Fours Girls and NO More!

So....I have four daughters, nope not one son. There's only one penis in this house, well unless you count the dog.....so two, two penis'........oh but wait there is also the gerbil, does he count? At any rate, there is only one human penis in this house. I am okay with this, my husband says he is too......but daily threatens to go to Korea when our oldest hits puberty and won't come back until the youngest is out of college. That's an awful long time, I might miss him.......but I think he'll miss me more.

My oldest is 8 yrs 5mths old and a very "typical" 1st born. She likes to please us, she is usually very responsible, she torments her sisters with a sick pleasure that only a de-throned golden-only child for 2 1/2 yrs can muster. She was not only MY first, she was THE first of everyone's. She IS my mom's favorite, my mom will never admit this....but we all know it to be true.

Then there's the second child, oh lord the 2nd born almost 6 now. She was a dream pregnancy, quick (but painful) birth, and a dream baby. I really don't recall much of her first year, she was so good I really just don't remember much of it, horrible I know. I do have tons of pictures to prove I was there and took an active interest in her first year. THEN she turned ONE and all hell broke loose. She has a bowel problem. When she went from formula to whole milk, her body just couldn't handle it. After three years of endless pleading with doctors to please FIX my child, I finally found a doctor to help me. We had a rough weekend of enimas and milk of mag once a day, but she is finally a lot better off. Her personality has been shaped by this trama greatly, she is stubborn and DRAMATIC....but sweet and funny. And turns out, Lactose Intollerant.

The third born, a rough pregnancy. I had to be on bed rest for a month (oh so easy with 5 & 3 yr olds), there were threats for c-sections due to breech presentation, low fluid levels, placenta previa, anemia, and other not too threating but keep me in bed anyway things with my pregnancy. So....my 9mth, after positioning my body in ways pregnant ladies ought not have to be in, I got her to turn....good no c-section. I told her then, while in my belly......"You HAD better be the best damn baby ever......since you were the worst pregnancy ever!" And she kept her end of the bargain.......while she was a baby. She is two now. When she turned two we started to notice....."good God those are HORNS holding up that halo". This coiencidentally was the day baby number 4 came home.

Pregnancy number four was rough, very rough. The hardest day of my life was the end of this pregnancy. I was 16weeks 5days when I noticed blood, I wasn't panicked, but worried. We went to the ER, it was Memorial Weekend and my older girls were supposed to be going camping with my parents. I wasn't worried too much, I was even a little happy that maybe I would get an ultrasound and I wouldn't have to wait 4 more days to find out the baby's sex. I was examined and the nurse couldn't get the babys heartbeat, but not to worry she assured me, she sometimes couldn't find the beat on such small babies. When the doctor came in with the ultrasound machine and put it on my belly, I knew. As soon as I saw the baby on the screen, I knew. "There's no heartbeat" I barely whispered out, the doctor confirmed this to me. They couldn't tell me why, they couldn't do anything for me until Tuesday. I had to live for three days knowing my baby was gone, but still inside me. I started to misscarry while I was getting ready to go to the doctor to talk about my D&C. I nearly passed out from the pain on the way to the ER. For two hours as they prepped me for surgery I laid there in pain, bleeding so badly my mom was terrified I would die. Losing the baby wasn't bad enough, I had to have an emergency D&C on top of it. All the pain of giving birth....and more.....but none of the profit. I never did find out what the baby's sex was, I am not sure I want to know. Especially since if it had been a boy....that "joke" my husband tells about my body being evil and kicking out all of the boy sperm.... might not have been forgiveable anymore.

The 4th and FINAL daughter. She was not an easy pregnancy either, not quite as bad as #3, but bad enough. One VERY stiffiling summer day, my mom thought it would be a wonderful idea to go to the county fair in 110 degree heat, HOTTEST DAY THAT SUMMER. After being there for less than an hour we give up and go home, I am hot, 8mths pregnant, and doubling over with back pain. On the way home it becomes increasingly obvious that I am in need of medical attention. We drop the girls and my mom of and head to the hospital. They appease me a bit and send me home, nothings wrong with you.....whatever. I go home and am rolling on the floor, crying hysterically, just plain in pain. I am no wimp, I can take some pain, I did my first birth with little drugs (oh I wanted them, the guy showed up too late) and my second birth with pitosin and literally got my epidural, laid down on the bed and one push later she was out, no other drugs up to that point, my last two I was smart and asked for it EARLY. Anyways......So I am in so much pain I can't sleep, nothing helps. My mom comes and takes me back to the ER where we stay ALL NIGHT LONG. I have blood tests, a CT Scan (thought it might be blood clots in my lungs), they take soooo much blood my levels went down 4pts while we were there. Turns out I was severely anemic, you are supposed to be around 12-14 blood count, I had a count of 6. I had to have a blood transfusion. We never did find the source of the severe back pain, doctor thought I might have a slipped disk. Two days later the back pain was gone and it has not returned. Personally I think she was laying on a nerve, she moved one night and I felt worlds better.

#4 herself has been a challange. She has had a few medical problems, nothing too serious just enough to scare you. She is tongue tied, not too bad, doesn't require clipping. Thought she had acid reflux, turned out she had a condtion where the muscles around her voice box are not strong enough so when she breathes they collapse over the airway causing her to make a "stuffy nose" sound. That will go away by her first birthday and was not serious enough to require surgery. She was hospitalized at 4mths for a really bad stomach virus for FOUR freaking days. She was really dehydrated by our appointment with the doctor, she had been throwing up all night and we made an appointment for afternoon, by then she was badly dehydrated and required hospitalization. AND an ambulence ride, in an ice storm, to downtown KC in the late evening, about a 45 min ride. I couldn't breastfeed her as long as the other girls, it just irritated her stomach too much. I coped out and quit, I do feel quilty about that one. She is now 5mths old, happier, healthier, and sleeping peacefully at night (the only saving grace).

If you can't tell already I am a SAHM. My husband is a Soldier in the Army and we have been married for almost nine years now.