March 31, 2008

March 31 was a very long day, so this could wind up being a very long post. Consider yourself warned!

I woke up around 2:30 a.m. and immediately realized two things: the horrible pain in my back had returned, and I had to throw up. I headed into the bathroom and did just that. The pain was so bad I could hardly stand it. Not only was it in my back, it had traveled around the front of my stomach and hurt there too. I had never had a kidney stone that intense before. I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, and I didn't want to disturb Bill, so I sat on the couch in my mom's family room for the rest of the night. At some point, it dawned on me that the pain was intensifying at regular intervals. I started timing them and was shocked to realize I was having contractions every minute. I didn't panic, though, because I did not feel like I was in labor. I was concerned that the kidney stone was aggravating Nolan, but I didn't feel like he was trying to make an early appearance. I was 33 weeks, 6 days pregnant at this point.

Finally, I heard my Dad get up and start moving around upstairs. It was a relief to know I wasn't the only person awake. Shortly after 6 a.m., Sam awakened and was crying. For some reason, my Dad came downstairs and offered to bring Sam upstairs and put him in bed with my mom. This was not part of the normal routine, but I was grateful. I was also grateful that Sam had slept all night. I was in no condition to take care of him.

Bill got up at 6:30. He looked in the family room before heading into the bathroom to shower, to see why I was up already. I told him I was pretty sure I needed to go to the hospital, and I asked if he would take me. He swapped work clothes for comfortable clothes (smart move) and got in the shower. I finally called my doctor's after-hours service and explained what was going on. Woah...was that nurse ticked at me! She couldn't believe I'd been sitting at home all night, having contractions every minute, and hadn't called sooner. She wanted to send an ambulance. She didn't want to hear my explanation. I finally convinced her that I was NOT going to the hospital in an ambulance, so she calmed down and agreed to let Butterworth Hospital know I was on my way.

Bill got out of the shower and I insisted on taking one. It wasn't a smart decision. I could hardly move without moaning in agony. I didn't bother washing my hair or putting my contacts in. I just got ready as fast (and as carefully) as I could. I then grabbed a bag and threw a random assortment of things in it: magazines, Bill's i-pod, some snacks. I really, truly believed I was just going in for a kidney stone, but something made me pause and grab the camera, Nolan's picture outfit, and some scrapbook paper for his footprints (I had not yet gotten around to buying a baby book). I could have left Nolan's outfit at home. He didn't grow into it for several months.

We left for the hospital shortly before 7:30. I remember seeing Sam standing in the doorway, wearing his pajamas, and feeling bad that my Mom would have to watch them all day. Turns out she had to watch them for 5 days! Bill says he had a feeling that I would not be returning home still pregnant. He knew things were bad.

If you are squeamish, you may not want to read the rest!

We got to the hospital and they got me up to OB triage pretty fast. They immediately wanted a urine sample to confirm I had a stone. I had trouble getting in to the bathroom by myself; I was in such bad shape. I was also puzzled by the fact that my urine looked so 'normal.' There should be blood in the urine when a person has a kidney stone. They ran some tests and immediately ruled out a kidney stone. They were now concerned about my appendix. They did some blood work which confirmed I had a serious infection somewhere. They also checked on Nolan and I was very upset to learn that I was 3 cm dilated. They immediately put me on magnesium sulfate, and from here on out the day rapidly deteriorated.

If you aren't familiar with it, magnesium sulfate is designed to stop contractions. I had heard it wasn't a pleasant drug, and boy, that's an understatement. I felt HORRIBLE! I was so intensely thirsty that I thought I was going to die. The nurses would allow me an occasional ice chip, but the split second it was gone, I was thirsty again. It was so bad, I could hardly concentrate on what was going on around me.

They sent me downstairs to get an ultrasound on my appendix. As they wheeled me down the hall, Sarah (my sister-in-law) happened to look up from wherever she was and see Bill. She came to check on us. I was so miserable, it felt very reassuring to have a familiar face with us. Sarah does not scan family members, but she did keep an eye on us and came in later to check on me again.

The girl who did my scan checked Nolan first. I felt better when I saw he was doing just fine. She then proceeded to check my kidneys (which were stone-free) and then tried to find my appendix. She didn't say much, but I knew she couldn't find it. She finally went to get the doctor, and he couldn't find it either. Apparently, when you are 7 1/2 months pregnant, it's not uncommon for organs to get squished and moved around. My appendix was officially M.I.A.

They sent me back upstairs and moved me to a regular labor and delivery room. I thought that was dumb, since I wasn't there to have a baby. At this point, Dr. LaGrand appeared. I knew him from a previous procedure I had done, and he was the doctor who delivered both of Mandy's babies. My doctor is family practice, and can't deliver preemies or do c-sections. It was nice to see Dr. LaGrand. I hoped he was there to make sure Nolan stayed put. He came in (and another surgeon also did at some point) to tell me my appendix had to go.

At this point, things start getting fuzzy. I remember seeing Dr. LaGrand twice. Bill says he was in and out all day. I think it was around 2 p.m. that they took me away for my appendectomy. They wouldn't let Bill come, so his Dad rescued him and took him out to lunch. I was not scared going into surgery, but I wasn't happy either. The doctors told me that if Nolan got distressed during the surgery, they were going to deliver him. But they wouldn't let me be awake, since it was exploratory (a 'search and rescue' mission for my appendix, I guess). I had quite a team in the operating room. I had the usual surgical crew, and then standing along the walls was a labor and delivery team, and some people from the NICU. I pleaded with them not to deliver the baby.

Shortly before I went into surgery, I asked if I could use the bathroom. My nurse thought it was a good idea, but I was now too weak to stand on my own. She helped me into a wheelchair and brought me over to the bathroom. Then she and two other nurses helped drag me over to the toilet. It was so crowded they couldn't close the door. One of them apologized about the lack of privacy, and I almost laughed. I was so miserable I could have cared less.

After the surgery, I woke up and realized I was even thirstier than before. I managed to communicate my need, and they gave me one stupid ice chip. I couldn't even talk, I was so thirsty, and the pain was even worse. I noticed I was still pregnant, but frankly, didn't even care. The doctor was telling me that they found my appendix, and removed it, but it hadn't been infected at all. I was irritated, but mostly, I just wanted him to give me an ice chip. I remember whispering over and over again, "Thirsty." "Thirsty." No one seemed to take me seriously.

I got back to my room and things are really fuzzy after that. I can't tell you if Bill ate any supper. I remember my mom coming and she looked really worried and I remember her patting my arm. Brianna had just gotten off her shift, and she was with her. I remember Donna, my co-worker, stopping by with a beautiful mum (which a nurse squished part of later that evening). I remember telling Donna I'd be back at work by that Thursday and she laughed at me. I remember telling Bill not to give his mom too many details, because I didn't want her to worry.

The funniest memory I have of that afternoon is someone (probably me) deciding that I needed to make a list for my mom of things I needed from home. The list I made was pretty random, and was missing many crucial toiletry items. No one questioned the accuracy, though, which meant it took a few more trips for Bill and my mom to bring me everything I needed over the course of the week.

By suppertime, Dr. LaGrand gave up on the magnesium sulfate. I was still dilating, and he said the medicine simply wasn't working. He turned it off and immediately ordered an epidural since my pain was really more than I could bear. I was so bad off, they didn't even make me sit when they put the needle in. They had me lay on my side and hold a pillow. I felt better for an hour or so, but then the epidural failed. They adjusted everything, and I felt better for about a half hour before it failed again. I kept pleading for someone to make the pain go away, and it wouldn't. I was also scared to death about having a baby so early. I asked if his lungs would be okay. Dr. LaGrand said 34 weeks was right on the bubble, and he didn't feel a steroid shot would really benefit Nolan's lungs at this point.

I can't describe how much pain I was in. Just having someone touch my side had me screaming. I'm not a chicken, and I have a fairly high pain tolerance, but it just felt like everything was spiraling out of control.

I told Bill to try and get some rest around 10:30 or 11:00. I tried to sleep, too, but the pain was too intense. I think he dozed off for a half over or so, and I just did my best not to scream out loud. The nurses would come in occasionally and make me turn over, and I couldn't help screaming then.

At 11:45 p.m., some doctor-in-training came in to break my water. I was horrified. They wanted to break my water, and put me in active labor NOW? I was too weak to sit, I'd just had major abdominal surgery, I was in more pain than I could stand, and they wanted me to push out a baby? I prayed Nolan would also think it was dumb and stay put for another day or so.

The almost-doctor left and they turned the lights out again. The pain had gotten worse, which I didn't think was possible. The nurses start coming in every couple of minutes. They never said much, they just wanted to turn me on my right side. Then my left side. Then my right side again. I wanted them to STOP TOUCHING ME! Finally, a mere 20 minutes after they broke my water, Dr. LaGrand hurried in and said enough was enough. Apparently, Nolan crashed when they broke my water. His heart rate had been below 100 beats per minute for over 9 minutes at that point. Dr. LaGrand was going to perform an emergency c-section.

My first thought? Oh, good, I don't have to push him out. My second thought was, "WHAT?!" I think they had me sign some consent form, then pushed the rest of the forms over to Bill. Someone threw some scrubs at him to put on. Within seconds of Dr. LaGrand's announcement, they were pushing my bed out of the room. I remember looked back and Bill and seeing that he looked calm, yet slightly bewildered. I was calm, too. I leaned back on my pillows and watched the ceiling tiles move as they pushed me down the hall. I distinctly remember thinking, "Hey, I should ask them to tie my tubes", but I knew no one considered me capable of making a decision like that, so I didn't speak up. Now I wish I would have.

By now, it is April 1st, but I might as well finish up the saga. I didn't want an April Fool's Day baby. I always thought it was a dumb holiday, and I felt bad that I was imposing it on Nolan forever.

Anyway, once in the operating room, Dr. LaGrand relaxed a little. Nolan's heart rate had come up, and Dr. LaGrand felt like he could take his time during the surgery. Bill wasn't there yet. He later told me he got all of his scrub gear on, only to have a nurse come in and tell him he couldn't be in the operating room, since it was an emergency. So, Bill took it all off. Then, another nurse came in and said things had stabilized, and Bill was welcome in the O.R. So, Bill had to put everything back on again! By them time he got in the operating room, Dr. LaGrand had started the procedure, and Bill saw more of me than he ever intended.

I remember the anesthesiologist was very calm and reassuring. I was afraid I'd be able to feel the surgery, since my epidural had failed twice. He made good and sure I was numb before they started. It was at this point I learned that the first surgeon (the appendectomy guy) had made a long vertical cut down the center of my stomach. Right through my navel. When he pulled the skin back together and stapled me up...well...bye-bye belly button. I thought Dr. LaGrand was kidding when he said my belly button was gone. He said he would never joke about a thing like that. Now that I'm completely healed, I do have a very slight indentation, but really no belly button to speak of. It's bizarre.

Dr. LaGrand got Nolan out and handed him off to the NICU team. I remember it was really quiet. I turned to Bill and said, "Why isn't he crying?" Bill said he thought it was okay because he could see Nolan moving around. After what seemed like a long time, we finally heard a tiny cry. They let Bill finish cutting the cord and snap a couple pictures. They briefly let me touch his face before they whisked him out of the room. I later found out Nolan's Apgar scores were only 5 and 7. Pretty lousy scores. Nolan arrived at 12:40 a.m., weighing 5 pounds, 8 ounces and was 18 inches long.

After they delivered Nolan, the anesthesiologist asked if I wanted to rest for awhile. He didn't completely knock me out, but I was basically unaware of what was going on until I woke up in the recovery room. The nurse in there took pity on me and gave Bill a big cup filled with ice chips which he fed me in a steady stream. Dr. LaGrand came in and said it looked like the infection was in my uterus. It seems the only cure for it was to deliver Nolan. He said he also firmly believed it was the only way to save Nolan's life. We still do not know what caused the infection.

Around 2:30 a.m., they took Bill and I up to the NICU to see Nolan. I was still in my hospital bed. They got me as close as the could to his little isolet. I felt really guilty when I saw how little and miserable he looked. He never even tried to open his eyes. A nurse snapped a few pictures of us, and I met Nolan's NICU doctor. His name? Bert Doctor. That's right...Dr. Doctor (every time I said that I wanted to sing, "Doctor, doctor, give me the news...").

I was in my hospital room by 4 a.m. Bill immediately tried to sleep on the pull-out couch, but said it was awfully uncomfortable. I couldn't sleep. Now that the intense pain had subsided, my mind wouldn't stop. I couldn't believe everything that had happened. Mostly, I couldn't believe I had a baby, and no one but Bill knew! I started making phone calls shortly after 6 a.m. One of the first calls was to Amanda, to apologize. So much for going overdue!

Dr. LaGrand came and checked on me everyday. I went home Saturday, over five days after I was admitted. He came by late Friday to sign my discharge papers and write me prescriptions for pain medications. I thanked him profusely for delivering Nolan and saving his life. Dr. LaGrand looked at me very seriously and thanked ME for 'making it'. I had no idea it was that bad. Dr. LaGrand said it was pretty scary for awhile there. When I heard that, I cried.

For those of you who don't know the rest of the story, Nolan spent two weeks in the hospital. The first two days he was on a ventilator, then he did two days of C-pap. After that, he was breathing on his own, but it took awhile for him to learn to eat. He tired easily. By April 13, he weighed right around 5 pounds, but the doctors decided he was ready to go home. Maybe someday I'll blog about different NICU memories I have.

I am thankful everyday that I still have my little Nolan, and that we survived that experience. I have no desire to ever have another child, as I don't feel it's fair to the 3 boys I already have here. Too risky. Adoption isn't out of the question, but for now, I'm more than satisfied with what I've got. In fact, I'm not satisfied. I'm blessed.

March 30, 2008

As we approach Nolan's first birthday, I really wanted to jot down the events that led up to his rather dramatic arrival. Mostly because I find I'm starting to forget the details. Of course, there are many things I don't remember happening at all!

As most of you know, my pregnancy with Nolan came as a huge surprise. I wasn't opposed to a third child, but I did question the timing. Sam wasn't sleeping well at all (on a good night, he'd only get me up twice), and I found out I was pregnant the week we moved out of our house on Pendleton. However, after recovering from the initial shock, I was able to enjoy what was by far my easiest pregnancy. No morning sickness, not as much swelling, and I had my mom living upstairs from me to assist with TJ and Sam. Plus, with the help of our chiropractor, we were slowly able to get Sam's tummy issues under control.

March 30, 2008 was a Sunday. It started out as a totally normal day. We all went to church in the morning and then had Sunday dinner upstairs with my parents and my sister Amanda. After lunch, Bill headed over to our house. I think he was tiling the shower at this point. My mom went over with him to help clean up various messes in the house. Amanda had to catch a flight back to Georgia, where she was finishing up her last year of teaching there. Before she left, I promised I would do my best to stay pregnant until she got back (she was coming home about 10 days after my due date). I then headed downstairs to take my Sunday afternoon nap.

I woke up from my nap and I just felt weird. It felt as if I was coming down with the flu, which I had just had a few weeks before. I tried to shake it off, but as the afternoon wore on, I felt increasingly worse. I called Bill and explained there was no way I could work on tiling the kitchen backsplash. I even asked him to send my mom home as I was having trouble taking care of TJ and Sam. Around dinnertime, a horrible pain hit me in the back. I've had kidney stones twice before, and was sure that I had another stone. Bill came back for dinner, and tried to convince me to go the E.R., but I wanted to tough it out at home. I kept hoping the stone would move so I could function again.

Around 9 p.m., I started feeling a little better. I made myself waffles (which I rarely eat, but they sounded good), and I wanted the first half of Sense and Sensibility on PBS. Then I sent a few e-mails to friends and went to bed. I was sure the stone had moved to a point where it wouldn't bother me anymore.

Boy was I ever wrong....

Ewwwww....

Sunday mornings in the nursery can be a bit rough for Nolan. He normally goes down for his morning nap around 9:30 or so, and church is from 9:00-10:00. He occasionally dozes off, but the noise and the lights wake him back up. This past Sunday, he fell asleep in the swing, but the nursery volunteers thought he looked too 'folded over', so they decided to move him to the crib (repeat after me, "Never, never, never touch a sleeping baby!"). Nolan woke up and was extremely upset. Another baby was also crying, so they decided to send Nolan over to the toddler side to separate the criers. Apparently, that did the trick. I suspect it was because Sam was over there, and Nolan adores his brothers. Anyway, Bill went to the toddler side to pick up Sam and discovered Nolan in there. He went to take him from the volunteer and she said (very apologetically), "We kept trying to give him his pacifier, but he just kept spitting it out." Bill's reply? "Ummm...that is NOT his pacifier." He said the girl looked as horrified as he felt. Yuck.

Another another gross story: my main bathroom, which I often refer to as the 'boys' bathroom'. TJ is the primary user of that bathroom, and well, like many boys, he has terrible aim. This is frustrating to me, because if we have guests, that's the bathroom they will use. I try to check the toilet seat daily and have a container of Lysol Disinfecting Wipes stored under the sink for quick wipe-ups (What did we do before those were invented?). Anyway, last week I went in there and found a HUGE mess on the back of the toilet seat, the side of the toilet, and on the floor. It was as if he had peed with his eyes shut. I called him into the bathroom, showed him the mess, and explained that potty was full of germs. I told him if he has an accident he needs to tell me right away, so I can clean up the germs. I told him it would start to smell bad if we left it there. He nodded and went back to playing. I figured he must have been listening a little, because the toilet has been fairly clean the past few days.

Earlier tonight he was in the bathroom with Bill, who was assisting with teeth brushing. I heard TJ say, "See Daddy? Look at the toilet. There are no little yellow dots. That means there are no germs." Part of me wanted to laugh, and part of me was proud he was taking this so seriously.

Beware of little yellow dots!

Pictures!

As promised, here are pictures of the boys at the Children's Museum last weekend.

TJ actually stood still long enough to be creative with dominoes. He's really into dominoes at the moment:

The Blue Man Group exhibit was pretty cool. Sam, however, was afraid of it. Bill tried to get Sam involved (and tried to get him to stop eating the rubber 'drumsticks') but Sam refused to have any part of it.

Nolan liked the vibrating drum, but he didn't really like TJ helping him play the 'xylophone'. I don't blame him considering TJ let go of him as soon as I snapped the picture and Nolan tumbled to the ground.Self-feeding:

Nolan finally caught on to the whole 'self-feeding' concept a week and a half ago. He got tired of waiting for me to feed him (it's not easy feeding him, helping Sam with his food, and trying to get food into my own mouth!), and he discovered it is much more efficient to feed himself. He was slowly scooting backwards while he munched on Cheerios and wound up under the dining room table.And here's my motley crew.

As fast as I can type them in...

They come up with more. I want to note these, as I forget quickly how funny my kiddos can be.

On Thursday morning, TJ wandered into the kitchen as I was getting my lunch together for work that day. It was about 7 a.m. He watched me and then said, "Are you going to work today?" I told him I was, to which he immediately replied "GOOD!" I asked him if he didn't like spending time with me, and he replied, "No, I like you, but Grandma's house has better toys. Hey, if someday Grandma's house starts falling down, we should bring her toys here so they are safe."

Friday was my Friday to work (still on the half-day every-other-Friday schedule). I had a doctor's appointment first, so I didn't go in very early. I got the boys up and fed. I informed TJ that while he was sleeping, spring had started. He seemed really excited about this. I reminded him that it can still be cold in the spring, but that warmer days are getting closer. After I left for work, my mom was horrified to discover that TJ had been going around, opening all of the windows. I don't think it was even 30 degrees at this point. TJ was extremely upset that Grandma shut the windows, insisting that Mama had said it was spring now.

Late yesterday afternoon, Sam found me sitting here at my chair, going through my box of greeting cards. I was pretty sure I had purchased cards for two of my nieces (Happy Birthday, Audrey and Suzy!) and I was trying to find them. Sam said, "What you doing, Mama? Are you getting a card for your Grandma?" He said this in a very patronizing voice, like he was talking to a very young child. It cracked me up. I don't think Sam likes to be talked down to. I never do it, but I know others do.

Sam continues to amaze me with his knowledge. He found an alphabet puzzle and has been telling me which letters are which. He knows all the hard ones (Q, Z, W, etc.), but stumbles on D, B, E, and F. I'm impressed only a couple trip him up.

Nolan wanted to taste my mom's coffee, so she let him have a couple drips. He liked it. Oh boy! All of a sudden, this kid is an eating machine. If it isn't moving, he wants to try it. I wonder if he'll actually have a significant weight gain by his next visit.

I keep promising to post pictures. Maybe tomorrow I can get the camera cleaned off.

Random Things

Nolan thinks it is hysterical that Bill is working on our deck. I guess he was used to seeing nothing when he looked out the door to the deck. When I walked him over to the door this past weekend, and he saw Bill out there, he laughed so hard he gave himself the hiccups.

Sam's comment? "Nolan's got the pick-ups".

The other day I asked TJ to give Nolan a toy to play with. I reminded him to put it right next to Nolan, since Nolan can't crawl yet. TJ's response? "Nolan can't crawl because he doesn't have his crawl-legs yet."

I wonder what that means??

It took 32 years...

For me to break a bone. And it's no fun.

Yesterday morning, Bill and I took the boys to the Children's Museum to check out the Blue Man Group exhibit. It was pretty neat--pictures to follow soon! After lunch, I put all 3 boys down for a nap and resisted the urge to take one myself. It was such a beautiful day; I couldn't justify being lazy. Bill started laying the flooring of the deck yesterday, and I decided it was high time to vacuum the minivan. It had a winter's worth of salt and dirt on the floor mats, and TJ had spilled sunflower seeds in the back. I started vacuuming and got really carried away. I ran inside for a cloth to clean small fingerprints off the windows, and I ran back in for a rag to scrub muddy footprints off the step into the van. I scoured the van for trash (and found surprisingly little). I took what I had to the trashcan and walked back around the van....and tripped over the vacuum cord. You know that awkward hop you do when you've lost your balance, and your frantically trying to regain it? That's exactly what I did. The split second where I thought I had my balance, my left foot caught TJ's sled and I went down hard and fast on my hands and knees. My first thought? "Did I just rip through the knees on my jeans?" (no) Then, it was "Owwwww..." I stayed on my hands and knees for a couple minutes, trying to catch my breath and assess the damage.

I finally started feeling like an idiot for being on the garage floor and I stood up. Everything hurt...both knees (I've got some dandy bruises), my right wrist, my chest (no idea why), and my left arm. My left arm hurt A LOT. I was very irritated with myself and decided to finish the van. I was sure I'd feel better by the time I finished. Well, it still hurt, so I vacuumed Bill's car next (and found a ton more trash. Boy, he's messy!). I told Bill I fell, but I wasn't sure how wounded I was. I tried to do normal things the rest of the afternoon, but found I couldn't use my arm to pick up Nolan (good thing he's so light and I can scoop him up with one arm), and changing Sam's diaper was agonizing. My arm just wouldn't rotate.

I asked my mom to bring me to the Urgent Care Center after I helped get the boys in bed. The kind doctor gave me a shot in the butt, which finally relieved some of the pain. X-rays showed I fractured the head of the radius...way up near my elbow. Brianna and Jared have both broken their arms in a similar location. I'm in a sling, which is much better than a cast--I can take it off to shower! I need to call my doctor tomorrow for a follow-up. If she suspects there are any bone fragments, I'll need to see an orthopedic surgeon for surgery. At this point, I think that's unlikely, but if you could spare a prayer, I'd appreciate it.

Being a Mommy is a bit hard at the moment. Sam is back in disposable diapers for the foreseeable future. I can't lift him into his carseat, which means I need assistance getting TJ to and from school. Bill desperately wants the deck done, but I have to keep interrupting him for help. I was really working on upping my treadmill workouts, but now I don't dare do anything above a walking pace. I just keep reminding myself it could have been much worse...

And yes, it took awhile to type this with one hand!

Nature got a little too close...

I love living out here. It's so quiet and peaceful. There is plenty of wildlife. Everyone knows to be really careful about deer...someone even hit and killed one on our little private drive last year (how fast were they going???) Anyway, tonight I got a little too much nature. I was washing up some dishes after supper and I noticed our stray cat was sitting on the front walk. In the rain. I was laughing to myself when I saw what looked like smoke coming around the front from the driveway. I leaned over to see if there was a car in our driveway and I saw a HUGE raccoon turning up my front walk (the 'smoke' was the thing breathing in the cool air). It was the size of a cocker spaniel. It was MUCH bigger than our little stray. She was not too happy about this raccoon hanging out on her turf. I was concerned because you don't typically see raccoons in broad daylight and this critter was not walking very fast. I was afraid it was sick. I called for Bill and he ran and shut the garage door. The cat always runs in when he does that, so he assumed she was safe. I wasn't convinced as I couldn't see where the raccoon had gone. I was concerned that it had wandered into the garage too.

Bill went outside and didn't see it, so I peeked in the garage. Yep! The cat was right by the door and she was not happy. The raccoon was under my van. TJ brought the cat in (he kept telling her that she was safe now) and Bill tried to scare the raccoon back out. The thing wouldn't budge. Bill finally climbed in the van and backed it out of the garage. (There is NO WAY I could have gotten in the van, knowing that nasty creature was only a foot away). His technique worked. The raccoon ran (well, walked slowly) over to the east side of the house and slowly ambled away. We all watched him from TJ and Sam's bedroom window. Bill and I used the opportunity to explain to the boys why raccoons are bad and why they should never, ever touch one. TJ was outside with the neighbor boys yesterday. What if it had been outside then? How many rabies shots would TJ have needed?

Double ick. I'm going to be on edge for the next couple weeks. I hope something tragic happens to that thing.

Walk Thru The Bible

Next month our church is hosting a day-long seminar called "Walk Through the Bible". I think it's supposed to be the Old Testament in a nutshell. There are several seminars with breaks and snacks in between. I'll be at the first session, since it's the material for the morning worship. After that, I have small children, so I'll be heading home with them.

Anyway, the church is trying hard to plug this and get as many people involved as they can. Last week, they had the two women who run the youth programs explaining the day to us. Yesterday during the service, there was a mini-drama. A man dressed as Moses (down to the makeup, crazy wig, and huge walking stick) stomped into the sanctuary and loudly (and repeatedly) invited us all there. I was quite amused by the drama. I recognized 'Moses' as Ken, the man who organizes the kids' drama every Wednesday night. TJ was watching Moses in fascination. He turned to me and whispered, "Mama, who IS that?" I was just about to explain that it was Ken, the drama guy, when TJ added, "Is it JESUS?" Oh, too funny. I tried to explain that it was just a man from church dressed up, but TJ wasn't convinced.

The rest of the day he walked around the house yelling "April 19!" "April 19!" Thanks to Moses, TJ will not forget the date of Walk Through the Bible!

How much have you changed in 20 years?

I shamelessly stole this from Amy, who says she shamelessly stole it from Facebook. Eh, well, Amy's blog is way cooler than mine and I wanted this posted too.

****20 YEARS AGO (1989)****
1) How old were you? 12 (turned 13 that September)
2) Who were you dating? No One
3) Where did you work? Just baby-sat
4) Where did you live? Grand Rapids, MI
5) Where did you hang out? school/church
6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? Glasses
7) Who were your best friends? Jamie and Elisabeth
8) How many tattoos did you have? none
9) How many piercings did you have? one...ears
10) Had you been to a real party? REAL?? I was in 7th grade, so...no.
11) Had you had your heart broken? No
12) Were you Single/taken/Married/Divorced? Single
13) Any Kids? No, not at age 12!


****15 YEARS AGO (1994)****
1) How old were you? 17
2) Who were you dating? No one
3) Where did you work? St. Ann's Home
4) Where did you live? Grand Rapids, MI
5) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? Glasses
6) Who were your best friends? Jenny and Elisabeth
7) How many tattoos did you have? None
8) How many piercings did you have? ears
9) Had you been to a real party? yes, if band parties count!
11) Had you had your heart broken? Not really
12) Were you Single/taken/Married/Divorced? dating
13) Any Kids? 0

***10 YEARS AGO (1999)***
1) How old were you? 22
2) Who were you dating? Married to Bill
3) Where did you work? Remembrance Child Care
4) Where did you live? Grandville, MI
5) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? Contacts (day) & Glasses (evenings and lazy days)
6) Who were your best friends? Bill and Elisabeth
7) How many tattoos did you have? none
8) How many piercings did you have? 1-ears
9) Had your heart broken? Not that I recall
10) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Married
11)Any Kids? no

****TODAY (2009)****
1) Age? 32 (33 is fast approaching)
2)Who are you dating? Married
3) Where do you work? Olivier-VanDyk Insurance
4) Where do you live? Marne, MI
5) Who are your closest friends? Bill, Elisabeth, mom, sisters, etc...
6) Do you talk to your old friends? Elisabeth, yes, the others are just on Facebook
7) How many piercings do you have? Still just the one- ears
8) How many tattoos? No way. My body is a temple!(ha ha)
9) Had your heart been broken? Yes, but God answers prayers...abundantly (see next question)
10) How many kids? 3....TJ (5); Sam (2); Nolan (11 mo)
11) Are you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? Married over 10 years already

There's my history in a nutshell.

11 Months Old!

I say it every month--time is really flying by! Nolan is just a month away from his first birthday!

He's still not crawling, and still could care less. His reach seems to extend out about six feet, so who needs to crawl anyway? He got one tooth last week, and the other bottom tooth this week. He also got an ear infection to go with it. After 5 1/2 years of parenting, Bill finally had to take a child to the pediatrician, since I had to work (no work=no pay!). Nolan went in with him yesterday. Fully clothed, he was 15 pounds 8 ounces. I'm hoping that means he weighs 15 pounds now.

As you can see, his hair has been growing like crazy! Grandma is on a campaign to cut it, but I'm just not ready. What if he winds up looking like a tiny old man?

"Waving" at Mama:
He's a happy guy. We got lots of big smiles like this: