a breath of fresh air...

Hawaiian air that is. My wonderful parents watched our little sweeties while Stephen and I took a trip to Maui, HI. I was so nervous to leave my girls. Well, at least to leave Jovie. I knew that Pear would blend right in with my family. She and Libby (my 4 year old sister) are almost like sisters. Libby is much nicer to Pear than a sister may be but Pear is just as feisty, brutally honest and comfortable with Libby as she would be with any sister! (In all honesty, she can be down right mean towards her. We are working on that.) On the other hand, prior to this Hawaii trip, Jovie had never been left for more than 5 hours with anyone! Not only had I never left her for more than 5 hours, she is still very much a "mama's baby" and hardly even let my parents hold her. But, we spend a lot of time at my parent's house and she is very familiar with the grounds, her sister, my parents and my siblings so I thought it would be okay.

We arrived in Maui on Friday afternoon and after getting our car and groceries, we headed straight to the beach! Ahhh. How therapeutic. The beach is endless, the water warm, the air clean and blue skies rested above us. We went on a Lava/Snorkeling tour with Blue Water Rafting and I would have to say it was probably the highlight of our trip. The captain was a little on the daring side and he drifted the boat into a lava cave, took us snorkeling on the backside of Molokini (known to be an "expert only" snorkeling spot), and let us snorkel to the edge of the reef on Molokini (I wasn't energetic enough to make it that far but Stephen did and he said it was extremely scary and amazing). We spent a lot of time relaxing on different beaches, reading, eating, snorkeling and walking. It was a wonderful time and I'd like to go again next week! If only money grew on trees, eh?

I missed the girls terribly by our 3rd day. I asked to talk to Pear on the phone several times but she was always too busy. One time I did get to talk to Jovie on the phone and I can still hear the little "eh, uh, eh," that she nearly wrenched my heart out with. I teared up and couldn't talk to her again the entire trip because I missed her so badly. We arrived home around 2am on Wednesday morning, got a couple hours of sleep and then went to pick up the girls. Upon walking through my parent's door, Jovie was very excited to see me and just snuggled with me for a good 5 minutes. Then I got a big hug from Pear and it was as if we never left them! They weren't mad, they weren't upset, they weren't even cranky! They were simply happy to see us.

What a great vacation.

A year gone by...

Jovie's a year old. We've had so much fun with her this past year. The wonderful day she was born I ate an enormous piece of cake throughout the night. The weeks to follow were a little rough. For the first 6 weeks of her life she thought that between 1 am and 5am was the perfect time to be awake and cry. I remember walking out in the family room, sitting on the exercise ball bouncing, pacing the creaky bedroom floors, yeah, that was rough. Then we moved on to constantly spitting up. I changed my clothes at least 2 or 3 times a day. Jovie's were changed even more than that. But then came her adorable smile with those chubby cheeks that nobody could resist. Her cheeks caught eyes a mile away. Her big blue eyes seem to grow bigger and bluer by the day. Since she was a couple of months old, she loved to talk. She is so noisy! Usually a good noisy. She is constantly chiming in her two cents. She's not quite as noisy as she used to be, now she usually nods her head with an "eh" and that means something however I don't always know what. Food. Jovie LOVES food. She always has and probably always will. If you want to make her happy, just lead her to the food. Jovie is adventurous and enjoys trying to be just as big as her big sister. She loves to go down her slide, climb up and down stairs and would probably jump off the couch if she could figure out how to jump. She dances like nobody else and I will often look in the rear-view mirror in the van and see a carseat rocking side by side as Jovie is wrapped up in the beat of the music.

What a joy and a blessing our little Jovie is.

"...Happy Birthday to you!"

"Oh, don't touch it!"

"Ouch. Are you okay?" (Yes, she put it out with her fingers.)

Yum! Now this is a birthday.

Not too messy.

Hugging her new baby doll from Mammy, Pappy and kids.

Knife Skills

For years, Stephen has been lecturing me on how to properly use a knife. I usually shrug off his advice with knives as overly cautious which is simply not my style. That is, until three weeks ago when I was preparing a wonderful chili dinner. I was so excited. Stephen was going to love it (he normally doesn't care too much for chili). I was taking advantage of the girls' nap-time. I chopped the onions and moved on to green peppers. This is where I went just a smidge too far and chopped my thumb instead of the pepper. That put a little damper on the chili dinner, actually, it put a stop to it. No chili dinner. Luckily, I didn't have to get stitches. It bled and throbbed for hours but a good bandage job was all it needed. Just this week the feeling returned to my thumb and I'm as good as new.

All this to say: take heed to your husband's advice. Proper knife skills are a must.

Amazing Life

I Just read a few facts about the baby in my tummy and I am left in awe of my creator. This baby has been in my womb for barely 13 weeks and yet his (I do not know that he is a he I am just going to refer to him/her as a he for now) little heart is beating strong, the fingernails are growing, his veins and organs are developed, the unique fingerprint that separates each of us have been created and all of this in a little body that is a mere 3 inches long and weighs little under an ounce. Yes. I am left in awe of such a wonderful creator.
Psalm 139

1O Lord, you have searched me

and you know me.

2You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

4Before a word is on my tongue

you know it completely, O Lord.

5You hem me in—behind and before;

you have laid your hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

7Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

8If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths,a you are there.

9If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,”

12even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

13For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

15My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place.

When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

16your eyes saw my unformed body.

All the days ordained for me

were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

17How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

18Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand.

When I awake,

I am still with you.

19If only you would slay the wicked, O God!

Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

20They speak of you with evil intent;

your adversaries misuse your name.

21Do I not hate those who hate you, O Lord,

and abhor those who rise up against you?

22I have nothing but hatred for them;

I count them my enemies.

23Search me, O God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

H1N1 Influenza aka: Swine Flu

After being lectured and pushed around at my most recent OB appointment, I decided to do a little deeper research regarding the H1N1 influenza and the vaccination said to prevent it.

When asked by the nurse if I've received my flu vaccinations I responded, "no, and I am declining all vaccinations at this time." The nurse smiled and said, "well, I'll let you talk to the doctor about that." When the doctor came in, she went on to inform me that pregnant women who contract H1N1 influenza have a 15-30% fatality rate! And that the government is estimating that 30-50% of the US population will contract this bug. I don't know where she got her information because from everything I've researched including medical journals and the Center of Disease Control the highest percentage rate of pregnant women who contract the disease and die is 4%. Here's my breakdown: The CDC has 700 reported cases of pregnant women who have came down with H1N1 influenza. Out of 700 REPORTED cases 100 were hospitalized. Out of 100 hospitalized 28 died. This concludes to 4%. However, for many, the symptoms of swine flu are no more than a common cold. In that case many would not go to the doctor and even if they did, it may not have been reported as H1N1. So in my opinion that number is a safe high. Also, it has not been revealed whether or not these pregnant women had underlying conditions.

I also want to note that the CDC has never before tracked the impact of the common flu in pregnant women. Although it is known that any flu is a higher risk for pregnant women, it's not known whether H1N1 is any worse than the common flu. So, why all the hubbub about H1N1 influenza (swine flu)? I'm not exactly sure why. Yes, there have been nearly 800 deaths this year linked to swine flu but what most people don't know is that the number of deaths linked to swine flu and pneumonia are not much different from deaths of the average seasonal flu we see every year (which is approximately 36,000 deaths)! Swine flu is simply one of the strains we're seeing this year. The vast majority of deaths that have been linked to swine flu have been reported to have underlying conditions such as asthma or an immune suppressing chronic illness.

In 1976 a hastily-prepared mass vaccination program was undertaken in a panic due to a virus which was also partially swine derived. The outcome was a virus which was not nearly as widespread or dangerous as was projected, it fizzled off quickly. Millions received a vaccination which was thought to be safe and turned out to have many cases of neurological defects including 500 cases of Guillain-Barré syndrome which is a paralyzing disorder.

So, why am I not getting this vaccination? Let me list my reasons:
1. The vaccination has not yet been proven to work! The vaccination is said to be a very similar strain to the one that is currently traveling our country but if that strain changes (which it can) the vaccination may not be effective. Also, it simply doesn't work for nearly 15% of people.
2.I am aware that pregnant women are more prone to having complications with an illness, however, H1N1 does not appear to be any different than a seasonal flu. There are many strains of influenza that go around every year and there is never a guarantee that I will not contract one of those no matter how many vaccinations I obtain. I am healthy, active, aware of the symptoms and I will act promptly to control an illness that I may come down with. I am also taking vitamins and extra care in hygiene to prevent getting sick.
3. I am not in the work place nor are my children in a daycare or school system therefore we are less likely to contract the illness and will abstain from visiting sick people, using shopping carts without sanitizing, etc.
4. The manufacturers (CLS Limited, MedImmune, Novartis and Sanofi Pasteur) of the vaccination state that it has NOT been tested safe for pregnant women or babies under 6 months of age. And they are immune from any liability for complications linked to the vaccination. This vaccine was put on the "fast track" and wasn't actually tested as much as normal vaccinations.
6. There are ingredients in this vaccination that are known to be cancer causing and may lead to other complications including death. Who knows what they may have found 5, 10, 50 years down the road with my precious baby.
7. World Health Organization states that 30-50% of people who contract H1N1 show mild or no symptoms at all. The majority of people clear the virus on their own without even going to a doctor.
8. There are possible side effects such as fever which is one of the big concerns with pregnant women contracting the virus itself.
9. In perspective: There was a report that there have been 200,000 preventable deaths due to medical errors and hospital infections in the US compared to <900 deaths from swine flu.

I found this report educational on the swine flu virus.

the joys of autumn...

I love the crisp air, watching the rain while inside a nice warm house, drinking hot cocoa, eating chili and watching the leaves change colors. There are so many wonderful things about fall. One of my favorite is bundling up and going to the pumpkin patch. That is just what we did the other day. Pear and Jovie loved riding in the wagon as we walked to the pumpkin patch. They also really enjoyed seeing all of the animals (pigs, goats, donkeys, llamas and turkeys). We had so much fun!

Budgeting...

We have been enjoying life on a budget. We are living a very fun and lavish life within reason. You know you're doing good when you hear this:
Pear: "Mom, we need to buy bandaids because we don't have any and I have a scratch."
Me: "Yes Pear. We do need to buy bandaids."
Pear: "Last time, we didn't buy them because I got a dress instead. Today we can take the dress back and get bandaids instead!"