are paving a particular spot of our parking lot.

Once some activity actually started, my managing partner came into my office and we both stared out the window commenting on how much like a beer commercial the work seemed to be.

One guy was dumping asphalt, one guy got on the roller and three more guys stood around watching everything occur, leaning against the building.

We laughed about if they are all getting paid the same amount by the hour for the entire job.

"Just like lawyers," he remarked laughingly, then we both looked at each other and thought we should actually get back to work.

No, we won’t be billing our clients for that time.

I am starting to really look into myself to see what kind of morals and habits I will be showing my child.

One of my biggest faults is that I am impatient. I clearly have my father's patience, which he got from his father.

My impatience is usually much more apparent when I am behind the wheel of a car.

Hey, I can’t help it that 85% of all drivers out there don’t know what they are doing.

Lois and I are friendly people, at least I like to think so. We have great friends who don’t seem to think we are assholes. We talk to people on line in the supermarket, make friends with our servers when we are out to eat, hold the door for people, etc.

I am hoping that somehow I can restrain myself from letting the “dumbass” comment slip out of my mouth when someone pulls out in front of me and let my child observe the niceties that we have to offer.

The holidays are a tough time to love your fellow human beings. Trust me, I know.
I worked retail during the holidays for about 8 years. One Christmas, I managed the “Holiday Shoppe” at Bloomingdales in White Plains, NY. You have some very nice spirited people but there were also very many high maintenance Paris Hilton Westchester County types as well (there I go making a generalization about people). No offense Senator Clinton.

I could write a book about that experience.

I’ve gotten off task here. Where was I?

I am hoping that we raise our child right. No kid is perfect, but I am hoping that our kid is respectful, holds the door for someone, picks up and hands a person back the quarter that fell out of someone’s pocket, that stops and apologizes if he accidentally bumps into someone, doesn’t talk about people behind their backs, is a good friend and a good person and sees the world as full of human beings, not classifications.

That’s what I hope to teach my kid. If he doesn’t become a engineer or scientist or surgeon (notice I leave lawyer out of the list), it’s okay. I just hope he’s happy and enjoys life because people treat him as well as he treats people.
I just hope he’s a good driver and will be a little more patient (and drive a little slower) than his mommy.

a cute little boy we know went to the doctor today. this adorable little guy got some great news.
the fluid around his heart is almost totally gone!

way to go Kaden!!

Time goes much quicker when you have great friends to hang out with.

swish, woosh, woosh, swish, BANG, swish, woosh, woosh, swish, BANG

movement, heartbeat, heartbeat, hiccup, movement, heartbeat, heartbeat, hiccup

A friend of ours lent us a "professional" grade doppler. It is so cool!

He is now averaging the hiccups 4-5 times a day and Lois finds it hysterical to use the doppler. You hear the woosh, woosh, woosh of the heartbeat in the background, then loud bangs when he kicks at the doppler or has the hiccups. Then, he proceeds to reposition himself which sounds a little like a swish then a foosh.

Lois went into the doctor on Friday since she had been sick. The doc wanted to make sure the baby was not 'in distress.' After about 10 seconds into the ultrasound, she said "oh, yeah, he's fine. He's a little active, isn't he? I guess he has no idea how much stress he is causing you!"

Yes, he has no idea. He's just in there bouncing around all day long, having the hiccups all the time, hanging out just on top of the cervix, happy as a little clam.

THANK YOU BEVIN!!!!!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SWEETNESS!!!

Poor, poor Lois!

I'll begin by saying, I apologize for those of you who don't like hearing about bodily functions, but when you are pregnant, or the significant other of someone who is pregnant, many conversations include terms that you hopefully never discuss with each other again.

She has spent the last 12 hours throwing up. It's like the first 3 months of the pregnancy all over again. At the last point this morning, she couldn’t even keep water down. I feel so awful for her.

She keeps apologizing to me because she can’t get up and go to the bathroom. I give her a can, then I clean it up. Sorta like practice for when the kid arrives.

I am hoping this is a little quick virus that will be gone today. She’s absolutely miserable. One thing I keep thinking about is what pressure getting sick puts on your abdomen. We don’t want any more pressure than is already there.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

We have wonderful friends. I mean, really, really wonderful friends.

I feel like a schmuck because I am doing almost nothing. We have people come over during the day to keep Lois occupied. We have friends come by at night to bring dinner, make dinner, keep Lois entertained, do dishes, etc.

Salina, Ben, Shawna, Jody and Kari spent a huge chunk out of their weekend to hang in our boring little living room.

Just Tuesday and Wednesday alone, Lois got spoiled with Laura, Jody and Jess keeping her company at various times throughout the day. Then Billy, Loren and Harold brought over dinner. Wednesday, Kathy spent the entire day there baking cookies with Jess, bringing over lunch. Then Suzanne, Kaden and Liz showed up with nuts and cream puffs from Costco and Liz cooked pasta for dinner. We didn’t even have to supply the wine for the chef.

We currently have the following desserts in our house that have all been brought over in the past 24 hours: apple pie, Costco cream puffs, Entenmann’s crumb cake, Costco bag of mixed nuts, homemade oatmeal toffee cookies, homemade mint chocolate cookies (with melted Andes candies, yummy) and more! At least we have a box of clementines to attempt to balance things out.

I will find a way to thank everyone for being the best friends two girls could ever have!

I just can’t believe how many people have stopped to hang with us – and are now offering to come over and help me move stuff around the house to help get Chubby’s room ready!

I don’t know what we ever did to deserve such great people in our lives.

Time is running out!

If you get a moment, please check out these two blogs: Lesbian Dad and Liza was here

And if you choose, please vote for them in the

Weblog awards!

I feel so bad for Lois, not only for the bed rest, but because she seems so uncomfortable all the time now.

She hasn’t gotten too big and we think it’s because he’s already head down. The part of him that’s in her belly area is really just arms, legs and ass, I guess.

It’s not so much his motions that are making her uncomfortable, although he does get his foot under her ribcage an awful lot and seems to want to turn from side to side several times a day. It’s that he body is tired of lying down.

She can’t take being on her back anymore. The right side will work for a little while, then gets really uncomfortable. Then the left side gets really irritating.

Plus, she’s got a pregnancy pillow, regular pillows, blankets and one of those gigantic wedge cushions from a physical therapist friend.

When Lois needs to switch positions, it’s sort of an event.

There’s got to be something I can do to make her more comfortable!

We are at 31 weeks today!

We’ve been a little lax about checking out the weekly progress calendars online for some time now, but each week mark has more relevance at this point.

1. The rate of physical growth slows down just a bit, but even though he doesn't get much longer, he will gain a lot of weight the rest of the pregnancy.

2. Fat continues accumulating. This layer of fat turns his skin from red to the rosy pink he will have as a newborn.

3. Calcium, phosphorus and iron are being stored and his bones are growing and hardening.
Your baby is 16.2 inches (41.1cm) long and weighs 3.3 pounds (1502gm)

4. His brain enters another period of rapid growth, producing hundreds of billions of new nerve cells! Amazing!

5. He may move to the rhythm of music. Studies with heart rates show that he also prefers some types of music to others -- already!

6. Lungs are the only major organ left to complete development. Remember, that while you may be anxious to meet your little one that these last few weeks can be vital - with each day increasing your baby's ability to breathe on her own.
(courtesy of pregnancy.org)


We think Chubby’s closer to 3 lbs and 6 ounces at this point. And we hope that the steroid shots will help speed up the brain and lung development a little. But he is doing very well!

During the ultrasound appointment on Monday, our doctor spent a ton of time with Lois.

Our little guy now has the hiccups 3-4 times a day. He is more active than ever and the doctor told Lois on Monday that it was a sign of a healthy baby and that he had a “very nice shaped head.”

Not sure what that means.

We’re hoping that the bed rest is preventing the molding of his head into a cone shape. He has been head down for well over a month already.

Oh, and the babycenter.com activity of the week is to pack a bag for the hospital. We should include clothes and a toothbrush and some of the following:

• A photograph or object to focus on during labor
• Snacks to keep your energy up and gum or mints for bad breath
• Your favorite pillow, cozy socks, and slippers
• Books or magazines. Nothing too heavy — you won't be able to concentrate
• A nursing nightie and nursing bra
• A going-home outfit for your baby
• A camera or camcorder, fresh batteries, and film, if necessary

We don’t have a going home outfit for him yet, since we weren’t thinking about having a preemie (we still might not have a preemie) and I definitely have not considered nightgowns or nursing nighties or anything like that.

And a video camera? I know I’m not taping the “event”! Lois would kill me.
She’s going to be one of those “vocal” types.

I have a feeling our bag (and I should pack it very soon) will include these items:

- Jelly Bellys
- Gummy bears
- iPod with Melissa Etheridge playlist
- laptop computer or Gameboy with Snood
- little white socks
- Yahtzee or Phase 10

Any other suggestions? Lois' Christmas presents this year will most likely revolve around stuff to keep her entertained and stuff she needs for the hospital.

Lois just called.

Three possibilities can explain what happened
1. the ultrasound tech was really far off on Friday
2. our doctor is really far off today
3. Lois’ cervix mysteriously grew back 3 mm in the past 3 days

Whichever it is, our OB said no change had occurred since the last u/s she did 7 days ago, so she wasn’t going to send Lois to the hospital.

She’s still considered to have 1.2 cm left of cervix! Yippee!!

The even better news is that since my best friend Jess will be in town a little this week, and since some of our friends have light work schedules, Lois is opting to stay at home instead of her parents’ house!

This means she has internet access on the laptop and her own home to be comfy in!

Here we are at day 20!

I made Lois an apple-scented foot bath and it made her weekend!

Tomorrow brings another appointment and we are thinking it might end in an admission to the hospital. And I think we’ve pretty much accepted it.

If the cervix is deteriorating to below 1 cm, we don’t want her to be at home by herself if something happens, or if it’s at a critical point.

I tried to show what’s going on with this “incompetent cervix” thing.

Here is a normal 30 week pregnancy diagram.

Here is my attempt at showing what Lois’ uterus looks like. The blackened area is representing what is pretty much now amniotic fluid. Something like that.

After 4 hours of back and forth with the doctors, Lois was sent home.

The doctor who we will probably switch to said that since there were no contractions, pressure or pain associated with the incompetent cervix at this point, she didn’t need to be admitted to the hospital.

The doc (Dr. F) who made the call is probably the top doctor in this area for high-risk pregnancy. When Lois goes back in on Monday for another appointment, we will finally push the subject of switching to Dr. F due to his experience and his affiliation with the hospital we want to deliver in if Chubby does come sooner rather than later.

At least she’ll be home for the weekend.

I was almost relieved when she was going to be admitted. At least in the hospital, if something happens, she would be in better hands than being alone with either me or her mother.

I was hoping we wouldn’t be spending Christmas in the hospital, now I am hoping that he hangs in there until at least Christmas. If we spend Christmas in the hospital this year to make sure Chubby has more of a chance, piece of cake.

Kaden is coming home from the hospital today.

Lois, on the other hand, is being admitted to the hospital today.

Sigh.

We are waiting for some return phone calls from various doctors. The ultrasound showed that the cervix is now below 1 cm. And it was 1.3 on Monday.

More news to come as I get it!

Someone is coming home from the hospital today!!!!

Lois will be so excited to have her play buddy back!






Have a safe ride home Suz and Kaden!

This looks like fun!

Anyone bored at work?

I'm inviting everyone to play LOST

---

Lois had another doctor appointment on Monday and things are looking good.

The cervix has not decreased and remains at about 1.3 cm. The numbers aren’t great, but at least it’s not getting worse. For now, it looks like they’ll let Lois stay at home unless it goes below 1 cm.

Chubby is still growing and is still the most active baby ever. He’s steadily moving around about 15 hours a day now. And, he still is upside down with his head right on the cervix.

He seems a little overanxious to come out.

For now, Lois is staying with her parents during the week and at home on weekends. The doctor makes her take car trips every week anyway for ultrasounds, so she just heads to her new location afterwards.

Last week, I spent a few nights at her parents, and this week, I will probably only spend one night there due to my goings on at work. Lois is really urging that I don’t get sidetracked or distracted from my new job. Especially since it’s the only income we have for who knows how long.

I miss her terribly, though.

It’s amazing that for 3 years of our relationship (the law school days), we lived 300 miles apart and only saw each other on weekends.

Now, one or two nights apart and I can’t sleep without her. I know it’s probably related to the pregnancy complication stress, but still, I feel a little lame.

As much as this time seems to be moving like molasses, we don’t want it to end too soon.

Keep that baby cooking in there Loey! Time will come that life will be back to normal again. Well, maybe not normal, but at least closer to normal than this.

I need some reader help!

I am doing some giving tree/needy children giving this year and have 6 kids.
I can only spend $10 each and it cannot be something that uses batteries (unless I give extra ones). Plus, it’s the only thing these kids will get from Santa this year, so I need to make it good!

Boy – 1 year
Boy – 10 years
Boy – 13 years
Girl – 2 years
Girl – 14 years
Girl – 16 years

The little ones should be easy. It’s the 10 and 13 year old boys I need some ideas for.
The 14 and 16 year old girls, I might need a little help with. CVS has some great makeup gift boxes for $9.99 each or body splash gift sets for $10.

If anyone has any cool suggestions, please let me know!

We are going through Suz and Kaden withdrawal.

Remember this post?

Well, Kaden is back at Boston Children's. The surgery went well and he was back home within 10 days.

Then, the doctor found that he had fluid collecting in his little heart and they have been back in the hospital 3 weeks.

We are hoping there is an end in sight, and he seems to be more himself the last few days.

We are hoping tomorrow may bring good news.

Please, if everyone can keep them in your thoughts and prayers to be home soon with a happy and healthy Kaden!

Day 14

Believe it or not, after months of nagging, Holly has finally pressured me into posting. Why not, what else do I have to do???

POOR HOLLY, that’s all I have to say.

She’s trying so hard and for the most part, has been pretty successful in taking on every responsibility and then some. I didn’t know she had it in her… cooking, laundry, cleaning (we’ll discuss the vacuum incident later), waiting on me every second, and of course, making the money!!!

Cooking: consists mostly of pasta and take out, although she did make me a complete meal one night – ham, mashed potatoes, and the best veggie casserole ever.

Laundry: let’s just say it’s getting done (I think). I did hear some obscenities coming from the laundry room yesterday.

Cleaning: Definitely not Holly’s strength. Not that she can’t handle it, but I’m working against her. She tried vacuuming yesterday – about 30 secs into it the house smelled like it was burning down. Apparently, the computer power cord can kill a vacuum in no time. I guess that’s one way to get out of it.

Immediately following vacuuming, she decided to empty the dishwasher. Sounds pretty simple, huh. As she pulled the first thing out, she sent a glass sailing across the kitchen smashing in a million pieces. Oh well.

Then there’s the waiting on me (the most important part!) She doesn’t let me get out of bed for anything. She brings me coffee, the computer, jelly beans, water, WHATEVER I want, and makes our visitors the best tortilla dip ever.

In addition to everything above, she is the one and only breadwinner!!! I sit on my ass all day sucking the life out of everyone around me, and I’m not bringing in a penny!!!! Like I said, POOR HOLLY.

(However, she did make one stipulation that I am not so sure about. If she is hanging out with me on the weekends, she makes me watch football instead of letting me watch Lifetime. And apparently, football is on both Saturday and Sunday. What's that about? College and NFL? Argh!)

I want to thank her and make a promise to make all of this up to her after Chubby is born healthy and happy. I also want to thank everyone else for their support. The visits and phone calls are the only things getting me through this!!!

Billy, Loren and Harold, thank you so much for the basket of things to do and eat. I actually learned how to do sudoku!
Ben and Salina, thanks for the company and helping take care of me.
Shawna, I hope I’m not boring you to death watching tv.
Suzanne, I wish I could visit you and Kaden. WE MISS YOU TWO. Come home!!!!
Liz, I’ll keep wine on hand so continue to stop by anytime!
Jen and Bridg, you guys made my day!
Jody and Kari,, great to see you both! come back again, anytime, I mean it.

It’s funny that when you get pregnant, you harp over every little new thing in the pregnancy. Morning sickness seems like it takes forever to pass and waiting for that first recognition of movement is like.

Then, every friend you know who is already a mom tells you time and time again to “enjoy this part” because life comes at you fast.

Right now, we want to fast forward things.

We used to like the term “running through wet tar” in law school as for how time seems to pass. Now, we are in Groundhog’s Day over and over again waiting for time to pass quicker.

Poor Lois is really living it. There’s no change in the schedule or different daily agendas to mix it up. It is the same bed, same shows on TV, same book that she hasn’t opened yet, etc.

Now, we are looking for tasks.

I am going to set her up next week to fill out all of our Christmas Cards.
Bevin is trying to get me to have Lois start knitting.

Lois is a trooper and an amazing individual. I hope this time and the holiday season pass quickly, but slowly enough for us to embrace what we can!

As for the emotional side of all of this, Lois has cried 2x.

Once was on about 4 am on Sunday morning when we heard the closet come crashing down again.

Then, on Wednesday, she did have a decent breakdown, but it was a cute one. I was telling her about the “giving tree” we have at work for needy children. I asked for a bunch of kids since you can only spend $10 per child. I told her that I wanted the kids that no one else did – like the older ones that are harder to buy for. When I told Lois that it couldn’t be anything requiring batteries since they can’t afford replacements and that it had to be something great since it was the only present these kids were going to get, she lost it. It was a full force cry. I think she felt much better afterwards.

It’s been 11 days so far, and we are getting through it.

She’s home right now and will be until Sunday when we talk again about where she wants to be. I will be completely open to whatever she wants.

This afternoon is another ultrasound, so we’ll keep everyone updated.

As for now, write us and tell Lois how much you think she should write some blog posts. She’s apparently a little shy about it and may need some persuasion!

Thanks everyone again for your well wishes!