A New Father's Perspective

 I wanted to post about my perspective on Emron's birth. For me, it was an entirely new experience. Before Emron, I was already a father of 2 boys, G and KK. Of course, KK is not my biological son, as he was 2 when Mrs. H. and I started dating. G is also not mine biologically. He was 17 months old when his mom (my ex) and I started dating, and I raised him ever since, officially adopting him when he was 4. Mrs. H's pregnancy with Emron started a new chapter in my life, a chapter filled with things and experiences that are entirely new to me. I was so happy to experience the pregnancy with Mrs. H. and see how Emron grew inside her. I never missed a single appointment because I wanted to learn everything I could and understand as much as possible about the pregnancy and birth. I also wanted to be a strong supporter for Mrs. H., and I didn't want to miss a single chance to hear our unborn baby's heartbeat.

Because I had never had a child biologically, I had no idea what to expect with labor and delivery. My preconceived notions and ideas about labor and delivery came mostly from movies and tv, which are far from realistic. We had several false alarms with contractions that faded out but got my hopes up and got me excited for when Mrs. H. finally went into labor. When I convinced Mrs. H. to get a chiropractic adjustment, I had a feeling it might help. It turned out to be just what we needed to get things moving. Just after the adjustment, she called me to tell me that she was 85% sure her water broke, but it wasn't a gushing breakage. I was super excited and was rushing to get everything taken care of at work so I could leave. Then just a couple minutes later, Mrs. H. called again and told me she was certain now, because she finally got the gushing breakage. By this point, I had about 10 minutes of work left to do, so I finished that up really quickly and headed home to get ready for the birth.

Once I got home, I immediately started timing Mrs. H's contractions to see how long they were and how far apart they were. I was surprised to see that over the span of an hour, most of Mrs. H's contractions were about 4-5 minutes apart and 35-45 seconds in duration. I know the information from our doctor's office recommended going to the hospital once her water broke or once the contractions were 5-7 minutes apart for an hour. We had both criteria met, so I tried to convince Mrs. H. to head to the hospital. She was reluctant, but after I said we could take our time and get some lunch and a few things on the way, she agreed. We arrived at the hospital about 90 minutes later after a good meal and picking up some items from the store, that we needed for our hospital bag. By the time we parked at the hospital, Mrs. H's contractions had gotten down to 2-3 minutes apart, so I thought things might move along fairly quickly. As you all know from her previous posts, Mrs. H's contractions slowed down once they had her confined to a bed. I had no idea that things could move along so quickly, then stall out like that, especially after her water broke. I was glad that we were able to try natural things to get the contractions going again, before we had to resort to medication. I was so proud of Mrs. H. for being so tough and fighting through 16 hours of irregular contractions and back labor, before she decided it was time to get an epidural. I tried very hard to help her through everything and help her relax. Thankfully, our friend was our birth coach and she helped me to remember what I needed to do in order to help Mrs. H. as much as possible.

Once the epidural had taken effect and initial pitocin was started, there was a little progress with contractions and Mrs. H. became more dilated, which got me excited that I would soon see my baby born. It took a mild increase in the pitocin dosage to really get the contractions where they needed to be, but once that happened, Mrs. H. finally dilated to where she needed to be. The nurses and our midwife had Mrs. H. labor down for another 20 minutes before they wanted her to start pushing, which helped Emron move lower to reduce the amount of pushing that would need to be done. As that time came to a close and they were getting things set up for Emron to be born, I decided I should make a quick bathroom trip before things really got moving, because I expected the pushing to last awhile. Luckily, on my way back from the bathroom, I saw KK and Mrs. H's dad coming down the hallway, so I grabbed them and had them both go into the room to give her a hug. I knew that seeing KK would help Mrs. H. get through the toughest part of her labor. As soon as they left the room, it was time to push, so they got Mrs. H. propped up and in position to start pushing, and I decided to stay at the head of the bed to support her. By the time she was in position though, they said they could see Emron's head, so I decided to be brave and face what I feared would be a grizzly sight, and I went to the foot of the bed to see how things would unfold. I gave my phone to Mrs. H's sister so she could call my mom, so she could hear Emron be born and hear his first cry as well as the announcement of the gender. I hit dial and handed the phone off. As I did that, Mrs. H. gave her first big push (the first one didn't do anything because she didn't hold her breath) and Emron's head popped right out. This part scared me because a pretty big rush of blood came out too, but when the midwife and nurses didn't seem to worry, I figured that was normal. Only a couple seconds later, Mrs. H. pushed again and Emron came rushing all the way out! I remember seeing him reach up with his right arm as soon as it was free, and seeing him wiggling around. The whole thing happened so fast, the call to my mom hadn't even connected yet. It was only about 15 seconds, maybe 20 at the most. As soon as I saw Emron come all the way out and move around, I completely lost it. I knew I would be a bit emotional, but I started crying my eyes out at the sight of my baby being born. It was almost hard to see through my tears, but I rushed to the head of the bed and rubbed Mrs. H's arm and heard her say that we had a boy. Once I heard Emron cry, I just had to touch him, so I softly felt his head while they were cleaning him up as he was laying on Mrs. H's chest. That was the most amazing thing I had ever seen happen. I watched as the nurses and midwife did all they needed to do, and after a short while, they said I could cut his umbilical cord. That was pretty cool and so different for me. After that, they needed to weigh him and get him all cleaned up and do the usual stuff, but I couldn't let him out of my sight, so I followed the nurses all over our room as they moved him around to do all of their duties. I was just so amazed to see this new life start and I just had to touch him and feel him as much as I could, even though I mostly just felt his hands, feet, and softly touched his head. I couldn't stop talking to him and looking at him as closely as I could. I focused on looking at him and talking to him so much, that I didn't even know what the nurses were doing with him.

Once they finished, they bundled him up and carried him over to Mrs. H. so she could hold him more. While they did that, I went out to the hallway to let KK and Mrs. H's dad know that we had a beautiful baby boy. When I tried to speak, nothing came out but some squeaks and crying, and of course lots of tears, so KK was afraid something was wrong. I managed to get out the words to tell KK that he had a baby brother, and I told him that everything was fine, that I was just super happy. He immediately got super excited and jumped up and down, and Mrs. H's dad was super happy too. We all went into the room together so they could hold Emron. KK held him right away and was beyond thrilled to be holding his little brother, until he felt something warm and wet. We knew right away that Emron just peed on his big brother. KK handed him back to me and I carried him over to the warming table, where I unwrapped him and we realized that Emron pooped on KK too. I guess he really wanted to start their sibling rivalry off with a bang. After getting some fresh blankets wrapped around Emron, I finally got to really cuddle with him and take in the moment, which is hard to put into words, but I'll try to.

I could only come up with one way or analogy to describe seeing my baby born into this world. It was like seeing the door of Heaven open up for just a few seconds, and feeling just a bit of Heaven's perfectness spill out onto me. To put it into a more Earthly analogy, imagine walking around all day in the sweltering summer heat, and then knocking on the door of a loved one's house. When that door is opened for your loved one to come out and greet you, you feel a short blast of cold air rush out from the A/C. It's that little bit of bliss that slips out and hits you, that feels amazing. Seeing Emron born, and knowing that he was just with our Heavenly Father, waiting to join our family in this world, was that door opening, and I could feel our Heavenly Father's love, and the perfectness that He created, slip out of Heaven onto us in that moment. It's something I don't think I can ever forget!

And it's a....

....BABY!

Before we even thought about becoming pregnant Mr H. and I decided that we would wait to find out the gender until the baby was born.  When I tell people this, their reaction is "Why!?" or "I could never do that...I don't like surprises!"  Well, wouldn't it be an even BIGGER surprise to be told it's one gender after you've been planning for the opposite!?  Ultrasounds are not 100% people!  But anyway, I'll tell you why we've made the decision to wait...because we can!  Honestly though, when a woman becomes pregnant everyone wants to know everything...when's your due date, what are you having, what are you naming him/her?  Isn't a little surprise fun?  And whether it's a boy or girl we will love it just the same, so finding out the gender isn't really a priority for us.  We don't need to plan anything...the baby and KK will share a room and we'll need to buy clothes for either gender, so we're not worried about it.

We had our ultrasound yesterday and it was surreal.  I think it's finally sunk in that I am actually pregnant and there is a baby in my belly.  KK wanted to come to the appointment to see Nugget, he sat right next to me and wanted to hold my hand just in case I got scared.  He's so cute. 

Nugget was VERY wiggly.  The tech had a very hard time in the beginning getting the measurements for the physician.  So in the middle of the ultrasound, after she got most of the measurements, that she was going to plug the measurements in and maybe Nugget would settle down so that we could get some good photos.  That did the trick because once she came back Nugget was more cooperative and we got some really awesome shots.  She also told us that Nugget is in the 50th percentile and right on track, also that the baby weighs 11 ounces!  So cool.

Profile -- Look at that perfect nose!



Another Profile Shot

Nugget Facing us

Little Footsie

Left arm and hand



 It was so exciting to see the baby move and wave it's hands.  The tech we had was super good, we told her we didn't want to know the sex and she moved along the screen explaining everything to us and being very brief when she needed to look at the baby's femurs.  Mr H and I were trying very hard to find out the sex on our own, but with no avail.  We have no clue, at times we thought was saw a penis, but then another shot would make me think I didn't.  It was very exciting.  KK thinks it's a boy because there is no hair!  He makes me laugh.

Right after the ultrasound we had an appointment with the midwife and Dr. C was working that afternoon so Mr H. texted him.  Did I mention that my OB is a good friend of our family?  Mr H and him go flying every once in a while and we house sat his house last week while they were in Florida.  His wife and I were pregnant at the same time and she gave birth to twins and 2 days later I had KK.  We've known them for a long time.  Yes, it's a tiny bit awkward to think he could be delivering my child and being in my business like that, but in the same token, I trust him and he knows how traumatic KK's birth was for me and how I LONG for a VBAC and if he told me, "Listen, we need to have a C-section!"  I know it's not because he wants to leave to see his family or that he just wants to speed up the birth...it's because there is no other way and I will trust him.  The other day, when we were at his house he asked me who cut me open for the C-section and I told him, then he said, "I promise you that if we have to go that route, your recovery will be much better than the last!"  I thought that was nice of him to say...basically that he will take his time and not gut me like the last time.  But I digress, while we were waiting for the midwife Mr H. texted Dr. C and told him we were here and Dr. C came to our room and looked at the ultrasound pictures and told us how good they looked and from a medical stand point, the reason they do profile pictures is to look for signs of down syndrome, which Dr. C did not see any evidence in our pictures.  Which is great because Mr H. and I decided to forgo the AFP test, which would check for that.

One thing that my midwife did check on me was my pubic bone, which I explained to her felt like it was being split open.  She felt around, which hurt like heck, and she said, "I don't feel any separation...oh wait, yup, yes I do."  I have diastasis symphasis pubis, which means that my pubic bone is separating WAY earlier than it's supposed to.  This is why I have so much pelvic pain and why I can't sleep.  I was given a prescription for a sleep sedative, well it's an anti anxiety that will knock me out.  Also I was told to see a chiropractor, physical therapy, and possibly massage therapy.  So I have to call around and see who takes my insurance and start that process.  It will be something that I need to manage during my whole pregnancy, it'll only get better once I deliver and get rid of the relaxin, making everything loose. 

But we're very excited to meet Nugget and find out if it's blue or pink.  Here's Nugget's ultrasound.  It's about 11 mins and I know most of you won't watch all of it, it's mostly intended for the family that live out of state.  So enjoy!

Week 17

The last post was a downer so I thought I would end my night with what we've been up to.  We've been very busy and I usually fall asleep around 10pm so I've had no time to blog. 

Mr H. is still working and taking 3 college classes.  That has been keeping him very busy.  He hasn't been able to go flying as much as he's wanted to, the weather hasn't cooperated and when it does, it's on a day he is busy with work, homework, or night classes.  He's very adamant about taking a break from classes over the summer, which will be like a breath of fresh air.  It'll be nice to have him around more often.  KK loves him so much and he is such a great dad to him.  When he comes home, KK takes his hand and asks him to play GI Joes, Army guys, or Pirates with him.  So Mr H. plays with KK for about 20 mins before doing anything else.  It makes my heart happy to see KK loved so much by a GOOD man!

 

I have been working 12 hour shifts at one of the local hospitals in the Emergency Room.  I LOVE it.  I can see myself being an ER or trauma nurse.  The 2 things that I have learned and value are that I love to see outside and I love getting a lunch.  I was assigned with one preceptor and we never got lunches or got out on time.  It was annoying and hard for me especially being pregnant, I needed to eat and have that rest period.  Than right after my spring break she told me that the next day was her last and I was in a panic because I NEED a preceptor in order to be at the hospital and I only had 5 more shifts left.  Luckily I was assigned a new one quickly and she is awesome, we ALWAYS take a lunch and we get out on time.  Now I only need 3 more 12's and I am finished at the hospital.  I have a paper to write but after that, I'm pretty much finished and will be able to graduate in 33 more days!  Not that I am counting down or anything!

 

KK had a concert on Monday.  I recorded it, but I haven't uploaded it yet.  It was so special, they have been working on those songs this whole year.  At the end of the concert I cried.  He is getting to be such a big boy and he is growing up and that makes me happy and sad at the same time.  I love this boy so much.



 

IDK what that face is for, but the theme of his concert was, "It's not about you, it's not about me, it's about we!"  There was a photographer who took 2 photos of each and every child, showing their personality, in their school and these were the 2 photos of KK.  That bottom one cracks me up. 

 

Moving on, KK had part of his filling come out yesterday when we were flossing and he said, "What's this rock doing in my teeth!?"  Oops!  So we got him into an urgent dentist office today and they fixed him up.  He got a palate shot and cried for a bit.  He wanted me to hold him while it took effect so I held him for about 10 mins...man that boy is getting so heavy.  He did great though.  He told me that he liked that place better than he regular dentist, so we might be going there from now on for him they also use composite rather than amalgam so it's not noticed as much which made me happy.  He was a tough boy and he even said he wants to be a dentist!  So it didn't scare him away, which I am glad for.

While both Mr H. and I were finishing up some homework KK came to show me what he did.  It reminded me of Mel Gibson's character in Braveheart.  I told KK to go to the kitchen, where Mr H. was and yell, "They can take our lives, but they can't take our freedom!"  He runs out there and says, "They can take our lives but they can't take our....what!?"  And ran back into the room...I was dying laughing. 

Nugget is 17 weeks today.  I feel good besides my pelvic pain.  My right hip and pubic bone hurt.  I'm sure it will get worse. I have been feeling the baby a lot and the baby is becoming stronger and bigger.  Currently it's the size of an onion.  KK is so happy and excited for the baby, he kisses my belly and tells it, "I love you"  He is so sweet.  Mr H. is the same way.  He has to kiss and rub on my belly.  I'm just surprised by how big I have gotten the 2nd time around.  April 11th is our dating ultrasound.  We're not finding out the gender so we're just making sure that the baby is still on track for a due date in the beginning of September. 





"His" Blanket

So for Christmas this year we got a wonderfully soft and warm blanket from Grandma Lisa and Pop Pop.  I LOVE this thing...it's so snuggly.  But, there's another person in our house who hogs this blanket and thinks it's his (because honestly, he thinks EVERYTHING in this house is his!)...Mr. KK!  Mr H. has class on Monday and Wednesday nights so he wasn't here last night to help with th bedtime routine.  Last night The Bachelor was on TV so KK bathed himself and brushed his teeth and when he was done he nestled his bare self up to me under the blanket until he was warm enough.  I LOVE having our cuddle time.  And after a couple mins I scooped him and the blanket up in my arms...which BTW, is getting harder to do since he is getting so big and tall...and carried him to bed where he dressed in pajamas.  He asked to use the very fuzzy blanket for the night, which I didn't mind, then we read scriptures, prayed, and read the next chapter in Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban, and he fell asleep. 

Tonight was a little different.  Mr H. did not have classes tonight and so the bedtime routine was started...bath, brush, scriptures, pray, and read.  Mr H. usually leaves KK and I alone after the prayer because he knows that reading Harry Potter is mom and KK's thing and most of the time he has to start on homework, so after the prayer Mr H. asked KK if he could have the fuzzy blanket back and he would find him a quilt that Grandma Ruth made him.  KK seemed to be fine with it until Mr H. left the room, then KK turned to me and started crying saying that it's his favorite blanket and he is going to miss it.  Once Mr H came back with the quilt KK seemed to be fine with giving up the fuzzy one until Mr H. took it out of the room, than the whole world crashed down for KK.  He bawled, I tried to find other blankets around the house but he said they weren't soft enough.  I found one, but he said it wasn't big enough for his whole body.  I think he was overly tired or something, but I had to come out to the TV room and ask for the blanket back until he fell asleep. 

 

 

So the plaid blanket with the white fuzziness is the blanket  am talking about.  Once I came back in the room with the blanket it was like I had just saved the world! KK's whole countenance changed, he started to smile a little through his tears and reddened cheeks.  I covered him up with the blanket and he fell right to sleep with his dolphin. 

 

KK has never been a child to hold on to things like that, he never even wanted a pacifier when he was a baby, but recntly he has been very clingy to his stuffed animals (elephini and dolphin) and now this blanket.  I'm not really sure what's going on, if he's overly tired, or if he just really likes that blanket?  But I'm glad that another mass disaster was everted once the blanket was back with KK.  Now I just have to figure out another warm blanket Mr H. and I can snuggle up under on the couch.

 

 

***In both pictures on the very top you can see a blanket hanging down...we made a hammock for KK's stuffed animal, Elephini, and that is where he sleeps, while Dolphin sleeps with KK***

Octopuses or Octopi?

On Saturday when we woke up earlier than everyone else.  Remember that Ohio is 3 hours ahead, so even though we woke up at 7:30am Arizona time, it was actually 10:30am Ohio time.  KK kept asking me why RC, his cousin, was such a sleepy head.  I laughed, because I know that KK and RC had been attached at the hips since we arrived.  I made cereal for breakfast for us. 

It was around lunch by the time the rest of the family woke up.  So we ate left-vers from dinner last night.  Grandma Ruth arrived and we helped to watch the kids while CC showered and got herself ready.  Once we were all ready we hopped into the cars and started driving to the Phoenix aquarium.

Phoenix is such a large city and it takes a while to get from one place to another and after traveling the day before and Mr H.'s mom is the kind of driver how is a lead foot and very heavy on the brakes, I was just wanted to be done driving.

 Do you see that sandstorm...or haboob, as Mr H. says!?

 The aquarium was inside a mall...it was so cool.  CC is just like me and tried to save money and she had some coupons for getting the children in for free and buy one get ones.  It costed Mr. H and I about $20 for him, me, KK, and G.  Yes, G was with us for the weekend.  I had mixed feelings about him being with us.  It was nice to see him and see how much taller and broader he has gotten, but at the same time I was afraid of him misbehaving.  But I sort of had to put it behind me and stay impartial and make the most of the trip.

At the aquarium there was a ton of things to look at, they even had a petting place where you could pet starfish and shrimp!  At first I didn't know if I should let KK touch any of it because he is allergic to Tuna and Cod fish, but the allergist said the stay away from all seafood because he can develop an allergy.  But he's been to the ocean and had a fine time...just as long as he is not eating it and I clean his hands off real good...right!? 

KK plunged his hand right into the water...RC was a little hesitant. 

 He LOVED chasing the shrimp...he would stick his finger out and chase them all over the pool.  It was so funny to watch him.  He could have stayed there all day!

There was this room full of fish that were swimming around in a circle and there was a section where you could stick your head through and see from the inside.

There was a little cubby where KK could look at the fish

 For some reason they wanted to put their arms in their shirts.  Do you see that huge fish on the left?

KK fell in love with this sea turtle.  He just sat there for a good 10 mins just watching it swim.

 KK was scared to even get close to those shark teeth so I had to drag him over to get a some-what decent picture of him

 This shark had scared KK too.  We walked through a tunnel that had 360 degrees of water around us.  It was pretty cool

 After we were done looking around the aquarium there was a playplace.  This is the newest nephew M.  He was born in November.

Before we left, KK saw a penny machine, where it smashes the coin and puts an image on it, and so we HAD to do that...it costed a whopping 51 cents and well worth it. 

Once we got back out to the car, the car was covered in dust, from the haboob.  It getting pretty late and we were hungry so we stopped by McDonald's because I was craving a Hot n' Spicy because they do not sell them here in Ohio.  So we ate the food while we drove to where Mr H. used the race BMX, but no one was at the race track.  Which was a disappointment for Mr H. because he wan't to introduce me to his BMX "family".  Maybe next time!? 

It was really late by the time we got home and we were tuckered but we stayed up and tried to watch a comedy with CC and RC but Mr H. fell asleep and I decided that it was time to go to bed especially since we needed to wake up eary for church in the morning.

Night Flight

So, Mr H. finished his PPL...YEAH!  And July 21st, I let Mr H. take us up on a night flight.  He really had to bribe me because the last time I was on a flight with him, I was freaking out.  I hate take offs, descending, and the bumps in the air...it makes knots in my stomach.  So, I told Mr H. that it would take something very special to get me back up in the air and so this is what he bought me:

Oh, Mr H., how can I say no to a Vera Bradley purse!?  He has good taste, doesn't he!?  So, after bribing, he chose a day where the weather would be smooth for me.  He decided that a night flight would be best.  KK wanted to come too, he was so excited.  I was a bit nervous because if something happened, that's my whole family.  Every person in that plane I love dearly and would hate for something to happen.  But I do trust Mr H. with my family's lives and he promised that it would be a smooth flight.  

Pretending to fly

We decided to go to Richmond, IN.  The reason we chose to go to Indiana is because I am still working on these Goals (#40) and I want to visit 10 states.  So far I've visited Michigan, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and now Indiana.  4 more to go! 

Goofy Face

Mr H. getting the plane ready for take-off

Goofy face

Once we were up in the air I was still a bit nervous but being able to have my headset to talk and listen to everything really helped calm me down.  KK loved it, he was talking up a storm.  At random times he would just start giggling.  It was the best thing in the world to hear him that excited. 

OH

YEAH

And just before we got to Richmond, IN he told us that he was going to close his eyes, "for 2 mins". 

ZZZZZZZ

He slept the rest of the ride.  We put him to bed and soon followed suit.  It was a beautiful flight with no bumps, it was THE smoothest flight ever.  I enjoyed it a lot.  

My Heavy Heart

This week I've had a heavy heart.  The only way I can describe it is, I feel that I am May Boatwright in the book The Secret Life of Bees.  I feel that I need a wailing wall...or this blog!

The shooting in Aurora, CO.  When I heard this, my heart just dropped.  I don't know anyone who was involved but I just felt sickened.  I couldn't imagine enjoying the night seeing a movie with friends or a loved one and experiencing that.  There were children in the theater for goodness sake.  I understand that I wouldn't take my child to a midnight showing, but those other parents did and...it's just awful.  I'm not sure why I've been sick to my stomach thinking about this, but I have.  I've been praying for victims and their families. 

Another aspect of the shooting that has my stomach in knots is the shooter himself.  I know I haven't talked a lot about G in a while and there is a reason.  I'm not sure if I'm ready to open up fully about him but he no longer lives with us and now lives with his mother in Arizona.  We made that choice after he raised his fist to me.  W had seen a progressively unstable mood, dispite the fact that he was seeing a therapist for over a year, he was on medication, and he was under the care of a physician.  Learning of the shooter in Colorado made me instantly think of G.  I know some of you reading this may think that I'm over-reacting and he can't be THAT bad, but I promise you, that he really is!  Moving on though...

I want to tell you about a friend of mine.  Her name is Jenn Gibbons and she embarked on a journey June 15 to be the first person to row solo the perimeter (that's 1,500 miles!) around Lake Michigan in order to raise awareness about the importance that exercise plays in reducing breast cancer recurrence.  Her goal is to raise $150,000 on her trip.  Monday (23rd) on her facebook wall this was posted: 

Unfortunately, the Row4ROW team has some sad news to report and we need your help. Jenn was set to row to Beaver Island on Sunday morning but was attacked and sexually assaulted by a man in the early morning hours. Investigators have reason to believe the assailant traveled a significant distance to commit the assault. The suspect is described as a white male in his 30s, approximately 5’8” to 6’ t...all, with a fair amount of facial stubble hair, but not a full beard nor mustache. The man has light eyes, an average to athletic build and shorter well-kept hair. He was wearing a grayish green t-shirt, jean shorts and tennis shoes. A bright yellow Jeep Wrangler was seen in the area. It has a spare tire on the back with a yellow smiley face on it. Investigators are seeking information about this vehicle. Anyone with information or investigative leads please call the Michigan State Police toll-free at 1-866-411-0018. Please know that Jenn is safe and in good hands. A statement from her about the trip and future plans will be made very soon. Please re-post and help us find this criminal. Thank you for your continued support of Row4ROW.

I was very saddened and sick to my stomach when I heard this news.  She is a strong woman because the next day she wrote this:

I have always tried to be transparent and honest about the obstacles of this trip in the hope that my openness and vulnerability might give someone strength or inspiration in their fight against cancer, or in pursuing a dream.

I know that I had a choice in telling people about the details of my attack, particularly that it was a sexual assault. To go through this at all, let alone publicly, is extremely difficult. I chose to talk about it in the hope that someone might be able to provide more information about the person who did this to me.

Thank you for the endless amounts of support, prayers, and love. Please know that I am in the best of hands–with my family and in the protection of the Michigan State Police.

I still believe that there are more good people in the world than bad.

I still believe that life is a gift, even when it’s scary and unfair. I still believe that life offers us the privilege, the opportunity, and the responsibility, to give something back, even when people try to take things away from us.

Regarding the trip, one thing hasn’t changed: I’ve still got this. But the trip plan will change in a few ways to ensure my safety.

Most importantly, I will no longer be alone.

Tomorrow, Liv will be trailered to a secure location in Muskegon, Michigan until I can continue the trip on water sometime next week. From that point to Chicago we can ensure my safety on water since we’re confident that there are enough harbors and enough resources and volunteers to make it possible. Because we are unsure that I can be kept safe on the water in the miles between where I am currently and the point at which I will start rowing again, I will tackle them on land.

With thanks to a generous donor and the support of amazing volunteers, later this week I will continue traveling Lake Michigan’s perimeter by bicycle. A support crew will accompany me and ensure my safety day in and day out. When I get to Muskegon, Liv and I will reunite and keep pushing to get to Chicago sometime in mid-August, as we had originally planned.

My chin is up, my eyes are open, and we’re going to get this show back on the road (then water).

GO ROW.

She is a strong and amazing person...I am grateful to have a friend like her.  I am hoping that my heavy heart will stop being so heavy.  I've just been in this funk and I can't seem to get out of it.  Tomorrow Mr H. and I have a meeting with the Stake President.  I'm hoping that it's about the cancelation of sealing.  I'm really not sure what's it's about and that makes me nervous.  I am, however, getting an hour long massage.  Hopefully that will ease some of my built up tension...

The Good, the bad, and the coyote ugly!

It's been a while since I've posted anything worth-while. Blogging has taken a back-burner while I am in school. I thought that I would do a little catching up by giving updates on everyone

KK: He LOVES that I have a summer break. We've gone to the pool quite a bit and he has a tan that would make anyone jealous. A few days ago he was eating spaghetti at Fazoli's and bit down and said his tooth crunched. It was his front lower right tooth...and it is very wiggly now. He'll lose that tooth soon, hopefully when we're in Virginia. I think it would be really neat for Grandma Lisa to be a part of that milestone. KK and I are traveling to Virginia for a few days to visit his grandparents.  It will be a nice vacation.  KK graduated from preschool last week. His teacher was awesome, she provided each of the students with a graduation video of everything they've learned in the classroom.  I am grateful that she was his teacher.  KK can't wait to start Kindergarten in the fall. 

My mom usually spent the night on Monday night during this quarter because my Tuesday morning was pretty difficult since I needed to be at the Children's Hospital at 5:55am.  Even though I did not have school this Monday (June 11) my mom came over anyway because KK really missed her.  And I am so thankful she came because soon after I got KK in bed he started yelling for me, I ran into his room and he was throwing up.  Now anyone who knows me knows that I am a sympathetic puker.  I can handle most everything else...but if you are throwing up I will heave as well and please don't ask me to clean it because I will blow chunks.  So thankful that my mom was here to help me, she took the sheets off and shoveled the chunky puke into the toilet, rinsed the sheets and pajamas off, and threw them in the wash while I took care of KK, washing up and brushing his teeth.  He said he felt sick again and needed to sit on the toilet.  I sat on the edge of the tub to let him lean on me, then he sort of fell asleep.  He just wasn't feeling well.  I'm not sure what upset his stomach but by Tuesday he was all better!

Me: School, family, and work basically consume my whole life...now it's just family and work.  I ended the last quarter with 2 high B's...no complaints!  Now I only have one more didactic semester left, then a semester long preceptorship, then I AM DONE!  I have this summer off which is a huge blessing.  I need to recharge my batteries.  Mr H. and I went to see Wicked on the 8th and I can't wait to see it again.  It was that awesome and that was the best Elphaba I have ever heard!  If you EVER get a chance to see it...go!  Plus, I was able to check it off of my List.  Another thing I got to check off was having a garage sale on the 9th.  We made hardly anything, but I can't wait to have another.  I am reading my heart out this summer...if you have some suggestions for books...please let me know in the comments.

Mr H.: Finished up his quarter with straight A's and is taking 5 weeks in the summer for another quarter of classes. He works hard fixing cars during the day and going to school at night. Mr H. achieved a bucket list item for himself on June 23rd. He is now a pilot! We are so proud of him...he's already taken AA and her boyfriend up.  They even were able to help fly it.  I, on the other hand, need more convincing! 

On another note, a family we know had a baby boy on June 11th (they thought it was a girl...BIG surprise, concidering her hubby is an OB/GYN). Their son has a heart defect and is in the children's hospital awaiting for surgery on the 15th. Well, on the 13th her father (baby's grandpa) had a heart attack that required open heart surgery. So she and her husband drove to Indiana to support him with that. Well, they have 2 dogs who needed to be fed and let out while they were gone. Mr H. volunteered right away. So he would go to their house before and after work. On the 15th, before work, he went there to let the dogs out and played with the dogs for a few minutes before walking them over to the pasture to do their business. Mr H. realized that there was a large coyote standing in the middle of the pasture and it started snarling at him and the dogs. The smaller dog chased the coyote into the woods along the pasture, which worried Mr H. because he didn't want their dog to get hurt. So he drew his handgun that he carries and went into the brush, which was pretty dense and hard to get through. When Mr H. got the dog to come back to him, the coyote began to approach them and when the dog was just a few feet away, the coyote charged them. Mr H. already had his gun pointed at the coyote and when it was about 20 feet away Mr H. fired a single shot that hit the coyote. It managed to stagger off while Mr H. got the dogs inside the house but he was certain it was a fatal shot. Mr H. got some long sleeves on and some boots (because of the massive amount of poison ivy) and tried to find it after he got off work later that day. He didn't find the coyote he shot but he did find a den with at least 1 more coyote in it (he let that one be since it wasn't posing a threat), the coyotes' water source, and the skull of a very large cat the coyotes recently ate. It turned out the coyote he shot had been stalking our friends for a couple of weeks and had gotten very brazen with its behavior. This really concerned our friends because they also have two young sons who are 5, which made it hard to let them play in the yard and pasture area. Mr H. was very glad that the coyote charged at him and not our friends or their children, because Mr H. was thankfully prepared for it.