Rambling Update

Well, I had a second ultrasound today and it looks like that I will get to avoid having a D&C. I'm very happy about that because I really didn't want to have one unless it was very necessary. My doctor said that it looks like I have a couple days to go before I am totally finished miscarrying. I was a little concerned because it seemed like things had "stalled" and I was worrying that if I didn't finish on my own that I would have to go in for surgery. However, my doctor said it's looking good and she doesn't foresee any problems. Whew!

I'm tired, I'm on pain meds, and I'm feeling a little floaty-headed from the Vicoden but other than that I'm pretty okay. I made dinner, I recorded and put away the curriculum that arrived in the mail a couple of days ago, and I folded a couple of loads of laundry. The kids and I are watching The Muppet Movie (Jim fell asleep, poor guy he's been working hard these last few days trying to be mom and dad!). I'm taking a quick break from the movie to write this post. I just put Abby to bed after nursing her. Which, by the way, really makes the cramping more intense but I'm sure is actually helping the process along in a very good way!

I think the Vicoden is making me ramble on here. I know it's making it hard to type!! All of a sudden my mind just went blank so I guess I better get back to the Muppet Movie! :-)

Oh. I just remembered what I was planning to say. On the way to the doctor's office this afternoon, the radio was playing Let My Lifesong Sing. After that song they played My Savior, My God. It was so cool! I love both of those songs and I've posted about both of them and I have videos of both of them in my sidebar. Isn't it fun to see God in the little details!?!?

Sad news...

Well, I'm feeling well enough at the moment to get online and post a little update. I'm sorry to be sharing sad news but I am in the midst of a miscarriage. The miscarriage began in earnest Wednesday (yesterday) afternoon and it continues still. I've never been though this before so I'm uncertain about how long to let things go naturally before I consent to a D&C. We're kind of winging it at this point but I am getting some good advice from friends who have been there.

Apparently this baby's purpose was not to live in this world. His/her short presence in my life certainly came and blessed me during a difficult time in my life and perhaps that was the baby's purpose all along. Maybe I'll never really get to see God's plan and purpose in this situation but it is enough for me to know that God DOES have a plan and a purpose and I have every hope in that. I see His hand all the time even from my limited vantage point.

I have to refer to a really great song that I posted about recently. Here's the first stanza of that song:

I am not skilled to understand
What God hath willed, what God hath planned;
I only know that at His right hand
Is One Who is my Savior!

Isn't that such a great thing? He is my Saviour. His grace is sufficient. He is in control. He has a plan. He knows where He wants me to be and He knows how to get me there. All I have to do is trust Him. He'll take care of the rest. That's awesome!

A word of advice

Whether or not you need to hear this, I'm going to say it.

When you are pregnant with baby #5 and you are drinking a lot of water and you have a little bit of cold that causes you to sneeze every once in a while, it's really not a good idea (even though you may be sick of going) to put off going to the bathroom. I'm just saying...

Menu Plan Monday

I've decided to join in with Menu Plan Monday's hosted by I'm An Organizing Junkie.




Monday: Sub Sandwiches & Melon
Tuesday: Crock-Pot Chili & Cornbread
Wednesday: Baked Potato Bar & Chili
Thursday: Porcupine Meatballs & Mashed Potatoes
Friday: Homemade Pizza

Go to I'm An Organizing Junkie to see more menus posted!

Marie Callendar's Famous Golden Cornbread

I can't remember where I found this copycat recipe but it was online somewhere...

1-1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1-1/4 cup milk
1 egg

Combine flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Cream together the sugar and shortening. Add milk and egg. Mix. Gradually add in the dry ingredients. Pour batter into a greased 8x8-inch pan. Bake at 400* for 25-30 minutes or until top is turning golden brown. Let cool slightly before slicing.

Honey Butter:
Whip 1/2 c. softened butter and 1/3 c. honey together until smooth and fluffy.

Porcupine Meatballs - easy

1 lb. hamburger
1/2 cup instant rice
small onion, chopped
1 egg
1 tsp. granulated garlic
salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Form into 1-inch balls. Place in a casserole or baking dish. Cover with sauce.

Sauce:

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet gravy mix (mushroom, onion, or brown)
1-1/2 cups water

Mix and pour over meatballs. Cover dish and bake at 350* for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake 15 minutes more.

Serves about 4.

NOTE: I usually have these meatballs pre-made and in the freezer (I freeze them on a cookie sheet and transfer them to a zip bag). I dump the frozen meatballs into a baking dish, add the sauce and cook as usual. I may add about 10 minutes to the cooking time.

Favorite (F)oto Friday: Adam

My Visual DNA

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Three Things Thursday

More on the March food theme...

Strangest things I've ever eaten:

1.) Squid soup (in Taiwan, I didn't like it)

2.) Raw beef paté (in Belgium, I didn't know what I was eating. Ew!)

3.) Sushi Lover's Pizza (Hong Kong Pizza Hut) Okay, I didn't eat it, but it was on the menu!

OB Appointment #1 & Nausea

I don't want to tempt fate, but since I don't really believe in that sort of thing I'll just go ahead. For all of my former pregnancies I have been super sick to severely sick. This pregnancy (so far) not so much. I get to feeling a bit queasy sometimes when I haven't have enough food recently or when I haven't had enough protein, but it's been SO manageable! At this point last pregnancy I was having debilitating sickness. I couldn't get out of bed and I was miserable and depressed. Of course, instead of being thankful, I find myself looking the gift horse in the mouth and worrying that everything isn't okay! Silly, I know! Maybe my really sick time is still coming and maybe, just maybe, I'll escape it this time. That would be so wonderful. The only bad thing about avoiding the sickness is that I'm missing out on the initial weight loss that I usually experience. That sure comes in handy toward the end of the pregnancy. Maybe I concentrate too much on those numbers.

My first ob. appt. was:

March 8, 2007 - 1:10 pm - Julie Stevens, CNRP
7 weeks, 4 days

Weight: XXX (Ha! I'm not telling this time either!)
Blood Pressure: 104/78
Baby's Heartrate: 162
Bloodtest: No results yet except that my thyroid levels are "within normal limits". I'm praying that there will be no anti-C antigen detected in my bloodwork this time. The anti-c antigen problem is hard to describe and I haven't been able to find a simple explanation online. Basically it's similar to an Rh factor problem. Last time it was detected and made my doctor want to check my blood at EVERY VISIT (which I just love). It never ended up being a problem but it was just something she wanted to keep an eye on. Eventually it was no longer detectable in my blood and enough time passed that she wasn't worried anymore. If anti-c DOES become a problem it means that the mother's body recognizes the baby as a foreign object and attacks it! Freaky! Anyway, I'm praying that it doesn't even come up this time.

WARNING - Possible TMI (too much information) ahead:

I had an ultrasound to date the pregnancy. We really couldn't determine a due date based on my cycle because I've only had 2 semi-regular cycles since Abby was born. One at the end of November and one at the beginning of January. (Breastfeeding is awesome!) So for lack of that kind of information I got to have an ultrasound and see the little blur they say is the baby. :-)

The next appointment was to be in 4 weeks but I made it 5 weeks. Because I'm obstinate.

You've got questions? I've got answers.

Well fine. Nobody wants to play and guess. Waa, Waa, Waa! J I'll tell you the reason I recently heard the phrase Advanced Maternal Age...

I'm nine weeks pregnant with baby #5! He/She is due to arrive October 21, 2007. We are very excited. I must say when I told my mother, she used my first AND middle names! I'm not sure what to think about that. J Using the middle name usually means someone is in trouble... K

Time keeps marching on

UPDATED to say: I'm making this a sticky post that will stay at the top until someone makes a guess. (Someone who doesn't already know the answer that is!)
*****************************************

Anybody want to guess why I've recently heard the phrase "Advanced Maternal Age" in reference to myself??

As For Me, I say PHOOEY! to AMA.

Girl Scout Cookies

'Tis the season...

My favorite, of course, is THIN MINTS. Oh yeah.

Meet the cookies

Which is your favorite Girl Scout Cookie?
	Thin Mints
	Do-Si-Dos® or Peanut Butter Sandwich
	Trefoils or Shortbread
	Tagalongs® or Peanut Butter Patties
	Samoas® or Caramel deLites
	All Abouts
	Thanks-A-Lot
	Cafe Cookies
	Little Brownies
	Lemonades
View Results

Small things DO come in big packages

Thanks to KimC at Life In A Shoe I just got a great deal on copier paper. I don't know if it's still available but just in case, here are the details from her blog post:

I just bought 5,000 sheets of bright white copier paper for $16.37, delivered to my doorstep. Don't ask where I'll keep it. I guess I'll have to share just to find space for it. If you want some, you'd better hurry. Deals like this tend to go out of stock quickly. HT to Spoofee.com** for the deal.

1. Click here to go to Office Depot.
2. Search and Add 345603 ( Price : $5.59 ) - Buy 10 of these
3. Search and Add 429266 ( Price : $0.29 ) - Buy 1 of these
4. Coupon Price : -$31.00 Code : 73649244
5. Coupon Price : -$10 off $25 Code : 44141777
Final Price : $15.19 Shipped (plus tax)

Hurry!

**The link to the actual deal isn't on their main page anymore but you can still see it HERE.

NOW. Here's what I wanted to say about this great deal. It's wonderful. UPS just delivered the paper and the paper clips to my door. You have to order a small package of paper clips to make the order total the minimum amount. So, this afternoon there are two boxes on my porch.

The 5,000 sheets of paper I ordered! Cool!



And here?



Under all the bags of air....



Why, the paper clips, of course!



Silly, eh?

Three Things Thursday

I haven't remembered to participate in a while but since this month is a food theme, I'm back!

Foods I Hate Dislike a Great Deal~

1.) Beets. Ugh!

2.) I've already read Shelia's and I can't get this one out of my mind so I am copying it: Corned Beef and Cabbage. This may be the worst stuff I've ever tasted.

I really like food. I'm having trouble coming up with a third one. I'll probably think of a bunch after I publish this post!

3.) Ahh... Swiss Cheese. Can't stand it.

We've got the power

• a ruler


• two batteries


• wire


• a lightbulb


• and LOTS of tape

What do those make?

If you're my daughter Rebecca, those items make a flashlight!

Cool, eh?

WFMW - Measuring Honey & Molasses

In keeping with the kitchen edition this week, here's my quickie little Works-For-Me-Wednesday tip. When a recipe I'm using calls for honey or molasses, I spray a little food release in the measuring spoon or measuring cup before I pour in the sticky stuff. When I pour it back out of the cup it comes out so quickly and easily it usually comes out it one big glob. No more waste and no more "slow as molasses in January" for me. It's quick, it's simple, and it Works For Me. Check out other tips at Rocks in My Dryer.

My other kitchen-related WFMW tips:
Precooking Hamburger
Cleaning out the Fridge

Going, Going, Gone!

Is it just me or do you find this irritating too? In the past six months or so several of the products I use regularly have disappeared! "They" change the formula and voila! the product I use is gone. This has happened with

• Abby's shampoo (Baby Magic the new stuff doesn't smell the same)
• my lipstick (Original Cover Girl Lipslicks - I did get some on eBay but they won't last forever)
• my deodorant (Dove - Powder - Original Solid)
• Stretchable plastic wrap (Sam's Choice, they changed the packaging, I hate the new one)
• Saran QuickCovers (they don't make 'em any more)
• Irish Spring (A blue one that I can't remember the name of. Maybe Mountain something)
• my razors came up missing today (Gillette for Women - Custom Plus Pivot) maybe Wal-Mart just stopped stocking those because I see they are available at Amazon.com

and also today???

MY SHAMPOO IS GONE!! Aussie Mega. It's gone. I guess, from looking online, it's called Aussie Cleanse & Mend now but it doesn't smell the same! This is rocking my world. Okay. I realize that in the grand scheme of things, or even in the small scheme of things this really isn't that important. But I'm still irritated. Can you tell?? :-)

Any products that you are missing?