we recognized that this would likely be our last 'quiet' christmas for a while, so we spent the morning lounging, snacking, and playing with the animals. i got chad a basketball for christmas (or so it appears)...
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
clean up on aisle 2...
so i'm not sure how i thought it was a good idea for me, the pregnant one, to be on beer and wine duty, but there i was picking out holiday beer at the local liquor store. i found some wine and was perusing the holiday beer in the back coolers. the ones i was looking at were on the top of the cooler, so i had the door open and was standing on my tip toes. when i finally got the one i wanted, i shifted a little and so did several rows of beer. luckily my reflexes were quick & i stood there holding up about 7 bottles from several rows. no one was around, so i was trying to carefully set them back upright. i managed to save them from falling out of the cooler and off the top shelf, but wasn't quite satisfied as many were on their sides. so i went back in for more and ended up toppling over several more. the clanging brought the attention of a few other customers, who gave (me) the pregnant lady on her tip toes, buying bottles of wine and beer....a somewhat dismissive look. (being pregnant and in a liquor store does bring on some funny looks)...finally i got several of the bottles back in and with my forearm i got them back in their sides....and quickly closed the cooler door. by time i got up to the counter, i admitted my near disaster to the man behind the checkout, and told him there should be a 'clean up' in the beer aisle called, because the next person to open the cooler door, may be in for a surprise. luckily the guy was not only a father, but a grandpa...so he knew a bit about pregnant ladies. he offered to help me out to my car and the commented..."if you knew how fat and clumsy you'd become, you may have rethought this whole thing." i laughed and said, no kidding...then i thought, i've never been called both fat and clumsy, let alone thought it was somewhat compassionate, but in a weird way, it made me feel better that he understood.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
chad says: scientists are so cool...i say thank heavens for the extra lumbar spine...
Why Pregnant Women Don’t Tip Over
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Published: December 12, 2007 (NY Times)
Pregnant women do not tip over, and researchers say an evolutionary curve has a lot to do with the reason why.
Anthropologists studying the human spine have found that women’s lower vertebrae evolved in ways that reduce back pressure during pregnancy, when the mass of the abdomen grows by nearly one-third and the center of mass shifts forward considerably. That increases pressure on the spinal column, strains the muscles and generally reduces stability.
Even without the benefit of advanced study in biomechanics, women tend to deal with the shift — and avoid tumbling over like a bowling pin — by leaning back. But the solution to one problem creates another, since it puts even more pressure on the spine and muscles.
And that, report researchers from Harvard University and the University of Texas in the current issue of the journal Nature, is where evolution enters the story.
The lower spine in humans had already developed a unique forward curve that helps compensate for the extra pressures that arose when the primate ancestors went from moving around on four limbs to walking upright. Researchers looked for an additional mechanism that might have compensated for the increased strain of pregnancy as well.
What they found, said Katherine K. Whitcome, a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard and the lead author of the paper, was evidence that evolution had produced a stronger and more flexible lower spine for women. After studying 19 pregnant subjects, Ms. Whitcome found that the lumbar, or lower back, curve in women extends across three vertebrae, as opposed to just two in men. And the connecting points between vertebrae are relatively larger in women, and shaped differently in ways that make the stack more stable and less prone to the bones shifting out of alignment or breaking.
Since the engine of evolution runs on the passage of genes from one generation to the next, pregnancy is a critical moment. Without that adaptation, Dr. Whitcome said, females would have been in considerably greater pain during pregnancy and might not have been able to forage effectively or escape predators, ending the pregnancy and the genetic line as well.
Working at the University of Texas with Liza Shapiro, an associate professor of anthropology who studies the primate spine, Dr. Whitcome found that the differences between male and female spines do not show up in chimpanzees. That suggested that the changes occurred in response to the problems caused by walking upright.
When she moved on to Harvard and started working with Daniel Lieberman, an anthropologist with expertise in primate fossils, she was able to examine two sets of fossilized vertebrae for the telltale signs of evolved flexibility. Of the two samples, she found the three-vertebra arrangement in one and not in the other. As it happened, separate evidence from those skeletons suggested strongly that the extra-curvy spine belonged to a female and the other belonged to a male. “It was very exciting” to have the fossilized pieces of the puzzle fall into place, Ms. Whitcome said.
As solutions go, the forward spine is only partly successful, Prof. Shaprio said, since women still commonly complain of back trouble and pain during pregnancy. Even the basic forward curve that promotes balance in upright walking is “not a structurally ideal solution,” she said, since it can lead to instability and even fractured vertebrae.
And that is the difference between the way that evolution works and the way that actual designers do their job, Ms. Whitcome said: nature tinkers. “A designer wouldn’t build something that has a tendency to fracture your vertebrae,” she said. For natural selection to favor one feature over another, “It doesn’t have to be an ideal solution,” she said. “It just has to be better.” In any case, she noted, “Without these adaptations, there would be more problems.”
If evolution provided relief for women in pregnancy, one might ask, what about the equally awkward morphology of men with beer guts? “You’re not the first one to ask this,” Prof. Shapiro said with a laugh, and said that their research shows that “men would not be as well adapted to a beer gut than a woman.”
Dr. Whitcome noted that in terms of the time that the evolutionary shift occurred, some two million years ago, “finding extra calories wasn’t likely,” so an early hominid primate with a potbelly would have been quite a rarity.
Anthropology has extensively explored the evolution of the female hip bones, which expanded over time to accommodate the evolutionary growth of the heads of human babies. But Prof. Shapiro said that pregnancy and the lower spine constituted new ground for evolutionary biology.
“Katherine was a genius for thinking of that,” she said. “And you go, ‘Hey — why didn’t we think of that before? It seems so obvious now.’ ”
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Published: December 12, 2007 (NY Times)
Pregnant women do not tip over, and researchers say an evolutionary curve has a lot to do with the reason why.
Anthropologists studying the human spine have found that women’s lower vertebrae evolved in ways that reduce back pressure during pregnancy, when the mass of the abdomen grows by nearly one-third and the center of mass shifts forward considerably. That increases pressure on the spinal column, strains the muscles and generally reduces stability.
Even without the benefit of advanced study in biomechanics, women tend to deal with the shift — and avoid tumbling over like a bowling pin — by leaning back. But the solution to one problem creates another, since it puts even more pressure on the spine and muscles.
And that, report researchers from Harvard University and the University of Texas in the current issue of the journal Nature, is where evolution enters the story.
The lower spine in humans had already developed a unique forward curve that helps compensate for the extra pressures that arose when the primate ancestors went from moving around on four limbs to walking upright. Researchers looked for an additional mechanism that might have compensated for the increased strain of pregnancy as well.
What they found, said Katherine K. Whitcome, a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard and the lead author of the paper, was evidence that evolution had produced a stronger and more flexible lower spine for women. After studying 19 pregnant subjects, Ms. Whitcome found that the lumbar, or lower back, curve in women extends across three vertebrae, as opposed to just two in men. And the connecting points between vertebrae are relatively larger in women, and shaped differently in ways that make the stack more stable and less prone to the bones shifting out of alignment or breaking.
Since the engine of evolution runs on the passage of genes from one generation to the next, pregnancy is a critical moment. Without that adaptation, Dr. Whitcome said, females would have been in considerably greater pain during pregnancy and might not have been able to forage effectively or escape predators, ending the pregnancy and the genetic line as well.
Working at the University of Texas with Liza Shapiro, an associate professor of anthropology who studies the primate spine, Dr. Whitcome found that the differences between male and female spines do not show up in chimpanzees. That suggested that the changes occurred in response to the problems caused by walking upright.
When she moved on to Harvard and started working with Daniel Lieberman, an anthropologist with expertise in primate fossils, she was able to examine two sets of fossilized vertebrae for the telltale signs of evolved flexibility. Of the two samples, she found the three-vertebra arrangement in one and not in the other. As it happened, separate evidence from those skeletons suggested strongly that the extra-curvy spine belonged to a female and the other belonged to a male. “It was very exciting” to have the fossilized pieces of the puzzle fall into place, Ms. Whitcome said.
As solutions go, the forward spine is only partly successful, Prof. Shaprio said, since women still commonly complain of back trouble and pain during pregnancy. Even the basic forward curve that promotes balance in upright walking is “not a structurally ideal solution,” she said, since it can lead to instability and even fractured vertebrae.
And that is the difference between the way that evolution works and the way that actual designers do their job, Ms. Whitcome said: nature tinkers. “A designer wouldn’t build something that has a tendency to fracture your vertebrae,” she said. For natural selection to favor one feature over another, “It doesn’t have to be an ideal solution,” she said. “It just has to be better.” In any case, she noted, “Without these adaptations, there would be more problems.”
If evolution provided relief for women in pregnancy, one might ask, what about the equally awkward morphology of men with beer guts? “You’re not the first one to ask this,” Prof. Shapiro said with a laugh, and said that their research shows that “men would not be as well adapted to a beer gut than a woman.”
Dr. Whitcome noted that in terms of the time that the evolutionary shift occurred, some two million years ago, “finding extra calories wasn’t likely,” so an early hominid primate with a potbelly would have been quite a rarity.
Anthropology has extensively explored the evolution of the female hip bones, which expanded over time to accommodate the evolutionary growth of the heads of human babies. But Prof. Shapiro said that pregnancy and the lower spine constituted new ground for evolutionary biology.
“Katherine was a genius for thinking of that,” she said. “And you go, ‘Hey — why didn’t we think of that before? It seems so obvious now.’ ”
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Top 10 Things...
Top 10 Things that are Harder being Pregnant:
10. Breathing
9. Eating or drinking without spilling
8. Getting out of things like bed or the car or off things like the couch
7. Sneezing or laughing without piddling
6. Eating large meals (darn it- there's just no room)
5. Traveling in Boston, or really anywhere i have to schlep things and go multiple places
4. Sleeping through the nite (and i hear this will get tougher once the baby comes...huh...sleep has always been one of my skills)
3. Drinking enough water ("enough" is such a relative term)
2. Tying my shoes (i really thought pregnant ladies were joking when they said they couldn't tie their shoes--and my husband still thinks i'm joking when i employ his help)
1. shaving my bikini line, or for that matter seeing it at all...
Top 10 Things that are Wonderful about Being Pregnant:
10. We're having a baby!
9. Feeling him move (it's really bizarre, and a bit uncomfortable, but really wonderful too)
8. I've gained over 20lbs and my husband keeps saying how cute i am
7. There's always a conversational piece for friends, strangers, and everyone in between
6. We keep getting loot (though we don't know what to do with it all yet, it's pretty amazing how generous people are)
5. People want to rub my belly, and it's actually a good thing
4. I get to take the lil' guy to work with me, actually...he gets to go everywhere i go at this point
3. I get to take naps after work and don't feel guilty
2. My husband has been cooking dinner and doing all kinds of other stuff around the house
1. We're having a baby!
10. Breathing
9. Eating or drinking without spilling
8. Getting out of things like bed or the car or off things like the couch
7. Sneezing or laughing without piddling
6. Eating large meals (darn it- there's just no room)
5. Traveling in Boston, or really anywhere i have to schlep things and go multiple places
4. Sleeping through the nite (and i hear this will get tougher once the baby comes...huh...sleep has always been one of my skills)
3. Drinking enough water ("enough" is such a relative term)
2. Tying my shoes (i really thought pregnant ladies were joking when they said they couldn't tie their shoes--and my husband still thinks i'm joking when i employ his help)
1. shaving my bikini line, or for that matter seeing it at all...
Top 10 Things that are Wonderful about Being Pregnant:
10. We're having a baby!
9. Feeling him move (it's really bizarre, and a bit uncomfortable, but really wonderful too)
8. I've gained over 20lbs and my husband keeps saying how cute i am
7. There's always a conversational piece for friends, strangers, and everyone in between
6. We keep getting loot (though we don't know what to do with it all yet, it's pretty amazing how generous people are)
5. People want to rub my belly, and it's actually a good thing
4. I get to take the lil' guy to work with me, actually...he gets to go everywhere i go at this point
3. I get to take naps after work and don't feel guilty
2. My husband has been cooking dinner and doing all kinds of other stuff around the house
1. We're having a baby!
last weekend get away?
chad and i keep hearing that once the baby comes we won't really get to have the weekend get aways that we have come accustomed to throughout the last 7 years together. we're still not sure that we're willing to believe or accept this, but we took some advice and planned a weekend get away. thanks to chad's parents for some birthday and christmas money and wendy's advice to go away vs. get any more 'stuff' we decided on devils thumb ranch. for those of your in the colorado area, we would highly recommend this place. it's like a rustic resort. the cabin we rented was beautiful and simple, and other than the heated floors, the basket of fresh baked goods on our porch in the morning, the feather topped bed, i just loved the claw foot bath tub. we need to get one of those at home...it's delightful!
anyway... the ranch had trails for hiking (not quite enough snow for snowshoeing or skiing yet), an amazing restaurant, and this indoor/outdoor pool and hot tub. the great part is that we were practically the only ones there since it was off season and mid week, so it was quiet and as if the whole place was ours. we thought the pool and hot tub would be romantic, but the hot tub was too hot for me and the pool was too cold for chad, so we waved to each other from across the deck and tried to hear each other over the jets :) ...chad had a great soak and swimming in warm water was lovely for me.
some pictures from our trip...
our late nite hike (we'll it was really only 6.30, but considering we went to bed by 8, it was late nite)
near the ice skating pond
Our Cabin...isn't she cute!
the fireplace in the restaurant
only in colorado do you see a caution sign like this...
30 weeks and counting
as of 11/ 30 (which is in 2 days) i'll be 32 weeks, but here's the last belly picture we took...
he's a growing boy...
travels from a pregnant lady...
my last flight as a pregnant lady was to a conference in boston. if i dare toot my horn briefly, i can say i was proud to have a talk accepted at our national conference (pre-pregnancy) not really planning for the fact that i'd be 30 weeks pregnant and traveling to the east coast. i decided to go for it, as i was sure i'd be fine. i took the 6.20am bus to the airport, got on the plane, and got into boston about 2.30 pm. i found my way to the bus and took it to the closest stop to the convention center. i'd been traveling for several hrs. and was a bit tired, but thought i could catch a talk or two before heading to the hotel. i met "jenni" on the bus who was going to the same place so we decided to try to find the convention center together. we got of the bus and tried our darnedest to find our way.
me: (thinking to my self) my back kind of hurts, and my suitcase is too heavy...while making light hearted small talk to jenni.
jenni: "i think we should go this way"
me: "ok"
boston: abrupt torrential downpour as jenni and i are on the street corner.
jenni: "i'm glad i brought my rain coat"
me: "darn, this umbrella wasn't broken before" (wind howling, me and my luggage soaked)
jenni: "lets run for it"
boston: walk sign read "don't walk" ...horns honking as jenni and i ran across the street
me: not really running, rather hobbling, my suitcase spiraling around & splashing thru puddles, my umbrella in hand but flapping in the wind.
boston street corner: friendly business men pointed us in the opposite direction to the convention center we had just walked away from vs. towards.
jenni and i: laughing at ourselves, a bit wet, and a bit disgruntled (at the pregnant one of us was).
...despite boston's inconveniences, her multiple subways and buses to get between my hotel and the convention center, her large convention center with sparse bathrooms for pregnant ladies, her long cab lines and expensive cab fares, her bone chilling wind and wet air, and her crazy drivers (our bus did a 6 point turn one day), it was a good time. my talk went well (though i did get winded after talking for 2 hrs and having a baby up in my ribs- jeez). i saw some amazing talks and was inspired all over again, and i got to see great friends (see laura below). ...and now i have funny stories (seems that i collect these without much trouble), and good memories.
...until next time boston...
me: (thinking to my self) my back kind of hurts, and my suitcase is too heavy...while making light hearted small talk to jenni.
jenni: "i think we should go this way"
me: "ok"
boston: abrupt torrential downpour as jenni and i are on the street corner.
jenni: "i'm glad i brought my rain coat"
me: "darn, this umbrella wasn't broken before" (wind howling, me and my luggage soaked)
jenni: "lets run for it"
boston: walk sign read "don't walk" ...horns honking as jenni and i ran across the street
me: not really running, rather hobbling, my suitcase spiraling around & splashing thru puddles, my umbrella in hand but flapping in the wind.
boston street corner: friendly business men pointed us in the opposite direction to the convention center we had just walked away from vs. towards.
jenni and i: laughing at ourselves, a bit wet, and a bit disgruntled (at the pregnant one of us was).
...despite boston's inconveniences, her multiple subways and buses to get between my hotel and the convention center, her large convention center with sparse bathrooms for pregnant ladies, her long cab lines and expensive cab fares, her bone chilling wind and wet air, and her crazy drivers (our bus did a 6 point turn one day), it was a good time. my talk went well (though i did get winded after talking for 2 hrs and having a baby up in my ribs- jeez). i saw some amazing talks and was inspired all over again, and i got to see great friends (see laura below). ...and now i have funny stories (seems that i collect these without much trouble), and good memories.
...until next time boston...
chads birthday
i've been a negligent blogger lately. i can say life has been busy, what what in the world will be my excuse once the baby is here and life gets that much busier?!
anyway...i thought i'd post a picture of lil' pearson's first nite of gambling. we had a poker nite for chad's birthday, and although our friend lisa took money from the birthday boy and most everyone else (go lisa!), lil' pearson's mom ended up breaking even. ...maybe she had some pity for the pregnant lady who stayed up until 1 am (way past my bedtime these days).
anyway...i thought i'd post a picture of lil' pearson's first nite of gambling. we had a poker nite for chad's birthday, and although our friend lisa took money from the birthday boy and most everyone else (go lisa!), lil' pearson's mom ended up breaking even. ...maybe she had some pity for the pregnant lady who stayed up until 1 am (way past my bedtime these days).
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Saturday, November 10, 2007
FOR THE LOVE OF BREAST MILK!
i just received this from a friend of a friend...if it had happened to me, i may have ended up having security called on me, and maybe even topless at DIA ...
................................................
The following just occurred as I went through security, after a long line, at Denver International Airport:
TSA official: Ma'm, what is in this bag?
Me: A breast pump
TSA: Is there breast milk in here?
Me: Not yet – I just left home. There are ice packs.
TSA: I need to get a supervisor.
5 minutes later…
TSA supervisor ("Elvia"): If there is no breast milk, you can't take the ice packs.
Me: So you're telling me that if I had a half an ounce of milk in the bag the ice packs would be fine?
TSA: Yes ma'm.
Me: Well hand over the pump and I'll get you your half ounce.
TSA: I can't do that ma'm. That would be indecent exposure.
Me: Oh, I assure you I can be very discreet.
TSA: No ma'm. If you want to pump, you need to go back out of security with all your bags and then come back through the line.
Me: (increasingly annoyed, of course) I will miss my flight if I do that. Just hand me the pump and I will be 3 minutes.
TSA: No.
Me: (unbuttoning my shirt) Fine. I don't need a pump, I will just squirt a little into a bottle.
TSA: I am going to call security if you continue.
Me: Boy, you guys are really keeping the homeland safe, aren't you? You should be very proud.
TSA: If you say that again, I am going to call security.
Me: So if I say that again, you'll call security and if I try to pump, you'll call security. All because of two ice packs. Brilliant.
Needless to say, I gave up the ice packs. And to think that these guys are trying to unionize? God help us all.
................................................
The following just occurred as I went through security, after a long line, at Denver International Airport:
TSA official: Ma'm, what is in this bag?
Me: A breast pump
TSA: Is there breast milk in here?
Me: Not yet – I just left home. There are ice packs.
TSA: I need to get a supervisor.
5 minutes later…
TSA supervisor ("Elvia"): If there is no breast milk, you can't take the ice packs.
Me: So you're telling me that if I had a half an ounce of milk in the bag the ice packs would be fine?
TSA: Yes ma'm.
Me: Well hand over the pump and I'll get you your half ounce.
TSA: I can't do that ma'm. That would be indecent exposure.
Me: Oh, I assure you I can be very discreet.
TSA: No ma'm. If you want to pump, you need to go back out of security with all your bags and then come back through the line.
Me: (increasingly annoyed, of course) I will miss my flight if I do that. Just hand me the pump and I will be 3 minutes.
TSA: No.
Me: (unbuttoning my shirt) Fine. I don't need a pump, I will just squirt a little into a bottle.
TSA: I am going to call security if you continue.
Me: Boy, you guys are really keeping the homeland safe, aren't you? You should be very proud.
TSA: If you say that again, I am going to call security.
Me: So if I say that again, you'll call security and if I try to pump, you'll call security. All because of two ice packs. Brilliant.
Needless to say, I gave up the ice packs. And to think that these guys are trying to unionize? God help us all.
Friday, November 2, 2007
diaper changing suit
it's hard to believe that my husband, now 34 years old (happy birthday honey) has yet to change a diaper in his life. in a few short months our little one will be going through 10-12 diaper changes a day (so the research says & my husband LOVES data). i've had some practice through the years with all of the baby sitting i've done, having younger cousins (especially with andrew-thanks for the practice 'bean man'), and now recently with friends and siblings having kids (though i won't lie, i haven't changed all that many as of the past few years). this will be a skill we'll need to pick up on the fly, and really perfect it quickly...the late night delirious changes will be toughest i'm guessing. i'm hoping that will be the ones that chad becomes especially good with. ...we're going to try to do the cloth diaper thing...which may stifle the learning curve a little.
despite chad's utter lack of experience (no offense honey), i have no doubt he'll become a quick study (he does have his phd after all- that's got to be worth something doesn't it?!). i decided for his 34th birthday that a diaper changing suit would be just perfect. it's breathable, water proof, footed, and pretty easy to take on and off- right over his clothes. it can even be sprayed down on the fly.
...the best part about it (for him) is that when he's not on diaper duty (that's a diaper in his hand), it'll work in the creeks and rivers around town when he's off fly fishing.
despite chad's utter lack of experience (no offense honey), i have no doubt he'll become a quick study (he does have his phd after all- that's got to be worth something doesn't it?!). i decided for his 34th birthday that a diaper changing suit would be just perfect. it's breathable, water proof, footed, and pretty easy to take on and off- right over his clothes. it can even be sprayed down on the fly.
...the best part about it (for him) is that when he's not on diaper duty (that's a diaper in his hand), it'll work in the creeks and rivers around town when he's off fly fishing.
Saturday, October 27, 2007
weight loss tip (especially good for pregnant folks)
there are so many seemingly great diets out there on the market. i hear about all of these fantastic south beach recipes and eating canadian bacon and eggs for breakfast with the results of pounds flying off. i've always had the philosophy that i'll eat pretty good and run a few times a week, and things are fine. we'll, i'm still able to run...rather jog, but after about a mile or two my bladder is full and starting to leak, and it throws off the whole thing (let alone i sneeze or laugh as you may have read about on previous posts). i do still eat pretty good, but i've abandoned eating my spinach salads for lunch, as pregnant ladies (at least this one) have enough problems with gas, that my poor afternoon patients would be in for way to much.
anyway...a friend of mine jen recently introduced me to a weight loss plan that i could actually participate in, while being pregnant. ...imagine that, weight loss while pregnant (and i'm not talking about the first trimester weight loss plan that involved eating saltines, and throwing up on a regular basis, as that weight loss plan pretty much sucked)...i'm talking about an actual healthy weight loss plan for pregnant folks (or anyone for that matter). the only problem with doing it now, is that i wont be able to join during the post baby period of trying to cut down the pounds. oh well...what the heck....i joined in yesterday...and my husband noticed right away (well acutally when i picked him up, he got in the car and it took him about 2-3 minutes to notice, but that's 'right away' for him...)
anyway...a friend of mine jen recently introduced me to a weight loss plan that i could actually participate in, while being pregnant. ...imagine that, weight loss while pregnant (and i'm not talking about the first trimester weight loss plan that involved eating saltines, and throwing up on a regular basis, as that weight loss plan pretty much sucked)...i'm talking about an actual healthy weight loss plan for pregnant folks (or anyone for that matter). the only problem with doing it now, is that i wont be able to join during the post baby period of trying to cut down the pounds. oh well...what the heck....i joined in yesterday...and my husband noticed right away (well acutally when i picked him up, he got in the car and it took him about 2-3 minutes to notice, but that's 'right away' for him...)
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
a morning in the life of a pregnant chic...
my day started about 4 am when i got up to get to the bathroom. jed was comfortably sleeping on the couch upstairs, and i didn't have the heart to make him get off, so i peed and made my way back to bed. after multiple hits of the snooze button i sifted through all of the many pillows that now live on our bed, and got up. the bathroom mirror never ceases to amaze me each morning of a reminder that 'oh my word am i looking big and pregnant' ...not that i forget, but just that im amazed i don't always fit in the mirror anymore.
on my way to work i get a call from 'leslie's boutique' telling me that my order for the cloth diapers can't be shipped b/c the zip code doesn't match. she thought maybe it was a typo, but actually i had somehow given her the totally wrong zip code...that of my parents in charlotte, nc. (no real idea why i gave that one, but just did--- maybe it was kind of like when i was giving someone my name the other day and they asked for the spelling, and i replied "j-u-l-i-e" ...first of all they were asking about my last name, and second of all i don't spell my first name that way---or maybe it was kind of like the waitress that asked me if i knew whether or not the baby was a boy or girl, and after i said "boy" i automatically asked her "what about yours" (she was NOT pregnant at all, and wasn't a bit amused, but my absentminded question).
anyway...so on my way to work, i was warming up with the heat, and then went to turn the radio down...about 60 sec later i realized i was getting cold and the radio was still loud. come to find out i turned the heat down to 'cool' and never adjusted the volume. it was 45 degrees out and i was driving to work with the a.c. on and the music blasting.
i sneezed a few times and piddled my pants.
i went to do an observation of an evaluation session. it was the set up where there was an observation room outside of the evaluation room with a mirror that you could see through from the observation room. a baby monitor was set up so that you could hear what was happening from the observation room. i turned on the monitor and couldn't believe how quite the sound was. so quite, that i had to put the receiver right up to my ear and sit close to the window so as to also read lips. this proceeded for about 10 minutes, until someone came into the observation room and suggested i turn up the volume. "...oh ...yeah...right...that's much better"
...
i know i've been accused of being a little ditsy in the past, but i really don't think it was this freakin' bad...or was it?!
on my way to work i get a call from 'leslie's boutique' telling me that my order for the cloth diapers can't be shipped b/c the zip code doesn't match. she thought maybe it was a typo, but actually i had somehow given her the totally wrong zip code...that of my parents in charlotte, nc. (no real idea why i gave that one, but just did--- maybe it was kind of like when i was giving someone my name the other day and they asked for the spelling, and i replied "j-u-l-i-e" ...first of all they were asking about my last name, and second of all i don't spell my first name that way---or maybe it was kind of like the waitress that asked me if i knew whether or not the baby was a boy or girl, and after i said "boy" i automatically asked her "what about yours" (she was NOT pregnant at all, and wasn't a bit amused, but my absentminded question).
anyway...so on my way to work, i was warming up with the heat, and then went to turn the radio down...about 60 sec later i realized i was getting cold and the radio was still loud. come to find out i turned the heat down to 'cool' and never adjusted the volume. it was 45 degrees out and i was driving to work with the a.c. on and the music blasting.
i sneezed a few times and piddled my pants.
i went to do an observation of an evaluation session. it was the set up where there was an observation room outside of the evaluation room with a mirror that you could see through from the observation room. a baby monitor was set up so that you could hear what was happening from the observation room. i turned on the monitor and couldn't believe how quite the sound was. so quite, that i had to put the receiver right up to my ear and sit close to the window so as to also read lips. this proceeded for about 10 minutes, until someone came into the observation room and suggested i turn up the volume. "...oh ...yeah...right...that's much better"
...
i know i've been accused of being a little ditsy in the past, but i really don't think it was this freakin' bad...or was it?!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
the annual bdr in chicago last weekend was great. it was a little strange not having all 8 of us there, as we kept getting off on our head count and feeling like peps were left behind (tiff and marne we missed having you). the 2 babies were a new addition to the group and were just amazing. i'm in love, and i think lil' pearson was too. the girls threw me a surprise shower for the lil' guy with such fun decorations, cake, gifts and advice. my favorite was beaded chain they made, in which they each gave a bead and a piece of advice and wishes for strength through the birthing process, thoughts on parenting, and overall support. it's amazing to have friends like this.
lil' sophia talking to her future husband lil' pearson...
i never thought much of arranged marriages until now. they are seeming like a pretty darn good idea if you ask me. sophia will be a year old in feb. for those of you who don't know, she's the daughter of my bff wendy, and a prime candidate for lil' pearson's future wife. wendy and i think it's a great idea, and from the looks of sophia, she seems like she could be easily persuaded (once he's born and grows up and stuff). we just need to pursuade wendy's husband that it's a good idea for sophia to get married...someday, as he's still in denial that his daughter will ever even date.
Friday, October 5, 2007
going to chicago with an earplug in each ear...
chad may be 'going to california with an achin' in his heart' (he's leaving his pregnant wife after all...for his conference in ca), but i'm 'headed to chicago with an earplug in each ear.' (think led zeplin for the tune that goes along).
anyway, this is our annual 'beaver dam reunion' in which the girls get together. it's mostly girls from college, and jolene who is an 'honary' beaver. we've been doing it in some capacity since 1999, and although we don't all make it every year, we do our best to get together somewhere. none of us have quite struck it rich yet, so we still try to do it on a tight budget, with the goal of getting together for the sake of being together regardless of what we do. this year we're going to emily's place in chicago.
anyway, this is our annual 'beaver dam reunion' in which the girls get together. it's mostly girls from college, and jolene who is an 'honary' beaver. we've been doing it in some capacity since 1999, and although we don't all make it every year, we do our best to get together somewhere. none of us have quite struck it rich yet, so we still try to do it on a tight budget, with the goal of getting together for the sake of being together regardless of what we do. this year we're going to emily's place in chicago.
1 bedroom apt
6 grownups (well...i don't know if we can call ourselves that yet)
2 babies + 2 pack and plays
and a dog (though poor lil' norman will go to grandmas and grandpas)
...the good thing is that we don't really care. we've all been used to packing it in and making it work & we actually have fun this way. as long as we have plenty of air mattresses, snack food, red wine (though i'll be out this yr) and toilet paper...we're good to go. this year, i decided that i'd bring everyone ear plugs as well.
jed on the bed
jed just knows something is up. he follows me like a shadow (given my poor balance and depth perception these days, i've almost tripped over him on multiple locations). whenever i look up from what i'm doing he's staring at me in the most intense and adoring manner. not sure that he really knows why, but something's definitely up. he even listens better. we were on a walk the other nite and his return rate when called was near 100%- never has it been this high. he seems to also know that i'm becoming a bit more of a push over. last nite when i got home from work to lay down for a little while, he just hopped up in bed with me, as if it wasn't a big deal. for those of you that don't know, jed doesn't get on furniture (at least not when we're around) and he NEVER sleeps with us (expcept on vacation, or at uncle carl and aunt sara's when he sleeps with my cousin kelly). ...so maybe 'never' is the wrong word, but it's really atypical that he'd just hope right up in bed. and then, late last nite i woke up to go to the bathroom, which has become a new ritual, and noticed he wasn't on his dog bed. i wandered a bit and found him sprawled out snoozing on our living room couch. what's up with this? i think maybe he does know that his ranking is soon to be challenged and he's trying to step it up a notch when i'm most vulnerable. maybe he's not quite the 'dumb jock' we've always thought...or maybe he is, and i'm just becoming more and more a push over.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
little egg
thanks to my friend laura for reminding me to celebrate today, as it is the fall equinox....a day that marks the start of fall and a day of balance...wherein length of daytime = length of nighttime. so as i was searching for festive ways to take in the day, i came across an ancient rumor that some believe that you can balance a raw egg on it's end today. today being a day of mystical balance. ive read it does take some patience and persistance, so stick with it if you try. if you miss it today, try it again in six months on the spring equinox. (wonder if this is how eggs came to be associated with easter??) ...there are of course some critics out there saying that this is purely 'bad astrology' and i doubt i can convince my scientist of a husband to go along with the egg balancing thing without researching the data on such an absurd rumor, but heck, i'll still give it a try.
wonder if lil' egg of a pearson is standing on his head, or his rump.
wonder if lil' egg of a pearson is standing on his head, or his rump.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
what's in a name
so johnny cash sings about a song about "a boy named sue"
who's dad left him, but not before giving him the name sue. he was traumatized his whole life, with the only choice but to become extra strong, which was what his dad wanted for him in the first place. the power of a name...
don't worry lil' pearson, we won't name you sue.
william shakespeare writes about the importance of a name between lovers; a name is what holds them apart...
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy.
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? !
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy.
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? !
don't worry lil' pearson, we won't name you Montague...
Abbot and Costello preform a routine that ends up in an argument all because of a name...
don't worry lil' pearson, we won't name you "Who"...or "What"...or "I Don't Know."
the one thing we can quite figure out is what in the world are we going to name you????
Friday, September 21, 2007
family
my friends dad died last week. at age 60, he suddenly died. a massive heart attack as he was traveling in the airport.
i've been thinking not only about my friend and his family and feeling sympathy for their grief of such a sudden loss, but it's also made me think about family in general ...about the bond between parents and children. early on in life it's such an open connection, such a dependence between child and parent-- a relationship i'm beginning to enter into, but on the other side. the dependence fades, but the bond is still there. it will be always in the debths of our souls. none of us is invincable. the one thing in life that is "known" is that some day, at some time we will all 'pass on.' we will leave and we will be left, to pass on to whatever or who ever is next. the one 'known' in life, and yet when are we ever prepared?
as i embrace new life, i want to embrace all that life brings. i work with patients every day who have experienced huge trauma in life; they and their families teach me persistance & love through such significant challenge. my hope for myself is to be a parent who can keep focused on the day at hand, and the love at hand, and to try to instill this in my child. not to fear what is next, but embrace life as it is...full of energy that is never created or distroyed, but is altered over time. family and community...will grow and change over time, but energy created by these bonds should continue to always keep us strong. i'm so glad to have you all as part of my family and my community.
i've been thinking not only about my friend and his family and feeling sympathy for their grief of such a sudden loss, but it's also made me think about family in general ...about the bond between parents and children. early on in life it's such an open connection, such a dependence between child and parent-- a relationship i'm beginning to enter into, but on the other side. the dependence fades, but the bond is still there. it will be always in the debths of our souls. none of us is invincable. the one thing in life that is "known" is that some day, at some time we will all 'pass on.' we will leave and we will be left, to pass on to whatever or who ever is next. the one 'known' in life, and yet when are we ever prepared?
as i embrace new life, i want to embrace all that life brings. i work with patients every day who have experienced huge trauma in life; they and their families teach me persistance & love through such significant challenge. my hope for myself is to be a parent who can keep focused on the day at hand, and the love at hand, and to try to instill this in my child. not to fear what is next, but embrace life as it is...full of energy that is never created or distroyed, but is altered over time. family and community...will grow and change over time, but energy created by these bonds should continue to always keep us strong. i'm so glad to have you all as part of my family and my community.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
big belly...little bladder
so my belly IS getting bigger, but not THAT much bigger, or so i think. i have noticed over the past few mos that my bladder doesn't do the 'holding' part of it's job quite as well. one of my PT friends showed me some squat exercises that seemed to clear it right up. well then the problem becomes that b/c there is no problem, the exercises cease and then the problem creeps back up. tonite it was chad and i at the farmers market, enjoying our dinner on the curb. i was laughing and drinking and ended up in quite a coughing fit...which ended up in an "every time i coughed i piddled a little"...after a few minutes of coughing the "piddle" was more like a "puddle."
we couldn't get our flowers at the market, we had to head straight home. jeez.
we couldn't get our flowers at the market, we had to head straight home. jeez.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
shirt stains and toilet drains...
so with this whole being pregnant thing comes quite a bit of clumsiness. i've been told this before, but really...it's true. i had the first tip off when i borrowed some maternity clothes from various friends and found that most of the shirts had stains. i wasn't quite sure what to think....as i've never really seen so many stains in my life. and it's consistent across the board, not just one clumsy friend or another...stains from strangers, stains from friends. i've gotten a lot of 'gently used' clothes in my life time, but never so many stains. well...now come to find out there are even more personally created stains. it seems to be a daily occurrence that i look down to find toothpaste on the stomach of the shirt, tonite it was a peach stain on my left breast. good thing i've cut out the beer and caffeine so that my drinking consists mostly of H2O as i spill at almost every meal. good thing there's a blow dryer at home and a hand dryer at work b/c they are getting a lot of use. is there some pregnancy related 'hole in the lower lip' syndrome i wasn't told about.
speaking of clumsy, i had a presentation in denver last week. i was rushing off (i've always been a little late, so i can't blame that on the pregnancy...or at least i haven't tried to yet) to beat rush hour and stopped off at the bathroom on the way. it was the patient bathroom that is often used for showers that time of day. i had my purse on and was concentrating on not letting it fall in the toilet, while in the meantime my pants are 1/2 way down and 'blurp,' there falls my pager into the toilet drain. i immediately went for the grab, and just then realized i'd forgotten to lock the door. pants, 1/2 way down, toilet water on my hands, slippery pager going deeper in the drain, and there's the unlocked door. i'm reaching to and fro and trying not to drip on my nice new pants (maternity pants at mimi maternity are $78 freakin dollars- good thing these were on sale, but still...)....just envisioning a well intentioned nurses aide opening the door with a patient awaiting their shower. luckily, i acted quick and got the lock engaged before my mishap was discovered. it took a while to sanitize the toilet water out of my pager. poor pager wouldn't stop vibrating my whole way out of the hospital and took a break for about 24 hrs. now it's back working, but i wouldn't be surprised if i hear a little 'blurp' next time i get 'beeped'...
speaking of clumsy, i had a presentation in denver last week. i was rushing off (i've always been a little late, so i can't blame that on the pregnancy...or at least i haven't tried to yet) to beat rush hour and stopped off at the bathroom on the way. it was the patient bathroom that is often used for showers that time of day. i had my purse on and was concentrating on not letting it fall in the toilet, while in the meantime my pants are 1/2 way down and 'blurp,' there falls my pager into the toilet drain. i immediately went for the grab, and just then realized i'd forgotten to lock the door. pants, 1/2 way down, toilet water on my hands, slippery pager going deeper in the drain, and there's the unlocked door. i'm reaching to and fro and trying not to drip on my nice new pants (maternity pants at mimi maternity are $78 freakin dollars- good thing these were on sale, but still...)....just envisioning a well intentioned nurses aide opening the door with a patient awaiting their shower. luckily, i acted quick and got the lock engaged before my mishap was discovered. it took a while to sanitize the toilet water out of my pager. poor pager wouldn't stop vibrating my whole way out of the hospital and took a break for about 24 hrs. now it's back working, but i wouldn't be surprised if i hear a little 'blurp' next time i get 'beeped'...
bring it on...
carter is pretty darn excited about all of this baby stuff. "stuff" being the key word. for a cat who loves small places and gets into most everything, we keep finding him curled up in the hand-me-down car seats, sleep positioner, and atop of the onesies we've started to collect. he keeps getting locked in the closets as we don't always realize he's curled up in something baby related, until the scratching and meowing begins. not sure if he's going to feel quite the same come another few mos when the actual baby joins all of the baby stuff. and...not quite sure how we're going to keep him off the baby, as i'm thinking he may see it as one more thing to snuggle on.
jed on the other hand...oh poor little jed...he's been the baby for 5 years now. i'm already feeling sad for him as his little world will change. no matter how much we promise him it won't, it will. the pay off will come 6 mos later when table food begins. hope he can hold off that long. oh, sweet little jed...
Sunday, September 9, 2007
this kind of has to do with babies...
this is a really funny clip from a musical group Flight of the Conchords called Business Time
it's good for a laugh, but be forewarned...lyrical content is "R" rated...
...chad the dad...(to be)
some of you may know about my husband's tendency to sleep walk, sleep talk, sleep argue, and sleep rearrange. i've gotten to know this through the years, beginning with chad waking me to tell me about a fox in our backyard (no where to be found) or about a neighbor (we didn't have) at our back porch, and so on. i've learned, not to jump up from my sleep state and react, rather how to remain calm and encourage him to fall back asleep...not that this always works, rather he typically feels he needs to be even more convicted to the fact of whatever it is that really isn't.
so i've also learned to accept it and fall back asleep.
the dreams come about once a month, but have been more prevalent ever since we found out about lil' pearson to be. it started at the beginning with chad's dream state being convinced that we were having triplets. he'd wake up in the middle of the night and stack the books from the night-stand into piles of three, making sure there was the same amt for each of the babies. he'd rearrange some of the artwork on the wall and one nite i awoke to find him carrying around the wrought iron candle stick looking for the right place to put it so it wouldn't fall on the babies.
some mornings i'd wake up wondering where my books were, or where our framed artwork had gone. we began to wonder if these dreams continued when we actually had the baby, we may wake to find him outside of the crib, who knows where. we decided maybe we should register for a "baby locator" vs. a "baby monitor." luckily, now that we've found out for sure that there is only one little fetus in there and no chance of triplets, the dreams subsided...at least for a little while.
they restarted a few weeks ago, as chad was embracing his "care taking" roles during sleep. we were having a heat wave and it barely got below 80 degrees at nite, but chad would awaken to find me a bit uncovered and felt convinced that it was part of his care taking role to keep me covered. he'd cover me and whisper "i think you're all right now"...or "stay covered up in case 'they' come in"...i'd try to convince him that the down comforter was a bit too warm, and he'd "shhhush" me back to sleep saying "it will be allright"..."it will be allright"...
good think we're having the lil' guy in the winter, at least he'll stay warm at nite...even if we don't know exactly where in the house he is....
so i've also learned to accept it and fall back asleep.
the dreams come about once a month, but have been more prevalent ever since we found out about lil' pearson to be. it started at the beginning with chad's dream state being convinced that we were having triplets. he'd wake up in the middle of the night and stack the books from the night-stand into piles of three, making sure there was the same amt for each of the babies. he'd rearrange some of the artwork on the wall and one nite i awoke to find him carrying around the wrought iron candle stick looking for the right place to put it so it wouldn't fall on the babies.
some mornings i'd wake up wondering where my books were, or where our framed artwork had gone. we began to wonder if these dreams continued when we actually had the baby, we may wake to find him outside of the crib, who knows where. we decided maybe we should register for a "baby locator" vs. a "baby monitor." luckily, now that we've found out for sure that there is only one little fetus in there and no chance of triplets, the dreams subsided...at least for a little while.
they restarted a few weeks ago, as chad was embracing his "care taking" roles during sleep. we were having a heat wave and it barely got below 80 degrees at nite, but chad would awaken to find me a bit uncovered and felt convinced that it was part of his care taking role to keep me covered. he'd cover me and whisper "i think you're all right now"...or "stay covered up in case 'they' come in"...i'd try to convince him that the down comforter was a bit too warm, and he'd "shhhush" me back to sleep saying "it will be allright"..."it will be allright"...
good think we're having the lil' guy in the winter, at least he'll stay warm at nite...even if we don't know exactly where in the house he is....
Saturday, September 8, 2007
birthday guests
we' had friends in town right around my birthday. the cake was decorated, possibly by someone new to the cake decorating position, but with the best of intentions it read:Happy Birthday Mama Juli
...pretty crazy if you ask me...
thanks to becca and tell for the great birthday cake, and paul and amy for the fancy birthday dinner. i'm guessing my birthday will be a bit different come next year.
Pregnancy Tip #283
energy isn't something i've had a whole lot of these days...especially in the evenings. some people tell me they feel the need to eat for two, but more than that, i've been feeling the need to sleep for two. it can be a drag when there's so many things i'm feeling like i want to be doing. one of these many things had to do with making a batch of cookies for two of the sets of new neighbors who moved in. they both moved in over a month ago, but hey, it's taken me a while to get enough energy to get the baking force together. so earlier this week, i finally decide to muster up the energy to make my infamous carlee cookies, which i've ad libbed over the years. ad libbing and baking isn't always a good combo, but it is what i do. so instead of all crisco butter, i add 1/2 peanut butter....butter is butter right? we only had the natural kind, so that was maybe part of the problem, but it still wasn't that far off the mark. we get to pregnancy tip #283 when i brilliantly decided that coarse sea salt would be just as good, if not better than finely crushed mortons salt. it's better on edamame after all. well, let me tell you what i've learned. coarse sea salt is in fact NOT a good alternative in baking cookies. the cookies turned out bland, but then with the occasional crunchy, excessively salty burst of flavor. i had decided 1/2 way through the DOUBLE batch of cookies i made that i could at least fix the "bland" problem, by salting the batter and continuing on. do i need to say, it didn't fix the problem. now we're left with 60 some tempting, but not so good cookies, that chad and i keep eating b/c they look so good, and still nothing for the new neighbors. maybe i can pop them some "welcome to the neighborhood" popcorn...i can blame the baking problems/cluelessness on pregnancy right?!
Friday, September 7, 2007
We're half-way there...What a kick?!?!?!?
20 weeks and counting.
this whole pregnancy was such a romantic notion...that is when it was happening to someone else. the first few months i spent a bit weepy, pukey and sleepy. while i was either sleeping or puking, chad was wondering what happened to his wife, and we both were thinking...is this what we really signed up for?! the weeks have passed, and there's been some pay off along the way. chad listened to the baby grow with my stethoscope from work. we'd oooh and ahhh when he could hear "the baby move" and would spend a bit of time each evening, just listening away. it was one of our last dr. appts that we confessed to our efforts, only to be told that chad was not really becoming intimately involved with the baby, rather was just getting to know my g.i. tract really really well. who knew that you cant really hear the baby?! ...just all of the extra flatulence that pregnancy brings on. boy is it something. i have always blamed it on the altitude (at least in the last 3 years, living at high altitude and all), now i can blame it on being "pregnant in altitude." we've been anxiously awaiting to be able to feel the little guy kicking, and he's started to become more and more active. i keep grabbing chad's hand having him try to feel the little guy kick. He thought he felt him kick once, but now that i think of it, it may have just been some gas.
this whole pregnancy was such a romantic notion...that is when it was happening to someone else. the first few months i spent a bit weepy, pukey and sleepy. while i was either sleeping or puking, chad was wondering what happened to his wife, and we both were thinking...is this what we really signed up for?! the weeks have passed, and there's been some pay off along the way. chad listened to the baby grow with my stethoscope from work. we'd oooh and ahhh when he could hear "the baby move" and would spend a bit of time each evening, just listening away. it was one of our last dr. appts that we confessed to our efforts, only to be told that chad was not really becoming intimately involved with the baby, rather was just getting to know my g.i. tract really really well. who knew that you cant really hear the baby?! ...just all of the extra flatulence that pregnancy brings on. boy is it something. i have always blamed it on the altitude (at least in the last 3 years, living at high altitude and all), now i can blame it on being "pregnant in altitude." we've been anxiously awaiting to be able to feel the little guy kicking, and he's started to become more and more active. i keep grabbing chad's hand having him try to feel the little guy kick. He thought he felt him kick once, but now that i think of it, it may have just been some gas.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Ultrasound
Hello all,
We went in for an ultrasound this week (18 weeks) and found out we are having a boy!!! Here are a few images. He already wasn't behaving for the camera.....
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