Super Scary

I really wish I was one of those women who were made to bear children...who have great complication-free pregnancies...but alas it just isn't my reality. A week ago today Tyler rushed me to the ER with heavy bleeding. I had just been sitting at the computer...doing absolutely nothing...when I felt a big gush and realized I was drenched in blood. I thought my heart would break. After hours at the ER and lots of sympathetic nurses things weren't looking that great. Tyler and I felt so bad that we had gotten the kids' hopes up only to devastate them yet again.

As I went in for the ultrasound I wasn't feeling very hopeful. Lots of tears were shed. But miracle of miracles...we saw our baby on ultrasound alive and well...active as can be...and completely unstressed by the scary goings on. The baby was just fine!! Thank goodness. Now just tears of joy were shed. Once again they told us the sex of the baby...same as before...yay!!

The diagnosis: Subchorionic Hematoma. I have never heard of this before. You would think that after having several kids you would be familiar with most things that can occur in pregnancy...apparently not...it is always something new and different. You can click on the link for a more detailed definitition. Basically it is a pocket of blood that can form between the membranes of the uterus and placenta that can rupture. After a doctor's appt. the next day I was put on bedrest...I could take the kids to and from school etc...but needed to be off my feet as much as possible. Easier said than done...but I really tried to stay down as much as possible. I was also put on "pelvic rest" for another 5 weeks...bummer. Nothing jarring to my pelvis for weeks...and that's coming off a three month exercise/sex ban due to danger of miscarriage... I forsee a long "dry spell" in the bedroom department and me with my gigantic pregnancy boobs!!
The irony!! ;)

I had another dr. appointment yesterday and the baby and I were both doing great. I am now off my week of bedrest and just on partial bedrest for another two weeks. I can do my usual normal routine but nothing that requires me to be on my feet for long...lots of feet up and taking it easy. Good news!! My bleeding has stopped and now it just needs to stay that way. Unfortunately with this condition many women have several series of bleeding/bedrest during the remainder of their pregnancy. Not fun. But I am really trying to stay down as much as possible...we really want this baby to arrive safe and sound in April!!

A HUGE THANKS to all my wonderful friends who have refused to take no for an answer and have taken such great care of me and my family. We truly appreciate all the meals we have received, kids that were picked up and visits and phone calls to alleviate my boredom. You will never know how much your love and support has meant to our family. Thanks for all the prayers that have been coming our way...we love you all!!

A BIG THANKS to Kelley...for dropping everything at a moment's notice to come and stay with our kids...AND for taking them for ice cream and never even hinting that anything was "wrong". Thanks to my family for all their phone calls of support as well.

Until next time... I will be "taking it easy"!! :)

Book Reviews

In my vomiting/gestating state one would think that I would be able to get a lot of reading done. Not so. My attention span is about that of a gnat. Anything that requires too much "thought" just hasn't happened. I can't watch movies...much too long...too much concentration. What I can handle to my ultimate chagrin is episodic TV...which I pretty much hate to begin with...except for a few choice shows. I have now watched every episode of Heroes...which is REALLY good and nearly every episode of Leave it to Beaver...SUCH A GOOD SHOW!! A show were kids actually chose to do the right thing and each episode has a moral...flabbergasting in this day and age. I've also gotten hooked on old episodes of The Cosby Show and It's a Different World. But in between my viewing of these programs I have managed to read these books.

#39 The Girls by Lori Lansens

This is the fictional story of two conjoined twin sisters Rose and Ruby Darlen. The book begins when "The Girls" are 29 years old and the oldest surviving cranipagus twins in history. Rose, the intellectual sister, sets out to write their autobiography. I wasn't sure if this book would be my cup of tea but it came highly recommended by my sisters and mom. I am so glad I read it. I LOVED IT!!

"I have never looked into my sister's eyes. I have never bathed alone. I have never stood in the grass at night and raised my arms to a beguiling moon. I've never used an airplane bathroom or worn a hat. Or been kissed like that...so many things I've never done...but oh how I've been loved."

This is a strange, wonderful, funny, and tragic tale full of the most remarkable and haunting characters. I absolutely fell in love with Uncle Stash and Aunt Lovey. The characters from this book have stayed with me for several months now...they just seemed to leap off the pages....and refuse to go away. I found the writing evocative and deeply moving.

So if you are looking for a unique and interesting book...not to mention thought-provoking...I would highly recommend this one.

My rating: EXCELLENT

#40 Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons
If you belong to a book club...a book club you love...you will like this book. I belong to one...and I love mine. In January I will have been in my book club for 8 years. Wow. This book was recommended to me by my friend, Janyse, who is in my book club. It sounded familiar and I thought I had read it before and as I read it I felt like I had read it before...but it was still a good read.

This is the story of 5 women in a book club in Minnesota. The five women are all very unique with their own perspectives on life, love and relationships. The story spans 40 years of their friendship...through the 60's, 70's 80's and 90's. Through the years these women have been through it all together...marriages, raising of children, divorces...all kinds of ups and down. This book depicts the amazing friendship of these five women: Faith, Slip, Audrey, Marit, and Kari. It is a powerful story of friendship, strength, forgiveness and support. It will have you laughing and crying...I did.

My rating: EXCELLENT

#41 Measure of a Lady by Deeanne Gist



This is a book that I saw exchanging hands between quite a few of my friends so I thought I would check it out. This is the story of Rachel Van Buren who along with her younger sister and brother end up stranded/orphaned/ penniless in the the gold rush madness of San Francisco in 1849. Rachel meets the dastardly Johnnie Parker, the handsome saloon owner, who takes her under his wing and protection and with whom she ultimately falls in love against her better judgement and strict morals.

This book was an easy read. It reminded me of a series of books that I read in Jr. High where there was a picture of a girl on the front with two different guys on either side of her and each book was set in a different time period. Every book was about a different girl in a different time choosing between different men. They were fun, romantic, and sexless...very chaste for a nice girl in Jr. High. This book was a lot like those...not deep... pretty predictable...but refreshingly chaste and wholesome.

My rating: Better than OK ...leaning toward GOOD...if you like Frontier Fluff...which I do...sometimes...even though I am not in Jr. High anymore. (Thank goodness!!)

#42 Austenland by Shannon Hale




This book was recommended to me by my friend, Janyse. It was an excellent morning sickness read. Light, interesting, not too deep and and pays homage to the man among men...Mr. Darcy. (Second only to Jamie Fraiser of Outlander Fame). Who wouldn't like a book where the main character, Jane, gets to live out her Elizabeth Bennett/Mr. Darcy fantasies at an English country house.

Jane is a thirty-something professional whose love life has been less than stellar and who spends lots of time watching/obsessing over the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice (and Colin Firth as one Mr. Darcy.) Her wealthy aunt dies and leaves her an three-week vacation at Pembrook Park in England. Jane goes hoping to kick her Darcy habit.

Darcy habit? Who has one of those? Surely not I. Wink Wink. I doubt there is a girl alive who hasn't swooned away many an afternoon reading Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and dreaming of her own Mr. Darcy.

If you are a lover of Pride and Prejudice (the book) or Pride and Prejudice (the movie/ies)...the BBC version especially...you would enjoy this fun light read. (FYI: I really liked the Keira Knightly version too...I know...boo...hiss.)

My rating: Good...but fluffy.

Tales from the Toilet Bowl

Where have I been for weeks...months...you might ask? Just hanging out with my new best friend...the toilet bowl. We've become very good friends over the past few months. VERY GOOD FRIENDS!! Why haven't I been blogging or reading blogs or doing anything like that? It is because I have been throwing up all day every day and pretty much all night too for the past 8 weeks. It has been absolutely wretched. I'm convinced that the sight of my blog induces vomiting...so I may need to update my layout in the next few weeks.

I am happy to announce...although highly superstitious and very afraid of getting too excited...that I am over 3 months pregnant . Wow!! It has been one nauseating roller coaster these past 13 weeks. Truly I've never had worse morning sickness in my life. But we've hit enough milestones now that I am feeling a bit more optimistic about the whole thing. Two weeks ago we heard the heartbeat and just this afternoon Tyler and I got back from the our first ultrasound...we saw our baby and even have some really amazing 3D pictures. Everything looks good. Whew. The doctor even felt like he could tell the sex...he said he would put money on it being a----. Nope...not going to say until we get further confirmation next month at our next ultrasound. You'll have to stay tuned.

Until then I hope to be kicking this morning/noon/and all night sickness soon and will try to drag my pasty sallow flabacious vomitous self to the computer more. Oh yeah there will be no floating baby counting down to the due date to to my extreme superstitiousness and fear of jinxing everything.

Until next time...I will be gestating.