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Friday, October 31, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
this week i...
...looked at about 12 houses in person and 8 gagillion online
...ratified a contract on our house
...put an offer on a new house
...signed my name about 8 gagillion times and initialed at least as many times
...forgot my husband's birthday
...arrived 55 minutes late for a dentist appointment, thinking i was 5 minutes early
...shopped in the new sur la table
...spent 4 hours in a small conference room with a realtor, a husband and two toddlers
...actually took a nap and was not awakened by small screaming people
...mentally rearranged furniture in what i hope becomes my new house about 8 gagillion times
...had three bowls of soup and rediscovered my love of autumn
...took 4 over the counter medications and 2 prescriptions trying to get rid of this f*cking cough
...talked to verizon on the phone countless times trying to resolve our phone issue
...didn't have time for a real post.
...ratified a contract on our house
...put an offer on a new house
...signed my name about 8 gagillion times and initialed at least as many times
...forgot my husband's birthday
...arrived 55 minutes late for a dentist appointment, thinking i was 5 minutes early
...shopped in the new sur la table
...spent 4 hours in a small conference room with a realtor, a husband and two toddlers
...actually took a nap and was not awakened by small screaming people
...mentally rearranged furniture in what i hope becomes my new house about 8 gagillion times
...had three bowls of soup and rediscovered my love of autumn
...took 4 over the counter medications and 2 prescriptions trying to get rid of this f*cking cough
...talked to verizon on the phone countless times trying to resolve our phone issue
...didn't have time for a real post.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
i'm sort of amazed
the in-laws just left after a brief visit to celebrate j.'s birthday. i dont think i rolled my eyes once during the visit. its sad, but i think one heart attack (fil) and a continued battle with stage 4 ovarian cancer (mil), have made them take stock of the important things in life.
they got into town, at my invitation, late yesterday afternoon to enjoy a surprise night out just for the grown-ups. my mom was gracious enough to watch the boys, so j. and i could have a civilized dinner with the in-laws. and they didnt even drone on and on about politics which, given the close proximity to an historic election, is a small miracle in and of itself. we had a fantastic dinner after which we returned his parents to their hotel (which is probably due some credit for the success of the visit).
this morning the in-laws returned to our house to visit with the boys. and for the first time ever, they actually got on the floor and played with the boys. and the most wonderful part is that they genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves! who knew? whatever alternate universe is responsible for this gift on j.'s birthday, please accept my undying gratitude. its about time!
they got into town, at my invitation, late yesterday afternoon to enjoy a surprise night out just for the grown-ups. my mom was gracious enough to watch the boys, so j. and i could have a civilized dinner with the in-laws. and they didnt even drone on and on about politics which, given the close proximity to an historic election, is a small miracle in and of itself. we had a fantastic dinner after which we returned his parents to their hotel (which is probably due some credit for the success of the visit).
this morning the in-laws returned to our house to visit with the boys. and for the first time ever, they actually got on the floor and played with the boys. and the most wonderful part is that they genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves! who knew? whatever alternate universe is responsible for this gift on j.'s birthday, please accept my undying gratitude. its about time!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
pregnancy and infant loss remembrance day
october 15th is pregnancy and infant loss remembrance day. at 7pm tonight there will be a wave of light to commemorate the day.
when m. and k. were in the nicu i developed sort of a routine. i would get up in the morning, after a night of fitful sleep and pumping every 3 hours all night long, exhausted. exhausted! i would ready f. for the school day and we would get in the car with my mom (before i was released to drive). my mom would drop me at the hospital before taking f. to school for me. i would go into the restroom alone and bawl my eyes out for a good 15 minutes. each. and. every. time. i needed that release and needed to steel myself for whatever faced me beyond those locked doors of the nicu. so many things go on behind those doors. babies fight for their lives each and every moment. crossover the threshold and it is not long before you hear an alarm going off indicating that fight and in some cases the end of a long and tortured battle. i remind myself often how lucky we were to go home with two live babies. so many mothers are not that lucky. tonight at 7pm i will be honoring them and their lost angels.
when m. and k. were in the nicu i developed sort of a routine. i would get up in the morning, after a night of fitful sleep and pumping every 3 hours all night long, exhausted. exhausted! i would ready f. for the school day and we would get in the car with my mom (before i was released to drive). my mom would drop me at the hospital before taking f. to school for me. i would go into the restroom alone and bawl my eyes out for a good 15 minutes. each. and. every. time. i needed that release and needed to steel myself for whatever faced me beyond those locked doors of the nicu. so many things go on behind those doors. babies fight for their lives each and every moment. crossover the threshold and it is not long before you hear an alarm going off indicating that fight and in some cases the end of a long and tortured battle. i remind myself often how lucky we were to go home with two live babies. so many mothers are not that lucky. tonight at 7pm i will be honoring them and their lost angels.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
in case you are checking
i havent been to tar.get since sunday! and the last time i had buffalo and bleu cheese dip was saturday! progress, i know.
Monday, October 13, 2008
Sunday, October 12, 2008
the first step is admitting the problem, right?
it started out innocently enough. i was on the school bus headed to a field trip, f.'s field trip last week. we were headed down riva road, when i overheard a chaperone an enabler say, does that sign say "now open"?! i looked over my shoulder and it was as if the clouds parted. sure enough, the sign on the brand new tar.get in annapolis read "now open". soon enough the bus was in a tizzy, "it wasnt supposed to open until sunday!" someone yelled. "i know, i marked my calender" another chimed in. ok, so maybe those were just the voices in my own head.
wednesday after the bus returned the children and chaperones back to school i got in my own car and went directly to tar.get. i just had to see if the sign was right. honestly, i didnt even buy anything. on that trip. thursday night i went back, and bought supplies for our weekend visitors. donuts and juice boxes for the kids, buffalo and bleu cheese dip for the grownups. and while we are on the subject of addiction - be aware - buffalo and bleu cheese dip is undoubtedly categorized as some type of gateway drug! friday morning we went back to procure supplies for the visiting children to wear for pictures later that day and star.bucks for the grownups (so they too could survive pictures that day). in fairness, the star.bucks is located conveniently right inside of the new tar.get. friday night we went back because after all, it had been opened for at least 3 days and j. had not yet seen the inside. more supplies were procured. saturday i tried hard to go cold turkey. instead i sent j. - more buffalo and blue cheese dip was required. no one can remember what happened to the first container. i think we all blacked out! today was going to be a quiet day. we were just going to change the wardrobe seasons for the boys. wait, we need some storage boxes to stash away all the summer clothes. back i went to tar.get - supplies were procured.
hi, my name is n., and i am a targaholic. the first step is admitting the problem, right?
wednesday after the bus returned the children and chaperones back to school i got in my own car and went directly to tar.get. i just had to see if the sign was right. honestly, i didnt even buy anything. on that trip. thursday night i went back, and bought supplies for our weekend visitors. donuts and juice boxes for the kids, buffalo and bleu cheese dip for the grownups. and while we are on the subject of addiction - be aware - buffalo and bleu cheese dip is undoubtedly categorized as some type of gateway drug! friday morning we went back to procure supplies for the visiting children to wear for pictures later that day and star.bucks for the grownups (so they too could survive pictures that day). in fairness, the star.bucks is located conveniently right inside of the new tar.get. friday night we went back because after all, it had been opened for at least 3 days and j. had not yet seen the inside. more supplies were procured. saturday i tried hard to go cold turkey. instead i sent j. - more buffalo and blue cheese dip was required. no one can remember what happened to the first container. i think we all blacked out! today was going to be a quiet day. we were just going to change the wardrobe seasons for the boys. wait, we need some storage boxes to stash away all the summer clothes. back i went to tar.get - supplies were procured.
hi, my name is n., and i am a targaholic. the first step is admitting the problem, right?
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act.
I support H.R. 5979 Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act and you should too! take a few extra minutes to read this post and then get in gear and take action.
October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in the United States. More than 25,000 children are stillborn in the United States every year leaving mothers, entire families and communities devastated. Estimates of the rate of occurrence of stillbirth make it at least as common as autism.
Stillbirth is not an intractable problem. Greater research would likely significantly reduce its incidence, but good research requires good data. H.R. 5979: Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act is under consideration by Congress. This proposed bill would standardize stillbirth investigation and diagnosis, thus providing more data for the needed research. Better research means fewer children born still.
On October 15th, remember the thousands of unfinished children lost and the families who remain to grieve them. Honor them by taking action. Let's help pass H.R. 5979.
Action Steps:
Step 1. Use Your Blog to Enlist Others
-Copy the contents of this entire post and publish it on your blog immediately.
GOAL: Enlist 10 of your readers to spread the word
Step 2. Use Your E-mail to Enlist Others
-E-mail 5 bloggers and ask them (nicely and in an unspammy way) to publish these action steps on their blog. Consider contacting celebrity bloggers, political bloggers, medical bloggers, or bloggers who are not part of your reading community.
GOAL: Enlist 3 bloggers outside of your normal blog sphere to spread the word in other online communities.
Step 3. Help Pass the Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act
-By October 15th, publish a post on your blog supporting H.R. 5979 Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act. For maximum impact, title your post: "Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act."
ALSO
if you have been reading this for any length of time, you know that m. and k., were born very early. (you can go back in my archives and read all about it) despite the drs. best efforts to keep me flat on my back, connected 24X7 to contraction halting medication, daily x3 fetal monitoring, etc.; m. and k. still joined us a full 9 weeks before their due date. i would not wish the 5 weeks i spent alone in the hospital on anyone. nor would i wish the 40 days total i spent in the NICU praying for the health and safety of my 3 and 4 lb babies. no mother should be put in that position. it is a horrible place to be, one that nearly two years later can still reduce me to a pile of streaming tears. however, all this being said - there are many moms who have it much worse. they walk out the hospital doors without their child safely tucked into a carseat. some moms despite their best efforts and those of their drs. walk out those doors empty handed. more infants in the US die today because of prematurity, more than any other cause. if any number of things during the course of those 4 months in 2006-07 had gone differently, i could very easily have been one of those moms walking out empty handed. i remind myself just how lucky i am almost every day. i urge you to take a minute and follow these links to help moms:
the march of dimes is urging the federal government to support prematurity related research:
click here to support this effort
thanks!
October 15th is National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day in the United States. More than 25,000 children are stillborn in the United States every year leaving mothers, entire families and communities devastated. Estimates of the rate of occurrence of stillbirth make it at least as common as autism.
Stillbirth is not an intractable problem. Greater research would likely significantly reduce its incidence, but good research requires good data. H.R. 5979: Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act is under consideration by Congress. This proposed bill would standardize stillbirth investigation and diagnosis, thus providing more data for the needed research. Better research means fewer children born still.
On October 15th, remember the thousands of unfinished children lost and the families who remain to grieve them. Honor them by taking action. Let's help pass H.R. 5979.
Action Steps:
Step 1. Use Your Blog to Enlist Others
-Copy the contents of this entire post and publish it on your blog immediately.
GOAL: Enlist 10 of your readers to spread the word
Step 2. Use Your E-mail to Enlist Others
-E-mail 5 bloggers and ask them (nicely and in an unspammy way) to publish these action steps on their blog. Consider contacting celebrity bloggers, political bloggers, medical bloggers, or bloggers who are not part of your reading community.
GOAL: Enlist 3 bloggers outside of your normal blog sphere to spread the word in other online communities.
Step 3. Help Pass the Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act
-By October 15th, publish a post on your blog supporting H.R. 5979 Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act. For maximum impact, title your post: "Stillbirth Awareness and Research Act."
ALSO
if you have been reading this for any length of time, you know that m. and k., were born very early. (you can go back in my archives and read all about it) despite the drs. best efforts to keep me flat on my back, connected 24X7 to contraction halting medication, daily x3 fetal monitoring, etc.; m. and k. still joined us a full 9 weeks before their due date. i would not wish the 5 weeks i spent alone in the hospital on anyone. nor would i wish the 40 days total i spent in the NICU praying for the health and safety of my 3 and 4 lb babies. no mother should be put in that position. it is a horrible place to be, one that nearly two years later can still reduce me to a pile of streaming tears. however, all this being said - there are many moms who have it much worse. they walk out the hospital doors without their child safely tucked into a carseat. some moms despite their best efforts and those of their drs. walk out those doors empty handed. more infants in the US die today because of prematurity, more than any other cause. if any number of things during the course of those 4 months in 2006-07 had gone differently, i could very easily have been one of those moms walking out empty handed. i remind myself just how lucky i am almost every day. i urge you to take a minute and follow these links to help moms:
the march of dimes is urging the federal government to support prematurity related research:
click here to support this effort
thanks!
Sunday, October 5, 2008
weekend wrap up
we had a great weekend. we spent yesterday in the fields picking pumpkins and apples and going on 3, yes 3, hayrides! m. is crazy, i mean absolutely crazy, about hayrides. every time i put him down or let go of his hand he went running for the hayride. we could not get the kid off it. what we thought would be a quick stop turned into spending the afternoon there. we had lunch first in the little restaurant at baughers, which has been around since forever. and i think they only raised the prices once since they opened because it was so inexpensive. then we headed over to the orchard and spent the next 3 hours playing with pumpkins and apples and hay. f. also enjoyed their gigantic pumpkin shaped moon bounce. on the way home we stopped by granny and pop's for a quick visit and quickly went about dismantling their living room. the boys are really into everything these days.
today we took the kids to oktoberfest in west annapolis. the elementary school there always puts on a fun carnival with age appropriate games and fun prizes, which f. loves. we ran into a bunch of old friends, which is always nice. and the oompah band is always a hit. m. was dancing along in his stroller. it was a gorgeous day, but way too busy to let the little guys roam free at this jam-packed event. j. and i had oyster shooters and the yummy german potato salad - yum, yum! the real beauty was that while we were out we had a showing, which for once totally fit into our schedule. the only thing that could have made the weekend better would have been an actual offer on the house.
today we took the kids to oktoberfest in west annapolis. the elementary school there always puts on a fun carnival with age appropriate games and fun prizes, which f. loves. we ran into a bunch of old friends, which is always nice. and the oompah band is always a hit. m. was dancing along in his stroller. it was a gorgeous day, but way too busy to let the little guys roam free at this jam-packed event. j. and i had oyster shooters and the yummy german potato salad - yum, yum! the real beauty was that while we were out we had a showing, which for once totally fit into our schedule. the only thing that could have made the weekend better would have been an actual offer on the house.
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