How Preemie Moms Are Chosen by Erma Bombeck
Did you ever wonder how the mothers of premature babies are chosen?
Somehow, I visualize God hovering over Earth, selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation.
As he observes, he instructs his angels to take notes in a giant ledger.
"Armstrong, Beth, son. Patron Saint, Matthew.
Forrest, Marjorie, daughter. Patron Saint, Celia.
Rutledge, Carrie, twins. Patron Saint...give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."
Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles."Give her a preemie."
The angel is curious. "Why this one, God?She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God."Could I give a premature baby a mother who knows no laughter? That would be cruel."
"But does she have the patience?" asks the angel.
"I don't want her to have too much patience, or she'll drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wear off, she'll handle it. I watched her today. She has that sense of self and independence so rare and so necessary in a mother.
You see, the child I'm going to give her has a world of its own. She has to make it live in her world, and that's not going to be easy."
"But Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."
God smiles. "No matter, I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just the right amount of selfishness."
The angel gasps, "Selfishness?! Is that a virtue?"
God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she will never survive. Yes, here is a woman whom I will bless with a child less than perfect.
She doesn't know it yet, but she is to be envied.
She will never take for granted a spoken word.
She will never consider a step ordinary.
When her child says momma for the first time, she will be witness to a miracle and know it.
I will permit her to see clearly the things I see--ignorance, cruelty, prejudice--and allow her to rise above them.
She will never be alone.I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."
"And what about her Patron Saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in the air.
God smiles. "A mirror will suffice."
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Bump, bump, bump!
On Sunday, we all took a family road trip to Tadpoles consignment store on Barrett Parkway. I'd been eyeing a baby doorway jumper for a while online and wanted to see if I could find one that was cheaper.
Well, low and behold, they had one and it was exactly the same as the one I'd seen online! Abby is still a bit small for it, but she enjoys being bounced in it and her new favorite phrase that make sher break out in uncontrollable giggles is "Bump, bump, bump!"
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
What "I need a nap" sounds like...
(NOTE: Apparently having a baby has brought out the southern accent in me. I cringe every time I hear myself stretch out 1 syllable words into 2 or 3 syllables. Just ignore it.
Also, check out the cute jeans that Jana got her!)
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
An "off" day
So today wasn't the best day for Abby. She was extremely vocal ALL morning, to the point where it sounded like she was yelling at Crinkle-puppy. When she wasn't yelling, she was giving this low moaning growl. I took her temperature, but she doesn't have a fever. I thought she might be teething, but she didn't seem to be chewing on her hands/toys much at all today. The only thing I can think of is her acid reflux is bothering her (we have been without her meds for 2 weeks now - Matt basically had to strong-arm the insurance company into finally mailing it to us. Apparently it is one of those they find cheaper to mail, but both the pediatrician nurse and the pharmacist dropped the ball in getting it ordered...so it made for a very acidic baby. I had the most horrible reflux during my pregnancy, so I really feel for the kid. Especially since she can't sit up on her own yet! Imagine reflux when all you can do is lie flat!!) and she is still worn out from the cabin this past weekend.
But then it got worse. The only time we could schedule physical therapy today was for 2pm - right smack in the middle of her nap time. I tried to get her to sleep on the way to the appointment, and she was fine until the therapist picked her up. Then she let out a blood-curdling scream like you've never heard before. You would think the child had just lost a limb! The therapist worked with her, screaming and all, while intermitently handing her back to me to calm down. I had no idea separation anxiety could start this early! The session was an hour long today, so basically Abigail wailed for an hour straight.
In the end I learned a few things
1. The at-home exercises are working! Abby went from being able to turn her head 35% to the right to 65%!
2. Any future PT sessions need to be done in the morning.
3. One of my favorite times of the week is directly after the session while I'm driving home, baby snoring in the backseat, frappucino in my hand, and music playing on the radio. It's the simple things, these days.
Of course, as soon as we arrived home I found the box of meds waiting at my doorstep and my sweet, happy baby has returned once more. I guess everyone is entitled to an "off" day, even when they're so stinking cute 99% of the time.
But then it got worse. The only time we could schedule physical therapy today was for 2pm - right smack in the middle of her nap time. I tried to get her to sleep on the way to the appointment, and she was fine until the therapist picked her up. Then she let out a blood-curdling scream like you've never heard before. You would think the child had just lost a limb! The therapist worked with her, screaming and all, while intermitently handing her back to me to calm down. I had no idea separation anxiety could start this early! The session was an hour long today, so basically Abigail wailed for an hour straight.
In the end I learned a few things
1. The at-home exercises are working! Abby went from being able to turn her head 35% to the right to 65%!
2. Any future PT sessions need to be done in the morning.
3. One of my favorite times of the week is directly after the session while I'm driving home, baby snoring in the backseat, frappucino in my hand, and music playing on the radio. It's the simple things, these days.
Of course, as soon as we arrived home I found the box of meds waiting at my doorstep and my sweet, happy baby has returned once more. I guess everyone is entitled to an "off" day, even when they're so stinking cute 99% of the time.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
God Bless Shirley the Seahorse!
It's like a glow worm, but plays classical music/lullabyes for 5-8 minutes. And it's a pink seahorse.
It has successfully gotten Abby to conk out during nap times. And when she cries her "I just woke up and am still tired but don't know what to do with myself" cry, I rush in there and squeeze Shirley's belly and *POOF* Abby is fast asleep once more....for the next 5-8 minutes.
UPDATE: She just woke up and somehow miraculously BUMPED INTO said seahorse, making her sing, so I didn't have to rush in there! I may actually get to finish my lunch!
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Stardom is not easy! (Posted by Abigail)
This is my first feature. I was not sure how the role would be but it's work. Every star has their start somewhere. At least it is not a cereal commercial.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
I like to move it, move it...
At Abigail's 4 month appointment we told Dr. Cheek about something we'd noticed about Abby's neck: she seems to turn mostly to the left and cannot hold up the right side very well. Being the avid webmd researcher that I am, I already knew it was probably torticollis.
Torticollis, or wry neck, is a condition in which the head is tilted toward one side (cervical Lateral flexion), and the chin is elevated and turned toward the opposite side (cervical extension).
Dr. Cheek agreed with my baby-diagnosis and decided to go ahead and set Abby up for a physical therapy assessment at Children's Rehabilitation just to get the ball rolling. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this doctor??
This Monday Abby, Crinkle-Puppy, and I got up, got dressed, and headed over to Piedmont-Fayette hospital for her assessment. The physical therapist led us into the rehabilitaion gym and worked with Abby on the floor mat. She was really great with Abby and agreed that she has right torticollis - but with some daily neck strengthening exercises, she should be fine.
They gave me a packet of daily exercises we must do 3 times a day. It's great because it gives me specific ways to play with her to help her neck. We also learned new ways to hold her in order to stretch out those neck muscles. Abby goes back to therapy weekly for a while - until she starts holding her head up better.
There are three reasons I'm digging this physical therapy:
1) It's going to help Abby with her neck muscles
2) They are also keeping an eye on her developmental milestones to make sure she's hitting all of them on time. Right now, although they consider her to be only 2 months adjusted age, the therapist said that she's doing things 3 and 4 monthers can do :) But we always knew she's a genius!
3) It allows us to get out of the house once a week and have some interaction with other humans. It also allows mommy to make a weekly Starbuck's run ;)
Videos and pictures of Abby's exercise routine to come!!
Torticollis, or wry neck, is a condition in which the head is tilted toward one side (cervical Lateral flexion), and the chin is elevated and turned toward the opposite side (cervical extension).
(Why does wikipedia have a picture of a guinea pig with torticollis, you ask? Not sure...are guinea pigs prone to torticollis? Must google...)
Dr. Cheek agreed with my baby-diagnosis and decided to go ahead and set Abby up for a physical therapy assessment at Children's Rehabilitation just to get the ball rolling. Have I mentioned how much I LOVE this doctor??
This Monday Abby, Crinkle-Puppy, and I got up, got dressed, and headed over to Piedmont-Fayette hospital for her assessment. The physical therapist led us into the rehabilitaion gym and worked with Abby on the floor mat. She was really great with Abby and agreed that she has right torticollis - but with some daily neck strengthening exercises, she should be fine.
They gave me a packet of daily exercises we must do 3 times a day. It's great because it gives me specific ways to play with her to help her neck. We also learned new ways to hold her in order to stretch out those neck muscles. Abby goes back to therapy weekly for a while - until she starts holding her head up better.
There are three reasons I'm digging this physical therapy:
1) It's going to help Abby with her neck muscles
2) They are also keeping an eye on her developmental milestones to make sure she's hitting all of them on time. Right now, although they consider her to be only 2 months adjusted age, the therapist said that she's doing things 3 and 4 monthers can do :) But we always knew she's a genius!
3) It allows us to get out of the house once a week and have some interaction with other humans. It also allows mommy to make a weekly Starbuck's run ;)
Videos and pictures of Abby's exercise routine to come!!
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Decade in Review
Okay, so this is a few days late. But honestly, I'm lucky if I get more than 1 thing done around the house these days, so blogging hasn't been a top priority! Believe it or not, clean socks have taken precedence over my writing. Clean business socks, to be precise. I'm washing a whole load as I type. Anyways, here goes...
Most people cannot tell you where they were on every New Years for the past 10 years - much less who they were talking to. For me, it's pretty simple. Except to explain this, I need to go back more than 10 years. 13 years to be exact.
New Years Day 1997: I was 14 and Matt had just turned 16. We were talking on the phone since 8pm the night before - if I remember correctly, I was lying upside down on my bed in my room, letting my hair touch the floor and twirling the phone cord around my finger. Picture that? Typical '90's teen - maybe even a scene off Saved By the Bell. Anyhow, we had talked on the phone for over 4 hours (what in the WORLD did we find to talk about for so long?) and at midnight he asked me to "go out with him". Regardless of the fact that I was too young to leave the house alone with a boy, and even if I could he wasn't allowed to drive anyone around yet. But I said yes anyway.
Flashforward to New Years 1998: Same bedroom, same phone, only this time I had to whisper because I was grounded. At the time, my parents said it was for life. Still, Matt called and wished me a Happy New Year - and it was the start of a really sweet tradition.
New Years 1999: He called - lets overlook the fact that I was dating someone else, and so was he.
Fast-forward to New Years 2000: Me and "boyfriend at the time" (not Matt) were arriving at my house after a masquerade New Years party at my friend Kate's. (Hi Kate!!!) I was dressed as a French Maid and we all toasted to the year of our graduation - apple cider, of course. I remember saying goodnight to said boy on the front porch and hurrying into the house just in time to hear the phone ring - Matt was on the other end. I should have known then.
**On a side note: now that I think about it, might be combining two separate parties at Kate's in my mind - Halloween and New Years. The details get kind of fuzzy after 10 years!
New Years 2001: You guessed it! He called.
New Years 2002: Yup - again!
New Years 2003: I had just arrived home from a semester abroad in Italy and was celebrating the holiday with my friends PJ and Kristin in Athens. I remember sitting outside on the cold balcony that night and smiling when the phone rang.
New Years 2004: Matt and I had been seeing each other every weekend I was home from college that fall. I joined Kat at a party at a Tech Fraternity - regardless of the fact that I knew no one there but her. We ended up having a good night anyhow, and I was very happy when the phone rang. "Um...Happy New Years. And can you pick us up?"
New Years 2005: I was teaching in Newnan and we went to my old college roomate's wedding that night. When we got to my apartment, Matt gave me a heart-shaped neckelace I would wear for years.
New Years 2006: What a year that had been! We had been in a car accident earlier in the spring and gotten engaged in London that fall. We spent New Years together at our new apartment in Smyrna, feeling quite grown up!
New Years 2007: We spent the holiday in Mexico on our honeymoon - a tiny island called Isla Mujeras (yes, Spanish majors, that means Island of the women). The resort had a special New Years Eve dinner and we chatted with other couples. We walked on the beach to ring in the new year.
New Years 2008: Matt was in school full time and I was teaching during our first year of marriage. I had just graduated with my Master's degree and finished my written exams. We stayed home together and rang in the new year. I think he called me from his office while I was in mine. We are nothing if we aren't romantic!
New Years 2009: Matt had just graduated and was in the process of applying to various companies. We weren't quite sure where 2009 would take us yet. We spent 5 gloriously relaxing days at a cabin in North Ga, with some friends. I woke up in the loft to hear my phone ringing at 12:01am. As I glanced down into the common room, Matt smiled up at me.
New years 2010: It had been a year of challenges and excitement. We spent a quiet evening with friends at our house. Abigail decided to try and stay up as late as she could, finally falling asleep at 11:50pm. Before we went to bed, I asked Matt how he was going to call me from the same room. So he slinked off to the kitchen - and I heard my phone start to ring :)
Most people cannot tell you where they were on every New Years for the past 10 years - much less who they were talking to. For me, it's pretty simple. Except to explain this, I need to go back more than 10 years. 13 years to be exact.
New Years Day 1997: I was 14 and Matt had just turned 16. We were talking on the phone since 8pm the night before - if I remember correctly, I was lying upside down on my bed in my room, letting my hair touch the floor and twirling the phone cord around my finger. Picture that? Typical '90's teen - maybe even a scene off Saved By the Bell. Anyhow, we had talked on the phone for over 4 hours (what in the WORLD did we find to talk about for so long?) and at midnight he asked me to "go out with him". Regardless of the fact that I was too young to leave the house alone with a boy, and even if I could he wasn't allowed to drive anyone around yet. But I said yes anyway.
Flashforward to New Years 1998: Same bedroom, same phone, only this time I had to whisper because I was grounded. At the time, my parents said it was for life. Still, Matt called and wished me a Happy New Year - and it was the start of a really sweet tradition.
New Years 1999: He called - lets overlook the fact that I was dating someone else, and so was he.
Fast-forward to New Years 2000: Me and "boyfriend at the time" (not Matt) were arriving at my house after a masquerade New Years party at my friend Kate's. (Hi Kate!!!) I was dressed as a French Maid and we all toasted to the year of our graduation - apple cider, of course. I remember saying goodnight to said boy on the front porch and hurrying into the house just in time to hear the phone ring - Matt was on the other end. I should have known then.
**On a side note: now that I think about it, might be combining two separate parties at Kate's in my mind - Halloween and New Years. The details get kind of fuzzy after 10 years!
New Years 2001: You guessed it! He called.
New Years 2002: Yup - again!
New Years 2003: I had just arrived home from a semester abroad in Italy and was celebrating the holiday with my friends PJ and Kristin in Athens. I remember sitting outside on the cold balcony that night and smiling when the phone rang.
New Years 2004: Matt and I had been seeing each other every weekend I was home from college that fall. I joined Kat at a party at a Tech Fraternity - regardless of the fact that I knew no one there but her. We ended up having a good night anyhow, and I was very happy when the phone rang. "Um...Happy New Years. And can you pick us up?"
New Years 2005: I was teaching in Newnan and we went to my old college roomate's wedding that night. When we got to my apartment, Matt gave me a heart-shaped neckelace I would wear for years.
New Years 2006: What a year that had been! We had been in a car accident earlier in the spring and gotten engaged in London that fall. We spent New Years together at our new apartment in Smyrna, feeling quite grown up!
New Years 2007: We spent the holiday in Mexico on our honeymoon - a tiny island called Isla Mujeras (yes, Spanish majors, that means Island of the women). The resort had a special New Years Eve dinner and we chatted with other couples. We walked on the beach to ring in the new year.
New Years 2008: Matt was in school full time and I was teaching during our first year of marriage. I had just graduated with my Master's degree and finished my written exams. We stayed home together and rang in the new year. I think he called me from his office while I was in mine. We are nothing if we aren't romantic!
New Years 2009: Matt had just graduated and was in the process of applying to various companies. We weren't quite sure where 2009 would take us yet. We spent 5 gloriously relaxing days at a cabin in North Ga, with some friends. I woke up in the loft to hear my phone ringing at 12:01am. As I glanced down into the common room, Matt smiled up at me.
New years 2010: It had been a year of challenges and excitement. We spent a quiet evening with friends at our house. Abigail decided to try and stay up as late as she could, finally falling asleep at 11:50pm. Before we went to bed, I asked Matt how he was going to call me from the same room. So he slinked off to the kitchen - and I heard my phone start to ring :)
1997
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