30 weeks and counting

When can you start counting down, instead of UP?
Our prayer is to make it to 37 without any baby growth problems.
We wish for baby's umbilical cord to grow adequately to sustain the needs of baby until 40 weeks.

Anti-Equality

I have always been "anti-equality."

What does that mean to me?

Well, I am not sure when it started really. It may be as far back as childhood to some degree. It may be a more recent, college, newly married, experienced thought. I am just not sure. 

I do know that our experience as houseparents of "under achieving, high potential" (read: troubled) teenagers in the Dominican Republic has changed, reformed or solidified my belief systems. 

We had SO MANY parents say things like: "I don't know what happened. We treated all our kids the same and his/her siblings are not on this path to destruction"!! 

The program in the DR was centered around a new approach: INDIVIDUALIZED "treatment/care".  Go figure, they are individual teens with individual personalities and problems that come from individual backgrounds and have individual paths in life. 

In general, America is a very Individualistic country. 

We tend to think as one person, separate from everyone else. This is why I think equality is so strange in America. 

Most countries are more "community", communal. Villages are held together by the bond they share as a family or group of families. Villages are held together by the common good and the common crops and the common beliefs and the common "religion". 

In America, we all want to be Different and at the same time we all want to be "just like our group of friends". Yet our parents and extended families "treat us the same" as the other sibling/cousins, and expect our lives to turn out "the same". 

My goal is not to "fuss". But to figure out how to be a "better parent" to each of my INDIVIDUAL children. 

My equality issues have been on my mind during this holiday break as I have interacted with my children in different settings. Mackenzie (MJ) is in 2nd grade, learning to read and to be independent, 8 1/2 years old and a FEMALE. Luke is in Kinder and learning to argue the finer points of details and pretends he can read. He is almost 6 (aaaahhhh!) and all BOY. Mason (MW) is all of barely 2 and speaks very clearly what he does and does not want, in complete sentences and mostly complete thoughts. And all BOY. 

Now, I know the two older ones are "different gender" so that makes things different for me. But, *"?does an 8 yo girl and a 5 yo boy need to eat the same quantity of the same foods?"

*"Is it possible for one to need a snack to simply 'survive' the day? and a snack would 'ruin' dinner for the other one?" 

*"Is it not obvious that the little guy needs different 'amounts' of Christmas candy than the other older two?" *"does one need a nap? the other a 'rest'? and the other 'alone-time'?"

 *"does one need allergy medicine or glasses or antibiotics or more rest or less quiet time...?"

How can we treat our children "the same"? and get different outcomes. 

Now, men and women. 

Did God make men and women equal?  and by "equal" what does that really mean?

Should women get paid the same as men for doing the same work?

Is it possible for women to sustain the same level of Physical labor as a man?

What was God's plan when he made us Man and Woman?  If we were the same, then why would we need each other?

 It is our responsibility as parents to learn what EACH child needs and then apply it to the relationship. MJ NEEDS quiet time (alone time).  She gets overwhelmed and begins to "crisis". Alone-time is the "medicine" for this.  Luke is always ready to play with someone, however, if he does not get a few (15) minutes of "downtime" in the day, by evening he is "crabby". We are still working on figuring out Mason but he does have a very good "nap" or "crib time, lights out" during the middle of the day. Too much TV makes them all "lethargic". And a firm "go play" (as in leave me out of it), is very easy for MJ and very difficult for L. 

(he is learning.) 

I need my alone time. (Like alone, w/o kids too. This does not happen often). My hubby needs to "talk it out". (about everything...drives me nuts).

I don't mind stepping over the toys in the hallway. Jeremy steps ON them. I Require many hours of consecutive sleep. Hubby can 'run' on just a few. 

Just like we MUST learn what we, as parents/people, NEED to function, so too we must learn what our children need for them to grow up to be the persons God intended them to be. 

What makes you "tick"?  What do you need to survive the stresses of daily life?

What is your "hobby", your "get away"?

Now, what makes each one of your special children "tick"? What do they need to survive the stresses of family/school/siblings life?  What is it that they need from you as a parent?  and more than just that, what does each one need from EACH parent? (cuz they don't need the same things from both of ya!)

Wow, did I go on and on?  Don't answer that!   

January 2011

 

Latest Sonogram

I assume that since my January 4th sonogram,

I have not heard anything from the doctor office:

*everything is fine

*doc it too busy

*or out of the office

*everything is fine. 

So, I will go with the best possible outcome, 

Everything must be fine. 

My powers of deduction and experience with 

sonogram technology leads me to believe:

The "report" page on the cd-r says,

Baby is measuring one week smaller than "date".

This is consistent with the previous sono, 

at that time, baby measured one week smaller than "date". 

So, baby is growing consistently, 

and just "IS" one week smaller than the calendar 

says "average" should be. 

I do make smaller babies. 

NOW<

my prayer is:

*continued consistent growth

*that we "make it" to full term

*that he position himself correctly soon

*that my knee stop getting swollen

(we will worry about genes and genetics later)

God has blessed us. 

Thank you Lord for getting us this far. 

January 2011

(wow! that was fun date to write)

Year in Summary

February 2010:  I was diagnosed with 83% hearing loss in my left ear. This came as a total shock to me and I was alone at the specialist office. (result of an ear infection in May of 09, with eardrum rupture, ringing, and extreme exhaustion). I had been frustrated with my then 4 year old---"speak CLEARLY, say EACH WORD separately". I should have known something was "amiss". 
March 2010:  The search for a hearing aid begins. Wow! Hearing aids are complicated and EXPENSIVE.
March 2010:  Information that our eldest daughter MJ might be dyslexic. Testing begins.
                      More emotional drain:  wow, my hubby REALLY is more dyslexic than we thought.
April 2010:    Still no hearing aid, however, I have had a borrowed aid everyday since the "diagnosis". PTL.
                     Luke turns 5 and is SO SO SO ready for "all day, every day school". He is only in MDO two days a week.
                     More testing for MJ. Some "accommodations" for MJ at school help her at least "pass" her second time in FIRST GRADE. The school and the teachers have been VERY good to us. Thank you Woodway Elementary Staff.
May 2010:     MY MONTH: Mother's Day, My birthday, Our anniversary!  I love May!!
                     Parents watch ALL THREE kids for THREE DAYS so Jeremy can take me "out" for our anniversary. It has been 11 years. WOW, 11. We have not "gotten away" for our anniversary since our fifth year. At that point we only had ONE kid. 
May 2010:    Jeremy starts his "internship" for the summer.  Sunday am he leaves, returning Wednesday midday or later. EVERY week for 12 weeks. How did we even survive the summer? The rest of the week he had to go to "regular work" so really all we got was Saturday, of course, he was so exhausted by then.....
June 2010:  kids finish school. Now the fun can begin......It was a great summer, non the less.  Three kids, lots of adventures, lots of outside, lots of kiddie pool in the back yard, lots of "not so healthy" dinners.  Lots of friends over to play.
July 2010: MJ turns 8, wow, I am getting old. More of the same, we miss daddy when he is gone and we play HARD when he is here. We never missed a Sunday. (Man, I needed that break) Yep. I took them all with me to Sunday School and Service every week.  They needed it as much as I did!
August 2010:  Is is possible 12 weeks is almost over? The highlight of my summer was my very own trip to SOUTH AFRICA. Yes, you heard it right, just me 10 days. Jeremy had to figure out internship, work and three kids, ha ha, I got the best guy out there, he is mine!!!!!   He elicited help and it was freely given, thank you all of you who helped make this happen. (I will blog about the trip separately).
August 2010:    Jeremy had less than two weeks between internship and beginning a new semester. That was rough.  Kids start school. Luke!! It is FINALLY time to go to "all day, every day" school.  Wow, it is hard to get up in the morning. What a champion. He LOVES school.  (I just hope he is actually learning something).
MJ will have quite the adjustment.  After having the same teacher in the same room for both of her first grade years..... second grade will be a bit of a different story.....
September 2010:  Oh, yeah, didn't we tell you...... we are pregnant.......we found out RIGHT before I left for Africa so we did not tell and now after seeing a real heartbeat, we are finally ready to tell the family. Yes, I can keep a secret without lying.
October 2010: Jeremy's birthday. He is 34 despite what he tells you. Mason had a birthday, he is 2 (he consistently responds 3, who knows!)
We dressed up for "fall festivals" on friday night, saturday morning and on sunday night. Yup, we like to party. Don't worry, we did not buy our costumes. The kids all have dress up in their toy boxes and I told them, if they could not find it in their box----they could not be that. We did make MJ's tail out of cardboard and duct tape for her cat costume.
November 2010:  The first day of this month brings us a SONOGRAM..... MJ went with us. We got to see Baby Palmer #4 in action.  Yes, another boy. Jeremy and MJ are both a bit sad but they will live. 
A few days later in this very same week----we are burdened with the news of another uncertainty...... Baby Boy Palmer has SUA, Single Umbilical Artery. What that means WE HAVE NO IDEA. 
SO for the next few days we will live in a state of uncertainty trusting in our GOD Almighty that HE IS BIGGER than ALL OF EVERYTHING.
November 2010:   More excitement to come.... Thanksgiving with family..... another sono picture of our baby.... maybe some Christmas decorating.... and most certainly more packing..... (I am living under the assumption that after May Graduation...... we will be getting a job and moving....I don't want to have to pack Everything with a newborn in the house) 
To be continued..... everyday has is prize. ..... focus on your prize today......

It has really been a while

In all fairness, who reads this anyway? 

Blogging is so much more for the blogger

than for the readers (if there are any).  

Snow Man

Just my size.
Papa made it with Aunt Brittney and mommy Summer.

Can we claim credit if we did not help?

Aunt Brittney with Mason.

Mom, it is cold, can't you see?

A man in his element. Cousin Isaiah
Loves the snow. Watch him, he can really throw you a snowball.
Comanche, Oklahoma December 28th, 2009

Blessed Christmas

Luke climbing in a tree at Great Grandma Murray's house in Oklahoma.
He saw snow!

My snow bunnies. Mason's first snow for sure.
Luke and Mackenzie's biggest snow.
Yay! Comanche, Oklahoma
December 28th, 2009

See the Ice?
My dad was driving. Glad it was not meeeeee!

My princess

Dude is getting big.

14 Months

Mason is finally at 19 lbs. 14 oz.
I think we measured him at 29 1/4 inches.
At 14 months.
He is a little dude but he can sword fight with Luke like a champ!
December 2009

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving did Mason good.
He weighed in today at 19 lbs. 8 oz.
(with a wet diaper)
YAY, my boy is growing.
13 months old.

Walking

I think it is official.
Mason is walking more often that not.
13 months, 10 days.

Taller

Luke has been clumsy lately. He falls all over the place.
and his leg hurts randomly.
I said "boy, you must be growin' "
So we measured him.
On his 4th birthday we measured him.
He had grown 4 whole inches from his 3rd birthday.
whew! that is a lot.
Well, since his birthday, (approx. 6 months) he has grown 1 and 3/4 inches.
FACT: Luke, at 4 1/2 is just a tad taller than Mackenzie was at 5 1/2 years.
Mackenzie has grown too.
Since April, Mackenzie has grown 1 1/2 inches.
From her 6 to her 7 she only grew 2 inches. Now, only 6 months later, she has grown 1 1/2.
Luke is 3 1/2 inches shorter than Mackenzie.
They are 3 years apart.
Mason will have some time catching up!

11 Months

Mason has a smidgen of one tooth.
Mason stands up in the middle of the room.
He does not walk or step.
He does cruise on the furniture but crawling is so much faster!
(and we don't have that much stuff for him to go from one furniture to the next.)
Mason sleeps all night (has been since 3 months, PTL)
and is growing like a weed. (well he is pretty tiny for an almost 1 year old!)
Thank you Jesus for all 3 of my precious babies.
and my hubby too.
September 2009

My first Tooth

Mason finally got a tooth.
Or a smidgen of a tooth.
6 days before 11 months old Mason cut his first tooth.
It was not too traumatic. He was up and cried once at night
for 4 nights in a row.

Baby Weight

I did it again!!!!!!!
If you can lose all your baby weight after each baby within the year after their birth, then you are the bomb. Yeah, I said da Bomb. So, sue me. You can also sue me cuz I have lost all my baby weight. Ha ha, I totally get to toot my own horn; this is totally awesome.
If you want to know how I did it, I will let you know........
Eating right and exercise. oh, and a relatively strict schedule (for both me and the kids).
Thank you.

9 months

Mason is 9 months today.
He found an unattended toy car.
He stole it from Mackenzie's toys.
He is currently driving it all over the living room.
He is crawling and pushing, and crawling and pushing,...
Who taught him to do that?
and at 9 months old?
really?
July 2009

Information--use it.

**If you live the truth,
you will receive more truth.


**a pastor asked a church member:
"are you going to the Bible conference?"
the church member answered:
"naw, I already know more than I'm living!"

**God does not reveal to us any more
information, until we have acted on the
information you have.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Mason just pulled up at the couch.........


now what?

(clean the house, silly)

Oh, and the days have been 100 -106 for weeks.
Record highs.
Today it rained. The temperature dropped
20 degrees (according to my wall clock)
in 8 minutes. 97 to 77.
Praise the LORD for the break and the rain.
Mason is 8 months plus 1 week.
June 29, 2009

Growing up

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Mason is mobile!


It started with a slow army crawl.
Elbows and his big toes. Carpet burn.
We are up to a fast belly slither,
with a nice crawl/ bear stance
(bottom up, on his feet and hands)
thrown in for fun.

He gets from slither to sitting and back like a champ.
and to make matters more interesting.....
He PULLED HIMSELF UP to standing
a few times this week.
EIGHT MONTHS.
NO TEETH, not even a hint.
Plenty of food though.
Carrots baby food is still his favorite.
Followed closely by Sweet Potatoes.
Squash, Peas, Green Beans and a few mixed veggies.
So far the only "no way, yuck" is the rice cereal
mixed with anything, even peaches or carrots.
He has not quite mastered the "puffs".
(like cherrios for the un-knowing bunch of ya)
He gets them in his mouth himself but not without a fight.
Most of them end up on the floor or in the chair.
He is workin' on that "pincher" grasp.
They do grow up fast.
June 27th, 09

Mackenzie fun fridays

50's day
Aunt Becky made the skirt for 'dress up' a while back.
She loved getting spiffed up.

Crazy hair day
Pretty crazy!!
This one was fun!

Spring of 2009
First Grade Crazy Hair day

Luke's "when I grow up"

Luke just declared: (when he grows up)
"I am going to have 4 babies,
they will be all boys,
and their names will be:
Michelangelo,
Leonardo,
Donatello,
Rafael."
Mackenzie said:
"what if you have a girl?
To that Luke replied:
"I will name her April O'Neal"
(the reporter girl on the show)

Boy knows his ninja turtles!
I told him we don't get to pick, girls or boys,
God does that for us.
He said "God knows what I want, I told HIM."
Cute kid!
May 2009