We wish you a happy 2011!

We got carried away in the strong current of family going-ons (no Holiday Card this year! *sob*!) but friends and family has always been in our thoughts. Here's a message from us to you!

Naming Orion Theodore

Our third child, born and named Orion Theodore, is around 5 minutes old in his first picture.

We were relieved to meet him at last. We were floored with how beautiful he was and that his hair was delightfully white!


An e-mail I sent to my grandma, Dorothea Nordstrand, back in July 2010 shares how we picked out our newest son's name.

"Hi Gma-

I wanted to send you a note to let you know how we decided on Orion's name. We picked Orion because it's a fun constellation to find in the SKY and his big brother is Skyler. So both of our boys' names are in reference to the sky. As for Theodore, there are two major reasons: we wanted his middle name to start with a "T" to go along with Skyler Thomas and Anastasia Thora. My poor mom had a heck of a time following me yesterday in a puzzle activity I did with the name 'Theodore', so I'll spare you. Put the last two syllables in the name in front of the first two syllables and ask yourself what it sounds like. Instead of TheoDore, you should see DoreTheo. (Yeah, cross out the last 'o', though so it comes out DoreThe.) A flip-around of your name, Grandma Dorothea! Mom was so funny- saying something like it's a girl's name and yeah, I got a little creative knowing we're having a boy.

Hugs,
H"

(I realized later I counted the syllables wrong, but we all get the point, right?)

Then my Uncle John whips out yet another phun pun that I have two "suns". He never fails to amuse!

Our daughter's name is also inspired by yet another awesome grandmother of mine, Anastasia Lightfoot. Grandma Anne, as we grandkids called her, was talented with drawing cartoons and sure loved to laugh and joke. She and I used to have cartooning contests to see who could come up with the most ridiculous characters. Interestingly enough, my little Anastasia has an apparent addiction to drawing, too.

December 20, 2010

Monday, December 20, 2010 is a day forever written down in Withrow family history. Not because of Orion's new shell but because Thomas' dad, Thomas E. Withrow, Sr., passed away peacefully in his sleep during the morning of the 20th in Columbus, Ohio. His 82nd birthday was on December 15th. We will miss him and we are happy we saw him during Thanksgiving (and that he saw the whole family, Thomas and Dale's) and that he went the way he was hoping to go. Thomas' mom, Elaine, has flown in to Maryland to be with the rest of the family at this time. We will have a memorial service here in Maryland sometime next week.

Orion went to the ocularist in Bethesda midday of the 20th to get his new shells. It took around 30 seconds to get it in. The ocularist slipped the top of the polished plastic shell underneath Orion's top lid, and that's when he squeezed his eyelids shut but that didn't stop the ocularist from pulling down the bottom eyelid and the bottom of the shell went right in. Orion was MAD, then he complained and fussed while I massaged his legs, etc. In 20 minutes he was completely settled down as if the shell wasn't even there, and that remains the same 2 days later. We only put in one shell on the left eye, the right shell will go in on January 7th depending on how Orion does with the left. The shell is like a huge contact lens, curved deeply on the inside so it doesn't touch his cornea but only around it. There was a black dot painted in the middle of it, kind of like everyone else's pupil, I can see that the shell has not slipped out of place. I could see the difference right away as his top eyelid wasn't turned in anymore, and Orion has been opening his lid gently by himself. The ocularist waved a light in front of Orion's left eye, with the shell in, and he flinched. It's definite Orion sees light through that eye. He said if Orion can see light he'd open his eyelids to find it, than try to look through closed eyelids. Interesting.









Working on a bottle. The shell is reflecting light and shadow, making it look like he has an iris in this pic.


His left eye looks more full with the shell in. Can you tell?

Fleeting Light (And Sound)

First of all, let me open with saying that I am a mom, a witness and definitely not an ophthalmologist.

Orion responded to at least strong light.

Very few, were the events that I thought Orion may have seen light. I doubted it because it was not definite, not consistent and naturally I was biased, hoping Orion would be able to recognize light and darkness. One bright day, maybe when Orion was 1 or 2 months old, I had him in his infant carrier in the shopping cart coming out of Target. I thought I'd see what happens if I let the sun shine in Orion's face. He was peering out of his barely open eyelids with the sun shining directly in them, no reaction, but a few moments later he squeezed his eyes shut tightly. Later on I figured his eyes became dry, thus the shutting of his eyes.

On Thursday, Dec 9th, Orion (20 weeks old), Tasia and I went to Johns Hopkins to get his cool new hearing aids. The audiologist put the blue hearing aids in and hadn't turned them on yet, I took a picture of Orion as she stepped away. Orion flinched dramatically as if somebody thumped him on his stomach because his arms and legs came up in a reflex. I couldn't tell if it was the camera flash or if there was a beep that is part of starting to turn on the aids. Nothing definite. After the audiologist turned on Orion's hearing aids and made noises to see if he responded (he didn't seem to notice) but after a while Orion's eyes opened a little. (He tends to open them when he is curious.) I wondered if he was actually peering or listening. He's wearing only his left side hearing aid because he turns his head to his right and that'd make his right aid whistle. Orion seems to respond to sound, but at this time nothing consistent. Things I would notice is him moving his eyes underneath his eyelids, and he'd smile (his priceless smile) sometimes. For now, we'll have him wear the aids when its comfortable for him and see the audiologist at Johns Hopkins in 3 months to evaluate.

On Sunday, I was being Orion's 'mama'razzi photographer when I saw him flinch. Flash, flinch. Flash again, flinch. I took him upstairs to Thomas. Flash, nothing. Flash, flash, nothing. Flash, flinch. OK, we're seeing something definite now. Flash, flinch. Flash, flinch. I didn't take too many pictures of him as I didn't want to possibly upset or scare Orion with the flashes. He remained tolerant.

I find it ironic because we're watching him for signs that he hears something, we find out he sees a little something. I think Orion has a 'seeing' spot, for at least strong light; opposed to sighted people having blind spots. I am very curious how Orion does with clear shells on after the ocularist is to put them in on Monday the 20th. Will he be able to control his eyelids better? Open them wider? More opportunities to see if he looks for light/darkness? Anyway, I hope the weather doesn't get in the way.


Orion is 20 weeks old in this video (1 m 34 sec). I had so much fun with iMovie!

Getting Acquainted With a new BFF (Best Friend Forever): Braille

Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? By Dr. Seuss
Photos by Heather Withrow
On November 20th, Thomas, Orion and I went to a 'Braille Babies' workshop at the Rockville Library provided by the Columbia Lighthouse for the Blind. Skyler and 'Tasia stayed with their little friends. We were looking forward to learning how we can introduce pre-reading skills to Orion. We knew about the 6 dots of braille but how would we make it fun for a toddler Orion and Pre-School Orion interested and familiar with braille?

I managed to memorize A-Z in grade 1 braille (uncontracted braille); there's even more to learn with grade 2 braille (contracted braille) but we have time, obviously, as Orion is approaching 5 months old. Grade 1 is one 'symbol' for each letter while grade 2 has one symbol for 2, 3, or more letters. I wish I could think of a better example off the top of my head but in Grade 1, the symbol for 'C' is just C. In Grade 2 the symbol for 'C' is used for the word 'can'. A completely new symbol not used for grade 1 is used for letter combinations in grade 2 braille. As for braille books, it is possible your local library has some for children. I've checked a couple out from our library to try it out myself. I hope each library in our nation has braille books, can you imagine how inconvenient it may feel to go to the library to have a few leaves (or none) for you out of the entire forest? I'm sure there is a national library of braille books that can mail the books to the readers who request them.

The presenter showed us a Perkins Brailler- looked like a typewriter but with much much less keys. (I just HAVE to have one for Orion.) There were some other portable brailling equipment and plenty of everyday toys that are quite usable or interesting to blind children. One of Orion's Prince George County ITP teachers came to the workshop, too. We were happy to see her there grabbing this wonderful opportunity. This workshop was designed for teachers and parents of blind or visually impaired children from birth to 6 years old.

I really loved the idea of using the 6 spaces you'd find with egg cartons and cupcake pans- they're perfectly lined up as 2 vertical rows with 3 spaces. You can take 6 plastic Easter eggs, or tennis balls or whatever.... and make braille letters. A kid could 'accidentally' make a 'T' and you can explain/remark, "Oh, you made a 'T'!"

I also liked the idea of using 6-cup cupcake pans for snack time (I imagine I'd rather have silicone than metal), you can put the kid's drink in the first space and put the goldfish crackers in the 4th space. Just getting the kid familiar with 'something with 6 dots'!

The presenter had a plastic storage container of giant puffballs, perfect for hiding a hard or differently textured or shaped object in for the child to look for. The puffballs looked so soft and cozy so I imagine it's somewhat of a hand/forearm massage as you stick your hands in there. You can also use rice or dry beans.

Orion can play the Memory Game someday! We were shown wood cards that had fabrics and ribbons glued to one side, a tactile memory game. I would have never thought of that! Since then, I've also gotten a tip on a different activity to do with Orion, a matching game, shared with me by Thomas' Uncle Frank. Hold an object in one hand, perhaps a marshmallow and have Orion look for a matching marshmallow in the mystery bag. To up the challenge/fun, add a variety of other things in the bag so he can tell the difference and find the matching marshmallow.

The workshop wrapped up with a big bang, especially for us parents, since they had us go for first dibs on FREE braille books! My eyes nearly popped out of my head when we were shown braille labels of things/rooms around the home that we could peel and stick all over our house. We ended up hauling home a 12x18x18 box of braille books/binders with tactile images for Orion and learn-to-read braille stuff for us sighted parents. So did Orion's teacher, we all left with smiles.

I'm glad to know of a good handful of things to do with Orion when it's time, hopefully I will pick up some more fun activities for him along the way. All the literacy fun will come later. For now, we look forward to Orion's first word... I can make a few guesses. It would be funny to do a 'First Word' betting pool here. Feel free to leave a guess in the comments area and we can come back later on and see who's the lucky winner!



Our favorite gift from Orion: his smile.












Update (9/2/2013): Orion's first sign was "MILK" after all!  Then we second-guessed ourselves; not sure if he meant to say milk or it was just a hand activity as part of him exploring his body.  However, make no mistake, Orion did sign "MORE", repeatedly in front of the rest of the family at dinnertime asking for more cinnamon bread sticks.  We were all very jubilant!

Orion: Early December 2010 Update

Happy Holidays!
Us, at the Winter Festival event at Kendall School. Anastasia is 4 1/2 and Skyler is 6. Yes, it does have a touch of a Nightmare before Christmas scene with the kids' face paint.


This post is an update covering the last 2 weeks. Orion is now 20 weeks old.

Communication:

(Ok, more like mostly one-way.) He only cries for milk, objects to a yucky diaper, if he wants somebody to pick him up or for an unknown reason that we cannot figure out. Thankfully, most of the time we do figure it out. He is familiar with the symbol of milk (bottle of milk) by touching the bottle, the bottle cap and nipple and starts to bring it to his mouth. He barely calms down when we sign milk, squeezing his forearm, as if to say, "To heck with recognizing the symbol, give me the bottle!"

Orion's likes:

Orion loves bathtime. He loves it when we drag fabrics over his face and body, he shows it by smiling. We recently discovered he liked tickling his back along his spine and neck, again by smiling widely that his gums show. :) He occasionally smiles if we kiss his cheeks and touch his chin, lips and nose.

More Little Accomplishments:

While we were at PIP last monday (11/29), Orion managed to put the pacifier in his mouth by himself! Big people usually help him with his pacifier, it is still frustrating for him so we help him but that was the one time he made it!

Orion is growing wonderfully (physically he is a long and lean little guy: he measured 26.5" long at 4 months) it's easy to overlook the fact he hasn't lifted his head off the surface when he's on his stomach. We've gotten tips from two different physical therapists (PIP and Prince George's County ITP) to use with him. At PIP, I've also met with a lady who works out of U of MD's Connections Beyond Sight and Sound, she confirms many blind babies don't like tummy time but they really need to do it rather than skip it going straight to being able to sit up. Tummy time helps develop shoulder and arm strength and ultimately develop sensitive hands for exploring.

Tactile exploration:

He now actively explores the length of the bottle.

We now noticed, and not sure when it started, but he is reaching out and seeking what is in his reach by feeling with his hands out on his sides, not quite like but similar to how we make angels in snow with our arms. He has found his pacifier and brings it to his face. He feels people's hands, moving up and down a side or both sides. He has such a tender touch! I noticed that when people want him to feel something, he feels it and feels the other parts of the hand and the person corrects him by showing him the symbol again but I suspect Orion wants to see if there's anything else interesting on the hand. I know I have yet to learn how to optimize his first touch/meeting with people, for example, when we let him explore the hand and if he's 'done', should his hands be reintroduced to the symbol again?

During a recent Prince George's county ITP visit, Orion accepted the firmer texture of a bumpy textured ball. Up to this point he had preferred soft toys and fabrics. After the home visit, I found Orion playing with a hard plastic sphere (with lines like a soccer ball) with a jingling ball inside. This was also part of the play gym. He was holding on the sphere with both hands and tasting it. This is recorded in the video at the bottom of this blog post.

The oval shaped flesh things on the sides of Orion's head:

Orion IS profoundly deaf, yet there are too many coincidences. He is also pretty vocal when he gets started, ahh-ahh and ooo's, especially when he's in his play gym (with dangling objects). Orion will get hearing aids later this week and we'll see how that goes. He is a candidate for cochlear implants but since we're trying out the hearing aids, we need to commit 6 months with the hearing aids before going down the CI avenue. On November 15th, the CI doctor said Orion could have an implant as soon as he is 9 or 10 months old. Generally, babies get their implant when they are around 12 months old. This doctor has been doing CI surgery on children for decades. I believe the early time line is due to Orion being deaf AND blind.

Orion and the environment:

Thomas just got a tip from an audiologist who used to work at a school for the blind: 80% of what we know, we learned through our eyes. We don't have the source of this information but it certainly makes sense. You learn the colors, shapes, home environment, family members, daily habits, etc. by looking with your eyes. Very likely before you even knew their labels/names. You'd know which room you are sitting in if you were just set down there. That will not be the case with Orion or any other deaf-blind child. They have to feel everything, go OUT to everything to build up in the mind what's around them. Ideally, we should be baby-wearing Orion and having him touch things wherever we go. Orion's OK if I wear him in the baby sling as long as I also hold his head in my arm; we've done this since he was born. When I learned this 'fact', I pulled out the Baby Bjorn carrier (where babies are upright, and facing mommy or daddy until they are able to hold their head up). It'll be easier on our arms but Orion doesn't like that carrier yet. He has plenty of time to get used to it.

It is such a joy to see his little accomplishments. I continue to enjoy his babyhood. I could do away with the lack of sleep, tho.



Yet another afternoon exploring in the play gym/little room. (December 2, 2010).

Sooner or later I will share with you what we picked up at a recent 'Braille Babies' workshop that took place on November 20th. Thanks for reading!

My Attempt at Cramming the Importance of What's "Between the Ears" into a Nutshell

Somebody recently formed a 'Deaf Community' group online BabyCenter.com and started a thread with something along the lines of "How did you become deaf?" This is my response on November 26 after reading several responses, knowing there may be new parents out there who have recently found out their child is deaf or hard of hearing.

Oh wow, there's a variety of experiences here regarding deafness, themselves or their kid(s). There's no one correct way to go about it, going for hearing aids or cochlear implants, or nothing. One of my favorite quotes goes like this: "It's not the ears that are important, it's what's BETWEEN them that counts." !!!

It is very important that your child has language from the beginning! Whether it is sign language or spoken English, pick which one is the most convenient to the deaf or hard of hearing child, not what is easier for the people around him/her. This may be hard to take but it will pay off in the long run. Research has shown that if a child starts out in ASL, with ASL proficient parent(s)... even those with satisfactory skills, he/she will succeed in picking up the 2nd language, English, for example.

I totally recommend taking your little kids to a Parent-Infant Program or Infant Toddler Program in your county or state, or even a Deaf school. The Parent Infant Program at my new son's school has a variety of deaf kids with other disabilities including Down's Syndrome and Cerebal Palsy... and kids who are simply Deaf. If you're not able to access these, at least your child needs to have friends just like him/her and if he/she can meet any Deaf or HH role models that would be incredible!

I was born with severe to profound deafness, unknown reasons. I even had my blood sent in to check for Connexin 26, a known gene that causes deafness and nada. I fall in the 20%-30% of those of us with unknown reasons. Took speech therapy in public school, all the deaf/hh teachers signed, I had interpreters in my mainstream classes and at home Mom was on top of me with saying words correctly BUT she always signed to talk with me. I transferred to the Washington School for the Deaf at 12 years old and it was a profound positive experience for me- everyone signed, period. From the cafeteria staff to the superintendent. I fell head over heels for sports and REAL teamwork. Hard to put it all in a nutshell. There's a good side to everything.

My husband is Deaf, my oldest son (6) is Deaf and fluent in ASL and is in a Deaf school (not residential); my daughter (4 1/2) is hearing and not yet old enough to start kindergarten; my newest son is deaf and blind. He was diagnosed prenatally with bilateral anophthalmia-no eyes (now recently corrected the diagnosis to bilateral microphthalmia- little eyes). He is totally blind and at the best he just might have some light perception in one eye. We are hurrying to get him hearing aids and he'll have them in by the time he's 5 months old (he's 4 months now). We read that deaf-blind children are sorely delayed simply by the severe absence of environmental input. We also are considering cochlear implants for him. We learned that CI's will help deaf-blind children develop language, yet ironically not spoken language (based on a study on only 7 deaf-blind children with CI at one site... I agree when they said there is a need for a multiple-site study). I'm curious about the same study on deaf-blind with hearing aids, but so far I know of none.

A Deaf and hearing child is normal to us in our family- it's just a difference in their ability to interact with the world around them. It's our 'normal'. Now with our baby who is also blind, that's where I find things... new experiences may be parallel with parents who can hear who happen to have a deaf child/children. It's a different and new experience, and that's a 'new normal' for all of us. Another thing we all have in common is that we love our little ones to bits! <3

Ms. Holligan- I'm so sorry if I just wrote a book on your thread!!! If any of you want to get in touch to talk about deafness, blindness or deaf-blindness, etc. feel free to message me.

Skyler and Anastasia hangs out with 9-week old Orion on September 20th.

The Second Opinion: The Ocularist

Today, 4-month old Orion and I met Orion's new ocularist in Bethesda. It was a huge relief to meet him and get confirmation on my mommy instinct: Orion will benefit immediately from shells inserted in his eye orbits (a.k.a. eye sockets). Over the phone last week he stated that babies can have the shells put in at even weeks old. During today's visit, he observed that Orion's upper eyelids were turning in, the lower eyelids were overlapping the upper eyelids. I noticed that but I realized I was not alert to what was happening. The clear shells will encourage Orion's sockets to grow in proportion as the rest of his face grows. The first year of life is the year babies grow at an amazing rate. In fact, Orion has grown 5 inches in his first 4 months of life! I cannot help but wonder what the other professional, a plastics ophthalmologist, was doing telling us that implants will be painful to Orion and that we do nothing but follow up with him in 6 months. He said nothing about shells either. Although I appreciate him telling us he cared about Orion as if he were his own... unfortunately something was missing from the whole picture. I can't imagine missing 6 more whole months of opportunities to work with Orion's eyes! With the ocularist, everything seemed to be on the right track- he was pleasant, humorous and took the time to type on the computer screen whatever he was saying.

The ocularist opened Orion's eyelids and looked inside while Orion objected to having his sleep interrupted. Serves Orion right to do the same to Mommy during Mommy's sleep time! ;) Clear shells will be made for him and his office will call us when it is ready so we can come in and have Orion try them out. I am looking forward to it!

[2nd Edit: Check out this mom's photo blog of her son's trip to the ocularist. In it, you'll see photos of the shell I'm talking about. It goes around the front of his little eyeballs, unlike the traditional 'glass eyes' many of us know about and those only go in if there are no eyeballs present. By the way, I love and echo what she calls her 'New Normal'. :::H]

Top: Orion enjoys the electronic drum pads thumping out its own rhythm.
Bottom photos: Big brother Skyler's first pair of glasses! White-haired Withrows share a moment.

Simon Says

Today, the Withrow family, minus Skyler who was in school, went to a doctor's appointment for Orion. During the visit, our noisy 'Tasia said, "Let's play 'Simon Says'!" The doctor stopped and said his name was Simon. His worn-out name tag said so, too, and he joked that he thought 'Tasia was teasing him.

Tasia proceeded to quietly play 'Simon Says' with me and didn't try to fool me once.

:::H

'Tasia rocks it out at Chuck E. Cheese's at a friend's birthday party last month.

Believe

Thank you, to those of you who have shared with me your appreciation of my blog. I have to tell you, there are so many more inspiring moms out there of our unique children. Not only parents of children with bilateral microphthalmia or anophthalmia that I've seen share their experiences in a closed Yahoo group, but also parents of children who have their own different challenges. Yes, it is true our children are our teachers and we are their #1 fans cheering them on. I know one of the many best things you can do for your child is to believe in your child even when he/she goes through a rough patch. I watched a Dr. Phil episode about deaf-blind triplet girls and their parents and near the end of the show there was a blind lady who traveled as an inspirational speaker and has published a book (that I ought to get). When she lost her vision as a teenager, she said the key was her parents because they believed in her before she did. That really hit me. A lot of us are doing that anyway but I never stopped until then to reflect on that for my own kids. I'm a kid of my parents. They're my grandparents' kids. No doubt about it they believed in me and maybe it helped I also have a stubborn streak (my mom will be glad to confirm) that gave me the drive to accomplish things. We have a delicious cycle that shall be continued- we believe in you!

Hope it wasn't too cheesy. If you are sipping on wine, then perfect.

Orion's Cute Little Accomplishments

Some of you may know our new son, Orion Theodore, was born deaf and blind on July 19th. His blindness was not a surprise as we found out while pregnant with him. I have faith in him, I have hope for him and I love him to bits as I do for Skyler and Anastasia, too. :::H

Orion at 14 weeks old (Week of October 25, 2010): The Tactile Explorer

All right, maybe not an all-out explorer but we're seeing the beginning of it with Orion. Yesterday he gently touched my face with his open palms and moved his hands around a little, getting some of my mouth, cheek, nose and an eye. He did the same with Thomas a little, perhaps it was enough he also felt Thomas' signature goatee.

Also, earlier this week he seemed to recognize the bottle at feeding time. He'd grab it more firm, somewhat guide it in the direction of his face. I'd then sign "milk" (squeeze his cute little forearm with my big hand) and then give him his bottle, much to his relief.

Orion at 12 weeks old (Week of October 11, 2010): His First Tactile Excursion

Orion held an arm out, straightened, as if to find something at an arm's length. Held it out to his side and brought it forward in front of him, found my chin and lower face. (I was holding him up a little in my arms.) This was repeated several times, not a fluke.

Precious little things are much appreciated! (Although 'little sleep' is something I want to be done with.)



I read about 'Little Rooms' (Space for Active Learning) for Deaf-Blind children that can be modified over time as the child grows. We used a play gym that we already had for our first 2 kids, to be Orion's first Little Room. At this time we want him to get feedback for his movements. We look forward to witnessing his reaction when one day soon he learns he can manipulate the pull-cord vibrating bugs.

Orion's Here!

Relax, Mama! (Day of Orion's Birth)

While riding back with my mom and Tasia after a manicure today, I remembered that the last time I had a manicure done it was the morning of July 19th. Actually, not just a manicure. I had gone to Roxsan Day Spa at White Flint Mall for a facial, pregnancy massage, manicure and pedicure all in one visit. It was so nice, of course you can imagine. After the spa, I walked around White Flint Mall and eventually drove over to BuyBuy Baby looking for a 'take home outfit' for our new baby boy. I was hoping to find a shirt with "O", for Orion, but none were to be found. Time was running out and I had to rush over to my 38 week prenatal appointment, didn't have time to stop at a good ol' deli, didn't want to stop for fast food (blech!) so I resorted to snacking on the dried apricots I had in my purse. It was there at the appointment I slowed down to have a fetal heart tracing, apparently I was having frequent contractions. The doctor asked about them and I didn't realize it was apparently significant. I thought contractions were supposed to hurt, I was just uncomfortable. My 3rd baby and I finally have an inkling of what early labor feels like! (With Skyler, I was induced and ended up having a c-section; with Anastasia, Thomas and I just strolled into the hospital on the day of the scheduled c-section.) The doctor said to go straight to the hospital, no hurry, though. No food either. No pit stop at home. Lo and behold, at 8:47 p.m. on July 19, 2010, Orion Theodore Withrow was born via c-section!

The spa visit was a Mother's Day gift to me from Thomas and the kids. Funny, though, this Mom's day gift certificate was used on the day I'm a new mom to our 3rd child.

Thomas and a niece eventually went to BuyBuy Baby to pick something out for a 'take home outfit' after Orion was born.

To any expectant mothers out there: Relax. Do not clean house. Do not clean your shelves. Do not work. Just. Relax. Even if it doesn't lead to baby coming; it'll be the last of any relaxation of its kind you can find before your new baby (or your yet another child) comes!

Photo above: On the way to Holy Cross Hospital the afternoon of July 19th to meet my 3rd child, Orion.

:::Hex

Aggravated Pregnant Woman

It is probably general knowledge that pregnant women get the occasional awkward comment. I was reading a blog, "What Not To Say To A Pregnant Woman", and before actually going through the whole thing I thought to myself, “I am a mom, I’ve been pregnant before and I know exactly what NOT to say to other pregnant women.”

I realized that I might still be guilty of making quips that may have unintentionally gone the wrong way on fellow moms. I do give people the benefit of the doubt that they mean well when they make comments to me. Honestly, it’s not worth being obstinate on brainless comments because in a way you poison yourself. But… actions can be louder than words! Like one brainless male did in a grocery parking lot while I was pregnant with either Skyler or Tasia at the time.

I pulled up in front of SuperFresh, a local grocery store, and saw an empty “mother/infant” parking spot in front and proceeded to turn into the lane to make a right turn into the cherished mommy spot. At the same time a 60 year-old-looking guy in a little car was coming up the lane and made a left into it. Oh I was so shocked! The spot was clearly marked with the pregnant woman and infant sign and the guy just gets out of the car and walks to the store knowing I was watching him with my jaw dropped. I found a different spot and parked. Still not calm, I picked up the signpost (it was removable, with weight at the bottom) and plopped it down in front of his driver’s side door so that he’d at least hopefully READ the information on the sign he has to move to get into his car.

I know the doctor said I was not to lift anything more than 20 pounds but It’s amazing what the hormones of pregnant women enable them to do while fuming out of the ears!

:::Hex