Todnem.com (beta)

It's like a complete 180 with Kadie. She has been having such a terrific week! It's a little early to claim that the sit down on Friday sunk in and Kadie "got it" as I know that all kids have good days and bad days, but whatever it is, she's really stepped up to the plate. She's done an awesome job in the mornings at getting ready for school on time and not showing any attitude, even when she doesn't get what she's asking for. She's done an equally awesome job in the evenings with Jeff, getting her homework done, playing nicely, and keeping a positive attitude (evenings have, historically, been harder for her).

At school, she had the crawling incident on Monday and the teacher had to talk to her on Tuesday about disturbing another student while she was working, but on Wednesday, Kadie's notebook came home with a note saying that she had an absolutely great day with no incidents.

Yesterday, Kadie took her math facts quiz (it's a sheet of 40 addition problems that's timed) in a conference room after school. She was able to complete the whole sheet in just a minute over the expected time limit. In the past, she's been several minutes over and hasn't finished, even then. While waiting for her to finish, Jeff was talking to the teacher and related the story of when he was placed in the hallway (2nd grade, I believe), surrounded by a big sheet of cardboard, because he was disturbing other students, and made a joke similar to "like father, like daughter." He may have something there...I know Kadie can't be singled out her entire school career to focus on things like this, but if it helps her for now, it's nice to know that the school is willing to do it for her.

Jeff and I have been very focused on our attitudes towards her as well (which I know adds to Kadie's success). We're trying to be a little more patient, a little more responsive, and explain things a little better to her, including our expectations.

All in all, we're both very proud of how she's been behaving this week and hope that the trend continues.

For those of you thinking of seeing this movie, you may want to wait to rent it. I'm not a huge fan of Tim Burton, but I have enjoyed several of his other movies, so we took a chance on seeing this one (in actuality, we wanted to see Avatar, but didn't get the chance to while it was in the theater, and Alice took its place on the day that we were available to go). Without going into too many details so as to not ruin it for anyone, it's Burton's own "special" take on the story (keep in mind, he was the mastermind behind Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, the Corpse Bride, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street). It had some interesting elements, but if I had to sum the entire thing up in one word, it would have to be: slow. I don't think either Jeff or I walked out of there thinking, "Wow! That was a good flick."

What is your all time favorite board game?

Clue

How have you changed in the past year?

I've gotten a lot fatter, but that should start changing again soon.

Consider that a person cannot see the color red. They don't even know they cannot see the color red, as it does not and cannot exist for them. How do you explain the color red so that they understand?

I'm starting to think we may have to cut our losses (or I may have to) and sell the puppy. I made the decision to get him while we still had someone at home to take care of him during the day and help me with the potty training, but those circumstances have changed, and I have spent the last several days cleaning poop and pee out of his crate and giving him a daily bath.

He goes outside and does his thing and then comes right back in and does it again...in his "den" where he's not supposed to want to go. I have made the crate small enough with a cardboard box that he doesn't have an area to go in and an area to sleep in, so he goes and then steps, sits, and lays in it.

He wasn't doing this before, so I'm wondering what the change is. I'd blame the recent snow, but it's gotten to the point where I have to go outside and drag him in because he enjoys playing out in it so much, so I know it's not the fact that he doesn't want to "go" outside in this weather.

Waking up to this every morning really starts me off in a foul mood, which isn't helpful or nice for the rest of the family, and I'm going to have to start getting up early just to clean out his crate and give him a bath before I leave for work. Sleep deprivation is already a problem - not keen on adding to it.

I realize he's only four months old, but he seems to be regressing from what little progress we had made, and not having any issues with doing exactly what all the experts say he's not supposed to do. My frustration grows daily and I'm left with leaving him in the crate all day and night, except for when he's outside, because I can't trust him not to poop or pee all over my carpets, even when he has literally just gone. It can't be much fun for him and we're certainly not benefiting from having the company of a dog when he's locked away in a crate all day.

I'm beginning to wonder if we're really cut out for animals. Except for Kadie's fish, they all seem to do fine for a bit, and then they set out on a path of destruction against us.

I've made the suggestion to Kadie (in a moment of frustration and anger) that we may have to get rid of the dog, which, of course, upset her, so I know she has developed an attachment to him. Besides, what kind of message does that send to her? "If you can't behave, we won't tolerate you and you're out the door..." This was supposed to be a learning experience for her, too - and that's not really the message that I was going for.

The 3 to 9 inches of predicted snow has now become 10 to 20 inches (that's on top of the 2 feet we already have that hasn't yet melted but an inch, if that). The storm watch is from noon tomorrow until 7 pm Wednesday. Kadie's school has been closed since 11:20 am on Friday, tomorrow is definitely off, and Wednesday is looking to be off as well. I'm getting a little sick of this. I think all three of us are feeling a bit cooped up. Maybe we'll venture out early tomorrow to get some breakfast and an angel food cake mix and whipped cream. I bought 2 pints of strawberries for Kadie's Valentine Day party that's supposed to happen on the 10th...but it's looking like that's going to be postponed, so I need to use up the strawberries.

We are under about 2 feet of wet, heavy snow and they're predicting another 3 to 9 inches Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning. Jeff has spent a great deal of time shoveling a path down to the trees for the dog to pee/poop and creating a path to drive at least one of the cars out to the adjoining "shared" driveway that the neighbors have nicely cleared about 2/3 of with a snow blower.

We have been busy pulling things out from storage to see what we have to buy for baby, and I've been washing all cloth items and cleaning all metal/plastic portions of things like the swing, the bassinet, the car seat, the stroller, and the bouncy chair. I thought having a clean car seat was a higher priority, so next on the list will be washing the baby toys we kept.

Thankfully, we either kept, or I was able to get second-hand again, all the big ticket items except for a breast pump (I'm not sure they sell those second-hand and, even if they did, I'm not sure I'd want to use a used one). I'm pulling out the gender-neutral clothing, but I don't have much from Kadie - thankfully, I was able to get a bundle of used items for a fairly good price that will probably take us up through the first 3 to 6 months without having to add much. While I'm on maternity leave, I plan to go through the bins of clothing and will try to sell as much as possible on Craig's list (my way of contributing to the bill paying during those months, if you will).

I have a three-page paper to write (due tomorrow) on Imperialism in the US...not a huge fan of the idea, but it shouldn't take me more than a couple of hours if I can get quiet ones. I have three more weeks of this class, another 5-week class, and my "final project" class (also 5 weeks long) left and I'll be completely done with my degree. If I work through the rest of the pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum, I'll be done by 10 May. I haven't decided if that's what I'm going to do though. If I make it through the rest of this class without going into labor, I just may postpone the next class until a few weeks after the birth.

What sound can't you stand?

Whining...'nuff said.

Whatever hit us, hit us hard and fast. Both Kadie and I seem to have some sort of cold or upper respiratory infection. I started feeling all clogged up with a sore throat yesterday morning and Kadie started coughing and breathing like a 50-year-old smoker about the same time. We're both feeling pretty miserable today after a night of little to no sleep, and there's nothing worse than dealing with a 6-year-old who's bored and feeling badly (wow - can we say crabby and just a little obnoxious?).

Unfortunately, it's also 37 degrees and rainy, and the puppy still needs an attendent when he goes outside, so we're trying to bundle up and make the trips quick. He's also suffering from lack of attention since neither Kadie nor I feel much like romping around on the floor at the moment.

Thankfully, tomorrow is a holiday for all of us, so we have an extra day to get over this before we have to make it through a day of school/work. So far, we've made it through the first half of the 20th season of Simpsons and I've started a load of laundry...the debate is still on whether or not that load will be followed by another, or even if that first load will get dried and/or folded.

I have had it with rude, whining, reluctant, unhelpful, fighting kids. I have had it with being tired of constantly reminding and policing. So. Boot Camp has commenced.

No toys. No TV. No play dates. No treats. No privileges. All they have is books and a chair...and chores, and homework. They must do what they are asked and reply with an immediate YES MOM and do it. If they don't, they will be very busy. I am no longer feeling patient, kind or forgiving...that was not doing any of us any favors, and was only making me tired and crabby.

So, I am hitting the reset button. The kids are getting a reality check, and will start being better self managers, being kind to each other and attending to tasks that need to be done. Mamma has had it.

I've been suffering from leg cramps at night - the kind that wake you up and make you feel sore the next day (like I need any more physical issues to make me limp around right now). I know pregnancy increases my odds for getting these, but there's more to this story...

For quite some time, I've been taking magnesium at night to help keep migraines at bay as it has purported muscle relaxant properties. About one week ago, I ran out of the pills and haven't gotten around to getting more. It's been the last three or four nights that I've been dealing with the cramps...coincidence?

I bought a couple of bananas this morning to try to help ward off more cramps tonight, but I'm also ordering another big bottle of magnesium.

Generally we Americans have fallen into a state of apathy toward our government. Our vote really doesn't make any difference. The politicians don't listen to us. There is nothing we can do about it so why bother. Just ignore the situation, nothing will ever change. Sound familiar? Well, now you do have an opportunity as an individual to change this directly. You have an opportunity to make a difference.

Scott Brown may be the one last remaining hope to kill the health care abomination. He is running in the Massachutes special senatorial election to replace Ted Kennedy. If elected he has promised to be the 41st vote, which will kill the democrat super majority. In a hugely democrat state, polls show he is within striking distance and closing. If you have ever considered making a political donation, now is the time. The election is Jan 19th so please do it today. They take credit cards. Here is a real chance to make a difference. Think of it as an investment in your country. What you donate now will be a drop in the bucket to what we will all pay if health care passes and this financial nonsense continues another year.
To put this in perspective, up until yesterday, I had never donated to a candidate in my life. On the other hand if you think government knows best and should be all things to all people, or it's not worth the effort, then no further action is required. As always it is a choice and all choices have their consequences.

Google Scott Brown senate race for more info

“Life is just a chance to grow a soul.�

â€"A. Powell Davies
(1902-1957); minister

I took my first pregnancy (from either one) spill yesterday. I took Diego out for a potty break and slipped on the slope down to the trees where we take him, which still has some snow and ice on it. I landed squarely on my butt. I sat for a few minutes, trying to gauge any pains, but the only ones I found were coming from the rear. There hasn't been any bleeding, cramping, nausea, etc. and baby is still as active as ever, so we're good to go. I'm going to be extra diligent with assessing any twinges for another couple of days though. Meanwhile, I have thoroughly bruised my tailbone which, if you've ever done it, you realize is quite painful, especially when you have a desk job and a 2-hour commute every day.

The good news is that the pain from the bruised tailbone has caused me to shift the way I'm walking and standing enough to relieve some of the pain that I've been dealing with for the past two months with the pelvic girdle pain.

There's something to be said about cultures where extended families live together, with the younger females (who can physically take bearing and delivering children) having the kids, and the older females (who have the experience and patience) raising the kids.

Diego arrived late Monday night and was absolutely terrified. He refused to even look at us, much less respond to us the first night. I gave him a quick, warm bath and wrapped him in a towel (he'd been in the same crate for about 10 hours) and he fell asleep in my arms. We cleaned up the crate and put him back in and he didn't make a peep all night.

The next day, he was still cowing a bit, but he did start romping around like a puppy and Kadie got some good play time in, but she was having a hard time understanding that he needed rest. We took him to the vet and got him checked out (he's healthy and good to go at 6.6 pounds). He's working on potty training - we've had a couple of accidents, but he's doing a good job at going outside when we all get together on the same page. It could certainly be a little warmer for this business, but at least we're not tromping through several feet of snow to get to the potty spot.

This morning Jeff went downstairs to find Diego in the middle of the living room with a couple of piles around him (the crate's door apparently needs to be jiggled a bit to be sure it's locked securely). There was one very small yellow spot (the other messes were dried poop), and when I took him outside, he immediately squatted to pee, so I think he did try his best to hold the liquid.

He was very excited to see us this morning and was jumping around, wagging his tail, giving kisses, and talking a little (he hasn't been very vocal yet), so I think he's settling in to his new home and family. Kadie was very surprised to find him (she has been telling everyone that he's two days early), was having fun with him yesterday, and was up early again today to play. Jeff keeps calling him "scrawny" and complaining that there's nothing to pet but skin and bones, but even he seems taken with him.

We finally came to an agreement and are expecting a 3-1/2 month old male miniature schnauzer puppy on the 14th. I've posted a picture of him that the seller sent me in the Images section. He's considered a dark salt-and-pepper (note the silver around her nose and on his legs) and should grow to be about 14 or 15 pounds. Kadie seems to prefer Diego as a name, and I'm not against it, so unless she or I comes up with something better, that will probably be what we call him. We're having to wait a little longer so that the seller can get him fixed (on our request), but we've started the preps for when he arrives.

We had also deemed Java (our cat) worthy of chance number 3 after our neighbor returned her from a snow drift in their yard the day after the big snow storm. Since she had been outside for so long, I didn't want her in the main portion of the house until we had taken her in to get her groomed and checked for fleas, ticks, and other nasties, so we had her in the mud/laundry room with her food, water, a litter box, and a nice big towel for her to sleep on. Unfortunately, due to timing of the holidays, the first appointment we could get for her was this coming Tuesday.

She was doing fine and Kadie was enjoying having her back in the house (even if she was contained to one room) until yesterday. Kadie went in to play with her as she had been doing several times each day and she came back out rather quickly to tell me that it looked like Java had peed on her towel. Jeff and I found (and still find) this very weird. From everything we've ever heard about most cats and dogs, they will not mess the bed in which they sleep - yet, this is exactly where she peed...not in a corner, not on the floor mat, (thankfully) not right in front of the door where we would have stepped in it. Unfortunately for Java, this was the one condition under which we had agreed to let her back in the house. Neither Jeff nor I are willing to tolerate an inside cat that doesn't use the litter box.

Thankfully, when Jeff let her out, she happily ran out the door and started bounding around the yard. It would appear that she is happier out there, and as she is a Maine Coon (bred for colder climates), she seems to do quite well. She still has her nicely padded cat house on the front porch and we continue to feed and water her each day, and though she doesn't get nearly the amount of attention she would get if she were back inside the house (especially in the winter), she seems content.

What have you tried in life that you just weren't very good at?

Playing an instrument. Even my organ teacher agreed, although she lost a paying student, that I had no talent. I need to watch my fingers - one reason I can't type very fast, and I have NO rhythm. When we were suppose to clap the rhythm in choir, I would fake it by watching what others were doing and not clapping loud enough for anyone to hear. I love to sing, but learn the songs by listening and lots of repetition.

What is your personal motto?

I'm sure you all know I have these tattooed on my wrist, but they're worth repeating:

Live Consciously
Practice Patience
Just Breathe

When I'm able to add more, I will be adding:

Choose

As in "choose how you handle this situation - whatever it may be."

Kadie lost her third tooth this afternoon. She lost her first tooth the day before we all came back west for a visit in September, and her second tooth the Wednesday we were there. They were the bottom front two - the third tooth is the bottom one to her left of those two (the permanent ones still being only about half to two-thirds in). I have put "find a children's orthodontist" on my to-do list as the first two are coming in very crooked (not quite sideways, but nowhere near straight) and there doesn't appear to be any room at all for the third to appear except either in front of the first two or seriously sideways itself. I know there's an apparatus they use to widen the upper palate on children, starting around seven years of age, but I'm not sure if they have an equivalent procedure for the bottom.

Since I spent the majority of Kadie's short life in braces (she has several times now told me that she prefers how I looked with the braces on), she is actually quite eager to get braces herself. I have tried to explain that she needs most of her permanent teeth in before she can get braces, but she doesn't seem to care much for the details of the matter.

CAUTION: NO EYES YOUNGER THAN TEN SHOULD READ BELOW!

Anyways, I now have to wait until a certain little girl (who's been off-schedule due to the holidays) to fall asleep before I can go to bed, so that I can creep in and switch out her tooth for a dollar. You know, parents have only themselves to blame...if we stopped lying to our kids, we wouldn't be in the position of losing sleep several times a year to play Tooth Fairy and Jolly Old Nick.

It was a balmy 16 degrees this morning as Kadie and I headed out to church - the same as it has been the past two days. Yesterday and today, due to the 40 to 50 mph gusts of wind, I'm sure it spent the majority of the day "feeling like" single digits. I'm dreading our electric bill this month. They're calling for possible snow showers tomorrow and Friday and temps right around 30 all week.

btw...for anyone looking for a good kids' movie, I highly recommend both Alvin and the Chipmunks: the Squeakquel and The Princess and the Frog. We saw the first on Christmas Eve and went to the second today. Both were chuckle worthy, even for an adult, but if you can only see one, I'd choose the Princess movie. Both captured Kadie's interest almost 100 percent - a noteworthy accomplishment.

I am seriously considering Kadie's long-standing request for a puppy at the moment, but never really realized the implications of breed characteristics when it's more than just me I'm thinking about. I found a very good web site that lists pros and cons for each breed, and I'm steering towards the miniature schnauzer both because of the reviews and the memories of Hanz and Tina.

One of their biggest pluses is that they shed very little (more like a human sheds hair) and they're energetic without being overly demanding like some of the bigger, working dogs breeds.

Mom - before I fork over the hefty price tag on a miniature schnauzer, am I romanticizing the breed? I remember both dogs being very good, very well-mannered, very trainable, very good around kids, etc., but I was a kid myself for most of the time we had them.

Jeff's biggest concerns are: barking, chewing, house training, and looks (he's already told me that he doesn't much care for the looks of a miniature schnauzer, but that may take a back seat, depending on the other characteristics).

We've been doing this just for the kids for quite some time, but if one of the bigger kids has a particular need, don't hesitate to bring it up.

Remember to list specifics if you have them (clothing sizes, color preferences, etc.).

Kadie
Amazon wish list (Search on Kadie Todnem)
We're set on clothes and we have all the movies she can use.

Violet

Zachary: Zachary is always easy...trains, cars, leggos and lately Bakugan, although I am not really certain what those are. The Fisher Price trains for his set seem to have doubled in price, at least on Amazon...maybe elsewhere for less???

Brianna: Bri really likes projects and things that keep her creating and busy. Beads, project items (glue, shapes, sparkles, macaroni's etc). Things to trace, make jewelry. She also wants a barbie lunchbox?? Barbie dolls are good I think...also books that have school work kind of things in them. She loves doing homework. Beginning reading, basic math...I am guessing kinder to first grade levels...she is relatively advanced for kinder. She really wants to learn Spanish too!

1. Our huge deployment at work is over (at least the biggest part of it is). I still have a lot of paperwork to do to document everything.

2. Kadie is now in her first big-girl bed. She's been sleeping in the same toddler bed since she was about 18 months old. This one is a twin, captain's-style bed with 6 drawers underneath. With the extra thick mattress that we got (do they make them thinner than 12 inches now days?), the top of her bed is higher than ours. She fell out the second night in it, but it wasn't serious and there haven't been any other mishaps. She's been enjoying it and the drawers put all her clothes down at a level where she can easily take them out and put them away all on her own.

UPATED: Jeff just told me she fell out last night. Still no major injuries - just not a pleasant way to wake up.

3. Kadie also got her first real haircut the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Other than trims and two chunks that Kadie, herself, removed when she was a toddler, she hasn't had a real cut. We walked into Walmart the other week and she stopped by the hair cutting place and said, "Mommy, I want my hair cut like yours." I knew Daddy wouldn't like quite that drastic a cut, so I convinced her to look at some of the books they had and she picked out a cute cut that comes to her shoulders, rounded up a little as it comes around the sides. It has a little bit of layering to make the ends curl and bounce. She told me afterwards that the cut:
-made her look cuter.
-made her sing better.

4. I FINALLY got my braces off! Three and a half years and a lot of pain...I go in next week to get my retainers. There's a small gap between my top front two teeth, but they're shaping the retainer in a way to help close that. It's so nice to not have my cheeks and lips constantly ripping and tearing, and I even ate a carrot today.

5. We got our first snow of the season today, and unlike the last two years, it was a decent one. Of course, they're calling for sun for the next three days and then a day of rain, so it will be all gone extremely soon, but we're up to about 5 inches tonight. It was pretty wet and heavy, so good for snowmen and snowballs, but not so great for sledding, though Kadie and Jeff gave it a good couple of attempts. They built an alien snowman, which Kadie named Sam and is currently lamenting his impending doom, and pelted each other with snowballs for a while.

6. Baby Todnem is healthy and kicking...fiercely and constantly. I have a little edema in my ankles and feet, but the worst thing right now is the fairly consistent heart burn. I found it's really hard to find antacids that aren't made with artificial sugars. I'm big enough for preggie clothes now and the belly makes sleeping uncomfortable. Still, I'm healthy - no flu or cold, etc. - and all seems to be going well.

If you had to go on a two-week vacation with any celebrity, who would you pick as your traveling companion and where would you go?

The first thing that came to mind when I read that was a vacation with Hugh Jackman to Australia. I've heard he's one of the nicest celebrities you can hope to find and he's very down to earth and friendly. And, what better way to explore Australia, which I've always wanted to do, then with a local? Of course, Hugh's good looks have nothing to do with the idea...really.

Hope you have a great day!

If you are interested in great portraits without the high cost of school photos, Walmart has a special for $7.99. They do adults, too, for the same price.

Good Morning to All.

First, where are the picture from your trip, picture of Grandkids, parents?

Okay now. Some of you know some of you don't. But when I was a child and yes I was a child a one time. My brother Jack and I were adopted by my brother Russ's Dad. I have always known that I was adopted and of course went through all the emotion on wonder why my biological father didn't want anything to do with us. When I would ask my Mom about it she would always put up road blocks and try and steer me away from the subject. (My father wasn't a very nice man when he was drinking. He had strangle and beat my Mom. So I know that this is the reason she left and we moved from Tennessee back to Wyo.) Years later I found out that I had two more siblings.

When I was 22 years old I decided that I was going to find my father and I told my Mom that I wanted to do this, she told me that she had heard from one of his sisters that he had died in a car crash. So, why should I not believe her. This is 1979. In 1994 I was working for the Washington State Patrol and had access to the national data base for driving records also, wants and warrants. Me being bored decided to look up people like Elvis Presley and yes there was a driving history for him and for fun I ran my father's information knowing that he had died in 1979. Well, to my surprise he not only had a driving history but also the record was as current as 1991, but is was suspend and no new activity. You ask why I can be so sure that it is him especially with a name like John Austin, which in the south is very common. But his middle name is Alva not common and his birthday is 2 days after mine. The next I saw my Mom I brought up the subject again, she was quiet and she said again that his sister told her that he died in a car accident. I showed her the proof and she start writting down information about what she knew. Of course I start looking around but never found any real clues. I even called a few John Austins in and around the area that was on the driving records, the gentlemen that I talked to all wished me good luck.

So, I will shorten this up. After my divorce in 2001 I decided to give this one more shot. I was looking the the Social Security death index looking for ancester and look to see if my father was there, nope not there. This was in June. Around Oct. 2001 I was playing on my computer and decided to look at the index again and yes there he was died June 12, 2001. This was such a let down. And without knowing the names of the two siblings I wasn't sure what I would do.

In Oct 28, of this year I decided that I would order my father death certificate with cause. As I have gotten a little older I thought It my be a good idea to find out what was the cause of death. The death certificate arrive Nov 1, and to my utter delight the name James D Austin was the informant's name on the certificate with an address. And that the death certificate says that my father was a Senior well I am pretty sure of what the name of the other child is. I called my brother Jack to tell him the news and he said he would try and get information on James.

Okay, Jack will look and see what he can find. So I make a little dinner and keep looking at the certificate, sit down at the computer, run the name through a few search data bases, do a reverse directory on the address, find that there is more than one person with the last name of Austin living in this home, there is also a telephone number. Some more search and I find John A Austin Jr same address.

Bottom line. Jack called the number Friday Nov 3, no one home but leaves a message about 2 hours later John called back, they talked about 20 mins and we had found them both. Now after about 15 hours on the phone Jack and I are flying to Mempis, Tn December 29 for a new family reunion. Oh and yes we all look like each other, they have been look for us for about 20 years. My father told both of them about Jack and I.

The hole that has been in my heart for all these years if full, I found out that my father had looked for us, fought the adoption, came to Wyoming one time to see us but Mom wouldn't let him, she was afraid he would try and take me with him. John told me he probably would have. A little girl who thought that her father didn't love her now knows that he did.

Happiness. I talked to John last night and he told me that they were taking us to Graceland and I had to have him repeat that again. And in a joking manner I said forget seeing you guys just take me to Graceland. A dream come true. Another two things off my bucket list.

I just have to keep telling myself that it happened now for a reason.

Love To All

Ya I know I don't write well, and it's long sorry, Happiness

Mom called last night to see how we were doing since there was a hurricane in the area, but, true to our news-free nature, we were oblivious to that fact. We have been getting a lot of rain lately, but we've had a pretty wet year all-around, so we just thought it was more of the same. Of course, today is sunny and 70 degrees. Kadie's outside right now, playing in capris and a t-shirt and we've opened some of the windows in the house to air it out. Gotta love Maryland weather.

BTW...it's November. Being that I've been so swamped at work, and so dead tired once I get home, I've let a lot of things slip recently, one of which is Christmas shopping. Once again, I reiterate that Amazon has a great wish list function, which I make full use of for Kadie (and I've created a short one for baby now, too). You don't have to buy off Amazon (though they often run deals where you get free shipping for purchases of 25 dollars or more which is a GREAT thing considering the price of postage these days), but it will at least give you an idea of the kinds of things the kids are asking for.

If you do buy off the list, but not through Amazon, just remember to email the associated parent and let them know to update the list so your kid doesn't get two of the same thing.

For those of you who have had a gift request that cannot be found on Amazon, or just have general gift ideas, I'll do what I did last year and start a post that family members can edit.

Now I'm off to finish the laundry, clean the kitchen, cook some dinner, and write my college paper. Who said being grown up wasn't fun?

Long story short: baby is A-okay.

The concern turned out to be a bright spot on the heart which was a calcification of the heart muscle. In and of itself it's not a problem. It's seen on 2 to 5 percent of all sonograms and usually disappears by the time the baby is born. They've also followed children with the spot and have found that it doesn't affect them at all.

The research has, however, shown an extremely weak link between the spot and Down's Syndrome. So, the second sonogram was to search for other markers, none of which were found. According to all measurements, baby Todnem is extremely healthy and growing according to all norms. We also verified the money shot and are fairly positive the pink stuff can be donated.

In the end, I have a 0.03 percent chance of having a baby with Down's Syndrome simply because of my age at delivery. The one soft marker they found (the spot) increases that risk to 0.06. In a more positive light, there is a 99.4 percent chance that baby Todnem will be perfectly healthy.

I promised both the doctor and Jeff that I wouldn't dwell on this, so I will only post about this once and "move on." Last week's sonogram showed a "shadow" on baby's heart. The doctor assured me that she's positive that it's just that - a shadow, not an indication of something more serious. However, to be certain, we have an appointment at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore on Tuesday at 1100 with a sonographer who specializes in fetal heart monitoring.

I am forcing myself to push all worries to the back of mind at this point, but I would like to request some extra well wishes and prayers for now - both for baby's health and for my general well being, which is even more important right now.

Other than that, baby seems to be doing well. I can't remember how long he measured, but the doctor did say, "He's gonna be a big one." I could have told her that. This past week, baby's feet have been permanently lodged under my right-side rib cage and he frequently stretches his full length. He's a lot more active than I remember Kadie being, but then I know better now what it (fetal movement) feels like, so I'm more conscious of when it occurs.

We will, of course, let everyone know the results of Tuesday's appointment. We were told that we'd know the score before we left the hospital, so we don't have to wait for anyone to read and evaluate anything.

How do you stay organized? hahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaahaaahahahahahahaaaaaaa!

Nitty gritty details:

This coming Tuesday marks 20 weeks and my due date is still mid-March.

Now looking into matching a middle name to our chosen first and separating all the pink clothes from the rest. Will keep the pink ones around for now - family history has proven these things are somewhat debatable, but the picture was pretty clear to even an untrained (our) eye.

Kadie doesn't seem as disappointed as I thought she would be - she's (at this point) just excited to be a big sister.

I'm starting to really get the baby pooch (though most people still can't see it). It's getting harder to bend over and breathe at the same time (I carried Kadie "internally" and this one appears to be doing the same).

Trying desperately to ignore the massive amounts of stress from work and just now getting back to normal life at home (two weekends were spent on the trip west, the next was in North Carolina, and the fourth was in Vermont) - we still haven't fully unpacked.

What piece of advice do you wish you could take? I don't wish to take any advice...telling thought...

I'm sitting here at my desk, typing one-handed, as I am holding a portable fan in the other - directed up my shirt. We stopped for breakfast this morning and I ordered a large tea which, unbeknown to me, had a nice little drippy hole in the bottom. Those of you who know the wonderful staining properties of tea can well understand my desire to wash out the spots as soon as I could. So there I am, standing in the women's bathroom with my face plastered to the mirror so that I can get the front of my shirt far enough into the little sink to wash out the tea. Of course, we don't have hand dryers in our bathrooms, so I threw on a sweater to make it back to my desk and am currently enduring sub-zero temperatures as the fan makes a desperate attempt to dry my shirt from the inside-out.

Who says Mondays have all the fun?

Anyone attending the little family reunion this weekend/week, please bring your cameras. Jeff left ours in the FJ when he took it down to North Carolina, so we don't have one for the trip. We'll probably pick up a disposable one, but their quality is questionable and you can't just delete the fuzzy pics.

Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow (or, in our case, Sunday).

Fall is upon us! The weather is cooler, the breezes are blowing, the windows are open, the noses are sneezing, and the holiday spirit has hit. I made moon cheese salad and pumpkin pies this weekend and chastised myself for not picking up a turkey.

Today was Kadie's first day of 1st grade. She's still in her old school until October, but, regardless, she's excited about being a junior this year.

We have less than two weeks before our flight out. I'm dreading the flight out a little since we'll be landing in Portland around 1:30 am our time, so I'm sure we'll be rather exhausted, but I hope all are able to bounce back quickly enough.

Hope everyone is well.

This is my last day of daycare...my last trip over that hill...my last check written. I am soooooo doing the happy dance!

What's your morning beverage of choice? Is this a serious question??? ! quart of warm water, at least...and one good cup of coffee...maybe two.

What question do you hate being asked?

The same one I just answered.

Basically, if you ask me a question and I give you an answer, don't reword it and re-ask it, just to make sure I'm sure - my answer's not gonna change. If I'm unsure of an answer, I'll let you know that when I give it to you the first time.

If you had a private jet for just one night, where would you go?

Can you get to New Zealand in one night?

Suzie - It's a few days late, but I hope you had a great birthday and did something fun and/or relaxing...or maybe just a bit crazy! Love and hugs!

Don't give swine flu drugs to children under-12
BMJ. 2009;339:b3172.

Researchers found that antivirals were no 'magic bullet'.

Children under the age of 12 should not be given Tamiflu or Relenza, the two antiviral drugs that form the cornerstone of the government's fight against swine flu, because their side-effects outweigh any benefits, Oxford University researchers said yesterday.

A study by Dr Matthew Thompson, a clinical scientist, and Dr Carl Heneghan, a clinical lecturer, found that antivirals were no "magic bullet" and only led to a minor reduction in the length of time that a child with mild sickness was ill or the chance of their spreading the disease.

The research, to be published in the British Medical Journal, said that Tamiflu caused vomiting in 5% of children, which could lead to dehydration and complications. The Oxford researchers, both GPs, said children with mild symptoms should be treated in the same way as if they had any other mild flu - with drinks to cool high temperatures and rest - and there was no need for children who were otherwise healthy to be taking Tamiflu or Relenza.

They called on the government to be clear about the limitations of the two drugs.

What's your favorite time of day and why?

When I'm sleeping - cause then I have no responsibilities and I'm, well...sleeping. Who doesn't like to sleep, right? I mean, outside of active little 6-year-olds.

Howdy,

Would really like to see new pictures of Grandkids and maybe a little less of cars.

Hi Grandma Grandpa Violet Zachary Brianna and Lisa. Boo hoo I miss you Grandma Grandpa Violet Zachary Brianna and Lisa.

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That is why it is called The Present." Eleanor Roosevelt

What's the biggest leap of faith you've ever had to take? Letting go...

Though my mom may have already passed this on...we found out this last Friday that we are expecting Todnem child #2. According to calculations, the due date will be March 16th, making Kadie about 3 months shy of 7 years old when we get to start all over again! We had been going back and forth over this decision for quite some time but finally decided (with Kadie's whole-hearted encouragement) back in May to take the plunge again.

So far, I'm in good shape. I have occasional nausea, but only the small amount you might feel when you're starting to get hungry. A few deep breaths and mentally focusing on a healthy baby seem to dissipate the queasiness. I didn't experience any real morning sickness with Kadie and I'm praying for a repeat performance.

Of course, it's too early to know what we'll be having, but I'll be sure to keep everyone posted on anything big. Wish us luck!

"When Everything Changes, Change Everything." Neale Donald Walsch

Get it, read it...you will not be sorry. Want the answers to Life? It is in the book...it is a fairly easy read, and he gives you lots of room for breaks and contemplation.