Life according to me…

I had my 34 week checkup today. To my surprise, my blood pressure is still down, which is nice. I have been SO SWOLLEN lately all I can do is sit with my feet up and I have needed assistance to get up and down and that is why I thought I might have a blood pressure problem. It hasn’t been fun here lately but I am glad it’s not my blood pressure - that gets me a trip to the hospital. I have also had dizzy spells and such, even had some in the doctor’s office for him - and he told me that it appears my uterus is pressing down nicely on one of my main veins (the vena cava for the A&P savvy) which is causing the dizzies. He said I have to take my time when changing positions so I don’t pass out. Hehe…picture big preggo momma passing out when she stands up or sits down. LOL. Makes me laugh, anyways, though I am sure Steve or Mom would say, THAT IS NOT FUNNY MELANIE!!!

The baby preparations are underway here at home. We got our awesome aquarium bassinet/playpen set up next to the bed, I got a nifty plastic dresser thingie in the bedroom with plenty of room for essentials, the diaper/wipe basket is all setup and I even made room in the bathroom for all the fun bath toys and baby bath. I have cleaned out closets and dressers and made extra room around here should I need it so we should be set for baby space for a while. Nana Jacquie brought over lots of baby boy things including a baby bathtub, some toys, and 2 huge bins of newborn boy clothes, so hoping we are correct in our guesses the baby will have plenty of things for quite some time. I have some newborn things for a girl stashed away from Elisa and Sarah, but not a full layette. Of course I have the new awesome clothes we got at the shower, but should this baby be a girl she will need some girlie newborn clothes to make it through. Thankfully we were blessed with some gift cards that we are saving just in case of having another girl - and for the things I am SURE I forgot that we will need once the baby is home.

We are so excited! Of course, with the excitement comes the anxiousness and nervousness of having 4 small children…but after we set up the playpen all of us got on our bed and were laughing and having a good time and it was like we are just ready and waiting for this baby to arrive and be plugged right into our family. Steve and I both went in the room separately later that day and the playpen made us both smile. Our whole family can feel the anticipation as we wait for this baby to come. Elisa still insists that it be a girl, as do a few others, but I think we will be happy with whatever we get. If we have another girl she will be just as spirited as her sisters, I am sure…and little Steve will be the only boy….just as special, and if we have a boy we will have 2 of each, all equally as fun and special - a nice even family. Either way we will be happy…right now we just want health, 10 fingers and 10 toes, no NICU, and mommy coming home with baby - and a quick recovery for mommy.

I have to say, this pregnancy has really put the pressure on Steve, and he is doing a great job managing it. He has to balance his work which is already overwhelming being the manager of the highest grossing store in Orlando, and balance being the main caretaker of the house and chores while he is home. I feel terrible sometimes because it’s like he never gets a break, I am so emotional and needy - and I know he just wants to crumble over it all. I wish I could do more and I even tried today to do some things which only resulted in me dropping and breaking stuff and having my feet swell right back up beyond recognition…but I wanted to see how limited I really am. I feel so helpless not being able to bend, reach the floor, do laundry…if it wasn’t for Steve being as supportive as he can, we wouldn’t be making it through this. This last week was especially straining on Steve and I. We had some issues and I have grown to the point I am almost out of commission - but thankfully worked all of that out. We are learning through this process that we just have to be the best team we can, work together, communicate, and try as hard as we can to push through the next few weeks. I look forward to the days in the future when I can call him at work again and say, I got this, this, this, this and this done today…and not call upset or worried because I am hurt, sore, tired, run down and overwhelmed because there is so much to do that I can’t get to. I just have to say THANK YOU Steve for being my champion and doing the very best you can to take care of me and the kids and house as you also provide for us….I know it hasn’t been easy lately and I will make it up to you - I promise. You are our hero and I love you very, very much. Alone time and date night will be back again, someday - and I can’t wait for that!!!!

That’s about it for now - and I can’t feel or bend my toes so I have to get back to putting them up. Oh, I do have to say that not only has Steve been a trooper - my mom, dad, Nana Jacquie, Katie and Kenna have also done their parts to help out here lately and we have really appreciated that. Thanks for all being people we can count on. It is greatly appreciated!

March 6th is the date I go back to the doctor and he will schedule delivery then. Will post then if not before….stay tuned!

Here is one from the day I delivered the twins:

Here is one from last Monday.

And that’s all I got to say about thaaaaat.

Everyone hears that people say the darndest things to pregnant ladies. Having been pregnant about 27 months in the last 5 years, I can relate. I have heard some obnoxious and thoughtless things in my day. Here is a list of the current ones.

1. You are as big as you were when you carried the twins!
2. Are you sure there is only one inside there? You are huge!
3. That has to be twins, they must be hiding each other.

Now, I could go on and on, but I just have to set the record straight. I am carrying only one baby. I have had three ultrasounds, the last of which lasted over an hour, and there was only one baby present for each of those scans. The first ultrasound confirmed that I was only having one child as there was only one placenta.

Now let’s face it. I am a big gal and I know I have gained some weight this pregnancy. But, let’s see. I have carried twins before. I know how big I got, what size clothes I had to purchase to fit into, how my things fit me, and I have now found the proof. Just today I wore some capri pants that aren’t even maternity. They are pants I have worn before, during and after having my babies. I am not posting a picture of me pregnant currently because I have to get them off my digital camera but here is a picture of me about 8 months pregnant with the twins.

IT IS ONLY ONE BABY!!!!!

Ok, had to get that out. I feel better. Current pregnant pics coming soon…

When I was about 12 years old, a lady and her husband moved into the house 2 doors down from us on Notchwood Court here in Orlando. Her name was Penny. She was married to a descendant of John Quincy Adams - his name was John, of course. They were from Georgia and were an older couple who had never had kids. They had 3 or 4 siamese cats which were her babies.

Penny was a very caring, loving, outgoing, funny, and awesome woman and she and my mom quickly became kindred spirits. They were best friends. Penny was a craft fanatic. Her garage was lined with shelves full of cross stitch supplies, pattern books and many other things I can’t even remember right now. She and my mom would get together and make things all the time. They did craft shows together as well and sold some of the thing she made.

I got to spend lots of time with Penny. She taught me how to cross stitch. She taught me how to make a chocolate cake from scratch. She also taught me how to make your sandwich even more fun by putting the meat in between the cheese in a ’surprise’ form. She taught me how to appreciate life as well. Penny had lots of ailments including diabetes and a kidney problem. But she was the most pleasant woman you would ever meet no matter how she was feeling that day.

I remember when she taught me to cross stitch. I got to make a pink bear and hang it in a basket. I gave it to my mother who was a mauve freak back then. Mom kept it and it still hangs in her kitchen. I can recall being allowed to sit on her back porch alone with just the kittys and the running water of the pool and getting to stitch and to come and ask her a question whenever I had one.

Penny also took me on one of my first road trips. She took me to Georgia and we stayed with her younger sister and family. They had a daughter my age there. It was there I first got to ride a horse, eat ocra and shuck corn. I remember waking up one morning a few days after being there and having just had an awful dream - and I remember Penny didn’t even have to ask what was wrong, she just made arrangements to take me home.

Penny was the closest thing I ever got to a grandmother in my older childhood years. Both of my grandparents were in New Jersey after we moved to Florida and passed on thereafter. I never got to do things with them like I did with Penny. Recently, I have had so many dreams about her and her husband but I will get to that later. He was not the man we thought he was and they were not able to keep in touch after they had to move back to Georgia. She had to go back because her health was failing and she needed to be close to her family. She passed away a few years back and I will never forget how mom and I found out.

We knew she was sick and waited to hear something from someone about her. Well, we did one day when I went to the mailbox and found an envelope addressed to my mom from “Adams” in Georgia. I could tell it was her husband’s writing. I didn’t open it but I knew what it was. As it turned out, the only thing that man had to say - the only way he told us what happened - was by cutting the obituary from the local paper and mailing it to my mother. I can’t even describe what a horrible day that was for my mom.

Why am I writing about this? Well, since then I have rarely finished anything I have ever started to cross stitch. However, I started this small thing a while ago for Steve and I am trying to finish it for either Valentine’s day or his birthday (he knows about it, he has teased me since I started it about never finishing it). Since I have picked it back up I cannot get this lady out of my head. It’s like she is here ~ it’s truly the weirdest feeling I can describe. Tonight while I was stitching I just broke down. I wonder what she would have thought of my life now, of my mom and dad’s lives now, of my brothers. I look at the back of my stitching to make sure it’s as close to looking like the front, just like she taught me, and I want to show her how I have improved and tell her I will always remember what she taught me. I wonder how she would have been if she was around to meet my children. In my dreams I am able to say goodbye and her husband even lets me go and get some things of hers that I wanted to keep. In my dreams I have things that remind me of her - and that part is actually true. I do have things she made me, I have ornaments her and mom made that hang on my Christmas tree every year, and I have the gift of being able to stitch and make things for people just like she used to do. I just wonder how it would be if she hadn’t left us all those years ago, if she was healthy and still around and sharing our lives with us. I miss her terribly.

I am fortunate to have met a woman like Penny. When I am with Steve’s grandmother I am reminded of Penny also. Giggie is another southern woman who is crafty and sweet as well. I know that God places people in our lives for a reason and I am so glad that I was able to meet Penny and be part of her life, even if it was for a short time. Too short of a time, if you ask me. I love you Miss Penny, and I miss you.

Okay, I was referred to this site where you sign up and get 10 people to sign up and then they will send you a free computer. Matt swears this will work, and I really want a MAC Mini, so I am willing to give this a shot. There are lots of offers to choose from and I just did the one where you apply for a credit card which I know I won’t get - that offer didn’t cost me a thing. NONE of the offers really cost anything. If you sign up for something and give them your credit card info to get their service, just cancel in the time period they indicate and it has cost you nothing.

I would love it if 10 people reading this would sign up so I could get a free computer. I am ready to switch to a Mac, I am sick of Windows, and hey, if it costs us all nothing, it can’t be that bad right?

Click here and follow the directions to help me get a free MAC - and if you get 10 people to do it you can get a free one too! Thanks and good luck!