Confessions

I'm in a random kinda mood tonight, so I'll give you a few of my confessions, ie. things most people don't know about me.

I love Taylor Swift.

I read like a fiend. I can literally sit down and finish a book in one sitting.

I'm probably one of the most passive people you'll ever meet. I don't like confrontation at all. In fact, I'll go out of my way to avoid it.

I was in a bad boat accident when I was 14, and I have some wicked cool scars on my leg. Sometimes when strangers ask me about them I say I got bit by a shark. (Yes, I've actually had people believe me.)

I was raised the only child in a single parent home, and I've never met my biological father, nor do I want to. And yes, I feel this has contributed greatly to the fact that I'm extremely spoiled, as well as my shyness and anxiety problems.

I hate scary movies. They give me horrible nightmares.
(This probably stems from the fact that I have serious anxiety issues that I should have probably seen a therapist for a long time ago. But I digress.)

I didn't have my first kiss until I was 17.

I have never used any illegal drug in my life. I've never even tried a cigarette, and I seldom drink alcohol. But when I do, I prefer what my husband calls "girly foo-foo drinks".

My husband and I are high school sweethearts. We've been together since we were 17. This December marks 4 years since we started dating. I complain about him a lot and he drives me nuts, but in reality he's my other half and he keeps me sane.

On the other hand, had you told me when we first started dating that in four years we'd be married and have two kids, I would have said you were bat $#*! crazy.

 I got early acceptance to my first choice college....then I got a positive pregnancy test. Now I'm in my second semester at the local community college getting my AAS in Early Childhood Education.

Well, that's enough of my deep, dark secrets for tonight. Happy Halloween everyone!

Did you hear?

About the crazy storm that just rolled through here? A 72 MPH wind gust was recorded here in Ludington the other day. As you can imagine, power lines have been down everywhere, trees and branches all over the roads...what a mess. Luckily we were able to avoid any serious issues, our power didn't get interrupted except for blinking a few times, and since we don't have any trees in our yard we were safe there. A tree did fall in the backyard of my childrens' daycare provider yesterday while they were there. The storm did make all kinds of crazy out on the lake though, and I was of course out there snapping pics like it's my job. Here's my favorite:

I am DYING for Chrsitmas to get here so I have my new camera and photoshop finally.

$#*! My Dad Says

Found another excellent book to read!

(Excuse my crappy amazon.com image)

First of all, this book drops a lot of F-bombs. But as long as you're not offended by that or can look past it, it's a good, quick read for a laugh! After all, what can you expect from a bok with a four-letter-word in the title?

While I don't advocate the parenting methods per se, it's great for a laugh, especially for a parent I think (it sure made me feel good about the way I'm raising Brennan and Claire!), although I will give him this, he's fair, and he has his childrens' best interests at heart. Definitely a unique form of writing a memoir.

Overall, worth the $11.99 I spent on it (which doesn't even really count, since I paid with my bottle return money)? Definitely.

Follow up: What Would You Do?

So the book I was reading was Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Synopsis from jodipicoult.com - When Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe’s daughter, Willow, is born with severe osteogenesis imperfecta, they are devastated – she will suffer hundreds of broken bones as she grows, a lifetime of pain. As the family struggles to make ends meet to cover Willow’s medical expenses, Charlotte thinks she has found an answer. If she files a wrongful birth lawsuit against her ob/gyn for not telling her in advance that her child would be born severely disabled, the monetary payouts might ensure a lifetime of care for Willow. But it means that Charlotte has to get up in a court of law and say in public that she would have terminated the pregnancy if she’d known about the disability in advance – words that her husband can’t abide, that Willow will hear, and that Charlotte cannot reconcile. And the ob/gyn she’s suing isn’t just her physician – it’s her best friend.

Being a JP book it's full of twists and turns of course, and a tear-jerker, like all of her books. I think this one is probably the saddest I've read. One of the main conflicts in the book is that Charlotte tells Willow that she's just saying that she wouldn't have given her up to get the money. But she has to testify in front of a court that she would have.

So, the reason for the poll. Out of 10 people that answered, 4 would have kept the baby, no matter what the disability, and 6 said it would depend on the disability. I didn't vote because I didn't want to throw the results off.

Here's my answer: I don't know.

I don't think I could abort. And if I did, I'd be devastated, and I'd probably think about that child, wondering who he or she would have been, for the rest of my life. But I don't know if I would be strong enough to provide the kind of care a special needs child, especially an OI child, would need. I've gotten to know osteogenesis imperfecta pretty well the last couple of days, since the book inspired my topic for a paper I'm writing for my early childhood class. These people are absolutely amazing. A friend who read my paper asked me if I knew someone with the disease, and I don't. But I'd love to spend some time with a person who does.

So now, knowing a few more details, is your answer still the same? Would you abort a fetus with OI, or would you keep the baby and hope for the best?

What would you do?

I'm reading a book that has me thinking a little bit. I realize this is a tough question, but I'm just looking for honest opinions, not an argument. I'll give the poll a couple days (plus me some time to finish the book) then I'll elaborate.

Results

We got a call from Claire's pediatrician yesterday, and we got the all clear. Everything on her ultrasound looked normal. HUGE load off my shoulders. Of course I'm still wondering why she got a UTI in the first place, but we'll look into more extensive testing if she happens to get oone again.

On a side note: I have the mot awesome husband you could ever imagine. I'm going to see Lady Antebellum in Grand Rapids on Saturday! Yay!

Ultrasound

Tomorrow is Claire's ultrasound.

Deep breath in, deep breath out.

People have been telling me the past few weeks that I just need to stay positive and that everything will be ok.

Everything is not ok. My little girl has to have an ultrasound tomorrow. If things were ok, I would not be taking my five-and-a-half month old for an ultrasound tomorrow. And as much as I want to believe that she's fine, I'm her mother. It's not going to stop me from worrying. It's in my job description, and it's a part I take very seriously.

Claire and I have to be at the hospital at 10:30 AM EST tomorrow, so I would appreciate all the thoughts/prayers/hopes/wishes that you have to spare that the ultrasound with goo quickly and smoothly, and that all is well with my little girl. It'll be a few days after that before I get the results, but as soon as I do, you can be sure I'll probably blog about it.

Wish us luck,
Amber and Claire