Horray! Horray! Horray! This was all I could say when the weatherman finally reported that rain was highly likely and we would finally be getting our summer monsoons. Now let me be clear I despise monsoon season, not for the rain per se, but rather for the general lack of other peoples knowledge of how to drive in it. Growing up on the north east coast of the US I've always been comfortable driving in all kinds of weather...snow, sleet, hail, ice, rain, storms, wind, sun, you name it I've driven it and happily so. This is not the case here on the west coast and especially in the deserts of Arizona, people here either don't know how to drive in poor weather or are just afraid to do so and it's bothersome to me because I get in a groove of knowing what I'm doing and where I'm going and someone gets infront of me who just has no clue and so decides to travel at a snails pace for miles instead of pulling off into a parking area and waiting out the rain they so fear.
I was however thrilled to hear of the coming rain because for weeks it has been 110+ degrees in the daytime and hovering just below 90 at night. So the rain is welcome because with the rain comes temperatures in the 100-107 range and low to mid 80's at night which feels like a cool breeze compared to what we've been having. So last night we had a great rain, it poured for more than an hour, and then continued to drizzle for another hour or more. This storm however moved in during the wee morning hours when most normal people are asleep, I however was up feeding the baby when it just began to rain. I fed little man and then went to sleep...about an hour later I was awakened to the most awful sounding boom! It was thunder and I have never heard it so loud in all my 27 years, so I laid in bed a few more minutes and the super loud thunder continued. I got up and started to walk in to check on the older boys when my oldest came in crying that he was scared so I cuddled him a bit, tucked him into my bed and went to check on the middle boy (the baby was happily sleeping through all of this) who was sitting up in his bed and told me he can't sleep because the thunder is too loud. I brought him too into my bed, which at this point is quite crowded as it now holds me, my 6yo, my 5yo, and my 1month old poor hubby would have to either move them in the morning when he got home, sleep in the older boys room, or sleep on the sofa since there is now no room in our bed. This terrible thunder continued for more than an hour and somewhere in the middle of it lightning hit someone's air conditioner because all we heard was a loud crack with flashes of light and then this morning the crane was here removing an a/c unit. This was not the start to summer monsoons I was hoping for, as I am now a very tired mama who got all total maybe 4 hours of sleep since it's nearly impossible to go back to sleep with that thunder cracking.
Hopefully tonight's storms will not be so loud or damaging. Oh and I should add mama isn't a fan of thunderstorms (yeah the old angels are bowling story didn't work for me). Birbitt wants the rain but would prefer if the thunderstorms would be a little quieter and maybe not shake her whole house!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Old habits are hard to break...
and even harder to restart. Yes this is a funny way to start a blog post but here's the issue. I was raised on a farm, my family raised goats and we sold the milk as well as the meat (I have never and will never eat goat so please don't ask me what it tastes like) and being that we already owned the goats I was also raised on goats milk instead of cow milk. We made our own cheese from goat milk, we made fudge from goat milk, we made butter from goat milk (that's a funny story), we drank goat milk, we made ice cream from goat milk, and we made yogurt from goat milk. So until the day I got married and moved in with my husband I never tasted even a drop of cow milk. I never even drank milk in school unless it was milk mom had sent in my lunchbox.
So about a week or so ago my little baby was very fussy, generally unhappy (and until then he'd been a very happy baby), screaming, and just miserable. After nearly an hour of rocking, cuddling, burping, singing, talking, rubbing, and everything else I could think of he finally let out this MONSTER burp and then promptly threw up everywhere. I couldn't figure it out, so the next feeding he does the same thing, and again at the next feeding. I started thinking about what I might have eaten that would upset him and all I could come up with was milk. So I didn't drink anymore milk for a few days and he seemed all better. I figured I'd just go to the store and get some goat milk and try that see if it wasn't better...yeah not going to happen I took one taste of that goat milk and YUCK! I know it's not the same milk I grew up on because it's been pasteurized and such but still it just tasted horrible I just didn't like it, so I bought some Lactaid milk and we've been doing good with that and it tastes fine to me.
I found it strange that when I started cow milk I hated it for months, but eventually got used to it, and now I can't stand the taste of goat milk which I used to love. While it was hard for me to break the goat milk habit, it's even harder to start drinking it again. Guess I'll just stick to lactaid milk (and I do love milk).
So about a week or so ago my little baby was very fussy, generally unhappy (and until then he'd been a very happy baby), screaming, and just miserable. After nearly an hour of rocking, cuddling, burping, singing, talking, rubbing, and everything else I could think of he finally let out this MONSTER burp and then promptly threw up everywhere. I couldn't figure it out, so the next feeding he does the same thing, and again at the next feeding. I started thinking about what I might have eaten that would upset him and all I could come up with was milk. So I didn't drink anymore milk for a few days and he seemed all better. I figured I'd just go to the store and get some goat milk and try that see if it wasn't better...yeah not going to happen I took one taste of that goat milk and YUCK! I know it's not the same milk I grew up on because it's been pasteurized and such but still it just tasted horrible I just didn't like it, so I bought some Lactaid milk and we've been doing good with that and it tastes fine to me.
I found it strange that when I started cow milk I hated it for months, but eventually got used to it, and now I can't stand the taste of goat milk which I used to love. While it was hard for me to break the goat milk habit, it's even harder to start drinking it again. Guess I'll just stick to lactaid milk (and I do love milk).
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
What is it about babies?
What is it about babies that make complete strangers want to come up and touch both me and my newborn baby? I understand babies are cute and that babies are blessings and everyone (myself included) wants to look at new babies and tell the parents how cute they are and such, and I understand that babies bring us hope and joy sometimes when there is little of both to be found, but WHY must people touch them?
Now I don't mind when someone I know touches my baby, because I know them I trust them and I expect that they are not going to harm or endanger my child. Strangers are another matter all together though and I really would prefer that they simply look, make their comments and then walk away without touching my child or me. I am not so crazy about germs and such that I feel the need to sanitize every possible surface my child will touch, or that I feel I must sanitize myself before handling my baby but really I do not know what other people have touched before touching my little one. Although beyond just the germ issue I really think it's rude to touch someone else without their permission or in the case of a child without the parent's permission.
When I took my little man to church on Sunday for the first time and presented him to the church members no one and I do mean no one actually touched the baby and several people actually stayed away because they were not feeling well and didn't want to pass it on to the baby. I appreciated this because they were showing respect for me and for my baby, and they were being cautious to avoid exposing him to unnecessary germs that may make him ill. Now had the church members touched him I would not have had a problem because these are people I know and trust, and I fully trust that they would not touch him if they thought for any reason it would harm him or make him ill.
I had to go to the grocery store on Saturday and for ease of the whole family my Dear Husband decided to stay home with the older two boys while I took the baby and did the shopping (basically I am the only one with the baby's food source and hubby is not allowed to do the shopping) and in the one hour I was inside Albertson's my son had attracted the attention of at least 15 people 3 being small children whose parents lifted them up so they could see AND touch my son. I did ask that they not touch him, but some people just don't seem to listen. I tried to steer away from any isle that had more than one or two people in it just to lessen the chance of little man attracting attention, but it didn't work. Even the lady behind the meat counter came out and touched him (this was especially gross to me since she handles raw meat all day). I appreciated everyones congratulations and well wishes and kind comments, but I really wish they wouldn't touch my baby.
So to all you baby touchers out there please at least ask the parent before you touch a baby, you never know if that child is very succeptable to illness or very sensitive to lotions, or soaps that you may have on, or even if the parent is just uncomfortable with strangers touching her child so please, please, please ask first or just make your comments and walk on by.
Now I don't mind when someone I know touches my baby, because I know them I trust them and I expect that they are not going to harm or endanger my child. Strangers are another matter all together though and I really would prefer that they simply look, make their comments and then walk away without touching my child or me. I am not so crazy about germs and such that I feel the need to sanitize every possible surface my child will touch, or that I feel I must sanitize myself before handling my baby but really I do not know what other people have touched before touching my little one. Although beyond just the germ issue I really think it's rude to touch someone else without their permission or in the case of a child without the parent's permission.
When I took my little man to church on Sunday for the first time and presented him to the church members no one and I do mean no one actually touched the baby and several people actually stayed away because they were not feeling well and didn't want to pass it on to the baby. I appreciated this because they were showing respect for me and for my baby, and they were being cautious to avoid exposing him to unnecessary germs that may make him ill. Now had the church members touched him I would not have had a problem because these are people I know and trust, and I fully trust that they would not touch him if they thought for any reason it would harm him or make him ill.
I had to go to the grocery store on Saturday and for ease of the whole family my Dear Husband decided to stay home with the older two boys while I took the baby and did the shopping (basically I am the only one with the baby's food source and hubby is not allowed to do the shopping) and in the one hour I was inside Albertson's my son had attracted the attention of at least 15 people 3 being small children whose parents lifted them up so they could see AND touch my son. I did ask that they not touch him, but some people just don't seem to listen. I tried to steer away from any isle that had more than one or two people in it just to lessen the chance of little man attracting attention, but it didn't work. Even the lady behind the meat counter came out and touched him (this was especially gross to me since she handles raw meat all day). I appreciated everyones congratulations and well wishes and kind comments, but I really wish they wouldn't touch my baby.
So to all you baby touchers out there please at least ask the parent before you touch a baby, you never know if that child is very succeptable to illness or very sensitive to lotions, or soaps that you may have on, or even if the parent is just uncomfortable with strangers touching her child so please, please, please ask first or just make your comments and walk on by.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Brothers and Babies
Well we've been home for a few days now and things have been quite interesting around here with a new baby. The older two boys are having quite a time figuring out certain things around here. For one they just don't understand how mommy is able to make milk for the baby but not for them. My middle child still insists that if the baby can have mommy milk then he should too because he's not a cow and his milk shouldn't be from a cow. My oldest son doesn't much care who gets what milk but he's confused as to how I can make milk in general and that's one anatomy/health lesson that I just don't want to tackle at age 6.
The older boys are doing a great job of being careful around the baby, remembering to wash their hands before they touch the baby, and not touching his head. They love to lay next to him and talk to him and hold his hands, and baby boy loves the extra attention as he's been staying up a little longer than normal after he eats just so he can soak up a little extra attention. I've tried to include the older boys with as much of the baby's care as possible so they don't feel left out, but I think they are a little disappointed that they can't carry him around.
Babies are much smarter than we give them credit for I must say. Even while my little boy was in the NICU he was telling the doctors and nurses what he did and did not need. When he was tired of the CPAP he started pulling out the feeding tube that was used to keep the extra water from building up in his belly, after about the 4th time he flung that tube out the doctor decided that he didn't need it anymore. When the billi lights were to be slowly turned off he pulled the IV from his arm, again the doctor decided that there was no need to restart it since she was pulling the lights and dehydration would no longer be an issue. Baby Logan's intelligence goes beyond this though, while he and I slept last night he wiggled himself around until he was in just the perfect spot for nursing and then fussed to wake me so I would feed him, then when his daddy came home from work he curled up next to daddy and fell asleep. He knows when I am in the room, and he will not be fed by anyone but me even if I am feeding him from a bottle I have to feed him it's like he knows who the milk came from and it must not be fed to him by anyone else.
Having a new baby in the house is certainly interesting, and it's been a few years since I've had babies so I'm having to learn some things all over again but I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. I love the baby, and I love my older boys and each one of them has their own special personality and I can't wait to see my baby bloom into a little boy though I know this will happen all too fast and I'll be wishing for the baby days again.
So for now Birbitt thinks life is perfect, I have a beautiful and healthy family what more could I ask for? Perhaps a little girl would complete our family but I'm so used to raising boys now I'm not sure I'd know what to do with a girl, though I once thought that about my boys and now look at us I'm an old pro by now. Enjoy your families everyone, love them, cherish them, and be thankful for them, because life is precious and you just never know how lucky you are until something goes wrong. I know I appreciate my healthy family all the more after being in the NICU with baby for 5 days and seeing all the babies that were so much worse off than my little one. Thank you Lord for providing for the health of my son, and for giving me such a beautiful and loving family.
The older boys are doing a great job of being careful around the baby, remembering to wash their hands before they touch the baby, and not touching his head. They love to lay next to him and talk to him and hold his hands, and baby boy loves the extra attention as he's been staying up a little longer than normal after he eats just so he can soak up a little extra attention. I've tried to include the older boys with as much of the baby's care as possible so they don't feel left out, but I think they are a little disappointed that they can't carry him around.
Babies are much smarter than we give them credit for I must say. Even while my little boy was in the NICU he was telling the doctors and nurses what he did and did not need. When he was tired of the CPAP he started pulling out the feeding tube that was used to keep the extra water from building up in his belly, after about the 4th time he flung that tube out the doctor decided that he didn't need it anymore. When the billi lights were to be slowly turned off he pulled the IV from his arm, again the doctor decided that there was no need to restart it since she was pulling the lights and dehydration would no longer be an issue. Baby Logan's intelligence goes beyond this though, while he and I slept last night he wiggled himself around until he was in just the perfect spot for nursing and then fussed to wake me so I would feed him, then when his daddy came home from work he curled up next to daddy and fell asleep. He knows when I am in the room, and he will not be fed by anyone but me even if I am feeding him from a bottle I have to feed him it's like he knows who the milk came from and it must not be fed to him by anyone else.
Having a new baby in the house is certainly interesting, and it's been a few years since I've had babies so I'm having to learn some things all over again but I wouldn't trade any of it for anything. I love the baby, and I love my older boys and each one of them has their own special personality and I can't wait to see my baby bloom into a little boy though I know this will happen all too fast and I'll be wishing for the baby days again.
So for now Birbitt thinks life is perfect, I have a beautiful and healthy family what more could I ask for? Perhaps a little girl would complete our family but I'm so used to raising boys now I'm not sure I'd know what to do with a girl, though I once thought that about my boys and now look at us I'm an old pro by now. Enjoy your families everyone, love them, cherish them, and be thankful for them, because life is precious and you just never know how lucky you are until something goes wrong. I know I appreciate my healthy family all the more after being in the NICU with baby for 5 days and seeing all the babies that were so much worse off than my little one. Thank you Lord for providing for the health of my son, and for giving me such a beautiful and loving family.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
New Beginnings
He's here, He's here, He's here my oldest son shouted as I walked up the steps and Dear Hubby carried the new baby up in his car seat. It's been a long wait for the boys to see their new baby brother. He was born June 22nd at 6:53pm and all seemed well he came out fine and pink took a breath and cried and just after the nurse laid him on my chest he stopped crying and stopped breathing. His heart rate fell and the Neonatal staff was called in. Baby Logan was taken to the NICU to be cared for by the neonatal team.
He was put on a ventilator for 45 minutes though after about 15 he was breathing on his own, when the ventilator was removed he was put on a cpap machine to help keep his lungs inflated and be sure that he was stable. The cpap was removed after 8 hours and now he's just on IV fluids since he's not yet strong enough to feed.
Tuesday morning: The doctors evaluate him and decide that he's well enough to attempt feeding, so I am allowed to come and nurse him. He's a bit sluggish at nursing so it's suggested that the fastest way to get him home safely would be to nurse and then offer a supplement of expressed milk or formula. Daddy and I agree to supplement him as his health is the most important thing right now.Wednesday: The doctors decide that he's taking in enough breast milk/formula that he can be slowly weaned off the iv fluids this happened very rapidly because he tolerated it so well. We were supposed to take him home Thursday morning. He was moved to another pod within the NICU, this new room has a bed for mom/dad and a reclining chair so that parents can be 100% involved in his care.
Thursday: We are all set to go home and just waiting on the results of his final lab work. Labs come back and his billirubin levels have spiked overnight to a level that's just too close to dangerous to allow him to go home. The doctor decides the best thing to do is to get him on phototherapy as fast as possible...he's put on a biliblanket and 5 billi lights. The hope is to get it down enough that he can safely go home on a bili blanket by Friday morning. This does not happen and by this time I've had enough of this doctor just telling me what she's going to do and leaving the room. So I request a different doctor and he's very nice and actually involved dh and I in the decisions for our son's care. This was the hardest day of them all because we were unable to hold our little boy at all not even to feed him...everything was done in his bassinet under the billi lights.Friday: Am labs are back and baby Logan's billi count is falling so two of the lights are removed and we are now able to take him out of the bassinet on the biliblanket for 30 mins every 3 hours to feed him. 12 hours later he's taken off two more of the lights are removed leaving little Logan on just one billi light and a bili blanket. He's getting better little by little. The plan now is to wean him from the lights and blanket and send him home on Sunday morning.
Saturday: With the results from his am labs the doctor is ever hopeful that Logan will be going home soon! The remaining light and blanket are removed and the doctor says to check his billirubin in 6 hours. 6 hours go by and the results are back his bilirubin has stayed stable even without the phototherapy!!!!! The doctor comes in to talk to us and says Congratulations you get to take baby home today...So he goes home almost 18 hours before the planned discharge and he's healthy and happy!
It was a long road to getting him home, but finally he's here! Birbitt thinks that he just wanted to make a GRAND entrance into the World so that everyone would know he was the king of the house and not his big brothers! What a time we had with this one but now we are all home and so thankful for our healthy baby! Thank you Lord for carrying us through all these tough days and for bringing our beautiful baby boy home sooner than anyone expected. I also want to thank the mostly wonderful staff of the NICU where baby Logan was cared for during those first scary days!
Birbitt and her three sons finally home and together again. (Please excuse the mess we just came home from the hospital and hadn't put all the stuff away yet.)
Monday, June 1, 2009
I will never understand people
As you can probably guess from the title of this post this has been a most trying week for me. I am told that the problem is that I'm too nice and allow people to get away with too much, however I don't think the problem solely rests with my tolerance, I really think there is something wrong with a significant portion of the population. Now before anyone gets the wrong idea I do not dislike people, and really I don't dislike any one person in particular, it's their actions that tie me in knots and frankly right now I don't have the energy for it!
As a woman and a mother I understand the nature of women to feel the need to "help" others when we feel they are not doing things just the way they should be done, but as a person I also understand that it's one thing to help someone who's asked for your help and another entirely to offer unsolicited "advice". This is something that drives me nuts, why do people feel the need to criticize other people for their parenting choices, clothing choices, food choices, and everything else that they do. I have had this happen to me numerous times and it's irritating to say the very least, so I do my best to never do it to another. My only exception to this rule is if a person is in danger by doing as they are. Still people are intent to push their ideas onto others and if you are not doing just as they would you are wrong, what happened to freedom of choice, the right to raise your child as you see fit, and all the other rights we as Americans are entitled to under the constitution? I do not have the energy to deal with these people right now!
Another irritant of mine....people who choose to own animals and then refuse to care for them as they should be cared for. Why have a cat if you are going to throw it outside and never feed it? This I could understand if you lived on a farm and were using the cats to keep mice away from your livestock and home, but when you live in an apartment building why do you own a cat if you are going to leave it to your neighbors to feed it? Why get a dog if it's only going to spend it's entire life outside chained to a tree with nothing but a wooden box for shelter? What is the purpose of the dog? Again I understand having outside dogs, but can you not put up a fence so the dog has full roam of your property and can you not go out and play with the dog from time to time? I have seen people who own multiple animals and yet could not tell you a thing about the animals they own. I personally own two cats and some fish, I feed my cats, pet my cats, comb my cats (one has long hair), provide them with plenty of food and water and things to entertain themselves with when I am unavailable. My fish also get feed three times a day and I provide them with clean water, a clean tank, plenty of plants and even rearrange thing from time to time so they don't get bored (if fish can get bored). I drove by a horse the other day standing out in the sun with 100 + degree temperatures in an enclosure with no shade or shelter and only a bucket of water, this poor horse was thin, sway backed, and looked to have a sore back leg, so I reported this to animal control who came out and determined that the owner was following the minimum of the law so there was nothing they could do. Why does a person own a horse only to treat it that way?
Children are another hot button of mine, if you have children then you should have time for your children. Taking time for your children means more than just feeding them and clothing them and sending them to school! I know each of my children as the individual that they are, I put them in clean clothes at the beginning of each day (they do not always stay clean), I feed them, I provide them with toys and games, I do projects with them, I school them myself, I take them places with me, and I spend time talking to them and playing with them. It really bothers me when parents don't take the time to know their children, and spend time with them but it bothers me even more when parents don't even know that their child hasn't changed clothes in 3 days, or didn't have lunch today because the parents were too busy to stop and make them something to eat, and what makes me the most irritated is when those same parents who can't do the basics for their own children have the nerve to question MY abilities as a mother simply because I am too pregnant to be able to get on the floor with my children and push trucks around!
These are just some things I've encountered in the past week and honestly I don't understand people! I don't think I ever will understand people, and honestly I'm not sure I'd want to even if I could. I know part of my problem right now is that I'm pregnant and uncomfortable, but these things bother me even if I'm not pregnant. I just don't understand how people live with themselves sometimes, and I definitely don't understand why people feel they can comment on another persons shortcomings when they themselves have issues to work on.
Now for the being pregnant part, thankfully I am due in 26 days! I do not however wish to wait 26 days, for the past week I've been unable to sit up and breathe at the same time, and bending has become physically impossible (thankfully dresses go over my head and flip flops don't need tied). Today I found out why I'm having such a difficult time lately, either a) I'm carrying a huge baby b)there's an Olympic sized swimming pool in there for the baby or c)some combination of both, when the dr measured my stomach to ensure proper fetal growth I was told I'm measuring at 46 yes 46 WEEKS! Now as the dr and I both are sure that I am not in fact 46 weeks pregnant there is nothing to do but wait another week or two and see what happens but she says this should explain your discomfort. I do not have the energy for this!
Ok enough of my rambles, thanks for reading and in some way "listening" to my rants.
As a woman and a mother I understand the nature of women to feel the need to "help" others when we feel they are not doing things just the way they should be done, but as a person I also understand that it's one thing to help someone who's asked for your help and another entirely to offer unsolicited "advice". This is something that drives me nuts, why do people feel the need to criticize other people for their parenting choices, clothing choices, food choices, and everything else that they do. I have had this happen to me numerous times and it's irritating to say the very least, so I do my best to never do it to another. My only exception to this rule is if a person is in danger by doing as they are. Still people are intent to push their ideas onto others and if you are not doing just as they would you are wrong, what happened to freedom of choice, the right to raise your child as you see fit, and all the other rights we as Americans are entitled to under the constitution? I do not have the energy to deal with these people right now!
Another irritant of mine....people who choose to own animals and then refuse to care for them as they should be cared for. Why have a cat if you are going to throw it outside and never feed it? This I could understand if you lived on a farm and were using the cats to keep mice away from your livestock and home, but when you live in an apartment building why do you own a cat if you are going to leave it to your neighbors to feed it? Why get a dog if it's only going to spend it's entire life outside chained to a tree with nothing but a wooden box for shelter? What is the purpose of the dog? Again I understand having outside dogs, but can you not put up a fence so the dog has full roam of your property and can you not go out and play with the dog from time to time? I have seen people who own multiple animals and yet could not tell you a thing about the animals they own. I personally own two cats and some fish, I feed my cats, pet my cats, comb my cats (one has long hair), provide them with plenty of food and water and things to entertain themselves with when I am unavailable. My fish also get feed three times a day and I provide them with clean water, a clean tank, plenty of plants and even rearrange thing from time to time so they don't get bored (if fish can get bored). I drove by a horse the other day standing out in the sun with 100 + degree temperatures in an enclosure with no shade or shelter and only a bucket of water, this poor horse was thin, sway backed, and looked to have a sore back leg, so I reported this to animal control who came out and determined that the owner was following the minimum of the law so there was nothing they could do. Why does a person own a horse only to treat it that way?
Children are another hot button of mine, if you have children then you should have time for your children. Taking time for your children means more than just feeding them and clothing them and sending them to school! I know each of my children as the individual that they are, I put them in clean clothes at the beginning of each day (they do not always stay clean), I feed them, I provide them with toys and games, I do projects with them, I school them myself, I take them places with me, and I spend time talking to them and playing with them. It really bothers me when parents don't take the time to know their children, and spend time with them but it bothers me even more when parents don't even know that their child hasn't changed clothes in 3 days, or didn't have lunch today because the parents were too busy to stop and make them something to eat, and what makes me the most irritated is when those same parents who can't do the basics for their own children have the nerve to question MY abilities as a mother simply because I am too pregnant to be able to get on the floor with my children and push trucks around!
These are just some things I've encountered in the past week and honestly I don't understand people! I don't think I ever will understand people, and honestly I'm not sure I'd want to even if I could. I know part of my problem right now is that I'm pregnant and uncomfortable, but these things bother me even if I'm not pregnant. I just don't understand how people live with themselves sometimes, and I definitely don't understand why people feel they can comment on another persons shortcomings when they themselves have issues to work on.
Now for the being pregnant part, thankfully I am due in 26 days! I do not however wish to wait 26 days, for the past week I've been unable to sit up and breathe at the same time, and bending has become physically impossible (thankfully dresses go over my head and flip flops don't need tied). Today I found out why I'm having such a difficult time lately, either a) I'm carrying a huge baby b)there's an Olympic sized swimming pool in there for the baby or c)some combination of both, when the dr measured my stomach to ensure proper fetal growth I was told I'm measuring at 46 yes 46 WEEKS! Now as the dr and I both are sure that I am not in fact 46 weeks pregnant there is nothing to do but wait another week or two and see what happens but she says this should explain your discomfort. I do not have the energy for this!
Ok enough of my rambles, thanks for reading and in some way "listening" to my rants.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Memorial Day Memories
Well today was Memorial Day, a day we are supposed to take time to remember our service members past and present. The concept is a good one, but for me it's kind of a two edged sword. I feel like we shouldn't need a day to remember because this is something we should always be doing. I have never knowingly met a service member whom I did not thank for his or her service and I thank God each and every day for those who fight for the very freedom I enjoy each and every day, I also take time each day to pray for those who are away from their families and for those who have lost loved ones.
I suppose I understand the purpose of Memorial Day and as I said I think it's a great concept but really what does it say about the people of our nation that we have to be reminded of the sacrifice given to provide what we enjoy each day?
I spent most of the morning attempting to watch the NASCAR race on television however the weather was not cooperating in Charlotte, NC and twice the race had to be stopped because of rain, and ultimately it was ended early just over halfway because the officials decided that the weather just was not going to clear enough to finish this race. The race was actually supposed to be held yesterday but after delaying the start of the race for over 3 hours they decided to postpone it until today. This race is always held on Memorial Day Weekend each year, and always this race brings out our service members and honors them just as they did this year. Yesterday most of the remembrance took place, though today NASCAR did something touching. At 3pm when our president asked for a moment of silence to remember our fallen the officials actually stopped the cars where they were, asked that they be turned off, requested that the audience rise to their feet, and that the crew chiefs stand at the edge of their boxes, and the pit crews come out of the box and stand in the pit.
It was touching in that moment to hear the absoloute silence at Lowe's Motor Speedway. I have only heard that silence a few times in NASCAR. This is something that I truely love about NASCAR auto racing, it is truely an American organization, and it really is a family sport. NASCAR fans are very loyal, but they are also some of the most well behaved spectators I have ever seen! I personally can not recall a time where the spectators made the news because of a riot, or because they caused damage to a track or car or driver...they are just really some respectfull people.
Anyway, it was during this very moment of silence that my son surprised me. He came into the living room saw the TV on, heard no noise, saw daddy and I standing in the kitchen silent, and he simply waited. My son who is only 4 actually stood there for a full minute and said nothing until he heard the sound resume on the tv! When the sound did come back he looked at daddy and I and said why's everyone so quiet, and can I have a drink of water? So after giving him his drink I sat down and explained why we were so quiet. That same child prayed for our military this evening before going to bed.
I tell this to you only because it surprised me that at 4 he seemed to understand the necessity of the silence, and he chose to honor it without knowing why. Then when he was told why, he chose to remember it and to put the soldiers in his prayers after hours of playing, eating, swimming and other things he did today he could still remember that our soldiers needed prayer and he prayed. I do not take credit for his actions, because I believe that respect for our country and for those who defend her is not something that can be taught. Sure we can teach the Pledge of Allegiance, and we can teach proper care of the flag and other things that show respect, but these are just actions. I don't believe that one can be taught to feel respect for our country and our military, just as one can not be taught to feel respect for others, we teach the action of respect but the feeling that is something different, something that each person has to learn on their own. My 4yo chose today to learn that feeling of respect, for that I am thankful.
I suppose I understand the purpose of Memorial Day and as I said I think it's a great concept but really what does it say about the people of our nation that we have to be reminded of the sacrifice given to provide what we enjoy each day?
I spent most of the morning attempting to watch the NASCAR race on television however the weather was not cooperating in Charlotte, NC and twice the race had to be stopped because of rain, and ultimately it was ended early just over halfway because the officials decided that the weather just was not going to clear enough to finish this race. The race was actually supposed to be held yesterday but after delaying the start of the race for over 3 hours they decided to postpone it until today. This race is always held on Memorial Day Weekend each year, and always this race brings out our service members and honors them just as they did this year. Yesterday most of the remembrance took place, though today NASCAR did something touching. At 3pm when our president asked for a moment of silence to remember our fallen the officials actually stopped the cars where they were, asked that they be turned off, requested that the audience rise to their feet, and that the crew chiefs stand at the edge of their boxes, and the pit crews come out of the box and stand in the pit.
It was touching in that moment to hear the absoloute silence at Lowe's Motor Speedway. I have only heard that silence a few times in NASCAR. This is something that I truely love about NASCAR auto racing, it is truely an American organization, and it really is a family sport. NASCAR fans are very loyal, but they are also some of the most well behaved spectators I have ever seen! I personally can not recall a time where the spectators made the news because of a riot, or because they caused damage to a track or car or driver...they are just really some respectfull people.
Anyway, it was during this very moment of silence that my son surprised me. He came into the living room saw the TV on, heard no noise, saw daddy and I standing in the kitchen silent, and he simply waited. My son who is only 4 actually stood there for a full minute and said nothing until he heard the sound resume on the tv! When the sound did come back he looked at daddy and I and said why's everyone so quiet, and can I have a drink of water? So after giving him his drink I sat down and explained why we were so quiet. That same child prayed for our military this evening before going to bed.
I tell this to you only because it surprised me that at 4 he seemed to understand the necessity of the silence, and he chose to honor it without knowing why. Then when he was told why, he chose to remember it and to put the soldiers in his prayers after hours of playing, eating, swimming and other things he did today he could still remember that our soldiers needed prayer and he prayed. I do not take credit for his actions, because I believe that respect for our country and for those who defend her is not something that can be taught. Sure we can teach the Pledge of Allegiance, and we can teach proper care of the flag and other things that show respect, but these are just actions. I don't believe that one can be taught to feel respect for our country and our military, just as one can not be taught to feel respect for others, we teach the action of respect but the feeling that is something different, something that each person has to learn on their own. My 4yo chose today to learn that feeling of respect, for that I am thankful.
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