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Thursday, December 15, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Recipies from Mom
I have been asked to share a few of my Mom's recipies so I thought this might be an easy way to share them and any others I come across. If my mom cooked something for you that you loved and would like the recipe for please let me know. I will look through her recipe box and try to find it for you.
Mom's "Russian Tea"
Every Fall we could count on Mom making a big batch of this spiced tea to help warm us on those chilly days!
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups Tang
1/2 cup instant tea
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
DIRECTIONS:
1. MIX all together in an airtight container. (Remember to shake the container before serving.)
2. Add 1 -2 tsp to mug of hot water to taste.
Every person likes different stregnths of the tea, have fun finding the perfect mix for you! I personally like a stronger tea so I will use 4-5 spoonfuls for a large mug.
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Mom's Coffee Cake
I'm pretty sure that this recipe was the one that came on the Bisquick boxes at one time. (I'll have to make this recipe & take pictures of it.)
Ingredients:
Dough
* 2 cups Bisquick
* 2/3 cup water or 2/3 cup milk
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoons sugar
Topping (Mom always doubled this)
* 1/3 cup Bisquick
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 2 tablespoons butter
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Grease a deep pie plate, 8"x8" square pan, or 9"x9" square pan.
3. Mix dough ingredients and put in baking dish.
4. Mix topping ingredients with a fork or pastry mixer until crumbly.
5. Spread topping mix over dough and drag a butter knife across like you were making a tic-tac-toe board several times.
6. Bake for 25 minutes.
Mom's "Russian Tea"
Every Fall we could count on Mom making a big batch of this spiced tea to help warm us on those chilly days!
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups Tang
1/2 cup instant tea
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
DIRECTIONS:
1. MIX all together in an airtight container. (Remember to shake the container before serving.)
2. Add 1 -2 tsp to mug of hot water to taste.
Every person likes different stregnths of the tea, have fun finding the perfect mix for you! I personally like a stronger tea so I will use 4-5 spoonfuls for a large mug.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Mom's Coffee Cake
I'm pretty sure that this recipe was the one that came on the Bisquick boxes at one time. (I'll have to make this recipe & take pictures of it.)
Ingredients:
Dough
* 2 cups Bisquick
* 2/3 cup water or 2/3 cup milk
* 1 egg
* 2 tablespoons sugar
Topping (Mom always doubled this)
* 1/3 cup Bisquick
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 2 tablespoons butter
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Grease a deep pie plate, 8"x8" square pan, or 9"x9" square pan.
3. Mix dough ingredients and put in baking dish.
4. Mix topping ingredients with a fork or pastry mixer until crumbly.
5. Spread topping mix over dough and drag a butter knife across like you were making a tic-tac-toe board several times.
6. Bake for 25 minutes.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sophia's Birth Story
It has been two weeks since Sophia was born so I thought that I should go ahead and write down her birth story before I forget too many details. With each pregnancy I have had dreams of going into labor naturally and having an unmediated delivery. Unfortunately that plan doesn't seem to work out for me, but each of my girls has an incredible birth story. While Sophia's was the least dramatic and traumatic, it was a beautifully special day.
On the morning of August 16 I was scheduled for an induction due to medical complications. (For details you can read all of the updates I did in July & August.) When we got to the hospital we were told that my doctor was on call for another doctor at the Mansfield hospital and wouldn't be at Arlington Memorial from 12:00-5:00. While it was disappointing news the back up doctor was one I had seen before and really liked. They had me all hooked up and in the system around 9:00am. Around 9:30 they decided that the monitors weren't keeping good track of Sophia's heartbeat so they wanted to break my water and put internal monitors in. My stubborn little angel didn't mind having the water broken, but she did manage to push the internal monitors around & gave the nurse fits! (It was quite comical!)
Overall my labor wasn't too terribly bad until 11:00am. At that point they had cranked the Pitocin up and I was having bad back labor. Jeff was a sweetheart and tried massage/ counter pressure, but it wasn't much help because there was little to no down time between the contractions. After a little while of this & having my BP start to climb I made the decision to get an epidural. The anesthesiologist was amazingly quick! The nurse was sitting there telling me what to expect and what I should feel, and I was trying not to laugh b/c he had already finished before she was 1/2 way through the explanation! Around noon the epidural had kicked in and we were in a wait and see mode.
Once I had the epidural my labor seemed to go by incredibly fast. By 12:30 I was 5-6 cm & fully effaced, by 2:45pm the nurse wanted me to see if a small push would do the trick to get past the last little lip of cervix that was being stubborn. It did the trick and they called the doctor in. The doctor came in and started getting his gear on while the nurses started breaking down the bed for delivery. As soon as they had my legs in the stirrups nurse #1 said, "I see a head!" Jeff had gone over to the table to grab the camera and he looked up after the nurse commented & he said, "Yep... its a head!" Nurse #2 looked over & for some reason felt the need to confirm that there was definitely a head coming out! The poor doctor, who barely had his booties on, said "Hey wait for me!"
The bed wasn't ready and the doctor didn't have on all the protective garb, but Sophia decided that she was ready to come! One small push was all it took to help guide her shoulders out and at 3:10pm our beautiful little girl was born!
The medical staff kept saying wow this is a big baby & trying to guess her weight & height before the official numbers came through. Sophia weighed in at 9.8lbs & 21 1/4 inches long... She was my biggest baby and quickest delivery! While they were cleaning her up and measuring her Jeff noticed that her eyes got big when she heard my voice, and she kept looking all around for me. The first thing I noticed when they were carrying her around was her hair! Neither Chloe or Hannah had much hair, but little miss Sophia has dark brown hair that I could actually put a bow in!
So far we haven't had to deal with sibling rivalry, unless of course you count the arguments that Chloe and Hannah have about whose turn it is to hold Sophia, or who is going to get something for me that I need for Sophia. While there have been sleepless nights, and a bit of frustration when big sisters want to help a little too much, we are truly blessed!
On the morning of August 16 I was scheduled for an induction due to medical complications. (For details you can read all of the updates I did in July & August.) When we got to the hospital we were told that my doctor was on call for another doctor at the Mansfield hospital and wouldn't be at Arlington Memorial from 12:00-5:00. While it was disappointing news the back up doctor was one I had seen before and really liked. They had me all hooked up and in the system around 9:00am. Around 9:30 they decided that the monitors weren't keeping good track of Sophia's heartbeat so they wanted to break my water and put internal monitors in. My stubborn little angel didn't mind having the water broken, but she did manage to push the internal monitors around & gave the nurse fits! (It was quite comical!)
Overall my labor wasn't too terribly bad until 11:00am. At that point they had cranked the Pitocin up and I was having bad back labor. Jeff was a sweetheart and tried massage/ counter pressure, but it wasn't much help because there was little to no down time between the contractions. After a little while of this & having my BP start to climb I made the decision to get an epidural. The anesthesiologist was amazingly quick! The nurse was sitting there telling me what to expect and what I should feel, and I was trying not to laugh b/c he had already finished before she was 1/2 way through the explanation! Around noon the epidural had kicked in and we were in a wait and see mode.
Once I had the epidural my labor seemed to go by incredibly fast. By 12:30 I was 5-6 cm & fully effaced, by 2:45pm the nurse wanted me to see if a small push would do the trick to get past the last little lip of cervix that was being stubborn. It did the trick and they called the doctor in. The doctor came in and started getting his gear on while the nurses started breaking down the bed for delivery. As soon as they had my legs in the stirrups nurse #1 said, "I see a head!" Jeff had gone over to the table to grab the camera and he looked up after the nurse commented & he said, "Yep... its a head!" Nurse #2 looked over & for some reason felt the need to confirm that there was definitely a head coming out! The poor doctor, who barely had his booties on, said "Hey wait for me!"
The bed wasn't ready and the doctor didn't have on all the protective garb, but Sophia decided that she was ready to come! One small push was all it took to help guide her shoulders out and at 3:10pm our beautiful little girl was born!
The medical staff kept saying wow this is a big baby & trying to guess her weight & height before the official numbers came through. Sophia weighed in at 9.8lbs & 21 1/4 inches long... She was my biggest baby and quickest delivery! While they were cleaning her up and measuring her Jeff noticed that her eyes got big when she heard my voice, and she kept looking all around for me. The first thing I noticed when they were carrying her around was her hair! Neither Chloe or Hannah had much hair, but little miss Sophia has dark brown hair that I could actually put a bow in!
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| Chloe |
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| Hannah |
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| Sophia |
So far we haven't had to deal with sibling rivalry, unless of course you count the arguments that Chloe and Hannah have about whose turn it is to hold Sophia, or who is going to get something for me that I need for Sophia. While there have been sleepless nights, and a bit of frustration when big sisters want to help a little too much, we are truly blessed!
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| The Goldsack Family |
Saturday, August 27, 2011
12 years ... My how time flies!
12 years ago Jeff and I were young, in love, and had a world of possibilities before us. We had no idea where our journey would lead, but we knew we wanted to travel it together. It hasn't always been easy, in fact there were times it would have been easier to give up, but we stayed together and our lives have been richly blessed!!!
We are still in love, but it has aged like a fine wine instead of the starry eyed puppy love we experienced as newlyweds.
We still don't know exactly where our journey will lead us, but the experiences we have had in our marriage thus far taught us that we can weather any storm as long as we lean on one another and trust God.
Jeff,
I am so thankful for you and everything you do for our family. You have grown into a wonderful husband and father. I know that your Dad would be proud to see what you do on a daily basis for us, and the relationship you have with your daughters!
I love you more today than I ever could have imagined when we said our "I do's" 12 years ago!
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Saturday, August 20, 2011
Sophia Marie Goldsack
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I will post Sophia's birth story when I have some free time. Until then here is her birth announcement!
Thank you for all of your prayers and support!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Last day to hold 2 girls...
The one question I am asked over & over is if I am excited. The answer is a resounding YES!!! The girls are even more excited than Jeff and I are! Chloe has been hugging and kissing my tummy while talking to Sophia. This morning Hannah was telling me how she will be a good big sister, how she will hold Sophia and rock her to sleep. (Personally the violent rocking motion Hannah was making would make me scream, but hey Sophia may like the ride!)
We will all be getting up bright and early to spend a few moments together before Jeff and I head off to the hospital. The girls each have a goodie bag of coloring fun that they will get to open tomorrow as a special treat, and a friend of mine will be watching them (aka spoiling them rotten!) while I am in labor.
Even with some of the stressful stuff I have had to deal with in the last week getting ready I feel incredibly blessed! I have had some amazing women invite me out for a last hurrah before Sophia arrives, I've spent lots of time with my little family, and have been able to catch up with several friends via phone calls/ emails.
Thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers! I will do my best to post pictures after Sophia makes her arrival!
Friday, August 12, 2011
38 Weeks & counting.....
Yesterday I had my 38 week check up with a sonogram to monitor Sophia. (The sonogram that was done is called a BPP.) Shortly before I went back Sophia was kicking and wiggling, but as soon as I laid down on the table the stinker went to sleep! The sono tech ended up using a buzzer to wake Sophia up... it was quite comical because as soon as the buzzer sounded Sophia jumped and put her hands in front of her face. When it happened again she kicked the sono tech. I could almost imagine Sophia saying "What in heck are you doing?!?!?! I'm sleeping here!!!" Sophia passed all of things they were looking for and was declared a very healthy but stubborn baby! LOL
My BP is still high, but has lowered slightly, I've lost a bit more weight (I promise I am eating!), and overall I am doing well. Ohhh and shock of all shocks the GBS test came back negative!!! So I don't have to have antibiotics during labor!
If Sophia decides that she doesn't want to come out this weekend I will be induced on Tuesday morning! We will let everyone know when we are headed in and we will keep updates going on face book if we get the chance. Once Sophia is born we will send out texts w/ pictures, and will start the phone chain to ensure that all family and friends know about her arrival. The one thing we would like to ask all friends and family is to give us a bit of time before visiting Sophia in the hospital. We would like Chloe and Hannah to have a few special hours with Sophia before anyone else. After we have had our family time I will send out info about visiting hours and what room we are in.
For those that know me it won't come as a surprise, but my hospital bags are all packed, I've gone through my checklist twice now, the baby seat is in the car, friends are lined up to watch the girls while I am in labor, and we are ready for Miss Sophia Marie to make her grand entrance!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Showers of Blessings
A couple weeks ago Bethany, Kouri, and Michele all threw a baby shower for Sophia. Since Sophia is baby # 3 and our family tends to pass around all of the baby items, there really wasn't the need for clothes or toys. What we did need was the practical stuff like diapers, wipes, baby shampoo/ body wash, a new highchair, and of course a Boppy!
I felt incredibly blessed with all of the things our friends and family gave us... in fact with the exception of a stroller we were given everything off of our registry! When I woke up the next morning and saw the pile of gifts I felt an overwhelming sense of love and support from those who gave up a bit of time and hard earned money just to make sure Sophia had everything that she needed!
It's amazing how just a simple gift can add up to be a huge blessing in the lives of others!
I felt incredibly blessed with all of the things our friends and family gave us... in fact with the exception of a stroller we were given everything off of our registry! When I woke up the next morning and saw the pile of gifts I felt an overwhelming sense of love and support from those who gave up a bit of time and hard earned money just to make sure Sophia had everything that she needed!
It's amazing how just a simple gift can add up to be a huge blessing in the lives of others!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
37 Weeks... there is a light at the end of the tunnel!!!
Well today was my 37 week check up, sono to check fluid levels, and a non stress test. All the tests came back great... Sophie has plenty of fluid, she is still head down, her heart beat is steady & strong, and I am already 2-3 cm dilated!
There was a down side though... my BP was back up & even higher than before. Sooo that means I will be getting induced early unless I go into labor on my own. The good news is that Sophie is considered full term & I have already started having some nice warm up contractions.
So please keep those prayers, good thoughts, and energy this way... We are excited to see our newest little girl soon!!!
There was a down side though... my BP was back up & even higher than before. Sooo that means I will be getting induced early unless I go into labor on my own. The good news is that Sophie is considered full term & I have already started having some nice warm up contractions.
So please keep those prayers, good thoughts, and energy this way... We are excited to see our newest little girl soon!!!
Monday, August 1, 2011
What's in a name?
I love names, their meanings, and knowing WHY someone chose a particular name for their child. Jeff and I had 4 names picked out before Chloe was even born. They were Chloe Nicole, Hannah Lee, Caleb Robert, and Jonathan Michael. When I found out I was pregnant again I started praying and searching for names. I tossed around a few names with Jeff until I found the perfect fit for our daughters name. So I jokingly told Jeff that if he didn't speak up I was naming our little one!!! At first he wasn't too thrilled about the name, but I think it has finally grown on him.
I'm sure some of you would like to know how I came across this perfect name.
#1 - I wanted a name that wasn't too incredibly common, but wasn't obscure.
#2 - It needed to have a good strong meaning.
#3 - I also wanted to name my little one after Mom. (if it was a girl)
Everyone knew my Mom as Jan or Janell, but that name was already given to one of my beautiful nieces so it was a no go. A few people knew that my Mom's FIRST name was Mary. The name Mary didn't quite fit so I played around with derivatives of Mary & viola!
Sophia \s(o)-phia\ as a girl's name is pronounced so-FEE-ah. It is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Sophia is "wisdom".
Marie \m(a)-rie\ is a French variant of Mary from which the meaning and origin of the name is derived. The meaning of Marie is "beloved"
Most of the family refers to the baby as Sophie, but Hannah refuses to call her anything other than SO-PHI-A! :)
For the record we also had a different name if it turned out to be a boy.
Gabriel - Hebrew - God is my strength.
Robert (after Jeff's Dad & Grandpa) - Teutonic - Famous, bright fame.
I'm sure some of you would like to know how I came across this perfect name.
#1 - I wanted a name that wasn't too incredibly common, but wasn't obscure.
#2 - It needed to have a good strong meaning.
#3 - I also wanted to name my little one after Mom. (if it was a girl)
Everyone knew my Mom as Jan or Janell, but that name was already given to one of my beautiful nieces so it was a no go. A few people knew that my Mom's FIRST name was Mary. The name Mary didn't quite fit so I played around with derivatives of Mary & viola!
Sophia \s(o)-phia\ as a girl's name is pronounced so-FEE-ah. It is of Greek origin, and the meaning of Sophia is "wisdom".
Marie \m(a)-rie\ is a French variant of Mary from which the meaning and origin of the name is derived. The meaning of Marie is "beloved"
Most of the family refers to the baby as Sophie, but Hannah refuses to call her anything other than SO-PHI-A! :)
For the record we also had a different name if it turned out to be a boy.
Gabriel - Hebrew - God is my strength.
Robert (after Jeff's Dad & Grandpa) - Teutonic - Famous, bright fame.
Changing positions
I went in today for the follow up to Friday's appointment.. read 36 Weeks post for more info.
While my blood pressure has gone down it is still elevated. (140/90) Thankfully there is no protein in my urine, but Dr Steidl wants to monitor my BP twice a week to keep tabs on things. If it stays at this level we will be looking at an induction in a few weeks. So for now I am under orders to relax, not over do it, keep hydrated, and basically not stress over anything.
Now for the good news! Baby Sophia is head down!!! So hopefully she will stay that way & not worry Mommy anymore! :)
While my blood pressure has gone down it is still elevated. (140/90) Thankfully there is no protein in my urine, but Dr Steidl wants to monitor my BP twice a week to keep tabs on things. If it stays at this level we will be looking at an induction in a few weeks. So for now I am under orders to relax, not over do it, keep hydrated, and basically not stress over anything.
Now for the good news! Baby Sophia is head down!!! So hopefully she will stay that way & not worry Mommy anymore! :)
Saturday, July 30, 2011
36 weeks... can you believe it?!?!?!
We are one week shy of being considered full term! At times this pregnancy has seemed to go by incredibly fast, while other times it has seemed to go by so slowly! I had my 36 week check up & sono yesterday. Before we started the sonogram I had everyone guess how big they thought the baby was right now... So far Jeff has been dead on with gender and baby size! He guessed 7 lbs.. the sono tech's estimate after the measurements were taken was 7lbs 5oz & 19 inches long! I know the estimate can be a pound or so off in either direction, but it doesn't look like I will be having a dainty little one this time around! Then again neither Chloe or Hannah were tiny babies!!! Unfortunately I didn't get any cute little pictures to post b/c I have a stubborn child who refused to "look at the camera"!
Unfortunately, there were some issues that appeared during my check up. #1 baby moved from being head down to transverse (laying sideways) & #2 my BP jumped to 152/92. So I am under orders not to overdo it & to go back on Monday for another check up. Dr Steidl will check to see if the baby has moved at all and if my BP has come down. There was no protein in my urine so that is good, but the spike in BP is a bit worrisome to me!
So for those inclined to do so I would appreciate your prayers for proper baby positioning & for my BP to go back to normal.
Unfortunately, there were some issues that appeared during my check up. #1 baby moved from being head down to transverse (laying sideways) & #2 my BP jumped to 152/92. So I am under orders not to overdo it & to go back on Monday for another check up. Dr Steidl will check to see if the baby has moved at all and if my BP has come down. There was no protein in my urine so that is good, but the spike in BP is a bit worrisome to me!
So for those inclined to do so I would appreciate your prayers for proper baby positioning & for my BP to go back to normal.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Fun on the 4th
For the past few years we have gone to Oklahoma to visit friends over the 4th of July. Even though I am 8 months pregnant we still made the drive... we just had to add a few extra stops along the way! : ) I do have to say that traveling when you are very pregnant is not so much fun, but being with some special friends made it all worth it!
When I was 14 my family went on a mission trip to Poland. I never understood how important our liberty and freedom was until I saw how the Nazis and Communists had changed such a beautiful land and the people who lived there. To this day I get goose bumps when I hear The Star Spangled Banner or see the American flag raised high.
To those that serve our country and the families that support them, Thank you for continuing to protect our freedom!
Here are a few pictures from our Independence Day Celebration with a few of my favorite quotes on liberty.
Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty. ~ JFK
Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower
It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. ~Author unknown
When I was 14 my family went on a mission trip to Poland. I never understood how important our liberty and freedom was until I saw how the Nazis and Communists had changed such a beautiful land and the people who lived there. To this day I get goose bumps when I hear The Star Spangled Banner or see the American flag raised high.
To those that serve our country and the families that support them, Thank you for continuing to protect our freedom!
Here are a few pictures from our Independence Day Celebration with a few of my favorite quotes on liberty.
Freedom has its life in the hearts, the actions, the spirit of men and so it must be daily earned and refreshed - else like a flower cut from its life-giving roots, it will wither and die. ~Dwight D. Eisenhower
It is easy to take liberty for granted, when you have never had it taken from you. ~Author unknown
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Hannah has so much fun at The Little Gym
Every Friday morning Hannah and I head off to The Little Gym so she can enjoy a class and burn off some energy! I hope you enjoy the pictures and videos!
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Thursday, June 2, 2011
Dr Appointments + Busy Days= One Tired Mommy!
Yesterday was a super busy day for me. The PTA helped with Fun Day at Chloe's school, which was a lot of fun, but at the same time stressful. We had volunteers who didn't show up and where we were scheduled to be was muddy so we had to make a last minute change on location. It all worked out in the end and the kids had fun!
After setting everything up for our game I headed off to the OBGYN for my 27 week check up and the ohhh so lovely glucose screening. The baby's heartbeat sounded great, my BP was awesome, and even though I did gain a couple of pounds my DR wasn't worried. As usual my veins did not want to cooperate & I got to see the vein in my hand swell up to the size of a marble... in an odd way it was kind of cool.
Once I ate some lunch it was back to the school to finish up fun day, then to the store to pick up a couple of cakes, a quick stop at the house to get the punch, and then back to the school for a good bye party for Ms. DuPont.
I'm sure all of you Mommies can understand how I felt last night & today. If I sat longer than 5 minutes I found myself nodding off... not really a good thing with a mischievous 4 year old in the house! lol Thankfully Hannah was pretty good for me today & we were able to get in good nap time this afternoon!
On a good note my blood work came back and I passed the glucose screening with flying colors, but we did find out that I am anemic. The anemia explains the headaches, racing heart, and extreme fatigue I have had... so I am now taking iron supplements that will hopefully help.
Well tomorrow is shaping up to be another busy day so I shall log off and some rest!
Monday, May 23, 2011
The Cone of Shame
Those who have been to our home know that we have a very friendly Miniature Schnauzer named Andre. Andre has had some pretty serious chronic ear infections since he was about 6 years old. It is something we were told was normal for him & that he would probably have them off and on for the rest of his life. Well today Andre went in for his vet check up (he had been scratching his ears to the point of bleeding) and to get groomed.
The vet called around 3:00 to let us know that Andre was almost ready, but that his ears were so irritated and inflamed that they couldn't see his eardrums! Hopefully when we go back next week his ears will be cleared up and they can verify that his ear drums are still intact. The good news is that all the blood work they did came back with great results! With the exception of his ears Andre is a very healthy 11 year old dog!
So $300 later we have our sweet boy back home, lots of meds to give him, and he has to wear a cone of shame for a week!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Excuse me while I brag a bit...
I have heard of so many women whose husbands, boyfriends, or partners are jerks or just do stupid stuff during the pregnancy. While Jeff is far from perfect, and I still have my moments where I look at him and think "Really???? WTF dude?!?!?!" I have been amazed at the way he has been stepping up lately and expressing his love to me, the girls, and our family.
When I was pregnant with Chloe we were living with my parents and Mom was there to do pretty much everything I needed help with. When I was pregnant with Hannah Jeff and I were going through a really rough period in our marriage and most of the time it was a mutual lets just get by & do what we have to do. With this pregnancy Jeff and I are much closer, we have grown individually and together as a couple. Part of what helped us through our rough time was Gary Chapman's 5 Love languages book and marriage seminar. Through that we learned how to really see when one of us was expressing their love and how to communicate it in a way the other person can understand. (For those who have read the book my expressions are physical touch and quality time. Jeff's expressions are acts of service and words of affirmation.)
Over the past few months I have been having a rough time with hip pain, the kidney infection, being tired, and not physically being able to do what I think I should be doing. My schedule has also been crazy almost to the point of being stressful at times b/c I have too many balls I have had to juggle. There are times when I will be bent over rocking my hips to relieve some of the pain; Jeff will see me and take a few minutes to rub my low back & hips. The other day we had been shopping and I was exhausted and my feet hurt. Without me mentioning anything to him he gave me a foot massage... I can't remember him spontaneously doing that with either of the previous pregnancies!
Jeff has also started helping me with some of the household things. I have come home several times to find that he has unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher. He took initiative with my spring cleaning list of things that need to be done and even did some of the things that I had planned on doing myself. I now know that those times he washes the dishes, mows the lawn, makes the bed, cleans the floors, and even when he lets me take a nap by keeping the girls quite he is really saying how much he loves me and how valued I am to him. So today I want to thank him publicly.
Jeff I appreciate all of the little things you do around the house, the time you spend with me, the time that you take for our girls, and all the other little things you do that others may take for granted I treasure and value! Thank you for stepping up and being a great husband and Daddy!!!
When I was pregnant with Chloe we were living with my parents and Mom was there to do pretty much everything I needed help with. When I was pregnant with Hannah Jeff and I were going through a really rough period in our marriage and most of the time it was a mutual lets just get by & do what we have to do. With this pregnancy Jeff and I are much closer, we have grown individually and together as a couple. Part of what helped us through our rough time was Gary Chapman's 5 Love languages book and marriage seminar. Through that we learned how to really see when one of us was expressing their love and how to communicate it in a way the other person can understand. (For those who have read the book my expressions are physical touch and quality time. Jeff's expressions are acts of service and words of affirmation.)
Over the past few months I have been having a rough time with hip pain, the kidney infection, being tired, and not physically being able to do what I think I should be doing. My schedule has also been crazy almost to the point of being stressful at times b/c I have too many balls I have had to juggle. There are times when I will be bent over rocking my hips to relieve some of the pain; Jeff will see me and take a few minutes to rub my low back & hips. The other day we had been shopping and I was exhausted and my feet hurt. Without me mentioning anything to him he gave me a foot massage... I can't remember him spontaneously doing that with either of the previous pregnancies!
Jeff has also started helping me with some of the household things. I have come home several times to find that he has unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher. He took initiative with my spring cleaning list of things that need to be done and even did some of the things that I had planned on doing myself. I now know that those times he washes the dishes, mows the lawn, makes the bed, cleans the floors, and even when he lets me take a nap by keeping the girls quite he is really saying how much he loves me and how valued I am to him. So today I want to thank him publicly.
Jeff I appreciate all of the little things you do around the house, the time you spend with me, the time that you take for our girls, and all the other little things you do that others may take for granted I treasure and value! Thank you for stepping up and being a great husband and Daddy!!!
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Reminiscing
As I was preparing for bed last night I looked at the clock and thought, "What was I doing 4 years ago right now?" I can still vividly remember the night of May 14 though the next day until 8:00pm. I have to say it was the hardest and most emotional day of my life. It was the day after Mother's Day.
On Mother's Day we had spent a couple hours at the hospital with with my Mom, the doctors said she was doing better and even moved her from the cardiac ICU to a private room so the grand kids could see her. Other than being in the hospital it was the perfect Mother's Day for Mom... almost all of the family with her, surrounded by love and little girl's giggles. I called her room later that night and we talked about the baby (I was pregnant with Hannah), how I was feeling, the upcoming induction, who was going to take care of Chloe since she couldn't, and how Jeff would bring her pictures of Hannah as soon as he could. I never thought that when we said goodnight that would be the last time I heard her say, "I love you."
The next day, May 14, was a roller coaster of events. Dad called first thing to tell me that something was wrong with Mom and he was on his way to the hospital. I relayed his msg to everyone I could and asked them to start praying. Some updates sounded positive, but later in the day they seemed grimmer and grimmer. When we dropped Chloe off at Jeff & Michele's house Michele gave me a hug and said that she was so sorry. I don't remember what I said to her, but inside I was thinking don't say that or hug me like this... because if you do it really does mean that she is dieing! Instead of going out on a last date before the baby as we had planned Jeff and I headed up to the hospital.
Shortly after we got there it was determined that there was little to no chance of Mom being able to ever get off life support... even if she ever did regain consciousness. We were all gathered around a table in a circle, and as I looked around I knew we were all thinking the same thing, but not wanting to actually say it. It was time... Mom made it very clear to all of us that if she was ever put on life support & there was no hope of her getting off of it to live a normal life then we were to pull the plug. She didn't want to "live" that way.
Everyone at the hospital took turns going back to say their final goodbyes before they took her off of life support. Once the deed was done the immediate family was allowed to go back to spend the last few minutes with her. Dad prayed and then we sang Amazing Grace, to my knowledge it was Mom's favorite hymn, and when we sang "Praise God, praise god, praise god..." I felt the room take a deep breath, looked at the clock (shortly after midnight), and her monitors ( one last blip and then nothing), and knew that she was gone.. no longer in pain, reunited with loved ones, and most importantly with God. Now that isn't to say that I wasn't hurting our mourning her, but I knew she was where she was meant to be.
Jeff and I headed home to prepare for Hannah's birth... we would only get a couple of hours of sleep, but it would have to be enough. With Jeff in bed, my bags all packed, and the house quiet I took a shower. I allowed myself to cry through the whole shower, but I knew that once it was done I had to stop and focus on the little life inside of me. If I didn't Mom would have had a fit... her grand babies were the most important things in the world to her!
When we were at the hospital the nurses gave Jeff a hard time about going to sleep on the couch while they were prepping me for the induction. I told them to let him sleep because we had a hard night and there wasn't anything for him to do now, but I would need him later. One of the staff came in to draw blood. She was a nice enough woman, but half way through the polite conversation she started complaining about her mom. She had given her mom flowers for Mothers Day, but they weren't the right kind and her mom was upset that she hadn't gone to visit. I turned my head and started crying... it hurt to know that I wouldn't ever be able to complain or vent about my Mom again... she wouldn't ever be able to do the little things that annoyed me again. The lady asked me if she had hurt me, and when I said no she wanted to know why I was crying. I told her what we had just been through, and I encouraged her to take the time to go see her mom... because you never know when you won't have the chance to do it again. The poor lady looked devastated, and kept apologizing to me.
Word slowly spread through the floor about what happened and my doctor asked me if I wanted to stop the induction. as much as I wanted to say yes I also knew it was time. There was a reason for Hannah to be born on that specific day.... so we continued on. I had several people visit me in the hospital during my labor. Most of them I hadn't seen in years and wondered how in the world they knew I was there. To this day I don't know how they knew beyond the SGC grapevine, but I am thankful that each one of them visited me. They were all women who had known me as a child and in a way were "fill in Moms" when my own Mom couldn't be there to hold my hand or talk me through a contraction.
At 7pm on the nose our little Hannah Lee was born... such a sweet blessing to our lives on a day that should have been filled with sadness. There are so many times that Hannah will do something or say something that is so much like Mom it almost hurts. When Hannah was a month old I can remember holding her, crying and being upset that Mom wasn't with me and would never get the chance to hold her. At one point I noticed that Hannah was looking over my shoulder just grinning away, and then I got a chill down my spine. From that point on I knew that even though Mom may not be physically here that she was still with us, looking over her babies, and loving every minute of being where she was.
So for those that have been given the luxury of still having your Mom around please take the time to give her a call, a hug, an e-mail... something to express your love to her... you never know when it will be your last chance.
One of Mom's engagement photos.
Mom at my wedding.
Mom holding Allie at Chloe's birthday party. (This is the last picture I ever took of her.)
Me holding Hannah the day after she was born.
On Mother's Day we had spent a couple hours at the hospital with with my Mom, the doctors said she was doing better and even moved her from the cardiac ICU to a private room so the grand kids could see her. Other than being in the hospital it was the perfect Mother's Day for Mom... almost all of the family with her, surrounded by love and little girl's giggles. I called her room later that night and we talked about the baby (I was pregnant with Hannah), how I was feeling, the upcoming induction, who was going to take care of Chloe since she couldn't, and how Jeff would bring her pictures of Hannah as soon as he could. I never thought that when we said goodnight that would be the last time I heard her say, "I love you."
The next day, May 14, was a roller coaster of events. Dad called first thing to tell me that something was wrong with Mom and he was on his way to the hospital. I relayed his msg to everyone I could and asked them to start praying. Some updates sounded positive, but later in the day they seemed grimmer and grimmer. When we dropped Chloe off at Jeff & Michele's house Michele gave me a hug and said that she was so sorry. I don't remember what I said to her, but inside I was thinking don't say that or hug me like this... because if you do it really does mean that she is dieing! Instead of going out on a last date before the baby as we had planned Jeff and I headed up to the hospital.
Shortly after we got there it was determined that there was little to no chance of Mom being able to ever get off life support... even if she ever did regain consciousness. We were all gathered around a table in a circle, and as I looked around I knew we were all thinking the same thing, but not wanting to actually say it. It was time... Mom made it very clear to all of us that if she was ever put on life support & there was no hope of her getting off of it to live a normal life then we were to pull the plug. She didn't want to "live" that way.
Everyone at the hospital took turns going back to say their final goodbyes before they took her off of life support. Once the deed was done the immediate family was allowed to go back to spend the last few minutes with her. Dad prayed and then we sang Amazing Grace, to my knowledge it was Mom's favorite hymn, and when we sang "Praise God, praise god, praise god..." I felt the room take a deep breath, looked at the clock (shortly after midnight), and her monitors ( one last blip and then nothing), and knew that she was gone.. no longer in pain, reunited with loved ones, and most importantly with God. Now that isn't to say that I wasn't hurting our mourning her, but I knew she was where she was meant to be.
Jeff and I headed home to prepare for Hannah's birth... we would only get a couple of hours of sleep, but it would have to be enough. With Jeff in bed, my bags all packed, and the house quiet I took a shower. I allowed myself to cry through the whole shower, but I knew that once it was done I had to stop and focus on the little life inside of me. If I didn't Mom would have had a fit... her grand babies were the most important things in the world to her!
When we were at the hospital the nurses gave Jeff a hard time about going to sleep on the couch while they were prepping me for the induction. I told them to let him sleep because we had a hard night and there wasn't anything for him to do now, but I would need him later. One of the staff came in to draw blood. She was a nice enough woman, but half way through the polite conversation she started complaining about her mom. She had given her mom flowers for Mothers Day, but they weren't the right kind and her mom was upset that she hadn't gone to visit. I turned my head and started crying... it hurt to know that I wouldn't ever be able to complain or vent about my Mom again... she wouldn't ever be able to do the little things that annoyed me again. The lady asked me if she had hurt me, and when I said no she wanted to know why I was crying. I told her what we had just been through, and I encouraged her to take the time to go see her mom... because you never know when you won't have the chance to do it again. The poor lady looked devastated, and kept apologizing to me.
Word slowly spread through the floor about what happened and my doctor asked me if I wanted to stop the induction. as much as I wanted to say yes I also knew it was time. There was a reason for Hannah to be born on that specific day.... so we continued on. I had several people visit me in the hospital during my labor. Most of them I hadn't seen in years and wondered how in the world they knew I was there. To this day I don't know how they knew beyond the SGC grapevine, but I am thankful that each one of them visited me. They were all women who had known me as a child and in a way were "fill in Moms" when my own Mom couldn't be there to hold my hand or talk me through a contraction.
At 7pm on the nose our little Hannah Lee was born... such a sweet blessing to our lives on a day that should have been filled with sadness. There are so many times that Hannah will do something or say something that is so much like Mom it almost hurts. When Hannah was a month old I can remember holding her, crying and being upset that Mom wasn't with me and would never get the chance to hold her. At one point I noticed that Hannah was looking over my shoulder just grinning away, and then I got a chill down my spine. From that point on I knew that even though Mom may not be physically here that she was still with us, looking over her babies, and loving every minute of being where she was.
So for those that have been given the luxury of still having your Mom around please take the time to give her a call, a hug, an e-mail... something to express your love to her... you never know when it will be your last chance.
One of Mom's engagement photos.
Mom at my wedding.
Mom holding Allie at Chloe's birthday party. (This is the last picture I ever took of her.)
Me holding Hannah the day after she was born.
I love you Mom!!!!
Happy Birthday Hannah!
Today my little Hannah-nanna turned 4 years old! It seems like just yesterday I was snuggling with my little baby, how is it that she is four already?!?!?!?
Over the last few months I have noticed that she has been looking and acting less and less like a toddler and more like a big girl. Her newest comment has been, "I'm not a big kid yet, but I am growing up fast so I can be one soon!"
I know it won't be long until she is a teen, and yearning to be an adult... so for now I will treasure her sweet smiles, her awesome hugs, and try not to kill her when she is being as stubborn as I am! LOL
Here are a few fun pictures from today's Dora themed birthday fiesta!
Play time with home made play-dough... what color you ask? Why ORANGE of course!!! It is Hannah's favorite color!
Per Hannah's request Dora's Backpack & Map birthday cake... I'm not too happy about the shape of it, but Hannah loves it.
Piñata time!!!! Hannah gave it 3 solid whacks and almost decapitated Dora!
Happy 4th birthday Hannah!!!
Mommy & Daddy love you very much!!!!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
24 Weeks
Well today was my 24 week check up. All went well, the baby is growing like a weed, the heartbeat is strong, and all of my stats are good. One thing different about this pregnancy is that I am actually gaining weight!!! Typically I lose weight, but with this little one I have gained a total of 9 pounds! While I know most moms out there scoff at a 9 pound weight gain, it is a little disheartening to me. My doctor isn't worried and told me that I am doing just fine, but still... 9 lbs! /sigh
Last month when I went in to have my sono the baby was stubborn and decided that we didn't need to know the gender yet. So this month the sono tech squeezed me in for a minute to see if we could see any boy/ girl parts.
For those that have a hard time seeing what is in the sono pics, you are looking at the baby's thighs (knees pulled to chest) and bottom, similar to the view you would have changing a diaper. You can see the baby's head on the bottom right of the picture, and one little hand at the top by the knees.
It was a pretty clear view today that baby #3 is little girl!!!
Last month when I went in to have my sono the baby was stubborn and decided that we didn't need to know the gender yet. So this month the sono tech squeezed me in for a minute to see if we could see any boy/ girl parts.
For those that have a hard time seeing what is in the sono pics, you are looking at the baby's thighs (knees pulled to chest) and bottom, similar to the view you would have changing a diaper. You can see the baby's head on the bottom right of the picture, and one little hand at the top by the knees.
It was a pretty clear view today that baby #3 is little girl!!!
Playing catch up
So I am a bit behind on my blog posts!!!! So please bear with me as I do some catching up.
Bluebonnets
One of our favorite things to do in the spring is to take family pictures in the bluebonnets. I know it is torture for some kids, and the only time I can remember Mom & Dad making me take pictures in the bluebonnets I ended up crying and angry at Dad. none the less it is typically a fun thing for our girls b/c we take the pictures with some of their cousins... so it is like a play date for the little ones, and a gab session for the older ones!
Easter
Easter is such a fun holiday! This year as we were dying the eggs Chloe asked me why we celebrate Easter... not just because of candy, but WHY do we choose that day to be different and special. I have to admit that for a moment I was speechless b/c I didn't expect her to phrase her questions in such a way. After a moment I explained the Christian belief behind Easter, how the Jews in the Old Testament were commanded to take little lambs to the temple and make a sacrifice in order for their sins to be forgiven. However we don't have to do that because Jesus was our lamb and when He did the curtain separating us from God was ripped in two and all we have to do is ask Jesus to live in our hearts and wash away the sin.
She then wanted to know why we color eggs and search for them on Easter. Without going into a lot of detail on here... Chloe and I had a long discussion about our Easter traditions and what they mean. At times I am surprised by the depth of the questions she asks, but at the same time I am thrilled that she is asking and searching for answers!
Around 2 am on Easter morning I woke up for the ritual pregnant lady has to pee moment... unfortunately I noticed that the house was rather warm. The storm we had roll through the night before knocked out our power! After waking Jeff to help shut down the computers and check on things I remembered the clothes that were in our dryer and my only thought was, "Please let them have finished drying before we lost power!!!" Unfortunately they hadn't, and with the power still out at 7:30 the girls opened their Easter baskets by flashlight.
The song I had stuck in my head all day was "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say REJOICE!" It was very appropriate because I could have been frustrated by all my plans being changed and starting the day off badly, but instead I had a happy heart and we ended up having a lovely day!
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a very hard day for me. I spent several hours in the days leading up to it sneaking off for a private moment because I simply needed to cry and vent without little ones knowing about it. This was the first year that I didn't have my Mom or my Grandmother to go visit. While this may not be a "big deal" any other time of the year it really sinks in on Mother's Day and I have to take some time to mourn them and what I lost when they passed away.
This year Bethany and Andrew had our girls spend the night, so I had the luxury of sleeping past 8:00!!! After this lazy Momma got out of bed I was given a very nice Mother's Day gift. Jeff and the girls found an arch/ trellis for my roses to grow on! So Jeff and I put it together, started training the rose bushes to climb it, and planted some strawberry baskets!
After that we went to Calloways and found a few plants to add to the front garden, picked up the girls, and had a lovely lunch with Bethany!
All in all it was a very relaxing and lovely Mother's Day!
One of our favorite things to do in the spring is to take family pictures in the bluebonnets. I know it is torture for some kids, and the only time I can remember Mom & Dad making me take pictures in the bluebonnets I ended up crying and angry at Dad. none the less it is typically a fun thing for our girls b/c we take the pictures with some of their cousins... so it is like a play date for the little ones, and a gab session for the older ones!
Easter
Easter is such a fun holiday! This year as we were dying the eggs Chloe asked me why we celebrate Easter... not just because of candy, but WHY do we choose that day to be different and special. I have to admit that for a moment I was speechless b/c I didn't expect her to phrase her questions in such a way. After a moment I explained the Christian belief behind Easter, how the Jews in the Old Testament were commanded to take little lambs to the temple and make a sacrifice in order for their sins to be forgiven. However we don't have to do that because Jesus was our lamb and when He did the curtain separating us from God was ripped in two and all we have to do is ask Jesus to live in our hearts and wash away the sin.
She then wanted to know why we color eggs and search for them on Easter. Without going into a lot of detail on here... Chloe and I had a long discussion about our Easter traditions and what they mean. At times I am surprised by the depth of the questions she asks, but at the same time I am thrilled that she is asking and searching for answers!
Around 2 am on Easter morning I woke up for the ritual pregnant lady has to pee moment... unfortunately I noticed that the house was rather warm. The storm we had roll through the night before knocked out our power! After waking Jeff to help shut down the computers and check on things I remembered the clothes that were in our dryer and my only thought was, "Please let them have finished drying before we lost power!!!" Unfortunately they hadn't, and with the power still out at 7:30 the girls opened their Easter baskets by flashlight.
The song I had stuck in my head all day was "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say REJOICE!" It was very appropriate because I could have been frustrated by all my plans being changed and starting the day off badly, but instead I had a happy heart and we ended up having a lovely day!
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a very hard day for me. I spent several hours in the days leading up to it sneaking off for a private moment because I simply needed to cry and vent without little ones knowing about it. This was the first year that I didn't have my Mom or my Grandmother to go visit. While this may not be a "big deal" any other time of the year it really sinks in on Mother's Day and I have to take some time to mourn them and what I lost when they passed away.
After that we went to Calloways and found a few plants to add to the front garden, picked up the girls, and had a lovely lunch with Bethany!
All in all it was a very relaxing and lovely Mother's Day!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
And the baby is...
Many of our friends and family have been awaiting today... my 20 week sonogram! Jeff, Chloe, and Hannah were able to come with me to see the baby. Chloe was fascinated, but after a few minutes Hannah got bored and wanted to play with the sonogram equipment!
The doctor is very happy with the baby's measurements and growth to date. The only disappointment, and this will be a big shock to the Hastings side of the family.... our baby is stubborn! We were bale to get great pictures of the head, could see the arms, legs, tummy, and heart just beating away! The sono tech tried to get the money shot for almost 5 minutes, but she could not get the baby to change positions! The baby was very comfy and saw no reason to move. It's hands were linked behind the head, one leg extended, and the other foot tucked up covering itself!
So for all of those who have been dying to know if we are having a boy or girl..... the answer is that we don't know yet.
/sigh
Ohh well maybe I can drink some juice next time and get the baby movin & grovin!
For those of you who like to know stats the baby is:
9.3 inches long
14 oz
All organ development is normal.
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