Still no crooked ducks!

Not for lack of willing it and wishing it though. Weekend went off without a hitch. One kid went to a friend's for a sleepover, two went to Disney on Ice with Auntie and the other was here with me while Daddy worked. Nada, nothing, zero, zilch, zip.
Now Qbert is on Spring Break, I'm ready to have a flippping nervous breakdown from all his fighting with Emale. Princess G has actually been the easier of the three to deal with today; spent most of today working on cleaning her room and no back-talk (there IS a God LOL) and Pickle has been great; took a long fun bubble bath, snuggled with me until he fell asleep for an hour or two (amazing the way his brothers were acting two rooms away) and is happily watching Sprout TV now.
Let's hope I make it the next few hours until supper/bedtime since Daddy is working tonight and then I'm going to try to savor the peace and quiet. Is it just me or is school vacation a test of sanity for stay-at-home parents?
My break is over; back to my striped shirt and whistle. Wish me luck.

Here's to....CROOKED DUCKS!!!

What with all my pre-labor stuff going on, it's been anyone's guess as to when D-Day (delivery day) will actually come,but the general consensus of those around me is that I won't make it out of March, nevermind into April. Well, about a week or so ago, my aunt who I adore (she's absolutely more my sister) came up with the idea of "Crooked Ducks".....I will deliver when it is the least convenient time. Thus far, we have had 'all our ducks in a row' as much as possible. So this Saturday, we will have lots of Crooked Ducks as Lisa brings two of the kids to Disney on Ice and simultaneously, David will be assisting a dj with a wedding and I won't be able to reach him. And come on, how likely is it that Lisa would hear her cell ring in a crowded and LOUD auditorium??? I know she'll check it a million times to see if I call so I'm really not worried. But the running joke right now is that I'll have Q-bert and Pickle here at home with me and that'll be when the Crooked Ducks show up... ie I go into labor. I'm not worried though, if it did happen, Q is cool and level-headed and will follow my instructions to call whoever I say even if it's 911. Honestly, I don't expect anything to happen,but how funny if it did! Q-Bert did enjoy playing catcher in Little League ::::::hee hee:::::

To Labor.....or Cut!

Today I had my 36 (?) week appt. According to the dr I'm a couple of days shy of 36wks. According to me, I'm about 38wks. Well, we discussed my concerns about delivering a baby over 8lbs due to complications with Pickle. Each of my kids has been 3oz and 1/2" bigger than the one before so it stands to reason that the Princess will be at least 8.6lbs and 21" long. When delivering Pickle, we did not know quite what to expect and he was born with shoulder dystocia and hip dysplasia (requiring him to be in a Pavlic harness for 3mos). I was told then that if I ever was to have another baby, do not deliver one over 8lbs. That brings us to now. My current dr wants me to strongly consider an elective c/s at 39wks if it seems she'll be a big baby. Now I'm not against c/s; my first was a c/s. Heck, they can pull the baby out of my big toe if it's the safest method. I just don't relish the idea of recovering from a c/s with a newborn and two toddlers underfoot. So after our discussion and agreeing that an u/s should be done in two weeks to get a size estimate, I told him I think she weighs at least 6lbs now and he didn't doubt me. He said he gives as much if not more credence to mom's intuition as those last minute u/s which can be a pound off either way. Then he measured me. HA! I've been saying all along I think I'm further along than he's calculating,but numbers are numbers. Guess what? I'm suddenly measuring 2-3wks ahead! He seemed surprised,but I didn't. He's still considering me about 36wks though so I just have to sit tight and wait to see if I go into full labor first or to what he's got as my 39wks mark and cut! As if I needed more to be anxious about! LOL

HAPPY ST PATRICK'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!


Getting ready to go...


Chilling out waiting for Yaa-Yaa & KeeKee

Princess G and Grammie Peg in the parade

Today was a lovely 70* out (which I definately do NOT take for granted my beloved Bostonians!) and I was on "labor" watch so Lisa decided to forgo the Denver St Patty's parade with her dad, stepmom and all to stick close by me since David had to work all day and into the evening. Is she great or what? :-) Rather than sit at home, we brought KeeKee and the little guys to the local parade. She grew up going to the parade in Southie and said that this one was nothing like it; pale in comparison. I can only imagine. Her mom is in a women's motorcycle club (Women in the Wind), Princess G is their "mascot" if you will and was so excited to be a part of the parade today (her first event with them). After seeing Women in the Wind, we left and went out for lunch at Red Robin then a trip to Wally World before heading home. We were all sunburned (except KeeKee who was impecably protected from the sun) and tired and I have to say that considering that the boys had not napped (except for a quick power nap Pickle took between the parade route and Red Robin) they were AMAZINGLY well behaved and made it one of those days were I am reminded of just how *fun* being a mom can be and how lucky I am to have these little men for my kids.

*No luck of the Irish for me today in bringing the new princess into the world,but certainly not for lack of trying with all that walking.

Hug the ones you love....

In these days while I wait for the arrival of our baby girl, my thoughts are not of things negative. How could they be? Birth is a beginning, spring for me is a beginning. Alas, for some it is an end and a very unexpected, unbearably painful one at that.
Today I received a long distance call from a friend telling me that her husband died in the wee hours of this morning. Her husband was in a terrible car accident on his way to work last week and the doctor told her and the family that it was a miracle that he wasn't killed right away (thank you Ford for your big a** trucks!),but that it was crucial that he make it through the first 24hrs. He made it to 23hrs, woke briefly from his unconcious state and spoke to my friend for all of five minutes before slipping into a coma. She kept vigil by his side of course willing him to recover, talking to him, cleaning him anything to help him. When I heard from her a couple of days ago, it looked as if he would come out of this coma soon, rehab and live a rather normal life from now on. Well, we all know that doctors are not God. Apparently, God had something else in store. Mind you, my friend and her husband were separated. She wanted nothing more than to have her marriage and husband back again and it seemed as if it would happen. In those 5mins he spoke to her last week, he told her how he loved her. Did he forget they had been apart? Or was he so grateful for a second chance? We'll never know. Now she is a young widowed mom of two beautiful girls under the age of 5. She told me that her sitter had said the older daughter woke in the middle of the night last night crying that there was a large man angel in her room. She was too scared to go back in there. Only when my friend went to pick up her girls did she tell the sitter that their daddy had passed less than half an hour before that! I believe children see angels, I believe that people we love, let us know that they are with us. And this was his way of letting his little girls know he was still with them; they're just too young to understand. She doesn't know how she will tell them that Daddy won't be coming home again. My friend and her husband were not religious people per se and she is struggling with this devastating loss right now and fighting her anger while hoping that there is a Heaven and that her husband is there now. We may not share exactly the same beliefs, but I couldn't help crying for her and with her. She faces many difficult days ahead without the support of family and I'm in another country so I can't be of help in person. I pray for them, I listen to her and I can only hope that is enough. My heart goes out to anyone who loses a spouse, a parent, a child, anyone so close to them. I thought losing my stepmom a few years ago was the worst thing ever, I can't imagine losing my spouse or my child. My brain just can't go there. Regardless of the relationship, if it's not horrible being with them, it's got to be horrible being without them.
So hug your loved ones tight, tell them you love them. Heaven forbid one day it could be one of us making that phone call to a friend.

Another quick update....

Had my 33.4wk checkup today and all went well. Dr said to keep up with my routine, stay on my meds and go into be checked out if I get more than 4 good contractions in an hour. Easy for him to say when I have to rally the troops just so I can do that. And I hate having to inconvenience people so having the pressuring thought of something happen in the middle of the night and dragging them out of bed isn't comforting,but they've told me repeatedly that they're here for us regardless of when it happens and I know we're blessed to have them when some parents are not so lucky. Dr also said that it's possible that the princess is going to be born sooner than we thought (now haven't I been saying that? LOL). I also signed my consent to call it quits after this baby. He wanted to make sure I understand it's permanent etc. I said, "Dr, I'm going to be 40 in September. I've had 4 babies and this is my 5th. My oldest is getting married this summer...TRUST ME I'm done!" We had a good laugh and then he teased saying, "I guess so! Now you get to sit and wait to be a GRANDMA" I told him quite matter-of-factly "DON'T go there!" LOL Thankfully, when I relayed this story to my daughter, she laughed too and assured me that it will be a few years (thank you Tink!!).

And I'm also so very happy to say that I'm going to have a new NEPHEW in a few months! I'm so excited. My SIL and BIL found out today and both mommy and baby boy are doing well and hopefully will continue to grow and thrive beautifully. Yet another reason to look forward to going home this summer!

Looks like we made it....to 33wks and counting

And to answer some of the more popular questions I get:

1. YES we know what causes this
2. NO we don't plan on more
3. YES my dr knows to "get 'er done" asap after the birth
4. YES we have room for her; we stack 'em like cord wood
5. YES I know I'll have my hands full
6. NO I'm NOT having triplets!!!!!!

H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y !!!!!!!!

Just a quickie to wish a very happy birthday to some special people in my life celebrating their "big day" this month.......

Kimberly, Jonathon, Mary, Candace, Mum, Christopher, Bobby Jr, Ashley, Shelly, Jason, Sarah, belated wishes to Jessica and lovingly remembering Nana & Courtney.

Wishing you all a wonderful birthday and many, many more to come!