Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays

This is a fun-filled month for the Terry family. There are so many birthdays. One that's a little sad is Michal Noel's. She would have be seven on August 1. Then there are the twins who were born on August 11. We had a little family celebration on Monday. Then Will was born on August 13 (today) he's 6. Then Grandpa's birthday is the 16th. We'll have a big 75th birthday bash on Saturday. Then, of course, I'm due to deliver at any time, this Saturday after the birthday bash would be perfect. I'd get to go to a party then, I'd be one of the first to deliver at the new hospital.

That's a total of five deliveries in August. Four summer pregnancies. And...I know most of you are thinking..."What are you guys doing in December?" It must be a romantic month :).

I was determined not to get any toys for the kids' birthdays. That takes some creativity for me. So, for the twins - I bought them a musical birthday card and a cute little chair to watch movies in. I think they like the cards the best. Morgan's played "You've Got A Friend In Me" from Toy Story. Kael's played "Wipe Out". My kids love those musical greeting cards. They walk around opening and closing them all day long.

For Will, I bought several giant coloring books and another Scene It game. It's one of the few games he can play with the older folks in the family and he really misses out when we play Scrabble or Apples to Apples. He was very excited to get this game.

Oh, the cake and ice cream. What a mess. I'll have to share those pictures some other time. We had chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and, although I bought Neapolitan ice cream, guess which flavor everyone wanted. You guessed it! Chocolate! Yes, they were hyper, but they slept an hour longer the next morning. Woo hoo!!!

NEW SUBJECT

We've been having a great time watching the Olympic Games. I've really enjoyed the reporting for this one. They've talked about how China has been a terrific host. It makes me feel hopeful for this country. The opening ceremonies were unlike anything I've ever seen. The construction of the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube are amazing. All these things are examples of how China has welcomed the world and put their best foot forward. All of it has been inspirational for me.

You know what has also been great? The commercials! Usually, when you watch events like the World Series or the Super Bowl, you have to turn off the TV when the commercials come on. They're definitely rated PG-13 or worse. I don't know about you, but I'm loving the VISA commercials narrated by Morgan Freeman. I could do without the McDonald's commercials, but at least they're wholesome. I've always loved Coca-Cola commercials, especially the roller skating one. It reminds me of roller skating in Venice Beach when I was very young. I think I could just leave it on channel 5 for the next few weeks. Lots of good stuff!!! It's good to see the boys into it, as well. Maybe they'll be Olympic champions one day.

YET ANOTHER NEW SUBJECT

I wanted to share a bit of a baby update. I had a doctor's appointment yesterday and everything looks great. It was my first appointment at the new hospital. I didn't actually get to see the hospital, but the chaos that surrounded the doctor's offices did not instill confidence. While I was hooked up to all the machines for the stress test I could hear the nurse's frustration in trying to find things, where to put things and even being locked out of doors. So, pray that if I do go into labor this Saturday, the hospital staff will have a little bit better handle on things. "Where is the epidural cart?" :)

I didn't get to see my regular doctor so, when the substitute doctor was measuring my belly he asked, "How big was your biggest baby?" I said 8lbs. 11 oz. Then he asked, "What do you think about this one?" I said that I thought he was probably around 8lbs. by now. Then he said, "Yep. I'm thinking he's pretty big." I've heard from several sources that your baby gains the most weight in the last month. At the tune of 1 pound per week. I'm praying I don't have a 9 lb. baby. I'd rather him gain this weight on the outside rather than on the inside. Again, I feel so privileged to carry a child, but we're all anxiously awaiting the arrival of little Tristan Neil.