Bre's Surgery

This is an email from Paula that I got last night...

As most of you already know, Breanna's surgery went very well yesterday. The surgery took about 2 1/2 hours and she was in recovery about and hour and a half. The doctor said that she was able to save the valve at the beginning of the colon and keep her button in the same spot as it was in before. Bre will not be able to eat for 5 days so we will not know how everything works for a while. Today she is still very tired, but has been out of bed to the bathroom several times without to much problem. They expect that Bre will be here at the hospital for eight days or so. She has to start eating and then have a BM before she can go home. If her colon works like it did before the operation, she will be here until she is old enough to drive. Hope that part is working better after the operation so that she can get home and back to school.

As we find out more we will let you all know.

Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. Prayer really does help.

Bill and Paula

Wednesday Evening

Ok, so I was being a good wife, made Andy dinner and it was ready for him when he got home. However, he's a better cook than me, so he added to it. That's ok. It tasted better anyway.

So, then he wanted dessert. No milk, no eggs anywhere in the house, so our options were limited. He didn't want the Toll House Break-apart cookies in the fridge so I suggested Peach Crunch, we had the things for that. He decided yes.

When I went to get up, not noticed that I had NO ANKLES TO SPEAK OF! Before, they were swollen and I joked about kankles, but let me tell you, I used to have definition! My ankle bones had disappeared and I just looked like a fatty! And they hurt to touch! No one told me that it would hurt if I touched them! How come someone didn't tell me?!?

If nothing else, this pregnancy has taught me that I do NOT want to be overweight. It's uncomfortable and I can’t breathe, and I snore. So, remind me of that (just once please, and get together with everyone to decide WHO will remind me just once) at Thanksgiving and Christmas please.

The lifeline is that I will be nursing and many doctors and nursing sources have told me that I will drop the weight faster. Now, I'm not getting my hopes up. I want to get back down to original weight (though I wasn't happy there either) so that I can say I didn't keep that seven pounds from pregnancy (DAD) so I can have more babies and be healthy.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. "We'll see after these girls are born if you still want more." Blah, blah, blah. I hear you, but I'm not listening.

Most recent doctors appointment

Went to the doctor this morning. I've gained one pound this week. Blood pressure is about the same. Though after my doctor mentioned it, I noticed that my hands and feet were a bit more swollen. She says I am dialated to a two (still breech). Which is not a big deal. Some people walk around for weeks being dialated and not even knowing it.

She scheduled another ultrasound for Monday and doctor appointment for Wednesday. The cesarean is scheduled for November 10 if I don't have the girls before.

Just wanted to update everyone. I'm in pain. Going to go back to work and finish things up so I can go and "lay down." Like that will help...

Random pregnant thoughts...

So, there are a few things I have been thinking about lately. The first is the idea of "cooking." Well, not in a literal sense, but I have found that many people relate the girls development in my tummy to cooking. Those that have not had babies in the past say ... 20 years feel that the girls need to stay in as long as humanly possible so they can finish cooking. If you cook something too long they are dry and tough!

Those that have given birth since then tend to understand that most things finish cooking outside the oven.

Now don't get me wrong, I know that the former generation mothers mean well and in my head I know they are right but... I'm 35 weeks pregnant. And nothing anyone says is going to make me feel any better about getting these babies out unless it is, "You poor thing! Don't worry, it's not much longer!"

The other thing I have been doing a lot of thinking on is the idea of being comfortable. What a funny word. And question? Are you comfortable? If one says yes, then by breakdown of the word, you have asked the person, are you able to be comforted. Their answer would lead you to conclude that there is something ... annoying with their current situation and that they would like to change part of it.

Say for example, you are sitting in a nice fluffy chair. Someone asks if you are comfortable and you say yes. But really, are you able to be comforted? I guess if someone gave you a footstool you would be more comforted, but you really should have answered, I’m alright.

Conversely, if someone asks if you are comfortable and you say no, they say, what can I do. But really, they can’t do anything because you just told them that you are not able to be comforted.

I guess what it boils down to is that when people say pregnancy is uncomfortable, what they are really saying is that there's really nothing you can do to make them feel better. At least in the last few weeks. Until they have the babies (or baby in most cases).

SO... you can be nice and ask if there is anything you can do but really, just smile and give them a "you poor thing" look and PRAY FOR THEM. And understand that the beast that used to be your wife, sister, daughter, friend, cousin, daughter-in-law, acquaintance, ect., will soon be gone and your former, agreeable, pleasant companion will return, sooner or later. Hopefully sooner, for both your sakes; because I promise, she doesn’t like being compared to a she-devil.