A.P.B on the D.V.D's!

Heads up, readers! If anyone out there has borrowed a DVD from me, could you please post which one in the comments?? I just cleaned up our DVD case and found a PILE to be missing, and I con't for the life of me remember who I loaned them to! So trying to figure out what needs to be replaced.............

ALSO.. If I have movies of yours that need to be returned, LET ME KNOW! So I can locate them and get them back to you!


Thanks Bunches!

Please Welcome

Lincoln Gabriel
4:27am August 27th 2007
7 pounds 4 ounces
19 inches tall

Sweet baby Lincoln,

You were born in the wee hours of the morning on what became a beautiful day August 27th, 2007. It was one of the most powerful moments I have ever witnessed, and truly a blessed event for your parents.

Your mama went into labor all on her own at 3:30pm the day before, at 38 weeks 3 days of gestation. Her water broke all over the kitchen floor when she answered a call from your Daddy, which was a surprise for everyone! Daddy came home and off the two went to the St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, Oregon. By 4:15 Mom’s contractions were regular, if spaced. She walked… and walked and walked! around the labor ward. Finally by 8:30, after some hard and close contractions, Mama decided to get her epidural. The anesthesiologist came, gave her her epidural… and waited. It wasn’t working like it should have. Mama was numb in odd places, just in spots. Her epidural line wasn't draining properly and the drug wasn't getting into her body. He gave her a big bolus injection along with the drip, she felt some relief, and he left. Mama was back to her happy, chipper joking self once again, although getting tired.

An hour and a half later, her epidural started failing. Her pain was returning, her contractions were powerful, and Mom asked for the anesthesiologist to come back. It took him more then an hour to get there. Mama was such a champ! Moaning and breathing through her contractions, staying on her side ( you were much happier when she was on her left side!) and dealing well. Between she was a wee bit less chipper, but still funny! When the anesthesiologist was finally able to get back, he was concerned. Her epidural placement wasn’t great. It was VERY hard to get the drugs into the epidural line. He forced several CC’s in along with a bump injection and waited to see what happened. He was a very pleasant man, joking along with Daddy and I the whole time. After 45 minutes or so it seemed to work. Mamas pain was less, she was just tired. She was dilated to 6 centimeters.

We got comfy too soon, it seems. About an hour after her epidural injections, after rolling over, Mama started to get pain again. And another funny sensation: pressure. When she was checked she was found to be dilated to a 8/9, very soft.. Really doing well. But your head was up high.
Mama worried about the pain. The anesthesiologist was far away, and with Mama being dilated so far, no one thought he’d get there in time, anyway! Oh, how wrong we were. By 1:15 Mama was completely dilated and ready to push after 9 hours of labor.

Pushing was hard, and YOWZA did it hurt! Mama’s contractions were very LONG and hard, and she pushed 4-5 counts of 8 each one. Over and over and over. Slowly, ever so slowly, you moved down. Some times your heart would slow down a little bit with the contractions, but it always popped back up to where it needed to be after them! Mama did awesome. She got very little break between pushes, and was exhausted. She moaned and panted through the pain, which might as well have been full force pain as her epidural at this point really wasn’t numbing much, if at all.

It was forever. It was a lifetime of pushing. Daddy supported Mamas back and left leg, I supported mamas neck and right leg. Push. Count to 8. Breathe, AGAIN. Push. Over and Over. She did it. Your mama just did it. An hour and a half into Mama’s pushing she was given an oxygen mask which made you very happy, and your heart rate stayed stable throughout with only the tiniest of dips with contractions. Daddy got a wet cloth that he held to mamas face between contractions. Mama's useless epidrual was turned off. She did everything right: she relaxed completely after each contraction, letting her body rest as much as possible. She slept with her face resting next to Daddies in those brief moments.

Slowly, oh so slowly you moved down. You seemed very comfortable just where you were and were in no real hurry to leave! But once you made the turn and your head made it past her pubic bone, things moved quickly. Mama got scared some times. The pain is overwhelming. She didn’t think she could do it. But we knew better! Your tough, stubborn Mama could do it, and WAS doing it! We’d remind her that she could do this, that she was doing this, that this is what she was made to do, and she’d double her efforts on the next push. From the time your head started crowning it was quite the race to the finish.

You were born into this world on August 27th, 2007 at 4:27 am. Your mama had been pushing for 3 hours and 15 minutes and still had huge, heroic pushes left in her to bring you into the world. Once your head crowned you slid easily, with 2 pushes, into the arms of Mamas Doctor. Your little arms and legs stretched, you were so surprised at the room you had now! You began to squeak and squirm, getting used to this world outside. You were put onto your Mamas belly as you began to cry, and she cuddled you to her bosom and welcomed you “home”.

You were soon weighed and measured under Daddies supervision and the whole room was shocked to learn of your hefty weight; 7 pounds 4 ounces. Your "big" brother was only 6 pounds 10 ounces and he hadn’t “fit”! While you were measured Mama delivered your healthy if small placenta and was stitched up with a pretty row of 3 for her slight tearing. Soon she was all put back together and sitting up, chipper once again, ready to really hold and look at you, her youngest son.

Lincoln Gabriel, you are loved. You are beautiful. And you were fought for. Your Mama beat all odds to birth you naturally via V-BAC when NONE of the medical professionals thought she could. She fought long and hard to bring you into this world, and the world, with you in it, is a better place.

Welcome, Lincoln.
Welcome home.

Beaming and Glowing With

My sweet daughter Raegan. Hyper just like you're mom, stubborn like..... OK well like your Mom, again. Driven. Picky. My challenging sweet girl, Raegan. I had almost given up. Coloring? Scribbling! In the lines? WHAT lines??!! You want me to make WHAT shape? Draw what? Hell NO!! SCRIBBLING!!!!

But today.

Today, something changed. I got out the crayons, like I always do. I got out the paper, like I always do. I drew a letter "A" in the corner of your page then sat down and started filling out my OWN paper with letter "A's"

"Up, Down, and a line in the middle! Up, Down, and a line in the middle!"

Like I always do.

But today. Today, you sweet, infuriating, challenging, strong willed bit of sunshine. Today you looked over at my paper, chose a crayon that matched mine out of the box.

And drew me the letter A.

"Up, Down, and a line in the middle." You muttered under your breath.

I am so proud of you, Raegan.

Thanks Grambonn!!!

We LOVE our new outfits! We had to put them on first thing this morning when Daddy got back with the mail. Kael says his is the most comfy outfit he owns, and Raegan is, once again, a pretty, pretty princess in her "new fancy dress!" You made our day!

Foot Note

Raegan. Size 7.5

Kael. Size 6.5


What the hell? That kid has HUGE feet!!

What?

Urgent and Important!!

Yes, we moved. I'll post more about that later. Right now I have a much more urgent issue I need help with!!

My Freezer is Leaking!!

Yes, that is a big deal. Shut up.

So, what the heck is going on?? There is a thick layer of ice on the bottom of my freezer. I de-ice it... and an hour later it has started to build up again. What the hell? Our other freezer leaked water onto our floor ( side by side, obviously) two or three times a day. I thought it was just a malfunction of a cheap-o freezer with some sort of auto defrost crap mechanism and took the opportunity to mop more often... but this one is doing the same thing! It's just more efficient so it freezes the water before it can leave the unit.

I must be doing something wrong, so a little help, please? I'm sick of having my frozen chocolate held hostage in a block of ice every morning! There must be some basic freezer etiquette that I am unaware of!

Beautiful Sunshine

And Now For A Taste Of Things To Come

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And.....

To add Insult to Injury.....

I'm pretty sure I broke two toes. Slipping on the Linoleum. Hitting the threshold to the carpet.

Seriously. Who BREAKS TOES??? On the freakin' CARPET!!??

Must come up with a better story when telling strangers.

You Taught Me So Much, And Loved So Fully. I Will Never Forget You, My Ladies.

So today was a pretty rough day. Today I loaded all of my children up in the car... my sweet Raegan, my rambunctious Kael... and my eldest two, Chloe and Lola. We took a long drive up to Government Camp, with the kids napping and watching a movie in the back and the sweet ladies taking turns on my lap in front. When we reached the rest stop at Government Camp, Raegan and Kael were asleep. Chloe, Lola and I got out and played in front of the car in the grass.
10 minutes or so after arriving a sweet woman came up to me, shook my hand, gave me a hug. I gathered my two first "children" up into my arms, kisses and hugs... then handed their leashes to this sweet woman and watched her walk away, "my" girls happily doodling along behind her. They loaded up into a van with the label "Doxie Rescue League" in prominent letters on the side, and drove away.
I got back into my car. It is much quieter in there now. No one is whining at the window. No one is eating found floor "candy". It's just me and my two sleeping babies in the back seat.. one of which is snoring. Start the engine. Drive away. Raegan woke up maybe 10 minutes later; sleepily asked where "her" puppies were. I told her they were going to stay with a new lady in a new house, just like Raegan was going to go to HER new house. She just said OH! and went back to sleep.

So today was a pretty rough day. But I'm told tomorrow will be easier. And the next even more so.

You taught me so much, and loved so fully. I will never forget you, ladies, and will love you forever.

Your first Mama.