summer 2011

summer 2011

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012
family

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

almost 300 miles....

Aaron and I went on a long ride to visit the surgeon today. He had the Knuss procedure done last August, which is when a metal bar is inserted into the chest, right across the whole thing, to push out the sunken sternum....the bar is secured to the ribs with metal bands. Apparently, a metal band has snapped inside Aaron. Yes, that thing poking out above the surgery scar is a piece of metal, poking against his skin.
This is better than what I thought had happened, I thought it was the metal bar itself shifting or something.....anyway, after an x-ray and a talk with the doctor, it was determined that he needs to go into surgery to remove the broken band. Poor Aaron. He has to walk around like that. One of the doctors that saw him actually warned me that if it broke through the skin, to call them right away. I had to bite back a sarcasic comment, because, like, what would I do if that happened? Go in and take a nap?
Anyhow, we have to go in sometime next week, probably Friday, for day surgery. Details to be worked out....the girls are planning a trip to Ottowa that weekend....
I have another appointment tomorrow, to take Camille for a well child visit. She has a cold now, and is fussy and whiny, and that makes things interesting. I do love her to pieces, but there are things I need to do....and she wants, "UP!".....and she wants things from the cupboards.....she is so sweet, though.....her nap was cut short today because our friend is here working on the plumbing, and he woke her up.
Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, Sonja, and Jonathan are in the hot tub. It is mild today, in the mid thirties, a good day to be out in it. The poor kids, the weather warmed a bit on Sunday, and they all got their bikes out. The yard is covered with snow, but the driveway is clear enough. How they ride around the 5 working vehicles, and Ben's dead vehicle, I do not know.
I listened to N.P.R. (National Public Radio) today on the way home from Aaron's visit, because I was literally fighting to not fall asleep....I was so sleepy....I was drinking coffee from TimHorton's (Dunkin Donuts is way better), and I broke into the Timbits we bought to bring home to the kids.....Aaron was dozing, so I turned on the radio.....the subject: Nadya's eight babies. Should there be regulations regarding the number of embryos implanted? Should women be allowed to have so many children, when clearly she can't "handle" them all? One of the women, who has twins, and another child, born when the twins were 22 months, was just going on and on about even the logistics of bringing the kids to the store, taking care of them, just overwhelming. She said that having that many babies, with cribs everywhere, kids everywhere, would be like assembly line parenting, and the kids would surely lack in attention. This is about the point where I said, "Wait a minute!" Here is what I think....
A mother has plenty of love for each child, no matter how many she has. In fact, I would say I love each of mine even more than the one before, if that is possible. Attention: Now, that is something that can certainly be lacking in families with even just one child. (or else they are spoiled rotten, and get too much attention)...I do admit that is something I consciously work on, to give my kids the attention they need, and to listen to them. But how can anyone say that after a certain number, this is not possible? When there are so many kids, the moms usually are devoted to their kids, and devoted moms give their kids all they need, and more. I think alot of people are just jealous. Eight babies......oh, if I had a cleaning lady, and someone to do the laundry, and a cook...does that not sound fun? Okay, a little extreme. But it sounds like she loves her children, and probably wouldn't give me one or two......
Well, dinner.....it is that time again....I wish the afternoon was loooonnnnngger......Mirielle so nicely put a roast in the oven for me, then we remembered that the oven does not work....so the roast is in the turned-off oven, waiting for me, the well-organized mom, to think of what to do. Hmm...I think I'll put it back in the 'fridge, and put it in the crock-pot tomorrow. And make something else tonight....hmmm. It isn't easy. I think maybe we'll have....hmm. We already had spaghetti, the other day...with meatballs, then ravioli...hmmm....not enough bread or cheese for grilled cheese. Canned soup? Hmmm....do I have enough cans? Well, I suppose I need to move it.....

4 comments:

Cassandra said...

Ouch, i hope that isnt hurting Aaron, and that it doesnt cause anymore trouble till they remove it....

I dont know whatto think of that mom with the octuplets, initially i thought oh wow, but then i heard she doesnt have a husband and lives with her mother and then her own mother called her crazy and obsessed with kids, (hey so am i lol) and i do wonder how she'll manage...
I think society would have a different view of her if she were married etc though, now she is just that crazy irresponsible single mother with 14 kids and she is being condemmed for it... but who are we all to judge her anyway?

AUTISMOMMA said...

It does not bother me that the octuplets' mother is not married. Do I think the children would have a better life if there were a mother AND a father in the picture? It's possible, but not certain. This woman is loopy...what's not to say that if there were a father in the picture that this woman wouldn't have a man who abused the children or made the situation worse.

Do I think people are jealous? Perhaps. More likely though, I think that many people are very concerned about the financial situation of this woman. She actually had the nerve to say (on the Today show this morning) that she was going to go back to school in the fall and support the children with student loans. Um....hello! First of all, how in the world does someone with eight infants have time to go back to school and second, Fall is a LONG way away. How does she plan to financially provide for them between now and then.

While I have seen many comments on message boards being made about this woman that I simply do not feel are appropriate, I think what is weighing heaviest on the minds of people with common sense is that these poor children may have a very tough road ahead of them because their mother seems to make very bad financial decisions.

Enola said...

Poor Aaron. Will he have to wear that bar forever?

Årøjn said...

It's spelled "Nuss," lady.