Pants on the Ground...

I'm not typically into what's going on in people's personal lives, but I don't care who you are this is funny. Especially cuz once you hear the song you can't get it out of your head!

Germs, germs and MORE germs!

We seem to have a problem in our house. The kids are sharing. YIPPEE!! But, the only thing they share without fuss...

GERMS!

JMonster has a nasty cough. He's had it for awhile now. This following a sinus infection which followed him having some sort of virus or other for over 2 months. That's right, TWO MONTHS.

His cousin Flower also has the cruddy cough.

His cousin A is running a mid to high fever and has a cruddy cough.

His cousin E just has a loose tooth but feels the need to get as much attention for it as possible.

Me? I broke a nail. I bandaged it with special nail bandages. Tried glue. So far it's not really working. But maybe I should just cut them all off. You know, they do harbor germs.

My new best friend.

Infertility, adoption, and kiddos (part 5)

If you'd like a refresher or just need to catch up, go HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

So we'd finished the "tests" and headed to Texas. This was Spring Break 2005 and all we were doing was getting an initial consult and finding out how things would go that summer.

We met our doc and his nurse. Loved them! Got all of the info we would need on ordering our drugs from overseas. Easy shmeesy. And then began our wait.

(In the meantime we were following my cycles like they were the most fascinating show we'd ever seen on TV. If you've ever been there, you know what I mean!)

May came, school let out, and our plan was to stay with my sister while the first round was completed. I began the drug regimen and we once again headed to Texas. YEEHAW!

Now this next part becomes a little fuzzy. Maybe it was stressful? Maybe M's twins were such rambunctious toddlers? Who knows...

Before they can do IVF they have to take some of your eggs from you. In order to do this they give you twilight...not a full knock-out, but close (what they SHOULD HAVE given me for that dang HSG test!). They stick a fairly large needle into your ovaries and suck out the viable eggs from their follicles. Won't tell you how they get the needle into your ovary...don't want to scare anyone!

After they did the egg retrieval my doc very calmly told me that during the procedure I had forgotten to breathe. Hmmm...forgotten to BREATHE????? Yessiree bob, the twilight drugs made me stop breathing. SO they quickly grabbed the eggs and turned off the drugs. Whew! Who woulda known the egg retrieval would be so dangerous?

After they grab your eggs they mix them in a petri dish with a sample of life juice...The Rev's, um...you know...which he had so kindly given them. Poor guy.

Lo and behold we had embryos! Every day they would call and tell us how many had made it and what "grade" they looked to be until they became blastocysts and it was time to transfer.

This day I will NEVER forget.

The transfer was to take place at the Scott & White hospital in Temple, Texas. M's husband was a resident there so we knew the place well. It was a morning like most mornings in M's household...chaos reigned as the twins screamed for breakfast and wanted to be played with. M was fixing their breakfast, cutting a peach pit out of a peach to be exact, when the knife slipped and she nearly sliced her thumb off. (Okay, slight exaggeration. But just slight!)

The Rev and I are getting ready to go to the hospital for our embryo transfer. Doc is at work. And M needs stitches. AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!

So, The Rev stays with the twins while I drive M to the emergency room. I take my valium I'm supposed to take an hour in advance and Doc shows me to the clinic where the transfer will take place. (He says I acted silly, but he can't prove anything. :o) ) M gets stitches and heads home to relieve The Rev, who rushes to the hospital to be there when the transfer takes place.

They transferred two embryos and we began the agonizing wait to see if they would take...

GO HERE FOR PART 6

Random Questions

Knowing that we may not really do so because of how in awe we will be...

What will be your first question you ask God when you get to Heaven?

I can't wait to read your answers!

Perfect Pairings

Mat 12:50

For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister...

It's SATURDAY!

Saturday

HAPPY SATURDAY!!

Control Freak...Who, Me!?!

Unless I tell you you can, that is!

Infertility, adoption, and kiddos (part 4)

If you'd like a refresher or just need to catch up, go HERE, HERE, and HERE !

So we'd made the decision. We had the list of tests we needed to have done before they'd see us at the clinic. Off we went to my ob/gyn.

Blood tests (LOTS of them, at different times of the month) - Check.
Physical exam - Check
HSG test...

Now THAT is a story. The Scary, HORRIBLE, HSG test (hysterosalpingogram)...a test to see if your tubes are open.

We scheduled the test for a day when The Rev could be there with me. They said to take some Advil before the test because I might have some cramping following the test.

We showed up at the hospital, excited and ready. I'd taken the Advil and couldn't wait to see what my insides looked like close up! They got me prepped and on the table. Turned the screen toward me so I could watch, and the doc began.

(For those of you who don't know, an HSG test consists of a catheter being put in the uterus and dye being injected in while x-rays are being taken. The dye flows into the tubes to show how open they are. Or at least that's how it's SUPPOSED to happen...)

The doc inserted the catheter (OUCH!) and began to put the dye in.

I thought I was going to explode. Or implode. Or just die of pain right there on the table. It was the worst pain I've EVER felt in my life. And now that I've given birth, I can actually say it was worse than childbirth.

I screamed. Just like the women you see on the childbirth stories on the Discovery Channel. Loud, panicky screams.

And then the catheter fell out.

The doctor said one of my tubes was blocked but he thought he could get it open. Would it be all right if he just did it one more time?

WHAT!?! I've just been through the most horrible, painful experience and you're ASKING ME if you can do it AGAIN!?!

Just do it. Don't ask. Get. It. Over. With.

He did and it opened.

In the meantime, I screamed and cried. I think it lasted like an hour. Or two. (Okay, maybe a few minutes, but who's counting?)

All the while The Rev was sitting in the waiting room down the hall listening to me scream. Helpless. Not knowing what was going on.

When it was over they took me out and let me get dressed. I almost passed out. I was a wreck for the rest of the day.

When we were on our way home I called my twin sister to give her the news of the tube and all that had happened.

"I'm sorry that happened. The exact same thing happened to me. All of it! The catheter even fell out and had to be put back in. I didn't want to tell you because I was afraid it would scare you too bad and you wouldn't go through with it."

#$!@$%#@!

In my opinion, humble as it is, they should have knocked me out for that test. Plain and simple. If there's ever a next time, I'd better be two sheets to the wind before they ever get near me. Or I sue. :o)

GO HERE FOR PART 5

Brown Wins!

A quick congrats to Scott Brown in Massachusetts for his major victory in winning Ted Kennedy's senate seat. This may not stop Obamacare...I think the Dems have proven that they can pull some hi jinks, but in my opinion it sends a severe message to Washington.

I also believe Scott Brown is a player to be watched in 4-8 years for a run at the presidency. Huckabee/Brown ticket? Brown would need some polishing, as he proved by trying to auction off his daughters in his acceptance speech, but he is a people person with strong conservative values.

Random Questions

This one comes from The Rev:

You just won the lottery!
What is the first thing you do with the money?

Can't wait to hear your answers!

Help for Haiti

Are you looking for a way to make a difference in helping Haiti? Do you have a pit in your stomach, as I do, wondering how all of the people in Haiti who need help are going to get it? And in time?

The Rev has done some work with a wonderful organization called Family Health Ministries. They are a ministry whose primary mission is to support international communities in their efforts to build and sustain healthy families.

Our hope is that by building healthy families, we build healthy communities which in turn build a better tomorrow.

If you go to their website you will find updates on their teams located in Haiti. They have lost several of their own, and most of their Children, Friends, Staff, and Colleagues status' are unknown. Please keep them in your prayers.


I support missional living...and you can't get much more missional than FHM.

Food allergies and Compensations for them...

According to the National Post out of Canada, Air Canada has been ordered to create a nut-free buffer zone on any flight where a passenger has given sufficient notice of a nut allergy.

JMonster has peanut and tree nut allergies. It's my job to keep him safe and protected from all things nut.

And yet I'm not sure how I feel about a company being ordered by the government to make such compensations for passengers. It's not a true disability. And the organization can't even guarantee that other passengers won't bring any nuts on the flight.

Part of me wants to jump up and down screaming "Yeah! One for the people with nut allergies!" while the other part of me cringes at such government oversight.

A side note: a friend of ours in Atlanta brings us nut free candy when she travels to Canada. Nestle has a nut free facility there so JMonster gets to eat things like Kit Kats, which he can't eat if they're manufactured here in the US.

This one will take some thought and pondering.

What do YOU think?

Infertility, adoption, and kiddos (part 3)

If you'd like a refresher or just need to catch up, go HERE and HERE.

Four years. After four years of trying and waiting, we decided we were ready for some help.

I got online and started googling infertility clinics in Atlanta. Specifically I was looking at how much they charge for in vitro (IVF) since I was pretty convinced that was the route we would end up needing.

I almost threw up. And I wasn't pregnant!

Most of the clinics started (STARTED!!!) at $16,000- $20,000 and went up from there.

And there was no guarantee you'd end up with a baby.

Gulp.

My twin sister, M, checked into her infertility clinic for me without telling me. It was their second clinic so she didn't know how much they would charge for a full round. What she found out gave me hope.

$8,000.

Yep, that's half price! Still no guarantees, but we could try twice for the price of one round at the cheapest clinic in Atlanta. Even adding in the cost of travel back to Texas didn't factor in since the price was so much less. (Did I mention insurance doesn't cover a SINGLE PENNY!?!)

So we called the clinic and chatted with the doc about what we would need to do...

GO HERE FOR PART 4

Random Questions

Let's see if we can get a good roll going with the next question!

What was your favorite trip you ever took?
Who was it with?
What made it so special?

I can't wait to hear your answers!

Haiti

Just heard about the huge earthquake in Haiti. I've never been there, and not sure I'll ever go, but my heart goes out to a people who have struggled through natural disasters, political strife, and poverty.

According to the usgs, there have been 3 large earthquakes there today. As of 8:08 Central time:

Time

Magnitude	Location
3 hours ago	5.5	Haiti region
4 hours ago	5.9	Haiti region
4 hours ago	7.0	Haiti region

earthquake.usgs.gov

Continue to lift up everyone in Haiti in your prayers.

Healthcare & Massachusetts

We're down to the wire on this healthcare issue. The open seat left by Ted Kennedy is just SCREAMING for a conservative to take over. But will it happen? And if it does, will it happen in time?

If I were a nail biter, they'd be down to the quick right now.

Or maybe not. I don't trust those we have in leadership to do what's right. I don't trust politicians in general.

So, if Brown wins...will they certify the election in time? Would it be constitutional to withhold certification until the healthcare bill has passed?

I have a bad feeling about this one.

SIDE-NOTE: Read this today and lo and behold it sounds a lot like my thoughts. What do YOU think? (Other than "where have you been hiding your head? A kid's sandbox?" I've already admitted to being a political novice...I'm LEARNING people! Cut me some slack!)

Compassionate conservatism has been defined as the belief that conservatism and compassion complement each other. A compassionate conservative might see the social problems of the United States, such as health care or immigration, as issues that are better solved through cooperation with private companies, charities and religious institutions rather than directly through government departments. As former Bush chief speechwriter Michael Gerson put it, "Compassionate conservatism is the theory that the government should encourage the effective provision of social services without providing the service itself." as found on Wikipedia

Sometimes I wonder...

Wii!!!

I haven't officially made working out one of my New Year's resolutions. I'm trying not to fall into that trap...resolve, fail...resolve, fail...

We're going skiing in early February and I'm using THAT as my excuse to get off my tush and exercise. That and trying to fit back in my jeans. ;o)

One of the things I'm doing is our Wii Fit. We've had the Wii and Wii Fit for about a year, but our media room in Atlanta somehow didn't support the Wii. HUH? A projector TV with an 82" screen and we can't hook up the Wii? It was wrong.

Now we have a 25" dinosaur for a TV, but we can hook up the Wii and it works. Go figure.

And I am having a BLAST!!! I'm doing yoga, hula-hooping, and weight training. My tight-rope skills are improving, I can drop a rolling ball in a hole while the platform I'm "on" rotates and flexes, and I can do step-aerobics with the best of them!

It's been just over a week and I'm sore. And feeling like just maybe it's working.

Ski conditioning! (And maybe, just maybe, I'll fit into those jeans!)

Raising a Grateful Child

Have you ever had those moments where you just feel like screaming? At someone? Even if that someone is 3 or 4 or 6 and wouldn't understand?

That was my day Monday.

Now, I DID NOT scream. My temper flared, but the children never saw it. In fact, I was a bit TOO angry to let them see me mad.

Why? you ask...

Because JMonster had been given several bags of hand-me-down Spiderman toys from some of our dear friends and all of them had been strewn around the living room. The boxes were torn and stepped on. His guitar was laying on the floor and had scratches and dents in it, and most of the pieces to the games were nowhere near the game they belonged with.

At first I was angry. Smoke coming out of my ears angry.

Then I was just sad and disappointed. These are our kids. And they aren't grateful. They have a playroom that looks more like a toy store, and they don't take care of ANY of their toys or belongings.

And that's OUR fault.

So, how DO you raise a child to be grateful? How do you teach them to respect things as well as others?

I don't know the answer. I'm looking into it. Researching. Praying.

For now, I'm just sad and disappointed that we have failed them in such a huge area of growth...

Too bad a little bribery isn't the answer...

Political "tests"!

I took another one of those silly political tests. You can, too! Take it and post what it said about you.

I was across the board, but the party that stood out was the Constitution Party.

Huh?!?

I know I've had my head stuck in the sand, but what is it?

So I googled it...and here is what they stand for:

Seven Principles of the Constitution Party are:

1. Life: For all human beings, from conception to natural death;
2. Liberty: Freedom of conscience and actions for the self-governed individual;
3. Family: One husband and one wife with their children as divinely instituted;
4. Property: Each individual's right to own and steward personal property without government burden;
5. Constitution: and Bill of Rights interpreted according to the actual intent of the Founding Fathers;
6. States' Rights: Everything not specifically delegated by the Constitution to the federal government, nor prohibited by the Constitution to the states, is reserved to the states or to the people;
7. American Sovereignty: American government committed to the protection of the borders, trade, and common defense of Americans, and not entangled in foreign alliances.

Not sure what I think. Sounds kinda cool. Sounds a little bit like what I think. Gonna have to do more research.

What does YOUR quiz say about you?

Infertility, Adoption, and kiddos (part 2)

Awhile back I began the story of JMonster and our road through infertility. It was just a teaser, really, so I thought I'd go back and continue the story. If you don't remember, or you are new here, go HERE to catch up!

About 1.5 years after we were married The Rev and I decided we were ready to be parents so we did the usual thing people do...we stopped using birth control. Nothing serious at this point, but we thought if it happens then it happens.

Nothing happened. We didn't worry at first...we knew the road M and her husband had had to go down.

We started charting. We started using those little ovulation kits.

Nada.

During this time we moved to Atlanta and were busy with life there. We were still trying. Still using the kits. Still not worried.

We talked with my ob/gyn (mind you, we'd talked with EVERY doctor I'd ever had.). He said when we were ready, he'd jump on board with whatever we wanted.

And still we waited...for 4 years...

GO HERE FOR PART 3

Random Questions

I've committed to posting a minimum of 3 times a week. HOW am I going to do that without boring all of you (and me!) with the same ol' same ol'? How about once a week I ask a random question? Something that has been stuck in my mind, or just something that pops in and makes me go hmmm...

Now this will only work if you actually RESPOND to the questions! Those of you who show up and peruse but never leave your mark...now's the time to jump in! You can be anonymous. I won't ban you for it. No pics or names necessary! Just let us all know how you feel about the question at hand.

For our first question. Let me think, let me think...

An old stand-by and truly cliche':

Did you make any New Year's resolutions? If so, how many? What is the biggest one you hope to keep?

I can't wait to hear your answers!

Swizz button

I'm trying something new...a button for my blog. Don't know why! Just thought it might be fun. I'll put it on the sidebar so you can grab one if you want!

Thanks for all of your support! :o)

My DAUGHTER-in-LAW?!?

Every night JMonster and I pray together before bed. We snuggle, pray, and I sing a few songs. As I prayed over him tonight I was reminded just how close our little ones are to God.

"Father, I pray that JMonster will grow up to be a man who follows you. I pray he will marry a girl who follows you, and that she is being raised in a family who loves you and will lead her..."

"Momma...who is she? What's her name?"

"Whose name? The girl you will marry? I don't know! Only God knows."

"Oh."
small pause...

"Alyssa."
another small pause...

"Momma, who is Alyssa?"

"Alyssa? I don't know an Alyssa. Who told you the name Alyssa?"

"My heart."

Do YOU know my future daughter-in-law Alyssa? I sure don't. But she's been laid on his little heart. :o)

Perfect Pairings

"On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'" Romans 12:20

I can't help myself! We are Aggies, through and through! :o)
Swizz, The Rev, and JMonster feeding Tex the Longhorn in Leona, Texas.

Diplomatic Immunity

I don't get it. Can someone explain it to me? WHY!?! do we give diplomatic immunity? Why do we allow certain people the right to be above the law?

According to the State Department:

International law requires that law enforcement authorities of the United States extend certain privileges and immunities to members of foreign diplomatic missions and consular posts. The purpose of these privileges and immunities is not to benefit individuals but to ensure the efficient and effective performance of their official missions on behalf of their governments. Most of these privileges and immunities are not absolute, and law enforcement officers retain their fundamental responsibility to protect and police the orderly conduct of persons in the United States.

Here are the "legal aspects of diplomatic immunity" as found on the U.S. Department of State's website. (Can't read it? Click on the link above and it'll take you to this chart.)

Most of these privileges and immunities are not absolute, and law enforcement officers retain their fundamental responsibility to protect and police the orderly conduct of persons in the United States.

And yet, if you look at the chart, it seems that law enforcement has their hands tied in that they are unable to detain or arrest many officials. And how does this ensure efficient and effective performance?

I JUST DON'T GET IT.