It's time to get up and get moving again. I go back to work on Sunday and next weekend I go to Jim's to help with the babies. And there will be four of them! Thomas gets to come home today. I am so happy to be able to say that. The other three are giving the parental units fits. It seems that they have their days and nights mixed up. How much more fun can one family have? It was 106 here yesterday. Wanna guess how much I love thinking about going back into that hot kitchen? I've been sitting around getting lazy so long that I don't even have any interesting gossip to pass along. I guess I'll close til next time.

There's no place like home, there's no place like home

I got home yesterday, slept well last night and still feel like I've been "rode hard and put up wet". Nothing like babies to let you know how much you've aged. I told Paul last night that if I was offered $500 to spin one ounce of fiber I would have to pass it up. That should tell everyone how exhausted I was. Alllison was so insistent that she and Jim could take care of the three babies that are home. I think that last night proved how hard that could be. I hope anyway. I know that she wanted her house to herself and her family, but reality is that it is impossible for the two of them to manage without help. She even sent her own mother home. I feel so sorry for Jim. He is trying to run the household, take care of babies, and still go to work at the same time. Any bets on how long that can last? My vote is that it is already over. Yes I am angry and cranky. I will get over it.
The babies are delightful. Zachary has colic and is only pain-free if he is being held against a warm, calm tummy. Or in my Mom's case a very generous bosom. Reagan has some tummy issues too, but not as bad as Zachary. Jonathan is a laid back little dude. He sleeps while he is taking his bottle. Very little perturbs him. Thomas is improving and is taking half of his meals from a bottle now. He weighs over 6 lbs. As soon as he takes all his meals from the bottle he can come home. The pictures were taken on their 1 month birthday. Gotta go take a nap now. I wish Jim could.

country roads take me home

Well my journy through diapers and formula and colic ends tomorrow. Of course I will be coming back but for the moment I am longing for my own bed. My babies are wonderful and I love them dearly, but I am not cut out for rocking a crying baby for 4 solid hours while he has a tummy ache. Allison is getting better each day and her eyesight is improving but not yet good enough to drive. The church they attend has arranged for different ladies to come in on shifts during the day to help with laundry, feeding, and general chores and baby stuff. Different ladies every day through the week and three shifts a day. It is a wonderfully generous thing but I have some serious reservations. More when I get home.
Thomas is still in NICU but he is also improving. He is taking a bottle 4 out of 8 feedings a day. When he takes them all by bottle he can come home.
No new pics to post this time. Hopefully I can get some good ones today. Talk to ya later.

I have been in Knoxville for a week now. I am so used to looking after three babies that it feels "normal". That's scary. It's amazing how much you can accomplish on so little rest. Zachary has colic just like his Dad did. Jim needed to know that you cannot spoil 1 month old babies. Poor little thing NEEDS to have his tummy against someone warm and relaxed. He asked me and Mom how we did it. been there, done that, bought the T-shirt! We knew what it was and what to expect and we didn't have a work schedule to meet or cooking etc., so we could be relaxed and patient. Something first-time moms and dads have to learn. And boy is the lesson painful! For Jim it is twice as painful. He thought he could handle all of this on no rest or knowlege. He is learning.
Thomas is still in NICU. He is not in any danger, he just needs to catch up in the eating and breathing categories. He is improving slowly, like his mom. Allison is doing much better, but her eyesight is still not up to par.

It's time to pack up for my trip to Knoxville tommorrow. Ah sleep deprivation, how I have missed you! (giggle). Of course I am taking knitting projects and yarn. And in case of emergency, I am taking my drop spindle.
I will try to keep everyone updated. I am sure that Jim will fix it so that I can. He is one of my two computer gurus. Later, Pam

Bu-bye now.

My poor babies, (Jim and Allison) finally reeached the end of their ropes this week. I have been looking for it for some time now. Jim has realized that he literally cannot do and be all things to all people no matter how much he wants to and Allison lost it when she thought that she and Jim were going to be left alone with the babies and she still can't see. Her mother and sis are gong home this weekend and my mother and I will be goin up to Knoxville. I don't know why the heck Jim didn't hear me when I said I'd be there when he needed me. Maybe he heard and just didn't think I could be there. I don't know but they were very relieved to hear that I was coming to help. I will be there for 2 weeks. I will try to keep y'all posted. I know Jim hs a computer.
thomas is still in the hospital. His little jaw muscles still aren't strong enough to suck enough formula to keep him thriving. He has gained weight and weighs 5lbs 3ozs now. When he can take all his food from a bottle (instead of a tube) for 3 days in a row he can come home. Zachary has a touch of colic. I KNEW their was a reason he kept drawing his little knees up to his tummy and kicking. Jim had 6 month colic so I knew what I was seeing. (See, I knew Zachary was going to make Jim pay for his raising)
The congregation at mothers' church is collectiong diapers (or maybe gift certificates) for the babies. These nice people have been very supporting for the long haul and we cnnot thank them enough.

little time out

I went to see the babies on Saturday. Already they are developing distinct personalities. Zachary is fussy and spits out the pacifier and kicks off his blanket. Reagan will not sleep in the crib with the boys, preferring the vibrating bouncy seat. Jonathan is oblivious. He just eats and sleeps and is content to do so . Thomas is still lagging behind. Until lhe takes a bottle every four hours like the others he cannot come home.
I have been so busy with this blog and the other one that I just had to take yesterday off. A little computer time out if you will. But I am back with new pictures. The little blond cutey is Kinley, the quads' first cousin. She belongs to Allisons' sister Jody. she is a year old and absolutely delightful to be around. I got to feed and change Reagan while I was there. They are still so little that they aren't held for very long. They have still got some catching up to do.The pictures are of Reagan and Zachary. I don't know how I ended up with two pics of Reagan and none of Zachary. I will make up for it later.
The

All blogged down

Blog blog who's got the blog? I tried, I really did, to make the TF blog open to all the twisted friends. Not good the way I did it. Long story short: Lynne is helping me set up a blog (or setting one up herself) that we can all post on. Yipee!
I was such a bad girl at the retreat (diet-wise) that I am now paying for it. My feet hurt so bad I can't walk. Great excuse for sittin&knittin. Paul says I just (just?) have gout. Dunno. Never had it. Whatever the cause, I'm not going anywhere .
Three of the babies are coming home tomorrow morning. Jim says Thomas will soon follow. He is still in formula and sucking training. He is now in the crib with the rest of them. Aren't they adorable? Allison is still lacking about half of her eyesight. In perspective, she can't see well enough to put a key in a keyhole. Don't know if it will ever get better. But she is still with us and that was iffy for a while.
I am going to sit back in my recliner and pick up my needles now. Later. It's later now, like the next day, and this silly thing still isn't where I want it. Republishing.....

Happy Fourth

Hi everyone,
Happy Fourth of July. I got some pics of the babies today and thought I would share some of them.

I'm back

Well, I am home from Crane Hill and the Red Rooster Retreat. It was one of the best things to happen to me except the Quads. We all had a great time and added three new Twisted Friends to the ranks. We would have had four, but poor Terri wasn't able to come. Next time Terri? How about SAFF? How many of us can meet there? I am planning to be there.
If any of you want to keep up with the Twisted Friends, I have created a new blog for us. The addy is twistedfriends.blogspot.com. Please post comments and give me your feedback.
On a personal note: Little Thomas is off the respirator and is taking small amounts of milk with a bottle. He is still getting most of his nourishment through a tube but is improving daily. Allison still does not have her eyesight back totally. It may never come back but I am praying hard for her complete recovery. Please keep her in your prayers also. Here are some pics of our trip. Wish I could get the text under the pics but oh well.
If I left anyone out of the pictures I will get you next time somewhere. I need to knit now. Love.... Hmph! I have been trying since 9:00 this morning to get this post to show up. I am getting frustrated now.

see ya later

I am all packed up and ready to go. The hardest part is waiting. All I have to do now is load the truck. Well, I still have to take down my wheel but I may want to spin some to while away the hours. I truly am an addict!

I hope my avatar jumps to this posting. Carolyn helped me put her in my sidebar. Since this is a fantastical journey, she is all decked out in fantasy.

I don't have much of an update. Allison is feeling poorly and had to have a ct scan last night. May be something going on in there that was missed. Thomas is now off the respirator. Hooray!

Well, I will "see" y'all on Sunday or Monday. With pictures. Ta ta.
news flash:
Allison is doing great!!!!! Scan showed nothing but fluid and her 100% normal kidneys will take care of that in due time. She is still partly blind. I don't know much about that except that it usually clears up in time too. She got to see her babies for the first time yesterday and held and fed Jonathan. (note the corrected spelling of his name) . The dr. says she may get to go home this weekend. I believe the babies will be staying for a while. I just had to tell y'all the glorious news. Angi (note the corrected spelling here too)I still can't post on your blog. What url should I use?

Start packing

Well I have been sorting my rovings and yarn and trying to get organized for the trip to Alabama tomorrow. Tomorrow, tomorrow, is only a day away. I just can't believe it's been a year since I first learned to dye and spin. I will be picking Jennifer up at the airport in Nashville and then we're off to Crane Hill and a reunion with our "Twisted Friends".

Allison has been moved to another room and is no longer catherized. She is a little nauseous still and hasn't seen her babies yet. Maybe today. I hope.

I have borrowed an idea from Caroline and made myself an avatar. Wouldn't you just know I could have a lamb for a pet? Ya gotta love it. AT Yahoo she moves. I 'll be playing with her more later. Gotta start packing. I mean cleaning. Can't pack it until I can find it

Allison is doing great. I went to see her and the babies yesterday. She was sitting up in bed eating. She still cannot see very well but her vision is slowly returning. Thomas is improving too and may be off the ventilator today. The other three are all in the same big crib together and they have no I V's any more. They are all eating REAL well. I almost got a chance to hold one but Jim (and rightfully so in my opinion) said he didn't want to do that because Allison hasn't even seen them yet (that she remembers) and she is their mother. All of you already Grannies: is it always that hard to give in to the wishes of the parents and not do what you are longing to do?

I am going to have a busy day today. I am going to start packing for our reunion/retreat in Alabama. If I don't start now I am liable to forget something vital. I have so much that I want to take that I am mostly going to be choosing the things to leave behind.

small update

Allison is better this morning. Thank You God. Her vision is improved and her urine output ils better. You go girl! Flush that bad stuff out of your body. That is all I know for now.
Anji asked me about Carey. I didn't forget about her I have just been a little pre-occupied. Seems like the shadow on the ultrasound was a cyst. The doctor drained it. Carey is pregnant and due about Feb. if everything goes ok. Five grandchildren within two years! They sure are "gittin r done". That last is for Jennifer who just listened to Larry the Cable Guy for the first time.

A ps: Allison is awake, alert, at herself, eating a little, and passing urine like a Missouri mule on a flat rock. Hooray!

And while I was worrying and praying I dyed my silk. Notice the difference in color from outside to inside. Neither pic does it justice.

new update

Good news and bad. Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? Allison was sitting up and talking last night. This morning she is almost totally blind, on oxygen, and having a tube attached to her neck to receive medication. Good news: this will all reverse in 14 to 20 hours. The reason for all of this trauma is the magnesium she was given during the birth process. Her bp is normal and her output has risen from 24ml and hour to 261ml an hour. As soon as her kidneys flush out all the magnesium she will be ok. I, however, may never be the same again. I thought the nurses in nicu were unusally upset over the magnesium. The babies got it too, of course. Thomas is still on oxygen. He is the second one from the top in the pictures. Johnathan (the third one) and Reagan (the fourth one) are eating now. Reagan has a little jaundice and is under the light. The nurses have put a bow in her hair and sunglasses on her eyes. Jim says she looks like she is sunbathing on the beach. I don't know anything new about Zachary (the first one). I will keep updating as often as possible. Thank you Anji for your sweet email. I don't usually open them from people I don't know. Yours just "felt" special.

update

Three of the babies are doing fine. Little Thomas still has a breathing problem. They are hoping medication will take care of that, if not, a simple surgery procedure will fix it. Allison on the other hand is one very sick lady. She has pre-eclampsia, had lost a lot of blood . Her blood pressure at one point was 51 over 30 and we thought we were going to lose her. After 5 units of blood things are improving and her bp is now 109 over 65. Not great but a lot better. Her kidneys were not producing either but that is improving now. We are all praying very hard for her.

On a lighter note: Jennifers' little bear. Is he not adorable? She did him with a merino batt. I gotta learn how to do that. you all know that I am going to pick your minds for all the info I can get when I see you next week.

They are here!!!!!!

At 4:30 today my babies were finally born. Well not really mine, but I claim them all the same. We were surprised that one of the boys was larger than Reagan(the girl) He was a whopping 5lbs+. The rest were over 4and a half pounds. Little Johnathan, Zachary, Reagan and Thomas are all doing well. Only two of them are on respirators and little reagan is already sucking a pacifier. She is the one being held up. I haven't sorted out who is who with the boys. I didn't know babies that were premature had to learn how to suck but they do. Allison lost quite a bit of blood and is nauseous. All seem to be doing fine over all.

I was in the middle of dying roving when I got the call. Needless to say I came home to a soggy colorful mess. ( I took some of the color with me on my arms and hands) I wasn't too concerned with appearances. Well here are some pictures of my lovely younglings:
The babies aren't very small as you can see. I am so thankful that they are here and Allison can get some relief. It is past midnight now and I am off to bed . More later.

This is a picture of my oldest son, Clay, and his wife Carey. Today is her birthday and she got the lousiest gift in the world. For the 2nd time in 5 months she has to have surgery for an ectopic pregnancy. One of my sons has enough babies to share, and the other cannot seem to have even one. God surely does work in mysterious ways........A PS to this post. Turns out that Carey had a cyst on her tube and is either still pregnant or has had a miscarriage. I may not survive my children having children.

Well here is the latest pic of Allison. I don't know how she can go much longer. I hurt for her. She is still doing great but I think she looks tired. Can't imagine why.
I told Caroline that since she showed a dye job she hated I would show one of mine. The colors were all supposed to be as bright and crisp as the red. I dyed other rovings that day and they all came out good. I used the same technique and even used fresh dye. All the colors washed out except the red. It's all muddy looking. The other roving was dyed that day too and I honestly did not plan for it to come out the way it did, but its kinda neat. the purple is in the middle and the green is on either end. I made two coils of the roving and pour dyed it. And it just came out that way. I wish I could remember how I did it.

A little nostalgia here. Remember my brains and dredlocks? My very first spinning on a drop spindle. The yellow was at the end of the Shakerag class taught by Lynne, Sandy, and Lori. I am now hearing I-told-you-sos from friends that were in the class with me. For those of you who don't know, Spinnin Skinny is the title of this blog because I really really wanted to learn to spin like everyone else in the class. I am there now and wish I could spin designer yarn on purpose. I have been dying today and I am never satisfied with my results. Everyone else loves my rovings and I just want them to come out like I see them in my mind. Of course I am not right in the head so maybe that is the reason.

Allison is in week 32 and going strong. Her doctor is is amazed that she is doing so well. I guess that the babies are going to come here full term. Or almost Thank you God for taking care of the babies. Poor Jim and Allison were kind of hoping to have Allison come home without the babies so Allisom could recuperate for a while. I don't think that is going to happen. I think that they are coming home with her. I am so scared that they will be born while I am supposed to be in Alabama. I have obligations that I cannot ignore. Stuff happens. I am still going to the reunion/retreat and having a great time.