In recent weeks, we have heard disturbing rhetoric about a “war on women” being tossed about in the news media. And sadly, it’s true. I know that a lot of people have very strong feelings about abortion and about the pro-life and pro-choice movements. And I know putting them aside is hard to do.

Recently, I wrote a letter to the 5th district Congressional Representative because I was very concerned that in a debate over religious objections to the birth control requirement in Obamacare, the only voices being called to testify in front of the committee were male. I’m sorry, men, but this issue is not one you should be fronting the debate on. It is an issue affecting women’s health. That is between every woman and her doctors. It may be between her and her husband or her children as well, but it’s not between her and the leader of her church. At least not when it comes to what can be an intensely private issue.

The response I received was polite, but it was still very much in the “Don’t worry your little head about this issue” vein. I’m sorry, whether I work for a religious organization or not, putting the decision of any kind of treatment for a woman out of her hands is reason for me to worry because I am a woman. But then comes the news that Pennsylvania is joining this bandwagon of states passing laws requiring a trans-vaginal ultrasound before an abortion.

Now, to me, abortion is a personal choice. It’s not one I’ve made, but I believe every woman has the right to make her own choice on what she does with her own body. Forcing women to have an invasive procedure regardless of the medical necessity is beyond the pale. Trans-vaginal ultrasounds are invasive, having had them during three pregnancies, I can attest to this, and by the text-book definition, forcing this is government-sanctioned rape.

Rape is defined as penetration of any orifice with any object without informed consent. Informed consent in a medical procedure like this would be between a woman and her doctor. Not the government. Unless we want to start dictating mandatory medical procedures for men as well, rather than leaving prostate exams between a man and his doctor, keep your politics out of our bodies.

No one is asking anyone to change their personal beliefs on abortion, but you cannot force people to believe what you want them to believe. If this trend continues and Roe vs. Wade is overturned, you aren’t going to see fewer abortions. What you will see is a rise in the black-market dealings and back-alley abortions by quacks with rusted coat hangers, just like it was before Roe vs. Wade was passed. Making women endure rape at the hands of their doctor because their government says they must is just proving that women are still property and every gain we’ve made in the last century is a joke. Allowing this is like spitting on Susan B. Anthony and the suffragettes.

And Americans wonder why the rest of the world thinks we’ve lost our minds? It’s because we’ve lost rational discussion amid the garbage being spewed by women-haters like Rush Limbaugh, who came out in support of terrorists (Kony and the Lord’s Resistance Army – look it up) and still hasn’t documented why he took Viagra to the Dominican Republic (again, well documented). Wake up, people. Or once our rights are gone, what will be left?

This is a copy of a letter I sent to the editor of my local paper. I have no idea if they will print it or not, but as you can tell, I am sickened by the trend of this country’s politicians to sanction raping women for political reasons.  I did receive a response that I needed to cut it down to less than 300 words, I got it to exactly 300, so we’ll see if they print it. Update: I spoke with the editor this afternoon.  The edited version of my letter will be printed within the next few days.

Things went crazy last summer, I suppose.  Now they seem to be back on an even keel once again, so I should probably play catch-up.

Kellen was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome last summer, which effectively rules out a home school curriculum, as he needs that socialization.  He has a tss to help him during the day, and we were very lucky with our first one.  She worked with him from the end of last school year up until about the end of March this year.  She was offered a full time position in her degree field and we really couldn’t blame her for taking it.  Kellen now has his new tss and she’s also fantastic.  Our interim one was good too, but Kellen just didn’t connect with her like he did the first one or like he has with this new one.

Baby Wyatt was born on December 21st, after a solid 3 weeks to a month of contractions for me, I begged to be induced before Christmas.  My doctor took pity and scheduled me in the Monday after I asked (on a Thursday).  Delivery was fine, there were no complications and we brought Wyatt home the next evening. 6lbs, 9 oz.   He’s now a perfectly healthy four month old.  He doesn’t have the colic issues of his brother, but he did have GERD, which seems to be mostly cleared up now, after a good two months of Zantac.

I’m so lucky to be home with him, as I’m seeing so much that I missed with Kellen and it’s nice to not be worried about things that are or aren’t happening at a job. 

Hubby’s been struggling with pain in his jaw and sinuses, finally made him an appointment with the oral surgeon who took care of my teeth.  Dr. took one look and said, “I see why you’re in pain.”  Surgery will be scheduled tomorrow, now that we got the 20% we have to pay together.  All of the teeth need to come out.  He has 30 septic and 2 partially impacted bony wisdom teeth.  Add in a few abscesses and it’s quite an ordeal.

So the appointment for the sensory assessment was yesterday.  My mom picked all three of us up at 8 am, we drove for two hours (damned windy roads are NOT nice with  morning sickness).  We got to Monroeville, had NO idea where the place was and the directions SUCKED.  So we finally find it, after 45 minutes of looking.  The appointment takes all of an hour, and basically, the OT says she doesn’t think it’s sensory, as she thinks there would be more clear signs of it. 

So we leave there, stop by target to return a trampoline part my mom bought that didn’t fit the one they were given.  Then it’s off to Chuck E Cheese.  OMG.  If I never go again, it will be too soon.  Unfortunately, Kellen LOVED it.  He can’t wait to go again.  So we’re talking about maybe later this summer, if we go somewhere to do baby shopping or my mom mentioned they might go school shopping near one.  Basically, it was mediocre pizza, and a lot of noisy games. 

I would’ve much rather gone to CiCi’s Pizza or Golden Corral ( I heart buffets).

We got home, with a bit of a fit on Kellen’s part when he realized he was coming back to my house for a bit.  He wanted to go see Augie (their dog).  We wound up heading over there around 6 anyway, and hubby helped my stepdad assemble the new trampoline mom bought.  She figured that by the time she’d bought the needed parts, she’d be better off to buy a new one and return the stuff she’d bought for the one they were given.  And if she’d known what all she would need, she never would’ve accepted the one they were given.  But once Kellen was told he was getting a trampoline, it would be really hard to tell him he wasn’t getting one after all.

3 hours later, we finally got home.  Kellen was getting a few minutes to jump on the trampoline, since it had taken so long to get it put up and together. 

On the plus side, my mom seemed really happy to see us.  She and the step-dad had had a spat, because he was supposed to put the trampoline up while we were in Monroeville and she was not happy to come home and find it not done, because Kellen was expecting it when he got home.  Us showing up got her out of helping, since hubby was more than willing.  And she and I talked a bit, and it was a nice talk, the kind I can’t ever remember us really having.

So I took cupcakes in to Kellen’s class this afternoon, they were celebrating his summer birthday today.  I was baking them yesterday and they turned out a little small, but I figured it’s a bunch of six and seven year olds, they don’t need huge cupcakes.  Every kid devoured theirs except Kellen.  He ate all the icing, once that was gone, he was done.  He probably would have been happier with chocolate cupcakes, but yellow cupcakes with chocolate icing was what I had handy.

In other news, the hubby calls me on his lunch break yesterday to tell me that when he took the money out of our account to pay rent, thinking we would then have like 4 dollars left, we had over a 140.  We’d completely forgotten about our Oklahoma Tax Return coming in.  So we are breathing big sighs of relief as well as kicking ourselves, cause his dad was already sending us 50 dollars to help us through this week.  So the 50 dollars is going to pay for lunch the day we to to Monroeville for Kellen’s test.  I can already hear Golden Corral calling my name.  (  Gotta love an all you can eat buffet for like 10 bucks and OMG the honey butter stuff…. *dies*)

Once again, into the craziness.

Kellen’s therapist (he’s having some adjustment issues, mom started taking him to a therapist after Gram died, they’re helping with school and such) has recommended we have a sensory integration screening and a developmental screening.  Kellen has some signs of Asberger’s Syndrome, and he wants to make sure that it’s either that or just an emotional/maturity issue holding him back at school.  His sensory integration assesment is scheduled for June 10th, and it’s in Monroeville (near Pittsburgh, for those of you not from PA).  The developmental is set up for July 16th, in Pittsburgh. 

When my mom called his doctor to set this up, after the therapist recommended we go somewhere with a research facility attached, like University of Pittsburgh Medical Center or Hershey Medical Center, the doctor wanted to send us to a local place for the evaluation.  Mom said no, he needs to be tested at a major center, so she called my aunt’s office (my aunt’s a psychologist) for a recommendation of who to call.  My aunt’s office offered to schedule the appointments for us, which was awesome.  We were told by Kellen’s therapist that it may be a year or so on a waiting list, but my aunt managed to get us appointments for the summer.

We had a meeting with his school yesterday, to determine if he would be moving on to second grade or repeating first.  We met with his teacher, the reading specialist, the principal, the guidance counselor and the school psychologist.  After some discussion, including what we’d heard from his therapist, we all agreed that this issue he is struggling with may not be helped by holding him back.  He just seems to not do well with pencil and paper at all, he does fine orally, or on the computer, but the actual paperwork just seems to frustrate him.  He will be moving on to second grade, but we will be monitoring his work and progress.  It makes me glad that no matter how tight money may get in the near future, I will be a stay at home mom.  That way I can give him the extra help he needs at home, as well as take the rest time I need with the pregnancy and the new baby.

I will be watching to see if we need to move to a home schooling curriculum, though I’m hoping we don’t have to.  The principal himself mentioned that there may come a time when a regular school curriculum will not be effective for him.  If that happens, my mother and I will have to discuss the option of home schooling, which I would be the only one home enough to do.  That would enable his day to be broken into shorter periods, as once we get through this winter, I would have to balance his time with the baby.

On the baby front, doctors said all is well.  I’m due around December 28th, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I spend Christmas in the delivery room.  So far everything looks good, I’ve had two ultrasounds, both on the same day.  I go back to my OB/GYN on June 16th, and back to the Perinatologist on June 30th.  They are definitely planning to monitor me closely, with the clotting disorder and the past miscarriage.  I talked to them about my issues taking regular pre natal vitamins.  The over the counter ones I took with Kellen rarely stayed down and the chewables I was prescribed last time would not stay down this time.  The doctor told me that since I am taking the extra folic acid supplement, I can take two flintstone vitamins a day.  Yay, those taste hella better than the prenatals.

So it’s been ages since I updated, mainly because once we got through the summer, we moved back to PA and we got stuck at my dad’s.  We were stuck on dial-up. yuck.

But now we’re in our own apartment.  It’s just a little two bedroom, but it’s big enough for us and for Kellen.  We have joint legal custody now, and we are in a graduated transition to physical custody.  In a few more weeks we will have him 50% of the time.  Hoping to have him full time by the start of next school year, but that’s still up in the air.  Mom’s also been bringing him over on Saturdays since we got moved.  He doesn’t want to do what she’s got planned, so he comes to Mommy’s house.

Works for me.

On other news, we’ve just found out we’re expecting again.  This time feels different from the last time, I don’t feel quite as stressed out.  Probably because I know my Gram’s at peace now, and I’m a lot closer to Kellen and not working.  We’re a bit stressed about money, but I know we’ll be fine once we get through this summer. 

Hubby’s really working hard on quitting smoking.  He’s come a very long way.  He now only smokes if someone gives him cigarettes at work.  He doesn’t buy them himself anymore, and he doesn’t smoke more than one or two  day if he has them. 

Anyways, that’s about it for now.  Not really much else happening around here.

At 7:30 this morning, while I had my hands up a raw chicken butt (at work, seasoning rotisserie chickens to use for the day), my cell phone rang.  Naturally, I figured it had to be important, cause no one would call me that early without a damned good reason.

It was my dad.

My grandmother (not the one with cancer) had a massive heart attack last night/ this morning and she passed away.  This was very sudden and completely unexpected, so everyone’s in a bit of shock.

The puppy is almost too smart for her own good.  Last night, she unzipped her kennel and got out.  And we’re still trying to get her house broke.  But she seems to have figured out that the carpet is not a place to pee.  She goes for tile.  That’s a plus.

We went up to the shelter today and came home with a puppy.  She’s about 12 weeks old, part german shepherd, part husky and possibly part collie.  She’s got beautiful blue eyes so we named her Calypso.  I’ll post pictures when I get around to taking some.  But she is just adorable.

So, physically, I’m healed.  Mentally/emotionally, it’ll probably be a while.  I’m noticing some signs of post-partum kicking in, which sucks.  But I’m finding it hard to socialize for long periods of time, especially with large groups of people.  Even when it’s mostly family, it’s hard. 

I actually cooked dinner tonight.  I made chicken thighs, baked in a butter based sauce that came out alright, but it would have been better had I skinned the chicken first.  Then the flavor could have soaked into the meat further.

I made mashed potatos and gravy and corn with it too.

It’s still a miracle that I cooked, especially has I wasn’t feeling so great.  I’ve had a nasty headache for the last few days, my sinuses are just going crazy.  It’s real bad allergy season around these parts, has me missing Texas, as I was much healthier there I think.

On the good news, I put on a skort that was tight on me last summer…. It fits much better now than it did then.  Yay!  Apparently, despite what the scale says, I have lost weight.  I think I’ve gained muscle though.