Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

My quotes of the day from my fabulous children:

Gavin (upon seeing his pancake that I made for dinner): "Wow, look at this baby!"

Caeden (while attempting to sneak his torn up pancake to the counter to exchange it for another one): "Mommy, don't look at me."

As Mike walks in the door Suzy rushes into his arms, their conversation was as follows:
Mike- "Oh, have you been abused today Suzy?"
Suzy- "Sniffle, sniffle, yes Daddy."

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Fall is Here!!!

Thank goodness!! I have no more use for summer and it's cheery, sunshiney attitude. Bring on the cold and the rain and the gloom....BAH HUMBUG!!!!! What? Not convinced? Me neither but it was worth the shot!
I am truly a warm weather person, however, I feel a little betrayed by Summer 08. I had high hopes and let's face it, this wasn't my greatest summer...in fact, this has not been the greatest year. So here we go....while I am not usually a fan of cold or dark or wet...at all....let's give fall and winter the old college try huh? After all, I have absolutely no control in the matter...or any matter...as I am starting to find.
I thought I would give a few little updates on our family this fall. I'll start with the most important..and what everyone wants to hear about...the kids!!
Gavin is loving Kindergarten! He has really done so well and we are so proud of him. It's hard to believe how grown up he is! He is getting so excited for Halloween and for all the festivities of fall...this is one thing that has helped make the end of summer a bit more bearable.
Caeden is looking forward to his 4th birthday coming up in a few weeks! He is getting to be such a big boy and I really enjoy the time we have together every day. With Gavin in school and Suzy's blessed nap time, Caeden and I have had a little more time. It is very rewarding to sit down in the quiet and eat a pb&j with my adorable little boy. He too is looking forward to Halloween. It's going to be so fun!
Suzy is doing great. She is growing up so fast! Some of her latest and greatest things would have to be her new found LOVE...the Care Bears!! Remember them? Yeah, they are still mesmerizing children after all these years! I love it and she is just so cute singing along to the songs...."I wanna be a Care Bear! Oh I can't wait to be a Care Bear!" and so forth. My mother used to sing that song to me when I was little and loved Care Bears. She even made me a pink Care Bear costume to wear and we'd sit and sing the song. She even did the fun voices....I am sure she would have loved to make Suzy a costume and sing that song with her but I hope that my efforts to indulge Suzy's obsession are noted! :)
Along with Care Bears her favorite new phrase (well my favorite that she uses anyway) is "Can I hold you?" She says this when she wants to be carried somewhere (usually up or down stairs). Smart cookie! She realizes that "I'm lazy and want you to lug my beastly body around" is not a good seller. Her little plea to be loved is nothing if not endearing and convincing!
Mike is doing fine, working hard. He is looking forward to taking me to Disney World this year....no really, he is.....well, he definitely WILL be when he finds out that's what he is doing! :)
And last, least and certainly less interesting is ME!! Me, me, me!!! I guess my news is that we got all our lab work back and apparently there is nothing wrong with me?? :) So while we are thrilled that there are no health concerns, it is also difficult to know what to do next. I was definitely happy not to have anything like Lupus, but I did somewhat hope for a nice blood clotting disorder; sweet, simple, easy to fix. We have been given the clear to start trying whenever we are ready but how do you do that? Do you just go for it and play the Russian Baby Roulette? I have a 50% success rate now. Three healthy babies, three losses. So what do we do now? Time will tell I suppose.
For now I am enjoying preparing for Halloween and oh...how could I forget?? We added a new member to the family!!! Yep, I am filling the baby void and have added a cat! She is the perfect cat for our family. She was two years old, litter trained, vaccinated, spayed, de-clawed and super friendly (oh and free to boot). I have named her Alice...well, more fully, Alice Cullen Ramsey, The Twilight Cat. Hey, my void, my cat, my name okay?
Well I better run. Apparently the fact that my kids had dinner last night does not mean they don't want to have breakfast this morning??? Okay, this morning is a little general....NOW would be a more appropriate time frame. There you have it, that's what we are up to. I'll try and get pictures up sometime soon.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness


Hello Everyone! I wanted to take a minute to send out this message. October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness month. October 15th is a special day of remembrance to those who have lost a baby either through miscarriage, still birth or loss after birth. There are an astounding number of losses every year, MANY of those could have been prevented.

As most of you know Mike and I have miscarried three times now. According to standard procedure, testing to locate a cause of repeated miscarriages is not conducted until you have had three or more consecutive losses. Bear in mind that not all practitioners follow this but it is widely accepted as "routine". Many times a woman is diagnosed with a problem such as a progesterone deficiency, like my friend who lost two pregnancies before being diagnosed. Once diagnosed she was treated with progesterone and is now enjoying her last trimester. Likewise many women are suffering from something like an infection or a blood clotting disorder. These are treated with antibiotics and blood thinners. Yes you heard me correctly. An astonishing number of recurring miscarriages were due to things that could have easily been fixed with a pill or an injection. Because of the common acceptance that miscarriages are standard and the bodies way of correcting a problem, many women suffer repeated heart ache when the solution is simple.

In my mind, another form of loss is infertility. Infertility is an increasing problem that faces thousands of couples every day. The frustration and pain caused by infertility are enormous. Again, standard practices that are currently in place have couples "trying" for 12 months before any testing will be done. For most of us, 12 months seems a small window. For a couple who is desperately wanting a baby, 12 months can feel like eternity. One dear friend of mine struggled to get pregnant for 18 months when she was finally seen and prescribed clomid to help her ovulate. She conceived the first month and delivered three (yes, three) healthy babies. She spent 18 long months trying to overcome a problem over which she had no control but which was easily corrected with a simple supply of pills. While the solution is not always so easy, any trying to conceive couple will tell you that each day is a month and the more proactive our doctors are, the better chances of conceiving and having children quickly!

I feel strongly that raising awareness of this issue could help to encourage doctors to take a new look at their course of action. If a woman suffers a miscarriage a simple run of tests can determine the cause in almost 70% of cases. Another widely accepted theory is that a majority of first trimester miscarriages are due to chromosomal abnormalities, some doctors claim up to 85%. While there is absolutely merit in that, one thing that is not noted is that this is largely due to the number of miscarriages taking place after the mother is 35 years old. Miscarriages in women under 35 are LARGELY due to immune and hormonal issues.

I would ask each of you to look at the website link below about pregnancy and infant loss awareness. Raising awareness does not require money it only requires TALKING! Talk to your friends, neighbors, parents, siblings, DOCTORS! Many doctors will test you after a first miscarriage but only at your request/demand. :) We need to be encouraging the practice of testing immediately at a couple's request. Testing is always optional but this would give those couples wanting to conceive the benefit of knowing what caused their loss and possibly preventing future ones.

Thank you all for your support and your prayers, as well as for indulging me on my little tirade. We appreciate it so much!
Love,
The Ramsey's
Mike, Jenny, Gavin, Caeden and Suzy


http://www.rememberingourbabies.net/store/Default.asp

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Top Five Tuesday---well, sort of

I am actually posting this on Wednesday because Tuesday turned out to be a bit more than I could chew. I loved this idea that I saw on my friend's blog....if you want to see a master blogger at work check out her site at www.writingthewavesmama.blogspot.com . She is amazing times five!

I am amending it to my top 7...hey I'm already going to heck in a hand basket (I know but I just can't bring myself to actually type it..laugh if you will, I'm sensitive to it)for this blog since it's on Wednesday instead of Tuesday so here we go....Top 7 Wednesday!! :)

This week the theme was Top 5 (top 7 Jen Ramsey style) most influential people in your life.

1. My Grandmother. This woman is the most amazing person you will ever meet. She is so full of life and experiences, which she can recall at the drop of a hat even in her 90th year! :) She has lived such a wonderful life and traveled all over the world. She was married for 72 years and raised 5 children including one set of twins. Of those five, two have passed away. She is a pillar of strength and the ultimate example of commitment and positivity. She refuses to let life or the trials therein bring her down. I have so many wonderful memories of spending time with her and my Grandpa throughout my life. There aren't enough words to encompass the fantastic qualities that she posses and the effect she has had on my life.

2. My Mother. I miss her every single day. She was intelligent, strong, creative and various other attributes besides. She was so incredibly strong, enduring an 11 year battle with cancer without ever complaining to her only child. She reserved her fears and sadness to give me a better and less worrisome existence. I would have gladly been her shoulder to cry on but she knew that the mother is the backbone of the entire family and so she remained that backbone no matter what she was going through. She was always there for me, no matter what or when or where. I hope to be that for my children. I hope I will demonstrate just the smallest pinch of her amazing strength at some point in my life.

3. My Husband. Duh. I could fill a book with all of the marvelous ways that he has influenced my life. I think one of the greatest things he has done for me is that he has helped me to be a better person. He helps me to feel more confident about myself. He keeps me honest and helps me to overcome all the fears and worries that come at me. He's my rock AND my hard place...no matter what decisions I make and which way I lean, he is there to support and sustain me. He is also really good at handling my OCD, which is a blessing. He is so patient with me and allows me my hysterical moments...however plentiful they may be!

4. Suzy Wassum. She is pretty much what I want to be when I grow up. Suzy is always cute, her home is adorable and it smells divine...no really, it does. Also, her laundry smells soooo good. I have tried to duplicate the scents by using laundry detergents, fabric softeners and many combinations of the two. The efforts have been futile...you can't re-create the Wassum smell. Seriously, her sheets are softer than anyone else's and she is one of the best cooks I know. She has six kids (and one due any day). She home schools all of them, has an amazing singing voice and she is super creative. All these things make her someone to admire but what makes her an influential person in my life is her commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ. She has such a strong testimony and the Spirit in her home is so AMAZINGLY strong. Being with her and her family brings such a great peace into my life.

5. The Prophet. Obviously in matters of influence I have to list the President of our Church. I feel so blessed to live in a time where we have a living prophet to guide and direct us so that we can live better lives. I am always thankful for the counsel given because I know that it comes from our Heavenly Father. While sometimes the things asked of us are hard to do, I have found peace and happiness in my life when I have followed the admonitions of our Prophet and other leaders.

6. My Friends. I couldn't possibly name you all but you know who you are!! My friends are the ones who are there to support and love me. I have been so blessed to have great friends. This year has been an especially difficult one for me and my family. I have felt many arms around me, received many a head scratch (thanks daynie), gotten phone calls, messages, cards, trips to brusters, flowers and prayers. I could not possibly list all the wonderful things that my sweet friends have done for me. I would be lost without each and every one of you. I am truly a blessed woman.

7. While the previous 6 are in no particular order I DID save the best for last. My number 7, and the very top of my list, are my children. I could fill a book...possibly several with the things that my children have taught me. I have learned that apple juice can travel to fill any space available...and it sticks there too. I have learned that you cannot get tree sap out of clothes save for cutting the infected area off completely. I have learned that you can laugh, cry and yell all at the same time. I have learned that pregnancy, in spite of its challenges, is a beautiful and miraculous thing that I have taken for granted for far too long. I have learned that your greatest sense of accomplishment can come from the achievements of your children. Their success becomes yours, their tears, their smiles, their fears...those are all yours too! My children have taught me responsibility, patience, creativity, fear, worry, anxiety, strength, balance, happiness, the power of prayer, the importance of the gospel, the beauty of life around me and a greater love than I ever thought possible.