Bowled Wowlds

In my last entry, I talked about my love of National Parks and Muppets.  There is one other thing that I really, really love, more than Muppets, but slightly less than parks...donuts.  Or doughnuts if you are a traditionalist.  I accept both cultures equally.  

Anyone who has spent time with me knows about my affinity for the fried circle of dough.  I have eaten somewhere between 100 and 300,000 donuts in my life.  I don't want to toot my own horn, but that is a lot of donuts. Therefore,  I consider myself somewhat of an aficionado.  In my experience, I have found no better donut than the Old Fashioned donut from a small shop in the town where I work.  It is one of those places that make everything from scratch and in house, and it isn't like one of those new big deal kind of places, where they advertise "hand-rolled" and "homemade", it is just the way it is.  It is a local tradition that has been doing it the same way (i.e. the right way) for 25+ years, serve only regular or decaf hot coffee, and are open 24-7.  It is wonderful.

A view of the goods.

Thankfully, today was my last day of work before beginning my baby leave.  Even if nothing happens between now and Monday, I will be taking unpaid leave until this kiddo decides they want to make an appearance.  In celebration, a dear friend and social studies teacher, brought me four Old Fashioned donuts from the aforementioned shop.  I was so excited!  It only makes it better that I had stopped for a decaf coffee and egg/cheese wrap from the Dunkin' Donuts, so I had a coffee to go with this great treat!  At 7:20 this morning, I sat down at my desk, put on For Emma, Forever Ago (my favorite Bon Iver album), and savored the donut and quiet morning.  I was almost blissful when the bell rang and kids started piling in.  

Within 45 into the school day, we had a code red (how to hide from an intruder), a tornado drill, and dealt with a crying child.  During this excitement I started to develop a blindspot, which for me, is a tell-tell sign of a migraine.  I felt very off and foggy, but I have dealt with these for a long time and have learned to plow through it.  Thinking this would be much the same, I continued about the day.  Then around minute 50, I started to feel really weird.  Like super weird.  I was going over the directions for a lab, and I tried to say, "Bold words" but "bald walds" came out.  Followed by " bowled wowleds".  I stammered around trying to continue the activity and call on students, but I could not speak coherently. I knew it was bad when the kids started laughing. As this was happening, I started to get flush, sweat through my dress, get really dizzy.  Terrified, I told the kids I didn't feel well and walked out of the room.

I walked directly into the office the assistant principal and sat down.  She checked my pulse, which was approximately 1000 beat per minute, made some calls and got someone to cover my room.  She was very kind and I am grateful for that.  Then my principal showed up with a wheelchair... 

I started to feel better, but I didn't feel right.  As a group, we decided I should leave and go to the doctor.  I am thankful that they did not call an ambulance and that I was able to get to my doctor.  My principal wheeled me out to another teacher's car and loaded me up.  I knew that I was not currently in labor (though word spread through the school that I was) but I wanted to leave.

Two sweet women drove me to the doctor, where my husband met us and went in to see the doc.  I explained the whole ordeal, the garbled speech, the sweating, heart-racing, and general panic.  He told me it was a textbook case of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).  He said that a pregnant woman metabolizes sugar faster and often run about 15-20 points lower than a non-pregnant person- essentially explaining that we can crash real quick after consuming sugar.  Yep.  I had a complete episode in front of the children, got wheeled out of my place of employment in a wheelchair by a man that I have very little rapport with, and driven 30 miles by some nice ladies to a doctors office where I just walked in and demanded an appointment, because of a donut.

All because of a donut.

(P.S. We are all fine here, thankfully.)

Bird's Gender Neutral Nest

With eight days until my due date, I have just washed the last few items that belong in Hummingbird's room.  Here are some pictures of the set up.

This is one of 10 Charley Harper prints that we ordered from the US Government Bookstore.    These beautiful pictures were painted in the 1960's to promote the National Parks, which is one of my husband and I's most favorite things in the whole wide world.  In addition to the awesome print, my husband made the frame as a gift to the little one out of raw cedar.

Here is the crib we bought from Baby's Dream.  The rocker pictured on the right is a Mennonite-made Hickory rocker.  Every woman on my mom's side of the family has one in their homes.  I was rocked in one just like it as a baby.  Also included in this picture is a great rug that we bought from a small business run by my in-laws.  Check out their American made goods and furnishings at: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Garden-of-Uden/168108878289

It is hard to find bedding that is: a) not gender specific, and  b) is not covered in crazy bright patterns or rainforest animals.  We found the little sheep to be just right.

I LOVE BOOKS.  However, these shelves are far from full,  I know that will change in a few months.  I also wanted to show off some handmade art.  The frog, lamb, duck, and elephant were all designed and painted by a dear friend of mine.  She works mainly in graphic design and has a great portfolio at:
http://www.layersoflevy.com/index.html

This is a barrel full of toys in which Kermit gets a front row seat.   Muppets only fall slightly behind National Parks on the list of things I love.

This is my favorite part.  It looks like a bunch of baskets, but inside are the soft, clean clothes and blankets that Hummingbird will soon be using.  I can't wait to wrap the kid up in all these blankets (even though it is still summer here in the South) and get to know this little human.

FAT FEET!

I have to say, this pregnancy has not been terrible.  In fact, it has been quite good.  The usual sickness in the early days, but each week has just been better and better.  Until a few weeks ago.

Again, let me preface with how good this pregnancy has been, there are so many women who have it way worse than I do, but there have been some strange...developments during this last stretch.

When I first got my copy of What to Expect when you are Expecting (thank you to my sister-in-law), I read the first few sections and laughed out loud at the fact: some women experience an excess in saliva production during pregnancy, which can cause drooling.  I thought that it was so funny and could not see how slobbering related to pregnancy.  Karma decided to teach me how.  In addition to all the things that swell and become inflamed (thank you hormones) add: nasal passages to the list.  I am very congested all the time, but particularly in the evening.  What happens when a person who can't breathe out of their nose lies down in bed?  Mouth breathing and, ick, drool.  It is super gross.  Luckily, I am ALWAYS the first one up, so my loving and sleepy husband has yet to notice.

Next up is having an internal temperature of 10,000 degrees.  I have always been a cold person, heartless and bitter.  Okay, just kidding, but I have always been cold in that "I need a sweater" sort of way.  I usually have ice toes and fingers, but lately I am so hot.  At night I sleep with the ceiling fan on high and use no blankets.  It is very strange considering my years of blanket-hogging and over cuddling for warmth.

Today was my first day back to work with students.  In an effort to maintain our professional dress policy, and to not confuse 11-year-old boys (this is a very important element in my line of work),  I came to school completely covered.  By 9:00 A.M., I sweat through my new(thrift store) dress.  Eww.

And to finish, I have fat feet.  And fat fingers.  My wedding ring creates this lovely contour line for the excessive finger swelling to mould around and my feet take on the pattern of my sandals (the only footwear that fit me) by the end of the day.

All in all, I feel like a slob.  However, learning that I am 1 cm dilated and that the baby has moved down, encourages me that things will be back to normal soon.  But a lady I work with told me she pees when she sneezes because she pushed a kid out of her hooha...

Becoming a Purple Tiger

I have earned my first stripes.  Two purple-y, jagged lines extending from my belly button towards my right side.

Streeeeeeeeeeeeeeetch Marks.

My mom had good luck and was able to make it through her pregnancies without any stretch marks.  Which is quite a feat for a woman who weighed less than 100 pounds when she got pregnant and carried around a 9 pounder.  Needless to say, I got a little cocky in thinking, I would be just the same.

Since month three, I have rubbed delicious smelling cocoa butter lotion on my skin post-shower and it seemed to be doing the trick.  However, I gained four pounds in the last 3 weeks and could actually feel my skin tightening.  Then a few nights ago as I was getting into my pjs (I have taken to wearing my husband's shorts and t-shirts to bed), I saw them.  I couldn't help but feel disappointed.  I know that they are silly, topical, harmless, side effects of the most miraculous thing to ever happen to me, but I still felt that pang of female shame.

As mentioned previously, I see a dermatologist several times a year for a full body scan, i.e. stand in the buff and let some one look look at every inch of my skin with a critical eye.  This time, as he inspected the skin on my belly he said, "Wow, what is that?"  "Is that a bruise?"

He was referring to a very large purple scar that has developed on my stomach.

When I was 18, I got my belly button pierced.  Who didn't?  I stopped wearing jewelry in it as soon as we thought about having a kid, so it had over 6 months to heal.  However, as my outsides stretched to fit my growing insides, the site stretched and left me with some really purple, unattractive scar tissue.  Therefore ruining my chances of reenacting the following photo:

For more awesome pregnancy photo ideas, please click the link below.  It is definitely not a waste of time...

http://imgur.com/a/X4Xdg

My Pregnancy Reading List

A few months ago, my sister forwarded me this very interesting article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/magazine/ina-may-gaskin-and-the-battle-for-at-home-births.html?pagewanted=all

Highlights: The interesting tales and facts of home-birthing with a midwife named Ina May Gaskin, who has lived on a commune in rural Tennessee and has been delivering babies for 35 years.

Since reading that article, I cannot get enough information about this fascinating woman and the birth experience.  I have been reading books, articles and watching movies for about 2 months now (please note:  I have more free time to do this than most, because I am a teacher on summer break) and have learned so much.  I am sharing with you some things I have read and seen.  These are not recommendations and are in no way related to an agenda.  As far as I can tell, this experience is so much of a miracle, and ends with a new human life on this planet, that I do not care if a women has a prescheduled-knocked-out-unconscious birth or a pool-full-of-water-with-every-member-her-family-in-there-with-her birth, as long as her birth is her choice.

Ina May Gaskin released the book Spiritual Midwifery in 1977.  It shares the accounts of nearly 100 earth-loving couples who had their babies delivered by Ina May or one of her trainees.  It then explains her practices in detailed accounts, complete with diagrams and statistics. Then gives some advice to new moms.
Highlights:  Very candid talk about labor and delivery-it is not an illness or disease, has a positive relationship with a hospital and medical doctors, and makes the reader feel very peaceful.
Favorite Quotes: "If you make a practice of trying to feed your baby just to quiet her crying, both of you will learn a bad habit.  Remember that you want to raise her so that you'll still like her when she's three and four years old."
Rudolph after seeing his baby arrive, "The second he was out he looked so familiar to me that it was as if I'd already known him; he looked just like himself.  I really loved seeing him; he was beautiful."
Heads Up: Very intimate black and white photos, terrible (really I mean it) verbiage- nouns that have a more icky connotation 35 years later, and very rooted in the trancey/psychedelic.

 Penny Armstrong did not always know that she wanted to be a midwife.  After feeling the call, she completed an intensive course of study, before accepting a job delivering babies for the Amish women in Lancaster County, PA.  A Midwife's Story shares her experiences with birth, loss, and love.
Highlights: This book was really intriguing. It reads like a novel, not a how-to book and gives a lot of insight and recognition in the Amish culture. It felt familiar having lived in central PA. I recognized the names of the towns and could picture it very clearly.

Favorite Quotes: (unfortunately, I don't have this in front of me so I am paraphrasing) 'I vowed to never watch an Amish woman eat again', in response to watching a woman eat a peanut butter, jelly, mayonnaise, and ham sandwich 45 minutes after labor.
Heads Up: This book does not require much of a disclaimer. It is a true account of her adventures and was a pleasant read.

Fun Fact: An Amish man asks a woman to marry him by giving her a beautifully made wooden clock. An Amish girl would never say she is engaged, but may say, "I have gotten my clock."

 Rikki Lake doesn't strike me as a reliable source of information, but her documentary The Business of being Born was interesting and not at all produced in 90's talk show style.  

Highlights: The women that deliver babies in this movie have wonderful birthing experiences and make the viewer feel a hallowed calm about having a baby.  

Heads Up: This is a documentary, like most, is trying to convince viewers of something.  In this case, Ms. Lake is putting down hospital births and promoting home birthing.  It left me feeling a little uneasy, but I have since talked with my physican and learned more about my hospital and am no longer concerned.

Fun Fact: We regularly gave x-rays to women in the 1940's to see the position of the baby.  Yikes!

Side note: The movie closely follows a few women and when they actually deliver, it feels very personal and there was a lot of sobbing (from me).

Other titles that I read include:

The Best Birth by Sarah McMoyler 
-A good first book, health info, promotes the McMoyler Method of labor and delivery, anti-Lamaze

What to Expect when you are Expecting by Heidi Murkoff 
-Gives facts about your pregnancy week by week, answers lots of questions about what is normal or not, and provides good info for partners too

Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding by Ina May Gaskin
-Probably more info than most people need, but great suggestions on how to make breastfeeding the most effective right from the start


I have checked out and thumbed through about a half dozen others, but these are some that I was able to extract something useful from.  There are thousands and thousands of books out there, good luck!

Today I Learned that TIL is an acronym for Today I Learned

TIL:

1.  Bumper Pads are no longer considered safe.  The idea behind them is that it protects your baby from smashing their head into the edges of the crib.  The concern is that they could end up smoshed up against the bumper pad and have their little face pressed into the material, i.e. not be able to breathe.  While they are cute, make sense as far as avoiding bruises, and were recommended to me by several good parents, I have taken mine back to the store.


2. Cribs are expensive and should be.  After looking at several stores, I registered for a crib from Baby's R Us.  My very kind parents bought it for us and it arrived two days ago.  This crib, like most nowadays, converts into a toddler bed.  It also has 3 drawers and the changing table attached.  It looked like a great way to cover a lot of bases.  Then we opened the box.  Several pieces of wood were broken, not like scratched and dinged, but snapped in half.  Full on busted.  After sitting in a pile of styrofoam and crib parts for about 20 minutes, I called the store to see what we could do.  The store offered to send us a new one to replace the one we had just completely unwrapped, but after seeing that it was broken already, it made us leary to put our kid in it.  I was really bummed.  It was NOT cheap (400 clams), but it was cheap (if you know what I mean).  After doing a lot of research, we discovered a store called USA Baby (I highly recommend it if you have one in your area) which looks a lot more like a furniture store, not an all-in-one store.  We purchased a Baby's Dream crib today that is made of solid wood(no particle board) and got a good deal because it was the floor model, but these cribs run from $400-$1200.  I was really discouraged after working with our first crib, but now feel excited that we purchased something safe, pretty, and of good quality.

A link to the Baby's Dream furniture:     http://www.babysdream.com/


3.  My doctor will not stop me if I go into labor any time after 34 weeks.  A full term baby is considered any kiddo who has cooked for 36 weeks, but even if I go into labor two weeks before then, it is all systems go.  At 34 weeks, the baby usually does just fine, it is just crazy to think that 34 weeks is only 2 weeks away.


4. Ear thermometers are not okay for babies.  Their little ear canals are so fresh and delicate, that it dangerous to put anything in there.  So I am logging on to my Target registry to remove the one that says "Infant safe" that I registered for.  Up the pooper is the only way to get an accurate temp.  So rectal  thermometer it is.

The Photo Album

So, I got a little behind here.  I fell into the swing of being pregnant and have found that the months have gone sliding by.  In the last 15 weeks or so, I have enjoyed feeling the movements of our little Hummingbird.  Somersaults, kicking, elbowing, and punching have become the norm.  In the past few months, we took in a Feist concert and a Gillian Welch show and I felt him/her dancing like crazy(this attribute comes from it's father).  And yesterday culminated with the first ever bout of hiccups for this baby.  It was funny to watch my stomach jump every two seconds.  I counted 47 hiccups : )


Since my absence from the blog world, I have watched my body grow into something slightly alien but  also something kind of miraculous.  I feel humbled to be the home for this child.  Here are some photos of the growth thus far.

12 weeks

16 weeks

20 weeks

26 weeks

30 weeks

With less than 10 weeks to go, we are getting very excited! It is hard to believe the child is already about as tall as it is going to get and that the next 2 months are reserved for fattening up and making the finishing touches of development.  Did I mention how excited I am to meet this kid?