Yesterday, I had a tubal ligation, more commonly known as getting your tubes tied. I received the laparoscopic method, which uses electrical current through a lighted, pencil-shaped instrument to cauterize sections of the fallopian tube. Yep, I am officially out of the baby-making biz!

The 3 Amigos & J-Crew kiddos pose in front of the Old Mill of Guilford — a fully operational, water-powered, 18th-century grist mill located right down the road from our CC community.

It was a decision that Stephen and I didn’t take lightly. There were, of course, many factors that led us to choose surgical sterilization, as opposed to other forms of birth control.

First, I’m certain I don’t want any more children. I am perfectly content raising the 3 Amigos and thank God for each of those blessings. Plus, if we had an addition, they’d have to be the 4 Amigos, obviously lessening the homage paid with the current nickname to the Martin-Short-Chase classic comedy flick. 😉

Let’s be honest, I’m no spring chicken. At age 42 and with my minor ailments, it is some times physically exhausting trying to keep up with the boys’ break-neck pace. I think another kiddo could possibly just push this old, broken body over the edge.

Gabriel rests @ the gates made of the retired water wheels.

Plus, the older women get, the higher risk the pregnancy, including increased chances of having a baby with Down’s Syndrome or other longterm maladies. Now I would love my child no matter what mental or physical challenges he or she would face.

But the thought of not being able to kick my independent and self-reliant kids out of the house at the onset of adulthood is something I don’t want to have to consider. At that point, my job is done, now it’s their turn to fly on their own.

I mean, sometimes counting down the days till the boys turn 18 is all that keeps me going … well, that and thinking about (lovingly) laughing at them when they call me for advice with their own children. That’ll be some sweet justice! And bring on the empty nest … eventually. 🙂

Houston stands guard atop the grounds of the Old Mill, where we stopped for a quickie field trip last week.

Lastly, my views on life have evolved drastically over the years. From being a participant in and radical proponent of the abortion industry in my 20s and early 30s, to now an ardent defender of the unborn, my only choice was to be proactive.

Having done extensive research on the potential abortifacient effects of typical oral contraception, I knew the pill wouldn’t work for me, nor would an IUD. In fact, I had one inserted after having the twins, but just got it removed in August.

Again, my research showed that, to my dismay, an IUD doesn’t always prevent fertilization. But what it does definitely do is prevent implantation of a fertilized egg in the lining of the uterus. So, to be consistent with my principles on life, I knew I couldn’t continue using the device.

Zeke checks out the architecture of the mill’s exterior.

A tubal ligation, on the other hand, prevents eggs from reaching the uterus for fertilization. And since condoms and the rhythm method are just too sketchy as birth control methods, in my opinion, my decision seemed clear.

As with any medical procedure messing with nature, there are risks. Out of 1,000 women who have had their tubes tied, 17 will still get pregnant. And of those, 15-20% will result in an ectopic pregnancy. This is when an embryo implants outside of the womb, usually in the fallopian tubes.

You know when people talk about abortion and the health of the mother, well, this is one of those rare cases in which both the woman’s life is in danger and the fetus isn’t viable. It’s just a horribly sad scenario. God willing, I won’t end up being one of those statistics.

The 3 Amigos hang w/ Dr. O, Houston’s phenomenal orthopedic surgeon. We are forever grateful to the good doctor for the wonderful care & concern he gave to our sweet, broken boy!

On 9/27, Houston had his final physical therapy appointment. I can’t believe how far he has come since his first visit with Mr. Scott … what an incredible recovery!

After therapy, we headed right over to see his orthopedist, who agrees that Houston’s elbow is doing great. His next appointment isn’t till late December, which will be six months after the break.

On 10/2, Gabriel and Zeke went to see their allergist, who wants them off the inhaler by the month’s end. She’s certain they’ve outgrown their cough-variant asthma, so November will start the trial. I pray she’s right, so we can finally get the twins off these allergy meds once and for all.

Mr. Scott & Houston (& the Mardi Gras skeleton) on his last day of physical therapy. Thanks for being such a great PT, Mr. Scott, & putting up w/ all of us during Houston’s many sessions!

10/3 marked the 25th anniversary of the first placental fetoscopic laser surgery for Twin-To-Twin Transfusion Syndrome. This groundbreaking work was pioneered by Dr. Julian De Lia.

“Nobody cared about fighting TTTS until Dr. De Lia came along,” said Mary Slaman-Forsythe, president of the TTTS Foundation, in a Facebook post. “He saw the devastation TTTS brought families and felt that he could make a difference in this cause. He studied the placenta, lasered the placenta of monkeys who always gave birth to identical monkeys, and then the first surgery was” October 3, 1988.
“What a brave mother to be the first in the world,” Mary explained. “I want to send my love to her family, her surviving twin son, Josh … and to her and her twin son in Heaven. Every chance anyone was given to fight for their babies was because Dr. De Lia began the fight himself.
“He was the only one that cared along with pathologists who understood this was a placental problem,” she continued. “I was there to witness doctor after doctor yell and scream at Dr. De Lia for years, ‘Who do you think you are telling us how to treat our patients?’ They were not treating their patients, but they did not welcome his help. In fact, the National March of Dimes told me not to associate myself with him if I wanted my foundation to be successful.”

Well, here we are, some quarter of a century later and Dr. De Lia has truly changed the world for the better. Here’s what I wrote to him in a recent email.

Dr. De Lia,
In July 2008, I got the laser surgery that you pioneered. It was performed by the wonderful surgeons at the Fetal Care Center in Cincinnati and was the medical procedure that saved both my twins lives.
As Albert Einstein said, “It gives me great pleasure indeed to see the stubbornness of an incorrigible nonconformist warmly acclaimed.” So, let’s here it for the rebels like yourself, who don’t bend like reeds in the wind. Thank God for heroes like you. Please keep up the amazing work you do for families all across the nation and beyond!
P.S. Attached you can check out a photo of my miracle babies, Gabriel and Zeke, who are now healthy as horses and will be celebrating their 5th birthday in about two weeks!

And here was his reply:

You are welcome.
The boys appear to have several things going for them: a) they are Libras (ahem!); and b) the guys in Cincinnati probably cranked up the juice from the laser machine when they operated on G & Z’s placenta (I can tell these things you know).
Looks like everyone is having fun at your place.
Love to all there,
Dr. D
Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Medical College of Wisconsin
Fetal Concerns Program

What a kind, humble man and brilliant man. Simply amazing.

The dudes pose for a shot in front of one of the Old Mill’s historic outbuildings.

Honestly, we haven’t been doing much besides doc stuff and school these past few weeks. On 9/28, we did have a campfire with our new neighbors, Miss Melissa and Mason, and a playdate at the park with them on Friday.

They’re not really new, having moved in last spring. But we’re just now getting to know them. Melissa’s a sweet Southern gal and Mason is her energetic 3 year old, and the dudes love having another rambunctious boy to play with in the hood.

And Granny’s has been here for the weekend, helping with the kids and allowing me to recover from surgery. As always, thanks a million … you’re a life saver, Granny!

Houston, who is the king of medieval dress-up & make-believe these days, decked out Zeke in his favorite Middle Ages garb, which serve as knight, samurai & Muslim warrior costumes.

Tech update: I finally bought an iPad, which the boys and I lovingly refer to as Piggy. I sold Stephen’s motorcycle and used cash to buy the high-priced item in late summer. And now I wonder how I ever lived without it.

For a gal who doesn’t even have a cell phone, that sounds like a funny thing to say. But as the lead teacher of a homeschool family, it is just one convenient learning tool.

For the dudes, I have available only educational games and e-books. It’s a perfect solution to the doldrums of waiting in a doctor’s office or some other place that likes to thieve time.

Houston, Zeke & Gabriel take part in Crazy Hat Day @ CC community last week. Even though their hats weren’t that crazy, they sure had fun w/ their friends.

But overall, it is a Mommy gadget. My favorite things about Piggy are my blogging app, camera/video, calendar and the Web, of course. It’s astonishing how much spur-of-the-moment lesson prep I can get accomplished with this thing.

I also replaced my broken, water-logged iPod with a refurbished iPod nano. It’s only 16 GB, but that’s plenty of space for school stuff (CC, Awana and “Story of the World”), the kids’ music and my Jason Lewis podcasts. Yep, still keeping it simple!