The Kiyars on Their Next Big Adventure

My sister set an example...

2011-08-08T08:51:00.000-05:00

One of my older sisters does a neat thing, she sends out updates about what is going on in her life to her family and close friends to keep them posted. Anyone remember why I started this blog? Yea...so, I'm going to try and get back into updating a little more regularly.

In June we had a great family trip to Virginia. We stayed at my sister Karen's beautiful, HUGE, new townhouse in Haymarket and were able to visit lots of friends. I think the highlight of our trip was going to the Dulles Air & Space Center. It was soooo much fun to take Aiden to see the Enterprise and all of the airplanes. He thought it was pretty cool, and because Baris and I are terrible dorks, we also loved it.

In July the boys and I left Baris at home and spent 2 weeks in Minnesota with our friends. It was a very busy trip. We pretty much had two months of fun in just 2 weeks. One of the highlights (there were many) was the Boobs n Brinner event hosted by the breastfeeding advocacy blog my good friends and I run. We were so excited to have many new mothers come out to have photographs done with their nurslings. We felt just a LITTLE bit famous during the event and really enjoyed the fruits of our labor.

Things have been relatively slow and quiet since the move here in Columbus. I've been taking the boys to different fun locations where we have been racking up memberships. We go weekly to Kids Commons, which is a community children's museum, it's pretty neat. We also have memberships at the Indianapolis Zoo and the Indianapolis Children's Museum. Baris and I BOTH just LOVE the zoo and the children's museum at least as much as Aiden does. On our first trip we decided to let Aiden feed a Giraffe, fairly certain he would be too timid to do it...but he did! He asks to feed the giraffe every time we go now.

Aiden and his new buddy, the Giraffe

Chase seems to enjoy our outings, there is so much to see for a curious little baby like him. He's so easy going and engaged, definitely a delightful little boy. He is growing so fast and is nearly ready to start walking. We think by the middle of next month he will have his feet in motion and that's the last we will see of him and the little sanity we have left. He is madly in love with his brother and spends his day following Aiden around the house, playing with his toys, and jabbering up a storm. He even imitates Aiden's roars.

Right now Aiden is taking a toddler gymnastics class at a local gymnastics place and he really really loves it. It's so awesome to see him learning and focusing more each week. It's as much a workout for us as it is for him because he wants to run off as soon as he finishes a round of an activity and we have to chase after him. It doesn't matter though, he still loves it and is learning. In addition to the gymnastics we go weekly to the library for story time. This is an endless challenge in terms of his behavior, but he's geting the idea of participating in group activities slowly but surely.

We don't generally swim in the lake behind our house...I'm totally skeeved out by ponds, personally, but we have taken Aiden out in the canoe we bought from the previous owners a couple of times and he just loves it. He's surprisingly well-behaved and doesn't tip the boat, so that's good! We spend most of our outdoor time either coloring in the driveway with chalk or playing on the slide and swings off the back deck/patio. We also set up the kid pool every now and then and Aiden will play there for hours.

We really enjoy the new house. It's wonderful to have a playroom for the boys and to have so much more space. At least once a week I still say "I just love our house." There are lots of things we want to do, but nothing very pressing. My next project is to paint the playroom for the boys, it's going to be super cute and fun. I'll post pictures once we finish it.

I don't have many pictures to upload right now, but I will get them off the camera and upload a few later. Ta ta for now!

The boys wrestling on the bed...adorable.

Trying to get back in the swing

2010-10-24T15:05:00.000-05:00

OK, here's what's up! I'm now 39 weeks pregnant with our little boy Chase (pardon my appearance...long weekend):

Our guess date is next Saturday. I'm prepared but NOT patient about possibly going another 2 or 3 weeks. Really it's not that long!

Everything is ready for his arrival at this point. I think he'll be taller than Aiden, maybe a little heavier...I like my babies chunky, so he better come fat or fatten up fast! :)

Aiden is sick with some mystery fever-bug thing, so I imagine my body will hold off on labor until the family is healthy...kind of crazy how the body works. I have the most amazing midwife, and everytime I see her I'm reminded of that. Aiden's birth was pretty awesome, but this one is going to be even more amazing. I've been spending a lot of time taking Aiden to playgrounds, especially the indoor ones as my body prefers that I just kind of take it easy right now. He also has ECFE every Friday morning, and we're going to try to keep him going to that as much as possible after Chase is born, depending on timing, hopefully we won't miss any classes due to the birth.

Baris will be home for 2 weeks after Chase is born to help us all get settled and started on a routine. I anticipate a big adjustment, and I think we're in for it when B goes back to work. Between work and school it's already a challenge with just one. I've seen a lot of friends with kids Aiden's age suddenly become "big kids" when baby comes home though, so hopefully he'll not take it all too hard.

The big news this week (well, so far) is that we're getting the carpets cleaned by ZEROREZ! I'm so excited about this it's kind of stupid...lol I've been waiting to have it done for FOREVER! Timing is super awesome for having it done, right before the baby comes and following this icky bug that Aiden has.

IN other news, here's some blogs for you to follow. My girlfriends and I (otherwise known as the Cool Girls' Club or CGC) started a blog about breastfeeding:

thegoodletdown.blogspot.com

One of the CGC girls has a preemie baby she regularly blogs about:

bedrestnbeyond.blogspot.com

the other CGC girl just gave birth to her SECOND baby with bilateral club feet (this is INSANELY rare...)

adventureswithtriangles.blogspot.com

and right now, that's it! Hopefully some other big news will arrive SOON! In the meantime, I guess I'm taking Aiden trick-or-treating this weekend!

Girl's Night in the company of...

2010-06-18T22:14:00.002-05:00

...well... wieners. That's right, wieners. I could rope not a single gal pal into sipping sparkling non-alcoholic drinks, munching delightful things, painting toes and watching Julie and Julia with me tonight so it was just me, my sparkly juices and my movie. Oh..and my ever-in-toe wiener-wielding terrorist to be, Chase.

My husband wandered upstairs at one point to eat too much ice cream while I was in the middle of the movie and I shoo'd him away. I smacked his cheek and stated, in no uncertain terms, that wieners were not welcome tonight. It has occurred to me, as I told B, that I never spend a moment without a male present, especially now that I am toting one around in my belly, bless his little heart (and wiener). I was even willing to stay up past my bedtime BY MY SELF to just enjoy some MOSTLY male free time...even after my sour and pitiful afternoon during which I spent most of my time feeling whiny and sorry for myself for no other reason than I feel like an "academic widow (tm)," the day was lovely and I had NOTHING to do and NO ONE to do it with. As much as I adore Aiden and enjoy his personality and company...I was really needing an adult today. So I mostly was feeling lonely, homesick (yes, this still happens even after 6 long years), and bored.

Whatever, the movie was wonderful and made me laugh and feel less like a robot for a little bit. I'm going to bed...an hour late. I'm up with Aiden in the morning because B is up late studying...again.

Aren't I awful?

2010-06-16T13:31:00.005-05:00

I just don't know what to blog anymore! B and I found out yesterday that baby number 2 is another bouncing baby boy and we've decided to name him Chase.

There is baby Chase in profile. He's big, healthy and happy. This pregnancy has been so different from Aiden's. I feel great now, but for 16 weeks I had all-day sickness. I've lost over 30 pounds since I found out I was pregnant...it's crazy!

Aiden has been sure to keep me guessing and keep me on my toes. His personality continues to amaze me, he's a little hot head but still the sweetest, snuggliest thing you have ever met. He's 34 inches tall now (almost 3 feet...wow!) and 27 pounds. He doesn't speak a lot, but he communicates with us more and more each day through gestures and vocal inflection...he's kinda funny about it. One day he's just going to say, very academically, "actually mom, that dinosaur doesn't exist" or something like that and I'll probably just wet myself. He fills my days with tantrums and smiles and I think it must be very frustrating to be one-and-a-half sometimes. Grown-ups just don't get it.

Our next big adventure is a trip to Turkey in August. I'm sure it will be a whirlwind of fun and challenges. I think B will need a few very stiff drinks after traveling with a toddler and a pregnant woman! B is traveling to Indiana for work/school July 25th through July 30th, then we'll be gone from August 4th until the 24th. We get to settle in for just a couple days and then B will be in the UK for work for a week. So much for the back end of summer! LOL!

Anyway, that's all you get for now...I hear The Terrorist/Toddlerzilla stirring from a much needed long nap. I better go get him snuggled up and feed him lunch. :)

Going on Record

2009-09-30T11:17:00.002-05:00

on September 13th, I posted a long, detailed update. Then the crap crashed and I was too busy to repost. BUT, on September 13th Aiden got his third tooth! Today, I noticed the fourth!

Here's what's up:

At his 9 month check up, he was 21.5 pounds, 29.5 inches. He's currently wearing 18 month clothes, I think he has had a growth spurt since then.

He says three things now! Ball (Bah!) and he signs that as well, he said this first one on September 16th, 1 day before turning 10 months old. He also says Dog (dah!) and "ABOO!" When he's playing peek aboo! LOL

He stands solo a lot now, and on Saturday, he took his very first step. just one, and he can step, then stand before sitting or plopping on his butt. BUT, it's a first, and he's done it several times. He's getting quite brave.

Yesterday he started clapping...probably the cutest thing EVER!

That's all I have time for now. Baby is crabbing, and I'm considering taking him for a walk to get some fresh air, even though I'm JUST starting to recover from a cold. I'm posting a picture here until I can get on here and tell you all about our great camping trip at Jay Cooke!

This is Aiden and daddy, hiking at St. Croix STate Park.

International Babywearing Week

2009-09-13T08:04:00.001-05:00

yep!

Growing So fast

2009-08-18T18:23:00.002-05:00

So...he grows so fast that I'm going to be updating every other day at this rate! I was recording him playing the other day, he was cruising across me and the front of the loveseat...he let go...and stood. Only for a second or two, but he balanced, and as he started to lose it he just reached forward and went on about playing. We saw him do this last week, but now I have it on video.

We also got him this walking toy that he can push around while walking, or it can be converted and he can sit on it and scoot around (he doesn't know how to do that yet). Well, he walked all the way across the floor from the kitchen to the sliding doors day before yesterday. It was so cute!!!!

Aiden spends a lot of time with Emily, who is 6 months older than he is, so we see him do things once in a while that we KNOW that he has learned from him. Well, he just did one of those again. He assumed the "downward baby" stance...head on the floor...butt in the air, legs straight, feet on the floor. And he was just hanging out and wiggling his booty. Just like Emily! HAHA!

Anyway, Aiden's 9 month appointment is yesterday. Details to come!

The latest

2009-08-12T09:07:00.002-05:00

Well...Aiden still only has 2 little teefers. LOL, but there looks to be SIX ready to pop on top! I think one morning I'm going to go in to get him from his bed and he'll have 6 pearly whites poking out!

So, The day he turned 8 months, July 17th, he pulled himself to a stand. And now that's all he ever wants to do. In the living room, in his crib, in his car seat, in the tub...he just wants to stand stand stand. He's walking along our furniture and going from one piece to the next around the perimiter of the house. He's occaisionally trying to let go and stand unassisted, but mostly he just plops on his butt right now. I'm sure that will not last long...he'll be standing soon.

two weeks ago, he started crawling...FOR REAL. He has the worlds fastest army crawl (uses his elbows, but keeps his belly up so there's no friction, lol) but now he also crawls and plods along all over the house. It's the cutest damn thing you've ever seen.

He can give me five now, which is also super cute. He thinks it's really funny. and he gives kisses...which is my favorite trick to date BY FAR! He started by giving me kisses, then he started giving his toys and his favorite book (Rainbow Rob) kisses. Then he kissed daddy <3 and now he kisses his uncle Jake and aunt Jackie all the time too. All that's well and good...but my heart melted when he grabbed his best friend Emily, hugged her, and gave her a bunch of kisses. Total kodak moment (defined as....when you DON'T have your camera).

I'm trying to teach him to clap, and he thinks that's great too. He has always liked clapping sounds! A few weeks ago we got some funny video of him slamming some toys around...he was very very into it. Lots of noise, very cute. I owe some video posting (what don't I owe...) so I'll get on that this week.

Oh, and on Monday I taught him how to climb the stairs. LOL! It's cute to watch him crawl up the stairs.

I think the races are out of the plan right now. I ran into some serious pain and issues with my knees. So I have been doing low impact exercise for a few weeks. I'm afraid to run because I was hurting so bad for a week after my last run. then it suddenly stopped, I don't know what happened, but I didn't like it. I'll try again in a few weeks, I'm going to do some PT on my own, and hopefully that will prevent it happening again. Although, my husbands doctor says he doesn't recommend running for ANYONE, nevermind someone with pre-existing knee problems. I should stick to cycling maybe...I could get really into that and I wouldn't ahve to force myself! HA!

I'm strongly considering putting the doula work on hold for a bit and getting a part time job. Money is a bit tight and B is having a hard hard time finding a new job. He really needs it, he's miserable where he is now...and it shows in every way. That's super hard on us. In addition the company is destroying our health insurance. Our out of pocket maximum is going up by $4000 next year, they are charging $1200 more a year in premiums, coverage is going down, and they have eliminated prescription coverage. We simply can't afford to work for them anymore. :(

Anyway, that's what's news around here!

when plans change

2009-06-29T08:57:00.002-05:00

Well, no big vacation for my birthday. :-\ The money just isn't going to pan out. This economy blows, our groceries are more than 2 times what they used to be! UGH! I have to start school in the fall again, and the community colleges here are SO EXTREMELY STUPIDLY EXPENSIVE that I can't afford to be messing around going camping and stuff. I have a theory about why they are so costly...but it's not for mixed ears. It's looking less and less like I"m going to Utah in the fall too, which really kills me.

I'm not sure if I mentioned, but Aiden now has TWO teeth. :-) What a little champ. He also regularly sleeps through the night now, and takes good naps during the day. He's been having fun playing at the pool, riding in the bike trailer, going to Jackie's house to play with Emily and visiting all around. He needs to go in soon to get his shots (we're on an alternate schedule, so he gets some shots at 7 months), but we don't have to have a check up until he's 9 months old! He's getting so big. He can scoot all over the place now, and he's fast. I'm sure he'll move quickly to a crawl, and we think he'll walk before he turns 1.

Speaking of turning 1, all our friends are invited to come out for his birthday in November. We are not sure if we want to do the big party on the 14th or the 21st, but probably the 14th since I'm going to be running in the Turkey Day 5K on the 22nd, don't want to be all loaded with cake and stuff! It will be here in Blaine, but probably at my friend's house, she has more space to entertain than I do!

I better jet, Jesse is coming in about 24 hours and I have to make this house ready for her to be here for a whole week! SO EXCITED!!!!!!

Upcoming

2009-06-25T11:29:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm doing my best to make the most of our short summer. The biggest thing coming up is that Jesse and Gracie are coming in less than a week! They will be here on Tuesday! I'm so excited! The timing couldn't be more perfect, afterall...that is my rest day from my training!

Other than being on call for two mammas in July, not much else will be happening until August. For my birthday B and I are going on a little mini vacation with Aiden, we are going to go camp near the Wisconsin Dells, details to follow when we find a site and make a plan! :-)

Then there is the half marathon, I also have a mamma due in August. After all that we are taking a camping trip with our friends and neighbors: Crystal, Doug, and Levi. Should be fun, it's going to be a fun Summer. I will post more funness as it happens!

Updates!

2009-06-20T21:33:00.003-05:00

Aiden got his first tooth the day before he turned 7 months old! :-) FINALLY! I'm pretty sure the second one is RIGHT behind it since we have a resurgence of super fuss going on. Hopefully he/we will get a break after that. He's also scooting at last, started doing that on Wednesday! Aiden just looks bigger everyday. Some mornings I look at his feet and wonder where they came from, they used to be so tiny, and now he wears a size 3 shoe! Holy cow!

Along with Aiden's first tooth came my first grey hair. I'm not joking, I spotted it in the mirror (the damn thing has been growing a long time, it's as long as the rest of my hair) just a week before that tooth broke. I don't think it's a coincidence.

HOWEVER, Aiden's sleep patterns are SO much improved over the last 3 weeks or so! He's a totally different baby since we've gotten his sleep sorted out. It makes me so happy that he's sleeping at night, not only because it means I'M sleeping at night but also because his temperment is so much more pleasant when he's well rested! :-) That's my big boy!

In other news, I have just attended two births that were real eye openers for me. My little window into the OB world is anything but rose colored. I feel angry and frustrated on behalf of women in this country who are led down this by their care providers of one intervention after another. So unnecessary. That's really all I can say. Unfortunately, I think my obvious frustration with these harmful routine interventions alienates me from some long time friends. Sometimes I think women would rather NOT know that there are other ways.

Here's a good article to read about inductions, it's so rampant right now it makes me sick. Inductions definitely contribute to this nations OUTRAGEOUS c/s rates. Want to know something interesting? As we spend more and more money on maternity care....our maternal and fetal outcomes aren't going up...they are going down. Fancy that huh?

I promised!

2009-05-26T19:36:00.002-05:00

Aiden is such a moose! His physical went well today! He came in at 27inches and 18.5 pounds! He's a big big boy! He was showing his doctor all his neat tricks like sitting up, standing, jumping, and rolling all around! He even showed off his sign for "pick me up" which is what he interprets the "all done" sign to mean. LOL He didn't like getting his shot, but we got him settled down and all was well. He took two long naps today with me (I was so tired, but what's new).

I haven't gotten jack done around the house, so I'm going to go clean the kitchen before I go for a walk. Mr. Man is in bed already. :-) Oh to be small.

IT LIVES!

2009-05-24T22:07:00.003-05:00

This blog has been pitiful the last couple months. I apologize to my loyal followers.

Aiden is a BEAST! Tuesday is his 6 month physical, I'll update on height and weight after that appointment.

He still sleeps very very poorly day and night and that has been a constant drain. Actually the primary reason I don't post on here much recently. I'm so very sleep deprived, but Baris and I have worked out a schedule to ease some of that insanity for me so I can get some rest over the weekends.

Other than not sleeping, Aiden is just awesome. He has learned to roll all around. On Mother's Day he demonstrated his all new mastery of the back and forth rolling...over and over and over again. Just last week he showed me how he could be one place...then NOT! Simply by rolling across the floor, stopping, changing direction, and rolling again. He can hold himself up on hands and knees for a little bit, but doesn't do it much unless I put him like that. I don't think he likes it. He's trying to scoot on his tummy, but for now he's decided that scooting on his back will do. This trick is tons of fun at diaper changes, as you might imagine. He loves to jump jump jump his jiggles out, he gets super excited and if I just hold him, he goes bonkers jumping up and down. It's so cute. He's laughing a lot more now. He's still stingy about it, but I hear it more often. I'll do anything to make him laugh, and do it until he will laugh no more because I just love the sound of it and the look on his face when he's laughing. He thinks my friend's 3.5 year old is so funny when he jumps off the couch, just laughs his little jiggly baby butt off at him!

He's eating a lot of foods now. I've made him sweet potatoes (the current favorite), applesauce, pears, peas and carrots, and avocado (which he didn't like). He's also had peaches, green beans, and squash. I even give him yogurt melts and he loves those! The only thing I have to say about all this is that I miss the exclusively-breastfed-poo that didn't stink. HAHAHA! He eats twice a day now, and knows that it's coming when I put him in his high chair. He gets all excited. When I'm feeding him he goes "mmm! mmm! mmm!" :)

He is SUCH a water baby! He just LOVES being in the water, watching water, touching it, splashing, and loves his Baby Neptune movie all about water. I took him to Long Lake today with his girlfriend Emily, who turned one yesterday, and put his feet in the lake. He wiggled his toes and kicked his feet to splash the water. He just loved it. It was a beautiful afternoon.

A few weeks ago Emily's Mommy and I took the babies to the park to swing for the first time. I think Aiden likes it, but he's so busy studying things that he doesn't get all excited. His little girlfriend gets ALL jazzed up though! The babies just love the park!

So that's pretty much all that's new. The only other thing going on is my new blog:
http://megztheflabfighter.blogspot.com/

So now I have two blogs. I'm commited to once a week on the other blog, so I'll post on this one at least that much. :-)

I hope all my readers aren't too rabid. I would post a picture of Aiden from recently except my husband hasn't finished migrating my files over after reformatting it (a task that took him three months to get to by the way...those of you who see him regularly can feel free to give him S*** about that). Hopefully by my next post it will be done and I can get you a new cute shot of my little man!

All the best,

Megz

So Much!

2009-04-13T15:22:00.002-05:00

I have so much to share because it's been forever since I posted. If you want to know why...

AIDEN IS TEETHING and never sleeps anyway.

I seem to have found the trick for his daytime naps though, and he's been asleep an hour. So I can blog briefly about what's up.

Virginia:

AMAZING. I had a great time. I never wanted to come home. Two weeks was awesome, I could have done 2 decades and been satisfied. I took Aiden to the aquarium with his Mamma Jesse, Fiance Gracie, and Auntie Karen. We had family portraits done with my sisters and my mom. We made pottery, we had more pictures done, we went visiting and bouncing all around. It was FANTASTIC. I missed out on a baby shower that I REALLY wanted to go to because Aiden started getting an ear infection right before we had to fly home. I got him all better with a homeopathic remedy though and life was good. Sadly I missed what was probably the best baby shower ever! :( My only regret from the trip.

Aiden's 4 Month Appt:

He's huge. Hands down. 3 weeks ago he weighed in at 16lbs 4oz...which is 75th percentile for weight. What's more shocking is that he's 27 inches tall, putting him at 95th for height! He had his two vaccines like a champ, showed off for the doctors, and flirted with the nurses.

Aiden in General:

Well, he's teething...that's a challenge, but Hylands is AWESOME. He's having cereal twice a day now, and it's so cute I could die! He rolls on his tummy all the time, and I think in the next couple weeks I"ll be telling everyone about how well he scoots, cuz he's trying REALLY hard. He's sitting pretty well, sometimes without his arms for a short while, but mostly balancing on his arms. It's a neat trick! He likes to jump when you hold him...his little legs are crazy. Bathtime is still his favorite thing in the world...especially since he has found his toes (he found those in Virginia, along with his shreaky voice...) and he spends much of bathtime trying to suck them, and splashing his feet in the water. He's coming up on 5 months...i can't believe he's been with us so long! He'll be in college before I know it! He's still the sweetest and cuddliest little boy you've ever met, and he loves loves loves to talk! He has much to say, so you better listen up. :-)

News about B:

We got a letter a week ago from Immigration...B has his citizenship interview and test at the end of May...he will officially be a citizen by the end of June. I'm so excited I could burst. This opens up a lot of opportunities in the area we want to be in. I'm physically ill thinking about going home finally...I want it SOOO bad.

-----

So I started this post at 3:00 this afternoon. It is now 8:48 and I'm adding a note. Aiden sat unassisted today...no arms on the floor or anything. That was this evening just before dinner. He did it quite a few times even! What a big boy!

I Dub You...Sir Man-enough

2009-02-26T17:33:00.002-06:00

So B is coming down with a cold again, just as I'm getting over one and we tried a remedy for him that involves making a Cayan Pepper tea...add honey and in this case Rum...drink...HOT. LOL I told him he wasn't man enough to finish. But he did...so I, in my greatness...dubbed him Sir ManEnough! LOL

A 3 Month Miracle

2009-02-18T06:38:00.002-06:00

So I changed my tune yesterday about his sleeping arrangements. I decided that Aiden is a big boy now and he needs to start sleeping longer. So I've adapted a set bedtime, and a set routine (which will continue with set nap times today). By golly...it worked. He slept 7 HOURS STRAIGHT last night. let me just put this into perspective for my readers. The night before last...he woke up...every. two. hours. Clearly that's what spurred me to put my foot down. I'll be satisfied if I can get him to sleep for 5 hours at a go regularly at night, but I wouldlove it if he continue his 7 hour stretch! In addition he'll be sleeping in his bassinet soon...I wanted him in there last night, but the way the mattress/pad in it sits, it makes me worry that he'll have trouble breathing. It sags a bit, which brings his chin to his chest, which is clearly uncomfortable for him from watching him last night. So I moved him back into our bed until I can figure out how to fix the problem.

So Aiden is officially 3 months old! He is just so adorable, looks like a miniature big boy now! He learned a new trick for his 3 month birthday yesterday....he has been able to roll onto his side for a few weeks now...but yesterday he demonstrated his ability to use that trick to maneuver himself around...he turns...in place by repeatedly rolling back and forth from his side to his back and scootching some how. I haven't figured it out....I just know he chases me across the bed with this trick, and that he is exactly perpendicular this morning to the position he was in when he fell asleep after nursing at 4am. Always clockwise. I'm going to have to get some kind of gate for this guy soon to keep him contained. I give it another month, max, before he's found some way to motor his way from one place to another.

He has also become mr. chatty pants. He's got a lot to say, and he's so very excited to say it...to anyone!! Sunday night he was with some borrowed Grandmas who were lending a very interested ear to his antics and he got so into it that he up and threw his head back and laughed. That's only the second time he's laughed, and the first time I've seen him do it! He talked and talked with those grandmas until he was plum out of steam. I guess he had a lot to say, and who can blame him, he's been pretty quiet the first three months. He has been chatting a whole lot since Sunday. His face is very expressive when he talks

The cutest thing (to me) that he's doing right now is reaching for us. If daddy is holding him and he wants me, he leans real hard towards me and puts his arms out for me. If I'm holding him and he wants daddy, he does the same thing to daddy. It's the sweetest thing!

Well the beast has risen, and eaten. Time to get him changed and dressed for his day! I have a chiropractor appointment this morning, and later He has an appointment for two of his shots (we're doing an alternate vax schedule) at 3 (that will interfere with naptime). Tonight is a birth community meet and greet with the health east midwives...I better remember my cards!!!

Aiden's Future Wife

2009-02-17T19:48:00.002-06:00

This is Gracie...she'll be two in June...they've been destined to be together since her birth!

Blog Neglected Sadly in February

2009-02-14T22:57:00.002-06:00

Shame on me!

Aiden will be 3 whole months on Tuesday...where does the time go...are you amazed? Cuz I sure am. Not a whole lot going on. Aiden does something new almost every single day, so I just can't keep track at all anymore. He rolls to his side, and sometimes onto his belly. He talks a lot. He's REALLY into his hands right now, and he likes to put toys in his mouth at every opportunity. He's turned into such a ladies man...always flirting with all the girls. I took him to the pool at the Y a few days ago and he L-O-V-E-D it! It was so cute, and he looked so darling in his swim trunks. HAHA! He's been doing a good job over the last week of just sleeping by himself for his naps. Granted, he only does it if he's in his swing or on our bed (on our bed most of the time) but it's one step to his own bed and it's progress! We'll do one more week of practicing sleeping alone, then I"ll try to get him to sleep alone in his crib for naps. A little here, a little there. He doesn't have to be fully transitioned until June, but I want him used to sleeping in his crib when it comes time to have him start sleeping there. I think as soon as he starts sleeping through the night I'll put him in his pack n play next to us until it's time for him to go to his crib at night.

In other news

I am counting down to my trip to Virginia...TAKE ME HOME! I'm so excited to take Aiden HOME! It's going to be great! We're going to the monuments, the Baltimore Aquarium, possibly the national Zoo. I'm taking him to the mountains, if the weather is good a short hike at Sky Meadows, I'm soooo excited.

I rearranged the living/dining room...I don't know why I never thought of this before...it's so ROOMY and I didn't even take out any of the furniture!!! now I have all this room to sit around on the floor with Aiden and play!

We are also getting ready to finish up the Den finally. Next weekend we are getting rid of B's nasty old desk and book shelves and replacing them with one sleek unit that will fill his needs FAR better. It will finally be the man den...essentially the last room we really had any plans to do anything with...it will be done. That means...something should come down the pipe and we can move! LOL! We have seen a trickle in the pipe...but I can't say anything yet, it's too soon.

I have been hired by my first private (non friend) client!!! wHOOOOOOT! I didn't think she was going to hire me, I just didn't get that vibe, but I was SOOO happy when she did. AND, I just had another interview on Friday, and I did get a good vibe from her, so I might have TWO clients in May! WHOOT!

That's all for now. I'm cold, and sleepy, and the baby needs a good snuggle!

Hugs from us,
Meg

Friday Five

2009-01-30T17:16:00.002-06:00

I almost never remember to do my Friday Five, but better to do it occaisionally than never at all!

Today I am thankful that

1. B did not get laid off in the recent round of "headcount" reductions at the office.

2. sushi is so damn delicious at Taiko.

3. I have a friend who doesn't mind watching Aiden for me.

4. I have the cooking co-op every week with some awesome women

5. I am surrounded by so many awesome doula women...these are my people.

(I'm grateful for a 6th thing I've been informed I'm not allowed to post about for another few weeks! No, I'm not pregnant!)

Milestones!

2009-01-30T17:13:00.002-06:00

Signs my big boy is growing up!

1. He's rolling from his back to his side and his side to his back now! I think even he gets excited about this cuz today he did it on his floor mat and then OOOO'd at me. HAHAHA!

2. He's already outgrowing most of his 0-3 month clothes. Except Carter's...they run true to HIS size.

3. He's whacking his toys, and will put anything I put in his hand...into his mouth. He even grabs them successfully from time to time!

4. He loves "rough" games like bouncing his butt on the bed, raspberries on his belly, flying, gentle tosses in the air, etc.

5. He now splashes and kicks in the bath! He's very excitable.

6. He reaches for our faces with his hand, and says hello to us if he hasn't seen us in a while. ie: after a nap, in the mornings, or when B comes home from work.

Time just FLIES!

Pictures are back!

2009-01-27T20:14:00.000-06:00

So here is one of our portraits from January 17th. This is scanned in and apparently there is dust on our glass, but it's better than nothing! Aiden is wearing a white BumGenius! We will have more to post soon. We are ordering a CD that has ALL of the pictures that were taken (there were only two "bad" ones) and we'll get to sharing them soon!

I want it.

2009-01-25T21:11:00.001-06:00

Bad.
http://www.mobywrap.com/p-114-born-free-wrap.aspx

Our Big Boy!

2009-01-22T14:26:00.002-06:00

Aiden's growth continues to amaze me! His 2 month check up was yesterday. He was totally flirting with his pediatrician which I thought was so adorable. BUT, our little hunk is 13lbs 3oz, and 23 inches tall now! He's put on 3 pounds since his appointment last month! He got his first vaccinations...we are using an alternative vaccination schedule, I'm so glad, because he only had one shot yesterday, and one oral vaccine. He did great, didn't even cry when his leg got pinned down...in fact he grinned at the nurse. What a ham. :-)

I've been loading video of our booger (unedited...and I mostly sound like an idiot in them...but Aiden is cute) onto youtube. Here's my main page: http://www.youtube.com/user/DoulaMegz

He's a totally stubborn about naps, but we're working on it! I've posted a 5th album on picasa if you want to take a look!

Too cute...

2009-01-19T12:23:00.004-06:00

Here's that world class grin!

Now your day is worth finishing... ;-)

Thoughts Before the Inauguration

2009-01-19T10:05:00.002-06:00

It totally doesn't matter who you voted for, and I'll share here that I DID vote for Obama in this election. I've NEVER been so conflicted on election day, and yes, I think I was voting for who I felt was the lesser of two evils...even though at the core, I'm pretty freakin' conservative. That said, on election night I remember thinking "oh...yeah, he IS a black man, and this IS a big deal" because prior to that, I didn't even realize that Obama was black. To me, he was a man, a politician, auditioning for the biggest job in our country. So I want to just say to my family and friends who pepper all ends of the political spectrum, that you can't help but be proud to finally live in these times. Today is MLK day...and tomorrow...we inaugurate our first black president. Isn't that just amazing? I didn't vote for him because he was black, but I am floored by the progress we are making in our society. As Americans we should all unite and be proud of the growth...be grateful for Martin Luther King Jr.'s contribution to tomorrow's historic events, and pray to whoever or whatever that Obama does his best to take our country in a better direction. Politicians are politicians so my expectations are colored by that understanding, but this defines my generation and I hope that the definition is a good one.

And about Bush...He is just a man, we are all capable of making mistakes. Much as I have disagreed and been disatisfied with the way he and his administration have governed my country (yes, people...MY country!) he has made many sacrifices to govern...and I know that beyond his presidency, he is defined by more than just his politics, and underneath it all...again...he is just a man, and I hope that our country can be grateful for the experience of the last 8 years, the good and bad, because we are who and what we are based on the sum of our experiences. In addition...the president doesn't call all the shots...those of you familiar with the structure of our government know that we have a nifty system of checks and balances...we elected that legislature (and the upcoming one as well) and the real power lies in that legislature. We as American people need to take ownership for our own mistakes as participants in this government.

Furthermore, we as Americans need to take ownership for our failing economy. A society based on credit, loaning, instant gratification is bound to collapse. As consumers "we" have done this to ourselves...the businesses just met the demand of the people. I firmly believe that the politicians played a VERY limited role in the collapse of our economy. If you can't afford it...DON'T BUY IT because you don't NEED it! Get over the entitlement complex America! Earn the things you want, earn your prosperity, get off the credit cards, and live within your means. If these things had been happening all along...our economy wouldn't be a mess.

and before someone says I'm not PC for saying "Black" instead of "African american..." Obama is NOT African American. My husband is Turkish American, my son is American, Obama is American...he did not grow up in Africa...and for that matter, neither did the blacks in the country for the most part. He is not African, he is American. so yes, i say Black. MLK said black too, so get over it. I'm not white...I'm AMERICAN.
---

ah..Parenthood. My little boy is MY LIFE. I want to do all the right things by him. I'm tired of advice. It causes me to put undo pressure on myself...and when I have to make a decision...it's too hard to figure out which opinion is mine! My baby is 2 months old, he's still alive...I'm doing good I think! LOL I hope Aiden grows up in a country more stable than it has been in the last decade or so. No more squeeky wheels please...if you're a minority, shut u

Two big Celebrations

2009-01-18T13:03:00.002-06:00

So, first off, Aiden is now officially 2 months old! I don't know where the time goes, but he's a serious bruiser! His big 2 month appointment is on Wednesday morning. He's about 12 pounds I think, I'll post his stats after the appt. Aiden is smiling and "talking" all the time. He's stubborn about naps, and is showing a preference for sucking his fist/thumb over his binky. This bugs me...because it's easier to stop the binky sucking than a thumb...it's not like I can cut his thumb off you know? hm...by the time he's two maybe I'll think I CAN cut his thumb off...we shall see. His Aunty sent him the greatest box of goodies...including this goofy snowman suit...I'm going to try and get a picture of him in it in the next couple days while the weather is "warm" and I can put him near a snow pile for the picture. :-) I'll post it when I get it.

Second, Baris and I celebrated FIVE YEARS on Thursday! that's right...half a decade! Instead of doing anything specific, we decided that we would go have portraits done with the baby...they are adorable and I can't wait until they come back, I'm hooked, I'll be doing this with Aiden every couple of months, and probably once a year with all of us!

On another note, I booked my flight home to Virginia. March 8th through the 22nd. I'm so excited to take Aiden home for the first time! I'm going to take him to Washington for a day, and we're also having family portraits done with all my sisters and my mom (Aiden's ladies...haha). Aiden also gets to meet his future wife, Gracie while we're home...in fact, we'll be staying with Gracie and her mom while we are there! So they will have lots of time to get to know eachother.

We're FINALLY recovering from our cold snap...the coldest temps since B and I have lived here (-25) and I'm so grateful to see 30 degrees! It's downright balmy these next couple of days! I"m going to get Aiden out and about to enjoy some sun this week. I'm still struggling with this cough and some congestion...on the 20th I'll have been sick for ONE WHOLE MONTH! I'm damn sick of it. I'm going to go back in to the doctor probably at the end of the week to see what's up...I've NEVER been sick this long. I really want to get into my workout routine, but with this cough and stuff it's not really possible.

Anyway, that's all for now...not much going on!

Just a Quickie

2009-01-08T23:36:00.003-06:00

It's late and I want to get off to bed, but I wanted to pass everyone the link to Aiden's web albums. Instead of wasting my time selecting which photos to post...I just uploaded every picture we have to date of Aiden (literally as of this afternoon) minus the ones of him nursing ;-)

Have a blast. If you want full size photos for printing or whatever, let me know which ones, and I will send you the full size (9.1mp) photos that you want!

http://picasaweb.google.com/Meghan.Kiyar

Aiden says "goodnight!" which he pronounces "aggooo!"

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T15:56:00.001-06:00

As today is the first day of 2009, I wanted to look back with a grateful heart on 2008. So many blessings came our way last year, and we have so much to be thankful for.

January: We had an odd but eventually wonderful vacation in Florida that subsequently led to the infamous 5 month “bug scare” that many of you know about. I was able to spend my entire vacation with my best friend of 16 years, we cried tears of joy together, tears of hearty laughter, and sad tears of goodbye. Candace is a friend who I never had a sleep over with until we were in our teens…but we are soul mates. In fact, I determined over the course of the vacation that she and my husband are almost the same person…funny how life works out.
I set my mind to doula work in January, completed my training, and quickly began my work on the side.
B and I looked out to 2008 as the year we would possibly conceive our first child. We were hopeful and joyful as we set out.

February: The bug scare continues, the event put a tremendous strain on our marriage, but this month, we would conceive. J At the end of the month, the same day I attend my first birth as a doula, I find out I’m pregnant. What a wonderful day. That first birth was so empowering for me, Amanda was my glimmer of hope throughout my pregnancy…that despite the medical community chastising me for my weight, I could have a wonderful, beautiful, normal birth. I knew that day that I had made the right decision becoming a doula, I not only witnessed a miracle, I participated in it.

March: We are full of joy and hope for our new baby. Anxiously awaiting the sound of the heartbeat and dreaming about the miracle we are expecting. I feel so blessed, I remember crying on the phone with my family when I told them I was expecting our first child. This baby would be the only nibbling, the only grandchild, and my family is ecstatic, as are my in-laws.

April: Work is kicking my butt, I’m traveling, have developed motion sickness when flying, and I’m working long hard days. But I do get to make a trip home to visit family and friends. We get to hear the heartbeat, and I’m instantly addicted…I wanted to buy a Doppler so I could hear it every day. I remember worrying endlessly those first months, since the baby was still too small for me to feel it move, the only way I knew he was OK was when I heard his heart beat at my midwife appointment. I attend my second and third births as a doula, I am increasingly excited about the end of the year when I will be able to leave my office job and be a mother and a doula. Both births taught me so much, women are so different in their needs and wants. This month I also secured my doula, who would be my saving grace during Aiden’s birth. She was definitely the right doula for me. She continues to be a mentor and a friend and I’m blessed to have her in my life.

May: Work continues, I am free from business trips for the month of May so I could be available for my friend’s birth. I was blessed to attend my best friend’s birth of her little girl. A scary and beautiful time for me, I grew as a doula in so many ways following the c/s and learned so much. I’m so grateful I could be there for her, and only wish I could have done something to make the ordeal a little less frightening for her and her fiancé.

June: The final work trips wrap up this month, gratefully. I’m looking forward to the u/s at the end of the month. At 18 weeks we have our u/s, and there it was…proof! It was so moving to see the baby there on the screen. But we have a mule-headed baby, of course, so it took two more u/s to determine that we were having a boy. We are both so grateful that the baby is healthy, normal, and strong. What a huge blessing. We spend most of the month preparing for B’s long trip to Turkey, and we’re both dreading the time apart. When he leaves I’m still not showing, and we don’t yet know the sex of the baby. By the end of the month, I’ve lost 20 pounds since the start of my pregnancy, and my energy has returned. I’m grateful every day for my smooth and healthy pregnancy.

July: I spend a chilly 4th of July camping with a friend and her kids. I’m reminded how much I miss Virginia as I SHIVER on an air mattress in the middle of summer. This month we finally find out we’re having a boy, and I have to pass a message to B in Turkey where he is still in boot camp that he’ll be getting a son. The waiting was killing me. I was delighted to send B pictures of my newly growing belly, and send him news of the baby kicking hard enough that I could see. When B returns he spends days just loving my belly. What a long, lonely month for me.

August: We both go home to Virginia TOGETHER for the first time since we moved to Minnesota 4 years ago. Grateful for the points I earned during my arduous business travel, we are able to stay in a hotel for most of our trip. I was so blessed to have a baby shower while I was home, I got to see so many great friends and was reminded how much I miss home. My sisters tell me again and again that when I was a little girl I always said I wanted to be a mommy, and they are both so excited I’m finally going to be one. Flying while 6 months pregnant has it’s down sides, it was tiring, but the trip was worth it. B was able to spend some good time with my brother-in-laws and was able to visit with his best friend from Turkey who came down from New Jersey. It was a wonderful trip.

September: The waiting begins, we have little going on between the baby shower and Aiden’s due date. We spend a great deal of time feeling him wiggle and enjoying the pregnancy. We are also doing a lot of preparation for his arrival. I am doula-ing for a great woman, who was to be my last birth before Aiden was born. Sadly after a great deal of time invested in her pregnancy, she did not call me for the birth or postpartum. I was hoping for a normal birth before Aiden’s birth to renew my faith in birth after the emergency c/s in May. So I was greatly disappointed that this mom decided she did not want/need a doula for her birth.

October: I’m blessed to be called to be a back up doula for a colleague. I am so empowered by this mother’s strong laboring, her partner’s wonderful support, and the MW staff at the hospital. They never cease to amaze me. Sadly this birth also ended in an emergency c/s…a real blow to me at 7.5 months pregnant. I was scared, but so proud of mom’s strength and her partner’s emotion. That little girl was born happy and healthy. But again, I walk away scared. I put together Aiden’s hospital bag this month. Periodically changing out the items in it…I’m so antsy and excited to meet him. I’ve been doing yoga and exercising regularly, and am still under my pre-pregnancy weight this month. I dream of the birth, of breastfeeding, and of our new family every night. Baris is excited but anxious and is grateful that we took the childbirth education class. We are both very pleased with the class and with the hospital we have chosen. B’s promotion is complete, he’s now a Master Black Belt, and I’m so endlessly proud of him and how hard he’s worked for our family in the last 4 years. My contractor (replacement) starts with me mid month so I can train her in before I go on leave. I walk out of the office on October 31st feeling bright and happy. I’m finally ON the path I’ve always wanted to be on. I’m going to be a stay at home mom and a doula. My life is so full, and I’m so in love.

November: I cannot express how anxiously we awaited Aiden’s arrival. I spent the first few weeks just putzing around the house. Cleaning, resting, and cooking in preparation for Aiden. I was discouraged when his due date passed and I showed no progress. But as we all know I went from no progress to baby in just 5 days. Aiden’s birth was healing and empowering for me. What an amazing experience. My husband was a rock for me, though he admits later he was terrified at points and so grateful for our amazing doula. The midwife was so amazing, and I recommend the practice she is with to any woman who is interested. I feel reborn, renewed, and forgiven after his birth. I am embarking now on the greatest trial, journey, and blessing of my life. My past mistakes no longer matter. What matters is what I give to Aiden, and how I bring my family up. I feel strong, and I come home to messages of well wishes, joy, and hope from family and friends. A friend and colleague tells me “welcome home, warrior mamma,” and those words lift me up. My doula is strong and positive, telling me how awesome I was, and how beautiful my baby is. I have never in my life felt so beautiful, so strong, or so awesome. Each day I wake to his tiny features, and am in love with my husband more and more, grateful that he should choose me for this awe inspiring task. During the birth I asked my doula “who’s hero am I anyway” as I reached transition and wanted to give up. In the weeks following his birth I know that I am Aiden’s hero. I am my husband’s hero, I am my own hero. In addition my birth has made me a hero to a woman I’ve never met. I am teary eyed and emotional even now as I type this out. I am reminded of how strengthened and amazed I was by Amanda’s birth. I will never forget her, and now I know how I can affect other women by telling my story. My family visits for Thanksgiving and I am so proud to show off my beautiful son. I find that my bond with my oldest sister is so much stronger now, and I’m so touched by the things she says to me while she’s here. I’m shocked by how easy breastfeeding comes to me, what a pleasant surprise. I pat myself on the back daily for the good I’m doing for my little boy.

December: Our first full month as parents. We both feel incredibly rested and satisfied. We never have that sense of chaos. We are disappointed by the lay-offs just before the holidays at work. We get bad news about B’s MBA program being postponed, but we are looking forward to making the best out of a rotten situation. We could get to move back home in 2009. Aiden grows strong and fast, weighing in at over 10lbs by one month. We both get a terrible cold and a blessing comes our way in the form of my youngest older sister. Aiden gets on the mend, and we again feel confident as parents, we have passed this test. I stay sick much much longer. Aiden and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of my friend and coworker’s baby girl, who will be Aiden’s girlfriend! I pseudo-doula Laura at the end of her pregnancy as best I can, Ava is born December 31st at 3:48pm. I am so rocked by the miracle of birth, the strength of women, and the magic of babies. I finish out the month sicker than I was when Aiden was sick, not sure if the antibiotics are even working, but hopeful that I will be better before B goes back to work.

2009 is going to be awesome. I’m so ready to see Aiden grow, to throw myself into the doula work, to be a wife, mother, and friend. Each day Baris and I grow and learn as parents every day and become stronger as a married couple as a result. We are enjoying our every day with Aiden. We are looking forward to a trip to Turkey at the end of April, a visit from his parents in May, and a summer of fun with our little boy. I’m anxiously awaiting a trip to Virginia with Aiden in March as well. We are hoping to also go spend some time in Florida and/or Texas with family close to the holidays next year.

I wish you all a wonderful new year, I hope that 2009 is full of joy and learning for you as 2008 was for me. I cannot believe it has been almost 2 years since my knee injury. I’m sharing my goal here so I will be accountable…I’m planning to start training again for a 5K, like I was 2 years ago before the accident. Hopefully by August I can run with my friend in a 5K. Hopefully my knees will allow it!
Much love,
Meg

Our first Cold and a Visitor

2008-12-23T21:30:00.006-06:00

First off, here's the only picture of Mommy, Daddy, and Baby so far... Aiden is a little "milk drunk" in this picture...I'm sure you can't tell!

and a picture of Aiden "singing" to his Auntie Audra who helped him get all better these last couple days.

OK, so Aiden and I got sick. Yup, both of us with some nasty boogerish crappy feverish junk of a cold that I'm SURE we contracted while at the pediatrician's office last Wednesday. I started feeling cruddy on Saturday, and in hindsight, Aiden probably was feeling poopy too cuz he was a little "off." The snow storm kept us in, thankfully and we rested most of the day. Saturday night (LATE!) I went to the airport to pick up my big sister Audra who turned out to be a blessing in so many ways when she was here...primarily with Aiden and his cold...she used to be a pediatric intensive care nurse. Sunday was a rough day with Aiden, he was awake more than normal, crabby, and being a not so good eater. In the afternoon we discovered he had a low grade fever, but we were having trouble keeping track of it cuz the thermometer was CRAP! So we gave him some tylenol and he seemed to do better. Sunday night I slept downstairs with him on the recliner so he wouldn't disrupt everyone else and he slept pretty well and ate relatively well, but refused to eat when he woke up at 5am and fell back to sleep after 20 minutes or so of straight up weirdness. Monday was NOT a good day for me OR Aiden. I felt the cruddiest, and so did he, his fever was up, his soft spot was a little sunken, and he REFUSED to nurse. This was hard for me, running on so little sleep, I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't nurse. But he would take the bottle. Audra assured me it was because he was congested and not feeling well and it was easier for him on the bottle. So I pumped (after getting very upset that he wouldn't nurse) and we started giving him bottles, which he took much better. I had to remind myself that he's been nursing very well for a month, so he should go back to it.

Aiden was awake almost the entire day. He wouldn't stay asleep and when he was asleep he was sleeping really lightly and fitfully. He was crabby and completely not himself. We thought we were on top of his fever and discomfort with infant tylenol, but the thermometer sucked and B had to go get a new one because it kept giving random readouts...on all of us! Finally we figured out that even with the tylenol, in the evening he was still showing a low grade fever (99.2 and we were worried (including my extremely level headed sister). His respiration rate was also on the cusp of "time to go to urgent care" for a little while. So we gave him a light sponge bath (another recommendation from lifesaver sister Audra)to help the heat evaporate off of him. Which worked a bit, but we had to strip him down and keep him in just his diaper all night to get his fever down and keep it down. The sponge bath after we stripped him seemed to do the most good. He settled down quite a bit, ate, and finally fell asleep and STAYED asleep at 10pm.

At this point he was due for his tylenol (at the latest) by 12am...but at 12am, he wasn't showing a fever, and his soft spot felt perfect...so I let him sleep. We checked him again at 2am, he wouldn't wake up, too tired, but everything was still fine. Two hours outside of his tylenol, he didn't have any fever, and his softspot was still good. So he slept...he finally woke up at 5am this morning. My poor little 5 week old was so sick and worn out from his wide awake sicky day that he slept a full 7 hours...solid. We didn't even wake him to change his diaper (I had put an additional insert in it to make sure it wouldn't leak). when he woke up he had another bottle, 5.5 oz...the most he's ever taken. Audra heard us up with him and we checked his temp, it was normal, and Audra concurred that his softspot was so much better than yesterday, his respiration was back to normal, and that we shouldn't give him the tylenol unless the fever came back. When you are sleep deprived, sick, and a new parent...it feels better to have someone who KNOWS these things to confirm what you think is the right thing.

He went back to sleep immediately after his bottle and slept another 4 hours...then woke up and had another bottle, stayed awake about 30 minutes, and fell asleep again...for 3 hours! This is the first day in about 2 weeks that he's slept this much. He definitely slept more than usual the rest of the day. But he didn't run a fever at all today and was a very happy baby. He looked better, the rash on his face (which I think was there because of the fever) started to clear up some, and he actually started nursing again. All this while I've been pumping, not sleeping, trying to visit with my sister, and worrying myself sick over my sick baby.

Aiden loves his Auntie Audra!

So Aiden is feeling better, but I think I'm still running a fever and I'm about the same as I was yesterday. Hopefully tonight my little champ will sleep well so I can sleep well.

Audra went home today. I'm so grateful she was here, Baris and I didn't know what to do when his fever was staying up despite the Tylenol. And I'm pretty sure I was going to fall over dead over his troubled nursing. (I think he was having the same weird back of nose/throat pain I was and holding the suction was hurting him on top of the congestion). I'm glad she was here to help us do the right things. I don't think it was a coincidence...There is definitely a reason Aiden's first cold happened while she was here to help us. Although I'm sad that we weren't well enough to do anything other than sit around and talk.

Talking was good though. It's been too many years since Audra and I have seen eachother and it was healing to talk to her. The last time we saw eachother was just a couple months after her son (my nephew), Sam, passed away 7 years ago. It was so good for us to talk about our father (we are half sisters), about Sam's life and death and the time that followed that, about life and healing, forgiveness, growth, and God. Audra is 13 years older than I am, the closest of my 4 siblings to my age, and did not grow up under the same circumstances I did...but it's amazing how much we are alike in personality. That's a point for nature, I think. Even though our circumstances were similar, it's amazing how we both think alike and in so many ways act alike. In the past year or two my relationships with my sisters and mom have changed so drastically, I'm glad Audra is a part of my life again.

---
SO! Tonight Aiden was feeling and looking better....and he got into the eggnogg...

Merry Christmas from Aiden who is "SOOO BIG!"

One Month (um...and 2 days)

2008-12-19T11:18:00.004-06:00

Sorry I didn't post on Wednesday, shame on me!

Aiden is officially one month old. The time just flies. We so enjoy having him home. His appointment went well. My little cookie face is 10lbs and 5.5oz! That's like a 30% weight gain in only a month...if I did that...well, we won't talk about how much that would be... :-) But if someone weighed 150 pounds, a 40% weight gain in a month...well that's 60lbs! So 3 pounds seems like a lot more when you look at it that way now doesn't it! I can't believe some people give birth to babies this size. Holy crap. He's also 22inches long now. He's growing so fast.

We made our switch to cloth diapers! I LOVE THEM! They are soft and absorbent and the weird diaper rash Aiden had is already going away. Perfection. No more gel packs and chemicals on his butt. Holy cow this is going to save us a fortune...I bought two packs of newborn diapers...they were $40!!! And that's really only enough to last about 2 weeks or so! pfft!

I'm totally floored that I gave birth a month ago. Still. I think I'm still processing. I think about it everyday and smile. I remember saying "who's damn hero am I trying to be?!" But now I know. I'm Aiden's hero in a big huge way, and I'm B's hero...he brags to everyone that I gave birth with no meds! In fact, he brags more than I do! The birth was very healing for me. I so want to be a great mom for my kids, but I feel like I've failed at so many goals (admittedly through self sabotage) most of my life. This was the ultimate redemption, I wasn't going to fail at birthing him so help me. And I didn't, I feel like that moment began my healing. I'm forgiving myself and accepting that we all make mistakes. I'm even ready to start classes again. The last year has finally shown me what I want to do with my life and I found a degree program that will fit nicely into that. I have the confidence to climb mountains right now. Breastfeeding makes me feel like super woman. When Aiden is hungry, I can fix that, just like when he was in my tummy. And I packed 3 pounds on this little body in a month! That's just RIGHTEOUS! Even on nights or early mornings when Aiden is not an angel (we had one last night) and I need to step away and take a breath...I know I"m doing everything right by him right now. It's so wonderful. I explained to a friend of mine that I have never had a role model to teach me to be a mother...it just comes to me...this is natural. My biggest (and bestest) sister told me "you're so good with him, it's so neat to watch." It meant so much to me, it was the first compliment I got after his birth (a certain other family member kept sticking their foot in their mouth) and coming from her it meant even more.

My sisters both said when I was LITTLE and they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said "I want to be a mommy." So when I tell people that I've wanted to be a mommy MY WHOLE LIFE...it's true. Aiden is the fulfillment of my lifelong dream. This is what I was meant to do. :-)

4 weeks old!

2008-12-15T12:56:00.002-06:00

Wow! Time flies! Aiden has his one month pediatrician visit on Wednesday, I'll have stats then.

Aiden really seems to be "waking up" these last couple of days. He watches our faces, and tries to get our attention. Sometimes he just lays around flinging his arms around and chillin'. He loves to look at the light/ceiling fan and it's hard to distract him from it, he's just mesmerized. He even gets excited and opens his mouth real wide as if he's saying "OH YEAH!" He's been practicing his smiles, but he's not doing it socially just yet, we're waiting patiently. He's discovering his voice, so he grunts, coos, and gurgles at us a lot more now. I grunt coo, and gurgle back at him so he knows he's doing it right! Just in the last two days I'm noticing a difference in his day time patterns. He's awake more, alert and happy during the day and takes shorter little naps in between now. The down side is that today he started his "awakeness" at 4:30 in the morning...I just laid him next to me and went back to sleep, he was happy! LOL!

He's still nursing really well (whoot, 4 weeks!) but he's super passionate about "MOMMY I'M FULL" at night when he's a bit crabby. He sqwaks at me and flails around...but won't let go. I don't think he knows how! HAHAHA! AT first I thought he was having gas problems, but I don't think so now, he's just insistent and confused when he's sleepy at the end of the day. He just loves to be rocked to sleep. USUALLY around 9 or 10 at night is when he wants me to rock him to sleep "for the night." We were out the other night at his "bed time" and he didn't know what to do with himself. He was very upset and I had to pull over and rock him to sleep so I could keep driving home. I thought he was hungry, but no, just needing his night night snuggles!

I'm getting a deep satisfaction out of how he obviously knows the difference between me and other people now. When he wants me...he wants me. That's just it, no bones about it! Most of the time he'll snuggle and sleep on/with anyone, but sometimes he just wants mommy snuggles. Makes me feel special.

He's starting to outgrow his newborn clothes, not all of them, but some of them. Unfortunately, most of the 0-3 month clothes are still way too big on him. We're in a weird size bracket right now. I still can't believe how fast he's growing! He's got these awesome chunky thighs (that coincidentally are still not chunky enough for a good fit in his fuzzybunz diapers just yet) and a cute round belly. I love to kiss on it and give him raspberries...he seems to like this game too!

Two nights ago, I swear I think he slept a solid 5 hours...it's hard to remember, I don't keep track of times for anything with him. I was so impressed! That's a bit unusual for a young breastfed baby, but I guess he had a good full belly!

One of our humidifiers died. We're totally mad about it. This house is so dry. My poor throat and nose can't deal. I have to put saline drops in Aiden's nose once a day to keep him moist so his nose doesn't get all stuffy from the dry air. He hates it, totally breaks my heart when he gets mad! Poor little man!

I'll at least post on Wednesday with his stats. I feel a little sentimental, so I might post a bit later today or tomorrow to about my experience so far as a mom. :-)

A Belated Friday Five

2008-12-13T12:26:00.003-06:00

Day late, sorry!

I'll make it a Saturday Six as punishment for my tardiness... ;-)

Today I'm thankful...

1. because we figured out why sleeping in our bed is like sleeping in a bowl and we fixed it...mostly.

2. for chiropractors...'nuff said.

3. that some recent bad news about B's MBA program being delayed at least until 2010 (probably until 2011) is probably going to turn out to be REALLY good news for me and my family bye next summer. :-)

4. for awesome net pen pals like Liz and Cherie, cuz they make me feel human.

5. because my big sister is the coolest person on the planet. I'm so lucky to have her.

6. that my son is healthy and strong and I'm able to contribute to that several times daily! ;-)

Some Cute Pictures

2008-12-09T21:35:00.007-06:00

Aiden is 3 weeks old! What a champ! Here are some pictures for those of you who are just STARVED for them!

He was waiting on me to put on a new diaper...no, I didn't get peed on this time!

Aiden & Emily

No cameras!

He makes this face a lot when he burps...

Bright eyed & bushy tailed!

We do love napping

I bet this makes you wanna kiss his little cheeks...I get to do it everyday! HA!

Friday Five

2008-12-05T21:47:00.004-06:00

Ok, missed some Fridays...

1. By far on the top of my list right now: I'm SOOO thankful that breastfeeding has come to Aiden and Me so naturally!
2. I'm grateful for my husband who is so open to learning about his son.
3. I'm endlessly thankful for the amazing women I am surrounded by in person and on the web. It's wonderful to have their support, wisdom, and friendship. They make me feel like a warrior mamma!
4. I'm grateful for my amazing birth, and that I found the strength within myself to give my son the very best start to his life that I knew how. Within that, I'm so lucky to have had such an AWESOME freakin' doula!
5. I'm amazed AND thankful that my son is healthy and strong. he's growing like a weed and I just can't keep up. :-D

2 Weeks Old!

2008-12-03T10:04:00.012-06:00

I can't believe Aiden is more than two weeks old now. He's growing so fast, getting chunky and long! He's still doing well at night and nursing like a champ. His daddy got to give him a bottle for the first time this morning (pumped milk OF COURSE!) and that was really cool. Here are some pictures from the last week. The last of family left yesterday, missing her already! Just the three of us now, and daddy is back to work, so it's just Aiden and me all day! I get him all to myself now!

With Auntie Krissy

Trying to grab some baby Zs...

Little baby hammer toes!

Aiden's first bath in HIS tub!

Grandma, Mommy, Auntie Krissy, and Auntie Karen with Aiden!

Auntie Karen with sleepy Aiden

Does NOT want to wake up from nappies...even for milkies!

I caught his "Cookie Face" smile on camera!!

Hercules baby!

That's all for now!

9 days old!

2008-11-26T19:13:00.002-06:00

Today was Aiden's "one week" appointment with the pediatrician. Now, we've been in a couple of times for his jaundice and weight checks and this is how he's been doing:

At birth he was 7lbs 7oz, 19.75inches long with a head circumference of 14
Last Thursday he was 7lbs 2.5oz
Monday he was back to 7lbs 7oz (whoot!)
Today, he is up to 7lbs 12 oz, he's now 20.75in long, and his head circumference is now 14.5!!!

Aiden is exclusively breastfed...what a bruiser! HAHAHA!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I'm so thankful for my husband and my beautiful son!

Pictures of our First Week!

2008-11-23T12:18:00.012-06:00

Aiden is one whole week old tomorrow! We can't stop staring at him, and that's why we have been so slow to get pictures up...there isn't time when you sit around staring at your perfect baby all day! So here are some pictures of our little man! You can see how yellow he is from the jaundice in these pics, it's getting better now though!

One Proud Daddy!

One tired mommy! I think this was prior to the meltdown caused by the complete lack of sleep that I was getting because there were CONSTANTLY hospital staff in my room. I went off the deep end. But then I was better. LOL

Screw the snuggle nest, mommy is much more comfy!

I am small. I will sleep wherever and however I please.

My napping boys

Eyes open!

and his famous worried frowny face, being a newborn is serious business

Cuteness to the max!

Sleeping is VERY serious business...

He's cute in his little outfit!

Aiden's Wild Ride

2008-11-23T12:03:00.003-06:00

This is Aiden's birth story, I hesitated posting it because not all my friends and family are interested in this kind of stuff, but it ain't about you! LOL I'm proud of what I did to get my little man here so I'm sharing.
----

Aiden Baris was born November 17th at 6:32pm. In the water like I hoped, and I think it went just the way I wanted it to. He was 7lbs 7oz and 19 3/4in long.
Monday morning I woke up around 4am feeling some contractions moving through my body. I thought these were probably just some bothersome Braxton hicks and didn’t get my hopes up, tried to get back to sleep. But when I couldn’t I decided to get up and do something for a bit to see if they would stop. I piddled around on the computer for a bit, sitting on my birth ball, and trying to ignore the contractions. I started timing a few just to see, and they were pretty consistently 4-5 minutes apart and about 45 seconds long. Around 4:45 Baris’s alarm clock went off and I thought I had better tell him we could be having a baby today, but I wasn’t sure. It was weird to tell him that, since I still wasn’t sure and I didn’t want to get his hopes up. We got up and had some pancakes for breakfast around 5 or 5:15. I tried to sit at the table but that was no good, so I stood and ate my breakfast (most of it) and we went up stairs. The contractions were stronger but not unbearable so I thought I had better try to get a little sleep since I had only had 4 hours the night before. I laid down in bed with Baris while he watched the news. I texted my doula a little before 6am to let her know I thought today might be the day, and that I would call her in a bit and fill her in. She let me know she was ready.

I think I had Baris start timing the contractions again when I realized I wasn’t able to sleep, probably around 7 or so. At this point the contractions were pretty consistently 3 mins apart and always a minute long, with the exception of the little piggy back ones I was having when I got up to pee. And I had to pee a lot, so we had a bunch of those!

I think we called Mary around 8 or so. Baris was nervous about my contraction pattern (he’s a bit of a nervous nelly) and I had started vocalizing at the peaks of the contractions, so we thought we should give her a buzz. I tried like hell to walk through some of the contractions, but couldn’t so I would stop and kneel somewhere, and go about my business. At one point I face planted into a plate of toast crumbs and honey…which provided us with some entertainment and some good laughs. Aiden moved a lot between contractions, which was reassuring, but I really wanted him to cut it out cuz it was uncomfortable and I wanted to chill between contractions.

I haven’t the foggiest idea when Mary arrived, I think around 9 or so. Baris was intermittently working with me through contractions and taking things to the car since my contractions were holding steady at 2 to 3 minutes apart and a minute long, he wanted to be ready. When she got there I was really working through contractions. Of course the first thing she wanted to know was how long I had been in my current position (kneeling in my rocking chair draped over the back), but I had just gotten there so she gave me permission to stay.

Funny thing is that after being in that contraction pattern for all that time, when Mary arrived, my body must have decided it was time for social hour, because they spaced out for a bit. We all went down to the living room and I had Baris make me some more toast so I could snack a bit to keep up my energy. We chit chatted for a while, and Mary teased me about how no matter where I was or what I was doing when I had contractions, I always moved into some kind of hands and knees position. I wasn’t having back labor, it was just more comfortable for me.

Mary left for just a bit to put gas in her car since things slowed down. I got up to pee a little after she left and I started up again with the contractions. My doula brain told me I should hang out on the toilet for a little while since the contractions were much stronger when I was there. But I wasn’t feeling the “everyone can see me naked” deal yet, so I sat there with my pants on! I think I was on the toilet for 20 or 30 minutes when Mary “suggested” I move to the birth ball for something new. I sort of putzed around with the ball for a while, trying to find somewhere good to put it where I could lean against something. I put it in front of my table and we all hung out there for a while. Baris kept timing contractions (made him feel better I think, and gave him something concrete to do) and rubbing my shoulders with Mary in between contractions. I think this helped the most while we were at home because I kept unconsciously drawing my shoulders up, and having hands there reminded me to drop them down and chill. I remember commenting to Mary at some point how weird it was that I felt like two totally different people. I was totally focused and serious during contractions, but joking and telling stories in between…though it did take me an awful long time to tell my funny stories!

We started talking about heading to the hospital around noon, I was REALLY working through my contractions, and they were steady and strong at 2 to 3 minutes apart and a minute long. B called the midwives to give them the heads up (and so they could call the hospital for us) and they asked a bunch of silly questions which I refused to answer with any clarity through my husband. :lol I had Baris take my birth ball to the car in case I wanted it at the hospital and they didn’t have one, and we all headed off to the hospital. I fully expected my contractions to space out during the transition, but they didn’t, and I kept contracting and humming along in the van (thank goodness for stow’n’go, by the way, I was able to be on all fours in the back and have room to wiggle around). We pulled up to the ER entrance and Baris went inside to find out how we were supposed to go about all this. Which triggered them coming out with a wheel chair. But as the door opened on the van I remember thinking “good timing!” cuz I had just finished a contraction. I looked at the ER tech guy like he was out of his mind if he thought I was sitting in that chair, and we headed in. Not sure why he felt the need to support my arm the whole way, I remember it irritated the crap out of me. I waited there at the ER entrance for Baris and for the L&D people to come and save me from this moron ER tech. He actually looked at me and said (this is a direct quote) “You’re just having contractions, you’re not in labor right?” He almost lost his testicles. I was good about laboring quietly with the audience, but things were definitely not slowing down the way I thought they would.

Getting up to L&D took a while because I refused to ride in a wheel chair (which I sensed irritated the ER guy extensively) but I told them, “I’m in labor, I’m not broken.” I probably had 6 or so contractions on the way…and I found the halls painfully barren of things to lean over! Finally we were in L&D (really a nice area) and I saw Mary way at the end of the hall and thought, THANK GOODNESS! But She did seem awfully far away. I did just make it into the room before another contraction hit. Apparently we arrived at 1:15pm.

I decided to get into one of their gowns simply because I didn’t want to fuss with the IV they were placing for the antibiotics. They checked me and I was 3cm, 80%, and baby was -2. All this thoroughly pissed me off. They were graciously quick with getting the antibiotics up, but the baseline strip on the baby felt like it took forever because I didn’t want to sit still, so the baby kept coming off the monitor. In the interest of getting a good strip quickly I laid on my side in the bed so we could get this show on the road. They placed the IV and I remember thinking how bad my arm was burning. So during contractions I was moaning and carrying on through the contraction (I was having a hard time finding a rhythm that worked for me now, so getting on top of them was a real challenge) and in between contractions I couldn’t rest because I was consumed by the burning arm sensation!!! Baris fell into his niche and became my water boy. The whole time I was in labor I kept remembering to drink water (that doula brain again) and Baris was awesome about making sure I didn’t have to wait. At some point there seemed to be 600 people in my room, all chatting, asking questions, and pestering me. Luckily Mary picked up on me getting WAY over-stimulated and got me focused. Baris sent the chit chatters away and asked everyone to be quiet, and I was able to get settled again. Thank goodness for Mary and her awesome doula tricks, that was rough, I was waving my hands at them and I think at one point I told them there were way too many F---ing people in the room. I don’t know if there were really so many people or if it was really so noisy, but it seemed that way to me. Not to mention the sound of the monitor was really irritating the crap out of me.

I don’t know how long I was on the monitor, but it took longer than I had hoped. Aiden had been active and bubbly all morning, but once we got to the hospital he must have been in a sleep cycle, so I had some juice and water and he woke up and gave us a strip. But not before out of nowhere I started barfing. That was annoying, I can’t tell you how much I hate barfing. I can tell you how grateful I was that I chose Mary as my doula though. She was so positive the whole time. “Oh barf! That’s great, you’re dilating!” I felt like I was at the mall with her, she was so casual, and I trusted her completely.
Not sure what time they filled the little tub for me, but it was long overdue, I just wanted to get in some warm water. I was glad to be rid of the antibiotics, but the port had to stay, so they put a glove over it and taped the edges to keep it dry. Let’s just say now it didn’t work, but I’m glad it didn’t, you’ll see. Now I had been having some light bloody show all morning, and when we arrived. But when I got up to get in the tub, I went to pee and was TOTALLY grossed out by the sudden goop factor! How terribly distracting and encouraging. HAHA! Getting in the tub was a miracle. The contractions still hurt like a SOB, but the water was so relaxing. The tub was big but still small and I couldn’t really get in a consistently good position for the contractions, but the water helped me to zonk in between my contractions, the dark bathroom was a godsend as well, because I really was NOT digging all the commotion in the room (again, I’m not sure there was so much going on afterall, but I only wanted to labor with my husband and my doula, not the entire hospital staff). Mary commented how I was a totally different woman once I got in that water. I didn’t notice it at the time because my contractions were so intense and I thought I must have been a total maniac, but in hindsight it made a big difference. I think I expected it to make the contractions somehow feel different, it didn’t, but it made ME feel different, and that was what I needed to deal with the contractions.

Not sure how long I was in the tub, must not have been long though. I kept asking Mary if they were filling the big tub for me, I wanted to be able to get on my hands and knees, and rolling around in the little tub was just not going to cut it. She asked the midwife about the birth tub when she came in and she wanted to check me cuz there was a line for the birth tub. I wasn’t the only one with my eyes on the prize, and I needed to be 5cm before they could let me get in there. I looked at the midwife and told her I didn’t care about the other mom’s problems. :rofl Given the circumstances, I consented to a check, but begged her to check me in the tub so I wouldn’t have to get out before it was time for me to move to the big tub. Bless her heart she did it, and left handed even! I had a great midwife. :happy The good news is that I was 5cm with a bulging bag, so they started filling the tub. I THINK we moved to the big tub a little after 3pm (that window between when we arrived and when I transferred was the longest period of time in my memory, even though Aiden wasn’t born until after 6:30). I was so driven to get to the tub that I got out of the little tub, used the potty, barely covered myself, and BOOKED across the hall to the big tub. I think I heard them have a little giggle at me. I climbed right in, told them it was too shallow, and had a WHOPPER of a contraction. But I was in the big tub, so life was WAY good despite that WAY crappy contraction. I was able to get into a rhythm finally, and I moved all around the tub on my hands and knees, just kneeling, squatting, just rolling around like a fool. It was wonderful. The midwife was a doll, offered to bring in some musical CDs, but I didn’t really care. I was making my own soundtrack. I’m pretty certain everyone in St. Paul knew I was in labor. :L I think at a couple points I told Mary, the midwife, and Baris that I must be scaring the crap out of the other women on the floor. They were kind enough to reassure me that we were way at the end of the hall and the door was closed. I didn’t really care, but looking back it was funny.

I started having some righteous contractions that were all up front and across my hip and back like a belt of FIRE. I thought my hips were going to EXPLODE right off me. I had labored pretty well for a while and suddenly I was just overwhelmed by that hip and back pain and started getting lost in it. I started telling Mary I couldn’t do it (again, we did this a couple times earlier in the little tub too) and she just looked at me and said, “what are you talking about you ARE doing it.” Mostly I was freaking out during the contractions for a while, but then it got to where in between I was so dumbfounded that I was asking her whose damn hero I was trying to be anyway! :howling Baris was a ROCK during all this (apparently I was in transition, but I wouldn’t let her touch me for a while) and was right there with water, a rag to wipe my face, and lots of good kisses to keep me going. He kept telling me how good I was doing and how much he loved me, and I couldn’t believe how much I loved him right there in the middle of all my crazy pain and what I thought must have been the definition of chaos.

I argued with Mary and the midwife for a while, they wanted me to let her rupture my bag, but I was not digging it, and I openly told Mary it was because I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to handle it. But I did finally decide to do it. I think I was 7cm, she ruptured the bag(everything was clear!), and honestly, I didn’t notice any difference, everything was already too intense as it was. They were discussing my next AB dose whch was due at 6:10 and I said “no. no. no. if I’m not done by then, no.”The nurse tried to argue with me but my midwife looked at her and said “she refused, drop it,” or something to that effect. I was pleased.

I am not sure how long it was before I started feeling grunty, but the midwife was on alert and I let them check me. I told Mary I was terrified to let them check me, that I was going to still be 7 and that I didn’t think I could go on. I’m pretty sure I told them I was done, I think I even put my gloved IV hand out and told them to put something in it. But Mary got me level headed. At one point I again asked whose hero I was trying to be, please get the anesthesiologist, I’m done. But I did go ahead and let her check me, I had an anterior lip (ohhhhh goody) so she called it 9cm, +2 and said I could bear down if I wanted to. My brain flipped 15 times in my skull. I knew I was very close to having the baby and that all hope for doing it the “easy way” was now long gone. Baris and Mary were so good to me, a lot of this is a blur. I know I was feeling grunty, but everytime I gave a little push I scared myself off with the pain. Mary told me it would feel better to push. I disagree. It did NOT feel better to push, everything hurt like the dickens. But I kept moving around, and I finally was getting a few solid pushes out, I was using the tub side for leverage most of the time. I carried on like this for a while, pushing, not pushing, telling Baris how hard it was and begging Mary to make it stop cuz my hips were going to explode. I could feel his head pressing against my bones, it was so bizarre and painful. More bizarre, to me, was that when I really got on top of a push, that I kept bearing down despite that horrid sensation of his head on my bones like that! Mary commented later that when she was applying counterpressure to my hips that she could actually feel my hip bones shifting as I pushed.

The midwife had me turn so she could check his position and what was going on (I was in a lot of positions, none of which was conducive to her being able to see if the baby was coming down, even with a mirror :lol). When she checked me the lip was gone and I kept pushing, but then she thought it was back (don’t ask me how all this went down, I don’t remember). So I tried to just breathe and grunt for a few contractions, but the lip wouldn’t go away, so they told me she could reduce it. They did not explain the details. So I told them “OK, wait for after this next contraction, we’ll do it.” Stupid me. They waited, I turned over, then she waited some more…until I contracted again, and lifted the lip. I’ll just say that was horrendous, absolutely horrid, and I was shocked because I didn’t know she would have to do it DURING a contraction. I think she did this intentionally, knowing that I wouldn’t let her do anything while I was contracting if she told me. Sneaky woman. So we called it complete and I think they said once they called it complete I pushed for maybe 7 minutes, it was like 2 contractions.

Aiden came out of there like a freight train. I was SO done. I pushed, felt his head with my hand (OH MY GOD), pushed, felt his head pop under my pubic bone and instantly crown. I would have LOVED to have a picture of the look I gave the midwife when this happened. Because I literally had NO freaking clue, I was so shocked, I think I must have had the best look in the world on my face and it was all directed at her. It was so sudden, not gradual. I pushed again and his head was out (screw slow, you guys, I wasn’t having it at all). I was trying to push, but the feeling of his little body in there was insane and I backed off the first time or two I tried, then I just shot him out. 6:32pm. I felt like I was in a toilet. I didn't care how much it hurt, he was on my tummy and he was all gross and perfect and mine, and thankfully all the pain was over in my head. Baris kept kissing me, telling me he loved me, and marveling at our little boy. He cut the cord (we got a really cruddy picture of this), and we verified that he did indeed have a penis. Baris and the nurse took him while I got out of the tub (oh so tenderly because I’m pretty sure my hip bones DID explode as I thought they were going to…lol) and we moved over to the bed so I could deliver the placenta (which quietly made it’s move only 11 minutes after Aiden’s birth. I did tell them they needed to take the IV out now, but I wasn’t very adamant. They said something about it being there for an hour just in case, and I ignored them looking at my baby and kissing my hubby. Had a first degree tear. Funny how you can push out all that baby and still think that the repair hurts!!!

Oh and the IV? It fell out… sweet revenge!

Hm...Friday Five

2008-11-14T10:31:00.002-06:00

Amy Does a Friday Five And since I need to give myself a little pep talk AND I like the idea of always reminding ourselves what we are grateful for in this life, I think I'll do it too.

1. I'm thankful I've had a worry free, event free pregnancy.
2. I'm thankful my sisters and mom are coming to see me and baby for Thanksgiving.
3. I'm thankful that I have the drive and energy to keep my house clean...FINALLY
4. I'm thankful for the freedom I have to choose to be a stay at home mom.
5. I'm thankful for my husband, endlessly, even when he makes me angry. He's a good man.

One day over and...

2008-11-13T20:22:00.002-06:00

I am sooooo dejected right now. Nothing going on, my cervix is still in my tonsils and not open so no membrane stripping. That was SO disappointing, especially considering how painful the exam was. It's still no indicator, but I was really hoping since I"ve had all these contractions in the last week that SOMETHING would be going on, but I guess Aiden wants to keep us waiting. This could go either way, I could still go into labor tonight, or it could be another week and a half. The full moon is doing nothing for me so far, and it's now past it's peak strength.

The only development is that I have the runs. whoopee. This could be a good sign or just a MAJOR annoyance.

I'm gonna go self loath for a while. Anyone got any beer?

Quick Post in Honor of 40 Weeks

2008-11-12T11:00:00.007-06:00

No, I was not attacked by a rabid mountain lion. Those are a stretch marky gift passed down to me through the genes from my grandmother White. Hmph. Hope you didn't just have lunch.

And the final from the top:

Tagged

2008-11-11T20:52:00.002-06:00

Cuz it's a bloggy sort of night for me:

Tagged

Rules:
1. People who are tagged need to post these rules, and 8 random habits/facts/quirks about themselves.
2. At the end of the post you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names.

Ok, 8 random habits/facts/quirks

1. I hate public restrooms. A lot. I hate them more when they are at the office (or when I was younger, in school) because then people I actually KNOW can HEAR ME PEE! Yes, this is the problem. Not so much a germy thing, but the fact that people can hear me pee. Worse yet is when they try to talk to me in the bathroom. This isn't limited to when I'm sitting on the pot, if I was JUST sitting on the pot and am now washing my hands, if I'm about to go sit on the pot...don't talk to me. I hate it. We are dealing with personal private things and I don't want to talk to you!

2. I'm OCD about our stairwell lightswitches. It's difficult to explain, but I sure like them to "match." If the upper light is on, and the lower light is off, the switches all have to be facing the same direction. I don't know how I got into this, B started it I think, and I took it too far.

3. I love straws. Any beverage with a straw will be rapidly consumed by yours truly. Even water. In fact, this is how I force myself to drink more water. Knowing I have this weird fixation, if I stick a straw in water, I'll drink like a gallon in a day. Doesn't matter the beverage, if there's a straw, I'll usually drink it. The only beverage this does not apply to is milk. Milk must be chugged.

4. Speaking of milk...I think I drink more than a gallon a week...on my own. And I don't sip it, hell no. I have an uncontrollable CHUGGING urge. Hopefully Aiden isn't milk sensitive...cuz I might die if I can't drink milk.

5. I used to eat seasoned salt. Straight. Weird, I know. I would pour it in my hand, and eat it. Not sure why. I just did.

6. My sister and i have this joke about crack...and I don't remember how it started. But even though I don't remember the original context, it still cracks me up "just say no to crack." In fact, she sent me a damn Christmas card last year with santa's butt crack on it...and she wrote "just say no to crack" in it! Makes me laugh just thinking of it. Could be the only christmas card I'll ever save.

7. I talk to my cat. ALL. THE. TIME. And this was going on before I was out of work. In fact, both of us talk to him. We talk to him like we're having a conversation with us, and I swear he participates. We even talk to eachother about how we like to talk to the cat. That's Cheddar for you...he just makes you crazy.

8. I hate that my hubby gets mad when I tickle him. I like to tickle him, cuz it makes us both laugh and it's a stress reliever, but he hates being tickled (even though he laughs) and I get in trouble for doing it. Sometimes it's so worth it though... meeehehehehehe!

I tag:
Amy B
Karen M (cuz I know you're reading this daily at work)
Baris
Hot Doula Stacia
Karen (mah crack sistah)
Ana
Duji
Jess

(if ya don't have a blogger account, first of all shame on you, second of all, just put your 8 in my comment box, it'll give me something to do.)

The Aiden Pool

2008-11-11T20:40:00.002-06:00

I don't like doing bets on WHEN, but I'm totally thinking it would be fun to guess Aiden's weight and length. There's no prize other than the sheer glory of it all (teeehehehehehe) but feel free to post your guess in the comments box, we'll let you know who wins. Winner will be the person closest without going over. :-)

Happy Due Date!

2008-11-11T20:05:00.002-06:00

Well, my due date is upon us. Tomorrow, November 12th, 2008, I'm officially "due." Thank goodness for the medical community, so glad they could be around to give me dates. PFFFT! I am posting today simply because I plan to have a girl's day tomorrow with friend Jackie and her baby Emily, so I won't be around to commiserate about how annoyed I am that I'm still pregnant.

I was feeling super cruddy today, Monday, and really achy over the weekend, so I think it's almost go time, but one can never be sure, and Aiden will come when he's ready. I just have to keep telling myself that. We are indeed ready to meet the little guy, and I'm hoping that between the appointment I have on Thursday and the full moon that same night, that things will get going and we can have a baby home this weekend. But again, Aiden will come when he's ready to come. :-)

I thought I would take this opportunity to make a few public service announcements.

1. You're probably not on the "short list" and won't get a call when the baby is born. A very few family and friends will hear from us shortly after the birth. Baris will do his best to get an e mail out to the master list in a timely manner, hopefully with a picture of our new little man. Don't be offended, we simply know too many people. And if you get missed on the e mail it was simply an oversight, the list is very long. If you want to be on the list and aren't sure if you are, drop a comment, I'll add you. I may have B post to the blog if we get an internet connection, so that will be a possibility.

2. We enjoy visitors. But with a new baby, anyone hanging at our house for more than 30 minutes can get a bit tiresome. Please be kind, make your visit short, and call before you come so we know. Exceptions are for those who want to do housework while here!

3. B has laid down a rule that anyone who visits must bring us meals. 2 meals, lunch or dinner or one of each. That's his rule, and I think it's fair. :-) I say if you come around meal time and bring food, we'll be happy to sit and eat with you and wave the 30 minute rule! LOL!

4. This may sound a little callus, but it's for all our sanity. B and I are a little alternative to a lot of our friends when it comes to parenting. We're glad the things you do work for you, but largely we are trying some other things with Aiden that seem to make sense to us. We love to hear your stories about your babies, but unless we ask, please don't push advice on us. This is something I think MOST parents want to say to their very kind and well-meaning friends. We adore you, we value you your friendship, your caring, and your thoughts. But we want some space and want to feel comfortable parenting in our way.

5. My personal pet peeve. I don't mind you holding the baby and all that. But if you think you'll be touching his face, please wash your hands. I don't know why this bugs me, but it does. Handling him is one thing, touching his face is another. He's got such a little tiny immune system. I'm not a germaphobe, just the face touching thing.

6. Please don't bring your kids if you can help it when you visit. At least not for the first week or so. I've noticed I have a short patience for other people's children here at the end of my pregnancy, and i don't think I'll feel up to your kids shortly after birth while I"m all sleep deprived and hormonal.

7. Hospital visiting rules...well, we would really like to limit in hospital visitors. We'll all be tuckered out and worn out anyway with the baby, the birth, and the nurses checking in on us every hour or so, so it's important that we have a chance to rest. If you want to visit at the hospital, please call us first to find out if it's a good time. It might not be, and we may want to visit with you after we come home.

I probably sound like a crabby hormonal b****, but the truth is, if you think back to your first baby, you were thinking a lot of the same things. We just really want a smooth transition home, help where it's needed, and space when we need it. We want this time to be a special time for the three of us, this is all new to us and we want to just take our time and take it one step at a time. It's hard to work on becoming a family if there is a constant stream of visitors. You don't need to wait for an invitation, but please be courteous about your visit, we want to see you, but probably not for 3 hours straight!

A fair warning for anyone who might be bothered by it...Aiden will be breastfed, and this includes whenever people are around, if he's hungry, I feed him. If it bugs you, you are welcome to leave the room, but I'm gonna sit where I'm comfy. :-) Cheers. I don't take kindly to "opinions" about breastfeeding vs. formula feeding, so I wouldn't bring it up if I were you. Only fair that I warn you before I turn into a raging postpartum lunatic right? :-)

Thursday is my 40 week appointment with the midwife. I'll post with anything interesting. As of last week Aiden was still head down (sure likes being upside down eh?) and sounding good. Measuring right on track. I haven't been "checked" in 3 weeks and this week I'm going to go ahead and have them check me. Mostly because I want them to do something called sweeping/stripping my mebranes. The idea being that it helps the cervix to release it's own prostaglandins, one of the major hormones that occurs during labor (prostaglandin is also what is found in semen, it helps to soften and ripen the cervix). Studies are all over the place on whether this helps to induce labor, but it's a pretty simple thing to do, and if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. It's not like going in for an induction and not being able to turn back. This is an encouragement procedure, done during the regular appointment, then I'll go home just like normal. If it does work, it usually results in the onset of labor within 36 hours, but again, the reviews are mixed as to whether it works. In addition, the cervix actually has to be dilated some in order for my midwife to do the procedure, so we shall see. I'm hoping between stripping my membranes and the full moon on Thursday, maybe we'll have a baby! :-)

In between now and show time, I'm just trying to keep busy. Tidying up around the house, resting (been feeling not so hot these last couple days) and getting in some walks. Sure feels good to have a nice clean house and no worries about work or anything! So freeing!

Hope everyone is well, take care and keep in touch. Sometime in the next 2 weeks, there will be a baby announcement!

Your local gestator,
Megz

Our New Toy

2008-11-07T06:06:00.002-06:00

No. I'm not in labor and no, I didn't have the baby. Now down to business

----

OK, so some of you know I always complain about how badly B snores. And he does, my goodness does the man snore. I think few people have a true appreciation for how snoring affects the PARTNER! So finally I forced B to see an Ear, Nose and Throat (heretountofor the "ENT") about his sinus issues, the sleep apnea, and the snoring. Poor guy is ALWAYS tired, snores like a frieght train, and SWEATS all night long, all symptoms of sleep apnea and/or respiratory distress during sleep. Well, We saw the ENT a couple months ago and he put B on a little regimine of twice daily sinus rinses and twice daily nose spray to see what happened. After a month B went back, having experienced SOME limited improvement from this and had another exam. What the ENT found was that not only does B have an abnormally large Uvula (dangly thing in the back of your throat that keeps food from going up your nose when you swallow) but he also has nasal (and probably also sinus) pollips. The ENT is a surgeon, so he immediately started talking about doing UPPP Surgery and a procedure to remove the pollips. The first step before the UPPP surgery would have to be a sleep study, so we signed up for that to find out how bad the apnea was. In the mean time, we did some research on the surgery and decided that the results were not consistent enough, the surgery was too extreme, and the long term benefits were total crap and that we would definitely go for CPAP first if we could.

So last Monday B had his sleep study. He describes it as an all together miserable experience, and I can only imagine. Poor guy already sleeps like crap and then they stick a bunch of stuff to him and put him in a strange room. It was not a good night for him. BUT, we did our follow up with the sleep doctor earlier this week and finally started getting some answers. Baris has what is called MILD sleep apnea, but the catch is that he has 70 to 80 obstructive respiratory events (apnea, hypopnea, mixed apnea, and snoring etc) during the night. During some of these episodes his oxygen saturation drops as low as 84%. For a normal adult this number should always always always be well over 90%. So this explains his chronic fatigue, sweating, and tossing and turning. The sleep doctor is NOT a surgeon and told us that while the UPPP surgery is an option, it only has like a 50% success rate and there are a number of drawbacks (which I already knew from research, and believe me, they are too great to list here). He also explained CPAP and dental devices. CPAP has pretty much a 100% success rate for those who are able to use it. The only problem with the CPAP machine is that about 1 in 4 people simply cannot stand to sleep with it on their faces. We decided to go with the CPAP, since the dental device also has limited success and has the potential to jack up his teeth. We got our orders for a CPAP and immediately called to set up our appointment with the CPAP people to get set up. That appointment was yesterday.

I was SUPER excited to get to this appointment with B and subsequently to go to sleep last night and try this thing out. Right now B is using a really sophisticated machine that is recording data throughout the night to determine the right pressures for his permanent machine (which we should get in about 4 weeks after our trial period with the super CPAP is up). This one changes pressure as it senses that B is having an "episode" and stays up at that pressure until it's no longer sufficient. It resets to it's lowest setting every morning when he turns it off. B was told to sleep on his back (which he loves, because I won't let him for all the snoring) and wear the CPAP as long as he could.

SO, B slept with the CPAP on ALL NIGHT LONG last night. And I'll tell you I anticipated him feeling much better this morning, especially when I woke up a few times (afterall, I'm still 9 years pregnant) to find that a: he hadn't moved all night, and b: the mask was still on. He doesn't seem to mind having the mask on while he sleeps with the exception of the occaisional condensation dripping into his nose and waking him up, we're working on solving this, it's complicated. He woke up this morning at 2am, he said, and was already ready to face his day! But he forced himself back to sleep. Both of us woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed at 4:30am. Neither of us could get back to sleep. I thought this might happen to B, but I didn't think it would happen to me. I haven't slept so well in YEARS!

Let me break this down for you. B and I have been married nearly 5 years. In that 5 years, neither of us has had a decent night's sleep because of his snoring and apnea. This has affected every aspect of our lives. We have no energy so we don't get as much done, don't have good focus, don't have the energy for exercise on a regular basis unless we FORCE it, and (sorry if TMI) our love life has suffered horribly. The sleep specialist said we would suddenly stop wanting to sleep all the time, and without even trying we would both probably start dropping a lot of weight because our bodies are working more efficiently and have more energy to burn off the weight. Given our newly rested selves, it's probably safe to assume (especially as evidenced by this morning's gung ho start) that most of our other "energy" issues will come around and life will get much better. JUST IN TIME FOR BABY!!! LOL. In addition, because these respiratory episodes have such a huge impact on B's heart, his endurance should improve (B was never able to get up to the full on run of a 5K back when we were training because his heart and lungs just wouldn't let him, no matter how diligently he trained) and he'll be able to get back into the shape he wants to be in.

I can tell he's very happy this morning. I am too. Not only do I feel a MILLION times better after our sleep last night, my husband is all bright and rested. The bags are already nearly gone from under his eyes, he woke up fresh and chatty, and he really feels good. This is great, and the timing couldn't be better. I think baby would have SUNK us if we hadn't rushed to get this CPAP before the birth. I told B he had to do it because we were going to be losing sleep with baby, and with our poor quality of sleep to begin with, neither of us would be able to function at all. I have renewed hope.

What a fun new toy. If you are or sleep with a snorer...get a sleep study. This is changing our whole life! All that's left now is to learn more about these pollips, their risks, and what they mean for his overall health. We'll get there.

Your well-rested and loyal reporter,
Megz

PS: Another tip, put a damn humidifier in your room. We learned from the sleep guy that breathing dry air causes your nasal passages to swell shut, and it can take days for them to open completely again.

Because I should share...

2008-11-06T17:34:00.003-06:00

My friend Eshell and I were back and forthing on an e mail and she even went so far as to post this in her blog. It's about my decision to be a stay at home mom, and why I want to be a stay at home mom. In case anyone ever wondered why I chose this, coming from the mixed background I came from see the bolded portion. But this is what works for me and my family. :-)

I don't condemn working women at all, but I think that in these days when the women's rights movement has given us the freedom of choice, what it has really done is made women believe they are lesser if they do not work and choose to stay home to raise a happy healthy family. I firmly believe that it was meant to be this way, that women were meant to be home caring for their children and husbands. We're made to do it right? :-) I get flack about staying home, but it's what I've always wanted to do. Which is remarkable considering no one in my surrounding family has ever stayed home, has ever breastfed, has ever cloth diapered. I came about this perspective because it feels right, it's so natural. Will I work again? Yeah, sure, I plan to become a CPM, but in the mean time, the most important work I have to do is to raise my children, oversee their spiritual and intellectual growth, and care for my husband and home. I cringe when I hear women say "well I have a real job." In all actuality, is there a job more real than being a mother? Is there a job that has more impact on our world? Is there a job so demanding, sometimes thankless, and so rewarding? No. I know that circumstances put people in these situations, but I hear so much from them that I don't have a real job. I wish all women had this choice. Baris and I planned very carefully so that we could do this for our family. This is what I wanted to be when 'i grew up.' My mother made poor choices, and a big part of me wants to make up for those choices as I raise my children. I want them to know security and safety like I never did. I want them to feel like it's normal to sit down to the dinner table every night. I don't want them home alone and scared, or in a daycare all day with all sorts of weird influences that I may or may not approve of. I should be responsible for their personal growth, not a stranger paid minimum wage to keep the diapers clean every two hours.

Not attacking or condemning, just understand it's what feels right for our family. And that's how I'm going to raise my family and run my home. I'm going to do things that are right for OUR family. Just cuz it's right for me doesn't mean it's right for you, and it doesn't mean I'm judging you or your choices.

Just some election thoughts from brother Tom

2008-11-05T09:57:00.002-06:00

I am sharing my brother's post election e-book, as he calls it, because he's far more talented at putting thoughts together intelligently. I voted for Obama. Yeah, I said it. Even though a lot of me does not agree with the democratic party's policies, I knew some kind of change needed to come and this was a good bet. Love me or hate me, I think the voter turnout speaks volumes to the need that the American people have for some kind of change. I never fear the next four years after an election, regardless of the outcome. It is simply another opportunity. Brother Tom's thoughts below are clear, concise, and made me feel a little better about my choice to vote for Obama. Regardless of who you are, what your beliefs are, and who you voted for, it's time to get over the partisan crap and get busy. This is our country, we showed up to vote, and a landslide majority of us chose Obama. That's gotta say something right? So we should support our president elect and our fellow Americans, because we all need to take responsibility for the direction our country is going in. I do not believe that there is a right or wrong way, just different ways.

Oh, If you didn't vote, you don't have a right to bitch or even offer your input, you are not a full member of this society if you cannot perform that simple civic duty once every couple of years. It's your responsibility.

I italicized a portion of Tom's e mail that really spoke to me. This isn't about partisan bashing, or right and wrong. This is truly about making a better country for ourselves and future generations.

----

Hi Family Folk, happy post election day!!

Well, in 2008, we call what happened last night a 'beat down'. And if the 00' and 04' elections, as close as they were, were wide enough margins for a "mandate", then we have what should be known as a "super mandate" from the people of America this time around. While I understand that some of us believe this direction is a mistake, let me offer my two cents as to how you know it is not and that the will of the collective will always eventually trump our individual ideals and selfishness, because it is born out of equality and freedom and not strict ideals and greed. Ideals and greed have always lost in every major civilization in the world's history and as long as people can think for themselves, that will never change.

What do I mean by ideals and greed? Well, something dawned on me in this election cycle that I never had the presence to wake up and realize until now, and that is the fact that as a young republican, I was always thinking of myself first... how policy would affect my business, my finances and 'my enjoyment' of life. My greed was evident and my ideals were... well to be frank, only concerned with me... which is a very pervasive concept in our society. After 9/11, I was ready, like many, to jump to conclusions and bomb anyone who looked at us funny. And I actually believed that terrorists were scary and something more extreme than we've had in the past to worry about, and I actually questioned the Muslim faith... for a short period. Well now, I see that the way I did and most republicans do make decisions is on strict fundamental ideals and old ones at that, that only apply to them. The irony being that those ideals affect others who don't share them, like myself. Rather than belabor the point, I'll sum it up with one comment that I'll never forget, coming from a good friend a few years ago... I asked her about her political preferences and she responded "I'm a democrat, but I'm republican when it comes to money". It took me a full decade after that statement, though it stuck with me, for me to actually accept that this view was also my silly view and that it could also apply to religion, our society, and different beliefs about specific policies like the drug war, death penalty and abortion. The point is that making that analysis and decision is 100% selfish. The problem with this type of selfish thinking and all other forms of strict interpretation is that it always, I repeat, ALWAYS, stifles the freedoms of others who don't share that same view. And what I realized, a now declared independent, once staunch republican and now proud supporter of Obama, is that the Republicans are always pushing an agenda of fear, separation and dirty politics without any regard for the fact they are excluding half the nation, and in this election we saw first hand just about every night, lie after lie, with no shame about their efforts. While on the other side and in the middle the Democrats and Independents are constantly fighting for equality and freedom and to get out from under the stifling policies of the current Republican party. Republicans say let the free market fix everything... that's funny... because what they are really saying is "everyone for themselves". Which is precisely why the republicans want less regulation of the financial markets, so that the rich can keep getting richer and the poor can keep struggling... because again, they aren't concerned with anyone who doesn't share their ideals and greed. It bears mentioning that the Republicans didn't always use to be like this and in fact, it was refreshing to finally here some pundits talk about the truth about some of Obama's policies, lowering taxes and foreign policy statements and liken them to being moderate and conservative. I was pulling my hair out at the repeated lies about Obama's conservative principles and that type of politics, blatant lies, has stained the republican party in my eyes. And all the talk of Socialism and those fear tactics was deplorable. If Obama's moderate platform he ran on is Socialist, then under that rational we've been a communist country ever since putting in a progressive income tax system, "social" security, and medicare. Gimme a break!

In all honesty, the real reason I wrote this email is not to simply bash republicans, but to congratulate those who voted for Obama and extend an open hand to those that didn't. I could really care less about the two parties or their future, it's just easiest to paraphrase views into the two different camps. The future of our country will depend on the resolution of issues, not the see-saw back and forth of "my way, your way", which never solves the problem and keeps us as a country yo-yo'ing back and forth. Let's get together, solve some problems on major issues and get on with it. I don't know about you all, but I'm sick and tired of wars, taxes, division and greed at the expense of the rest of us. Hey, I want financial independence like the next guy, but I also don't like to look around me and see that I'm doing ok and getting by while many are not. That's not the type of country I want to leave to the next generation. Right now, we have a rare opportunity because of the majority in the House and Senate to finally make some real change. If we squander this opportunity because of tightly held ideals, the future will get worse, no two ways about it, because eventually there will be another civil war and families will be split because of it. So we can be known as the generation that wouldn't budge off of extremely bent ideals or the one who turned the corner by coming together, that is our legacy. We've made a big first step already in turning the corner, by electing an African-American president, though to those of us who don't judge by the color of skin, we elected probably the only candidate of this character we will see in our lifetime, a once in a generation candidate. And the fact that he's black helps it to maximize the force of change for all minorities, including poor white trash. :-D I'm serious, but joking also.

So here's a hit list of the key issues, in my mind, that need bi-partisan resolution and actually are ripe for us coming together. And if you have a hard time accepting one view, then look at it this way... what would you give up to get? In other words, what policy stance would you bend on or compromise on in order to get another one in your favor? Compromise is the operative word here. And I've broken things down into 3 easy categories. =-O

1) FINANCE - two key issues, one of which Obama is addressing for the short term, TAXES and THE FED. Taxes definitely need to be lowered for the middle class, screw corporate America. This should be the issue we can all agree on and make sweeping change, and it's the most important, and it affects our society and economy like no other. All tax cuts to companies that make record profits need to disappear, first of all. McCain really missed the boat on this one, big time. Record profits and he wants to give the oil companies more breaks?? The real solution to these issues is to go to the FAIR TAX and get rid of the FED altogether. We don't need to pay a private banker interest to be the middle man in our monetary system, this is a fraud and has been since it was instituted with the help of the private bankers in the early part of the century. And the FAIR TAX is just that, it places a tax on consumption and doesn't double dip the way our current progressive mafia style tax system does now. Can't we all get along on this one?? :-)

2) FOREIGN POLICY - well, I voted for Bush in 00' because he ran on a non-interventionist policy.. in other words, he lied to us. We don't need military bases around the world, I don't care what the neo-cons say, a few strategic bases to augment our allies is adequate, especially in a time of depression, but reality is that the world is smaller, different and manpower assets are changing from human to machine, so get our soldiers home. Can't we all get along on this one too?? or is it imperative to go around the world exerting our will unilaterally and ruining our reputation fighting some stupid antiquated 'holy war'?

3) STATE ISSUES - death penalty, abortion, drug war... all should be state issues, yet the federal government meddles in all of this... so again, who's the socialist leaning party?? The democrat stance on these says these are state issues, yet the republican stance says two of the three are federal issues, sort of ... hmmmm... and two of the three, abortion and the drug war are personal freedom issues that no government should have any say in, ironically that's where the fed meddles the most right now... the irony here is that the drug war is been waged on a lie ever since it began and the death penalty and abortion create contradictions on each side. The democrats generally are against the death penalty but for abortion... okay, so they are against killing murderers, but for killing babies... and republicans are for killing murderers and against killing babies. Well, at first glance it seems the republicans have those two issues won, as I used to think. I also used to believe that they were both wrong on these issues because of these contradictions in belief about life and death, meaning shouldn't we be for life or against it, was the question I asked myself. Is is really that simple. In my mind, for the most part, yes.. it's as simple as saying, "do I believe in life or death", because whatever we believe pervades our culture and affects other policies and beliefs. A culture of life would mean murderers would avoid the death penalty... which I have to admit was the hardest part of this decision for me to manage in my mind and heart... but we do talk about rehabilitation, don't we?? And part of what made me think about this differently is that I have a good friend who is serving a life sentence in Virginia for killing his girlfriend 14 years ago. He was one of my best friends and he was not a violent person, but for some reason, that night, he made an incredible mistake. I could never vote for him to be executed and I know that he is already or can be rehabilitated. And I know that he's a good person. On the issue of abortion, it was actually much simpler. I'm pro-life, but this is a decision for the mother and father of the child to make and if one trumps the other, it's the mother obviously. I think we should encourage pro-life alternatives to dealing with pregnancy, but we should not make abortion illegal as an option to deal with any number of circumstances such as rape, incest, disease and even something as simple as radiation from doctor visits. So a strict abortion policy mandated at the federal level is anything but a solution.

These state issues as I call them are the ones that seem to throw people up in arms the most, and understandably, but isn't that the reason they need to be on the state level and decided respectively? Again, can't we get along on this, minimally agreeing to them being state issues?? That way if you really feel so strongly about something you can move to a state and sub-culture that share your beliefs. And the country can be level headed in it's approach to offering up solutions to all Americans, not just the Republicans, neo-cons, redneck racists and religious fundamentalists in America.

1, 2, 3, can it be that simple?? If we humble ourselves and think about someone else besides ourself... "YES, WE CAN". (Trust me, I was a pretty selfish bastard with the full blinders on and I've managed to mature my views to be about something beyond just me, so anyone of us can, even you die-hard republicans!! :-[ )
Happy Post Election Day!

Tom

The Belly Cast & Other Crafts

2008-10-26T20:10:00.007-05:00

I just wanted to share the belly cast with everyone! B did a great job on the plaster (and made NO lewd remarks while we did this), I'm really impressed with his handy work on this!

First up is the "pre-decorated" shot:

And while I like the clean look of it, here's the shot of it after I put all the fabric leaves on it and the metal leaf. The parts that look a little "dingy" are where the spray adhesive is a little too thick, this will clear up and look shiny and bright once I do the finish coat. So here it is with decorating mostly complete, but the finish coat has not been applied:

Check back in a couple of days and I should have the completed project added to this post. I need to let the leaves finish setting up before applying the finish coat, and lord knows how long that will take me!

Over all, this was a crafty weekend. I finished up the letters, and put the finish coat on them, now they are hanging over Aiden's crib:

And here's a close up of the letters:

We also finished our three panel puzzle for B's room and I sealed that with Mod Podge over the weekend. Next step is to mount it or frame it and hang it on the wall. The Mod Podge is GREAT for puzzle saving, holds all the pieces together and gives it a nice finish! I'll post pictures of that when we get around to finishing it. :)

For the record, I still managed to do some laundry this weekend. And we went to Cosco (never again will I do that on a Sunday...), got all our purchases arranged, B cleaned his bathroom, and I cleaned up our mess from the belly cast. Not our most productive weekend, but it was relaxing and enjoyable, and the house is still clean. It snowed today, which bites...I like snow later in the year, it's fun, but at this time of year it's psychologically damaging for me.

Signing off,
Craft Master Funk

37 Weeks! Happy Term Day!

2008-10-22T20:16:00.002-05:00

I sang a little tune to Aiden this morning... "Happy term day to you, happy term day to you, happy term day baby Aiden...HAPPY TERM DAY TO YOU!" Today he is officially a full term baby. That's right folks, we've moved into the "he could come any day" stage of this pregnancy. I can imagine that this is when the waiting starts to feel like an eternity.

I'm still feeling good for the most part. My walk has slowed down now that he seems to have dropped, but I'm still walking to stay active...just slower, and not as far! Much as I would like to welcome him sooner rather than later, I would prefer he waits until at least the middle of next week...I have a lot more training to do for my contractor at work. Although I'm still doing lots of things like walking every day...and...well...you know...to help things out so when it's time, things are "ready." I'm having quite a lot of braxton hicks contractions, especially for an hour or more after my walks. More of them are feeling crampy and uncomfortable, and I'm told these are the ones that are really "changing" things. So at this point, that's good news. My body is getting ready.

I don't have much to report right now, I'll post if there is anything interesting to share after my appointment tomorrow.

Maybe we should start a pool for baby stats? I think all the money should come to B and me...regardless of who wins!

LOL!

I'm a little peeved

2008-10-21T18:30:00.002-05:00

So just a quick vent, tomorrow or Thursday I'll post the latest news on baby Aiden.

I am in the midst of training a contractor. I'm glad my boss had the foresight to give her 3 solid weeks of training instead of just one or two. That's beside the point though.

This morning she asks me "do you know what lice look like?" I'm trying not to panic...right? Cuz who in their right mind would come to work less than 2 feet from a pregnant woman if they thought their kid could have lice?

"Um, no. Did you get this e mail from...blah blah" I mean, I don't want to get into it.

"hm, do you know what mites look like?"

again "um...no."

"I keep finding these bugs (EEEEK!) on my kid's head, and I don't know what they are."

Later in the day she looks it up, thinks it's lice, and leaves early to take her 3 year old in to the doctor. A few hours later I get an e mail from her temp agency saying that she will not be in for a few days because "her daughter has contracted something communicable and she needs to take care of it."

I know it's lice...and even if it isn't, it's something she could have passed to me. This is the second time in a week I've questioned her logic. On Monday she comes in and tells me her daughter spent the entire day with a houseful of people who have strep. Meaning she spent an entire weekend with a little girl who very well could have picked up strep, then came into work, and sat less than 2 feet from me. All day. She could have at least had the courtesy to work from her own desk just in case. I'm 9 months pregnant. So in the last two days I've possibly been exposed to strep AND head lice?! I would be more annoyed if she had either of these conditions herself and came to work, that's my pet peeve. But I'm a little irked that less than 2 weeks from being done with work and just 3 weeks before my due date, the universe is throwing all these damn pathogens at me by way of my mildly spacy contractor. I just want to note that I've been extremely careful during my pregnancy about taking vitamins, washing hands, keeping my work area disinfected, and avoiding sickly people. I have not been sick at all since before I got pregnant. Now is just not the time.

Lice. For chrissake.

Not much to report!

2008-10-07T13:45:00.003-05:00

Well, it's just about week 35, last week's appointment went well, and next week is the first of my weekly appointments. Joy joy! Aiden is still growing like a weed, and sadly he's running out of room. I'm surprisingly comfortable most of the time though, so I kind of feel bad for the little guy, I think he just wants to get out for a little stretch you know?

Right now the more exciting thing coming up is the last day at work...which is only about 24 days away. I'm TOTALLY stoked. I'm so glad I don't have to work to my due date, I'm pretty sure the anxiety would keep me from going into labor! My contractor starts on Monday and she's getting 3 solid weeks of training...I didn't get any solid training when I started almost 3 years ago. I went to the trouble to write a manual that includes how to do everything I do! Spoiled youth of corporate America...tsk tsk.

My primary goal between my last day at work and the birth is to get freezer meals done and portioned. I've been trying to come up with a bunch of good ideas, and admittedly I forget them as soon as I think them, but I did retain a few. For breakfasts I am going to make a bunch of breakfast burritos to freeze (tested this and it worked like a CHARM!!!) and I'll be portioning out a bunch of grain and nut pancakes...I don't have a recipe yet...I want them to be whole wheat, and we want some nuts in there...any good recipes? I'm also going to make some sweet potatoe pancakes for the mix...because Ceil said they are AWESOME...i bet they would be good with almonds or something in them! I'm going to cook up a few pounds of ground beef so it will be easy to toss in with something like taco seasoning or turn into homemade hamburger helper, etc. I have a friend who's going to make us some lasagna to freeze. I'm going to make some turkish meat dishes like okra and spinach to serve over brown rice or noodles. I'm still thinking up ideas, and any suggestions are welcome...the better for us, the more we want it! In addition to the freezer meals, I'm going to get that house perfectly cleaned and organized so it's just right when it's time to bring baby home and I don't have to worry about it for a few weeks. I've got a friendly helper for all that...which is good, cuz our pantry is a MESS! I also need to sort through the freezer, theres a lot of frozen fruit in there, and I know a lot of it must be freezer burned by now, can't make nummy smoothies with ruined fruit my friends!

There is no progress on Aiden's nursery just yet, but it is spotless and perfectly organized, so there really isn't any work to be done in there for now. We're waiting for the bedding to come, hopefully in the next week or so it will be here, not sure how long it takes Babies R Us to ship products. It won't truly be done until the end of January when we are able to put the dresser and rocker in there in place of the futon, but I will share pictures once we have the bedding in there! We're on the hunt for a decent but inexpensive glider rocker, which will go in our room until January. But we aren't in a big hurry for that. Aiden's diaper stash is rounding out nicely, different dipes for different needs and stages...I love them all, they're so darn cute. :-)

OH! And a shout out to my hubby, who is worse than my mother about managing his paperwork problem. I finally begged him to sort it. I told him if he sorted out the current mess that I would take over mail so we wouldn't have this problem anymore. I ended up helping, I think he gets overwhelmed...there was stuff in that pile (read: mountain) from middle and late 2007!!! BUT, it is finally completely sorted, filed, shredded, and/or recycled. So now I'm in charge of mail! He did a great job, and his man room is looking great. We have to work on it bit by bit in order to get it ready for the big transformation to MAN CAVE 2009!! Saddest thing is that we have to break down his drums, there isn't any space for them in the new plan, though I could have forced it to work if there were a reason, he doesn't have the time to play anymore because he's uncomfortable playing in the evenings since we're in a townhome. Fair enough, so they get packed untill we move up and out of that house in a few years. In the mean time he needs a super cave, and that's what I'm doing! Big ol' TV, a new computer, and manly comfortable seating! He's a champ, he deserves the best man cave of all. :-D Hopefully once it's been transformed he'll use the room the way he always wanted to, a place to study, work from home when he needs to, play computer games, and watch TV. He and Aiden can do much bonding in the cave I think!

I've included a photo of Cheddar, because he's cute, and his wallerin' ways just make me smile...he pretty much always sleeps this way...although usually in his daddy's armpit...A little pathetic, but A LOT cute!

In other shoutouts, a big congratulations to Elaina who is finally out of the children's hospital after 143 days! Her blog is linked on the right, send some love to her and her mamma, this is such a big day, and SUCH a miracle!

Equally exciting is that Eshell Knapp, a woman I did my doula training with (and someone who's strength and inner wisdom still has me in awe), is expecting again! I also have her blog linked to the right! Last year Eshell suffered a devastating loss of her 7th child, this past year has brought her much healing, and now another miracle to add to the Knapp clan! Please wish her the best and send your prayers to her and her family! What a troop they are!

Behold...the pregnant woman that everyone hates

2008-09-26T19:36:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to announce that at 33+ weeks pregnant, I still do not have cankles. It can be done! Here is photographic proof of this claim, to settle a bet in my doula forum, and for proof to all you non-believers.

What this image DOES show (you know, since it clearly does not show cankles) is that I desperately need a pedicure. I only have one slightly puffy ankle, and this has been the case since my surgery in August 2007...there's a lot of fluid on my knee and it tends to pool in my ankles sometimes.

So there, be a believer. I am the pregnant woman who is NOT miserable with any of the following:

Heartburn
Swelling
Peeing every 10 seconds
consistent backache
chronic nightmarish fatigue
morning sickness
Inability to wear wedding ring
headaches
and most other stereotypical things that make you want to ask me "how are you feeling?" Go ahead, ask me if I have the stereotypical affliction that you think I probably have...go ahead.

I feel fine, and I don't have cankles. So THERE!

Surprises on the Step

2008-09-24T10:24:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we came home to a box from the mail man. Took me forever to assemble it (complicated baby stuff...pfft) and it had no packing slip, so we didn't know who it was from. Karen claimed responsibility...
My awesome big sister sent us this:

SO CUTE!

Way to Go Baris!

2008-09-22T12:06:00.002-05:00

So, Baris just called. He finished his GMAT test and did really well! His preliminary score (we won't have the actual until the graders and the essay people get to his test) is a whopping 690!!! To get an idea of what that means see this:

"The most prestigious US business schools, including the Ivy Leagues, report that their students scored 700 on the GMAT on average. Less prestigious business schools, such as those at many state universities, report an average GMAT score of 550 - only slightly higher than the average score earned by all GMAT testers. In between those extremes, scoring 650 on the GMAT will beat the average and make you a competitive candidate at most business schools around the US." - Business Week

So all that studying seems to have paid off. We'll share more details once we get the final score, but looks like he did awesome! Thanks for all your well wishes, good vibes, prayers, etc!

A Sneak Peak...

2008-09-22T08:35:00.007-05:00

Well, our nursery is well under way! We went to get the crib this weekend, and it couldn't look any better with the new wall color. Now we are waiting on the bedding which should be here in the next few weeks or so. But here are some pictures of our nursery as it is today, even a shot of his little cabinet of clothes. :-)

Sorry they are grainy, I took them with the cell phone this morning. Once it's further along I will put up pictures from the digital camera.

This is the crib (which unfortunately doesn't fit the mobile, so we have to get creative to hang that)and you can see the hamper in the corner. The silly looking bench thing isn't staying, we just have to get rid of it. But the crib is solid oak, and it's a lifetime crib so it will last him till we kick him out of the house. The mirror also has to go, it's too low to stay where it is, and if we move it any higher it will look silly, so it will eventually go on the opposite wall over the dresser after the futon is out of there. Speaking of futon, it's eventually getting moved to our den, which is going under redesign as well, so we'll probably have pictures of that in February. In the mean time, the futon is going to be used by guests since Aiden isn't sleeping in that room for a few months.

This is the hamper that matches the bedding, actually a clever little thing. The canvas is just decorative, it actually has a laundry bag liner so I don't have to bend over like a contortionist to get the laundry, just lift the liner out and dump it in the washer! I still need to get a diaper pail for his cloth dipes, but that's no biggie, just a cheapy trashcan at walmart or something. But I think I'll find some kind of paint that works on plastic so I can paint it to match his room decor nicely...like he cares. It's all about me! You can see the ugly floor lamp base in here too, it's going. Hopefully into Baris's new office at work once he gets one. I'm over floor lamps. And this one is white and brass...GAG! I'm considering painting the frame for the hamper a light yellow or something else that coordinates. If you're going to do it, do it right!

Here is the cabinet in Aiden's closet, all loaded up with his newborn and 0-3 sized clothes. Everything else is packed overhead for later. The red canvas totes are awesome. I got them for $7 each at Lowe's and I have them stuffed full of his goodies. Hats & Bibs in one, socks and foot stuff in one, receiving blankets in one, and burp cloths in one. I'm sure this will all get shuffled and changed, but for now, it works and it keeps everything neat and tidy so I don't have to worry about it and I can keep track of what we have on hand. I wish I had gotten a picture of the shelf we set up for Aiden in the kitchen cabinet. It's got his bottles, bottle warmer, and stuff in there. Eventually his little dishes, food mill and stuff will be in there too. He has his own shelf! YAY!

I'm sorry this one is SUPER grainy, but it's cute. I had to have the switchplate, it's just too damn cute. I love it. We actually had originally wanted to match the wall color to the green color in the lower right hand corner, but we had them match it at Lowe's off of a fabric sample which doesn't match as clearly. I'm glad it turned out a bit darker, because I think if we had gotten this lighter green on our walls, it would have been WAY too bright. The wall color now looks good with the bedding without being abnoxious. I have to say that my husband and I are mighty good at this decorating thing...when all the pieces are provided for us!! HAHAHA!

Here's the crib from another angle and with bad lighting because of the window, but you can also see the valance in this picture! You can see the cute sheet on the mattress too, and part of the mobile. I promise I'll post pictures when we get the bedding in there.

On a side note, B is off taking his GMAT as we "speak." We're both glad this test is nearly over. I feel like we haven't done anything together for over a month! Wish him luck!

32 weeks!

2008-09-18T11:02:00.003-05:00

Well, today was my 32 week appointment, everything looks great! Aiden is even head down now, his heart sounds strong, and he still doesn't like being poked, so he kicked the doppler today. HAHA! That's my boy! He should weigh about 3.75 pounds now, and is about 17 inches long. Most of his energy goes towards packing on baby fat now and we wait...wait...wait until he comes. :-) Here's a 32 week belly shot to share:

It's still a belly!

Baris has been feverishly studying for his GMAT over the last couple of weeks. The test is on Monday, send all your good luck vibes and prayers his way. I'm taking him out apple picking on Sunday so he has a resting day before the test...Apple pie anyone?! :-)

Too pooped...

2008-09-01T18:01:00.002-05:00

to poop. :)

Well, the shower went well, I saw a lot of friends and we had a good time. I"m a little weird about showers, I'm not so good at being the center of attention when there is a great big group of people! BUT, I was delighted by how many people came to shower and it was so nice to see everyone. My sisters really threw a nice little bash! I'll post pix when I get to it, I've been a little too busy since we've been home and this weekend was full of productivity.

Even though last week was only 4 days for me, I was completely off kilter, unfocused, and down right out of whack. It's getting hard to stay focused on my job. B and I are both a little out of sorts, feeling like there is so much to do, so many things we need to get (yes, I know you don't really need much to have a baby). I guess we are both having that "MUST NEST" problem right now. This weekend helped. Anyway, all this mental distraction makes my days very long and hard since my mind is in 15 different places and I have to work hard to get my job done AND write instructions for the contractor who will hopefully start mid October.

This weekend we did a whole bunch of great stuff. B finally hung our stray cabinet in the laundry closet, this took FOREVER. He's never hung a cabinet before and the measurements were a pain since he was trying to avoid all the electrical conduits. So that was most of Saturday for him. I spent Saturday cleaning and sorting items in the baby's room and getting things moved around and baseboards taped so I could paint. Saturday night we went to a wedding reception and came home and CRASHED.

Sunday B cut and hung our new shelf next to the cabinet and attached an awesome hanging bar before he came in to help me paint. That felt like it took DAYS. I really hate painting. I hate prepping walls. I hate taping. I hate pouring paint. I hate dumping it on our carpet (thank god for Bissel). I hate pulling tape down, rolling, brushing, all that. I hate it. BUT, the final result was well worth the wait AND the work. Both of us were exhausted by Sunday afternoon, and it was hot as hell. It was definitely a relief to crank the AC when we finished the room (had to have windows open for ventilation).

We were up this morning for some breakfast and B's all day study day. I went to Babies R Us to get the valances for the windows (can't have a curtain rod with no curtains on it, afterall) and the switchplate that all match the bedding set for the nursery. When I came home I put the valances up, and have decided I would like to have some decorative curtains in there as well...and that the curtain rods need to be raised about 3 inches. Boo. I put the room back together, sorted the remaining STUFF, vacuumed and called it finito...for now. The new color is really awesome and looks great with the accessories so far. I was also running laundry which I later had to finish. We had all this delinquent laundry we had been neglecting to fold for...let's just say forever. So I had to go through, fold and hang all that, fold and hang what was coming out of the dryer, get the upstairs hall cleared for vacuuming, gather up trash from the bathroom and bedroom trashcans...I mean it just went on and on. I also go our dresser sorted out and cleared off so I could put the changing pad etc. on top (where it will stay until B's parent's leave in January). I then got the hall vacuumed at long last, crabbed about how we don't have anywhere convenient to store our vacuum, and now here I sit. I'm waiting on the last load of laundry to get out of the dryer while I take this little break. I still need to clean up our hall desk, we've been piling crap on it again, B needs this space to study. I also still haven't sent my thank you cards as several still need addresses, so I'll do that before I go to bed too. But right now, I'm starving, so I"m going to go make dinner (and probably clean the kitchen...AGAIN) before I do my thank you cards.

Only about 60 days until my last day at the office! =-o

Gotta love NORMAL pregnancy and birth

2008-08-20T12:21:00.002-05:00

I wanted to share with you all a link to Amy's blog. She had a darling little girl on August 12th. She was over 42 weeks pregnant when Caroline finally came into this world. She had to be evicted through some natural techniques, but there she was, big, healthy, and beautiful. Amy was cared for by midwives throughout her pregnancy and gave birth to her perfect little girl AT HOME, yes, ON PURPOSE! If you browse her page you'll see that she was in a car accident a week prior and signed out of the hospital after an u/s showed that she and baby were safe, healthy, and perfect. She signed out AMA, later received a call that the u/s showed her baby was "15% too big!" For what? We don't know, cuz she came out 100% perfect. Education about your body, your rights, and your options can truly empower you. Amy is my hero, a true testiment to what trusting your body really means. For generations women's bodies have been giving birth. I think our uteruses know something we don't! :-)

28 Weeks, the update plus!

2008-08-20T06:41:00.003-05:00

OK, so now we hit 28 weeks, officially the dreaded 3rd trimester. Everyone has said all along, "oh, you feel great now, but just you wait until your 3rd trimester." Here's what I have to say to all you Debby Downers...PPFFFFFT! It's all in your attitude. Sure, it's probably not going to be the greatest, but I intend to stay positive, keep doing my yoga to feel fresh and stretched, and I'm sure I'll be fine. So I don't wanna hear it. Oh, and if you don't mind, stop asking me "how are you feeling?" It makes me a little batty, I feel like I should tell you I feel like crap to get people off my back and stop asking. I feel fine. I'll let you all know if I start dragging butt or start feeling poorly. :-)

Yesterday was my 28 week appointment. Weight is holding steady from my last appointment (as planned! HA!) and the belly is now measuring at 29cm which is great because either Mr. Man had a growth spurt last time or they measured me wrong, but I was about 3cm too large at my last appointment. Today I'm only 1cm over my week, which is perfect! Baby is still very active (I'm supposed to feel him move 10 times in one hour during his active periods...yeah right, try 10 times in 5 minutes! for 20 or 30 minutes straight!!) and his heartbeat is strong and steady in the 150s, right where he should be right now. No health concerns, life is good. Aidan probably weighs in at about 2 pounds. For those of you counting, that's 2 pounds in 6 months for Aidan, in the next 12 weeks or so, he'll put on another 5 or 6 pounds (but only grows about another 5 to 7 inches)! He's going to grow very fast now, and I can really feel the stretch. I have an appointment in 4 weeks, and then I go to every other week. What an adventure!

I included the weekly blurb and my belly shot, not the best, B isn't so great at taking belly shots.
------
By your 28th week of pregnancy, your baby is about 16 inches long and weighs 3-1/2 to 4 pounds. The skin is wrinkled but will become less so as more subcutaneous fat, the layer of fat just under the skin, is laid down in the next few weeks. Fine downy hair, called lanugo, and a waxy white protective substance covering the skin, called vernix, are present on the baby's body. The baby's eyes are open. The eyebrows and eyelashes were formed in the fourth month. The baby sucks its thumb and its taste buds have developed. The baby kicks, stretches, and moves frequently in the uterus. These movements, which are readily observable to others, are often keenly felt by the mother.

Shame On Me!

2008-08-18T07:19:00.003-05:00

Well, I guess the Turk isn't going to post about his trip. I'll work on him some more, but I can no longer make any promises. That and I am a slacker myself recently! Truth is there isn't much to blog about just now. Baris and I are very excited about our trip to Virginia, though! We have a 6am flight out of here on Thursday.

We did finally decide to buy a new digital camera though. Our old one was not in such great shape and well out of warranty. This new one is really great and is slim enough to carry it in the purse or diaper bag later on. 9.1 Megapixels, that's more than double what our old one was and we paid more than $100 less for it. Anyway, that means that the belly shots will be in better quality now.

The belly is starting to take over. This Wednesday officially puts me into my 3rd trimester, 28 weeks. Time really flew by. I thought this would be the longest 9 months of my life, and it felt like forever in the beginning, but now things are almost wrapped up, this pregnancy is actually almost over, and before we know it, Aidan will be here.

The other exciting news (well, exciting to me) is that thanks to my friend Julia, I stumbled across a GREAT sale on Fuzzibunz cloth diapers. They were down from $19.95 each to just $14.95 each. So we bought 15 and they should be here when we get back from Virginia. It's super tempting to go and order some more, but I do want to have a mish mash of the Fuzzibunz and the BumGenius. So I might get just a couple more fuzzibunz before the baby comes (Baris saw two patterns he liked with zoo critters and trains), and I still need to order my BumGenius 12 pack. Then I will be really set with diapers. Now all I need is a baby butt to put them on! Haha!

I'll have more interesting stuff to post about after we get back from Virginia. We have lots of plans while we're there aside from just the shower, we're really looking forward to a great trip.

Because this is too good not to share...

2008-08-07T19:12:00.002-05:00

My eyes are still puffy from laughing so hard... OMG OMG OMG, who cares about the text under this...just the picture pushed me over the edge:

Cake Wrecks - Lost In Translation

GO THERE. NOW!

24 and 26 weeks

2008-08-06T21:06:00.002-05:00

Ok, I can't believe I waited a whole week to post. I was sort of waiting on B to get his stuff together and post about his trip. I'll go nag him again in a minute.

Today was my birthday! FUN FUN! I totally forgot about it entirely until I logged on to my doula message board this morning and they were all wishing me a happy b-day. LOL! So I'm 24.

AAAANNNNND, today I'm 26 weeks pregnant, so here's the obligitory update. I think it feels like he's in there butt down and facing my left side, that's where all the strong kicks are!

----
The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take two to three days.
---

B took me to my favorite baby store (PeaPods in St. Paul) and I bought 4 new BumGenius 3.0 diapers, and 2 packs of cloth wipes! Who gets excited about this?! I DO! I'm totally stoked, I got lime green ones and blue ones, they're so cute. Now my master stash is 5 whole diapers! LOL But I'm so excited. I might even be getting a few fitteds from a friend, those will probably be best when baby is very small, but the BumGenius are still supposed to fit a newborn, we'll see how big he is. We might use either fitteds or disposables until the BumGenius fits him a little better. I would prefer to use fitteds with covers, but we'll see what happens!

Signing off for a snuggle,
Megz

25 Weeks

2008-07-30T20:11:00.002-05:00

My second trimester is getting close to over, and starting in 3 weeks I'll begin seeing the midwife every other week for about 2 months. I'm closer to the end than to the beginning now and little Aidan is apt to remind me of that daily! I'm so excited to meet him! Here's the update on 25 weeks!

---
Get ready for pat-a-cake! Baby's hands are now fully developed and he spends most of his awake time groping around in the darkness of your uterus. Brain and nerve endings are developed enough now so that your baby can feel the sensation of touch. That doesn't mean he can feel it when his father pokes your stomach, however, so tell him to knock it off. Other highlights include:

Your baby's arms and legs have grown to almost the proportions they will be at birth, which is still sort of short. So don't be alarmed when your newborn's arms barely clear his waist. Baby's nostrils, which have been plugged up until now, clear out (like he's taken a super-dose of Sudafed) and he can practice breathing through the nose. The structures of your baby's spine are now made up of 150 joints, 33 rings and some 1,000 ligaments. Can you believe you're growing something that complicated inside of you?

The capillaries, the teeniest blood vessels, are now forming in your baby's body, giving his formerly translucent skin a pink glow. The blood vessels in the lungs also develop this week. You'll see how well that worked out when your baby gives those lungs a workout while you're on line at the bank in a few months.

Your baby weighs about a pound and a half and is about 13½ inches long—roughly the length of one of those recorders you played in elementary school music class. Who's up for a round of "Hot Cross Buns?"
---

Finally Home!

2008-07-29T21:26:00.004-05:00

Just a quick update to let everyone know that Baris got home safely and sleepily earlier today. We were going to come home and nap but neither of us was sleepy enough for that. He crashed around 6 and at 9 I woke him up to give him a sleep aid so he'd sleep through the night (maybe I should get him a diaper and a binky too?!). I'll have him post about his trip some time in the next couple of days. He's a bit slimmer, totally sleepy, and so glad to be home in his own bed. He's snoring away, I think I'll go join him! I actually cooked tonight!!
:-o

Guess Who's NOT asleep...

2008-07-28T22:50:00.002-05:00

I have to work in the morning, trying to be in by 7am if I can, so I can get a 5 hour day in by noon. I worked 11 hours today. B lands at 12:30, I'm leaving the office at 12:15 to pick him up at the airport. 14 short hours from now he'll be home. I'm taking the afternoon off to nap with him and catch up on some much needed snuggles. Unfortunately he's still sick, hopefully not contagious though. He's been on antibiotics for quite a while back in Turkey, so hopefully that's cleared it all up and what's up now is just the post infection ickies which take a while sometimes. I've got fresh sheets on the bed for him and a clean (though it lacks full tidiness at the moment) house to come home to.

I'll be interested to see how Cheddar will react when B comes home, it's just been the two of us for 5 weeks afterall!! I'm glad I married young. I hate being alone all the time. I didn't make a good bachelorette then and I didn't make a good bachelorette while B was gone either!

Anyway, now we can get to the good work of getting all ready for this new baby! Baris will get to feel the baby move for the first time tomorrow, and hopefully see him making my belly wiggle too! We have about 3.5 months to enjoy eachother and get ready, we'll be making the most of it! Next big event? The trip to VA (in a little over 3 weeks) for family visits and the baby shower!

Wild Child

2008-07-23T20:11:00.002-05:00

Sooooo, I'm convinced Aidan is going to be a WILD child! He has a pretty clear sleep/wake cycle, and when he's awake...he makes sure I know it...if you catch my drift. He pummels me the whole time he's awake! LOL And if I'm talking to my coworkers, he likes to kick hard enough to make me gasp! Making his statement already! Doesn't care for me sitting in any position that compromises his personal comfort. I'm still remaining strong at bedtime, i'm in charge and I'll sleep on my left side if I want to! He only weights 1.5 pounds, he's not allowed to make that decision for me yet! I'm the boss! yeah...

Funny thing is when he's awake and rockin' my belly wiggles a lot! I'm not sure if most women can see the belly wiggles by 23 weeks like me...maybe Aidan is just a soccer player in the making...I guess now that he's not grounded till november for being stubborn and uncooperative with the gender peeks, I guess he's getting ready to play!

I have another appointment with the midwife on Friday morning, they're doing my SECOND glucose screen (I'm at risk for gestational diabetes, I've been told, since I'm MORBIDLY OBESE!) and I get another listen to his little heart too! Hopefully this will be my last appointment with this practice, I'm still waiting to hear from the new, smaller practice about the transfer. But I'm pretty sure it will be fine when I call to check on the status tomorrow. Don't want to skip my appointment though.

So Proud!

2008-07-22T21:02:00.002-05:00

Well, this year has just been great so far. First up we got pregnant (yay!). Then Baris got his promotion to Master Black Belt (one step closer to ruling the world) and will be transitioning into that position when he returns from Turkey. A few months ago he was nominated to be in an International MBA program at the Kelly School of Business in Indiana, courtesy of Cummins. Today his boss called me to let me know that he's been accepted! This last bit is a really big deal. He was in the running against candidates from all over the world to get into this program, he was one of only 3 nominees sent from our business unit, and he was accepted with a handful of other candidates from other business units. It's really an honor for him and he's very fortunate to have this opportunity. It's going to be so wonderful for him and for our family. This is a huge investment by Cummins in him and I know he feels really good that they were willing to invest in him. I'm really proud of his hard work, and while it will be a bit tough for him with a high demand job, school, and our new baby, he's going to do great!

Anyway, I wanted to share our latest big news with family and friends so you could share in our excitement! Baris will start his classes in January/February, most are online but he'll make a couple trips a year to Indiana for the program. Wish him luck!

Yours,
Megz

Tomorrow Marks 24 Weeks

2008-07-22T07:58:00.001-05:00

Where has the time gone! the first 18 weeks just dragged by, but now I only have 16 weeks left! Can you believe it?! Now baby is really growing, here's the info on week 24, Aidan is a busy little man now!

----

Your baby isn't just sitting around (on your bladder) doing nothing, he's working hard preparing for life outside the womb—perfecting his lungs and packing on the pounds. He'll gain ½ pound this week alone. Other highlights this week:

Things are starting to get a little crowded inside the old womb as baby grows bigger and bigger. Your ribs are probably pining away for the good old days when they didn't have a foot permanently lodged between them. Hate to break it to you, but it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Your baby's ears are fully functional now. And since they are, you may notice that loud noises and sudden movements can startle the little bugger. He's getting used to the everyday sounds inside the womb: the sound of your heart beating, your lungs inhaling and exhaling air, the growling of your stomach because your partner promised he'd be right back with that double cheeseburger and he's taking forever! He'll even be able to hear your voice when your partner finally arrives and you ask him where the bleep he's been! So talk nice!

Baby's got a fully developed inner ear now. This means his sense of balance is working and he can tell whether he's hanging upside down or right side up. He can also feel you moving, so go ahead, pop in your favorite tunes and boogie.

Your little Wiener schnitzel is about the length of a foot-long Chicago hot dog and weighs about 1 1/3 pounds.

Smile!

2008-07-18T21:49:00.003-05:00

Introducing Aidan Baris Kiyar!!! Here he is, smiling for the camera!

Aidan was VERY cooperative for this ultrasound. Showed us the goods...(though I've spared him the humiliation of posting them on the net for the world to see, trust me, they are there!) He gave us a thumbs up, sucked his thumb, yawned, and SMILED as you can see above. His cheeks are starting to chub out already too, can I pinch them yet?!

While you're in here, I've got a pal in the middle of a serious run of bad luck, like the irish luck that more resembles the potato famine luck instead of the pot 'o gold luck. So those of you with the pot o' gold luck, could you send a little her way?! (Love you Liz!)

Update From the Womb

2008-07-15T10:12:00.002-05:00

So I don't know if I just never settle down enough to have noticed this sooner or if it really was this sudden. But now I can feel baby kicking with my hand, and he kicks HARD! It just shocked the hell out of me this morning! But it's so neat. I was so excited! I told Baris before he left that he would probably be able to feel the baby moving when he comes back from Turkey. Thank goodness I won't be a liar!

Oh, and here's the 23 week belly shot! (My belly makes my butt look small...teeeheeeheeeeee!)

Lessons From Wise Family & Friends

2008-07-15T07:16:00.005-05:00

1. Guilt comes from within, not without.
2. "Between stimulus and response there is space. In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom"
3. "A rock is a rock. Water is water. Your mother is your mother."
4. Our past is our past. We must grow and be strong enough to admit what we have experienced, recognize it's impact on our day to day lives, then correct that impact so what has happened in our past cannot continue to affect our lives. It is a lesson to be learned, with growth to be made, so that we can live stronger, happier, healthier lives.
5. It's really all about perspective, choose to see the positive, remember the positive, and throw the negative away. No sense in subjecting yourself to hurt when you don't need to.
6. Cats will be cats. Trying to control them is an exercise in futility. No matter how "good" your cat is, he's still a damn cat. You brought him home, now you're his people.
7. Anger comes from within, and also exists in that space where lies our freedom to choose our response.

Indeed Grasshoper,
Meg

PS: I feel immense pressure knowing that an English teacher reads my blogs...exactly what IS the proper use of "it's" and "its?"

This is AWESOME!

2008-07-13T12:17:00.003-05:00

Not sure why it made me cry...or maybe I do know.

Where The Hell Is Matt?

You must watch it, it's so heartwarming for some reason. Maybe I jealous he went to all these places and saw all these amazing things. Maybe I'm touched that people joined him all over the world? Maybe even it's that there's a great shot of dancing in DC and I'm hormonal and missing home more with every week. Who knew the capitol building could make me cry right? But overall, what a neat video. We are all the same across the world aren't we?

Another Phone Call

2008-07-13T06:22:00.002-05:00

This morning Baris called for his weekly check in. These phone cards are only 30 minutes, so we don't get to talk as long as I would like, but every little bit is good. He's doing pretty well, although he had some food poisoning yesterday, his belly isn't used to the bacteria anymore so this is the second time, and now he has a cold. Otherwise he's trying not to get burnt to a crisp and is just taking everything in stride. This weekend he got to take leave and see his mom, which he enjoys even though he's sick.

In other news: Many of you know I lost a lot of weight in my early pregnancy (18 pounds) but in the last month or so I haven't gained or lost. So I just sort of figured that it had finally evened out between baby growth and my loss. Turns out I was wrong. I've dropped another 2.5 pounds! So now my grand total is 20.5! Which is totally awesome. If I can just stay active and eating well through the end of the pregnancy, I'll probably weigh in about 40 pounds less after the baby is born than I did before I got pregnant. I know you're jealous. If all my pregnancies are this easy and pleasant, I'm telling we might end up with 10 kids. Just call me Duggar Light!!! Then comes breastfeeding. Some diet! Hahaha. For those of you wishing to panic, thinking baby is not getting enough food or I'm trying to diet. All is well. I'm not actually trying to lose weight, it's just happening. I'm not sick or hungry all the time and the baby is right on track for growth and development. I was just so fat to begin with that my super hyped up pregnancy metabolism is burning everything off!

I'm waiting to hear from the new midwife office I'm hoping to transfer to about whether they will accept my transfer from HealthEast. I'm pretty hopeful. With my picture perfect pregnancy, there's no reason for them not to accept me! I'm so happy to know that they don't have any weight restrictions on waterbirth, so once I transfer, that option will again be available to me! YAY! This is the best news I've received in a while!

Also, there was no damage to our home or belongings when this last batch of tornadic storms passed through here. But it was one seriously freaky storm. The time of day made the clouds some seriously ugly colors right as the storm started. The leading edge of the storm had some seriously powerful straight line winds, and down the street some retail signs got blown off their bases, but our little house is fine! Really awesome lightning crawled across the sky after the bulk of the storm passed, it was righteous to watch. I got a few pictures of what the sky looked like after the thunderheads moved through, they clouds looked awesome. Minnesota has some really interesting weather. My family loves to watch thunderstorms, I know my mom would get a real kick out of these storms. They're so wild!

On that note, I think I'm done rambling. I'm up early, so I'm going to have a nice breakfast, start some laundry,and go for a morning walk. Stop in and visit Baby Elaina's blog if you have a chance (link is on the top of my blog list to the right). Recently she's made a miraculous rally and is doing much much better, though still not out of the woods and still in critical condition, she's showing encouraging improvement. It just makes my heart sing to finally see some good news on the blog. More prayers and love to her if you have them to spare.

Your early morning reporter,
Meg

Front Page Proof

2008-07-11T14:08:00.002-05:00

I'm sharing this story that I saw as the big front page, feature story on CNN this afternoon. I read it all the way through (which I rarely do) and it really made me cry.

Holocause Siblings Reunited after 66 years

It's so good to know that in these times when there is so much violence, hate, poverty, and suffering, that once in a while we get to see stories like this on the front page. It was so very very heartwarming.

Humbly yours,
Meg

I'm a Jerk

2008-07-10T16:43:00.003-05:00

So...after all that ranting...the damn phone was in my purse. Seems the sim card must have failed causing it to not ring and to act funny. So yeah, I really feel like a jerk.

But let me recap my rollercoaster couple of days.

Marion died....down
Phone goes missing...down
Read about Baby Elaina's recent rally for survival...SOOO up
Crying in car this morning about losing my AWESOME phone, booger snot toddler crying....down
Find good news about another MW practice, they are covered under my insurance....UP
Get bad news from current MW practice....WAAAAAAAY down
Cry at my desk like a lunatic, embarassing....down
Get call from new MW practice that they allow waterbirth for my circumstances....waaaaay up
Phone found....feel like jerk...but up.
Got to see my chiro today...waaaay up (hey, some people smoke, some go to the bar, some get massages, some do yoga...when I'm strung out, I see a chiropractor).

I think I just need to stay home and make myself a nice dinner. I'm a little exhausted emotionally. Someone should buy me flowers.

It never ceases to amaze me...

2008-07-09T18:32:00.002-05:00

Just how flat out SHITTY people can be! My freaking cell phone was stolen today. Granted, I left it in the restaurant, but I really have more faith in people and when these things happen, I just anticipate that they would turn it in to the restaurant. NOOOOOOO, this butt wipe, boil on the ass of humanity, jerk off took the damn phone and seems to have swapped the sim card out so I can't even get it back! So my nice phone I liked so much and signed a damn 2 year contract to get is gone and I'm stuck with the Razr, which is a fine phone really, for another year-and-a-half. I hope it holds up, it's already had like 1.5 years of use...cell phones aren't exactly hardy.

I'm just so damn mad. People just suck. Go to church, get a clue!

And freaking AT&T...I'm just in a mood. but it occured to me that I have been using their cell phone service for 5 years...there should be a VIP program. When i'm in a tizzy about a phone issue, I don't want to deal with computer prompts or voice prompts or automated systems. I want to talk to a damn person. I have been paying out the butt for cell phone service every month for 5 years, I think I deserve to talk to a damn human being. That's what I think. I think I pay more than enough a month to be entitled to speak to a person.

Man I'm hormonal and psycho.

22 Weeks!

2008-07-09T16:02:00.000-05:00

You are 22 weeks pregnant and baby weighs about 15 ounces and is about 27 cm (translates to about a foot long, head to toe) in length. At this stage of pregnancy, your baby will have formed eyebrows and eyelids. Her brain will also begin to rapidly develop. Baby Can Suck His Thumb Now!Baby's senses are now developing daily! For example, taste buds are starting to form on baby's tongue. Also, brain and nerve endings are so developed, the fetus can now feel touch. Baby starts to experiment with this new sensation by stroking his or her face or sucking on a thumb. Your curious baby may even start feeling other body parts just to see how they move! These are the beginings of exploring the world. Baby's reproductive system is continuing to develop. In boys, the testes have started to descend down from the abdomen. And, in girls, the uterus and ovaries are in place and the vagina is developed.

Aunt Marion

2008-07-08T20:41:00.002-05:00

Well, I got news this afternoon that my Aunt passed away. She was the oldest surviving sibling, my mother's sister. In fact, Marion helped deliver my mother when she was born at home more than 60 years ago. I was not close with Marion, but my mother has many fond memories of her only sister. I can tell she's fighting just falling apart here and there, but she's trying really hard not to break down. The service will be this weekend and My sisters are trying to drive with mom to Ohio. I wish I could go to be with mom, but I can't afford a last minute plane ticket to be there. I know mom will be OK once she gets to the grieving, but in the mean time I worry about her. I believe Marion was about 79, alzheimer's ultimately claimed her life. She was a vibrant woman, and she told stories like no one I have ever known. I'm glad to have all those nice stories to remember her by, and she will always live on in my mom's heart. I should have mom tell me all she can think of about Marion and I will do an oral history of her, so that she will always be a part of our family in memories. Marion much deserves to be remembered fondly with a smile.

Good Morning Whispers!

2008-07-08T10:26:00.003-05:00

So this morning B called from Turkey, he had just spoken to his mom who passed the message along to him that Baby K is indeed, a boy. So now I can share it with the rest of you. We are having a boy, and we will call him Aidan Baris (Aidan means "Little Fire" and Baris, after his daddy, means "peace"). He was just ecstatic. I think he would have been even if I'd told him it was a girl, I think assigning a definite gender to the baby makes it a little more real for him. I could just hear the joy in his voice and I can imagine he was just glowing to hear about his little son. Makes me smile just to know it. I have one more ultrasound scheduled for the 18th, I will be sure to post our pictures (3D) afterwards for everyone to see!

In the mean time, my lameness continues. I'm struggling to stay busy, and sadly my pottery class was cancelled, so that's two nights a week that I have to find something else to do with. I still have a lot of things on my busy list to do, so I'm sure I'll do some of those during the week, but it's hard to really get into any project (ie: reorganizing my kitchen) on a weekday since I don't have a full day to get geared up for it, just a few hours to gear up and get motivated and get it done...so the last couple nights I have not made it even as far as getting geared up!

Cheddar is being a good boy, though I don't know why he can't cover his poo in the litter box. He paws at the walls, the plastic, the box itself...just not the litter. I came downstairs to a big ol' stinker this morning. What a retarded little tabby he is sometimes. Just cover the poo, that's all I ask. There's plenty of litter in there, for crying out loud, paw the litter, not the box. Sheeeeesh. I gave him a hearty brushing with the $50 brush the other day out on the deck. I left the AC on...just flinging fur into the air all willy nilly...note to self. don't do that again...

Fortunately it vacuumed right off. But I'm telling you, there's half a cat stuck to that AC unit. The other half was all over my pants. Better here than in the house!

Happy 4th!

2008-07-04T21:52:00.000-05:00

Hi all! It's the 4th of July and I'm comfortably sitting in my bed listening to the fireworks over at the National Sports Center (they do a good show but I'm really pooped). Last night I camped up on the St. Croix river with a friend and her kids. In Minnesota, camping in July is not a guarantee for a warm night and we were FREEZING all night. Woke up and actually started a fire this morning because we were just chilled to the bone. Needless to say we didn't get much sleep and I'm really stiff today. Spending the day with someone else's hyperactive 7-year-old didn't do much for me either and I'm feeling like I just need some silence. Bless his heart, he had a great time hiking today, but I'm telling you, my patience is much shorter over the last couple months. I'm easily irritated and he's really hyper.

I talked to B for a few short minutes on the phone this morning. He sounds good and I'm glad he was able to call. I'm hoping that since he has the weekend off from training that I will hear from him tomorrow. I'm missing him hardcore now. Before today's call I hadn't heard from him in 5 long days. When he's away it's nice to just hear his voice. The cat and I are trying to keep eachother's spirits up, but the house feels so wierd with just the two of us!

It was super nice to get away and camp for a night, even if it is a hassle to do all that set up only to break it down the next day. We enjoyed the campfire and some hot dogs last night. We had the wierdest breakfast ever this morning. Just sort of picked at all kinds of wierd food. It was great though. Our site was near the river so we could just walk down and skip rocks. Very relaxing once the kids went off to sleep in the little tent, we just sat at the fire staring at the coals all night. Today we went climbing on the rocks (hiking on the trails is for losers!...and pregnant chicks I might add) and it was a challenge since I hadn't been out there doing that kind of hiking since before my knee surgery. Between my untested knees, my slightly off balance belly, and my slightly unstable joints I was taking it pretty slow. I drank too much gatorade yesterday...I just got a craving. I'm retaining water now like a walrus! I need a diuretic, my toes hurt.

Well, I'm off to finish this book I've been reading and then off to sleep. I have my busy list to keep me occupied this weekend in addition to housework, and now at some point I will also have to unload and vacuum the van free of dust and dirt again.

Happy 4th, hope you all had a safe one!

21 weeks

2008-07-02T10:09:00.000-05:00

What's baby doing this week?

"Your baby's blood circulation is completely functional. The umbilical cord system continues to grow and thicken as blood travels with considerable force through the body to nurture the baby. The placenta is now almost equal in size to the baby. Your baby will be getting much larger during the second half of your pregnancy. Your baby's crown-to-rump length at this time is 7.2 inches and she weighs approximately 10.5 ounces. Your growing baby is about the size of a large banana. "

Sorry, no belly pix until B comes back!

There Should Be A Law

2008-07-01T17:55:00.000-05:00

...Against leaving pregnant women home alone for extended periods of time.

So I started this blog for B and I to share our next big adventure: PARENTHOOD.

We found out in March that we are expecting our first child, we're just the type of lucky people who one day said "Ok, we're ready" and 3 weeks later I peed on a stick for a shocking positive. Good thing we really were ready huh?! Baby K (as of yet genderless, much to our dismay) should be here sometime around November 13th, more than likely a spicy little scorpio. Should be interesting in a house full of double water signs! So that leaves us about 4 months until the big show begins.

I have the kind of pregnancy that makes other women roll their eyes at me. It's been AWESOME! Aside from the sleepiness and the strongest food aversions on the planet through most of the first trimester, everything has been great. I feel good, I've lost a ton of weight (wierd, I know) and this baby has been textbook healthy from day one (so has mamma for that matter). I love being pregnant, 21 weeks in, it's still the neatest thing ever, more so now that baby is moving all the time!

Three weeks ago I had the first ultrasound at 18 weeks. Baby K wouldn't cooperate to let us know boy or girl, but is healthy and the perfect size. With B due to leave on June 25th for a 5 week trip to Turkey (he's doing his military training and has limited access to phone and internet...read as NONE) we decided to do a 3D ultrasound on June 24th to try and determine the sex. This appointment was 20 minutes long and it's sole purpose was to find some baby genitals, be they boy parts or girl parts. But Baby K elluded us again, despite lots of rolling and changing positions, we are not much closer to knowing if it will be a little Aidan or little Mackenzie joining us this fall. We are a hair closer to boy at this point, but it is by no means certain. We'll be doing one more ultrasound in about 2.5 weeks to try one last time. Otherwise, it must be a lesson from the universe that B and I need to just slow down and stop trying to micromanage things that we cannot control. I just wish I didn't have to call this baby "it," that's so impersonal.

In the mean time we wait, I get dirty looks from pregnant women, and I try to stay busy and healthy for another four months. I'm camping, roller blading, riding my bike when I feel like sacrificing my poor butt bones for a day or two of aching, walking all the time, and just enjoying the summer. They are brief here on the tundra, so I have to make the most of it. I'm not broken, just pregnant!

All kinds of strangeness will show up on the blog, I'm sure. I have bizarre dreams, and my patience is very limited, so you might catch some of that on here. As well as anectdotes about B and his newfound excitement for being a dad. Seeing the baby on the ultrasound made all this more real for us, especially B, and our perspective has changed dramatically. Some days we're wierded out, others we're really introspective, still others we are outwardly, insanely excited about our little gumdrop. It's going to be a great ride! Glad to have you along.

Make today a great day!
~*~ Megz ~*~

PS: here's a plug for an extended friend's sister. Her little girl is very sick and needs many many prayers from many many people. She teeters on the brink struggling with a congenital heart defect. You can find Elaina's Blog here - http://hollie-walkingthefineline.blogspot.com/