Political Turmoil vs. Giving Thanks

I've been stalling on this one... as to what I should say, if anything, regarding our new President Elect...

First of all, before I say anything more, I must say that I do recognize there are A LOT of different perspectives out there, each with their own legitimate and personal issues at stake, and I also recognize many of which do not pertain to me.

Because of those in my family who came before me, foremost, and the efforts of my own parents with their combined educations and cultural and familial backgrounds, their places of employment and their earning power, we could always afford to live in places with good neighborhoods, where I always had access to a backyard and plenty of playmates to run around with, and I always had a parent at home with me during my school years. And because we always lived in good neighborhoods with a mother at home, I had no problems achieving a solid education via the public schools I attended in Salt Lake City, UT, Billings, MT, and Cedar Rapids, IA. Nor did I ever have any problems seeking and attaining a higher education, including a masters degree.

Not ever was I denied proper health care as a child. As an adult, I have never been unable to seek and attain proper health care, always able to afford it, having always reaped the benefits of fantastic health insurance programs via the places of my employment. Overall, I have never been unable to receive the care I need, whether it be medical or therapeutic or psychological in nature.

I have also never been denied public services of any kind based upon either my ethnicity or my socioeconomic status, nor because I simply did not know what was available to me.

I have never been unable to feed myself. I have always enjoyed clean drinking water and clean bathing water and proper sewage treatment. I have always lived with a roof over my head, cool in the summers and warm in the winters, with more than enough clothing to cover my backside however way I want to cover it.

I have never had to give up a child out of wedlock or for any other reason, nor have I ever had to raise a child by myself.

I have never been a victim of violent public crime.

This list could go on and on and on... My point thus far is this: I count myself to be a very fortunate person in this world; ALL of my basic needs in life, they have all been met.

Moreover, I have more than enough in my life, so much so, I can actually acquire things I WANT, beyond basic need... I call these things the 'Luxuries in Life,' such as the following: Cars, cell phones, TVs, DVDs, mp3s and CDs, music players, make-up and nail polish, smelly bubble bath and scented body scrubs, books to read, paints to paint crafty things, knitting supplies, a hefty, an impressive heavy duty sewing machine, THIRTEEN different pairs of black shoes [flat mary janes, Dansko clogs, flat sandals, 2 pairs of wedge heel Sofft sandals, sling back high heels, 2 different pairs of dress wedge heels, zip-up ankle boots, lace-up boots, and a pair of winter-weather Goretex boots], trips out of state, ski trips to Keystone, airfare to anywhere, multiple hand bags and multiple purses [I can't even attempt to count those], a gazillion jackets and coats [paisley ski coat, plus an extra red ski coat, black pea coat, red pea coat, blue raincoat, orange windbreaker, denim jacket, khaki jacket, red trench, woolen tweed trench, light cotton gray hoodie, dark gray sweatshirt hoodie, woolen Irish hooded cardigan, blue pullover fleece, red fleece vest, pink fleece vest, black quilted ski vest, wine-colored blazer, etc. etc.], new light fixtures to match our living room lamps, a 6-cushion couch that has a queen size hide-a-bed, matching wool-woven couch pillows, a Kitchen Aid mixing machine, a blender, a food processor, a mini-food processor, a waffle iron, a heart-shaped waffle iron, a potato ricer, a lime squeezer, a nutmeg grater... you get the point? This list, it too, could go on and on and on... And none of the aforementioned items are in any way essential to life. They are all WANTS; none of them are truly needs. Have I earned these luxuries? Well, I can afford them, yes... and so, does that mean I've earned them? I've worked hard to be able to afford these things. Mind you, many have been given to me as well, and my honey-man and I, we have bought some things together... so I certainly haven't acquired all these things all on my own, and I wouldn't have any of them without certain basics having come first. But I DO gots allll the basics: those are not an issue for me, see? And do we make more than $250K a year? Hell no.

So, about these proposed tax hikes that may come via Obama to those making $250K or more a year? These tax policies won't pass unless won with a majority vote, right? Yet those making $250K+ in the U.S. are not amongst the majority, which is why an affirmative vote is plausible. Simply put, there are more people out there who are living 'without' than with.

SEMI-RELATED TANGENT: When I was an active Mormon, I paid 10% of my income as a tithe to the LDS Church, no questions asked. I used to think of it as my way of helping out, doing my part to better society and my fellowmen and fellow church members. And now? Although no longer active in the LDS church, I still think I should be helping out, especially when my own needs are met well beyond need. Now, about taxes, they have always been a part of how I contribute to the 'general effort,' so they're a given; I have no other choice, and I don't have control over how my tax dollars are spent, although I never had control over how the LDS Church spent my tithing money either. Am I getting off point? My point: I don't mind paying taxes = It's how I contribute. I do more than that to 'contribute' though, directly dolling out a couple thousand $ a year to charities I choose, plus the volunteer time I give to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the American Cancer Society. But the tax money? I can't mind the taxes when my own needs are met.

I have tried to imagine what my life would be like if we made $250K a year... and man, the excess is truly hard to imagine, although I'm certain we'd find ways to spend it, especially if and when we have another child after this one on the way. It's easy to spend money when you have it. It's hard to say how we would feel about a higher tax rate if we made over $250K, even though that amount would place us in a totally different tax bracket anyhow, levels above where we are now. I think we honestly couldn't mind it though - -the higher tax rate, I mean-- and that's because, fundamentally, speaking of myself and my honey-man, we believe that people are meant to take care of each other, and we should help take care of others, and that means EVERYONE who's in need whether they're working hard for their daily bread or living off the system. Even if it means taking more away from what I've worked so hard to earn for myself, that's fine with me because I already have more than enough.

This Thanksgiving and hereafter, I hope to truly focus more and dwell daily upon how grateful I am for all that we have, and all the good fortune of my family and friends. I'm hopeful that such focus will further lighten my load.

oh yeah, and Obama? I'm hopeful about him too.

Tap Dancin' Baby!

We had our second appointment for our second '2nd level' sonogram with the perinatal doctor today, and it was a WONDERFUL appointment! First of all, our baby sweet potato girl had her heart officially checked and scanned, and she passed with flying colors! WOO-HOO! A Perfect heart test! And she's managed to gain 11 ounces since our last dr. appointment only 4 weeks ago, now weighing a full pound, plus 6 oz., AND she's grown over 4 inches, now measuring a foot long!?! She's totally to chart for her volume and fluids, and even a lil' ahead of the game for her size.

At one point, nearing the end of our appointment, I spoke up: So, if I'm not mistaken here, her having only 2 cord vessels hasn't hindered her growth in any way thus far. Is that right?

The doctor chuckled loudly and reassured us that she's growing as if those 2 instead of 3 cord vessels aren't a problem at all ~ Our baby is growin' like a lil' weed, quite strong, very active and perfectly healthy thus far. Today's a very happy day!

P.S. Oh yeah! The post title is a reference to my last night... When we got up this morning, I told my honey man that allll night long, while trying to sleep on my left side, it felt like the baby was standing up in there, tap dancing on the mattress, thumping her head toward the ceiling. Well, come to find out at our appointment this morning, we saw that she's currently positioned horizontally, her head to the right of my stomach, and her feet on the left side, kicking away!

Written July 15th... Before the Word (Preggers!) was Out!

This post won't be published for a couple months or more, but I gotta write about this right now: I'M PREGGERS! We found out last weekend... I'm probably no more than 4 weeks along, but we won't really now that for sure until I have my first ob consult. But in the last 2 weeks, man oh man, my body has already undergone some noticeable changes: #1) No morning sickness yet (knock on wood!), but either early morning when I wake up or late at night, just before bed, OR BOTH, if I don't eat something fast, be it a glass of milk or a handful of crackers, I find myself quite queasy, heavily salivating, wanting to throw up. #2) Strong, odoriferous smells make me wanna vomit... onions, garlic, coffee, mint (like gum or toothpaste), peanut butter, fish, anything burnt, cigarette smoke = all of it, absolutely disgusting right now, but eggs? Eggs are fine, no problem. I love eggs. #3) I generally have this very 'full' feeling in my stomach that deters me from eating = I have NO appetite. #4) I am a nuclear reactor at night - - the heat radiating from my body can be felt by my honey-man from 9-10 inches away.

And lastly, for those who just really want to know about this one [heavy sarcasm applied, but really, I can't not include this one, as it was my first indication that sumthin' was up]: #5) DO NOT TOUCH MY BOOBS! Don't even look at them! They are painfully sensitive. If I could avoid showering, I'd have gone the last entire week without bathing. And if I could avoid the touch of clothing upon them, I'd be shirtless, 24/7!

Written July 16th: "I'm an Emotional Heap of Sensitivity"

FOREWARNING FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC: Anyone who knows me, if they could read this right now before you next see me, please, oh puhleeze be really, really nice and patient with me or I may just burst into an explosion of weepy tears, melting into a puddle of sobbing, heaving goo, right at your feet, and I could do so without much warning, and without much warrant for that matter!

P.S. Too bad I can't post this when everyone who knows me needs it most!

Written July 16th: "Zero Appetite AND Chronic Nausea ~ Yippee!"

This post was written late in the afternoon on July 16th. Later on, we found out it had less to do with my being pregnant and more to do with an unknown kidney infection that about to make itself known the following morning...

It just took me and hour and 16 minutes to choke down a single Kashi Crunch bar, and every single bite, I felt like I was gunna throw up. I have new found empathy for the angel boy-O's inability to eat any of his meals with much enthusiasm nor interest due to his lack of appetite caused by his ADHD meds.

Zee Lastest 'I Will Settle Down Here' Kitty Locations

This post was actually written on July 11th, a few days before I wound up in the hospital... Apparently, it'd been forgotten. There's an update to include here, but I don't have those pics with me, so it'll have to come later...

Our two fuzzy boys, both Otis & Owen, they have recently claimed newly designated areas in our home for their individual "I will settle down right here" pleasures, because, ya know, they gotta maintain their claim over every square inch of our home, cuz ya know, they own it; it's their house.

Now I swear to you, this lil' shit, Owen, he knows quite well that HE'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ON THE FREAKIN' KITCHEN TABLE!! ~ but I believe he'd figured out at this time that although I was just over 'there' on the couch, I was totally unawares, taking a nappy-nap...

This is the moment before he realized I was no longer sleeping.

...and this moment captures his valiant effort to pretend I wasn't there at all, totally refusing to leave his lil' slice of sunshine on the kitchen table.

And Oatie, he now loves the top of the front room TV. He now hangs out there, sleeps there... it's his 2nd favorite spot now.

One of Owen's new spots is particularly perplexing though - - I can understand the kitchen table (he can be a naughty kitty), but I don't know why he's chosen my sewing machine as one of his new daily perches of delight? Cuz it's oh-so cozy?

Gettin' Registered & Gettin' Emotional

Oh boy (or in our case, a girl), I just registered for a whole load of pregnancy-related preparation classes:

Prenatal Yoga, Lamaze, 'Baby Basics', Breastfeeding, Infant CPR, and a Hospital Labor & Delivery Suites Tour

The very last of the listed registered events, we've scheduled it when the angel boy-O will be here, so he can go with us and see where we (and hopefully, he, too) will be when his lil' sis comes out and into this world.

Oh, and by the way, I teared up three different times and full on cried once while going through the selection and confirmation process of registering online for these classes. Yeah.

Puhleeze Pass Me the Cranberry Fluff, RiGHT nOW!

It's that time of year again! And although we're just a week away from Thanksgiving, I want me some Cranberry Fluff RIGHT NOW!

I've got a lil' nasty green-gunky cold right now. I've definitely had worse, but my body aches, and I haven't been sleeping well the last couple nights [SIDE NOTE: Although poor sleep is nothing new these days, now that I'm sleeping with a pillow between my legs, I can no longer enjoy my two favorite sleeping positions: Back and Stomach. And just last night, dis' wee babe in my belly kept thumping and bumping around in there until 2am!?!]... not sure I can get myself to the grocery store tonight. I may have to send my sweetest second in command, armed with a lengthy grocery shopping list, including food stuffs for next week's Thanksgiving 's cooking event! But really, all that could wait until the weekend or next Monday. I just really want me some Cranberry Fluff! No mind that we've run out of skim milk and eggs and bananas and lunch meat and... I just need the ingredients for some Cranberry Fluff!

Did I mention already that I want some Cranberry Fluff?

P.S.Right HERE is a blog post featuring a picture of cranberry fluff, and HERE is the recipe!

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Some of these are better than others... but I like the first, third and last ones the most.

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN McCAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the chickens on the other side of the road.

SARAH PALIN: Kill it!

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road. We just want to know if the chicken i s on our side of the road, or not. The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your definition of chicken?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the chicken's intentions. I will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the road.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's guilty! You can see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain, alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the plain truth? That's why they call it the other side. Yes, my friends, that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay, too. I say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the liberal media whitewashes with seemingly harmless phrases like the other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road. Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be listening to the chicken tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads together, in peace.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken 2008, which will not only cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance your checkbook. Internet Explorer is an integral part of eChicken 2008. This new platform is much more stable and will never c rash or need to be rebooted.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

Movin'round zah Tum-Tum

I can't believe I didn't write about this first part at least the very next day after it'd happened?!?

Well, so Tuesday night, October 21st, we were on the couch together, watching some DVD. [SIDE NOTE: If I remember correctly, this was another one of those evenings together, where I was bein' the good sport, watching some ridiculously strange flick my honey-man had to watch for his work.] I was actually sitting right beside my honey-man in a cobbler's pose position. I could really feel our wee babe moving around in there, and I'd put my left hand on my lower tummy to see if I could feel her with my hand. My honey-man, seeing my well-placed hand, he asked if I could feel her, then placing his own left hand alongside mine. Absentmindedly, I told him he probably wouldn't be able to feel her, but he kept his hand in place, and we continued watching the movie, whatever it was. Not even a minute later, we both simultaneously exclaimed aloud, stunned and wide-eyed, "OHH!", both of us having felt the baby with our hands on my tummy. It was an utterly fantastic moment!

And now, almost a month later, I can really feel her movin' around in there! Sometimes I wonder what the heck she's doing!? Most movements feel like a rolling or bumping motion - - no sharp jabs yet, as she's too little for that (thus far). Sometimes it feels like she must be either dancin' in there or turning somersaults! But she really has me wondering what it'll be like a month or two from now, when she can really give me a good kick in the ribs or a mighty punch in the bladder!?! Honestly, the thought makes me smile.

The last couple nights, I've fallen asleep with one hand on my honey-man, and the other on my belly, falling asleep to the movements of our lil' Baby Sweet Potato Girl...

My Mum would call this Sunset 'Sky-Blue Pink'

Zee Very Latest Preggers Observations

In no particular order of importance:

1. I can eat chicken again, no problemo now, honey mustard or none
2. I still love egg sandwiches, no matter the time of day
3. I really, REALLY love anything involving sweet potatoes, especially fries
4. My love of pub cheese has toned down significantly
5. Hot chocolate is my new tasty beverage of choice
6. Half of the time, I can't remember what I did yesterday
7. I have a new found love of orange juice
8. I have heartburn now if I eat more than a fistful of food at any one time
9. About every other 2-3 days, I get a bloody nose (they say this happens with pregnancy)
10. I can be hot all over, radiating heat like a raging furnace, but still have cold feet!

Mah Personal Driving History: An Auto Accident Recap

Until 3 or so weeks ago, every auto accident I was ever responsible for had happened while I was either driving in reverse, or coming out of reverse. [TRANSLATION: By 'responsible for,' I mean to say they were car accidents that were entirely my fault... The headers for those babies are highlighted below in dark red.]

#1 My first car accident: Sometime in the Fall of 1989. I was 14 years of age, driving on a minors permit... My step-mum had given me the chance to drive the family home from church that Sunday in our beige '87 Oldsmobile Delta 88. My father was not with us. While keeping such a very close eye on the rear of the car and where it was going while backing out of our parking spot, I completely failed to also mind the front of the car! The front passengers nose of the Oldsmobile made a respectable dent in the neighboring car's rear drivers door before we realized what I was doing. We left a note on the windshield of the damaged car, and if I recall correctly, I paid the owner (who was Matt Harger's father) $75 to have the door dent knocked out and repainted.

My 2nd accident (this one was ridiculous): Early June, 1993. I was out and about distributing open house invitations, very last minute, for my high school graduation, and I had stopped at the home of who was my father's boss at the time. The house next door to his and the house directly across the street, they both had garage sales going strong, with cars parked all along both sides of the street. As I backed our white '85 Chevy 4x4 Blazer out from his driveway, I stopped the Blazer a mere 2 inches or so from a red, totally-unseen-by-me, tinsy Lemans sedan. As witnesses later told me, from reverse, I shifted the Blazer into drive, and it rocked backward (as it always did when one would move into 'drive' from reverse), directly into the rear drivers door of this tiny red car, and the Blazer practically lifted the thing an inch off the ground, onto its curbside tires before I drove off. And I SWEAR I DID NOT NOTICE A THING!! I was driving a freakin' tall-sitting, very huge 4x4 Chevy Blazer!?! So anyhow, the owner of the car saw it all happen, and frantically, very angrily (I was told), he ran to his car and he drove after me for a few blocks before making his move to dramatically cut me off, just as I was turning into the development where we lived... I thought the guy was a stark raving lunatic!!! As he pulled alongside me during my right-hand turn, he drove right out in front of me, slamming his brakes, coming to a complete stop! I'm still stunned that I did not then slam him right into oblivion. He then jumped out of his car, drivers door left open, his car still running, and he ran back toward me, shouting obscenities and yelling all sorts of things. Seeing that this behavior of his was apparently meant for me, although not knowing how so, I had begun to roll up my window and only left it open a crack, yelling back at him that I didn't know what he was talking about, bursting into tears and begging him to please stop yelling. The man scared the living holy crap outta me, because I honestly didn't know what I had done. Once he realized I was a merely a clueless and terrified teenager, he quit shrieking at me, and he calmly explained himself, and as I reasoned in my mind that his story could very well be true [I WAS DRIVING A BEASTLY 4x4 BLAZER!!! - the same vehicle in which my step-mum had unknowingly taken out a couple mailboxes, driving in reverse!], I told him to follow me back to the point of the accident, and we'd exchange information. By that time, my father's boss, who had had his neighbors come over to his home, asking who I was - - and his wife may have seen the accident happen too, I can't remember for sure. He had already called my parents to let them know I was in trouble. I do remember I was sooo mortified and upset and just bawling, so worried about the repair costs. I had also been convinced my father was going to kill me and that I would not live long enough to see my H.S. graduation that very week... Both my parents told me they were just so happy that no one was hurt! If I recall, it cost a lil' more than $300, out of pocket to repair the fellow's car.

My 3rd accident (not only ridiculous, but totally stupid): Late summer, 1994. The 'Fudmobile' was long gone, and I was home from college for just a couple summer months, working at Baskin Robbins (I made the cakes!). Whenever I got to drive myself to work, rather than ride my mnt. bike, I drove my parents' white Toyota Camry, and I always parked at the rear of the store in the very last parking spot to the farthest left, away from anything or anyone else. Well, this one evening, for some unknown reason, I parked in the back, right behind the back entrance. Done with work and about to drive home, I put the car into reverse, barely glancing behind me, and forcefully backed the Camry directly into the store's dumpster! I moved the damn thing a whole inch, and left one nicely scratched 1 inch-long groove in the Camry's rear bumper. That cost me $180.

My 4th accident: Shortly after New Years, 1995. Me, Suzanne and Melissa were driving up to Rexburg, ID from SLC, UT, returning from our Christmas break away from school. We were riding in what was Suzy's car (a beastly, heavy hunk of metal, a maroon '78 Oldsmobile, or was it from '72? I'll have to ask her. I'm not positive, but I think it was older than we were!), and we were only 45 minutes away from our destination. [SEMI-RELATED TANGENT: I think Suze had inherited this car from a grandparent. Although unarguably better than no wheels at all, both the odometer and speedometer did not work. I don't remember the gas gauge working either, although that may have gone defunkt come the following spring. Oh and it had no AC, and that became important when we worked together in Park City, UT, that following summer! END OF TANGENT]. There was a lot of slush and black ice on the highways that night and we were often driving under 30 mph to avoid trouble. I had an old, green, rusty pick-up truck riding our butt, and I was refusing to go any faster, nor was he making a move to pass me anytime soon. I took our speed down to 25 mph, hoping to encourage this jackass to make his move to pass me... and it worked. He took off from behind us, and as he passed us pulling further ahead, he cut me off, and he tapped his brakes. In turn, I tried to gently, but quickly engage our brakes... and inconveniently did so while driving over a patch of black ice, and I lost control of the car. Remarkably, we made a full 360 and a half, flat spin off the road without flipping over and without hitting anything or anyone. We stopped 3-4 inches shy of a reinforced barbed wire fence, AND our tire tracks revealed that we had passed less than a foot away from a standing highway directional sign post which measured 13" in diameter. We all had had our seat belts on... so instead of bodies tossed around, all we had was Suzy's snowboard thrown towards the front dash, along with my CD player, both me and Suzy's two CD disc zip-cases, a few bags of received Christmas gifts, and two freshly made, boxed quiches also thrown forward, made by Melissa's sister. The quiche went everywhere, and although a shameful waste, indeed, it had a nice comical touch. Other than an expensive midnight tow, nothing at all happened to the beastly car! I must say we were remarkably lucky!

My 5th accident: Some cold month in early 2003 (I think). I was leaving a local 24-hour Kmart, very, very LATE at night, like 2am-ish? Why was I at Kmart 'round 2am? Although irrelevant to the whole explanation of this accident, I had gone there to pick up some more fine grit sandpaper for a dresser I was refinishing in the garage that night, and apparently, I just couldn't wait until daylight. Anyhow, as I backed outta my parking space, I failed to notice the diagonally-angled triangular curb jutting alongside the drivers side of my car, parallel to me. As I pulled into drive, I ran over the very end corner nub of the curb and blew out both my front and rear passenger side tires. My cousin, Jay, he came to my rescue that night... changed both my tires. Bless him!

My 6th accident: Either late July or early August, 2004 (I've apparently forgotten when - I'd have to look it up). It was dark out and raining hard, a Vegas cloudburst during what they call 'monsoon season,' and I was not even a block away from home. I was listening on a radio report talking about just how bad the weather was, and all the flash flooding around the valley, and all the auto accidents already reported that night, including the locations of some major ones. I was the first car waiting in the left-turn lane, and as the left-turn light clocked green, time for me to make my move, I looked left and right and left and then, as I began to sllloooowly nose out into the intersection, I looked right again, and directly into the oncoming headlights of a big, black Lincoln Navigator. Actually, I only recognized what it was as the thing drove off.... It was a hit and run. They didn't even slow down, and once two other fellow drivers who had stopped beside me were able to confirm I was physically okay, neither one was willing to wait around in the dark and the rain as a witness, nor did anyone give me their contact information. And no one was able to offer the license plate of the Lincoln Navigator. They took out my front bumper and the front passengers fender and tire. It was really great (heavy sarcasm)!

My 7th accident: October 27th, 2006. My Holy Cow Crash... This LINK HERE says it all.

My 8th accident: June 8th, 2008. Some girl rear-ended me HARD... the story is HERE. And my car is in the shop for repairs right now.

My 9th and latest accident (Yup, the 2nd accident this very year!): Almost 3 weeks ago, October 23rd, 2008. The initial story HERE and the final result HERE... and I had wondered about this one. I couldn't believe all those scratches were my doing... and as it turns out, they weren't! Thank you again for your spectacular and most appreciated honesty, sir!

The Truth Comes Out

So, that car I'd hit nearly a couple weeks ago, after I'd left the early-voting polling place? The owner finally emailed me just yesterday, and he let me know that 99% of the damage I'd pointed out on his bumper was all pre-existing damage from an old accident. He thinks that I may have left maybe one tinsy hairline scratch was all, so he had his bumper repaired last week and he doesn't expect me to pay for any of the repairs.

Can you say, 'Hallelujah!?' And how nice of him to be truthful and honest about it, instead of passing the buck my way. And so, I just gotta be more careful in merge lanes!

IM-ing 'bout our Baby Sweet Potato Girl

(11:34:26 AM) hellodaly: yo
(11:37:37 AM) Annejelynn: hi there!
(11:37:48 AM) Annejelynn: baby's doin' good! everything looks good right now!
(11:38:16 AM) Annejelynn: they'll have me come in every 4 wks for additional 2-level sonograms to monitor her growth and development, watching for kidney problems and anything else
(11:38:23 AM) Annejelynn: she'll have a heart test in a month
(11:38:43 AM) Annejelynn: she gained 3 oz in 2 wks
(11:38:49 AM) Annejelynn: and she's almost 9 inches long
(11:38:50 AM) hellodaly: wow
(11:38:53 AM) hellodaly: that is good news
(11:38:59 AM) hellodaly: I am glad that things are going well
(11:39:27 AM) Annejelynn: she's standing on her head (they hadn't told me that before), but every sonogram, she's on her head, with her feat kicking the side of my stomach, which is what I've been feeling all this time
(11:40:16 AM) Annejelynn: last night, she was doin' something and I told *OMIT mah honey-man's name HERE* and he put his hand where I was feeling it, and I told him he probably wouldn't be able to tell, and then she REALLY did something and HE FELT IT!
(11:40:47 AM) hellodaly: that's crazy
(11:40:54 AM) hellodaly: seems so soon but that is awesome
(11:43:27 AM) Annejelynn: we have 139 days to go!
(11:43:52 AM) Annejelynn: she has all this room where her legs and feet are, since she'd standing on her head... so she kicks and moves alot
(11:44:07 AM) Annejelynn: the tech and Dr we saw yesterday both said she's very active!
(11:44:26 AM) hellodaly: she's trying to turn herself around, huh
(11:44:41 AM) Annejelynn: no, she just stands on her head, dancing
(11:44:47 AM) Annejelynn: upside-down!
(11:45:11 AM) Annejelynn: she arches her back, she swings her arms up and down and up beside her head
(11:45:28 AM) Annejelynn: we didn't see any thumb sucking this time... but she really wouldn't hold still
(11:45:35 AM) Annejelynn: lots of the sonogram pics were blurry
(11:45:42 AM) Annejelynn: oh! we saw her eyeballs!?!?
(11:45:51 AM) Annejelynn: and we saw her opening and closing her mouth
(11:46:15 AM) hellodaly: wow that's crazy
(12:00:56 PM) Annejelynn: oh, and I forgot to mention, my placenta is NOT placed low as they suspected... her head is against my fundus, pulling the placenta a lil' lower angled is all, soooo no required c-section for that
(12:02:39 PM) hellodaly: that is good news
(12:02:49 PM) Annejelynn: yes!!!
(12:03:14 PM) Annejelynn: so, for now, I get to see her with the perinatal doc every 4 wks and in the last month, I may go every 2 weeks or every week for sonograms!
(12:03:36 PM) Annejelynn: and if things continue as she's going, just a lil' more slowly for her size growth, she should be fine, just small, like 5-6 lbs when she's born

NOW, SOME BACKGROUND INFO: I saw my OB a week ago, last Friday, for the first time since our last sonogram. I was told some troubling news. First of all though, before I get all into that, my doc did confirm that as of our Oct. 16th sonogram, everything still looks anatomically correct AND all the tests -downs syndrome, cystic fibrosis, neural tube abnormalities, plus a couple testing for genetic defects I cannot pronounce- they all came back negative. Yay! [Now to explain the troubling news, and I'm starting with what my doc told me lastly...] Via my sonogram, it looked like my placenta is attached low, near the cervix, which means I could be prone to bleeding in my last trimester, particularly in the last couple months and I would most likely have to have a c-section, and possibly bed rest in my 9th month... [SIDE NOTE: At this point during my appointment, I was thinking, I can deal with a c-section.. not what I wanted, but I can handle that. ] AND then my doc told me our lil' babe has only 2 cord vessels instead of 3. My Response: "I don't know what that means. What does that mean?" This is what it means: The umbilical cord is meant to have 3 blood vessels; 2 arteries going out from the baby and one incoming vein [SIDE NOTE: Until today, I'd had this allll mixed up, vein vs. artery, and the function of each in an umbilical cord!].

• The vein carries oxygen and nutrients from the placenta (which connects to the mother's blood supply) to the baby.
• The two arteries transport waste from the baby to the placenta (where waste is transferred to the mother's blood and disposed of by her kidneys).

So, our wee one has only one out-going cord vessel handling her waste instead of the two, which means she's at risk for growth development issues, particularly heart and kidney trouble, and she will most likely have a low birth weight. To date, her growth and development (minus the one cord vessel, of course) has been right on target thus far. At some point though, soon approaching, her growth rate is expected to slow and she may not progress like other babies would, size-wise. I'd asked if I should modify my diet, and was told not at all...except to make what I eat really count (this was not news to me).

Between my regular OB doc and the perinatal doc we saw this past Monday, we've been told she'll be monitored via 2nd level sonograms every 4 weeks until the birth... and they both expect we'll most likely have ourselves a small, but healthy baby come March. Fingers crossed!