Another Day, Another Doctor...

So, I returned to see my Doctors "associate" this morning since my doctor is out on vacation until the 20th. Unfortunately, I'm four weeks from my due date and my blood pressure was a little higher than it had been... Not horrible - 140/80 - but higher than it had been... my husband is sure that my stressing over the unresolved billing and insurance issue was at least partly to blame... could be... All the same, even though my urine was fine and clear of any protein, he had me do a baby monitor check for 20 minutes, where they wrapped my tummy with the elastic bands and monitors and listened to Sam swim around for a few laps : ) He was great! Then I had to bring home a BIG empty bottle to collect 24 hours worth of urine... fun-fun... Everyone at the doctors office seemed anxious, like I was just about "ripe", but I feel like I am SO NOT ready... I think I'm still in denial... Can't believe that I will have another little tiny one to hold... I am supposed to go back next Wednesday to get the results of the urine testing, check my blood pressure again and see the nurse practitioner (my doctor will still be out...) and then I see my doctor again on the 20th. They keep telling me that "39 weeks" is the "recommended" time to have a c-section for the sake of the baby, but I guess we'll see where my BP is going and how long it lasts... My second baby is the only one that was born on his due date. The other three were 2-3 weeks early each, and all were quite healthy...

The best news is my sisters and nieces are gathering to help me out NEXT Saturday to finish all the details here around the house to make room for Sam. clearing and cleaning out rooms, installing bunk beds and hopefully having at least a week to get the baby to stay in a room with her big sissy at night. This will probably "hurt" the most, as she is quite the "mommy's girl" and we still have our little "bonding" time at bedtime, where she snuggles with me in my bed until she falls asleep, then I put her in her crib. I've never had two babies so close in age.... She just turned 2 only a few weeks ago... *sigh* We'll be fine, I know... Each baby went through a period of where they had their way of "protesting" the new addition, making Daddy the "favorite" from "that trader mommy who is spending WAY TOO MUCH TIME with 'that' baby..." ; ] My oldest has already claimed that HE will be the "baby hog"... hhhmmm... well, #4 may have something to say about THAT, too... As far as SHE'S concerned SHE'S "queen bee" of his life! lol!

PP, Get Your "facts" Straight...

I think it is almost LAUGHABLE the "fits" that the Obama camp is throwing over Republican VP Nominee Sarah Palin's references (true, I might add) to the company that Obama keeps, including bigots and terrorists. They want to cry out that NOW the gloves are off... PUHLEEEZE... From the moment that Sarah's name was released as McCain's running mate the liberal left has been SCRAMBLING to jump on any little crumb or piece of dirt they could find... and the little bit that they *think* they have found, they have just twisted and turned so completely it's ridiculous... (i.e. her 17 year old daughters un-planned pregnancy, or Sarah's supposed inexperience... like Obama has SO MUCH MORE?...) and what they can't find, it seems they've made up...

Anyway, now they have the "honest and upstanding" (sarcasm intended) people of Planned Parenthood, once again presenting their own "facts" against Sarah Palin. These people are SO blatant, it's disgusting... Evil will stop at NOTHING to get it's way... We MUST continue to pray for God's Mercy... St. Michael the Archangel Defend us in battle!

Sacramento Coadjutor Bishop Soto

Bishop William Weigand, of Sacramento will be retiring November 30 of this year. I have been a fan of Bishop Weigand's for some time... I think it started when he backed a local priest that had refused then Governor and liberal pro-abort supporter Gray Davis' annual visit to come to the local Catholic orphanage to distribute toys and other gifts at Christmas time. He further caused waves when he informed Davis that he should refrain from Holy Communion until he changed his stance on the abortion issue, as it was causing confusion and controversy to what the Church has always taught. It was the first time EVER that the Governors office was refused access to the orphanage, and contrary to much local outcry, Bishop Weigand held his ground.

I have also heard of him from time to time on our local Catholic Radio Station that broadcasts "The Bishops Radio Hour" weekdays, from Sacramento. So, I was more than a little sad when I heard that he would be retiring and more than a little skeptical about WHO would be replacing such a good, holy and orthodox man. The answer was/is Bishop Soto.

Praise be Jesus in His infinite wisdom! According to this recent article, Bishop Soto made MUCH more than just an appearance at the recent NACDLGM (National Association of Catholic Diocesan Lesbian and Gay Ministries) conference held in Long Beach California on September 18.

Now, at first glance I would have raised my eyebrows, having attended several of the Anaheim Religious Education Congresses held in Anaheim CA, hosted by Roger Cardinal Mahoney every year, under the guise of being a "Catholic conference" but really isn't... That particular conference has a mix of Catholic and non-Catholic speakers ALL of which will speak on any number of "educational" topics from liturgical artsy-fartsy fan fare, to homosexuality acceptance and New Age theology.... And apparently, the coordinators of the NACDLGM, in accepting Bishop Soto's offer to attend and speak were under the same expectation. They must have figured that he was "one of those" Bishops that will bend and move around all the rules in order to justify the sinful behavior of homosexuality and somehow "justify" their lifestyles. But the good Bishop apparently had other plans and the NACDLGM surely DID NOT expect what he DID say, or they wouldn't have felt it necessary to APOLOGIZE to the assembly for the Bishops words after he was done. Just a few excerpts from Bishop Soto's address:

We can easily give in to the temptation to go along in order to get along.
We can easily be duped by the popular ideas and trends that surround us.
“Everybody does it” can become reason enough to think it or do it ourselves.
Like Peter we can think that what Jesus teaches us is too unrealistic, too
unreasonable. Like Peter we can convince ourselves that we know better than the
Lord. We may even try to negotiate with Jesus, like Peter does, for easier
terms.

We see this especially in the area of sexuality. So much of what we see and
hear every day can lead us to a distorted sense of our sexuality. Sexuality has
been reduced to a matter of personal preference and personal pleasure without
responsibility and with little respect for others. We can lose sight of the
profound dignity of the human person who shares in God’s love and creative work
through the chaste expression of one’s sexuality proper to one’s calling in
life.

We are surrounded by a “contraceptive culture” that has reduced the
procreative act to simple recreation absolved of any responsibility.

The deceptive language of “pro-choice” ignores the consequences of the
choice for abortion that does violence to the most innocent and leaves traumatic
scars on many young women.

What is a particular concern and alarm for us in California as well as
others across the country is the bold judicial challenge to the longstanding
cultural and moral understanding of marriage as a sacred covenant between a
woman and a man. Our own efforts to restore common sense through the ballot
initiative, Proposition 8, are portrayed as bigoted and out-of-touch. The irony
is that what we propose is most in touch with the nature of families and what is
good for the welfare of all.

That we find ourselves at this time, reasserting the basic moral and
reasonable understanding of marriage, means that much has changed in the popular
perceptions of sexuality and common notions about marriage. While we work to
pass Proposition 8 this coming November, it is important to remember why we do
this. Like Jesus, in the sixteenth chapter of Matthew that I cited, we are
saying a strong “no” to the California courts and to many who support the
court’s wrong-headed decision. This “no” is not rooted in bigotry or bias. It is
firmly rooted in a greater “yes” to a truer, more authentic appreciation of
love’s calling and love’s design for the human heart.

The nature of love has been distorted. Many popular notions have deviated
from its true destiny. Love for many has come to mean having sex. If you cannot
have sex than you cannot love. This is the message. Even more destructive is the
prevailing notion that sex is not an expression of love. Sex is love. This
reductio ad absurdam deprives sexuality of its true meaning and robs the human
person of the possibility of ever knowing real love.

Sexual intercourse is a beautiful expression of love, but this is so when
intercourse is understood as a unique expression intended to share in the
creative, faithful love of God."

You can read the entirety of Bishop Soto's address here.

And for a follow-up report on the reactions to Bishop Soto's address at the September 18 conference you can go here.

Knights of Columbus ProLife Commercial Spot

From today's Zenit News:

"Unborn Baby's Heartbeat Prompts Pro-life VoteNEW HAVEN, Connecticut, OCT.
2, 2008 (Zenit.org).- A Knights of Columbus radio spot running in many
U.S. markets until the Nov. 4 elections encourages citizens to listen to the
heartbeat of a 10-week-old unborn baby and vote pro-life.The 30-second spot is
running in more than a dozen states. The ad features the sound of a baby's
heartbeat at 10 weeks...

http://www.kofc.org/un/cmf/resources/prolife_ad.mp3

Supreme Knight Carl Anderson announced the beginning of the ad campaign.
"The fact that the child whose heartbeat we hear is alive is simply a matter of
science," he said. "We believe that it is vital that America's pro-life
community make it clear that they will reserve their votes for candidates of
either party who are committed to protecting life from conception to natural
death."

Why "Life" is THE MOST Important Issue...

I have been asked, or rather, accused before, about making the issue of "life" my number one, or perhaps ONLY priority in choosing who or what I vote for. It has long been my feeling that without "life", well, nothing else matters... If I don't care about life, my own, or anyone else's, regardless of race, age, gender or religion, then what is the point of voting at all?... But yesterday morning, as I was driving my kids to their enrichment classes I was listening to Theresa Tomeo's show on Catholic Radio, and a caller called in and read a letter. I apologize, but didn't catch if it was HER letter or a letter that she received from someone else, but she read it to Theresa and Theresa's guest, Fr. Frank Pavone. The gist of the letter read something like this (and forgive me, I'm paraphrasing from what I remember, but it made a point...):

If I found a candidate that vowed to solve the economic crisis, had the perfect plan for affordable health care, increase jobs, and reduce our dependence on foreign oil BUT also vowed to legalize child pornography, would I still vote for that candidate?....

My answer, of course, would be a resounding "No!" as would a lot of peoples, I think, even the pro-aborts....What Fr. Pavone was telling the audience is that we, as a society have become so accustomed to abortion being part of our lives that like it or not, people began to accept it as "normal". It's just something that happens and so we have to accept it. Our vision becomes skewed in our effort to stop seeing abortion for what it really is. It is the TAKING of LIFE. Every single one of us, despite our race, religion, financial status, political affiliation, education, age, health, whatever, came in to this world the SAME way. We all started out as what some would call just a "blob of cells". We are all a product of our biological parents, grown within our mother's womb and given the chance to live, to breathe, to be a part of society, to have a voice.

The less fortunate are ripped from their mother's womb, sometimes being burned alive by saline, first. Sometimes they are brought forth by the feet first, only to have their head, still within that womb, punctured by scissors inflicting pain and death... Some, forced from the womb, unexpectedly still living, are placed on a shelf to die... Why?... What purpose does this serve?... Is it to make life better for the mom? Help her feel less burdened? Who is burdening her? the ones insisting that abortion is "for the best" and she'll get over it and be able to move on? Let's ask a woman who has had an abortion... How did her life "improve" AFTER wards?... How did it solve the problems she was facing before the abortion? or did it?... Have you ever watched or listened to some of these pro-abort men and women at any kind of rally? Or even on a television news debate...? Witnessed the anger not only in their voices, but on their faces? Yet they insist that abortion is a "good" thing?...

Abortions are being performed in our nation by the THOUSANDS. This holocaust far exceeds anything that took place in Nazi Germany during WWII. We don't want to look at the carnage left behind after an abortion, but isn't it a reality? It is what is happening right here, right now in our own back yards, so to speak.... right under our noses.... Isn't it an oxymoron that the same mom that chose 'life' for her own child can be witnessed taking that same child to the abortion clinic to do away with her daughter's, according to Mr. Obama, "mistake"... If you don't believe me, go stand in front of an abortion clinic and watch (and pray) for those coming in and out... not only the girls that are pregnant, but their "support" people bringing and taking them... boyfriends, siblings, mom's, dad's, some it's hard to tell WHO they might be.... Assembly line killing of babies... legal... just something that "happens"... Doesn't mean I have to agree with it, like it, endorse it, pay for it, or vote for those who do... Not any more than i would vote for a candidate that would try to legalize child pornography, despite where he or she stood on the other issues, accept, of course, the issue of 'life'... That, in my mind, still stands above and beyond all else.... and, for the record, even if i can't find the one candidate that holds to the value of life at all stages as I do, I will choose the one that holds that closest to that value and do the least amount of damage... We are a broken society in need of an overhaul... God help us...

Movin on Up... and Out...

Daddy and the boys set fast at work the other morning to expand their chicken coop. Dad decided that he would like to plant some winter rye in our back yard in the next few weeks, so he no longer wants our chickens "ranging"... I have mixed emotions about this, because I DO enjoy watching them strut through the yard gathering bugs and worms... the down side is that they have made what little bit of grass we had left, virtually non-existent... So! included in this 4 foot length extension was 3 new nesting boxes for our remaining hens in hopes that they will soon began "earning their keep" with some egg laying.

This last weekend we traded one of our barred rock roosters for a barred rock hen and she already lays. The boys were so excited to find an egg, that yesterday evening my younger son pulled one right out from under her, still soft... oops... "honey... you can't get them THAT fresh... you need to let them have a chance to harden up..."

Also on the list of "to do's" in trying to get some eggs was to gather up and separate the roosters... still trying to decide WHAT to do with them... poor things... Freecycle is one option, but hubby is worried that they will end up in the cook pot or as fighters. He and the boys don't like EITHER of those options... and upon closer inspection this evening, he thinks he found yet another rooster in the pack... that would make roosters: 4, hens: 5. *sigh* and here we thought we were so "lucky" in having all hens when we first got them... Anyway, the boys did a great job on the coop, and if that isn't inspiration enough to make a hen lay an egg, well I guess we'll have to resort to feeding them some high protein 'crumble' food... the guy at the feed store told me that they started using it and it really works well... And, now, of course, the guys are VERY anxious to get some more hens... I sure hope that the ones we still have don't ALL turn out to be roosters! lol!!

Down to the Last Few Weeks....

Have you ever woke in the middle of the night suddenly remembering something you forgot?.... That happened to me at about 4:30 this morning. It suddenly popped in my head that I am almost 34 weeks pregnant and I completely forgot about my rhogam shot. Rhogam is a shot that women who are Rh-negative are supposed to get during their 26-28 week appointment. Oops...

So, I called my doctor's office first thing this morning and made arrangements to run down there when my husband was home for lunch and get it done. They didn't seem too concerned about it being so late... I don't really know WHAT the difference is... The nurse did tell me when i got there that my last blood test seemed okay and that there was no concern with any blood problems with the baby and I, and went ahead and gave me the injection. My understanding was that THIS shot would protect the baby in any possible FUTURE pregnancies, but now I'm not sure. Maybe it's for now and then... At any rate, it's done, now...

The last minute injection and run down to the doctors office really hit me, though, that I am ALREADY winding down to the end of this pregnancy. Despite all the frustration with specialists and insurance I really do feel pretty good. And comparatively, I think I'm doing better, health wise, than I have in any previous pregnancy. I think that THAT is a direct answer to prayer... Honestly, I have been sleeping well, despite the 2-3 times a night that I have to get up to use the bathroom : ) and despite my "torpedo" tummy, I am still able to get around pretty good, as long as i don't have to bend over, which absolutely takes my breath away!

The nurse told me that because I'm down to my last few weeks of this pregnancy she wanted me to make another appointment BEFORE the 20th, just to check and make sure everything is still going smoothly. So! Even though my doctor will be gone on vacation, I will have a visit with his office partner on the 10th and then keep my appointment to meet with my regular doctor on the 20th when he returns. It just really hit me that I really am getting close... I have so much still to do! As far as rearranging and making room in this house for a new wee one... I have a long "to do" list for tomorrow, that will include going through the girls clothes to put away the ones that #3 has outgrown for later and giving away the ones that #4 has outgrown, to make room for the new baby's "boy clothes". I have a sweet friend that sent me a box of boy clothes for the baby, since I gave all mine away, two baby's ago : ) My younger son was THRILLED that his baby brother won't have to wear pink! After that it's getting the girls settled together in their own room so that the baby will be in our room when he arrives in just a few more short weeks. Thankfully, it looks like we are on the far side of potty training for #4, as she has now gone 2 days accident free! Yippee!! Thank you everyone that remembers us in their prayers!

WHERE Do These People Come From?...

With all the craziness going on in this world, right now, I just don't understand these people's line of thinking... It's like they don't even think themselves human (maybe they're not?...) so have no interest in using their passions to protect their own... It's all about "living rocks" and "crying trees"... sheesh... I just don't get it...





And if THAT isn't ENOUGH craziness, in addition to crying and grieving over the dead trees, how about we DO something 'helpful' like, oh, I don't know.... come up with the BRILLIANT idea to urge Ben & Jerry's to use breast milk in their ice cream, instead of cows milk... Now, I don't know about you, but this just conjures up some images in my mind that i would rather not think about... including but not limited to, WHERE would they find these breast milk "donors" and WHAT exactly is their "production plan" for these women that would be "better" and healthier for them? than it would be for cows? That's an awful lot of milk production.... But then, I guess the cows, in their minds, have the superior rights to the women, right?... sheesh... this is one of those 'news' items that just leaves me.... speechless... I AM thankful, however, that Ben & Jerry's declined the offer...

Pictures from Ike...

Having a few friends and family that thankfully survived Hurricane Ike fairly well, I was really interested in seeing these pictures from after the storm. It really is amazing... living here on the "left" coast, I really can't imagine going through something like this... Earthquake, yes, but hurricanes, no... Prayers go out to all those that are still working to get their lives back together, and to those who lost family and friends...

The short - but eventful - life of Ike

Some Days... You gotta laugh to keep from crying...

That was my day yesterday... As a rule, Wednesday's are our hectic days, anyway... The kids have their "enrichment classes" at the charter school, where they get to take extra-curricular classes with other home schooled kids, like farming, and PE and art, woodshop, metal shop, computers, science, etc... They really enjoy meeting up with friends and doing new things other than what we do at home, and I enjoy a morning break usually at my mom's. While #'s 3 and 4 are done at 12:30, the oldest has a woodshop class until 3:00, and then we pick him up and head home to throw something together for dinner before we leave for CCD at 6:00.

Well, this week to add to our Wednesday fun, I had a doctor's appointment. I figured it was 'creative scheduling' since the kids would be at school and mom would only have to watch the baby. But, THIS Wednesday morning, after I loaded up the van and jumped in to start it to take the kids to school, low and behold, that "weak battery" that we knew we were going to have to replace soon, decided it had seen it's final start... My neighbor, bless his heart, came to our rescue, attempting to jump it back to life, even cleaning the connector cables for me, and still, to no avail... and it turned out to be HIS 76th birthday!! I felt so bad! even though he said he didn't mind... So, I call my mom and ask if she can come stay with the baby while I use her car to take the kids to school, it's 9:20. School started at 9:15 and the kids are freaking out because they are late... mom shows up at 9:40 and jumps out of her little Nissan Sentra and I jump in. The kids are 30 minutes late but they make it to class. I go back to my house to get mom and the baby (we wouldn't all fit in her little car at once...) to take them back to her house so I can shower and get to my doctor appointment by 11:00. Good thing I cancelled that 10:00am ultra sound two days ago... It is now 10:30 and my doctors office is across town, probably 20-30 minutes away...

I jump in and out of the shower, throw on my dress, realizing I forgot my slip (oops... don't tell my mom...), comb out my wet hair and head out the door to the doctor's. Arriving 15 minutes late, I explain my morning and all is well as I take a seat and wait to see the doctor.

When my name is called they check my BP (116/48) and my weight (4 lbs. less) and head for the exam room. My doctor enters with his usual smile asking me how I'm feeling, and we begin to talk about my "issues"... "so, you're not checking your blood sugar?"

*sigh* "Doc, I'm not trying to be a 'rebel patient', I'm really not... but my issue with pregnancy has always been my blood pressure, and my BP right now is so GOOD, it's ridiculous! "

he says, "Wow! (looking at my chart) that's better than mine! "

I continue, "but I'm 42 years old, I have just a few weeks left and this is my 5th baby... I really can't handle all these tests, and counseling and extra stuff... my insurance doesn't want to cover diabetic counseling 100%, I don't have time to make MORE appointments or the patience to check my blood. I followed your simple instructions to cut back on sweets and carbs, more protien and exercise, and I really feel great! Especially about my BP..."

he said, "You lost 4 lbs. What happened?"

"You guys made me paranoid about this blood glucose thing!! I admit, I probably wasn't watching the sugar and carb intake as much as i should have, and I just cut back... and tried to exercise more... It apparently worked..."

Although he would like to have another look at the baby with an ultra sound to check the size again before delivery, he understood why I really don't want to, unless it's completely necessary.... We discussed possible VBAC and he said after 3 c-secs, he really wasn't comfortable with 'trying' to have a VBAC. IF my water breaks and my body naturally begins to go that direction, while waiting for a scheduled surgery, okay, but otherwise, we will schedule surgery on my next visit on the 20th. I'm okay with that...

So! No more tests, no more diagnostics, no more specialists, no more ultra sounds (unless there's an emergency...) Surgery will be scheduled sometime the first week of November...

So, I get out of my appointment, grab something to eat and head back to mom's at about 1:00. At mom's I pull out my ingredients that I brought to make the cookies that I said I would take to my daughters CCD class that evening. As I unpacked, I discovered I left my recipe at home, so I call my sister to get it from her again, (it's her recipe...). As I'm writing it down, it occurs to me that I left the CHIPS for the chocolate CHIP cookies I was going to make, at home!! sheesh!! NOW what?! My sister, bless her heart, came to my rescue, volunteering to make them for me... Whew! One less thing on my list! Now I will just have to stop at the store on my way home to purchase drinks to go with the cookies...

We pack up from grandma's into her little car (we were jokingly calling it the circus clown car because I'm sure we were quite a site piling in and out of it! lol!! ) and head BACK to the school to pick up my oldest from woodshop at 3:00. When we pull up he proudly walks out carrying this HUGE CD/DVD rack that he just finished in class! Of ALL days for him to bring this home!! lol... so he spent the next 5 minutes trying to STUFF it in to the trunk with all of our other stuff that we already had in there (baking stuff, my personal stuff that I took to get ready for the doctor, the baby's potty seat, the kids binders, etc...) lolol... That finally accomplished we head down the road to the store to get the drinks.

At the store we get the drinks and I used my coupon for the "free milk" that I got the previous week when I bought several boxes of a certain cereal. The coupon said "FREE 1 gallon of milk valued at $5 or less". The lady was annoyed because the milk rang up at $4.99 and the register only deducted $3.99.... "Well, that coupon is for the $3.99 milk"

"But it doesn't say that. It just says, $5.00 or less..."

"well, it's only a dollar... "

"So, are YOU going to give me a dollar?..."

She sent me to the "information booth" where THAT person didn't know what to do, so she ended up coming over and doing it herself, anyway... oh well, lady... sorry to mess up your day... wanna trade? ; )

We get home close to 4:00 and pile out of Grandma's circus clown car and unpack the trunk, CD/DVD rack and all! : ) Frozen dinners tonight! I find a message on my phone machine from earlier in the day reminding me to bring snacks for CCD and asking me to call back to confirm. But when I did, there was no answer. Oh well... I was prepared... Hubby got home from work and took my battery out of my van and headed to the auto store to get a new one. $70 later he returned to put it BACK in my van, only to have it STILL not start... Great! So, leaving a very grumpy husband with a mad baby that didn't want to be left behind, at 5:30 we grab the drinks out of the fridge, pack the circus clown car back up and head to my sisters to pick up the cookies she graciously baked for me!

I go to my daughters 1st grade CCD class to find they have a sub teacher. A dad, bless his heart is trying quite unsuccessfully to calm down a class room of 42 wriggly 1st graders... oh well.. goes with the rest of the day! lol... I VERY tiredly sit through class waiting for "snack time" at the end, when I discover BECAUSE I didn't call that lady back (that left a message on my machine) she had ANOTHER mom bring snack, instead! so now they had DOUBLE... Okay, whatever... I had signed up for THIS day and I just hope they don't expect me to bring snack AGAIN at another time... I already thought that snacks AND drinks for 40+ kids was WAY TOO MUCH to expect one mom to bring to class... and I purposefully chose a class right now so I wouldn't have to worry about it later...

After class we head home where I am TOTALLY spent and exhausted! Hubby has calmed down and we discuss that we will just have to call our mechanic in the morning and see what he tells us about the van and deal with the fall out if and when it comes...

Thankfully, when I called and saw my mechanic this morning, the problem with the van turned out to be pretty minimal, with having to replace the alternator fuse. The alternator was fine (Thank you, Jesus!) My mechanic (a very honest one!) was only going to charge me $5, but I gave him $20, because I was SO thankful! We were honestly expecting a 3 digit price... We went and picked up Grandma so that she could retrieve her circus clown car, and when I thought I could finally sit down and try and get some school work done, I just couldn't... My motivation out the window, the kids took advantage of my lack of enthusiasm for school and I took advantage of the baby's nap and went in to my room and flopped on the bed, myself, for a good hour, hour and a half... When I got up, I had enough energy to do the dishes and monitor my oldest as he graciously made dinner for us : )

So, yeah, it's been a hectic few days, but God is good, and we've come out, once again, on the other side... Much to be thankful for... And if you've stayed with this story this long, it's probably because you can TOTALLY relate! Thank You, Jesus, for trials and challenges, for answered prayers, for your continual reminders that you walk with me through it all...

A Day at the Fair...

We took our annual first of the year field trip to the County Fair on Monday where we met my sister and her son and made the rounds of the crafts, quilting, crocheting, doll collections, mini town models made of toothpicks, the cake decorating, various collections and, of course, the animals. Surprisingly, there just didn't seem to be as much on display this year as in years past... not sure why...

All the same, we all had a blast, walking around, munching on our picnic lunch and snacks and visiting with familiar faces from years past... Here are a few pics of our day...

My girls are greeted by the cowboys at the front gate. As you can see, the baby was VERY excited to be so close to the horsey!

We stopped for some snacks in between exhibits...

The County Fair has what they call "School Fair Days" where school kids get in for free during the morning hours to visit the exhibits, the animals and some of the shows they have, like pig racing, clown acts, magic acts, hands-on science exhibits, petting zoo, etc... the carnival area with the rides is closed until later in the afternoon. So, tradition with our kids is, they like to sit on the foot-vibrating chairs and pop in a quarter.... They crack up EVERY time... we tell them "That's 'the ride'..." lol... that's okay, though, because the carnival area and those rides make me nervous, anyway... The baby wouldn't get on a chair until it stopped moving... lol...

Some other local homeschooling friends were showing their animals. This guy was holding what he called a "mini-rex" bunny. He was SO cute! And velvety soft! Quite content to sit and let the kids pet him...

This was a BEAUTIFUL pheasant that was being shown. The only one I saw, actually. You can see the beautiful color and my son couldn't help but take it's picture as it posed...

My nephew was amused at holding his finger out at this fine looking turkey, that would have liked nothing better than to grab it in his beak! If he could JUST get a little bit closer! lol...

This is the older brother of our homeschooling friends that had the mini rex bunny. My younger son enjoyed the chickens, as we all did...

This little girl was so cute! Didn't know her, but she had my sister help her get this chicken of hers out of the cage so she could show it to us. Yup. It's a chicken! Look again! It has a red head that blends right in with her shirt! At first glance it may look like she's holding a little black dog... Anyway! As you can see, my younger son is standing right next to her, anxious to hear about this cool looking chicken! After she put it back in it's cage he volunteered to help her go around and check on and feed all of her 4 chickens that she was showing. He was in "heaven"! lol!

A fun time had by all! The wheels are already turning in my young ones heads with plans for next year's fair and what they want to enter and/or show... From art work to chickens to bunnies... it's a tough choice! Good thing we have a year! ; )

Sad Days Ahead for our Chicken Farm...

So we started with a bakers dozen and lost a couple by pecking order... and then there were 11... 5 of them were barred rock. My sister wanted 2, so the boys happily gave her 2 to add to her flock... turns out one of those was a rooster... oops... and then there were nine... not long after we began to hear what sounds like "crowing" at the early morning hours... hhhhmmmm... which one is it?... another week or two goes by and we hear another crow, different from the first... uh-oh... Before long we are beginning to wonder, "Just HOW MANY Roosters do we have??"

Here we thought we had gotten so "lucky" picking chicks from the $.89/a piece box (which means there are no guarantees of gender or 'flavor' : ] ). We were sure that they were ALL hens... my sister said they had done this several times and NEVER got a rooster until they started having baby chicks of their own after they got a rooster from my OTHER sister... But, upon closer inspection we discover that there are not one, not two, not three, but FOUR roosters in the hen house... which would explain why we haven't gotten any eggs from the poor 5 little hens we have left... sheesh... and NOW, with each child having his or her favorite they find themselves struggling over which they have to give up... we make terrible farmers... I know it's gonna be tough for them to let go, but daddy is currently trying to convince them that if they get rid of three of the four, then hopefully they will have babies of their own... that might do the trick... anyone need a rooster?

It's a Moth! ; )

So I got an email from my sister from "The North" informing me that their "pillar" had made it's "mothly"appearance this morning and was ready to take flight for greener pastures (see above pictures) : ) It reminded me of our own pillar that I had forgotten to check on yesterday and low and behold, when I did, It's a Moth!! The kids quickly wanted to "keep it" for a pet... But we had to tell them that this is a wild creature not meant to be "kept". They can watch it in it's bug jar for the rest of the day and we will let it go this evening after daddy gets home. It was hard for me to get a good in focus picture (I'm still learning to use this camera...) but, you get the idea. It's cool to look at, and I'm guessing they MUST grow larger, because we have seen these moths MUCH larger than this. During the summer when we catch them resting under our porch lights we refer to them as "B-52" moths : ) Our moth pictures are at the bottom.

Is It Worth It?

That's what my husband asked me on his way out after lunch and back to work...

"Is it worth the $50 they want you to pay?..."

I have been battling insurance and doctors offices for the past couple of months... It started back on May 8th when I had the first trimester screen, recommended by my doctor,with the specialist, that also included, unbeknownst to me, a finger-prick blood test for Downs syndrome. The "positive" result that THAT test and the ultra sound combined gave me, caused my doctor to request that I consider the genetic counseling and meeting with the specialist again for a more "in depth" ultra sound. I declined then, telling him that it wouldn't make a difference, that I would carry the baby to term, regardless... I knew, by this time, that my insurance would not cover ultra sounds 100%, but only at 80%. I was confronted with THIS information when I went to the u/s on May 8th and was told I had to pay $80, that I didn't have, but had to scrape up (borrow) last minute or be charged the $25 no notice cancellation fee...

So, after my "positive" result from the first u/s, I decided INSTEAD of meeting with the specialist again I would have the basic "regular" ultra sound with the u/s tech, pay my 20%, see the baby, put my mind at rest and put it behind me. I re-iterated my decision AGAIN to the specialist nurse that called me to ask once AGAIN if i was SURE that I didn't want to see the specialist and have the genetic counseling and to make sure I understood WHAT the positive test result meant.... I scheduled my "basic" u/s for July 18.

The morning of the 18th I was feeling anxious and thankful that my husband was going with me. We sat waiting several minutes before ANOTHER nurse came and got me and took me back to her office to inquire ONCE AGAIN "WHY" I wasn't seeing the specialist and having the genetic counseling that my doctor recommended and just having the "basic" u/s? I again, reiterated to her my reasons being it not going to make a difference and that my insurance would only cover 80% and I didn't want to spend the extra $$ on something that wasn't going to change anything.

If you haven't kept up with the story, you can find it here.

So! I wait another week, and July 24th I have what i was told was the "State Program" covered u/s with the specialist and meet with the genetic counselor (that I really didn't care if I had or not, I really was focused on just wanting to SEE my baby... but was told it was all part of the deal...), and when the baby doesn't cooperate, the Specialist doesn't get all the measurements that he wanted and so asks me to return in three weeks, which I do.

So when I return on August 14 it was to COMPLETE what the Specialist Doctor started on July 24th, COMPLETEING the measurements all of which I was told would be covered under this "State Program" that I "automatically qualified for because I had a positive screening..."

"It doesn't matter WHAT your insurance covers, Mrs. P.", I was told on the 18th when I was encouraged to cancel my appointment that day and reschedule with the specialist on July 24th, the following week, "You had a positive screen and are AUTOMATICALLY covered by the State Program for EVERYTHING, including an amnio if you so choose to have, that needs to be done to monitor the baby, and will continue AFTER the baby is born if it turns out that the he or she does have Downs..."

It was shortly after this now "completed u/s" that I started getting a bill for the first session on the 24th where the baby didn't cooperate and he asked me to return. "Why" I asked the billing department...

"Well, that is your 20% leftover from your insurance"

"this was supposed to be covered by a 'State Program', why is my insurance being billed"

Fast forward to now. Now, after I have told the Doctors office for the umpteenth time that I was TOLD that it would not cost me ANYTHING and that is the ONLY reason I put off my originally scheduled u/s, I was NOT going to "eat this" and SOMEONE else would have to... and get THIS, the girl told me that the charge was for the GENETIC COUNSELING lady that I INSISTED that I really didn't care WHAT she had to say in the FIRST PLACE, but I was only interested in SEEING the baby!! It WASN'T going to matter!!!

I have called the billing office through the general line to be left on hold for over 45 minutes (both times) to receive a voice mail to which I never got a call back, twice. I got a direct number to a billing girl that I spoke with and said she would find out what was going on and she never called me back, TWICE. And when I finally got ahold of her a THIRD time she FINALLY told me that they would adjust the amount of $28.33 from the 24th appointment , but the $49-something (I haven't received THAT bill yet...) from the follow up u/s on the 14th of August could NOT be adjusted... "WHY NOT?! It was all part of the SAME "program" that I was told would be COVERED 100% back on the 18th of July when they convinced me to reschedule..." gggrrrrr....

I guess most people would say "forget it" and pay it and walk away... My husband would, at this point... Maybe to most people $50 isn't a lot of loss... But to this mom of five, $50 is a weeks worth of groceries, or medicines, diapers and toiletries for the month, gas for the van for a couple of weeks, a PAYMENT to the hospital for the emergency services I have had to take the kids in for over this past year... I can't do it... When I have to tell my kids that we can't take the trip to the zoo, or go to the movies, or I can't send them to camp or we can't go to the beach or take a vacation or even pay for sports or whatever, I just can't justify paying for something that I was ASSURED would be "taken care of" by this mysterious "state program"...

I found out when I called Miss "Blow-me-off-and-never-call-back's" supervisor this morning from HER assistant (yeah, still haven't been able to catch the one on top...) that NO "paperwork" was EVER submitted to any "State Program"... so NOW what? Do I qualify or not? No one can seem to give me a straight answer... I'll give them MY answer... I was ASSURED that I qualified BEFORE I ever cancelled my original appointment, that it would be covered and it would not cost me ANYTHING. I didn't screw this up. Someone there, did, and I'm not going to pay for it... what are they going to do? NOT deliver my baby?... maybe...*scoff*... whatever... I'm tired and this is all stressing me out...

I'm 32+ weeks in, I'm 42 years old and this is my 5th baby... I just want to crawl into a cave somewhere and let nature take it's course, at this point... Of course, I'd like to think that my family might miss me if I do that, so I guess I'll stick around a little bit longer... and wait to see if this supervisor lady is any better at returning phone calls than her supervisee... Please, God, she'll say the right thing... I told them that I go back to the doctor on the 24th next week and I really don't want to be confronted with this again... My blood pressure has been doing so well... *sigh*

So, to answer my husbands question, "Yes. It's worth it..."

It's worth it to this mom that will lay awake because she spent $5 on something that she later found she could have gotten at a different store ON SALE, using a coupon and save $4. It's worth it when you consider we already pay over $500 a month for insurance that we can't really even afford to use, when there is a $100 deductible per person ON TOP OF the 20% that you have to pay for pretty much any services that you need, but you can't really chance NOT having it... When you are a big family choosing to live on one income, "frugal" and "bargaining" becomes a way of life... a way of survival... it all counts.... It's worth it when I am able to save enough cash to take a trip or do something special and/or unexpected with the kids because it doesn't happen too often. It's worth it to see their happiness and excitement. Yeah, that's worth all of it... I'll let you know if I ever get that call back.. Rest assured, if I don't hear in the next few days I WILL be calling again... please, pray for me...

Gianna Jessen on Hannity and Colmes

Unfortunately I missed Gianna Jessen when she came to our town a couple of years ago to speak at a local parish. I had heard her story, but never had the chance to hear her, until this last Walk for Life held in Washington DC last January. I listened to her address on EWTN radio and was immediately struck with her personality and out look on life. The way she refers to her "gift" of cerebral palsy... incredible lady...

Anyway, she made an appearance on Fox News' Hannity and Colmes the other night, and bless her heart did her level best to stand up to what Alan Colmes was trying to say, though, I don't, for the life of me understand WHAT, exactly his point was.... It is just hard for me to fathom an argument that tries to justify NOT helping an infant that is born alive... What makes that baby any less a person than a baby that is born prematurely?... The commercial that she made confronting Senator Obama on the same issue is powerful... The above FOX link will take you to the interview, and here is the commercial in full...