The Jones Girls

One neat thing that Sea World is offering is when you buy a ticket, you can go as much as you want till the end of the year.  So this meant we could go again and again.  We decided we would go back to Sea World in the early evening.

We spent the day enjoying the beach.    The girls grabbed their sand shovel kits and we walked to the beach…all of about 20 steps and we were on the beach from our bungalow.  It can’t get better than this.  

The sand was so soft.   We went out to the water and it was amazing.  The water was shallow to our calves for about 20 feet or so.    It was the perfect beach for us.   We walked along the beach collecting different shells and they learned about all of the different sea kelp and sea weed.    I showed them the little holes in the wet sand were made by tiny sea crabs.    They made sand castles and met little friends and helped them make their sand castles even bigger.     It was just beautiful.

We ventured over to the jacuzzi for a bit then headed to our bungalow for showers and change of clothes.   We headed out to Sea World at 6:45pm.

At 7:45pm we found ourselves at Shamu’s stadium anxiously awaiting to see a neat night time show called Shamu Rocks!    We stayed away from the soaker seats…LOL!!

Afterwards we enjoyed some neat nighttime entertainment called Summer Nights.   That was fun and amazing to see.   

We then visited some fish exhibits and by 9:45pm we headed back to our bungalow.

Another beautiful day in paradise…

I arranged with the owner of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in La Habra forfun event with my La Habra Moms Club.   First, we got a tour of the premises.   

Then our kids got to dip marshmallows in chocolate – the marshmallows cooled on a tray while we all watched how they make homemade Rocky Road Fudge.  Can I just say YUM!!! ????

We had a blast and the kids devoured their chocolate covered marshmallows.  We all bought carmel apples (that is what they are known for) and they offered a special buy 1lb of the homemade fudge and get a 1/2lb free so I HAD to indulge in that special!!

What better day than enjoying chocolate!!

my water bag broke for Baby A (Amanda) at 1:30am.   I remember when it happened…  I was sleeping and it felt like something wet was under me.   I thought I had peed or something, so I got up to go to the bathroom and a big gush of fluid leaked out on the floor.    Cliff checked me and said it was amniotic fluid.

So we had the neighbor come over to be here while Savannah slept and Cliff drove me to the hospital.    They whisked me into Labor & Delivery and checked me into the triage room.  They tested the fluid and confirmed my water bag had broke and it was amniotic fluid.  

They admitted and began pumping me with IV fluids.  Fluids help stop contractions and since my water bag broke for Baby A, we were trying to avoid labor because I didn’t want to deliver these babies at 28-1/2 weeks.    They also gave me a special steroid shot which would mature the babies’ lungs in case I did go into labor and had to deliver the babies.

I remember having to lie flat on my back and eat a special low-carb diet.   One of the side affects of the steroid shot is it puts the patient into gestational diabetes.  They had to check my blood sugars every few hours around the clock and once in a while I would need a few tiny units of insulin to keep me safe from high blood sugars.

It was so difficult laying in bed for two weeks before I gave birth.  I remember I had to pee in a bedside potty so I wouldn’t have to walk.   I was only allowed to take a 5 minute shower once.   The rest of the time I got daily bed baths.   

Amanda’s water bag would slowly fill up and then if I moved just slightly, the water would spill out of her bag.   I had to wear 3 monitors on my belly to monitor all fo the babies.    Baby A was hanging in there.  She rested on my colon and since she had virtually no amniotic fluid, my colon got really bruised and aggravated with her laying on it.    It was so excruciating.    I think I might have had something called colitis.    I had that even up to a month after giving birth to the babies.

When they first pumped me up with IV fluid, I got edema.   It was horrible.  I couldn’t breathe and thought I was going to suffocate.  I was laying flat on my back and had the babies up in my diaphragm pressing on my lungs.    I had a respiratory therapist come in and help give me special breathing exercises.  

I remember missing my Sweet Savannah.  She was our home with Nanny Feli.  Cliff would bring her by at night to visit with me.   There was a couple of nights that they didn’t come because Cliff was tired.    That was my first time away from Savannah.

My online group of friends formed a calling schedule and I had 6-10 friends calling me a day to keep me company, give me strength, and give me hope.   It also helped overcome the edema by me taking on the phone and breathing while talking.

A close friend of mine , Jennifer, who is a Labor & Delivery nurse, who helped me deliver Savannah, made sure she put me down as her patient.  We had some good times together while I was on bed rest in the hospital.  I remember she brought her whole beauty kit and gave me a massage, shaved my legs, and gave me aromatherapy lotion as a gift.  I still have that lotion and LOVE it!!  What a great friend…

Thank the Precious Lord for protecting my babies…especially Baby A – Amanda.  She had so many odds against her from conception right through the very end.   

I can look back and marvel at what a miracle that whole experience was.    I am so blessed with these precious little girls.  Thank you God for my babies.

Yesterday I took the girls bowling at .  It was Savannah’s 3rd time bowling and the triplets first time bowling.  Thank goodness I had Mindy with me!!   They didn’t have bowling shoes small enough for the triplets and Savannah so they wore their own shoes.  I got bowling shoes for Mindy and me.  I had bowling coupons for free bowling so it was free for us to bowl.  Yippee!!

I organized a bowling party for our La Habra Mom’s Club at La Habra Bowl 300.  It was a really good turn out. 

The girls and I got to have our own private lane since there was six of us.  We had reserved 5 lanes for the La Habra Mom’s Club and we used up all 5 lanes!!

The triplets used a special “ramp” to bowl.  They perched the ball on this special ramp that looked sort of like a slide and the ball would slide down the ramp and go down the lane toward the pins.  This is what fist time kiddie bowlers use.    Savannah crouched down and pushed her ball down the lane to get to the pins.  I have to say Savannah one us all!!   I think she might have a knack for bowling.

We had pizza afterwards at the bowling alley and all of the moms and kids had a great time.   The triplets really enjoyed their first time bowling.

I have a good friend -Gina-of about 7 years who has been fighting cancer since October last year.  She and I were both pregnant with our girls, back in 2003.    She has an older boy, 8 years old, who is autistic.

We both belong to an online forum and have a big group of women who are mothers.    We have a sistership and we all live in all corners of the country.

Last Friday, my friend, Nancy, called me and told me Gina’s time on earth was ending soon.  This came to a huge shock to me.   Over a month ago Gina was so optimistic about her cancer treatment.     She took a little time off from the treatment to get the pain management under control.  What she didn’t tell all of us was that the time off was really going into hospice care….    I don’t think she wanted to worry any of us.

Anyway, the reality was our dear, sweet Gina was going to be joining the angels soon.  She would be leaving behind her true loves – her daughter Andrea and Matthew as well as her hubby Matt.

When I got this news from Nancy, I just broke down.   Why – why – why!!  Gina is only 41 years old.     She is her son, Matthew’s rock and a huge advocate for his autism.  How would this affect the kids?  It just made my heart ache.  

Then Sunday on the way to Hollywood Hills, I got a call from my friend Nancy.  I didn’t want to answer the phone because I knew what I was going to hear and I thought if I didn’t hear it, it would not be true.  But I had to face reality, face the truth and I answered the phone.  Nancy told me that Gina had passed away 2 hours ago.   I had a pit in my throat that I just couldn’t swallow.    It took my breath away.   I couldn’t lose it…I was driving.    I prayed as I drove.  

I miss my sweet Gina.   God Bless you my dear friend.  You have left behind a legacy of your children and your sisterhood of friends.  You will never be forgotten and you have touched so many lives.

Here is a poem in dedication for Gina:

Gina,
I guess heaven was needing a hero
Somebody just like you
Brave enough to stand up
For what you believe
And follow it through
When I try to make it make sense in my mind
The only conclusion I come to
Is heaven was needing a hero
Like you

In memory of our sister

Here is the obituary of Gina:

Yesterday I took the girls to Carino’s Italian restaurant in Whittier.   I had coordinated with the manager for the La Habra Mom’s Club kids to make pizzas, get a tour of the kitchen, meet the chefs and watch their pizza cook in a traditional brick pizza oven.

We had a separate room set up for us.   When we walked in, the tables had every pizza topping imaginable.  We had about 10 moms and about 20 kids. 

The kids went to work on decorating their pizzas.   They had some really neat designs going on!!  Then they walked their pizzas over the 2 chefs and watch their pizzas be put on a wooden board and slid into the brick pizza oven.  They watched as their pizza cooked.   While the pizzas were cooking, the manager gave us a tour of the kitchen, prep area and the cook area.    It was amazing.  

The kids sat down and ate their pizzas and were given any beverage of their choice in cute souvenir cups.

The moms ordered lunch and we had a great time too.

What a great day it was!!

On Saturday, May 30th, I hosted a Mother & Daughter Tea at a beautiful place called Tea and Teacups in Yorba Linda.   It started at 11am.  I made pretty little princess hats, wands, hair bows for each girl.   Each girl also received a package of beads and cord to make their own necklace and bracelet. 

Each girl was so excited!!   It was so special to see everyone having such a good time.     The food and tea was delicious.

I arranged some fun games and prizes for the moms and girls.  It was a lot of fun.

Everyone took home Rice Krispy Treats and Special Life Vitamin Water.