St. Francis Academy

A Meme

Since we arrived home yesterday and I am still processing our trip to Cooperstown, NY, I thought a meme would be a great way for me to slip back into blogging.  The boys did GREAT in the tournament.  They were the 16th seed out of 96 teams, went 8-2 in the tourney, and held their own in their first and final game of the "Sweet Sixteen" against the #1 seed (lost 7-3). 

Anyway, here's the meme:

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Nope, though my mom was thinking of naming me Heather.  I'm glad she didn't, as there were 2-3 other Heathers in my class and I was the only Valerie.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
At my daughter's First Holy Communion last month.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
It's OK when I'm concentrating on writing well.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Love, love, love Boar's Head Roast Beef.  It's not marinated, like most other deli brands around there parts.  Roasted turkey comes in a close second.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Six with another one on the way--the tie-breaker for 3-3    

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Totally.  I'm the only person who gets ME. ;-)

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Only around those I know will get it.

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
No way! 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Raisin Bran Crunch

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Only if I tied them too tight to begin with and can't slip them off easily.

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Mentally or physically?  I'm able to bear a lot of things that I initially thought I wouldn't be able to bear.  But I think that's more God than Me.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Ultimate Moose Tracks (chocolate ice cream with fudge ribbons and tiny peanut butter cups, yum)

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Eye contact, or lack thereof.

RED OR PINK?
Pink

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I yell too much.

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My father.

WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
grey pants and no shoes

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Cookies

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
TV from the living room and my son rustling through a bag of used clothing

IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Periwinkle

FAVORITE SMELLS?
Oil of chrism, vanilla, patchouli

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
My mother.

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Baseball (youth through MLB) and football (NFL)

HAIR COLOR?
Dark brown. 

EYE COLOR?
Blue. 

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No. 

FAVORITE FOOD?
Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, including my mom's special stuffing.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings, for sure.

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
National Geographic's "Lewis and Clark" (I was quite bored in the van yesterday)

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Burgundy.

SUMMER OR WINTER?
If I have to choose between the two, it's winter.  Yeah, I know baseball is in summer, but I hate the heat.  I like the cozy, snuggliness fo winter. 

HUGS OR KISSES?
Hugs, the big squeezy kind.

FAVORITE DESSERT?
Pepperidge Farm cookies

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Still getting through The Aeneid

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and Piglet

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? NCAA College World Series, Championship Game 1, Tar Heels vs. Beavers

FAVORITE SOUND?
Rain

ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Beatles...how could you even ask?

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Arizona.

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I sing fairly well, though I don't consider that special. 

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Upstate NY.

h/t to Dawn

Week in Review

There have been so many things I've wanted to blog about this past week, but haven't had the time, or perhaps the inclination, to post anything.  Thus, I'm forcing myself to just plop all these random things together into one post before I set myself to doing the things I ought to be doing to prepare for our trip to Cooperstown.

On Wednesday, feeling unusually energetic and not terribly nauseous, tired of just sitting around the house with the kids idly spending their time in front of the computer or TV, I decided on an impromptu visit to Crooked Run Nature Preserve.  For some reason, I was thinking it wouldn't take us too long to get there, forgetting that we now live in the northwest corner of the county and that there is no easy direct route to the southeast corner where the preserve is located.  After a 45 minute drive, the kids were relieved to see the playground by the Ohio river and ran from the van to play as I unpacked the picnic bag and staked a claim on a nearby table in the shade.  After some play time and a snack, we went on a walk on the preserve trail.

We first visited the overlook at the river, but didn't stay long enough to observe any waterfowl.  Little Cate, though, was sure she saw a whale in the river.

Then we stopped at this meadow overlook and observed the numerous nesting boxes placed in the meadow as well as the Red Wing Blackbirds that were flying all around.

The best part of our hike, though, was on our way back when we got to see this little fellow:

If you click on the photo you will see a small, scared rabbit trying to hide from our rambunctious bunch.  It had crossed our path on the way back and I was sure it was lost to us.  However, we came across it again when we came to the bend in the service road.  It scurried off into the brush but was kind enough to stay still long enough for me to take the picture.  It would've stayed there longer if dear Drew hadn't yelled at it and scared it away!

On Thursday the whole gang accompanied the two oldest girls' Girl Scout Troop on an outing to Trammel Fossil Park in Sharonville.  The boys were relieved that it was to be a much shorter drive than the day before.  The best part about this park is it is free admission and you are able to take home the fossils that you find.  Other places where we have taken part in fossil programs have not let us do this, so the kids were very excited about adding to their already large collection of fossils (most of which were found here at home at the creek).

Connor was thrilled to discover over 20 "giant fossils".  These were actually just large pieces of rock which had numerous bryozoans, crinoids, and brachiopods embedded in them.  The two little ones were content picking up just any old rock, though most of them had some sort of fossilized creature inside.  John set out to find as many bryozoans as he could find.  He likes these because they are easy to find separate from rocks.  Lizzy was successful finding some large crinoid stems (looking like stacked pennies or a roll of ring-shaped candies).  The rest of the bunch found mostly embedded brachiopods.  We came home with a large bucket full of fossils, which have now found their home with the others on our front porch.  If you're local to Cincinnati, or if you will be visiting sometime, be sure to check this free, awesome place out.  It was well worth our time!

Thursday through Sunday was filled with T-ball and baseball games.  The little boys played a game on Thursday and then again on Friday.  Friday afternoon, John's team played in an 11U tournament to prepare for the differences they will encounter at Cooperstown, namely, longer baselines and the pitching rubber being set back a couple of feet.  They performed well, having been placed in a highly competitive bracket, but it was not a surprise that they didn't win any of the pool play games.  On Sunday they played a consolation game and won.  That also was John's 11th birthday, so he was pleased with the win.

Yesterday, Monday, was my appointment with the new OB.  I actually saw the nurse practitioner this time around, and most of the visit was spent speculating the reasons for my past miscarriages as well as things that could be done testing-wise.  Two reasons we talked about were chromosomal translocation (which was one reason proposed after our second miscarriage) and antiphospholipid syndrome.  In the first case, it is a genetic problem which cannot be cured.  Testing, such as nuchal translucency screening (specialized ultrasound) can determine an increased risk for certain chromosomal problems.  Still, this in no way would prevent a miscarriage from occurring.  Thus, I have opted for only a general ultrasound.  For the second case, which I feel is not my condition, since it's more common with consecutive, recurrent, earlier miscarriages, some options to decrease the risk of misacarrying include a regimen of low-dose "baby" aspirin or heparin.  It was suggested that I could take the baby aspirin, since it wouldn't hurt anything.

That said, I was surprised when the nurse practicioner suggested we could "take a peek" at the baby to find the heartbeat with the office ultrasound.  What a wonderful sight to see that little heart flickering on the monitor!  Here is the 9-week image:

The black space is my uterus, and the fuzzy gray on the left side inside the black space is our little bit.  As I mentioned before, I have opted for a general ultrasound (to measure for dates, make sure there's only one, etc.), which will take place in two weeks.  Three weeks following that I will be meeting with the doctor and will likely have all the usual GYN stuff done.  I will be 14 weeks at that point, which is the beginning of my personal "worry time." 

Tonight is the last T-ball game and a mandatory practice before the big boys go to Cooperstown.  Tomorrow will be a big-time packing day and tidying up the house.  Thursday afternoon we take off for Cooperstown and will be gone for the better part of the week.  Thus, it's not likely I'll be posting again for some time.

This-n-That

First off, here's a photo of the latest excitement around here.  I'm sorry it's so dark, but it was late in the day, there was so much shade from the surrounding trees, and was fixing to rain when I took it.

I'm sure you recognize the dead trees.  The one in the background is the nesting site for our resident Pileated Woodpeckers.  I'm happy to announce that their babies have hatched out.  It was quiet in the nest for a long time, so much so that I was beginning to wonder if the nest may have been raided.  But, nope, the babies were there, sticking their heads out to be fed by their mama.  Mama is much more timid than papa, but she seems to have gotten used to us coming out on the deck to check their progress.  I've seen two little ugly pileated heads poking out, but the oldest boy says he saw three.  However many there are, they certainly making a lot of noise, rasping when their parents approaches the nest at feeding time.

Next I thought I'd share a photo of our little chirp, Cate.  She is the only on of our girls to walk around in a pull-up, shirt, and rubber boots.  All of our boys have done this at around her age, but the older two girls never did anything like it.  It probably comes from watching the two little boys run around in boots.  Anyway, I thought it was a funny picture, and, well, she's just so darn cute and very willing to pose!

I recently won an auction for Math-U-See's older Intermediate Mathematics on eBay.  The books arrived yesterday in excellent condition.  I hope the videos will arrive soon so I can plan a course of action.  My intent is to use these materials to get our oldest daughter up to snuff with her math facts (something she still struggles with), help our oldest two to grasp the concept of multiple digit multiplication, and introduce our middle daughter to multiplication.  This level of the program introduces much more material than that (fractions, division, measurement, etc.), but the areas I mentioned above are what we need to work the most on.

This weekend was great baseball-wise.  The boys were really on and it showed on the field.  Their first game on Sunday was against a team to which 7 of last year's team (that John  was on) went to play for.  Fortunately, we replaced those players with even stronger all-around players for this year's team.  Our boys won the game 13-1 in four innings.  Our 10u league plays six innings, with a "run rule" (or mercy rule) of 10 after 4 innings, meaning the game ends after 4 innings if a team is leading by 10 or more runs.  The second game was a win against a team that was a nasty rival last year.  They traveled to the CABA World Series last summer and came in fourth.  Since that time, the rivalry hasn't been nearly as bitter, and we have even been invited to their team picnic this weekend.  I'm glad things have improved since last summer.

Lastly, I finally decided which route this pregnancy is going to take.  I made the call yesterday to schedule an appointment to see an OB.  I've known about this guy for many years, and he has a good reputation for being a natural childbirth supportive OB.  After much thought, I figured this would be a good way to go for a few reasons.  First off, the nurse-midwives who practice in Cincinnati are now either part of a very large OB practice, or they do births at the two hospitals I'd rather not go near.  I would much rather see one doctor throughout this pregnancy, then bounce around from doctor to midwife to doctor.  Also, with my history of miscarriage, this last one being rather traumatic for me, I want the reassurance of ultrasound.  Lastly, I'll admit it: I'm not getting any younger.  I know the OB will place the label "Senile Grand Multipara" on my chart, indicating that I'm over 35 and have given birth to at least 5 children.  Still, it's time to humble myself somewhat, and submit to more invasiveness that I would have in the past.  That doesn't mean I'm going into this with blind trust.  I know which tests are necessary and which ones have high false positives; I also know that I need to be sensible about my health and that of our baby.  My appointment is on Monday the 11th, so I'll post about that next week.

A Day Off!

Would you believe that we actually have a WHOLE SATURDAY off???  There are no soccer games or baseball games that we have to be at, so what have we decided to do with our free time?  Yeah, we're suckers for the sport.  We're heading east to the in-laws to watch DH's nephew play baseball.  That will be followed by pool time at the grandparents' house.  We live in a "pool community", but I much prefer the privacy of the in-laws pool.

Maybe the kids will go explore the creek on the property, or find some interesting critters in the shady grove.  Maybe if I get my act together and cut this post short, I'll remember the bathing suits, critter catchers (though I think MIL has some gear at her house), and the CAMERA.  That way, I'll actually be able to post something with a photo the next time. :-)

In case you were wondering about the results from last week's tournament, the boys made it to the championship game but came in runner-up.  It rained in the morning, but that didn't hold off play one bit.  In fact, it helped keep things pretty cool as we sat there huddled under our umbrellas.