Our Kids, Please!

Oy, has it been that long?

2010-03-09T19:16:00.000-08:00

Seriously, wow. How neglectful I've been of this blog! There's no telling how long it'll be until I post again, so I guess I ought to do a fairly thorough job.

So, Griffin... he's amazing! I know that lots of parents think their kids are geniuses, and I'm not claiming that, although I wouldn't be surprised if he was, because he's WAY ahead of the curve on a lot of skills. For example, when he turned two he could already identify all the letters in the alphabet, and could count to ten. At this point, one month shy of his third birthday, he's counting to 25 on average before he starts to lose track, and that's usually because he can't find that many things lined up! He's doing 48 piece puzzles (I think he's supposed to be doing 6-9 piece ones at this point), he knows left from right, and he's been drawing faces since last May. On Christmas day, he drew this out on the sidewalk in front of our place:

Yup, that's a smile in the middle of that huge head, then arms legs hands and feet at the bottom, and hair all around the outside. For those of you not up on your childhood developmental stages,

I'll just say that it's pretty crazy for him to be doing this stuff already. He's about two years ahead of most kids. Google it!

He's also very happy and loving, and extremely funny. Granted the humor is not always intentional on his part, such as the other day when he was trying to reach something in the back seat of the car, and we couldn't figure out what. Finally we asked him "what do you need?" and he replied, while straining to reach as far as he could, "Big arm!"

He's very friendly and says hello and goodbye to everyone he sees (and plenty of locations and inanimate objects as well.) He's very into pretend play, and loves to pretend that he's a dog, and that whoever is with him is a dog as well. Hence, we're often to be found out in public saying things like "Oh wow, woof, look at that, woof!" Right now he's all about playing with duplo blocks and train stuff, he loves watching Yo Gabba Gabba, which he refers to as "Guys," and his favorite music includes Beatles, Ani Difranco, Indigo Girls, and a variety of classic funk and 80s hits.

Ok, enough bragging on the kid's brains and good taste... let's show off how cute he is! This was earlier today.

And here's a shot of tonight's pre-bed fencing lesson with Baba, who Griffin has recently decided to call "Daddy." Daddy was smart and made sure to teach Griffin two things when they first got their swords: 1. Make sure both people are holding a sword. 2. Say "On guard!" before you start swinging. I think the second rule has probably saved her glasses on multiple occasions.

Donor 6306, we hope Griffin chooses to meet you when he gets older, because we'd sure like to thank you in person for your part in helping us to bring this amazing little person into the world!

A Day at the Park

2008-09-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

We went to the park today and had a blast! It's hard to believe that tomorrow he'll be 17 months old already!

Here we are!

2008-07-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

My good buddy Leah (Hi, Leah!) has been hassling me about being the non-blogging-est blogger ever. So here are some photographic updates so you can see what Griffin is up to these days. It's been a hot summer, so we're swimming almost every day when I get home from work. He just had his first day of daycare today, he'll be going three days a week. That way he'll get some socialization, Baba will get some time for writing and cleaning, and I'll get some "free" evenings when she helps out on the days that he has daycare, instead of me taking over when I get home every day so she can breathe.

Griffin has yet to say his first word, although he does sign "more" and waves. He's just so into thinking about stuff and studying things that I guess he's just keeping it all in his head for now. We'll see if daycare has an effect on that, but so far he's definitely the kind of kid that likes to check things out and see how they work or figure out how they're supposed to be. (Case in point, if we don't shut the baby gate when we go into the kitchen, he'll try to close it for us!)

Yep, he's a year old!

2008-04-15T18:18:00.000-07:00

So we decided to throw caution to the wind and get him a Kid Tough digital camera for his birthday. We all love it! Here's a shot of me showing him how it works:

And here's the first "successful" photo he took of himself:

And here are some recent photos taken with a "big kid" camera:

Our Amazing Little Boy

2008-03-25T17:23:00.000-07:00

Griffin loves to figure things out!

It's been way too long since I've posted anything about our amazing boy and what he's doing these days. It's ridiculous how fast the time goes! I know, I know, everyone says that. But it's true! He's nearly a year old, and already he can do so much. He amazes us regularly with the things he figures out!

For example, he loves my digital camera. He knows how to take the lens cap off and put it back on, and (get this!) he knows how to press the sides of the little dish-shaped button to get the pictures to change on the LCD screen. OK, so he doesn't get it every time, but he does as well as some adults I know! The point is that he figured out how to do it, just by watching me switch the pictures for him.

Not amazing enough? OK, how about this... Mombi's computer is fairly close to his play area, and there's a bit of a gap between the sections of the mesh playyard fence. The other day, she noticed that one of the cables on her computer was jiggling. She looked down, and saw that he had hooked a piece of play-mat foam (one of his favorite toys, go figure) around the cable. She marveled and wondered how he'd managed to get it caught on a cable, and un-hooked it for him and put it back in his play area. A couple minutes later (you guessed it!) the cable started jiggling again. The little bugger was doing it on purpose, trying to get something that we'd made sure was out of reach!

Need a bit more proof that we're raising an amazing kid? Well try this one... I have a graphics tablet that I use instead of a mouse. It's basically a hard mousepad that I "write" on with a stylus. (Do a search for Wacom if you can't visualize it.) Anyway, I also have a program on my computer called "Keyboard Pounder" which basically makes my keyboard and mouse (stylus) baby-proof. He can bang on them all he wants, and instead of messing with my computer, it just makes fish show up on the screen while some fairly horrible Midi classical music plays. Anyway, he sits on my lap, takes the stylus pen from me, and taps it and drags it around on the tablet to make fish show up. While looking at the monitor screen! I know, studies say we shouldn't be over-exposing him to computers and TV at his age, and truly he doesn't spend that much time watching screens (although you wouldn't think it by the way he gravitates toward them). I don't think it's doing much harm, though, and he certainly is ahead of the curve so far for computer skills!

Beyond blowing our minds daily in general, he's still a total treat to hang out with, he's nearly always in a great mood, and he has yet to get truly sick. He had a mild fever for a few days while he was teething (did I mention his 12 teeth?) but other than that he's been healthy since he came home from the hospital. He's funny, he makes great faces (he has mombi's overactive eyebrows) and he's so proud of himself every time he walks someplace by himself without a crash landing. He's even starting to get some hair! We're still waiting to identify a definite word, but it's only a matter of time.

Stay tuned for easter and birthday photos, coming soon! And if you haven't yet done so (thanks, Aradia and Ava!) please consider sponsoring Griffin in his first charity campaign. He's going to be participating in an Arthritis walk to support finding a cure for his ten-year-old cousin. See the post below for all the details!

Griffin needs your help!

2008-03-07T04:29:00.000-08:00

Hi, This is Griffin!

My cousin Valerie is ten years old, and she's been on medication for arthritis almost every day since she was about my age. I think that's just crazy! I've just learned to walk, and I'm just in time to support her by participating in this year's Arthritis Walk. I was only a few days old during last year's walk, so my moms didn't get to walk last year, either. I'm trying to make up for it all by myself by raising $100 for each of us!

I don't really understand the details of Valerie's illness, so here's what her mom told me about it: Valerie’s story and her struggle with Arthritis is not unlike others. I would like to tell you her story so you can see why it is so important that we keep funding the Arthritis Foundation so they can find cures and provide support for people with arthritis. Valerie’s story begins shortly after she learned to walk. We noticed her walking with her knees straight, and she wouldn’t bend them when she got up and down from playing. Just after her first birthday, after a few different doctors and x-rays, she was finally diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. We have had many years of ups and downs. Valerie has to get a shot every week and was at one time taking six pills a day. She recently had to start taking another pill that is supposed to provide some relief from her other medicines that are making her sick to her stomach. She thought she was successful in beating the disease a couple of times only to relapse and have to start her medication all over again. Recently we tried to let her take her medicine orally instead of injecting it, but that small change made her knees swell so much she could hardly walk. Each time she comes off her medicine and relapses it is more challenging to get the arthritis under control again. We have had to get the fluid drained from one of her knees three times because medicine alone could not bring down her swelling. Her last relapse affected her range of motion in one of her knees and, we have to try to correct that. Valerie is on her fourth try with the medicine with only a combined period of about five months out of nine years not on medication. She will have to wait at least three years before we can try to be off medication again and see if we have beaten it this time. Without the research that the Arthritis Foundation does trying to find new medicines and a cure for Arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, Valerie could go through this cycle over and over her entire life.

Now you see why I want to help! I'm going to walk as far as I can (and maybe ride in my fancy backpack for a while) and make sure Valerie will always be able to run with me when I get old enough! If you can help me make my cousin healthy by donating a few dollars, or even more, that's great. I'll make sure to chase Valerie extra hard when she gets well to show my appreciation!

Your buddy Griffin

Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Arthritis Foundation.

My whole family thanks you!

Peek A Boo!

2008-02-27T17:31:00.000-08:00

“Gay” vs. “Ghey”

2008-02-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

The Question of “Gay” vs. “Ghey”

Introduction

My postings up to this point have been about Griffin and our experience of his conception, birth and his almost 10 months of growing up. Though we have had both positive and negative responses to our family we have chosen to express the positive.

So I have debated writing articles on this blog that shed light on the negative experiences we have had; such as:

Should I make another blog?
Or just not bring it up to our readers?
Should I make a web site then link it to our blog?

Then I remembered that we are going to guide our son through both the positive and negative experiences in our lives.

In contrast my family had always swept anything negative under the rug, as if it never happened, and I have learned that you might not see what’s under the rug, but you sure as hell have a hard time running a vacuum over the mass below the carpet.

So the first controversial article I’ll post here.

I am going to write this article directly to you, dear readers, raising questions and hope to have feed back from our heterosexual, GLBT, asexual and reserves-the-right-to-refuse-to-take-on-a-label ( J ) readers a.k.a. all of you lovely folks.

This started as a single question I was going to ask you, but as I began to write it blossomed into something much longer.

An important note before I continue. The term “gay” has its own controversy within the GLBT community; Wikipedia has a well defined history of the term “gay”. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay] For this article I will not delve into that controversy, it would only complicate matters, but that doesn’t mean I am not aware of the controversy; so I use the term “gay” to define GLBT Community in whole as that is how a majority of society outside generalize the GLBT community.

Definition

I want to use the quote below from the wiki article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay#Pejorative_non-sexualized_usage] as a pseudo definition of ‘ghey’ because the wiktionary article [3] doesn’t explain the details of the pejorative non-sexualized usage enough for me (though it does contain some quotes that explain very well the ignorance of using it).

Quote:

When used with a derisive attitude (e.g. "that was so gay"), the word gay is pejorative. While retaining its other meanings, it has also acquired "a widespread current usage" amongst young people, as a general term of disparagement. This pejorative usage has its origins in the late 1970s, when homosexuality was more widely seen as negative by a majority of people. Beginning in the 1980s and especially in the late 1990s, the usage as a generic insult became common among young people, who may or may not link the term to homosexuality, especially when directed at inanimate objects. This practice is frowned upon in some communities that seek to ensure respect for people of all sexual orientations, and is considered by some to be on par with ethnic slurs. Many defenders of the word's pejorative usage choose to spell it "ghey" to avoid any sexual connotations. Critics object to this change of spelling, often comparing it to the use of words like "knigger" or "nigga" for nigger to evade accusations of racism.

Personal History

Most of my free time is spent playing a MMORPG [4] (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) which I enjoy very much, not only because of the strategy, scenery and objectives that can be experienced but for the social interactions that are developed with other players from around the world.

The other players range from ages 8 to 80 so one gets a really diverse social experience.

What?!
Social experience from a game?!?
Mombi, have you gone nuts?!?

Yes, I know, I get that all of the time. Consider, however, that even if you don’t have personal experience within such an environment, it really is taking you out of the real world for a brief time and thrusting you into a whole new arena…but unlike your favorite movie or novel you are not alone in this journey; you’ve got others there with you.

The battle of Gay vs Ghey

In my experiences with players of the game I have had a pet peeve that has grown beyond the usual irk: the term “ghey”.

At first I thought that the young adults (and some mature adults) that used the term were actually using it, consciously, as a derogatory term against GLBT Community.

This I learned wasn’t always the case.

What Mombi are you crazy?!?

Seriously, the people that I’ve talked to both within my guild (group of players that play regularly together) and without do not always mean to offend the GLBT Community. (Note: HUUUUGE thanks to the officers of said guild who have considered the term “ghey” as offensive to GLBT Community and haven’t accepted the term simply as a way to describe something negative “these days.” They have made it an offense that could possibly get one kicked out of the group if the behavior continues.)

They meant “ghey” as in stupid, lame, boring, bummer, or to defame a person or event. Not “gay” to call the GLBT Community stupid, lame, boring, bummers or to deface them or what they do.

To quote Momai it is like the difference between a simile (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/simile) and a metaphor (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=metaphor ) they’re just saying that one is okay and the other isn’t.

The very sad thing is the term has become so inundated into the lexicon of youth today that they do not realize what they are saying. I’m going to use a few examples which I found very interesting.

I had resolved myself to keep silent when I heard others use the term, just feeling it was something irksome that I had to get over because what would it change?

What can one woman do to change such a thing?

Then it hit me, it only takes one person to voice out to realize that there are others who voice out, and even tough people think this is not an issue its something to “get over”.

So (damn it!) I was not going to simply get over it and learn to live with it.

So begins the battle, which I will not wage aggressively against the people I know by yelling at them. Rather, I simply say that offends me and when they ask me why I answer:

Why do you think “ghey” is different from “gay”?

This is from the Urban Dictionary (http://www.urbandictionary.com) which is sort of like a Wiki for users to write what they think the term means to them and by others.

And by the way there are more than 39 definitions of the term, quite a few more than the other words I’ve found on the site; I’m just going to list 4 examples:

Bud E Love says that “Ghey” means usurping the traditional term “GAY” to take the homosexual meaning out and leaving in the lame.”

DigitalLion feels that “ghey” means the same as “gay”. This term began as a way to get around videogame servers and other profanity filters. “gay” is blocked, but “ghey” is just fine.

Prisilla R. says that “ghey” is used to describe someone who is extremely lame or boring. Not to be confused with “gay” which describes a homosexual. Prisilla continues her opinion by offering an example. A conversation between friends Brett and Gary. “Brett: hey lets go pick up some chicks. Gary: Nah dude… I’d rather stay home and check my myspace. Brett: Stop being a ghey and let’s go!”

“Ghey” is “Ghey” feels that “Ghey” is a way to take the guilt out of offending [the] GLBT Community by calling something unfavorable “gay”. Since verbally, the new spelling is virtually unnoticeable, this rationale is rendered a waste of time, but as mentioned, it serves its purpose in the mind of the homophobe-in-denial.

I could go on and on but I won’t, those are the examples that I picked out to give my interpretations.

Bud E Love is apathetic and ignorant.
DigialLion gets straight to the point but a defeatist.
Prisilla R is just blasé and has no idea she just contradicted herself with her example.
Ghey is Gey is idealistic and hits the nail right on the head.

I myself went from defeatist to idealistic in the course of two years playing the mmorpg.

Most still do not understand why I am offended, if they are really interested in knowing I explain further by a few examples, and they are harsh.

WARNING: I detest having to say certain words; I use them ONLY to make a point against discrimination.

“What if I came along after losing a battle against another player, and I started to rant about how knigger he was, and that the game company was a knigger for allowing the game continent in the first place and that the whole team should shut up because that was being such a knigger?”

It makes me sick to say those things, and usually is a slap in the face to the player that I voice the question. They immediately find what I said offensive (because it was) and I ether get an “oh” or a “but that’s not what I mean when I say “ghey”, it just means stupid.”

I don’t go any further than that hoping that they will at least think about it next time they use the term “ghey” or hears it being used.

Here is where I realized that this has gone beyond a simple change of language.

These young adults, will soon be adults and have no comprehension that “ghey” is derogatory because all of their lives they have used the term and really, really do not feel that they are being offensive.

To me that is repugnant that it has been allowed to go so far.

Schools allow it (though “gay” isn’t to be used).
Chats allow it (though “gay” isn’t to be used).
Games allow it (though “gay” isn’t to be used).
BBC allows it (good grief, see below for a quote)
“The word 'gay' ... need not be offensive... or homophobic... The governors said, however, that Moyles was simply keeping up with developments in English usage. [...] The committee... was "familiar with hearing this word in this context." The governors believed that in describing a ring tone as 'gay', the DJ was conveying that he thought it was 'rubbish', rather than 'homosexual'. [...] The panel acknowledged however that this use... in a derogatory sense... could cause offence in some listeners, and counselled caution on its use. ”
—BBC Board of Governors

So it all comes back to this: “gay” vs “ghey”

Or to put it in new terms: Homos vs stupid.

Many who condone homosexuality find the use of term to be offensive, but remain silent because it is “just something kids say now-a-days.”

Ouch.

In closing

Thank you for listening to my rant, I hope it was food for thought about next time you hear a young relative using the term, or experience the same thing on a chat or in a blog, or are a concerned parent.

I do not know how to continue, or where to go from here to even start to seriously begin to curb the use of the new ‘word’.

Okay I will go as far as to ask how to start getting this word banned?

How did words like coon, spic, white trash, yellow or kike get banned from the politically correct lexicon?

I am not delusional.

I know that in familial, social and ethic circles these terms are still used, and the term “ghey” will still be used even if it is banned as offensive by those who are morally and politically correct.

I know one thing:

I do not want my son to grow up with the word “ghey” as part of his every day lexicon.

I do not want him to grow up confused over the definitions of what “gay” vs “ghey” is.

I do not want to explain to him that no one means to offend his mommies or himself when they use “ghey” as a negative.

I do not want him to be afraid to tell his friends about his Mama and Baba because he knows they would be called “ghey” (less of a person)… not meaning “gay” (homosexual).

I do not want him to accept “ghey” as a casual negative term.

And most of all I do not want him to have to take the brunt of this battle of “gay” vs “ghey”; he is going to have enough adversity to overcome.

This should be our stand, not his.

1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay#Pejorative_non-sexualized_usage
3 http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ghey
4 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massively_multiplayer_online_role-playing_game
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/simile
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=metaphor

The bears, a must have for sleeping.

2008-01-19T21:01:00.000-08:00

So we have found Griffin's security objects, we've had them for awhile and for some reason (no idea why) we haven't shared them with you.

My mother send him a little blue bear made out of a soft blanket, it looks like a little stuffed bear holding a blanket with a satin lining. It's cute.

Well Griffin can't sleep without it.

Griffin's perfect sleep.

Step 1
Have bottle while geting a change

Step 2
After bottle, recieve a passifer...if no passifer given within a few seconds of bottle....fuss.

Step 3
3 Books (must be chosen from a selection or he won't sit through a reading)

Step 4
Into crib, smile because he knows what's comming next.

Step 5
Eather bear!!

We named said bear after the version of cloriform because he just cuddles the bear, smiles and then when he's ready he just lifts it over his eyes and he's out.

Seriously...out like a light.

And sleeps all through the night (yes...we are very very lucky).

So, one day we forgot Eather bear while visiting Nana....uh oh.

No sleep.

So we had his Aunt head out to the store to pick up an exact copy of Eather bear.

He was worried at first, it didn't smell like eather bear...wasn't as worn out as eather bear...but it felt close enough..so he was soon alseep.

Thus, dubbed by the Aunt who rescued Griffin from a night of fitfull sleep (subsiquently all of us too) Benzo Bear. Benzo being short from Benzodiasopam a family of drugs to help passify folks (did I mention said aunt getting her masters in psychology).

Anyway, I thought you'd get a kick out of the twins Eather and Benzo bear.

Benzo stays at Nana's on a perminant basis.

Slices of Life

2008-01-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

Here are a few random videos from the past month. Warning: the first one is about five minutes long. I couldn't decide where to cut it off.

Coughing is Funny!

Swinging with Nana

That's a Lens Cap!

First Words

2008-01-05T21:09:00.000-08:00

Well groovy news.

I've graduated from pthf pthf to Baba.

Today Griffin looked at Momai and said Moma....turned around and looked at me and said Baba.

I, of course, was shocked and shot up out of the chair like a mad woman and scooped him up and gave him a baba hug and kisses. Which he thought was odd but very funny.

I was crying and grinning like a fool but very happy.

First Holiday Season

2007-12-27T01:54:00.000-08:00

I love Momai's family, there is such a wide range of beliefs when it comes to spirituality and yet it has never ever been an issue. We gather at or around Christmas time, I call it Christmas time but it's more like Family Celebration.

This year was extra special for me for two reasons.

One, the obvious, is to watch Griffin play with paper, be given a box to open and do nothing but squish it and slid around on his knees (thinking wow! best gift ever....carpet slider!!), explore new territory, play with his cousins, play with his cousins animals, laugh with Grandparents, laugh with his Aunts, laugh with his Uncle, get pictures taken of us all in matching pjs (thanks to Nana) and I can keep going and going, we will post pictures soon.

Second, I got to watch my Momai's parents witness the love of their children. Momai's sister Jeanne came up with an idea to make a floor plan of their old house, and each of the four children were to make a laminated overlay to said map and mark places where they have memories and write them out with corrosponding numbers. They weren't suppossed to get together and work on the project, only at the end when the books were put together did Jeanne get to first witness the memories.

I sat back watching the love from Momai and her siblings as they watched their parents open up the best gift of all. Witnessing what their children remembered about growing up, the love, the humor, the tears, the fears and the comfort. Many memories had been forgotten, many memories renewed and many of the memories were marked by two, or three siblings but seen through different eyes.

I saw in that moment, myself and Momai, lucky enough that our son Griffin, and perhaps his siblings, will be so cared for and so loved that he will have memories, and we will have memories. Some memories will be shared here, shared with strangers as we reach out for support for the uncommon family.

To all the single mothers, to all of the single fathers, to all of the daddies, all of the mommies, the lesbian dads, the lesbian moms and so so many more labels, I wish you the best at this time of the year, and into the new year.

We are gardians of such treasures and hopes; and I for one am proud to stand and call each person who reads this family.

To memories old and new, Blessed Be.

Baba Oops

2007-12-13T06:20:00.001-08:00

So remember those photos of the fauxhawk the other day?

Well it was at a request by Momai's coworkers and she was at work, so of course I took up the task.

As I've said before I take no where near as good of pictures as Momai's so I knew that I'd have to take /lots/ of them.

Ahem....soooo I went into our bathroom and picked up some of Momai's styling gel thinking I'd give his hair a hand in standing up for the photo shoot.

All of the gels and stuff say uber hold, ultra style, 12 hour spike and stuff like that so I picked the first one that I could reach thinking that "yeah yeah they're all the same."

So I styled the little guy's hair and sure enough it stayed up through the whole photo shoot and all the way up until Momai got home that evening... and through till that night.

As we marveled at the fact that his hair was still standing up Momai asked if I'd used something to help it stay up. Which I answered quickly (with pride at my own cleverness) about the gel (which now that I remember back was the consistancy of almsot dry elmer's glue) and then promptly got a giggle, then a laugh.

Apparently I'd chosen the most powerful styling product that we own, that also happened to be water proof.

Needless to say through all of Griffin's play, washings, hair brushings, sleeping he kept that fauxhawk for about 6 days.

Yes my friends, 6 days; even after it was slicked down it'd still dry and retun to resemble its former style.

I wonder if I should call the company and compliment them on their very effective product?

Editor's Note

2007-12-08T07:16:00.000-08:00

I am retracting my previous statement regarding Griffin calling me Baba.

I am pleaed to announce that he has dubbed me Pbff pbff.

I wonder how well that'll go over at the social secruity office when I go to change my name.

Tee hee

Have a wonderful weekend everyone.

Not as good as pictures taken by Momai.

2007-12-06T04:24:00.001-08:00

Almost 8 months...wow!

2007-12-03T14:33:00.000-08:00

No pictures with that post; that's usually Momai's department so we'll get some up for you soon.

So what's happened since we last shared:

-8 teeth in total
-Eating solids more than formula
-Pulling himself up to sit
-Pulling himself up to stand
-Lots and lots and lots of babbling and starting to take his turns in babble.

Whew...yeah lots has happend and I think (I hope) I got a fair video of Griffin standing up his first time. I looked over my shoulder because he was quiet and sure enough he was standing. So shocked me tried to go for the camera before I startled him and he sat back down (or fell).

So talking, babble and we've started to identify ourselves to him as Momma (Momai) and Baba (Mombi) so we'll see how that works. He hadn't really picked up on the different sounds and the family gets a bit confused so we're going to give these changes a go. Not quite ready to change my name on the blogs though.

Yah, back to talking.

Tee hee

So I do quite a bit of talking over the computer internationally and he has started to pick up on the cadence of a conversation. He knows that when a computer is talking he is quiet and when the computer is quiet I star to talk. Only issue with that is he usually babbles over me when I'm trying to respond, which gives everyone a good laugh. He gets a bit confused when there is more than a few people talking at once and I've been quiet for awhile so he just stares blankly.

So we've started watching a couple programs on Nick Jr. to suplement what I'm teaching him on my own. I've been really pleased with the programing, and wow we have come a long way since Sesame Street when I was a kid. There are four that I love (and some a love hate relationship) that he gets into.

Well I say gets into is he usually watches the first ten min or so of the show then goes off to play, and either listens while he plays and usually goes back to it in a few minutes.

So onto the list.

Blue's Clues
Nice slow scene transitions that don't make his eyeballs go crazy. Very good educational tool, I was impressed that their episode on colors consisted of the primary, secondary and terciary colors. I wish I'd learned how to identify magenta when I was a kid. Draw back for me is the songs, they're so easy to get stuck in my head and they're the kind that don't seem to really have an ending.

Backyardigans
Love this show and how it explores imagination. Right now he's only processing the colors, voices and music but the boy loooves music and the songs are fun as well as the episodes

Wonder Pets
Uber cute, almost too much cuteness but again the music, good themes (even though he might not understand them yet) and nice slow scene transitions. Major one for this show is their "different" song every show is really just the same song with only a few minor changes....so oooh yeah do I get this one stuck in my head.

Yo Gabba Gabba
Hmm...this one is my least favorite out of the four only because it's a bit too much for his age...and yet he giggles when he sees the puppets so if it happens to be on when we're at a stage that he'd like some entertainment other than Baba (yes shock and horror I do get boring after awhile) I go ahead and let him watch some of it. If you've never experienced the show... it is...well I'll try to sum it up in a few words. DJ, orange fro looking hat, orange 70's jump suit, magical boom box straight from the late 70s....nuff said.

Well I think my quiet time is over, I promise we'll get new pictures (and hopefully a video or two) posted.

Blessed Be,

Baba (just testing it out, Mombi)

6.5 Months Full of Personality

2007-10-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

I took Griffin to the park today to get a couple outdoor shots of him before it gets too cold out. He was all grins, but somehow all the big grin shots came out blurry or were focussed on the background. He ran out of energy toward the end, but we had a great time. Enjoy!

Also, a big "Hello!" to Griffin's Tati Fifi, who finally got to meet him in person today! Unfortunately it was at the end of a long day and when he was uncomfortable after an unfavorable reaction to his first carrots, and he didn't have many smiles left. She did manage to get a couple chuckles out of him, though!

Griffin is 6 months old!

2007-10-07T10:43:00.000-07:00

On Monday, Griffin will be six months old. Wow, how time flies! He got his first two teeth at around 4 months old. He's recently learned to sit by himself, and yesterday morning we saw him up on his hands and knees for the first time. He's been doing it frequently ever since, and even doing the rocking forward thing, so we wouldn't be surprised if he's crawling within the next couple weeks. He never did develop a love for rice cereal, but he just started baby oatmeal and he loves it! He's got a great personality and a wonderful sense of humor, and we're having a fabulous time being parents. It's the most amazing experience! Here are a few random photos from this weekend (the grins and the one of him sitting) and one from last weekend (with the giraffe in the background). Enjoy!

And just for fun, here's a video from a few weeks ago:

Bringin' on the Scripture

2007-09-20T04:38:00.000-07:00

Baby conversations with people really run the whole range. There are those who just want to hear that no one but the cat gets any sleep, and that the cat is bald from the baby pulling its hair out. There are those that want to gush about what a wonderful experience parenthood is, and how much they miss "that age." And then there are those conversations that are, well, just plain interesting.

The other day I was getting my morning coffee at work when the woman next to me at the other coffee machine asked, "How's the baby?" So I replied with my usual "He's wonderful, he's growing so fast" and mentioned that he has two teeth already. She was very surprised, as most people are, and then exclaimed, "Whew! You just brought on some scripture!"

She went on to exclaim about how the Bible says that in the end times, children will grow up quickly, and isn't it amazing how reminders are everywhere these days. I was just trying to figure out how to respond to her enthusiastic suggestion that my child was an indication of the impending end of the world when she exclaimed, "Well, have a great day!" and walked off.

People are so odd.

Happy End-of-August!

2007-08-29T18:52:00.001-07:00

Wow, next week Griffin will be five months old. Where has the time gone?!? Well, a lot of time has gone to changing and washing diapers, cleaning and prepping bottles, and loading and unloading the washer/dryer. A lot more time has gone to smiling, laughing, tickling, bragging, yawning, and a fair bit of crying (by all three of us.) Griffin is absolutely enchanting. He's very happy and easy going, and apart from some dry skin issues, the worst health scare we've had from him since he left the hospital was a big spit-up in bed followed by a day of wanting to be held the whole time. He has two (count 'em, two!) teeth already, both on the bottom. He's even balder than when he was born, and his eyes have brightened to a lustrous light blue. He squeals and coos with joy, and is developing quite the vocabulary of sounds. It's so wonderful to watch him learning and growing. We love our baby boy!

Here are some recent pictures:

Random July Photos

2007-08-03T17:52:00.000-07:00

This is the blanket that Griffin's Aunt Amy made him.

The obligatory "cute when he cries" shot.

Making faces for Mombi after a bath. Griffin loves swimming in the tub!

Well hello there!

2007-07-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all those who posted harassing comments to remind me how long it's been since I posted!

Things are great here in the land of Griffin. We're all head-over-heals in love with the little guy. He's still a very alert and cheerful baby. He's been sleeping through the night since around two months. Since our last post, he's probably only woken us up once in the night. Of course, I'm still up to pump breast milk each night at around 1:30am (no longer twice during the night.) In the past few days, we've also started changing him and giving him a bottle in the middle of the night. He pretty much sleeps through it, but we were growing concerned that he wasn't getting enough food. We have his 4 month check-up soon, so we'll ask the pediatrician for her recommendation then.

Our schedule is still pretty much the same as it was. Mombi, for her part, is very tired in the evenings because she's such an interactive caregiver. The poor girl actually had a hoarse voice the other day from singing and talking with him so much! For me, the tiredness stems from not getting many breaks. I come home from work and assume baby duties pretty much immediately, until I put him to bed and colapse into sleep myself. I don't mind because I love the time with Griffin, and my day job is much less tiring (most days) than Mombi's is, but it doesn't leave much time for other stuff (including posting on the blog!) It's really horrible and I can't quite believe I'm sharing it, but I've actually gone a full week without a shower a few times. Luckily, I can wear corporate branded baseball caps at the office!

Ah! Griffin is taking a late nap this evening! I think I'll join him!

2.5 Month Routine

2007-06-24T10:16:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm actually posting! Must be the weekend!

Life is great here in Griffin Land. We've definitely settled into a good routine with him, and we're all very happy most of the time. Our day starts at around 4:30AM, when Mombi gets up to prep for the day. She washes the breast pumps that I've used during the night, and gets Griffin's breakfast ready for him. He usually wakes up between 4:30 and 5:30, and Mombi changes and feeds him and does his morning exercises. Around 6:00 I get up, pump, and start getting ready for work. I leave around 7:10 after some baby cuddles, and Griffin settles down for a morning nap. He usually sleeps for 1-3 hours, and then wakes up hungry again. After that, the day varies depending on how tired he is, but around 5:00PM I return from work. I entertain the babe while Mombi makes dinner, we spend some family time together, and then Mombi heads to bed around 8 or 9. I start Griffin's bedtime routine (clothes/diaper change, swaddle, 4 oz of milk, and snuggle until comatose) around 8:45, and he usually falls asleep right around 9:30. I pump while I watch him on the monitor to see if he loses his pacifier (pluggie) and replace it as necessary, usually one to three times before he's deeply asleep and/or doesn't notice when he's lost it. I finish pumping, wash any pumps and parts that are dirty so that I'll have them ready to go at 12:30 and 3:30, then head to bed. We all sleep through the night (apart from my nighttime pumpings) and then we start all over the next day.

It really is quite a lovely existance. Busy, but so very worth while!

Video of Griffin

2007-06-23T20:07:00.000-07:00

Mombi and Griffin were out playing on the porch this morning, and I couldn't resist grabbing some footage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqUMolbEaQE

Enjoy!

Baby Exercises

2007-06-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

(Written by Mombi)

I usually do these twice a day with Griffin, first thing in the morning right after he’s eaten, and in the evening before Momai gets home from work after he’s eaten then. I do this after he eats so this doubles as help burping and he’s usually more receptive when he’s not hungry.

I like to combine both speech exercises with the physical ones, what we do ties face expression to voice and voice to physical movements. There are two stages I like to call ‘serious’ then ‘silly’ during serious I try to keep my face expressions as I would be speaking to a child trying to not make any funny faces to get his attention; silly time is when we play with our tongues big eyes mouth and raising our voice.

It usually takes anywhere from 10 to 20 min depending on how receptive and tired he is, I can tell if he’s had enough when he ‘fights’ against the muscle movements or starts to look away with disinterest.

After we’re done with serious and silly there is a quick massage of his muscles and joints, this he really enjoys and relaxes him after all the hype of exercise time.

Okay, so the exercises themselves, I don’t do these in any order so I’ll just list what we do during the time.

Big and Small – Laying down in front of you let him grab your thumbs and extend his arms out as wide as you can just stretching like wings and as you do so say biiiiiiiig then bring his hands back together to his chest while you say smaaaaaaaaall. If he resists with one arm just go with it, don’t force it too much.

Tall and Short – Same as Big and Small this time you’re going above his head, then flat down to his sides. With each movement tell him what you’re doing, Tall, then short. I try to not let him rotate his shoulders (in a swim type fasion) because that comes later, I try to encourage him to bend instead of rotate down.

Swim Forward and Backward – Just like a breast stroke you want to rotate his arms (slowly at first until they get used to it) and I like to count to ten, first forward then back. I tell him that we’re going forward then count as we swim, then switch to going back then count.

Left and Right – This is sitting up or laying down and his least favorite exercise because he has a favorite side to lay on. Exorsising his neck and shoulders to look in different directions is the goal, I use my palms on each side of his cheeks and say Left and wiggle my left index finger for a visual and then help him look to the left, I hold his head there for about ten seconds counting to ten slowly. Then do the same to the right and holding his head there for ten seconds.

Up and Down – Same as left and Right, this is a neck exercise and easier than Left and Right. I can usually just cup his chin and help support his head if it wobbles and say Up, and Down holding to a count of ten.

Jump – Now moving to lower body I grab his little feet and make him squat. I try to keep his knees as close together as his diaper and body allows so his body learns that Jump is different than the natural ‘oh, we’re changing the diaper now spread’. So jumping, I make him squat and count to ten then pull down in a mock jump. The holding for count of three feels like a build of energy and encourages him to push. After about 5 weeks he’s starting to push.

Swivel – This is again lower body and centers at the hips, this one is real quick again I say left one two three as I hold, then swivel right one two three as I hold in the other direction. I usually only don’t repeat this one.

Run Forward and Back - Lower body, pretty simple you want to simulate him running in place both forwards and backwards and I count to ten or twenty and at each change I tell him we’re going forward and back.

Now time for Silly time; this he loves and looks forward to and I’ll do with him through out the day. It’s Dancing with him while chanting or singing, My personal favorite happens to be “dance dance dance dance boogie boogie boogie boogie” while I move his arms in the old ‘cabbage patch’ style or just silly moving around. There are no repetitive motions here, just fun movement. I don’t try to stretch his neck or lower body during this time not until he’s sitting up.

Then a massage, it’s more like just squeezing his hands lower and upper arms, while he’s laying down if you roll your fingers over his spine then up to his neck you might giggle at the funny faces they make as they relax.

As Griffin develops more these will change quite a bit I’m sure, but so far I think these exercises will be good for 0 to 4 months (and beyond).

We'll videotape Griffin exercising and post it soon!

2 months already!

2007-06-10T15:47:00.000-07:00

It's absolutely incredible to think that two months have gone by already. I apologize for neglecting the blog, but I'm not sorry for it. It's been very busy around here, with lots of baby stuff and other stuff all happening at once.

By way of making it up to you, here are some photos from the "photo shoot" that I had with Griffin out on the porch this morning!

What was it called?

2007-05-28T19:07:00.001-07:00

Mombi and I need your help. We're trying to remember the name of a show that we watched as children, and we're coming up blank. It was a PBS show where a guy would draw illustrations for stories as he told them. The drawings were done in pastels or maybe colored pencils, on colored paper. If you know the name of the show, please let us know. The show inspired our creativity and love of books as kids, and we want to get copies of the episodes to show Griffin when he gets older.

What a day!

2007-05-25T11:36:00.000-07:00

It's an amazing day to be a parent!

I know there will be days that Griffin will be frustrated and fussy which in turn will make me frustated and fussy (though I doubt I'll pout as much), but days like this are really just perfect.

Mr. Griffin has been happy all morning, and no doubt he actually slept all though the night, and so did Momai (woot!). We did our exersises and he had a lot of fun and I think he's starting to get the idea that when he makes those sounds when he's happy it matches the laughing sounds I make when he does something funny.

We played with the cat, Basil is our calico cat who is usually very skittish of strangers, but damn she's no stranger to Griffin she layed on him for 9 months and he knows her purr I swear it's like old buddies. They had some play time today when she jumped up into my lap when I was burping him and made sure that his new little blue socks had enough cat hair on them before giving him a head butt on the nose and jumping down.

Then we played with Orange our dog who is wary of Griffin but very protective. I think that is why Orange is so wary is that she knows she's a hell of a lot bigger than little Griffin and he could get hurt easily. Anyway, back to playing Orange nosed Griffin made lots of excited noises and reached out with his little mitted hands and managed to bop the dog a good on in the nose. I think after that they'll be friends for life, Orange is still really careful but I think Griffin proved himself part of the team.

Orange is an amazing dog, she knows what toys she can and can't play with. We've given her lots of stuffed animals to disembowel (after easter sales are great for cheep dog toys, bunny ears rock) but she does not touch Griffin's toys even though Mombi keeps leaving around the stuffed ducks.

We ate lots today in solid chunks, 3 and 4 oz at a time instead of 1 or 2 every hour or so which was nice, and I think makes his little stomach feel much better.

Anyway, lots of rambling but I wanted to share my thoughts of the day and my first week as a stay at home mother.

From a child who refused to play with dolls as a child, hated to play house, refused to be the damsel in distess when we played superheros on the play ground, dislikes housework in general but loves to teach kids I would like to say I think this is going to work. I like being a Lesbian Mom, I feel like something has been completed in my life that I didn't know was missing before.

Tee hee never would have guessed it would have been a little baby Griffin.

Love you Momai and Griffin.

Mombi

Six Weeks Old!

2007-05-20T16:58:00.001-07:00

It's so hard to believe that Griffin is six weeks old already. Where has the time gone?!? Tomorrow morning is my first day back to work. I'm excited and nervous and a tiny bit heartbroken. I think it will all be great, as long as I can stay awake!

Here's a picture of Griffin from earlier today:

Family Portrait

2007-05-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

Finally, a picture of all of us together! This is the first photo of all three of us since I had an oxygen mask on in the hospital!

Griffin's First Bath

2007-05-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo with Griffin's first bath. Here are some pictures, plus a bonus video of Griffin making faces in his sleep last night.

Video of Griffin in the tub!

Here's a video of Griffin making faces in his sleep.

Busy, busy, busy!

2007-05-05T09:38:00.000-07:00

People are starting to ask if all is well, so I figured I'd better check in to let you all know that things are great. Busy, a bit frentic at times, and sometimes issued when there isn't enough milk (he gets burps from the formula so we're trying to reduce our use of it), but great.

Tomorrow we're going to Nana and Grandpa Jake's house for lunch and an afternoon of visiting with some relatives who are visiting from out of town, including my Aunt Terri and Uncle Jim, and my sister Jeanne, who also hasn't met him yet. We're all excited!

Here are a couple more photos of our little man:

Taking a moment

2007-04-26T07:49:00.000-07:00

Griffin's napping and I'm actually awake, so I figured I'd take the chance to post. Maternity leave is such a blur. I generally have no idea what day it is, and half the time I don't even know if the time on the clock is AM or PM. As tiring and random as it is, I'm thoroughly enjoying myself. I think Mombi and Griffin are, too.

It's so sweet to wake up to Mombi bringing Griffin into our room for a random snuggle when he's fresh and clean from a sponge bath, or when we're playing on his play mat, or just checking out the light fixtures. Watching Mombi talking to him and playing with him is amazing.

I'm doing about half of Griffin's feedings by pumping for Mombi to bottle feed, and half by nursing. He also gets a few ounces a day of formula, since I'm not quite up to speed with him yet after all the formula he got while in the NICU. I've stopped stressing about it, though, so it's all good. Mombi keeps me well fed and rested, and I try to do the same for her. Last night I actually woke up right before my three hour alarm twice in a row, so my body is definitely adjusting to sleeping in short bursts. Thank goodness for that!

We're also making plans for our first big trip with Griffin. A cousin of mine is getting married in Michigan in a month, and we're going to go up for the wedding. (Amanda, are you going to be there? Any othe relatives lurking on the blog?) We're looking forward to showing him off a bit, and seeing everyone. It's been so long since I've seen that side of the family that I'm sure I won't even recognize most of my cousins. There are over 40 cousins on that side of the family, and I'm the oldest, so I won't be able to figure it out easily! I'm sure we'll also have some sort of get-together with the other side of the family while we're in town. It'll be an adventure, to be sure!

Here's a photo I took of Griffin yesterday. Doesn't it make you just want to curl up with him and take a nap?

Two Pictures

2007-04-25T05:17:00.000-07:00

Nana probably won't want to wear these earrings when we visit in a couple months.

Griffin doesn't cry often, but when he does, watch out!

Happiness is...

2007-04-23T08:34:00.000-07:00

...posting a blog (or doing pretty much anything) with a baby sleeping on your chest.

Life is grand. Apart from some sleep deprevation, we're all doing great. The first couple days with Griffin home were definitely rough, particularly in terms of sleep (us not getting enough) and food (me not producing enough) but we seem to be much improved on both fronts. I'm coming to realize just how short a six week maternity leave is, though. He's already over two weeks old! I know that anyone else will laugh to hear it, but he seems so grown up! He had his first well baby visit at 12 days old, and had already gained an inch of length. Wow!

We took him to my brother's house on Saturday for a bar-b-que, and had a great time. They have three little girls, ages 7, 3, and 2. Sydney, the two year old, seemed so tiny and young just a few weeks ago. It's amazing how time and perspective can change so quickly.

I'll post more photos soon, I promise. Right now I've got an adorable baby snoozing on my lap, and the camera is on the other side of the room.

Yawn

2007-04-20T01:23:00.000-07:00

Great baby. Very happy. Need more sleep.

Welcome home, Griffin!

2007-04-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

Griffin is finally home with us, and he's doing great! He got a clean bill of health from the neonatologist, with no need for any more special medical attention for his mystery infection. They never did figure out what it was, but his labs look great now. Here are a couple photos from today!

Mombi Loves Griffin

2007-04-14T22:05:00.000-07:00

Mombi spent the day creating a web page to introduce Griffin to our online friends. Even with a "mushy" warning from her before I saw it, I still teared up looking at it. She's so sweet. I love my family, my partner, and our little boy!

Griffin's First Web Site

Check it out!

Monday is our day!

2007-04-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

Per the neonatologist, Griffin will be released from care Monday. He'll be getting his last round of antibiotics on Sunday night at 10, but we'll have to wait until the doctor is there the next day in order to do the discharge stuff. It'll be a great one-week gift to all of us to have him home again. As much as I love the staff at the NICU, the trips back and forth to the hospital are getting a bit old!

Wide Eyes

2007-04-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

Did we mention that he's a very alert baby?

Collection of Mental Moments

2007-04-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

As the experience of labor begins to fade in my mind, there are moments that remain vivid and strong. What moments were best or worst? Hard to say. The entire experience was so overwhelming that it's nearly impossible to rank them in any sort of specific order. However, there are definitely a few that stand out as top contenders.

The first half hour or so after my water broke were probably the most "fun." I managed to maintain my own calm, and so I was really able to enjoy watching Mombi and my sister and her partner all running around and pulling everything together for the trip to the hospital. There were so many smiles and cases of people running around forgetting what they were supposed to be looking for. It was great fun to watch from my waterproofed spot on the couch.

The span of time when Griffin's heart rate dropped during labor was definitely the scariest, despite the drugs that kept me from total awareness. I remember trying to prepare myself for the possibility that we had come so far only to lose him right then. After hearing that steady doplar beat for so many hours, hearing it get slower and slower was terrifying. Twelve hours and one successful birth later, sleeping off the meds in my recovery room, I kept hearing the doplar in my mind. I woke up with a start several times when I thought I heard it slow down.

The moment that was even better than I dreamed it would be was the first time I looked over and saw Mombi holding Griffin. It gives me tears every time I think about it, and it's not hormones talking. We've been together nearly six years, and for at least five of those years I've been imagining what a great mom she'd be and what it would be like to have kids together. Seeing her with our child, and the pure love and joy she was pouring over him, was indescribaby beautiful.

Here's a bonus shot of my mom hanging out with Griffin in the NICU:

Griffin's Birth

2007-04-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

First, I have to give some huge thanks to my amazing wife, to my mom, and to the staff at the hospital. They were all amazing!

Griffin's birth was a bit scary with a few close calls. See the post below when you see a (number) if you want all the details.

The beginning was certainly uneventful. After my water broke and we got to the hospital, we discovered that I was only dialated about a fingertip, which is about half a centimeter. At ten the next morning, with 17 hours or so already elapsed, I was still at the same dilation, even though I was totally effaced. They decided at that point to increase my pitocin, give me some narcotics in my IV to help me relax, and do a catheter drain. The combination worked a bit too well too quickly, and I dilated to 6 over the next half hour. Griffin's heart rate dropped suddenly. (1) After his heart rate was stabilized, I slept for a while while they gradually brought the pitocin back up. I dilated steadily over the next few hours. When it was finally time to push, it took only about ten minutes and 7 contractions or so for him to be born. (2)

Mombi got to hold him a lot and had some great 1:1 bonding time while I was cleaned up. His Apgars were 8 and 9, and he spent the next two hours wide awake and observant as my dad, sister Amy, and sister's partner Shelley arrived to meet him.

Mombi and I are back home at last. Griffin is still in the NICU, due to a mystery infection which necessitates giving him several days of antibiotics. They were prompted to do some lab work on him after they noticed that he tended to squeek or grunt when sleeping soundly, which indicated that he was having a bit of a hard time breathing. He's doing great now, though, and he now looks and acts perfectly healthy apart from a touch of baby jaundice. We're visiting him at the hospital as frequently as possible. It looks like we'll be bringing him home on Sunday if nothing changes.

They don't know what the infection is/was or what caused it, but there are two top theories. The first is that it was related to how long his amniotic sac was ruptured. It was nearly 22 hours from rupture to delivery by my calculations, but possibly longer if it started out as a very small leak. 24 hours is the maximum they'll let you deliver vaginally after it ruptures due to risk of infection. The other possibility is that I had a cold or some other virus/bacterial gunk that I wasn't aware of that was passed to him even though I wasn't showing symptoms. Sheryl's had a bit of chest/throat funk for a couple weeks, so it's possible that I brought something home and gave it to both of them but didn't show symptoms myself.

Would I do it again? Yup! I definitely wouldn't do it at home, though, because I can't imagine how stressful it would have been to not have help at hand when it was needed. I was very glad to have been at a hospital that has a good NICU. I probably wouldn't resist medical assistance with the labor, either, but that would depend a lot on whether or not my water broke before contractions started. That really changed things. I do wish that my own doctor had been available (she was in Central America with her family for Easter) but of course that's nothing that can really be planned for so far in advance!

Here's the Scary Stuff

2007-04-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

Caution: This post contains the more graphic and/or scary details of Griffin's birth experience. It all ended up fine, but I'm sure that many of you may wish to skip this one. I'll post the happy details right after this, but I wanted to post these first so that they won't stay at the top of the blog for long.

(1) At one point during labor, Griffin's heart rate dropped to about a third what it should have been. I was on IV narcotics at that point so I was not entirely lucid, but I remember that the room was suddenly full of medical personnel. As the nurses had me roll from side to side and put an oxygen mask on me, my mom and Mombi hovered at my sides, keeping their hands on me for reassurance. Since I hadn't had an epidural, there was serious concern about what they would do if they had to do an emergency Cesarean. I had to sign papers giving permission for general anesthesia and/or epidural. They gave him an internal monitor at that point. They gave me something to stop my labor, and luckily his heartrate stabilized. Just in case it got bad again, they put in the epidural so that they would not have any delays if it got critical again. I fell asleep for about 45 minutes after that, the first and only steady sleep I had during labor.

(2) When Griffin's head was delivered, the doctor commented that one mystery had been solved. The cord was wrapped around his neck twice, which explained his severely fluctuating heart rate. I ended up with second degree tears and major swelling due to the speed of the delivery during the pushing phase, but I'm still glad that I pushed him out as quickly as I did. At that point, I just wanted him out so that he would be safe!

Firsts: Woo hoo!!

2007-04-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Griffin Alexander arrived into this world at 3 minutes to 3pm on Sunday the 8th of April. He weighs 7lbs even and is 19 inches long.

Momai is doing fine and resting in the hospital while I have come home for the evening to rest, take care of the animals and try to navigate through email, and systems I'm not familar with in order to spread the news.

Sadly I was unable to find the connector cord for the digital camera in order to post the pictures that we have.

I promise as soon as Momai gets home we'll get them posted for you.

Thank you all for your love and support.

~Mombi

Going with the Flow!

2007-04-07T15:49:00.000-07:00

My sister and her girlfriend came over this evening, and we were showing off the nursery and all the cute clothes and stuff when my water broke at around 5:35 PM. Fun! I'm just giggling right now because everyone is all frenzied. We're going to hang around here until my mom gets here, which will take 40 minutes to an hour. That should give Mombi time to review the videos on Babycenter.

:)

Momai, Unplugged!

2007-04-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

Yep, lost the plug this morning. And he's moved way down. Still no regular or hard-core contractions, but we're making sure we have the bags packed and all of that. I know it could still be a couple weeks, but it sure does feel like it's going to be soon!

Introducing... The Nursery!

2007-04-03T05:03:00.000-07:00

I finally got to see the nursery on Sunday night, and it's awesome! It was after dark so I took photos with the "mood lighting." The twinkle lights behind the fabric wall are on a dimmer, so they can be set to glow as gently as we want them.

On the side of the room that you can't really see in the pictures, there's a set of shelves and an antique bed that will be used by guests, or by us if we need to sleep over with Griffin. The bed has a fabulous quilt and matching pillows, done in the same fabrics as the rest of the room. Mombi and my mom really outdid themselves!

I really like the colors, because they're soft enough to work for a baby but bold and fun enough that they'll still work for many years. The whole thing is so versatile! Mom also surprised us with a glider, which is very comfortable, and two floor rockers so that we can have back support while playing with Griffin on the floor. Brilliant!

Yay for Oxygen!

2007-04-01T09:38:00.000-07:00

I think Griffin is starting to drop. How can I tell?

First, let's look at what I have less of:
- Less heartburn. I still need the Pepcid, but I can sleep laying down instead of propped up to 45 degrees.
- Less bladder space. When I'm awake, that translates to a trip to the little ladies' room about once every half hour. When I'm asleep (and therefore horizontal) I can usually sleep for an hour or two before I have to get up & go.
- Less pain on my upper abdomen. He's hanging out in that stressed area less, which makes me very happy.

What do I have more of?
- More stretch marks. Yep, that's right folks. After 37 weeks without a single one visible, I now have about five cute little pink dots on each side of my lower belly. The good news is that they probably won't get much bigger at this late date, so they'll fade quickly. Not that they'd bother me if they hung around, but hey. It's a culture thing, I guess.
- More oxygen! Not a lot more, mind you, but enough to climb a flight of stairs without feeling like I've conquered K2. Of course, I still get overheated by anything more envigorating than reading the user's manual for a diaper pail. But that's a whole 'nother issue.

Finally, I have the paperwork from my OB. She gave me a copy to keep with me at all times so that if I find it time to go to the hospital, I'll be able to give a copy to the L&D nurses immediately. The notes from3/19 say Cx LTC, Post-VTX. The ones from 3/30 say CX LTC - VTX -1. Soft, Posterior. Can any of you L&D nurses confirm what the abbreviations mean? Looks to me like Griffin was at -1 at my last visit.

I also found out at my last appointment that my OB will be out of town M-F this week. I'm not sure where she's going, but she's flying. Since she's got a private practice, not a group, that means that if I were to have Griffin this week, I'd have a stand-in Dr that I haven't met or even heard of. Fun! Not that it will matter that much, I suppose, since most of the time in the hospital is spent with the nurses and my personal support team, but still. I like my OB, and I'd like her to be there.

Stay tuned for the Great Nursery Reveal... It's supposed to be done later today!

Getting Down to It

2007-03-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

I was planning to work until April 13, but I think I'm done. I'll work through Friday, when I have my next OB appointment, and then ask her to clear me for short-term disability so I can go on leave early. I'm just so slow and uncomfortable and brainless that I'm not good for much more around the office than as a conversation piece. Maybe I'll work M/W/F next week. We'll see. The girl they brought in to cover for me is awesome so I'm not worried about that at all. There's no good reason for me to hang around.

Mombi and my mom are planning to have the nursery done this weekend, so Griffin and I will have their permission to do our thing as of Sunday evening. I'll take it!

36 Week Belly, from My Point of View

2007-03-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

Guava Juice and Goldfish Crackers

2007-03-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a while since my last post. Sorry about that, folks. What can I say, I've been busy being pregnant.

Friday was the baby shower at work, and it was fabulous fun. My friends and co-workers were incredibly generous, and as a result we have very little left that we need to get before Griffin arrives. And we have a LOT of thank you cards to write!

From what I can tell, the nursery is really coming along. I think they're planning to finish it next week. Cool!

I had an OB appointment on Monday and my first internal check. He's positioned well, and my cervix was still long and tight. That might be starting to change, though. I've definitely been feeling more Braxton Hicks lately, to the point where it sometimes feels like menstural cramps. I've been feeling him a bit lower the past few days, although not enough to relieve my heartburn. Mombi wants him to hang out with me at least another week and a half, preferably three weeks. I'm hoping for around two more weeks, so I can get my temporary replacement at work fully trained (or close enough) but not have too much extra time to hang around the office after that.

I'm still dealing with major heartburn (thank you, Pepcid, for some sweet relief!) and the pain below my ribs on the right. Pain in that area is apparently a less-common symptom of pre-eclampsia. My OB had me get some bloodwork and an upper abdominal U/S done to check for it, since my blood pressure and protein levels have been fine. The bloodwork came back fine, and I haven't heard on the ultrasound yet. Presumably, it's fine too. Of course, that doesn't help me deal with the pain, since it's still not clear what it is. Ah well. I've also developed some pregnancy carpal tunnel in both wrists, so now I'm wearing double wrist supports, too. Fun!

Griffin is still very active, although now it's more of a shift and push motion than a bouncing kick. I still can't tell what's what in there, apart from the occasional leg-and-butt shape when he's pressed out against one side or the other. I can't tell a foot from an elbow from a hand from a knee, though. Speaking of which, time to go do my kick count for the day. Catch ya later!

Grandma Brenda, Great Grandma Kay, and Aunt Bernie!

2007-03-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

Griffin received gifts in the mail today from Mombi's side of the family! His Aunt Bernie and Great Grandma Kay each sent him handmade quilts, and his Grandma Brenda sent a big box of clothing, receiving blankets, and other goodies. The gifts area all lovely, but we were most thrilled simply by reading "To Griffin with Love from Grandma Brenda" on the tags. Mombi's mom is very conservative, and had indicated that she didn't plan to think of Griffin as her grandchild. So this is a huge turn-around. We're so happy!

He's looking good!

2007-03-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

We had an ultrasound today to check back in on Griffin's choroid plexus cysts. They're totally gone, and he looks very healthy. We couldn't see much since of course it's getting pretty tight in there, but he held still well enough that we did get to see his face a bit, and confirmed that he is absolutely male. He's measuring six days ahead of the average, which is in the 75th percentile at just over 6lbs.

We also got to see him "practice breathing" which was fun. The tech used the setting that they usually use to see blood traveling through the heart and the umbilical cord, and instead focused it on his face. We could see red and blue around his nose as he "breathed" amniotic fluid.

Doin' the Griffin Dance

2007-03-12T17:38:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day. Not for any particular reason, it just felt good. I did a bunch of boring stuff at work, expense reports and so on. I went to the chiropractor after work, and then did some long-delayed grocery shopping.

Through it all, Griffin was rocking and rolling, shifting and squirming. Sometimes I almost forget that the sensations I'm feeling are actually our little boy getting more comfortable or practicing his moves. Other times, I'm so tuned in to him that I can see him in my mind as clearly as if he were out in front of me. And soon... he will be!

Yay for Weekends!

2007-03-10T04:59:00.000-08:00

It's been a doozy of a week. I ended up staying home to rest on Tuesday as well, apart from a trip out to my general practitioner for a possible double ear infection. Turns out my eustacian tubes were inflamed. Just another random side-effect of pregnancy. She gave me a prescription for a nasal spray that seems to be helping. We'll see.

Wednesday it was back to work and back to the chaos, since there was a LOT of stuff waiting for me. The rest of the week was a blur.

So what am I doing this weekend? Absolutely nothing, if I can help it. I spent too much time reved up last weekend, and it spelled bad news for me. So this weekend I'm determined to stay calm, rest a lot, and not look for "projects" to do. I'm going to concentrate on staying rested and staying hydrated. Everything else can take care of itself for now!

Will I manage to stick to my non-plans? We'll see...

33.5 Week Appointment, and Lots of Parenthesis.

2007-03-05T12:01:00.000-08:00

I had an OB appointment this morning, and things are still looking very good. My growth is right on track at 34 cm (that's height of fundus, not his length!) and Griffin's heart rate was 153 bpm. I have an appointment next week to have a follow-up ultrasound to see if the choroid plexus cysts are still there, so it looks like we'll have one more look at the kid before he arrives after all. Hopefully the scan will show a very healthy (if slightly constricted) little boy.

They also had me go over to the hospital (across the parking lot) to have blood drawn to check my thyroid levels again. I'd been slightly hypo at one point during TTC, and it was never re-checked after I stopped the meds. It was such a fiasco. There was some sort of major language barrier issue going on with someone who was trying to register for a procedure that they couldn't pay for and didn't need immediately, and there was only one person doing outpatient registration. So it took about an hour to get registered. Then I had to sit for another half an hour before the two (!) women who were doing all the blood draws for the entire hospital showed up at the outpatient lab. After an hour and a half of waiting, the draw took about two minutes. At least I also got to pre-register for L&D at the same time.

Anyway, by the time I was leaving there I was overheated and hungry and my back was killing me from their waiting room chairs, and on top of being hormonal and tired from not sleeping well last night, I was a mess. Something about me standing there crying convinced my co-workers and my boss that I wasn't having a good day. I made it almost exactly an hour at work before they sent me home. So now it's 2:00PM, I've just had lunch, I'm in my sweats, and I'm heading to bed. Thank goodness for sympathetic friends at work! Next time I need to just listen to Mombi in the first place when she tells me I shouldn't go to work. She totally called it this morning, but I resisted because I had stuff to do. Some day I'll learn.

Having fun!

2007-03-04T15:29:00.000-08:00

What a busy weekend. Well, not for me, I didn't do much other than sort out the junk boxes that have been collecting random stuff under the bathroom sinks for a few years. No, it wasn't nesting. Not yet. My mom came over this weekend to work on Griffin's room with Mombi, and she brought along a book on organizating techniques for ADD people. I read it cover to cover over two days, and thought of a lot of things I could do around the house to make it easier to keep up with the clutter, and decided that the bathrooms were as good a place as any to start.

Also, the "Fabulous Christmas Gift" from my parents that I alluded to so long ago is finally complete. I haven't taken pictures to post yet, but as I type this, I can hear the new WASHER AND DRYER doing their thing. Woo hoo! Mom & Dad brought the washer over a couple weekends ago, but we had only run it once since we didn't have a dryer yet. They came over yesterday to install the dryer. THANK YOU MOM & DAD!!!

This is huge. Our apartment complex has several laundry rooms, and the nearest one is only 30 yards or so down the sidewalk, but that's an insurmountable distance when you're pregnant or have back issues, so we've been really struggling to get laundry done for several months now. That's compounded by the fact that vandals have been messing with the machines lately, so half the time they're not available anyway.

Without the new machines from Mom & Dad, we definitely would have had to re-think the cloth diapering plans, at least for the first few months. Instead, we can now enjoy a fabulous high-capacity front-loader and a huge dryer. They aren't top of the line or anything, and the dryer is used, but they're absolute heaven to us. We had a stackable in our last apartment (provided by the complex) and we got spoiled by it, but these are in a whole new class. And let me tell you, the state of our bedroom floor is much improved already!

Griffin has been very active this weekend, and has been creating some very impressive belly contortions as he stretches and rolls. I'm starting to really feel like I have a big pregnancy belly. I've had a little one for a long time, but over the past few weeks I think I've crossed the divide from "you definitely look pregnant now" to "so how many weeks left?"

My abs have given up.

2007-03-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

Ouch. My body is definitely starting to strain outward to find extra space. I've got a constant burn just below my ribs. It feels hot and tingly, like I have a pulled muscle. The entire area below my belly button just plain aches. My pelvic floor feels like I accidentally did the splits. And my pelvis is getting loose, so my hips are sore, too. It takes me at least twice as long to walk anywhere, which really slows me down around the office.

Moving in general has become more of a challenge in the past week. I counted last night, and it takes me 8-10 separate motions to roll from my right side to my left (or the other direction) not counting the rearrangement of various pillows and supports. Even getting in and out of the car is a challenge. And I'm only at 33 weeks!

Being pregnant is lots of fun, and I'm totally enjoying the experience, but it sure isn't comfortable. Thankfully, I have my amazing partner to support me. She encourages me to do what I can, keeps me from doing what I don't need to do, and supports me when I get physically and mentally exhausted from trying to do too much. She really is amazing. I feel bad sometimes when I let it show that I've become upset or irritated by some little thing, like dishes on the counter or whatever, when I know that she's doing so much for me and for us already.

I try to tell her often just how much I appreciate everything, but I can't imagine how hard it must be for her to stay positive when hormones and fatigue get the better of me, and there's nothing she can do to help but bring me treats and encourage me to sleep. Still, what she does do means the world to me. She knows what I need before I do. She knows exactly where I need to be massaged, she knows when I need to eat something, she knows when to prompt me to sleep. She's absolutely the best.

The Nursery Adventure

2007-02-26T09:49:00.000-08:00

Well, it's officially begun: the big push to finish Griffin's room before he arrives. As you may or may not know, the nursery is being kept a surprise from me. Mombi has taken it on as her special project, and I won't get to see it until it's done. My Mom came over yesterday, and she and Mombi spent several hours in Griffin's room planning things out. Then, they went shopping. They both seem very excited about it, and I can't wait to see what they're up to!

Stage 1, apparently, is to weatherproof our small back porch as much as possible, so that Mombi can work out there. I also know that there will be a significant amount of sanding involved, as well as some painting. Other than that, the only other clue I have is that it's "something I would never expect." Based on that, I did find it necessary to confirm that they haven't decided to switch the theme to Nascar. Thankfully, no. I'll keep you posted of any new developments!

On Heartburn

2007-02-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

Heartburn, how I loathe you, nightly,
when you make me sleep, uprightly.

Slowing Down

2007-02-22T18:03:00.000-08:00

Ugh. Today, the question from everyone was "Are you feeling OK?"

With exactly 8 weeks until my due date, I'm starting to move slower, and more carefully. My bladder requires special coddling in order to get from place to place without staging a demonstration. My pelvic floor is aching. Heartburn makes breathing uncomfortable. Overheating is inevitable. And my left foot has started rubbing against the top of my most comfortable shoes, so I'm limping a bit.

Other than all that, though, I feel great! I just love thinking about what's coming, and every twinge and ache reminds me of the amazingness that's happening inside. Add to that how incredible Mombi is, and how much I'm enjoying the extra closeness that this experience has brought us. She's been unfailingly supportive and positive, and we're having a blast imagining life with Griffin.

Time goes weird again

2007-02-19T19:21:00.000-08:00

Just when I think that things are moving quickly again, I realize for the umpteenth time just how long we still have to go. Last night I actually dreamt that I was ready to give birth and then realized that I still had to wait two months. And that's exactly how it feels. I feel big, Griffin feels strong, and psychologically I think that all three of us are ready. I have to consciously remind myself that I really don't want him to come this early, that it would be a hard time for all of us.

There's still much to do. The invite went out at work today for my shower, and get this... there are 40 people invited so far, and it's still growing! The person who is organizing it had to choose the date based partially on when she could get the largest training room in the building. I feel so special!!! I had a hunch that it was going to be big last week when she asked me to add to my registry, but I'm totally in awe. I gave her all the details for the cloth diapering stuff we want, in case people want to pool funds to get some for us. How cool would that be? Luckily I was included on the meeting invite, so I don't have to pretend not to know about it. And it's long enough away that I'll have a couple weekends to clean out the car!

I also still have to get everything set for the temp who will be handling my job while I'm out on leave. I've scheduled myself for an hour per day T/W/Th from now until she starts working with me in mid-March, so that I can get things all organized and written out. I've also started saying "no" to extra projects that I know will take a lot of time and may extend beyond when I have to leave. So on that level, I guess I'm finally thinking in terms of it being a short period of time until Griffin comes.

It reminds me a lot of moving to a new home. There's only so much you can do ahead of time, and there's the rush at the end that you know is coming but there's nothing you can do to spread it out or prepare ahead of time. For us, the true rush will start after the shower is done. Until then, it's a matter of staying as comfortable as possible, being patient, and finding as many positive distractions as possible!

When I start thinking that I still have a long long time to wait, I just think of all my internet friends and their new babies. The little ones are all so old already! When I remember that, I realize that there's really no time at all between now and then.

But then I think, "what if I'm a couple weeks late?" And on and on it goes, until I either fall asleep, get hungry, or find myself distracted by the rapid and impressive distortions of my abdomen.

Too good not to share.

2007-02-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

There are some great web sites out there for parents. Here's one of my favorites: http://www.parenthacks.com/ There are reviews of particularly good products, but the majority of the site is actually suggestions sent in by parents for ways to do things easier or better, with comments from other parents. I just visited it for the first time in a while, and read that breast milk is a very good cure for eye infections. Who knew? What a great website.

What parenting sites do you really like?

In other random web news, we are now registered at Target and Babys R Us. If you know my legal name or Mombi's, you can look us up. If you don't know our true names but are longing to buy us something, let us know. We're nowhere near as stocked as some of our internet friends (we haven't even been inside a baby store since we got pregnant) but due to some very generous gifts from friends and family, we already have much of what we need.

So Much Love!

2007-02-14T04:31:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken a few years ago, when Mombi worked at a daycare in Denver. She had some crazy dreads at the time, so for "silly hair day" on Valentine's day, she tucked them under this black wig and a shocking pink bandana. She bucked the system and their "no hats" policy daily with her crazy bandanas. (I think she had every style they sold at the local craft store!) The kids absolutely loved her. This is one of my favorite pictures of her, because it shows her phenomenal smile and goofy sense of humor.

I try to express daily to Mombi just how much I love and adore her. I talk about her so much at work that when she stops by the lobby of my office building to meet me for something, people entering/exiting recognize her from the photo on my desk (not this one), address her by name, and ask how she's doing. She's my best friend and the greatest romance I've ever had. She has an amazing sense of humor and comic timing. (We laugh together a lot!) I love the way her mind puts things together in unexpected ways. She's constantly doing sweet things for me. She has a great smile, gorgeous eyes, and naturally perfect eyebrows. She's a great storyteller. She's amazing with kids. Heck, she's amazing with adults.

I could go on for much much longer, but I'm sure that we'll all have an overdose of "love blogs" today. So I'll just say that (as my little sister puts it) I get all warm and squishy inside when I think about the fact that next year it will be all three of us together for Valentine's Day.

I love you, Mombi!!!

.75 is a Huge Number

2007-02-09T10:13:00.000-08:00

Wow, we're 3/4 of the way through this pregnancy! It's really amazing to realize how quickly the time has gone by.

This morning I was woken at 3:30 by my cat flopping down in the hammock made by my belly and my body pillow, and Griffin promptly attempting to kick her back off again. The cat, of course, was not disturbed in the least, so it was up to me to shift her once it got uncomfortable. That adventure over, I stayed awake for another hour or so, just playing with Griffin and trying to find a comfortable position.

It struck me all at once that I soon won't have him thumping and poking and wiggling and tickling inside me any more, and it made me rather sad. Not sad enough to wish he'd stay in there longer, mind you, but prematurely remeniscent none the less.

Full Body Pregnancy Simulator (with storage case)

2007-02-07T16:00:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder how L&D nurses and OBs get their first practice? I stumbled across this product while looking for images of fetal location during development.

Check it out: Life Simulation Model

Tracking Time

2007-02-07T15:28:00.000-08:00

Time keeps slipping by. It's so stealthy these days that I only really notice it when I realize that a couple of days have gone by since my last blog post. Part of the reason for this, I'm sure, is that there isn't a whole lot going on. Yesterday's big adventure was that I finally broke down and took my flex spending card to CVS and bought a good humidifier. Our apartment's air has been so dry lately that Mombi and I both have ridiculously dry skin, and we zap the animals any time we try to pet them. Not so good, especially when you consider that babies are extra-prone to dry skin anyway. So, I went out and got this:

It's a Vicks V4500 Filterless Humidifier. I was going to get a warm mist humidifier because of the bacteria/filter factor associated with the cool mist ones, but then I found this one at the store. It's so fabulously sturdy that I'm not worried about us crunching it in the middle of the night and causing an electrical problem, like I would be with the typical warm mist version. And it only requires the occasional rinse with vinegar and then bleach to keep it nice and clean. We've had it going since last night, and even after just a few hours the air in the apartment already felt much better. Eventually when we get back to a decent humidity level, we can start using the humidistat feature to monitor the moisture in the air. For now, though, we just know we need MORE!

The Power of Suggestion

2007-02-05T02:28:00.000-08:00

I dreamt that I fell asleep while reading a book about giving birth naturally without discomfort. In my dream I realized that I could feel griffin's head way down in my abdomen, and that I could actually feel his little ears quite perfectly through my skin. It was amazing! So I played with his (very cute) ears for a while, just rubbing them and talking to him, and eventually I woke up, or so I thought. My mind messes with me this way quite often when I'm sleeping, but I never manage to catch on while it's happening.

So I was laying there, still dreaming but thinking I was awake, thinking how sad it was that I couldn't actually feel him, that it had clearly just been a dream, when I reached down and discovered that (wow!) I really could feel him! I realized then, though, that I'd never felt him nearly so low, and started to wonder if perhaps I was going to have a very early baby. After massaging his ears for a while to reassure him that we'd both be fine and that we should relax and let things happen, I decided to get up and go to the bathroom.

I stood up and found that I was leaking fluid. Luckily my Mom and a random female cousin/aunt who doesn't really exist were standing in the hallway outside my room. Now at this point, a truly conscious me would probably stop in her tracks and wonder why I was in my childhood home, and who this other female was. But in my dream (since I clearly was still dreaming) I thought nothing of it.

I walked over to them, and calmly told my mom that I thought that I might be having an early baby. She calmly said something like "oh shit, and with company here" and suggested that I should go into the bathroom and check to see if it really was amniotic fluid. In order to get into the bathroom, I had to unplug a cord that they had just rigged across the hallway in order to blow cold night air in to where the aunt/cousin was staying. This, of course, because in that house when I was younger we did not have air conditioning. It was installed just before we left Michigan and moved to TN.

Anyway, I went into the bathroom, and discovered that yes, indeed, he was coming down already and my water had broken. I was surprised, of course, but very calm, and attributed it all to the relaxed anticipation that I was feeling as a result of the book on birthing in comfort. I thought to myself that the power of suggestion truly was very strong, and woke up (this time for real) feeling very happy and secure.

No, I can't massage Griffin's ears. But I'm looking forward to the day when I can. For now, I'm going to make myself a cheese sandwich and go back to bed.

29 Week Appointment

2007-02-03T00:18:00.000-08:00

I had an appointment with my OB this morning (yesterday morning, technically,) and things look great. My glucose test came back with a score of 73mg/dL, which I'm told is awesome, and my blood pressure/heart rate remain nice and low and steady, so it looks like I'm doing well. I also got the OK to add Pepcid AC to my nightly routine to help out with the acid reflux problems, and I've got the "certificate of medical necessity" so that I can get a prenatal massage. I'm scheduled for 75 minutes on Saturday, and I can't wait!

Griffin is also doing well, with a heart rate of 147. He's currently head down, and the tickling I've been feeling in my very low middle abdomen has been "diagnosed" as him snuggling in with his head. What I'm feeling are his ears and nose as he wiggles his head back and forth. Based on that, I can now also identify which sensations are most likely his hands, and which are his knees and feet.

Mombi, of course, is phenomenal. Her birthday was on the 31st, and we'll be celebrating it on Saturday by going out to eat with my parents. We're also getting an AWESOME gift from them, which will have its own post later!

What it's all about

2007-01-31T17:31:00.000-08:00

Check out this kid I found on You Tube!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-uZN6LxIm8

I felt like looking at happy babies, so I headed over to You Tube to do some browsing. I came across this video of a seven-day-old, and thought it well worth sharing. What a cute baby! There's so much to look forward to.

Aargh! My BAAAACK!!!!

2007-01-31T06:51:00.000-08:00

I go to the chiropractor once every other week and they help a lot, but my back is still killing me. I got my 2007 flex spending debit card in the mail yesterday, though, and let me tell you, I'm heading to the spa for a prenatal massage as soon as I get it cleared with my OB! My ribs have stretched out to the point that they're starting to ache on the sides, not just where they meet my spine. My shoulder blades are lifted off my back by knotted muscles, my hips are aching, and if it weren't for the fact that I'm having a great time being pregnant, I might give in to the urge to complain about it all.

Just hanging out.

2007-01-29T16:39:00.000-08:00

Not much to report these days. This weekend I caught up on laundry over at my parents' place. I read a book. I'm reading another. We're waiting for the pizza delivery guy to get here.

Pining for the Craftmatic

2007-01-25T07:48:00.000-08:00

OK, this looks a bit too propped up:

You know the commercial for the craftmatic adjustable bed, where the top and bottom fold up and back so quickly that you get pains just watching it? There are times when one of those beds actually starts to look like a good idea. I've had so much trouble with heartburn and acid lately that once every couple days I'll be woken up by a coughing fit resulting from hiccuping something toxic in my sleep. Only two things seem to help: lots of Rolaids, and propping myself up on lots of pillows so that my head, knees and right side are all elevated. I sleep like that for a few hours, but then it all gets pulled apart when I want to roll onto my right side for a while, and I'm back where I started. On the plus side, I can rationalize that I probably had to wake up to use the bathroom, anyway, so it's no big deal to make the nest again while I'm up.

Advice from Mom

2007-01-25T04:34:00.000-08:00

As a mother of four, my mom has been an incredible resource for me during my pregnancy. She's going to be at the delivery as our "doula" to support Mombi and me. As a woman who gave birth naturally four times and descibes it as "fascinating," she's exactly the sort of person I want to have around.

Yesteday I mentioned to her that I'll have my glucose test this afternoon. Her response? "Don't drink a chocolate shake on the way there; they'll make you come back later." She didn't say which of us she did that with, but I thought it was cool that she mentioned it just in case. She's been there, done that, and is ready to save me the extra trip. Thanks, mom!

A Good Day

2007-01-24T17:33:00.000-08:00

Today was a good day. Not for any particular event or occasion, but just because it felt good. Sometimes it's nice to be reminded that all of the amazing things that are happening inside me are just that... amazing. Griffin spent most of the day popping popcorn (or something that feels just like that) in my lower belly. He played during my meetings, he played while I was working at the computer. He's bouncing around right now. He's so cool.

Randomness

2007-01-23T16:08:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I had a totally random and disjointed post, so I suppose I'm due for one.

My belly is starting to get sore. It just plain aches. Even when Griffin isn't kickboxing, it just feels like it's heavier than it was, even though it doesn't seem to be getting much bigger lately. My back is keeping my belly company in its discomfort. When I got to the second trimester and started feeling so much better, I focussed on how it was supposed to be the most comfortable trimester, but I overlooked the fact that that meant the third trimester would probably be significantly less comfortable. I'm grunting and groaning even more than previously. Mombi actually brought out a walking stick to help me pry myself off the couch whenever I need to get up.

OK, enough with the complaining for a while. There's so much fun stuff going on, and I'd much rather think about that! People are starting to ask where we're registered and when I plan to stop working. People grin at me (us) wherever we go. I've probably found every reflective vertical surface around my office, and I can't help scoping out my belly in each of them as I pass by. Friends are offering their old baby gear, and it's actually close enough to time that we can accept.

Best of all, it's only 3 months from now that I'll be able to see Mombi holding Griffin. Have I ever told you how amazing she is with kids? Ever since I can remember, I've been awed and teary-eyed whenever I've had the chance to see her interact with kids. She just has a way with them. They gravitate to her. She is going to be such an amazing mom! Not only is she lots of fun, but she manages to include learning in all the games she makes up when playing with them. It's going to be incredible watching them together. Heck, it's already fun! When she plays with him and talks to him in my belly, I can't help but giggle and grin. Griffin likes it, too!

The Shiatsu Kid (edited for clarity)

2007-01-19T13:15:00.000-08:00

I think Griffin might actually be one of these...

It's one of those "kneeding fingers" neck massagers. I swear there's one in my abdomen trying to get out!

27 Weeks Down! One Trimester to Go!

2007-01-19T04:45:00.000-08:00

Wow, here we are already. Looking pregnant, feeling pregnant... Griffin moves around so often that he already seems like a fully grown baby that's just hanging out and staying cozy. Although, of course, I suppose he can't be that cozy if he keeps trying to expand his living room out in each direction.

There hasn't been much to report on lately. I've been feeling a little bit of woozy in the mornings again, but I've discovered that the cranberry apple tea at work that used to be so ridiculously tart is now perfect with just the tiniest bit of sugar, and it seems to put the woozies to rest by 9 each morning. I'm finally wearing full belly maternity jeans, and they feel SOOOO good! Unfortunately I only have one pair that fits, but luckily I have a LOT of different shirts to wear with them.

Mombi remains incredible. I've been having a big sob fest once every week or two, usually when I run out of energy too early in the day and come home grumpy from work. She rubs my back and holds me and lets me get snot all over her, and eventually we are laughing together again. I ask you: If that isn't the definition of a great marriage, what is?

We're still fiddling around a bit with our registry on Target (Shame on BabyCenter for taking theirs away right when I wanted it!) although I think the important stuff is all on there now. We still need more diapers, of course, and the basic feeding and maintenance stuff, but the big one for us is this:

We love that the bassinet comes out and sits on its own stand (which can be either stationary or rocking). It's perfect for moving around the house with us, and we're not planning to have a separate changing table other than the one that is part of this play yard. And, of course, it's darned cute!

Snow! Somewhere else!

2007-01-16T15:51:00.000-08:00

Everyone had such pretty snow pictures to post today, but we had no snow here, and it's dark out now. Still, I hate to miss the opportunity for a theme post, so here's a photo of the current view from our porch:

That's a four second exposure so you could see something other than a black rectangle. The blur is from the wind. It's COLD out there!

Sometimes a Gal's Got to Sculpt

2007-01-14T18:02:00.000-08:00

I've been on a creativity kick the past week or so, and thought I'd share what I've been up to. First, I decided that I wanted a meditation focus for during labor. I have a small metal goddess figure that Mombi bought me a year or so ago that I've been carrying around with me, and I'll definitely have that with me at the hospital, but I also wanted something made especially for the occasion. So, I made myself a happy budda baby. I'm hoping that holding the baby gently during labor will help me to relax and release Griffin into the world. I still need to clean it up a bit, and carve in the toenails, etc. I may also decide to add some sort of pattern or texture on his clothes, I'm not sure yet.

Once I had the little budda ready to go, I decided to make Griffin some belly puppets. The duckies were cute, but just not very personal. So I thought about what a 6 month old fetus might like to play with, and decided that I'd make representations of the family that's waiting for him on the outside. So here we are! The cat is Basil, and the dog's name is Orange (full name Orange Nehi). Mombi's the one with the backwards cap (it's a black leather Harley biker cap,) and I'm the one with the blue shirt and short hair. I'm really bad at doing cartoon-ish people, and I definitely can't do realistic animals, so that's why we ended up without faces. Mombi says we look like pez dispensers. As soon as I figure out the best way to attach their bases to a belly band, I'll post some footage of Griffin playing wth them.

Time

2007-01-13T14:56:00.000-08:00

When time can simultaneously pass so quickly yet so slowly, it's difficult to believe that it is a constant thing that can be monitored by something as simple as a clock.

Imagining how the next three months will pass is even more of a stretch.

Online friends I remember as TTC are now having their babies... time passes so fast!

I'm only 2/3 of the way through my pregnancy... time passes so slowly.

I only have three months to go... time passes so quickly!

Dreaming with Deadlines

2007-01-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

"Realistic" dreams while pregnant crack me up. There I'll be chatting to someone or other, and my dream self will feel the need to tell them that I'm X weeks pregnant. Then I'll gesture down to my belly, which is flawlessly sized exactly as my physical one is currently. Or, someone will try to plan to do something with me for late April. "Sorry," I'll say in my dream, "but Griffin's due on the 19th so I'd be surprised if I am able to make it to that."

Lest you determine that I have a very literal mind, the same subconscious produces dreams in which I try to fit a cloth diaper on a little Griffin the size of a peanut.

100 posts. 100 days to go!

2007-01-09T09:45:00.000-08:00

This is post #101 on our blog, and we have 100 days to go until Griffin's EDD. Wow!

It really is amazing. What is? Heck, all of it! The whole crazy concept. Conception, fetal development, labor, birth, raising a child. All the options and choices that are part of preparation for a new baby. And somehow it all manages to seem totally normal most of the time.

Today my ticker says "brain waves will start in the next few days." Holy cow! Our kid will have his very own brain waves! How does this happen? What triggers it to start? Does that mean that he'll now start deciding where/when/whether to kick/punch/head butt/barrel roll? My own feeble brain waves are stunned by the contemplation of all that's happening in our kid's world right now.

Random illness at work

2007-01-08T09:51:00.000-08:00

Well, I guess it had to happen eventually. I got to use my trash can for something other than office trash.

I don't know what happened. I felt fine when I got to work, but a couple minutes after I sat down I suddenly felt queasy, then all hot and flushed. It got so bad that I was actually down on the floor on my elbows and knees to help my circulation, because I couldn't bend over enough to get my head between my knees while sitting. I eventually recovered enough to make it down the hall to the break room to get some ice, which helped a lot. I sipped on some organic pear juice when I got back to my desk, and chalked it all up to a random drop in blood pressure. Maybe Griffin was hanging around on my vena cava. Who knows?

15 minutes later I was feeling much better, and decided to try some food. I'd brought some Coconut Ginger Thai noodles and some Zatarains red beans and rice. (Yeah, I know, random. But since I have two small lunches instead of one big one, why not mix it up?) Anyway, I chose the Zatarains. 1/3 of the way through, I suddenly felt full-blown nausea. Luckily, my trash can was handy and had a fresh liner in it.

I still don't know what happened. Maybe it was blood pressure, or maybe the tiny bit of fruit cake I decided to try this morning before I left for work reacted with the Rolaids I took when I got to my desk. Or maybe it was just a random hormone thing. If it happens again, I'll call the doctor. Otherwise, I'll just chalk it up to one more strange pregnancy phehomenon.

Grocery Shopping While Pregnant

2007-01-07T15:15:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had the experience of being in line at a grocery store, and looking at the purchases of the person ahead of you in line, and thinking "Huh, I had no idea you could buy that here." I'd guess that the average person only really sees 1/4 to 1/2 of the items in the store. We skip entire sections, and don't even glance at the stuff that doesn't look familiar.

When you're pregnant and grocery shopping, and even more so when you're hungry at the time, you end up buying someone else's cart of food. Things end up in there that you never would have seen or thought to buy otherwise. An example: Last night for dinner I had apple gorgonzola pizza. No kidding. And where did I find such a crazy thing? In the frozen pizza section of the local Kroger. For those of you out west, that's King Sooper. It was even the store brand, "Private Selections." I was supposed to get frozen pizza for dinner. Of all the options, the only one that looked really good was apple gorgonzola.

Mombi elected to have something else.

25 Week Appointment

2007-01-05T09:23:00.000-08:00

I had my monthly appointment with the OB this morning, and everything is looking good. My bloodpressure is great, and my uterus is growing right on target. Griffin's heartrate is 143bpm, and once again he entertained us by kicking the doplar.

I also had a fun conversation with the RN about cloth diapers. She had no idea that they still existed, and was very intrigued when I was telling her about how far they've come. She told me about how much she loved using cloth for her two boys (who are now in their late 30's) and how much healthier she thinks they are for babies. I've decided to bring one of my bumGenius diapers to my next appointment to show her.

The only news I wasn't thrilled with was that I managed to gain another 10 lbs this month. I'm not surprised, since I haven't been making any effort to curb my intake, but it was still disconcerting to see the scale read over 200 lbs for the first time in my life. Dr. P said that as long as I don't gain more than another 20 or so, she'll be satisfied. Which is cool with me, since I had no intentions to try to hold my weight down during this pregnancy, anyway.

So what's next? Well, I have a glucose test in three weeks, and my next OB appointment in four. After that I'm guessing that we'll be switching to a two week schedule for check-ups. Fun fun!

I love being pregnant.

2007-01-04T09:33:00.000-08:00

Today I'm 25 weeks pregnant.

OK, so it can be uncomfortable and sometimes I'm a total wreck, but overall it's a fabulous experience being in Month 6.

The parts I could most do without:
1. Comments on what I'm eating. Yes, it's cold pizza for breakfast. So?
2. Comments on my expanding hips/thighs/nose/cheeks/etc. Yes, I've noticed it too.
3. Karate chops to the bladder. No less painful than a fierce bellybutton poke from the outside, an with much worse consequences.
4. Crushed digestive system. There's a reason it's the size and shape that it usually is, not mashed as it is now. And it's only going to get tighter in there.
5. Cycle back to #1 on this list, and you now have an answer to that question.

The parts I like the best:
1. The closeness and joy it brings to Mombi and me.
2. The little flutters that remind me that we're about to finally have a baby.
3. Catching people checking out my belly.
4. Being able to pick out a fabulous outfit for $10, even if it's WAY too small for me.

Griffin says Happy Holidays!

2007-01-01T07:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a video of griffin playing with the duckies he got for Christmas!

Griffin's first puppet show.

First Tour of L&D

2006-12-30T09:03:00.000-08:00

I was at the hospital this morning for a standard blood draw, and decided to wander through the Labor & Delivery area. The nurses on duty were fabulous. One of them gave me a short tour and a stack of information about their policies, and everything looks good. The nurse was a bit confused when I asked her how they deal with excessive volume. I'm sure I'll be vocalizing quite a bit! I have no intention to curb it for their sakes, so I just hope they'll take it gracefully.

:)

How ya doing?

2006-12-29T04:52:00.000-08:00

It's an innocuous enough question, one that Americans give each other every day of the year. The expected reply is generally something to the effect of "great, how are you?"

This doesn't work so well when you're pregnant. And it's a question that pregnant (particularly showing) women hear often. OK, constantly. I must have had 10-15 different people yesterday pass me in the hall at work and as how I was feeling, how I was doing, how I'd been lately... all of them women, and all of them clearly referring to my ever-growing baby boy belly bump.

Now I appreciate that they want to acknowledge my pregnancy and say hello, but this does create a bit of an awkward situation. When you both know that what they really mean is "How are you doing with your pregnancy?" it just doesn't sound right to answer "Great, how are you?"

Nerves

2006-12-26T16:06:00.000-08:00

I've never been worried about the pain aspect, since I have a high pain tolerance. But I've decided that it's time to acknowledge that yes, indeed, there are parts of giving birth that cause me concern. There are two things about giving birth that make me nervous and worried:

Tension. I've never been good at relaxing my body. Mombi can make me go totally limp just by rubbing the bridge of my nose, though, so hopefully together we can manage to stay relaxed and loose.

Stamina. I'm afraid I'll get tired out and not be able to finish. What if I get tired out and just can't push?

I'm shifting into preparation mode now so I can be ready then. I'm reading the book "Birthing from Within" and it has a lot of great information in it on how to relax. I'm also starting to swim more frequently, which will hopefully help me to build up my core muscles, which will help with strength/stamina.

About Weirdness

2006-12-22T20:16:00.000-08:00

Meg asked me to post some more detail about the various weirdnesses of being pregnant. In no particular order, here are a few of the weirdnesses I've experienced. I've skipped the basic stuff that everyone knows about, like having to pee every 15 minutes.

Please, feel free to add your own in the comments section.

1. Feeling the baby moving. People describe it as feeling like butterfly flutters or gas bubbles. To me, it definitely feels more like muscle twitches. Have you ever had a twitch in your eyelid or some other muscle that was tired out? Imagine that sensation in your lower abdomen, and that's pretty much exactly how it feels, especially for the first few weeks that you can feel it. Griffin is now starting to pack a bit more punch, but most of his little motions still feel like that. Now, though, he's starting to direct his little spasms down at my bladder or up at my diaphram, so that's a whole new level of weirdness to consider.

2. Twinges. Everywhere. And according to Mombi, I make some pretty interesting faces.

3. Emotions. I've done my fair share of dealing with depression, ADD, etc. But this random crying stuff, especially when I can't even find a negative trigger as a source, is downright kooky. Luckily, Mombi has a good sense of humor about it and she usually monologues on the importance of releasing toxins until either I run out of steam and pull myself together, or she convinces me to let her turn on a Harry Potter audio book and tuck me in for a nap. (Random fact: we've fallen asleep to Harry Potter nearly every night for the past 2+ years. I have a feeling that, at birth, Griffin will recognize three voices. Mine, Mombi's, and Jim Dale's.)

4. Stretching. Before becoming pregnant, I thought of it as being a bit like being a Transformer (TM). My body is designed to do this, right? So like a Transformer, I figured that some parts would flip up, some would flip down, some would pop out, and voila, the space would be there. Not so. Yes, things stretch and/or shift. But only when they have to. "Have to" means that there's something pushing on them too hard for them to resist. For example, I am now dealing with a back that hurts precisely where my floating ribs connect to my spine. They are floating higher and wider day by day, which means that all the connections have to shift. Similar events are occuring in my hips and among my internal organs. My abdominal musles are even starting to separate down the front of my belly. You've seen those drawings of where your organs go when you're pregnant? Honey, it's one thing to see the picture as a passive audience. Once you're experiencing it, those pictures get pretty scary. Looking at photos of beautiful full-term bellies? Terrifying!

5. Intense ambivalance. Sometimes, every food you hear mentioned sounds perfect. Other times, the name of the food sounds great, but when you think about it, you really have no interest in eating it. Other foods you can't stand the thought of, and then crave intensely as soon as they are no longer available. And it often seems that the hungrier you are, the more you hate the idea of food because you just know that it'll be impossible to be satisfied.

6. Dreams. See previous posts.

7. Society. Am I the only one who finds it odd when Co-workers call me Mommy or call me by my kid's name while looking at my belly? It doesn't bother me, but still, it's definitely in the "weirdness" category.

8. Time. It's worse than the week before a big vacation. Time goes so quickly, and so slowly. There's so much to think about and do, and yet there's nothing new to think about after a while, and not much you are "allowed" do.

All done!

2006-12-19T18:09:00.000-08:00

Well, my Solstice gifts for Mombi are all wrapped and under the Christmas tree. Now comes the hard part... trying to resist inviting her to open them right away! I'll be fairly free of temptation until she gets hers for me wrapped, but after that we're doomed!

Summary

2006-12-19T06:23:00.000-08:00

Being pregnant feels weirder than I ever could have imagined.

What a Great Weekend

2006-12-17T18:25:00.000-08:00

I had such a fun weekend. I did a bunch of really fun holiday shopping, we finally got our tree up, my energy level is up and my emotional state is stable. I even finally got the haircut I've been needing for three months now. This is shaping up to be a great holiday week! I'll be working for the next two days, and then I'll have two days off to celebrate the solstice with Mombi. Then one more day at work, and three more off!

My family will be celebrating Christmas at my parents' house this coming Saturday, and that's always a lot of fun. My family all gets along very well, and we have a great time together. This year should be no exception. So far all the traditions have been adhered to. My mom has already declaired that this is the year that there will be less under the tree (she tends to go overboard,) and everyone will be in town, with the exception of my sister Amy's significant other.

The only tradition that won't be happening this year is that we won't all be spending the night at my parents' place the night before, since there won't be enough beds for all of us this year. That's fine, though, because it means we can leave the dog home and she won't be in the way while we're making a mess in the living room. It also means that I won't have to haul all my pillows over there. They'd fill up the trunk of our car, and we wouldn't have room for presents!

Griffin is now easily felt from the outside, so I have a feeling that some of the family (particularly my sister Amy) will be spending a lot of time communing with the kiddo. Which is fine with me! I totally get a kick out of it. Pun not intended, but I do love feeling it from the inside when Griffin kicks and it makes people giggle or grin. And I'm all about providing entertainment when I don't have to do anything other than lean back and relax.

He has a name!

2006-12-14T17:22:00.000-08:00

We're delighted to announce that we've settled on a name for Skippy. Our little boy will enter the world as Griffin Alexander. We had a different name in mind, but we spotted the name "Griffin" on a kid's drawing while we were waiting to vote at an elementary school, and discovered that we both really liked the name. It took a while to find the right middle name to go with it, but we really like the result. It's a name that could sound equally appropriate for a business man or a hippie nature boy, or anyone inbetween.

So yeah, Griffin has a name. He also has a nice large home that rests directly on my bladder. Kegels don't seem to be helping at all. And I'm not even five months pregnant yet! I'm in such trouble. Any advice on how to keep things under control?

Getting a Nice Stretch

2006-12-12T09:35:00.000-08:00

Life is good. There really isn't much to report on the pregnancy front, but we're having fun anticipating having a little baby boy in the house. It's all so exciting just to contemplate. Skippy is moving so much now that I feel him consistently throughout my waking hours. Mombi somehow always knows just where to put her hand to feel the next big kick. She and Skippy are going to be such a duo!

Apparently he's quite active during my sleep, too: Last night I dreampt that he gave a huge kick and stretched out to full length, and my belly took on the shape of his front side, all the way from his profile on my left side to his feet popping out on my right. Then he decided (in my dream) that he wanted to come out and hang around with us for a while, and suddenly he was there, perfectly formed and fully grown and super cute. He suffered his first "mommies don't know everything" disillusionment almost immediately, though, when we told him that we had no idea how to get him back inside me. Still, his immediate needs were met (he claimed to have come out because he was hungry) and it was a very happy visit all around. What a good baby we have!

Our Active Child

2006-12-08T17:11:00.000-08:00

We had a check-up this morning (21 weeks, wow!) and Skippy was a very active little boy! He kept squirming around and kicking the doplar monitor thingy. His heart rate was 155, my BP is nice and low, and everything is looking good!

Time sure flies...

2006-12-07T10:49:00.000-08:00

I've been such a neglectful blogger lately. Busy at work, worn out by the time I get home... there just isn't enough time for everything, and work and sleep usually win.

Life is good. Skippy is happily pinging away at my lower abdomen for a good portion of each day, so that's very cool. It's still more like little muscle twitches than heavy duty thumps, so it's a pleasant accompaniment to my daily routine. Energy level and all that are good, although I don't know how I'll get done all the things I want to do before Christmas. It's just so satisfying to crash on the couch as soon as I get home each day!

How safe is your baby right now?

2006-12-05T20:31:00.000-08:00

A study looked at the cord blood for 10 random US babies, and found an average of 200 industrial chemicals and polutants per baby. At birth, these kids already had major toxins in their bodies. Check out this website, and look up the skin/hair/etc products you use:

http://www.ewg.org/reports/skindeep2/

If you look at nothing else, check out the list of the most dangerous (i.e. toxic) baby washes. Johnson & Johnson and Gerber both have products right up there at the top. We sure won't be using them!!!!!

And surprise surprise, almost all of the stuff in the shower at our place contains chemicals that can cause cancer, developmental problems, etc. I guess that's what we get for shopping based on packaging and fake fragrance.

I'm going shopping for new shampoo tomorrow. Hey, I've missed reading the labels on Dr. Bronner's anyway.