by Delilah

Twisting perilously in the biting wind
the last golden leaf clings
to a barren branch.
A forceful gust
pulls the leaf from it’s pointed twig.
It waves goodbye
as it spins, helter skelter,
to the ground.
Lost among so many harvest-colored leaves,
cartwheeling in the wind.

11/13/2006

I am in the midst of a miscarriage. Thankfully, it was not a tubal pregnancy, which would have had many more complications. A regular miscarriage is certainly the lesser of two evils. It still totally sucks, but at least it isn’t something that requires surgery or that could be life-threatening.

I went to the Dr.’s office today for an ultrasound due to some light spotting. They could not find a heartbeat or even a sac. They took some blood to check my hormone levels. If they are high, then I may be dealing with an ectopic pregnancy. If they are not where they should be, I can expect to miscarry over the next few days. I am really upset about this. Either way, the outcome is that there will be no baby this time. I will probably have to go back to the Dr. for a follow-up and possibly one more ultrasound to be absolutely sure. I will update.

Well, after a wonderful week of no school for my kids and no work for my hubby, everything went back to normal today. The kids are back to school and hubby is back to work. I could have gone for another week and, I must admit, that Christmas break is looking really good. The kids and I were all in slow motion this morning trying to get ready to leave the house. Getting back in the swing of actually getting dressed in the morning was a little bit of a shock after over a week of lounging around and being lazy. Now, I too, have to get ready to head out to the grocery and buy healthy foods instead of our vacation snack stash.

We had a very nice day today. My parents, grandparents and in-laws came over for lunch. The food was delicious and we all had such a nice time. I ate way too much, but man, was it yummy. We had pork roast, turkey, baked macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, corn bread dressing, heavenly hash, blueberry dump cake and cheesecake. I could have just rolled away from the table. We now have a fridge full of left overs (along with millions of other Americans this evening)!

My family and I have so, so, so much to be thankful for. We are blessed so far beyond anything we could ever hope for. My kids are all very healthy and so are my husband and I. I am able to stay home and raise the kids. I can chaperone field trips and help out at school if need be. We have a beautiful home and dependable vehicles. We never want for anything that we really need. My children are happy at school and have lots of little friends. Plus, they get along with each other so well. And, of course, we have the new baby on the way!

Today is my mom’s 50th birthday! Wow, what a milestone! Mom, if you’re reading this, have an awesome day! Love you!

David is off of work for the next week! The kids are too, so that means we get a full 9 days of nothing but family time. Wow! I have been looking so forward to this! We don’t have any real plans. We’re just taking it easy and hanging out together. No rushing to get ready for school. No packing lunches and washing uniforms. Aaaahhh… nice and relaxed!

A few months ago, my family & I went to the zoo. My dad eagerly brought along the camera so he could take pictures of… well, everything. There wasn’t a monkey, lizard, zebra or rock that wasn’t photographed that day! Not to mention, he got real creative with the pictures he took of the kids. Our zoo, the Audobon Zoo, has really cool animal statues throughout the exhibits and these make great photo ops. For example:
Girls with Lion

My dad, however, decided to get clever and instructed my son on how to pose with the lion. When I saw this, I laughed so hard and then I told him he was awful, but I kept laughing…. and of course, Jacob thought it was the most hilarious thing ever! He couldn’t stop giggling.

Kids & Lions

Yeah, lovely right?? Gotta love my Dad.

Well, that early pregnancy exhaustion is in full swing. I’ll be sitting on the sofa at 7:30 p.m. yawning like crazy and dozing off by 8. I tried to read a little bit last night before turning in and I think I got through a few pages before my eyes were closing. It was a few minutes after 8! Usually, I’m up until at least 10:30 or eleven o’clock. Luckily, this stage of pregnancy doesn’t last too too long. But I’ll be glad when my energy level is back to normal.

On a totally different note, LSU won again last night and Ohio State lost to an unranked team. So, when the rankings come out today, LSU should be #1!! YEAH!

The doctor’s office called today… I’m pregnant! Baby #4 will be born in mid-July 2008. David, the kids and I are very excited.