in a nutshell...

I did it. I took my break but now, I'm back. The last 2 weeks were busy and eventful. As I was writing my last post on 12/23 I made it short as I had a lot of things to take care of. I didn't want to be "busy" on Christmas Eve trying to get things organized, food ready, etc.... I got a lot done that night, got up early the next morning and got ready right away (instead of my usual when we don't have to be somewhere in the morning...). DD3 woke up and for the 5th day in a row, vomited. I decided it was time to take her in. The doctor decided it was time for her to STAY in. She spent 24 hours in the hospital on Christmas eve. She was a trooper and didn't take her long, once her iv was started, to get feeling better. Paperman was working and my Mom and Dad kept the other kids during that time. They might think twice now when they agree to watch 3 when I "run one to the doctor"!!! Santa with his magical wisdom still found each child where they were that night, hospital and all. My sister was sick and Paperman ended up being sick on Christmas eve also. Our celebrating was delayed a bit, but all family gatherings finally happened and we hope and pray we stay healthy the rest of the winter.

Trick or Treat...

We had a great Halloween day. The oldest girls didn't have school due to the end of the quarter, not Halloween becoming a national holiday. That may be the next major change in the country depending on who becomes our new President! :) DD3 had her costume parade and harvest party at preschool and the rest of the family got to go. What a treat seeing 45 four year olds so proud of their costumes. We got to see our neighborhood friends as they were going trick or treating then we went on a hay rack ride around the neighborhood with around 30 kids (ages 1-14) and adults. The weather was beautiful, the kids were well behaved, and Chocolate. Papa and Grandma came to our house to see the kids as we weren't sure if we could make it to theirs without some type of meltdown.

What were you doing 9 years ago?

October 28, 1999. My due date. I worked a short shift (dr's orders!), stopped at DQ for blizzards for Paperman and I then came home. We ate our ice cream (pumpkin pie for me and choc chip cookie dough for him) outside at the picnic table as it was a picture perfect fall day. We decided to go for a ride to see a friends' house he was building, back a long gravel (bumpy) lane. I guess it was bumpy enough...after we got home Paperman went hunting out back and I made supper of chicken breasts, green beans and apple crisp. Then I sat down to watch tv (I thought I remembered what show....). I felt a 'pop'. hmmm...then I thought I peed my pants, a little. (sorry) Nothing else felt different so I waited for Paperman to come back, about 1/2 hour later. He was telling me about his hunt and I kind of listened....then I told him, I think my water may have broke. So we ate supper (I paid for that later), finished packing some last minute things and headed to the hospital. On the way my contractions started. They continued to pick up but I was only feeling things in my back, nothing like I had imagined. I was around 3 cm when we got to the hospital. We got checked in, the contractions worsened, still only in my back....(from this point forward, for any of my children's births, if I say "contraction" it means BACK LABOR. I've had 4 kids, and not a single "regular" contraction....oh the things we miss out on.) I was the normal, stars in my eyes, first time Mom thinking I wanted to do a non medicated birth. That lasted a while, but I wasn't progressing much (around 6 cm at 1 am) and the only thing I was saying was "help me, help me...". I got an epidural and 20 minutes later I said I needed to push...they didn't believe me, but I did. So I pushed for about an hour and the dr came to check on me. She said she could use a vacuum to get her out now, or I could push for another 2 hours....(she had a c-section to do!). Fire up that vacuum! At 3:45 am on October 29, 1999 DD1 was born. Paperman is an awesome birth coach and maybe could become a doula if times get tough! In fact, I kept him on for the next 3 births. :) He got to call our parents, who didn't even know we were at the hospital, to tell them the news. My Dad was the first to meet DD1 as he stopped on his way to work a few hours after she was born. We brought her home on Halloween, a beautiful 80 degree day. Such a fitting beginning. I love you dd1, thank you for being part of my life and our family. You'll always be my #1 baby.

Our newest addition...

How's that title to get all you naysayers going? (HA! I knew they weren't done. It's officially fall now, when will we hear? DS needs a brother, he really does. They still have one empty seat in that van of theirs, wonder when they'll fill that up?)

His name is Joe. As in Scarecrow Joe. Every scarecrow we've ever had has been named the same. Tradition or lack of originality, I guess. In years past we've went to Michael's and picked out just the right one, to sit in the rain and fade and look too shabby to put up next year. Attempting to be frugal, creative and find something for us to do this weekend, I went to the Internet searching for instructions. I found a fun website http://www.monkeysee.com/. It's a fun how-to website, with videos for those of us that learn by seeing not just reading. Then I went to the phone and called my parents. Not that they have a lot of old shabby clothes lying around waiting for some use, but hey, my Dad's a farmer, even though he lives on 1/10 of an acre. Once a farmer, always a farmer. He grows tomatoes now instead of cows and corn! And he has overalls. The girls did a great job stuffing Joe with leaves and drawing his face. We ran into trouble as everyone wanted to do his eyes, so we "drew sharpies". Paperman and I decided the eyes would be black, nose blue, and mouth green. Then the girls picked a lid, whoever got that color, drew that facial feature. Tears avoided. Joe is now placed on a bale of straw, with pumpkins and mums at his feet at the end of our driveway. He's also covered in cayenne pepper. Zoey would love to chew him up, but the cayenne worked to keep her our of our flowers this summer and we're hoping it will prolong Joe's life. Something I realized, this scarecrow, though wearing my Dad's clothing (except for the hat and kerchief), looks NOTHING like my dad. Maybe the clothes don't really make the man after all.