Gina's Ramblings

I do one of these corny posts EVERY year. Sort of the Cliff Notes version of my year.
This year has certainly had it's ups and downs. I started out last year with DH in VA where he was for a few months. We finally completed our home study and also got our foster care license. We were licensed in March and the same day, before the ink was dry we got placement of two brothers. Their other brother arrived about 2 weeks later.
In June we went from a house with six boys to a house with EIGHT boys when we took placement of a 5 y/o and a 3 month old. The 5 y/o was "possibly an adoptive placement". Two weeks later the three siblings left and went to go live with another family member (I still think of them often).
Come July I find out the surprise of all surprises... I am pregnant. After being told without medical intervention it wouldn't happen... well we showed them. DH was on the ship in the Pacific ocean when I emailed him to tell him we were expecting. We also learnedin July we were selected to be the official adoptive placement of the 5y/o
In August I took in a brother sister pair for a week while their foster mom was on vacation.
In September the 5y/o started Kindergarten. Out 9 y/o started in his gifted program and our 12 y/o started his last year of Junior High. At the end of the month we took placement of another 12 y/o boy.
In October. I withdrew our 13 y/o (he turned 13 in OCT ;) ) from school. He began homeschooling. Took him to yet another doctor to get a more specific and on target diagnosis on his condition. DH and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. We were again separated by miles upon miles of ocean
In November we, for the saftey of the boys and myself asked for the 12y/o foster placement to be removed. That same day we were asked to take in an 11 y/o boy. We hesitated and two days after the 12 y/o was gone the 11 y/o was here. Bringing us right back up to 6 boys.
In Dec, our 5 y/o turned 6! And then on the 17th, it was made official... his adoption was finalized. We learned at this point too that the now 9 month old would more than likely be moving onto a family placement as well. We also learned we are expecting a GIRL. Wonders will never cease!
It has been a year of major ups and downs and I left out a lot BUT I included some of the more interesting points hehe.
What are my wishes for 2008? Well I want our baby girl to be born happy and healthy. I would love for the 11 y/o to get some sort of permanancy. If that means he goes back to his parents then GREAT but this kid needs SOMETHING stable in his life. He feels like he is stuck in limbo here. Who can blame him? The system has failed him more than once. I want my husband to be here for our daughters birth and though he will have to leave quickly I want him to be safe in his travels to a part of the world in turmoil. I can hope our baby will delay walking until Daddy gets home. I want my children to continue to improve in ALL that they do. They truly make me very proud. Our 13 y/o though. I hope he finds peace there is so much turmoil in his brain that some peace would be a welcome thing.
I want everyone to reach and be recognized for their full potential.If you read it all to this point I know I can count on you as at the very least an interested reader and some I know are great friends too. Thank you all for being there for me. It means a lot

My husband took the oldest to the airport. Which means driving through Seattle during RUSH HOUR. Both ways Which is no where near as fun as the Rush Hour movie makes it out to be LMAO Mind you the man also took the 2 y/o because since Daddy has been gone so much he is attached to daddy's hip. Fighting traffic on the way home he stopped by and picked up some newborn-9 months clothes I purchased for the baby girl on the way. WEll he stopped by the bank and THEN there. From there over to a freinds house. She had a "few things" from her boys she wanted to move onto the next home. Few is the understatement of the year though. We were overly blessed with big boy clothes. All of my older boys are set!!! Our 11 y/o foster son came one pair of jeans and 2 sweats. He says he is set forver now. Thouh there were some argument between the 9y/o and 11 yeear old for certain shirts but I think they will recover hehehe
So I will go through all of our blessings for the next school year :)
Good true do something just to make it easier on the wife husbands... they do exsist and I was lucky enough to get one of the last remaining models. I love that man
Freinds.. good ones are few and far betwen but when you do find them you never want to say goodbye..

The glucose screening, I tell you that stuff makes me feel ill for the whole day. I took the test when I went to my appointment last Tuesday. I have not got a phone call yet, so no news is good news right? If it came back abnormal I am sure they would call me.
I am measuring a bit ahead from the external measurements. That is normal. I am at an appointment every two weeks now and in a few weeks, twice a week every week, NST's and ultrasounds. I like my doctor and his nurse and all BUT I do not like having to go up there that often (they are about 40 minutes away)
I had my 3D/4D ultrasound. I have to say it is an amazing thing. It is awesome to be able to see your baby. It truly looks like we are having a girl. I know will wonders never cease. Looking at the ultrasound she looks JUST like her brothers. Same face shape same chin and same little chubby cheeks. A girl. WOW Yes we know what we are naming her. DH and I could actually decide easily on a girls name. If by some fluke this turns out to be a boy, well we are going to be in huge trouble because we cannot decide on a name (it is the middle names that are getting us).
Other than that baby girl is still breech and I have an anterior placenta. Wonder how this will effect the c-section? hmmm

I am doing well. Baby is QUITE active. (s) he has a definite schedule though ;) Today I have a doctor appointment. I forgot all about until yesterday. Of course I am a bit sick this morning....well I have the begining of a cold anyway ick. I should be having my blood checked iron levels etc my glucose screening and hmmm I think that is it.
Saturday is my big ultrasound with the 3D/4D place in Seattle :) I am SO looking forward to it! I REALLY would love to know the gender of this little one!

I got a mailing for a "this week in your pregnancy" thing. It said this

Have you read heard about how pregnant women are at higher risk for preclampsia (aka toxemia)?

Which made me laugh concerning the definition of preeclampsia is

a condition characterized by pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, protein in the urine, and swelling (edema) due to fluid retention.