Halloween School Parties and Dressing Up

Today is the girls' last day of school for the week. Their school actually let them dress up this year. They haven't let them do that in ages! I was planning on volunteering for Adelle's Kindergarten party when she informed me that it would make her uncomfortable. When I asked her why she said because she wants to be "all grown up". Come to find out Lydia would have liked for me to attend her party. I thought for sure she would be too cool to have her mom there. I ended up not being able to attend her party though because of a meeting that I have at work. Drat! You just can't win. Lydia wore her Arwen costume from last year. She is becoming such a young lady. She is going to be a biker girl when she is spending time with her Dad in Denver for Halloween. They have the costume for her there so she wasn't able to wear it to school.

Adelle decided to be Minnie Mouse for her party. She got the costume from her Grandma Julie for her birthday this past year. She wants to dress up as Belle though for Halloween night. It is Lydia's old costume from several years ago.

The girls were super excited for the festivities at school! Lydia did complain though that only boys ever seem to know who she is when she's dressed up as Arwen. I guess it isn't the thing as a girl to watch "Lord of the Rings". It doesn't help when both of your parents are Nerds!

Pumpkin Time!

With how sick everyone has been at my house it has been hard to find time to have Halloween festivities. Last night was our last night to carve pumpkins before Lydia flies out today, so the girls and I ventured out to the store to pick up 4 special pumpkins. We also stopped for a Jack-O-Lantern Pizza. Wes was still feeling very sick so I decided that he and I will carve pumpkins when he's better.

Lydia did almost all the work on her pumpkin this year. I helped cut the top off, but she did everything else!
Adelle on the other hand hates getting her hands dirty and can't stand the feel of squishy, pumpkin guts, so I was kind enough to help her. She was the designer though. She wanted a happy, female pumpkin this year, complete with eyelashes.

Lydia used a stencil from our pumpkin stencil book that we have held onto for the past 3 years. She did a wonderful job! She made a cat sitting on a spooky Halloween night! It was fun to take some time to celebrate Halloween with the girls, especially since Lydia will be with her dad this year. We are really going to miss her :(

Pregnant? Get in Line.

I had a prenatal appointment this last Thursday and my OBGYN really urged me to get vaccinated against H1N1 flu. Pregnant women are at high risk for developing complications. Unfortunately, their clinic has been unable to secure any of the coveted vaccine so she advised me to go to the public health department for their flu clinic. The clinics opened at 7:00 so I woke up early to take Adelle and I to get immunized. We got out there at 7:45 and I thought for sure that I wouldn't have any problems. I was SO WRONG! As I started approaching the clinic in my car I noticed cars everywhere parked along the street and a GIANT line of people. I said out loud "There is no way everyone in that line is eligible". Currently you have to meet certain risk criteria to get the vaccine.

I didn't know what else to do but to try and find a place to park and head into the giant line. It circled the building, went down the street, and into a residential neighborhood. It was so cold and I just couldn't believe how many people were there. Time crawled by as we tried to stay warm, avoid thinking about using the restroom, or eating. We even witnessed a car accident while we were waiting. It was so crazy. Three hours into the wait we were informed that they had run out of the vaccine and that we would need to leave. I was so tired and sore the rest of the day. It isn't easy for me to stand that long this far along in the pregnancy.

At this point I am pretty frustrated. I think the eligibility may have been opened up too much. Pregnant women were not able to get the flu mist when it came out because it isn't safe during pregnancy so we were left to wait for the injectible vaccine. Then it was opened up to a very large group of people. Couldn't there be some sort of priority? I don't think people were being honest in the line either. If you claimed you had a "chronic condition" you would be able to get the injection regardless of your age. It makes me wonder if some people are so afraid of the virus that they justified not being completely truthful. Perhaps, I am reading too much into everything or judging, but can't something else be done?

At this point I will just have to wait to see when more come out and also work on finding a place for the regular seasonal flu since many clinics have run out, including the public health department.

You might find the two links below interesting. They are news stories about the swine flu, including the mayhem at the clinic I was at.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=8430943

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=8440714

Mini Update

I just wanted to take a brief moment to let you know what is going on in the family. Lydia unfortunately has come down with something and we are really hoping she we will recover soon. It appears to be some sort of stomach bug. Poor Girl! She unfortunately is also missing school today which isn't great. School has been a lot more challenging for her recently since she was put in an advanced program and almost all of her spare time on weekday nights is spent doing homework. We just seem to be getting sick often around our house nowadays.

Speaking of sickness, my doctor is highly recommending that I get the flu shot and H1N1 shot so I will very likely be standing in a long line at the Public Health Department trying to get immunized. I know there have been a lot of people who don't feel the vaccine is safe, but honestly every year each flu shot is new and I worry if I don't get the flu shots that I may get ill. H1N1 is really hitting pregnant women hard this year. Also, if I get immunized it will protect my little baby as well through the flu season. So here's hoping that it doesn't adversely effect me. I may drag Adelle with me for the H1N1 since she has already gotten the regular flu shot. Lydia on the other hand may have to wait a bit since she is sick of course. That is why she missed the regular one as well. We just don't seem to be having much luck with my girl.

Oh, Adelle said something really funny last night. She asked where the birth canal is. I very simply explained it is in between a mommy's legs. She then went on to declare that she's glad I'm
going to have Violet in the hospital because she doesn't want to see that. Wes and I laughed so hard. On one level it is good because she has been sad that I am going to be away from her for a couple of days. Silly girl!

My Playlist

Well here is my birthing CD playlist for the time being. I may add more as I get closer. I'll just have to see.

Across the Universe - Rufus Wainwright - I Am Sam Soundtrack

The Memory of Trees - Enya -Paint the Sky With Stars

Ghost Story - Sting - Brand New Day

What Child is this/Coventry Carol - Bob Gandy - Through the Eyes of a Child

China Roses - Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds - Beattles - Love

For Those Who Have Gone Before Us - Bob Gandy - Discovery

Valsa Pra Biu Roque - CeU - CeU

Silent Night - Bob Gandy - Through the Eyes of a Child

Many Meetings - Howard Shore - Lord of the Rings Soundtrack

Julie - Bob Gandy - Discovery

La Serenissima - Loreena McKennitt - Book of Secrets

Adelle's Waltz - Bob Gandy - An Evening at The Roof

Strawberry Fields Forever - Ben Harper - I am Sam Soundtrack

Jingle Bells - Bob Gandy - Through the Eyes of a Child

Carribean Blue - Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars

Winter's Day - Bob Gandy - Through the Eyes of a Child

Skellig - Loreena McKennitt - Book of Secrets

If Only There Was You - Bob Gandy - Dreamer's Flight

May it Be - Enya - Lord of the Rings Soundtrack

Sandstone (Storm) - Bob Gandy - Dreamer's Flight

Night Ride Across the Caucasus - Loreena McKennitt - Book of Secrets

Mother Nature's Son - Sheryl Crow - I Am Sam Soundtrack

Charlie's Place - Bob Gandy - Discovery

Quiet is the New Loud - Kings of Convenience - Quiet is the New Loud

Quiet Place - Bob Gandy- Through the Eyes of a Child

Prologue - Loreena McKennitt - Book of Secrets

Christmas Morning - Bob Gandy - Through the Eyes of a Child

Desert Rose - Sting- Brand New Day

Away in a Manger - Bob Gandy - Through the Eyes of a Child

Because - The Beattles - Love (One of my favorite songs EVER!)

Night Fall - Bob Gandy - Discovery

Winter - Tori Amos - Winter

Oh Caroline - Bob Gandy - Discovery

Marble Halls - Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars

Rainbow (After the Storm) - Bob Gandy - Dreamer's Flight

10 Contadoes- CeU - CeU

Forest Light (Retrospective) - Bob Gandy - Dreamer's Flight

Boadicea - Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars

The Dark Night of the Soul - Loreena McKennitt - The Mask and Mirror

Oh Come all ye Faithful - Bob Gandy - Through the Eyes of a Child

On My Way Home - Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars

Dante's Prayer - Loreena Mckennitt - Book of Secrets

Veu Da Noite - CeU - CeU

Waiting for Lydia - Bob Gandy - Discovery

Storms in Africa - Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars

I Don't Know Whay I can Save You From - Kings of Convenience

Carol of the Bells - Bob Gandy - Through the Eyes of a Child

A Thousand Years - Sting- Brand New Day

Christmas Time is Here (instrumental) - Bob Gandy - Through the Eyes of a Child

Sparks - Coldplay- Parachutes

First Dance - Bob Gandy - Discovery

Bobagem - CeU - CeU

3 Angels/Medley - Bob Gandy - Through the Eyes of a Child

Paint the Sky with Stars - Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars

Brand New Day - Sting - Brand New Day

Ebudae - Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars

Lothlorien - Howard Shore - Lord of the Rings Soundtrack

Know How - Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street

Watermark - Enya - Paint the Sky with Stars

Butterfly - Bob Gandy - An Evening at the Roof

Fields of Gold - Sting

Here Comes The Sun/The Inner Light - Beattles - Love

Walking in the Air - Bob Gandy - An Evening at the Roof

Golden Slumbers - Ben Fold - I Am Sam Sountrack

Shepard's Moons - Enya- Paint the Sky with Stars

The Mummer's Dance - Loreena McKennit - Book of Secrets

Enveloped in Music

Wes has been reading a great book recently entitled "Don't Just Stand There: How to Be Helpful, Clued-In, Supportive, Engaged, Meaningful, and Relevant in the Delivery Room". It is an awesome book and I highly recommend it. Oh, and while I'm on the subject I highly recommend the DVD "Laugh and Learn About Childbirth". It is an amazing DVD if you are pregnant, even if it isn't your first baby. I learned new things and Wes and I feel much more comfortable about the upcoming birth of our baby.

Anyway, I digress. The book Wes has been reading recommends the woman having music she wants to listen to during labor. I really have loved the idea and have started making a play list of relaxing and comforting music. Can I just say that I am having the funnest time going through my music library and selecting music. I have about 5 hours worth so far, which granted means I'll need to burn about 5 separate Cd's.

I have always had a strong connection with music. I grew up with a father who loved to sit down and play at the piano and played in a band, and a sister with amazing musical talent, who can compose her own music. I gravitated towards choir classes in Junior High and High School and stage productions. There is nothing like letting music envelope you, fully and unreserved, without embarrassment. It can completely carry me away. I am finding a renewed love for certain songs as I put together my music list. I feel warmth and love as I listen to my father's music. I am swept away by Loreena Mckennit and Enya to still places and my mind is filled with beautiful imagery. I remember running on the beach in Oregon when I listen to Kings of Convenience. I feel the rhythm through my body of Latin drums as I listen to CEU.

I feel happy, comforted and calm as I listen to my own special music. What could be a more positive and beneficial thing to have while I am laboring to bring my daughter into the world. Besides, even if for one reason or another I don't get to use it I am enjoying it thoroughly now. These past few days have been some of the least stressful in a long time and I attribute it to the music. I am glad that I have rediscovered these treasures and incorporated them again into my life.

Ahhhhhh.....Life is Good! By the way, I'll have to post my play list later for those that are interested.

Beauty Is...

That is the PTA reflections theme for the year. Both Lydia and Adelle decided that they wanted to enter something. Lydia took white sculpey clay and wire to make this flower. Once it had baked she painted it. She carefully packed it in a box to take to school this morning. She asked me "Are you sure it doesn't look like a 4 year old made it"? I assured her it looks great.

Adelle drew a sunset using some true to life crayons. I like that she chose the sun going down behind the mountain. That is what it looks like by our home since we have mountains just to the west of us. Both girls seemed to have a fun time making their creations. Maybe we need to have art time more often.

Did you know that car seats expire?

I didn't. The subject came up on babyfit (a pregnancy support and fitness group I belong to). The moms kept talking about car seat expiration. I thought it sounded really odd and must be some ploy by the car seat manufacturer's to get more money. They say most car seats expire 6 years from the date of manufacture. Now some car seat companies post an actual expiration date on the side of the seat. I pulled out my infant car seat which we have been carefully storing since Adelle grew out of it. The manufacture date was November 2003 which puts my car seat to expire next month. I thought "Well we've hardly used this seat, and we have been storing it out of the light so the plastic shouldn't be breaking down". I was starting to feel uneasy though. Was my baby going to be safe? The last thing I found pulling out our infant car seat is that it is a 3 point harness system instead of the 5 point harness which is the standard in car seats now.

At first I think Wes thought I was going a bit overboard with the worry. I finally told him to do some of his own research and then we could talk about it. He came back with the conclusion that we should go ahead and get a new car seat. It is a bit of a bummer that we will need to be forking out more money, but I rather my little Violet be safe. The funny thing of course is that this is our last baby so it's not like we can use it for any other babies to come. Wes is also worried that the new car seat won't fit our old stroller. We had a whole Graco system and it is nice to be able to snap the car seat right onto the stroller when they are still small and don't fit in the stroller quit right yet.

Again though, I guess it comes down to safety and peace of mind. Some women even said on the babyfit board that some hospitals will inspect your car seat to see if it is up to date. The last thing I want is Wes having to go out and buy a new car seat at the last moment. I guess we'll be doing some research and price comparing to find a good deal.

So moms out there if you have had a car seat for awhile you should probably look on the car seat for the manufacture date and check with the company to see when the seat expires. Part of the reason they state there are expiration dates is because safety standards can change so dramatically and because the materials can break down over time.

30 Weeks

Well today I'm 30 weeks along. Only 10 more weeks to go.

I am getting much bigger. I know the picture probably doesn't do my belly justice since it is a patterned shirt which blends things in. Adelle took the first picture and Wes took the second.

Violet is still very active and I am finding out that she already has a personality. Wes was laying next to me in bed a few days back and was resting his arm across my belly. Violet started kicking at his arm and didn't let up until he moved it off. He moved his arm a little higher and she then proceeded to kick at his arm again until he moved it. She has done this a couple of times. I have noticed that she also does it when I am cross stitching if the frame is resting on my belly at all. Funny girl. It makes me wonder what she will be like once she is born. I hope this doesn't mean that she won't like being held, because I love snuggling my babies.

The Braxton Hicks contractions are unfortunately getting stronger. I had a pretty bad episode yesterday and since I was working in the office I really couldn't lie down to get them to stop. It got so bad that it was starting to move into my back as well. I knew it wasn't real labor when I was able to get home and lie down for awhile. They proceeded to slow and eventually stop. The bad thing of course was that I was pretty much stuck lying down for the evening trying to get my body to relax. Wes and the girls attended the fall festival at the elementary school and I was unable to go with them. It was sad :( I do have some pictures of the festival that I will have to post later. Hopefully I won't get too many of these contracting episodes, but I now it is very possible to happen again. The nice thing is I'm more experienced with this pregnancy. With Adelle we kept going to Labor and Delivery to be monitored, but this time I'd rather try and get things to stop on their own before jumping in the car and driving to the hospital. They don't stress me out as badly as they did last pregnancy, since I was able to have a natural birth with Adelle and remember what it feels like when you get into the real labor stage. Granted, the braxton hicks still don't feel great and usually leave me tired, worn out and sore.

I just found out that the hospital I will be delivering at will not be allowing children under 14 to visit and you can only have 2 visitors at a time. The new rules are thanks to the H1N1 fears. I am sad that the girls will be unable to visit me and Violet at all while I am inpatient. I am really hoping now that I won't be in the hospital over Christmas, because if that's the case then I won't even be able to see Lydia and Adelle at all on Christmas.

It was great to see Violet on the ultrasound a few days back and know that her cysts are gone. For some reason though my girls seem to have a fear that Violet with die. Adelle kept asking the ultrasound tech if her sister was going to be okay and if she would die. I came home the other day and said I had some sad news (I was going to let them know about the visiting rules). Lydia right away asked if Violet had died. I don't know why these little comments keep popping up. I certainly don't worry about it and when brought up I reassure the girls that everything is going to be fine.

We still have quite a few preparations to complete before Violet comes. Wes needs to finish painting the basement. Now that the tape has been removed there are a few spots that need touching up. Once that is done the girls need to be moved downstairs and the stuff currently in the painted room needs to be moved into Lydia's soon to be old room. We were thinking of painting a wall pink in Violet's room if we have time. I need to pull out clothing from storage and get it washed and ready for Violet. I am waiting to do this one once Adelle has moved downstairs and moved her clothes into her new dresser. I am hoping I have some newborn clothing that will work. With Lydia being born in June and Adelle in April the clothing may be too light and summery. Wes needs to finish the quilt for Violets room. I also have a few more presents to buy and quite a few to wrap for Christmas. Wes also still needs to make the tea cup lamp for Violet's room. He is trying to work out a few problems like how to drill through the fragile porcelain without breaking it. We have bought everything for the lamp and it would be a shame if we can't get it put together.

Wes stated the other day that he might want a refresher of sorts on labor and delivery. At first we considered a Lamaze class, but realized that a 6 week class would be difficult since it means finding a babysitter every Saturday. Also, it makes it hard to get needed things done since Saturday is our project day. So, we have decided to see what sort of DVDs are available for our own little refresher course. I have ordered a few things through the library and it might be very humorous to see what we end up getting. Lydia heard us talking about this the other day and got all wide eyed and worried. I assured her that we wouldn't be watching any videos while she is awake. I do wonder though how Wes will handle the real birth scenes. I'm so cruel! Honestly though, he was the one who made the request and I think it is a great idea. It has been a long time. I am really hoping to go natural again.

I can hardly believe that I only have 10 weeks left. That really isn't much time especially when you chop it down to 10 Saturdays left. I am really excited for Violet to come. I hope everyone will adjust to having a new little one in the house. I wonder if it will be particularly hard on Adelle since she has been the youngest for so long. Hopefully it will go well.

Lydia's New Glasses

I snapped this quick photo of Lydia before she headed off to school this morning. She finally got her new glasses! These are the ones she chose and I thinks she looks quite cute. I think she was a little nervous to see what the kids at school will say. I know the glasses are already making a HUGE difference on how well she can see. Yeah!

Good News about Violet

We had a follow up ultrasound for our baby Violet today. At the 20 week ultrasound they actually discovered choroid plexus cysts in her brain. What is a choroid plexus cyst you ask.

"The choroid plexus is the area of the brain that makes the spinal fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. There are two of these areas in the brain, one on either side. This is not an area of the brain that is involved in thinking.

Once in a while a cyst forms inside the choroid plexus and is called a "choroid plexus cyst" or a "CP cyst". Cysts can be found one one side or on both sides and they come in many different sizes. A choroid plexus cyst does NOT cause learning problems or mental retardation and are not cancer.

If mothers have other risk factors, a choroid plexus cyst may suggest that the baby has a higher chance of having a chromosome change such as Trisomy 18. Trisomy 18 is a very serious medical condition cause by an extra copy of chromosome #18. Most babies born with Trisomy 18 cannot survive long term".

You can only imagine how Wes and I felt as the doctor was giving us this information during the ultrasound. You hear that your baby has cysts in her brain and it is sure to raise some internal alarms. Honestly, I was really devastated at first. The doctor reassured us that the cysts if they stayed wouldn't cause any problems for the baby at all. She did advise us though that it put us at a higher risk for Trisomy 18. She told us that our odds were so slim though especially since my QUAD screen came back normal. She also said that the baby didn't show any other physical signs of having Trisomy 18.

She offered for us to come back at 28 weeks for a follow up ultrasound. She let us know that it really was unnecessary, but if it would give us peace of mind we could go ahead and get another one. My regular OBGYN said we should go ahead and get it since then we would get a chance to see the baby again.

We went in today and I am happy to report that the cyst's in Violets brain are completely gone! I really had come to terms that the cysts were pretty benign if they stayed and felt pretty confident that she didn't have Trisomy 18, but it is a relief to know that she no longer has the cysts!

She is still my little turkey though. She was still covering her face with her arms so were unable to get a 3D image of her, but really I can't complain. I am just so happy that from everything that we can see we have a healthy, little girl.

Oh, and why didn't I post this so long ago or share this information with family? I really didn't want to worry everyone, but I feel safe to share now that everything is well.

Lydia the Musician

Lydia came home a few weeks ago and informed us that her school offers music lessons. She really wanted to learn how to play the violin. We decided to let her go for it. We have rented a violin and the lessons at the school are actually free. I think it would probably be a good idea to enroll her in some private lessons as well. I hope her interest lasts and she doesn't grow tired of it. I decided to "practice" with her one Sunday evening. I bought a violin for myself about 4 years ago. I thought for sure I would be able to teach myself. How silly I was. Anyway, I think Lydia and I had fun going over some of the basics. Now if I only I could learn how to play more than just the 4 basic notes :)

I am excited for Lydia and I hope that the violin will be something that she will enjoy forever.