The Birthday Week

I am the only person in my immediate family who doesn't have a birthday within a week of each other! So I am now in the middle of preparing for all of the festivities! It is absolute craziness... Greg and Pete's birthday is Sunday and my Father in Law John is Monday and then our little John Matthew is Thursday the 28th! We also have to make a trip to the cemetery to visit our son Paul's grave. He was born and passed on the 26th.

Okay so that is definitely quite a list of birthdays for one family, but in our extended family that is nothing! I am down to the wire... today begins the craziness... I have the rest of the morning and this afternoon to get it all done! I have to do dishes, laundry and the everyday household stuff today, and I also have to finish making all of the gifts I was planning on making to cut costs on all of the gifts that I would otherwise have to purchase.

Tonight is Greg's cousin Justine's birthday party... she is going to be 16 tomorrow! Then tomorrow night is the big January birthday for my family. We have my cousin Jake born on the 15th, my cousins Madie and Paige (both from different families and a year apart) and my niece Natalie on the 16th. We have Pete and Greg on the 24th as I mentioned previously and also my Aunt Patty. Her husband Larry is the 27th and then finishing off the month is John the 28th. Phewwwww! That is quite the list! Good thing we celebrated my Aunt Julie and Uncle Greg's birthdays earlier this month (they are the 8th & 9th)! I am preparing to be caked out!

Thursday I have my MOPS (Moms of Pre-Schoolers) group and then a dentist appointment (I have some cavities) so I will get a bit of a break Thursday evening... oh and we have a funeral thrown in there on Thursday as well that we have to juggle into the schedule. Friday may be a down day, but I haven't finished shopping for my boys or my husband... so my down day just may not happen! Saturday we were invited out to eat and Sunday is the big birthday for 2 of my boys! Pete also wants to celebrate with his friends Dewey and Joe with a Handy Manny party... so that is also in my future here in the next week or so!

*Sigh* I am tired just thinking about all of these exciting events! I also can't believe that it has been 3 years since my little Pete was born and a year since John was born. Their births were both different, but are still very vivid in my mind... I remember so many things from those days and I hope I don't ever forget... is that something a mother can forget anyway? In case I ever do, I think I will tell their birth stories again!

I was induced with Pete. We went in on the evening of the 22nd and they were about to start the induction and got me all hooked up to the monitors and said... "you are already in labor, you are 3cm dilated and having contractions!" Well I had been in so much pain with Pete with my gallbladder, that I didn't even notice. I had a pretty easy night, but then they got the pitocin going in the morning and I labored hard all day with him. My doctor finally broke my water because I wasn't progressing as fast as she would have liked me to and things started to move along. I finally got my epidural, and was comfortable until my diaphragm started to go numb and I was having a hard time breathing. I remember them putting the oxygen mask on me and that was about the time everyone came in to wish me luck before Pete came.

My Mom and Dad, Greg's Mom and Dad, my sister and her 2 little girls, Greg's sister and her husband, and his brother and his wife along with 2 of Greg's uncles and my grandma were all patiently waiting outside the door... yeah, that is right 14 people listening to me give birth! Well, the pushing took a lot longer than anyone thought so luckily they weren't outside the whole time! Pete was stuck! His head had gotten stuck at an angle and he wasn't wanting to come out. I started pushing at 9 pm and at that point we were all betting on if he would have his own birthday or not... well 9 minutes after midnight Greg got the best birthday gift ever! He got to cut the cord and I remember blood sprayed across the room. I finally got to hold my precious little boy and then 14 tired people finally got to see him too... and then they all headed home for the evening... or morning that is.

After they left Greg and Pete fell directly asleep together and they continued to work on me... stitches, trip to the bathroom... all the stuff they don't tell you about when you have a baby... the not so glamorous part! I still can't believe my boys slept through me screaming! So now I am a mother... if you are a mom you know that once you have a baby... all modesty goes out the window!

I wasn't worried about any of this once John was about to be born. We also went in to be induced with him on the 23rd.... what are the chances that both of my boys would have their dad's birthday... well you already know that didn't happen. I labored all day with him and at 5 pm my doctor came in and stopped the pitocin. She said I hadn't progressed and that we could come back and try again in a few days! WHAT!!!! I was so upset and angry. I worked hard all day to have this baby and I got nowhere! I did not want to leave the hospital without a baby! No one had ever mentioned that the induction wouldn't work!

So we went back on the 27th and tried again! I was not leaving without a baby this time! I labored all day and at 5pm my doctor came in and broke my water because I still hadn't progressed any farther than the previous time she induced me! Hello? Why couldn't we have done this the other day!?! Once my water was broken I finally started to progress.

This time it was just Greg and I and we didn't have a cheering section outside the door. I had my epidural and I couldn't feel my left leg at all (Greg was in charge of that leg). This time I knew what labor felt like and when I was ready to push I knew it. I went from 8 to 10 within a half hour and I was ready to go! I started pushing at 10:30 pm and then it was shift change! My new nurse just happened to be the same nurse who was there to welcome Pete... I felt some comfort in that because she is a tough nurse! She made you mad and made you want to get that baby out! I actually liked that and in the future if we have more babies, I hope we are lucky enough to have her again. So, at 12:22 am John decided to be born! He was only 5 minutes later than our nurse predicted and 2 oz off on the weight! She has definitely been doing this for a while!

So I now am the mother of two boys! John was such a sweet angel when he was born (he still is too)! He looked like a little cherub. And I had a much easier time with John, because he wasn't stuck... oh and I had done it before. My doctor even made the comment that he only left a skid mark on his way out. It certainly didn't feel that way, but I will agree that it was easier.

Well, a year after John and 3 after Pete... what a special time in our lives! We now have two boys! And Greg has 2 sons on or near his birthday to celebrate with! I couldn't think of a better gift to give him, however I hope we don't have any more the same week in the future.... our schedule is busy enough and quite costly so close to Christmas! But we wouldn't change it for the world! We are truly blessed with our precious little boys who have led us on this adventure! Happy birthday to all my boys... Greg, Peter and John... you guys keep me busy and keep me happy!

Thankful for the Adventure!

I went to a visitation last night... the visitation was for a former classmate of mine. We were not friends, but as classmates we had known eachother for many years and had classes together and lockers near eachother... so obviously this man was way too young to die at 28 years old. That in itself is sad enough... on top of it he lost his wife tragically in a vehicle accident a few years ago. The saddest part of his story however, is that he leaves behind a 5 year old son... parentless.

As a mother this really hit me. I have lost a child... granted I only met him briefly, and through all of the grief it was hard to even process that. I can't even imagine losing one of my boys at this point or my husband for that matter. I can't imagine what their lives would be like if I wasn't here. I don't even want to think about it, but with the events of the last week I have been thinking about it alot and as I started this blog, I have been able to reflect on the things that have happened in my life and in my life with my husband over the past 4 years.

Lately everytime I get dressed in nice clothes, Pete asks me if I am going to a funeral... sadly that seems to be the only time I get dressed up lately. My poor guy has had to deal with so much death in his short life... it is so hard to shield him from it. He knows about God and Heaven and who is up there and he talks about it alot. We pray every night and pray for all of our loved ones and those that are watching over us now. And we do what we can to assure him that we love him and that we aren't going anywhere and will be here for him.

Unfortunately I don't know if that is true... I don't know what the future holds! It is so scary, but I believe in God and Heaven and that we will see our loved ones again some day and that when someone dies it is not goodbye, but simply see you later. And unfortunately we don't know how much later! I am hoping to have an extremely long life! I have a lot to do and I am not done doing it! I plan on growing old with my husband and enjoying our kids (hopefully there will be more than just the 2) and I want to enjoy grandchildren! I haven't seen everything I want to see or go everywhere I want to go!

So I have been thinking about life and what might lie ahead and reflecting on the past. I am reminded to be thankful that I am alive and mostly well... I am thankful for my wonderful husband Greg and so blessed to be his wife and the mother of his children. My little miracles... I am so thankful for them as well... I had to fight to get them here and I am cherishing them every day! Some days all of the chaos and events of the day cloud my thankfulness, but it is still there and a simple "I love you Mommy" or a hug or an incredibly slobbery kiss clear up the clouds and I am reminded how thankful and blessed I truly am. I can't wait for all of the new adventures headed my way!

The Adventure... With Some Limitations

I'm back! I know you missed me and were just dying to read my next post! So I figured 5 hours was long enough to wait... okay, okay all jokes aside... here it is...

I was just working around the house... laundry, dishes, making beds, cleaning up the toys that I just cleaned up an hour ago, wiping noses, wiping bottoms, wiping up spills, refilling drinks, preparing snacks, cleaning up after the dog, and I looked out at our deck... there is so much snow on it and it is heavy. My wonderful husband needs to shovel that off! We have been so busy with everyday and it has been getting overlooked. So I thought it is our anniversary and I should help him out being the wonderful wife that I am and go shovel it for him...

So I put on my coat, my red and black checked mittens, and my wonderful winter boots that my husband got me last year for just this sort of occasion... I headed out and picked up the shovel and thought... "gee, this shovel is kinda heavy..." Well that was nothing compared to a load of snow on it! And then trying to throw it over the side of the deck... Apparently I forgot that shoveling is not something I can do anymore... I would love to be able to go outside and get something accomplished, but my body just won't let me!

My latest adventure has come and it has brought with it some major limitations! I do not really want to be on this adventure, but here I am... every day is a challenge and I am reminded every day that I now have limitations and I can't just do the things I want to do... I can't surprise my husband by shoveling off the deck for him so he doesn't have to when he gets home on our anniversary! Some days I can't get out of bed and on many occasions I have pushed it too hard and have fallen to the ground and can't get up... I am reminded of a certain commercial here... at any rate I am now on this new adventure that I am not excited about!

For those of you reading that do not know what I am talking about... here it is. In July of 2009, a week after my birthday, I was out on the boat with my family and I noticed that my hands were a bit tingly. I didn't really think anything about it because it went away. But unfortunately it came back... and it seemed like it was "spreading". I had numbness and tingling and pain! I had it in the hands and arms and in the feet and legs. I went to the doctor (not my normal doctor) and he started to run some tests. He ran tests for lymes disease and MS (multiple sclerosis) and some other big bad things... all negative.

The trouble got worse and I went back in a few days later, and this time I was told by a doctor (also not my regular doctor) that I must have some anxiety and depression... of course I have some anxiety! And I am a bit depressed that something terrible is wrong with me and what if I can't take care of my family..... something I have fought so hard for!?! But I did not have any of these issues before I came in and couldn't get any answers from this doctor and I wasn't taken seriously!

So I went to the computer and I started to research symptoms and diseases and syndromes and big bad horrible problems and I knew that this was not in my head and that something was definitely wrong with me... I called the ask a nurse line at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and I told her what was up... her response, "I don't want to scare you, but you need to get to a big city ER as soon as possible!" Finally I was taken seriously and really scared!

At first they thought I may have a syndrome called Guillain-Barre and it causes the muscles in the extremities to cease up and stop working as it travels toward the core (lungs and heart)... death if not treated! So we decided to not mess around with this anymore and headed to Mayo Clinic! I was up all night explaining my symptoms over and over to neurologists..."and then what happened?" I think all neurologists are trained to ask the same questions in the same way... and they can make it frustrating by asking everything over and over... it certainly doesn't help when you don't feel well. I ended up in Rochester at the clinic for about a week. They ran all sorts of tests and didn't find much... my neurologist thought I must've had a virus that caused my problem and that it would be a couple of weeks before my nerves healed and got back to normal.

Well then I started falling down. My legs would just stop working... so I finally got to see my own doctor and she thought it sounded an awful lot like MS, but MS is sometimes hard to diagnose especially in the early stages. Apparently they can't diagnose it until there are lesions on the brain... great! So now I head to Madison to a new neurologist who runs all of the tests I have already had and a few new ones. He decides that I have some small fiber neuropathy and has no answer as to what is causing it... so here I am today frustrated with no real answers.

I am feeling better for the most part, but I have struggles every day! Like today, not being able to shovel, and not being able to lift the laundry basket to carry it to our room to put away, and the worst limitation is sometimes not being able to get out of bed at night when John is crying. I am so thankful for my wonderful husband who gets up with him at night so I don't have to. He is tired, overworked and underpaid, but not underappreciated! I just wish he could be home all of the time when I need him... but he can't, so I am slowly trying to adapt to this new adventure and trying to realize that I need to slow down sometimes and take it easy... oh and ask for help... but that is a whole other issue. I will continue to work with a neurologist and am praying for some concrete answers, but for now I am just taking everything in stride and trying to stay optomistic that this adventure will come to an end and I can get back to something more fun!

Always Lift Eachother Up

I started blogging yesterday and was very excited about it! I received some really great feedback from everyone who read my adventures and I couldn't seem to sleep last night thinking about what I would write about today... or perhaps it was that my husband was out of town and I had an almost 3 year old who did not want to go to bed and when he finally did, he insisted on sleeping with me. I gave in as I did not want him to wake his almost 1 year old brother, who would then also want to sleep with me and instead of getting kicked in the head from both sides... I opted for just one side!

So each time I found myself crowded to one side of our king sized bed or I had just received a nice blow to my side... I was awake and I was thinking about all of the things I could write about and wondering if anyone would want to read about them. I thought since today is the anniversary of the day I married the most wonderful man, that I would write about him again... or about us and always making sure that you lift your spouse up and never tear them down!

Well, here comes some words of wisdom... don't worry I didn't come up with this all on my own. But a very wise woman, I call her Grandma, told me these words... "always lift your husband up... never tell anyone anything bad about him... pretty soon you will only be complaining about all of the things that bother you, and your friends will only know the bad stuff and see him in that way..."

My grandmother experienced something like this when she was younger and newly married. Some of the women in her neighborhood would get together once a week to talk and play cards and all it ever turned into was a "bash your husband" event. She would never say anything and that made the other women try harder to get her involved in the "bashing". Soon they became jealous of the relationship she had and eventually she stopped getting together with them.

My grandmother always lifted my grandfather up... as a child I thought he was larger than life... he was so full of life and love and laughter... she always pushed him to play games with us and take us fishing and to be our hero. She spent time in the background and I never got to know her and what she was all about until my grandpa passed away and I was older. Now I talk to her every week and I have learned so much about her that I never knew. And the many ways I am like her. I too have been "accused" of never talking bad about my husband and for being mushy or gushy about him. I have been told that someone is jealous of me and the relationship I have with my husband. Not my intention to make someone feel that way at all, but I am certainly not going to change. I am truly in love!

I am in no way saying that my husband or I are perfect. We are just like anyone else... sorry to burst anyone's bubble... everyone has disagreements from time to time... but if that is all you tell anyone about that is all they will know about. So, I have always made sure to never speak ill of my husband... I do have to admit that there really isn't anything worth mentioning to anyone anyway.

So a very good piece of advice from my grandmother... I was already practicing this and didn't even know it. I guess I really didn't have a reason to tear my husband down... I find him to be such a special man and he has never been anything but kind and generous and has given me everything I ever wanted and everything I didn't even know I wanted!

As I write this I see now that I have a lot in common with my grandma (my dad's mom) and I am finding out as I have gotten older that she knows what she is talking about. She is a no nonsense kind of woman and isn't afraid to speak her mind... and she doesn't let anyone walk all over her... I find myself struggling with that in my life however, and I have sometimes been a doormat, but hopefully I can begin to move past that with the help of my wonderful husband and with expressing myself through this blog.

As a final thought for this post... always lift eachother up... there really isn't any reason to tear your best friend and soulmate down. Make your relationship one that people will want to emulate. It isn't difficult to do. If you are not in a relationship keep this in mind for the future... life is so exciting when we can share it with someone who lifts us up and that we can lift up too! Alright I am done being mushy for now! I just can't wait for my husband to get home tonight so we can celebrate our anniversary. I am truly blessed!

4 Years Ago I Married My Best Friend

So I was working at MSA (an engineering firm) in Marketing when this guy named Greg came back to work in the Baraboo office. I had seen his name before on our website, but had never met him. He had been in the Dubuque office the whole time I was there. Well, he came back to my office and I noticed him and he noticed me... I think he noticed me first and the rest is history....

Ha did you really think I wouldn't tell you the rest of the story? Anyway, he played it cool and pretended that he didn't care about me one way or another... I just found reasons to walk by his desk and make sure he noticed me. I didn't even realize I liked him until right before my birthday. So he very cooly mentioned that he was inviting some other co-workers out on his boat that weekend and if I could find the boat I could come. I found out later that he really wanted me to come, but covered by inviting others.

So he teased me that week and then finally on my birthday he drew me a map. Now remember he is an engineer and detail is very important. This map was the most intricate map I had ever seen. It was drawn so precise that I couldn't even think about getting lost! We had a great time up river and I knew I liked him a lot. We all went out that night and when it was time to head home he said, "boat leaves at 11 tomorrow!"

It was very late when I got home and I just wanted to crash... I wasn't sure if I wanted to go back out on the boat the next day and thought about it as I fell asleep. I woke up the next morning around 9:30 and realized I had to go back and wanted to spend all of my time with him! I went to get my suit on and it had green algae all over it and there was no way I was putting that on! I called his house and his sister answered... I told her who I was and to tell Greg that I was coming and not to leave without me! I was in such a rush... I had to go buy a new suit and get to the Dells in about an hour.

I pulled into the drive at 11:47am, grabbed my stuff and headed for the dock... all of a sudden a voice came over a bullhorn. "Krystal Peters... what time does the boat leave?" I recognized the voice, but wasn't sure who it was... it turned out to be Greg's cousin, and I had gone to high school with him. I yelled as I ran towards the dock, "11:47!!!!" (That became the joke everytime I was late for the boat after that... but that is getting ahead in the story)

So that next week at work, I wasn't sure where we stood... we hadn't really had an official date... until I had to invite myself out with him (his plan all along). I asked him what he was doing that night and he said he was going to see the movie I wanted to see and then tell me all about it. I told him that was not going to happen because I was going with him. Well, we had a great time and spent the rest of the week together and the week after that and the week after that. Three weeks after our first date, we went and picked out an engagement ring! And five months later we were married.

It was a whirlwind romance... we knew we wanted to marry eachother after our first week together. We knew we wanted to spend all of our time together and have a family. And be there for eachother through happy times and sad times. Some people thought we were crazy, but we knew we were made for eachother. We are 10 years apart in age, and Greg's mom has said many times that it took so long to find me because he had to wait for me to grow up. My dad always said when I was younger that when I found the man I would marry I wouldn't waste any time. He thought I would move fast. He said that I always knew a good thing when I saw it and wouldn't let it slip away! And I didn't... my husband is such a wonderful man. He has never let me down and has had to hold me up when I couldn't stand on my own.

Most recently this has been tested when my Grandmother passed away in November and then a month later in December when my dad passed away suddenly. He has never let me down and has continued to be my rock and my best friend. I knew he was the one right away and I am so glad I listened to my dad and didn't let him get away! I can't wait to get old with him... ok older and to see what our next adventure will be. Happy Anniversary!

My Very First Blog! How the Adventure Started!

I don't know why I decided to start a blog... here I sit now not sure what to say or if anyone will even want to read this! So here goes...

I am married to a wonderful man named Greg who has given me the World! We have been married for four years (tomorrow is our anniversary) and he is truly my best friend. We have been through more in four years than some people go through in a lifetime and it has only brought us closer and made us stronger in our relationship and our faith.

My husband has made me a mother and together we decided that staying home and raising our boys was the best thing for our family. I never really thought I would have kids, but it is the best job I have ever had. It is a job I never thought I would want to do, but I couldn't imagine doing anything else. I have two of the cutest little boys... of course I am a bit biased, but I have been told by many who aren't, that they are in fact pretty cute!

Peter Xavier is my oldest living child... I say that because before he was born we lost two babies to miscarriage. He is smart, and funny and extremely energetic. I never know what he is going to say or what he will come up with. Oh to have the imagination he does would be such a wonderful gift!

He is truly a miracle baby. We got pregnant with him and had trouble from the start. At 14 weeks I had an abruption (the placenta started to tear away from the uterus causing bleeding) and doctors were unsure if he would even make it to be born. I was on bed rest with him for quite a bit of my pregnancy. At 5 mos. along, I thought there was something wrong with him because I was in excrutiating pain... I was incredibly scared and remember thinking perhaps I would not be a mom after all... it seemed like pregnancy was not for me as I was having so many problems. Well my poor little guy was getting blamed for the pain, but it was just my gallbladder... haha just my gallbladder, I can say that now, but it was no laughing matter at the time. Along with the bad gallbladder also came terrible back trouble... Greg jokes that he got more sleep after Pete was born than before with all of my trouble! He sure is a funny guy. Anyway, my miracle was born 9 minutes after midnight on January 24, 2007... he was the best birthday present my husband will ever get from me. Kind of hard to top giving birth to a son! So, Greg and Pete share a birthday and Greg's dad John is the following day... what a week of celebration!

As time went on (rather quickly) we found we were pregnant again, and then again, and then again. We were finding it rather easy to become pregnant, but very difficult to stay that way! Our third pregnancy after Pete and our 6th in less than 2 years seemed to be going along fine. We had made it past the point where we had suffered loss before and we could even see our little peanut on the ultrasound. So we were cautious, but excited... I remember people telling me that I needed to be done after that one because I had so much trouble... well while we were celebrating Pete's first birthday on January 26, 2008, my water broke... I rushed to the bathroom (only about 18 weeks along) and out came a baby.

Our son Paul Gregory was born. Greg pulled him out of the toilet and he was alive, but quickly passed in his hands. He was no bigger than the palm of my hand. We had a funeral for him and it was the most awful day of our lives! My precious Pete was so sweet through all of it even though he did not know what was going on. He was what helped us to get through it. What made us get out of bed in the morning and what gave us the courage to take the next step and find out why this was happening to us. To me... the girl who didn't even know if she wanted children. Funny how we want something so badly, the moment we think that we can't have it!

So off to the Doctor for some genetic testing and hopefully an answer for all of this loss! Well, after what seemed to be some simple blood work, we found out I have a chromosomal abnormality called MTHFR (methylene tetra-hydra folate reductase) which is just a fancy way of saying my body doesn't absorb folic acid.... well that is like the most important thing you need when you are pregnant! Unfortunately it took 5 miscarriages to diagnose this simple fix!

Well we knew the problem and had a solution, so we decided to try again and were extremely scared to lose again, but we took the leap and now have another son! John Matthew (Matthew which means, Gift from God) was on his way! So we went in to be induced with him on January 23, 2009. We really couldn't believe that Greg, Pete and John would all have the same birthday... what were the odds? Well they weren't very good... I labored all day with him and he didn't want to come out. We stopped the induction and went home. We went back on the 27th and our sweet little John was born just after midnight on the 28th of January 2009! So all of my boys are one year and two days apart!

John is such a sweet baby and is definitely a daddy's boy! He just lights up when he sees his daddy! He is starting to walk and desperately wants to keep up with his big brother. Right now they are running up and down the hallway shreiking! They slow down and smile at me as they pass by my door where I sit gushing about them to no one in particular.

I am truly blessed to be a mother and a wife and hope to be for a very long time. My current struggle is with a neurological disorder... yet to be diagnosed completely. In July I started to have tingling and numbness in my extremities and had troubling walking, using my hands, and most importantly taking care of my boys! After many tests and a trip to the Mayo Clinic in August and now seeing a new Doc in Madison, they have diagnosed some small fiber neuropathy, but do not have a cause! It is extremely frustrating to not have answers. I am feeling better and taking it day by day. It is still in the back of my mind that this may be something worse like MS, but I am trying to not let it slow me down and praying that they find an answer so this can be treated and hopefully go away! I have two boys to chase after!

Well, for not knowing where to start and not knowing what to say I sure typed alot. I guess I have gotten you up to speed on my life in progress... and hopefully you will want to read more adventures from my family. Thanks for listening!