I saw Coryn again to day. She is sooooooo beautiful! I went with Denise to her ultrasound appointment today. Coryn is a BIG girl; Denise said she looked like a sumo wrestler. I thin she looked like an angle. She is so big they cannot get her whole body on the screen anymore. The estimated weight today is 9 pounds 1 ounce. Coryn is taking up the whole womb now. She was sucking on her arm and looked very content for a while, then she decided she didn’t like her space being invaded and she gave us a dirty look. Denise said she looked like Jeff when he scowls.
Poor Denise is miserable. She is not a complainer but today she was grunting and moaning with every move. If she doesn’t go into labor on her own they will schedule a caesarian next week. My heart goes out to her and I’m hoping that during her doctors appointment tomorrow he tells her she can deliver this weekend.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
SSDD, (Same Stuff Different Day), Denise is still uncomfortably pregnant, the mole in my yard is going for the gold in tunnel excavations and Brittany peed on the carpet again this morning. As I said SSDD.
My sister, Pat, called yesterday; she suggested a subject for a story. She told me one of their employees is peeing in bottles then leaving the bottles in the company trucks. Why on earth would someone do that? My brother Ed said he thinks he’s heard of certain religious groups that drink urine as part of a ritual. My nephew Ryan thinks the construction worker doesn’t want to pee on a customer’s fence and is to shy to ask to use the restroom. Pat remembers a friend of a friend that always washed her face with the first expelled urine of the day, (this woman had a beautiful complexion). I’m not sure weather it was a Law and Order or CSI episode that showed women drinking their own urine to loose weight or something else wonderfully cosmetic. None of these ideas appeals to my internal storyteller so I guess I’ll have to wing it.
Hiatus From Hygiene
Everybody liked Manny. He was thoughtful, polite and always wore a smile on his round dark face. When Manny left for work in the morning he high-fived the teens waiting for the school bus, gave treats to the little kids and handed the homeless guy on the corner a warm burrito.
Manny had one idiosyncrasy however. He liked to pee in empty bottles. He didn’t care what kind of bottle. Glass or plastic; soda, water or juice it didn’t matter all were acceptable receptacles. For most people; taking a leak, having a piddle, making water, going wee-wee or doing number one is a call of nature answered by using a toilet or finding a suitable place behind a tree but not so for Manny. For as long as he could remember he always preferred to aim his steaming stream into a bottle.
If he weren’t such a likable guy I’m sure he would have been shunned for such odd urinary practices. But to know Manny was to love Manny so his family and friends tolerated this peculiar trait. Of course when people first met Manny and started finding bottles full of pee they were understandably put off; but all in all his infectious smile, kindness and generosity caused most people to overlook this hiatus from hygiene.
My sister, Pat, called yesterday; she suggested a subject for a story. She told me one of their employees is peeing in bottles then leaving the bottles in the company trucks. Why on earth would someone do that? My brother Ed said he thinks he’s heard of certain religious groups that drink urine as part of a ritual. My nephew Ryan thinks the construction worker doesn’t want to pee on a customer’s fence and is to shy to ask to use the restroom. Pat remembers a friend of a friend that always washed her face with the first expelled urine of the day, (this woman had a beautiful complexion). I’m not sure weather it was a Law and Order or CSI episode that showed women drinking their own urine to loose weight or something else wonderfully cosmetic. None of these ideas appeals to my internal storyteller so I guess I’ll have to wing it.
Hiatus From Hygiene
Everybody liked Manny. He was thoughtful, polite and always wore a smile on his round dark face. When Manny left for work in the morning he high-fived the teens waiting for the school bus, gave treats to the little kids and handed the homeless guy on the corner a warm burrito.
Manny had one idiosyncrasy however. He liked to pee in empty bottles. He didn’t care what kind of bottle. Glass or plastic; soda, water or juice it didn’t matter all were acceptable receptacles. For most people; taking a leak, having a piddle, making water, going wee-wee or doing number one is a call of nature answered by using a toilet or finding a suitable place behind a tree but not so for Manny. For as long as he could remember he always preferred to aim his steaming stream into a bottle.
If he weren’t such a likable guy I’m sure he would have been shunned for such odd urinary practices. But to know Manny was to love Manny so his family and friends tolerated this peculiar trait. Of course when people first met Manny and started finding bottles full of pee they were understandably put off; but all in all his infectious smile, kindness and generosity caused most people to overlook this hiatus from hygiene.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Baby, Moles and Books
I have a plethora of subjects to write about. To name just a few:
The escalating mole problem in my yard.
The wonderful books I’ve read recently.
The upcoming birth of my grandchild.
Of course they are not listed in order of importance. Society and political correctness would dictate that the birth of my first and probably only grandchild would be my main concern. However the constant visual reminders erupting in my front and back lawns are a thorn in my side that I can’t dislodge.
I have resorted to a new and gross means of ridding my yard of the destructive little devils. I spray the mound until the tunnel is open then I put small nails or stick pins in the hole followed by what ever dog poop I can find in the yard. The idea behind this is: the moles will get puncture wounds then the wounds will get infected with e-coli bacteria and the moles will die. It has only been marginally successful. I’ve found (with my cat, Patty’s help) two dead baby moles. However the mole mounds and tunnels have gotten worse.
For the last month, when I wasn’t torturing moles, I was getting ready for my step daughter – Denise’s baby shower and then driving up to her home in Everett several times a week to help out while she was on bed rest due to loosing her mucus plug and going into premature labor six days after the shower. How exciting!
My first experience was observing a NST (a fetal non stress test). Denise reclines and a nurse straps some monitors on her belly and wal-laa, you can hear the baby’s heartbeat, see an squiggly line that shows the baby is moving and another squiggly line that shows Denise’s contractions. Oh my.
The next day was an ultrasound, not just the grainy black and white picture but also a beautiful 3-d picture of Coryn’s face. Oh my God! The technician said the data collected indicates the babies weight is 7 lbs 11 ounces. This would be great if Denise was full term but she is only at 34 weeks, (six weeks shy of full term). Yikes!
The next day is the doctor appointment. Denise is hoping he’ll say she can have the baby NOW. She feels awful, she’s afraid the baby will be to big for her to have naturally if she waits any longer, she can’t stand being on bed rest and she doesn’t want to use up her maternity leave sitting around the house. Denise’s hopes of having the baby now aren’t only dashed but she’s dealt a double whammy. The baby is not ready, it’s lungs are not mature, the belly is almost full term but the head is only at 34 weeks and the worst news of all for Denise is that in all likelihood she will have to have a caesarian section because the baby is large and there is a substantial risk the baby will injure her shoulder going through the birth canal. The injury could cause paralysis. Not a stellar day for Denise. She’s told she has to stay on modified bed rest for two more weeks so the baby’s can finish developing. The doctor said her contractions are probably due to the fact she has extra amniotic fluid in the womb and the baby is big. He explained that when the baby was physically ready it would send out hormones that would start labor contractions and get Denise’s body ready to deliver. Wow, is that amazing or what?
Since then I have accompanied Denise to four more fetal NTS’s two-doctor appointments and had the opportunity to see Coryn via an ultrasound in the doctors office. Denise has made it to 36 weeks, Coryn is now mature enough to be born, her estimated weight is a little over 8 pounds and Denise doesn’t have to be on bed rest any longer. (Not that she was following doctors orders anyway – but now she can go back to work and not use up her limited amount of maternity leave.) If she goes into labor now he won’t stop it and there is a chance she may be able to deliver Coryn naturally, although caution dictates a c-section. If Denise doesn’t go into labor by week 38, she will make an appointment to deliver on the 21st or 22nd of August. Ohhhhh, we can’t wait.
Last but not least, I had the opportunity to see one of my favorite authors: J.A. Jance. She happened to be at the Everett library on a day Denise had an appointment. She entertained a packed hall of her fans for an hour then signed her new book, Damage Control. I loved the book, I would rank it her best so far.
The escalating mole problem in my yard.
The wonderful books I’ve read recently.
The upcoming birth of my grandchild.
Of course they are not listed in order of importance. Society and political correctness would dictate that the birth of my first and probably only grandchild would be my main concern. However the constant visual reminders erupting in my front and back lawns are a thorn in my side that I can’t dislodge.
I have resorted to a new and gross means of ridding my yard of the destructive little devils. I spray the mound until the tunnel is open then I put small nails or stick pins in the hole followed by what ever dog poop I can find in the yard. The idea behind this is: the moles will get puncture wounds then the wounds will get infected with e-coli bacteria and the moles will die. It has only been marginally successful. I’ve found (with my cat, Patty’s help) two dead baby moles. However the mole mounds and tunnels have gotten worse.
For the last month, when I wasn’t torturing moles, I was getting ready for my step daughter – Denise’s baby shower and then driving up to her home in Everett several times a week to help out while she was on bed rest due to loosing her mucus plug and going into premature labor six days after the shower. How exciting!
My first experience was observing a NST (a fetal non stress test). Denise reclines and a nurse straps some monitors on her belly and wal-laa, you can hear the baby’s heartbeat, see an squiggly line that shows the baby is moving and another squiggly line that shows Denise’s contractions. Oh my.
The next day was an ultrasound, not just the grainy black and white picture but also a beautiful 3-d picture of Coryn’s face. Oh my God! The technician said the data collected indicates the babies weight is 7 lbs 11 ounces. This would be great if Denise was full term but she is only at 34 weeks, (six weeks shy of full term). Yikes!
The next day is the doctor appointment. Denise is hoping he’ll say she can have the baby NOW. She feels awful, she’s afraid the baby will be to big for her to have naturally if she waits any longer, she can’t stand being on bed rest and she doesn’t want to use up her maternity leave sitting around the house. Denise’s hopes of having the baby now aren’t only dashed but she’s dealt a double whammy. The baby is not ready, it’s lungs are not mature, the belly is almost full term but the head is only at 34 weeks and the worst news of all for Denise is that in all likelihood she will have to have a caesarian section because the baby is large and there is a substantial risk the baby will injure her shoulder going through the birth canal. The injury could cause paralysis. Not a stellar day for Denise. She’s told she has to stay on modified bed rest for two more weeks so the baby’s can finish developing. The doctor said her contractions are probably due to the fact she has extra amniotic fluid in the womb and the baby is big. He explained that when the baby was physically ready it would send out hormones that would start labor contractions and get Denise’s body ready to deliver. Wow, is that amazing or what?
Since then I have accompanied Denise to four more fetal NTS’s two-doctor appointments and had the opportunity to see Coryn via an ultrasound in the doctors office. Denise has made it to 36 weeks, Coryn is now mature enough to be born, her estimated weight is a little over 8 pounds and Denise doesn’t have to be on bed rest any longer. (Not that she was following doctors orders anyway – but now she can go back to work and not use up her limited amount of maternity leave.) If she goes into labor now he won’t stop it and there is a chance she may be able to deliver Coryn naturally, although caution dictates a c-section. If Denise doesn’t go into labor by week 38, she will make an appointment to deliver on the 21st or 22nd of August. Ohhhhh, we can’t wait.
Last but not least, I had the opportunity to see one of my favorite authors: J.A. Jance. She happened to be at the Everett library on a day Denise had an appointment. She entertained a packed hall of her fans for an hour then signed her new book, Damage Control. I loved the book, I would rank it her best so far.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)