So, for some time now, Ryan has had a stomachache. Not anything too major. He's still been able to jump around and express all of that "special energy" he has. But, when he is turning down ice cream, I know something is really up. So, of course, my first thought is: "He's upset about the baby." Why not, he's been the baby for so long, of course he might be having some issues with not being the baby anymore. Since I am Super-Mom, I am certain I can cure this without much problem. A day off school to spend time together, some extra snuggle time, maybe a special lunch here and there, along with reminding him that he will always be my baby BOY should've done the trick. It hasn't. Then enteres my second thought: stomach cancer. Because afterall, if it's not bad mothering that's messing him up, it has to be cancer...am I right? I looked up stomach cancer on the internet and given the fact that he is not over the age of 60 nor had a prolonged history of stomach problems I think he's probably OK. My third thought, after days of tracking at and looking at his poop (isn't motherhood glamorous) is that he is having some trouble with constipation. A little more fiber, a little more water and he's good as new. I should probably have it checked by a doctor, but what could they possibly tell me that I wouldn't already know ;-)
BTW, haven't heard anything about the house. I am guessing there are some sort of further shenanigans with the government and stuff. I think Tom Petty sang a song about the waiting is the hardest part. True dat, dawg!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Agents, and buyers, and loans...oh my!
So, here's what we've been up to: trying to buy a house. I know this information is probably upsetting to the Michigan folks who were hoping our next home purchase might be in that state. However, let me tell you about this house. It's next to one of Trisha's good friend's homes, so we knew back in October or so of 1995 that there was a druggie living there who had been arrested and that the house had been seized. Great! So, we looked into how we might purchase the house on Sheriff's sale. Of course, we found out that to buy a house a Sheriff's sale, you have to come up with the entire amount of the sale within a week of the auction. I'm sorry to say we were a few dollars shy of the needed $290,000. So, we thought it was our tough luck and someone else would get the house. Fortunately, however, no one bought it at the Sheriff's sale in April, 2006. Since then, apparently, the federal government and the bank have been haggling over who gets to sell it. Monday it went on the market. When we went in to see the house, there were three other people there at the same time. When we put our offer in at 10:30 this morning, our was the 15th offer. To be competitive, we overbid and we dropped the contigency of having to sell our current house first. Even still, I think it's a long shot that we will get this house. Which is a bummer. It's a huge house with a den that could be a bedroom for Jaden and a large first floor laundry which could easily be converted into a bathroom for Jaden. The kids would get to go to the same elementary school. It has a flat driveway. It's really perfect and I'm hoping and praying for some sort of strange miracle. (Like all bids over ours just happen to get misplaced or something). I think we should know something tomorrow or Thursday. If it's God's will... I also have to plug Beth Mastro here. She's a totally kick-butt agent and I highly recommend!
In the meantime, we have been busiing ourselves by trying to get our house ready to sell. Allow me to just say that it is amazing how much junk a family of 6 can collect. IN fact, it was so much we decided to have a junk person come and haul it away. You know the kind with the ad that says something like:"Will haul anything away but your mother-in-law". SO, Rob spent the day gathering all of the trash and putting it on the bottom of the driveway. I can only imagine what our neighbor must have been thinking. When the guy whose job it is is to deal with trash gets here, he says, without provocation might I add, "I've seen worse." I almost doubt that. Glad to have it all gone, though...whether we move or not.
In the meantime, we have been busiing ourselves by trying to get our house ready to sell. Allow me to just say that it is amazing how much junk a family of 6 can collect. IN fact, it was so much we decided to have a junk person come and haul it away. You know the kind with the ad that says something like:"Will haul anything away but your mother-in-law". SO, Rob spent the day gathering all of the trash and putting it on the bottom of the driveway. I can only imagine what our neighbor must have been thinking. When the guy whose job it is is to deal with trash gets here, he says, without provocation might I add, "I've seen worse." I almost doubt that. Glad to have it all gone, though...whether we move or not.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
I have an announcement to make:
I hate winter. And, my next house WILL, I repeat WILL, have a flat driveway.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
2nd trimester ultrasound
Truly, nothing had been able to strike fear in my heart lately than those words. I do not remember being that nervous for Ryan. Could be becasue I've had bad news at an ultrasound; could also be because as I get older, I hear more and more terrible stories. At any rate, prior to mine, I had myself worked up into quite a tizzy, certain that something was going to be wrong with this baby. I was able to calm myslef down a bit, because since that time in 1997 when my world crashed while lying on a table with blue gel all over my stomach, I have learned a few things:
1) A 20 week ultrasound isn't a guarantee. Just because a baby looks good on a scan, or even looks good after birth means nothing. Heck, the CDC just came out with staitistics that 1 in 150 kids will have autism. That's way higher than the rate for Spina Bifida and even higher than my person rate for Down's Syndrome, even with my advanced maternal age, and there is no test in the world that can predict whether or not my child will have autism. It's a very scary prospect, but there are no guarantees. There is no way to know what the future will hold for this child. I know that each of the days ordained for it were written in GOd's book of life before one of them came to be, (Pslam 136) and that gives me some comfort, actually.
2) All of my kids, if they live on this planet and they are human (which they are) will suffer at one point or another. It's simply part of the human experience here on earth. Part of the reason no one wants their child to be born "unhealthy" is that we don't want them to suffer. And, sure most of our parenting is spent, wisely, in keeping them from unneccessary suffering. We tell them not to run with scissors, or play in the street, or touch the hot stove, etc, etc and those things are great. But, as much as we might try to prevent it, they will have pain. And, I am not so sure that it is a bad thing that my children have seen through Jaden's struggles and illnesses that life is not 100% perfect, 100% of the time. Maybe they won't be so shocked when they are adults and something doesn't work out quite as they had planned.
3) There is great value in a child with a disability/illness. Before having a child with a disability, I am not sure I believed this deep down. But, to me, Jaden is a daily word picture if you will of my relationship with God. Afterall, the cross already told me that all of us are diabled. It's just that I can fluff up my hair, put on some lipstick and my not-so-fat pants and hide mine pretty well. Jaden's major disability is unhideable. And, so is mine...in the eyes of God. Sure, caring for Jaden can get tiring. Afterall, there are many things my other 9 year olds can do, that Jaden can not. But, I don't hold his neediness against him, because he is my child and I love him. In the same way, God does not hold my neediness against me, becasue I am His child and He loves me.
4) Our children are really God's first. I get to join Him in the miracle of creation, but really this kiddo was HIs idea before it was mine. (Psalm136). I think of my friends who gave birth to a son with Trisomy 18 in November. He wasn't supposed to live more than 3 days, and he's now 3 months old. About a month ago, it really looked like it might be tht end of his life, so we gathered a group around them, and prayed for them. After we prayed, do you know what my friend did? She passed her son around so we all could hold him. On what could very well ahve been his last minutes on earth, she passed her son around. Now, there is someone who knows that her child is God's before it is her's and it's a really cool thing to watch.
So, after thinking through all of this, I was able to calm down. And, as it turns out we had a good scan. Although our newest daughter was not being very cooperative, it does look, so far, like everything is OK.
1) A 20 week ultrasound isn't a guarantee. Just because a baby looks good on a scan, or even looks good after birth means nothing. Heck, the CDC just came out with staitistics that 1 in 150 kids will have autism. That's way higher than the rate for Spina Bifida and even higher than my person rate for Down's Syndrome, even with my advanced maternal age, and there is no test in the world that can predict whether or not my child will have autism. It's a very scary prospect, but there are no guarantees. There is no way to know what the future will hold for this child. I know that each of the days ordained for it were written in GOd's book of life before one of them came to be, (Pslam 136) and that gives me some comfort, actually.
2) All of my kids, if they live on this planet and they are human (which they are) will suffer at one point or another. It's simply part of the human experience here on earth. Part of the reason no one wants their child to be born "unhealthy" is that we don't want them to suffer. And, sure most of our parenting is spent, wisely, in keeping them from unneccessary suffering. We tell them not to run with scissors, or play in the street, or touch the hot stove, etc, etc and those things are great. But, as much as we might try to prevent it, they will have pain. And, I am not so sure that it is a bad thing that my children have seen through Jaden's struggles and illnesses that life is not 100% perfect, 100% of the time. Maybe they won't be so shocked when they are adults and something doesn't work out quite as they had planned.
3) There is great value in a child with a disability/illness. Before having a child with a disability, I am not sure I believed this deep down. But, to me, Jaden is a daily word picture if you will of my relationship with God. Afterall, the cross already told me that all of us are diabled. It's just that I can fluff up my hair, put on some lipstick and my not-so-fat pants and hide mine pretty well. Jaden's major disability is unhideable. And, so is mine...in the eyes of God. Sure, caring for Jaden can get tiring. Afterall, there are many things my other 9 year olds can do, that Jaden can not. But, I don't hold his neediness against him, because he is my child and I love him. In the same way, God does not hold my neediness against me, becasue I am His child and He loves me.
4) Our children are really God's first. I get to join Him in the miracle of creation, but really this kiddo was HIs idea before it was mine. (Psalm136). I think of my friends who gave birth to a son with Trisomy 18 in November. He wasn't supposed to live more than 3 days, and he's now 3 months old. About a month ago, it really looked like it might be tht end of his life, so we gathered a group around them, and prayed for them. After we prayed, do you know what my friend did? She passed her son around so we all could hold him. On what could very well ahve been his last minutes on earth, she passed her son around. Now, there is someone who knows that her child is God's before it is her's and it's a really cool thing to watch.
So, after thinking through all of this, I was able to calm down. And, as it turns out we had a good scan. Although our newest daughter was not being very cooperative, it does look, so far, like everything is OK.
Friday, February 02, 2007
The Irony of Life
Some people find it amusing...I do not.
For example, yesterday morning I had the opportunity to appear in front of the fine magistrate of Mt. Lebanon, to plead my case to have a speeding ticket overturned. I told him about how I was a very safe driver and that my last speeding ticket was 14 years ago. I told him about how I was a mom hurrying to get home so I could beat the kids off the school bus, etc. etc. It must have worked, because he was merciful and gave me a non-points ticket with a fine of about $80 less than the original. Hooray!
Here comes the irony: I am truly no more than 3 blocks from the courthouse when I see in my rearview another #@&! cop with his lights blinking. Apparently, I was going 37 in a 15. Yes, even though it was past 9 am, this area was still considered a school zone, thus not the regular 35 speed limit. Perhaps I should think it funny that this ticket is the exact same amount over as the previous ticket. Perhaps I should think it funny that I just got done telling the judge what a good driver I was and how much I valued children, only to get caught speeding in a school zone. Perhaps...
For example, yesterday morning I had the opportunity to appear in front of the fine magistrate of Mt. Lebanon, to plead my case to have a speeding ticket overturned. I told him about how I was a very safe driver and that my last speeding ticket was 14 years ago. I told him about how I was a mom hurrying to get home so I could beat the kids off the school bus, etc. etc. It must have worked, because he was merciful and gave me a non-points ticket with a fine of about $80 less than the original. Hooray!
Here comes the irony: I am truly no more than 3 blocks from the courthouse when I see in my rearview another #@&! cop with his lights blinking. Apparently, I was going 37 in a 15. Yes, even though it was past 9 am, this area was still considered a school zone, thus not the regular 35 speed limit. Perhaps I should think it funny that this ticket is the exact same amount over as the previous ticket. Perhaps I should think it funny that I just got done telling the judge what a good driver I was and how much I valued children, only to get caught speeding in a school zone. Perhaps...
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