Thursday, July 31, 2008

Manny Ramirez

I have 40 minutes left... will my FAVORITE baseball player be traded??


Hey CLEVELAND INDIANS... I WANT HIM BACK!!!!!!


Forget about the farm. Get us a hitter. Take Manny off the Red Sox backs, bring him back to Cleveland. PLEASE? PLEASE??

I will no longer have to be a Red Sox fan. PLEASE bring him back. I am begging here.



He looks better in this uniform!!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Life with Gabby

Gabrielle sure is getting a lot of air time on the blog lately and to lighten things up I could not pass up posting her latest antics.

School will be starting on the 27th of August. I am starting now to get both kids in bed by 8:45-9:00 pm. This includes being done with bath, books, and good night kisses. Last night was my first attempt at getting the kids in bed earlier. We did okay with one. Joey was in bed and asleep by 9:00. Gabrielle was in bed, (or we thought) just not asleep. I was downstairs starting to clean my floors. I wanted to vacuum and mop the kitchen floor. I heard her get up so I walked half way upstairs and saw her sitting in my bed reading books. I was okay with that. I knew she was tired. I began my vacuuming and had it running for probably 10 minutes. I then heard a yell and crying. I went upstairs and Gabs was in my bathroom playing in my makeup. She had taken some perfume and sprayed it in her eye. Her eye started swelling and was all red. I then started flushing her eye with water. She took a shower also and it helped that she was crying. Finally we got her taken care of and asleep!

Anyone think that handcuffing her to her bed is okay? J/K

Today I was making her something to eat. She looked up at me and out of the blue says “mommy, does Kayla have a who who”? (Who who a.k.a. vagina) “Yes” I say wondering where this is coming from. She then says “mommy, Joey has a dinky”? (Dinky a.k.a penis) “Yes, Gabby”. Then she says “mommy, Joey has a small dinky and daddy has a big one”. I had to try my hardest not to start laughing. I said okay and started to walk away when she says “can we make S’mores”? The mind of these little people is amazing.

I am so looking forward to August 27th and this little girl gets to go to preschool!

Thank you Arizona!

I want to thank Arizona for pointing out a website that one can go to and check out if forwarded e-mails like the one I received are based on fact. I apologize if anyone read the letter that this soldier wrote and was as upset about Senator Obama’s treatment to the troops as I was. I am going to leave the post up and do some research on his trip to the Middle East. I am hoping that I find that Senator Obama did not treat the troops in the manner that was described.
Again I was in no way trying to put Obama down. This is a big year for Americans as we vote for our next President. I will remind everyone that what we see in the media often has a spin on it and is not always the way it is.
I still am undecided on who I will vote for. I hope to watch the tube as we get closer and find out more about both candidates. I will also be having a talk with my brother in law.
Again I am sorry that it seems like this was an e-mail that was sent out not based on fact.

I still hope that all of you will read the lone survivor.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

A DOUBLE post... ON MY SOAPBOX

For a moment I need to step on the soapbox and give a piece of my mind. (I know you are all thinking “oh watch out”)
When Jeff and I were in Hawaii we went to a bookstore to find some good reads while we basked in the sun by the pool. We went in looking for the book The last lecture written by Randy Pausch. (We did find this and buy it. Jeff has read it already and I have still yet to read it). We also found a book called The Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. Jeff read this book while we were in Hawaii and kept commenting on how good it was. I picked it up while he was not reading it and began browsing it and was excited to get my turn to pour into it. It was one of the best books I have ever read. It is in no way a romance novel or good in that what happened to this brave American was something to be happy about, but good in that it was a big eye opener for me.
This is going to be a big year for all of Americans. We will soon be watching television that has nonstop campaign ads for the future President of the United States. I am in NO way a big political person. I know that they say there are two things never to talk to people about one being religion and the other being politics. I can talk about anything. So I want to bring up a few points and then get off my soap box. I am not telling anyone here who to vote for. I want every person who reads that to understand that!
The past few weeks when I have been on my computer I look at my MSN homepage. This is how I keep up with what is going on in the world. We no longer watch the news in our home. Jeff and I find it to depressing. Either someone new just got shot or another child has been killed for unimaginable reasons. We do watch FOX at times when something big is going on and want more information for example, hurricane Katrina. I watched and I cried as these people were waving on bridges and roof tops waiting to be rescued. I also cheered when the smart boy who was maybe 16 stole the bus and loaded it with people and drove them to a place where they were out of harm’s way. I also sneak a peek at the sports section looking for any headlines on my favorite baseball players or teams. My point to all this is that in the news section last week was many stories about Obama visiting the Middle East. Wow I thought good for him. I was so happy that he did this. I was hoping that he saw firsthand what was going on over there. Later in the week I got a People magazine. People had a nice story about the Obama family. I thought about how real they all seemed and that how he is raising young children also. I think it said that if he became the next President that his kids would be the youngest in the White House ever.
Back to the book about the Lone Survivor. I ask all Americans to read this book. I think people need to know what is going on over in the Middle East. I think people need to remember that there is still a war going on as I type this. Americans are fighting for all of us and our freedom. My brother in law is in the Marines. I am to the point now that when I watch the news and see how every story is about how we should no longer be in the Middle East and how the war needs to end we should ask our military how they feel. We are not getting the whole story. War scares me. I am not happy that we are still at war. I would LOVE for all our military men and women to be home with their family and friends, but at the same time I do not think that we are at the point where we can just return from Iraq and feel like another 9-11 may not occur soon.
Marcus does a great job in his book describing all the misconceptions for you. The biggest being the media and how they spin things. This book is now being passed around to members of my family.
I receive a lot of forwarded messages. I came across one that my mother in law sent to me just yesterday. I want to share it all with you. Maybe we have all been fooled by Senator Obama and his trip to the Middle East. I know that I feel like a fool. I will be watching as we get closer to picking the next President. I have personally come to the conclusion that I will vote for who our military wants to be President. Why? Because they are the ones fighting and dying for me. They are the ones that need the backing of the President when they are on these missions. They are the ones that I worry about and they are the ones that I want to repay. Some of the issues that are discussed in detail so much that make my ears want to fall off bore me. The issue that is MOST important to me as a mom is my family’s safety. That includes your family too. I worry about another 9-11. I worry about my kid’s future and I don’t want to be scared anymore every time my husband goes on a business trip. I want to feel like our borders are safe and that the people who made 9-11 happen and the ones that want to copy their acts don’t enter our country.
Feel free to agree or disagree. Feel free to add comments that may give another point of view. No comments will be deleted unless they are completely inappropriate. I am all for freedom of speech so comment away and tell me what you think. Is there an issue that is really important to you? Please read the following from my mother in law and please check a copy out of the library, buy, or borrow the book THE LONE SURVIVOR by Marcus Luttrell.
May God bless America!


Hello everyone,
As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to 'The War Zone'. I wanted to share with you what happened.
He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram. As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn't say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service. So really he was just here to make a showing for the American's back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you.I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States. I just don't understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-in-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country. If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake.

In service,
CPT Jeffrey S. Porter
Battle Captain
TF Wasatch
American Soldier

Looking for a thrill? Try Cedar Point!


On Friday the 25th the kids and I went to Cedar Point. Every year we get a chance to go to Cedar Point through the company that Jeff works for. Unfortunately, Jeff was out of town. Jeff works with my family so although he was not there I did have other members of my family with me.
Cedar Point is in Sandusky, Ohio. It is an amusement park that is known for its roller coasters. If you are in to roller coasters this is the place to go. They have 17 different coaters, which includes 3 of the top 10 steel roller coasters in the world. Some go upside down, you stand on some, and others the floor drops out and your feet dangle about as you go upside down.

This year I spent my time in kiddie kingdom or in Camp Snoopy.
The kids love to go and Joey is anxiously waiting to get taller so he can go on some of the more thrilling rides. I will be excited to ride my favorite roller coaster the Magnum with him.

The Magnum was voted the "Best Steel Roller Coaster in the World," this towering steel superstructure has one of the tallest hills (205 feet) and fastest rides (72 mph) anywhere on the planet!


For more info go to http://www.cedarpoint.com/
Enjoy the photos! (People in the photos... Boy in Boston hat Joey, girl with really short hair Gabby, my mom a.k.a. "nana", nephew Blake in the Indians hat, and niece Kayla)

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Now for the rest of the story...


Sometimes being a parent is stressful. I love to blog and in doing so I hope that others relate to this so I do not feel so alone. I do feel like though that maybe my husband and my parenting style is lacking. I say this because I feel like I repeat myself constantly to two little kids that just DO. NOT. LISTEN. To a word I say.
This was my Monday. (Currently we have Joey in “summer camp”) Really though this is the same place that he goes to preschool. We have him going to get out of the house and be around his friends, socialize and be around kids his own age. And I should add I love Tuesdays and Thursdays when he is out of the house because the fighting is nonexistent and Gabrielle can play with whatever she wants and do what she wants without being yelled at by her brother and vice versa.
Monday we got up and started our morning with cooking muffins and cupcakes. Soon a lady from Home Depot showed up to measure the floors on the main level of our home. Jeff was also coming home early because our garage door was broken and he wanted to talk with the repair man. When Jeff got home after lunch time I decided to use the opportunity to go to run some errands finding knick knacks and towels for the bathroom. When I returned from my outing, I found Jeff exhausted the house a disaster, and two kids that looked like they were in big trouble. Toys were all over the floor and the couch cushions and pillows were strewn about. I found that Gabrielle had gone potty twice on the couch and Joey decided that he wanted to use the couch as a trampoline and that the two of them were just being bad. Since Friday of last week Gabrielle has just been going pee wherever her little heart desires. If we are outside she will disrobe and pee on the deck, the grass, and the sidewalk. We do not know what the problem has been. Imagine being in the kitchen and knowing your daughter is in the room next to you where you can see her and she is playing or watching a movie and then says “I just pee”. What? Where? Oh all over the couch! All I can say is yuck. Who wants to sit on that? Also we are not happy she is doing this, but we are not like in LOVE with this couch it is old and we knew that soon we would be deep sixing it.
So I come in and am in the mood to start cleaning. I mean organizing, getting things ready for Goodwill, tossing things, rearranging things. So I went to town. We moved the couch outside. Jeff called and found out that the trash man would take it. We carried it to the curb. Two little kids followed us out and started jumping on the couch outside. All the while Joey is really upset that I am giving the couch to the trash man. He wants to know where he is going to sit. I think he was really wondering what he would use to jump on, do headstands on, and what he would throw on the floor so he could jump off the couch and have a soft landing when he falls. I explained to him that we will not have a couch until he and his sister decide that this is our home and we want our home to look nice and that he and Gabby need to understand that this costs money and they are ruining everything we try to do to make our home look nicer and not like a college dorm room. What a sight we must be! We did not get pictures of this but wanted to. We looked like some rednecks. We were going to sit out on the couch on the curb and watch cars pass, but we figured we had better things to do inside. Jeff and I were laughing hysterically at the sight of all of us. I continued cleaning and by dinner time had a whole van full of bags and boxes to take to Goodwill. Jeff got us dinner and we ate and then went to Goodwill and to Home Depot. While at Home Depot, Gabby went potty there. No problems. We were home in like 30 minutes after this and she walks into the family room and goes again all over the floor. Jeff and I were in the kitchen talking and putting things away when she announces that she just peed all over the floor. Jeff hands her a towels and says “your turn”. She knows better and she is a smart girl. By this point we are both beside ourselves as to what is going on with her.
We get the kids in the bath and into bed. We then kiss them goodnight and walk downstairs. A few minutes later we hear footsteps and running upstairs. Jeff goes upstairs to find Gabrielle naked and in Joey’s room talking to him. She sat on her bed and peed all over it. He gets her back into bed, changes sheets, and clothes and comes back downstairs. Now Joey is asleep and once again footsteps. He goes back upstairs and this time she gets spanked. He returns downstairs. Same thing happens again. This time he waits before going up because she may have went into our room to lie on our bed. At this point we don’t care where she sleeps as long as the next time we see her she is sleeping. About 10 minutes later he goes up and I heard him say something and I knew she was not asleep. She was in our room just not in our bed. She was really in our bathroom cutting her hair!!
Gabby showing her hair cut to us and her real personality for the camera. All that hair was the same length as the hair behind it. Enjoy the next few photos of my little trouble maker. She is lucky she is so cute.

I got on the computer and started looking up urinary tract infections in children. I decide that maybe I should have her urine looked at. I asked her earlier in the day if anything hurt. She said no. I called my mom and she agreed that just having her urine looked at would not hurt and plus if she did have a UTI then we would have some sort of explanation to her behavior.
We called it a night. Tuesday the man from Lowe’s showed up to measure. I got in the shower and then went to my doctor’s appointment. We then took some urine to the doctor. He checked it and she did NOT have a UTI. So he had a little talk with her. “Gabrielle, you are three you are a big girl you need to stop peeing on the floor and having accidents.” She looks at him picks up her hand and puts it to his face and says “do you like my fingernails”? That went over really well!!
I ran home went to the vet tried to get there before they closed and then we had dinner and went to Lowe’s and to pick up my prescriptions. Afterwards while Jeff and Joey were in the pet store I walked next door with Gabby to the Great Clips. I showed the girl her hair and asked what can we do?
This is what we got. She did such a job on herself that this was all they could do to fix it and even out her hair and make it look like a normal person cut it and not a three year old.

So my days of pony tails, ribbons, and bows will have to wait. I was so upset when I watched her hair fall to the floor. This is my life with a three year old and I am really hoping that this does not just happen to me!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

bathroom remodel part II

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!! I can’t tell you how happy I was to read everyone’s comments about the remodel. I appreciate all the color choices that were given. In fact the bathroom is going to be a color that one of you suggested! (Keeping that a secret for now) Like all projects in my home this one is yet to be completed. The sanding is done. That took a good three days. It was a major pain in the behind and it is STILL on the walls. The walls will just not be as smooth as “normal” walls are. I do have the primer up and the walls will just look textured. We decided that we are going to add wainscoting to the bathroom. So because of that decision and Jeff’s travel schedule it will be the beginning of August before the bathroom is totally done. I will give the finished pictures then. Here are the photos of what has occurred so far. Jeff gave me a good scare and said “you never know what is in that paint”. So I have the mask on. Good thing too. When I blew my nose that night I noticed the ‘Smurf’ blue dust in it.



Sanding the walls

below is the sanded walls with spackle on it



Painting the primer



Primer done! Bathroom is in this state as we speak. Paint has been bought and the next step is to paint! :)



Congratulations to Kim!! She is the winner of the Target gift card. To show that this was fair we photographed the drawing as it occurred. I had 13 in the original post and then 5 in the next post. So I just added them and got 18. I used the first post first. So if the number drawn would have been 17 the winner would have been commenter 4 in the second post. Hope that makes sense.

Kim is the blogger on Keeping the Faith and Amazing Grace. Please e-mail me so I can mail you the gift card!! Thanks again to all of you. Please keep posting comments.

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

UPDATE

Just a quick recap... I am going to keep this post at the top for a few days. If we get 15+ comments, I will do a drawing and the number chosen that corresponds to the commenter number will win a $15.00 gift card from Target. (Closes on Sunday)

I just deleted my e-mail address on here due to a nasty invite from someone. Thanks, but I am happily married and LOVE my husband. You can take your offer elsewhere.

Angie... Thanks, I have been reading all your previous posts on your blog. Looking at the awesome photos of your home and getting some ideas. I did a search on the color too and really like it. Jocasta and Laura I will be doing some research tomorrow on your color choice.

Thanks everyone and keep the comments coming!

Opinions Wanted!!!

Please do not leave without posting a comment. I am in need of some help from all my blogger friends! My house is in a transition phase right now. Jeff and I feel like we are living in a college dorm room. We have a very nice home, but somehow after adding two kids and dogs into the mix our home is lets say... embarrassing.
Projects that we would love to have done include:
~New flooring! Some hardwood, maybe bamboo, and new carpet. Lets just say gross, and sitting on my carpet is not something I would let you do. We steam clean it constantly and it is still yucky!
~New couches. I have a few pictures of the couches we have in here.... I honestly do NOT know what I was thinking when I chose this couch. Obviously, I was not thinking.
~New counter tops. We would love the nice ones. New floor in kitchen.
*All needs done and are wants, but the money is just not pouring in. If you know where a tree is that $100.00 fall off of it let me know.

Now here is the biggest problem right now. Jeff and I got into painitng our home. My aunt and uncle painted one of their bathrooms with this sand paint from Sherwin Williams. I really like how it looked. So we did it too. We picked this nice pretty blue, (again what were we thinking??) Jeff hates to go to the bathroom in here and would much rather would go in the kids Winnie the Pooh bathroom. I don't blame him.



See the bird on the shelf? The color was chosen because I fell in love with that cute little bird. Bad idea to choose a color around a bird!


Close up picture of the color. Can you see the sand texture to it? It is a rough texture when you wipe your hand down the wall.




This is walking into the bathroom. Picture is to show the color of the hallway and wallpaper. We are really into paint rather than wallpaper. I wanted this faux painted. The cost was WAY, WAY, WAY out of what we could pay. So I found this wallpaper that looked like faux.

~~~~~Another picture, leading into the bathroom~~~~~

Imagine the bottom floor of our home. It all makes a circle. So here is the hallway from the foyer into the home and then you can turn into the pretty ugly blue bathroom.


This picture above is from the great room into the hallway that takes you to the front door, or left into the bathroom

A close up view above of the wallpaper

Above is if you are standing in the kitchen. Go under the arch to the great room, turn right where the white door is open and into the hallway shown above.

So here are my questions. What color would you go with? Would you pick a color that ties in with the wallpaper? I really want. WANT. DESIRE. my home to look like one out of a parade of homes or model home. I know I am asking aLOT with kids/dogs.

Anyone have wood floors? Is there a brand that you like? Color?

PLEASE comment and if we can get the comments above 15, I will do a random drawing and the winner will receive a $15.00 gift card to TARGET!!! Please tell your friends to come in and post comments!!

I will also take any advice on how to get nasty blue sand paint off my walls. That is what I will be working on the next few days. I will post pictures along the way to show the progress.

THANKS!!!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

The storm (Part 3 to pregnancy #3)

Television, movies, and books portray the time after giving birth as one of pure joy. Proud fathers pass out cigars to their family and buddies, women spend time holding, caressing, and bonding with the baby that was once kicking, squirming, causing indigestion and heartburn. Phone calls are made to family members and friends. Pictures are taken in abundance. Flowers and balloons are delivered stating “it’s a boy” or “it’s a girl”. Grandparents meet their precious grandchildren for the first time. There are tears of joy, smiles, laughter, hugs, and kisses to go around all to welcome the new member of the family.

For me after giving birth to Gabrielle, the Hollywood picture was cut short hours after giving birth. I wanted the Hollywood memories, joy, and smiles. This was supposed to be my time to shine. This was supposed to be a proud mom and dad smiling and bonding with their new baby girl. We had already walked out of this hospital once with empty arms, a funeral to plan, dreams shattered and hearts broken.

At my last appointment with Dr. Geller we established a plan for the removal of the stent. The plan was he gave me a phone number to his secretary. I was to call her with any updates as far as induction. He in turn would know that I was at the hospital giving birth. I was to keep my epidural in place. They would use the epidural in the morning for the stent removal. Dr. G felt that because the stent had been in place for so long that it would be hard to remove and it would be encrusted. He planned on having me go into an OR room and having the stent removed under Laser Lithotripsy. He would contact me after I gave birth and finally this stent would be no longer.

I gave birth to Gabby at 2:32pm. I told the team of nurses and doctor’s everything that was happening with the stent. I did keep my epidural in place. I called Dr. G’s secretary several times starting with when I had the amniocentesis to determine if I was going to be at the hospital with an earlier induction. When I found that the lungs were not mature I again called the secretary to tell her this. I then called a third time when we had determined a date that I would go in for the induction. I trusted my doctor and never had any bad feelings that our plan was not going to work out.

The following describes the remainder of my hospital stay.

2:32pm Gabrielle Grace was born

Had a little bit of the “Hollywood” movie. My parents, sister, Father in law, and father in laws girlfriend were all at the hospital to meet their new granddaughter and niece. Pictures were taken, tears were shed for Samantha and Sydney, and bonding with Gabby began.

1720 (5:20pm) I arrived on the postpartum floor. Visitors had left by now and Jeff and I were with Gabby for a while loving her and taking pictures. Jeff bought us both something to eat. Jeff sent some e-mails to family and friends telling of the new arrival and thanking everyone for prayers and support through the pregnancy.

1920 (7:20 pm) the nurse provided me with teaching packets. At this point I still had the epidural in place and had yet to see anyone from urology.

2130 (9:30pm) A breast pump was brought into my room. Still no one from urology. I asked to see someone on call to get the ball rolling on this.

2220 (10:20pm) A man walks into my room. I remember thinking to myself wow; did he run to get here? He walked in sweating; I mean beads of sweat are falling from his face. He says hi and walks straight over to my sink and begins wetting paper towels to place of his forehead. I explain to him everything about the stent, my plan with Dr.G, the fact that the epidural is still in place. He proceeds to tell me that they do not remove stents in a hospital and that this is something I will have to go to Dr. G’s office for. No I tell him. Dr. G feels that it is encrusted. It has to be removed under laser. I ask to have him page Dr. G and talk to him on the phone have Dr. G explain our plan. He blows me off. It is obvious that there will be no stent removal first thing in the morning. I ask to have the epidural removed from my back, because now it is causing pain and becoming very uncomfortable.

2230 (10:30pm) Jeff has left by now. The anesthesiologist comes in to remove the epidural. I call Jeff very upset about what this doctor tells me. I ask for some pain medication and try to fall asleep. I ask for Gabrielle to be taken to the nursery for the night.

Because I have my medical records I am able to read everything that was written by these doctors. What I have stated to them about the plan with Dr. G is all in quotes like they are mocking me. There is nothing about paging or even calling Dr.G. It is all about them trying to take over and handle the stent themselves. There is no regard for the patient or the plan.
These are direct quotes “Patient states Dr. Geller was to remove stent after delivery and get a “cat scan” to determine cause of “hydro”. Pt. with stent discomfort, but no worse.
This is his care plan:

“Stable and stent to be removed in the office”
“Ok to D/C epidural”
“F/U with Dr. M”
Then there is another doctor who sees this and comes along and writes “Agree with D/C stent at office”

I give the nurses credit. There are many times where they have written in their notes add to Dr. G. The problem though is that Dr. G himself is not coming. I am getting all of Dr. G’s colleagues.
Again I go to bed on the 26th exhausted from delivery and the events of the day. Knowing that in the morning after some sleep I will be in a better frame of mind to get this whole stent problem resolved. So I think.

June 27th 2005

At 0945 Dr. F (a.k.a Dr. Jerk) walks into the room. Imagine a very young cocky son of a gun. A resident who thinks he is God’s gift to medicine and no matter what you say you are wrong, you are beneath him, you are dirt and he has the power to make you concrete. Funny, but not so funny that I had seen him before on the ICU floors and was praying to God that I did not look familiar to him in any way. I got the same old song and dance from this dr. I was crazy, they do not remove stents in the OR, and this was a procedure to be done in the office once I went to go see Dr. G. I was done now. I started to get angry and stating call Dr. Gellar. Why is no one listening to me? Why is this time that is supposed to be joyous turning into a nightmare? Why do I still have this piece of crap stent in place when I was promised it would be out as soon as the baby was delivered? I wanted answers. I called Dr. G’s office, spoke to his secretary, but got nowhere closer to talking to Dr.G.

Jeff came to the hospital. He began getting upset. He also tried to get answers from the nurses and was coming up as dumbfounded as I was that there seems to be no communication at this hospital. I felt like they were protecting Dr. G and just not calling him for some reason. He and I had a really good patient doctor relationship. We joked around, he was always empathetic to my needs, and he was supportive about my concerns of losing the baby after the loss of Sam and Syd. I did not feel like he would treat me like this and it just felt very clear that he was in the dark about what was occurring.

I had had the nurses keep in my IV and hep lock it for when I was to go down for the removal. It looked like the removal of Mr. Stent was not happening. The order had been written prior for it to be removed. I wanted to go take a long hot shower so I had the nurses pull the IV before I went into the shower.

Dr. Jerk’s note dos state that he “will discuss RX plan with Dr. Geller.” At 1440 while I was in the shower he came into the room. He had a consent for me to sign and was willing to take me to have the stent removed. Not in an OR, not with lithotripsy, just take me to a L&D room where stirrups are available to have the stent removed. I agreed. I signed my name to the paper thinking finally get this thing out of me. Let this pain stop. Let me enjoy being a new mom again. Let me get out of this hospital pain free. Let me go pee pee on the potty without seeing blood in my urine. Let me get on with my life with my family.

1500 I am taken to the L&D floor. I walked there following behind Dr. Jerk with Jeff at my side. I was taken into a room with stirrups and laid back on the table. The room was small. There were nurses in the room. A lot of laughing was coming from the nurses. Other nurses were coming into the room because this was something they had never seen before. There was no IV in place any more. Nothing was given for pain prior to the removal. It was just Jeff and I ready to get this over with. I got rid of my modesty and just went along with what was occurring around me. Embarrassed that I knew there was blood coming from my vaginal area because of giving birth and also embarrassed that my whole bottom half was in view for anyone who wanted a peek. Again I tried my best not to be modest or think about it. The only thing I was thinking of ways that Mr. Stent was going to be Mr. GONE!!

I should have taken cues from my thoughts that things were not right. I heard Dr. Jerk say something about not having sterile gloves nor having beta dine. He even asked a nurse if he should use beta dine. I remember thinking “hello dummy, you are going into a sterile organ” yes, sterile would be a good thing!!! He did get all the necessary sterile equipment necessary. He cleaned the area and started pulling on the string that the stent was attached. Suddenly the room got quiet, the jokes stopped, happy faces got very serious, and a patient was in the most pain EVER!! I began crying out. My husband yelled “can someone get her something?” A nurse came running into the room and injecting me with Morphine given IM. (Intramuscularly) Dr. Jerk finally spoke and told us that the stent was encrusted. If he kept pulling at it he would tear my urethra and that the stent is now hanging half way out. He then tells me that putting in a Foley catheter would be a good idea and that he was going to now call Dr. G. Yes, friends he finally admitted maybe not knowingly that Dr. G had NEVER been called. I would have to be taken to the OR where lithotripsy would need to be used to have the stent removed.
1600 I am taken back to my postpartum room. This time I am wheeled in a wheel chair. Now instead of having no stent I return with a partial intact stent and a Foley catheter. I am not a happy camper.

Phone calls were made and I tried to get some rest. Pain meds were given as well as something for nausea. Another IV was now inserted back into my arm.
I was told that in the morning I would be heading to the OR for removal of the stent with lithotripsy. I was also going to be NPO at midnight for my upcoming removal.

1945 (7:45pm) my mom and dad, aunt and uncle and Jeff were all visiting. Gabrielle was in her cute little outfit having her hospital pictures taken. My phone rang and I answered my phone to hear the voice of one of the Urology doctors. He was at a totally different hospital calling to tell me that my stent removal in the morning was now postponed and would be rescheduled in the following days.

I was beside myself. I was seeing RED. I was so mad. The “f” bomb starting coming from my mouth. I am normally not someone to say the “f” word. I was taking no precautions to the fact that I had visitors in my room. I kept thinking are you kidding me? Is this a really bad dream? There is no way that any man would be walking around with a stent hanging half way out of his penis and a Foley catheter also in place. Why was I being treated this way? Why are my pregnancies always so difficult and why oh why can I just not enjoy having a breathing baby girl after the loss of Samantha and Sydney?

My dad was around for everything that was transpiring. He walked out to the nurse’s station and asked to have the doctor paged. The same doctor that called my room and just spoke to me.

2010 “Patient and patient’s family upset about procedure being cancelled”. “Emotional reassurance given.” “Dr. Memo paged to speak with family and answer families’ questions.”

2030 Dr. Memo speaking with family

2035 Spoke with Dr. Memo, patient to be NPO at midnight!!!!! Whatever my dad said worked. I was now going back in in the morning for the procedure!!!!!

June 28th 2005

0612 Patient transferred on cart to go down for procedure

1100 Patient transferred back to room after procedure

I was transferred back to the room with get this ANOTHER stent!!! I was not happy when I heard that news. This one was taped to my leg! I was to go into Dr.G’s office a few days later to have it removed and then be done with it. It was to dilate the kidney and make sure that after the first stent was removed that there was no more obstruction.

June 29th

I was discharged home! Thank goodness.

June 30th

Went to Dr. G’s office. Stent was removed. No pain, very easy removal.

7-15-2008

As of today, I have these symptoms with kidneys, bladder, etc. I have to go potty frequently. I know where all the bathrooms are at grocery stores, Target, Wal-Mart, and the malls. I maybe should go see Dr. G to see if this is normal, but I am not going back there. I do still have lower back pain as well. It is nothing like when I had the stent, but is now just a part of my everyday life. I know that it is there and just try to ignore it. I have three pregnancies. All three very different. I have experienced emotional pain and physical pain. I can say that the emotional pain never goes away and the physical pain was temporary. Jeff and I were blessed with four kids. We still wish all four kids were here on earth in our home, but have come to realize that was not part of the plan. Gad has a bigger plan for us. We may never understand his plans. I do not understand why I never had a normal pregnancy. The Hollywood pregnancy. The glowing and happy pregnancy. Mine were all very terrifying, filled with anxiety, worry, and distress. Needless to say Jeff had a vasectomy and there will be no more babies coming from my body. That saddens me, but I also know that it is probably for the best. We would like more children, but at the same time we are now enjoying being diaper free, bottle free, and a happy family of 4 (6).

Saturday, July 12, 2008

10 things

10 things I can’t live without~
Laura tagged everyone. I thought this would be fun so I am going to give it a shot:



1. Diet Coke! I do not drink coffee and so this is my caffeine boost. I drink a great deal of it, too much in fact. In my opinion the best Diet Coke is a fountain Diet Coke from McDonald’s!


2. Paper towels. I know that this is not a great thing to confess to with the environment, but I am a paper towel junkie. I have difficulty when shopping and not picking up a roll. I often do not pass them up. My favorite is the Scott paper towels.




3. Toothbrushes. There is nothing worse to me than feeling the slime on teeth



4. My freedom! I would not survive in countries where I am told what to wear, eat, and think, how to act, or what God I am to pray to other than the God I pray to now. THANK YOU ALL USA MILITARY for keeping us FREE



5. Panera Bread Cinnamon crunch bagels. I LOVE them



6. The sun! I love warm weather, the sun shining, and the feelings of being warm. I could LIVE WITHOUT snow!!



7. Vacations. I love to spend time with family relaxing, exploring, and making new memories in places we have never been to



8. TIVO! What a lifesaver TIVO is. I love to be able to tape shows and watch them when little ones are asleep and fast forward through commercials




9. Going to the movies. I love movies and feeling like I can escape my brain and thoughts and concentrate on someone else’s creativity



10. Call Waiting. Being able to talk on the phone and not worrying if another call comes through that I may miss it especially if it is something important or an emergency. Hey MOM there is nothing worse than knowing that you are home and not answering your call waiting.

Of course my kids, awesome husband and extended family and friends. I hope that those answers were a given.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Getting back into a routine.... The past few weeks

Wow! Since late June our family has been going nonstop. I am just going to recap everything in this post and I know that I have to also do my pregnancy part III story of pregnancy #3.

Sunday June 22nd 2008: We attended church in the morning and then had the kick off to vacation Bible school

Monday June 23rd: Jeff left to go out of town. The kids and I were at vacation Bible school. I was a volunteer and helped with elementary games

Tuesday June 24th: Vacation Bible School. Helped my sister with her kids. Tee-ball practice. Out for ice cream and then my nephew spent the night

Wednesday June 25th: Vacation Bible school

Thursday June 26th: Last day of vacation Bible school. Jeff came home. Gabrielle’s 3rd birthday. Had birthday dinner and cake as well as Little Leapers

Friday June 27th: Started preparing the home and going to grocery to get ready for Gabrielle’s family birthday party. Tinkerbelle theme.

Saturday June 28th: Soccer and Tee-ball. Clean house

Sunday June 29th: Gabrielle’s Tinkerbelle party with family and friends. Received call from Courtney about her father falling and being transported to the hospital.

I asked Jeff to go out and get some pics of Gabby with her sign. Above is what she gave him. I was not thrilled with the result.

Miss "Tink"




"Make a wish"




Monday June 30th: Spent the day on the phone with Courtney. Said many prayers for Mr. D

Tuesday July 1st: Joey had summer camp. Spent time with Gabby and on the phone with Courtney. Cleaned house from the party

Wednesday July 2nd: Courtney came into town. Went to the hospital. Spent time with Mr. D and family. Jeff and the kids drove to Chicago for the 4th of July to spend time with friends of ours. I stayed home to help Courtney and her family anyway I could. We did a lot of shopping for outfits for the services. I must say that Courtney, Joyce, and Tempa all looked very pretty.

Thursday July 3rd: Shopping for the services

Friday July 4th: Shopping and errands

Saturday July 5th: Ran errands and last minute things. Jeff and the kids drove back from Chicago
Sunday July 6th: Calling hours for Mr. D

Monday July 7th: Service for Mr. D

Tuesday July 8th- Friday July 11th: My cousin’s kids were here and spent time with us. They just left and now I am cleaning, unmaking beds, doing laundry, making beds again, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning and took a break for some blog time.

My cousin, Megan has four children. She is 33. They all love in Michigan. She is a wonderful mother and has been through some very tough things with her relationship with the father of the kids. She met Dave in high school. She was in high school when she got pregnant with her first child. She then had 3 more with him. The kids are 13, 12, 10, and 9. Dave was into some bad things in high school. At one point he was starting to change things for himself and he and Megan did get married. Things did not work and he went back to his old ways. They ended up getting a divorce. I am proud of her for being so strong and always putting the girls and Nick the oldest first. The kids did not have much of a relationship with him. He would make promises and not follow through. To make a sad story even sadder this past May Dave’s body was found in an abandoned warehouse by a homeless man. The kids did attend the funeral and I am sure as they get older this may have more of an effect on them. Dave had problems, but there are two things I try to keep in mind when I think of him. The first is that Megan must have seen something good in him or she would have never started dating him. Second, is that without him these 4 beautiful, fun, intelligent, caring kids would not be here. The third child Taylor came down over her winter break and wanted to come back down to spend time with us. This time the other two girls wanted to come also. MY home has been filled with many voices, laughing, running, games, smiles, and good times. We all had a great time and the kids did not want to leave to go back to Michigan. So they may be coming back in August.
Bailey & Paige (sisters) ~ABOVE
Taylor, Paige, & Bailey~ BELOW
Cousins. Poor Joey was surrounded by GIRLS! He LOVED it!!

As much fun as it has been to have the girls here I am now ready for things to slow down a bit. We all have been running at a pretty fast pace around here and I like it when things are a bit calmer and we are not constantly rushing around. I am now happy to welcome some normalcy.

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