Jello Shots! 593fef99f87349c993dc0a7d872d6b6b73d2c28c5c947bba9e

Borrowed from Facebook post HERE.

OK OK OK.. I have been asked several times to repost Jello shots. Here it is! Here is our complete Jello shot list, all in one post, or at least complete up to this point. I haven't come across any more that have made the cut yet, so for now I give you this. A grand total of 70 Jello Shot recipes!!! Complete with the Jager Bomb, Jagermonster & Jagermaster!

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1. *JAGER BOMB* boil 1 cup red bull (in place of water), add black cherry or orange jello, 1 cups jager.

2. *MARGARITA* boil 1 cup water, add 3 oz pkg lime jello, 4 oz tequila, 4 oz sweet & sour margarita mix. sprinkle with salt just before firm. (substitute watermelon jello for lime for a melon margarita)

3. *RUM & COKE boil 1 cups coke, mix in dark cherry jello add 1 cups light rum

4. *MIMOSAS* this one varies from the normal method Since champagne isn't as strong as liquor, cut the water out of this one. boil one cup champagne, mix orange jello 2 min, add one more cup champagne and a splash of OJ.

5. *SILK* Boil one cup champagne, mix in jello for 2 minutes, add one cup champagne and splash of lychee juice from the can.

6. *ORANGE TIC TAC* Boil two cups red bull, mix jello two minutes, add two cups mandarin orange vodka

7. *LEMON DROP* (boil 1 cup water, add lemon jello, citrus vodka, top with sugar sprinkles just before its fully set up)

8. *GRAPE CRUSH* (boil 1 cups water, add grape jello, 1/2 cup plain vodka, 1/2 cup chambord)

9. *HAWAIIAN* (boil 1 cup water, add pineapple or blueberry jello, 1 cup coconut rum)

10. *GIN & TONIC* (boil 1 cup tonic water, add lime jello, 1 cup gin)

11. *LEMON LIME* (boil 2 cups sprite, add lemon and lime jellos, 2 cups citrus vodka)

12. *BLUEBERRY* (boil 1 cup water, add blueberry jello, 1 cup blueberry vodka)

13. *FRUIT PUNCH* (boil 1 cups water, add mixed fruit jello, 1/2 cup blueberry vodka, 1/2 cup raspberry vodka)

14. *WATERMELON* (boil 1 cup water, add watermelon jello,1 cup watermelon vodka)

15. *BEER* (boil 1 cups water, add strawberry jello, add 1 cup any malt liquor)

16. *CARIBBEAN* (boil 1 cup water, add strawberry-banana jello, Cruzan banana rum

17. *CHERRY COLA* (boil 1 cup coke, add cherry jello, 1 cup cold cola, 1/2 cup amaretto, 1/2 cup spiced rum)

18. *DREAMSICLE* (boil 1 1/3 cup water & 2/3 cup OJ, add orange jello, 1 cup vanilla vodka 1/2 cup raspberry or berry vodka, 1/2 cup KeKe Beach Key Lime Cream Liqueur)

19. *LIME IN THE COCONUT* (boil 1 cup water, add watermelon jello, 1 cup Malibu Coconut Rum)

20. *RED HOTS* (boil 2 cups water, add jello, 1/2 cup cold water, 2 cups Cinnamon Schnapps)

21. **SEX ON THE BEACH** boil 1 cup cranberry juice, add 3 oz pkg orange jello, 3 oz peach schnapps, 5 oz vodka

22. ***SOUR APPLE*** (in microwavable container, mix 1 small box sour apple jello, 1 pkg knox gelatin and 1 tbs sugar. Stir in 1 cup Mt. Dew and mix well. Microwave on high for 1 min. Stir until powder is dissolved. Mix 2 cups vodka & 3/4 cup Captain Morgan Coconut Rum. mix well and let sit 1 min. pour into cups and refrigerate.)

23. *SQUIRM* (boil 2 1/4 cup water, add 3 small pkgs any flavor jello, 2 cups vodka, 3/4 cup ice cold water. add 1 gummy worm to each shot before firm.

24. *CARIBOU LOU* (1/2 cup boiling water 1/2 cup pineapple juice boiled, add pineapple jello, 1/2 cup Malibu Rum, 1/2 cup Triplesec)

25. *JOLLY RANCHER* (boil 1 cup water, add melon jello, 1/2 cup vodka, 1/2 cup apple pucker)

26. *PURPLE PEOPLE EATER* (boil 1 cup water, add grape jello, 1/2 cup vodka, 1/2 cup watermelon pucker)

27. *BAHAMA MAMA* (boil 1 cup water, add watermelon jello, 1/2 cup Malibu rum, 1/2 cup peach schnapps)

28. *COSMOPOLITAN* (boil 1 cup water with a splash of lime juice, add cranberry jello, 1/2 cup vodka, 1/2 cup triple sec)

29. *CHERRY BOMB* (boil 1 cup redbull, add cherry jello, 1 cup vodka and drop in one maraschino cherry, step up before firmed.)

30. *BLUE FIRECRACKER* (boil 1 cup water, add berry blue jello, 1/2 cup vodka, 1/2 cup peach schnapps)

31. *WHITE LIGHTNING* (boil 1 cup water, add pina colada jello, 1/2 cup vodka, 1/2 cup triple sec)

32. *FUZZY NAVEL* (boil 1 cup water, add 3 oz orange jello, 2 oz vodka, 6 oz peach schnapps

33. *RED HEADED SLUT* boil 1 cup water, add cranberry jello, 1/2 cup peach schnapps, 1/2 cup jager

34. *MOJITO* (1 cup boiling water, 3 oz box lime jello, 6 oz white rum, 2 oz cold water. top with mint leaves chopped and crushed. (or substitute mint leaves with a splash of mint extract in the the boiling water.)

35. *STRAWBERRY DAQUIRI* (boil 1 cup water, add 3 oz package wild strawberry jello, 6 oz white rum, 1 oz sweet & sour or margarita mix.

36. *DEVILS KISS* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 envelope of Knox Gelatin and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Goldschlager, and 1/4 cup of Bacardi-151. Stir well and wait until the liquid has cooled before pouring into jello shot cups. if you double up the Knox Gelatin in this one you can eliminate the cup serve these up as jigglers!!

37. *ANKLE BREAKER* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 envelope of Lime Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of 151 Rum, and 1/4 cup of Cherry Brandy. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

38. *FIRECRACKER 2* 3/4 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Orange Jello and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/3 cup of Sloe Gin ,and 1/3 cup of Spiced Rum and 1/3 cup of 151 Rum. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cup

39. **KOMANIWANALAYA** 2 cups of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Pineapple Jello and 1 box of Cranberry Jello (both 3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Amaretto, and 1/2 cup of 151 Rum. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

40. *RAIN MAIN* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Orange Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Bacardi 151, and 1/4 cup of Melon Liqueur. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups

41. *ADAM AND EVE* 3/4 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Lemon Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Brandy, and 1/4 cup of Pomegranate Liqueur and 1/4 cup of Gin. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

42. *ALABAMA SLAMMER* 3/4 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Lemon Jello (3 oz) and stir until everything is completely dissolved and then add 1/3 cup of cold-water. Next, add 1/3 cup of Amaretto, 1/4 cup of Southern Comfort, and 1/3 cup of Sloe Gin. Mix thoroughly until everything is well combined and the carefully pour into jello shot cups. Chill for 3 to 4 hours and serve.

43. *ALL NIGHTER* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Cherry Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water and 1/2 cup of Watermelon Vodka. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

44. *APPLE PIE* 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. Dissolve 2 boxes of Lemon Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Light Rum, 1/2 cup of Sweet Vermouth, 1/4 cup of Apple Brandy and 1/4 cup of Grenadine. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

45. *BANANA BOAT* 1 cup of water. Dissolve 1 box of Pineapple Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Coconut Rum , and 1/4 cup of Banana Liqueur. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

46. *BANANA SPLIT 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Strawberry Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Vodka, and 1/4 cup of Banana Liqueur and 1/4 cup of Creme de Cacao. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

47. *BAT OUT OF HELL* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Orange Jello (3 oz) and stir for at least 2 minutes until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of Red Bull, 1/4 cup of Rum and 1/4 Blue Curacao. Stir until well combined and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

48. *BERMUDA TRIANGLE* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Orange Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Spiced Rum and 1/4 cup of Peach Schnapps. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot

49. *BLACK CAT* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Raspberry Jello (3 oz) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Black Vodka, and 1/4 cup of Chambord. Stir well and wait until the liquid is about room temperature before pouring into jello shot cups.

50. *BLACK WIDOW* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Grape Jello (3 oz) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 3/4 cup of Blackberry Vodka and 1/8 teaspoon of Ginger Powder. Stir well and cool slightly before pouring into jello shot cups. For a schnazzy garnish, drop a single blackberry in each cup before chilling

51. *COUGH DROP* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 3 oz package of Strawberry Jello and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Jagermeister. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

52. *CRYPTINI* 1 cup of HotCoffee. Dissolve 1 envelope of Knox Gelatin and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/3 cup of Iced Coffee, 1/3 cup of Vodka, and 1/3 cup of Kahlua. Stir well and wait until the liquid has cooled before pouring into jello shot cups.

53. *FRENCH TICKLER* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Orange Jello (3 oz) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Cinnamon Schnapps and 1/2 cup of Vodka. Stir well and wait until the liquid has a chance to cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

54. *HARVEY WALLBANGER* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Orange Jello (3 oz) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Vodka and 1/4 cup of Galliano. Stir well until completely combined and wait until the liquid has cooled before pouring into jello shot cups.

55. *JUICY FRUIT* 3/4 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Pineapple Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/3 cup of Vodka, and 1/3 cup of Melon Liqueur and 1/3 cup of Peach Schnapps. Stir well and cool

56. *JAGERMASTER* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Orange Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Jagermeister, and 1/4 cup of Amaretto, and a just a splash of Grenadine. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

57. *JAGERMONSTER* 1 cup of boiling water . Dissolve 1 package of Orange Jello and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water ,1/2 cup of Jagermeister, and 1/4 cup of Grenadine. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

58. *LETHAL INJECTION* 2 cups of boiling water. Dissolve 1 package of Orange Jello (3 oz) and 1 package of Pineapple Jello (3 oz) and stir at least 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Add 1 cup of cold water followed by 1/4 cup of Amaretto, 1/4 cup of Coconut Rum, 1/4 cup of Dark Rum and 1/4 cup of Spiced Rum. Stir well and wait until the liquid has cooled before pouring into jello shot cups.

59. *LONG ISLAND ICED TEA* and measure 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 2 packages of Lemon Jello (3 oz) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of Cola and 1/2 cup of cold water. Now get ready to add the alcohol - 1/2 cup of Gin, 1/2 cup of Light Rum, 1/2 cup of Vodka and 1/2 cup of Tequila. Stir until everything is well combined and let it cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

60. *NINJA TURTLE* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Orange Jello and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Gin, and 1/4 cup of Blue Curacao. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

61. *PAIN KILLER* 3/4 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Pineapple Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/4 cup of cold water, 1/3 cup of Dark Rum, 1/3 cup of Coconut Rum and 1/3 cup of Orange Liqueur. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

62. *PIXIE STIX* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Lemon Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Southern Comfort, and 1/4 cup of Blackberry Brandy. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

63. *RED SILK PANTIES* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Cranberry Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Vodka, and 1/4 cup of Peach Schnapps. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

64. *KINKY MALIBU BARBIE* Boil 1 cup water, add peach jello, 1/2 cup Kinky Liqueur, 1/2 cup Malibu Coconut Rum.

65. *KILLER KOOL AID* 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. Dissolve 2 boxes of Cranberry Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 3/4 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Vodka, 1/2 cup of Gin, 1/4 cup of Rum, 1/4 cup of Chambord and 1/4 cup of Triple Sec. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

66. *BROKEN HEART* 1 cup of boiling water . Dissolve 1 package of of Orange Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Vodka, and 1/4 cup of Chambord. Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

67. *SCOOBY SNACKS* 1 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 1 box of Pineapple Jello (3 oz size) and stir until fully dissolved. Add 1/2 cup of cold water, 1/4 cup of Melon Liqueur, and 1/4 cup of Coconut Rum . Stir well and cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

68. *TIJUANA TAXI* 2 cup of boiling water. Dissolve 2 packages of Lemon Jello (3 oz size) and stir at least 2 minutes until fully dissolved.Next, add 1 cup of cold water, 1/2 cup of Tequila, 1/4 cup of Blue Curacao and 1/4 cup of Tropical Fruit Schnapps. Stir until completely combined and give it a chance to cool before pouring into jello shot cups.

69. *RUMMY BEARS* 1 cup boiling water, add any random flavor jello and 1 cup berry vodka, 1 gummy bear in the center of each shot.

70. *WOOWOO* 2 cups boiling water, add 3 pkgs grape jello, 3 pkgs cranberry/raspberry jello, 3 pkgs strawberry jello, 3 cups vodka, 3 cups peach schnapps, 1 can grape juice concentrate and 1 can cran-raspberry juice concentrate (both undiluted!)

PLEASE drink responsibly!

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Wordless Wednesday - She loves dirt track racing!

Wordless Wednesday - Gets his cool from me.

Wordless Wednesday - So random.

Love them!

What a difference a year can make! Jake seems about the same, just a little tanner but Jonas is 2x's the size he was.

What do you say to that?

How do you answer difficult questions asked by your children? Recently my oldest, who biologically is not my husband's child, was in contact with her other counter part. During one of the exchanges he said some things that got her thinking, bringing up difficult questions. Not because of what I did, but how do you tell your child that things they are told or thought aren't true? I went with the philosophy of don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Over the years I gave her basic information, names, events, etc. I didn't initiate conversations, but didn't shy away from them either.

So now she gets an email from this person stating that he was a drug user and stating a bunch of other info that basically is either what he wanted to happen or what his drug addled mind wished had happened so he now thinks is true. I am now presented with the task of detailing the whole sorted mess to my daughter, because she asked.

How do you tell your daughter that 5 weeks after having her you had to go back to work because he wouldn't?
How do you tell her that you had to work two jobs often only seeing her when she slept for the first 7 months of her life because bills had to be paid and he wasn't paying them?
How do you tell your daughter that you had to push her around in a stroller when you went anywhere and take the grocery cart home when you grocery shopped because he traded the car you drove for a pound of marijuana?
How do you tell your daughter that you couldn't make a call in your own house w/o worrying that the conversation was being recorded because he placed a tap on the phone line?
How do you tell your daughter that you feared of an STD because he was a manwhore?
How do you tell your daughter that you kicked him out of the house after finding condom wrappers on the floor of her nursery, under your bed and in his car? (oh yes, because he kept his car and only "traded" mine)
How do you tell her that even after that, for her you tried again to keep your family together, only to find out that he smoked meth in the living room while you were asleep in your bed 15 feet down the hall?
How do you tell her that after you told him to leave he hit and choked you only stopping after 911 was called? Thank God that I can multitask and fight off a jerk and dial the phone at the same time LOL!
How do you tell your daughter that the restraining order was never served because he didn't stay in one spot long enough for the cops to find him, he had no job and even his parents didn't want him?
How do you tell your daughter that even after getting the locks changed he still broke in and took all the money from her piggy bank and the money you had saved to pay bills?
How do you tell your daughter that you had to count pennies to buy diapers because along with taking the cash on hand he also took the money from her savings account, your checking account and the joint credit card you had?
How do you tell her that you laughed out loud when he asked you to marry him after doing all of this to her and you?
How do you tell her that he threatened to kill her, you then himself when you wouldn't take him back?
How do you tell her that he stole the only car seat that you had for her and made you drive her w/o a seat from her grandmother's (his mom) to the store to buy a new seat when she was two and NEEDED to be restrained?
How do you tell her that he sued you for custody and child support when he wasn't even paying support, made you hire a lawyer and failed to show to either of the two hearings?
How do you tell her that it took him loosing his license and spending a few nights in jail before he decided that paying support might be a good thing?
How do you tell her that during her supposed supervised visits her grandmother would allow him to take her to his friends houses where he would get so messed up on drugs that he would forget where she was was?
How do you explain that he changed his last name making her last name meaningless forcing you to hire yet another lawyer to have her last name changed to that of her sister's so it would again mean something?
How do you tell her that her memory of him telling her that the woman he married was her new mommy is true, along with any other memory she has as no one can tell you what you remember as your own memory is wrong?
How do you tell her that pretty much everything in that email was a lie except for the part about him caring for her (I hope) and his being a drug user?

Honestly, I was hoping she would have been older when this conversation presented itself. At seventeen this is a lot for someone to bare. I was vague about it all for a reason. The whole mess is embarrassing. I'm embarrassed that my children have different fathers. I am embarrassed that I allowed myself to get caught up with someone so completely wrong and I am embarrassed that I was fooled more than once by him. If anything good were to come out of this it would hopefully be that people aren't all they appear to be and never, ever take words at face value when you do not know the person, and sometimes even if you do know them and maybe, just maybe that she wont make the same mistakes I made at her age.

Wordless Wednesday-Nebraska nights.

Wordless Wednesday - Bible bumps, removed.

Wordless Wednesday - End of the season, a bit late.

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Wordless Wednesday - Fried chicken days?

Only in Nebraska!

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New Freschetta By The Slice review and contest. *CLOSED*

This post brought to you by FRESCHETTA®. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was given the opportunity to try FRESCHETTA® By the Slice I will say it, I love pizza- fresh from the oven pizza, but I do not always have time to bake my own pizza or travel over 15 miles to the nearest decent pizza place. Plus with warmer weather sneaking up on us quickly, who wants to turn on the oven? I was a bit worried that this would taste like some of the frozen pizzas that I ate in the past that tasted more like cardboard than pizza. I was pleasantly surprised to find that was NOT the case. The Chicken, Spinach & Mushroom pizza that I chose was crispy on the bottom but still had a soft crust. It had that fresh from the oven taste that I love! The toppings were just the right amount as well, there was enough chicken and mushroom to get some with each bite and the cheese that covered the entire slice.         

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* BBQ Recipe Chicken
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* Six Cheese Medley

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FRESCHETTA®would also like to give one lucky reader the chance to try out FRESCHETTA® By the Slice themselves. You could win a coupon for a free FRESCHETTA® By the Slice as well as a six piece container set.

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*Available to US residents only. Contest ends 5/21/11 11:59pm CST.

Wordless Wednesday - Soccer

Wordless Wednesday - Easter fun.

Fourteen years already?

I can't believe that it has been fourteen years since I had to say hello and goodbye to my second daughter in the same breath. I don't normally talk about Kierston as it makes people uncomfortable to talk about dead babies but today is the day of her birth and I have mentioned her here and there throughout the years on the blog so I thought today would be a good day to share her story. As a way of healing, I wrote down all that I could remember of her pregnancy, birth and the days that followed. I didn't know about blogs then so I created a website and copied her story there. This site is now removed from the web as it was only on a free site but as luck would have it, I found a cached copy of it. This is copied and pasted with very little editing, I did correct some spelling and grammatical errors that I made, at the time it was written spelling and punctuation weren't a priority.

Kierston's Story

Picture enhancing curtsey of Paulab4455@aol.com

Kierston Skyler Stroh
"Peanut"
April 27, 1997
11:07am
3lbs 6.6ozs
17 1/4 inches

We found out that we were going to have another child early October of 1996. We couldn't believe it, my being pregnant was such a surprise.

I started to get a sharp pain in my side, mostly when I made any sudden movements. I called the doctor and we were told that this was normal. A few days later I had begun to have a pink discharge. We were devastated, and were expecting the worst. We had to wait a whole day for an ultra sound to verify that the pregnancy was viable. When we got to the office, we were told to have a seat and wait until the tech was ready to see us.

So many things were running through our minds, is the baby all right? Is it something I did? Why was I bleeding? Then our name was called. Nervously we walked into the exam room and the ultra sound showed a normal, healthy 7 week old fetus. Our little "Peanut" was in there waving and the little heart was flickering. It was beautiful! They found the cause of the spotting was due to a small tear in the lining. My doctor advised me to take it easy.

The spotting stopped. And another ultra sound was scheduled in late January. I couldn't wait, finally I would find out who was sharing my body with me. IT'S A GIRL! Kierston, another little girl, we were so excited!

At the next doctor's appointment, we were told that they had found tiny little cysts on Kierston's brain. What does this mean I asked? Most of the time the cysts go away, but an AFP test was performed. If it came back normal then everything was fine and in most cases they would just go away.

What a long 10 days that was, but low and behold everything was normal. What a tough little girl we had, just waiting to meet us, and we couldn't wait.

Around 24 weeks, I began to cramp. I was told to monitor the cramping, it wasn't until then that I realized I was having CONTRACTIONS! It's too early for this was all I could think. My doctor wasn't worried though. So I started to monitor the contractions, sometimes I would get as many as 8 in an hour. Still my doctor did nothing.

At 26 weeks, I was losing sleep; I was getting woken up by contractions. At my next appointment I had to beg the doctor to give me something to make them stop. Finally I was put on terbutaline, but only on an as needed basis. I didn't understand why he did that, but we followed his advice.

By 29 weeks the medicine stopped working. At this point we had to go to triage once a week to get a shot to stop the contractions. Still, my doctor did not change his opinion.
By the 31st week I was put on terbutaline 2.5 mg every 6 hours. That seemed to do the trick for a few days. Then back to the hospital for another shot. My next doctor's appointment was the next day.

During the doctor's appointment, it seemed like we were being rushed. Finally Toby put his foot down and demanded that I be put on bed rest. My doctor reluctantly agreed to this and filled out the necessary paper work. WAIT, they didn't weigh me, the nurse who looked bothered that I brought it up, and huffed as she led me back to the scale. I had LOST 1 pound. I know, it was just 1 pound, but compared to my gaining 4-5 pounds per the past few visits I was freaking out! My doctor again assured me that it was normal. How, my diet hadn't changed? This appointment was on a Monday.

On that Wednesday, April 23, 1997, Kierston kicked me very hard. So hard that it hurt. I told Toby and he rested his hand on my belly. She did it again, and it hurt!

The next day, April 24, was business as usual. Me playing with my "Peanut," she loved to kick where ever I touched my belly. I was already in love with her. Just a few more weeks and I would be hugging and kissing this sweet little baby of ours.

Friday the 25th of April, while watching TV, I felt her kick one time. It was about 3 in the afternoon. I really didn't think much of it; she must have been sleeping was all.
When we went to bed, there was still no movement. I was getting worried, but I was so tired that I fell asleep before making any decision as to go to the hospital or not.

I tried all day Saturday the 26th, to get my "Peanut" to play with me, she wouldn't. Toby was at work so I nervously waited for him to return. While waiting I called the hospital to see what was normal. They asked if I felt more than 4 kicks in an hour. No, not in 24 hours had I felt a kick! I then called my doctor, he wasn't on call but the OB/GYN on duty told me if I was worried to go to the hospital. So to kill time until Toby got there, I jumped into the shower.

When we got to the hospital they hooked me up to the fetal heart monitor. NOTHING! Oh my God, this can't be happening to us, she was so alive, such a fighter! They tried again, and still there was nothing. The nurse ran to get an ultra sound machine, she was such a nice person, and tried to calm us.

They did the ultra sound, and there was our sweet little girl, still, not moving, and no heart beat. We were in shock, my head was spinning. I couldn't believe it. Another doctor came in to confirm that there was no heart beat. Her reply was this, "I am so sorry, this has to be the worst day of your life." And she was right, it was. I wanted to melt into that hospital bed and die; I just couldn't see what there was to live for. My baby was dead! What did I do?

From this point we were given the option to go home and wait for the onset of labor, or to be induced. We didn't even think about it, we were NOT going to wait. I was moved to a room in the NICU wing and they started the medication to soften my cervix. I was given 1 prostaglandin gel insert every 3 hours, from 7pm until 2am. 

After the 1st one the contractions were steady every three minutes. I couldn't sleep, and the room was freezing. It was tough to hear babies crying when we knew that ours never would. My Mom and Toby never left my side the whole night.

At 5am I was woken up so I could shower and get ready for the pitocin iv. While this was being done Toby went home to shower and call his parents to let them know what was going on, at the time they lived in another state.

At 11:07 am on April 27, 1997, Kierston Skyler Stroh came into this world. She was delivered breech so she had her perfectly shaped head, and daddy's sweet little nose. She was beautiful!

They cleaned her up, and placed her in my arms; I hugged and held my darling daughter so close. Then it was daddy's turn. From the moment we found out, she was his whole world. It just wasn't fair that someone so loved never even got a chance. The umbilical cord was between her legs and wrapped around her belly twice. She suffocated. I felt like my body had betrayed her.

After we had our time with her we asked the priest to baptize her. Then we said our good-byes. I was then moved to another floor, one that had no babies. It was a relief but surreal, at least there wasn't a constant crying reminder of what we lost.

Leaving the hospital was by far the worst thing. My friend Holly thought to bring me a teddy bear and I held that as we left but nothing could replace Kierston.

The hospital took many pictures of her, and sent them to us a few weeks later. They also did her foot prints and gave us a memory book to put everything in.

She was buried on May 5, 1997. I knew from the start that I would attend the service, but as soon as I got there, I wished I was somewhere else. Many people came to show their support, and for that we are grateful.

It's hard not to think about what might have been, how old she would be now, what milestones she would be achieving, would she be crawling, would she still look like her dad? These are thoughts that I have all the time.

In the early morning, right when the sun just starts to come in the window, and if Toby is lying right, I can see her in him. When I first noticed this, Toby had fallen asleep on the couch, and had his head turned to the side slightly and his hands resting on his chest (just like Kierston in the picture above), it took my breath away! I just couldn't believe how much they look alike.

Footprints
by Dorothy Ferguson
How very softly
you tiptoed into my world.
Almost silently,
only a moment you stayed.
But what an imprint
your footsteps have left
upon my heart.

We love and miss you Kierston, you are in our hearts forever.
Love,
Mom and Dad

It is not the will of the father,
which is in heaven
that one of these little ones should perish...
Matthew 18:14


As I read this, it brings back a flood of emotions, takes me right back to those days.