Friday, February 6, 2015

friday night partier

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did i say that already?  small things are veddy, veddy mighty. 

* * *

fish tacos, chips - full of gmo's, beans
66 degrees.  say wha?  yes, practically hot.  i think the hubby used his freakin' ac.  polar bear jones. 
vail this weekend?  probably not.  brian and his two cornballs are here.  i'm prego and boring as all get out.  i remember being pregnant with courtney king and we just wanted to leave the bar and chill.  we laughed so hard at ourselves.  i'd like to just curl up in bed with my two cats, watch a funny movie, and eat ice cream balls.  lets see what i really do...

Friday, January 30, 2015

Respect

i forgot how much i loved this...  i found it in one of my earlier posts when pregnant before.  i adore indian culture and the spirit involved.  the respect of the people is profound to me and speaks to me like no other.  i read an article, yesterday, about how a shaman sees a mental hospital.  it was breathtakingly interesting.  they see how we treat our mentally ill as a travesty and believe that they need support in dealing with the energy that has infiltrated them.  anyway, its a long explanation that was backed up by a schizophrenic pt., age 18, going to a village in africa for "treatment" and healing.  he loved it so much that he decided to stay.  he said he felt so much safer than in america. 
anyway -

* * * 

entry 4 days before we lost our little girl:

1/17/2013
i plan to hand-write this for my child, before its born, to forever keep.  cherokee indian is said to run through my family (and is SUCH an interesting story told by my grandmother!) and the native american way of life is one with which i identify the most, on this earth.  i cant explain it.  perhaps, because its truly part of me, in my blood.  being quietly humble and not boastful, respecting the earth, its people, plants, and animals, and being of healthy mind, body, and soul.

* * *

Rise with the sun to pray. Pray alone. Pray often.
The Great Spirit will listen, if you only speak.
 

Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path.

Ignorance, conceit, anger, jealousy and greed stem
from a lost soul. Pray that they will find guidance.

Search for yourself, by yourself. Do not allow others
to make your path for you. It is your road, and
yours alone. Others may walk it with you,
but no one can walk it for you.

Treat the guests in your home with much consideration.
Serve them the best food, give them the best
bed and treat them with respect and honor.

Do not take what is not yours whether from
a person, a community,the wilderness or from a
culture. It was not earned nor given. It is not yours.

Respect all things that are placed upon
this earth – whether it be people or plant.

Honor other people’s thoughts, wishes and words.
Never interrupt another or mock or rudely mimic them.
Allow each person the right to personal expression.

Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative
energy that you put out into the universe
will multiply when it returns to you.

All persons make mistakes.
And all mistakes can be forgiven.

Bad thoughts cause illness of the mind,
body and spirit. Practice optimism.

Nature is not FOR us, it is a PART of us.
They are part of your worldly family.

Children are the seeds of our future. Plant
love in their hearts and water them with
wisdom and life’s lessons. When they
are grown, give them space to grow.

Avoid hurting the hearts of others.
The poison of your pain will return to you.

Be truthful at all times. Honesty is the
test of one’s will within this universe.

Keep yourself balanced. Your Mental self, Spiritual
self, Emotional self, and Physical self – all need
to be strong, pure and healthy. Work out
the body to strengthen the mind. Grow
rich in spirit to cure emotional ails.

Make conscious decisions as to who
you will be and how you will react. Be
responsible for your own actions.

Respect the privacy and personal space of
others. Do not touch the personal property of
others – especially sacred and religious
objects. This is forbidden.

Be true to yourself first. You cannot
nurture and help others if you cannot
nurture and help yourself first.

Respect others religious beliefs.
Do not force your belief on others.

Share your good fortune with others.
Participate in charity.

Take Two. Free Shamu.

crazed.  looking back through my first pregnancy is interesting.  i was a mess.  so full of unhealthy anxiety.  perhaps, it had something to do with her.  maybe her missing x was the key to my happiness.  either way, i was scared.  growing up in an unstable environment so early really shook my confidence in life.  but, i'm growing up.  still, and every day.  its so unfair to keep leaning on the past.  the future is MINE.  i can make my life exactly how i want.  no blame, no fear.  one of the biggest lessons that i've learned in life is that living in the past WILL KILL YOU.  if we dont forgive and move on and make our own lives beautiful, we have no one to blame but ourselves.  you will absolutely never evolve.  EVOLVE.  i'm here to make sure i do.  its beyond important to me.  its a life mission.

i realized that i didnt even talk about the second...  not a peep.  i was close to being out of my first trimester and thinking things were going smoothly.  delivery date of 3/09, a Biggie Smalls-related date and the day after Jills bday (my Loves mom).  it was perfect.  again, just like before.  dates.  they are so relevant in our lives.  7's, 3's, 13's, dates, birthdays...  its nuts.  but, i woke up in the middle of the night.  again.  the day before his birthday.  excruciating pain for 7 hours.  we went to urgent care and they decided to take more blood.  fucking brilliant.  i passed out.  i should have sued them.

painful details spared - 11wks, take two. 

i released it into the Great Pacific on my adoption birthday.  my father adopted me this day many moons ago, so its significant.  it was one of the most beautiful days that i've ever seen in my life.  we took it right to the brim of the ocean near the rocks.  the sun was so warm, the air timid, and the waves washed lightly on the banks of the rocks in ocean beach.  what i did was illegal, so i had to be cautious.  but, i didnt care.  i was doing it my way.  i wasnt about to go through the bs that i went through last time.  i got as close to the edge as possible, said a prayer, and released.  but, as i did, the biggest, highest wave crashed to shore and nearly swept me out to sea!  i kept my balance on the slippery rock and crouched down a bit for more stabilization.  whoa.  i was completely soaked.  my eyes from crying, my being from nature, and my soul.  i should have felt heavy, but i didnt.  i fell into my Loves arms as we cried.  i love him so much.  he's there with such an open heart.

we walked back to land and decided to go into wonderland for lunch and drinks.  lots of drinks.  san diego is so incredibly gorgeous in late autumn, but this day was especially unique.  wonderland is on the second floor while overlooking the ocean, directly, and has HUGE wide open windows across the entire span of the front of the restaurant.  the warm breeze and salty air rush through and envelop you.  its magnificent.  its new, so our first time there.  there was a band playing on the lawn near the beach.  OB is a local hippie town that we lived in for quite a few years, but through time, has gone down hill a bit.  now, you see more tweekers and bums, than anything.  but, the old vibe still remains.  this day, the vibe was hippie tribal (the music), people throwing frisbees, walking their dogs, surfing, skate boarding with shirts dangling from back pockets, and in the ocean, there were HUNDREDS of people holding hands while sitting on surf boards trying to break a guiness book of world records record.  largest circle of people in the ocean, or something...  they did it.  we ran into an old friend and spent the afternoon with him and his newest girlfriend.  it was a beautiful day.  exactly what we needed.

oh, i almost forgot.  we did a 5k walk through Sea World first thing in the morning.  i detest Sea World for harboring all of their shamu's in a miserable life, but it was for charity and disabled children of my company.  we got to pet rays and hang with an owl. 

free shamu.  i freed our little shamu.  ♥

The Calm

i'm soooo tired...  ALL the time...  but, for very good reason.  =) 

when you've, personally, been through so much tragedy, its extremely difficult to find pure peace.  no one that hasnt been through it will absolutely never understand.  i see women get pregnant, love or hate their entire pregnancies (i've seen both sides!  some people are so miserable), and birth their beautiful baby, never knowing what could have happened and never experiencing the loss that can bring you closer than ever to your baby.  i, sometimes, fear that.  getting too close to my baby because of the tragedies i've experienced.  i dont want to smother-love my baby because of the loss of the others.  i'm aware.  keenly aware.  i dont want to take anything away from a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby.

so, i'm trying to be calm.  i'm trying to not worry about every little ping and pang that happens in my belly that, before, meant contractions, starting minor and gradually getting stronger and more painful, leading to a death inside of me.  its happened twice, and both times have been painful.  and both times i was alone.  locked away from the world.  the recluse in me shines brightly in times of pain.  i was born this way.  i cant be near one other person, no matter how much i love them.  i always feel badly for THEM because they dont understand.  my mother used to try to make me talk things out and i couldnt.  thats her, not me.  i'm painfully private.  its just a natural force inside me and the force is strong.  i love the world so deeply, but i need to face certain things on my own.  it has nothing to do with love, but rather my spiritual being.  freedom within myself.

i almost passed out with alexis.  i just kept focus, i kept breathing, and i kept telling myself, "i'm a woman.  an incredibly strong woman with a high pain tolerance.  i'm designed to do this.  breathe."  so, when i have strong, sharp pains inside of me, i stand guard.  everything stops.  i cant hear anything.  i sit very still, like the air on a mid-year day in the dead of summer.  i listen to my body.  i look for exits.  i plan how to get home if i'm out.  once i know that the feeling is nothing similar to before, i breathe-easy.  touch my belly and say, "stay with me, love."

calm.  breathe deep and remain calm.  you will come to us.

* * *

songs played as write:
george michael - kissing a fool
tears for fears - head over heels
devo - whip it
the clash - rock the casbah
duran duran - dont say a prayer for me now
kool & the gang - too hot

10:45a at work.  alone.  boss sick, co-worker out.
drinking my daily tea - warm water, tumeric, cayenne, cinnamon, raw honey.  ran out of lemon and ginger.
eating an organic banana w/ cashew butter and almonds.

snow has melted.  its 39 and partly cloudy.  it was 65 earlier this wk.  crazy.  the weather is pretty mild here, overall.  but, "they say" it snows through march and april?  hm.  how are flowers supposed to grow with snow falling from the sky...  the only way to know is see for yourself.


Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Hi. Please, tell me third time is a charm. Its my favorite #.

(clears throat...  even though she's typing...)

we're back.

i, believe, that i'm 8wks along...  i'm not 100% positive, but i know almost exact dates...  last cycle, possible date of conception...  12/04/14.  12/09-12/14...

so, my precious love took the liberty of buying us "sticks" in bulk to test ovulation times, possible pregnancy times...  we've been using them for the last year and they've been pretty accurate.  when i felt like it was certain, i went to the store to get an OTC test - clear blue easy.  mind you, the EPT test was 44 dollar and this test was 14.  i stood there staring at the cost difference and pondering how in the hell they could be so far different. 

"how much technology could possibly be SO different in each LITTLE container?!?"  google it.  so, i did.  they said they're all basically the same.  why did i pick the cheaper one?  99.7% accuracy right there on the package. 

sold.

go through self pay line, off i go home.  wait...  i have to go to the bathroom so badly right now...  should i take the test now?  hell no!  not in a supermarket!  but, i have to go soo badly!  screw it.  i'm over being a snob, about certain things.  food?  yes.  curtains?  yes.  mauve carpet and couches?  yes.  this?  no.  i want to know because i'm too excited PLUS, i have to go to the bathroom and have been holding it forever, making it prime-time for the test results.

off i went.  bathroom empty, thank the lords.  here goes a very long three minutes...

"i cant believe i'm standing here in a public bathroom doing this.  who cares!  shut up and grow up.  i have to lay this thing flat...  i'm NOT setting it anywhere weird... how about here, on the top of the paper dispenser with a piece of toilet paper under it..."

three minutes later...

"pregnant - 1-3 weeks"

i was elated!  happiness rushed over me and i crammed everything in my purse, ran out the bathroom to my car and couldnt stop smiling.  i, absolutely, could not wait to tell my bear!




Thursday, March 7, 2013

3/07/2013. Happy Birthday, Jill

...continued...

trying to find closure on this has been a hell-on-wheels experience.  and i dont mean my feelings surrounding the event.  i mean getting my little girl back into my possession.  i had no idea that i would be forfeiting my daughter and would ONLY be able to get her back into my possession after her tests, by authorizing a mortuary to pick her up and care for her remains.  FUCK.  YOU.  (sorry mom.)  no one told me such VITAL information.  mortuaries and funeral homes are necessary and EXPENSIVE businesses.  great....  *sigh*  i called everywhere...  but, the first place that i called was a place that our best friend was buried in 2010.  it was the only place that i knew by name, and that one place just so happened to be the one, out of hundreds called, that was reasonably priced.  thank you, michael.  you led us there...  the coordinator had the same thing happen to him and his wife.  they were set to have twins, but one didnt make it.  the other one is 31 years old, this year.  this connection helped us not only afford the process, but we received unimaginable amounts of genuine compassion from him.  joseph lemon.  we're grateful to you, in so many ways.

the lab that tested her didnt call me to let me know that her results here in.  i had to call THEM when i finally got fed up with waiting around, with all of these damned feelings lingering in my soul. 

so, here are the results personally transcribed from the report given to me 2/07/2013:

Anatomic Pathology Addendum Report
Accession #:  02-SP-13-0003096
Pathologist:  Arturo Mendoza, M.D.

Results:  abnormal sex chromosome complement: 45, X

Interpretation:  This analysis showed no diagnostic copy number changes for the 22 autosomes.  However, an array profile consistent with only a single X chromosome was identified.  These results likely represent a 45, X karyotype which is associated with Turner syndrome and is a fairly common finding in spontaneous pregnancy loss.

Chromosome X monosomy [FYI - a form of aneuploidy (abnormal # of chromosomes) with the presence of only one chromosome - instead of the typical two in humans - from a pair.  Partial monosomy occurs when only a portion of the chromosome has one copy, while the rest has two copies] is typically do to a sporadic non-disjuction event.  However, there are rare cases in which a parent has a translocation involving chromosome X, which significantly increases the recurrence risk for monosomy X.  A karyotype of both parents can be performed to evaluate for the responsibility of such a translocation.

lehmans terms?  we need a pair of sex chromosomes (XX for girls, XY for boys).  she is missing a X chromosome and would i have gone full term with her, she would have endured an abnormally short stature, ovarian failure, and possibly have mild learning disabilities.  every cell in her body would only have one chromosome.  the X.  cause?  error in fathers sperm or mothers egg.  in 75-80% of cases, the single X chromosome comes from the mother's egg; the father's sperm that fertilizes the egg is missing its sex chromosome.

a female fetus (normally XX) can survive with only one X chromosome, but a male fetus (normally XY) could not survive with only one Y chromosome. this is because not having an X chromosome is much worse than not having a Y chromosome. the Y chromosome carries very few genes essential for life.  in contrast, the X chromosome is a much longer DNA molecule and contains many, many genes that are needed for cells to function.

i was, initially, reluctant to have her cremated, but upon my buddhist study, it is mandated, which made me feel better.  the cremation symbolizes a sense of detachment in that, the soul of the departed is set free from bondage. buddhists believe that attachment towards the dead is detrimental to the progress of the soul in seeking a new life after death.  buddhists believe in Samsara (cycle of birth and death) until they reach salvation through Nirvana.

our daughter is set for her cremation tomorrow, 3/08/2013.  we signed all of the papers today, which is jills, my husbands late mother, birthday.  she passed in 2010.  our friend, michael, was the first to tell him of the news, and michael passed three months later, and is buried where our daughter is set for cremation tomorrow...  our crazy universe....

happy birthday, jill.
thank you, michael.
and i love you, alexis parker.

may we all be as free as you, one day.



Friday, February 8, 2013

Alexis - Our X Factor

thursday, february 7th. 


~ * ~ .......he was a she....... ~ * ~


X chromosome...  and the only one that she had...

we had planned to name her, if we had a girl, alexis parker.  my Love wasnt sold on the parker, but he picked alexis, so i felt the right.  and i wasnt 100% sold on it, anyway.  just about 80%.  dominic for a boy, alexis for girl.

alexis it was.

a fetus' genitalia does not fully form to be recognizable to the human eye until you're well into your second trimester.  even then, its a gamble and, sometimes, a full surprise upon delivery.  even though, in my hand, i held and studied my tiny, precious, and perfect baby and thought i had determined the sex correctly.  i was incredibly wrong.  and i say incredibly because of more than the obvious reason of my error.  the other reason is that i had been taken down the road of thinking that i was carrying a baby boy from the very beginning.  everyone told me, and i mean EVERYONE, "you dont have any pregnancy symptoms...  its a boy, for sure."  but, i had heard conflicting stories, too.  my mother with me, my best friend with her two girls - no sickness, no violent and traumatic issues.  i was playing the "which do you think it will be?" game with everyone that i told about the pregnancy, just for fun and see what peoples intuitions would be.  i asked multitudes of people - friends, family, random strangers...  "i say, boy," was the, nearly, unanimous guess.  nearly...  except one.  the ace hardware man that was beyond excited about his own, new grandchild being born.  he and his wife even fashioned a FULL nursery for the babies arrival and when his son and daughter-in-law would visit.  a little girl. 

"we're having a granddaughter," he gushed.

his anticipation was the cutest i'd seen and felt so happy for him and his family. 

"take a shot in the dark about what you think i'll have," i asked, wondering if he would play along. 

he stopped, looked at both my husband and me and said, "well, i say a girl.  for no other reason than thats the first thing that comes to mind since thats what we're having."

"you're the very first person to say girl.  everyone else has said boy," i told him.  he smiled and said, "well, either way its exciting.  good luck!"

regardless, i wavered, back and forth, over which i would prefer and i envisioned my husband bonding with a son and being the father that would put all others to shame.  we chatted, back and forth, of the benefits and disadvantages of both.  boys are, at most all times, on full throttle, rambunctious and loud.  they want to skate board and play full contact sports to channel their multitudes of energy and chit chat about their every minds fantasy and play video games and break every single bone in their bodies by the tender age of 16...  *phew*  i'm tired just thinking about it.  i had concluded... and i wanted a girl.  girls are, so often, sweet and gentle when they're small.  i know i was.  i felt like a very quiet and happy child that only wanted to chat with people because i liked them or felt some sort of compassion to them.  i can remember sitting in early classrooms and watching everyone around me chat and wonder how they felt like sharing their every desire with everyone else.  i isolated myself from them.  so, i would just go back to my drawings, writings, and homework.  i, simply, didnt have that "gift" to share every little thing that was on my mind.  i believe modern day calls it the "gift of gab".  but, dont get me wrong - i could talk, but it tended to be if i was talked to first with a relevant subject.  not just about timmy and how cute he was.  i dont blame them for their light conversation, but i grew up faster than the average functional child.  hardships do that, i've realized.  you cant relate to certain things and your mind gets shaped by your own environment.  so, i would find comfort in my mind.  it was my retreat.  i remember sitting in my room and playing by myself for hours and being so content.  i remember hanging out with boys and wondering why they were so loud and having the need to scream everything to me and bang things around.  i remember falling deeply in love with animals with which i grew up, and thinking of them as my very best friends.  especially tiny, gypsy, and sinbad.  two cats and a dog. 

to be continued...