~**Baby Spotlight**~ - Thursday July 10th

mummy2girls wrote: This spotlight today is kinda different today....

Beverly ("Supermom") & Eje have 4 kids the youngest 3 years old (Anders). And her other kids are Sara(14) , Leah(16) & PJ(18).
And ~TO BE ANNOUNCED~ on 8/20/03

Any questions you would like to ask about her kids please post here for "supermom"

amynicole21 replied: Are you all ready for the new addition? Any names picked out yet? How are your other children feeling about the new baby on the way?

maliksmommy replied: I remember you saying that P.J. was staying home to go to college, but I can't remember what you said he was going to school for? So what will his major be?

Mommieto2Girls replied: What is Anders favorite shows?

Have you swelled up at all during this pregnancy?

How much weight have you gained so far?

Does Sara or Leah have any boyfriends?

Does PJ have a girlfriend?

Is there a particular show that the whole family loves to watch together?

supermom replied: I think we're as ready as we are going to get....the only thing I really need to do is pack mine and baby's bag, but that won't take long. Since the two older kids drive, if we forget anything I know who'll be bringin it to the hospital for us!

We've been really bad in the name department - this one might end up being named "Hey You" - no, we've got Emily for a girl, but not a middle name we can agree on yet....I'm lobbying for Grace, or Kay. For a boy, we're hopeless.

All of the other kids are absolutely thrilled. Even Anders is really beginning to understand since my belly has gotten so big - he kisses the baby at least once a day if not two-three times.

supermom replied:
He really hasn't decided - he thinks he might want to teach music, in which case the local college has an excellent music and teaching program. But he's not really made up his mind. He also likes programming, and he might do that too. He's got a few years before he's got to declare a major.

jcc64 replied: what is one thing you've learned about yourself since having kids?

amynicole21 replied: You know, if you can only decide on a girl's name, conventional wisdom says it is a GIRL That's my theory anyway (we could only agree on a girl's name, too!!)

Are you going to go "all natural" during delivery (no meds)? Will you let the kids in during labor/delivery?

supermom replied:
Right now his favorite show is Centurions (cartoon) but in the past he's loved Jonny Quest, Scooby Doo, Fantastic 4, Superfriends (Superman, Batman, etc....). It seems like he changes favorites

I've gotten some swelling in my hands and feet, but not too bad this time around.

So far I've gained 16 lbs - this is the least i've EVER gained!! I don't know what i am doing, but hopefully that will stick with me afterwards too - but I've still got 6 weeks to go.

None of my older ones have boyfriends or girlfriends right now. Leah has had one kinda serious, but that's about it. I have tried to tell them to "play the field" and I think that they actually listened for once!

No, but we do like to do movies together. The guys like action, and us girls like chick flicks, but usually we can find something to compromise with. My DH is a BIG movie buff, so we rent DVDs fairly regular. He is into SciFi-Action-Fanatasy (Star Wars, Matrix, etc, etc....also likes 007 and such.) With the older two working nights, family time is at a premium.

supermom replied:
Yeah, that's what happened to us with DD #1 - we didn't have a boy's name, and she was a girl......hopefully that same theory will hold with this one....

No, I am not doing natural - I will more than likely ask for an epidural, unless this one is much less long and hurts a lot less - teehee

The kids are welcome in the room during labor, but when it gets into delivery mode, no, we are not letting them be there. But they'll be able to come in afterwards. A lot depends on the time of day too, because the two older ones will be helping watch Anders.

supermom replied:
That the little things are not all that important as long as everyone is alive and well.

Schnoogly replied: This isn't exactly about your kids, but about your DH...if you didn't have kids, would you have moved to Sweden to live with him? Would you consider moving there someday?

Schnoogly replied: More questions...have you written a birth plan?

Do you have any particular labor techniques to help you through??

At what point do you ask for your epidural (how many cms)?

If it's a boy, will you circumcize?

How soon do you want to come home from the hospital (assuming you have an uncomplicated vaginal birth)?

If this is the very last one, are you planning to get a tubal, or is DH going to get the snippy snippy??

How do you feel about all those newborn procedures, like the antibiotic eye stuff, the vitamin K shot, the hep vaccine etc.?

supermom replied:
That is really a toughie - we had talked about it, and probably have still ended up here because of our own business, etc, etc. Since I speak no Swedish it would have been very difficult for me to get a job there (he claims no, but I bet it would have). But it might happen some day in the (far) future, as I would LOVE to move there when I didn't have to worry about working - teehee......

Since he has kept his Swedish citizenship, it shouldn't be too difficult to do with all the visas, paperwork, etc, etc.

Kaitlin'smom replied: what were all the kids stats at birth? (wondering who was the biggest)

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
We're thinking of Emily too...except spelled Emilie. We have Sebastian or Jeremie for a boy... How do you pronounce your husnabd's name?

How many more pounds do you think you're going to gain? 16 isn't a lot... I gained like 74 pounds when Zach was born, this time I,ve only gained 5 so far... (16 weeks)

supermom replied:
No, nothing written, but this is a small town hospital and a wonderful doctor - we are anticipating a VBAC but we know how that goes......lol

We have practiced some of the breathing techniques and also focusing on something...going to be bringing some music too...

Last time with Anders I got an epidural as soon as I could....around 5 cm......it was wonderful, and I am certainly going to do that this time too - I am sorry, when it comes to this, I am a wuss. Plus, if we do end up C/S (again) I would rather have that already done than have to have them hurry up and do it.

No circumcision - absolutely no (medical) reason that there is to do it. And that, to me, is just plain cruel to do to your own child. (Just MHO...) The oldest boy is (and there was a medical reason for it) but he didn't have it done until about 18 mos and under general anesthesia, but Anders isn't.

As soon as they'll let me out of the hospital, I am OUTTA THERE!! I hate staying, I would much rather be home. With Anders, we had an emergency C/S at 3:30 pm Saturday afternoon, and if we could have gotten Anders released on Monday AM we would have been gone by then, but he had a slight bit of jaundice and they couldn't reach his ped until about 4:30 PM, so we were there an extra 6-7 hours or so. I was more than ready to go then......even with the surgery!!

I will probably be the one to do the surgery. I am older, he's younger (by 16 years), if something (God forbid) would ever happen to me, then there is always the possibility he'd want to have other children, but if it was to happen to him, then I would still not have any more kids - it's just more logical for me to do it than him, even if it is more 'major' surgery for me than him. But we are going to wait for several months before we decide something that permanent. Until then, I'll probably just do the shots or the pill.

I really can't see the eye drops if there is no medical reason for it, but I guess the vit K shot is alright, and the hep vaccine, well, they could contract those things. I have always gotten my kids vaccinated, I think there is more danger in not getting the vaccine.

supermom replied:
My husband's name isn't pronounced anything like it sounds - LOL - we get fun calls all the time at the store from clients and salesman asking for E-gee - but it is pronounced A-ya (with the emphasis on the ya)

I hope I gain less than 10 more - that would still be more than a pound a week (and about 22 lbs total), but two weeks ago when I went for my checkup I had gained 9 lbs in two weeks, but this time (just got back) I had lost about a pound of that. I think a lot of those 9 lbs was water though because I have started getting a little puffy around the edges.......teehee

With my first, I had gained 60 lbs, but 30 of it was gone before I left the hospital (Lots of water retention), but in the two years each between the three oldest ones I had lost everything I had gained with each of them. After the third, I never got it completely back off, and with Anders I still hadn't lost it all (most but not all) but I am actually about the same weight at the same point because with Anders I gained about 50 lbs....so it will be diet, diet, diet (as much as BF allows) as soon as we get this little one here.

MommyToAshley replied: Does Anders or any of your other kids speak Sweedish?

Are all of your kids into computers and techy stuff as well?

Has Anders been to see The Hulk yet? (Ashley said she will go with him if he wears his hulk gloves..hehehe)

Do you think Anders will have a hard time giving up being the baby? (I am sure he gets lots of attention from everyone!)

Did you buy your older kids their first car or did they have to buy it themselves? (I had to buy my own when I was a teenager)

Are your girls close friends now or do they have their own circle of friends?

What is the funniest thing Anders has done lately?

Thanks for sharing! This is fun!

supermom replied:
Man, now you've made me really stretch my brain cells - lol - that was 18 YEARS ago - rofl

No, really, here are their stats -

PJ - 6 lbs 7 oz, 20 1/2 inches long

Leah - 6 lbs 15 oz, 20 inches long

Sara - 7 lbs 1 oz, 21 inches long

Anders - 8 lbs 10 oz, 20 inches long

Sara has remaind tall (almost as tall as me now [5'8"], and she's only 14) - Anders grew and grew, and grew - he's about a 4yo's size for height (at only 3 yo) but skinny - I am hoping he keeps his dad's metabolism. Leah is 5'2" and will be shorter probably for the rest of her life, and PJ is almost 6 ft tall......

Kaitlin'smom replied:

MommyToAshley replied: Just curious, since you and your DH met online... what was your nic and what was his? What did you find that you had in common the most?

Do you let your kids talk on online message boards or chatrooms?

supermom replied:
No one else speaks Swedish, at least not much of it anyways. I can say (very few) things, and if I am reading a recipe or something, I can generally figure it out enough to get it cooked because some of the words are written very similar (beleive it or not) - but the pronounciation is VERY different....it would be easier for me to read than speak. I am TRYING to convince DH that he should start speaking Swedish to Anders but then he gets very self concious and won't do it.....

All of my kids are into computers - the girls are typical teenage girls - chat, chat and more chat - rofl - and my son does the games thing (like Diablo, IceWind Dale, etc, etc, - I don't keep up with the 'latest and greatest') but they don't really do the "techy" stuff yet, although they have helped build some computers when we get a large order at the store.

Nope, we've not gone to see the Hulk yet, but I have a feeling we'll be going soon. We have been doing garage sale, also trying to get ready for DH sister (having to clean the trailer for them to stay in - what a mess!!) Tell Ashley to come on down!!

I think Anders will have some issues with it, but I think it will be a lot easier because he does get so much attention from his older brother and sisters. So, if I am dealing with baby then they can step in a little and help keep him from feeling so left out. The one problem I really see is the fact that he is a snuggler, and we are still a 'co-sleeping' - He goes to sleep nursing cuddled up next to me before DH moves him to his own bed, and sometimes he crawls back into bed with us. That may be a problem if they both want to nurse at the same time and also sleep at night (during the day, I figure I can get one in each arm - lol)

No, right now the kids are sharing the other family car, but they are saving for their own. I don't plan on buying my kids much like that - I figure if they want it bad enough, they can earn it. They've both got about 1/2 saved towards a pretty decent car so it won't be long until they do get their own wheels and won't have to share with all of us. They also pay for their own insurance on our cars too and help contribute to the gas. I figure they are working, they can afford it.

Actually, with the girls, it's about 1/2 and 1/2 - they have their own friends, but they also have mutual friends (in a town this size, it's hard not to). And they are pretty close, even if they do fight like cats and dogs sometimes. I know that my youngest DD calls her sister almost every day now that she's spending the summer with her dad - so even if they fight they also get along. And I suspect that they'll share more friends next year when they are both in High School.

Hmmmm...so much of what he does is funny to me - I just get a real kick out of him all the time. I would have to say that his 'diving' in our pool is pretty funny. He is really a dare-devil and he does put himself under water. And he holds his hands together (like he's praying), then "dives" into the water.

Thanks for letting me share.....

supermom replied:
My nic has ALWAYS been Supermom - teehee - I had kids before the internet, in fact, almost before PC's - I got my first PC when DS #1 was a baby (no hard drive, those BIG floppys to boot up and run programs!).....

My DH nic is Macahan (like Jeb Macahan from the old western TV show)

I guess our computer skills were our "common denominator" at first, but the more we talked over the next years, the more we found we thought alike in regards to general R/L philosophy. Our business actually started hosting his website is how we got to really talking in the first place. He used to log into our BBS and play a game called TradeWars (I don't do games on my computer).

Yes, all of the kids can chat online, mostly they do it via ICQ, IM, AIM, and WM (actually they use a program called Trellian that does all of those at the same time). They are all pretty responsible, and lots of it is just to talk to their school friends. We've had our moments, too, but we're pretty aware of what they are doing on the computer most of the time.

Kaitlin'smom replied: sounds like a great household!

what did your kids think of your new DH when you were dating? now any different?

supermom replied: LOL - well, I really think my girls had a crush on him. They never really came out and said as much, but just the way they acted when they talked to him on the phone, etc, etc.....and since he is actually closer in age to them than to me, plus the fact he's so cute and sweet, I could see that happening. Our "dating" really consisted of long, online chats and phone calls because he did not move to the USA from Sweden until after we were actually married. But also, we were 'only' friends for about three years before things ever got serious between us, and everyone got to get to know each other as friends. The kids used to chat right along with us and really liked him too.

The oldest DS thinks of him as a buddy, and that hasn't changed much at all. They still get along pretty good and they do things together like guys do. Play computer games, etc, etc, etc.....

The girls see him as a friend too, and I am grateful for that. Of course, there are disagreements as there are in every family but for the most part it's all good.

MommyToAshley replied: Does Anders try to "mock" the older kids? How?

Can you post your favorite family photo?

supermom replied: He tries to copy them at just about everything - lol - even the bad stuff.......sometimes PJ's choice of words isn't the greatest, and I am not thrilled about that at all. But they do really love him so much, and he loves them even more, if that's possible, that I try not to let it get to me too bad. He really tries to do anything they do that he thinks he can handle.

Here's my favorite photo of everyone - except me - sorry, but I don't have one with everyone - we were thinking about going and getting a professional one done when the new one gets here...

Oops, I meant to say that this photo is a couple of years old - but the girls and guys look so good and so relaxed and natural - which to have them ALL look good in a photo is hard.

supermom replied: I just wanted to say a BIG THANK YOU to MyAngel2002 for getting this all together......this is a lot of work to do every day, and just wanted to tell you how much fun I had doing it and how much I am sure we all appreciate it......

~CrazieMama~ replied: How did all your pregnancies go?

What were the stats of all your kids?

Were they planned?

~CrazieMama~ replied: Im sorry I asked something that was asked already

supermom replied:
First one was very rough, with pre-eclampsia and my worst delivery experience. I ended up with an emergency c-section with that one. The next two were fairly routine, except being 2+ weeks late, both delivered vaginally. Anders was also supposed to be a VBAC, even though I had high BP, so they induced me 3 days b4 edd. But he had cord around neck, so he was an emergency c/s too. This one (other than the high BP) is also pretty routine - we're shooting for another VBAC!


PJ - 6 lbs 7 oz, 20 1/2 inches long
Leah - 6 lbs 15 oz, 20 inches long
Sara - 7 lbs 1 oz, 21 inches long
Anders - 8 lbs 10 oz, 20 inches long


With all three of the first, we were actually using birth control, and really concientious about it too....but guess they were meant to be, and they were pleasant suprises. Anders was planned, just thought it would take longer than 2 weeks to get PG - lol - and this one we'd been trying for a year and finally did it!! Yahoo!

supermom replied:
No one is perfect - if we were it wouldn't be any fun!!