Life as a Leach

Random Bits of Information I know You Are All Dying to Hear... (I don't pretend that people leave my site up all day long hitting refresh constantly to read my latest post as soon as it is uploaded. But that is pretty much what I am doing with my emails...'cause, you know, I don't really have anything better to do! So feel free to email me often!) * We have managed to lose the cell phone charger we had here. We still have one at home, but that isn't helping us too much right now and my phone is just about dead. Perhaps we lost it in one of the eight moves we've had! * In going online to Verizon to find the closest store so that we could buy another charger, I realized that we are WAY over our minutes. Oops. This has never been a problem before, but we're using them a whole lot more now. So we decided to just go ahead and upgrade my phone (I was due anyway) and see about changing our plan a bit. We will need more minutes over the next few months anyw...

I get my fluid levels checked by sonogram every morning and the last two days, my levels have been holding! They have stayed in a range of 20-22 since my last reduction, which is very good news. Each morning means another day she has to grow and develop, and it's nearly October now! Thank you to all of you who have been praying for us. We are feeling your love! Keep praying that the fluid levels continue to hold!

After a night and most of the day in the IMC, I finally moved into a room again. This is on the step-down unit, and it is their biggest room! There are some nice shelves and several big counters, as well as a metal shelving unit and a carved out space in the wall to put stuff as well. There's lots of floor space for visitors! It's not nearly as cramped as some of the other rooms had been. Plus, the shower is a little more normal (fiberglass as opposed to the nasty tile--but I'm still wearing flip flops!) and there are towel racks! I know, I know, it's the simple things in life. None of the other bathrooms have had towel racks though. Here's hoping I don't go into labor again and have to leave! This is my incentive not to dilate anymore. If only I had control over that...  ---- I love etymology. I guess it’s the language girl in me who gets excited about all of the compound words in German, but I really enjoy the meaning behind the word. That’s why I love ...

There are a lot of little things that are helping to make my stay more bearable. Here's a list: * My own pillow: 2 feet of tempurpedic softness * Wearing my own comfy clothes as opposed to the hospital breezy gown. * Visitors!! It gives me a little connection to the outside world. If you visit, come prepared to make me laugh. That is a requirement. :) * Taking a shower. I take one whenever I can. You never know when you'll get the next one! * Eating, for the same reason! I enjoy every meal to the fullest! * Playing with Abby. She is such a little firecracker. Dr. Dobson is going to need to write me a book to teach me how to deal with her, I am afraid! * Pictures and Caleb's artwork decorating my wall. We pilfered a roll of surgical tape to hang them. --------- Saturday evening, I started contracting heavily again and dilated a bit more. When all was said and done, I was 3 cm dilated before they were able to stop it. They checked my fluid levels and they wer...

1-One week since I’ve seen the outside and felt the breeze on my face. 2-Two wonderful med students who brightened my day 3-Three times I’ve seen my boy since I’ve been here 4-Four special visitors I had on Sunday who made me smile 5-Five times my meal has been wrong (but I deal with it) 6-Six is the highest dose of Magnesium Sulfate I’ve been on to stop my labor 7-Seven rooms I’ve been in as of Sunday night 8-Eight of Kelly’s muffins I devoured after being NPO this last time 9-Nine needles I have had stuck in me in the last two days 10-Ten pictures we’ve gotten of our beautiful girl since we’ve been here

I’m going to attempt to paint a picture for you of my night last night in the IMC (Intermediate Care Unit). While this sounds like a top notch facility, it is in truth merely a bunch of beds with curtains around them. Like I said before, think of the WWII era hospitals. It’s their overflow unit for when they are slammed, like last night. It appears that these girls are just here for the night for observation…no one else seems to be a “resident” like me. So sit back, close your eyes (oh wait, then you can’t read it) and enjoy the show. As you lay down on your oh-so-comfortable birthing bed that is really not made for overnight sleeping and turn off the three inch television, you will truly begin to realize the amount of loud vomiting coming from the “room” to your left. In between retching, this girl’s throaty cough is nonstop. Perhaps you are able to drift off to lala land for a few minutes. This is not for long, because the nurse turns on the overhead lights e...

I have started a Caring Bridge website that is accessible using the hospital server. Caring Bridge is a nonprofit organization that gives families with medical problems an opportunity to keep friends and family updated on the condition. We'll use this now before Abby is born and after to update people on her condition. Since I've been having to ask my super-busy sister to post everything I've blogged so far, I've decided she deserves a break! While the Caring Bridge site isn't quite as pretty or personalized as my blog, it will certain do just fine! I may post here from time to time while I'm in the hospital if I use my dad's server, but the bulk of the posts will be at the Caring Bridge website. Go to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/abigailleach to continue reading the same tongue-in-cheek types of posts you have been enjoying! :)

Note:  Thanks to my favorite sister for posting for me!  I've been sending them to her to post for me.  You can thank her for the updates.  :)  My parents are here tonight, so I'm posting using my dad's server.  Yay!  Blogging makes me happy! I went back to get another sonogram today to check my fluid levels. Welp, they’re back up. *sigh* Sounds familiar, doesn't it? The reduction didn’t last us nearly as long as we’d hoped. Sooooo, I’m here for the weekend, will be rescanned on Monday, and then have another reduction if it’s increased anymore. If history repeats itself, it will be! This little girl is so stubborn with everything else. Why can’t she just stubbornly swallow? I told her I would give her a brownie if she did. They’re the brownies my favorite sister made, and they’re GOOD. I don’t share with just anyone. The bright side of this: I already know the procedure and the doctor who will do it, so there won’t be any surprises. Hopefull...

•Oh, it’s just another blood draw. No big deal. •This hospital food is amazing. •How about in that spot? You haven’t poked there today. •I lost count at 20 needles. •Matt, don’t tell me how to pee! •Sure, you can check my dilation too. My cervix must be really interesting. •What day is this? I have no idea. •I slept continuously from 11-6, and it was amazing! •Oh man, I just peed on my gown. •Do you think somebody will feed Caleb lunch? Should we ask them? •Yes, you can scrub in to observe the amnio reduction. Just don’t touch my needle!

If you’ve ever been in the hospital unable to get out of bed, you have inevitably had Venodynes. They are the lovely calf cuffs that inflate every minute or so to “massage” your legs and keep you from getting blood clots. Now, I understand their importance. I certainly don’t need blood clots on top of everything else. But do they have to be so obnoxious?! Seriously, how do they expect you to sleep when huge balloons are constantly inflating and deflating around your legs, nearly cutting off the circulation to your feet and causing sweat to drip down your calves??? One of my many doctors said she’s going to make a mesh version of them that’s more breathable and less obnoxious. I told her if she got me the materials, I’d make them for her while I’m just sitting here! So last night in short fit of rage while Matt was in the bathroom (and not around to stop me), I tore off the hated cuffs and chucked them across the room. When Matt came out to see what the commotion was about, I would...

I really miss Caleb. The first few days were filled with so much “excitement” that there was too much going on for me to dwell on it. Now that we are more or less just sitting here, I have a lot more time to think about how much I really do miss him. I love talking to him on the phone and have enjoyed his visits, but it’s not the same. I know he’s been well taken care of by my sister and my mother-in-law, but I wish I was there to tuck him in at night and to make his dinner. I know that when I do get home, things will still be very different because I will be confined to my bed, but at least we can cuddle together and watch cartoons. I love you, Caleb-Boy. I enjoy your phone hugs, but I would rather have a real one! I’ll see you soon!

….Which you probably won’t, because only 1-2% of pregnancies even have excess fluid and even fewer have to have an amnio reduction… Shall I label myself special?! An amniocentesis itself is very common. That’s when they draw out a small sample for genetic testing or to see if the lungs of a baby are developed enough to be delivered early. This is really quick and relatively painless. The difference is that they are taking out a lot (nearly a liter of mine) of fluid and the needle is in for a much longer time. The fluid goes into a vacuum-sealed jar through tubing that is kind of like an IV tube. Because an amnio reduction is done so infrequently, those eager-beaver med students were begging us to scrub in. Our med student friend Lindsay was post-call, so she was home sleeping, but I’m sure she was disappointed that she missed the action. One by one, three med students and one nursing student came in and asked if we would mind if they scrubbed in and observed the procedure. My ...

I had not taken a real shower since Sunday morning. If I’d known it would be my last for a while, I would have taken a longer one and savored it a bit! (For the record, I have done sponge baths since then!) Well, today, one of my many doctors came to tell me the good news: I had bathroom privileges again!! I high-tailed it to the shower before she changed her mind. She was laughing!! I took the most indulgent shower I’ve taken since my sophomore year of college when I spent 8 days on the Bay with Outward Bound and hadn’t showered. It was heavenly. My hair is now washed and dried and I am thoroughly clean. They bought themselves another week with me here by giving me that good news! I have never been so thankful for a shower and I’ll never take it for granted again.

I am a planner. Have you noticed? I clean for a week before we have company, making a daily list of chores to get done before our guests arrive. I start thinking about Caleb’s birthday party in July (his birthday is in January). I like having all of my Christmas presents wrapped by Halloween. So this whole ordeal—not so much in my plan! But you know what? That’s okay!!! Seriously, it’s okay! I know, I know, you think that’s the Magnesium talking, right? Nooooooo, I’m not even on that anymore. The only liquids I’m getting now are water and grape juice. It seriously is okay though. The Bible tells us to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance” (James 1:1-3). And that has just been my mantra throughout. I’m choosing joy. Believe me people, I can’t explain it. I’m a worrier at heart and I still do worry about all of this. But God has just given me a peace that honestly trans...

I like doing Thankful Thursdays because it helps me to focus on everything I have instead of what I do not. But this week, boy do I have a lot for which to be thankful!! I don’t even know where to begin. I am overwhelmed with how wonderful our care at UMD-B has been. We have had nothing but a fabulous experience here and we know we were in very competent hands. Our nurses and doctors went above and beyond the call of duty to get to know us, calm our fears, and take care of my girl. If there was ever any doubt about whether or not this was a good hospital choice, those thoughts have vanished. I think what Matt and I loved most of all was how everyone treats Abby as a person…because she is!!! I’m not going to start in on a debate, but there is a true little person inside of you from the moment of conception and I am not going to act like she doesn’t exist yet. Her picture is hanging up on our bulletin board and we show everybody who comes in. We talk to her, play with her, chastise he...

We have a good friend who is now a third year resident, so we understand the need for people to learn. After all, knowledge comes with experience, right? However, I am not interested in having them learn procedures on me or my daughter. My amnio reduction was going to be done by the wonderful Dr. H, but there would be no way I would have even considered it if they had told me a resident would be doing it. As I mentioned before, we were quite the entertainment for the med students that were on the floor. Cool, go check out room 2! The baby has a rare syndrome AND the mom is in preterm labor! Neato! Matt keeps being reminded of the show Scrubs, so we chuckle whenever one of them pops their head in. Can I see her now? Huh? Can I? Please? We really haven’t minded….although it will probably get a bit old after she’s born and the doctors are using her to teach from. (They just don’t see too much of her syndrome, so I understand it’s kind of interesting to show a real live patient with...

The amnio is scheduled for 9:00 (which is now), although I'm learning that hospital time is not necessarily real time.  Dr. H came in this morning to talk to me about the procedure and made me feel very safe and secure.  He has a calming affect on me.  I thrive on structure, so the structures he builds into everything makes me feel so much better.  In a nutshell, if I do go into labor as a result of the amnio, the entire team will be on hand to take her if needed.  This will be done in a controlled setting as opposed to an emergency situation--always a good thing!  In fact, the amnio will be set up for a C-section, just in case. I've said it a million times...I love Dr. H! So, here we go...here's hoping that this buys us some time and that we do not meet Abby today!  In other news:  Glee last night was pretty funny.  My nurse chose me because she heard that I was watching it.  :)

Choosing joy is a continual choice.  It has been hard at times over the last few days, but I have been working hard at it.  Overall, I've been in a good mood. Just a quick update (not fancy at all because I'm in a hurry!).  My fluid levels are even higher than they have been, so the amnio reduction will be tomorrow morning.  Please pray.  I'm a bit nervous about it, but I know I'm in good hands!  They are supposed to be taking at least a liter fluid...yikes!  We took pictures of my belly so that we could compare afterwards.  I am thinking I'll lose a few pounds! I'm using my dad's server, so this might be my last post for a while.  I don't understand why blogger is blocked!!  UGH!

Well, I thought I was in the clear. The contractions had stopped all night and I was feeling really good. We figured we’d go home today. And then they started again. I was promptly hooked up to the monitor to confirm that I was indeed having them, then pretty much immediately sent right back upstairs to LD. So, here I am again. We’re back with our nurse Jen, who is very kind and personable. She drew some blood and is sending it out again. I can’t eat, but I’m not back on the Mag again…yet. Hopefully that is a thing of the past! Our dreams of heading home to our own beds tonight are pretty much dashed, it would appear. Sadness. At least Matt got to take a shower in our room downstairs before we got moved up here again! (There aren’t showers in the LD rooms because most people don’t stay here very long—just long enough to have their babies before they are moved downstairs.)

So, I’m a vegetarian. I have been for almost 17 years. I don’t eat beef, pork, or chicken (or any of the weird meats like lamb, venison, or dog…). I’m probably the most low-key vegetarian you’ll ever meet. At age 12 when I proposed this diet to my mother, she agreed to it on two conditions: 1. You need to be healthy 2. We’re not making you a bunch of special food I learned quickly to not be picky…and I’m really not! I eat pretty much anything except meat. I have preferences, but I’m not a picky eater. I asked for a vegetarian meal tonight for dinner at the hospital, and I was given one: Yogurt Granola Mixed peas and carrots A piece of white bread Interesting…. I like yogurt and granola. I like peas and carrots. I even like white bread, although I prefer whole wheat. But the combination is admittedly odd. Peas, carrots, granola, and yogurt. Mmmmm. It gave us a good laugh today, which we needed. So thanks, cafeteria workers! Thanks!

Throughout the night, I was hooked up to a variety of machines: fetal heart monitor, contractions monitor, blood pressure, pulse odometer, IV drips, etc. People came in and out constantly to check my dilation, check my breathing, see if we needed anything…it was constant chaos. We were the medical students’ entertainment for the night. Abigail was quite the spectacle and they all wanted to see if the pregnant lady was going to continue to dilate. Add Abby’s medical problems on top of preterm labor and it made for quite a case study for these young scholars. They can look at me all they want, but they’re not going to touch me! Dr. H, our wonderful perinatologist, never made it in to see us. He was reviewing my charts though and conferring with the other doctors about what we should do. Three different eager med students came to me with the release forms to be signed for the amnio reduction, a very serious procedure that is not without its risks. Three different med students turned aw...

I have always thought riding on a helicopter would be really cool. I envisioned checking out the ant cars below, oohing and ahhing over the sites, and maybe snapping some great pictures of a gorgeous sunset. Well, I can cross this one off the bucket list. Been there, done that. And it really wasn’t all that cool! Things happened really quickly when the helicopter crew got there. The flight nurse and medic were very sweet and reassuring. I felt very safe in their hands, and their knowledge was obvious as they skillfully switched over my IVs, drips, and other lines. We were ready to go in just a few minutes, when I was wheeled out to a parade of waving nurses calling, “Good luck!” We were the talk of the town at CMH! This was more excitement than they usually see in a month! As we headed out to the landing pad, I saw my nephew right out the door—with Caleb close behind. I immediately burst into tears (I’d kept it together quite well until then!) and Matt scooped him up so that h...

I hate IVs. Well, let me rephrase that. I hate needles. Surprised? Not if you’ve been reading this for a while! So the fact that I have had about a million and four needles during Abigail’s pregnancy is rather ironic. Just a bit. Soooo….on to this weekend’s adventure. After we decided to go to CMH, they took me quickly and set me up to the fetal heart and contractions monitors. Yep, lots of hard contractions. I immediately gave them, upon intake, the paper I took the time to type up with the names and phone numbers of all of my doctors and my medical information. They were quite appreciative of this, by the way. Yay for planning ahead and being organized! The nurse started an IV rather easily and they gave me a shot to stop the contractions. “This usually does the trick,” they said. Ha ha ha…they obviously do not know Abby. Her middle name is trouble. 20 minutes went by and they’re not slowing. In fact, they seem to be more intense. They gave me another dose and assured me tha...

Disclaimer:  All of these posts are written in past tense because we cannot access blogger from the hospital's server.  I am using my dad's laptop with his own portable internet connection to bipass the system.  :) Contractions are constant in this pregnancy. I can pretty much ignore them, although sometimes they get a bit harder than others. Usually getting in the bath tub helps them to subside. Sunday morning, I was at my parents’ house before church because our internet wasn’t working. I was having a bunch of contractions, but drank a lot of water to try to get rid of them. I headed on to church, trying to ignore those nagging pains. Strangely, something is different just kept running through my head. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I knew that something would happen today. During church, something definitely changed. I went from being able to ignore the high, annoying contractions to losing my breath on the low, long ones. These were different. I sta...

I researched high levels of amniotic fluid this weekend (along with some info about steroid shots, just to educate myself on what they actually do besides just help the lungs mature), and I found that only 1-2% of pregnant women have excessive amniotic fluid.  Pretty crazy!!  Since only 1 in 8,000 babies have Abby's condition, we're both pretty "special," you could say.  I'd prefer to be average in this situation. My new OB said that anyone with increased levels of fluid has to do the 3-hour gestational diabetes test because that is a warning sign of diabetes, and I just about died laughing at the irony of it all.  Remember this post?   And this one?   If only gestational diabetes was the worst of my worries these days.  I'm sorry that I complained so much about it! Thankfully, she conferred with my perinatologist, who said that they know why my fluid levels are up and that the normal 1-hour test will be fine for me.  Thank you, Dr. H!!...

I am now the proud owner of a Nikon D90, and I am totally and utterly in love.  I had no idea what I was missing.  The shutter speed alone is enough to make it worth it, but there is so much more I can do with a DSLR than my (wonderful) point-and-shoot.  I played last night after Caleb went to bed and my battery was fully charged, but I was just messing around a bit trying to learn my way around. We chose a Nikon because I already had a wonderful Nikon Cool Pix S80, which I adore.  It takes great pictures, but is not a SLR.  By continuing with Nikon, we already have a leg up on at least some of the buttons and controls!  There are a LOT more buttons on this one, obviously, but we're not starting from scratch. Happy everything to Matt and me for the next two years...yeah, it was that kind of purchase! So now, if Abby does come early, she will be wonderfully photographed!  Don't get any ideas, Abby. We want you to stay in as long as possible....

Realistically, we really don't have to have Abby's room done by the time she is born.  We know she's not coming home after the usual 2-3 day stay in the hospital.  When she does finally come home, she'll be in bassinett right by our bed (with me never getting any sleep because I'm constantly checking to see that she is breathing properly!)  We put Caleb right in his room after coming home from the hospital, but everything is a little different with this special girl. However, the planner in me can't stand the idea of Abby not having a pretty room to call her own from the very beginning--even if she is not sleeping in it!  So, last week we set up the crib and moved the furniture around.  While the accessories that I've ordered aren't here yet, her room is certainly livable.  I got her entire crib set, curtains, lamp, etc. off of Ebay for $35!! Caleb picked out the prairie dog especially for Abby.  He wants to take it to her when she is born. Th...

Although we've been getting sonograms done every month, I haven't been posting the pictures.  This is because, honestly, I don't want people analyzing my daughter!  We look at them and compare them to last month to observe the growth, but I don't necessarily need other people pointing out her defects. It's just my own comfort level, I suppose.  We save them all though, and I am quickly filling up a photo album with the many pictures we get (I might have to start a second one now that we're going every week!).   Thursday's appointments definitely delivered some not-so-great news, but we were encouraged by the sonogram pictures.  For the first time, Abby has a defined chin!!!  This is exciting for us because we haven't been able to see anything up until now.  While our perinatologist cautioned us that this is just because she's getting bigger (as to avoid false hope), it made us feel better to finally see something below her bottom lip. So...

Have you read this article about the shootings at Hopkins?  The guy was apparently angry at the doctor for the way he was caring for the man's mother.  So he not only shot the doctor, but he shot and killed his mother and himself!   If he was upset with the way his mother was being treated, did he really think that killing her would be better?!?  Great idea, crazy man.  Great idea. Did I mention that we were at a hospital very close to Hopkins?  I'm glad we didn't know about it at the time!  I would have been even more freaked out in the not-so-nice part of the city!

*  I tell my kids that watching TV or playing on the computer stimulates your brain and is the worst thing you can do right before bed or when you can't sleep.  And what am I doing at 3:30 a.m.? *  The idea of my water breaking at school is a little disconcerning for me.  Family life will be starting a bit early in my classroom, I'm afraid.  Nothing like a real live lesson to get the discussion going... *  I wrote a "labor plan" last night, for lack of a better term.  It has all of the important doctors' phone numbers, my drug allergies, medicines I take, and the plan of action if I do go into labor.  Obviously, Matt and I know what to do...but if I am at school and things are happening quickly, I want to be able to just hand them that paper and say that all of the information they need is on there.  Plus, it's much easier for even Matt and I to have all of the important numbers in one place.  I will make multiple copies of this to h...

...makes me cry on a good day! I first learned this song in college (I learned lots of songs in college, apparently!), and it is such a beautiful reminder.  We sang this in church the Sunday after we first learned of Abigail's diagnosis, which was difficult for me.  But, the song is very true!  I'm not crazy about the Power Point that goes along with it, but it was the best version I could find.  There are a lot of people who record themselves on Youtube who just shouldn't!  :)

I went to college with a guy named Spencer who lost his little boy shortly after birth almost two years ago.  I have had the privilege to get to know his wife Stacy through her wonderful blog .  She is an amazing, transparent writer.  Though we have yet to meet in person, I feel like I have known her forever! In one of our conversations, I asked Stacy how she was able to deal with strangers saying how excited she must be about having a baby, and how she got through the day-to-day stuff when she knew how much was going on inside her body.  Her reply was that she decided that she was going to choose joy daily--sometimes by minute.  She realized that if God had given her the job of carrying this little boy for nine months, then she was going to do it with as much joy and thankfulness as she could muster.  And she did!! I was really challenged by that statement.  Over the summer when things were just developing, I struggled with the whole why us...

Another round of appointments, another round of developments.  This girl is a real problem child.  She will be going into immediate time-out when she is born for all of the trouble she's causing.  :) As I silently suspected, my amniotic fluid levels have gone up.  I haven't blogged about it in hopes that it wouldn't be true, but my gaining 12 pounds this month made me suspicious.  We were warned about increasing fluid levels and that they are an indication of a more serious problem, so this did not surprise us too much.  In Abby's situation, an increase in fluid levels means she is no longer swallowing the way she should.  This is because her neck muscles aren't developing properly as a result of the small jaw.  If there was any question as to where we should deliver, that decision was made for us today.  (We'd already made that decision ourselves though!) I've also been having lots of contractions, and they decided to hook me up to a fet...

I haven't done this for a while.  I'm watching Survivor and they separated the young from the old.  Young = under 30.  Old = 30 or older.  It made me just a little bit sad that I would be one of the oldest "young" people in the tribe if I were on the show.  Yikes!  I have been having tons of Braxton-Hicks contractions.  Most aren't painful, although some really kind of are.  I have them pretty much every evening.  I keep telling my body that it doesn't need to practice so much because it has already been through labor once.  It's not listening to me.  Yep, there's another one. Yay.  I have another round of appointments tomorrow.  I can't believe it's been 2 months since we found out about Abigail's condition.  What a whirlwind!  I have a sonogram first and we're hoping to get some information from the doctor we like.  I have gained a lot of weight this month while eating very well (lots of fruits and veggie...

...this post is for you!  I have recently added an additional item of worry to my already long list regarding this pregnancy. What if I go into labor before my scheduled date and we have to drive all the way to Baltimore and we get pulled over by a police officer for speeding?!?!? Seriously, this is very concerning to me.  Getting pulled over just might be enough to push me over the edge and send me plummetting to a pit of utter despair.  That, or I'll cry incessantly.  The latter is more probable.  Okay, it's a given. I called my oh-so-knowledgeable brother-in-law (who happens to be a state trooper) and asked him what I should do in this situation.  His response was that Matt is always late, so speeding shouldn't be an issue for him.  :)  This did rouse a chuckle out of me, but I needed an answer.  This was really  important!!!  (kind of like having nail clippers before Caleb was born was really important, but that's...

No, this has nothing to do with violence.  I have just been describing the FMLA stuff as a nightmare and that title came into my brain. I met with the FMLA gurus today and got loads of answers (as many as I could at this point in this "adventure.")  In a nutshell, as long as I have paid leave, I have a job.  I can also work out some sort of part-time situation as needed to get me through the rest of the year (while taking leave without pay for the time when I'm not working) and not have to do a leave of absence.  Then, FMLA will kick in again at the beginning of next school year if I need it to.  I'm hoping I don't!  The meeting was quite informative and the women were very compassionate.  I remember the paperwork I did with Caleb being so simple and easy!  Ha!!!  Not this time!  I will be constantly faxing information to the Human Resources department to update my situation .  But, it's not as grim as I feared.  I am rea...

This is a song that came out while I was in college, and I've always loved it.  Recently, I've been singing it to myself a lot.  My favorite part is, "It may not be the way I would have chosen when you lead me through a world that's not my home.  But you never said it would be easy.  You only said I'd never go alone." Enjoy!

One of our favorite (cheap) Friday night activities in the summer is the farmer's market at North Beach.  This week, Caleb made friends with one of the sellers and they gave him his own tiny little apple to munch!  We bought some too, and they're delicious!  The highlight is visiting the classic cars.  A nice man let Caleb sit in his and get a picture. Caleb enjoys playing on the ship and splashing in the water.  His shorts got soaked, but he had fun! Randomly, we ran into the Adam Leaches (as they like to be called!) and the boys played together a bit. Of course, I had to get a few sunset pictures!

I really love this commercial.  It was aired right after 9/11 and only aired once so as not to get any financial benefit from it.  It's beautiful!!