A kid at my sons' school brought out the mama bear in me...

My sons' school has a buddy reader program. In it, they match the kindergarten and 1st graders with 3rd and 4th graders and they all practice their reading skills. The other day, they had buddy reader recognition day. All the 1st graders wrote a poem for their buddy readers. Joey wrote his buddy reader a poem about conch shells. His buddy reader gave Joey a nice card saying he would miss him over the summer. But, then the little twit barely glanced at Joey's poem and said to him, "My dad will just throw it away because its trash." When Joey told me about this, he just started sobbing. My poor boy's feelings were crushed. I just wanted to throttle that kid. I KNOW my kids aren't perfect but I also know they would never thoughtlessly hurt someone that way. I tried to explain to Joey that maybe his buddy reader was worried his dad wouldn't understand how important it was and would throw it away and maybe he picked a bad way of explaining it. I also told him I would love to read his poem and would help him type it out so he could decorate the page and give a copy to both sets of grandparents. I also reassured him that I was sure it was a good poem because I knew he worked hard on it.

Let me tell you, I was blown away when I read it. I thought it was a good poem and not just a good poem for a 7 yr old...a damn good poem in general. This is the poem Joey gave his buddy reader...

The Conch Shell
Very hard and thin
with brown and white stripes all over
Big and small points
like stairs up a mountain
Big hole at the end
and a big point at the top

And these are the other poems he decided to write after I told him how good the first one was and how impressed I was with his work...

Nature
Bees buzzing all around
Big trees sitting still
Big grass blades weaving in the wind
Tree seedlings next to big trees

The City
Huge buildings
Busy traffic
Sirens wailing all day
Fire trucks speeding
Trucks roaring down the road
Hammers banging
and drills spinning
People living

The North Pole
Polar bears stomping
through the snow
Ice cracking
Freezing cold snow
Reindeer stomping
through the snow
Snowflakes falling
Silence everywhere

The South Pole
Penguins singing
Orcas splashing
Snow so thick and deep
Seals swimming
Penguins being born
Water icy cold
Penguins playing
Orcas fishing
Snow so thick and deep

Silliness
Baseballs with sirens
Bats without handles
How can we ever play
Scissors singing
Airplanes eating
What will we do about that
Fire trucks swimming
Tanks playing game boys
How can we handle that
Bionicles playing baseball
Dogs doing construction on the Empire State Building
Silliness rules everywhere

So y'all tell me what you think of his poetry.

A few more trip pics...

On the way home to NC, we made a quick stop at "South of the Border". For those of you who haven't traveled that section of I-95, "South of the Border" is a cheesy Mexican themed rest stop/shopping area on the NC/SC border. I needed to get out and walk around so I could finish the drive home but the boys saw it as an opportunity to take ridiculous touristy pictures.

Here they are...

Phew...I can finally stop and take a breath...

I have been scrambling madly for the first part of this month. My baby sis got married this month and she asked me to make the dresses for her girls. They turned out pretty well if I do say so myself but it wasn't east to get them done with Gabe's "help".





We drove down to St. Petersburg, FL last Thursday, the wedding was on Good Friday, and the boys and I drove home on Saturday. We left St. Pete's at about 11:45 on Saturday and I pulled into my driveway at 1 am on Easter Sunday. Ugh...am I ever tired. Here are a few pics from the trip/wedding...

How hard is it to copy medical records?

...or Smart Documents Solutions Must Not Give A Damn...

As most of you know, I have a seriously screwed up obstetrical history. 11 pregnancies, 8 miscarriages, 4 D&Cs, pre-eclampsia, partial placental previa, pregnancy induced hypertension, luteal phase disorder, a clotting disorder requiring twice daily injections for the duration of my last pregnancy, and all the visits and testing that go along with that do NOT make for a small medical record.

Since we moved a year and a half ago, I have been trying to get a complete copy of my records. My old OB's office was doing their part. 3 times they sent my file off to Smart Documents Solutions in Alpharetta, Georgia and 3 times I got incomplete files back. The first time, I got 3 pages back. Yes folks, 7+ years, all those issues, and they sent me 3 fucking pages. The second time I got a large manila envelope...I had hope it was all there. Not only did it take me 3+ hours to put it in chronological order, but I discovered that many pertinent documents were missing. A lot of the doctor's notes were missing and the chromosomal analysis we had done after one D&C was no where to be found. The third attempt was not even as complete as the second attempt at copying my files.

If I am ever crazy enough to try and travel the pregnancy path again, I MUST have a complete copy of my records. I will never get the care I need for a successful pregnancy without those records. Finally, I called my old OB's office and, after explaining all this to the office manager, she offered to take the time out of her dally schedule and make a copy of the records herself. All I had to do was tell her what year to start with and she would copy everything for me. In 2 days she copied it all and put it all in chronological order. Thats right, in 2 days she did what a major company couldn't do in 2 fucking years.

The lesson behind all this is simple...regularly request copies of your records. Its the only way you can be assured of having a complete copy if you suddenly move or transfer doctor's offices. Either that or simply don't ever have as fucked up a medical history as I do.

A few things on my mind...

I know I've been a bad, bad blogger. I really do mean to post more often but life seems to take over.

I would like you to keep my wonderful friend Henny (this was posted before they found out Ken had cancer) in your prayers. She lost her dear husband a week ago. They had 32 wonderful years together and they deserved many, many more. She is an amazingly strong woman and I know she will make it through this but I hate to see her hurting.

Secondly, can you please say a prayer for Monnie tomorrow. She and her husband will make wonderful parents and I hope tomorrow is the happy beginning to achieving that dream.

Finally, I had the pleasure and honor of talking to a wonderful woman I met online. Lioness is an incredible person and it was so cool to actually get to talk to her.

Thanks y'all and I promise I'll be back soon.

My heart is breaking...

A most wonderful woman I know just found out the her husband, her soul mate, her love, has only months to live. Please pray for Henny and Ken. His illness is felt by everyone who loves her but it is affecting her in a way I can't even begin to imagine. If you would like to extend your prayers to her, can you please follow this link and post there...Prayers For Henny and Ken...and if you can't post there, please post here and I will make sure she sees them.

Arlington at Christmas...

For 13 years, the media didn't tell this story.


Arlington National Cemetery



Rest easy, sleep well my brothers.



Know the line has held, your job is done.



Rest easy, sleep well.



Others have taken up where you fell, the line has held.



Peace, peace, and farewell...



Readers may be interested to know that these wreaths -- some 5,000 -- are donated by the Worcester Wreath Co. of Harrington, Maine. The owner, Morrill Worcester, not only provides the wreaths, but covers the trucking expense as well. He's done this since 1992. Isn't he a wonderful guy? Also, most years, groups of Maine school kids combine an educational trip to DC with this event to help out. What makes this even more remarkable is the fact that Harrington is in one the poorest parts of the state.

Please share this with everyone. You hear too much about the bad things people do. Everyone should hear about this.

In 1995, the world finally learned of the selflessness of this wonderful man...
read his profile here.

Happy Birthday Gabe...

my miracle baby turned two yesterday. I am continually in awe of this little boy. He is smart and funny and wild and he adores his big brothers. He brings so much joy into our lives and I would go through it all again if I knew he was waiting for us at the end of our journey.

Hey Diane...

come visit us at the cross stitch board...Cross Stitch Crazy. If you see the gorgeous work the ladies do there, you will never get bored with stitching again.

My coffee make went to the great coffee house in the sky...

I had no trouble making coffee yesterday but today it won't do anything. Its not heating...not moving the water from the reservoir...what am I going to do without my coffee today? Thank God I microwaved what was left in the post from yesterday. It isn't nearly as good as fresh coffee but its better than nothing.

Today is World Diabetes Day...

You can find a lot of info about the day and the disease through The World Diabetes Day web page. This is a cause near and dear to my heart. My mom, my mil, and my hubby all have type 2 diabetes. Please take time to educate yourself about this disease and to help the search for a cure.

Shiver me timbers...

My pirate name is:

Mad Bess Rackham

Every pirate is a little bit crazy. You, though, are more than just a little bit. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

What nourishes you?

What nourishes you? What soothes your soul? What expands your mind? What are the one or two things that are such an essential part of your being that you can't imagine life without them? I'm not talking about family or religion. I'm talking about activities or things you do for yourself.

I love to read. I love to read blogs, books of every genre, magazines. I can't imagine life without reading. I read to educate myself. I read to escape. I read for fun. although I definitely lean towards the conservative end of the spectrum, I do not limit myself to reading pieces from people with similar ideologies. How can I in good conscience espouse a belief and teach my kids about it if I do not at least attempt to understand both sides of the argument? Reading gives me the knowledge to teach my kids what I want them to learn. I read books that friends have recommended and when I'm lucky I find one that speaks to me. One book I read recently that I really connected with is "The Time Traveler's Wife". Not only is it a highly original, gripping story but it dealt with infertility and loss in a way that really touched me. I found this wonderful book through an infertility blog I read (she has a great review of it). Go get the book...read it... it is wonderful. I also read purely for escapism and fun. Recently I stumbled across a series that is perfect for this...the Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson. Its silly, a lot of fun, and feeds the shoe obsession I can no longer afford to feed since I have kids. When you are really, really lucky, you pick up a book for the fun escapism of reading and find a book that makes you think. For any of you who like Harry Potter, I highly recommend the Young Wizard series by Diane Duane. The books are fun and quite addictive and Ms. Duane's take on Wizardry is rooted in religion and creation. They make you think and that is always a good thing.

The best thing about loving to read is passing that love on to the next generation...your kids, your nieces and nephews, your friends' kids. Nothing is better than watching a child get excited about a book. Hehehe...we were out running errands yesterday and, as we drove past the library, Gabe started yelling "Book Book!" How cool is it that he already recognizes the library and he isn't even 2 yrs old?

Another thing that is integral to who I am is my love of crafts. I particularly love to cross stitch and crochet. My time spent cross stitching or crocheting soothes me. I can be tense and uptight and as I sit down to stitch I feel all that just fall away. I love to create. I love to design. I love to express myself through my art.

What do you love to do? What makes you who you are?

Two words...just two words...

PUBERTY SUCKS!

Yup, my oldest, not even 11 yrs old is in the midst of puberty and it sucks! He gets moody, irritable, and tends to go into a complete meltdown when he is stressing or tired. I think all kids should be put in some sort of suspended animation until there body matures past this stage. Then, my sanity might stay intact (bwahahahaha).

If its this bad with a boy, I have much pity for those of you who will have to go through it with a girl.

It's a beautiful day in this neighborhood,

A beautiful day for a neighbor.
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?

Over at Cross Stitch Crazy, we are just starting a neighborhood round robin. For those of you who stitch, thats all the explanation needed. For those of you who don't stitch, this is what a round robin involves...

A group of stitcher's (usually between 4 and 6 people) pick a theme. For us, we are stitching neighborhoods. Mine is a winter/Christmas neighborhood. The other ladies have chosen Halloween, Victorian, International Houses, and a Fairy neighborhood. We each stitch a house on our piece and then it gets sent to the other ladies so they can stitch their contribution. I just finished my house for my neighborhood...and it is designed to resemble my real house.

Here is a picture of my real house...




And here is my round robin house...



I can't wait to have the finished product in my hands.

Out of the mouth of babes...

Thanks to his older brothers, Gabe has learned to say some choice words...burp, fart, poop, etc. Last night, Gabers was climbing up into my chair when he farted. He grinned, pointed at his butt, and said "BURP." Lemme tell you, I was laughing so hard I was crying. Too funny.



How could you get upset when a face this cute says something like that?

Who am I?

I got this from Monnie...

Accent – southern if I've been drinking (and I haven't really done that in 10+ yrs)

Drink – love margaritas but can't remember the last time I had one

Chore I Hate – dusting...I hate it with a passion and wish I could afford to have someone do it for me.

Pets – Jolie...our border collie pound puppy, Jack otherwise known as Jackleg...half husky/half golden retriever, and Snoopy...our cat

Essential Electronic – my computer, my Olympus C-5000 camera, my internet based phone

Perfume/Cologne - Obsession

Gold or silver – usually gold

Insomnia – only when Vic is on night shifts...then its very, very hard for me to make myself go to bed

Job Title – Vic's wife, mother to my kids, cub scout den leader, cross stitch board admin...take your pick

Most Admired Trait – faithfulness

Kids – 3 wonderful hellions...LOL, not really...they are good kids

Religion – Lutheran...my faith is what got me through the hell of secondary infertility with my sanity (bwahahahaha) relatively intact

Siblings – 2 sisters

Time I wake up – 7:00 am to get the kids ready for school...if it was up to me, I could easily sleep until 10

Unusual talent/skill – artistic skills that cross into many mediums (cross stitch design, crochet design, painting, etc)

Vegetable I refuse to eat – lima beans (if I make them myself from dried beans, they are ok)

Worst habit - I'm messy and don't pick up after myself.

X-rays – if I need them, I get them...and I've had far more than I care to admit

My favorite meal – don't have a favorite meal

Leeetttt's get ready to RUMBLE!

In the right corner, its a 2000 Plymouth Grand Voyager. In the left corner, its a 2000(ish) Nissan Pathfinder. The contestants come out swinging and sliding and the Grand Voyager emerges battered, bruised, but victorious.

Yes, yesterday evening, I got into a wreck on the way home from Marty's chiropractor appointment. And, yes, all 3 kids were in the van with me. Thank God for car seats and seatbelts. It was raining and I was doing everything I was suppose to do. When I saw the brake lights of the car in front of me go on, I hit my brakes, It wasn't slowing down so I really stomped on the brakes hoping that the anti-lock brakes would do their job. However, my van had started to hydroplane so the anti-lock brakes couldn't do crap...my wheels were locked in position anyway. It was a 3 vehicle accident but the first car was barely scratched. My van is damaged but drivable. It doesn't appear to have any leaks or even too much damaged. At first I was worried about damage versus blue book value but, once I checked my van's value, I think it will be ok. However, the middle vehicle, the Nissan Pathfinder, was killed. Its frame was bent behind the c post (the post behind the back door). How that damage was done without totally crunching my van is beyond me.

How can the same thing make me happy and make me want to cry?

I think Gabe has nursed for the last time. Lately, when he would nurse before bedtime, he would finish and then snuggle in with me until he fell asleep. Last night, as he was nursing, I was talking to him and said, "You know, you are getting to be a bigger boy and big boys don't need to nurse. You can nurse if you want but, if you don't want to nurse, mommy will hold you and snuggle you until you go to sleep." I really didn't expect anything to come of it but, a few minutes later, he decided to be done. He snuggled in and went to sleep. The one time he woke up last night, he didn't nurse. He didn't want to nurse this morning and he didn't want to nurse before nap time either.

Yeah, I know he is 21 months old...but he is still my baby. And, my baby isn't nursing anymore. The freedom of that makes me soooo happy but I'm going to miss him doing that.

My little boy is growing up.

I've been tagged...

I've been tagged by my dear friend Jen.

The rules:
You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name.
If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
When you are tagged you need to write your own blog-post containing your own middle name game facts.
At the end of your blog-post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.
Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

My middle name is Andrea.

A is for artistic. I am always creating, designing or doing something crafty and artistic.
N is for nut job (courtesy of my dh). I have a whacked out sense of humor and love sharing it.
D is for Duke University...my alma mater and the best damned college basketball team in the universe
R is for redhead. My hair is red now and was red when I was born. Then it was natural and now it comes from a bottle.
E is for egghead. I graduated from high school 6th in my class and have an undergraduate degree from Duke University.
A is for my Aunt Kathy who shares my middle name.

These are the six people I am going to tag.
Jen got off too lightly because her middle name only has 3 letters...so she gets to do this again.
Christa has been tagged by Jen but has been avoiding it. If I tag her again, maybe it will get done. Love you my sister.
Carolyn my friend...tag, you're it!
Renee my friend...can't wait to read your contribution.
Velda is getting tagged too. Are you going to use your real middle name or the one you wish you had?
Tina my southern sister, I love you, I love your humor, join the fun!