My Jello Turkey

Today we were at the expensive grocery store buying those items that I couldn't find at my cheap grocery store, and I saw it . . . the strawberry jello. I don't know why but since about 1/2 way through the pregnancy, the premade strawberry jello mixed with fruit cocktail found in the deli section (and about 10 times expensive as making myself) has looked so cool and delicious. I was able to withstand the temptation until today--I know, I know.

That's how Everett and I came to eat jello at lunch. He had never experienced the stuff and was delighted to taste, squeeze handfuls, and smell the chilled gelatin. While I was cleaning up the table and he was finishing his exploration of the stuff, he pointed at me and said, "curcle?" (his word for circle).

I came closer and he repeated while pointing at my face, "curcle?"

Did I have something on my face?

I came even closer and he, again, repeated while pointing at my face, "curcle?"

When I finally arrived in within the parameter of what his arms could reach, he slathered the jello he had on his hands all over my mouth and laughed at how clever he thought he was.

My Jello Turkey.

Purge 2008

So, we are still purging. The end is in sight, but it has taken awhile to get where we are. I wanted to share some pics and links. I have been scouring sites and books trying to find the best org system for our triple purpose space in the basement.

http://www.candcorganizing.blogspot.com/
http://theinspiredroom.net/
http://orgjunkie.com/
http://www.lazyorganizer.com/blog/
http://www.theperfectpantry.com/

I am also trying to not have to buy new stuff to org our stuff. I have met with extreme success in the basement and moderate success in Evy's new bedroom. Instead of buying a dresser, I bought canvas storage cubes . . . easier to repurpose than a dresser.

I have only purchased one item for the basement . . . the clear shoe organizer. It now houses all of our office supplies. For two former graduate students, one who is now a consultant that houses his stuff at home and one who used to work from home exclusively---we have tons of office supplies.

Reorganized my zipper canvas totes from IKEA.

The play area . . . also purged a ton from our video and book collection.

It would be much more impressive to give you before pictures . . . but I didn't think about it at the time and it would have been too embarrassing anyway.

Toddler Curiousity

I would gauge Everett as "average" for making toddler messes. He is usually curious with a healthy dose of reserve. Today has been an exception. The day isn't over . . . so why blog now? Because he is quietly playing with his cars and maybe if I capture this now there won't be anything else. (yeah, right)

He has been fascinated with bugs recently, and one allowed him the full experience. I am pretty sure Everett ate it. It didn't agree with his stomach. So, a mommy's job is to clean up the vomit. (I tried to find the bug in the vomit without success.) But, what I didn't count on was his new tendency to reenact situations that occur throughout the day. That means that I have been the lucky recipient of horking/throwingup/upchucking noises since the mess was made.

And, Everett has been increasingly curious about potty things, like pee and poop. Today while I was using the bathroom, he took the opportunity to see what it was like to smear newly deposited poop from his diaper all over his belly. Luckily, the reserve part of his temperament kicked in until I came back into the room and he showed me the mess he had made by announcing very quickly, "POOPP!" Seems he didn't enjoy being slathered in the stuff.

My limited imagination right now cannot fathom what will be next (he's already conquered the cat food). We'll see what happens.

Chills and Thrills

The Sjolseth Family stayed very busy this week.

Chills:

• Having Dada away.
• Sheila and Evy getting sick.

Thrills:

• Having Lovely Elise watch Everett for a whole morning while Sheila took a much needed nap. THANK YOU! (Everett thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with his friend, Elise's son, and told Dad all about it when he got home.)
• Erik took a red-eye flight home to arrive sooner. [insert sigh of relief]
• The Guys had a great time on Saturday night doing guy stuff.
• Sheila really enjoyed dinner with the girlfriends and watching the RS broadcast.

I just wanted to capture a couple of Evy moments from church this morning.

• He thought he was pretty cool when he figured out how to put his arm through his shirt and out (between buttons) . . . until he got stuck and couldn't get it out. This was during Sacrament, and, according to him it was a major calamity.
• He still does not like nursery; though, he will allow a couple feet of distance between him and the accompanying parent. Things grew immensely more complicated today because now he is being pursued by a GIRL! She loves to persistently follow him, try to kiss him, chase him, and wants to play with him constantly, but all he says is, "NoNoNoNoNoNoNo!"
• He has been a bit attached to his blanket and any stuffed animal within reach since being sick this week. At church, a very cool lady let him look at her stuffed bear . . . and then he didn't want to give it back. That took some maneuvering.
• In an attempt to entertain Everett and keep the row quiet during church, we often offer books for him to read. Today, he was very vocal: WASSAT?! . . . BABY! . . . GGRROOWWLLL!! . . .TWO!! At least he provides entertainment to those around us.

Sharing Sunday Treat

Guys' Night Out

Mission 1: Ride the city bus for the first time

Everett, obsessed by buses--particularly because Dada goes on a bus all the time, was able to go on his first bus ride.

Erik and Everett hopped on a city bus at Erik's regular bus stop. Took Bus #505 Westbound on a ride through bustling Reston. Everett, sans carseat, was amazed at the turns--the G force of the turns, other passengers, the cool seats, the chance to drag his blankie around the aisles and seats, and the fact that Dada let him eat Teddy Grahams on the bus.

The Bus

The Guys

Everett offered his blankie to a passenger sitting beside him.

She declined as she was already warm enough.

Mission 2: Joyride to Dinner

The Guys grooved with the tunes with the windows down as they cruised to dinner.

Mission 3: Dinner and the UT Football Game at Champps

After the vehicular excitement. The Guys continued the revelry with dinner at the sports bar Champps and the chance to see part of the UT game.

Erik says that,"UT spanked Arkansas!"

Dinner service was a little *slow* and in the usual gotta be doing something toddler fashion, Everett went for the sugar packets (this is a learned behavior taught by his father). Erik complied with opening the packet for him, and much to the delight and amazement of fellow football watchers, Everett sat patiently waiting for food while dipping his fingers in the packets of sugary goodness (in all, Erik says to quell Sheila's concern, Everett spilled more sugar than he consumed). (Though witnesses say that Erik, in an attempt to keep him occupied, did instruct Everett to eat the sugar that had fallen onto his lap.)

Everett charmed the fellow football fans, the waitstaff, and all four of the hostesses. (Even bonding with a fellow dining toddler around the famed "Kachow"--that's Light'ning McQueen, people). After all that adventure and charming, the Guys were good to go, get a bath, play some piano, read some books, and fall quickly asleep.

CherryPicking

This weekend is the General Relief Society Broadcast for my church. It is when the women of my faith get together and draw strength from one another and from words shared by our church leadership.

In preparation, I pulled out an article on sisterhood to read and mull over. And I'd like to share some of the pieces I found most meaningful considering the meeting on Saturday:

Instrument in the Hands of God by President James E. Faust

Relief Society is a sisterhood and a place where women are instructed to build their faith and to accomplish good works. As President Hinckley has often said, we all need friends. Friendship fills us with warmth and love. It is not confined to the young or the old, the rich or the poor, the little known or the public figure. Whatever our circumstances, we all need someone who will listen to us with understanding, pat us on the back when we need encouragement, and nurture in us the desire to do better and to be better. Relief Society is designed to be such a circle of friendship, brimful with understanding hearts that generate love and accomplishment because, above all, it is a sisterhood.

President Hinckley’s beloved wife, Marjorie Pay Hinckley, put it so well when she said: “We are all in this together. We need each other. Oh, how we need each other. Those of us who are old need you who are young. And, hopefully, you who are young need some of us who are old. It is a sociological fact that women need women. We need deep and satisfying and loyal friendships with each other. These friendships are a necessary source of sustenance. We need to renew our faith every day. We need to lock arms and help build the kingdom so that it will roll forth and fill the whole earth.”

And now, lastly, I should like to say a few words to you younger sisters. You have an important place in this great sisterhood. Most of you have been endowed with a testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. With that testimony and with your youthful strength, influence, and intelligence, you can receive the blessings that come in fulfilling the responsibility to be “instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.”

One of the most powerful experiences I've had in being in Relief Society was working alongside a sister who was able to create commonalities between women where many had nothing in common. Nothing like service was more powerful in breaking down barriers and allowing us to do what we need to do--help one another. She, more than not, did that in the simplest of measures. She helped us facilitate joy and peace where there had only been anguish and worry. So, no matter my opinion or feeling on a particular issue or comment, I try to keep this in mind and exemplify her actions.

Erik: Read Me

You are doing so much and doing so well. You *can* do it! Good luck with all your meetings and interactions and the balancing act today!

We believe in you.

Love, Sheila & Everett

http://wordle.net/

This Afternoon

Cooking carrots
Owies
Hugs
Cooking chicken
Rain
Mail
Red baseball hats
Tickles

Wawa

Sitting on silver sunshades
Mail

Chasing doggy & kitty

Baby, Baby!

When you struggle with infertility, there are just some lines of thought that you don't allow yourself to go down. You enjoy others' babies . . . sometimes to a point. For me, when the struggle was especially poignant, I often wanted to just be detached to stay safe from pain and disappointment. The following reflection was one I never allowed myself to hope to have.

We are so excited for the next little one to join our family. I am excited that Everett will have a brother or sister grow up alongside.

I've been going through boxes and boxes picking things out that the baby can wear the first couple of weeks, especially if we end up having a girl. Not knowing beforehand if we are having a boy or a girl is something that is important to us. For those of you just tuning in to read the blog, we want some part of this pregnancy to be a surprise, a mystery. Every step of the way with the FET process, and then the high-risk pregnancy monitoring, has left little room for mystery and wonder.

The girl name is set. The boy name continues to transform. We have some strong contenders going, and Erik is ever diligent in getting community involvement so that the name is "just right." Not to be too obtuse, but I just don't feel right putting the names in writing just yet. So, you'll have to stay tuned.

I don't often wax nostalgic, but it was so peacefully fun to go through Everett's baby clothes this evening. Folding the newly washed clothing, I would remember incredulously that he really *was* that small, I would remember who gave us what outfit and think back to see if they've had a chance to see him recently, I would remember being amazed at how quickly he grew.

We have been immeasurably blessed to have Everett in our lives. Being a parent has been one of the most joyous and humbling experiences I have had the opportunity to experience. I have known more growth in the past two years than I thought was humanly possible.

This will probably be my last pregnancy. I am not, for lack of a better word, happy with that, but I am infinitely grateful for the blessings that I have. My heart is filled with gratitude for the blessings of two pregnancies, a crazy cute 2 year old, and the image of what will come with the addition of our second child.

BTW, Baby S is hiccuping rhythmically right now.

On the Mend

Everett finally went to sleep for the evening. Can't really complain because he actually took a NAP today.

This kid is a total crack-up. He now has enough basic signs and words to recount things that happen to him, and boy it is important to listen up! Bugs fascinate him, and he spent an hour and a half chasing the cat around on the deck this afternoon--but he was such a good boy because he didn't mess with the dead mouse she left for us after I asked him not to go near it. He was also patient enough to come stand by me so that I could see if an item of clothing still fit him.

We found some hand-me down spiderman slippers in some boxes of clothes that I was going through trying to seasonalize for fall/winter. We put them on him; he pointed to one of the shoes and he asked, "Wassat?"

I explained that it was Spiderman and he showed me the sign to sing "Itsy, Bitsy Spider" and then he said the word "man." Yessiree, you've got it.

We've been spending a lot of time singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" . . . he gets the biggest kick out of it and loves it when I put it in hyper drive and sing with silly voices. I love to see him laugh.

The following was from yesterday. All he wanted to eat was popcorn and french fries. Now that he is feeling better, the menu has expanded back to include "growing boy" food. BTW, he wasn't satisfied with the first picture; he wanted me to take the second picture, which he found satisfactory.

Instead of Napping--Dulcet Tones of Meow

Everett, instead of napping, gives a concert. The most recent additions to the repertoire have been "meowing" songs. He'll intersperse that with screaming out "Momma!" and "tractor!"

I was able to get a very quick soundbite of what it sounds like . . . of course in the 10 minutes that I sat there staring at the baby monitor ready to catch him in action, he somehow knew I was taping it, and was extremely quiet. So, this is/was sort of a let down. Don't worry, he never fell asleep. (Gotta do something to entertain myself because if he doesn't sleep I don't either and I really don't want to do laundry or vaccuum or the wash dishes or clean bathrooms right now.)

For the posterity's viewing pleasure, I start out with a shot of Twiggy's offering for the hour. Since Erik left, there have been multiple gifts laid with honor on our front and back door--only element missing: daisies in the hands of the deceased. I guess she misses him, too. And since he is gone, I guess I get to bury the carcases. (Have to think of a pregnancy rule against doing that and then ask my neighbor to bury them.)

If you care enough to watch the video of the monitor picking up the sounds (sounds thrilling right?), you'll have to turn up your volume because I didn't have enough forethought to turn up the monitor's volume myself. And, the last 8 seconds or so he says nothing--couldn't get the computer to cut that section out. Today has been a "go me" all around day.

Chills and Thrills

I currently can't think or process right now. Everett is sick and I haven't slept in the last 24 hours. He finally fell asleep 30 minutes ago sitting upright on the couch . . . which is awesome because his stuffy nose is what kept him up all night. "Nose, nose, Dada, Dada!" Poor kid, just as he gets sick, his comfort guy, Dada, goes out of town. I'd love to join him on the couch for a nap, but he is taking up most of it. Maybe I'll just curl up on the floor next to him.

Chills:

• Evy getting sick
• (That is a pretty short list.)

Thrills:

• Not on bedrest (this time last pregnancy I was)
• Evy has now added "Wassit?" (What's that?) to his growing vocabulary. He is also experimenting with pronouns, "you" being the most recent.
• Procardia is working well for me.
• Cooler weather
• Found an end table that will work great for a table for Everett once I sand and paint it.

Dada, Kook'em!

Erik is miles away, and we miss him.

Tonight, Everett is having a rough night. He isn't feeling very well. Hasn't felt well all day. In fact he is crying right now as he is trying to go to sleep.

I am wearing one of my UT shirts, and it has the "hook'em" hand sign on the front. During one of the times this evening when I went to fetch him from the bedtime dragons so he would calm down, we were eating yogurt. In the middle of eating, he caught sight of the "hook'em," brightened up, and said,"Dada, Kook'em!" He then splayed his fingers trying to get the fingers right and ended up showing me his two pointer fingers.

Yep, I am sure that Erik has showed him "kook'em."

Field Trip to Visit Dada

We've been missing a lot of time with Dada over the past couple of weeks (change in client resulted in longer commute and an increased workload besides all the other things he does to be a good provider, husband, dad, and church member).

Erik has been feeling it, too. He suggested coming to visit him at work. He even found fountain parks for Everett and I to frequent with the inevitable wait that comes from client meetings that run long. And THEN he mentioned that an artist's market would be there today. That totally sealed the deal. I love artist's markets . . . seeing what others create, talking to them about their process, envisioning which I would buy if cost were not an option, and maybe buying something small and handmade.

Off Everett and I went this morning to Crystal City. We did a dry run through the artist's market and talked to several artists--a lady who sells prints from Zimbabwe, another who paints with mixed medium, someone who can make paper look like glass, and more. Then, time for parks.

At one we found 1) fountains, 2) airplanes, 3) cargo trains, 4) and men cutting down TREES!

Erik caught up with us and we dined at Neramitra Thai. We all behaved well and enjoyed the treat.

We hit the artist's market with Erik and goggled jewelry made of precious stones, glass, and metal. Our fave stall today was Jules Jewelry.

It was hard to say goodbye to Erik. Both Everett and I just wanted him to get in the car with us and come home to continue the fun. Everett was so tuckered out that he actually took a nap in the car on the way home. (Nap refusal is going on one week--I think he is giving up the nap prematurely.)

I took a shot of the nappy Evy because I don't see him sleeping very often. Once he is down in his room, you don't go back in . . . he is just as angelic asleep as he is awake.

Week 29

I MADE IT!!!

Overall, this week has been easier on the contraction front. They are still coming. The Doc and I conferred today with today's sonogram results and decided to put me on Procardia to help decrease the number of contractions. I am happy with that.

I had so much help today with Everett. Lovely Bonnie watched him during my several hour sonogram trip and Lovely Lizbeth kept him occupied while I went to the doc in the afternoon. Without them, today would have been very, very hard. I am grateful to have friends that are able to help.

In all, the cervix looks longer than it ever has . . . mostly due to the position of the baby at the time of the sonogram. And, no your cervix can't grow or "go back"--but at least it isn't short and responding to the contractions. Don't worry, the baby's position hasn't veered--still head down deep in the pelvic region. At least some things in life are consistent.

Because the baby is carrying so low and because my torso is so long, I look really funny most days . . . the belly is pouring out of my shirts, even when I layer with a tank top underneath. They haven't started making TALL sized maternity clothes, yet. I've tried several different things. The most successful is to go up 2 sizes to XXL--which leaves enough material to cover the belly so I don't go waddling about like my pants are about to fall off and showing my gut to the world.

Most of you won't be surprised to know that in two weeks the baby's weight went from 50th percentile to 85th percentile. I knew that this little one would grow to be just as robust as Everett; I was just hoping that it would happen a little bit later in the pregnancy. In all, it is nothing to complain about--just an observation. The baby is measuring 2-3 weeks further in development, depending on the body part, than 29 weeks. In all, I'll be a huge pregnant lady.

(You'll have to stay tuned to see how I figured out to do a Halloween costume with my growing size. I think the idea is ingenious. Erik doesn't think it is a genius product, but he remains supportive, as always.)

Though things are hard, they could be harder. I am grateful for the opportunity to be pregnant and to experience the development of life. I am grateful for excellent health care and doctors who listen (despite one of the high-risk doctors telling me today that if contractions bother me I should drink 1/2 a glass of wine and go lay down---I think he must have just had a glass himself).

Just as Good as Photoshop, maybe . . .

I used to be a pro at Photoshop. I could remove wrinkles, big bellies, unsightly background areas, and do whatever I wanted. Enter in time . . . it went by . . . enter in the fact that my version became outdated . . . I am a Photoshop pro no more and I don't want to buy it.

However, I came across Picnik and it functions with features similar to Totally Rad buttons (even has a teeth whitening feature). Easy to use and it is FREE. I'm in love again.

Now this is totally overdone, but you can basically do anything that you want.

Hitting the Teen Years Early

My Theory: Terrible Two behavior mimics adolescent behavior in many ways. Cracks me up to see it in Everett.

Behavior aside, seems hygiene needs do, too. Everett discovered the use of deodorant almost a year ago. That comes from watching Mom and Dad get ready for the day.

Today, he discovered my stash (mini Powder Fresh Secret) that I brought back home from my old work office--(going through those boxes for Purge 2008)--and he decided to liberally apply a layer so that he would be sweet smelling all day, too.

He is putting it on his neck and back. So, after removing it from hands before he decided to bite a chunk out of the anti-BO product, I asked him: Everett, where do we put deodorant?

This was his answer:

Nope, he ain't a dummy. And the look sort of says, "Are you confused, Mom?"

(Everett sat right beside be as I wrote this post. When I asked him if there was anything else, he requested me to point out his "blankee (nkee) and toes" . . . .)

A NEW Car

I sent the boys out to play when Erik arrived home from work. Trying to decrease my activity level is inverse of what a toddler needs to do, expend energy.

Their mission: go on a walk and burn off some wiggles.

I get a phone call from Erik about an hour later, "Come on out and see our new car!"

Oh, no. What have I done.

This is what I found:

And, then there was the obligatory trip over the speedbumps, okay more like 200 trips. Thanks, Erik!

Everett personally oversaw Erik's valet service in moving the car to the back; yes, the car was our car to keep thanks to some nice neighbors. Everett had to be CONVINCED that he wanted dinner (a first) and not to go cruising down the drag.

Tomorrow morning I am sure we'll see him up at the crack of dawn waxing this puppy.

Fertility Quest: The Today Show

The Today Show is running a series on infertility this week. I just happened to catch a segment on it this morning. I think tomorrow they are touching on male infertility. Here is a link to what is on the web.

Rethinking Infertility: The Today Show

Link to today's segment
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/26735737#26735737

To Weed or Not To Weed

This little beauty bloomed today. I can't tell you how many times I've looked up at the flower boxes, frowned at the lone weed sprouting out of bottom thinking, "I really need to get up there and pull that weed and do something about those dead plants."

The last time I paid any attention to the flower boxes was way back in May/June. We were weeks away from putting the house on the market and we did what we do every season, spruced up the boxes with new plants. I made sure to water those babies and take care of them to help with that important curb appeal.

Kind of glad I didn't get to that weeding. Wonder how long it will stay and if it will spread.

Dear Preston,

I saw this smoking cool outfit the moment Mom pulled it out of the basket to put in my dresser. I insisted on donning the shirt RIGHT then. I CANNOT believe my luck and am eternally grateful to have a cousin with such good taste. I refused to put on any pants because, hello, we don't want anything detracting from the good looks of this shirt. I fought the parents when they tried to take it off to get my hair cut.

"CHOW, Nurnur (my word for Mater), and EYES" are what I tell people about this shirt. so cool. thank you.

ps, don't you love my half-mustache made of cinnamon and sugar?
pps, when we put him to bed, he kept kissing Light'ning McQueen and Mater goodnight.

Chills and Thrills

Erik-- Thrills: I am relieved the Fajita Feast is complete and went well. We are now planning for our next events for the ward. I am continuing to work hard to complete Purge 2008. Because of the Feast, I didn't have much time this week to go through things. As we post this, I am going through my office paperwork deciding what can be stored, thrown-out, kept handy. Hopefully, we'll get the painting done this week.

Sheila-- Thrills: I am thrilled that the Fajita Feast is over. We still have bunches of stuff to put away and return, but the house is smelling normal now, and I can access my yogurt quite freely. Erik has been a prince with taking care of Everett, balancing the Feast and Purge, all while making sure I maintain my sanity. He is the best ever. He also killed the spider in the bathroom and thought that it was a BIG spider, too. I was able to complete my projects for Everett's room a couple of weeks ago and am looking forward to placing it all in a newly painted room.

Everett-- Thrills: I completed a somersault today. All by myself! I've been practicing the head-down position for over a week now and was thrilled with my accomplishment this afternoon. I giggled to myself for several minutes after my first somersault. In nursery, I lasted longer than three minutes. That is a big milestone for me! I continue to add phrases to my daily use, "not yet, kitty treat" are a couple. I also am making sure that my trucks get to go over speedbumps in the house (I LOVE speedbumps) and make sure that Mom or Dad do the "countdown until the truck goes over the speedbump" with me . . . "1-2-3-BUMP, BUMP!"

Everett is listening much better, and using the Hands are not for Hitting book has proven to be a huge help. Time-outs for hitting were non-existent this week.

Rocks-My Pregnant Mind

When I was little I was the proud owner of a Marie Osmond doll and a Danny Osmond doll, before they melted in our storage, the attic. And, no, not the dolls that she sells but the actual Barbie dolls. They pretty much look like the ones below . . . well, except I didn't approve of her make-up choice and helped her out with purple marker eye-shadow. Yeah, I was a regular fashionista. Maybe I was helping her coordinate her look better. Oh, and the cool part was you could put a microphone in their rigor mortis hands. Those were some good times.One of their songs that has been playing in my head this afternoon is the "Little Bit Country/Little Bit Rock-n-Roll" . . . the past several days have been hard physically with the pregnancy. I tried successfully to take it in stride until today. I just feel like crap-ola. The nags of daily living like bills seem overwhelming, online transactions completed to minimize the stress of getting out aren't going as planned, and all small things seem humongous. You know those days.

The BHing is getting very annoying and draining, this baby is putting so much pressure on my cervix--every time I stand up I swear I'll see a head poking out if I look down, headache, overall moodiness, and just a bit of some irritation or frustration with how hard each step seems to be fuels bubbling anger that this overextended childbearing phase of my life has been so hard when it seems others just get pregnant by magic in their perky mid-twenties and are able to work/shop/play until they have their baby, on time. Yeah, some self-pity in that run-on sentence, okay maybe a lot.

I just keep thinking that another mountain will have been climbed if I can make it to the sonogram next week. If I were to go in whining to the doctor today, I would either 1) pay a bunch of money for the doctor to tell me to suck it up and keep going because pregnancy just sucks or 2) be put on bedrest. Neither would help me feel better. So, I am taking it easy, allowing Everett more Clifford than usual.

So the song, "Little Bit Country/Little Bit Rock-n-Roll" in my pregnant mind is reminding me that both sides are needed. To swallow the not so good in order to reap the reward of having another member of our family join us. I know that isn't what the song is about, and I do like country and rock-n-roll, but in my mind, that balance is what it is about right now. I know that after the weekend I'll feel better.

The headache is compounded with the peppery pungent odor from the rub we used on the about a-bajillion pounds of meat sitting in our fridges ready to be grilled tomorrow for the church Fajita Feast. My hallways are cluttered with Feast-y preparations. My expansive kitchen is filled with chips, tortillas, and I can't find the yogurt behind all the sour cream. After the weekend, I'll be able to see more of my house and not get frustrated because I shouldn't move any of it myself.

The spider paranoia I've had with this pregnancy had really gone away--until I saw a large spider in the bathroom again a couple of hours ago. Irrationally, I'm convinced that he'll hurt Everett. Part of me knows that it is totally ridiculous, part of me is genuinely concerned that if I try to kill it, it will attack and kill me, and then I couldn't be around to save Everett. For now, since Erik isn't here to kill it, I've BARRICADED the door shut. Cause, the spider is going to turn the doorknob, right, and he couldn't just squeeze through the opening at the bottom of the door? Crap, that could happen; I've got to put a towel there.

Rational thought, wherefore art thou? [and yes, I have misused that quote because Juliet is actually asking Romeo WHY he is a Montague rather than where the darn he is, but this is my blog.]

So, if I could get past the tears, I would probably laugh hysterically. For the moment, I'm listening to The Monkey's hit, Daydream Believer, on Pandora. And, no, I don't understand the lyrics right now, but it is a happy tune. Which was just followed by The Bangles "Eternal Flame" . . . starting to feel better.

I need comfort food now to balance it all out. Does The Cracker Barrel deliver? oooo--and it just started to rain AND I think Everett may actually take a nap despite the past 2 hours of nap refusal. Maybe things are starting to get better before Monday.

TREAT!

This morning we went to a thrift store that I found near one of my regular doctor appointment places. I LOVE THIS STORE. It has so much, and it is organized and clean and very decently priced.

I got there before it opened, eager beaver. So, to fill in the 30 minutes before the gates to shopping nirvana slid open, Everett and I went to a local Asian food market located near it. I've been there before . . . but just browsing. Today I took advantage of the yummy and hard to find jams, the very inexpensive produce, the best selection of Pocky sticks, walked past the live crabs/frogs/turtles (though it was really cool to watch them jump and swim) and the largest display of seafood I have ever seen, and went to pay at the register. . . where Everett was charming as usual.

Everett: Hi (with his little wave)
Lady at Register: Hi

Some conversation passed between the two of them. I was busy trying to keep Everett from messing with the debit keypad-so, I don't remember what was said (yes, he was able to multi-task better than me in that moment, I blame that on sleep deprivation).

Everett: Bye!
Lady at Register: Here you go (she passes an almond nougat candy to Everett)
Everett: TREAT! Thank you! (in sign)

All day Everett has been talking about this treat. After getting back to the car, we read books and Everett consumed his treat ("my treat" he would tell me while eating it) until the Shopping was ready for us. It was such a delightful 15 minutes, forced to do nothing but entertain ourselves. I think that Everett especially enjoyed the time because all day he has been talking about the treat. (Okay, maybe he just liked the sugary confection, but I can think what I want.)

Everyone he came across in the thrift store, especially if under the age of 8, was excitedly told about the "TREAT!" A friend of mine came over for lunch and the first word after "hi" was "TREAT!"

Dear Lady at Register--

You made my son's day. Thank you!

Sincerely--A Mom

Hospital Tour

Last night, Erik and I went on a tour of the hospital where we'll be delivering our baby. It is different than the hospital we used for Everett.

I REALLY liked it. I REALLY liked how they are open to what the patient wants and would like to do. There are some logistical drawbacks to using a larger hospital, but I think that it will be worth it in the end. The NICU is the best in the area and has much better policies than Everett's NICU. (Most people don't think about that; I do.)

It was also great to be at a point where I can actually visualize a normal delivery . . . visualizing the delivery without at least 3 NICU staff breathing down my neck. Visualizing that I am able to keep my baby with me and not have to drag my swollen and wrecked body down several floors and through the hospital to go see my baby. (I wasn't able to see Everett, aside from the few minutes I had when he was fresh from the womb, until 14 hours after I had him. I had "too much medication" in my system, they said. That was a total load of crap--they were just too lazy to put me in a wheelchair and give me directions to the NICU.)

If this pregnancy weren't full of concern, I would be actively investigating other venues to have my child. [Erik is having a heart attack as he just read that because he checked out ALL the birthing videos in preparation for Everett's delivery (wasn't able to attend childbirth class because I was on bedrest) and he saw ALL kinds of venues.] As it is, I am comfortable with our choice and am grateful to have choices.

It was great to walk through those labor and delivery halls with the opportunity to ask questions rather than have the first time I go through be because I am in delivery crisis. I am just fine without the drama, thankyou.

Don't get me wrong; I am grateful for the inspired doctors and nurses that brought my first pregnancy as far as it went and were able to help all of us with Everett's prematurity. But I am looking forward to being supported by staff open to whether or not you want to breastfeed (even those in NICU), I am looking forward to being supported by staff that doesn't have a huge patient load, and I am looking forward to meeting my baby, hopefully without drama.

Today's Action

The garbage man did come today. But, that wasn't the most attention drawing activity. Today, it was the cat. Or, rather, the cat and her catch.

Looks pretty gruesome, huh? Don't let that chipmunk fool you. In the time that we watched Twiggy beg to come inside the house, the chipmunk escaped THREE times. This chipmunk was a PRO at faking death. It looks really dead here:

Don't worry, on the third time, it was a permanent escape. The chipmunk escaped the "jaws of death by kitty" only to go chasing cars.

Fertility Quest: When the Baby Comes

I wrote this quite awhile ago not knowing if I really needed to address these issues. I have felt recently that maybe I need to go ahead and post it. So, here is a brief "reopening" of the Fertility Quest Series. If you have no idea what I am talking about, feel free to check out the links related to the Fertility Quest on the right.

Many people have issues when it comes to fertility treatments. Some of the issues stem from concerns, religious dispositions, or just not knowing the facts about the procedures. Whatever the reason, it is fine that others have issues. Going through fertility treatments is a personal choice and was a matter of prayer for us. The following text address concerns that the baby will be "wrong" since we used a fertility treatment to get pregnant.

Issue #1:
The lab must have made some kind of switching error because the baby doesn't look like [insert name of parent(s)].

My Response: Okay, human error in this life is unavoidable. At the same time, I am not worried about it. I saw first hand all the security measures used. Maybe the kid just looks like Great-great-great Aunt Myrtle.

Issue #2:
That Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) procedure MUST be flawed because their baby has a problem.

My Response: Again, I am not worried about this. I couldn't find any strong research done by reputable scientists and doctors that states this was a concern, in fact quite the opposite. If the baby has a problem, no matter the origin or cause, then the baby has a problem. The problem could be caused by many things but harping on the origin is only helpful so far as to if it provides answers for treatments. I am not scared to have a baby with a problem. Preemie Everett had lots of them. And, no IVF, did not cause Everett's problems.

There is a somewhat higher incident of birth defects (a percentage or two) for babies who have parents that struggle with infertility (whether the baby was conceived with or without fertility treatments), but the treatment itself is not seen causal. Many organizations state that more research is needed to flush this out.

Issue #3:
She had the baby early because she used fertility treatments to get pregnant.

My Response: Nope, there is nothing linking premature birth as being caused by fertility treatments.

Issue #4:
Using IVF is morally wrong.

My Response: Again, this is a personal choice. We prayerfully considered our path and were prompted to utilize the technology of IVF and FET. Erik and I do not approach any reproductive issue with flippancy or without deep investigation. We do not feel that using fertility treatments, in general, is morally wrong. I am sure there are specific situations that could be brought to hand where it could be argued as more gray than black and white. We have been immensely blessed to have Everett in our lives!

Chills and Thrills

Not Really Anything Chilling or Thrilling to Share. Here are Bits and Pieces:

• Besides painting and Purge Week, the week was blessedly quiet. We enjoyed the torrential rains from Hurricane Hanna and are looking forward to cooler weather.
• The autumnal decorations are out. We are putting together Christmas presents. Don't laugh. If I don't do it now, it won't get done because I'll have a newborn.
• Everett and I enjoyed a visit with some friends. The little boy is Everett's age, and they get along extremely well.
• Erik is getting ready for a church event on Saturday. Fajita Feast for 50 people that completed reading the Book of Mormon this summer.
• One of the funniest things is Everett's increasing vocabulary. We need to take the time and get it on video--when he says the word "football" he jumps up in the air. Seriously! I don't know where he got it from. But, he loves football. Erik and I enjoy UT football (2-0 so far!), but we don't talk about it outside of football season. Somehow, Everett got the football bug. I turned on the TV this evening to see the forecast, the Cowboy game was on . . . Everett caught a glimpse of it and was HOOKED!

This is what he is doing RIGHT NOW. (When a commercial comes on, he yells, "FOOTBALL!" And, every once in awhile, he'll tell them to "kick" the ball. When they tackle the guy with the ball he says, "uh-oh.")

Week 27

I am at 27 weeks and taking it carefully. "Doomsday" high-risk doctors say I am to be the "last to get up in the morning and the first to go to bed"--and then reality kicks in because when Everett is up, Everett is up.

So far, so good. We are holding strong. The baby always has his hand to his mouth when he gets his picture taken--funny how we develop habits even before we leave the comfort of the womb.

We've been talking with Everett about how he will be a big brother, reading books about what that means. He doesn't get that. But, he gets what a baby is. Since we've been talking about the baby so much, he has taken to holding and playing with the swarthy baby doll that we have here. I taught him how to wrap it in a blanket, and he thinks it is cool to cuddle with the baby wrapped up tight. He also gives the baby a ride in his $1.91 grocery cart that I found at a thrift store last week.

While I was at Girls' Night this past Friday, the boys held a "Hurricane Hanna Party" and part of the dance moves included the "baby belly." Everett, since the party, has a better understanding that I have a baby in my belly. Early the very next morning, Everett wanted to show me the dance move. Here is a picture of all of us, with the boys ready to do the baby belly dance. I must admit I found it hysterical. (it was very early and my hair reflects that. no, I'm not *that* much taller than Erik, I am standing on a mattress pad we put out for the dance floor.)

We are in the middle of Purge Week. I find that I get frustrated because I can't lift, move, or push stuff around very much because of the fear of overdoing it. Which means I have to wait for someone else to do it for me. Which means that I can't be independent. Which I hate. I'm taking it in stride, though, and am consistently grateful for Erik's help.