The Final Countdown

We are in our last (possible) week of being pregnant. I'm due on Saturday but according to a police officer we ran into this weekend, I look like I should have delivered a month ago.

My mom has been in town for the last week, which has eased a bunch of anxiety I was having about her not being here when the baby is born. She, The Lime, and I have been getting out of the house each day to help pass the time. Lots of trips to the park, baseball games, library visits, and mall runs.

We didn't have anything planned for today until about 11:00 when The Lime said he wanted to go to the Pirate Ship park. We brought his huge blue bouncy ball with us and played a game of "soccer" before attacking the playground. While it isn't the easiest to get around, I'm still feeling capable and I want to take advantage of every second I have left with just The Lime and I. We played fire station and spent a good amount of time talking on the swings.

Unfortunately, when we got home, his sassy mouth and lack of listening got him into trouble and he was sent to nap time early. I was feeling bad for getting upset at him and then a flood of emotion came over me. We talked about the situation and finished it off with a kiss and mutual "I love you". That's when I started crying and couldn't stop. "Why are you crying?" he asked. I told him I just loved him so much! Then his lower lip started to quiver and before I knew it, he was bawling. I asked him why he was crying and he said he didn't know. So we sat there, him on his bed and me on his floor, hugging each other and crying. We decided to talk about happy things so we'd stop and our conversation took us to doughnuts and toots, where The Lime said Doodlebug won't have a bottom or toot. I assured him that he would not be lacking in that department, especially since he's part of our family.

He's such a wild and crazy kid but I am grateful The Lime is also in tune with his feelings as well as those around him. Part of me can hardly wait to see how he steps up as big brother but the other part of me wants him to be my baby forever.

Yahoo for Cousins!

My sister and her family have relocated (just down the street and around the corner from their old place) and since I'm not much help moving things, I've offered my child watching services. It gave my sister some extra time to focus on house things and it gave The Lime a companion that can actually play with him (37 week legs don't move very fast).

It was just our luck that I was watching my niece on the same day that a local hatchery had their Toddler Time. Even though both kids are out of the toddler stage, they're actually perfect for the activities, as I believe they're geared for older kids anyway.

Frogs were on the agenda for today and the sweet girl heading the class did a great job. The parents, on the other hand, were so rude and talked the entire time. The girl's voice was getting louder and her requests for parent participation grew more frequent. It's confusing to me when they tell their kids to sit down and be quiet but they stand and talk. I can only imagine what their kids were thinking.

After the singing and stories, they have the option of feeding the fish or doing a craft. The Lime always opts for the fish and bypasses the craft altogether.

The fish go nuts when the food hits the water, which gets a wild reaction from The Lime. Thank goodness he can go back as many times as he wants to get more food. Unfortunately, his hands smelled the rest of the day, even after numerous washings and hand sanitizer squirts.

We weren't too far from the temple so we made a slight detour before heading home. The kids were naturally drawn to the fountain and I tried to keep them somewhat reverent but water and reverence don't necessarily go together.

We walked around the grounds and got to a point that had a staircase. The kids transformed into posed princesses and silly geese. I couldn't stop laughing as I snapped photo after photo.

The kids had lots of questions about the Angel Moroni, which made me realize I need to do some investigative work. After one more hand dip in the fountain, and a reluctant picture, we made our way back home for a rousing lunch of macaroni & cheese and watermelon.

The second half of our day wasn't as exciting, unless you consider my car overheating "exciting", so no photos were taken.

Our visits have not only been fun but the kids wear each other out and crash by the end of the day. Everyone is a winner when naps are taken.

Easter Sunday

I'm in charge of Sharing Time this month and made some last minute notes to my original plans on Saturday night.  I originally started out just listening to the scriptures and that turned into watching The Lamb of God which turned into watching the Bible videos on the church's website.  I love these videos because I can read the scriptures all day long and very few things will sink in, but if I can see what's taking place, it makes much more of an impact.

We woke up Sunday morning and The Lime found his basket with a few candies, a new toothbrush, and a snorkeling mask.  He actually volunteered to get in the bath yesterday so he could use his new mask (it was hilarious to see him use it).  We got ready for church and had enough time to spare to take a few family pictures, since it's been over a year.

We went to church and came home long enough to finish up some things before heading back out to LaVor's aunt's house where we enjoyed a great Easter dinner. LaVor's grandparents were in town and The Lime had never met them so we were anxious for this special event. There were lots of cousins to play with before dinner and it didn't take him long to start playing baseball. Good thing we keep all of his equipment in the back of the car, just in case.

The sister missionaries shared an Easter message before dinner and then we dug in. Not long after we ate, all the kids went in the front yard while the parents hid the eggs for the hunt. LaVor went all out and color coordinated his eggs with their hiding places. The Lime was on a mission and filled his basket up in a matter of minutes.

We stuck around for a little bit longer, took some more family photos, said our goodbyes, and called it a night.

It was a special day, spent with family, and remembering that because of our Savior's sacrifice for us, we get to be with our families forever. We also don't have to go at this crazy thing called life alone. He's experienced everything we've been through, are going through, or will have to go through. I know he lives and loves me.

Teeth

Most nights are tough around 8:30, when it's time for The Lime to get ready for bed.  One night last week, he was being especially defiant and so we told him he had to go potty and then it was straight to bed.

"Nooooooo!" he cried.

LaVor was persistent but The Lime kept objecting.

Sobbing, he said, "But I need to brush my teeth or I'll get sugar bugs!"  He was beyond wanting to stay up just for the fun of it.  Now he was terrified that he'd get cavities by missing one night of teeth brushing.  Once he calmed down, we brushed his teeth and all was right in the world again.

Both LaVor and I have electric toothbrushes and The Lime has been asking for one.  The Easter Bunny must have known of his desires because The Lime found a battery operated toothbrush in his basket this morning.  He's brushed his teeth three times so far.  It also sounds like an electric shaver and I've found him running the bristles over his chin.

What kind of Easter Bunny brings a kid a toothbrush, I don't know.  All I can say is that you can take the girl out of dentistry but you can't take dentistry out of the girl.  

Gratitude

When people ask me how I'm feeling, "large" is usually my answer.  I'm not used to carrying around an extra 30 pounds.  Therefore, I get warn out easily.  Add that to The Lime always wanting to be on the go and I'm pooped.

34 weeks

Last week was a hard week.  Sleeping is a joke, getting ready each morning makes me feel like I'm going to pass out, Braxton Hicks are happening all the dang time, and this boney little guy is taking after his older brother and jabs me in the same spot. Add that to my fears and anxieties about having two kids and you get a basket case.

I've tried to keep everything in and I attempt to have a positive attitude but I broke last week. It didn't last long but I didn't get to get everything "out" that I needed to. My sister-in-law must have known because she text messaged me from Utah the following day to see how I was doing. She has five kids, two of which are twins, so I trust her advice when it comes to adding another kiddo to the bunch.

President Uchtdorf's talk on Sunday morning made me realize, even more, that I need to be extremely grateful for the baby that is growing inside of me, especially since we waited so long for him to join our family. The aches and pains will only be around for a few more weeks and then we can squeeze and kiss the little dude to our hearts' content.

So the next time I feel like my stomach is going to split open, or I waddle to the bathroom in the middle of the night, for the second time, I'll remember President Uchtdorf's words: “We can choose to be grateful, no matter what.”

Grab a Tissue

When I had my 20 week ultrasound, the technician mentioned that there was a chance we might receive a phone call from the Radiologist or my doctor, but not to be alarmed because she didn't see anything (even though I think she did). Prior to the ultrasound, I denied having the tests done to see if the baby had Down syndrome. When I was pregnant with The Lime, our insurance wouldn't confirm whether or not they'd cover the procedure until the claim was submitted. I figured the same situation would take place this time around. Plus, if they did find something, it's not like we would terminate the pregnancy.

I had my ultrasound on a Monday and that Friday, I was making dinner and my phone rang. I didn't get to it fast enough and the person didn't leave a message. I Googled the number and saw it was from my medical group but since I didn't know who specifically called me, I didn't return the call.

About an hour later, I checked my e-mail and saw the results from the ultrasound. I briefly scanned it and then came across some unusual notes: "Fetal bilateral choroid plexus cysts. Left fetal renal borderline pelviectasis of 4.2 mm. Further evaluation with level II sonogram should be considered."

"Cysts" stood out to me since I've had them since I was little, so I initially thought they saw something regarding my body. Then I, again, turned to Google and realized it was the baby who had the cysts, and they were in his brain. Big mistake, that Googling was. LaVor hates that I try to look things up on my own and insisted I call the doctor back rather than trying to come to my own conclusions. I told him I didn't know if it was the doctor who called me since the number was for the switchboard. I ended up calling the number, just to end the argument, and didn't get anywhere. The office was closed and I'd have to wait until Monday before finding out any additional information regarding my baby. I spent the next three days reading anything and everything, and came to the conclusion that because of what they found in the ultrasound, our baby either had Down syndrome or trisomy 18.

That was the longest weekend ever. I cried, a lot. Thankfully, it was also Fast Sunday, so we asked our families to remember our babe as they fasted. My sweet brother wrote me a note and gave me the comforting news that three out of his five kids had the same cysts and the cysts were gone by the next ultrasound. I was hoping for the same results!

My doctor did call the following week and told me the specialist would be calling me to set up an appointment for another ultrasound. While I knew I'd have to wait for things to clear up, I wanted answers NOW. I had the second ultrasound two weeks later and the doctor confirmed that everything looked great; no cysts and the baby's kidney was of normal size.

Even with the happy news, I still didn't feel like I had a 100% confirmation that nothing was wrong with the baby.

Let me backtrack to many years ago. I've always felt like LaVor and I would have a child with a disability. I'm not sure why, it's just always been in the back of my mind. When we found out the results from the initial ultrasound, we were lifted up with words of encouragement, that our baby would be loved no matter what, and if there was something wrong, we'd be the best parents for that baby. Those weren't my worries, though. I know we would love that baby to death and that The Lime would be the best big brother. What scared me was thinking about the challenging life he would live. Would people make fun of him? Would he be able to take advantage of the same opportunities as other kids? How would he handle his disability?

I've tried not to think about it since there's nothing I can do, and LaVor and I don't talk about it. But the thoughts are still there, lingering in the background.

I came across this video today and seem to have had my questions answered. If this baby is born with Down syndrome, his life will be hard, just like everyone else has trials. But he'll be happy, successful, helpful, and loved, no matter what.

Telephone Line Trenching

It's Spring break in our city for the next two weeks and I noticed a few older kids at the library/park this morning. I was also reminded of an activity I used to participate in during my breaks from school - telephone line trenching.

You might ask what that is. Let me tell you.

Back in the day, most homes only came with one of two phone lines. If you wanted additional lines, you needed to either dig a ditch yourself, so the phone company could put in the new line, or you hired my dad, siblings and me to dig the ditch for you.

My dad lost his job when I was 12 and did his best to find other ways to support our family. Digging ditches was one of them, even though he joked that his mom told him to go to college so he wouldn't have to dig ditches for a living. He has his Bachelors, just for the record.

Because many hands make light work, my dad recruited the kids to help him dig said ditches, despite our complaining and refusing. Digging in the dirt was not how we envisioned spending vacations, especially when it was hot outside.

While I hope I never have to dig another ditch in my lifetime, it didn't kill me. We experienced several things growing up that most kids didn't. If anything, it taught us to work hard and gave us confidence that we could pretty much do anything.

So when we got to the park today, and The Lime asked me what the worker men were doing, I was taken back to my youth. I could almost see our heads on these guys' shoulders. Someone would loosen the dirt up while the other person dug it out. It would take us most of the day (we'd start digging right near the house, down the driveway, to the street) but these guys were crankin' it out. Except for the one that kept taking water & sunflower seed breaks.

The Lime asked if he could help them but I told him he was wearing his nice cowboy boots and needed work boots. So instead, we gawked for a good chunk of time. Well, The Lime gawked. I just kept thinking how grateful I was that I didn't have to dig any ditches this Spring break.