Mom

There have been lots of moments through all this that I've just wanted my mommy. She came to help us, and it was so soothing to have her here. Love my momma.

Drimmy

Uncle Jimmy, or Drimmy as I call him, came for a quick overnight. The kids loved seeing him. We did, too.

Not Out of the Woods

I went to the perinatal specialist yesterday. My doctor referred me, I thought just to cover that base and be thorough. I thought after the ultrasound I had a couple weeks ago that I was in the clear. But the specialist said yesterday, and I quote, "You're really far from being out of the woods." After doing the ultrasound the specialist told me that I have a blood clot in my uterus. And he said he's only once seen the baby survive when the mom had a clot so big. Only once. It was a fuzzy few minutes for me because I had never experienced receiving bad news from a doctor before. I've only ever been completely healthy. In fact, at my appointment the other day with my regular doctor, she called me boring. So hearing that my little baby is in danger, especially after seeing her move around on the ultrasound, was heartbreaking. The specialist told me I have to be off my feet as much as possible. I kind of laughed and said, "Bed rest?" He said, "Well, yes. But you've got 3 kids." He's right, I do, and that obviously presents a challenge. I could be wrong, but I sort of got the impression that he didn't feel as urgent about this as if I had been further along. Like it won't be that big a deal if I do lose the baby at this point. But for me, it's just as big a deal now as it ever would be. I want to do everything I can to help this baby survive. So, I've got to figure out what my resources are, and use the hell out of them (I really just want my mommy). And now that I can think straight I have some more questions for the specialist: can't I just take a blood thinner? is my health in danger, or just the baby's? I haven't quite gotten my legs under me after reeling from the news. So today I'm staying off my feet as much as possible, and then Chris and I need to make a plan. That's all I got so far.

Happy Valentimes

How we celebrated Valentine's Day...

We had some pals over to decorate heart-shaped
sugar cookies.

The girls got Valentines in the mail from Anna.

Got a fun Valentine's package in the mail
from Grandma Gail.

I made a breakfast of heart-shaped pancakes
with syrup and pink sprinkles.

Chris surprised me with a box of See's chocolates.

Georgey gave his sisters each a chocolate heart.

The kids wore festive shirts and had a date at the park.

Chris and I had dinner at The Dillinger
and homemade milkshakes in bed.

Dam Short Film Festival

Chris and I volunteered at the Dam Short Film Festival here in Boulder City last week, and had a blast doing it. The festival was founded in 2003 by Lee Lenier (senior animator for Antz and Shrek), and has been gaining momentum since then. It's held at the very charming Boulder Theatre which is owned by Desi Arnaz Jr. He was milling about the theatre all weekend and we got to hang out with him and his wife, Amy, a bit. That was really cool; I even got a little starstruck thinking about the fact that he has Lucille's and Desi's blood coursing through his veins. We worked more closely, though, with the festival's director, John LaBonney, and his wife/volunteer coordinator, Michelle. They were so great, we really liked them. The most interesting thing about working the festival was all the fantastic people watching, and chatting up said people. I always enjoy meeting new people, and there were certainly some memorable characters: a longwinded lovable man we called Gordon because he looked like our pal of the same name, Diamond the older woman who watched all 110+ films in the festival, and Joe and Barb our favorite fellow volunteers. I was surprised to see the company the festival drew - mostly local seniors and obscure industry people. It wasn't until Saturday night, when they showed the Best of the Fest, that a younger, hipper crowd showed up along with the aforementioned crew. Nonetheless, it was all very enjoyable people watching and interacting. Chris and I did get to be patrons for one block - we went to see the comedy films on Friday evening. I won't be polite on this one, I was disappointed. And I couldn't tell what was more of a bummer - the underwhelming films or the all too easily pleased audience. And I wish we had gotten to see more blocks. Still, it was a really great experience being a part of the festival, being exposed to the industry, starting relationships, and getting to know our beloved little Boulder City a bit better. We'll definitely be there next year.

Superbowl

The Smiths came over to watch the Superbowl with us. Such a fun night!

Baby's OK

We had a bit of a scare over the weekend, and an even bigger scare yesterday. I started spotting over the weekend and felt really low, but it let up for a few days so I thought I was in the clear. Then yesterday I had heavy bleeding and some cramping, and I thought for sure we were going to lose this baby. I was really sad, because I'm so happy to be pregnant right now and I honestly don't know if I'd want to try again if I did miscarry. So it was a tough day. I was finally able to get in for an ultrasound in the afternoon. It sure wasn't like seeing Dr. Urso and Krista back in Havasu, with their outstanding personal attention and investment. But ultimately, there was a healthy heartbeat and the baby's OK. I'm so happy about it. Now I just have to be on pelvic rest, and I'm not allowed to bend over or lift anything. That's a tough thing because of my 3 little children. But I have great, helpful friends. And as always, Chris is awesome.