Birthdays...

Yesterday was my Birthday. My sweet husband took the day off. In the morning he stayed home with Liam so I could go get my hair done. (I had a gift certificate from one of my clients as a Thank you from a birth - to go to Bangs salon. I hadn't used it yet and decided to take advantage of the chance on my birthday.) The High school had a half day thrusday as well as friday, so we had a babysitter for the afternoon. Bill had gotten us tickets to see a show in town at the VBC. It was the Keeping Christmas Alive concert series, http://www.keepchristmasalive.org/guests.html
but we went primarily to see Mark Lowry. http://www.rhapsody.com/mark-lowry
We caught a show on t.v. that he did 10-12 years ago, and liked him, so we bought his CD. http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=Mark+Lowry&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7SUNA&um=1&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title#
We've loved him for years, and so when Bill said he would be at a show at the VBC in Huntsville on my Birthday, and asked if I'd like to go see it, I said yes.
We went to the Matinee show at 2:00 since our Ward Christmas party was scheduled for that night.
It started out with a Gospel Choir from Chatanooga. My standards are pretty high at this point, especially with the Christmas Festival being only a week ago (not even a full week). Our Choir is so amazing!!! - the choir at the show was o.k. then there were several other acts... One was a group called 3 Lambs and a Ram (a 3 sister and 1 brother violin group), from here in Alabama.
http://lambfamilymusic.com/NewsArticles/Woodmen%20Lamb%20Family%20Article.pdf
Another was a 4 brother group that sang harmonies. The Ball Brothers They were really good, and we bought their christmas CD. http://www.theballbrothers.com/ball2008/about.html
Another little group that we really enjoyed was Mike Ball and the Madison Mountaintop Band. It is a bluegass group with Rep. Mike Ball. He wrote a Christmas Song several years ago, and I really liked their bluegrass sound! Wish I could find a link for his music on line somewhere...

One supposedly big name lady, sings with the Metropolitan Opera, came to town for this concert from Jamaica, and was too tired to sing twice in the day, so they broke the news she'd not be singing to us at hte afternoon performance. Then later in the show, the poor MC had to announce that due to weather... Mark Lawry was not going to be performing. He was finally on a plane and would be there for the night performance and anyone was free to ask for either a refund on their ticket, or we could come back for the night performance... We watched the rest of the show, then rushed home to take the family to the Christmas Party at the Church.
After the fun Christmas party (lots of yummy sweets and foods), a sing along - and someone ratted me out and had the whole ward sing me Happy Birthday! They even made me stand up! I liked the young men who sang the Primary Birthday Song in the middle of everyone else singing the traditional birthday song everyone else was singing. I told my no longer friend who ratted me out, it was a good thing it wasn't a few years ago and that I was medicated because having to be spotlighted and I have been known to cry before by that type of thing... (o.k. so perhaps some of my children come to this shyness thing from me!!!)
Anyway we also had a visit from the 3 Wisemen (I really liked that instead of Santa).
Then we drove the kids all home and though both Bill and I separately thought about just going on in the house (it was 8:30 at night... I was tired), but we headed back to the concert... We got there right as intermission was ending - what timing!!! We got to hear the Blulegrass group - Rep. Mike Ball and the Madison Mountaintop Band. Then the whole reason we had gotten tickets was for Mark Lowry. He was absolutely Hillarious! And then for his finale... he sang Mary Did You Know (which he wrote). http://www.rhapsody.com/player?type=track&id=tra.6574040&remote=false&page=&pageregion=&guid=&from=&hasrhapx=false&__pcode=

We love how he sings it, with such passion and conviction. We wish they would play it on the radio rather than all of the other versions of it. Not that they aren't nice too, but we LOVE the way Mark Lowry sings it himself!

It was a good birthday! One of the best I've had. Thank you to my sweetheart for working so hard to make it good for me. And thank you to my kids for helping out and being good.

A Budding Artisit...

Rebekah took Art 1 this past semester at school. She hasn't really brought anything home, so We haven't had the opportunity to see any of the things she's been working on, although we have heard about some of them.

At the end of the semester the students display their favorite or best pieces of artwork at the Art Show. It was originally scheduled for last week on Thursday and she had made something special for me, (as my birthday present) and was going to be abe to have it go to the Christmas Festival as a nativity... then because of weather they postponed the art show (even though they still had the band Concert that night). She was very sad, but I didn't know why...

Well this week when they did hold the art show, on tuesday night along with the Choir Concert. I got there later than planned, but when we arrived we were treated with some amazing art, and the pictures that she had done were fantastic! I do crafty arts stuff, but I have to copy a pattern, and I cannot do realistic stuff at all! I am so impressed with what she has learned in art, and that she had the ability to do the work she did! We are so proud of her!

Just another art comment... A week or two ago, rebekah was sitting here with me and Liam while we were watching a Disney movie. She was pointing out things and was amazed at all the attention to detail that they take to do a whole movie... at first it was just a few comments, then after a while, I asked her if this new notice was because she has been in art class. It was just interesting to see her notice all of the actual artistic efforts...

We like all that she did. I can't believe all the details she did on the face of the little African girl. I don't think I could EVER do something like that! And of course I loved the Nativity picture, and all the thought that went into it! And then there is the Swan picture... Awesome! Bill asked her if he could have it. We'll need to take her stuff in to get it framed. Again, we are so proud of her.

My funny little Doofus!!!

Background:

Way back when... many years ago, when Bill and I were engaged, we discussed names for our children. When I was a teenager, I had decided I wanted to name a daughter after my mother. Her name was Loraine Faith... I didn't at the time want to do the Faith, Hope, Charity type of names, but felt like Loraine was a big name for a little girl - as well as old fashioned... I came up with Rebekah Loraine and liked how it flowed, so that was my name. Bill's Grandfather had passed away the year before we got engaged, and he wanted to name a boy after him, so... William Joseph. I liked it, however I had one stipulation. There were already too many Bill, Billy, Williams in his family (3 generations), so I said we could call him Joseph. That was fine.

We had baby Joseph for many years... When Rebekah was young she'd draw him in pictures and tell people about him (when I wasn't even pregnant). We all waited for a LONG time for baby Joseph to come to our family.

Well, when I was pregnant the last time I thought of a new name, and asked my hubby how he liked Liam (from the WilLIAM part of the name). I was a bit surprised, but he liked it! We asked the girls, they all (pretty much) liked it. So... even though we didn't know who our baby was for sure (boy or girl), IF it was a boy, became Liam.

With the season and having pulled all the nativities out, I was trying to tell Liam who everyone was, or at least the main parts. The Holy family is Joseph, Mary and Baby Jesus. The other day he started saying Jofus. I tried to correct it to Joseph, but still - Jofus came out. I said it was a good thing we didn't call him that; he'd never be able to say his own name! :-) That being said, he actually calls himself "Neum", frequently.

So - more background:

We call people lots of silly little nic-names at our house! Manda Panda, Sariah Bobeskia, Hannah Banana, Rissa Roo. Or just simply silly girl or goofy boy, Crazy Mama, etc.

Goofy boy has become Goofus!

So after the Jofus discussion, it suddenly went from Jofus, to Goofus, to Dufus! YIKES!!! Now we have 'Dufus', Mary and Baby Jesus!

The other thing that happened related to the Nativity that happened this week was that I went to a visiting teaching brunch yesterday... Liam, after being dropped off at different peoples homes every day last week while I helped set up Nativities at the Christmas Festival, that he is VERY suspect when we get dressed (oh, by the way... we get up and get dressed nearly EVERY DAY!!!! - once in a while we are lazy and stay in jammies all day, but not often!). "I don't want to go!" "Don't Leave ME Mommy!", etc are some of teh things that start flying around. I reassured him we were going somewhere but that I was 'STAYING' with him, so not to worry. I said we were going to go play with Grace. We have a little friend named Calli Grace, and he said, Play with Calli Grace?!?!?! I said, no, baby Grace.

Well, he associates Baby as the first name appearantly of Baby Jesus currently, I guess, so he asked if we were going to play with Baby Jesus!?!

When Bill came home from work last night he asked Liam, "What did you do today?" He said he played with "Baby Jesus!"

I just LOVE the cute things Kids say!!!

10 years and 1 week ago... Hannah

I woke up on Sat. morning, Dec. 5th, and tried a little natural induction... Then I started to feel what I thought were more of those annoying braxton hicks contractions! (8:30 a.m.) Bill joked and said, "Don't even try to tell me you are in labor! It's day time, you only do this in the middle of the night and wake me up."

My friend Tandy had come from Maryland the day after Thanksgiving, and we were tired of just hanging around at the house, waiting for a baby to come. I decided I'd had enough! I told Bill Tandy and I were going to town (30 miles or so away), and we were going shopping!!! So I got in the shower to get ready for the day.

I had several more contractions, and Bill asked me if he should call for the midwife. I just wasn't sure, and didn't want them coming clear out to my house (about a 40-50 minute drive), for nothing. He went ahead and made the call to the answering service just to let them know, and as it turned out, it was a good thing he did. They couldn't contact my midwife Katia, at first. Finally after he called back they were able to get a hold of the aprentice MW, Heather, and she got on her way.

As I put on my make up and did my hair, I was having more and more contractions (ctx's), and it was more and more difficult to ignore them. I had started labor with my water breaking with each of my first three babies, so this was new and different for me. I wasn't entirely sure it was the real thing, and yet the ctx's were comming pretty fast and strong.

We started to get things ready, changing the bedding - putting a plastic sheet on the bed... Of course my little one (2 1/2 yrs old at the time) didn't want to be all that helpful, and decided to plop herself down and sit right in the middle of my bed - while we were trying to get the bed made up!!! Other than that, she only wanted daddy, and I decided that I was going to need his help, and that wasn't really going to work. The midwives, had asked that if the kids were going to be at the birth, that we would have an adult come help with them.

I had a whole list of friends I could call on to help out. It was sat. morning the first week of December, and people were busy... one friend, (Diane S.) couldn't come over because her husband had gone to the on post Army/Navy football game (we lived on a small Army post that had more Navy personel that lived on it than Army, so we had lots of friends from both services). There was quite a rivalry... Anyway, she couldn't COME to my house to help, since she had two or three of her own kids home at the time. Another friend had a horse, and it was about to have a baby as well, and so she was up early and out at the stables checking on her horse. Another friend (Marci F.)who had a kindergartener friend of Amanda - had just adopted two children (a 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 yr old brother and sister), in October, she had her mother out to visit them (the first time she got to meet her new gand children), and so she and her husband were going Christmas shopping while they had a chance, with free babysitting... :-) I couldn't blame her for that!

Yes, I had Tandy at my house, but I didn't want her to have to deal with the kids, if someone needed something - for example - if one of them got scared, or something and needed to go out of the room. I had Tandy come clear to NM to be with *me*!!! Not leave me to deal with the kids...

Finally, after dealing with my little sweetheart, I had an idea! I called my friend Diane back, and said, you can't come here to help with my kids, but... could you come GET my little one, and take her home to your house (around the corner) to play with your little one??? Brilliant solution! She came right over and got her and I could then get on with the business at hand, of having a baby!

Heather the aprentice MW showed up. She checked me and all was going well. I moved around a lot during the contractions, it was definitely an active birth. In between ctx's I would move and try different positions. I tried sitting on the birth ball, hands and knees on the bed, etc. What felt best for this birth was to lean forward. I would lean over and put my hands on my knees (thighs) in a kind of semi squat position during the contractions. I had a lot of cramping in my lower back and so a friend would apply counter preassure on my lower back during the ctx's. Even my sweet girls (Rebekah was 7 and Amanda was 5 at the time) would help rub mommy's back and put counter pressure during part of the labor.

At some point, my friend Marci showed up. She said, she jsut thought, I can go shopping any time... but how often am I going to get to be at a birth!?!, so she came on over.

As I continued on, my arms would get tired and my writsts sore, from holding myself up, so Tandy helped to hold my weight up so I could continue on with the ctx. My other friend Marci (who had thought about going to massage therapy school), would massage my arms, legs and feet in between the ctx's. That was WONDERFUL! It really helped to relieve the stress and tension in my body as I labored. My water broke and I continued on. The ctx's were very intense and fast!

My midwife Katia, arrived and was SOOOOO glad to have made it in time, from over an hour away! Katia jokingly thanked me for 'waiting for her'... like I had a choice, one way or the other! LOL! Something else sort of funny was that Katia and Heather had only ever been to my house one time before. It was not a very large post, ad not that much housing, but if you don't know where you are going really, it can be a bit harder to find your way around... Well, because it was the Army/Navy football game weekend, the Army had pulled some pranks on some of the Navy things like the huge anchor, in front of the main Navy Building on post. Well, the Navy guys had done their own pranks for the day. All of the street names, at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, are named after various Army Depot's or Army Missile Systems. However on this day, (I wish we'd thought to have someone go out and take pictures!!!), all the street sign posts had been covered over with signs that had Navy names, like names of Battleships, USS Nimitz, etc... That made the directions a little bit harder to navigate, with, and a bit harder to find their way, when Heather and Katia came to our birth.

We continued to labor, and as I felt the urge to push, I began to push along with the ctx's. My Midwives were mostly in the background, (Katia was actually a bit surprised that I didn't just want them to stay in the other room completely, since we had done an unassisted home birth with Sariah) while my friends, family and I managed the labor in whatever ways were the most helpful to me. As we got closer, Katia instructed my dear Husband, Bill, how and what to do exactly. Finally I decided to get back up on the bed, and I leaned back on Tandy while I pushed. When the head was delivered, Bill, 'caught' her, and Rebekah (almost 8), got to help catch the rest of the baby. Amanda (almost 6) got to announce what our new baby was (I had not had an ultrasound). Another Girl! Hannah Maree!

It was a very exciting and wonderful experience. We called my friend/neighbor, and had her bring Sariah back home to meet her new baby sister, very soon after the birth. (as a matter of fact - she didn't really realize till just a few years ago, she hadn't actually been there!)

After the birth, Hannah was placed on my belly, and then I got to hold her. Rebekah got to cut the cord. (Dad did the final cut later to shorten the cord). The midwives tended to me and made sure all was well, then they left us alone (and went out into the other room), to let us bond as a family for a little while. It was really nice. They came in later and actually asked when they could do her newborn exam. I told them now was just fine, and they did the exam right there on the bed with her laying next to me.

We had some snacks, and drank a toast (non-alcoholic bubbly stuff) to celebrate the occasion.

Hannah Maree Robertson was born at 11:39 a.m. on 5 December 1998. She weighed 6 lbs 12 oz. and was 18 3/4 in long.

That evening we had a 'Birth' Day cake and the girls sang Happy Birthday to Hannah. It was cute. (In the Birth Story I wrote at the time of Hannah's birth, I wrote "Sariah, still sings Happy Birthday to 'Pannah' daily. It's her favorite song to sing to her new little sister." I thought that was interesting, that Hannah has become Nannah and Amanda is 'Pannah' now... too funny!)

I wrote all of this to say... Hannah, I LOVE you!!! and I hope you did in fact have a very good and Happy 10th Birthday!!!!! (and even if it is belated... birthday wishes from me, your mom! I love you).

December Birthdays...

I'm way over due with Hannah's birthday post, because of a Birth, and getting ready for Christmas Festival, etc...

To start with, I have a December birthday, My husband has a December birthday, and my Mother-in-law has a December birthday. There are things about a December birthday that are not so much fun. Like getting combined birthday/Christmas presents; or being told that you can't have a birthday party because "no one wants to buy a present for the kid down the street when it's Christmas time".
Birthstones are another issue...
Some months have things like Emerald's, Ruby's and Diamond's... December? Turquoise! (I used to HATE Turquoise! A BIG Gaudy rock!!! Blech!!!). When we decided it was time for Hannah to come into our lives, I was going to try to avoid any chance of having a December baby! (we were going to stop trying for several months). When I found out I was pregnant with Hannah, we were happy of course, but then I realized WHEN I was due to have my baby... I wasn't as excited about that part, but I figured that both Amanda and Sariah were born a full week or more before their expected due date, so I'd most likely have the baby in November. All I was asking for was a week - 6 days!
After she waited for her Due date to actually be born, and I figured I had a December Baby (girl) while we lived in New Mexico... I had better learn to like Turquoise. I did buy Hannah a little silver and turquoise baby braclet. it was quite cute on her little arm. Of course she has LONG since grown out of it. I bought a small pin with a nice piece in it for me.

In the past 10 years I will say I still am not into the really large turquoise pieces of jewelry, but I have seen a few items that I really have liked! (there was a wrist watch at the gift shop at Mt. Rushmore, I saw years ago, and it was gorgeous!!! I wanted it, but it cost quite a bit and didn't get it. It is one thing I have thought back on over the years and really sort of wished I had gotten it.
I have in the past couple of years found out that the Blue Topaz is another stone. It is quite lovely, and certainly more sparkly than turquoise, more like the diamonds, emeralds, etc... recently Bill got a new stone put into his class ring (he had lost the original stone (long story, but it was an opal, that shattered a LONG LONG time ago :-( !)). We found that the Lapis Lazuli is another stone that is a December birth stone. It is nice as well.







I found this info on another BLOG - http://unique-handmade-jewelry.blogspot.com/2006/12/lucky-december-birthstones_06.html
Lucky December Birthstones



Why are there so many December birthstones? They must have gotten to the 12th month of the year and had so many gemstones left over that they gave them all to December. Who knows why or when they were distributed to December, but whoever was born during this festive month has plenty of gemstones to choose from. First we'll start with the traditional birthstones, Lapis Lazuli and Zircon.

I sure wish someone had shared all this information with me many years ago, so I wouldn't have hated my birthstone(s) all my young life.

Also I have a sweet story that someone posted on a Dec. baby birth month bulletin board after Hannah was born. I think this is a sweet story... and it made me think back to the story of my own birth and homecoming.

And of course now as an adult, I love to reflect on the birth the Christ Child, our Lord and Saviour. I have began collecting nativities, as a way to focus and reflect on this miraculous event, and hope it helps to bring me closer to Christ, and to my Father in Heaven.
I love that the Stake puts on this fabulous Christmas Festival, and that we get to take so many Nativities and set them out and show them off. I love to see all of the craftsmanship, and effort people put into making them. I love to see how different countries portray the Nativity. It all makes me so happy (well, it does get a little crazy when we are in the middle of setting them all out, and putting things together for the festival.) I love any extra reason to think of the baby Jesus, born to his young mother, under not the best of circumstances, and yet that is what halps make the whole thing, so truly amazing!

It has been quite a week...

We went to physical therapy to start things out on Monday. I also had to take Marissa to Karate (usually dad tries to take her). I have been Bill's chauffer all week long, since he has been on serious pain medication, and not allowed to drive. I have enjoyed spending time with him, even if it was just running him around to Dr. appointments, or hanging out at the house with him half drugged.
Tuesday I took him to the urologist, and the Dr. took more x-rays, and the Kidney stone hadn't really moved at all. So, they scheduled Bill for Surgery to remove the stone on Thursday. Bill was drinking tons of fluids; water, cranberry juice, and nettle tea (good for kidney health), and despite that the stone hadn't moved. After we got home that night I had a prenatal appointment with a couple in Harvest/Limestone.
I drove Bill to the Eye Dr. on Tuesday, for an appointment he had.
Bill continued to drink massive amounts of fluids through the week, and late Wed. night a friend J brought over some lemon juice - he called and found out Bill had the kidney stone and after having gone through hat himself, had the 'miracle' cure! Lemon juice (you know from the 'real lemon' juice in the little lemon shaped plastic bottle), and olive oil (2 -3 oz. of Real Lemon, and 2 oz of EVOO). 4 times a day. Bill did one dose, but then had to stop, as he wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight, in preparation for the surgery the next day... I wonder if we'd have it longer if it would have worked or not, but we just didnt' have time. Thanks J for trying to help us out.
We got up Thursday morning, and while I was in the shower getting ready for the day, I got a phone call from one of my mom's... she had thought she was in preterm labor (33 wks) during the night and had taken a trip to the hospital at midnight. They came home around 4 am, but were supposed to go in to their Dr's office around noon.
On the way to Crestwood hosp. for Bill's surgery, I got a phone call from another client. She had been checked in to Crestwood hosp (luckily it was not HH where the other mom had been in the night), for an induction. I told them I'd be there soon and would come up and see them. Luckily I had thrown my birth bag in the vehicle with us, (in case the other mom needed me). We got there and Bill signed in, I ran up to see mom. She was doing alright, they were about to begin the Pit. I went back down with Bill and then they called him (on the beeper/buzzer, like you get at restraunts) for pre-op. They told me I had to stay out in the front and wait, until they got him ready, then they'd call me back. I found this somewhat odd. When Rebekah had her surgery to remove her tonsils a few years ago, I went with her for all of the pre-op procedures. When they did call me back I asked Bill what was so 'secretive' about the Pre-op stuff. They had, had him change into a gown, they had put in the I.V. and that was pretty much it... I watch as women have lood drawn and get I.V.s all the time. Why this was a big deal and the family member couldn't go with, I have NO idea!
When the couple called and said they were being induced, Bill called a friend of ours (Mr. Scott), and asked if he could help us out that day. He was more than happy to help - he's a great friend. He brought me lunch at the hospital, and waited for Bill to be finished with surgery and was giong to drive Bill home, since I would still be at the hospital for the birth.
As we awaited for them to take him into surgery Bill began to get a little anxious about things. We had a time crunch... and now I was going to be at a birth on top of that. His surgery was supposed to start at 1 pm. The anesthesiologist came in at about 1:45 to talk to him. He asked im what he liked to be called, so he knew what to say to him as he went under and when he woke up out of the general anethesia. He said, "Bill", and that when he woke up to tell him to "wake up, he had a birthday party to go to". They all laughed, but it was the truth, and it actually helped. Bill said as he was coming out of the anesthesia, he heard them say somethign about a birthday and e was suddenly absolutely awake, and aware, and wanted to get going! ;-) They called me after the procedure and said he did well. I went on upstairs at that time, since I couldn't go see him until he did wake up.
While I'd been gone from mom this time, they'd broken her water and resigned her to be stuck in the bed for her labor, on Pitocin.
When Bill did wake up I went back down to see him. He said all that he had to do was to go to the bathroom, and then 15 minutes later... he'd be released. He wanted to leave, so he did what they wanted and they told him to get dressed and he was free to leave after they discharged him.
So... after 2 weeks of pain and hassle adn a not so fun surgical procedure, where the stone was pretty stuck, and ther Dr. had to tug at it to remove it...
We are the not so proud parents (well Bill anyway) of a not so bouncing Kidney Stone!
Meanwhile, Rebekah (and her friend R) drove all the kids to Chuck E. Cheese where Bill and Scott met them for Hannah's Birthday Party.
***Hannah will get her own post about her birth-day, but... it's been a crazy week, and at least wanted to post something.***

Appearantly Chuck E. Cheese was a hit! Hannah's friends all seemed to enjoy themselves, and Hannah had a GREAT time! She said it was the best birthday she'd ever had!!! The lucky part for us was that since we'd already scheduled it there adn for that day, other than the stress fo Bill being out of surgery in time, and me being at a birth instead of at her party (which she was o.k. with), It worked out really well, since They handled everything, and she had even said she wanted their birthday cake this year - not mine... (should that hurt?), but it made it nice. All Bill had to do was sit there. :-)

For information sake - Mom delivered a darling baby boy- 7 lbs 10 oz, 20 in, at 2:04 am on 5 December. So now Hannah has a birthday buddy. (I hope to write out her birth story on my birth stories blog).

Trip to the Dr.

Today I took Bill to see the urologist. he did x-rays to see if things had improved (had the kidney stone moved). Nope, it's sitting, and blocking and causing intermittent pain. So... if it doesn't pass in the next day he will have it surgically removed on Thursday. Then we'll be heading off to Chuck E. Cheese's for Hannah's birthday party (with a groggy, drugged, dad). I also have a mom due on Sat. and next week is the Christmas festival, with set up at the beginning of the week. I need to figure out which days I need child care so I can seriously help out... (thanks K for being willing to help me out). I know I will be helping make yummy gingerbread cookies on Thursday.