Wednesday Woes

The good news is I managed to sleep last night. The not so good news is that I felt worse today. At about 3:00, after sleeping most of the afternoon, it suddenly dawned on me that I might have a fever. And I did. Splitcat informs me that if I have whatever was bothering him last week, I have another 4 days or so. But if I still have a fever tomorrow, I'll call my midwife. Apparently sudafed works differently on my pregnant body. Instead of being totally wired, I couldn't keep my eyes open. But when I'd wake up, my heart would be racing. It was very weird. What was weirdest is when I woke up from my afternoon nap and was watching television through a feverish haze, I saw a commercial for a beach destination. And I remember thinking, that's weird. All the people they are showing are in same sex groups. And I laughingly thought, it must be a gay and lesbian commercial. Imagine my surprise when it was exactly that. It was a weird thing to see upon awaking.

I added a new link to a blog called Film Chat. I found it whilst next blogging. I like it because he does intelligent reviews from a christian perspective.

I was disturbed to find out that they are making The Golden Compass, by Phillip Pullman into a movie. When I first read this book, I loved it. It was original and a compelling read. But after reading the final books, I was left with more than a vague sense of disquiet. I learned shortly thereafter that he is an ardent self-described atheist. And the series "His Dark Materials" is very obviously anti-religion and anti-God. Plus it has an unhappy ending for the two main characters. I've tried to stay off any Potter bandwagons, either pro or con, but this is one I will have to stand firm on. These are some of the only books I have actually thrown away instead of giving away. And though I try to keep an open mind in general about fiction, since it is fiction, the agenda in this series is just to plain for me to ignore. It is also a little sad to me that people have become so fixated on the whole Potter debate, they've missed the loads of other young adult fiction that could cause so much more trouble. I guess that is what keeps me committed to my own writing. There is so little Christian fiction for teens. If you go to your local (non-Christian)bookstore and peruse the YA section, at least half or more of the books are fantasy. At my local Christian bookstore the YA section barely takes up two small shelves. This is obviously a place where Christian writers are needed. For both the Christian and secular market. I think perhaps teens are undermarketed in Christian fiction because, in theory, there shouldn't be anything too objectionable in the adult fiction sections. But I think it is important for teens to read fiction that concerns their own age group and its problems and not have to be satisfied reading "safe" historical romances about 29 yr old widows with 8 children in 1890 Montana. (ok, so that was a really bad generalization, and there are some really good new adult fiction books coming from the CBA or whatever they're called now. But a 16 yr old should be able to read books about 16 yr olds. (it's late, so I hope this makes sense(if it doesn't, blame the sudafed))).

quick update

My dr. visit was fine. Heard both heartbeats. Baby Boy was in the 150's, baby A was in the 130's. I have an ultrasound next tuesday. I just took some sudafed. can't stand the misery any more. so i'll probably be awake all night. woohoo.

Good Morning

I just wanted to say good morning to my faithful readers. I am not feeling so well today. I think my allergies have started to turn into a sinus infection or a cold. I haven't been taking anything because cold and allergy medications make me really loopy and I do things I wouldn't normally do(not bad things, they just give me this weird boost of self-confidence). I have a dr.'s appt this afternoon so I will post any results later tonight. P. goes back to school today. He's been really good lately, so I will definitely be missing his presence. He had his kindergarten placement screening yesterday. She said he did very well and was very attentive. She suggested he might need speech. I just laughed and told her that was fine, he was already eligible. But I am hoping by the time school starts he'll have worked out his last few mixed up sounds. I started teaching him how to read his color words yesterday. He already knew several on his own. I think we will start learning to read this summer. I've been afraid to teach him, I don't want him to be bored in class. But they do Kindergarten so differently now, I think he'd be okay. It's a little frightening how quickly he picks thing up.

ewwwwww

I love my cat. But she just threw up in one of the two pairs of shoes that currently fit me. I can't help but wonder if it was deliberate.

Storms and Such

I ran into the damage caused by Friday's tornadoes on my way to church today. I was almost there when I ran into a road closed sign. After going the long way around and crossing a barrier that was open to local traffic only, I made it to church. Just past the church driveway the road was stacked with fallen trees. When I walked into the building it was dark and quiet. The power was still out. So we had church without electricity. It was a good service. Pastor taught on the Mercy Seat and we had before us a replica of the Ark of the Covenant. A man from Mobile Ala. has built models of the entire tabernacle and travels to different places sharing them. My grandmother was fortunate to attend a full scale replication done at the Brownsville Revival in Pensacola a few years back. I've seen some of the videos and it was really incredible.

Anyway

After seeing the storm damage I was glad we had taken everyone to the basement. Tornadoes are one of the three things I have nightmares about(the other two are snakes and large waves).
I remember with great detail all the tornadoes I have been near. When I lived in Florida we had hurricanes, Frederick being the defining storm of my childhood. When we moved to New Jersey we still got a hurricane(can't remember what that one was), and when we moved to Georgia we became acquainted with tornadoes. The year we moved here I had to sit out a storm at my middle school. Our bus was late, and when it finally arrived and we went outside, the sky was green. I had never seen a green sky before. It was pretty scary, as all of nature had also hushed. We were hustled back into the interior of the building and a few minutes later we could see massive hail failing and we could hear the wind roaring. Fortunately there was no damage to prevent our passage homeward, but there was quite a bit of damage elsewhere. It was not until my college years that we had several years of intense tornado seasons. One did major destruction one town over from my school. Pieces from a building were found in a lake 60 miles away. My mother was in the area at a retreat and her Miata had some serious hail dents in it. I remember having to take shelter in my dorm on several occasions. One tornado I was blissfully unaware of until after the event. I was off campus at dinner and was surprised to learn upon my return that a tornado had touched down not too far off. I just thought it was a stormy night. I remember that one because it was such a beautifully stormy night. I love to watch thunderstorms from a porch and feel the wind before a storm(I have been known to frolic in the approach of a storm). So it was really cool to take a walk in the aftermath. The sky was black and the wind was still gusting and the rain was blowing down from the trees. It was invigorating.

It is so easy to take nature for granted-to be oblivious to it. A storm demands our attention and requires us to be aware of ourselves and of God. I've never completely understood my own feelings at being in a storm. It is both a (for lack of a better word)primal feeling and a feeling of worship. When I see an afternoon thunderstorm approaching I make an excuse to walk outside to feel the cool wind and smell the scent of rain. I linger as long as I can. Overwhelming my senses and forgetting the mundane and rejoicing in the beauty of creation and in the Creator. It is one of the times when I feel most truly alive and most myself.

A day in the park

We decided to go on an adventure today. We loaded up some snacks, the kids, and a couple of fishing poles. As we pulled out of our neighborhood we made the decision to hunt down a nearby lake we had never heard of. It is a city park and you must drive through a section of semi-historic houses to reach it. It was a beautiful drive down a lane of brick bungalows with dogwoods and azaleas all abloom. The lake was much larger than anticipated and had nice walkways and a playground. The children and I played while splitcat hunted for a place to fish. When at last he returned it was with the disappointing news that the fish were not biting. So we had a snack and the children played again on the playground. It is a strange thing to let your children wander off and to watch them interact with other children. It not only conjures memories of one's own childhood, it is also a reminder that your own children are growing up.

We stopped for lunch at Miss Donald's(which is how McDonald's is pronounced around here) where the children played some more. When it was getting close to time to leave, we heard the unmistakeable wailing of our son. splitcat managed to locate him and bring him to our table. The front of his shirt was all stretched out and the back of his neck was red. A little girl had grabbed his shirt and pulled very hard on it for a long time. We were proud that he didn't retaliate. One nice mother came and asked if it was a girl or boy, she sighed with relief when told it was a girl, she had two boys. But I thought it kind of her to make sure it was not one of her own children. That doesn't happen alot. Most of the time the mothers are paying no attention to their children. I shuddered to see a mother send her tiny child, who was maybe two, alone into the play area while she stood in line. If the restaurant had been empty, I could see doing that with an older child. But it was packed. I just don't understand modern parenting. Maybe I am too protective. I try to keep watch from a respectful distance, but not from so far away that I cannot quickly soothe a scraped knee or a bruised ego. But I was proud of my children for how they handled themselves on both playgrounds. It gives me hope that I am not such a bad mother after all.

If you didn't notice, I just created a Flickr account. I don't have a lot of photos yet, but hopefully more will follow. And yes, that is me hiding behind the crabapple blossoms. Please excuse my allergy eyes, I promise splitcat hasn't been beating me. I will try to get a better picture, sans black circles.

A Week of Saturdays

Spring Break is so confusing. Like it really takes a lot to confuse me these days.

Yesterday I took P. out for a haircut. He looks very cute and has very short hair. Hopefully it will last awhile. We all have hair that grows really fast.

Today I took E. to the mall to spend her Build-a-Bear gift card from her Aunt. She picked out the Boxer. We did lunch and wandered for a bit. Then we went to the Home Depot and picked up some paint samples. I've decided I want to paint my room blue.

Splitcat is finally feeling a little better. It has been a rough week for allergy sufferers. The pollen count was over 5000 the other day. I've had occasional fits of sneezing, but mostly from the dust I've stirred up on my bookshelves.

Here are the books I am getting rid of so far. I've got lots more, but these are all I've had time to type up. the H denotes a hardback, the rest are paperbacks. They are in varying conditions, but are all good readable copies.

Mystery
Beaton, M.C.: Agatha Raisin and the Murderous Marriage
Brown, Rita Mae and Sneaky Pie:
Murder, She Meowed
Wish You Were Here
Crane, Hamilton: Miss Seeton Rocks the Cradle
James, P.D.: Devices and Desires
Myers, Tamar: Splendor in the Glass
Paretsky, Sara: Burn Marks
Whitney, Phyllis: Woman Without a Past-H

Christian Fiction
Burkett, Larry: The Illuminati
Rivers, Francine: The Last Sin Eater

Fantasy
Greeno, Gayle
?:The Ghatti's Tale Book 1(I know I have it, just have to figure out where)
Mind Speaker’s Call: The Ghatti’s Tale Book 2
Exile’s Return: The Ghatti’s Tale Book 3
Sunderlies Seeking: Ghatten’s Gambit #1
The Farthest Seeking:Ghatten’s Gambit #2
Lee, Tanith
The Wars of Vis-H
The Secret Books of Paradys I & II-H
The Secret Books of Paradys III & IV-H
The Secret Books of Venus I & II
Saberhagen, Fred
The Lost Swords: The First Triad-H
The Lost Swords: The Second Triad-H
The Lost Swords: Endgame-H

Sci-Fi
Aldiss, Brian W.: Non-Stop-H
Burroughs, Edgar Rice
A Princess of Mars
The Master Mind of Mars and A Fighting Man of Mars-H
Robinson, Kim Stanley
The Martians
Red Mars
Green Mars
Blue Mars
Rosenburg, Joel: D’Shai

Should you be interested in obtaining any of these titles, please email me(there should be a link on my profile page). Some of the hardbacks are really heavy, so if you are interested in those, I may not be able to ship them without monetary assistance. But if you want more info(or pictures) on any of them, just email or IM me.

I'll list the rest as soon as I make a list.

Spring Cleaning

The Children are away for tonight and tomorrow. We are cleaning out closets. I am very impressed with the progress we have made. We have 4 bags of garbage, several piles and bags for a garage sale, and a couple of bags for the thrift store. And that's just from the downstairs living room and the closet under the stairs. There were some boxes under there that I have not opened in several years. Going through them without all the insane attachments to stupid things yielded 2 trash bags from 2 boxes. Now only one box is full, and I can probably get rid of some more, but my eyes are tired. One box had all my college notebooks, and since I had the habit of scribbling poetry, stories, and letters in my notebooks, I have to go through every page. I have a lot of letters I never sent, so those are like the diary of my life. I am very tired, but it is the good tired of knowing you have accomplished something significant.

But it is emotionally draining to go through my stuff. Splitcat and I were fairly prolific writers during our dating years, so I have to stop and read letters every once in a while. I found in one notebook where 4boymom and I were writing notes at a particularly horrific youth retreat. My brother-in-law was trying to get her and splitcat together. I think she was the first person I told that I "had feelings" for him. They did eventually go on a couple of "outings" with my sister and brother-in-law. Fortunately for 4boydad and I, it didn't work out. (Here is some fun trivia. Splitcat and 4boydad have been friends since their early teens and were roommates in college. I have known 4boymom since I was 13 and her sister(we'll call her 3girlmom) was my college roommate.) Anyway, it was strange reading about what I thought was hopeless love. I was 17, he was 23. And we were "just friends." Now we have been married ten years and have oodles of children(or rather will have). And I have about 20(ok, I counted there are 15) plastic boxes piled around my living room(the miracle is that 5 of them are empty). Most of them filled with baby and toddler clothes. At least the twins will have clothes. The scary thing is how much baby stuff I have given away and how much remains.

Well, it's 1:39 am and my eyes are itching and tired, so I'd best be off to bed. I've a lot to do tomorrow before the children return. We have to hide all the toys we are selling or giving away.

So Very Tired

I've had a glimpse of life with four children. My sister's two girls are spending the night(ages 6 and 3). They have behaved wonderfully. P. got a little overexcited. And wound up. They've all finally fallen asleep in various places. I'm glad I'll be sort of eased into the whole 4 children thing. It' s a lot of work, which is why I always said I'd never have 4 children. So don't ever say never.

I did manage to accomplish a lot today. But I am going to be tired tomorrow.

Good Night

Thursday again

It's Thursday again. We've had a busy week. Today I took E. for her 3 yr check-up. She is very healthy. I tried to take the kids to the park for a picnic and some play time, but there were too many hornets. P. asked that we never visit that playground again. So instead of being out in the lovely 76 degree weather, we've been inside, where the bugs cannot get us.

I have a headache I suspicionate means I am dehydrated, or close to it. I'm sorry my posts have been so short this week. My brain is on overload and is having difficulty making sense. I'm sure I'll be back to rambling on and on and on soon.

I also posted over at Shekinah Scribes today.

Another Day

I got P. all signed up for Kindergarten. I didn't get to post yesterday because I spent a good portion of the day driving around to do dental screenings and pick up other paperwork necessary to enter school. This particular school is a Charter School. They are allowed to spend their money as they see fit. Each kindergarten has its own garden space. The walls in the hallways are covered in murals and student artwork. They actually get to take art and music. I think P. will love it. Also, as part of the charter, students are released early on Wed. so the teachers can meet and strategize and study other schools and their methods. I was also glad to hear it is a full day kindergarten, so school gets out at 2:20.

We spent a good portion of last night trying to finalize our home rearrangement, since splitcat will be on spring break next week. I think we've decided to have P. and E. share a room and give the babies E.'s room. It will take the least effort. They think it is a great idea. It makes me a little sad, since I could use my girlie imagination for E.'s room, now I've got to figure out how to make their room cozy for both a boy and girl.

I suppose that is all for now.

Monday Miscellany

I had a nice quiet and relaxing weekend. Now I am working to maintain that calm. Sunday, E. and I went to church and then we all went to lunch to celebrate my niece's birthday. My sister decided she wanted to go to the mall and get a haircut, so all the girls went. I got my hair cut, too. I was seriously considering growing it out, but it was getting heavy and I realized it would just be in a ponytail all the time. So I had it cut really short. It's a fairly boyish cut, and also a little bit trendy. I don't usually do trendy, but when you're pregnant, anything you can do to make yourself feel better is a good thing. My sister went really short, too. It's kind of funny how much we look alike now that we are older. The last time we got our hair cut together, several people asked if we were twins. When we were younger we looked nothing like sisters. She was petite and blond, I was tall and dark. Since her hair has turned brown we definitely look more alike, but she is still petite and I am large. I'm assuming splitcat doesn't like my haircut, since it took him about three hours to comment on it, and even then it was only to ask me whyI got it cut. It is a wise husband who refrains from commenting on a haircut he doesn't like. It goes along with the "Am I fat?" question. Some questions are best left unanswered.

Splitcat and Son had a nice trip. P. was impressed that their hotel room had a t.v.

I can hear the children playing in their rooms. Their clean rooms. When E. went into her clean room she started dancing. She found a toy that played music and just danced and danced. P. ran in circles in his clean room. He likes his toybox from IKEA. It's really cute. (from all the noise I've been hearing upstairs as I type, I assume their rooms are no longer clean. But we are not going to bed tonight unless all their toys are cleaned up.)

I think that's why I am feeling more relaxed. I have more than one clean room in my house. But now I have to finish putting away all the laundry. It's never-ending.

P. gets registered for Kindergarten this week. I am emotionally torn about this. I will miss him, but I'll be glad he is gone. He needs the structure of a classroom. I just looked up the bus schedule. It comes at 7:08. School starts at 7:50 and is 2.4 miles from my home. The bus stop is three houses down from my house. We must be the beginning of the route. Hopefully splitcat wil be able to take him to the bus. I'm not sure I can with 2 newborns and a three yr old that early in the morning. I've always sworn I wouldn't join the carpool line unless my child was being bullied on the bus. It's always so annoying to get stuck in school traffic. I rode the bus for many many years.

I guess that is all for Monday Miscellany. It's time to get some work done.

A short trip

It's been a busy day. Splitcat and son left this morning for an out of town birthday party. My mother met me and we went to lunch and then to the new Ikea in Atlanta. I knew it would be big, but it was truly overwhelming. We managed to find what we were looking for. I got some cool storage for the kids' rooms, and didn't spend a fortune. I could spend a lot of money there. I love boxes.

Now I am at my mother's house. She has 4 computers, so we can all surf to our hearts content. I'm on the laptop, which is annoying to type on, but my nephews are using 2 computers and my dad is using his. Once everyone goes to bed I can POGO all night.

I Know It's Friday.....

because I am stuck at home without a car. Normally I wouldn't complain, but splitcat is staying late for a school play. I need to pack some clothes for him and P. because they are going away tomorrow. They re going to a nephew's 18th birthday party. It is a three hour drive, and I just don't think I could make it. I think the girl and I are going to spend the night with my parents.

We've had a pretty quiet day. I told P. he could play Spyro after lunch if he was good all morning. So he is quite happy now. I've been cleaning my room. In an effort to take it easy, I've been cleaning off my dresser and various side tables. I also spent awhile reorganizing my jewelry box. My children thought it was great fun and wanted to know where I got various pieces of jewelry. P. spotted my original wedding band and asked if it was my marriage ring. I was surprised because I have not worn it since before he was born. I hope to be able to wear it again one day. I can't wear my engagement ring or my new wedding band already. I've usually been able to wear my engagement ring through most of my pregnancy. It's weird because I have not gained that much weight. It's not as embarrassing to go ringless as it was when I was pregnant with P. I looked really young to be having a baby(ok, so some people do think 25 is too young) . My sister had her first at age 22 and got a lot of rude comments at her workplace for being young and supposedly single. It's really amazing the things people think they can say to you. Speaking of my sister, she got a new hard drive for her computer and will hopefully begin blogging again. Ok, a quick check reveals she has a short post up already.

Well, I guess I'd better get back to work. All the stuff that didn't belong on my dresser is now on my bed.

Is Today Thursday?

My sense of time is really screwed up this week. I spent all day yesterday thinking it was Thursday. Now my dilemma is, was E.'s ENT appt. yesterday or today? I have it slotted as Thursday in my internal appt. book, but I should really know better by now. They called me TWICE this week, and I am still unsure. It's still too early to call, so I'll just have to wait. The bad thing is that it can take up to 8 weeks to get another appt. But since it is just a follow-up visit and I know her tubes have already fallen out, I guess I won't worry about it. It was nice to make it through the winter without chronic infections. The previous two winters I was at the doctor's office every two to three weeks. That gets expensive. (Since I'm finishing up this post later in the day, I couldn't find the phone number and we were all in bad moods, so we stayed home)

In the last couple of weeks I have been awoken in the nicest possible manner. I wake up to a little boy crawling in bed with me and putting my arms around him. It's nice to know he still likes me. We spend much our days in a battle of wills(Like right now, I was just told I was mean because I made him stop bugging his sister), so it is nice that for a few minutes we are friends. At bedtime he always wants me to stay and says "Let's talk about something." Sometimes I stay just to see what he says. It's usually pretty entertaining. His favorite topics are "How did the dinosaurs die?" and "Where does God live and why can't I see Him?" He was very excited to find out he was going to have a brother. I asked him last night what he thought about having a brother and his reply was "Maybe he'll like Star Wars, too. I can share my lightsabers, I have two." Then he told me he really wanted an "olded" light saber like Darth Maul. I guess "olded" means "double-ended?" He also wants one that lights up, like his cousins'. I guess in all the stuff out there for little boys to be obsessed about, I prefer Star Wars to Power Rangers or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles(although I have to admit I was a TMNT fan waaaaay back when they first came on in the late 80's. But that was before the world was over merchandised).

The best news in our home is that the laundry is almost done. Even though we did several loads a week while I was sick, it still managed to get seriously backed up. I like to put away all the winter clothes before I drag out spring, but the weather's been so weird I've had everything out at once. Plus my sister has given me several bags of clothes for the children, and it just started piling. So I've put away our heaviest winter clothing and just kept a few long sleeve shirts and pants. Someone also just gave me a box of maternity clothes(tell your sister I said thank you 4boydad) and my mother bought me some at our church consignment sale. I no longer have to wear the same things over and over again. I am glad that I don't have to dress up every day like I did when I was pregnant with P. I got really tired of my clothes. I find that I am not at all sad that this is my final sojourn into the world of maternity clothes. My goal was always to be done having children by the time I was thirty. I will turn 31 in June, so I almost made it. But I decided that if God wanted me to have 4 children, I'd rather do it this way and get it over with.

I'm already so tired of being pregnant. But that's probably because my body thinks it is already halfway there. Mornings are still a little rough, but I feel well enough in the afternoons to do some housework. But I've discovered this week that I have about a 2 hour limit on what I can accomplish before I can't walk. So I guess now I am going to try to spread it out over the day, and work like 15 minutes out of every 2 hours. My brain is also overloading in the decision making process. While I know that I don't have to keep everything, my brain sometimes screams "Hoard!" at me when I try to throw stuff out or give it away. Fortunately, I have learned to take those thoughts captive and throw them to the wolves. I think we've decided to have a garage sale. We have too much furniture. But I am considering offering up some of my books here, so I know that they've gone to good homes. I'll compile a list and put it up sometime this week. Twenty-nine years of hoarding is not pretty. I wish I had known this was my problem ten years ago. I am grateful that it never got so severe as the cases always given as examples. I am even more grateful for the women's group I was attending last year when I was healed of the compulsion to hoard. I still struggle with getting rid of my children's things, but I have reached a point that I only have a moment's hesitation. I have a feeling that in preparing for the twins I will finally be rid of all the clutter. And that makes me very happy.

ps It was my turn at the Scribes blog today

It's a................

BOY! and a ?!

Yep, we only had one show off today. Baby B is a Boy. Baby A is uncooperative. I have another ultrasound in 4 weeks. Baby A is currently lying in a breech position, and that apparently makes it more difficult to see anyway. I think the tech had a guess, but she won't tell unless she's 100% sure. I hope that means it is a girl. Splitcat is still unwilling to discuss names. He wants to know what they both are. But they both looked good and were exactly the right size for their age. They each have their own placenta, so they are most likely fraternal. When she was trying to see Baby A she hit a weird spot on my uterus that felt like someone kicked me. It's still sore. She said since this was my third pregnancy it was a irritable uterus and it looked to be contracting slightly. I'm not showing any signs of preterm labor, so that is good, too.

The children are spending the night with their grandparents. It's very quiet. We went out to dinner and I made splitcat take me to Home Depot to look at paint and other stuff. I kind of want to paint a mural on the nursery walls, but I can't decide. We have so much to do to get ready. We are still debating where to move our bedroom. We may partition off part of the downstairs living room. It will take a lot less work than if splitcat has to move out of his office. But I told him we'd have to remove the paneling on the lower half of the wall and paint, it's just way to ugly at the moment. It would also be better for hearing everyone upstairs.

I guess that's all for tonight. I hope it was more coherent for you Because I Said So.

The Long Awaited Boy Names Poll

So, okay, I've finally narrowed down my boy name favorites.

Ellis
Pierce
Zane

I'm having a more difficult time with middle names. Since the above names are slightly unusual I am thinking of going with a more basic middle name.

Michael
James
David
Edward

Any suggestions? I had personally picked out Ellis Kane, but splitcat said no way to Kane.
I like Ellis because it means the same thing as Elijah, but is not as popular as Elijah. Pierce is a form of Peter, and Zane is a form of John.

I still haven't narrowed down my girl name choices. But since I'm having an ultrasound on Tuesday, I want to have my name choices, in case the tech can see the gender.

It's been a long weekend. We've been doing laundry. Yesterday afternoon we spent some time outside, but it rained today. It would be lovely if the weather stayed so nice through June. But thunderstorm and tornado season is upon us.

Here is our lovely backyard

It's the best thing about our house. When we bought it, the grass in the back was waist high on the men. We didn't really know what the yard was going to look like. We were pleased with the results. All the way in the back of this picture is a nice level spot where we set up our badminton court in the summer. I will not be playing this summer. I love badminton.

I think I am rambling, but you have been spared the post about my cat. I'll save that for another time.

I guess it's been a pretty boring weekend. Even Chuckie Cheese on Friday night was quiet. We went early because we thought it would be crowded, but it wasn't. Every one had a nice time. Except E. when she was told she had to share her cake. She had her fork in hand and was about to help herself. She did not want to share. I got some cotton candy, which is all I really need to be happy. If I ever win the lottery I am going to purchase an Icee machine and a Cotton Candy machine. I manned a Cotton Candy machine on a boys retreat once, it was heaven. That was back when I still had long hair, and it was covered in blue cotton candy. Even my eyelashes had it on them. It was wonderful. I was afraid I'd over eat it and never want it again, but that didn't happen. I guess because it is one of those foods you get so rarely. Like Funnel Cake. mmm. I had a humongous funnel cake when we went to the mountains for our anniversary this year. We drove into Helen for dinner and wandered the streets(always an interesting experience in redneck tourism). I could not resist the call of the funnel cake, and since it was a special occasion, we got one. That was a nice trip. We had dinner on a deck overlooking the river, and got to watch people tubing by. It wasn't what you'd call a romantic dinner, it was more a bar than a restaurant, but it was really fun.

Well, I guess that is all for tonight. Hopefully this week will be as quiet as this weekend has been.

Excuse me while I rant

I wasn't going to rant about this, but I've really had enough. And everyone else is in bed, so I don't have anyone to talk to.

This rant is about the Natural Birth Nazi.

I will begin by saying that I have no problem with natural birth, home birth, water birth, etc. If that's what floats your boat, go for it. It does not happen to float my own personal boat. I want my epidural and I want it now. (FYI, I tried natural the first time, due to a stall in my labor during transition, I was given pitocin, which made me have contractions every 30 seconds or so. I was about to start climbing the walls, so I had an epidural, a nap, then a baby. I wondered why I hadn't done it sooner). I also feel much more safe in a hospital than in my home should complications arise. But I know people who have been successful in their home birth experience, and I respect them for their courage. I don't have a problem with these people because they do not force their opinions down my throat.

That being said, I currently participate in a pregnancy forum. I generally stick to two threads where people are respectful and friendly. If someone asks for an opinion on a certain subject I am glad to voice my own, but generally end with, do what is best for you. There are a few women who have decided to make it their personal mission to tell anyone who is not having a home birth, who wants an epidural or other medications just exactly how wrong they are and how having a baby in a hospital is much more dangerous, blah, blah, blah. It got to the point where several threads were shut down by the site administrators because it got so ugly. Someone asked a simple question about circumcision and was told that circumcision is a human rights crime/violation(unless for religious reasons). I am sure you can imagine the chaos that ensued. I personally stayed out of that one. If you've had an episiotomy(if you don't know what that is, don't ask) or tear, your dr. was an idiot. if you had a midwife it wouldn't have happened(but your midwife can't work out of a dr's office, they have too much "medical" training and are just as bad as a dr.) The list is never-ending. And they are not nice about it. I have never encountered a more holier than thou attitude. It's driving me nuts. So you're probably thinking the same thing splitcat tells me, so ignore them or don't participate. I am usually successful at ignoring them, but every once in a while I run into one of them and want to cuss them out and tell them to mind their own business. Unless they are me or my dr, I don't care what they think. One woman started a thread called unnatural mommies, because she felt so alone. The response to her was overwhelming. It turns out that women who prefer medicated births are less likely to preach and proselytize, so we didn't see much of one another. Not all natural birth advocates are this bad or bad at all. They will state their cause and let you make your own informed decision. There really are just a few natural birth nazis. But boy are they obnoxious. I can't wait until closer to our due dates when we will get to hear all about how bottle feeding kills your baby and keeps you from bonding properly, blah blah, blah.(In case you care, I do both)

Okay, so I've ranted. I hope you enjoyed it. It won't happen often.

Yesterday was my day for posting on my crit groups website. I didn't actually post until this morning, but here is the link. I was going to write last night after the kids went to bed, but I ended up going to bed at 7:00. My children were having adifficult time with the concept of obedience, so I sent them outside with their father to run in circles. I took a shower and went to bed. I actually slept through most of the night. I woke up a few times because my belly has gotten big enough to get in my way. I' m always afraid I am squishing someone.

We are going to Chuckie Cheese tonight with my family for my daughter and niece's birthday's(they are 12 days apart). I'm already tired just thinking about it.

Crazy? I don't think so

Yesterday in one of the forums I participate in, the question of the day was "what is the craziest thing you have ever done?"

I didn't have an answer, except that I was boring and cowardly. After a day of consideration, I still have no answer. I've done some silly things, some weird things, but I can't think of anything "Crazy" that I have done. The person who listed the question had sky-diving as her answer. Mostly, all I could come up with was a laundry list of things I haven't done.

Here is where this dilemma gets tricky and moves into a vague spiritual/moral/ethical never-never land. Should I feel bad that I don't do "Crazy" or risky things with my life? My answer is, of course not. However, there seems to be some societal something that says we are not living our life to its fullest if we don't do stupid crazy things when we are young, and sometimes when we are old. Honestly, I am grateful that I have a longer list of nevers than I wish I never's.

In the first year of our marriage I struggled somewhat with this concept. While my friends were still in college and doing "college" things, I was working full-time and trying to figure out being a wife. But I knew that it would be difficult, and chose to get married anyway. And although it was much harder in reality than in thought, I wouldn't have traded places with any of my friends. I am glad that before I married, I went to a small christian college where I was able to find other people like me. We didn't spend Thursday nights in Athens getting drunk. Our excitement came from a late night stop at walmart or the huddle house. I remember how absolutely shocked I was upon arriving to school early on a Sunday and seeing a girl leaving the boy's dorm(there was extremely limited visitation times, and six o'clock in the morning wasn't one of them). I was very young.

I just don't see the need for doing dangerous or stupid things for the thrill. I guess I'm just not an adrenaline junkie. I find much more joy in standing at the top of a mountain enjoying the view, than jumping off that mountain with a parachute or hang-glider.

I can't remember where I was going with this. I guess it's just that I have finally come to terms with being a boring person.

Wow, I've totally lost my train of thought. Hopefully you, gentle readers, will sort of understand what I am trying to say(and saying so poorly). I think I need a nap.

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I thought about making this another post, but since it's still Wednesday, I'll just add it on. I just got back from another exciting trip to the children's E. R.

P. and E. were playing when E. started screaming and crying. This is not terribly unusual, but she kept crying, which is. She finally made it to us, and she was holding her arm still and screaming if you tried to touch her. Her brother played the clown and got her mind off it and she stopped screaming. We both guessed it was another case of nursemaid's elbow(which if you are an avid fan of this blog you may remember occurring this past summer). She acted much the same, but we were afraid to try and fix it. Since it was well after dr's hours, we had to go to the er. Fortunately, it was nursemaid's elbow again. If you have it once, you are very likely to get it again. She behaved quite well, and got an orange popsicle for her pain. We also got to watch Dumbo. Not my favorite movie, but it passed the time. So we are just back and about ready for bed. It has been a long time since I've had to post an er trip. Hopefully this is the last for a while.

I never did get that nap.

Tuesday

It's been a long day, and it's only 4:54pm. But I finally figured out why I have felt so crummy all day. I have a slight fever. I took some tylenol, so hopefully it will help. So, I don't really have much to say. Splitcat took the girl out for some bonding time, she's been jealous of all the time he's been spending with P. I'm wondering if she hasn't had a fever, too. She cried all afternoon until I gave her some ibuprofen and some claritin. Both of her ear tubes have fallen out, and allergy season has begun, so I have to pay extra attention. She took a nap with me yesterday and was snoring really loud. Since she's had her adenoids removed, it makes me nervous when she snores so loud. She has already spent so much of her life ill with ear and sinus infections. I really don't want her to have to go through it all again. But they both are already getting allergy eyes, which makes them look like they have 2 black eyes.

Well, I'm having a difficult time concentrating. So I guess that's all

A birthday

Tomorrow is my daughter's third birthday. In some ways I can't believe it has been three years already. But I cannot really remember life without her. My biggest fear when I was expecting a second child was that I would not love it like I loved my son. I wondered if there was that much room in a person's heart. Mine was pretty full already. The night I went into labor(well, I thought I was), I was more anxious about this than actually having a baby. I had my house in order, and the dr. told me to go ahead and go in, and if my labor stopped, I could be induced in the morning. We took the boy to his grandparent's and began the long journey to the hospital. Once they got me hydrated my labor stopped. The midwife wasn't thrilled about inducing me, as she was sure it would take at least two days. (I'm glad she isn't at the practice anymore, her bedside manner was so different from all the other midwives). But I was in so much pain and discomfort I told her I was staying. They started my induction the next morning. Six hours later, much to her surprise, but not to mine, E. was born. I seem to have a knack of delivering at the nurse's shift change. The same thing happened when P. was born. With him my nurse stayed late, she had been with me all day and wanted to see the baby. E.'s birth was somehow less peaceful than P.'s . I seem to remember more people in the room. But it was easy. She had a little difficulty breathing, she came too fast to expel all the gunk in her lungs and nose. But she recovered quickly, and when they placed her in my arms again, I knew that once again, I was helplessly in love.

Yes, she was as big as she looked. 8lbs 14 oz. And she was hungry. She is still a big girl. She only weighs a few pounds less than her brother. In so many ways she takes after me. I am constantly told how much she looks like me. Like most three year olds, she is alternately delightful and irritating. I think it will do her good to have some younger siblings. I try not to spoil her, but she is so beautiful and can be so delightful, it is difficult. So here is a short pictoral history of my girl.

She doesn't like to have her picture taken much anymore. Like her mother, her moods are diverse and quickly change throughout the day. Last night as I tried to get everyone through brushing their teeth, splitcat stuck his head in the door and asked if she was PMSing. Drama has become her middle name. But, again like her mother, she is happiest when left alone to daydream and play in her own little world. I am really looking forward to knowing her as she grows. I hope that one day when she no longer needs the care of a mother, she will find she has a friend.

Friday

I had a successful consignment shopping day. I found a nice set of crib bedding for not to much and some more clothes that fit. I went with my Mother-in-law and we had a nice time. I've decided to do a winnie the pooh nursery. I resisted it with my first two because it was so popular, but splitcat and I have so much pooh stuff that we collected pre-children, and I've nowhere to put it. Plus pooh is pretty gender neutral if I have a boy and girl. I'm excited to have a new room to decorate. The plan is to put the baby's room in what is now the master bedroom. We will be moving our bedroom downstairs into splitcat's office. Our room is painted a really dark green, so I would like to paint it a soft sage green. All the nursery furniture is white, so I think that will make a nice contrast.

P. and E. had nurseries that were not overtly thematic. P.'s was moons and stars, blue and yellow, but it was very subtle. E.'s was very feminine/country. Here is what it looked like right before she got her big girl bed.




She has the smallest room in the house. It's a little crowded with her big bed, but she likes it. Once I get her coverlet ironed, I'll post her after pictures. Her new bedding was one of my embroidery machine projects.

Well. I think I am rambling now, it is late and I should probably be asleep. Good night.

Just a quick note

My writing group has begun our group blog. This week we are introducing ourselves. You can find it here.

Good News

Today P. had his IEP for speech and was dismissed! Yay!!! I think he will miss it because it was so much fun, but he really doesn't need it anymore. His teacher is going to give him a party next week for his last day. She said she hated to see him go because he was so much fun, but he didn't need her anymore. It was definitely worth all the hassle of getting him in. At 3 he barely spoke, so I took advantage of No Child Left Behind and he qualified for speech therapy. He didn't speak to his teacher the first six months, but at home I could tell a big difference. I've since decided that his brain was simply going to fast for his mouth. Now he talks so fast I have to ask him to slow down. His teacher wondered why he was in speech since he always did so well for her. When I had further testing done to check out his developmental skills this past summer the lady looked at me with obvious awe after she finished her testing. She was surprised at his visual memory and several other tasks he was able to finish without any trouble, he was developmentally ahead of his age. There's nothing like being told your child has above average intelligence.

I think many of his quirks stem from the fact that he's too busy thinking deep thoughts. Yesterday, in the car, he randomly asked, "Are our insides yucky?" So we discussed why we have skin and bones. We had barely finished this conversation when he said, "Do we still use cannons?" I had to ask him to repeat his question to make sure I heard right. He was very disappointed when I told him that we don't use cannons much anymore. He talked about seeing the cannons with his daddy, and decided he wants a cannon when he grows up. I tried to explain that we have much better weaponry, but he wouldn't hear of it. Part of me wonders if those two questions weren't related. I bought splitcat the Doom Collector's Edition for a stocking stuffer this Christmas, and the boy has caught us playing a few times. But I could be wrong, he typically asks totally random questions in the car. It must be a family trait. Splitcat and I always have our best talks in the car.

In other news, I have a prayer request. As my pregnany progresses, I suffer much pain. I was told I have bursitis in my hips during my first pregnancy, but now I wonder if it isn't SPD, which basically means the ligaments in your pelvic bones separate too much due to too many hormones. I've had this in varying degrees for most of my life, but it becomes much more severe while I am pregnant. It is just my hips and lower back that are affected, but I basically am rendered temporarily immobile because it feels like my hips either dislocate or lock up. And yes, it hurts, like a 10 on a scale of 10. And it can last five minutes or all day. The extra weight of pregnancy only worsens it. Now I'm going to have that almost doubled and I'm already having difficulty. So I'm calling in all my favors :) I don't want to end up in a wheelchair, which is where I see myself heading. I know most of my readers are people who pray, so please add me to your list. I'm totally open to being healed. So thank you in advance.

Today's Dr. Visit

I had a dr. appt today. All is still well. I heard one heartbeat, so we snuck another peek on the ultrasound. At first it looked like they were fighting. Then one was laying quietly while the other twirled and kicked and partied. It was very cool. The one who was moving the most is the one I've felt moving occasionally. The other is lying farther back, and is apparently much more quiet. It's fascinating to watch them in the womb because they already have personalities. I have my next big ultrasound in two weeks. Then we'll get measurements and all that fun stuff. But for now it is good to know everybody is okay. I think that is all for now. I'm tired and House is on.

Another meaningless post(well, it was when I started)

I don't really have anything to say today, but I'm trying to keep up the habit of writing. It's been a fairly quiet weekend. I've been experimenting with not taking my morning sickness medication. I made it all day Friday, and so far today. I wouldn't say I feel normal, but I'm not curled up in the fetal position trying not to throw up either. I don't know if it's from the medication or it's just me, but I'm having a hard time with noise. Especially high pitched little boy voices. I called my mother the other day to tell her I now understood why she made us keep our voices down or sent us outside.

I went to three consignment sales yesterday. I knew they were my only hope for finding maternity clothes that didn't show off all 12 inches of my previously acquired stretch marks. There is apparently a new trend in showing off your belly. And your body. Were I one of those lucky women who only have a baby belly without gaining weight everywhere else, this might be a viable option. But I am not. At not quite 14 weeks along, I am as big as I was with P. at 6 months. I am growing at what seems an alarming rate. The frightening part is not knowing how huge I am going to end up. Fortunately I found some pre "Sex and the City" maternity clothes. The kind that actually accommodate a growing belly and body. If I don't wear skin tight clothes when I'm not pregnant, why would I wear them when I am.

But me and clothes have a long history of struggle. The only time in my life I have easily found clothes that fit properly was after I lost 20 lbs my freshman year in college until I was pregnant with P. So for 6 years out of my 30 I could wear anything I wanted. I guess I still could, but I don't think the general public would appreciate it. Not that I think it's a bad thing that women are taking more time for their appearance, I think that's great. After all, I had to live through the grunge years(the residual effect being that I still want a pair of doc martens). However, not all of us have Hollywood bodies. Some of us are pregnant with twins.

I realized a few years ago that I must have had body dysmorphic disorder as a teenager. Looking one day through old photos I was astonished at what I really looked like. My perceptions at the time were vastly different. Losing weight in college due to illness did help change that. One day I looked in the mirror and realized I was too thin(and no, I did not have an eating disorder). Once I obtained medical help for my condition and put on a few more pounds I felt really good about myself. I have generally been able to maintain that sense of well-being, with a few years in-between childbearing wondering if I should even bother(more a sign of my severe ppd than bdd) or just get pregnant again(I got pregnant again, a great way to avoid dieting). I know that after the twins are born I will really have to take hold of myself and get back in shape. If I hadn't gotten pregnant when I did, I was going to have to do something about myself. But knowing that what I see isn't necessarily what others see has changed how I view myself. I try to take a step back and see myself through someone else's eyes. I also try hard to tell my daughter daily that she is beautiful. I've had to stop myself commenting in front of her on her chubby thighs(which are so cute). She is a sensitive child, and I see so much of me in her, I don't want her to ever say that the things I said about her were hurtful. I was lucky to have a mother who was never unkind(at least not in my hearing :)).

So I guess I had something to say today after all. I was just going to say I also found the twin stroller I wanted for half the price of retail. Instead you got a glimpse into the fascinating person that is me.

Soon I will also be blogging once a week as part of a group blog with my online writing group. Fortunately someone will be providing a prompt. I'll post a link once we get started.

Sad things and Happy things

I apologize to my faithful readers for not posting the last few days. They've been rough. Reading back through my posts I thought, I had a quiet Tuesday? Was it that recently? Tuesday evening splitcat told me that the mother of some old friends was not expected to live out the week. She had been sick for a couple of years, but I always prefer to hope for a miracle. I found out on Wednesday that she passed away Tuesday night. Today my mother and I attended the funeral. Yesterday, I cried alot as all the things I hadn't wanted to think about came crowding in at once. I didn't know what to expect today. This woman meant a lot to many people. I spent countless Sunday afternoons as a teenager at her house spending time with her beautiful daughters. And I was not the only one. Their home has always been open to all. I saw my first meteor shower on their trampoline. I was friends with the two eldest daughters. We would play dress up and walk in the woods singing hymns, and sometimes play on the computer. Time and distance have separated us, but whenever we meet there is friendship.

When I read Proverbs 31 she is the woman I think of. I was not surprised when her husband opened the service with this scripture. Each of her five children spoke, and one son-in-law represented the five in-laws. Their genuine love and respect and appreciation of their mother was very evident. The church was filled. Her 18 grandchildren sang about the Lord. There was much music. She was always singing or playing or listening to music when I was at their home. It was the one place where no one made fun of me for liking opera. They listened right along with me. It was a beautiful service for a beautiful life.

The strangest thing was seeing all my friends from youth group. They were all there. My roommate from college is very close with the second daughter and was there. This was the happy thing, seeing old friends. We all looked much the same, perhaps a little puffier around the edges(some of us a lot puffier around the middle :)) The guys I hung around with, and the one I went on my first date with, who rocked their way through high school, still have a heavy metal band. I got a demo cd, and I can't wait to listen to it. It was good to see everyone. They were all part of the best part of my teen years. I was afraid it would be depressing to see how old we all are, but it was good to see that we were all very much the same people as we were then. As I often struggle with my own identity, I remembered who I was then and wondered who I have become. Am I that same girl? Am I the woman I thought I would be? Am I the woman God wants me to be.

The son-in-law read a scripture that he felt was given to him just prior to the service. When he read it, I knew that it was for me. It was the same scripture the Lord had given me many years ago for my life. "Thus says the Lord: Stand by the roads and look; and ask for the eternal paths, where the good, old way is; then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls." Jeremiah 6:16. Amplified. Another version says stand at the crossroads and look. I am at a place of many crossroads. And I am glad of the reminder that I have help in choosing which path I take.

I will not say Rest In Peace, because I have a feeling she is singing and dancing for the joy of being with Jesus.

Hooray!

I have a garage door opener!! Thanks to my father-in-law who spent the last two days installing it. The thing I liked least about not having one was having to touch the garage door bottom. It's always dirty. My OCD doesn't usually involve dirt, but for some reason it really grossed me out to have to touch the bottom of the garage door. I think I was afraid of sticking my hands into a spider or roach. (Shudders just thinking about it). So anyway. I have a garage door opener now.

I think that's all I have to say today.

Tuesday Musings

It is a beautiful day outside. It feels like spring, which makes me happy. But there is something about spring that makes me feel nostalgic. I love late spring when the fireflies are out and the honeysuckle is in bloom. And twilight. There is something magical about this combination for me. Fireflies always seem to make their way into my writings. When I was young and lived up north, I remember my first real firefly experience. We were renting a house out in the country and took a walk one evening. We went past a field of corn that had been harvested, and it was full of fireflies. I had never seen so many. On our way back, the stars had come out, and we were far out enough that it was pretty spectacular, and the fields were still full of light. It was breathtaking. Starlight and firefly light. Trees and fields. Walking through quiet streets. Like songs from my youth, fireflies are memories.

Days like this I wish for a swing. It’s a day for reading poetry. It’s a quiet kind of day.

Untitled

I feel like I should blog, but I'm having a hard time with a topic. I even looked at lots of memes and quizzes, but nothing struck my fancy. I guess it's good I don't have much to talk about, no one's hurt, I'm feeling a little better.

I often apologize to splitcat for my lack of conversational topics. Neither of us are chatters, so it can be very quiet around here. Since I don't work anymore, I don't even have that to talk about.

I guess in honor of my recent sugar binging, I'll talk about my favorite easter goodies. Easter is the best holiday for candy and sugary treats. Mainly for three things you can only get at easter.

1. Peeps. Yes, you can get peeps at just about every holiday, but you can only get the chicks at easter. The secret to eating peeps is to open the package and let it sit overnight. The sugar coating hardens and becomes a slightly crunchy delight. Why do I prefer the chicks? They're bigger.

2. Bunnies and Chicks. I can't find a picture, but they are made by Brach's and are basically like a circus peanut, but in pastel colors shaped like chicks and bunnies. They are soft and sweet.

3. Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs. I'm not a big chocolate fan, but I love peanut butter and chocolate.

Honorable Mention: I have to give an honorable mention to Robin Eggs. These are my sister's favorite, and are quite good.


So there are my favorite Easter treats. Wasn't that an exciting topic. Do you feel like you know me so much better now?

What are your favorite Holiday treats?

A Dream

Pregnancy can bring on some pretty bizarre and very realistic dreams. Last night I dreamt the twins were boys. Their names were Evan and Thomas. Many women say they dream about their babies, but I hadn't yet. Evan means Young Warrior and Thomas means Twin.

It was a very strange dream.

The Great Name Debate

We are having a terrible time agreeing on names. We usually end up making up corny combinations. P. gets mad at us when we do this. But his only contribution to the debate has been the name Aaron. As my dh has recently blogged, we have both chosen unusual screen names and have a preference for unusual names. I took my screen name from an obscure series of fantasy by E.R. Eddison. It has been my online identity for five or six years. My first online identity was Thursday. I got it from The Man Who was Thursday by Chesterton. I used it in chat rooms on Excite, but I lost it. I thought it was nicely gender neutral. I was also briefly Callay. Using a word from Jabberwocky as your screen name is a great way to meet other nerds. The first time I used it in a chat room I had at least three people quote parts or all of the poem. When I joined Pogo, I chose another name from Eddison, so there I am Campaspe4. But of late I have stuck to fiorinda. My memory isn't good enough to remember so many names.

Our children were both named for family members. P was named for his father's favorite Uncle. His middle name was chosen because it was the favorite boy name of both of us. I agreed to the first name because it is the name of my favorite singer and the main character of one of my favorite books. E. was named for one of my great-grandmothers. Her first name also happened to be our favorite girl name. But we call her by her middle name because her first name is very common(also my g-grandmother was called by her middle name).

So this time around, we've got nothing. For me, the meaning of the names is very important. My children's names mean Humble Defender of Mankind and Princess Pleasant or Lady Living Light. We're working on the pleasant part, we've got the princess part down pat.

So here are the girl names I've picked so far. Feel free to leave comments on which you like or add some. We need help! I'll do boy names another time.

Carolyn
Clara
Constance
Eleanor
Eliana
Elisabeth(as a middle name)
Esther or Estelle
Jane
Laura
Lillian
Lucy
Mary, Marilla, Mariah-(this is a name I would choose to honor my long-time friend Mary Jo, since it means bitter :))
Mercy
Millicent(call her Millie)
Naomi
Rachel
Ruth
Tallis
Verity
Violet(maybe call her Lettie)

The only combos I've come up with are Lillian Jane, Eliana Ruth, Clara Beth.

So please feel free to leave your 2 cents. Dh isn't overly fond of any of these names, but he hasn't had any better suggestions.

Some sad news for Atlanta book lovers

Last night my husband broke the news. The Goodwill book sale is no more. While this news may not be devasting to most of my readers, it is very sad for us. It has been an important pilgrimage for splitcat and myself since our marriage in 1995. Since it usually occurred about the same time as our anniversary, we had a good excuse for spending money on books. In recent years it has been held two to three times a year, and we have tried to attend at least once a year. Fortunately I have a thrift store and a Goodwill not too far my house. But it is not the same. I will miss our annual pilgrimage very much, as it was a time for splitcat and I to be truly ourselves, getting lost amid stacks of books, then sitting in a corner revealing our finds, counting up the cost, and removing the less intriguing books. I owe most of my science fiction and needlework collections to the book sale. It will be missed.

A Proud Mother Moment

Since splitcat reminded me I said I'd blog about this, I figured I'd better. As you may know, we have recently begun having family movie night. This has been really fun for all. I get the most fun out of watching my children's responses. My favorite so far was when during the ending chase scene of The Incredibles, P. stands up and starts shouting, "They need to call the Police, why don't they call the Police?"

Due to various circumstances, we did not have a movie night for some time. So a week or so ago P. devised his own movie fun night. I was in the recliner trying not to throw up and/or sleeping, but I noticed that he was putting a lot of effort into what he was doing. There was much scribbling and muttering at the play table. I saw splitcat go over and sit for a few minutes, then he returned to whatever he was doing. P. then came and got me out of the chair and told me it was time for Movie Fun night. He directed me to a large pillow on the floor and informed me that E. had to sit in my lap. Once we were all settled, the movie began. My movie was about zoo animals. The narrator tended to mumble, so I didn't hear much of the story, but it was accompanied by appropriate pictures. He had colored about ten pages or so and showed them one at a time as he told the story. When I asked splitcat about his experience, he was shown a movie about dinosaurs(with different pictures than my show). P. had created two separate movies for our entertainment.

I was very proud that he had devised his own entertainment. I have always hoped to have children with good imaginations.

Crochet-o-rama

I've been meaning to post these pics for awhile. This is a poncho I made for a lady at church. She had some really beautiful very heavily beaded jeans she bought on a trip to Rome(Italy, not GA) and wanted a long poncho, so I came up with this. She is about half my size, so it is much longer on her. I made up the pattern as I went along. With the help of a friend(hi Lindsey!) I found a really cool yarn that was cashmere and microfiber(and something else I can't remember) that was the same pink that the jeans had been washed in. Then we found a beautiful and funky eyelash yarn that had all the colors that were in the beads on the jeans( that's the fuzzy stuff you see in the picture). I also had it on the wrong way, the seam should be on my other shoulder, but I was running late for church that day and was in a hurry. But you get the basic idea. It took me over three hours to knot all the fringe(or it would unravel). It was fun to make. I will post pictures of the one I made my sister another time. I need to get the chilren's ready to go to the grandparents and me ready to go to the dr. I'll let you know how my visit goes.



PS. Everything went well at my dr. visit. the midwife couldn't find the heartbeats so we used the ultrasound. they were both still there, about twice as big as last time. One of them put on a show for us, kicking its legs and waving its arms. They were both pretty active. My next formal ultrasound will be in 5 weeks. I feel much better knowing that everyone is growing like they are supposed to. I was pleased that I had only gained 7 pounds in the last six weeks, and the nurse thought I was crazy(since the ideal is 3-5 pounds) until I told her it was twins and that I had been eating every two hours for the last month. Then she understood why I thought that was good. Only 6 months to go!

Sunday thoughts

It snowed today. It didn't stick or anything, but it was very relaxing to lay in bed with the kids and watch. Poor dh was in the kitchen dealing with an ant invasion. It's been awhile since the last invasion, but it has rained alot lately, which is when they like to storm the castle. During the hurricanes last year, we had five separate forces invade the kitchen and dining room. But they did not prevail.

I missed church again today. If church was at about 1:00 it would be alot easier for me to make it. I did manage to get out for a couple of hours late this afternoon. But I am finding myself more and more willing to just stay comfortably at home. This makes splitcat happy as that means I am not out shopping.


I am, however, losing my powers of concentration. I went to starbucks last week and wanted a decaf mocha frappucino. But I walked in, looked at the menu board, and went totally blank. I had no clue what the drink I wanted was called. The nice lady behind the counter helped me through. No one told me that this would happen when I was pregnant with P. I was finishing up my BA degree. I took a class on mystery writers during my first trimester, my professor was also my boss and had a lot of mercy on me, as she had seen me sitting at my desk trying not to throw up while I did schedule builders, answered stupid questions, and taught the phd's how to use the copy machine. I can't remember if I took any other classes. I remember that one because it really got me into reading mysteries(Agatha Christie rocks!). My final semester in college I had to take French 4. I needed a D to graduate. At this point my brain was total mush. I was lucky if I remembered my name in English. My teacher didn't understand why I wasn't doing as well as I had the first time I was in one of his classes. But how do you explain to a man whose wife had never been pregnant and does not speak English as his native language that your brain is mush, and all you want to do is graduate. I managed somehow to get a B. I did not go to graduation. It was on Dec. 18, P. was born on Jan. 12. People always asked me what I wanted to do when I graduated, and I would tell them, have a baby. I'm glad my plan worked!. The worst thing I discovered in my first pregnancy, was that I could not read anything longer than a magazine article. I have been known to read ten to twenty books in a week. I couldn't believe that I couldn't read. My dh even bought me a set of new books, but I couldn't read them. I felt so guilty. I eventually regained my power of reading. And then experienced the same thing with E. It has already begun again. Which is probably why I am boring you right this instant. I've got to fill my time up with something. I taught myself how to crochet and tat when I was preg. with E. I haven't found my time filler for this pregnancy yet. So far it is to sleep. and then sleep some more, if I can find some time between eating every two hours. I am sure that more reminiscing is sure to follow in the ensuing months. so stay tuned.

Can you get this out for me?

E. came up to me a few moments ago as I was catching up with my internet life and said, "Can you get my fruit snacks out for me?" Puzzled, I turned to her and was presented with three blue Lego Duplo blocks. Each hole on the bottom side had been stuffed with a fruit snack. The use of a Cro-tat hook quickly remedied the situation. A trip to the bathroom to put water in a sippy cup revealed a sink lined with upside down Lego bricks filled with water. This is apparently not the first time they have been used for food storage.

I think the shock of having twins is wearing off, for me at least. Now I am more concerned with keeping us all alive and healthy. Being pregnant with one is hard enough when you are trying not to worry, now there are two little beings dependent on my body for their care and upkeep. My next dr. visit is on Valentine's day, hopefully we will be able to hear/see two strong heartbeats. I continue to have pretty bad morning/noon/night sickness. The medication helps, but also leaves me very sleepy and very cranky.

My sister took pity on me and took E. the other night so I could take P. to his 5-yr checkup without being distracted. He's doing fine. My pediatrician opened a new office much further from my house, so I have to switch over to the other doctors in the practice. Fortunately, they are all very good.

Well, I'd better go finish my internetting before the motion sickness hits. Just wanted to let everyone know I am surviving.

TWINS????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????????

In case you weren't paying attention.....we are having twins!!??!!

Hysterical laughter seems to be the reaction of the day. No, twins don't run in either family. I told P. we were having two babies, "like twins?" he asked. Despite the confirming pictures and my own eyes watching two little tiny heartbeats, It is still unreal. It will probably still be unreal when we pack them off to college.

For the girls(who like all the technical info) they measure at 7 weeks 4 days, and they both had a heart rate of 169. I get to have lots of ultrasounds and lots of dr. visits. woohoo.

I have been really, really nauseous all week. Today they gave me a prescription for the good stuff. Unfortunately it is really really expensive (with insurance I have to pay $35 for 4 pills, you don't want to know how much it costs w/o ins.) So I will post as often as I can. Surfing the net and playing games make me get motion sick while I am pregnant. Splitcat's feeling a little nauseous now, too.

So we appreciate any prayers anyone wants to send our way.

Things to consider

When you decide you want children:

One day you have to teach them how to put on socks.

The Birthday Boy

Today is the boy's fifth birthday. He can now do anything because he is five. He asked if he was taller and if he could run fast like his cousin H. It has been a more exciting day than even Christmas. His mother feels a little guilty over not planning a big party for this auspicious occasion. She is not feeling quite up to partying or cleaning her house. However, he just left with his father to go miniature golfing and to toys-r-us to possibly get a big wheel. His very patient Aunt recently taught him to pedal. (Apparently he needed to pretend he was marching.) Tomorrow we wil go to my parents for pizza and party, and Sunday we will go to splitcat's parents for more food and partying. He also got to be leader at school today and take cupcakes and a show-n-tell. So he is not being deprived by any means.

I am very glad we have all made it this far. P. has changed so much in the past year. He has left many of his fears behind and is struggling to figure out exactly what it means to be a big boy. He has learned to articulate his thoughts and ask many many many questions on the nature of life and God. He told me last night that he wants to be an artist so he can make things, like God does. He is much like his father, astonishing me with the depths of his insights. I am looking forward to watching this little guy get bigger and bigger. I try not to be one of those parents who don't want their children to grow up. I enjoy(for the most part) every new stage of life. Like when I read, I can't wait to find out what happens next.

Some News

Guess what!!! The Chintzibob family will be adding child #3 in September. Woohoo. No, really, I mean it. We are both excited, we had about resigned ourselves to 2. But God apparently wanted us to have more. We would appreciate any prayers anyone wanted to send our way. It is still early, and we considered not telling for awhile, but I feel like I'm lying if I don't tell. So we broke the news to our families tonight.


So far no morning sickness, which is good, but plenty of other symptoms. So I'm trying to figure out what all I should try to get done before it hits. With P. it was manageable, with E. I spent five months on the couch. So far I feel alot like I did with P. I will go ahead and confess to hoping for another girl. Especially since its nearest sibling is a girl. But of course I will be just as happy if it's a boy.

So, I just wanted to share the news!!

Requiem for a Car

Last Friday my car died. We assumed it was fixable, after all, this was our "good" car. As I cleaned out several layers of clothes/toys/dead chicken nuggets, I felt as though I was saying a final farewell. On Monday we received the sad news that is would take several thousand dollars to repair. We opted to let it go peacefully to car heaven. When my sone asked me where our car was yesterday, I had a senior moment and told him it died. He cried, very loudly, in my front yard. I told him daddy was buying us a new car, and it was silver. "But I want the blue car" he wailed, very loudly, in my front yard. Then he remembered his stickers on the windows. As I was buckling him in my borrowed car he said, "did my stickers die, too?" Unfortunately, I understand how he feels. It wasn't so much the car, but the memories, bringing home my children from the hospital, taking them to the emergency room. But, on the other hand........


I"VE GOT A BRAND NEW CAR!!!!!!!!!

It looks basically like this . We got a fresh off the truck '06 Corolla. When splitcat pulled into our driveway it had 15 miles on it. Neither of us has ever had a new car before. It is a little surreal. But wonderful. We can go on trips again. We'll just have to all sleep in the car.

Landon Snow and the Auctor's Riddle

Landon Snow and the Auctor’s Riddle by R.K. Mortenson is this month’s selection for the Christian Fiction Blogging Alliance. I have been looking forward to reading this novel because I have a great affection for children’s literature. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I have not read much Christian literature for children outside of George MacDonald and C.S. Lewis. Was I going to be preached at? Was I going to read a “Christian” Harry Potter knock-off? I was more than pleasantly surprised when I discovered that Landon Snow is none of the above. It is more akin to Alice in Wonderland, or perhaps even Phantastes. And in my book, that is a very good thing. While I was reminded in various places of books I have read before, I never felt that I was reading an imitation. And I was delighted when certain phrases leapt off the page at me, clamoring for attention, because they were fraught with meaning.
This book does what has become unusual in much fiction. It makes you use (dare I say it?) your imagination. When Landon falls into the Book of Meanings to search for the answer to the Auctor’s Riddle, he must learn that not every question has an answer, but every question has a meaning. He must come to the understanding that nothing is chance and that the hand of God guides the beautiful order of the universe.
I believe that the gift of Understanding is an important one for the next few generations, as the world becomes a stranger and darker place. Landon Snow guides the next generation closer to the knowledge and understanding of how truly awesome is the Creator.
I am loathe to part with this novel before I read it again, but I really want to let my nephews, ages 8 and 10, read it to get their response. I am often asked to recommend books, and it is a relief to find an intelligent and imaginative work of fiction to recommend to the tween audience. I believe the next installment is due out this spring, and I will definitely be adding it to my collection of young adult and children’s literature. I can’t wait for my children to be old enough to enjoy this novel because I will know that not only are they safe with Landon Snow, but they will also be brought closer to their Auctor.

Comes a Horseman

Hello All. In the interest of having something to write about besides my frequent trips to the doctor or e.r., I will now be occasionally reviewing new books by Christian authors. As some of you know, and the rest of you don't, I am attempting to complete a novel. This journey has led me to some interesting places and has allowed me to meet some new and nifty people. Part of this journey has been an exploration of the Christian book market.

I was very turned off in my teen years by Christian novels because the market was dominated by romance fiction. Now, I'm all for romance, but it can get old in novel form, kind of like Nancy Drew(read one, you've read them all). I ate up the early Frank Peretti's because they were new and different. But there wasn't much else out there in the Christian book world that I wanted to read. So I kind of gave up on it. I worked at a Christian bookstore in college. I can't recall any book from that time that made me want to read what I was selling. I'm sure there were some good books out there, but I had no way of knowing which ones were worth the money.

So, back to the present....In researching my market(since I am writing Christian fiction) I have discovered a whole new world of Christian fiction, and frankly, I'm kind of excited about it. While there is still plenty out there for the romance fans, there are many more authors trying to make the Christian book market a more diverse place.

Hanging out at sites for Christian writers has given me a new perspective. It also lets me know what or who I should be reading. This month's buzz is for Comes a Horseman by Robert Liparulo . It is about a pair of FBI agents on the trail of a conspiracy involving the Anti-christ. Now I know what you are thinking(especially you, splitcat), that does sound formulaic, but after reading the Amazon reviews I think I must read it. Generally, I don't pay much attention to the hype that the publisher provides, they obviously want the book to sell. However, if someone takes the time to write a review, they must have liked it. It apparently is in the top 100 bestselling thrillers on Amazon, and seems to be one of those rare books that lives on the boundary line between Christian and secular, appealing to a wide variety of people. Apparently, the movie rights have also been sold recently. The brief excerpt I read on Mr. Liparulo's website definitely made me want to read more. Once I've actually read the book, I will let you know what I think. It would make me very happy to find more Christian authors to enjoy.

I must say that it is encouraging to know that Christian fiction, as well as fiction by Christian authors(yes, there is a difference) is making itself known to the rest of the world.

A quiz

Quiz results of Which Classic Story Role do You Play:


- You Are The Outlaw
"Sure, I'll do it. My
way."

Just because you do not conform to the same laws
and rules as everyone else does not mean that
you are a bad guy. You travel your own path,
separate from those around you, with your own
reasons for doing what you do. Because of this
and your own nature, it goes without saying
that you are generally misunderstood. That does
not matter much, though, as people love you for
being who you are. You are pretty well set in
your ways and have no real intention of
changing. This can come across as a flicker of
arrogance if your not careful. You do what is
right for you, and God help anyone who stands
in your way.

Which Classic Story Role Do You Play?

Stuff

First I'd like to give a shout out to Lindsey for helping me today. Due to her help I have been able to sort through a box of paper from my past. I stumbled across quite a bit of poetry I wrote in High School. I was going to post some of it, but its really bad. I went through a phase of writing silly poetry. I may post some in the future, if I'm bored. But then I came across a poem I wrote a few years ago that is one of my favorites. So even if you think it's no good, I like it, so there.

In the middle of it all
Under cloudy trees and bluish skies
In medias res
On the sea green grass
The wind stirs and sighs and heaves
And the sun shines brightly in its heavens
And I sit with my back against the rough bark
Of some unknown tree
That stretches skyward without bending or swaying
Its arms stretching to encompass the earth
In its far reaching embrace.

I watch the world from this vantage point
Wondering and waiting
Sheltered from any storms that fill the sky
With purple clouds and gray rains.

I often sit and think about the tree behind me
I have almost forgotten what it looks like
I think it has leaves of gold
And I think it’s really tall
And in the spring I feel it bleed.

Sometimes I fell like turning around
But I am comfortable and warm.
With my back turned the wind might blow
And the storms may rage
And I may find myself unprotected.

Then the winter comes
And I grow cold
And some compelling force
Turns me around
Until I am kneeling in the snow
And my tears fall like raindrops
And they warm the earth below me
And my blessed tree covers me.

I hope you enjoyed that.

Feeling Better

For those who care, I am feeling much better today. I must have had a sinus infection that was putting pressure on my very sensitive teeth and gums.

I went to a dinner for my husband's school last night. We go because it's free. I like free. Plus, I get to dress up. This year, Splitcat hosted a table, so my sister and her husband came, My grandmother, Splitcat's parents and brother, and two strangers(one was a mom of a student). This is a fundraising dinner. Last year the speaker was Oliver North. This year was Zell Miller. I was a little confused why Zell, a Democrat, was speaking. But after he spoke I understood. He was very good. He spoke on the loss of morality in today's society and how that affects schools. He supported christian education because it allowed the teaching of moral standards and general decency. He apparently got reacquainted with the Lord in recent years. He was still uncomfortable talking about his faith, but he realized how important it was to share, and not hide his light under a bush. I am fairly good at detected falseness, but he was so completely genuine, it was refreshing. It is amazing how a relationship with the Lord can change a person's life.

The food was ok. It was free. A former student gave a testimony and sang. It was really beautiful. So, a nice time was had by all. And Splitcat and I had our pictures made with Zell. With my heels on, I was taller than both of them.

Guess where I went today...

If you are a faithful reader, you'll know. Yes, I went to the emergency room. Except this time it was for myself. I started having an excruciating ache in my upper jaw yesterday. Normally I can take some pain reliever and it's ok. And that worked the first time. But shortly after going to bed, it wore off. My mouth started throbbing so I got back up out of bed and took some more medicine. This time it didn't help. So I was up all night. I found some boots I want and got to watch Bend it like Beckham. But mostly I tried to refrain from hysterics. The pain would occasionally subside, then come throbbing back worse than ever. By this morning I was in tears everytime the pain started up. Since I have a pretty high level of pain tolerance, and it was reducing me to tears, I decided I better go to the er. They weren't terribly helpful. Their best guess was an infection of some sort. Which was my guess, since the pain is above where I had extensive dental work done last winter. So they gave me an antibiotic and some percoset, which has me pleasantly giddy and 97% pain free, so if my writing seems strange, that's why. Soon I will be blissfully asleep. If I still have pain in 3-5 days I need to go to the oral surgeon. So all you people who pray, please pray that I don't have to go, that this antibiotic will kill whatever the problem is. If you like creative miracles, feel free to pray for three new teeth.

In better news, I gave my husband a digital camera for his birthday, I also got a photoprinter that will be virtually free once I send in the rebates. It is a compact, 5.1 mp camera. It made him very happy. He's been snapping nature pics every chance he gets. so now I can post photos more often of different things.

Well, the eyelids are drooping. So I best be going. Peace

Tagged Again!

I've been Tagged...

1. Delve into your blog archive.
2. Find your 23rd post (or closest to).
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions. Ponder it for meaning, subtext or hidden agendas...
5. Tag five people to do the same.

Well, my last entry was my 23rd. So let's see.....

It sounded like her "P. just took something from me" scream.

Hmm, hidden agendas and subtext. I sense a sigh of resignation that my child likes to utter ear piercing, glass shattering screams with or without provocation. Obviously, P. takes her stuff pretty frequently, since that situation has its own scream. I'm not sure there is any hidden meaning to the sentence.

So... I tag......

4boydad
Splitcat Chintzibobs

I don't know anyone else who blogs.

Guess Who Can Reach the Kitchen Counter! OR Another Exciting Unplanned Visit to the Doctor

For my husband's version go here

Here is my version

It was a typical day trying to get everyone out the door to take P. to school. I issued orders to wait at the top of the stairs while I got my shoes and P. some socks. While looking frantically for the previously mentioned items, E. started screaming. Since she screams about everything, I assumed she was just mad. It sounded like her "P. just took something from me" scream. So being the loving mother that I am, the first words out of my mouth were, "P.! giver her back my purse!"(cause she was holding my purse, and now she wasn't) He handed it back to her, but she was still screaming and rubbing her eyes. As I approached the unmistakeable scent of orange cleaner wafted through the air. Sigh. Yes, she sprayed herself in the face. Later in the day I questioned both children, because I realized that P. may have done it. But E. said he didn't.

I am typically calm in an emergency situation(unless it involves vomit or roaches), so I quickly stripped her and threw her in the tub. I ran water down her face for a couple of minutes, then ran and phoned the dr. They gave me the number for poison control. The atlanta poison control people are very nice. I was relieved to hear that the cleaner she used was not caustic and would not burn. But I was told to flush her eyes for another five minutes and to call back if they didn't show signs of improvement in 30 minutes. Then the man told me how to flush her eyes.

I had to wrap her tightly in a towel and lay her in the tub. Then I had to pour tepid water over her eyes. This sounds easy. But a 36 lb 2 yr old is a formidable foe. It also didn't help that all I kept picturing in my mind as I poured water in her eyes, was a framed picture of Ophelia by John Everett Millais. This was heightened by the fact that I had kept the water running and a loose toy was preventing the water from draining. I was concentrating on keeping the water out of her nose and mouth, so I saw the water rising, but wasn't overly concerned until she suddenly starts freaking out(well, freaking out worse than she already was). I guess it hit her ears. At this point she also managed to free her legs from her towel wrap. Have you ever given a cat a bath? This was a similar experience. And it hadn't been anything like five minutes. Once I got the tub drained, she laid relatively quietly again.

I was impressed at how well she took it. She even kept her eyes open for me. So when the phone rang(the nurse at the dr. office) I decided we had all had enough. I don't ever want to do that again. Thankfully, she hasn't held it against me. But that night she kept whimpering in her sleep. I told my husband that she was probably dreaming about me drowning her.

A not very quick trip to the dr. revealed no lasting damage, but they did a cool test where they put dye in her eyes and used a black light to see if her eyes were scratched. Thankfully, they were not. A trip to McD's soothed all our souls.

Something Unusual

I stopped by church today to pick up my paycheck. As I was walking up the sidewalk I saw a large green and black bristly object. I figured some little girl had lost her hairbrush. As I got closer it began to move. Here is what I saw:

I Had to get the ladies in the office to look at it so I wouldn't think I was hallucinating. It was HUGE! A quick google told me that it is a Hickory Horned Devil. It turns into a moth. A very large moth. Here is the site I got the pictures from http://www.hilarynelson.com/Hobbies/Bugs/HickoryHornedDevilCaterpillar/

He's got some more pics.

That was my excitement for the day.