Nine...um, Make That Two Days to Go

Hello everyone,

The Short Version: I haven't had much time to write (and have even less today), so I will attempt to summarize but still end up going on and on. I had an OB appointment and my induction date was moved up to Thursday, so I'm having a baby in less than two days. Wow. No stress or anything.

The Long Version: I was going to write a fantastically funny update, covering Dave's last trip to Singapore and Taiwan and including various hilarious adventures such as trying to get to church early for a choir run-through (with the kids while Dave is in a foreign country) and in my rush trying vainly to squeeze around the car in the garage despite the huge protrusion from my belly... or when Jared's friend Connie, on the way to the Science Museum, asked me (bless her heart...), "Why are you so fat?" But... extra time has not been plentiful for the past little while, especially today.

Today I had my usual OB appointment. I am to the weekly appointment stage of pregnancy. Three weeks ago I was dilated to a 1. Two weeks ago I was dilated to a 2 (yes, shocking, I know for a Rogers female). Last week I was dilated to a 3-- even more shocking! At this appointment I was still at a 3, but the baby's head was much lower and my cervix was starting to soften. So... something is happening.

But, on to the interesting turn of events today..... At my last appointment I talked to my doctor because I have been itching like crazy, not just on my stretched-out stomach skin, but everywhere-- on my arms, legs, hands, feet, back. She said there was a chance that my itching could be caused by this pregnancy-related liver thing, so she had my blood drawn to check. When I went to my appointment today, it turns out that the test came out positive and I have cholestasis of pregnancy: basically it's a liver disease that only happens in pregnancy where pregnancy hormones mess up the flow of bile to the gall bladder, so you build up bile acids in your liver and bloodstream. It's main symptom is severe itching, but it isn't dangerous for the mother, just annoying, and it usually goes away when you have the baby. But it can cause stress on the baby's liver and there is an increased risk for fetal distress or stillbirth, so you need to either be monitored closely or consider being induced early. Since we know the baby is big already and I'm already starting to dilate and get ready for labor, my OB recommended moving up my inducement. So I am having the baby on Thursday-- in less than two days. Of course this has not caused any extra stress for me, since I'm already TOTALLY ready... (ha, ha) OK, so I spent most of today on the phone trying to arrange babysitting, choir substitutes and change my mom's plane tickets. You would think after having two babies already that this would be old hat.... but I'm still nervous, worried that I'm not ready, afraid I've forgotten to purchase some immensely important baby item, and wondering how I'm going to handle having three kids and how I will deal with an infant that doesn't sleep through the night...... But, I'm also excited and glad that I don't have to keep waiting and itching. =]

So to summarize the rest of our lives since my last update, we have had a good couple of weeks. Dave had a good trip to Singapore and Taiwan (this means that even though he had no free time the entire time he was there and had to stay up all night preparing presentations, he got to come as scheduled on his scheduled flight). Jared and Camryn have been hard at work at their various writing projects and building three-dimensional creations out of paper and scotch tape. Jared has built an impressive paper rocket and a lovely diorama while Camryn has made a 3-D representation of our house and two of our neighbors'. Camryn labeled her and Jared's beds with post-it notes that inform the reader "NOB UESU LAWD" and "ULAD NO GRWLS." In case you aren't fluent in Camryn-ese that is "No Boys allowed" and "No Girls Allowed."

Jared and Camryn both came home from school with a guide to writing Native American (or as Jared would write: Nate Uv Amerikan) word-pictures-- very historically accurate, I am sure . Jared wrote a story with words and Native American pictures. He then tore the sides of the paper and crinkled it up "so it would look old." The story, destined to be a classic, goes thus:

"The Soree [story] of the man and woman and boy.

"Owns [once] opon a time ther was a man and woman and boy and they wor verey [were very] wise. Ther name was Dave Karen and Jared they wor good. They wor Sad becas [were sad because] they had no fish. they livd neer a river. neer the river ther was a egol and a trtle [eagle and a turtle] and a bear. the man and the woman and the boy did not no that the bear was ckuming [coming] and then they got eatin [eaten] the end of the storee of the man and woman and the boy." (You have to picture this with Native American word pictures once or twice a sentence...)

So the kids were ready for Thanksgiving. We spent a lovely Thanksgiving day with some friends, enjoying great food and especially the fact that we didn't have to cook all of it.

Jared must have decided that Dad isn't working hard enough, because he keeps making him "homework" which he assigns to him with a due date. Yesterday, Dave had his class so he didn't get home until late. Jared wrote daddy a letter, which he sealed in a manila envelope and addressed:

to: Dave
Frum: Jared.
Haws Number 17919 swht, Fone
number 503-825-184
2

The letter read as follows:

"To: Dave.
"Love: Jared.

"Dear dave you don't hafe to do you'r home work. but you can do the home work and mom ses shes haveing a babby in ten days Jared."

So those are my random notes on the past few weeks, skipping taking the kids to see another stake's production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and lots of other adventures that have been excluded from this epistle (to the relief of many, I'm sure). =]

So, off we go to the hospital at 7:00 am on Thursday to meet the newest member of our family.

Love,

Karen


Notes of the Week:
-------------------------------
Jared wrote: "If I was the sise of a dinucore this pensool wood be very smol. [If I was the size of a dinosaur, the pencil would be very small."
Camryn wrote: "MIMOMESPESHLLEVREDA I LUVHR SHTOMIEVREDA I LUVHRWSHELUUVS MIIEWREDA (smiley face)
[Translation from Camryn-ese: My mom is special every day. I love her. ?? to me every day. I love her ?? she loves me every day.]

P.S. You can tell a child who owns a Wii because they spell "Me": "Mii." =]