7 Quick Takes Friday - May 17, 2013

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Today... was not what I expected.

I'm 19w3d pregnant today, and had my anatomy ultrasound scheduled. After that, I planned to spend the rest of the weekend recovering from a nasty bout with bronchitis last week while celebrating yet another healthy Wahlund baby. However, we received the news that our little Tiebreaker is not 100% healthy. 

The baby was diagnosed with bilateral club feet.

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The good news is that this condition is very treatable. 95% of babies born with club feet do not need surgery. From what I've been reading, and from what my OB said, the treatment will involve casting for the first several months, and afterwards a brace. If the casting and braces work as expected, s/he will be 100% cured in a few years. This is very, very good news.

It's also good news that I should still be able to have a vaginal birth. Baby shouldn't need to spend any extra time in the hospital, either, if there are no other complications.

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But I'm still feeling scared, and sad, and shocked, and overwhelmed. I'm probably going to write a more detailed blog post this weekend about my thoughts/feelings/experiences so far, just to get my feelings written out.

I'd appreciate prayers for our strength and for the baby's health, specifically that s/he won't have any additional complications and won't need surgery.

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Collin has been an absolute rock - he managed to take tomorrow off of work, even though I told him he didn't need to, just so he could be there for me this weekend as we process this news. I am so grateful for his love and support.

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We didn't find out the baby's sex, although I'm kind of regretting that now. If the u/s tech had hinted that there was a problem, I would have asked to know. I'd prefer to choose the baby's name right away so we can ask for prayers for him/her specifically and by name, but I don't anticipate having another ultrasound this pregnancy (unless the specialist we see about the club feet orders one?), so I guess we'll just have to wait and keep calling him/her Tiebreaker. :)

Collin thinks Tiebreaker is a boy since my OB said that club feet is more common in males than females. But I still think the baby is a girl, so I guess we'll have to see.

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Here are a few of the pictures we received:

Profile pic

His/her sweet little face in 3D (s/he was moving around a LOT, so it was difficult to get a clear picture!).

A picture that clearly shows one of his/her club feet. I didn't realize we had this pic until we got home, but looking at it now I can clearly see the problem. I didn't notice a thing during the ultrasound itself.

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Congratulations to Kara, who is my pregnancy buddy -- her baby BOY is due the same week as Tiebreaker! She's getting two sons this year! (And I won an awesome baby blanket for Tiebreaker in her recent FB auction for "Colton.")

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday - May 3, 2013

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MY ULTRASOUND PICTURES HAVE BEEN FOUND!! Apparently a lady found them in the parking lot of the grocery store and took them home. She Googled my name (it was on the pictures), which led her to my blog, which led her to my e-mail, and she got in touch and told me she had them. They're in the mail back to me! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!! Thank you for your prayers, St. Anthony!!

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Camping last weekend was fun, except for the fact that we arrived at the campsite at 8:30pm, started setting up the tent, and discovered that the poles were missing. (Apparently we couldn't fit them in the bag with the rest of the tent back in November, the last time we used it, and forgot that they weren't in the bag this time around.)

In an amazing coincidence (or "God-incidence"), my SIL had packed an extra set of poles from a tent they had thrown away due to a defective zipper. Collin and his brother drove into Podunk, AZ and managed to acquire some duct tape (which we will ALWAYS, ALWAYS bring with us in the future), and my FIL managed to rig up the tent using the extra poles and some duct tape. It took until 12:30am, but the darn thing got put up and stayed up the rest of the trip.

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We thought about going camping this July, when my dad comes for his annual weeklong visit, but my dad said he'd rather do something or see something he never had before. So, we discussed our options and decided on... Mexico!

We plan on going to Puerto Peñasco ("Rocky Point") to be precise. It's a fairly short drive from Phoenix and one of the safer places to go. We're still pricing our options, but I think we're going to rent a two-bedroom condo at one of the resorts for a couple nights and spend the a day or two just lounging around at the beach.

I've never been to Mexico, and neither has my dad, so we're both really excited to see it. Collin has been to Nogales before, but never to Rocky Point, so it'll be a new experience for him too.

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Proof that my husband loves me

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It's a special day today, and since most of my readership are NFPers, I think I'll share why. Nine years ago today, I became a mother. ;) Gotta love NFP, which helps you know these things!

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No sleeping in late for me tomorrow - I need to be on the computer at the stroke of eight to sign the kids up for swimming lessons this summer. Hopefully I can type fast enough to get my first choice of time slots.

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Kara's having one last Facebook auction for Colton, starting Sunday! Check it out!!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

7 Quick Takes Friday - April 26, 2013

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This is my first Quick Takes in over a month. Oops. I'm going to chalk it up to busy Fridays combined with pregnancy fatigue.

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I'm 16w3d today, but the pregnancy fatigue and occasional nausea is still hanging on. I haven't felt the need to take a (generic) Zofran in a few weeks, so that's something.

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A local pro-life pregnancy center asked for pregnant volunteers on Facebook -- they needed to train their new u/s technician in 3-D ultrasounds. I volunteered and went there on Wednesday -- and promptly lost the pictures later that night. *facepalm* I think they fell out of my purse when I was at the grocery store. Despite two trips there to retrace my steps, and talking to Customer Service, they haven't turned up. I can't figure out what happened to them. So, all I have is this picture-of-a-picture that I texted to Collin:

He or she looked perfect! His/her heartrate was 152bpm, exactly was it was during my OB appointment yesterday. And we scheduled our official anatomy ultrasound for May 17, so I'll get more pictures then. (We aren't finding out the sex of the baby until birth, regardless, by the way.)

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These are super fast quick takes because I need to get some stuff ready for our camping trip this weekend. Collin's dad is leaving for North Dakota next week, so this is our last chance to spend some time with him. We're going to Roosevelt Lake again, our favorite place to camp. Should be fun but, oh my, I have a lot to do before we leave this afternoon! (And I'm working from home today, so I have to get the bulk if it done during my lunch break.)

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Who needs a jack-in-the-box when you have a Violet-in-the-box??

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I borrowed all my newborn-sized clothes to the friend-of-a-friend last summer, and I got them all back today! Hooray! Looking at all those tiny clothes makes me so anxious for October.

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Kara's Disney-themed giveaway to benefit her adoption of "Colton" is still going strong! Check it out!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Colton's Happiest Place Giveaway!

Have you seen Kara's amazing Disney-themed giveaway to help bring sweet Colton home?? Check out the prizes!

You can enter by making a donation (tax-deductible), and/or by sharing the giveaway via social media. Check it out, and spread the word!

Vent of the Day

William had a well-child doctor's visit about two weeks ago and got up-to-date on his vaccinations.

Collin requested a copy of William's vaccination record so we could include it with his kindergarten paperwork. The lady at the office said she'd mail it to us.

Fast forward to yesterday, and we still hadn't received it. I called this morning and left a message with the doctor's assistant, asking when it had been mailed. I received a return call earlier this afternoon. The lady I spoke to said, "I hadn't actually mailed it yet, because I wasn't aware it was a priority, but it's in the mail now!"

I simply thanked her and hung up, but more because I was too shocked to say what I was really thinking. Which was, honestly, something along these lines: 

Getting my son's medical record is certainly a priority to me, regardless of the reason I need it! What on earth made her think this wasn't a priority, and why was that her decision to make? Exactly when was she planning to send it out -- a month? Two months? Half a year? When would it become a "priority"?

I'm pretty sure Collin mentioned, when he requested the record, that we needed it for William's kindergarten paperwork. Perhaps my son getting registered for kindergarten isn't a priority to her, but it certainly is to me.

I'm just... argh.

If I decided on my own that a customer's need for information was low priority, without actually consulting the customer, I'd probably get reprimanded or fired. Who does this?

At least ask my husband, "Is it okay if I send this out in a few weeks? We're pretty swamped right now." Because then he could have replied, "Could I just take a copy with me? We really want to get our son's kindergarten paperwork in as soon as possible."

And no, I don't know why they have to mail a copy instead of just getting one at the appointment.

Catholic Stand post

FYI, I wrote a longer (and slightly less snarky) version of Tuesday's post for Catholic Stand. Thank you all for the kind wishes and congratulations! They are very much appreciated!

Happy Easter, Happy News

Happy Easter! Christ is risen!

Our holiday was extra special this year, because we shared the joyful news with our families that our fifth child is due to arrive somewhere around October 8!

Here is a sneak peek at Tiebreaker (our pet name for #5), from my ultrasound at 7w6d:

Thankfully, s/he had a strong heartbeat. We had a scare early on in my pregnancy caused by five days of red bleeding and clots. I had three blood tests to check my HCG levels (all doubled nicely), and then this ultrasound. Yesterday, at 12w6d, Collin and I were able to hear the baby's heartbeat via Doppler for the first time (153 bpm).

The news was received by our families with much surprise and some concern, so I've compiled a brief FAQ to answer many of the questions we've already been asked (and some I expect have been asked behind our backs).

Q: Five kids? Are you crazy??

A: Yes!

Q: Where will you put them all?

A: In bedrooms, with bunk beds eventually. If necessary we can also pitch tents in the backyard. Arizona's climate makes that a viable option.

Q: Was this planned?

A: When that becomes your business, I'll let you know.

Q: Don't you know what causes that?!

A: Yes, and we're very good at it.

Q: Are you trying to overpopulate the Earth?

A: No, just outnumber the idiots.

Q: Haven't you ever heard of contraception?

A: Of course we have. We simply choose not to use it. We've very pro-choice in that regard.

Q: You're done after this one, right?

A: We figure we'll stop once we get an ugly kid. Hasn't happened yet.

Q: Are you going to get fixed?/Is Collin going to get fixed?

A: No; neither of us are broken. In fact, our reproductive systems work perfectly!

Q: How are you going to afford five kids?

A: We plan to write a best-selling book in which we demonstrate how to deflect rude questions from nosy people. We've had a lot of experience so far.

Any other questions? Please feel free to ask! I can't guarantee you'll get the answer you want, though. :)