My heart is hurting, my mind is whirling, my brain is stirring, please dear God let this long week for Stellan and his family end soon with a sigh of relief!
You have the power to turn it around, you have the power.
Please with deepest heartfelt prayer, please let this little boy, loved by thousands, pull out of this condition and grant the miracle in him that he was granted at birth!

I'm pulling for him, I'm praying for him, I am thinking of him constantly, his precious smile flashes through my mind uncountable times throughout the day.
You want many to know him, you want many to love him, you want many to pray for him, please Lord, we ask that you heal him!

A case of the "why's"

I didn't write this, but thought it was good enough to share!


Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are almost dead?

Why do banks charge a fee on 'insufficient funds' when they already know there is not enough money?

Why does someone Believe you when you say there are four billion stars; but have to check when you say the paint is still wet?

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Whose idea was it to put an 'S' in the word 'lisp'?

If people evolved from apes, Why are there still apes?

Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?

Is there ever a day that mattresses Are not on sale?

Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will
have materialized?

Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?

Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?

How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?

When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, 'It's all right?' Well, it isn't all right, so why don't we say, 'That really hurt, why don't you watch where you're going?'

Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that's falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?

In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer when we complained about the heat?

How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?

And......The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends -- if they're okay, then it's you.

Miles birth story

I can't believe my little boy is already almost 13 months!

Before I share my birth story, I want to share a little background, I had an epidural with Acilia, I didn't want to take any chances, I was afraid of the pain. When I had her though, I got the epidural because they said it was time, not because I *needed* it. My delivery with her was great, but I couldn't help but wonder if I could do it without the drugs. What really put it all into perspective for me, was my extreme hate for catheters! You have an epidural, you are getting a catheter. Ugh! I hate them!!! Fast forward to when I was 15 weeks along with Miles, I had some bleeding. I was taken to the ER and of course the first thing they do is put a catheter in! :/ That was the day I decided I was going to do what I could to hold off on an epidural when delivery day came and just *see* if I could go without one. I had my mind open, afterall you never know what is going to happen in the delivery room, but it was a hopeful goal of mine. JUST so I wouldn't have to have a catheter :) I bring this story up, because I wanted to note the sheer irony at the end of my birth story, and I hope it makes more sense knowing this little fact!




So....



Friday, February 29th, a day after my due date, I had a doctor appointment. I had been stuck at 4 cm's for the previous three weeks, so, when I felt twinges of discomfort the three days leading up to Friday, I thought *maybe* something would have changed, but, I surely didn't have my hopes up! I get into the office, I was lamenting over the fact that I was still pregnant. Dr. suggested we check, as he's checking, he started to suggest membrane stripping and then I should go home and have some lovey dovey time with hubby and most likely that would do it. He stopped mid sentence though when he found that I was 6-7 cm's dilated. The talk that we had about stripping membranes was quickly averted to doc backing away slowly and telling me I was going to the hospital. I got there about 1:30. The nurses anticipated a woman coming in, in raging labor, and that just wasn't the case. I have concluded my body is very weird! :) I must admit, when doc told me it was time to go to the hospital, I went home; made Acilia lunch; grabbed my bag, I got to the hospital about 2 hours after my doctor had called to let them know I was coming in. To make matters even more amusing, I came strolling in to meet Al who was there waiting for ME. Hee hee! I found myself stalling because I knew I would be stuck at the hospital for a few days once I was admitted. The nurses even mentioned they thought I had gone to a different hospital since it took me so long to get there! Anyway, I made it and we got all situated in the room, my mom, hubby, my sister in law and Acilia, who was so excited to become a big sister! The doctor came in and broke my water at 3:18 PM. We waited. My sister in law kept looking at the monitor wondering why I wasn't affected by the peaking contractions that were showing up! (Yup, weird body!!) About twenty minutes later, I asked for the "birthing ball" I figured it would be a little more comfortable than the bed. I sat on the ball next to the bed, and put my feet on the bed, my mom massaged my feet with lavender oil. Really nice :) The contractions began to get painful. I moved back to the bed, and kind of just buried my head on the pillow when they hurt. They were good ones for about twenty minutes. Then I started feeling a little pressure during the contractions. I asked to be checked again, they said I had just a little bit to go....it was 5 PM, I mentioned I thought Acilia should leave the room. No sooner did she leave and my body became the "worker" and I felt like a "spectator"!!!! I had no control, if anyone had asked me not to push, well that just wouldn't have even been an option. He was coming out! I asked for the squatting bar, and within four minutes, gravity and some pushing on my part worked him right out!!!!! I laid back on the bed and just cried!! It was awesome! I noticed then that the room was pretty much full of nurses!!!! The way I delivered, apparently was a first for the hospital, so we had some interested eyes!! It was amusing and impressive! I held my little man and just cried! Then, it was time to deliver the placenta. It took 35 minutes and when I tell you what they had to do to remove it, I am not exaggerating that it was the worst part of delivery! Doc had to manually extract the placenta as I was levitating off the bed in agony! They were asking if I wanted something for the pain. I couldn't believe my ears! I had just successfully delivered my baby naturally, as I had hoped and I was going to take drugs to get the placenta out?? I couldn't bring myself to say yes, but it was torture! I could have sworn my insides were being ripped out! Between excessive bleeding, and high blood pressure; I was made to stay in labor and delivery for 24 hours, while they administered magnesium through IV and I dealt with having a catheter put in! I swear, irony is what it was! It's laughable now though :) My beautiful baby boy was 8 pounds, 9 ounces 21 inches. Born on LEAP DAY at 5:04 PM :)

Mind blip

Many 'o times I have been in the midst of my day and something will pop in to my mind that is worthy of noting...a lot of times it's been a quote, or a line in a poem that I would then need to sit down and form the entire poem around it, sometimes it's something like a "catch phrase" just a bunch of random nothingness ;)
Now that I have a blog, I have a place to "note" my "noteworthy's"...so here it is:
It doesn't have to be my way, but my way is best. ;)
This came to me when I was in the dishwasher putting breakfast dishes in, I noticed a dish in there that had not been rinsed, I always rinse mine!! (typical woman syndrome) which made me realize that my ever trying hubby had taken the extra second it takes to take the dish he used and instead of putting it next to the sink, he actually put it IN the dishwasher!! YAY points for hubby!! However, clearly he forgot to rinse it! Shame!! Hee hee! I love him and his trying ways!

I will leave you with another "noteworthy" which is my favorite:
Life is a road full of hills, enjoy the view from the top of each hill and take the ditches as learning experiences.

A glimmer of summer

The days are getting longer, the sun is out bright, today it's going to be 75 degrees. In MARCH! After a long and tedious winter, this is a welcome break for me! Sun and warmth make me feel alive!! I have been saying my prayers of thanks for this beautiful weather. Al has been in the garage working on his bike. Acilia was outside from the time she got home from school until it was time to get ready for bed. She was enjoying time with her neighbor friends and our yard was busy with play. It's so fun to see the joys that our beautiful Earth brings!

Introducing my mom

My mom, Shelby

My mother and I have an interesting dynamic to our relationship. She was always a great mother, she raised us well, but she was also a great friend. I felt comfortable going to her for anything and telling her anything. The few times I *did* try to keep something from her, she saw through me like I was a clear window! Now that I am grown, I can truly 100% call her my best friend. She is a great mother, a great grandmother, and great friend!

My purpose for this post was to introduce her to you...afterall, she will be talked about often in this blog for sure, and I forgot to introduce her in my first post.

Sunday!

When I was a child, I distinctly remember my mom coming in to my room on Sunday mornings to wake me from my slumber so we could go to church. As I got older, and more rebellious, I would *pretend* to be sleeping, so she would give up on waking me and I wouldn't have to go to church. She was hip to my tricks though, and it never worked anyway!

It didn't click for me until just recently, how comforting Sunday's at church really are. I have grown to appreciate my weekly dose of church and even look forward to it! I proudly bring my kids with me, and sit with my mom. We say friendly hellos to fellow members whom have been attending since I was a child. It feels great! It feels like home!

My pastor, I have grown to admire! I didn't always appreciate his character. When I was a confirmand in 7th grade, our "shake of the hand" after church led to him once telling me "It would be nice if you would sing while in church" (*gasp!* The nerve!) He noticed out of the entire congregation that *I* among all worshippers thought I was "too good" to sing the hymns! He noticed. He cared. I didn't realize this until I got older and I shared with my Pastor the religious milestones that are so special. He married Albert and me. He baptized Acilia and Miles. He counseled me at times when I was searching for my path. He's an amazing pastor and I am so thankful to have found my place in this amazing church. They welcome me with open arms always and adore my kids too! Even when they are disruptive in church. :)