7 Quick Takes Friday - June 28, 2013

--- 1 ---

Three days until vacation!!!!!!! We leave for Mexico on Tuesday and I cannot WAIT.

Besides Collin's kidney stones last Friday and what turned out to be a sinus infection on my end (my OB gave me a pack of Zithromax and I am SO GRATEFUL), we've also had a nonstop running toilet, a leaking garbage disposal, a broken sprinkler head in the front yard, something funky going on with our van's sliding door that's causing the interior lights to stay on, TWO scorpions, and a broken bed (the bed actually broke a few weeks ago, but we need to get it fixed before Monday so my dad has a place to sleep). God willing, we can get everything fixed or jerry-rigged before we leave on Tuesday morning.

--- 2 ---

Please continue to pray for my twin niece and nephew! Axel & Lyla are still in the NICU but are getting better by the day.

Here's a sweet pic my sister posted on FB - the twins getting some daddy time. :)

--- 3 ---

As I mentioned above, I had an OB appointment on Monday -- my first since Tiebreaker's diagnosis. It was routine - Tiebreaker's heartbeat was 148 bpm and everything else looked good. I scheduled my GD test (ew) for July 19. Can't wait to get that over with. I was pleased, though, that my OB asked me first if I wanted to do the test, and took some time to discuss the risks and benefits with me.

--- 4 ---

Have you donated to the laundry room fundraiser for Dwija and family yet?? Look at that total so far!!

--- 5 ---

My latest post for the Catholic Stand, Jimmy Carter's Profound Ignorance, was published on Wednesday.

--- 6 ---

Speaking of profound ignorance, I read this article earlier today and the following quotes made my blood boil:

"The context of RFRA makes it abundantly clear that Congress did not give for-profit corporations the right to evade federal regulation in the name of their shareholders' religious freedom," the Justice Department argued this week.

"As Congress understood, extending religious exemptions to for-profit corporations would impermissibly advance religion to the detriment of the employees, who are autonomous human beings with rights and beliefs of their own," it said.

There is so much wrong about those statements that I hardly know where to BEGIN.

First of all, our country was FOUNDED on the principle that the government could not make federal regulations that inhibited the free exercise of religion, so the first paragraph is completely mistaken on that point. Corporations are owned by PEOPLE, and those people have religious beliefs.

Secondly, employees are still "autonomous human beings with rights and beliefs of their own" even if their boss refuses to subsidize their recreational birth control. Said employees can exercise their autonomy, rights, and beliefs by marching to the nearest pharmacy and purchasing whatever means of contraception they choose with their own money. Their employer can't and shouldn't prohibit them from doing so. On the flip side, the employees shouldn't force their employer to violate his or her autonomy, rights, and beliefs by demanding that he pay for drugs that he finds morally objectionable -- but that's EXACTLY what the HHS mandate does.

--- 7 ---

Well, supper just arrived (pizza night!) so I need to go feed my feral children. Adios!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Sleep-Deprived Quick Takes - June 21, 2013

--- 1 ---

So tired. I managed a solid three hours of sleep last night, about 9pm-midnight, before I woke up to Collin's loud moans. I thought he was having a nightmare (extremely unusual for him) so I started shaking him awake. He told me that he was awake but in severe pain and he thought he had to go to the ER.

--- 2 ---

I called my MIL, who saved the day and came to pick him up and take him so I could stay home with the kids. Thank goodness she was willing and able to come, otherwise I would have had to wake up all the kids and load them into the van or call an ambulance.

Of course, once they were gone decent sleep was impossible due to my anxiety. After saying a decade or two of the rosary I managed to doze off and on, but didn't really sleep all that well.

--- 3 ---

Collin got home about 5:30 this morning. Diagnosis: kidney stones (yes, multiple). He's had them once or twice before, so it's what we suspected, but the ER staff did an ultrasound and CAT scan to rule out appendicitis or gallbladder issues.

--- 4 ---

I was incensed when Collin told me that his first IV failed because some idiot opened the door and crashed into the tech who was in the process of inserting it. This despite the first tech yelling, "Don't come in! Don't come in!" when the first guy knocked. Collin said it was like being attended to by the Three Stooges (or two stooges in this case). They're lucky I wasn't there, because this sleep-deprived hormonal pregnant lady would have made HEADS ROLL.

--- 5 ---

For some inexplicable reason our city does not have a 24-hour pharmacy so he hadn't been able to fill his perscriptions. I got the kids ready and off to daycare, then went to the pharmacy near our house on the dot of eight, only to be told that they were clean out of Percocet. Apparently, they're only allowed to stock a certain amount by law. Grrrr. Thankfully, the pharmacy across the street had some in stock, but it was still ten o'clock by the time I made it in to work.

--- 6 ---

Did I mention I have a cold? I've slept poorly for days because I'm so stuffed up. First bronchitis, then a nasty stomach bug, and now another cold. My immune system hates me. Anyway, a co-worker recommended Alkalol Nasal Wash, and it works amazingly well. I use it in my neti pot and it clears my nasal passages and sinuses much more thoroughly than the saline wash alone. I recommend it!

--- 7 ---

I'm too tired to thinkg of #7, so I'll just end it here. I hope to God everyone can just stay healthy the next few weeks so our July vacation to Mexico isn't ruined.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

The Babies Are Here!

That's right.... I said BABIES!

My twin niece and nephew arrived tonight!

Lyla Alene is 5lbs 6oz, and Axel Rand is 5lbs 8oz. They were born at 35 weeks and are in the NICU, but they are doing quite well and shouldn't be there very long. 

Congratulations to Bethany, Andrew (my little sister and BIL), Mason, & Adlee (big brother and sister)!

My New Philosophy

I've decided to become a practicing, respectful vegetarian. However, I'm still going to eat meat, because meat (especially bacon!) is my "sacred ground." 

But remember, I'm vegetarian!

I call it the "Pelosi Philosophy."

Seriously, can anyone explain that logic to me? I don't see how anyone with a modicum of intelligence can hold this view and not see the inherent logical contradiction.

Another Peek at Tiebreaker

This morning, I had a Level II ultrasound at a local perinatalogist's practice (as I mentioned last week, my OB referred me for the ultrasound so we could make extra sure that Tiebreaker's club feet were his/her only issue).

The ultrasound technician was very kind, very thorough, and very accommodating about my desire not to know the baby's sex. I wrestled with the dilemma of finding out his/her sex versus not finding out for a few days and ultimately decided that I want to make this pregnancy as similar to the other kids' as possible -- years down the road I don't want him/her feeling like s/he was an exception to our gender surprise tradition just because of his/her birth defect.

I've never had an ultrasound that was so detailed or so long before, so in that regard it was a wonderful experience. The baby most definitely has bilateral club feet, but otherwise s/he is perfect! It was a relief to find out that there are no other indications of a larger syndrome (spina bifida, etc.); the club feet appear to be entirely idiopathic. S/he was measuring exactly on target (22w1d), weighs an estimated 1lb 1oz, and had a heart rate of 138. Everything looks good on my end as well -- placenta is high and anterior and my cervix is nice and long.

And now... pictures! (The tech put them all on disc for me, so I have over 50 of them. I've never had this many pictures of my unborn baby before! I've restrained myself from sharing all of them, as the shots of his/her kidneys and umbilical cord insertion probably aren't all that interesting to anyone else.)
 

His/her sweet little profile, with a little hand up by his/her face.

Another profile shot. His/her profile looks a lot like William's did, I think, although I'll have to compare pictures to be sure.

Full body shot! I love how the tech labeled it "BABY." Clump of cells, my butt.

This was the "money shot" in terms of confirming his/her club feet. You can clearly see how his/her feet turn in at the ankles.

3-D shot of baby's feet! The tech took a few of them for Dr. Segal to see, although she couldn't get a really good one because Tiebreaker had started kicking a lot at this point and didn't want to hold still for a good shot.

Cute little baby foot with wiggly toes :)

June 3rd is World Clubfoot Day!

From the Ponseti International website:

Ponseti International Association (PIA) has designated June 3rd as World Clubfoot Day.  The date was chosen to commemorate the birthdate of Dr. Ignacio Ponseti, (1914-2009) the developer of the Ponseti Method to treat clubfoot.

   

The goal of World Clubfoot Day is to raise awareness about clubfoot disability and its prevention using the Ponseti Method, a non-surgical treatment that includes gentle manipulation of the feet followed by the application of plaster casts and temporary bracing.  

Dr. Jose Morcuende, CEO and Medical Director of Ponseti International, says this day is an important step in furthering global awareness that clubfoot is a treatable deformity.   “By designating June 3 as World Clubfoot Day, not only do we celebrate the life and contributions of Dr. Ponseti, but we help further his belief that every child born with clubfoot is entitled to treatment using this low-cost, non-surgical approach.” [Note from JoAnna: Donations toward that goal can be made here.]

Clubfoot is the most common musculoskeletal birth deformity, affecting 200,000 newborn children each year, 80 percent in developing countries.  There are also hundreds of thousands of children and young adults who are living with this debilitating condition worldwide.  The Ponseti Method is nearly 100 percent effective when properly applied by a trained health care provider and is considered the "gold standard" treatment, leading to a normal, productive life.

PIA is the global leader in training and educating healthcare providers on the treatment of congenital clubfoot.  

"With the proper treatment and information, clubfoot can be successfully cured. I should know, I was born with it." -- Mia Hamm, preeminent US and International Women's Soccer Star