3 Kids is a "Large Family"?

Opening up my email this morning, I saw an invitation to join a website called "Large Families Today". This struck me as just a bit odd since I only have 3 kids. Maybe because I'm Catholic and also have a number of Mormon friends, but I don't consider myself as having a "large" family just yet. It's only since the birth of our 3rd in January that I've even started to think of myself as having a medium-sized family. To me, a "large family" has 5 or more kids.

We may get there some day- I'm only 32 and taking it one baby at a time. DH has already started in about wanting baby #4 but I told him to check back with me in a year or two. Right now I'm still adjusting to having a 3rd! For me, being "open to life" does not equal "have as many babies as physically possible". It means seeing children as gifts from God and not setting an arbitrary limit on family size. It means keeping an open dialogue with God and DH about whether to try to conceive, try to avoid pregnancy, or something in between.

Large families are wonderful and I personally believe our society would be better off if there were more of them. It makes me sad when I hear others give materialistic reasons as justification for having only 1 or 2 kids. Wouldn't it be nice if children were again seen as blessings rather than burdens?

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Assuming that I don't go into labor on my own tonight and that L&D does not get swamped tomorrow morning, my OB has scheduled me for an induction. Please keep me and my baby in your prayers for a quick and uneventful delivery!

Still Twiddling my Thumbs

I spent several hours at L&D yesterday before they decided to release me because I was not yet in active labor. That's what I had told my OB when I had called but she had still wanted me to be checked out. Turns out that the fluid I felt trickling was just my mucous plug and not amniotic fluid and the irregular contractions that were 5-7 minutes apart never got any stronger or more regular.

I've got an OB appt tomorrow, and if the baby has not yet arrived, I'm going to ask about scheduling an induction.

Keeping My Fingers Crossed...

...that all these irregular contractions I've been having this morning actually turn out to be something significant. I've so ready to get this show on the road!

To Quote Tom Petty...

"The wai-ai-ting is the hardest part..."

Don't get me wrong- labor is far from a walk in the park but at least for me it goes fairly quickly (3 hours with my 1st, 6 hours with my 2nd).

But this sitting around having reached my due date just twiddling my thumbs with no discernible end in sight is absolutely killing me!

Gadget Lust

I'm generally a fairly frugal and pragmatic individual, but there's something about the very end of pregnancy that makes me start pining after stuff I don't really need and don't really have the disposable cash in my budget to purchase.

Fortunately, the first thing is something that I probably couldn't find anyways: a Wii Fit system.
Now, DH has had a PlayStation 2 system for a number of years that I have never used. Video games are simply not something I find interesting. I'd much rather spend my free time reading or cooking or surfing the 'Net or whatever. But the Wii Fit looks really cool!

Intellectually, I know that I already own plenty of stuff to get a great home workout- a closet full of fitness gear and several shelves' worth of exercise DVD's. But part of me is like a spoiled child whining for the latest "hot" toy: "I don't wanna play with those things- I want THAT one!" Real mature, huh?

The second thing that I've been lusting after is another fitness gadget: the Nike + iPod system. I've already got a decent pair of running shoes, mp3 player, and heart rate monitor that until recently I've been perfectly happy with. They just aren't all synced together in a high tech way. Again, intellectually I know it's not worth spending ~$150 on an iPod Nano, ~$90-120+ for a pair of Nike+ shoes, and ~$29 for the kit to make them work together. BUT that doesn't stop the spoiled brat part of me from wanting it...

Still Waiting...

Boy, the last bit of pregnancy does seem to really drag on! My due date is Thursday, but my oldest was a week late (my 2nd was a scheduled induction). I tried all the old wives' remedies for jumpstarting labor with my first and nothing worked- the doctor ended up having to break my water. So I think I'll just skip all the heartburn-causing spicy food and whatnot this time around...

As If I Don't Have Enough Stuff To Do...

I just got a jury summons to appear 8 days before my due date. So now I've got to get a note from my OB to verify that I would be medically unable to serve at that time. What a complete pain in the you-know-where...

Anybody Use a Cloth Diapering Service?

I've always been tempted to cloth diaper but frankly have never wanted to deal with the hassle of so much additional laundry. With my previous 2 babies, there's never been a diaper service available where I was living. This time around, I've found a service called Tiny Tots that's based out of Campbell and delivers to my area.

Their monthly price isn't really a huge premium over what I'd be paying for disposables so I'm seriously considering giving it a try.

Has anybody out there used a cloth diapering service? If so, were you satisfied with the quality of the diapers and the customer service?

Any Suggestions for Relieving Pregnancy-Induced Isomnia?

I've tried drinking chamomile tea, I've tried reading a dull book, I've tried yoga and I'm *STILL* not tired. This has been happening a fair amount lately, and also I've been waking up in the middle of the night & then having trouble falling back asleep :-(

Anybody got ideas for how a mom-to-be who really needs to catch some Z's can do so?

Ultrasound Results

I'm very relieved to report that the ultrasound I had this afternoon showed a healthy-looking baby girl who is only a little small for her gestational age (measuring about a week behind). The technician said that's within the normal range and that the doppler flow measurements of the baby's blood vessels looked good :-)

Thanks everyone for your prayers!

Please Pray for Our Family

I've been having a kind of rough day today and could really use any moral support that you all could offer.

This morning I got a call from my mother-in-law that DH's grandmother passed away last night. She had been suffering from diabetes complications for a long time and was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday so it wasn't totally unexpected but we're still going to miss her.

Then at my OB appointment this afternoon, my doctor found that I'm measuring quite small for the baby's gestational age. Not only that, but the measurements hadn't changed at all since my last appointment a month ago. So she has referred me for an ultrasound to make sure that the baby and placenta look okay. Unfortunately, the first opening the clinic has is not until Tuesday afternoon :-(

The good news is that the baby's heartbeat sounded strong and she's been moving about quite a bit. Also, my DS also measured very small for his gestational age and was only 5 lbs. 12 oz. at his full-term birth. He's still a little peanut (almost 3 but is the size of a typical 18 month old). Our pediatrician has run a bunch of tests on him & has not found any medical problems. As she has reassured me, "Somebody's got to be in that below-the-3rd percentile on the growth curve." So hopefully that's the case with this new baby, too. I just wish that I didn't have to wait 4 days to have the ultrasound.

Sorry to ramble on, but I just wanted to ask you to please keep our family in your prayers :-)

Why Isn't There More Attention Given to Maternal Mortality?

*HALF A MILLION* women this year will die as a result of pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications. While we moms fortunate enough to live in developed countries face a lifetime risk of maternal death of around 1 in 8,000, those in developing world face a risk of 1 in 76. In the worst countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the rate is a jaw-dropping 1 in 7. The majority of these moms die because they lack access to skilled birth attendants, proper pre- and post-natal care, and emergency obstetrical care.

Noting that the global epidemics of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis now receive lots of international attention and billions of dollars in funding, UNICEF's chief of health Peter Salama called for a similar effort for reducing maternal mortality:

"The time is right. We now know exactly what to do for maternal mortality reduction to make this one of the next big issues in global health."

I can't help but wonder how much racism plays a role in the neglect of attention paid to the problem of maternal mortality. 99% of the maternal deaths occur in the Third World, with over half occurring in sub-Saharan Africa.

I don't mean to belittle breast cancer activism, but that disease claims around the same number of women annually (the World Health Organization estimates there were 548,000 deaths from breast cancer worldwide in 2007) yet it receives far more attention than maternal mortality does. When's the last time you saw a pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness? When's the last time that you heard anyone talking about all the moms dying needlessly during pregnancy or childbirth?

Y'all Are Making Me Look Like a Slacker!

One thing about us Catholic homeschoolers- we are a fertile bunch! I had no idea there were so many of us due at the end of '08/beginning of '09 until I saw a post from Melissa Wiley over at "Here from the Bonny Glen" about it. I'm a bit humbled by the fact that most are on their fifth or more child while I'm only on my third, but I'm only 31 so if it's God's plan to bless us with more there ought to be plenty of time :-)

Congrats to all the other expecting mommies!

Expecting #10:
Kim from "Starry Sky Ranch" in the late fall.

Expecting #9:
Martha of "Yes, They're All Ours" in December.
Elizabeth Foss of "In the Heart of my Home" in December.

Expecting #8:
Mary Ellen Barrett from "Tales from the Bonny Blue House" in January.

Expecting #7
Christine from "Memories of a Catholic Wife and Mother" in October.

Expecting #6:
Melissa Wiley of "Here in the Bonny Glen" in January.
Suzanne Temple of "Blessed Among Men" in December.
Alice Cantrell of "A Number of Things" in December.

Expecting #5:
C.J. from "Light and Momentary" in December.
Stephanie from "...and These Thy Gifts" in January (sorry for the initial mix-up!)

Expecting #3:
Carmen L. of "Carmie's Cozy Conifer Cabin" in November.

P.S. Congrats also to Dana Hanley from "Principled Discovery". She's not a Catholic, but she is expecting #5 :-)

Happy News!

As you've probably noticed, I haven't been blogging much in the past 6 or so weeks. I've had a very good reason for this, which I can now reveal- I'm expecting baby #3 in January!

Hopefully I've turned a corner with my morning sickness now that I'm entering my 2nd trimester and will feel up to resuming regular blogging soon :-)