The Day Our Lives Changed ForEVER

I don't remember the exact date, I just know it was a Tuesday. I sat in the courtyard next to Coldstones smoking my cigarette and I thought to myself, This is going to be my last smoke. I'm pregnant.

Ok hold on, I'm jumping ahead a little bit. About two weeks before that, I started being nauseated all day long. My appetite dropped, my energy dropped, and I just felt nauseous all the time, like a fuzziness in my tummy. I didn't think anything of it, really, maybe I was working too much or staying up too late too frequently.  Pregnancy never even crossed my mind. We never used protection, but Dominick was sterile due to having 2 separate strains of the Chicken Pox at the same time when he was in his mid 20's. We had been together for a year and never once were we concerned about getting pregnant.

So I went about my day to day life, complaining once in a while about not feeling well. Once a month we would take a weekend and stay at a hotel somewhere, just to get away and relax, that month we stayed in Ventura, on the beach. We got up on Saturday and headed out to get some breakfast (at noon-ish) and I could not eat a single bite I was so nauseated. I remember making a comment about going to see the doctor about it because it had been about two weeks of it and I was getting worried that I may have an ulcer or something. Dominick was the one who suggested I take a pregnancy test first.

I laughed at him.

Then I thought about it. It couldn't hurt, right?? If anything when I DID go see the doctor I could tell him that I knew I was pregnant, just one less test for them to worry about.

It took us a few days to get the test, I don't remember why, busy with life and work, I assume. 

{I just have to say here, I couldn't drive because I had gotten in a car accident the year before.......my fourth......and I lost my license and my car was totaled....I was very reckless as a teen. Just wanted to set up an idea of what kind of lifestyle I was living at the time}

I waited for him outside of Coldstone's, smoking and telling myself that it was the last time I would smoke because I was pregnant. I just knew. At that moment, for some reason, despite being so sure that I wasn't just hours before as I got ready for Dom to pick me up, I knew.

Dom came and we went to pick a test. We got the one that said PREGNANT or NOT PREGNANT just so there were no mistakes. When we got to the apartment I went straight to the bathroom. I read the instructions. They clearly said to wait two minutes for results. I peed, grabbed the cap, and as I was placing the stick back on the counter, the word showed up.

PREGNANT

I am not going to write down the expletives that went through my head at that very moment, because there were several, and they were all very vibrant. Let's just say I had no idea what else to think.

How is this possible?

What is Dom going to say?

What are my parents going to say?

How am I going to tell my parents?

Do I have to tell my parents?

My parents are going to kill me.

How do I tell Dom?

He's going to wonder what's taking me so long...

wait, it said two minutes, I've only been in here for one.....I have time....

All of this went through my head practically at the same time, I thought I was going to explode.

Finally I opened the door and showed Dominick. He reacted pretty much the same way I did.

Oh crap.

We both just stood and stared at the wall for a moment. Then he said ok.

That was it. "ok". That's all that was said about it for the next couple of hours. I called and made an appointment to get a blood test done to check my hormone levels so we could get an idea of how far along I was. It turned out I was 8 weeks.

We went through some fights at first, we were both scared and had no idea how to handle it, or what to do next. I told my parents (well, actually my mom guessed that Friday, the day we got the blood test back) and neither one of them killed me. We all worked it out.

God had a plan, and if you ever need an example of how far off our plans usually are from God's, just read this story.

I was 19 years old, not married to this man nearly 17 years older than me, living a life out of control and full of sin, and of all things, God used a baby to smack us both in the face. If it weren't for getting pregnant with Theren, who knows what would have happened to me or to Dom. Who knows if I would have ever stepped back onto God's path and back into His arms. Who knows if Dom would ever have been able to find the peace in his heart that he has now through God.

God has a plan, and it very rarely runs along side our own, but oh how I thank Him that it doesn't.

Icy-Pops & Primrose Oil

I'm posting about two separate topic in this post, because I think it's a bit much to have several posts on one blog to read. I say put everything into one, roll it up with some rice and some dried seaweed, and mow down. (Can you tell I've been wanting sushi lately??)

The time has come for us to try yet another bribe for my son to use the toilet. He's a rather stubborn fellow, you know. We've tried candy, toys, television, sticker books...you name it and still he refuses to give it a shot. Well, I have a new technique. Icy-Pops. They are the Wal*Mart version of Otter Pops and they are so much better. They are bigger, and they have far more flavors, including coconut (Vin's fav.) mango, and banana. From the moment he wakes up in the morning  to right after dinner, he is asking for an Icy-Pop. (before you gasp with disapproval, he only ever gets one after dinner >IF< he eats all of his veggies)

So starting today, every time he asks for one, I'm going to tell him that the only way he'll get one is if he goes pee-pee or pooh in the "tee tee". On top of that, I'm going to give Tay some for every time SHE goes to the bathroom so that he sees how it works.
Since these things are so big, though, I'm going to end up cutting them into thirds. If Vin catches on, he'd end up going into a diabetic sugar coma by the end of the day if I gave him a whole one for each time he went to the bathroom!!

Subject #2 on today's blogging agenda: I only have 1 more week to have this baby. Well, technically it's 7 days, but I'm saying 6 days because next Thursday is when we'll be getting everything ready and going to bed early. We're expected at the hospital at 7 am on Friday to start the induction. I'm still trying to figure out how that is going to work with the kids. I'm think that we'll have my mom stay home to get them breakfast and ready for the day (so my dad doesn't feel over-whelmed) then she can drive out to the hospital later in the morning. We'll be leaving our house around 6 I think, to stop and get Dom a caffeine drink and take our time because you know we're both going to be jumping out of our skin with excitement.

My doctor explained that what will happen is when I get there they will administer a form of Cervadil to soften and begin dilating my cervix. They are hoping that that medicine alone will jump start some contractions and get things started, if not then they'll agree to using a slow-drip of Pitocin, which is what I've used for my previous two.  Two days ago I started a regimen of Evening Primrose oil, which is what Midwives give their ladies to start softening and dilating the cervix a couple of weeks before labor. I take that every day, so I'm hoping that by next Friday the Cervadil won't be needed because I've heard it's oober uncomfortable. I don't know, I've never had it before.

I think I've pretty much given up hope that this baby boy is going to come any earlier than the 4th, so I'm doing my best to stay calm and just mentally prepare for when he DOES show up. Quite honestly I don't even know what I would do if my water broke naturally. I'd like to think that I would stay calm and just say "ok, it's time, let's go to the hospital." but I think the better part of me would start freaking out and forget things like how to spell my name and what direction the garage door is in. It would be kind of neat to experience my body do something on it's own though, since my previous two kids were inductions as well.

Oh well, only God knows what will happen, and in either case, it's only one more week. Surely I can be patient that long, can't I???





Pregnancy-Countdowns

Pregnancy vs. traffic ticket

Yesterday I was having contractions every twenty minutes. I was trying very hard not to get excited. By the time we were ready to leave for our weekly appointment, they were every ten minutes. We got in the car and headed out. (of course we had to stop for a bottle of water and a snack first, it's our routine). After the stop we were driving along, peaceful and happy, and Dom makes a comment about the cop behind us putting on his blinker for a lane split.....we were laughing at him because we thought it would be a strange thing to do. If you are in the primary lane, and it splits into two lanes, you don't have to use your blinker if you are staying in the primary lane!!!

Apparently we were wrong, because the cop turned his lights on and pulled us over. Oops.

The guy walked up to the window, told us that we have to use our turn signal for blah blah blah, then asked where we were headed.

"The hospital". Dom gestured to my ginormous belly. That poor cop looked terrified. He asked if I was in labor and we explained about the contractions. He grabbed his stuff, walked to his car, and returned in a matter of moments with a written warning. He wished us luck and let us go!!!

I think he was more afraid of the thought of having to deliver a baby on the side of the road than being reprimanded for not writing out a ticket, which is 100% AOK with me!!

So if you live in Colorado, and ever wonder what the signaling laws are for passing lanes, use your blinker. Unless you're oober preggo and can get out of a ticket, you're gonna end up getting a ticket.

When Dinosaurs have allergies

Yesterday my little man woke up with red, puffy eyes. he didn't act like he was miserable or not feeling well in any way, but as the day continued, his face got more and more puffy and his eyes redder. Despite the obvious discomfort we know he was in by the afternoon, he still insisted on going outside to play in his "play pit", a square area Dominick leveled out and filled with pea gravel last weekend for the kids to play in.

He was a dinosaur, a "hum-hum" as he calls himself. He played out there for a good while, and was absolutely a dirty mess when it was time to come in for dinner, but he had the biggest smile on his face. His eyes were watery and glazed over, his nose was running, his cheeks were red and his lips were shapped, but that little buggar was the happiest he'd been all day.

After dinner we got him dressed for bed, and I'm telling you, as soon as he started calming down a bit, those allergies hit him hard. He became lethargic, stuffy, clingy, warm. We put Tay to bed first and decided to let the little guy stay in bed with us for a little while until he fell asleep. All night he was up crying for more blankets or just to make sure someone was there with him. He sniffed and coughed the whole night, too, poor guy.

This morning he looks much better, but there are still little remnants of those nasty allergies in his eyes and nose. He is still a dinosaur today, though, and so far he seems to be enjoying himself as he wreaks havoc on his sister. He had horrible allergies when we were living in California, but last year they weren't so bad, I figure because he didn't spend a whole lot of time outside last year due to our yard and his size, but now that he's bigger and is spending so much time out, the allergies are back at full force. I've never had an issue with allergies so I don't know first hand the misery of it all, but just looking at the little fellow makes my heart melt.

Thank God for Benadryl.

Home Schooling : Part II

It was brought to my attention that in my post about Home Schooling, I did not talk about many positives from my own experience. I think it is important to share my "happy"s about Home Schooling, I don't want to leave the impression that it did not impact me in a very positive way. So here it is.

My parents pulled me and my older sister out of private school after the 1st grade because both of us were having issues. My issue in particular was the fact that my attention spand was little more than two or three consecutive thoughts, making it difficult for me to learn anything in a group situation. Some might be so bold as to call this "ADD", but I believe that ADD is highly over-diagnosed. I did not have ADD, I had an over-active imagination.

So I started studies at home in 2nd grade. I don't really remember the first couple of years, honestly. My first solid memories are when I was nearly 8, my mom and my Aunt took me and my sister to an Equestrian Riding Academy to inquire about learning how to ride horses. We took lessons, had our own horses, competed in competition, and my mom even became in instructor for about 8 years. We would get to the barn at 7 in the morning and didn't leave until mid afternoon. Often times my sister and I would do our school work there, between riding and cleaning. I spent countless hours wandering the property surrounding the barn having adventures in my head (there's that imagination again). I daydreamed about being the best student in the Academy, having the most beautiful horse, winning the most trophies and awards in state-wide competitions......it was a blast. I would not take back a single second of it, in fact, I miss it quite a bit. Once I started playing music more and started college classes, there was simply not enough time (or money) to continue on. We ended up selling the horses and trading in my paddock boots for concert dresses.

Another thing that was totally awesome (you're going to be green with envy...FYI) is that we got to go to the beach....every week......That's right, the beach, on a Monday afternoon. Summer or not. As long as the weather was decent, we were there. (One of the perks of living where we lived) My sister and I chose to do school work through summers so we had even more free time during the school year, having only two or three subjects that needed to be done each semester. I'm not sure how it ended up happening, but I advanced faster than my sister, and by "Sophomore" year, I was doing the same work as her, just a few lessons behind. I rocked.

One of the other opportunities I had being Home Schooled was to play an absurd amount of music. I had begged my parents to let me play the violin for years and years, but they weren't sure I'd be very successful with it because of my focused attention...(meaning the lack thereof). For my 13th birthday my dad came home from work carrying a violin case. I started lessons and 13 months later I joined my first orchestra. My violin teacher said I advanced faster than any other student he had ever taught, even though I never really learned how to properly read sheet music. When I auditioned for the orchestra, one of the conductors mentioned that since I was tall and had long arms, that a viola may be more comfortable for me to play. (She was a violist herself). She gave my mom the number for a gentleman who became my viola coach for the next 3 years, and I found a new gear. At one point I was participating in three orchestras, the University Symphony, a quartet, a chamber, and still taking my weekly lessons, all on top of school, a job (two jobs for a while) daily practices and a very small social life. haha.  In between there I would get hired to play concerts or venues, too, so I was super busy all the time. Music was life. If I had been in regular school there is no way I'd have been able to do any of it. How many people can say that at 16 they got to play a concert for pop artist Bjork?? Not many, I think.

My mom put a lot of time, effort, sanity and mental well-being into making sure I was educated. I was not an easy kid to teach. She went above and beyond the call of duty to find ways for me to learn language skills and math, the two most challenging subjects for me. She came up with ways for me to learn while having a positive outcome to encourage me, rather than struggle and struggle with it just to get failed grades, which is what would have happened had I been in a public (or even private) school system. That experience is what mainly influences our choice to supplement classes at home with our kids.

I experienced some amazing things growing up that were only possible because of Home Schooling, and I wouldn't trade any of them. So as much as I am aware and hope to avoid the downsides of Home Schooling, I also know first hand how much better it can be by providing open doors for our youngsters to experience more of the world and more of life than the inside of a school building during the day, and the inside of their room being burdened by ridiculous amounts of homework in the evenings.

I hope this clears things up a bit. I guess you could call me a centrist when it comes to school, but I needed to share my happies with you.

3rd Question : How I Met My Husband

The next question I received was how I met my husband. It's a rather uneventful story, really, but I'll do my best to make it interesting!! LOL. (Just kidding babe)

I was barely 18 in my second year of college, and every Monday and Wednesday morning at (*yelp*) 8:00 I had dance class. Jazz to be exact. It was actually the only class that year that I only missed a few days of because I was sick. Anyways. After class I would go outside to the back of the Performing Arts building to have a cigarette with my best buddy C.J. (Go figure, a dance class then a smoke....getting an idea of how bright I was?)

Every morning we would sit and smoke and talk and laugh, and this guy would leave the building and walk to his car. He carried a briefcase and always said "hey" to C.J., but never stopped, just kept going. Like clockwork. The first several weeks I didn't think anything of him, I thought he was one of the professors because he was clearly old enough to be one (sorry again, babe) and carried that briefcase, so what else would I think??

As the weeks passed I payed closer attention to him as he made his way to his beat up poop-brown '76 Datsun 280Z. I don't know why but I was attracted to him. I never asked C.J. about him, I just watched, and it got to the point where I was anticipating his departure (as backwards as that sounds).

Then one morning, for reasons I still don't know, instead of passing us by with a "hey", he came over and sat down to smoke with us!! I was all smitten (but in my coolness he couldn't tell, for sure). I found out that he was actually a student, not a professor, and his name. We chit-chatted for a while, the three of us, then he was off.

The next afternoon I was getting out of class when i got a text message from a number I did not recognize. It read "what are you doing right now?" I had no clue who it came from so I asked who it was, he said Dominick, I asked how he got my number, he said C.J.. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be mad at C.J. for giving my number away without asking, or hug him until he passed out for giving it to Dom!

I'm just going to take this moment to let you know how much fun it is to look back on these memories and experience them again in my head. I can see the parking lot, the PA building behind it, his piece-of-crap car sitting next to mine in the lot with only a few other cars scattered around because it was an off-hour. I even get some butterflies as I remember walking out seeing him leaning up against the hood of my car!!  Come to think of it.......how did he know that was my car?? He must have asked C.J. that as well, because to my knowledge he never saw me get into it......hmmmmm.....I'll have to ask him about that. hahaha

Okay, back to the story.

I got the text, didn't know whether to kill or kiss C.J., then answered the text. He told me he was in the back lot of the PA building, so I went......it helped that that's where I had parked, too. He was there, parked next to me, leaning on my car, and he asked if I would like to join him for lunch. Carl's Jr.  Classy.

Yup. Our first date was at Carl's Jr. You're jealous. You know you are. It's okay.

From there we saw each other every day and well......here we are!!

Like I said, nothing too exciting or romantic, but it's our story. I hope you enjoyed it!!

If you have any other questions, be sure to check out my list of facts and comment with your question!!

5QF

The time has come once again for 5 QUESTION FRIDAY. Very exciting, yes?? Yes.

Interesting questions today, I had fun with them.

1. Do you have an iPhone and, if so, how do you get apps and what are your favorites?

No iPhone for me. There is no ATT where I live

2. What is your fondest memory of K-3rd grade?

Hard to say. I don't really remember a whole lot form those years. I remember my parents surprising us at school one time to take us to San Diego, that was neat. When I was in 2nd grade a had a huge bicycle accident and lost a large chunk of my face....that's not really a FOND memory though.......

3. What makes you cringe at the thought of touching?

This is a hard one. Are gloves optional?? If I can wear gloves then I'll touch anything, if not, that's a whole different matter. I don't want to touch anything unsanitary. Public bathrooms are my biggest nemesis. I'm the weirdo that uses a wipee to open the stall door, close the lock, wipes the seat, then puts the seat guard on, then uses a wipee to flush the toilet and open the lock, then wash hands and uses a paper towel to open the door and get the heck outta there.

4. If you could have any celebrity show up on your doorstep who would it be and why?

Well, I've been friends with David Boreanaz for a couple of years now, so it would be groovy to hang out with him, or Patrick Dempsey because let's face it, he's hot as all get out. Or perhaps Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, I would love to have a sit-down with the two of them.

5. What would you say is your best physical feature?

hmmmm. I would have to say my lips or my hair?? I take very careful care of my hair. I switch shampoo brands after each one is done to keep it shiny and healthy, I don't blow dry it and I rarely straighten it. I just like my lips because I think full lips are attractive, and so does my husband!!

2nd question : Home Schooling

So the next question I'm answering was this: What are our views on home schooling, have we decided to do it with our kids and what are our reasons.

We remain open-minded about it. Right now our daughter is getting ready to start Kindergarten, and she did great in preschool. Basically, this is our theory:

It all depends on them. I wholeheartedly believe that some children need more one-on-one teaching than others, and being Christians, we also want our kids to learn as such. For a young mind it can be confusing to be learning evolution in school but learning God's Creation on Sundays and at home.

Right now, because Tay is so social and seems to be handling public school well, we will keep her in. Our plan is to supplement her education at home. If there are subjects that she seems to be struggling with, or if there is a subject that she would like to take on, or if there is a subject that she excels in and feel bored with at school, we will take it on at home. Once she is older we have plans to make her read the newspaper everyday and over the weekend, choose an article or subject to write her own opinion essay of.

If it turns out that she begins to show signs of needing to come out of school all together, then we will do so and start home schooling primarily, but once she is 11 or 12 she will have to take 1 or 2 classes at the public school.

I think one thing that home school kids fall victim to is social awkwardness. Despite doing "Home School Group" activities and group classes, I think it is vital to a young person to develop the social skills that come from public school at that age when they are starting to discover more about themselves as individuals.

Also, as Christians, I think it is a seriously important thing for them to learn how to interact with those who do not share the same faith and beliefs. Not being in a diverse religious environment does not allow them to learn that not only are people of other faiths good people to be friends with too, but how to stay strong and defend your own faith. Comfortably.

I draw these conclusions from my own experience as well as observing other young people who are or have began to develop signs of these struggles.

I believe it is not healthy for a young person to feel desperate to fit in with or be accepted by teenagers or adults. I did that, I preferred to stay and hang out with my friends' parents rather than with my friends, and it made me what I affectionately call "socially retarded" because I could not comfortably interact with people my own age.

I don't think there is anything wrong with home schooling and like I said before, it is an option, but I am all too aware of the risk of home schooled kids become "nerds" or "geeks" or socially awkward, and whatever path we choose for our kids, it will be influenced primarily by how their personalities develop. Either way, though, they WILL have public school experience, be it 1 or 2 classes or more.

Another thing I think is detrimental is to home school until Junior year in high school, then letting them do Junior and Senior year in a public school. I've seen several kids go through that and it's setting them up for a whole series of issues that I won't go into right now, but seriously, don't do it. It's not fair to your kids, and it only creates problems that you as the parents are going to have to battle, and you can avoid them completely......

That's my two cents on the issue. A lot of people disagree with my views about it, but take it as you will. It's from my own personal experience and what I've seen in others, but everyone is different, and as parents it's your right and your choice to do what you feel is best for your child, but honestly I've not met anyone who has gone through it as a home schooler that disagrees with me.

If you have any other questions, check out my list of facts and comment with your question!!

First question answered

The first question I've been asked about is my allergy to salt. It's rather interesting, I must say, it makes my life a bit more challenging for sure. We first noticed a sensitivity to salt when I was a teen. My lips would turn white if I ate too much, or they would swell (along with my eyes) when swimming at the beach, and my skin would turn red. It wasn't a huge problem, and it didn't keep me from going to the beach, or eating those peanuts, but as I got older, it became a little more inhibiting. By the time I was 20 I was unable to eat potato chips, or boxed foods. Currently, canned good, boxed food, food with preservatives and food that has salt on it are a big no-no. As most of you know, salt is in almost everything, so I can't avoid it completely, which means I have sores on my tongue almost constantly. (not nice, I know.) If I eat Mexican food my mouth bleeds and my tongue swells up. All of my food is rather bland tasting because I can't season with salt. Every once in a while I'll throw in a dash of sea salt, which doesn't seem to be as harsh, but for the most part, we avoid it as much as we can. My husband and my kids have grown to not care about eating more bland food, and to pay close attention to sodium levels in foods. If I want to try something new, I always read the label to see how much sodium is in it. I count the mg of sodium I take in each day and try not to go over my daily limit, which is about 500-600 mg. The normal recommended levels are no more than 2400 and no less than 500. Very few people eat LESS than 2400 mg of sodium per day. Especially if they are regular eaters of pre-prepared meals.

I manage to get by from day to day, though. There are days when I have no choice but to eat some that has my daily limit in just one meal, and those days can be rough, but for the most part no one can tell I have a problem. I've learned what foods are high in sodium and what foods are usually safe, and there are times when we go out to eat and I feel like there is nothing I can have on the menu, but after a few days my mouth heals and I'm back to normal. It's just a matter of adjusting and adapting, no different than someone who is allergic to peanuts, I would think. Only I don't go into anaphylactic shock if I munch on some french fries.

If you have any other questions, check out my list of facts and post a comment with your question!!

For those who missed it...

I posted this the other day, but there were so few hits on the blog, that I figured I'd post again, to give some mid-week-readers a chance to know what's going on.

So I'm stealing this idea from a friend blogger of mine, although I'm going about it slightly different. In this post I'm going to list a bunch of facts about me, things that make me who I am and certain experiences I've been through, and then YOU (as my faithful following) get to ask me questions about these things. I'm not going to reveal super-personal things, or things that I feel are inappropriate, but I am more than ready to let you know how I feel about certain issues, how I handled certain situations, so on and so forth. So read the list of facts, and start asking away via comments.

I'll be answering questions 2 or 3 at a time until all are answered (assuming that there are more than a handful) unless a particular answer requires an entire post to itself.

Enjoy!! I look forward to seeing what you are curious about!!

I am a Christian
I was a teen mom
I am married to a man nearly 17 years my senior
I was Home Schooled from 2nd grade until college
I graduated High School when I was 15
I am a College drop-out
I was a professional musician by 14
I lived in Los Angeles, California my whole life until last Feb
I now live 20 miles away from town
I have a movement disorder
My dad is a pastor
I have 1 older sister
I have 2 children, 1 boy and 1 girl, with another boy due any day
We live with my parents
I went through a "rebellion" as a teen
Even during my rebellion, I never did drugs
I have a strange obsession with medicine
I love to cook
I am allergic to salt


Okay. That's all I can think of. If you have any other topics you'd like to ask about, throw it out there and we'll see!!!

Blog Party D-List

I recently participated in The Ultimate Blog Party, and I enjoyed it so much that when I saw this party kicking off, I had to join in!! I'm new to the blogging world, so I appreciate any chance to get myself out there and to meet new bloggers, so I hope you enjoy!!

 My name is Rebecca, I'm married with two (three any day now) kids, we live with my parents in the mountains of Southwest Colorado, we are Christians, and we are all slightly insane.

Take a look around, see what there is to see, and have a good time. You can learn a little more by posting questions about my life,  check out some amazing recipes, or just read about the crazy up's and down's of our life!! In any case, if you enjoy yourself, please follow us, we love attention!!

To Everyone (and anyone) Who Reads my Blog

So I'm stealing this idea from a friend blogger of mine, although I'm going about it slightly different. In this post I'm going to list a bunch of facts about me, things that make me who I am and certain experiences I've been through, and then YOU (as my faithful following) get to ask me questions about these things. I'm not going to reveal super-personal things, or things that I feel are inappropriate, but I am more than ready to let you know how I feel about certain issues, how I handled certain situations, so on and so forth. So read the list of facts, and start asking away via comments.

I'll be answering questions 2 or 3 at a time until all are answered (assuming that there are more than a handful) unless a particular answer requires an entire post to itself.

Enjoy!! I look forward to seeing what you are curious about!!

I am a Christian
I was a teen mom
I am married to a man nearly 17 years my senior
I was Home Schooled from 2nd grade until college
I graduated High School when I was 15
I am a College drop-out
I was a professional musician by 14
I lived in Los Angeles, California my whole life until last Feb
I now live 20 miles away from town
I have a movement disorder
My dad is a pastor
I have 1 older sister 
I have 2 children, 1 boy and 1 girl, with another boy due any day
We live with my parents
I went through a "rebellion" as a teen
Even during my rebellion, I never did drugs
I have a strange obsession with medicine
I love to cook
I am allergic to salt


Okay. That's all I can think of. If you have any other topics you'd like to ask about, throw it out there and we'll see!!!

5 Question Friday

I know it can be confusing when there are more than one post in a day, but it's 5QF.....I gotta do it!!

1. Take your pick...date night, girls night out, or night out alone?

I think date night. I hardly ever get alone time out of the house with my husband, so that would be pretty awesome. I can't remember what it's like to go to a restaurant, have a couple of cocktails and a nice dinner and talk without having to wipe up water spills, ketchup, or *hush* children.....

2. Can you touch your nose with your tongue?
I can indeed. As a child I never understood how so many of my friends could not...

3. What is your favorite flower and why?
 Crikey. I don't know if I have a favorite. I love flowers, so many of them. I prefer flowers with large pedals, I can tell you that much. Tulips are nice, Lillies, Orchids. Along those lines. My grandmother's favorite was a rose with yellow pedals that had turned pink just on the edges, so that has a soft spot in me as well.

4. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself?
FINISH SCHOOL!! Follow your dreams, don't be a cop-out on yourself. 

5. If you won the lottery, what is the very first thing you would do?
Scream.

Lots of screaming.

Maybe even some shrieking.

Tears would more than likely be present, blood pressure would sky rocket, breathing would become a bit more difficult. More screaming. 

And I hate screamers. But I would definitely scream. It would be the first time in my adult life.

Then I would pay off the car, get another car, give some money to my parents to pay off the house, and start college funds for the kids. After that, if there was any left, we'd start taking care of some debt.  

False Alarms and Stop Watches

Well, after all that hooplah, my doctor was not able to find any evidence of a rupture in my bag of waters. She took a swab, took a peak, and took a slide sample, and all three were negative. So we're back to square one. The only positive thing that came of our visit on Tuesday was that she saw how much I exploded in just one week. She made a comment about how I look like I could have a baby in the next two weeks, which is slightly encouraging. She also said that I have a hernia in my belly button, which is why it's so protuberant. She also acknowledged my discomfort, as it took me a while to get draped and up or down off the table. All she could say was to take it easy, that I only have a few more weeks, and to try as hard as I can to be patient.  >sigh< To say the least I was rather frustrated, upset, disappointed and tired when we got home. I'm slightly embarrassed to admit that it had been a couple of weeks since I had done a thorough cleaning of my floors, but my emotions needed something to release them, so I decided to sweep, vacuum and mop the floors and rugs, including the bedrooms. I even lugged the Dyson vacuum up and down the stairs, moved the couches and coffee table and kitchen table with chairs. All by myself. I wasn't particularly trying to go into labor by doing all of that, I just needed to vent, and for the most part, cleaning is the best way for me to do that.

So my house is clean. Can't say nothing good came out of all that, now can I?

As tired and frustrated as I've been, it hasn't gotten any better. For the last two (today will be three if it keeps up) days, I've had contractions that are nothing special during the day, but in the evening get more intense and more regular. They get to about 7 minutes apart with a 6 or 7 on a pressure scale. Buuuuuuut, of course they don't do anything more. It's like my body is laughing at me. The first night Dominick had his stop watch and had me tell him all the details. When it started, how long it lasted, and what pressure scale it was. He was ready to go to the hospital, but I told him there was no way I'm going back there just to be sent home again. So we waited for a couple of hours to see what happened with them. Eventually Dom fell asleep but he still wanted me to wake him up for every contraction. I got bored with that real quick, so I told him to forget about it, that I'd wake him if my water broke, and we both passed out.

We've decided that there are only three circumstances that will convince me to go back to the hospital. They are as follows, in no particular order:

1. My water breaks...for real. We're talking the gush of fluid, not just leaking.
2. My contractions are 2 minutes apart.
3. My contractions hurt so bad I am unable to speak during them.

Other than these three things, I'm not going to be all that anxious (or easy to persuade) to drive to the hospital. At this point in pregnancy, there is nothing more depressing and emotionally wrenching than going to the hospital in hopes of coming home with baby two days later and being sent home a couple of hours after arriving. If you've been there, you know I'm right.

So for now I'm just sitting back and trying to breathe. Sometimes I want to start crying over the whole thing, but I think that's hormones, I'm not one who cries over stuff. It's even harder now that we have a car seat, so we are 100% ready for out baby to get here. I just want to see him, to hold him, to experience his arrival and bask in the wonder of him. I keep telling myself that it's no more than a couple of weeks away. At least I don't have months left, like friends of mine do. I just have to take a deep breath and relax. I get myself too uptight about it all, too anxious, and that just makes things worse.

36 week post

I found this on a pregnancy forum site and thought it would suit well for my 36 week post. 

About You
Name?: Rebecca
Height?: 5'9"
Pre-pregnancy weight? around 165  
About The Father
Name?: Dominick
Age?: 41
Height? 5'11"
Are you still together?: yep
About Your Pregnancy
Is this your first pregnancy?: nope, 7th. 3rd full term
Was it planned?: no
What was your first reaction?: you've got to be kidding me
Who was with you when you found out? no one
Who was the first person you told? : my mom
How far along are you? 36 w 5d
What was your first symptom?: missing my period
What is your due date?: June 10th
Do you know the sex of the baby?: yep
If so, what is it?: it's a boy!
Have you picked out names?: yes.
If so, what are they? Owen Zechariah
How much weight have you gained?: no one really knows for sure. The scales at my doctor's office are known for never being accurate.
Do you have stretch marks?: yep, but they are pre-existing. No new ones yet
Have you felt the baby move?: yep
Have you heard the heartbeat?: yep...amazing!
About the birth
Will you keep the baby?  This is sort of an awkward question to ask....
Home or hospital birth?: hospital
Natural or medicated birth?: medicated..I'm a wimp lol
Who will be in the delivery room with you? my SO and my mom
Will you breastfeed?: I'm going to try
Do you think you'll need a c-section?: doubtful, unless there is an emergency
Will you cry when you hold the baby for the first time?: I don't know. I did with my first, but not with my second...we'll have to wait and see!!
What's the first thing you might say to him/her?: whether or not he looks like his brother or sister
Would you let someone videotape the birth?: No one needs to see that....seriously.
Are you excited about the birth, or scared?: excited!! Anxious!! Nervous to see how different it will be compared to my first two since we're in a whole new state with a new doctor and a new hospital, but I'm sure it will be fine.

Funny cartoon

I saw this and it made me laugh....I'm so feeling exactly like this!!

I Swear I'm Not Crazy

Last night we made a trip to Labor and Delivery. I started leaking clear fluid yesterday afternoon, and at 8:30 om I tested the pH levels of it. The paper turned blue, so I called the doctor's office and they had me go to the hospital. Naturally once we were there, the nurses couldn't get a positive test, so there I was, feeling stupid, thinking to my self, "I'm not crazy, that paper was blue...."

Luckily they took my word for it, they think that I probably am leaking amniotic fluid, but since our sweet boy is so dang far down into my pelvis, that his head is plugging up the rupture. I am grateful that the nurses and the on-call doctor believe me, but this poses a problem:

In order to get another positive strip test, Oz would have to move up out of my pelvis and move his head just right to open that whole again.....the chances of that happening while my doctor (who seems skeptical of my confidence in knowing my own body to begin with) is around to test are slim to none.

None the less, I'll go in today at 4 and lay on the table for about 20 minutes, then she'll take a gander to see what she can see. The problem I have is this: I feel uncomfortable when someone doesn't believe me, even though I know I'm right. I've had two kids, I know what amniotic fluid is, and I know how to identify it. I'm not crazy. I swear that paper was blue, and I swear I have been leaking.....this is not just me playing games trying to convince the doctors that we should induce labor NOW because I'm miserable, or a first-time mom who's panicking for no reason because of some incontinence.

I hope she doesn't say "I'm sure it's nothing. We'll see you next week for our regular appointment."  The thing that made me the most nervous is a friend of mine went through this very thing. She was leaking, they said the same thing to her too, "go home, you're fine, we can't get a positive strip test." Well, three days later she went into labor and by  that time she and her baby had an infection. Tragically, her little boy passed away from the infection shortly after birth.

I don't want to take any risks.

Anyways, what they determined last night at the hospital is that I probably am leaking amniotic fluid, as I mentioned before, and that I have a 50% chance of going into labor now, but that there was nothing they could do for me, really, so that's why they sent me home. We'll see what my doctor says about it all this afternoon.

I'll be sure to keep everyone posted on the progression of events.

Kindergarten: Who wants it More??

Today was the registration and orientation for Theren's kindergarten. I can't believe she's already going into kindergarten!! Holy green beans, man, time has passed rather unconsciously.

We met all of the teachers, talked about the daily schedule, what they will need, backpacks, food, buses, all the good stuff.

We are still debating over lunches, if we're going to have her eat there every day, or just twice to three times a week and pack a lunch the rest of the time. Luckily our school system has a very decent menu as far as nutrition goes. Always a fresh or steamed veggie and always a fresh fruit.

I am a little nervous about the whole bus situation, though. I was homeschooled, so I never took a bus, neither did my husband or either of my parents. Buses are completely foreign to me, and the thought of my baby girl going to school without me or another adult by her side the entire time is not sitting well in my gut, but I know it's totally normal and healthy for a 5-year-old to take the bus to school.

After going over what they will be doing, and how they will be doing it, though, I'm totally excited for Tay! I can't wait to see how she develops and learns the essentials. I may actually be just as excited as she is!!

The only thing I'm NOT looking forward to is packing a backpack during winter seasons. making sure she has enough room for extra socks, regular shoes/snow boots and such is a pain in the keester. Oh well, welcome to living in the mountains, right?

Over all I know it will be fine, and she will have so much fun, as long as we can get her to stop picking fights with the boys.....that's another story for another time.

Nearly 36 Weeks

This Thursday I will be 36 weeks, which means that after Thursday, if I should go into labor, they won't stop it.

Guess what momma's doing this weekend?? Walking. A lot.
We have to drive to Farmington to buy a car seat, and we'll probably end up walking the mall there. Then hopefully we'll be able to take a drive up to higher elevation, several people around here say the midwives send their clients to higher elevation to induce labor. Supposedly the lack of oxygen boosts things along, so I'm all for it.

Some people think that I am being a little impatient about this whole thing, I mean, I only have 3 weeks and 3 days until my doctor has agreed to induce me, but they don't really understand the misery of where I'm at physically.

Imagine, for a moment, that you had to carry this around not only in front of you, putting strain on your back, but also in your pelvic cavity.

 

Now keep in mind that at this stage, babies gain an average of 1/2 pound per week...if there are four weeks left of gestation left in my pregnancy, try to picture this baby growing another 2 pounds (probably more, because boys in my family are huge). Got that image in your head?? Now I have a question for you.

where is he going to go?!

There is no more room!! I'm telling you, there is no way I'm going to last that long!! For the first time ever, my belly button popped ALL THE WAY OUT. That didn't happen with either of my other two, that alone should be a hint of the full capacity.

>sigh<

I'm getting desperate. I really am. 

I want this mainly for my family, though. They are the ones who have to deal with my yelling and temper tantrums due to insanity brought on by lack of sleep....

What I Wished for This Mother's Day

If you know me at all, you know that I despise commercialized Holidays. Mother's Day included, but I always am sure to do something for my mommy. This year we bought her yellow roses, her favorite.

Anyways, I always feel uncomfortable when people wish me a happy Mother's Day, both because I hate the Holiday, and because I don't feel like someone should be rewarding me for simply doing my job. I love being a mom, and I don't understand why I would need or want to have a special day of recognition for that, every day is Mother's Day as long as my kids give me kisses and hugs.

I also don't ever expect (or want) any gifts for this holiday. I don't turn anything down, naturally, but I never ask or desire a gift, if you get my meaning.

Except for this year. This year, I wanted one thing, and one thing only: Owen. I told him this morning, Oz, you know there is one present you could give me for Mother's Day....COME OUT!!!

He didn't listen.

Rebelling against me even from the womb. Little buggar.

I was, however, extremely grateful for the nap that I got this afternoon. It doesn't quite equal out to a baby, but it was certainly good enough for me.

Maybe for Memorial Day this little boy will come out.....here's wishing.

Why must this take so long?!

Am I the only person who gets crazy-impatient at the end of pregnancy? In all seriousness, I am nearly at the verge of tears for wanting this pregnancy to be done. I've been anxious the whole time, don't get me wrong, but now that we are only four weeks away from being induced, the thought of waiting that long is downright upsetting for me. I know he needs to bake for as long as possible, I understand that, but why does human gestation have to take so stinking long??

I've done a little internet research, and found the different gestation times for different animals.
Reading some made me thankful for being a human, and others made me yearn to be a cat...

I thought I'd share some with you.

Human- 303 days - 9.9 months

Donkey - 365 days - 1 year

Cow - 280 days - 9.2 months

Elephant - 624 days - 1 year 6 months

Groundhog - 32 days

Cat - 63 days - 2 months

Sheep - 151 days - 4 months

All in all I'd prefer to have the gestational commitment of a groundhog, what about you?

The Truth About Bottled Water

Imagine you’ve just been given a choice: You have to drink from one of two containers. One container is a cup from your own kitchen, and it contains a product that has passed strict state, federal and local guidelines for cleanliness and quality. Oh, and it’s free. The second container comes from a manufacturing plant somewhere, and its contents—while seemingly identical to your first choice—have not been subjected to the same strict national and local standards. It costs approximately four times more than gasoline. These products both look and taste nearly identical.


Which do you choose?


If you chose beverage A, congratulations: You just saved yourself a whole lot of money, and, perhaps, even contaminants, too. But if you picked beverage B, then you’ll be spending hundreds of unnecessary dollars on bottled water this year. Sure, bottled water is convenient, trendy, and may well be just as pure as what comes out of your tap. But it’s hardly a smart investment for your pocketbook, your body or our planet. Eat This, Not That! decided to take a closer look at what’s behind the pristine images and elegant-sounding names printed on those bottles.


You may actually be drinking tap water.

Case in point: Dasani, a Coca-Cola product. Despite its exotic-sounding name, Dasani is simply purified tap water that’s had minerals added back in. For example, if your Dasani water was bottled at the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Philadelphia, you’re drinking Philly tap water. But it’s not the only brand of water that relies on city pipes to provide its product. About 25 percent of all bottled water is taken from municipal water sources, including Pepsi’s Aquafina.


Bottled water isn’t always pure.

Scan the labels of the leading brands and you see variations on the words “pure” and “natural” and “pristine” over and over again. And when a Cornell University marketing class studied consumer perceptions of bottled water, they found that people thought it was cleaner, with less bacteria. But that may not actually be true. For example, in a 4-year review that included the testing of 1,000 bottles of water, the Natural Resources Defense Council—one the country’s most ardent environmental crusaders—found that “about 22 percent of the brands we tested contained, in at least one sample, chemical contaminants at levels above strict state health limits.”


It’s not clear where the plastic container ends and the drink begins.

Turns out, when certain plastics are heated at a high temperature, chemicals from the plastics may leach into container’s contents. So there’s been a flurry of speculation recently as to whether the amounts of these chemicals are actually harmful, and whether this is even a concern when it comes to water bottles—which aren’t likely to be placed in boiling water or even a microwave. While the jury is still out on realistic health ramifications, it seems that, yes, small amounts of chemicals from PET water bottles such as antimony—a semi-metal that’s thought to be toxic in large doses—can accumulate the longer bottled water is stored in a hot environment. Which, of course, is probably a good reason to avoid storing bottled water in your garage for six months—or better yet, to just reach for tap instead.


Our country’s high demand for oil isn’t just due to long commutes.

Most water bottles are composed of a plastic called polyethylene terepthalate (PET). Now, to make PET, you need crude oil. Specifically, 17 million barrels of oil are used in the production of PET water bottles ever year, estimate University of Louisville scientists. No wonder the per ounce cost of bottled water rivals that of gasoline. What’s more, 86 percent of 30 billion PET water bottles sold annually are tossed in the trash, instead of being recycled, according to data from the Container Recycling Institute. That’s a lot of waste—waste that will outlive you, your children, and your children’s children. You see, PET bottles take 400 to 1000 years to degrade. Which begs the question: If our current rate of consumption continues, where will we put all of this discarded plastic?

Theren

About a Boy

Very Neat Photo Pages

I just made these super-cute pages at Widdly Tinks
I totally love them!! If you enjoy little projects like these, you should for sure go check them out.
I'm adding a page just for these, so if you'd like to check them out, go ahead!!





Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com

5 Question Friday

Happy Friday, everyone!! I love Fridays for one purpose, and one purpose only : It's the last day of work before the weekend. I get excited thinking that tomorrow Dom get's to stay home, I hate that he has to work....

Anyways, hopefully it will be another wonderful day so the kids can play outside for a while, now on to today's questions!!

1. What is your worst memory of your siblings?
I had a rough time growing up with my sister. We didn't get along very well at all, but I honestly don't think I can come up with a worst memory of her....

2. What was YOUR naughtiest childhood memory? (Must be something YOU did, no pawning it off on someone else!)
I was a total trouble maker as a kid. It seemed like I was constantly in trouble for something!! I'm not sure this was the naughtiest thing, but when I was about 10 or 11, I painted the backside of a trailer at the Equestrian Academy we attended. I also thought to cover the workers' workout bench, stools and other items in the same water-guard white primer...... I later had to clean it all, too.....

3. Where do you like to go to relax?
I'm a rather simple lady in that sense. I love my bed. If I need down time I usually just come back here and lounge on (or in) my bed. It's perfect on a nice day, when I can have the window open and the breeze comes in with the sounds of the trees and kids playing.

4. What was the last thing you won?
A gift basket from The Blog Party!! I was shocked, really. I didn't even know about it, I just joined to meet other bloggers. I actually received it in the mail two days ago!!

5. If you could be on a game show, which would you choose?
Oi vey. That depends. If Dominick could go on with me, then any show, really. His brain is a vault of random information. I don't really watch game shows, so I don't know what's out there right now. There was a show in Britain for a while that I liked to watch....I can't remember the name now, though. Dom and I watched it and every time we were able to answer every single one of the questions. 

Lemon Parmesan Tilapia

This is what we're having for dinner tonight. I personally am not a huge fish fan, even salmon can be a bit overwhelming for me, but the one fish I genuinely enjoy is Tilapia. It has an extremely mild flavor, which means you can do quite a bit with it as far as seasonings and other flavors for cooking go. It also cooks super fast, so it's become my sort of go-to meal choice.

So here is the recipe. It's another super-easy one, for all you "I'm cooking but I probably shouldn't be" cooks out there. (Don't be ashamed, I too was once among you) I apologize for not having exact measurements, I'm married to an Italian, they don't measure anything, and if they catch you measuring something, you're likely to get a "pshaw"....so I've learned to cook by feel, smell, and taste.

Lemon Parmesan Tilapia fillets.

 What You'll Need
Tilapia fillets- as many as it takes to feed the number of people you want to feed!!
Butter- 2 or 3 teaspoons, depending on how many fillets you have
Lemon Juice- A couple of good squirts, about 4 teaspoons.
Parmesan cheese- about 1/2 of a cup
Mayonnaise- about 1 cup.

What To Do
Rinse your fishies in cold water and drain them off thoroughly, them place them in a baking dish with the butter and half of the lemon juice. Broil them for about 6 minutes, until they are opaque and flake easily with a fork.

While they are broiling mix together the mayo, parmesan cheese, and lemon juice. When the fishies are done, top them with this sauce and place them back into the broiler. Keep an eye on them, they'll only need a couple of minutes, for the sauce to bubble and brown up a bit.

You can serve them on a bed of angel-hair pasta and grilled asparagus, or by themselves with a veggie of your choice. Or however you want!!

Facebook users, Unite!!

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The McCullough Files

Mother's Day Mania- Birth Stories

In light of Mother's Day, I'm following suit of a blogger friend, and posting the stories (as abbreviated as possible without losing the beauty of it all) of the births of my two babies.

With Theren, we had a scheduled induction on a Monday, so Sunday night we had a large dinner (knowing that once I got to the hospital they wouldn't let me eat much) and headed in. I got hooked up to the IV and monitors right away, and the nurse checked my cervix to see if we needed meds to ripen it. Nope. Soft, dilated to 2 (had been for about a month). The nurse left to get the Pitocin, and while she was gone, I felt a contraction.

Convenient.

I told her when she came back, and sure enough, I was contracting every ten minutes. They administered the "Squeezey Drug" (my affectionate name for Pitocin) anyways, just to boost things along, and for nearly six hours I didn't dilate any further, and my contractions weren't any stronger than Braxton Hicks.

Finally, at some point in the morning, my doctor came in to see how I was doing and ordered that the Pitocin be upped a bit. He also wanted to break my water. He grabbed the tool and as he leaned in to do his duty, my water broke. Convenient again, eh?

The Fun begins.

I remember asking for a mild pain killer to start with. Stadol. All I can tell you is that I was high. Seriously. Supposedly I closed my eyes for a second, opened them again and said "that was the best nap I've had in months!"

All of a sudden though, the pain got intense. Really intense. The nurse came in and asked how I was doing. I was having a contraction. I remember some sort of profanities streaming from my mouth and my husband saying something to apologize. I begged for an epidural, but the anesthesiologist was late coming to work.

Great.

Finally he got there and I remember asking him to stick me with the needle again because it felt so good compared to the pain of my contractions. Weird.

So they gave me the Epi., then checked me again a few minutes later and I was at 5. Things went really fast from here. 40 minutes later they came to check me again and baby was in the birth canal, ready to crown. The pressure was amazing, but not painful. We did a couple of practice pushes, and apparently she was coming down so fast, the nurse suddenly said "stop pushing!!" She told me not to push again the doctor arrived.....

.....

if you have ever been in labor, you know that it's impossible to simply ignore the instinct your entire body has to push with a contraction. I pushed. The doctor came in and sat down at the very moment her head came out.

The cord was wrapped around her neck twice so Dom didn't get to cut it, but he didn't seem to mind. She was here, she was healthy.

My mom was so excited she grabbed that baby up and kissed her before even I or Dominick could!! My poor sister was nearly passed out on the bench next to the window. (she accidentally witnessed the birth of the placenta....she doesn't do so well with such things)

The whole labor only lasted for 2 hours. Including the pushing and the delivery of the placenta.

The next couple of days were a blur for me, I had some post-pardum bleeding that was an issue, and I was on some crazy meds for that, but I do remember a couple of the people that came to visit us, and how proud I was of the little baby girl that we now had. I was scared to death to bring her home, and in all honesty was grateful for needing to stay in the hospital for an extra two days, but I loved staying awake and just watching her sleep.


Now for Vin.

Quite a different ordeal. We were scheduled for an induction at 37 weeks because he was tracking to be around 10 pounds. (>gasp< to say the least mommy was not enthusiastic about pushing 10 pounds out her va-jayjay)

At 34 weeks I developed a rather nasty lung infection. Without being able to take my normal medications, it quickly turned into full-fledged pneumonia. At 34 weeks and 6 days, I woke up at midnite struggling for breath. I didn't want to wake Dominick yet, I wanted to sit up and see if that helped at all. (I've done this once to twice a year for nearly 8 years, so I know little tricks) After about an hour the breathing wasn't any easier, and I also didn't feel Vin move.

Panic.

I woke Dom, told him what was going on, and he popped me into a hot steamy shower while he got the hospital bag and called my sister. I don't really know what his reaction was while I was in the shower, I imagine he was running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, but as soon as I was out, he was clam and collected. A Marine to the core.

Theren was on our bed rubbing her eyes and clothes were laying out for me. He said my sister was meeting us at the hospital to take Tay. If I recall correctly he had to help me dress because I was so weak.

I remember getting to the hospital and saying goodnite to my daughter, then going straight up to L&D. They had me on oxygen right away and IV fluids. I think they gave me something for my cough as well. Naturally, as soon as the monitors were hooked up, Vin started moving around just fine. Booger.

But....I was having contractions every 5 minutes. They tried a whole slew of things to stop them. First it was "Maybe she's dehydrated." So they had me drink this massive thing of water....all of which I threw back up.

Then it was "maybe she's just stressed." So they had me lay on my left side with the lights off and some quiet music. Still no good.

By this time my doctor came to see me. I felt horrible. He was supposed to be leaving for his vacation with his wife and four daughters, who were all home from college. He checked me out, I wasn't dilating but I was still contracting every 5 minutes, and my breathing was not getting any easier.

He suggested that we induce with Pitocin and get this baby out so that I could get an aggressive dose of medicine. We agreed, somewhat hesitantly. Barely 35 weeks...will he be okay?

They gave me an epidural before they broke my water or gave the Pitocin. They wanted me to have as much energy as possible for pushing when the time came. I remember throwing up a couple of more times. The epidural wore off after about half an hour, and they gave me a direct injection into the catheter. After that I was completely paralyzed from the tummy down. I could barely feel my contractions, but what's more is that I could not move my legs.....at all. I nearly fell off the bed at one point because my leg was too far over and fell off, and I couldn't pull it back up. Luckily my best friend Carrie was right there and caught me.

After a couple of hours I started noticing that when I had a contraction, Vin's heart rate would drop a little bit. Then a little bit more. And a little bit more. The nurses came in and tried to (get this) refill me with fluid.....literally stuck a hose up there and pumped fluid back in, hoping that he was simply compressing the cord, but that didn't work. They switched to internal monitoring to get better readings. Things were going down hill. Fast. When ever I had a contraction his heart would drop to a mere 12 beats per minute. A nurse came in and checked me, and asked everyone to wait in the hall. I didn't know it at the time, but she was telling them that the OR was ready for an emergency Cesarean., and that things might get scary. Baby might come out blue or purple and not breathing, nurses and doctors will be rushing, but not to let on to ME that anything is seriously wrong because I was too weak and could not afford to be stressed out.

The doc came in and said I needed to try and push. I'm not dumb. I can see the monitors, I have enough medical experience to understand that the situation was very serious. I pushed three times. Three. 3. Tres.

He was out.

What can I say, I knew he needed to get out fast and I put every single ounce of energy (and then some) into getting him out. He was a knot. Literally. The cord was wrapped around him in so many ways and directions, the placenta nearly came with him.

They rushed him to his incubator and started working on him....I waited for that bleating cry. I prayed for it. It was the longest few minutes of my life. Then, there it was. He was big for being so early, nearly 6 and 1/2 pounds, and he was strong. He was able to breathe on his own with no problems, he had no issues with eating. I was given some hard core medicine and more oxygen, and we were released the next day.

Over all it was five hours of labor for this one, because we had to coax my body a little bit, but still not bad.

We are hoping desperately that THIS labor goes smoothly and without any complications, but after the first two, I think we can pretty much handle anything!!

Things to Check Before Exiting Your Vehicle

Sunroof to be closed, windows rolled up, keys in hand, phone in purse.....

Oh, and double check that your 4-year-old's head is not hanging out the window when you roll it up....they tend to appreciate that....although why, I cannot gather.

Roasted Chicken Recipe

Ok, I love to cook, and when I come across great recipes, I love to share them.I don't share all of them, because one day we will be opening our own family restaurant, and we want to save some surprises!! lol. This one I will share though, because it's so simple and so good!!


Lemon Garlic & Rosemary Roasted Chicken

Start of by mixing a stick of soft butter with fresh rosemary that has been rubbed down or finely chopped, and letting that sit out for about a day so that the rosemary saturates and flavors the butter. mmmmm.

You'll need to choose a large enough whole roasting chicken to feed the number of people in your family.
Clean the chicken thoroughly inside and out, then dry the outside completely. A dry chicken ensures a nice crisp skin. You'll need the following ingredients:

2 whole lemons
1 onion
1 head of garlic
fresh rosemary
salt
pepper

Ok, take one of the lemons and cut it in half then stuff it (rind and all) into the chicken. Cut the garlic into quarters and put two of them into the chicken (no need to peel or chop) along with a sprig or two of rosemary and about 1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. I never measure salt and pepper, I always just go by gut feeling. You MAY roughly chop 1/2 of the onion and put that into the chicken as well, or you can put all of it in the pan around the chicken while it roasts, it's up to you.

Next take the rosemary butter and gently rub it under the skin of the chicken. Tress and roast for the appropriate time according to weight. when it's finished you can the the second lemon and squeeze the juice over the skin.

This is seriously so simple, and the flavor that results is impressive. The chicken is so moist and so rich!! We love it, we serve it with mashed potatoes mixed with cream cheese and usually green beans or string beans. My kids devour it!!