Today we did the final cleaning upstairs in the rooms that are getting new windows. Tomorrow is the day that they come! Sooo excited!
I took down those ugly green flowered valances in my bathroom that have been up for over seven years!! I have wanted to take those down since the day we moved and never had a good excuse or really anything to replace them with! Today, they came down!! And no, I don't really have something to replace them with! The curtains and valances were already down in my bedroom.
The playroom is almost empty. It is ready for a new window and a new coat of paint. This room actually had some pretty valances, but those came down along with the very broken shades. I think I am just going to get some nice curtains for this room. This will be Christian's room and I think some blackout curtains will be fine.
The valances came down in Christian's room and I have an idea on how to use them again. I don't think I am going to put them back up because I am taking the shades down in his room and those are not going back up! This is going to be the baby's room, so I think I am just going to go buy some curtains from Target to cover the entire windows. I think this will be cheap and easy!
As for my room and the five different windows, I really want to get blinds that go inside the windows, but I know that may cost a little bit. Somebody also mentioned making/ buying curtains. I will have to do some more research before I decide which way to go here. I also want a fresh coat of paint on my bedroom walls.
Megan and Courtney's room is not getting new windows, but I think we can change it up a bit. I think they can get their room painted and rearranged. I think they are going to be stuck together for awhile. :)
The bathroom also has a new shower curtain and new rugs. We took down these lovely valances today too. :) Hip hip hooray!!! I would like this room painted and some new curtains or shades. I haven't quite decided yet.
I found somebody who will paint our walls for $25 an hour, which I don't think is bad! I think we are going to hire him to paint one and room and see how he does before he does anymore. I am so anxious to get a new look upstairs AND to start getting ready for this baby's arrival!
Monday, August 31, 2015
Friday, August 28, 2015
New Windows are finally coming!
Six new windows are arriving next Tuesday at 9 am!! I am excited!
After the windows are in, I can:
1. Paint Christian's new room (old playroom)
2. Move his furniture over to his new room.
3. Put baby furniture up in baby's room and start getting all the baby stuff out of the attic!!!!
4. Paint the girls' bedroom.
5. Paint my master bedroom.
6. Get new curtains in all the rooms.
I feel like we can finally get things moving on this project. I would like everything in place by week 36, which is only 6 weeks away!!! Baby is coming soon!!
After the windows are in, I can:
1. Paint Christian's new room (old playroom)
2. Move his furniture over to his new room.
3. Put baby furniture up in baby's room and start getting all the baby stuff out of the attic!!!!
4. Paint the girls' bedroom.
5. Paint my master bedroom.
6. Get new curtains in all the rooms.
I feel like we can finally get things moving on this project. I would like everything in place by week 36, which is only 6 weeks away!!! Baby is coming soon!!
Crazy week in the baby department and 30 week Checkup!
Things have finally settled down here. We had a slight, could've been much worse, sort of emergency on Monday and I spent five hours at Methodist hospital being monitored. The doctors also did an exam and I ended up with another ultrasound. It was a bit scary, but in the end, they didn't find anything wrong and I was free to go home. (If you want more details, you can contact me personally. :)
While I was in the hospital, I learned many things about this little guy I am carrying!
1. He has a very strong heartbeat and likes to kick non-stop. At one point during the time there, the nurses actually had to turn the monitor down because he was kicking so hard that we could not talk to each other. I don't think he stopped moving the entire time I was there!
2. Apparently, a baby's heartbeat is supposed to accelerate and decelerate about 32-33 weeks. My baby's heartbeat is accelerating and decelerating already and I had just turned 29 weeks the day before I was there. The nurses were even commenting in the nurses station about this!
3. The ultrasound again showed how big this little guy is at the moment. They went through and measured every bone and checked all the major organs. I looked over at one point and saw this great big head on the screen. Again, I was 29 weeks 1 day pregnant last Monday. According to the ultrasound, his head is the size of 32 weeks 4 days!! I think it was 7.9 cm diameter and the circumference was 294.1 mm (or 29.4 cm). This was the 95% percentile. The tech said, "Wow, he's got a big noggin!" Great!! I have to give birth to that "noggin" in about three months!!
4. Every other measurement was at least 1-2 weeks ahead of where he is supposed to be according to my due date. And yes, my due date is correct. I paid a lot of money for an 8 week ultrasound to determine my due date (even though I knew my date already!!) I think he is just a big baby!
5. After doing all the measurements, they determined that he already weighs 3 lbs. 13 oz. and his average gestational age, according to the ultrasound, was 31 weeks 3 days and 62%. I still have 10-11 weeks to go!! I bet he will be at least 9-10 pounds in the end!
6. When you have a "slight emergency" and you scare your midwife into thinking you might be miscarrying, she arrives about five minutes after you do!! I was soo thankful she was there! She told me afterwards, "You really scared me." It scared me too!
7. When you call your husband and the phone rings in the middle of a meeting and tell him what is going on, he gets home as fast as he can.
8. Children get scared pretty easily. Since I had to get to the hospital quick, we just took the children with us. On the one hand, they are old enough to sit in the waiting room, but maybe not old enough to understand what was going on. Courtney heard the nurses say some things and I got some questions after I got home. I tried to answer them when I got home, but I do wish they were out of the room for that part!
9. We are all quite bonded with this baby! If anything bad would have happened, we would have been one sad family. It's one thing for just Matt and I to go through something terrible, but now we have three kids who are highly invested in this baby! It makes me sad just to think about it, but I know bad things happen and I am not immune to bad things. The kids had such concerned looks on their faces while we were up there. But we are thankful that everything is well!!!
On Tuesday, the same thing happened, but I did not need to go back to the hospital. I just had to lay down for two hours. I called my midwife, but since everything came back clear on Monday, she wasn't worried too much. She was pretty sure that I was not going into pre-term labor after reading the discharge report from the day before.
On Wednesday, I had a my scheduled 30 week appointment to see my midwife. She again did an exam and found nothing out of the ordinary. I have never seen her so baffled before!! She honestly did not know what happened.
She also checked my platelets and hemoglobin again. My platelets were up to 110,000 (from 107,000 two weeks ago) and my hemoglobin was down to 11.1 (from 11.3 two weeks ago.) These are pretty normal numbers for me, so she wasn't concerned about them either.
She told me to lay low and not do much for two weeks because of what happened on Monday and Tuesday. She said no lifting heavy boxes and no going for runs. I just laughed! I can't do those things anyway!! I have slowed down a little bit the last couple of weeks due to round ligament pain and those lovely Braxton hicks contractions.
Baby again measured two weeks ahead of schedule at 32 cm and my blood pressure was low like usual. I also gained another two pounds. I think baby's heartbeat was about 150. Perfect! He was even kicking my midwife as she was listening to his heartbeat. She reminded me to get my birth plan in order. I just need to print the same one off that I used for the other three kids! I had great births with them, so I am not anticipating any problems with this one.
One good thing about going to the hospital Monday was that I got to see where I will be having my baby in three months. This hospital opened about two weeks after Christian was born, so I haven't had any babies up there! I haven't even been in that hospital yet! Matt and I will still go on a tour in October or so. I was only in the triage part, so I technically didn't get to see the labor and delivery rooms. I didn't see or hear anybody else in labor up there, so I must have been off in a corner somewhere. It was pretty quiet! The nurses did a great job and were very professional the entire time I was up there. I hope I don't see them again until November!!
While I was in the hospital, I learned many things about this little guy I am carrying!
1. He has a very strong heartbeat and likes to kick non-stop. At one point during the time there, the nurses actually had to turn the monitor down because he was kicking so hard that we could not talk to each other. I don't think he stopped moving the entire time I was there!
2. Apparently, a baby's heartbeat is supposed to accelerate and decelerate about 32-33 weeks. My baby's heartbeat is accelerating and decelerating already and I had just turned 29 weeks the day before I was there. The nurses were even commenting in the nurses station about this!
3. The ultrasound again showed how big this little guy is at the moment. They went through and measured every bone and checked all the major organs. I looked over at one point and saw this great big head on the screen. Again, I was 29 weeks 1 day pregnant last Monday. According to the ultrasound, his head is the size of 32 weeks 4 days!! I think it was 7.9 cm diameter and the circumference was 294.1 mm (or 29.4 cm). This was the 95% percentile. The tech said, "Wow, he's got a big noggin!" Great!! I have to give birth to that "noggin" in about three months!!
4. Every other measurement was at least 1-2 weeks ahead of where he is supposed to be according to my due date. And yes, my due date is correct. I paid a lot of money for an 8 week ultrasound to determine my due date (even though I knew my date already!!) I think he is just a big baby!
5. After doing all the measurements, they determined that he already weighs 3 lbs. 13 oz. and his average gestational age, according to the ultrasound, was 31 weeks 3 days and 62%. I still have 10-11 weeks to go!! I bet he will be at least 9-10 pounds in the end!
6. When you have a "slight emergency" and you scare your midwife into thinking you might be miscarrying, she arrives about five minutes after you do!! I was soo thankful she was there! She told me afterwards, "You really scared me." It scared me too!
7. When you call your husband and the phone rings in the middle of a meeting and tell him what is going on, he gets home as fast as he can.
8. Children get scared pretty easily. Since I had to get to the hospital quick, we just took the children with us. On the one hand, they are old enough to sit in the waiting room, but maybe not old enough to understand what was going on. Courtney heard the nurses say some things and I got some questions after I got home. I tried to answer them when I got home, but I do wish they were out of the room for that part!
9. We are all quite bonded with this baby! If anything bad would have happened, we would have been one sad family. It's one thing for just Matt and I to go through something terrible, but now we have three kids who are highly invested in this baby! It makes me sad just to think about it, but I know bad things happen and I am not immune to bad things. The kids had such concerned looks on their faces while we were up there. But we are thankful that everything is well!!!
On Tuesday, the same thing happened, but I did not need to go back to the hospital. I just had to lay down for two hours. I called my midwife, but since everything came back clear on Monday, she wasn't worried too much. She was pretty sure that I was not going into pre-term labor after reading the discharge report from the day before.
On Wednesday, I had a my scheduled 30 week appointment to see my midwife. She again did an exam and found nothing out of the ordinary. I have never seen her so baffled before!! She honestly did not know what happened.
She also checked my platelets and hemoglobin again. My platelets were up to 110,000 (from 107,000 two weeks ago) and my hemoglobin was down to 11.1 (from 11.3 two weeks ago.) These are pretty normal numbers for me, so she wasn't concerned about them either.
She told me to lay low and not do much for two weeks because of what happened on Monday and Tuesday. She said no lifting heavy boxes and no going for runs. I just laughed! I can't do those things anyway!! I have slowed down a little bit the last couple of weeks due to round ligament pain and those lovely Braxton hicks contractions.
Baby again measured two weeks ahead of schedule at 32 cm and my blood pressure was low like usual. I also gained another two pounds. I think baby's heartbeat was about 150. Perfect! He was even kicking my midwife as she was listening to his heartbeat. She reminded me to get my birth plan in order. I just need to print the same one off that I used for the other three kids! I had great births with them, so I am not anticipating any problems with this one.
One good thing about going to the hospital Monday was that I got to see where I will be having my baby in three months. This hospital opened about two weeks after Christian was born, so I haven't had any babies up there! I haven't even been in that hospital yet! Matt and I will still go on a tour in October or so. I was only in the triage part, so I technically didn't get to see the labor and delivery rooms. I didn't see or hear anybody else in labor up there, so I must have been off in a corner somewhere. It was pretty quiet! The nurses did a great job and were very professional the entire time I was up there. I hope I don't see them again until November!!
Sunday, August 23, 2015
Adding more schoolwork in tomorrow!
We have been gradually getting back into school. The first week, we only did math. Last week, we added in English, spelling, and Megan's Sonlight material. This week, we are adding Courtney's Sonlight material and Christian's preschool stuff.
We are still doing an A day and B day so I do not get overwhelmed! I do a lot of Megan's Sonlight assignments on A day and Courtney's on B day. It worked great last spring and I am going to keep it going this fall. We are going to be doing math, English, and spelling everyday.
It is honestly quite a lot to keep straight! I am glad I have everything split up into two days, it really helps my sanity. :)
And come November, I will need to come up with a new plan!!!
We are still doing an A day and B day so I do not get overwhelmed! I do a lot of Megan's Sonlight assignments on A day and Courtney's on B day. It worked great last spring and I am going to keep it going this fall. We are going to be doing math, English, and spelling everyday.
It is honestly quite a lot to keep straight! I am glad I have everything split up into two days, it really helps my sanity. :)
And come November, I will need to come up with a new plan!!!
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Oh baby!
People keep telling me that I am carrying this little guy "low." Today, I am starting to realize how "low" he is. As the day has gone on today, I can feel more pressure on my round ligament. Even this afternoon, my poor legs were tingling and a little numb.
Little guy can move up back UP anytime!!
PS These Braxton hicks contractions can stop anytime too!! How come they came on so suddenly??
Little guy can move up back UP anytime!!
PS These Braxton hicks contractions can stop anytime too!! How come they came on so suddenly??
Ink cartridges!
Why does ink need to be sooo expensive? We bought a laser jet printer last year because we were tired of going through ink all the time. We knew laser jet ink would be expensive too, but I think in the long run, it came out cheaper.
Today I sent Matt on a mission to buy more ink for my printer. School has started and I would like some colored ink in my printer.
Home Depot price: $360 for four cartridges!! ($90 a piece)
Amazon Price Price: $314 for four cartridges!
We don't really like these big prices, so we decided to see if we had any gift cards at our disposal. We found some that add up to about $100! Thank you very much! That will take it down a little bit!
It's still crazy expensive though!! These better last a very long time!!!
Today I sent Matt on a mission to buy more ink for my printer. School has started and I would like some colored ink in my printer.
Home Depot price: $360 for four cartridges!! ($90 a piece)
Amazon Price Price: $314 for four cartridges!
We don't really like these big prices, so we decided to see if we had any gift cards at our disposal. We found some that add up to about $100! Thank you very much! That will take it down a little bit!
It's still crazy expensive though!! These better last a very long time!!!
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Watching my sugars?
So after my gestational diabetes test last week and having a number that was below average, I have heard from my doctors that I should "watch my sugars."
Does "watching my sugars" mean I should watch myself eat a bowl of ice cream?? (haha!)
That's what I did this afternoon. Yummy homemade almond milk ice cream with organic chocolate syrup. I was sure "watching" my sugars!!!
You know what happened next? I took a little nap...I totally missed Jeopardy! I had purposely turned the TV on because it was kids week and I wanted to play Megan. :) I had quite the blood sugar drop apparently! I haven't fallen asleep in a long time!
Maybe we will hit up some protein for supper tonight!
Does "watching my sugars" mean I should watch myself eat a bowl of ice cream?? (haha!)
That's what I did this afternoon. Yummy homemade almond milk ice cream with organic chocolate syrup. I was sure "watching" my sugars!!!
You know what happened next? I took a little nap...I totally missed Jeopardy! I had purposely turned the TV on because it was kids week and I wanted to play Megan. :) I had quite the blood sugar drop apparently! I haven't fallen asleep in a long time!
Maybe we will hit up some protein for supper tonight!
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
That evil dictionary!
Today Courtney had a lesson in using the dictionary. I don't know why, but whenever I have a dictionary lesson come up in their English books, the lesson usually ends in tears. Today was no different.
But really, do kids need to know how to use the dictionary?? Megan knows how, but still looks everything up that she needs online. Today was Courtney's first time using the dictionary, so I know it was probably overwhelming and frustrating, but I think it is a very important life skill.
I use the dictionary quite a bit. If we are in the living room reading a book and don't know a word, I will go grab the dictionary quick and look the word up. (I did it this morning!) I guess sometimes I will go to the computer, I guess whichever one is closer!
What do you think? Are dictionary skills important these days or not so much??
But really, do kids need to know how to use the dictionary?? Megan knows how, but still looks everything up that she needs online. Today was Courtney's first time using the dictionary, so I know it was probably overwhelming and frustrating, but I think it is a very important life skill.
I use the dictionary quite a bit. If we are in the living room reading a book and don't know a word, I will go grab the dictionary quick and look the word up. (I did it this morning!) I guess sometimes I will go to the computer, I guess whichever one is closer!
What do you think? Are dictionary skills important these days or not so much??
Monday, August 17, 2015
We are back at it!
After a very busy last week and a very busy weekend, we are hitting the books this week! We got started with math last week, but this week we are adding English, spelling, and all our Sonlight material. We added English and spelling today and tomorrow, we are going to add Megan's Sonlight assignments. We will start Courtney's assignments on Wednesday.
I think I will add Christian's preschool in next week. Then we will be going 100% and my mind will be spinning!
It has been nice being off (for most of the subjects) for the last three months, I kind of forgot what it was like to stay up in the evenings and plan for the next day. I also forgot what it was like to talk for about six hours a day, no wonder my throat hurts tonight. :( I also found myself sitting a lot today teaching, that is different too! I have been so active this summer in one way or another, it was kind of odd to actually want to get up and move.
Last May, we quit in the middle of a couple of chapter books, so I have been busy re-reading those books in order to prepare for our lessons. Since I am teaching two cores now, I have double the books to read. I may just have to read the girls' assignments the night before we go over them because there is quite a bit to catch up on. Maybe I should have started re-reading these books a couple of weeks ago.
We will add things little by little and by the time we get into a groove, it will be time to have this baby. Chaos will definitely reign for a little while until we find our groove again with a newborn!!!
By the way, somebody asked me yesterday, "How are you going to homeschool with a newborn?" My response, "I guess I will figure it out!" I am not worried at all, people do it all the time!
I think I will add Christian's preschool in next week. Then we will be going 100% and my mind will be spinning!
It has been nice being off (for most of the subjects) for the last three months, I kind of forgot what it was like to stay up in the evenings and plan for the next day. I also forgot what it was like to talk for about six hours a day, no wonder my throat hurts tonight. :( I also found myself sitting a lot today teaching, that is different too! I have been so active this summer in one way or another, it was kind of odd to actually want to get up and move.
Last May, we quit in the middle of a couple of chapter books, so I have been busy re-reading those books in order to prepare for our lessons. Since I am teaching two cores now, I have double the books to read. I may just have to read the girls' assignments the night before we go over them because there is quite a bit to catch up on. Maybe I should have started re-reading these books a couple of weeks ago.
We will add things little by little and by the time we get into a groove, it will be time to have this baby. Chaos will definitely reign for a little while until we find our groove again with a newborn!!!
By the way, somebody asked me yesterday, "How are you going to homeschool with a newborn?" My response, "I guess I will figure it out!" I am not worried at all, people do it all the time!
Thursday, August 13, 2015
28 Week Pregnancy Checkup!
28 weeks....wow, we are in our third trimester!!
I went in to see my midwife yesterday for my 28 week appointment. This was also the appointment where I did my gestational diabetes test. This time it was a little different, I refused to drink the glucola! I talked to her about this at my 24 week appointment and we agreed that I could drink apple juice instead of the glucola. I don't want any dextrose or food dyes in my body when I have been avoiding them for the last year and a half!
I found that since grape juice has a lot more sugar per ounce, I drank that instead. I drank 10 ounces of grape juice and an hour later, they drew my blood. I was not feeling the best when I went in. In the end, my number was a 63. The nurse said that normal fasting blood sugar is between 70 and 100! I am almost hypoglycemic! I knew my number would be low, but not that low!! The nurse just told me to keep up on the protein, which I know. I also know to not eat 50 grams of sugar at one time and to watch the carb intake.
My midwife also checked my thyroid again, which was fine. My hemoglobin was another area of concern, so she tested that too. My number this time was 11.3. Last time I had it checked, it was 11.4. I guess I will stay on my Vitamin B complex!
My platelets were also where they usually are. This time they were 107,000. Normal range is 150,000-400,000. I am glad they are above 100,000!
Other than these blood tests, my midwife wants me to get a birth plan written. I think I will just print the same one I used for the last three children. She also told me that hospitals do not weigh the babies right away after birth anymore, but usually wait an hour or so. They want skin-to-skin contact for awhile, which makes sense. She also encouraged me that I can do it without an epidural again, even though 95% of moms at my hospital get an epidural. She said she has even worked with nurses up there who have never seen a natural birth! Amazing! And I can TOTALLY do it again!
My midwife also mentioned that I might start having contractions, and that it is completely normal. I told her I have had some tightening in my abdomen and she said those are probably contractions already! As I have been paying attention more the last 24 hours, I have had quite a few. She said as long as I don't have 5-6 an hour, I am fine. If I do have that many, I am supposed to call. Honestly, they will probably just tell me to drink some water and sit down for awhile! I have been through this before!
I have also gained 20 pounds and my baby is measuring bigger than he is supposed to be! I am 27 1/2 weeks pregnant and am measure 30 cm! Yikes! The little guys heartbeat was at 152.
Now I start going every other week until we hit week 36. This is pretty exciting!
I went in to see my midwife yesterday for my 28 week appointment. This was also the appointment where I did my gestational diabetes test. This time it was a little different, I refused to drink the glucola! I talked to her about this at my 24 week appointment and we agreed that I could drink apple juice instead of the glucola. I don't want any dextrose or food dyes in my body when I have been avoiding them for the last year and a half!
I found that since grape juice has a lot more sugar per ounce, I drank that instead. I drank 10 ounces of grape juice and an hour later, they drew my blood. I was not feeling the best when I went in. In the end, my number was a 63. The nurse said that normal fasting blood sugar is between 70 and 100! I am almost hypoglycemic! I knew my number would be low, but not that low!! The nurse just told me to keep up on the protein, which I know. I also know to not eat 50 grams of sugar at one time and to watch the carb intake.
My midwife also checked my thyroid again, which was fine. My hemoglobin was another area of concern, so she tested that too. My number this time was 11.3. Last time I had it checked, it was 11.4. I guess I will stay on my Vitamin B complex!
My platelets were also where they usually are. This time they were 107,000. Normal range is 150,000-400,000. I am glad they are above 100,000!
Other than these blood tests, my midwife wants me to get a birth plan written. I think I will just print the same one I used for the last three children. She also told me that hospitals do not weigh the babies right away after birth anymore, but usually wait an hour or so. They want skin-to-skin contact for awhile, which makes sense. She also encouraged me that I can do it without an epidural again, even though 95% of moms at my hospital get an epidural. She said she has even worked with nurses up there who have never seen a natural birth! Amazing! And I can TOTALLY do it again!
My midwife also mentioned that I might start having contractions, and that it is completely normal. I told her I have had some tightening in my abdomen and she said those are probably contractions already! As I have been paying attention more the last 24 hours, I have had quite a few. She said as long as I don't have 5-6 an hour, I am fine. If I do have that many, I am supposed to call. Honestly, they will probably just tell me to drink some water and sit down for awhile! I have been through this before!
I have also gained 20 pounds and my baby is measuring bigger than he is supposed to be! I am 27 1/2 weeks pregnant and am measure 30 cm! Yikes! The little guys heartbeat was at 152.
Now I start going every other week until we hit week 36. This is pretty exciting!
Sunday, August 9, 2015
Too many projects!
My head has been spinning this weekend. I have too many projects going on here at home and I am trying to prioritize.
1. The playroom is almost all cleaned out, but now I have to do something with all the toys the girls have outgrown, dress up dresses they don't fit into anymore, and all kinds of princess items! I have three options...consignment store, facebook buy, sell, trade site, or the Open Door Mission. I kept some items, like the Barbies, Polly Pockets, some dresses, and a few other things. I also have a pile of books I need to get rid of.
2. Once the toys are cleaned out of the playroom, the next task is to move the bookshelves to the hallway. Matt mentioned this the other day and I agreed. He really doesn't want to move the girls into the playroom and with the bookshelves gone, we could move Christian in there with all his toys.
3. Once the bookshelves are in the hallway and the rest of it cleaned up/ rearranged, we can move Christian's bed and dresser to that room. I think Christian is finally convinced that he is not going to keep his room anymore. I told him we could paint it and get some new curtains. Once I asked him what color he would like, he responded with, "orange." Sorry buddy, you are NOT getting an orange room!
4. Once Christian is moved over, we are going to work on the girls' bedroom because they are staying where they are! I want to completely go through things in their room, paint it, get new curtains, and rearrange it. I want to give them a new start too.
On top of this BIG project, we have some little girl turning 9 on Friday!! We have two parties planned this weekend, so I have to get ready for those.
Oh and did I mention I wanted to start school this week? My original thought was to start math, English, and spelling tomorrow, but I think we are only going to do math. :) There is too much other stuff to do get done before this weekend! We will probably add English and spelling next week and then add everything else the following week. Hopefully I can get a lot accomplished this week with the bedrooms and can turn my efforts to school next week.
1. The playroom is almost all cleaned out, but now I have to do something with all the toys the girls have outgrown, dress up dresses they don't fit into anymore, and all kinds of princess items! I have three options...consignment store, facebook buy, sell, trade site, or the Open Door Mission. I kept some items, like the Barbies, Polly Pockets, some dresses, and a few other things. I also have a pile of books I need to get rid of.
2. Once the toys are cleaned out of the playroom, the next task is to move the bookshelves to the hallway. Matt mentioned this the other day and I agreed. He really doesn't want to move the girls into the playroom and with the bookshelves gone, we could move Christian in there with all his toys.
3. Once the bookshelves are in the hallway and the rest of it cleaned up/ rearranged, we can move Christian's bed and dresser to that room. I think Christian is finally convinced that he is not going to keep his room anymore. I told him we could paint it and get some new curtains. Once I asked him what color he would like, he responded with, "orange." Sorry buddy, you are NOT getting an orange room!
4. Once Christian is moved over, we are going to work on the girls' bedroom because they are staying where they are! I want to completely go through things in their room, paint it, get new curtains, and rearrange it. I want to give them a new start too.
On top of this BIG project, we have some little girl turning 9 on Friday!! We have two parties planned this weekend, so I have to get ready for those.
Oh and did I mention I wanted to start school this week? My original thought was to start math, English, and spelling tomorrow, but I think we are only going to do math. :) There is too much other stuff to do get done before this weekend! We will probably add English and spelling next week and then add everything else the following week. Hopefully I can get a lot accomplished this week with the bedrooms and can turn my efforts to school next week.
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Hernia Surgery?
Christian had another appointment with a specialist today at Children's Hospital. About a year ago at his four year well-child checkup, our pediatrician noticed there was an indentation right below his belly button. After feeling around, she found that he had a small umbilical cord hernia. At that time, she didn't say much about it except, "He may have to have surgery some day to fix it."
Fast forward to about a month ago at his five year checkup. She noticed it again and said, "If there is ever a year when you are going to hit your deductible, you might consider getting it fixed." I told her that we are going to hit our deductible this year with baby coming in November. She then recommended a consultation with a general surgeon at Children's Hospital to see what they would say.
Yesterday, we had our consultation with a general surgeon and of course by the end of the appointment, he recommended surgery. He said that everybody is born with an umbilical cord hernia, it forms from where the umbilical cord is attached inside the womb, but once a child is born, the hole should close. He said the hole is in the muscle layer, which is right under the top layer of skin. He said that 99% of them close before kids are 4-5, but a rare minority do not. Christian, of course, is in that rare minority! The surgeon said that if it has not closed by now, it probably will not close and may cause trouble later. He went onto explain some of the risks of letting it be until he was an adult. 1. As Christian grows, so will the hole. 2. With a bigger hole, there is a bigger risk of getting his intestines or anything else caught in the hole and causing further damage. He informed us that if we got it fixed now, there is only a 5% chance that it will open up again, where as if Christian was an adult, the chance for recurrence is 15-20%. He also mentioned that Christian will only be down for 2-3 days, and then he laughed, "Probably not as long as you would like!" I had to laugh too! Apparently he has worked with plenty of boys!!
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He then went onto explain how he would do the procedure. He would make an incision in the shape of a happy face right underneath his belly button, flip the belly button open, repair the hernia, and then sew everything back together. The procedure would take about an hour. There would be no stitches to take out in the end, I kind of missed how he was going to close the incision. Some little boy was very active there yesterday and I was trying to get him to behave AND listen to the doctor!
After I got home and talked to Matt about it, he was ok with everything except the scar. Our pediatrician mentioned that they just go through the belly button to fix them, so there is not a scar. I may do some more research and see if that is the case or if there is another doctor in town who would do that. We are not big fans of having a scar on his little belly at age 5! Christian would go under general anesthesia during the procedure too.
I also asked when we could get it done as we would need to do it before the end of the year. The receptionist said there are openings as early as the beginning of September, we have a little time to make a decision, but not a lot. Actually, I would want to get it done before the middle of October. I don't want to deal with surgery and possible baby coming soon!
Fast forward to about a month ago at his five year checkup. She noticed it again and said, "If there is ever a year when you are going to hit your deductible, you might consider getting it fixed." I told her that we are going to hit our deductible this year with baby coming in November. She then recommended a consultation with a general surgeon at Children's Hospital to see what they would say.
Yesterday, we had our consultation with a general surgeon and of course by the end of the appointment, he recommended surgery. He said that everybody is born with an umbilical cord hernia, it forms from where the umbilical cord is attached inside the womb, but once a child is born, the hole should close. He said the hole is in the muscle layer, which is right under the top layer of skin. He said that 99% of them close before kids are 4-5, but a rare minority do not. Christian, of course, is in that rare minority! The surgeon said that if it has not closed by now, it probably will not close and may cause trouble later. He went onto explain some of the risks of letting it be until he was an adult. 1. As Christian grows, so will the hole. 2. With a bigger hole, there is a bigger risk of getting his intestines or anything else caught in the hole and causing further damage. He informed us that if we got it fixed now, there is only a 5% chance that it will open up again, where as if Christian was an adult, the chance for recurrence is 15-20%. He also mentioned that Christian will only be down for 2-3 days, and then he laughed, "Probably not as long as you would like!" I had to laugh too! Apparently he has worked with plenty of boys!!
.
He then went onto explain how he would do the procedure. He would make an incision in the shape of a happy face right underneath his belly button, flip the belly button open, repair the hernia, and then sew everything back together. The procedure would take about an hour. There would be no stitches to take out in the end, I kind of missed how he was going to close the incision. Some little boy was very active there yesterday and I was trying to get him to behave AND listen to the doctor!
After I got home and talked to Matt about it, he was ok with everything except the scar. Our pediatrician mentioned that they just go through the belly button to fix them, so there is not a scar. I may do some more research and see if that is the case or if there is another doctor in town who would do that. We are not big fans of having a scar on his little belly at age 5! Christian would go under general anesthesia during the procedure too.
I also asked when we could get it done as we would need to do it before the end of the year. The receptionist said there are openings as early as the beginning of September, we have a little time to make a decision, but not a lot. Actually, I would want to get it done before the middle of October. I don't want to deal with surgery and possible baby coming soon!
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Frustrating time at the Bookstore!
Since I have been going through things upstairs, I found that I have about twenty books that I would like to get rid of in one way or another. Some of them are old college textbooks, which I will not get any money for, but some are recent homeschool books that I could get some money for. I decided to take all of the books yesterday to a local bookstore and see what they would give me for them. I specifically knew on a few of them what I could get for them online, so I sort of had a price in my head. I gave them all twenty books and waited 45 minutes to give me an offer. Guess what my offer was?? $4.50!!! FOR ALL OF THEM!! I was rather shocked and mad. I told them I will NOT take their offer, grabbed my books, and left. I was rather frustrated! I could hardly believe they gave me such a low offer! I know some textbooks were old and I expected that, but there were 15 other books that were worth something.
I brought them all back home (the children helped me carry them all again!) and started looking them up on ebay. Sure enough, they are going for a decent amount on ebay. Ugh. I guess I should start listing them there!
Fight for password!
I really don't like it when I can't get into my accounts! I have made the same passwords for some and different ones for others and can never seem to remember which ones go where!
For example, Google locked me out of my blog yesterday and I changed the password. Today, I sat down to blog and it locked me out again, I even used the new password and it still wouldn't let me in! I had to change it yet again! UGH!!!!
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