Emma at school 

Update: Thomas and I came home from the hospital late Sunday night and all is well. We went back to the doctor on Monday morning just to make sure his numbers were still coming back down and indeed they are. Thank you all so much for your notes and e-mails of encouragement. This was a rough time for me, I guess hormones and all. But he is well, thank the Lord.

Other news: We continue to adjust to having five children. It really hasn't been too big of an adjustment. The kids are fantastic with Thomas..they really adore him. I was worried about how Sydney in particular would adjust but for the most part she just ignores him. She does tend to be a little rough when trying to love on him, but that's fairly typical 2 year old thing I think. I was also worried about getting everyone to school, getting ready in the AM, etc. But that has gone well as well. Thomas is such a good baby and so sweet. I can hardly believe it's been a wek already. I spend so much time just snuggling on him, I just can't help it! Emma started school last Thursday and with all the baby drama, I neglected to post pics of that awesome day. but blogger won't let me so next time!

And last but not least I am an aunt again. Landon Kenneth Kurtz was born today at 3:04 AM. So Thomas is exactly one week older than his cousin, pretty cool.

Just a quick post as we are out the door again...

Thomas was admitted to the hospital again on Saturday afternoon for jaundice. I was a wreck emotionally....they took my new baby and put him in this box and I couldn't touch him. They let me nurse him every three hours still but I also had to let them give him formula too. It was a rough time. We got home last night around 10 PM and he is doing fairly well. We have to go back to the doc this AM to have his levels tested again and make sure he is doing well. So please keep him in your prayers that he will continue to improve and that we will not have to go back into the hospital. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers!!

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HE'S HERE!!!!!

Thomas Michael Kurtz
September 12, 2006 1:21 AM
8 pounds, 19 1/2 inches long
Lots of dark hair!!!

No, I have not had this baby yet. I think he's setting up an apartment in there and he'll come out around the age of 18 or so....

My husband however is getting lots of practice. Yesterday afternoon, he ran out to the car to grab a book for me. As he was out there, he heard a woman across the street yelling for help. He ran over and peered into her house and she was on her hands and knees. He asked if she was ok. She rolled over onto her back and asked Matt to get her shorts off. Matt was really confused at this point. It was then he saw a little baby head crowning. He kneeled down just in time to catch this little boy as he entered the world. Matt sent the onlooker man (not sure his relationship to the woman) to get a clean towel. He rubbed the baby so he was fussing, cleaned out his mouth and spoke to the 911 woman who was on the phone. He held the baby till the ambulance arrived and the paramedic took over. He came home, covered in blood and on a total adrenaline rush. I decided(after I got over being angry that he was out delivering stranger's babies and I couldn't even go into labor)that that is definitely a creative way to meet your neighbors. So here's to Dr. Matt....our local hero.

Yesterday, I saw the mailman coming. I raced (ok, well maybe not raced exactly..but waddled fastly) to meet him and gasped as I looked through the pile. There they were...oh how we had waited and waited. So last night, we tucked the children into bed and took our precious package to the DVD player. LOST season 2. We had avoided the TV every Wednesday last year so that we wouldn't get ANY hints as to what was happening. Matt had to go to bed early, but I stayed up till 11 watching, drinking it all in. WHO KNEW?!?!??! It's so good. I can't wait to watch the rest....

Life in general is still forging on...I get bigger by the second and have given up trying to sleep at all. I've tried every position, the couch, the recliner...you name it, I've tried it. I give Thomas pep talks every day encouraging him to come out, I've even bribed him with all sorts of things....alas, he remains in his warm bubble, away from the world. Now I've taken to begging the Lord to let me go into labor. I've even promised such crazy things as not using any drugs. Do you think he'll hold me to that?????

I must admit that it is nice having the children back in school. Molli and Jonah are settling into the routine nicely. It's awfully quiet around here, especially when Sydney goes down for her nap and it's just Emma and I. Emma starts school next week and then it'll really be quiet around here. Makes it nice for little cat naps though :)

I'll keep you all posted, as soon as anything changes...you'll be, well maybe not the first, but at least the third and fourth ones to know :)

Seems so weird that I have been talking about the kids going to school for months and then, all of a sudden, it was today! We did pretty good getting up and out of the door. Of course I had to hike all over the school to find out where they went as they rearranged everything! So after our third lap around the school, as I am breathing heavily and having contractions, we finally located the appropriate places for everyone and they were off on their school adventures. Today was only a half day so tomorrow will be a little more telling after a full day. And Emma doesn't start till the 21st. But here are some pics of the first day...


Tried 4 times to get them to take a serious one...ah well!


My big kindergarten girl


My goofy second grader!

My birthday was as success, I turned 27 without major fanfare and too much drama. It was a wonderful day actually....I was awoken by my husband and son who had awakened at 5:30 to drive the 25 miles to a Krispy Kreme store to fetch me fresh donuts for breakfast. That's the best way to wake up I am no convinced and have told Matt that this is now my birthday tradition!

So instead of whining about how miserably pregnant I am, I decided to make a list of all the "normal" things I miss about my life....

1. Bending over to put on shoes and socks without passing out
2. Having more than two things that fit
3. Real jeans
4. Being able to quick run upstairs and fetch something without dying
5. Doing laundry
6. Getting out of a chair without a crane
7. Knowing that everywhere I go, people aren't staring at my stomach going, "Holy cow, she must be having triplets!"
8. Picking up Sydney
9. Sex (Sorry, but you know...it's just one of those things)
10. Fitting behind the steering wheel
11. Chasing after my kids
12. Being able to hold my bladder until I want to get out of bed, as opposed to it making my uterus as hard as a rock
13. And the things I miss the most....just the feeling of being a normal human again....normal emotions and proportions!

There you have it...things I am looking forward to and here's a dew more things I am anxious for...

1. Meeting this little boy
2. Smelling that new baby smell that cannot be duplicated anywhere
3. Breastfeeding
4. Watching my children with their new brother
5. Seeing Matt discover how much he really loves being a dad all over again
6. Staying in the hospital and having visitors :)

I could go on and on...

Kittens, showers, and birthdays....whew!

First of all, we adopted yet another kitten into the Kurtz clan...meet Dory.


As we already had a Nemo, it seemed only fitting that Dory be her name.

Then this afternoon was my baby shower. Now I know most of you are scratching your heads going, "Um, this is her FIFTH baby...why in heaven's name is she having a baby shower?!?!" My thoughts exactly. But it's our first baby born to this congregation so they wanted to throw one. My girlfriend is due about a week and a half ahead of me so it was a "Two for One" baby shower. It was made even more fun due to the fact that I am having a boy and she is having a girl. So we had pink and blue teams....it was a hoot. My mom did such a great job on it! So here are some pics from that...



Yes, even Thomas had to wear a name tag!


Kimberly and I with the duel cake :)


Thomas and Gracie's first picture together

Very eventful. And tomorrow is my birthday so it doesn't slow down I guess....

Who knew you could be so tired from a day of doing nothing??

My day started out so typical, Sydney crying next to my bed at 6AM...the girls sleeping in my bed already. So i crawled out of bed to start the day. As I was on the phone with my girlfriend, I had to pee. (Now don't tell me that none of you have friends that you haven't used the bathroom while on the phone with them!) As I was finishing, I noticed some blood. I tried not to panic and checked again and there was more. I casually mention this to my friend who orders me to call the doctor. I hemmed and hawed and then agreed. So I call, and they order me to go to Labor and Delivery. Ugh. So I scramble around, organize my kids, try and call Matt, and drop kids off at the aforementioned girlfriend's house. (by the way Mindy, you are my hero!) I head into L&D. Then I sit there for the next 12 hours as they check and re-check me, tell me I am contracting regularly and I am dialated. Then nothing. I pulled up to the house at 8 PM, after leaving it at 9 AM this morning. What a day. And I can only imagine that Thomas is in there, chuckling to himself at getting his mother all riled up for nothing. Punk kid.

It's been a somewhat eventful week at the Kurtz home.

Wednesday was Matt and I's anniversary. I can hardly believe it's been 8 years....man, where does the time go? I had mentally prepared myself that it would just be a nothing day as we really didn't have any extra money for anything. However, Matt came home from work with flowers, a card, and orders for me to get ready. He readied our children and whisked them away to my girlfriend's house and we went out for a lovely dinner. Afterwards we walked through the mall, what a treat without children!! After an ice-cream cone on the way home, we settled in for the night. It was s wonderful surprise and a refreshing time for the two of us.

On Thursday, I had thawed out some chicken that really needed to be cooked. (Don't worry, this is not another maggot story!) So I decided to throw it on the grill for lunch. As I am out back grilling, I notice some smoke. I wasn't startled because our neighbor burns things all the time. However, I noticed that it was coming from our neighbors garage (not the neighbor that usually has fires) The smoke was getting thicker and blacker. I yelled for Jonah to get me the phone and I ran (well as best a eight 1/2 month pregnant woman can) to get our neighbor. She comes flying out her house and yells over her shoulder to me that there are two gas grills and cans of gasoline in the garage! We share a driveway and our houses and garages are extremely close together. So again I ran to the house, this time to gather my children and get out! I was babysitting my brother as well so I hauled him as fast as I could to his wheelchair, all the while yelling for my kids to get in our car as fast as they can. Now they can see the smoke and are panicking. I finally get everyone loaded and we head over to the church (which is behind our church). We watched as the fire trucks arrived and they drug out their hoses and gear. The kids thought this was all very fascinating except for Molli who was crying that our house was going to burn down. I must confess that I was praying that God would not allow that to happen myself! After a while, we were cleared to return home. Our neighbors garage is pretty totaled, but thank the Lord, our garage and home are safe! Very exciting!

Noah and Nemo 

Curious Nemo 

Emma and Nemo 

Thanks to all of you who listened to me whine...I'm over it now. It's a cool 71 right now and it feels like heaven. Even when we had a killer storm and lost power this morning, I was just so thankful that it wasn't hot! I finally gave up last night and had Matt take our unit up to the kid's bedroom so they could sleep upstairs. I guess I never really realized how much I treasure my alone time!

Well some of you didn't believe how big I would get...here's some proof and I still have 6 weeks to go!!





And here are some other random pics of our summer...


Sydney "snuggling" Nemo...


Blogger won't let me post anymore...have to do it later!

Oh what to write that doesn't sound like whining????

This heat, oh this heat. It severely alters me. I knew it was coming and I was prepared...until Matt broke our air conditioner. Then I just snapped....like I knew that I couldn't survive without it. The implications are far reaching. He ruined the one that was in the living room. Therefore, we either sacrifice our bedroom one (NOT) or we take the one from the kid's room. Doesn't sound like a hard decision. But that means that now the children must sleep in the living room, which would be ok if it weren't for Sydney. She will not fall asleep without a closed door. Therefore she ends up in our bed which means that the precious little sleep I do get is now gone. I have to sleep in the middle to keep her feet away from Matt so he can sleep. Yeah, ok there's a mental picture for you...an eight month pregnant woman squishing herself between her husband and her two year old. Ugh. Not to mention that I have to get up four times a night....if I thought that was hard to do from the side of the bed, it's now impossible from the middle of the bed. Add to all of this the mother of all tension headaches (apologies to those of you who suffer from migranes. I know I have no idea what you suffer regularly, but this destroys me) So I just don't know what to do. I know the heat will break, but will I still be living? Will my family?

How many of you will come to my funeral? Amy, will you sing? Mindy and Misty will you take pics?

My deepest apologies to everyone, there was a virus embedded into the background I was using....I think I've contained it now and fixed it. I am sorry for those of you who were blocked from viewing it due to that.

Not too much going on around here, summer keeps moving on. Jonah has stopped going to summer school. I discovered that the "academic" programming was a joke. I do more with him at home than they were doing there. Not to mention loading everyone into the car at 7:15 AM to take him and then having to go back at 11:15 and drag everyone into the school with me....ugh! So he's back home and we're doing school stuff in the morning which seems to be going well. At least he'll have something when he goes back. Our days are spent here at home and the pool. The kids are getting so great at swimming. Jonah and Molli have perfected their diving (thanks Aunt Carol!) Emma is jumping in and swimming with no tube or goggles and even Syd runs to the deep end and throws her little body into the pool.

As for Thomas and I, we're hanging in there. I have gotten rather large and am SOOOO tired of people asking me if I am having twins or if I am due tomorrow. Listen up people, this is my FIFTH child...your body stretches out farther quicker with each baby. This baby is not a giant nor am I having twins. Get over it! *deep breath* I am feeling pretty lousy today, can you tell? I have not been sleeping well, I'm enormous, not to mention my allergies. I prayed and prayed that this summer would not be miserably hot and so far God has been faithful. Unfortunately the trade off must have been that my allergies have been out of control ALL summer! The other day I would have done almost anything to be able to take one Advil Cold and Sinus. All I can say is the next 7 weeks better go quickly or I may lose my mind!!!

Yet another ode.....

A few months back we had to say goodbye to Bob....our beloved kitty. It was awful for me, I cried for days. (of course being pregnant had nothing to do with it) So we just had Larry. He was never the same. We went on vacation and came home and he was sick. We just decided to watch him and see what happened. Then we got Nemo thinking he would help Larry pull out of his depression. It seemed to help at first, but then he just got worse. Finally, yesterday I coulnd't take it anymore. Off we went to the vet. It turns out that Larry had Feline Leukemia for which there is no cure and he was dying. So once again, I ushered the kids in to kiss Larry goodbye and we all watched as they carried our other precious kitty away. We brought him home and buried him next to his brother. So now Nemo is alone and I am so sad. I realize that we didn't kill Larry or Bob as they were, most likely, born with this disease. But it sure makes me feel like a bad pet owner when we've buried two cats in 4 months!

So here is my ode to Larry....we will miss you...

Here's the summer pic of the kids and one of Sydney....she's the only one I didn't have a picture of by herself....poor child. Can you tell she's number 4????

Well if you've been to Misty's blog then you already have a taste of what Wednesday was like around here! At about 12:45, Amy, Mindy, and Misty arrived at my house for an afternoon of fun and play. All total we had 11 children in my little blue house. What a riot! The kids got along really well. Here they are having some mac and cheese....



Then we headed to the pool which was so funny! Here are a few of my favorite moments...






A good time was had by all, I think. Three cheers for mini- reunions and tons of kids :)

I've written several posts over the last few days, but have erased them all. I've been in a very childish, petty mood and the littlest things have been bugging me. guess it's a combination of getting more and more pregnant and the heat...not a good combo, I'm discovering :)

Jonah started summer school this morning. I was still wrestling with the decision as I drove him there. It helped that he jumped out of bed and got all ready this morning. I think he is craving a little structure. He walked right into his classroom without even saying goodbye so I took that as a good sign. Plus, I pick him up at 11:30....so he'll be fine. (I'm writing this more for myself than you all)

My family comes home today so I am so excited about that. I can't wait to see the pictures and hear all the details of their trip. It's just been weird around here without them.

Plus, even more good news.....my friends from Howell are coming!!!! At first there was just one friend and her kids, but now they are all coming!!! And of course bringing their kids so total we will have 10 kids in my little blue house! What a blast!! We're praying for good weather so we can hit my mom's pool, a.k.a tiring them out :) I'll take pics and post them of our little friend/blogging reunion!

Well time to get some stuff done.....

** CAUTION **** If you have a weak stomach, DO NOT READ this! Although, I have a weak stomach and I am writing it.

So last week, I got the nesting bug. I was scrubbing everything. I cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom, using Soft Scrub on almost every surface. (Love that stuff!)So we went to my mom's for a few days and came home to an odd smell in the kitchen. We blamed it on the kitty litter which was promptly changed. However, the smell lingered. I found a bowl that had some bad chicken juices in it, which we thought was it as well. Still, there was the smell. So tonight, my Aunt Carol had just returned home from a trip and we invited her over to dinner. As I started the water for potatoes, I noticed the smell was particularly bad by the stove. I shrugged it off and walked away. When I came back to check the water, I noticed something on the stove that had not been there a few minutes prior. To my absolute horror, I realized they were MAGGOTS! I started to vomit and ran from the room. Matt came dashing in and then the hunt began. Where on earth had they come from???? I remained out of the room (which now smelled so disgusting.....) while Matt searched. I insisted that I had just scrubbed the entire kitchen. However, I had forgotten that the day after I had scrubbed the kitchen down I had set some chicken out on the stove to thaw. Well some of the juice had dripped down into the big pan underneath the burners. When Matt lifted that he screamed and declared, "Um yeah....found out where they came from!!" I remained far away as he scrubbed and cleaned it all up. The children of course had to watch everything, even though they were completely disgusted. My stomach is still churning and the thought of going back into the kitchen makes my skin crawl. They are so vile. So I just wanted you all to know that I am a horrible housewife. Who has maggots living in their stove?!!?!?!?!?!?!
The kitchen smells infinitely better now and I will NEVER thaw chicken that way again!!!!

Thanks to all of you for your comments on the kitten. He is turning out to be quite the pistol, especially at night while I am attempting to sleep! He attacks my toes under the cover and bats at my hair. We have started shutting our bedroom door :) Larry is coming around very nicely, spending more and more time out from under the bed. He is very patient with Nemo, unless Nemo takes it a tad too far and Larry has had enough. Comical and somewhat ironic since it used to be Larry who was the antagonizer!!

We are having a nice holiday weekend. Matt ended up having Sunday through Tuesday off which is a much needed break for him. We are camping out at mom and dad's house as they are in Alaska. The kids are having fun swimming and just being here. Also they are loving having "channels" as my parents have cable and we do not :) We had a nice firework display last night in the back yard and tonight we go to the big display in town. But now it is time to vacuum the pool and get read for another day of laziness! Happy Fourth everyone!

As if it weren't enough of a zoo around here already...we decided to make it a little more crazy....





Meet Nemo, the newsest member of our family. Larry never quite recovered from losing Bob so we thought we'd get him a new friend.




Larry still isn't sure what to make of the little fuzz ball, but he's been coming out of hiding more often, so we're taking that as a good sign. He's the cutest thing and apparantly has taken quite a liking to Matt....

Alright it's high time I wrote a real post :)

The last week has been spent in recovering from vacation, going through the mountain of mail, getting everyone back into the groove of a somewhat normal bedtime, Unloading the car and then dealing with the mountain of junk stacked in the living room, finding the garden and a million other little things.

The family is well. Jonah is back into the groove of little league. I'm not sure he really enjoys it although he plays well. He's thinking that he'd like to try soccer next year. He starts summer school two weeks from today which I still have mixed feelings about. I know it's the best thing for him academically. I just want him to have a fun summer too. Molli and Emma are counting down the days till school starts. Emma is becoming quite the swimmer, jumping off the side and going underwater. Doesn't sound too impressive but for a girl who would barely get her feet wet a few weeks ago, it's huge. And then there's Sydney....oh...my Sydney. She definitely keeps me on my toes. She is jumping in the pool as well, IN THE DEEP END! We had a few scary moments when she just ran and jumped into the pool and began to sink as she can't swim! Now she knows that she needs to put her tube on first. Then she's off to jump in! On Saturday night she hopped into Noah's power wheelchair and drove it into a brick wall, trapping her leg between the chair and the wall. She's so lucky that it didn't snap her leg in half! She's sporting a hefty bruise, but thank the Lord that's about it. It's never dull around here, that is for sure. As for little Thomas, he continues to get bigger (as do I!) The kids get so excited when they see my tummy move or feel his feet kicking. They've started asking when he's coming out....not soon enough I reply.

So that's how things are around this zoo....summer live on!

Here's just a taste of our vacation, more to come!!

Vacation, here we come! It's offcial, as of tonight, we are on vacation!! I have been looking forward to this since January! Tomorrow we head out and go to Matt's family's house for the weekend. And it worked out that I get to have lunch with two blogging buddies on Saturday! Woohoo! then at 4 AM on Monday morning, we head to New York. We're stopping for the day in Niagara Falls. I've been there too many times to count, but my fmaily has not. So we're going to do al lthe cool stuff there, including the Maid of Mist which my kids have nicknamed "The boat where you get wet". Then we head to my grandparents house way in the country. My Aunt and her family live right next door and my little cousins are just about Jonah's age. They have four wheelers and tractors and beebee guns....the kids are psyched. We're going to take day trips, hike up the Wiscoy falls to the dam, and other various things. My parents and siblings are going as well so it'll be a blast. Then we head home on Father's Day. I'm just looking so forward to a whole week, just away. Yee haw.

So I spent 4 hours cleaing our van today. Yuck. I even steam cleaned the carpets for pete sake. It's now sparkling clean, well not the outside yet. However, I am trying to analyze why exactly it took me that long. Well part of the problem was Sydney. Any time the car is open, she is in it. That makes cleaning it out a little more difficult. Add to this, that as I begin to clean out the van, a massive bulldozer pulls up right on my lawn!!!! Yes, today was the day they decided to re-run my gas lines. There were trenches and holes everywhere! I wanted to take a pic, but couldn't find the camera. Now you tell four children between the ages of 2 and 7 that they can't go near the bulldozer or the dirt or the 8 foot holes i nthe ground. Yeah right. Literally, they were working two feet from the porch. what a nightmare!! So eventually I had everyone come inside because I got tired of chasing Syd away from the scary bulldozer. Of course my entire house was shaking so it kind of felt like being in a washing machine.

Ok, can you tell I am tired? An entire paragraph of nothingness. Sorry! It's time for vacation!!!!

Alas, not much to report. The last few days have consisted of yet more laundry, constant cleaning, and counting the hours until we leave for vacation. Well I guess I could add that I've been pouring over the computer, getting maps and directions and deciding just what we should do. This is the first time ever that Matt has received paid vacation. He's almost giddy about it!

The family continues to enjoy summer. I am loving not having to get up and take anyone to school. Jonah is still loving baseball. They won their game last night with Jonah batting in the two winning runs! It's such a blast watching him play. Emma tells me every day that she needs to go to school, it's going to be a long summer for her! Molli and Jonah have started the summer routine of fighting and getting into trouble and therefore have written lots of sentences so far. However, this summer, the pool makes for a right proper punishment. When they are told they can't go to the pool, it's like you've sentenced them to Auschwitz!

Well there are clothes to be packed and a van to be cleaned out. Time waits for no man. 2 days till we leave!!

So I understand that my job title implies certain things. Laundry, dishes, cleaning, child care, etc. Some of those jobs I enjoy more than others. However throw four children and a pregnancy into the mix and things just get crazy.

I have been very motivated this past week to reclaim my home. I think you all remember the pile of laundry pic that was on here recently. Well that was nothing. I cleaned the upstairs (where the kid's rooms are) We got rid of so many toys and clothes. However, I found myself doing laundry. And doing some more....and yet doing some more....After the 18th load of laundry that I was folding and put away I realized that a)we have too many clothes b)I need a maid c) I cannot wait five months to do laundry. I remember right after I discovered I was pregnant and how for the first trimester I was struggling to find socks and underwear for the kids to wear to school. Well I am happy to say that Jonah now has 17 pairs of underwear and 15 pairs of socks in his drawers. All I can say is...ugh.

On an up note! FIVE DAYS TILL VACATION!!!!

Yesterday was our ultrasound. I was so worked up going over there! He flipped over though and Matt and the kids were able to really feel him which was cool. Molli sort of picked up the vibe that something may not be right and he was asking questions. We were trying to be as vague as possible with her until we had more specifics.

The ultrasound went great. We got some great shots of him flipping around. He's still a boy which was comforting. But the really great news is that whatever the first tech saw in my original ultrasound is no longer there! They even had those pics and were comparing them and seemed slightly confused that it wasn't still there. The doc's comment was "Well, it should still be here, and it just isn't." Thank you Lord! And thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. Our little man has been touched by the One who knew him before the beginning of the world!

I wasn't going to post about this, but I know most of you are keeping track and will pray. At my last OB appointment, my doc noticed something on my ultrasound pics in Thomas's brain. So we did another quick ultrasound and it was still there. So on Wednesday morning we are going to a bigger hospital with more specialized euipment and to meet with a perinatologist (baby brain doc) to see if we can find out what's going on. It may be nothing, but the very idea of somehting being wrong has me all worked up. So please pray for us if you think about it. I'll update when I know more.

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Well Jonah played in his first ever baseball game last night. He hit the very first pitch that was thrown and made it to second! Sorry, can't help but be a little proud! Here are some highlights....


Here he is right after he hit the ball


On base, waiting for the signal to run from Coach


Playing second base



Drying off with his teamates after it downpoured!

All in all a fairly bland weekend....now isn't that an exciting way to begin a post? Aren't you inspired to keep reading?? :)

My leg is continuing to heal. I cannot WAIT to get the stitches out! They told me I couldn't get them wet...no first they said I couldn't shower for ten days. I looked at them and said, "Um yeah right!" So finally last night, I begged Matt to help me. Picture this.....Matt wraps a big black garbage bag around my leg up to my knee. Then he puts around the bag a towel to catch any water. Now I must balance my ever increasing pregnant body on my right foot while dangling the left one out the shower door while trying to wash myself. It was nearly comical. I was dying to just stand under the hot water. So suffice to say, when these suckers come out on Friday I am taking one heck of a shower!!! Now in re-reading the above story I am, in no way, trying to get you to picture me naked. That would just be wrong for so many reasons. But you have to admit that seeing a rather large pregnant woman balancing on one foot while the other leg is covered in trash bag and hanging out of the shower door could be rather comical. Right?

An update from "Crutchie" as my kids have lovingly nicknamed me....although I have ditched the crutches...too big of a pain!

I'm doing ok. It sure is frustrating to not be 100%. The baby (who was my biggest concern in all of this) seems to have handled the stress of surgery well. He's rolling and flopping to beat the band. My incision (which doesn't look so bad) hurts a little since taking off the bandages, but nothing I can't handle. I am struggling with a tension headache again, going on day 3. This makes my recovery even slower. I go back a week from today to get the stitches and staples out. I did have to go back to the hospital yesterday because my leg was cramping horribly and they were worried that I may have a blood clot. So back I went....I swear I don't want to see that place again till Thomas is crowning! All in all, God has been good in taking care of Thomas and I as well as the rest of my crew who have been farmed out the better part of the week. Thanks for all the kind thoughts and words of encouragement...I knew I could count on you guys for that!

Well time to hobble down and do some laundry, I've been informed that my sick days are used up! lol.

Yesterday was fairly boring so I decided to spice it up a bit.

The kids had broken a frame a few days ago. Well I started picking up the house and I put all the glass into a garbage bag. I was going to take it right out to the curb as the garbage men were coming up the street, but I ran to do something else first. I came around the corner and slammed my leg into the bag, totally forgetting that it had glass in it. Well there was a rather large piece that had broken through the bag. It was this piece that went right into my leg. I gasped and quick sat down, thinking I had just sliced my leg open. Then it started to bleed. And holy cow did it bleed. Emma was horrified, standing there watching it. "Emma, get mommy the phone....Emma, get the phone!" I quickly called my dad who, thank the Lord, works at the church which is right behind my house. He ran over, called my mom for backup and whisked me to the ER. I did x-rays and the whole nine yards to find out there was a rather large piece of glass embedded in my leg. So they numbed me and the ER doc tried to get it out. No luck. So, to my horror, she casually says, "Ok, well we're going to send you to the surgeons." Ok, back up! SURGERY?!?!?!?!? Suffice to say, I had surgery on my leg last night. I've never had surgery. It was horrifying. They had to do a pain block on my leg which is one of the most painful things I've ever had done. I'd rather give birth! So in they went and found it, it was right next to my bone! SO the doc dug it out stitched me up, gave me crutches and sent me home. I arrived at the ER at 1:30 PM and got home at 10:30 last night. Ugh. I slept, well tried to sleep, in the recliner last night. The pain block wore off at about 5 AM and man, does it hurt! I guess I never thought about it hurting like that. Although they gave me a tetanus shot which hurts almost as much as my foot! Here's what my foot looks like currently....






And here's the piece of glass they dug out of my leg.....ugh. So note to self: DO NOT PUT GLASS IN A PLASTIC BAG!

I sat here this morning and railed against the fact that many blogs have not been updated. What is wrong with these people, I said to myself. Then I went back to my blog and realized that the last time I had updated it was last Wednesday. So forgive my frustration....like you all don't have lives of your own.

So yesterday was Mother's Day. May I just say for the record that I hate Mother's Day. I think something that absolutely should be done, ie. honoring our moms, has been turned into this huge "obligation" that we "have to honor mom because the calendar says we should." Ick. So I have decided that I will gather my siblings and choose one random day this summer and make it our tribute to Mom day. Moms need honoring and recognition.....but it should be genuine and not forced. Ugh.

Ok off the soap box, in honor of Mother's Day here are some pics from our recent Mother/Daughter banquet...


Me and two of my three girls




Four generations of women, my grandma, my mom, me, and my girls

OK some of you have been asking, I'll never know why, but ok. Here it is a picture of my belly, YES WITH MY SHIRT ON. Do you really think I would post my bare stomach on here, not for a million dollars. I am five months pregnant today. Yes, five months. I know it looks like 9 months, but some of us are more wonderfully endowed :)






Moving on, nothing much else to report....Saturday, Matt's sister is coming for the day to watch kids and Matt and I get to spend almost the whole day together. we haven't been out alone together in.....oh my word...ages. We're going to a wedding as well which will be fun.

And in other big news, we are house hunting. We've decided to see if we are ready to take the huge step and be home owners. This is HUGE for us. It all started when a house across the street from my parents went up for sale. How fun would that be???? Anyway, keep us in your thoughts as we pray and try and figure out what to do :)

Alright, this is my blog right? And there have been times in the past when controversy has begun here. But I must write about something that is just fascinating to me. Indulge my pregnant emotions for a bit....

I just finished reading The DaVinci Code. Now, this book is not new and I've been intending to read it forever. But with the movie due out next week and all the debate about it, I decided it was time. I read it in 4 hours. Then our church decided to spend the next four Sunday nights discussing the truth about the book and how we can speak to unbelievers about it. Ok, I LOVED this book. Now hear me, I loved it AS A WORK OF FICTION. I am NOT saying that I agree with the suppositions he makes or any of that. But it is one of the best books I have read in a LONG time. It is masterfully written and full of the stuff that I LOVE in a book; twists, turns, shockingness (my own word) and a happy ending. But more than that, I just cannot get over the fact that it presents such a clear opportunity to share my faith. The book calls some very real beliefs into question. Could Jesus have been married? Does his bloodline still exist, etc. I think the movie will be a blockbuster which every preson and their brother will see it.....again, what an opportunity. What an opening to share what I believe about Jesus.

*deep breath* alright, let's hear it....what do y'all think?

Ode to Bob

Bob the Cat Kurtz 2005-2006

Bob passed away Friday, May 5, 2006 with his family surrounding him. At least Me and molli. I was hysterical all day and not sure I could handle taking him to the vet, but I made it. We brought him home in a box and buried him in the backyard. Emma and Molli covered his little grave with flowers. I've decided there is something different about losing a pet as opposed to a human. I mean, I miss always miss my grandpa and I will grieve for him at different random times. While today was excruciating, tomorrow I know the pain will have eased and we'll go on. I wish it could be like that with people we love, but I guess the difference is that we spend a lifetime with people. But I'll miss Bob, he was my cuddle friend. Larry has been wandering around all afternoon, meowing, looking for Bob. Breaks my heart. But this is part of life I suppose. Thanks for all the thoughts and advice.

Moving on....not that I'm not still entirely stoked about the baby being a boy..but life does continue :)

Jonah had his first baseball practice last night. I was riddled with anxiety all afternoon about it. "What if the other kids have been playing since they were in diapers??" "will he catch on?" "Will he be able to hit the ball with the bat??" All those motherly things that you worry about. But he did great. He is very evenly matched with the other kids on his team, thank the Lord! I wasn't too impressed with the coach who showed up 20 minutes late, but one of the dads stepped in to help and he really took to helping Jonah. It was great. He had a blast and can't wait to go back.

An now for a Bob the cat update.....I really don't know what to do. The vet said he "thinks" that Bob has some nerve damage and that's why his back legs aren't working. Unfortunately, it means that he cannot empty his bladder either. So I have been hiking it to the vet TWICE a day for the last week so the vet can squeeze his bladder. I am so tired of it. And the vet cannot give me any real answers. He says things like, "He may recover, or maybe not." So I am so lost. I cannot keep going to the vet twice a day. Yet I love this cat, and I don't want him to die. But now he's pooping and spraying pee all over the house.....I just don't know what to do. Anyone have any suggestions for me?

I woke up this morning, early. I could hear the rain outside and I just laid there. I began to mentally pray....."Lord, first of all, I just want this baby to be healthy....and Lord, you know my heart's desire. But I will be so glad with whatever you decide."

I was a wreck for the rest of the morning....then I had to drink a quart of water and sit there for AN HOUR!!!!!! Torture, plain and simple. My heart started pounding as I climbed onto the table....





Then I saw this face and I fell in love and I knew, no matter what the sex..I was happy. I exhaled as she ticked off everything that was normal...and then...





Introducing Thomas Michael Kurtz......our baby boy!!!

Needless to say, we are ecstatic. Jonah was speechless, except for four words, "I have a brother." Enough said.

Whew, have to stop and catch my breath. What a weekend....

First things first, Jonah starts baseball this week. SO all weekend we lived, breathed, slept, and ate baseball. He was so excited about his baseball stuff, I had to ground him to get him to take off his batting helmet for bed! He is so excited. His first practice is this Thursday. I hope I survive till then.

On a sadder note, our kitty is not doing very well. On Friday I noticed that he was not playing with his brother, which was odd. Every time Larry tried to wrestle, Bob would make this awful sound. Then, come nightfall, we couldn't find Bob. Matt was convinced that he had jumped out the hole in the window, I however, knowing that Bob is terrified of the outside, felt differently. We searched the house and the outside calling and calling and shaking the bag of treats. We went to bed resigned to the fact that he would come back in the morning. As we were laying in bed, Matt wonders out loud, 'I wonder if bob is in the bed". Now there is a corner of our boxspring where the fabric is ripped. Bob had climbed up in there. There he was, but we couldn't get him to come out. Even shaking the bag of treats which usually brings them running from any corner of the house wasn't enticing him. WE went to bed thinking that he might be deceased in the morning. Well he wasn't. We immediately noticed however that he has no use of his back legs. He uses his front feet and drags his others behind him. It's just awful to watch. I have a hunch that the girls did something to his hips. I feel just wretched and like a parent who is raising animal abusers! We've kept a close eye on him and he seems to be rallying a bit. More updates as they happen.

A day and a half till the ultrasound.....

This is a video taken a while ago when we went to the aviary. The ducks really liked the fact that Sydney was close to the ground with her big bucket of corn. She was NOT happy that they liked her so much!!!





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Be forewarned...this post will be entirely random!

First of all, you guys all crack me up. The next time I post something from the past I will make sure the date is in very bold print!! LOL.

I'm finally starting to "feel" pregnant. I finally look like it and now the baby is moving lots so it's starting to feel real. My ultrasound was moved from Thursday to Tuesday so in 5 days we will know. I'm excited and anxious. I can't really explain this...it is just my greatest desire to have a boy. I mean there are the obvious reasons, like having three girls in a row, owning every pink thing ever made, dealing with the drama of having girls.....etc. Plus there's my Jonah. He so desperately wants a brother. He even asked me to set up the crib in his room so it would be ready for his brother. But I guess the most important reason, to me anyway, is my grandpa. This baby will have his name....it's just really important to me. Ok, sorry didn't mean to get all emotional. I was looking at pictures of Syndey's birthday party yesterday and there was Grandpa....the last party he made it to.....

I pulled an all nighter with Matt on Sunday night as I rushed him to the ER. He'd been complaining about back pain all weekend. And like the wonderful wife I am, I ignored him and thought to myself, "Yeah try being pregnant sometime!" Anyway, he woke up at 11:30 and I thought he was dying. My girlfriend rushed over and we rushed to the ER. We checked in at 12:06 AM and returned home at 8:15 AM. Yup That's roughly 7 hours in the ER. Now I know for some of you, this is not bad but normal :) But for someone who is in bed by 9PM every night, staying up all night in the ER with a dying husband is a big deal. I have never been so exhausted. Suffice to say, he is not dying. They suspected that he had a kidney stone, but it turns out that it is just a severe kidney infection. The doctor said scary things though like, "good thing we caught before it got into his blood." My response? "Ok, do NOT say things like that to a very tired pregnant woman!!!!" All is well and he is fine.

Alrighty then, think that's enough of an update. I'm sure there'll be many more emotional posts between now and next Tuesday :)

Scene - Sunday, April 21st, 2002...3AM

I am awoken by a sharp pain in my side. I sit up abruptly thinking...Could this be it?!?!?!? I laid still for ten more minutes counting..indeed at least one more pain that came and went. They were painful. I got up and decided to shower to see if that would calm them down. As soon as the hot water hit my belly, the pain increased. This was definitely it. I walked out to the living room where my husband had been up all night watching movies and told him it was time. His response? "No way!" Yes way. We got dressed, woke up Molli and Jonah, called my mom and off we went. By the time we got to my parents house it was 5 AM. My contractions were increasing. I could barely say goodbye as we passed our small children into the waiting arms of their grandparents. We started off to the hospital. I was calculating in my head...ok, it takes 45 minutes to get there...I can do this.....

I had to pee. There was just no getting around it. Unfortunately for me, there was NOTHING on the stretch of highway between us and the hospital. I made Matt pull over and I stood and peed on the side of the road. WOW, that made the contractions even harder and closer together. I asked Matt to PLEASE drive faster. Not five minutes later, there are red lights flashing behind us. I moan as another contraction hits, so irritated with this officer, it's 5 AM for pity sake!! He walks up to the window and bends over to look into the car. Matt can barely get these words out.."um, she has to....baby.....gotta go..." I groan as yet another contraction hits not three minutes after the last one. The officer's eyes shoot open. "Do you need an ambulance??" he asked. "No, no...just gotta go...", Matt sputters. "Alright, be careful!", the officer says. "GO!" I scream. We get here without any further ado. By this time, I am in so much pain. Nothing I do, no position I am in can help. All of a sudden, Matt leans over me and says, "Honey, I'm not sure I want to name her Emma..." I look up and him in amazement. "Are you joking me???", I demanded. "And what, pray tell are we going to call her????" He shrugs. I can't keep up the dialog as I am swept into yet another contraction. I beg Matt for an epidural. "Honey, you don't really want one of those, remember??", he says to me. Crying, I grab his hand and say, "YES I DO!!!!", ever so calmly. The doctor comes strolling in. "May I please have an epidural????" I ask. He decides to check me first. GRRRR....I am at 9, no time for an epidural. He says I can have a shot...something, anything. He turns around to get the shot and I have to push ready or not, here we go. Never has anything ever been so painful and yet 4 pushes later, out she came. Pink, crying and the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.



Welcome to the world my little Emma Jane.....and now, four years later, happy birthday my beautiful girl.....

My beautiful girls 

cold Easter morning 

On the way to the zoo, a song came on the radio. I'm not sure who sings it but it's kind of a rap song, something about jumping in the house of God. Anyway, my very white husband decides to rap and get the children "raising the roof". It was so hilarious that I had to take some video of it. I wish the sound had come through, but you'll get the idea. So without further ado here is my ever so white family "raising the roof".



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Time for an update....I've looked at my page every day and have read y'all's but just haven't been able to think of anything exciting to write about. It was our first full week back to normal without Grandpa. We spent it being very careful about Grandma and how she was making out. I spent Thursday morning at her house, just being there. She seems to need my kids around, just to touch and kiss them. Which is fine.

Friday was Good Friday (duh) and the kids had no school. Matt was off work as well so we woke up early and headed to the Toledo Zoo. The kids had never been to this zoo so they were way excited. Minus the long drive, it was a great day. We hiked all over, my pregnant body started to protest near the end. Here are some pics..



THis one was at the very end of the day, as you can tell the natives were restless!



You can never have too many pics of kids on stone animals!

Well I was going to post Easter pics as well, but I'll wait, blogger is being slow!

As the sun rose this morning and I was contemplating whether or not to go to church this morning, I discovered that there is a time and season for everything. (Turn, turn, turn...) I will always miss my grandpa and there will be times of sadness, but like it or not, time moves on. It was a beautiful day.

Let's see, happy news....First things first. Has anyone seen Mindy Schoeberlein? I am fearful that her dust bunnies have revolted and she has perished. I know most of you see her often, but for those of us who don't, please find her!

The kids go back to school this week, they didn't have much of a spring break with all the crying, but ah well. I will be glad and sad for the return of routine. Emma has announced that she will be a ninja when she grows up.....ok. Sydney has morphed from Dora to Diego, not sure that it was a great move. They are remarkably similar. Ugh. I felt the baby move big for the first time. I was way excited. Of course, no one was around to acknowledge this tremendous thing. I go back to the doctor next week and then our ultrasound is may 4th!!! Way excited about that.

Ok I am done speaking in incomplete sentences, my mother would croak if she read this! Off to enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!

Truly, this has been the longest week of my life. It all seemed to be in slow motion somehow.

Saturday, April 1 - My cousins flew in for a short weekend visit, we all planned a big meal at moms. My family and I headed out shopping for a bit before the dinner so my cousins had time to visit with Grandpa. As we enter the last store, my cell phone rings. It's my sister. "they're calling everyone to the hospital....grandpa is failing." We flew to the hospital, Matt dropping me at the door and rushing to mom's to watch Noah so my dad can come. We spend all day waiting....Just waiting, praying that Grandpa will hold on till my uncle can get there. At 7:45, we knew we were close to the end. So all 10 of us crowded around his bed and just let the tears fall, all of us taking turns saying good-bye. My dad decided to read some Psalms, all the while his heart beat is going slower and slower. As soon as my dad said the Amen of the last Psalm, Grandpa's heart stopped beating, as if he was waiting. I've never watched anyone die. My heart just broke. We spent another hour there saying good-bye and making arrangements. MY uncle arrived, just 8 minutes after it had happened. Then we went to my mom's house where we all sat dazed, not quite sure what to do or say.

Sunday, April 2 - My kids ambushed my bed at 6:30 AM. I snuggled them all close to me and told them about Papa. They had a million questions and tears. Hardest thing I have ever done. Most of us decided we couldn't handle going to church and dealing with people there yet. So we had breakfast together and made all the phone calls, calling all relatives from all over the country. The Red Cross came through for us and my brother was able to get emergency leave. We started coordinating who would go to what airport on what day to get who. Another draining day as the pain was still so raw and no one had really slept.

Monday, April 3 - They began to arrive. As more and more family poured in, the harder it became. We had not been all together since my Aunt Barb had died five years ago. Many of them had not met my children. I drove to Detroit at 11:30 PM to get my brother. Grandma commented that she knew something good would come out of this, part of it being able to see Tigger, he leaves for Iraq in October.

Tuesday, April 4 - More family pours in. The viewing is this night. Most of the cousins had not seen Grandpa. My brother Josh who wears nothing but black, wore a Hawaiian shirt. We all knew Grandpa would have laughed. He looked so very different, nothing of the strong, warm, vibrant man I knew. You could still see the bruises on his face where the respirator tape had been. Very sad, we went home and ate chocolate.

Wednesday, April 5- Most of us woke up feeling ancy and anxious. We knew this day would be hardest of all. WE dressed carefully as if Grandpa would know. I'll never forget walking up the steps in the church and the expressions on my children's faces as they saw the coffin for the first time. Heartwrenching. Jonah had found a smooth rock and written, I love you Papa on it. He put it in the coffin. After the girls has said good bye they scampered off to play. Jonah stuck close however, going up to the coffin often to touch his arm or his hair. Just broke my heart. We filed in for the service which was wonderful. We spent more time laughing than crying which I think is a huge testimony of who he was. Jonah read a letter he had written....again, sobbing. I spoke as well, or as well as I could through tears. We all made it through the service and were able to keep it together as the boy cousins carried the coffin to the hearse and we all watched it drive away.

And there we are.....We sadly said good-bye to everyone as they departed once again. Now we go about the dailyness of him being gone. Helping my grandma survive each long day, planting his flowers that he had started from seed, spreading his ashes in his beloved garden, reminding the kids that he's gone every time they ask, and just letting life go on.

Thomas Michael Destefano
June 26,1926 - April 1, 2006

Beloved Gradnfather and great grandfather
A man whose legacy will live on in the hearts of his family...forever.

Just when I thought it was ok, that progress was being made, the phone rang....

Grandpa's incision was leaking. The doctor was worried that bowel was spilling in to his abdomen. So back into surgery he went, knowing that when he came out not only would he have a colostomy bag, but he would be on a ventilator. The thing he hates most. But he made the decision. So there we all sat in the waiting room with thousands of questions circling. I watched Grandma as she drifted in and out of sleep, her lips moving silently as I knew she was praying. The doctor came out and everything went well. However she kept using the word, "if". "If" he survives, "if" he comes off the vent.....Hard word to hear. AS I walked into his room after he'd been brought back up, my heart leapt to my throat. What happened to the strong, funny man I knew? In his place was this weak old man. All I could do was stand next to him, hold his hand and tell him that I loved him. That I needed him to hang on a bit longer. That he had great-grandkids who love him desperately. That I needed him to meet this baby, who would have his name. At the same time, I also had to say, if you need to go Grandpa, go. So buckle up, here goes the roller coaster again.