Where oh where to begin!
So much has been going on! I spent 3 weeks feeling really really bad (so bad that my Mom flew in from my home state to help take care of me and the kids - we seriously thought I'd end up in the hospital with the crazy symptoms I was having, and the severe lethargy that is completely unlike me in the 3rd trimester or pregnancy). After many many blood tests, ultrasounds (of organs and baby - hence the new ultrasound pics posted recently), and doctor visits, with no real diagnosis, I finally started feeling better all on my own. Really though, wouldn't it have been easier, and nicer!!, to have given my some antibiotics to clear up whatever infection I had. It WAS determined I had an infection of some sort as my white blood cell count was elevated, I was jaundiced, was throwing ketones, couldn't stay awake for more than 3 hours at a time, and my hands itched so badly that they developed a rash, swelled to twice their normal size, and were quite painful to touch (it's been weeks and they are still recovering from whatever had them all messed up). Despite the fact that the doctors KNEW I had an infection that was not clearing up in "the normal amount of time" they would not prescribe medication to ease any of the symptoms or make me feel better in any way. I just don't get it... aren't they supposed to want to help?! Or is society in general so worried about lawsuits and malpractice that a doctor can't help?? *sigh* anyway, it's over now. My mom took me to the local health food store and got loads of herbal treatments for infections and such and then took me home to sleep. :) Love my mom! The meds tasted awful but they DID seem to help, and being able to sleep when I needed to and not have to worry about who was taking care of all the kids was a tremendous help! THANK YOU MOM!
Next!! The Fox Enclosure has arrived!!! Darling Lion flew to my home state to pick up our friends, help them finish packing up, and help drive the UHaul home to Giggle's Zoo.
The Fox Enclosure (all Fox names are temporary):
Fox - Lion's best-bud buddy from the Military
Kitsune- Fox's Wife
Red Fox- Fox and Kitsune's little boy
Kit Fox- Fox and Kitsune's unborn baby girl
They lived with us for a couple weeks and then found a place not so far away to get the heck away from the craziness of Giggle's Zoo. Not that I blame them... I wouldn't have wanted to live in the spare room - with no furniture (very little privacy), and a toilet that clogs almost every time it's used (and they shared that bathroom with ALL the Giggle Zoo kids)!! YIKES! I really enjoyed Kitsune's company and she was an awesome help in the kitchen!! Tortoise got spoiled cause Kitsune kept doing her kitchen chores for her, and had a rude awakening when they moved out and she was responsible for them once again! Little Red Fox is going to school with our Zebra, and seems to enjoy it. Kitsune is pregnant with a little girl and due in February -- SO EXCITED to meet little Kit Fox!! Fox is working with Lion currently, but after the birth of little Kit Fox will be leaving for Army training... and leaving Kitsune, Kit Fox and Red Fox here until he receives orders for their permanent duty assignment. Hopefully I will get to spend a lot of time with Kitsune, I really REALLY enjoy her company and it's SO nice to have a friend! -- that sounds a bit pathetic! LOL
What else.... hmmm... am now almost 36 weeks with little Koala! She's not as big as some of the other babies have been (considering Zebra was 9 pounds 13 oz at 2 weeks early, that's NOT a bad thing!!), and is doing GREAT. She really hates the sonogram though... poor Stork has to chase her around my belly to get a heartbeat, and even then she only holds still for a few seconds... funny that, considering she's not nearly as active as Vixen and Monkey were! She's just more forceful when she IS active! Lion was commenting just last night how she looked like she was "kicking the crap out of me" LOL. If I set my laptop on my belly while she's kickin it literally JUMPS off my belly! --
I wonder what she will look like?? Obviously we KNOW she's a beauty! :) but will she look like big sisters Tortoise and Vixen? Or like our Zebra? I KNOW I'm not *supposed* to have a preference, but I'd SO LOVE IT if she looked more like Zebra! Or maybe a redhead this time around?!! Certainly there's precedent for a redheaded baby! Both my Grandmothers AND Meerkat (Lion's Mom) are natural redheads... surely ONE of our babies will have red hair. I still dream of a black haired green eyed baby, so maybe little Koala will have black hair and GREEN eyes? *sigh* won't be long till we find out! If "tradition" holds out she'll make her appearance sometime between December 5th and the 10th (my due date is December 19th, but ALL 5 of Koala's brothers and sisters were born within 5 days after 38 weeks). Unfortunately, Lion's college finals are the 6th- 10th!! YIKES So I'm going to see what I can do to get her to want to come on the 4th or the 5th. *wink* anytime AFTER Thanksgiving is great for me!
We're having family Thanksgiving HERE at Giggle's Zoo this year!! The body count is 32 so far!! AHHHH! This is gonna be fun! Seriously! I am SO looking forward to it! I'm making a ham, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, homemade bread, monkey bread, and ohhh geez I've forgotten what else!! I've got a list somewhere! I'm sure I'll post TONS of pictures after!
Tortoise AND Vixen's Birthday is ON Thanksgiving this year!! I can't believe my Tortoise is turning 10! And my baby Vixen is turning 2! Where does the time go? So we're having a dual birthday party on the Sunday after Thanksgiving (so I can get their gifts on Black Friday Sales!).
I'm also taking a Wilton Cake Decorating Class at Michael's this month!!! THANKS Meerkat for the classes!! The first week was how to make icing - how to thin icing, etc... SOME of which I already knew - but the thinning the icing part was illuminating! The second Week we brought an 8 inch cake and icing to class, then layered, filled, and iced it via Dimensional Icing! Pretty cool! I finally figured out how to get icing to smooth out cleanly onto a cake with a minimum of fuss (knowing how to thin the icing was key - that was a Duh Mama Roo You're an Idiot for Not Knowing That moment! :) but I was pretty pleased with the results (other than the freakin cake crumbs in the icing!!! - apparently a side effect of chocolate cake - difficult to keep the crumbs out of it). Next week we are bringing cupcakes and learning how to make flowers!! I'm super excited!
*sigh* I think that catches everything up. Here's a synopsis of how crazy the next month will be:
Next Thursday (less than a week away) - Thanksgiving and 32 people in my house!!
Friday - Black Friday Christmas Shopping
Sunday - Tortoise's 10th and Vixen's 2nd Birthday party
around the 1st of December - My Mom arrives for Birth of Koala
sometime between Dec 5th and 10th: Birth Day for Koala!!!
Sometime between Koala's Birth Day and Christmas: Caterpillar's Birth Day (Platypus's midwife is thinking on inducing the first or second week of December)
Then My Family arrives from my home state for Christmas
Christmas!!
New Years's!! -- and extended Family Christmas!
WHEW!! then we get to settle down for a little bit!
And as promised!! Here are the Family Portraits Penguin took!!
