Life of leisure

It is such a privilege to be able to write down what has been going on the last few weeks. Email, blog and facebook have replaced my scrapbooks. I can look back at them and remember the precious moments of life. Thank you all for letting me share with you!

Keegan is a month old now. I can't believe how fast time has flown by. It was just moments ago when I sat on the couch watching TLC Baby Story episodes, my stomach swelled and ready to have a baby, wondering if that time would ever come and even if I would survive! And now, here I am with Little Man experiencing the outside world and thriving. At his one month check, he weighed in at 10 lbs, 14 oz, (78%), 23 inches (92%), and with a head circumference of 38 1/2 cm (57%). Since birth, he grew two pounds and two inches! All is well.

He likes to swing his arms and legs around like he's going somewhere. He occasionally smiles -- and that lights up his whole sweet face. He smiles and coos when I bring his burp cloth to his lips. And when he drinks his bottle, he makes a big production out of it. He drinks very leisurely, as if he has all the time in the world, and -- in reality -- he does. It doesn't matter if it's 5:00 in the morning or 3:00 in the afternoon, he's going to drink four ounces in about 45-60 minutes. He also enjoys being out and about in the house with all of his brothers and sisters. He's already spoiled because he knows that if he cries, someone is always around to pick him up and take him around.

I have to lock my room when Keegan is in his crib sleeping or Keva will come right in and touch and squeeze him. She loves to sneak in on him. Kody does, too, but he usually stays at the door's threshold hoping for permission to come in, too. Keva and Kody are quite the duo.

As I type this, I am trying to get over a pretty nasty head cold that I've been fighting since Monday. It started innocently enough with a lot of sneezing. But yesterday (Friday) was the worst, with a lot of miserable coughing and sniffling. Today, I think, I feel better. I just really need the weather to warm up! We are in the 20s at night and in the 40s during the day. I spend a lot of time holed up in my room where it is the warmest! This weekend, though it's supposed to get into the 50s with some sunshine. I am really ready for spring to come!

Tomorrow, after church, is my baby shower! I've gotten so many lovely gifts already, that I feel kind of weird having a shower, but it's coming anyway! Keith will be picking Keri Lynn up from school tonight so she can be here for tomorrow's festivities. Kathleen and Kylie are looking forward to coming, too! I'm just hoping that I'll keep up a better trend. I do feel a little better today, but I'm nursing a sinus headache. Blick!

Now what to do about breakfast? I guess I should grab something to eat while Keegan is sleeping. And I suppose I should also get dressed. The life of leisure!

First smiles!

Keegan's impersonation of "Bill the Cat"

Keegan is three-weeks old!

A very unusual day today. We have a Snow Day. No school. A perfect way to ring in the Winter Break week! This is great for me because I don't have to wake up with the kids to get them off to school until Feb. 22. Less sleep deprivation! Yay!

It's been snowing since about 2:00 this afternoon. So beautiful and COLD! All the kids, except for Keva and Keegan, are off at friends' houses either playing in the snow or hopefully sensibly holed up with their friends staying warm!

Keva is in her room right now so she will stop going around opening up all of our doors to the outside. Also she's there so she will stop sneaking into my room to pinch Keegan! I've been spending most of my time in my room where the temperature is about 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the house. I try to keep the thermostat at about 65, but that makes the family room and living room at about 55 and the bedrooms at about 75. Needless to say, I've been spending a lot of time in my bedroom! And in the closet, where Keegan's room is. Keegan's "room" is the warmest room in the entire house!

Keegan is currently napping. He is already three weeks old! I can't believe it. On the other hand, it feels like he's been around a lot longer than that, mainly because I'm sleep deprived and everything is a little fuzzy!

Every day, I continue to feel a little better. I've now dropped 30 pounds since Keegan's birth. I'm hoping to start in on a good exercise program as soon as I am physically able in order to keep the pounds OFF. I've been wearing all of my regular clothes again. This is so nice, since I had a very limited maternity wardrobe! Also, because I still have to watch my blood sugar, I'm working on a food schedule where I eat smaller more frequent meals. This is tricky because I've always eaten basically two big meals -- lunch and dinner. However, I feel much better and my blood sugar levels are much happier if I actually eat a small breakfast and a bunch of smaller meals. This has been my Grandmother's call to action for YEARS, so here I am at last following her advice!

We've gotten a lot of meals from neighbors and church family. I haven't had to cook since I've been home from the hosptial! When we haven't gotten a meal, I've either ordered pizza or we've eaten leftovers. There's one more meal that Ginny froze while she was here that I'm planning to use for dinner tonight, then I'll have to dust off the pots and pans and see if I can remember how to cook!

Keith called from work this morning to say that he'll be spending the night at a local motel paid by Delta to make sure he gets back to work tomorrow morning because of the weather. This means he won't be home to build a fire, but he may be getting some good overtime! He's been having to work more and more weekends these days, but we feel blessed that he has a job at all.

Keegan calls. He thinks he's hungry again.

Routine?

I'm having a time trying to find a routine in a non-routine season of life! I'm tired and sore and sometimes headachy/nauseous. But Keegan is cute, and even when he wakes me up at 4:00 in the morning, I get such a big kick out of his bright eyes and sweet concerned expressions that I can't be upset about sleep deprivation. Plus, since I'm not working, I get to rest during the day whenever Keegan is resting. It's a nice treat for as long as it lasts.

I can't believe that Little Man will be two weeks tomorrow. This time two weeks ago, I was strapped to a hospital bed trying my hardest to give birth to a kid floating up near my ribs. The hardest part of that particular labor was when nurses kept trying to get blood samples for various tests. I still have bruises up and down my arms from that!

Kylie, Kade and Konner will be coming home from school soon. The first thing they want to do when they get home is to hold the baby. "Where is Keegan?" "Can I hold him?" Sometimes I hold back because he's sleeping, but most of the time he's up by then and ready for some play time. By 6:00 pm, he's conked out from all of the attention he gets in the afternoons!

Keith has tomorrow off and will go see Keri Lynn to help her with some laptop issues. Any excuse will do, though. He loves to drive over to see her at school, even though it's a rather monotonous two hour drive to get there. I remember when my own Dad would come and see me at Biola. He didn't have a car at the time, but took the bus to see me on his day off. We'd usually eat lunch at the cafeteria and get caught up on things that were going on. I love that Keri Lynn has that Daddy time. So important to a growing young woman's maturity.

Someone from church is bringing a meal tonight! Yay! Love those meals. I even have a few more meals that Ginny prepared and froze while she was here for a few more nights. We also got a bunch of food from a family that moved out of the neighborhood -- they were cleaning out their freezers and wanted to know if we'd be interested in their extra food. Ha! Would we? Let me think a half second. Let me give you a mental picture of my wee baby birds with their mouths open. "Yes, extra food would be just fine, thank you very much!"

Three ladies from church are also planning a baby shower for me and Keegan! It's going to be Sunday, February 28, 2010 at the Warehouse, the youth building at our church, from 12:30 - 2:30. If you already attend our church, then you'll probably be getting an E-vite, but if you don't and you'll be in the area, and you want to come, let me know and I'll give your name to one of the ladies in charge of the shower.

It has been the time of many blessings. A friend has come around for several hours every day this week to help clean house. Can I tell you how lovely the smell of bleach is? The carpet and wood floors have never looked so clean either. And the laundry is nearly all caught up -- which is frankly rather a miracle in and of itself. It has been a big boost to my spirits and one of the reasons I felt so great on Tuesday. I then did a bunch of my own laundry that day and promptly felt TERRIBLE the next day. Too much stress on my stomach muscles, I guess. I keep forgetting that I still need to take it easy.

One of the biggest tricks these days is getting to bed at a decent time. I am quickly getting used to being able to fall asleep by about 10:00 or 11:00 pm in my very own bed (not on the recliner), but Keegan has other ideas. He likes to leisurely drink his bottle from about midnight to 1:00 and then he's up once more usually before morning. This actually is not a horrible schedule for a newborn, but I know I can do better if I schedule him more carefully during the day. BUT, I'm so groggy from the night, that I catch my Z's while he is sleeping right through the next bottle feeding schedule! Argh!

Last night, I woke up to feed Keegan and was just starved! Keith had gotten us some pizza at Papa John's last night while the kids had Wednesday night supper at church. He got one pizza for him (pepperoni, sausage and bacon) and one for me and Keva (mushroom, olive and pineapple)! It was perfect! All it needed was some anchovies! Well, last night, I had another piece of my pizza at about 5:00 am. STARVED, I was! In fact, while I'm typing this, my mouth is starting to water again. It may make the perfect quick lunch. Bye!

Getting back into a routine

Keegan is already 11 days old! We are getting into somewhat of a routine, as I try to find my own routine after so many months of not being able to sleep until the early morning hours and then sleeping until noon.

Last night, I actually had some chili and then was able to go to bed without the use of Tums! It was amazing and so wonderful and so comfortable to snuggle into my nice warm comforter and just fall asleep! This is discounting a certain short person who needs to eat a few times a night, but this is still infinitely preferable to the other option!

I was feeling really good coming home from the hospital last week, but my body still has had some adjusting to do. I needed to once again get used to my regular blood pressure meds. This has caused headaches and some nausea.

Then, there's the meds I've been taking for gestational diabetes. It is not known yet whether I will still need to deal with diabetes post pregnancy, but I still need the medication to control it, so I'm not hopeful that it will go away. On the more positive side, it does help me eat healthier. Too much sugar makes me feel yucky.

I also have a little bit of an opening at the incision site where the stitches tore at a stretch mark -- the skin was just too thin. So, I'm also on antibiotics to prevent infection.

I still have some of that lovely Percocet left. Man, that's good stuff. But it's starting to give me a bit of a buzz when I used it whereas before it just helped mask the pain. So maybe I might not need it so much anymore.

I feel like a drugstore.

Keegan, however, is doing great. He has upped his bottle intake from barely 2 oz. to a "whole" 3 oz. He's still a pretty sedate eater compared to other siblings, taking time to burp and watch the many faces all peering at him at any given hour of the day. He gets a little bit of a break from his popularity during school hours, but then explodes into activity as soon as kids start dribbling home. He loves the attention, though. He's very alert, staring right back at all of his loving subjects.

Kody watches over him carefully and wants to sniff and lick him, but we are giving Keegan some space for now from dog love.

Keva knows there is someone to reckon with as well. She came up to him one day last week and stroked his shoulder with two fingers, all sweet and loving. She walked away and then came back and stroked his shoulder again, then, in typical Keva style, gave the little brother a pinch! So now we know where she stands in regard to that pesky little brother!

Keith decided that I was getting too much attention, so he got his truck stuck in the mud in the backyard, after bringing home some firewood for our cold nights. The boys were all down there trying to help get the truck out, and so was a neighbor. I was worried that one of the little kids might get hurt, but it was Keith that I really needed to worry about! He had a car jack that he'd put in place to help get the truck out, and somehow, the handle came loose or something, and hit him right across his eye. He went to urgent care and got six stitches on his eyelid and treatment above and below his eye. The next day, he went in for a CT scan to make sure there was not any further damage. We are VERY grateful that he didn't damage his eye or cause himself brain damage!

Aside from the drama, we've been enjoying the many blessings of friends and family as we welcome Keegan to our family. Gifts have been pouring in, along with meals! Yum! I've even had some help with housework, which has been a HUGE blessing. So I'd like to take this time to give a BIG THANK YOU to all of you! I'm trying really hard to get some real thank you cards out, but I wanted to express my thanks this way, too. I am so touched by the joy that is shared for and with us. We are truly blessed!

Update -- Keegan is 1 day old!

If you tend to be a little squeamish about medical stuff, you might want to skip this email. If you're a mom yourself, you might be rather interested. : )

We arrived at the hospital on Thursday at 6:00 AM as scheduled. Since we'd been at the hospital last week, there was hardly any paperwork to do, just signatures for all the procedures and possible procedures.

We started off very hopeful that I'd be able to deliver vaginally. Keegan's little stubborn head was DOWN, so there was not even a need for the version! So, right away, I was given an IV to keep fluids moving, my water was broken and cervix stripped (so fun!), a catheter put in (so special!) and the epidural started. This was the first time I'd received an epidural without already being in labor. The anesthesiologist had to do it twice because the first one hit a blood vessel. While he was doing it, I felt very fuzzy headed; I could have just laid down right then and there for a little nap. Fortunately, that cleared away and the epidural started its important job. I laid back down in that Oh, so comfy hospital bed knowing I was in it for the long haul.

Pitocin was started soon after that.

The nurse discovered that there was meconium (baby poop) in my amniotic fluid. The OB told me not to worry, that it's actually quite common. So I tried not to worry.

I started slowly dilating. Not unusual for me. By late afternoon, I was at about four. I was getting a little discouraged, and was expecting the OB to call off the induction and go for the c-section, but she surprised me and said that baby looked good, things were progressing, and we could go on.

A monitor was put on baby's scalp and inside my uterus to more accurately keep track of heartbeat and contractions. Except the nurse ended up accidentally stabbing herself with the scalp monitor instead. So I had to agree to give a blood sample to prove that I didn't have AIDS. Otherwise, she'd have to take a month's worth of very serious medication to counteract the possibility -- hospital policy. The only thing was that I had no blood to give! It's always hard to get blood from me even under the best of circumstances, but after already being poked and prodded for blood to set up for labor, the nurse had to literally get blood from my FOOT! This actually ended up working out very nicely because my feet were partially anesthetized from the epidural! So she was able to get her blood sample, all the while apologizing for causing me more pain! I'm happy to report that I do not have AIDS. : )

Anyway, I buckled down for more labor. The contractions didn't hurt, even as I headed toward five centimeters, but the sitting and laying only on my back for what amounted to 18 hours sure did! I don't know if my rear end is ever going to be the same again!

Finally toward the end of those 18 hours, Keegan's heart was starting to show signs of possible problems. He was not technically in distress, but his heart was dipping with each contractions and not coming back up like it should, AND he was no where near the birth canal. Even though he was head down, he was still floating up near my ribs. I think my uterus was just too tired to contract the Little Man back down to where he needed to be.

So the doctor finally called it. It was time for my first C-section. It was a little surreal getting wheeled off to the operating room. The lights were so bright and everything was bright white and blue. It looked a lot like a scene out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I kept expecting Umpa Lumpas to come on in and sing me a song.

Keith was brought in right as they began surgery. He stood and watched most of the procedure. I was glad to be behind the curtain myself. They had to do a lot of pulling and tugging to get Keegan down to the incision. "Lots of pressure" was quite an accurate phrase. At one point, the nurse watching over me said, "It's going to feel like an army is stomping on your chest." And it did.

The OB said I have the most elastic uterus she's ever seen. I'm special, I guess!

Just minutes into the C-section, I got the privilege of hearing Keegan's first cries. Apparently he had a TON of meconium all over him. So did the placenta. He had kept quite busy in there waiting to be born! Poor guy. I didn't get to see him for at least 10 minutes while they endeavored to clean him up and do a quick check on his overall health. But then I did get to see him and was so surprised that he didn't look like my other kids much at all. He did look like Keith, but just a little.

Keith agreed and told me what I hadn't been able to figure out immediately, "He looks like your Dad!"

Ha! How about that! That means he looks like me! Kylie looks quite a bit like my Dad, too, but being a girl makes it not as obvious. It will be interesting to see how he develops.

We were all also very interested in finding out how much he weighed, given that more than a week ago he was measuring 8 lbs, 8 oz on the ultrasound measurements. Turns out the ultrasound wasn't too far off. He topped the scales at 8 lbs, 13 oz and 21 inches long -- the biggest Johnson yet! By about three ounces, but still a pretty big boy. He looks pretty mature for his age. I think he was just as ready to be born as I was ready to have him born!

Nurses then whisked him off to the nursery for further care. Keith went with them and watched as they sucked out more meconium out of his stomach. Poor guy! They checked his blood sugar levels and all looked pretty good there. They even gave him an ounce of formula which he promptly threw up, probably given that he'd just had his tummy rinsed out. Then, he was brought back to the room where I was recovering. It was so nice to see him so soon after the c-section, knowing that he'd not had trouble with breathing in the meconium or any other serious thing that might require the NICU.

By 4:00 AM, one of the nurses came in, "I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that there's a room ready for you finally in post-partum! The bad news is that I have to draw one more sample of blood! I PROMISE it will be the last one!"

After much poking and prodding and puncturing and bruising, she finally had to take it out of my foot (third try!) I literally had no blood left, I guess. I said, "Don't worry. At least if a vampire ever comes after me, I'll be safe."

Keith went on his way back home to rest, and I went to post-partum to do the same. It was HEAVENLY to be able to sleep on my back without anything sticking in or out of me (except for catheter and leg thingies keeping my blood circulating well)and just sleep. HEAVENLY. I also didn't need any Tums to sleep either. The nursery took the baby through the night and into the morning, since I couldn't get out of bed until I was walking.

When Keith came in the afternoon, he brought the baby out from the nursery and fed him and burped him and changed his diaper. Meanwhile, I took that long trip over to the bathroom for my first big walk. It was made a lot more painful than usual because my uterus was contracting in a mighty way AND I had diarrhea. (Every new mother has a contracting uterus. It doesn't usually hurt for the first baby, but for every subsequent baby, it hurts more and more . . . labor pains in reverse!) The c-section incision pain was secondary to the cramping. I was quick to get my pain medication! Oh, yes I was. But I survived and ended up sleeping very well on the second night at Hotel Piedmont.

Today, I continued to make sure I was walking and drinking and resting (according to OB instructions). I've learned how to order meals from the cafeteria. Breakfast consisted first of all of a bowl of prunes! I may have had to deal with some very uncomfortable diarrhea the night before, but it would be nothing compared to the OTHER issue that could arise if I didn't take precautions!

And I got very happy news about visitor restrictions. Just this Thursday, the day I got there, they restrictions have been lifted. H1N1 has been waining! This means that the kids got to all come over to see the baby and hold him. Keva stayed with Ginny to make it a little easier for all involved, and then Ginny came later to sit and visit and hold and feed the baby. It was a very nice relaxing day.

Keith also brought me the laptop, knowing that I'd be quite happy to be hooked up to email and facebook again! Yay! I hadn't known that he'd been keeping updates on facebook for me, except for that last one. It was a kick to read them all and see everyone's comments and concerns and prayers and elation. What a joy it has been to share this experience with friends and family all across the country!

I'll be here at the hospital through Monday. That should give me enough time to do the harder recovery. Keith goes back to work on Monday but should be done in time to bring Keegan and me home. Ginny leaves on Tuesday. It wasn't one of her regular visits, but it sure was nice to know someone was there for the kids, especially Keva! Thanks so much Ginny!

And thank you so much everyone for so many well wishes, meals, gifts. We are so blessed by our dear family and friends!

Lisa made us a cake!

Baby Update -- I'm 39 weeks at last!

I was supposed to go to the hospital today to have the baby, one way or another, but through a series of events find that I'm having to wait until Thursday, the 21st. I just about broke into tears when the doctor told me that, but held it together, got a hug from Keith and headed home to regroup. While I sat on the couch later that afternoon, I watched footage of a Haitian woman in labor in the makeshift tents in Port-au-Prince, and decided that maybe I was feeling just a bit too sorry for myself. I am now very thankful that I have easy access to doctors, the hospital, my own refrigerator, water and shelter. I am blessed!

So now I look toward Thursday morning. I'm actually kind of enjoying these last few days of quiet freedom. The kids are home on a three day weekend, even Keri Lynn. Everyone has been a big help with the basic maintenance. They don't exactly jump around doing dishes and laundry at the drop of a hat, but they do help when asked without too much complaining!

We've had some baby things trickling in from friends and family. Such fun! We got a used stroller and car seat from my friend Lisa. Kylie, Kade and Konner were all fighting over the chance to run the stroller all around the house -- they've never been on the driving end of a stroller before! Lisa also made us a delicious dinner that we very much enjoyed today after church. It came with a birthday cake for Keegan. So cute!

Keri Lynn goes back to school tomorrow evening. With the exception of the time she'll be here for Keegan's arrival, she'll be gone quite a bit after that. I miss her already and she isn't even gone!

Kristofer, Kathleen and Kylie all participated in a mass choir festival on Friday and Saturday. Then this morning, they sang five of their six songs in church. I wish I could have been there, but once again I had a late night, finally getting to sleep at about 4:00 AM and sleeping until noon. Not exactly a hard life, but I do miss a lot of productivity during the day. It will be weird to get back to a normal bedtime routine, or at least as normal a bedtime routine as one can have with a newborn!

Keith starts his second week of vacation this week. Then on Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on Keegan's whims, Ginny will come to help for a whole week. She shifted her time by a few days to accommodate our revised schedule. She'll help get kids on the bus, organize meals that are coming in and even cook some meals to freeze. I am very thankful!

38 weeks, two days

I finally pegged someone down at the OB office that my date to go to the hospital is indeed Sunday, the 17th. FIVE DAYS! WHOOOO-HOOOO! I'm not anxious or anything. At all. Nope.

The plan is to go in, get an IV and epidural in place, have the doctor turn the baby's head in the proper direction for birth and have the baby! If there are any complications, the staff is on stand-by for a c-section.

I've been experiencing some swelling in my legs and feet in the last 24 hours, so I'm trying to take it easy. This is hard because I'm trying to tidy things up for when I'm gone to the hospital. Still, the kids are available to order around, and that's exactly what I've been doing. Keith just told Kristofer and Kathleen that they need to do dishes every night for a while, including the never-ending pots and pans that need to be hand washed.

Last night, I wrote up a list of people to call before and after birth. I still haven't packed my bag yet. Need to do that, considering Keegan might foil all the plans and come on his own earlier. I've been experiencing mild contractions for a couple of days now. Saturday night was the longest stint, with contractions every 10 minutes for about six hours. I knew from experience, though, that it was nothing to call the doctor about. I have particularly poky labor until I finally reach active labor, then things tend to move along quickly.

Keri Lynn went back to school on Sunday. She is enjoying seeing all of her friends and is excited to be back in a routine, especially since she doesn't have any early morning classes. (She is her mother's daughter, after all.)

Kristofer skated through his first semester of his junior year with fairly easy classes. This semester is a whole different ballgame with physics and geometry as the two big classes on his plate. He's going to have to really study on a regular basis!

My friend Ginny from Florida is coming up on the 16th to help with the home front for a whole week. And since this weekend is also a holiday weekend, Keri Lynn will probably come home to see the baby then, too, since she doesn't have to go back until Monday night. She'll be only sibling old enough to come and see the baby and actually hold him. The rest will have to be happy with looking at the baby through the nursery windows. Kathleen is unhappy about this, but the rest of the kids really don't care!

I was really pleased with the change in hospitals after Keith and I talked it over with the perinatologist. The second hospital is a lot closer and able to deal with my various issues with ease. If for some reason I do end up having complications because of my blood pressure, then I'll go to the first hospital further away. However, I feel good and all of my levels (sugar, blood pressure, weight are all under control).

37 1/2 weeks, but who's counting

Wow, I've messed up on writing the year several times already. I could chalk it up to PBS (Pregnant Brain Syndrome), but I do have the same issue every year.

I went for my regular OB appointment yesterday. I actually saw the SAME doctor that I'd seen for the previous two appointments. That's so nice when you go to a big practice. Anyway, I tried to convince her that I really needed to be induced by the 38th week, which was a scant four days away. But she informed me that hospital policy does not allow elective procedures like that to be done until the 39th week. I was slightly deflated, but not so much as to be crushed. There is still plenty to do to get stuff ready for Keegan's imminent arrival.

So the plan is to go to the hospital on January 17, at the beginning of my 39th week, get an IV and epidural, turn baby's head the right direction, and start inducing labor! However, if there are any complications with this, I would be prepared for an immediate c-section. There are a lot of variables involved with doing this. In fact, a lot of doctors don't care to do it at all, but I'm a good candidate in that my uterus is all stretched out from having seven other children. Plenty of room for moving baby.

What I'm worried about is that I'll start labor before the scheduled version/induction. Once I start contractions, then the version (where baby is turned in the right direction) is not an option, causing too much stress on the uterus. I'm not hopeful that Sumo Keegan will go head down on his own as he has been head up the ENTIRE last trimester. I can see him on ultrasound sitting in there like a little Buddha, legs and hands crossed, sitting straight up, little head at the top of my belly. But if I do have a c-section, that will be okay, too. I'd just rather avoid the recovery time of a surgery like that.

Over all, though, I'm feeling good. I've gotten used to my life of bon-bons (without the bon-bons), wherein I don't get to sleep until at least 3:00 because of stomach acid and tingly feet. Something kicks in around 3:00, and I drift off into a mostly comfortable sleep on the couch's recliner. Then, I get up at 6:37 to get the kids off to school and climb into my actual bed until about 11:00 or noon. Not too bad, all in all. My blood pressure has been steady and pretty much normal. My blood sugars have been pretty much steady, too. When I get up from sitting for any length of time, it takes a good couple of minutes before I can actually move from that spot as muscles, joints and bones settle into place. Oh, the fun of the last month!

I've kept busy ignoring the dishes and laundry. I've been knitting instead. The kids do pretty well picking up the slack, but only when Keith or I get onto them. I have a vision of actually getting caught up with the laundry before D-Day, but I think it is only a vision. Sigh.

Keith and I were planning on having the baby sleep with us in our room for the first few months at least, but now we are seriously considering converting the master closet into baby space. It's big enough to be its own room. It has ventilation/heating and a door to close on fussy baby when he needs to sleep but isn't quite ready to do so immediately. And he's close by for late night feedings and cuddling. Now that I have one more week to wait, it is actually giving us more time to put the plan into action, because there's this tiny little problem of finding homes for all the STUFF that is in the master closet right now! We do need to organize it anyway, so this is a great incentive to get it done! I'm kind of happy about this little idea that sprung out from nowhere!

My Mom and Rich won't be able to come after all to help when baby comes, and I will miss them, but my friend Ginny from Florida will be coming that week instead. Since she and her kids come often for visits, she knows the routine and how to get around the kitchen and which kids can do which jobs. So her focus is going to be on helping with the running of the household.

Keith has a two week vacation starting Monday! This is so nice coming from his two week Christmas vacation! And this will be especially helpful should Keegan decide he's coming earlier than the 17th.

I guess I'm in a little bit of shock that the arrival date is so quickly approaching. I keep having this silly fantasy that I'll be able to sleep through the night again, but I keep reminding myself that this is not so! But, it is temporary! If he's like the other kids, he should be sleeping through the night by six weeks to two months. But then there's that thing about little ones that they like to get up EARLY whether it's a work day or a weekend or holiday. It doesn't seem to matter to them! Now that will take some getting used to! But that's okay, too, as I've learned (after many years of early mornings) that it is not a permanent situation! Trying to get my college girl up, for instance, before noon while she's home on vacation is another thing entirely!

Merry Christmas!

From Our Home to Yours . . .

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

We are pretty much unable to stamp Christmas letters anymore, I guess, because here I am writing out our letter on the computer and about to send it off into cyberspace! Email, my blog and facebook help our family keep up, especially with family and friends on the other side of the country!

Our year has been one of great change. I worked the first half of the year as a substitute TA in an amazing special education classroom. I learned a little bit more of what it means to be a working mom. It also gave me a yearning that if I was going to have to go to work anyway, that I really wanted to pursue a teacher certification in special education. I passed three required tests and started applying to get my masters in special ed. The plan was to get a provisional teacher's job while working toward certification. I'd have five years in which to accomplish this. It all sounded a bit daunting, but it seemed the best option at that time.

School let out for the year, and summer began. I had great plans to clean up around the house and get some more painting done and get some kind of summer job to help tide us over through the lean summer months. There was a lot of catch-up work to do, since most of my free time during the school year had been spent relaxing rather than cleaning! I was running errands that first week of summer when I felt a familiar nausea flair up in my innards . . . Sure enough, one pregnancy test later, I stood in my bathroom not just a little shocked and not just a little flustered. This wasn't part of The Plan. Keith and I looked at each other over the table that night at dinner and started working on Plan B. It has been nine years since our last baby! And here we were, with first baby heading off to college in August and last baby being at that moment weaved by God's hand in my womb! Exciting, scary times!

Because my morning sickness continued pretty relentlessly for the next six months, my plan of continuing to try to get a teaching job pretty much fell by the wayside. As it happens, the fact that God did not provide a job for me when we thought we most needed it was just, in fact, what we needed. I think it would have been detrimental to my health to work.As of this writing, I am nearly 36 weeks and coming to the end of an exciting pregnancy journey. It is WAY DIFFERENT gestating at the age of 44 then it was when I was 35 and taking care of six other busy children under ten! I had it easy then!

Still, I've made due in my old age! If I can't sleep at night, I can catch up on sleep during the day while the kids are at school. By about 4:00 AM, my feet are no longer tingly and my stomach is temporarily settled, no longer rebelling against its existence. I call it my bon-bon life. Sleeping in until 11:00 or even noon, and then going about my very busy afternoon of watching back-to-back episodes of Baby Story on TLC while eating Maltomeal. It's been a rough life!

Now, I've got about two to four weeks to go before Keegan makes his appearance. I think I'll be induced at about 38 weeks (two weeks from now), as baby is doing what the last two babies did before him. He is floating around with his head up, doing water aerobics. The plan, for now, is to go to the hospital before I start labor, so that the baby can be manually turned head down and the doctor can start inducing me. This was the way Konner was delivered. However, there are complications doing it that way that may lead to a Cesarean, which will be an entirely new experience for me.  Still, I'm glad for the options and for the excellent obstetrical care I've received throughout the entire pregnancy.

Now, I suppose I'll need to tell you about what is going on with the rest of the family since, because even though it feels like it right now, it's not ALL about ME!

KEITH continues working at Delta. A year or so ago, he began working in management and is in charge of a group of work-at-home employees. He's learned a lot. At this management position, there's a lot of labor for not as much money, but it is a learning experience and a step up the ladder. We are so thankful for his job in a time of economic upheaval, especially as work-at-home employees are becoming more and more needed in the big corporate world. When Keith is not working, he likes to go to Freys Electronics and other such stores, as well as outlets and Big Lots. He loves to go look at things, and doesn't have to buy anything when he does. He also is the one who takes the birthday kids out for dinner and something fun. We've kind of gotten away from parties and just try to give the birthday kid special attention for his or her special day. Daddy is good at that! And the kids love it. As for time with his wife, we usually try to get in a Saturday morning out for breakfast/brunch at our favorite Mexican place!

KERI LYNN went and grew up on us. Keith and are are equal parts stunned and proud. How did this happen? She turned 18 and then went off to Georgia College and State University, where she is majoring in Early Childhood Education. She has made some great friends already and finds that 11:00 pm is an early bedtime these days. Inspite of sleep deprivation, she made the Dean's List on her first semester which will help her toward scholarship opportunities next year. She now has her own cell phone and manages her own bank account and school bills. Because of her high school GPA, she earned the Hope Scholarship, Georgia's scholarship program that pays for all tuition and some of the books. We are so glad she has so many wonderful opportunities. To top it all off, she has the opportunity this summer to work as an intern in Japan at a wonderful church where she and Kristofer went on their choir tour last year. We are so excited for her!

KRISTOFER (16) is a junior at Newnan High School. He may not have Keri Lynn's study skills, but he can grasp concepts easily. He helps a lot with tech stuff at church. And his favorite class this year has been video broadcasting. He also excelled in English class, where he got a little obsessed with writing poems. If you want your own poem, he'll be glad to write one for you. Just post something on his facebook page! He also just got his learner's permit. We've been so busy lately that the poor guy has yet to get behind the wheel, but I'm sure he'll do fine and not run into any parked cars or anything crazy like someone else might have done in our household when she got her learner's permit.KEVA (14) continues to surprise us with the new things she does. This year, she has become a stripper. She thinks it is great fun to take off ALL of her clothes no matter the state of her pull-up. Fortunately, she usually does this only in her room, as we have made it clear that this behavior is not acceptable elsewhere. I was starting to get really perturbed at her until I realized that this is a normal development stage. I can't tell you how many of my toddlers would try to escape the confines of the house to go run in the breeze in their birthday suits. When you think about it, children must learn how to UNDRESS before they can learn how to DRESS. I don't know how long this developmental stage will last, but I am happy with her progress. This Christmas, I made all the kids slippers, and Keva loves hers more than anyone else. She likes to keep them on for awhile and then she likes to fling them to the winds, laughing all the while. We do all love that girl, despite the messes she might create. She's always up for her specialty -- the group hug -- and she never complains about my cooking. If she doesn't like it (namely vegies), she just feeds it to the dog. That's why Kody is her best friend.

KATHLEEN (13) has blossomed into a lovely teenager. She is now top dog at Madras Middle School as a big eighth grader. She thoroughly enjoys being goofy with her friends. She loves to help cook in the kitchen and has often made dinner for the family when I just couldn't get the gumption up to get off the couch. Believe me, she has been a godsend. Last year, she got a sewing machine for Christmas and has had fun with it ever since, making fun outfits and pillows and whatever else she can think up that doesn't require formal sewing skills. She is quite the designer. I want to see her take some sewing classes to learn how to follow patterns, just to learn how to sew correctly and then I want to watch her fly with that knowledge to make her own designs. She already knows exactly what she wants her wedding dress to look like. She likes to crochet and knit, an activity that we do a lot together while jelling in front of the TV watching chick flicks like Pride and Prejudice. This year, she made a bunch of her own gifts for family and friends. I love watching her develop into a fine young woman.

KYLIE (11) is still a tiny thing. I think she's growing, only because she's grown out of a lot of clothes lately. She's a dichotomy. She loves dolls, stuffed animals and playing house. And she loves football with the neighborhood boys, going to the skate park with her brothers and playing in the creek. She is a fifth grader this year at Northside Elementary. Next year, she'll be in middle school. Yikes! Again, how does this happen!?! She can really talk up a storm if you catch her at the right time. She is always getting invited to people's houses for dinner or sleepovers. She and Konner both seem to be the social butterflies this year. She's always the first to meet any new neighbors and is responsible for quite a few of our neighbors going to our church. We are very proud of her and enjoy watching her grow!

KADE (10) is the male version of Kathleen. The Drama King. When he tells on someone, he REALLY tells on someone. And when he's happy, hungry, mad, hungry, or hungry, he'll let you know that, too. For Kade, it's all about his stomach. He had a special outing with his Dad to celebrate his birthday. He had saved a bunch of coupons, and this is what he planned for his birthday celebration: IHOP for breakfast, a free game at the bowling alley, lunch at Taco bell, dessert at Chick-fil-A, a trip to the Dollar Tree with his birthday money, dinner at Stevie B's Pizza, dessert at Dairy Queen -- all with coupons! He was so excited, he could hardly see straight! When he got home, he said in his exuberant way, "That was the best day EVER!" I made him a cake on his birthday and saved him the last piece and gave it to him a few days later. He took it with glee, gave me a big hug and said, again in his exuberant way, "Thank you, Mom! That was the best cake ever and you saved it for me!" He's also not hard to please when I cook. He likes whatever I make, proclaiming it to be "the best ever!" Someday, he will make his wife very happy, providing she waits for when he's really really hungry and will like anything. That's what I do!

KONNER (almost 9) is coming into his own. He enjoys a good joke and is learning how to tell it. Then, like his Mom, he laughs through the entire telling of it, spoiling it for everyone! But he sure is cute in the telling. I told him the other day that Keegan was going to be born close to his birthday, and he thought that was really cool! This was quite unlike me, who was quite indignant that my youngest brother would have the audacity to be born a day after my birthday! Konner is into all things Star Wars. He also loves his Nerf guns and going to the Skate Park on Monday evenings. He's blossoming in his school work with the help of a mentor.

KODY (3) -- our dog -- thinks he's the center of the family and feels that he deserves central attention whenever attention is being given. He barks at whoever comes to the door, whether it be a neighbor who comes daily or, heaven forbid, the mail carrier with a package. He is also quite often a very smelly dog. I, unfortunately, get the brunt of it when we are sleeping in the family room together where I prop myself up for the night on the recliner. Sometimes, I have to banish him to the bathroom just to be able to breath again! Most of all, he is not very smart. We get endless delight basking in his low IQ.

I will be posting a bunch of Christmas pictures on facebook. If you're not already on it, please join SOON and friend request me. I've been neglecting my blog lately because of my low energy level, but I should be back on track again in a few months! Of course, I think I'm forgetting how challenging those first few months of taking care of a newborn can be! Yikes! Keith, Keri Lynn, Kristofer and Kathleen are also on facebook. It's a family thing! Kylie is biding her time until she's old enough.

If you find yourself in the Atlanta area, please feel free to stop by and say hi! We'll make you tacos!

Blessings,

Jackie for our Family

Silent Monks Singing Halleluia

27 weeks!

I'm nearly done with my third trimester as I finish my 27th week. I've got a little under three months to go until my January 24th due date. Keegan will be here, God willing, before any of us know it.

Last visit to the perinatologist, showed that the cyst that Keegan has next to his kidney is the same size it was several months ago. It has not grown at all, and the perinatologist was surprised. "They always grow, this is unusual!" In fact, she says that the kidney is almost certainly functioning! We won't know for sure until the baby is born and an ultrasound is performed. What an answer to prayer!

Lately, I've been feeling better. I sleep most nights now in my own bed instead of the recliner. Last night was an exception due to two wonderfully tasty bowls of chili at Wednesday night supper. I knew I would pay for it, and did only minutes after digestion began. But I did manage to sleep well on the recliner, all the way until 5:30 AM when I dragged myself off the recliner and off to bed until 6:37 when my alarm kicked me back out again to get the kids off to school. It's important that the alarm goes off at 6:37, not 6:30 or 6:35. I feel like I'm cheating a little!

Anyway, pregnancy does continue to go well. I am aided by my life of leisure. No work means that I can take a nice long nap in the morning after the kids go off to school. As soon as I hear the bus pull away from our corner, I am off to bed until about 10:00 or 11:00 AM. It's a tough life, I know. Then I get up, make myself some Maltomeal and settle in to watch some TLC. I think I've watched every single Baby Story TLC has ever made, and cried at every last one of them. I also like to watch the Duggars -- Makes me feel that we've got a very small family in comparison!

I'm a little nervous waiting on the results of Tuesday's three-hour glucose test. Haven't had to do that before. The OB had me take a one-hour test earlier in the pregnancy that came out fine, and then (due to my age/weight/blood pressure/family history) I took a second one-hour test that came back elevated. Boo! So off I went for the three-hour. Such fun. Hopefully it will come back okay.

I've finally kicked my caffeine habit. I was motivated much more by trouble with tingly feet at night than possible gestational diabetes. I've LOVED my one can a day cola throughout pregnancy, but when one of my friends told me that she had to give up caffeine to get rid of her Restless Leg Syndrome, I had to think about my own caffeine intake. And I knew that the one can of cola was not helping. Plus, I was starting to not enjoy the cola. It was causing my stomach to sour, so I continued to cut back to about a half can, and then finally none at all. Surprisingly, I didn't deal with any headache issues, so I must have cut back slowly enough. What a thrill.

I'm not completely off soda, mind you. I've been greatly enjoying my mixed drink in the morning of ginger ale and orange juice. If I have to cut back on my sugar, I'm going to be really bummed. There's always hot tea, though. I love a nice decaffeinated tea as the cold weather sets in.

We've had a few colds go through the house, and I'm sure it's going to get worse, but it's part of the whole big family thing. We all LOVE to share our coughs, colds and flus. I took Kylie to the doctor last week and kept her out of school for one day. The antibiotics have kicked her cold out the door. Kade is next on the list. He's got a nasty cough. Since his ears weren't infected like Kylie's, I was hoping he'd kick it himself, but it seems to be getting worse, so I'm planning to take him to the doctor tomorrow. We most definitely will meet our family insurance detuctible -- as if that was ever an issue before!

Last post, I waxed eloquently about joining the YMCA to get back into shape. Boy, was I excited about it, until later on that very day after writing the post. I started thinking about all the people going to the YMCA with all of their germs. Now I'm thinking, maybe I'll just stay home. Since I have been feeling better, I've been getting quite a bit of exercise just doing household chores. I'm a wimp.

In Christ Alone Worship Video with Lyrics

Libera - Be Still My Soul

The adult child

I hope that Keri Lynn will take this the right way, but I've already grown accustomed to her being gone. It's not that I don't miss her, because I do miss her. I especially miss our talks. We chat on Facebook, but she as yet does not have a cell phone for easy access. (Hopefully that will change this weekend!) Whenever I drive the kids anywhere, I count heads and realize that the reason kids seem so sparse is because one of them is indeed missing. But, I've slowly grown accustomed to the idea of an adult child. She had been moving in that direction for a couple of years under our roof and then slowly slipped off into her own world. And it's okay. In fact, it's more than okay. It's God's intention for those precious arrows to be aimed out into the world to be witnesses for Him.

We still talk. We still have that special mother/daughter relationship that creaks and groans as mother lets go and daughter strikes out on her own. But I know her heart. Her Daddy knows her heart. And more importantly, God knows her heart. And it is with tremendous joy that we all watch her live out her life as God's precious daughter.

I'm a little sentimental today. Mostly because I'm starting to feel better again in pregnancy. I'm sleeping better, so I have more energy. Every household task is not so incredibly daunting. I'm starting to look outside of my own issues a little bit more. I see the kids coming up the pike after Keri Lynn. The girls especially are hugely influenced by her example -- for which I am very thankful. I find that Kathleen comes to talk to me now about teen things that weigh heavy on the hearts of young women. It is my privilege to hear her. I am reminded of a long-ago Focus on the Family program where Dr. Dobson encouraged parents to take the time to listen to their teen kids. In fact, he advised that a Mom's presence in the home is even more important for the teen years than even for the baby and toddler years. I have taken those words of wisdom and stored them in my heart for these amazing teen years. It is astounding to watch them grow.

In fact, I start to wonder, as we struggle with our finances. Here I am, STILL without a job. And not only do I have no job, I barely have the where-with-all to get up in the morning to get the kids to school. I wonder at the timing of the little one growing inside me, a full NINE years since the last baby was born! And as the months go by, and Keith and I creak and groan in our own personal growth, my heart grows more and more at peace. It is all in the LORD's very capable hands.

Also, I am quite hormonal. I cry at everything. It's not sad depressing crying at all. It's just hormonal crying. I cry at weddings on TV -- The latest being the Duggars' vow renewal. (Here I thought it was going to be so cheesy, but I cried anyway!) I cry Every. Single. Time. a baby is born on TLC's Baby Story. I cry when I see someone else cry. I cry in Bible study and at church, when I sing a worshipful song, when I read Scripture. I cry when I type about things I cry about.

Tomorrow, I'm going to my OB check-up. I don't get excited about the OB visits. I look forward to the Perinatalogist visits much more because there's the ultrasound machine and I get a glimpse of Keegan's progress. The OB just tells me all the things that the Perinatologist told them. It's just going through the motions. Half the time, I'm seeing a midwife or nurse practitioner -- neither of which will be delivering the baby. I've only met two of the doctors since starting prenatal care. I'll probably meet more in that last trimester, which is just around the corner! Time has gone FAST!

By the time I get back, Keri Lynn should be getting home for the weekend and the elementary school kids will be home, too. She has big plans that include El Charro's, Dr. Who DVDs and getting that cell phone. Keith finally switched to a pay-as-you-go phone that is working well. We're hoping that it will work for Keri Lynn, too.

I'm having some computer issues, so hopefully this will get to you all. If you're on Facebook (hint, hint), you'll get this in my notes anyway. And there's always the blog, of which I've been neglecting in a major way for lack of energy.