Merry Christmas!!!

Despite my good intentions I have not lived up to my high expectations of posting. Little by little I will try to update.....I guess....I hope!!!

Here are the girls having a moment with Santa today!!

Kaida-3 years Chieko-10 months Emi-4 years

Sickies

Lots of catching up posts that I will eventually get to but currently.....

We have 3 sick girls. All with Upper Respiratory Infections (viral). Chieko has been affected the worst but things seem to be on the mend.

Here is an excerpt on an email I sent to one of my besties:

"Chieko is still miserable but is eating regular food more and is a little more active. Still too hard for her to nurse so we'll see if I dry up or what happens....she can't even suck her thumb to soothe herself which is sad. She is only sleeping little bits which is no fun and is super clingy. Hopefully she will sleep more tonight. I found a cool thing at walgreens (made by Graco) that sucks snot out of their noses. It is awesome!!!!!! It has gotten so much out and has helped her breath a little better and I don't have to constantly wipe, it will suction even if it's already running out. Her cough sounds HORRIBLE. The doctor suggested a vaporizer so I had to go out and buy one. Since it's an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection and its viral there is really nothing that the doctors or I can do which sucks. We have to let it run its course. At least I have time off and don't have to take any off!!!!"


Due to her being so sick we were not able to join the Nor Cal family (aka Nuzmans) for Thanksgiving and most regretfully we will not be able to attend Aidan's baptism. We are very, very sad about this. We are happy for him and the decision he is making and want him to know we LOVE him a lot!!!

Well gonna get my kiddos in bed and hopefully I'll get back sometime soon to start going thru pix and posting them and the happenings along with them!!!

Not Acceptable!!!

Ok I apologize for my months of not blogging. Facebook is so quick and convenient!!! I am now going to put into my phone calendar so I will blog once a week!!! There is so much going on and I want all to join in with us!!! Wednesday evenings will be my day to blog so be on the lookout!!

Campout

Right before Emi had her tonsils out the girls had wanted to have a campout (cooking outside over a fire). So we finally got around to doing after. The other night Jason built a fire and we cooked hot dogs over the fire and I cooked crinkle cut fries. For dessert we had the ultimate....S'MORES!!!! We had a blast!! If you're ever wanting a fun time stop by our place!

The spread. (not much!)


The girls roasting their hot dogs with dad!

Typical Asian Pose from Kaida and the smoke is blowing in Emi's eyes since she decided to stand right where the fan was blowing the smoke, Duh!

Emi enjoying the finished product!!

Kaida enjoying the finished product!!

What a delicious mess!!

Watch out for Chieko!!!

Chieko trying to make sense of it all!

Chieko just looking content and cute!

Ride 'em cowgirl! Oops I mean catgirl!

Designer Dinner

So this was our dinner tonight-hot dogs (the girls had cheese dogs, we had chili cheese dogs) and tater tots (and not shown butternut squash and green beans)!!! What do you think?

I think I'll be paying for this one later...darn it, what was I thinking?!!!

Auntie Darlene

Well my parents left on Thursday and the girls were/are quite disheartened. They have been having lots of fun with Maca and Paca. We got home and it was pity party time for the girls until a huge package arrived. One of my dear friends from elementary (we didn't go to the same elementary but met in the summer during elementary-a whole other post!) Darlene had sent the girls a package!!! In the box each girl had a bag filled with WAY COOL stuff. She always thinks of the girls and is most generous.

Opening the package!!!!


Kaida having fun in the box!!



Emi loving on her new penguin.



This cute little puppy barks and walks.



Emi is absolutely enthralled by her new waddling, honking penguin. Check out the look on her face. Way too cute!!!



Chieko displaying her finest wadrobe!!!


THANK YOU, THANK YOU
AUNTIE DARLENE!!!!!!

Black Beauty

Well we finally did it. We got a mini-van!!! WooHoo!!!!! Black Beauty is a 2008 Toyota Sienna. I found her on the net at a dealership about half hour away. I called and asked if the mini-vans they were showing online were still on the lot and for sale. There were 2-2008's one silver, one black and 2-2006's. For some reason the 2006's just weren't even an option for me. Anyways they said they were so Jason and I decided we better head down sooner rather than later as they were priced well. I called my sister in law to see if she could watch the kids and so couldn't so I called our cute little babysitter and she and her sister had Explorers so they couldn't so I then called my in-laws. My father in-law was a little hesitant but then said they would come. They got here and we cleaned the car up a tad and then left. Kaida really wanted to go with us and Jason explained to her that it was probably going to be a long time and really boring and not fun. (He is excellent about explaining things very thoroughly to the girls) She still wanted to come so we let her. We left about 6:45pm. We got down there and met the guy I spoke to on the phone. He went to grab the keys of the vans and came right back saying the silver one had JUST been sold. Darn it!! That was the color I was hoping for. Oh well, let's check out the black then. Chieko and I took her for a drive while Jason and Kaida stayed back. (we didn't want to deal with the carseat at this point) We came back and then the games began. They tried to give us a lower price for the Mazda and crazy high financing rate when we both had super good credit. We fought or shall I say challenged them on both and won!!! Hurray. Well the whole process took a while and by the time we got home it was 11:30 pm. Poor Kaida she was tired but ohhh was she a good girl (Chieko too!!). We got lots of compliments on both the girls and how well behaved they were. Anywhow we now have reliable comfortable transportation that holds EVERYONE!!! Hip Hip Hurray!!! I am so happy!!!!Black Beauty welcome to the family, I hope we have you around for a loooooong, looooooong time and that we have lots of fun with you!!!!

The Movies

Yesterday we decided to take the girls to see Alien vs. Monsters. They girls hadn't eaten lunch uet so I whipped up some shells and cheese to take. And since Emi is not allowed to eat things that are scratchy (no popcorn) I packed little snack bags for the girls. I put in a package of fruit snacks, a couple big marshmallows, a cookie a lollipop and a bag of m&ms. (Yes I know a tons of junk) They ended up only eating the shells and cheese (Emi ate almost her whole container) and m&ms. Chieko did fabulous. I was expecting her to wake up at some point during the movie so I had her unstrapped and had my little apron on so the whole movie theatre wouldn't see the milk jugs. She never really woke up, she stirred a bit and I got her out before she could make a peek (just to be on the safe side). The movie was cute and we had a good time. I think I will pack snack bags from now on. If they want popcorn I will either pop it at home and bring it in or use coupons we get from our MovieWatchers card. This will save us quite a bit probably enough to pay for 2 tickets for a movie on another day!!!!

Music

The night before last I had gotten up to feed Chieko and came into the living room (as usual). Next thing I know music starts playing from the computer. Jason has a remote on his iPhone that he can use to control the iTunes on our computer. Well cutie patootie Jason put on 4 or 5 of my favorite songs for me to listen to. How cute is that?!!!

Now that's SEXY!!!

I don't post enough about the great things my husband does for me (and he does a whole heck of a lot!!) and I need to so I am going to start!!! This morning Jason started cleaning which got me going. Jason unloaded and loaded the dishwasher and did a few other things. I mentioned the entry floor was pretty nasty. Next thing I know I see him on his hands and knees cleaning it and then part of the dining room floor. All I can say is I'm not sure if there is anything much SEXIER than your man down on his hands and knees cleaning the floor!!!

A Dream

A few weeks back on Pink Friday (as they call it) I was "Pink Slipped." Of course I was expecting one as I am one of 5 teachers who were hired this year so of course they had to, I am super low man on the totem pole. It came certified mail and I had to sign for it. I have been in contact with the union and went to a meeting with a lawyer regarding the whole process. Tomorrow all those who received a pink slip and went through some the process of asking for a hearing have a date to appear before a judge and plead our case. Last night I dreamt I got a letter in the mail stating my name was taken off the list and that I was safe. Late this morning the phone rang and since I was feeding Chieko and being lazy, I didn't get up to get it. I asked Kaida to bring me my cell but by the time she did they had hung up. While Kaida was bringing me the phone I was telling Jason about the dream. When I looked at the caller ID it said Mt View School District. I called back but since it was the general line they didn't know who had called. I then waited to see if they would leave a message and they did. It was the HR department calling me to tell me I was safe and that my name had been removed from the RIF (reduction in force) list that I didn't need to attend the hearing tomorrow and that I should get my official letter stating that tomorrow and that my principal will have it as well. WOWZERS!!!! What a blessing!! Not only that I will have a job but also that I won't have to go sit all day waiting for my turn to appear! I'm telling ya the Lord watches out for us. If we do our part he does His.

Sold

When we got home yesterday Jason did more research and looked over the papers they gave us yesterday real thorough. Things weren't adding up the way he liked. Also we felt they could give us a better deal on either the trade-in of the Mazda, the price of the van or both so we left. Well the van we were looking at yesterday and were mostly likely going back to get is now SOLD. I know things happen for a reason so I just have to have faith we will come upon a better deal altogether.

Almost

Since we don't all fit in one car it becomes difficult to go anywhere. I am one who likes to just get up and go. This has caused me lots of stress as I can't!! Jason has been doing lots of research on the net on minivans and we have narrowed it down to the...(drumroll please) Toyota Sienna. We went and looked and test drove today (even though I didn't need to). We came very close to buying a year old one but decided to wait. The price was pretty good but we felt it could go down even more and we didn't like what they were going to give us for the Mazda. So we opted to wait and check a few other places out. They gave us paperwork and said the price would stay put for everything so if we decided to come back we wouldn't have to mess around again. Luckily Jason knows his stuff and cuts through all the crap and tells them like it is and so didn't have any long waiting periods!! We will be looking for the best deal and probably be getting something this week, at least I hope so!!

Dead Dryer

In September our dryer died and so we went to Costco and got a new one. Yesterday I switched the laundry from the washer to dryer and then went to start it and tried to turn over but nothing. So I fidgeted with the dial but still nothing. CRAP!! I called for Jason to see if he had any magic tricks he could try but he couldn't either. I ended up calling Whirpool and they scheduled for a technician to come out on Monday between 1-5. In the meantime we hung up the towels in the garage and when they are dry we will have to hang up the girls clothes that are in the washer. UGHHHH. Oh well such is life. I am thankful that it is still under warranty and won't have to pay for the technician to come out nor any parts or labor to have it fixed!! So that far outweighs the inconvenience!!!!

Progress

It has been a busy few days since Emi's surgery. Between helping her and taking car or the baby I haven't had the "umph" to post. And to top it all of I started classes at CSU LA on Thursday.

Well Emi's surgery was a success. The doctor said her adenoids were the size of another tonsil! The place was amazing. The whole process/experience was one I wish everyone could have. Everyone there was great and things ran VERY smoothly.

We had to be there by 7:15 am. I scooped Emi out of bed and took her in her pjs as they said to bring her in something comfortable. They immediately checked us in and within 10 minutes a nurse was out to ask me a few questions. I went back out and the anesthesiologist came out and spoke to us in a very kid friendly manner. When he said his name I almost started laughing. His name is Dr. Polk but the way he said it sounded like Poke. Then a few minutes later we went back in. The nurse was a cute lady from England and was so sweet with Emi. The ENT doctor came by and said hi and then the anesthesiologist came by and it was time for me to say good bye. She started to cry and he pick her up and carried her one direction and I went the other. The surgery lasted about 45 minutes and then the ENT doctor came out and reported to us how it went. Only a couple minutes after he left the anesthesiologist came out and invited us back to the recovery area. Jason waited with Chieko in the waiting room and I went back. She was still out of it at this point but was stirring/trying to wake up and it was not a pretty sight. She would thrash and cry and then go back to sleep and this kept happening. Before we could leave she had to take a little something by mouth. I texted Jason and let him know her status and he had to go to the bathroom so I went out to relieve him (you know what I mean!!!). Then I had him go baack with her. I stayed out with Chieko but then the nurse came out and said it would be ok if I came back with Chieko so I did. Jason has roused her and had gotten her to eat some of an Otter Pop! That then meant she got to go home!!! We left and poor thing the rest of the day and the next boy was she miserable. (all which is normal for this kind of surgery) She wouldn't swallow and so the saliva would pool in her mouth. We had to force her to take her medicine and drink/take anything by mouth. Poor Jason had to get real stern with her so it would be less of a fight!! Well yesterday she was feeling a little better and would ask to eat things and then did!!! She ate banana, popsicles, jell-o, yogurt, sherbet and go figure, peanut butter!! She also drink quite a bit which was great. Today she has been eating real well. She currently is eating mac and cheese. So some good progress is being made!

This morning Emi was up first and while I was feeding Chieko she was rustling in the kitchen. Next thing I know she calls for me. I go and find this!!!!



She had made me breakfast!! A peanut butter sandwich with fruit snacks and Nilla wafers with a glass of water!! How cute is that?!!


Later I had put Chieko on this mat on the floor so I could go to the bathroom and when I came out Emi and Chieko were sharing some sweet moments. This is Emi's nasty old holey penguin blanket that you see they are both covered with!! Poor Chieko!! (My camera battery was dead so these were taken on my iPhone hence the quality isn't so great but you get the idea!)










Chieko was ready to be picked up but Emi thought she needed her own blanket to feel better so she went and got the blanket my mom made for her! Cute and sweet girls!!

Friends

I am so thankful for good friends. Whether they be family or otherwise. I had only told one person down here that Emi was having surgery due to the quickness of it all. So on Wednesday a friend called our house and then my cell saying she heard Emi was having surgery. (I didn't pick up due to all the craziness!) She wanted to let us know she was thinking about us and to call if she could do anything. Now mind you she has 4 kids of her own the youngest is 3 months older than Chieko. I didn't call back and next then I know I get a text from her and then she calls. I was a little crazy trying to get Emi to take her meds, listening to her whine, listening to poor Kaida and thinking she is not getting enough attention, thinking about school, feeding the baby, etc, etc. She then tells me she wants to bring dinner tomorrow night. Here I am in my mini-pity party and a friend steps right in! Then one of my friends from up north sends me a text checking in on Emi. She always thinks of my girls and is so thoughtful and generous. It is the little things like this that make aware that God does watch over us and use other people to help us. It things like this that make life so sweet. It is acts of kindness like this that make one get through any kind of hard time and renew one's faith in humanity. It is things like this that make you count your blessings and make sure in there you have counted in your friends.

Thank you friends for all you do/have done for me!!

I love you!!!

Poor Emi and Kaida

The other day Emi was outside with the chickens and ended up stepping on a nail that went through her shoe and punctured her foot. She was fine for awhile and then the pain set in. She was limping at first and then couldn't put any pressure on it at all after. Boy did she milk it. Daddy got her all propped up in the recliner with her foot wrapped up with a towel that had ice in it. There she sat eating her dinner and calling for this and that. She was a little upset that she couldn't walk I helped her think of a solution. We talked about people who can't walk and what they do. She came up with I could put her in the wagon and the stroller!! I said those were great ideas and would work for outside but what about inside the house? Then she put her index finger in the air and said I know, I know I can crawl!!! So crawling it was! But whenever we went anywhere she had to be carried. It didn't slow her down for long. She is now on the mend and is just slightly limping.

Now on to her next "wo is me." Emi has always had HUGE tonsils (in my opinion) and been a little bit of a snorer and jerker when she sleeps. As she has gotten older/bigger it has become more pronounced and she has been walking up more much than when she was little. I starting thinking about her genes and that it could be something genetic as Jason and his dad have diagnosed Sleep Apnea and CPAP machines. So when she had her 4 year check up I had that on my list of things to ask about. The doctor said he thought they were a little large but that he would send us to an ENT who is more versed in that area. I made an appt (man this is when I love being off-when you get to say to the receptionist any day and any time is fine!!) and she was seen. He sent her for X-Rays to get the whole pic which we did as soon as we left his office. I called for a follow-up appt and we went and saw him this past Monday. He looked at the Radiologist's report and said her tonsils and adenoids were signifcantly enlarged which was consistent with the snoring, waking up, etc. He suggested getting them removed. I said "okay, let's do it. How long before it could done?" (I wanted to get it done before I go back to work so Jason doesn't have to deal with it, plus we still don't have a car to fit us all.) He said he does surgeries on Wednesdays and that as soon as the insurance approved it they would schedule us in. On Thursday I called the insurance and they said it was "in review." I called on Friday and they said it was approved. I immediatelt called the ENT to let them know. Well long story story she will have her adenoids and tonsils removed this coming Wednesday!!! Monday we go for a pre-op appt and lab work and then Wednesday morning will be the big day!!

Now little Kaida had dental work done in November and I noticed a few weeks ago that it looked like it hadn't been done so I called the pediatric dentist. They informed me I needed to get a new referral whch first meant I had to go to the regular dentist. We went and he wanted to do it. Luckily the receiptionist said that I wanted to go to a pediatric dentist. (He was a little rough when he worked on me.) So we went and it ends up the fillings came out so they have to be re-done. Lovely. Poor child. Lucky for her she got another stuffed animal dog (last time they gave her a dalmation dog-very nice quality one) and a balloon. She didn't mind and associates the dentist with good stuff!! So on Tuesday morning she has to go in to get those taken care of. They also happen to be the 2 front teeth. I can just see her with some gold bling caps on those 2 teeth and her loving every minute of it!!!

So this will be one busy week but I am glad I can schedule all these appointments while I am off so I can be with them.

An AWESOME surprise!!!!

I went out to check the mail and balancing on our fence was a package. I figured it was from my parents but boy was I WRONG!!!! I looked at the writing and quickly noted it wasn't either of my parents. I picked up the package and looked at the return label and it was from (are you ready for this??????? CHIEKO OKAZAKI!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am still in shock and teary eyed. (For those of you who don't know who Chieko is I will post about her later tonight-she needs her OWn posting to even try to do her a little justice!!!.) Before I had the 2 bigger girls open the package I HAD to take a picture of it with its labels and such! So the 2 older girls opened it and much to their surprise she had thought of them as well. She sent them each a book. They are already enjoying them!! For baby Chieko she sent 2 DARLING outfits in 2 different sizes (that's a smart woman if you ask me!!) also enclosed there was a very very sweet note. I have made copies of it and then am putting it in the fire/waterproof safe to keep it in good condition for Chieko until she can appreciate and treasure it. What a sweet woman! She has always been high on my list and now she has just outdone herself!!! What a blessing to have good women in our lives. At this point I am speechless, I don't know what I can say to actually have one understand how I feel about this
woman. What a wonderful surprise, it has made my day...no week....no month!! I am in HEAVEN!!! What a blessed woman I am, truly blessed.

The girls opening the package.....

and revealing the marvelous contents!!!!!

Super cute outfits for baby Chieko (does she have good taste or what?!!)

and totally awesome book picks for the other girls!!
How thoughtful!!


Emi thoroughly enjoying the new book!!!


Thank you, thank you Chieko!!!!
We love you!!!!!!

Eat Hearty & Give the House a Good Name

My cute Grandpa Burke used to say this all the time and was one of the quotes that struck with me. Maybe because the 2 of us had/have a love for eating and the bellies to show for it!! And it was also one thing he was always proud about-that I would try anything and eat hearty and allowed me to do so!!

Now enough about the name of the post and on to why I am posting!!

Last week there were some super good deals on meat at the local store so I stocked up. I bought meat for carne asada (which I marinated and then bbq'ed and came out fabulous) and the I bought ground beef and 2 cross rib roasts. This was kinda brave and daring for me as I have never cooked up any of those meats except of course ground beef. And although they were on sale for a great price they weren't free so I could have easily messed them up!!!

Well I got on the internet and search for quite awhile looking for recipes. I finally settled on a few. The carne asada was a success so I proceeded on to the rib roast. I used this fabulous pan my parents got for me that is large and has a long handle (I have been using it ALL the time since I got it, Thanks mom and dad!!). The recipe called for you to cook it for one hour leave it in the oven sealed (don't open the oven AT ALL) for 3 hours then turn the oven back on for anohter 30-40 minutes. Well roast number one came out pretty darn good. Today I made roast number 2 with a few minor alternations and it was WAY better!!! I am very excited!! Not only did the roast come out great but at the request of my husband I used the drippings to make gravy. I have only attempted to make gravy one other time and it was a huge flop so I was VERY nervous. Well, lo and behold I did it and it wasn't too shabby for a novice!!! I have to say I am quite proud of myself, so proud I had to post about it. I started and finished late and should be sleeping but had to boast for a few minutes!!!

The super yummy meat!!!! Yes mom I put whole cloves of garlic in it!!!

Is your mouth watering yet?

(Please notice the beautiful counters my parents helped me to clean and that I am now maintaining on my own, WOO HOO!!!)


So everyone...............

Eat Hearty & Give the House a Good Name!!!!!

A garden!!!!!

Jason suggested we have a garden. We planted some things last summer but then moved so we didn't get to reap any of the rewards. We had some reconfiguring to do with the chicken area so Jason took that on. The chickens now have less room but it will actually work in their benefit as we will be keeping them in more of the shade (down here is HOT during the summer). At night (and other times) the chickens go in the other part of their area which is......a covered hot tub!! My in-laws have a hot tub that they haven't used in years and it is covered by this beautiful gazebo kind of thing Jason's grandpa made, very Japanese looking and with Shoji. He does beautiful work. So we put it to use for the chickens. The hot tub has a cover so they have a roaming area there along with their nesting boxes. Well Jason has it all fixed up and it looks great!! The girls and I spent an afternoon of mixing in some dirt to augment what we had and then we planted our seeds that they helped me pick out. So we should have onions, carrots, lots of lettuce, cantaloupe, watermelon, crookneck squash, scallop looking squash and tons of tomatoes. I will take some pictures today and post. Of course nothing has come up yet but you will get the idea!!!

PS We have also ordered some baby chicks that will come in May. We are very excited!!!

Chow Hound and more!!

I knew Chieko was having a little growth spurt as she no longer can wear her preemie clothes but I wasn't expecting this much!!!

Chieko had a check up on Thursday and has packed on some serious height and weight. We went in 2 weeks ago and since then she has gained 1 pound 6 ounces and grew 1 3/4 inches!! WooHoo!!! Grow baby grow!!!So her new stats as of Thursday 3/19 are:

19 3/4 inches long
7 pounds 4 ounces

Enjoying the swing!!! (Most recent pic taken this morning)

First bath..drying off in the towel Mari (my fabulous aide at work gave her)

Big sis Kaida holding her. Kaida is fantastic holding Chieko and can hold her for long periods of time and is to comfort her by giving her her pacifier or patting her and singing to her if she ever starts to fuss (which is rare-only when she is hungry or gassy)

Emi loves to smother Chieko with loves-hugs and kisses abound in our home-sometimes a little too much and I need to remind her to give her some space!!

I am grateful for a beautiful family who loves each other and for everyone being so helpful and understanding. We don't have a car that fits everyone so many times one or two girls have to be left behind. The big girls have been very sweet about saying things such as "that's ok mommy I'll wait here for you." My husband is a great guy who helps out a lot and will willingly stay home with them and make things fun for them while at home. Thanks everyone for being so helpful, understanding and cooperative!!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!

Whatever It Is

I am on a Zac Brown Band "Whatever It Is" kick. I not only love his voice and love the words of the song but also the music just makes me feel happy (in other words you could take away the words and the music would do it for me as well). If you haven't heard it yet, I hope you enjoy it as well.


**So the video was working and then they did something with it on Youtube so I took it off. But please find somewhere to listen to it. Sweet jam!!!

Welcome Baby Chieko

The newest Sakamoto
Chieko
智惠子

February 17th 2009
8:30 pm
5 pounds 10 ounces
18 inches


wrapped around daddy's little finger already!!!

yes I have blue eyes and light wavy hair like big sis Emi

stay right here daddy, don't go anywhere, this is a scary place!

my blood glucose levels were a little low so they wanted to give me a jump start to see how I'd do

Yes, I am Asian, cute and know how to smile and pose already!!!!!

Well we didn't quite make it to full term but 35 weeks ain't bad!!! On Friday I thought my water my have started leaking but then dismissed it. Again Saturday I thought it was happening but kinda dismissed but kept it at the back of my head. My parents came in on Thursday afternoon and were going to watch the girl for us so we could go out on Valentines which we did. While out I kept wondering if it was amniotic fluid. On Sunday same thing. We went to church and then when we got back I said to Jason I think I should get checked out just to be safe. We went to L&D and they confirmed it was amniotic fluid and they admitted me. They put me on an IV with fluids and ampicillin and monitored for contractions. Since it was Sunday and the next day was a holiday I figured I wouldn't be seeing the dr until Tuesday but the nurses kept saying no I think she will come by today. I was right and she came in on Tuesday afternoon. She said she felt the best thing to do was deliver. They had the high risk dr come in and check out the baby's size and all that good stuff. He was going to do an amnio to make sure her lungs were all right but my smart nurse said to me let's collect that fluid that's been coming out and see if we can get enough of that to send to the lab. We were able to and it came back ok. The dr had a plan all ready when she came in to talk to me but little did I know!! She doubled checked the last time I had something to eat and then said "how about we do it tonight about 8:30?" I said "sure!" She was suprised saying "wow, that was easy I wasn't so prepared for that!!" So I called everyone to let them know. (This was one of the few times Jason had left) It ended up that they got me started even earlier so little Chieko made her appearance on February 17th at 8:30 pm. She weighed 5 pounds 10 ounces and was 18 inches long. While pulling her out the dr was commenting out loud "cord around the foot, cord around the leg, cord around the arm, and cord around the neck..2 times! Wow, what a lucky little girl." (Later each time she came to see me she said "she is really a lucky little girl!!")


Well this is all for now. My butt is hurting from sitting (thanks to the spinal!!) so I gotta move but I wanted to get a post up.

33 weeks, Jason knows the sex

Today we have made it to 33 weeks!!! Since I will be having this baby by C-Section and we have the scheduled date of 3/13 for delivery and (if it stays in until its supposed to) I technically have 39 days to go!!!!! Hip, hip, hurray!!!!

Jason now knows the sex of the baby. This morning he woke me up very early and after going to the bathroom and then hoping to come back to bed to sleep he continued to talk to me. So much for me sleeping! He is so silly and began with his series of "what if" questions. (He does this a lot and they are hysterical what if scenarios) So this morning one of the questions is "What if the baby is born with no eyes and clubbed feet?" I just started cracking up. Then he said and it will probably be a girl too which sparked his memory of the piece of paper I brought back from the appointment I had with the high risk specialist. The ultrasound tech wrote down on a post it what the sex was. She said she was 80% sure. Well when I brought it home he said he didn't want to see it but to put it in this little money counting bank jar we have and we will look when the baby is born to see if she was right. Well he got in that jar and got that paper and found out. He is such a good tale twister that I will have no clue as to what this baby will be either (not that I want to know). He began going off about what he is going to do with 3 girls and this is it, we can't risk having another girl. Then he will throw in there stuff about a boy so....he flip flops between talking about both sexes just to keep me nice and confused!! Either way we will know in 39 days or less, hopefully in 39 days exactly!!!!!

Shrink Machine

Emi had a hilarious conversation with Jason and I this morning. For her birthday, Kaida got a huge bus toy. Between the bus and VW Bug car my friend Darlene got them the girls have a lot of fun. They play with the 2 vehicles and with their Princess Dolls in them a lot. The bus is big enough to fit stuffed animals and their Bitty Babies as well. Often you can see one of them sitting on top of the bus and the other pushing. Well this morning Emi went over to the bus and starting playing in it. She didn't have any dolls. She was using her fingers as people. She told Jason "Daddy you can drive the bus and put your drinks and food right there." Then she went towards the back of the bus where there is a vanity and told me "You can sit right there and put your make-ups in there and use the mirror to put on your make-ups." Then she stopped and had sort of a perplexed look on her face. She then continue on "but wait we need a shrink machine because you are too big. I know, Daddy can make one. Okay daddy? You can make a shrink machine to make us small, small, small." Jason asked her "Then how will you get back to normal size?" Emi replied with "Just press the red button and you get bigger again." I was busting up. Emi says "Okay daddy? You can go build a shrink machine please?"

She already knows her father's magic touch, that anything he touches or tries to make turns into gold........so why couldn't he build a shrink machine?!!!!!!!!

Bowling

I'm not sure if I had posted that Jason and I picked up bowling as a fun thing to do together about 9 months ago or so. We have had lots of fun learning together. Jason seems to be a natural at most sports and I typically look like dummy. Well as we have practiced I have gotten better but nothing spectacular. When we moved down here we went bowling a lot and even joined a league. The league is for Rosemead Educators (though others can join as well). Rosemead is a neighboring city. We meet on Tuesdays from 4-6:30ish. The teams consist of 3 people so we got Jason's sister Mindy to join us. We have had alot of fun going. Since this whole PTL (preterm labor) thing I have had to give up bowling for a bit. I am very sad about it. I ended up missing the last 4 game of the season. :( The league just ended today and will start up again in 2 weeks but since I will still be pregnant I will have to miss out on the whole season. The good news is........Our team took first place!!!! We did really well and I myself improved significantly. We earned a cash prize for our first place winnings and I won a cash prize for having the highest score for a woman's game (can't remember all the details!). Jason also won a cash prize for the highest score of some sort. Jason's dad will take my place for the next season, he is a good bowler and will do way better than me so......we'll see how the season goes for them. I will be happy once the baby is born and my body all healed up so I can get back to bowling. Even though I won't be in the league it is fun time Jason and I enjoy together!!!!!!

In another post I will tell you about how we came to our team's name the "Birthday Team."

All Sorts of Happy News

First of all a quick baby update. I have a low anterior placenta (which usually means C-Section as it could be risky for vaginal deliver to the baby) and the baby is frank breech, meaning bum down near the cervix head AND feet up near my ribs. Oh many can I feel that cabeza and feet moving around, WOO HOO!!! More like ow-eeeeee!!!!!! So my previous C-Sections are a blessing in disguise cause this one would have had to be one too! The Lord knows what he is doing, don't EVER doubt that!!!

Well my good ole OB/GYN ordered for Home Uterine Activity Monitoring (HUAM) as well as a Terbutaline Pump and today I got all set up my a Nurse who came to the house. I got a call last yesterday saying everything as approved and that a nurse should be contacting me later in the evening to set up a time for today to come by and get me hooked up. Then about 8pm a package arrived at the door. It was a courier with meds that told Jason they needed to be refridgerated. Alrighty!!! I wasn't expecting that kind of service!! Not long after that I got a call from the nurse who said she has a case in Oxnard in the morning(w/o traffic its an hour and a half drive) and could she come back in the late afternoon. Of course I said yes. I was happy she said afternoon as the girls have Ballet class for 1/2 hr on Sat mornings. This morning I took the girls to their Ballet Class and then did a quick errand and came home. When I came home there was another package. I opened it up and there was more meds inside!! I got a call from the nurse with an ETA and she came right as planned. I signed my life away about 20 times and then she got me all set up with these fun gadgets (yeah right). Here are the details:

HUAM-2x a day once in the morning, once in the evening for an hour each time or any other time I am feeling contractions. After I have monitored I have to send in the results through the phone line after which a nurse checks it out and then calls me back to let me know the status, etc. Tonight when I did it I got a call back within 7 minutes. It is an RN reading it and they are on 24 hrs a day which makes it nice. If I have any concerns I can call and/or monitor and they will help me out.



Terbutaline Pump-Kinda like an insulin pump. It is in my leg and I have to wear this pump ALL the time. It pumps me fll of medicine on a regular basis and gives me an extra booster evry so often as well. If I feel those crazy contractions I can give myself adn extra dose of meds to call that uterus down. I have to change the insertion site every 3-5 days, not for the queasy!!! Jason is not even liking the thought of it being in my leg but to see it there AND know I have to change the site every 3-5 days makes him green about the gills!!! Poor guy. At least I have no problem doing it cause there is no way in.... well you know where....he could do it!!!! So..2x a day I have to put in a new vile of medicine. Way better than having to take to oral medication. I was taking it every 4 hours and with my ADD brain that is pretty difficult to do but the Lord works in greta ways to help us accomplish things that's for sure. My dr had just upped my meds too. So at one dosing I would take 2 pills and at the next dose I would take 1. Talk about confusing this just about did it!! I was able to hang in there for 5 days now(not bad if you ask me), the pump has arrived so no more oral meds!!! Hurray!!!! I will get steady dosings which will be much more effective. The nurse said orally you get between 40-50% of the meds and subcutaneously you get more like 90% of the med. So here it is going in!!!

BTW-The nurse asked me if I was a nurse since I knew so many medical terms and knew so much about the meds and my condition, etc. This happened with Kaida as well. I love it!!!! I love the internet and being able to learn so much and be informed. What a blessing to be able to do research and use our brains to help educate ourselves. It not only helps us medically but also emotionally. As we are infoprmed we can feel calm and prepared because we know what to expect/know what is going on. It also then helps us to knwo how to ask the Lord to help us in whatever our situation may be.

****More Happy News****

Tomorrow I will be 32 weeks!!! This is a milestone for me as Kaida was born at 32 weeks!! I pray daily that this little one and my body will respond to the meds and stay in until it absolutely needs to come out although it is not my will but His will. He knows what we are capable of handling and what this little one's time frame is. Throughout all of this pregnancy there have been some major stressors and ups and downs but not once have I felt crazed or worried. I have had a sense of peace and calmness and know that everything will be all right as long as I leave it in the Lord's hands he will take care of each individual of my family.

I will have to take pix of me and all my cool thingamabobs!!!!

Love to you all!!! Good Night!!!!!

Baby woes

Okay I started this post on 1/11 and then had to tend to the girls and forgot about it so it is a little old by now! Anyways I'll leave up my old stuff and try and update it a bit!

A couple weeks ago (now its been one month) I went to the high risk doctor ( I was supposed to see her brother but he was out of town and she was filling in for him. they both are Perinatalogists) who told me that again I was high risk for the following reasons:
1) a shortened cervix (according to her, half the length it should be)
2) I've have some contractions
3) She detected I had an infection (which can supposedly cause premature labor)
4) I have a low anterior lying placenta

So her recommendations were:
a) to be on bedrest,
b) take a medicine for the infection, and
c) take meds every 6 hours for the contractions.

Since I was on vacation I could handle the bedrest thing but I told her the next week I was to return back to work and she said oh no you stay home, I'll give you papers for disability. I then explained that teachers do not pay into disability so I won't get anything. We talked a little about my job and it's responsibilities, in the end she agreed to let me work but as soon as the kids left and then when I got home I was to be resting. I happily agreed to that!!!


Well two weeks ago I went to L&D cause I was worried I was leaking amniotic fluid. Turned out it wasn't. (When the doctor checked me about a week later she said my fluid was a little low so it could have been but since I went to L&D hours later it may not have been leaking at that time.)

Now where am I?????
I was supposed to follow up with the High Risk doctor on Monday. I got a call on our answering machine on Friday evening about 6 saying the authorization was still pending. My appointment was for Monday at 8:30. All the different offices I would need to call didn't open until 8. So my plan was to start calling like a mad woman right a 8 sharp to make sure I could get in. Well.... Monday was a holiday so of course all the insurance offices were closed or on limited staffing. I was told by one woman "to go on in and keep the appointment." So I tried and ended up in the office for more than 2 hours never to be seen by the doctor because they couldn't get authorization. Plus the girl who is in charge of getting the authorizations staright up lied to my face and when I confronted her she just had this dumb look on her face. I told her. If something happens and this baby is born early I am coming after this office since there may have been something he could have done to prevent it but due to your negligence and lying I didn't even get to see him. I was a mess and went to my regular OB/GYN (she referred me to him)all upset and crying. She wanted to see me so there I was waiting a little more. I needed more meds so it was fine. I explained to her and her office staff how poorly things were handled. She was wonderful and I left feeling a little better.

Well this last week I have been on the phone trying to figure out where the breakdown happened. Of course it was the High Risk Drs office. They did not submit the form for the auth intil last minute and then the insurance needed more documentation which they did not get to them until Thursday (as in 2 days ago). HELLOOOOOOO!!!!! And their office kept trying to put it on the insurance. The insurance also told me the office staff marked it as routine so they have 5 days to process it which means I should expect to hear something no earlier than next Thursday. As soon as I heard that I called my dr and asked if was really worth my time to even go back there. The average wait time is about 2 hours, AFTER your appt time, absolutely absurd! Talk about someone going to to preterm labor sitting in that office under all that stress that would sure do it! Or at least up your blood pressure 20 or more points!

So grrrrrrrrrrrrrr I am miffed momma bear, watch out!!!!

Busy Preschoolers!!!

Hopefully this will not be a foreshadowing of what is to come!!!!

Kaida and Emi have started a few classes and Preschool!!!! I signed the girls up for a few things through the City of Temple City and the City of Arcadia's recreation department. Jason takes the girls to Tiny Tots on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:30-12:30. Parents are required to volunteer 2-3 times throughout the session (which I think is 12 weeks long) and bring in a snack. It was super reasonable. I wanted them to get into the M,W,F class but it was full. (Next term I will sign them up through the Cities of El Monte and Rosemead for a class daily from 8:30-11:30) Anyhow I am thankful to have a husband that is not only good with our girls but is also supportive of me and them and will take them. He is a good guy. I have made lunch for them to eat after class at the park there but it had been warm and now rainy so they haven't got to do that yet! They end up at home and have a nice little picnic indoors or out, whichever weather permits and/or they want!!

On Wednesdays the girls have Hula Class, Thursdays they have an Art Class and Saturdays they have Ballet!!!

It is fun to watch them and see what some of their talents are already! It is also torture for me to watch Emi as she is trying but has such a hard time listening and following directions. Poor thing I think she is a little me...ADD and all. Guess I will have to continue to put her in these kinds of things to help her to develop skills that will help her self esteem now and help her to learn how to listen and gain other skills to help her with ADD if she does have it (since I know they DO NOT like to medicate little ones). But come Kindergarten I can see her getting in trouble due to many of my traits in her. She is such a happy go lucky girl and I would hate for her to get a teacher who breaks her spirit. That would just be sad, sad.........and I think I would first go nuts and then die of a broken heart. In the meantime I will carry on and help her as much as I can.