Dancing Shoes Are Hung Up for a while

As of Sunday, my feet won't fit into any shoes : ( Whether you call them Cabbage Patch, Flinstone, or Elephant feet, it all means the same thing. And that is what I have. There is nothing I can do to change it, and it's painful. If I knew everything horrible and scary that would happen to me while I was pregnant, I would still do it all over again.

I still find it weird that there is a baby growing inside of me, but I love this baby so much. I am so looking forward to holding my baby and feeling his tight grip on my fingers. No, I haven't broken down and found out what the baby's gender is; however, I still think my baby is a boy. We'll soon see : ) Oh, the heartbeat today was 140 bpm.

Cabbage Patch Feet

I was on my computer this morning when I felt a major pain in my foot. I was annoyed and wiggled my toes in hopes it would go away. Then a few seconds later, the pain was horrible. So I stretched my legs straight out to see what was bothering my feet when I noticed my feet had quickly transformed into Cabbage Patch Feet. The tops of my feet were round and puffy. The pain started to subside after having my legs stretched out for a bit, but the swelling took about two hours to go down to a less dangerous level. I then went to church but remained seated the entire time, then to AppleBees, and then a quick trip to Home Depot. When I finally got home, my Cabbage Patch Feet had returned but not to the painful extent as earlier. My days of socks and shoes are gone. Now I will have to wear flip flops or maybe slippers. The flip flops even got tight today. I have two more weeks left of work. I really hope my legs and feet hold up!

4 weeks left

I found out...

1. It is good to take Folic Acid vitamins if you plan on ever becoming pregnant.
2. Squatting while delivering your baby may give you a five pointed star in an area
you don't want it.
3. Contractions are normal during the last few weeks of preganancy during a
movement.

My baby's heart rate was 158 today. Hmmm... Any ideas as to what gender the baby will be. Early in preganancy, a lot of people thought I was going to have a girl. Recently, many people changed their minds to a boy. What's your thought? We'll find out soon : )

Grandma L. in Vermont

My Grandma L. went back to the hospital again today. We're praying she gets the arotic valve repaired and is back to her old self again soon : ) We definitely don't want her sent home without anything done like a couple days ago.

Thanks for your prayers.

Baby Nephew, Colin

Colin is pronounced the French way. For us English people, we pronounce Culin the way the French pronounce Colin. I learned that lesson yesterday : )

In any case, Colin was placed in ICU either last night or early this morning. He had an IV in him, not to be confused with IVY, and oxygen tubes in his nose. This afternoon, I was informed Colin is off oxygen and eating. Both great news! He is scheduled to go home Monday. Mom, Sonya, is scheduled to be released tomorrow although she'll be living at the hospital still to take care of her baby and feed him.

I believe the reason for the complications was due to breathing in/swallowing fluid
during labor. I guess that is more common than I realized.

Thank you for all your prayers, and please keep them coming : )

Price of Children

I didn't write this, but I had to share it : )

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The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is; don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140.00?

* Naming rights .. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:

* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:

* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:

* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:

* First step,
* First word,
* First bra,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match..

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost.
That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren!!!!!!!
It's the best investment you'll ever make!!!!!!!!!

Baby Nephew Born Today

I got to hold my nephew's hand today. He was born around 11:45 am today - 5 lbs 11 oz 18 1/2 inches

He is having some issues getting enough oxygen due to drinking too much fluid during delivery, and his heartrate is too high. Please keep him in prayer.

He is beautiful : )