Last week was the Baxter County fair. Jake was working crazy long hours, though, and we didn't manage to make it to the fair until after 7 pm on the last night. And, of course, as we are pulling out of the driveway it starts to sprinkle. Spence got to ride 2 rides and Jake and I got to eat some fair food before it started raining enough that we decided to leave. It was about as much fun as you can have in roughly 20 minutes.
Jake called yesterday to say the Marion County fair was going on this weekend, did I want to go? Marion County is sparsely populated and the fair was to take place in Yellville, which is about 20 minutes away, but I figured the fair would be at least halfway decent if the Baxter County fair was decent.
Wrong.
When we arrived at the fairgrounds, we saw horses. Lots of horses. Now, I'm not opposed to the equine portion of any fair, and goodness knows my child loves the livestock, but this was different. There were no rides, no game booths, no vendors selling funnel cakes or corn dogs. Beyond the horses you could see about 5 big, inflatable jump houses (or so I call them) and that was it. All. Finito. Horses and jump houses.
Needless to say, at this point I was happy that Spencer had fallen asleep in the backseat. This fair was LAME and I didn't want to waste what little cash I brought on it. A moment of spontaneity seized me and I turned to Jake and said, "Let's go to Branson." He said, "We need to go get some gas."
We very rarely do things on a whim, so when he obliged me I was thrilled. I hadn't been to Branson since I was a little girl (and it turns out Jake hadn't been in forever either) and it is not what I remember.
We went with the intention of eating at Joe's Crab Shack. They've been running commercials here forever and my mouth waters at the sight of their crab legs, but the closest one is up in Branson. As we were trying to figure out where it was, Jake mentioned Greek food and we had an immediate change of plans. One of the biggest things we miss about living in the Little Rock area is going out for Greek food, so now that we were among civilization, we were certain to find some.
Jake found a review on his iPhone for a place called Zoey's and we set off to find it.
It was very "hole in the wall"-ish. It stood alone, on a dark road, away from the Branson strip. But we walked in to be met with the wonderful smell of wonderful food.
We almost choked when we saw the price tags, but decided to stay and eat anyway. Jake got the moussaka, I got a roasted leg of lamb, and Spencer got the kid's spaghetti. And, man, YUMMY! Well worth the $60 (*choke*) price tag. It wasn't the Greek food we were used to, which is mainly Greek salads and gyros, but I think it was much more authentic Mediterranean food.
Afterwards we told Spencer we'd go play games, so we made the slow trek back up the strip to a kiddie ride place. Which, of course, was closed (it was 8:30!). We went across the way to the go-kart place, very nervously, because we'd promised Spencer we would do something fun and I was almost certain he'd be too small to ride with daddy on a go-kart.
I was wrong. Thank goodness. One hour and $20.50 later, Spencer and Jake were happy campers, which made me a happy camper, so we left. We swung by Coldstone Creamery on the way to Hwy. 65 and grabbed some ice cream and then were on our way home.
It was the most fun I've had with my boys in a while.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
How Dare You?
Once upon a time, I was able to stay up late. And when I did so, I almost always watched The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report. Sometimes I feel like they are able to call out the BS better than anyone else.
A friend of mine posted this on a message board and, wow, it really resonated with me.
Enjoy.
http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=184928
A friend of mine posted this on a message board and, wow, it really resonated with me.
Enjoy.
http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=184928
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Premature Blessings
I am a member of a message board for mothers of toddlers who were premature at birth. Most of us met on the Preemie Parenting board at Baby Center and most of our kids were born between late 2004 and early 2006.
I am constantly amazed and awed by these women. Some of our children have little to no residual effects of their prematurity. If I didn't tell you Spencer was premature at birth, you probably wouldn't guess on your own. Some of our children have moderate to severe disabilities that are an effect of prematurity. We have children with CP, IVHs, and PVL. Children who are deaf or blind (or both). Children who, still, are in and out of the hospital on a bi-weekly basis.
As I was reading the blogs of one of these women, gratitude swept over me. How many times did Spencer (and I) dodge a bullet in the NICU?
In the beginning, they weren't expecting his lungs to have developed. They thought he would have lungs that were, literally, hard, and therefore unable to expand. This would have been fatal.
Next, they had a hard time getting his blood gasses to stabilize and had to put him on a gas called nitric oxide (different from the nitrous oxide you get at the dentist). Nitric oxide can cause brain bleeds, so the less time a baby spends on it, the better. Brain bleeds (or IVHs) can range from a level I, which resolves on its own, usually without consequence, to a level IV, which causes brain damage. Spencer spent days on nitric oxide and never showed a hint of a brain bleed.
Then, I received the middle of the night phone call that every NICU parent dreads. Spencer was having a problem (NEC, they said) that was going to require a transfer to a different hospital and surgery. NEC can be mild, fatal, or somewhere in between (with the in between requiring an ostomy and a second surgery). Turns out it was a "simple" hole in his stomach, put there by the nurse who inserted his feeding tube. I was so grateful that it wasn't NEC that it never occurred at me to be angry with that nurse (well, at least until much later).
The potential for Spencer to be disabled was there, and yet he's not. He's an outgoing, beautiful, amazing, perfectly normal little boy. And, thank you, thank you God, I am so grateful for that. I'm grateful that he lived. I'm grateful that he's thriving. I'm grateful.
I am constantly amazed and awed by these women. Some of our children have little to no residual effects of their prematurity. If I didn't tell you Spencer was premature at birth, you probably wouldn't guess on your own. Some of our children have moderate to severe disabilities that are an effect of prematurity. We have children with CP, IVHs, and PVL. Children who are deaf or blind (or both). Children who, still, are in and out of the hospital on a bi-weekly basis.
As I was reading the blogs of one of these women, gratitude swept over me. How many times did Spencer (and I) dodge a bullet in the NICU?
In the beginning, they weren't expecting his lungs to have developed. They thought he would have lungs that were, literally, hard, and therefore unable to expand. This would have been fatal.
Next, they had a hard time getting his blood gasses to stabilize and had to put him on a gas called nitric oxide (different from the nitrous oxide you get at the dentist). Nitric oxide can cause brain bleeds, so the less time a baby spends on it, the better. Brain bleeds (or IVHs) can range from a level I, which resolves on its own, usually without consequence, to a level IV, which causes brain damage. Spencer spent days on nitric oxide and never showed a hint of a brain bleed.
Then, I received the middle of the night phone call that every NICU parent dreads. Spencer was having a problem (NEC, they said) that was going to require a transfer to a different hospital and surgery. NEC can be mild, fatal, or somewhere in between (with the in between requiring an ostomy and a second surgery). Turns out it was a "simple" hole in his stomach, put there by the nurse who inserted his feeding tube. I was so grateful that it wasn't NEC that it never occurred at me to be angry with that nurse (well, at least until much later).
The potential for Spencer to be disabled was there, and yet he's not. He's an outgoing, beautiful, amazing, perfectly normal little boy. And, thank you, thank you God, I am so grateful for that. I'm grateful that he lived. I'm grateful that he's thriving. I'm grateful.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
He's still so small.
Sometimes I look at Spencer and think about how big he is. And, really, compared to where he started and what he's been through, he's aged a lifetime's worth.
But, he's 3. And sometimes, when I hold his little hand in mine and see how much of a difference there is, I remember. He's been in my life for 3 short years, less time than I've been married and for only a little over 8% of my life. I've had all of my cats longer than that. And yet, do I remember, really remember life before him? Sometimes I feel like my life began on May 23 of 2005.
When I get frustrated or angry with him, I try to remember that he'll only be this way and do these things for a short time. I think, sometimes, of how I'd like to be able to sleep all night in my own bed every night. Or how I would absolutely, positively like to stop picking up little dinos off the floor all the time. But how long will I get to do this? One day he'll be big and he won't need me anymore. He'll go to college, get married, have kids of his own, and I'll wish he was my little boy again, throwing toys and protesting bedtime. And I think that is very key to enjoying every second with him in his childhood.
But, he's 3. And sometimes, when I hold his little hand in mine and see how much of a difference there is, I remember. He's been in my life for 3 short years, less time than I've been married and for only a little over 8% of my life. I've had all of my cats longer than that. And yet, do I remember, really remember life before him? Sometimes I feel like my life began on May 23 of 2005.
When I get frustrated or angry with him, I try to remember that he'll only be this way and do these things for a short time. I think, sometimes, of how I'd like to be able to sleep all night in my own bed every night. Or how I would absolutely, positively like to stop picking up little dinos off the floor all the time. But how long will I get to do this? One day he'll be big and he won't need me anymore. He'll go to college, get married, have kids of his own, and I'll wish he was my little boy again, throwing toys and protesting bedtime. And I think that is very key to enjoying every second with him in his childhood.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Betrayal
Today, I feel betrayed. I feel defective. And I am angry about it.
3 years ago, I had a c-section for a breech presentation. I do not think typically that breech babies need to be delivered via c-section, but doctors don't do vaginal breeches anymore and I was delivering with a doctor. But I digress.
I have double horizontal cuts, which is what they want you to have for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I thought that, because I had the ideal cuts, I would be set for having a great birth with my next child.
In the state of Arkansas, midwives aren't allowed to attend VBACs. Some will do them "under the table," so I called around with no luck. My next option is an unlicensed midwife. So I've been in touch with the 2 I've been able to find in my area. I spent about an hour on the phone with one last night and the verdict was: you must NOT have had a single layer closure on your internal incision.
A midwife posed this question to me several months ago, so I called the OB that delivered Spencer to ask. Her standard is, guess what?, a single layer closure. This is the same OB who, at my consult about 3 weeks ago, said "vaginal birth is overrated" and "in 30 years you won't care that all you had were c-sections". Nice. Somehow I doubt she sewed me up nice and tight for my VBAC.
I'm terrified of going to the hospital. Hospitals in this area are very VBAC hostile. In fact, I'm pretty sure at least one of them has a "VBAC ban". The last thing I want is so many interventions that I have to have a repeat c-section.
I feel so betrayed by the OB who preformed my c-section. All I've wanted, from the time my complications set in with Spencer, was some normalcy. I thought this was my chance. I am bummed.
3 years ago, I had a c-section for a breech presentation. I do not think typically that breech babies need to be delivered via c-section, but doctors don't do vaginal breeches anymore and I was delivering with a doctor. But I digress.
I have double horizontal cuts, which is what they want you to have for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean). I thought that, because I had the ideal cuts, I would be set for having a great birth with my next child.
In the state of Arkansas, midwives aren't allowed to attend VBACs. Some will do them "under the table," so I called around with no luck. My next option is an unlicensed midwife. So I've been in touch with the 2 I've been able to find in my area. I spent about an hour on the phone with one last night and the verdict was: you must NOT have had a single layer closure on your internal incision.
A midwife posed this question to me several months ago, so I called the OB that delivered Spencer to ask. Her standard is, guess what?, a single layer closure. This is the same OB who, at my consult about 3 weeks ago, said "vaginal birth is overrated" and "in 30 years you won't care that all you had were c-sections". Nice. Somehow I doubt she sewed me up nice and tight for my VBAC.
I'm terrified of going to the hospital. Hospitals in this area are very VBAC hostile. In fact, I'm pretty sure at least one of them has a "VBAC ban". The last thing I want is so many interventions that I have to have a repeat c-section.
I feel so betrayed by the OB who preformed my c-section. All I've wanted, from the time my complications set in with Spencer, was some normalcy. I thought this was my chance. I am bummed.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Laundry on the line and other pics..
Since we are all moved and unpacked, I was able to find my camera cord and dump my camera. Just sharing a few.
Finally, one of the biggest reasons that I liked this house over any of the others is that there were laundry poles out back. This probably wouldn't be a positive thing for most people. I saw it as a way to not only reduce our global footprint, but also to reduce our electric bill. I read a statistic once that said 60% of a home's energy costs can be attributed to the dryer, so I thought I would try this out. I had to go to about 4 different stores to find a laundry line and some pins. Fred's had them, Wal-Mart didn't! I guess you can't find everything at Wal-Mart after all. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
