Archives for June 2010

Foto Friday: Twirl

June 25, 2010 by Lisa

I am by no means a photographer and my camera probably deserves the ridicule of anyone who knows anything about capturing a good shot, but lately I have been intrigued by photography and have made it a goal to try and capture moments when I feel happiness oozing from my little ladies. I even ditched JC Penney and set up an on-location photo session with a real photographer last weekend for our family photos — and boy do I have some AMAZING shots to share. But first I have to narrow down my 70 favorites to about 10…so you’ll see them in about a year. 😉

Until then, here are a few I snapped during one of the many daily dance parties that happen around here. Dresses and skirts are the clothing of choice for my girls (besides Kendall’s bathing suit, but that’s a whole other story…). However, there is one very important criteria…they must T.W.I.R.L.

If they don’t, well, they might just as well be pants.

So while the shots from this past weekend may have some fabulous shots of pink twirling dresses and an adoring Daddy, these will have to do for now. Happy Friday everyone!

And, of course, there is always time for a quick pose or two…

Brooklyn Update: On the Move

June 23, 2010 by Lisa

Today’s non-stress test and ultrasound were mostly low-key with no dramatics.

(That is, if you don’t count my hormonal breakdown in the middle of the OB office when I realized I got my appointment time wrong and they wanted me to reschedule. Needless to say, my tears and a whole lot of begging still got me in before noon. We even made a new 3.75-hour appointment time record!)

So besides that, Miss Brooklyn cooperated, and we passed our non-stress test. Our ultrasound, however, showed that she is indeed a busy bee and is back to a breech position. Yes, she managed to do a complete 180 in the last 3 weeks, so we may be back to that C-section after all. Only time will tell if our wiggle worm will go back “into position” or if she’s ready to stay put.

The good news is that she is clearly moving around just fine in there. Plus, my mind has now been “prepped” for either type of delivery, so it’s in God’s hands. He knows which is the safest delivery route for her, and I am happy to do either. At this point, I just want her to be born so I can hold her! (Although a prayer or two for her to wiggle back would be nice… 🙂

Her ventricles were measuring a little larger (which helps determine the amount of excess fluid in her brain), but the increases were small and were in line with normal growth. Both ventricles are at about 21 mm. So while we have surpassed the dreaded 20-mm mark — which some say is cause for concern — we are trusting that God will protect Brooklyn’s brain. However, please keep praying for the fluid to decrease. How awesome would it be to see that miracle happen?!

She is still a little peanut (about a week behind “schedule”) but is up to 4 lbs and 7 oz. She is facing away from my belly, which means her spine is literally pressed up against my belly button for the whole world to bump into. I swear this child wants to give me more gray hair. But then again, she fits right in with her big sisters. We make them spunky around here!

My next OB appointment is next week, but I have no idea when I will have another ultrasound. I did manage to get a quick profile shot out of the technician this time, but I didn’t want to push it since I was already on borrowed time.

(In case you can’t make it out, the photo shows her looking up — you can see her nose, lips, chin and little bit of her chest. That may be her arm over her head…not sure.)

So that’s the latest. Keep praying, please! Only 5 more weeks to go!

To The Man in Our Lives

June 20, 2010 by Lisa

Happy Father’s Day to a man who would literally do anything for his girls, whether that means putting on some Mickey ears, making holiday crafts, whipping up pancakes every Saturday morning, or reading Fancy Nancy fifteen times in the course of a week.

A man who is more than a father, but a Daddy that will kiss the owies and get right in there and be a part of their little lives.

A man who I completely trust with the precious hearts of our girls.

I love you, sweetie, for the man that you are to our children and to me. We are so very blessed to have you as the only man in our lives!

Drama Queen

June 18, 2010 by Lisa

Did you know that an OB appointment can last 7 hours? No really. You didn’t? Well, it can.

Did you know you could turn that harmless appointment into a fun-filled trip to labor and delivery, complete with a call to your hubby to get his butt downtown a.s.a.p.? You know, just for kicks…

And did you know you can then top it all off by driving home in 2 hours of Chicago traffic during rush hour when there is a complete downpour?

Oh, yes, yes, you can.

That, my friends, was my Tuesday.

And, yes, I would REALLY like some WINE with that whine. Please, please have a glass for me. Or two. 😉

Now, first of all, let me say that everything is totally fine and that the drama here is totally intended. (But, of course, we all know there is at least a smiggin’ of truth in sarcasm.)

Anywho…

Needless to say, Tuesday’s appointment wasn’t as “uneventful” as we had hoped. Well, in the end it was (a blessing, I know!), but not without some drama.

I really, really hate drama. I try to avoid it at all costs, but I’m afraid I’m turning into a drama queen. Seriously. I’ve never even broken a bone, but now? Well, I feel like it’s always something.

And it’s not like a “poor, poor me” kinda thing — honestly. It’s more like a “this is getting embarrassing because I need you to now watch my kids for 7 hours because I can’t seem to sit on a fetal monitor without something fluke-ish happening” kinda thing. I mean really?

So here’s what happened: I went for a typical OB appointment (no ultrasound), which started with a stress (NST) test. I got downtown in record time, so I was feeling really good that we were going to break our current 5-hour minimum: NST, pee, weight, belly measure, and see ya next week!

Notsomuch.

I was hooked up to the NST machine, chatting away with my nurse while Miss Brooklyn was happily displaying her latest moves via line graph, when BEEP, BEEEEP, BEEEEEEP!!!!

Nurse runs out; another runs in. Doctor comes in. “Turn on your right side. Turn on your left.”

Chaos, chaos, chaos.

“Turn back over and let’s get that heartbeat again.”

No more BEEEEEEPS! Just beep, beep.

Calm.

Me: “What just happened?”

New female OB I had just met who looked like she was straight out of Grey’s Anatomy: “Your baby’s a bit of a trouble maker. Her heart rate dropped significantly for a while there, but she looks fine now. We just want to monitor you over at labor and delivery for a few hours. We’ll do your OB exam over there.”

Me: “Uh, okay.”

So I call Jeff and waddle across the street to triage, call my absolutely angelic sister-in-law babysitter, get hooked up again, and snooze until my now-stressed hubby arrives. Oh joy.

Brooklyn is fine, but yes, she is a trouble maker. It appears that she decided to grab hold of the umbilical cord and give it a good squeeze, which made her heart rate plummet just enough to freak us all out.

But all is well now.

She is moving plenty, and I feel fine. And this grabbing thing? Well, it doesn’t surprise me. I swear this girl has a hold on my bladder and squeezes it any time she feels the need for a good laugh…and lately, that is quite often. 🙂

I too can laugh about it all now, but I’ll admit it wore on me a little Tuesday night after I finally got the girls to bed and I was waiting for Jeff to get home from his second trip into work…ya know, at 9pm.

But we all need a good cry now and then, right? And thank goodness I decided to give in and buy that heavenly bag of chocolate the night before when I went grocery shopping. Now THAT was a God-send for sure.

So there’s some more drama for ya’ll. I have an ultrasound next week, so we’ll see what happens. At least I get to see Miss Queenie herself and those grabby hands! Seriously, could I write a better script?