So, I think I've officially decided to go offline with the Roberts Family Chronicle and contribute to this ongoing 'future dialog' for my children in a private space. I'm sad that this ends the opportunity for other family members to add their two cents to the conversation, but I would really much rather have this collection of thoughts/piece of our family history tucked away for them to enjoy at a later date; when I'm ready to share it with them.
Farewell for now, World Wide Web.
xo
E
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Today was the first time in my career that a child's disrespect reduced me to tears. I am feeling overwhelmingly stressed at work right now and I am SO grateful to come home to my amazing family every day. What would life be without you guys? I don't even want to know.
I have a headache that is making me feel like my eyes and ears are going to bleed, so I'll keep this entry brief. I just wanted to jot down this note to my kids and Geoff to say thanks for making this life worth everything. On the shittiest work day that I've had so far, at least I left knowing that when I got home, I would be smothered with delicious hugs and kisses and genuine, unconditional love. Thank you.
I have a headache that is making me feel like my eyes and ears are going to bleed, so I'll keep this entry brief. I just wanted to jot down this note to my kids and Geoff to say thanks for making this life worth everything. On the shittiest work day that I've had so far, at least I left knowing that when I got home, I would be smothered with delicious hugs and kisses and genuine, unconditional love. Thank you.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
...when you're having fun
Nearly a year has come and gone since my last post, which is crazy. So, so much has happened in that span of time; a birth, a death, moments of panic and moments of pure bliss... so I won't pretend that I could even begin to recap the contents of the last 10 months. I'll instead just do my best to give a synopsis of the most important moments...
The birth of our amazing and beautiful Bridget Grace. My pregnancy was stressful, to say the least. I had very high hopes for a completely natural pregnancy and a home birth, but all of the doctors and midwives that I spoke to wouldn't allow it. Throughout the course of my pregnancy I had to give myself weekly injections of progesterone (P17) in my butt; which were meant to reduce the likelihood of another premature birth. Because I was already considered High Risk, I was being monitored more closely than most pregnant women. I had an appointment every other week for the first half of my pregnancy to be sure that things were on track, and at 27 weeks, the doctor diagnosed Bridget with Intrauterine Growth Retardation. This is a condition where the placenta fails to provide proper nutrition to the baby and she fails to grow at a normal rate for the gestational age. Bridget had asymmetrical IUGR, which meant that her head was a normal size for her age, but her abdomen and femur were measuring several weeks behind. For the next 11 weeks, I was seen twice a week by a perinatalogist, had an ultrasound twice a week and also a lengthy non-stress test twice a week. My whole world seemed to revolve around doctor appointments... and I am a person who typically avoids going to the doctor until it is absolutely positively necessary. It was a very difficult time but in the end, everything turned out just fine. At 37 weeks, they said her abdominal measurements had fallen under the 3rd percentile and that it was time to induce me; she would thrive much better outside of me at this point than inside. The day I hit 38 weeks, October 6th, they sent me into Labor and Delivery to start the process. About 24 hours later, my small but mighty angel was in my arms and healthy as could be. She came home with me 2 days later weighing 5lbs 10oz. She was absolutely perfect and remains so today.
In the middle of all this chaos, we were given an unbelievable gift. My mom.
Mom came and lived at our house from the end of August 2010 until just after Christmas. It was the best 4 month long gift that I could have ever asked for. She was Caelan's best friend and playmate while I spent SO many hours at the doctor's office, she was once again the other half of my birthing team, she helped in more ways than we can count when the baby came, she covered my maternity leave at Montessori, she was our laundry elf and she is still sorely missed. We will cherish our memories of Nana staying at our house forever.
Caelan turned 2 years old on June 1st and is so. much. fun. He is the happiest, sweetest, kindest little boy that I could ever hope for. He is as gorgeous as ever and getting bigger every day. In late October, he was diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech and is now undergoing speech therapy twice a week. I have known since he was 4 months old that Caelan had a language and oral motor problem and I am so relieved that he is receiving the help he needs now. He is very smart; scored above average in most all areas of development when they evaluated him; but a neurological disconnect between brain and mouth causes him to have great difficulty in forming words. He is making tremendous progress now and melts our hearts each day with what he says.
We have settled nicely into life as a family of 4. Life is sweet and we don't let a single day go by without recognizing all of our incredible blessings. For the health of my children, for our happiness, for our home, our jobs and for our family, I cannot begin to express my gratitude.
That is all I can manage for tonight, but I am going to do my best to fall back into a routine of writing more regularly again. With Bridget nearly 5 months old now, we have a very consistent schedule. While I still have very little spare time, I'm sure I can carve some out here and there.
Here are some recent pictures, to close with.
The birth of our amazing and beautiful Bridget Grace. My pregnancy was stressful, to say the least. I had very high hopes for a completely natural pregnancy and a home birth, but all of the doctors and midwives that I spoke to wouldn't allow it. Throughout the course of my pregnancy I had to give myself weekly injections of progesterone (P17) in my butt; which were meant to reduce the likelihood of another premature birth. Because I was already considered High Risk, I was being monitored more closely than most pregnant women. I had an appointment every other week for the first half of my pregnancy to be sure that things were on track, and at 27 weeks, the doctor diagnosed Bridget with Intrauterine Growth Retardation. This is a condition where the placenta fails to provide proper nutrition to the baby and she fails to grow at a normal rate for the gestational age. Bridget had asymmetrical IUGR, which meant that her head was a normal size for her age, but her abdomen and femur were measuring several weeks behind. For the next 11 weeks, I was seen twice a week by a perinatalogist, had an ultrasound twice a week and also a lengthy non-stress test twice a week. My whole world seemed to revolve around doctor appointments... and I am a person who typically avoids going to the doctor until it is absolutely positively necessary. It was a very difficult time but in the end, everything turned out just fine. At 37 weeks, they said her abdominal measurements had fallen under the 3rd percentile and that it was time to induce me; she would thrive much better outside of me at this point than inside. The day I hit 38 weeks, October 6th, they sent me into Labor and Delivery to start the process. About 24 hours later, my small but mighty angel was in my arms and healthy as could be. She came home with me 2 days later weighing 5lbs 10oz. She was absolutely perfect and remains so today.
In the middle of all this chaos, we were given an unbelievable gift. My mom.
Mom came and lived at our house from the end of August 2010 until just after Christmas. It was the best 4 month long gift that I could have ever asked for. She was Caelan's best friend and playmate while I spent SO many hours at the doctor's office, she was once again the other half of my birthing team, she helped in more ways than we can count when the baby came, she covered my maternity leave at Montessori, she was our laundry elf and she is still sorely missed. We will cherish our memories of Nana staying at our house forever.
Caelan turned 2 years old on June 1st and is so. much. fun. He is the happiest, sweetest, kindest little boy that I could ever hope for. He is as gorgeous as ever and getting bigger every day. In late October, he was diagnosed with Childhood Apraxia of Speech and is now undergoing speech therapy twice a week. I have known since he was 4 months old that Caelan had a language and oral motor problem and I am so relieved that he is receiving the help he needs now. He is very smart; scored above average in most all areas of development when they evaluated him; but a neurological disconnect between brain and mouth causes him to have great difficulty in forming words. He is making tremendous progress now and melts our hearts each day with what he says.
We have settled nicely into life as a family of 4. Life is sweet and we don't let a single day go by without recognizing all of our incredible blessings. For the health of my children, for our happiness, for our home, our jobs and for our family, I cannot begin to express my gratitude.
That is all I can manage for tonight, but I am going to do my best to fall back into a routine of writing more regularly again. With Bridget nearly 5 months old now, we have a very consistent schedule. While I still have very little spare time, I'm sure I can carve some out here and there.
Here are some recent pictures, to close with.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Ah, May.
I'm feeling awfully content tonight. We just had the sun-shiniest day possible at 85 degrees with a light breeze to keep things comfortable and cooler feeling. Now, at dusk, it is starting to sprinkle and we are meant to have a nice thunderstorm tonight. Could it be a more perfect May Day? I think not. The birds are singing, the air smells like a barbecue and Caelan is fast asleep, drunk on fresh air. Life is sweet.
We spent the entire day outside... up and down the slide, washed both cars, took a wagon ride, a stroller ride, weeded the back patio, watered the garden, etc, etc. I love this time of year.
With just a little over a month until the school year ends, I can see the summer light at the end of the tunnel and it is bright and glorious. I cannot wait for our summer trips to Asheville and Hilton Head and I cannot wait for all of the time that we get to spend together. Marrying another teacher was the best decision ever. Hooray for family togetherness!
I think I'm going to 'unplug' now and enjoy the sounds of spring with my eyes closed for a moment. The windows are open and birds are desperate to sing to me. So needy.
Today I am thankful for my senses; for the ability to see, smell, taste, touch and hear all that nature has to offer this time of year.
We spent the entire day outside... up and down the slide, washed both cars, took a wagon ride, a stroller ride, weeded the back patio, watered the garden, etc, etc. I love this time of year.
With just a little over a month until the school year ends, I can see the summer light at the end of the tunnel and it is bright and glorious. I cannot wait for our summer trips to Asheville and Hilton Head and I cannot wait for all of the time that we get to spend together. Marrying another teacher was the best decision ever. Hooray for family togetherness!
I think I'm going to 'unplug' now and enjoy the sounds of spring with my eyes closed for a moment. The windows are open and birds are desperate to sing to me. So needy.
Today I am thankful for my senses; for the ability to see, smell, taste, touch and hear all that nature has to offer this time of year.
Monday, April 12, 2010
It has been a long time since my last update; this time for good reason. I knew that I wouldn't be able to keep my mouth (fingers?) shut early on but now that I am out of the proverbial woods of the 1st trimester,I feel comfortable documenting in this family keepsake that our little family is growing. I am currently about 12 and a half weeks pregnant. I had my second OB appointment today and the new baby gave us a beautiful profile shot... everything looks great so far.
...More on this later, I guess. Caelan just woke up from his nap and doesn't sound happy about it.
Today I am thankful for the beautiful baby in my belly.
...More on this later, I guess. Caelan just woke up from his nap and doesn't sound happy about it.
Today I am thankful for the beautiful baby in my belly.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Blog Fail.
Clearly my new challenge isn't keeping my attention. Meh. I'll keep plugging away without it.
Not much is new in our lives at the moment. I wake up delighted to meet each new day and discover what challenges and triumphs it will bring. (Both are supplied readily with Caelan about to enter the so-called 'terrible two's') Life in general is wonderful and we're doing our best to soak it all up. Regular meditation has become a big part of our lives in recent months and this practice has made it SO easy to recognize the blessings in our life; which are innumerably abundant.
I have been thinking recently about all of the folks my age and older who spend their entire existence slaving away at their jobs and drinking their nights away at various bars in order to 'unwind' after the stress of their day. For me, this lifestyle is simply unthinkable. Just imagining myself in this scenario gives me a panic attack; yet I feel like it is the life being led by the majority of my generational peers. To each his own, of course, but all I can say is that I do not EVER regret the decisions I have made for myself and my family. I am living my dream job and it doesn't require bar hopping to feel good at the end of the day. I am doing what I love with people that I love and I am overpaid for doing it. If love were money, you could call me Bill Gates. It isn't the easiest job, but it is certainly the most rewarding, in every sense that matters.
So back to my original challenge, because I liked it more; Today I am thankful for such an amazing life and for all of the love in it.
Not much is new in our lives at the moment. I wake up delighted to meet each new day and discover what challenges and triumphs it will bring. (Both are supplied readily with Caelan about to enter the so-called 'terrible two's') Life in general is wonderful and we're doing our best to soak it all up. Regular meditation has become a big part of our lives in recent months and this practice has made it SO easy to recognize the blessings in our life; which are innumerably abundant.
I have been thinking recently about all of the folks my age and older who spend their entire existence slaving away at their jobs and drinking their nights away at various bars in order to 'unwind' after the stress of their day. For me, this lifestyle is simply unthinkable. Just imagining myself in this scenario gives me a panic attack; yet I feel like it is the life being led by the majority of my generational peers. To each his own, of course, but all I can say is that I do not EVER regret the decisions I have made for myself and my family. I am living my dream job and it doesn't require bar hopping to feel good at the end of the day. I am doing what I love with people that I love and I am overpaid for doing it. If love were money, you could call me Bill Gates. It isn't the easiest job, but it is certainly the most rewarding, in every sense that matters.
So back to my original challenge, because I liked it more; Today I am thankful for such an amazing life and for all of the love in it.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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