according.to.kim

On my mind today

I'm just up briefly between my evening nap and going to bed for the night.

I'm happy to report that I haven't been worrying too much lately and I haven't read anything about you-know-what on the internet since Saturday. I realized this evening while I was laying in bed with Madeline that a couple of things have stolen the top spots for my attention.

One is work--the huge project I'm working on is very challenging and it's seemingly impossible deadline (the 12th) is looming. The other is my back--I've developed a backache that flared up strongly today. This ache, which is in the left centre of my back (oddly, not my usual backache spot which is lower right), started last week and lasted for a few days. I went to my chiropractor on Friday and my back felt really good until today. Guess I'll have to make another appointment. I've had backache in late pregnancy before, so I'm not surprised. The problem is it tends to stick around until delivery, but I had never gone to a chiropractor while pregnant before. Maybe I can keep it in check this time if I keep going for adjustments.

Another thing on my mind is the fact that Laurel and Bronwyn will be leaving soon for Toronto (the 15th). The reality of this is becoming undeniable. Today was Bronwyn's last day at the babysitter. (It was Laurel's last day of work too.) My girls and Bronwyn have spent more time together at Sharon's house than anywhere else. I'm sad to think of that ending now. Bronwyn certainly is their closest friend (and cousin). I'm sure they'll miss that frequent contact with her. That's enough now--I can't think about it for too long.

Agribition

Neil and I took the girls to the Canadian Western Agribition ("one of North America's largest and best known agricultural marketplaces") on Friday morning. The girls really enjoyed it. They got to see and touch miniature donkeys, alpacas, miniature horses, and curly-coated horses (interesting that they're hypo-allergenic). They also saw Clydesdale horses and lots of cattle. (Many other animals, like bison, were already finished and gone by Friday.) We walked through the barns and saw some cows being groomed for competition. I've never seen such clean cows in my life! Sophia didn't like the smell of the barns at first, but I think she got used to it or perhaps just forgot about it because there was so much going on in there. We also watched the ranch horse competition for a little while. When we went through the trade show areas, the girls received a bunch of candy, stickers, and temporary tattoos. They each got a bag from the CBC booth and then it was practically like trick-or-treating. Everyone was more than willing to give them stuff.

I would definitely take the kids back to Agribition. They get to see lots of things they wouldn't see otherwise. We certainly went at the right time--just before 9 a.m. when some areas opened. It was easy to walk around and see things for most of the morning, but by noon when we left, it was really crowded.

Double-edged sword

It has been almost three weeks since we learned of Georgia's heart condition and yet I still can hardly believe this is happening. I was reading more on the internet this evening--more about fetal heart block mostly. It seems so odd to be reading medical case studies and abstracts all of a sudden (and on a Saturday night no less). Neil doesn't want me to read anything because it tends to increase my worry, and that is true to some extent, but I think it also helps me to be prepared and to not feel totally helpless. There is so much uncertainty right now. I just need to know something. But no matter how much I read, I know I won't find the answers to the big questions... Will Georgia be okay? Will I be okay? This is such a double-edged sword. My main concern is with Georgia, but I can't ignore the concern that I may have something that could affect my ability to parent all of my children someday.

Nov 24 checkup

I'm not sure what to say about yesterday's checkup. The scale didn't tip in any direction, good or bad--well, maybe a bit more to the bad side, on second thought. Like I said to the ultrasound lady, I'm concerned about something, I just don't know what it is.

Starting with the good news... the baby seems to be okay; she's growing and things are pretty stable. Still no sign of heart damage or failure. Her heart rate was 72 and 123, which seemed awfully low to me, but Dr. Cardoso was happy. We didn't see a cardiologist yesterday as no one came from Saskatoon. Georgia has grown quite a bit which is great. She gained about 600 grams since November 8, the last time they measured her. They estimated her weight to be 2.1 kg or 4 lbs. 10 oz. Really quite large for 31 weeks!

I also seem to be okay. My pulse is fine and my blood pressure is good, but my weight was exactly the same as last week. I wonder if I'm eating enough each day. Some days, I doubt it.

So here's what I didn't want to hear. Some of my blood tests came back and three were positive: Rheumatoid Factor - 65 (high), ANA - positive, and Anti-SSA Ab - positive. The doctor did not tell us what this means; in fact, I'm sure he said something like, "The question is, what does this mean?" However, he also said the Anti-Ro test is not back yet and that one is more serious (I think because it's much more linked to fetal heart block).

Nevertheless, the three positives worry me. I looked them up on the internet, of course, and I started thinking that I might have something called Sjögren’s Syndrome because all three of my positive tests are linked to that, or one of several other autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis or Lupus. The internet is a dangerous place sometimes.

Fortunately, I spoke to Glenys last evening and she helped me feel a little better. She was at our appointment yesterday and made copies of the three positive test results so she could look into it as well. She happened to run into my other doctor yesterday, Dr. Miller (who ordered the ultrasound on Nov 8), and she asked him what he thought. He said it may not mean anything serious. I may just have some sort of inflammation that's not affecting the baby. Glenys also said the RF (Rheumatoid Factor) test has a high false-positive rate. So basically these results may mean something, but maybe not. I'm trying not to worry, but it's not easy.

Odds 'n' ends

I was wrong about winter sticking around after last Tuesday's snowfall. We had some beautiful spring-like weather over the past week with above average temperatures and the snow is almost all gone. In fact, we had a 40 degree temperature shift in one week--from -29 last Wednesday morning to +11 yesterday (about -20 F to 50 F, for my American friends). That's Saskatchewan for ya. Now, this evening it was drizzling and the temperature is dipping so everything is going to be really icy tomorrow.
***
Yesterday, Sophia--or one of her playmates at Sharon's house, as she claims--cut a small section of her bangs. We were growing them out and they were getting pretty long, but alas, she'll have bangs again for the time being. That reminds me... I meant to even them out this evening; they don't look very good as is! Oh well, another day at Sharon's with uneven bangs won't hurt.
***
I was astonished on Sunday and Monday when Madeline wanted salad for supper! She actually ate some nice dark green lettuce (red leaf lettuce, actually) with lemon garlic dressing and "crunchies" (croutons). Sophia ate salad too, but that doesn't surprise me. It was so funny on Monday when they both shouted "salad!" with great excitement. Madeline hardly eats any fruits or vegetables, so this is a big deal!
***
Last Thursday we all went to watch Sophia's swimming lesson. She spent a lot of time under water--on purpose! It was amazing. She just went up and down, up and down, totally submerging herself, and loving every minute of it. When the other kids jumped off the step in a game of "chop, chop, timber", they'd land on their feet with their heads above water, but not Sophia--she'd crouch down so she'd go well under water every time.
***
Madeline is pretty brave in the water too. Last night, Madeline was again saying she wanted to swim by herself. She'd often try to get me to let go of her and when I did, she didn't mind going right under water for a second. At the end of the class when we had some free play time, she enjoyed walking around the pool without me touching her. She learned that if she walked on her tip toes and kept her mouth shut tight, she could go on her own and not get her mouth full of water. I think we're raising a couple of fish!
***
Eeek! It's 9:45 and I should be in bed. I had fallen asleep earlier with Madeline and then almost again with Sophia, but Neil got me up because he knew I wanted to write a little. I have a very busy day tomorrow at work, plus we have our appointment with Dr. Cardoso in the afternoon. I'll provide an update on that tomorrow evening or on Friday.

Seven months

Seven months along now; 31 weeks today. The baby has really grown over the past month as you can see by my six and seven month photos. I don't think this t-shirt will cover my belly next month!

I did a quick count of remaining days of work. If I stay until January 12, as originally planned, I only have 29 work days left. Not many! And perhaps even fewer than that--it seems somewhat likely I'll have to leave work sooner, especially if we have to go to Edmonton.

It's only 8:00 p.m. and I'm so tired. I'm going to get ready for bed right after this and I'll fall asleep with one of the kids. It drives me nuts to go to bed so early, but I surrender.

***
The past weekend was good, but not very restful. I worked Friday morning and then was the parent helper at Sophia's preschool in the afternoon. It was Sophia's "In the Spotlight" day and she loved it! Friday evening was my regular girls night out (the third Friday of every month) and we went to a movie, Just Like Heaven, at the cheap theatre. It was cute. A romantic comedy--definitely a "chick flick". We actually had tickets for 40-Year Old Virgin which is supposed to be really funny, but we got there too late and couldn't sit together so we just went into another theatre. On Saturday, I went to a mini scrapbooking retreat with friends. Always enjoyable! I don't think I'll be able to do that for quite awhile now. Neil took the girls to the farm and he also went hunting that day. Many thanks to Donna and Lou for taking care of the girls all day! On Sunday, I went over to a friend's house in the afternoon for a couple of hours and then Mom also came to our house to visit for a few hours. She spent a lot of time doing "crafts" with the girls which was really nice.

It was the fifth weekend in a row we had plans. Last weekend, we attended my cousin Jayne's lovely wedding reception and dance in Churchbridge. I do want to post some photos from the wedding but I haven't had a chance--especially because I need to go to bed so early on weeknights. Next weekend, we have no plans! I'm looking forward to that.

A beautiful aorta

Yes, our baby has a "beautiful aorta"! Just what every parent wants to hear, isn't it? So it's not your typical compliment... we'll take it!

The second cardiologist, Dr. K, took a good look at Georgia's heart today. (They call him Dr. K for good reason--we did hear his actual surname once, but I couldn't possibly guess what combination of letters make up his long name.) Thankfully, there are still no signs of heart damage or failure. The arrythmia continues at the 2:1 ratio as before, but her heart rate was down again today at 69 and 133, and the doctors were really quite happy with that. I was worried because it was the low heart rate that had everyone concerned last Tuesday, but it seems that on Thursday they were more concerned about the high rate of the atrium. Dr. K said it's okay where it is--not too fast and not too slow. He said if it's too fast, it's working too hard and will get tired, and if it's too slow, then it can't function properly.

The plan is simply to monitor the situation each week. They think the digoxin worked to bring the baby's heart rate down, so I should continue on the same dose. I mentioned that I was really tired and Dr. Cardoso was not surprised, but he asked me to take my pulse twice a day and notify him if it drops below 70. My pulse during the appointment was 90. My blood test results are still not back yet, so there's no news on that.

I am disappointed (though not surprised) that her heart rate is still so out of sync, but the doctors didn't seem too worried about it. It's so hard to tell if this is a really serious problem or not. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Winter

I think it's here to stay.

We had our first real snowfall a week ago on November 8 and some of it melted away last week. Yesterday we had a winter storm which resulted in this layer of snow.

It's cold today too. This morning, it was -11 with a wind chill of -22, and tonight, it's supposed to go down to -25. Brrrr!

The girls love the snow (so does Neil actually; not me though)! Sophia absolutely cannot resist flopping down in the snow and making a snow angel every chance she gets.

Update Nov 16: It's -29 this morning, breaking the previous record low of -25.6 set in 1959. Fortunately, this cold is only supposed to last for one day. High of -13 today, then -1 tomorrow. That sounds better.

Hanging in there

A few minutes ago as I lay in bed with Sophia, she asked, "Is Georgia still sick?" and "Will she die in your tummy?" She also said, "Last week at Sharon's house, we prayed for God to help Georgia get better." Oh man, I was doing okay all weekend, but this conversation brought it all back--those emotions and fear--which are not completely gone; not by a long shot.

Earlier today I was thinking about the things I won't forget about last week. Things like... The painful intensity of my fear and worry. I've never felt like that before and I can't stand the thought of feeling that way again... How I felt like I was going to faint even before the doctor came right out and said there is something wrong... The wonderful support and heart-warming messages and calls we received from so many family members and friends so quickly... Neil's quiet strength and optimism... The way the doctor shook my toe and looked at me when he came into the ultrasound room on Thursday morning, as if to say 'hang in there'. And then later when he said, "It's you and me from now on." which I knew meant he'd be my doctor for the rest of this pregnancy... The reassuring smiles from Glenys as we listened to the doctors discuss the situation... My Mom taking the day off work and coming to Regina to be with us, even though I said she didn't have to... so many things.

Flu shot frustration

I was planning to get my flu shot at work tomorrow afternoon (it was postponed from Oct 24 because of a shipping delay; grrrr!), but now I won't get it because the doctor said I shouldn't. He said that due to the situation with the baby's heart, we don't want to introduce any more variables. I understand that, but I'm so frustrated--I'm so pro-flu shot!

I received a Babycenter email newsletter today with an article about getting the flu shot while pregnant. The article says "if you get the flu while you're pregnant, you're more likely to have complications, such as pneumonia, that could put you and your baby at risk." Great. Wouldn't it be even worse for my baby if I got the flu within the next couple of months?

I was already becoming a germaphobe while I waited for my flu shot and now I have to go through this whole season without it. It's going to drive me crazy! A couple of weeks ago, I was shopping for a few hours and I went through a lot of hand sanitizer (almost the whole 15 ml mini bottle I had in my purse). Then last night at a stamping workshop and today at Sophia's dance class, so many people were coughing and hacking around me. Being around all of those germs just makes me cringe. Sometimes I hold my breath until I'm at a safe distance. Plus, my hands normally crack and bleed during cold weather anyway, but now I'm washing and using hand sanitizer so much, there's no hope for crack-free hands.

Fortunately, the girls and Neil have all had their flu shot. I don't want to be around anybody now who hasn't had theirs. I should wear a sign that says "If you haven't had your flu shot, back off!"

Research

I've been doing a bit of reading on the internet. I looked up digoxin fetal atrial arrythmia on Google (where else?), and this abstract seemed to fit the situation best (I think) and described favourable outcomes. This is what seemed particularly relevant and encouraging to me:

A predominance of 2:1 atrioventricular conduction was observed...Eleven [of 15] fetuses were treated with maternal digoxin, and five subsequently converted to sinus rhythm...In our experience most fetuses with therapy-resistant atrial flutter and absence of 1:1 atrioventricular conduction do not experience congestive heart failure and do not need to be delivered prematurely. After birth, conversion to sinus rhythm was easily achieved in all neonates.

One thing that didn't really fit though was that the mean heart rates in this study were quite a bit higher than in our baby. It still concerns me how low the heart rate was on Tuesday.

I think I'm feeling a few effects of the digoxin today -- a bit headachy and less energy than usual. I just don't feel normal, but it's not too bad.

New perspective

Though I'm still worried about this baby, it feels as if a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. It's amazing how one's perspective can shift! Even though I know there's still a problem (and no heart problem can be taken lightly), the outlook doesn't seem so bad relative to what we were thinking.

Yesterday, I could barely go 20 minutes without crying. Today, I cried before the ultrasound, but I haven't cried since. My eyes feel so much better now! My appetite is back too. Yesterday, I was just going through the motions and I'm sure I didn't eat as much as I normally would, but today, I felt totally famished after we absorbed the new information. Neil and I went out and had a huge meal at the Mongolie Grill (it was nice to go by ourselves too!).

Once again, many thanks to everyone who called, emailed, and visited over the past two days. We really appreciate all of the support. It was wonderful too that my Mom came to Regina to be with us this morning. Thank you Mom! It means a lot! Also, I'm so grateful that Neil's Aunt Glenys came to our appointment this morning to interpret and remember details and ask important questions. Thank you Glenys!

Better news

Much better news today! So much better than expected.

The cardiologist studied our baby's heart through ultrasound for a long time this morning, and here's what we know now:

• There is an arrythmia, but no evidence of heart failure at this time -- great great news!
• The right atrium is pumping almost twice as fast as the right ventricle, so there are two heart rates: on Tuesday it was 70 and 130 and today it was about 130 and 237 (so that's better, even though the top and bottom of the heart are out of sync).
• Structurally, the heart looks good -- fantastic news! All of the chambers, valves, arteries, and veins are fine; one chamber is slightly enlarged and the flow-rate between two isn't quite right, but they believe both are due to the high rate of pumping.
• There is a fetal cardiac problem, but the problem is not organic (i.e., structural), it's a problem with the conductive system (but they don't know why).
• They don't think the baby will need a pacemaker because the heart hasn't been damaged.
• My blood test results are not back yet, but they think anti-Lupis and anti-Ro antibodies are unlikely (yeah! that means I'm not sick).
• They don't think there's any reason to take this baby early (I'm so relieved!), so hopefully, I will carry the baby to term and go into labour spontaneously.
• In the meantime, I can carry on with normal activity, but not over do it.
• I have to take a drug called Digoxin for the rest of the pregnancy, starting with a high dose today (0.5 mg this morning and 0.25 mg this afternoon, then 0.125 once a day for two months); basically, they hope this will normalize the baby's heart rate.
• Every Thursday from now on, I will have an ultrasound and see both the doctor specializing in high-risk pregnancies and a pediatric cardiologist.
• I still may have to deliver the baby in Edmonton, just in case.

Update

I talked to Glenys again today and she said I may be admitted to the hospital tomorrow so they can get steroids directly to the baby. If the steroids do not work adequately to increase the baby's heart rate, then it is likely I'll have to deliver the baby in Edmonton where they have the best pediatric heart surgeons and care. If that's the case, it may also have to happen pretty soon.

I'm glad she told me this stuff today, so we won't be too surprised tomorrow when we see the cardiologist. I guess I should pack a bag for the hospital and be ready for that possibility, but I don't really feel like it tonight.

I told the kids this evening that baby Georgia is sick and I might have to go stay in the hospital so the doctors and nurses can take care of her. They gave me lots of hugs. I know they'll be okay, but it's hard to think of not being home with them.

I'm really scared and worried about everything. I can't stand the uncertainty and I have so many questions.

I have received many phone calls and email messages today and I appreciate all of them. Thank you to everyone for your prayers and good thoughts.

More info

We'll be seeing the pediatric cardiologist at 8 a.m. tomorrow morning, 23 hours long from now. Until then, we just have to wait. We don't know much about this problem right now, but here's what we do know:

• The baby's heart rate was 70 bpm yesterday; the normal range is 120 to 160.
• Some possibilities are that she may need a pacemaker inserted when she's born (temporary or permanent), and the obvious worst-case scenario at any time.
  
• The baby has been growing well; she measured the size of 30 weeks, but she was only 29 weeks 1 day, and her weight was about 1.7 kg which is pretty big for her age.
• The baby has been moving a lot; I certainly had no concerns with fetal movement. Even last night, every time I woke up, she reassured me with a kick or two.
• I had a bunch of blood (10 viles) taken after the ultrasound yesterday; they are looking for maternal antibodies (especially anti-Ro and anti-La, I think) that would cause this problem.
• Neil's Aunt Glenys came over last evening and said from her research it was encouraging that the baby is growing well and moving a lot. She also said they will likely put me on steroids for the rest of the pregnancy.
• If you want more details, look at the Google search results for fetal heart block.

Neil was with me yesterday at all appointments, and he'll be here with me all week. He is worried too, but he doesn't show it. Laurel picked up the girls from Sharon's yesterday and kept them overnight. She took them to Sharon's this morning too. I did not go to work today. I am not feeling very well. I don't feel like eating, but I am eating anyway. I think we will have the girls at home tonight. I miss them and I do want to give them a big hug, but I don't want them to see how upset I am or to worry about me or the baby. We'll see how today goes.

I want this baby. I want her to be healthy. I want Sophia and Madeline to have a baby sister. I want to see my three children play together. I want everything for her. I don't know how to deal with this.

That was then

...this is now.

Now my world is upside-down.

There is something wrong with the baby's heart. Her heart rate is too low. We're seeing a pediatric cardiologist on Thursday morning. I've been crying for most of the last three hours.

Prenatal checkup

I had a prenatal checkup this morning and it was great! Everything is looking good:

Blood sugar: perfect
Blood pressure: great
Weight gain: right on track
Measurement: on the nose (29 cm at 29 weeks)
Swelling: none

I really should reward my body for being so good at this pregnancy thing! I think a massage would be a good gift for the body.

(Oh yeah, there were those leg cramps on Saturday night, but that was after wearing high heels for eight hours straight and being on my feet much of the time...so maybe I shouldn't do that! I'm not concerned anyway; I had leg cramps in my other two pregancies.)

The only odd thing this morning was that (once again) the doctor couldn't isolate the baby's heartbeat from mine, so he ordered an ultrasound to find out her heart rate. No worries about the baby's well-being though. In fact, while the doctor was trying to find the heartbeat with the doppler, the baby was kicking like crazy; he could clearly see the movement as my belly popped up and down throughout the 10 minutes or so!

I'm going for the ultrasound this afternoon, and looking forward to seeing the baby again!

How could I forget?

I would be remiss not to mention that the Saskatchewan Roughriders played their final regular season game on Saturday night during Darren and Ali's wedding reception--and the Riders won! I thought this was the (green) icing on the (wedding) cake--and I'm sure I'm not alone! You see, Rider games were instrumental in Darren and Ali meeting and getting to know each other. Neil has a pair of season tickets and he sits right in front of Ali and their mutual friend, Derek. Several times last year, Neil asked Darren if he wanted his other ticket and Darren always did (the Riders weren't the only attraction at Taylor Field!). The rest is history...

Wedding weekend, part II

Continued from Wedding weekend, part I

After the ceremony I thought Madeline should have a nap, so I drove around until she fell asleep. It only took about 20 minutes. I thought Sophia might close her eyes too, but she didn't. When I was sure Madeline was sound asleep, I took the girls to Donna and Lou's room at the hotel. Madeline slept for about an hour before the cocktails/reception started at 6 p.m.

The wedding supper, reception, and dance were also really nice (though dealing with the girls' supper, etc. while Neil sat at the head table was a bit challenging). It was such a great wedding celebration--especially because it was wonderful to see these two people get married. We are so happy for them!

The dance didn't begin until about 10 p.m., but I let the girls stay up for it because they had been looking forward to it all day. They loved it of course--especially dancing with the bride (and her four sisters, the bridesmaids)! Ali was certainly was the centre of Sophia and Madeline's world that night and she was very accomodating. One time, I was dancing with the girls and as soon as they spotted Ali, they dropped me like a hot potato and ran over to her. That was fine with me--I needed to sit down anyway because I was getting pregnancy-related leg cramps. (I have lots of pictures of the kids dancing and I'd like to post some, but I haven't downloaded them yet because there's no room on my hard drive!)

The girls were having so much fun, I let them dance until midnight. Sophia got to sleep overnight in the hotel room with Bronwyn, Donna and Lou, so that was great for me. Madeline also fell asleep in the room, but I took her home soon after and we were asleep for a long time before Neil came home. I offered to take him home when I was leaving but wasn't at all surprised that he wanted to stay. As he said, "Darren's only getting married once!"

On Sunday morning, we went back to the hotel. Neil wasn't moving very quickly, but I managed to get him out the door at 10 am. We said goodbye to many of the relatives and then went out for brunch with Neil's family. Later, we spent much of the afternoon at Darren and Ali's new home for the gift opening. When we arrived home at supper time, we were all pretty tuckered out. In fact, Madeline fell asleep on the way home at 5:30 and I could not wake her up. She was down for the count. I just changed her into her nightgown and put her in bed. She woke a couple of hours later and wasn't too happy that I was making her stay in bed, but she eventually fell asleep again and ended up being in bed for 13.5 hours!

What a weekend! And next weekend, we're travelling out of town to attend my cousin's wedding celebration (they were married in August). It's funny that two of the three weddings we were invited to in 2005 happen to be consecutive weekends in November.

Wedding weekend, part I

[I haven't written for awhile and I have lots to say, but I must try to be brief. I need to go to bed ASAP as I have to be well-rested to get through my (crazy busy) work tomorrow, Sophia's dance class, and then the girls' flu shots--all back-to-back.]

We attended Darren and Ali's wonderful wedding this weekend. Actually, I think it would be more accurate to say we lived their wedding this weekend. Neil was a groomsman so he had rehearsal on Friday evening. Meanwhile, the girls and I went to the hospitality room at the Travelodge. Many of Darren/Neil's relatives had travelled from Alberta and B.C. for the wedding and were staying at the hotel. The wedding party and parents, etc. all came to the hospitality room after the rehearsal too, so it turned into quite a party. I didn't get the girls home and into bed until 11 p.m. Neil stayed longer.

On Saturday morning, after everyone (except me*) slept in, we rushed over to the hotel to take the girls swimming. We joined Laurel, Bronwyn, Shauna, and Cole in the pool. Andrea and Jacob arrived a little later too. The kids had a great time in the pool and on the waterslide. Then Neil was off to join Darren and the other groomsmen around noon. The girls and I went home and got ready for the wedding. There was so much to do, I was practically sweating by the time we were in the van and on our way to the ceremony.

*I woke up too early and couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up and showered, but then was regretably trapped for over an hour--unable to do anything useful for fear of waking the girls. I was starving and I couldn't even make breakfast for myself! Madeline was in our room, Sophia was on the couch in the living room (because she woke up too early and Neil convinced her to go back to sleep on the couch), and Neil was on the couch in the basement.

The wedding ceremony was really beautiful! Thank goodness I remembered to put a few tissues in my purse. The girls had some trouble sitting still, but fortunately I had taken colouring books and crayons, and more importantly, Neil's Dad helped keep Sophia quiet (i.e., restrained) throughout the ceremony. Neil's cousin Doug who sat behind us also helped entertain Madeline.

To be continued tomorrow (I hope)... So much for being brief!