Jes

I have a set of non-identical twins (boy-girl) who were both with minor problems. They were delivered at 38 weeks, and I had a very normal healthy pregnancy. My son was found to have a hypospadias at birth and my daughter had multiple skin tags on the front of both ears. Both are scheduled for surgery in the next couple months. I recently realized that my son's right ear is very different from his left. The fold behind his ear is very deep and gets raw and dry. I've been treating it with diaper rash ointment and that seems to help. From the front, the ear looks no different than the left ear. I haven't taken them to the pediatrician since discovering this, but they are scheduled for a routine check up in about a month. When we visited the urologist about the hypospadias, he said that they are very common in twins, especially when one twin is significantly smaller than the other (my son was about 1 and a half pounds lighter than my daughter).

Could all of these strange things be somehow related. I've done some online searches and found nothing concrete. I'm just wondering if something happened in-utero that would have caused these malformations. I'm also worried that they could be a part of a larger problem that will manifest itself in a more serious way later. I know that ear malformations can be linked to kidney problems and hearing problems. The hypospadias can also be linked to other urinary problems. They both passed infant hearing tests and urinate normally.

Does anyone have a real knowledge this? I will obviously be discussing it again with the doctor. I didn't think all this was related at first, but it just seems to be too much of a coincidence.

I manage a small business and have been dealing with a problem employee for six months. His behavior has become very erratic and problematic. He is very insubordinate. Refuses to do certain jobs (including ones he agreed to do when hired). He has complained to the owners of the business that members of management have a grudge against him and are trying to get him fired. Today, facing certain dismissal, he made a new claim... SEXUAL HARASSMENT. He claims that myself and another female employee are treating him unfairly b/c he has refused sexual advances. The claims are absolutely false. However, he has also stated that this whole thing can "go away" if the company pays him $60,000. Of course, that will NOT happen. What recourse does my company have? I'm assuming he's doing this to keep his job (thinking that he cannot be fired because he has a pending sexual harassment claim). The owners are following our harassment policy and investigating the claim, even though they know its bogus. But now they are afraid that they'll never be able to get rid of this problem employee. Please help. We are a small company (about 10 employees). We don't have a lot of assets, but we've been in business almost 50 years. I don't even think we can afford the legal bills this kind of thing could bring. I afraid that one ****** can cost nine other people their jobs and run a family business into the ground.

opening act? I have tix to see them on November 15 in St. Louis. Does anyone know who will be opening the show?

My ex just finished boot camp and is stationed somewhere in Mississippi. I don't have any details on his status because he doesn't include me on any of this. We have a daughter (I have cared for solely since age 2). He hasn't seen her since several months prior to boot camp. He is ordered to pay child support, which he does and to carry insurance on her, which he never has.

Last week I got a letter from social services stating that I needed to enroll my daughter in DEERS in order to get her military insurance and ID cards. I called the number provided but basically got no answers. They're telling me that everything has to be done on his end. I'm fairly certain that he has her listed as a dependant (they say he gets paid more if he does that, even if the child's not in his custody). What I don't know is whether or not there is anything I can do to get her into DEERS. I seem to be getting so much contradictory info. I have no way to contact him. Please help...

I have had this car since July 05 and have had nothing but trouble with it. I am at the end of my rope. I've had to have both the driver and passenger windows fixed b/c of something inside coming loose. I've had to replace the fuse for the 12v outlets several times (i only plug in my cell phone charger). But the biggest trouble is with the rough downshift I've been having for about the last year.

The car does fine in city driving (not over 40 mph). But when I get it on the highway and get it up to speeds over 50 and then slow down (like at a stoplight or off-ramp) it jerks like its having trouble downshifting. I've taken it to the dealer several times and always get the same story, no codes are coming up. Its in the shop right now and I had so not so nice words with the dealer about it this morning. It only has 19,000 miles on it . They said its possible that its a computer issue. Has anyone else had this prob? What if anything did they do to fix it?

I have two children. One from a previous relationship (age 8) and a seven month old son with my husband. We were married for four years before we had our son. When I was pregnant, we both talked about him getting a vasectomy. Now, he says he wants to wait a few more years b/c he may want to have more... but I don't want anymore kids.

I have trouble taking the pill b/c of too many migraines. I've been on and off the pill for about 12 years. I've even tried the ones that are supposed to help migraine sufferers. Nothing works. I tried depo but got really fat. I've tried to reason with him and let him know my feelings to no avail.

I don't want to pressure him into getting a vasectomy, but I also don't want to have any more kids. I've considered getting a tubal, but don't want to do it unless he approves. What should I do?

My daughter's father (not living with us) has joined the military and is due to go thru basic in about a month. He doesn't see her very often (only about once a month). She isn't very close to her father, but really looks up to him. He told her he is only going away for a few weeks, and will see her as soon as he gets back. I'm really upset b/c I know the reality of the situation. He has joined the navy and we live in St. Louis. I know that regardless of where he is stationed, he will not be seeing much of her. I'm past the point of trying to explain to him that he needs to be more honest with her. I've tried to tell her that her father will not be living nearby for several years, but she keeps saying "but Daddy said he would just be gone for a few weeks." Its breaking my heart because I know that he's just setting her up for disappointment. What should I do?

My 8 year old wants her last name changed so that she will have the same last name as myself, her stepfather, and her brother. Her father isn't in the picture. He never sees her and only pays support when forced to by the state. My husband has raised her for the past 5 years. Last year, when my son was born, my daughter started asking about changing her last name. I'm thinking about hyphenating it to include both her father's names. I live in Jefferson County Missouri. Is it possible to get her name changed without her biological father's consent? If so, does anyone know what the filing fee is? Will I have to get an attorney?

NOTE: My husband and I are both against him adopting her. We're not trying to erase her father from her life. We just want her to feel less like an outsider in her own family. She's tired of having to explain the name difference at school. When people address us as "the Harris family" she feels totally left out.

We are going on a family trip to Disney World this July. Its my first time so I don't really know what to expect. My husband and daughter (8 yrs) will be going. We are staying at the All Star Music Resort and have passes for: Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, MGM, and SeaWorld. I'm trying to see if anyone has any cool ideas or insider tips (i.e. things a little off the beaten path, or perhaps things most tourist miss out on). I want the trip to be a memorable one for all of us.