Happy Birthday Kitty!

Happy 6th birthday Jersey!




Isn't she cute?

What greater gift than the love of a cat?
~Charles Dickens~

Happy Birthday to My Hubby John!

We know we're getting old when the only thing we want for our birthday is not to be reminded of it.

~Author Unknown~

It's my DH's birthday today. A ripe old 55 years today. In case anyone wasn't aware, he is a tad bit older than me.

Last year I wrote out 54 things I love about my DH for his birthday. I'm sure they'd all be the same if I did it again, so I won't.

I know he reads this blog, even though he never comments. So, John, I just want you to know that I hope you had a great 54th year and I wish for only better things for the both us during your 55th. I Love You : )

There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.
~Martin Luther~

My Youngest Turns 12

Today is my youngest daughters birthday (Catherine). She was born at almost 11pm, so I am trying to time this post in relation to her actual birth. Her tale is not as dramatic as my other daughters. Catherine only took one day to make her appearance into the world.

Funnily enough, I can't seem to remember the particulars as much as I can with my older daughter. Maybe already having a toddler when I was due with my second made my mind overwhelmed. I do remember first going to my doctors office around noon. She determined I was in labor and at about 3 cm and sent me to the hospital. We arrived there around 2:00pm. My sister left work and met us there to take Carley to her house. It was sad watching Carley go, she had never left us before.

Just as I was getting settled into my hospital room, my water broke. That was a very weird experience. I had already had an epidural when my doctor broke my water with Carley, so being "un-numb" and having it spontaneously happen was weird. And slightly alarming. But we hoped it was a good sign that things would move quickly along. Unfortunately that was not going to be the case. Since I had an epidural with Carley, I wanted one with Catherine.

Oh and here is a little aside: I had an amnio at 20 weeks so I knew I was having a girl and we had already named her Catherine. No big surprises for me at the birth. I like to plan ahead.

Anyway, I wanted an epidural after my water broke. So they got the anesthesiologist. He came in and looked at my back. "Have you had back surgery" he asked? "Yes, I had a spinal fusion", I replied. "Oh, well you can't have an epidural then". Witness Donna melt-down. Hello? My OB knew I had surgery on my back. She never mentioned I couldn't receive an epidural. I panicked. I didn't think I could do this delivery thing "au natural". But I had no choice.

My doctor needed to put an IV in me because I tested positive for Group Strep B. The nurses wanted to put an internal monitor on the baby, but that would've confined me to the bed, and since I wasn't getting an epidural, I wanted to be up. Thankfully my doctor didn't care what the nurses wanted, she let me be up. Which was interesting seeing as my water had broken. I had to carry a pad between my legs as I walked around the room so as not to leak.

So things progressed and at about 5:00pm I was checked. Still at 3cm. Uh oh. She wanted to give me pitocin. Without an epidural. I wasn't pleased with that, but since I wasn't progressing, she felt maybe I would just need it a short time to kick start things. So the pitocin was added to my IV. Yikes. Glad I didn't have to feel that with my first or may not have had a second. It really was extreme pain.

Between 5:00 and 7:00 (times are approximate), I progressed to 6cm, so my doctor said she would stop the pitocin and see how things went. Well, all things stopped again. What the heck is wrong with my body?

I think it was around 7 or 8 she started the pitocin again. I remember things in a dazed sort of way. I really went into the pain zone for a while. All I could concentrate on was contractions and pain. It's kind of like everything around me was a blur. I had a great doctor though. She didn't abandon me and leave the nurses in charge. She was there most of the time. She even ordered a pizza with my husband 1/2 way through the day. (Luckily I was in pain and not paying attention, otherwise I might have been miffed that my hubby and cute doctor were going off to share a pizza together).

I remember her checking me again around 10:30pm. I was at 8cm. Seeing how the progress had been the rest of the day, she figured maybe another hour or two before I would be at 10cm. About 5 mins after that, I remember feeling an uncontrollable urge to push. It was like something else had taken over my body. I told the doctor " THE BABY IS COMING!" She said she can't be coming, I'm only at 8cm. I said "NO SHE IS COMING RIGHT NOW!"

So she quick checked me and sure enough I was at 10 and the baby was right there. Nothing was ready. Everyone had been taking their time. All of a sudden it was a big commotion. The bed comes apart so I can get my feet up. Lights come out of the ceiling, someone runs off to get the isolette for the baby. And then I start to push. I didn't feel this kind of pain with Carley. I think I only had to push about 5 times to get Catherine out. But there was no time to numb me "down there" or to give me an episiotomy. So I tore. And it felt like someone had held hot coals to me "down there". Ripping flesh is not a pleasant experience. But then baby was out. And she was perfect. So Catherine Ann Clasen was born March 6, 1997 at 10:55 pm.

This picture is of me and my doctor with a little bundled up Catherine just after she was born.



Then I had to deliver the afterbirth, and boy did those contractions suck. I really must have had a lot of residual epidural effect with Carley. These pains were all very new to me. And then of course my doctor had to stitch up the tear. And by now it was close to midnight and I was hungry and tired and just wanted everyone away from my body. But one good thing about skipping the epidural was that I was able to get up and walk right away. It felt good to be up. And someone, somewhere in the hospital, found me a turkey sandwich at 12:30am because I was starving.

Below is a picture of my step-daughter Raina holding Catherine and Carley is kissing her head. This was the day after Catherine was born, we were still in the hospital.


And here is Catherine at about 2 years old



And here she is now


Isn't she lovely.........

Here She Is!

(This is part 3 in a story telling about the birth of my eldest, who turns 14 today.)

So after seeing the doctor Thursday, after she tortured me by "stripping my membranes" I went home and tried to rest. I woke up that night (really the next morning) about 4am. My contractions were definitely stronger and coming much closer together. I called my doctor. After leaving a message with the answering service, she called back in about 15 mins. That was a long 15 mins. Anyway, she decided I should come into the hospital.

Before I continue, thought I should show everyone how I looked the week before I gave birth:
Boy was I huge!


We got to the hospital about 5:30 am. My doctor wasn't there yet, but the nurse's in ER were expecting me. I was pre-checked in, so they just popped me in a wheel-chair and up we went to the maternity floor. By the time I got changed and almost settled, my doctor showed up. After a check she determined I was at 3 cm. Oh My God, I am only dilating a cm a day! She suggested I take some Demerol to take the edge off. I was willing to take anything at that point to take the edge off. The Demerol helped, but it also made me nauseous. I would rather have excruciating contractions than be nauseous. I hate being nauseous. It's my most dreaded sickness.

It's around 7am now. An hour later than when she first checked me. I am still at 3 cm. She decided she is going to start Pitocin and break my water, but "would I like an epidural first?". Damn right I want an epidural first. So Mr. anesthesiologist comes in, tells me to lie on my side, curl up my knees and DO NOT MOVE! It's kind of hard not to move when your body is being racked with pain, but the thought of paralysis also crossed my mind, so I managed not to move. It was almost immediate relief. I never loved anyone as much as that anesthesiologist.

So then Dr. Novas (my ob) went to work breaking my water. I didn't feel anything. They attached a monitor to my poor little baby's head and hooked me up to a Pitocin drip. And then I went to sleep. Ah blissful sleep. Something I didn't have much of for the past two days. My sister showed up sometime during my nap. I had wanted her there for the delivery. I figured as many people I could have on my side the better. So I had DH (who was then just dear boyfriend) and my sister present for the delivery. Oh yea, and just about every other nurse, aide or passer-by in the hospital watching the delivery. My doctor had just switched from a different hospital and I was only her second delivery at this hospital. Being the newbie, people wanted to see how she did things. Luckily, being in pain and having a purpose distracted me enough that I didn't care how many people were in the room. But I am getting ahead of myself.

Around noon my doctor came in to check me and I was at about 7cm. She cranked up the Pitocin a bit more, and told me I'd probably be ready soon. I was still blissfully numb, so that was fine with me. Around 2pm she came back. I was at 10 cm. She had the anesthesiologist turn off the epidural (stop the drip from going in and keeping me numb). She wanted me to be able to feel to push. Did I really need to feel it? Couldn't I just push when she said push? So a little after 2:00pm I started to push. The nurses cranked up the back of the bed, my knees were pulled up so I could grab them, I had my DB (dear boyfriend, now husband) on one side of me and my sister on the other. And my doctor would watch the monitor to see when I was in a contraction (because I was still numb) and she would tell me when to push. Wasn't so hard for the first 20 mins or so, then the epidural started to wear off. But I trudged along. I had to have an episiotomy (which luckily she numbed me for) and then lo and behold, at exactly 3:20pm, out popped......A GIRL!

A girl? I wanted a girl so badly, but I am one of those kinds of people who likes to be prepared for the worst, so I didn't want to hope for a girl and be disappointed. So I had myself convinced it was a boy. But it was A GIRL! Yea, a girl. I remember my doctor asking DB if he wanted to cut the cord. I'm not sure he wanted to, but what do you say in the heat of the moment, no? So he cut the cord, the doc wiped her down a bit, wrapped her in a blankie, and gave her to me. Here she is in her very first picture:


After a minute or so they took her away, gave her a perfect Apgar score, cleaned her up, swaddled her like a sausage and then gave her back to me. My perfect little baby was, perfect! DB and I had talked about names. We had it narrowed down to Jacqueline (Jacquie) or Caroline (Carley). Carley won in the end, and I think it fits her.

Here she is while they were checking her out:



Here's my OB and me the next day (Carley is hard to see, but that's her all swaddled up.)


Below is one of her laying on her dad at about 3 months:


And here she is by herself at about 4 months:


We like to call that one "Crazy hair Carley".

And finally, one of her at 2 years old:


Maybe I'll try to get a picture of her today, so I can show you what "14 year old" Carley looks like. It's harder to get her to pose these days. It seems like just yesterday when I was pregnant with her. And yet it also seems like an eon ago. I can't believe those baby, toddler, pre-schooler, kid, years are gone. She is a young adult now really. Off to high school next year. Tick tock, tick tock.

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh~

"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time"
~James Taylor~

Carley Turns 14

My oldest will be 14 on Tuesday. At 3:20pm to be exact. I was in labor with her for three days before she was born, so I thought I would spend the next three days writing about her appearance into this world. (She was born on Friday, I started labor on Wednesday, technically about 54 hours, so not exactly three days : )

Carley (Caroline) was originally due on my birthday, February 19. She was 5 days late. But she started to try making her appearance on the 22nd. It was a Wednesday. I thought I was in labor. Now having never been in labor before, I was interpreting what I thought was labor. I had pain, a lot of pain, and it would stop for 10-15 mins and then start again. I called my doctor Wednesday morning and she said to come to her office and she would check me out. When I got there she put the belt on me, and yes, I was having contractions, but they weren't "productive" contractions. I was dilated to 1 cm. Yes, only 1. So she gave me some pain meds and sent me home. She said I would probably have the baby in a few days, but not that day. I wasn't that late (only a few days) and she didn't want to force things yet. Ugh!

So home I went, where I took my pain meds and tried to sleep. I didn't get much sleep that night, the meds didn't take the contraction pain completely away, and I kept having intermittent contractions all night. They never got too close together, so I just laid in bed and prayed for it to be over!

I'll tell you about day 2 of my labor tomorrow.

41 Years Ago Today.....

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you were?
~Satchel Paige~

.....I was born. It's been a pretty quick 41 years overall. When I look back at experiences, and think back to my childhood, it seems like it was worlds away. But it also seems like I got to 41 pretty quickly. Such is the passage of time.

I hope I make it another 41 years. That'll get me to 82 (I did the math for you : )

I hope the next 41 don't go by as quickly as the last, but I am afraid they are going to go even faster. Why is it that the older one gets, the faster it goes by? When I was a kid I couldn't wait to get older. Always wishing for my next birthday, wanting to be 16 so I could drive, wanting to be 18 so I didn't have to listen to my parents anymore, wanting to be 21 so I could drink. Around 21 I didn't wish for birthdays anymore. I didn't care that they came, I just didn't need them to come anymore. I reached the full age of legality, I could do anything. It wasn't until my mid-thirties that birthdays started reminding me I was getting old. Last year was hard. Something about 40 says old to me. I realize it's not really "OLD" but it is "older". Now I am entering my "forties", that seems old.

The firs thing I noticed last year was my eyes. I'd had people tell me that your eyes will start to go at 40. I've always had better than perfect vision my entire life. I didn't believe MY eyes would go. Well they did. I don't need glasses yet, but I do need to hold things with small print very far away to read it. And if the light is poor, forget it. That's new to me.

I've heard people say 40 is the new 30. 50 is the new 40, blah, blah, blah. Maybe it's true in how people look these days. If you look at people from 50 years ago, they did look old at 40. I think now-a-days we dress younger, take care of our skin better, etc. So maybe the new 40 looks 30, but I don't think 40 feels like 30. When I was 30 I had a 3 year old and a 1 year old. And a lot more energy to keep up with a 3 year old and a 1 year old. I wouldn't wish that on myself now.

So Happy birthday to me. I made it another year.

Here's some quotes on birthdays and aging for your enjoyment:

Thanks to modern medical advances such as antibiotics, nasal spray, and Diet Coke, it has become routine for people in the civilized world to pass the age of 40, sometimes more than once.
~Dave Barry~
"Your Disintegrating Body," Dave Barry Turns 40, 1990

Middle age is having a choice between two temptations and choosing the one that'll get you home earlier.
~Dan Bennett~

Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened. ~Jennifer Yane~

There is no pleasure worth forgoing just for an extra three years in the geriatric ward.
~John Mortimer~

Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.
~Author Unknown~

54 Things I Love About My Husband

Today is my DH's birthday. He is 54. We are calling it his triple golden birthday because he was born 5/4/54......and today he is 54! So I thought maybe I could come up with 54 things I love about my husband. (disclaimer....I got this idea off another homeschooling moms blog! : )

1. He's cute
2. He's funny
3. He has a nice butt
4. He smells good
5. He can fix computers
6. He can fix cars
7. He can fix almost anything!
8. If he can't fix something, he reads about it until he can (he's very unschooley that way : )
9. He's very smart
10. He's witty
11. He's forgiving
12. He eats my cooking
13. He takes me out for dinner
14. He puts up with my PMS
15. He puts up with my cats
16. He puts up with my outside cats : )
17. He puts up with my unschooling the girls
18. He puts up with my minimal house cleaning skills
19. He calls me from work to say hi
20. He calls me before he leaves work to come home
21. He kisses me goodbye every morning
22. He'll get me my paper before he leaves for work
23. He'll go out in a thunderstorm to clean out the gutters so our basement doesn't flood
24. He kills spiders
25. He doesn't kill mice
26. He's a musician
27. He sings to me (sometimes)
28. He watches the History channel
29. He knows a lot about technology, so we have a really cool TV
30. He watches American Idol
31. He lets me use all the tivo hours for all my shows
32. He's a good son
33. He's a good brother
34. He's a good dad
35. He has really nice hair
36. He works hard
37. He takes care of his family
38. He wears Hawaiian shirts
39. He barbecues
40. He knows a lot about a lot of things
41. He watches Jeopardy with me everyday
42. He loves his kids
43. He loves me
44. He took me to Vegas
45. He took me to Disneyworld...3x
46. He rubs my back
47. He cuddles
48. He does the laundry
49. He sets up the Christmas tree and fluffs the branches
50. He has traveled to all sorts of interesting places and tells me about them
51. He likes to have "Jamaica days" when it's really hot in the summer
52. He bails me out when I make stupid mistakes
53. He takes care of me when I am sick
54. He's the best thing that ever happened to me!

I love you sweetie! Hope you had a wonderful birthday and may we have many more birthdays together.

And in the end The love you take, Is equal to the love you make.

-Paul McCartney-