9.22.2008

Autumn is here

Happy 1st day of Autumn - for those who live in areas with actual seasonal changes, please enjoy the beauty of the changing leaves for me over the next few weeks/months :)


9.21.2008

Welcome, Jack!

Thank you to everyone who offered prayers for Alison and Johnny.

Jorde talked to Uncle Danny (Johnny's brother) Sunday evening at Mass, and baby Jack arrived Saturday night. Of course, I found out when Julie called me just a bit ago 'cause my hubby is a total guy and forgot to pass on that information ;) We don't have any particulars, but Mom, Dad and Baby are doing well. Yea!

9.19.2008

Wrap Our Friends in Prayer

Okay, prayer warriors, your intercessions are needed.

Our friends, Alison and Johnny, are on their way to the hospital as they anticipate the birth of their first child.

Please pray for a safe and healthy labor, delivery, and little boy for them. Let's storm the Gates of Heaven with prayers for the safe arrival of this baby and the protection of his mother as she endures the next few hours.

Alison and Johnny - we love you guys!

...and Jack, we can't wait to meet you!

Gracious Father, your Word, spoken in love, created the human family and, in the fullness of time, your Son, conceived in love, restored it to your friendship. Hear the prayers of Alison and Johnny, who await the birth of their child. Calm their fears when they are anxious. Watch over and support these parents and bring their child into this world safely and in good health, so that as members of your family they may praise you and glorify you through your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, now and forever.

Loving God, Your love for us is like that of a mother, and You know the hard joy of giving birth. Hold the hand of Your servant Alison now and keep her safe; put Your own Spirit into her very breathing and into the new baby, Jack, for whom we wait with awe and hope. We ask this through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

9.18.2008

35 - 17

So, just on the off-chance that Scott checks in here for the heck of it ... I just have to revel in Notre Dame's win over Michigan this past weekend. It still makes me smile!



(Scott ~ you know I love you!!)

9.15.2008

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Thank you, Peggy at The Simple Woman for sharing this idea. How wonderful to have something to look forward to on a Monday! If you're interested in checking this out, click here.

For Today, September 15, 2008

Outside my window... a sun that should not be as hot today as it has been lately :)

I am thinking... about the rush hour traffic I will have to deal with this morning that I don't normally have to drive in

I am thankful for... a loving husband, even on my worst days


From the kitchen... hmmm...well, Jorde is helping at a mission concert this evening, so it will be just me for dinner. Leaning toward pizza, which isn't necessarily from this kitchen :)

I am wearing... work clothes...b-o-r-i-n-g

I am creating... a scrapbook with the photos we received of Samantha from the hospital. I'm not necessarily creating it just today...it's really a work in progress. It takes a certain mood to be able to work on it.

I am going... to the doctor for a follow-up visit shortly.

I am reading... nothing, though last night I finished New Moon, a book my sister-from-another-mother loaned me - soooo looking forward to book #4!!

I am hoping... for a "productive" month next month ;)

I am hearing... my Cosmo kitty making sure I acknowledge his presence

Around the house... cat hair, cat hair, cat hair - you'd think we never vaccuum!!

One of my favorite things... daily morning Mass, which I never make it to because I'm selfish with my sleep time and haven't disciplined myself enough to get up that early...yet

A few plans for the rest of the week... well, there's always work; RCIA classes started back up, so that's where I'll be every Tuesday evening now until May, with a few exceptions for holidays; Jorde has a "half-way to St. Patrick's Day" gig at D'Arcy McGee's on Friday that I'm looking forward to.

Here is picture thought I am sharing... I just love my Mo-Mo, even if he's part of the problem "around the house" :)

9.11.2008

Remembering



I just wanted to take a moment in prayer to remember those who died in the terrorist attacks on 9/11, and to thank the men and women of our US Armed Forces for their selfless sacrifice and courage. Regardless of your views of the war or your political affiliation, our troops deserve our thanks, our love, and our prayers.

There are many poems and tributes to the victims of 9/11 available all over the internet, but I think these words - which we know so well - speak volumes.


God Bless America

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.

God bless America, Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.

Words and music by Irving Berlin©

9.09.2008

Being "Super" Isn't Always So Good

We had our follow-up doctor's appointment with our perinatologist group this morning to go over my lab results. First, I just have to say that, while nice enough, the doctor we saw this morning wasn't the one I expected to see (I thought we were meeting with Dr. Spence, whom we like very much), and he had zero knowledge of my file. The nurse that called to schedule this follow-up apparently thought I was still pregnant - and that would be the info the doctor was laboring under as well until we corrected that assumption. So that was a little awkward.

I actually have a copy of my lab results, and if I could understand it in any way, I'd tell y'all everything it says. However, it's written in lab language and makes no sense - it would totally fail an English composition test. Well, at least one that I graded.

So, the dumbed-down version is this: I have a gene mutation that makes me a super clotter.

(Everyone likes to hear they have a gene mutation, don't they? For some reason, it brings to mind that rat-thing from the old Quizno's commercials - you know, the scary-looking, singing hamster-like creature that made me never want to eat there? Maybe it's just me.)

Anyway, from an obstetrics stand, this is bad because it causes blood clots to form - they will prevent full attachment of the placenta, which in turn prevents enough oxygen from getting through to the baby, causing all manner of problems and complications, including placental abruption. This is what happened to us in April, and is what Dr. Spence suspected when we originally met with her after Samantha's birth. So, next time around, when we are pregnant again and have our first OB appointment, they are going to start me on lovenox, which is a type of anti-coagulation medicine. I will have to give myself shots twice a day - or Jorde will. The more I think about it, the more I think that will be his job. Until then, I will also be taking baby aspirin every morning - I'm starting to feel like a human pharmacy, with all the medicine and vitamins I take on a daily basis. Although the doc said that my husband, himself, and most of the population should be taking baby aspirin, so it's not so much that it's just me.

Of course, I'll be sharing that info with my primary doc, just so she's aware. Even though the doc said it's nothing to worry about right now, by the time I'm 60-ish it will be, since it lends itself to heart attacks and strokes. Lucky me, right? But, at least we know now before it's a real health issue.

Of course, my chronic high blood pressure does nothing to help any of this.

Fer cryin' out loud. It's times like this it doesn't pay to be a Crossley - my mom's family genetics have apparently dumped all over me, because all of this is reminiscent of her parents and siblings. But, better to know than not, I suppose.

However, on the upside - the test results also indicate that I am eating well, which is something I've never been told, so yeah for that!

Plus, we now have a game plan for baby #3. That's encouraging - and a bit stress-relieving, I must admit.

So, I think that's everything. I'm actually upbeat about all this, despite any sarcasm you may have detected in this post ;) At least we have answers, and that can only help us as we try again for a little Webb-let. Which we've been given the green light to try for now - no waiting 'til October for us!

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. We couldn't have gotten through these past months without you. God has blessed us abundantly with and through each of you. We love you guys.

9.04.2008

Today

Today was our original due date. The day we were to meet Samantha until unforeseen complications took her from us.

We love you, sweet baby girl.

We wish you were here.