Baby Belly @ 38 Weeks!

SO woke up today and realized it was almost time to go home. The thought is scary for several reasons. I feel like where did the summer go? I dread the flight back since it will be about 8 hours in the air not to mention the lay over in Seattle. Once I get home I will be in the final stretches of my pregnancy and have to get ready for the baby and the kids out fitted for school. *sigh*
I have already gotten as ready as I can with the option of internet shopping buying most of the kid's clothes and school supplies and having them shipped for about the time we get home. I have also registered at Target for the baby which means I can buy and be bought for easily and it all can be delivered to my front door!
This is all done in the hopes to make my life easier so I hope it all does work since there are a few negatives about shopping on line. Oh well things I can only really worry about when I get home!
Yesterday I tried a recipe for Fire weed jelly and while it did not turn into jelly it did turn into really great tasting syrup!
I am going to make another batch today and see if I can't get it to turn out better if I follow the directions more closely!

So I wake up this morning with pent up energy after sleeping the last two days away. The morning has started out feeling weird due to the silence outside my camper. I awoke I could faintly hear the pop and crackle of the wood but no voices or movement at all. I finally ventured out to go pee, again, and grab the makings of a pot of coffee, this being the first I have made on my own and I am not sure if it will work. Walking around the camp I was met with strange signs, twisted and placed in strange places. As I grab my coffee I try to remember if the signs were there before or had they come from some twisted rampage by the dwellers of this place. Either way I am thinking about going out and snapping some pictures of them because somebody put some effort in putting them around camp.
Meanwhile my first attempt in making coffee is done and while the result is bitter it is warm and it helps shake the strange vibes this morning. I am searching for some sign of life but the only thing I find are signs!

So I tried holding my breath till some one posted but I soon learned THAT wasn't going to work.
I just thought I would let everyone know I check daily for some type of up date or photo from the Weekend! I understand that some are still "vacationing" in the HITW and do not have the electronics to post their pictures but I am sure someone somewhere got some pictures!!! *hint* *hint* LOL!

Sorry it has been awhile since I have posted but in my defense my laptop key board was having some issues. The sound on it quit awhile ago and then a couple of weeks ago the o, l, 9 and . quit on me. I priced getting mine fixed versus replacing it and found that neither of them were options i could afford! I decided a USB key board would be the cheapest route! Thanks Mom!
You never realize the amount of O's and L's that are in commonly used words until you have to copy and paste each one!
SO life has been interesting over the last few weeks. Heath was in South Dakota for a week and got to see some pretty neat flooding and during that time we saw some weather that had me turning on my air conditioner!
Lincoln is in full bloom and the trees are now covered in green leaves and bunches of flowers are in bloom! The weather has been so nice that water gun fights are common after school and the kids are leaving their jackets at home!
This has to be my favorite time of year due to the fact that the weather is just perfect. It is hot enough that you have to dress down but not so bad that you are constantly sweating. It rains mostly at night leaving everything bright and green all day! We have these trees, and honestly I do not know the name but they produce little white or purple flowers that when the wind blows you are hit with a soft flower smell. They are now getting full with green leafs and the ground is dusted with the little petals, it is very pretty! In another month we have to worry about humidity which makes every thing hotter!
Heath has been off work this week and while it is stretching us tight we are doing all right. He has work this next week now that the farmers have started planting and things should take off from there. I have to get used to him being gone because that is where the work is but I will say I am jealous because the guy is getting to see some country!
I have gotten to go one day with him and it was a blast it was a nice day and we got to go into Kansas to a little town I have previously posted about! Look it up if you can it is a pretty little town, Marys Ville Kansas! It is one of the original pony express stations. I got to meet Heath's main boss, the owner of the company he works for. He drove through Nebraska just so he could meet Heath. Now I have to describe this guy. He is in his late seventies and had started this company on his own before he had four wheelers and GPS to help him sample. This guy did it all by hand and grew his company to the size it is today coverig seral states. Heath has only met him once before and really anything he knows he has heard from stories that are told among the guys he works with. I guess if he meets up with you he will go through your company rig to make sure you are keeping it cleaned and in shape and will chew your ass if you are not taking care of his stuff.
Well we had the pleasure to meet him and he actually was a really nice guy! He just wanted to thank Heath personally for the job he did in South Dakota! I guess the boss Heath worked for while up there is not easy to please and he was VERY happy with Heath. His head boss never even went through Heath's work truck. I also want to point out that this guy called every one of his employees to wish them a Merry Christmas!

The kids are getting stir crazy with all this nice weather as I am sure all of their friends are. Heather and Hunter have established quite the pack of neighborhood kids. Heather has a devoted follower that goes everywhere she does and even waits outside patiently until she can come play. He is a nice kid and has even gone on nightly walks with us although he is a terror on the fauna, there was a trail all the way home!
Hunter on the other hand has picked to hang out with the 12 year old next door, his parents are the next door neighbors and are really nice. They have two little white fluffy dogs that Koda is intent on eating! He has also made friends with a little Mexican boy and his entire family!
Both kids have done really well this year in school and Heather has been given the option to test ahead in certain areas next year so she is actually challenged. Hunter has surprised everyone by kicking butt in all of his classes, especially Math because he started a little shaky.
The kids both had concerts recently. Poor Hunter even had a solo but ended up with a bad stomach bug and had to miss school! Every year Prescott has a Grandparents Day concert and the kids sing songs to the attending grandparents and parents and then you are given juice and cookies and asked to visit your child's class! It is a nice way to visit the school without actually scheduling parent teacher conference! Stan and Terry, the kids wish you guys were there! They make the farthest traveled grandparents stand up and get applause!
Heather also had her final cello concert and she has improved so much since her Christmas concert! I am not sure if she will choose to do the cello again next year but I know she at least tried it out for a full year!
We have been recovering from a persistent stomach bug here it has attacked Hunter twice and Heather and I once. The only person who seems immune to it is Heath but he was gone when we all started to get sick! Heather and I recovered quickly but poor Hunter fought for days with a high fever and throwing up. Hopefully this is the last round of stomach flu!
We also had our female go into heat earlier than expected which has turned our house upside down. We have decided already that we were going to get Koda neutered but we thought we had a month before we had to even worry about her going into heat. We are also getting her fixed as we are done with the puppy thing. Now we have a bleeding female who has to wear diapers everywhere and a 160 pound male who has lost his mind, literally. We have to keep them separated by kennels at all times and we rotate their outside schedules so they both get outside time. Also we have to water our lawn down everywhere she goes pee because Koda looses his mind if he smells her smell. It has gotten so bad that it is causing issues with him peeing. If he smells her he can't pee then he will get inside where he can't smell her and he will pee himself because his bladder is so full. If she is outside we have to stand on constant attention so she does not attract unwanted stray males! She also has to have daily baths because of her odor.
This is something we THOUGHT we knew we were going to face at least once but I can say we were not prepared for the work it takes to keep them separated! I can not wait until they are both fixed!!!
Well that was a long post but it has been a while since I posted!
We are having another beautiful day and more yard work needs to be done! We have large trees that loose their branches in the spring storms now we have to pick them all up! Maybe even a water fight sounds fun right now!

Hey just posted a new post on my other blog, Oh Baby. So go check it out!! I actually put pictures up!

Hey just posted a new post on my other blog, Oh Baby. So go check it out!!

Hunter S. Harrington

Sometimes they just open up, a bright smile to let
you know they are happy. It is incredible!

Just some stories that made it in my news today. Both of these stories have blown my mind.
The first is about 16 illegal immigrants who are suing an American farmer for violating their rights.
So really do they deserve the same rights as a US citizen? What about the legal immigrants who have struggled to become citizens? If they want to use the "system" they should have used it to legally come into our country. What do you think?

Oh no they didn't!


The second story is about a 15 year old chimp who attacked his owners friend. Do the same laws apply for an owner who gives her chimp a prescription that was not prescribed for him?
What the Hell?

Random

Just some random photos for fun!



Heather with her present from Dad and Mom.

Hunter asleep after a chocolate overload...bear planted by Dad

Now I know this picture is blurry but what i was trying to show was not Hunter's shooting skills but the growth spurt the kid is going through!

And yes with that growth spurt has come BAD teeth!

Huba Huba

The other night we walked to the book fair at the kid's school and on the way home we took the route they take each day. Heather and Hunter started talking about Huba Huba. Now at first all I caught was the name Huba Huba and he lived in the alley. As a parent my curiosity was peaked. Why would my kid's call someone who lived in the alley Huba Huba? The kids explained that Huba Huba was this old dog who was chained up in a yard near the alley. I asked why they called him Huba Huba and they said because he barks at them and when he does he sounds like he is saying Huba Huba. I asked the kids if they tease him when they walk by causing him to bark and they said no.
We came to the section of alley that met his backyard when we finally saw Huba Huba. He was an old dog laying in his yard and he looked completely oblivious to anyone. I started to wonder if the kids were being truthful. As we passed his yard Huba Huba jumped into life and came bardging towards us only stopping just short of the gravel because of the cable he was attached to. Huba Huba barked at us as if yelling at us the things he would do if he could get off that leash, the entire time though it did sound like Huba Huba Huba...Huba Huba Huba.
As we walked home we could still hear Huba Huba barking and I felt bad for the dog. The alley his yards faces is a big shortcut for the kids walking home and it keeps them off the streets but I am sure over the years that dog has been teased and taunted. My only fear would be what he would do once he was off that cable because they do not hold forever.

Taken By Heather Harrington
12/26

Snow Day

Since moving to Nebraska there has been several things we have had to get used to like hamburger on pizza instead sausage and cinnamon rolls covered in chilli. One thing that thing that we have had a hard time getting used to is Snow days.
In Alaska snow days just mean you put your car in four wheel drive, here it means you stay home from school. Oh well the kids are enjoying it because this will make it a four day weekend for them.
This last week has been beautiful with temps in the mid sixties and the sun shining but we knew deep down it would not last. This morning about 9 am it started to snow and it has not let up since. It is very pretty to watch but I miss the beautiful sunny days so I will post some pictures of them!

Eight Too Many?

I have had a rocky past for pregnancies and in the past ten years I have had several miscarriages. After our last miscarriage the doctor suggested fertility drugs which I knew I did not want to do because of the side effects. My hormones would be increased along with my ability to conceive multiples, both risks I am not willing to take and I am not looking just after myself here. I am looking out for my family who should not have to deal with an even more emotional me and realistically we do not need more than one.
This is a realistic approach.
What is an unrealistic approach?
A women and her doctor implanting her with six embryos after already having 6 healthy children. This story bugged me even before it blew wide open. I have a pet peeve against parents who use these fertility treatments and end up with multiples and then want to talk about how rough life is for them. I most definitely understand the desire to want to be pregnant but I can logically look at the risks not only to me and my family but the impact of carrying more than one fetus.
So here are some statistics.

1 out of 80 natural births will result in twins.
1 out of 4 IVF pregnancies will result in twins or triplets.
Risks to the babies of just twins and triplets, as the number of babies increase so does the chance of complications.
About 126 IVF children die each year as a consequence of being in a multiple birth.
51 deaths due to still birth
42 deaths in the first week of life
33 deaths in the first year of life
Low birth weight is 50% greater for twins and 90% greater with triplets.
Death in the first week is increased 5x higher for twins and 9x higher for triplets
Chances for the baby developing Cerebral Palsy 4x higher for twins and 18x higher for triplets
pre-eclampsia is then 3x higher in mothers expecting twins and 9x higher in mothers expecting triplets.
Those statistics are scary even just for twins and triplets, this lady had eight, granted they were only trying for six. I could fine no information on how the statistics would increase with eight fetuses.

So what will their life look like once all her children come home?
She had six children previously although I am not sure if they are all IVF babies.
She will have a total of 14 children in her home all under the age of 7.
Now I know most reading this post have been parents before and know the amount of time each child needs but I thought the math would paint the unrealistic picture more vividly.

So for this example I am admitting right off that it is hypothetical. My numbers are mostly all for the new 8 babies she will be bringing home so as you read remember she still has six other children to add to the equation two of which are disabled.

I broke it down in 24 hour days split between 14 children leaves her about 2 hours per child.
8 of the children will eat on average every one-two hours which will add up to about 96 feedings per 24 hour period which does not include the time it will take her to make food for the older 6 children in her home.
She is claiming she is going to breast feed these babies so she will have to breast feed about 96 times in a 24 hour period and lets say about a half an hour per baby, 15 per side. 30min * 96 feedings she will be doing in a 24 hour period will add up to 48 hours to feed all eight babies. Every child should eat about 1-2 ounces per feeding meaning 96-192 ounces per 24 hour period. That means she will have to make 12-24 cups or 6 pints to over a gallon of breast milk per 24 hour period. Over the next month she could have to produce about 30 gallons of breast milk.
Now what about waste? Again I am going on the average and a new born can poop every time it eats so based on the earlier math that would be about 96 diapers per 24 hour period. If you times 96 diapers by 30 for the month it would come up to 2880 diapers per month.
88 diapers sell for about 26 dollars. 2880/88=33 packages*26=858 dollars per month in diapers.
While the math is easy to add up it may be the division that is that hardest. How does a mother of 14 children divide her time fairly between them. While I believe single moms can be strong this is more than any one person should have to deal with. Normally in these situations at least there is two parents running around passing tasks onto each other to even out the burden. She talks of loving these children but even the largest amount of love will not create a way for her to spread herself out for these 14 children.
You must also look at the financial aspect of her situation. She does not have a job. She has admitted to bringing in 490 dollars per month plus food stamps. The amount of things she will have to buy is astronomical ranging from clothes to a way to transport that many children.
She had even made a complaint to the media that she was not receiving the gifts and donations that other families with multiples had.
Then we get onto a doctor who implanted her with those six eggs KNOWING she had six children at home all or some of which were conceived through the same procedure.
So really it comes down to a couple of questions after all that rambling.
Did this women do this for the attention and the money?
If she did is she in the right frame of mind considering the risks she took to purposefully have six kids and the lack of consideration into the burden of all her children?
Where did a mom on welfare with six kids get the money to do this procedure?
Why would a reputable doctor agree to this procedure and what consequences should he face?
Should strict requirements be in place for potential parents of IVF treatments eliminating parents who already have a set number of children or a poor financial situation?

Tonight our car quit on us.
We were on our way out of town to Beatrice when we noticed the car loosing power. Heath gave the car one last engine rev and as we crested a small hill and turned onto a side road the car's engine quit. It has blown two cylinders.
I write this and I think logically I should be angry or upset that the car has died but I am not.
I feel like that little car has served us well.
I bought it with almost 200 thousand miles on it but did not know about the oil leak until later. We tried to find the leak but we couldn't we could just smell the oil burning off the engine if we were driving for awhile.
I will not mention the price tag but I will say this we had that car paid off by October, it barely used any gas and it got me and my family to Colorado and back.
Out of all the cars we have owned this little Mitsubishi will hold a soft spot in my heart. That car was our second stepping stone when we moved south it was our independence. I also didn't want a CAR but I had to shop within my budget and this little fit it.
Even in this car's last moments it made sure that we were not far from home and it gave just enough to get us off the highway safely.
We were able to call the tow truck thanks to roadside assistance and a friend was able to pick us up and take us home. We were only thirteen miles from Lincoln.
So tonight I was looking at engines. Oh yes. After researching it I found that the rebuilt engines for my car were fairly cheap,
why not get an engine for it and put it in?
It would be a fun project for maybe the entire family!
I mean we really can't make it worse!

"…So I wanted the ocean. I wanted to hear it roll along the beach moving each rock and piece of sand. I wanted to smell the salt in the air. I wanted Alaska to be somehow different because of how different I felt…"




As I started my journey it was a good feeling. Once I came to terms that I was really in no hurry I was able to enjoy the scenery that I was passing, long flat hills covered in short brush and weeds. I drove with a mix of anticipation and trepidation. The storm that was ahead of me in the early miles of my trip now was behind me, serving as a constant show of my emotions. I felt as the dark skies rolled on behind they were somehow chasing me leaving me with this constant need to keep driving. I forced myself to stop a few times to charge the phone and stretch my legs. At one stop I laid in my car behind the wheel and slept for just a bit, the car turned off to save on gas and the windows rolled up for safety. I only got about a half hour before the choking heat and the desire to get on the road again woke me up.
Back on the road I started to allow the thoughts of my car come back in to my head having been to afraid to think about it, fearing I might jinx it. The day before I left I did the responsible thing and took my car in to get it checked and oil changed since I have a bad oil leak. I took the car in very early and they had asked if I wanted my anti freeze flushed and I had declined. That entire day I was running around Lincoln trying to get the last minute things accomplished which also included me retrieving my camera. I put quite a bit of miles on my poor car that day driving in 90 degree weather. All day I drove and after awhile I could swear I smelled antifreeze but anyone who was in my car would say they couldn’t so I thought I was imagining it. Turns out the guy at the shop had forgotten to put back on my radiator cap. Luckily for me it was still stuck in the front of my engine and even though my car did start bellowing steam it had ran just fine after I replaced the lost anti freeze. As I drove this little car at 75-90 depending on traffic I started to get impressed with its performance. I definitely do not have the pep that other cars do but I was able to keep the constant pace and the car didn’t mind and it ran beautifully using very little gas. The only thing that scared me was when I drove behind a semi, its draft was strong enough to sway my car side to side one reason I had a hard time passing them! I ran that little car hard and in return that car not only got me there but got me and my family back.
As night began to fall I just drove, knowing that I was close had pumped up my reserve energy. I definitely do see how driving at night on the interstates could cause one to get sucked in to the flow of the traffic and the lull of the reflectors in the headlights. One can drift in and out thinking of other things or falling asleep and I was determined to not do either. I was tired since I did not sleep well the night before but the burst of energy got me all the way to the outskirts of Denver. One other thing hit me as a I drew near. The fear of Denver. I was so afraid of missing my turn and ending up in downtown Denver. The fear kept my eyes glued to the road watching every sign I passed until I finally saw my exit.
As I rounded the off ramp towards the airport I watched over my shoulder at the huge city to my left, its was amazing! I have to say that I grew up a very sheltered driver just recently learning about turn a bouts and city driving. As I drove through to the airport I hit some of the most confusing road I have ever found. I drove past several toll exits second guessing each time if I had actually seen the number or name on that sign only to finally find the right one. I was greeted by an illuminated stallion with red glowing eyes which at night seemed strangely twisted and evil and I am not sure this the type of reaction they were going for but maybe. All of the sudden the road split and divided into several more lanes and I had to make sure I was in the right lane and watch for other drivers. The traffic merged and switched lanes with little thought to the others around them. I again found my exit and branched off to the airport and parking. I was surprised that I found a space close to the front and quickly grabbed my bags.
I made sure everything I needed was in my luggage with one last look and a thank you I left my car the boost of energy in getting there safely pushed me with all my awkward luggage to the front doors. I rushed through the doors flustered and sweating only to be met with closed counters. My plan to get to the airport and get on an earlier flight out because mine was not till 8 in the morning was foiled. It was 10:00 pm and I was sleeping in the airport. I staked out a spot in the airport that had a plug in to charge my phone and laptop. I was disappointed to find that the chairs had arm rest in each seat making it impossible to lay down so it was the floor for me. I loaded my bags on to a cart to push around easily and free my hands and went out for my first smoke since getting there. I sat out there on the cold cement and smoked that cigarette watching the people come and go trying to prepare myself for sleeping on the airport floor.
I made a makeshift pillow out of my laptop bag which I had turned into my purse as well and my large suitcase was on the cart next to my head. All of this was assuming I would fall asleep long and hard enough that someone might actually have the chance to steal my stuff little did I know I would not.
All night long I changed positions to get comfortable and when I found that position for a few minutes it was interrupted by the floor cleaner and loud speaker. I felt relatively safe due to the old people who had staked out the spot next to me and the family to the other side but it was cold and what sleep I did get was not good. I woke early unable to lay there anymore due to more people and employees filtering and shops opening up. I decided to weigh my bags to make sure I had not gone over and a good thing to since the large amount of corn that I was carrying had put me over by 14 pounds! With a bag from a gift shop I ran to the bathroom and shifted some of my stuff to the gift bag and dropped off some of my corn. As I repacked things I began to realize that I had a huge pile of corn sitting on a counter in the bathroom. As I sat there thinking of the shame it was to leave this perfectly good, freshly picked corn an old lady came out of the bathroom stall. I asked her if she was just getting on an airplane or off she indicated off and I offered up my extra corn which really did not even dent the pile I still had!
I got on the plane with no troubles at all. Once on I let myself get the excitement of finally going home. I was going home. So I wanted the ocean. I wanted to hear it roll along the beach moving each rock and piece of sand. I wanted to smell the salt in the air. I wanted Alaska to be somehow different because of how different I felt. Little did I know that it would be the same and so would I and that was ok.

Just a thought...

I have had plenty of time to just sit and ponder. In these these time of reflection I start to think of these things I thought I would be doing and done. Some of these things were things I wanted to do for myself and some were things Heath and I have dreamed of doing. The more I thought about these things the more I started to realize I wanted and yes needed to do and really there was nothing holding me back from putting these goals and dreams down and start planning them even if they will not be something we do right away.
The one thing Heath and I have always talked about was making a road trip. When we flew into Seattle last year (that sounds so funny) and drove to Lincoln and despite the fear of being so far away and the strict time limit it was a blast! We really enjoyed ourselves. As long as the price of gas holds out it should not be too bad at least the same as flying but definitely a lot more fun.
We have been discussing the possibility of driving up to Alaska this summer.
We are thinking about the beginning of June. We are not certain yet if this is doable there are a lot things that would have to fall into place. We have always wanted to make a trip like this since we got together.
When I started thinking of the trip and the possibility of actually going I started thinking of the book I have been wanting to write and the perfect opportunity. If we go I could write the rough draft on the way there and finish on the way back.
I spoke of this book a few years back and it mostly has been a nice day dream. I honestly think the ideas I have for this book are really neat and I honestly feel if done right it would be a desired book for the entire family.
The main focus of the book will be our road trip, family and camping with a few extras thrown in.
These things are just a dream right now but we will continue to think it over and work it out. Next it will be setting goals to get where we need to be to do this and that really will be the hard part because as everyone knows we have not had a great track record for setting and obtaining our goals. If we could actually pull this off what a great reward for all our hard work!
Well thinks reading while I ramble. Leave some comments on your thoughts/suggestions!

Kenai

We have a new addition to our family and her name is Kenai.
She was named Kenai for our love of our State and because it went with our theme from the movie Brother Bear, which is where we also got the name Koda.
She has been a good girl so far as far as puppies go anyways!
Kenai has to sit on Koda and the funny thing is he does not mind!


She is not the brightest dog, if you enlarge the picture you will see that she has her collar in her mouth and she has gotten it stuck while in her cage.

If she can not lay on something then she has to be at least laying next to somebody. She usually sits next to Heath though.


Again Kenai sitting on Koda!

She has been potty trained for the most part only having accidents when we forget to let her out or when she is mad. Luckily we have wood floors so it is really easy to clean up.
From the first night we got her she slept in her kennel all night long with out whining once. We have let her sleep with us three times and while at first I though she stayed in bed only because she could not jump in and out it turns out she can so she chooses to stay in bed with us.
When we got her I was the one who wanted her hoping to get a companion but she has decided that she has little need for me but can not get enough of Heath. Oh well he does have that effect on animals even more so on cats!
Well we are glad we got her and she seems to fit into our family well!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Woke up this morning to a bright new year! 2009! WOW! Still find it hard to believe that a year has passed. I know a lot of people say that but a lot has happened over the last year. I could put it all in words but picture are worth so much more!
I have taken three pictures from each month to represent that month.

January

A trip to the museum!

The great elephant statue out side the museum.

Heather at a Diner outside of Lincoln

February

A statue at the park

Lunar Eclipse

The kids at the park

March

My new car

The kids hanging out

Happy Easter!

April

The Sea of RED

Heath the snake charmer

Happy Birthday Hunter!

MAY

Heather getting splashed at the park

Heather and her friends at the Zoo, eating lunch

Playing with the world!

June

Huge storm front that was our first Tornado experience

Hunter swimming at the lake

Hunter playing soldier

July

Me and Heath my first night back in Alaska

The pit

The mess tent

August

Hunter being silly

The hole in the wall

September

Happy Birthday Heather

Tae Kwon Do

Hunter at the Capitol

November

New specs

December

Our Christmas Dinner!

Heather with all her loot!

A picture taken by Heather on her new camera

Hunter celebrating the New Year!

Happy New Years!

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!!