Today I'm going to dad-sit for my mother. She's coming to collect me, then we'll go get Dad, then I'll stay with Dad while she goes out again to get his meds and runs other errands. I'm looking forward to the down time because hanging out watching movies with Dad and working on crochet is a lot more restful than my crazy weekend has been.

Granted, Sunday Lamaze was better because we actually got some SLEEP on Saturday night and it was 12-4 rather than 9-5.

First we watched the medical intervention part of the movie and then Teacher did show and tell again only this time related to that segment of the movie. She'd explain the item and then pass it around the class. So we saw a bulb aspirator, ID tags, umbilical cord clamps, forceps, a vacuum extractor, catheter thing that goes in the epidural needle, internal fetal monitor, extrenal monitor belts, pitocin tubes, etc. A bit of a talk about breech babies and turning them and then the other section of the movie about ceasarean sections. Then a longer talk about medical interventions like Stadol shots or different epidurals and what stage it is appropriate to give them in. In the movie they had sterile water injections which I hadn't heard of and thought were interested but my hopsital doesn't do those. I plan on asking Terri or Dr G. about it because perhaps if enough people start asking they'll start doing it. It interests me because it sounds like something I can tolerate a lot better than some of the other options. Paul was pretty grossed out over the epidural part of the movie and after all the risks were listed he later told me he could def. see why the whole idea of one turns me off and why I'd leave it as a last resort and avoid it if possible.

A break, then we reviewed the breathing patterns from yesterday and learned a new one. We practiced that for a while and then on to learning to push. Practiced that on the floor. But I forgot to ask WHY they want you to hold your breath during pushing when everything I've ever read about physical effort says to exhale with the effort and NEVER to hold your breath. I'll have to ask Dr G. or Terri that also on Wednesday.

Then how to squat with your partner sitting in a chair helping you. More homework over the next few weeks for building up to squatting for 15 min out of every hour and leanring to focus on the breathing despite distractions and coordinationg hand signals with your partner. (This is starting to feel like trainign for the Diseny marathon to me.)

Finally the relaxation/guided imagery exercise where we lay on the floor in the dark. That was ancie way to end the day. Then we got our completion certificates and went to visit Dad at the hospital.

Told Dad about class today and he alternated looking grossed out with looking very interested.
Dad's got a pretty old-fashioned idea of childbirth and he still gets queasy over the idea of watching people give birth on video even if it's for childbirth educations classes. My describing the ceasarean bit had him scrunching up his face in dismay.

Baby woke up and I tried to get Dad to catch a feel but she wasn't feeling cooperative. Maybe he'll get a feel later today. Then home for sleep.

Paul told me on the way to the hopsital parking garage that Dad's face when I stood up and walked over to the bed to get his hand was funny. First he was looking at his hand like, "What does she want with my hand?" then he was staring at my belly like some kind of scary thing was going to happen.

"He looked like a mixture of 'oh my god, this is weird! Help!' and 'Oooh, maybe I get to feel the baby... neat!'" Paul explained.

Amusing because my mother tells me to shut up and bends over to press her head against my belly to see what she can hear without warning. I think if she could run off with my belly to go cuddle it she would. LOL.

We sooooo crashed out when we got home last night at 8:30 PM! If it weren't for the fact I had to make Paul get up to have dinner I could have easily kept right on going. I am wiped. But since I'm up for a bit before I lay back down again, and while my day is fresh in my mind...

Today was class #1 for Weekend Lamaze. It went from 9-5 with some 10 min breaks and a 60 min lunch break at noon. It was a lot of review for me until the end but it wasn't bad to review. We covered 4 weeks of material. For Paul a lot of it was first time stuff because he doesn't read quite so much on his own and relies on me to keep him updated with anything interesting happening in my pregnancy instead. He seemed to enjoy it and so did I. Neither one of us wants to be doing this every weekend, but it was a good class. We both could have used more sleep, but the teacher seemed nice and kept us interested. It's the first time Paul and I have ever taken any kind of class together so there was some giggly business, poking, sly comments, note passing and so on. Felt very high school boyfriend-y.

There were 3 other spouse type couples, and 1 mom-daughter couple. So just 10 of us in class. The first thing we had to do was go around the room introducing ourselves. The preggo had to say her name, her doctor, her due date, the gender of the baby, what the worst thing was about pregnancy (nausea and puking!) and what concerns she wanted to address in class (eating with GD). The coach had to say his/her name, what weekend activities the couple usually did, the name of the baby-to-be, what the best part of pregnancy was, why they were in class, and what concerns they wanted to address.

The first chunk of class was a lot of show-and-tell with props. The first was a model pelvis and explaining all the parts. The second was a baby doll and explaining baby skull bones, demonstrating how baby might be sitting in the womb, how baby travels through the pelvis and twists his way down, explaining different stations as baby moves on down, how long it takes for babies to pink up, what Agpar scores measure, etc. Another baby doll came out for comparison to the first baby doll since one had a regular shaped head and the other had a molded, cone-shaped head. Teacher had a whole bag full of props and she went digging for a bulb aspirator thing to show how baby would have his nose and mouth sucked out when just the head was born and a prop infant monitor that attaches to the babies head. This made Paul snicker because she was flinging other baby dolls out of her bag left and right onto the table.

During this part of class I discovered I knew things already without knowing I knew. Like how vaginal birth babies have all the amniotic fluid squeezed out of their lungs as they pass through and how it might dribble out of their mouth and nose during birth hence the bulb to help suck all this gunk out and how ceasarean babies don't get that lung squeeze business and it usually takes them longer to pink up as a result because they have to work more stuff out first.

The next prop was my favorite -- the placenta pillow with a mesh bag attached around it representing the amniotic sac and the umblilical cord dangling down from the center. I don't know why but it looked really cool to me. Paul liked it too because during her lecture Teacher kept popping the cord on and off the baby doll and this amused him. The doll had velcro hands to help hold him in fetal position while she popinted at parts and he had a button for a belly button so she could snap the cord on. All these props could fit together -- baby snapped to cord and into the mesh bag/amniotic sac with the drawstring closed, the whole placenta/bag thing into the uterus model bag, then the whole uterus bag into the pelvis model. So we go through how all these things work and fit together, what it means when your bag of waters breaks and gushes or trickles, and what your placenta/cord choices are at the hospital.

You can have it just tossed out, or you can request to take it home with you, or if you want to look at it all before it's tossed they'll give you gloves and let you handle it and examine it for a while. Paul groaned when he heard that one because he knows I'm going to want to look at it and handle it. I don't necessarily want to bring it home to bury in the yard, but I do want the chance to check it out. It just looks so cool! Esp. that 2 cell-thick amniotic sac part. If we ask our OBs we can arrange to donate cord blood/stem cells so I have to remember to mention that at my Wed. appt. We're probably not going to store it, but there's no point in just tossing it either if it can help someone else. It doesn't cost me anything other than sigining permission slips and possibly a few more blood tests or something to see if I'm a healthy donor but the stab me all the time anyway so why not?

Break time, and then we were back to discuss the uterus model, names of its parts, and what things like "dilation" or "effacement" mean, what a mucus plug does and how it can be lost, etc. I remember Paul murmuring to himself, "Oh, that's where fundal height comes from. Fundus. Ok...." and I must have glanced at him oddly because he whispered "Well, I've seen people measuring your fundal height at appointments and I knew it had to do with how the uterus is growing taller inside with baby in it but I didn't know it's because the top part of the uterus is called a fundus."

Next came stages of labor, how to recognize them, how long each stage typically lasts in first time moms, what baby is doing at each stage, what mom can expect to be feeling, how coach can help, what contractions are trying to do and how to work with them, etc. Then some rules like... when in doubt, check it out...if you have a rupture of memebranes you either call the doc or go to hospital... How many contractions and how far apart before going to hospital if there's been no rupture yet.

We broke up for lunch after that and when we got back, we saw part I of the movie. It was 3 births that were pretty straight forward.

One was a woman with a midwife and no medical interventions. She had her spouse, the midwife, and a doula or nursey person for support. (Later we both commented to each other how even though it looked intense, she seemed to be having the most satisfying birth.) The couple went to a movie through part of early labor and hung out at home for a while doing things like hot showers or massage or walking or whatever. So the first woman saw it coming and had time to try different things. She also tried more positions for labor.

(Paul told me later when we were at lunch that he had a hard time watching her segment not because it was gross or bugging him... but because all these noises she kept making and all these various positions she kept trying reminded him too much of the noises and positions I want during sex. So instead of paying attention to the movie he kept thinking about sex. What a weirdo!)

The second woman was in a hospital to be induced by her OB because of high blood pressure or something, and she had a narcotic to take the edge off pain and that was about it. She had brought her spouse, a doula, and her mom for support. She didn't try as many positions but she did walk the hospital halls and rock in the rocker a lot.

The third woman was caught a bit unawares at her OB appt. when it turned out she was 3 cm dilated and was sent on to hospital. She didn't have time to gather her support people how she wanted, her contractions never came in a regular pattern, she didn't want to try different positions because she hated to be touched or moved, and she eventually wanted an epidural for pain, but the baby was born fine in the end.

Tomorrow we see part II for the complicated births.

After movie time we did the hospital tour in class with maps and things because since 9/11 they do not allow classes to go across the street to tour in person. I'm ok with that -- we'll see part of it when we go in for pre-admission papers and I've already seen quite a bit on the website video clips.

There was an explanation for baby security so people know which baby goes with which parents and the system for getting people moved around. There's the first waiting area with 10 beds for early labor, then there's the birthing rooms for later labor and actual births, then after a while recovering in there you go to your private room. If it's a normal vaginal birth they like to move parents and babies along as a unit but if there's a c-sect or some emergency thing and people have to be separated there's a lot of checking of bands. Baby gets a transponder as well that sets off alarms and locks doors if he's moved beyond the floor limits. This made Paul laugh because it was those department store tag things.

Nobody gets keys -- a nurse has to buzz you in and out of places and I wanted to know what doors are closed at night and what happens if there's a fire. Teacher looked a bit startled when I asked that but even as much as I'm grateful for the extra security measures the idea of being locked up in all these layers during some kind of crisis weirds me out. Teacher explained their evacuation proceedures. This also made Paul grin when she got to the part where the nurses have huge emergency baby aprons they have to wear with all these pouches all around them. Then they can put babies into the pockets and leave the building with them all and once everyone is out sort out the babies by their bands. I felt better after that.

Another break and then on to comfort measures at home, example focus objects, example massage tools, strategies for dealing with relatives, getting to hospital, tips for coaches, etc. Then we learned 2 breathing patterns and masaae techniques for moom and coach to do. We practiced those for a while and then the arm thing was the last bit for the day.

In that exercise Paul sat behind me and had to provide a simulated contraction/pain stimulus. This was his slowly building up to a peak squueze of my arm and then tapering the squeeze off. Teacher would time it and point to parts of a bell curve to show the coaches how hard to be squeezing when. Meanwhile I was supposed to me doing a one-handed belly massage and doing the medium breathing pattern throughout the time interval.

So Teacher calls time, Paul starts applying pressure to my upper left arm and I'm sitting there having a hard time coordinating belly rubbing with my breath count. I'm the only one in the class with asthma so while Teacher will count aloud for everyone else's pattern, I have to count in my head and ignore her counts because my asthma pattern is slightly faster. This was hard to do and in the back of my head I kept thinking things like "Boy, I hope this interval ends soon because he's squeezing my arm kind of hard... is this breathing business really going to help any? Damn, lost count... ok... 2...3..."

Then to illustrate how breathing patterns and such help manage pain by distancing you away from it she made us all do it again only the preggos had to just sit -- no rubbing/breathing stuff. The whole class suddenly started yelling things like "Hey!" or "Ow!" at thier coaches.

Paul told me the first time he was worried about hurting me and decided that when I started fussing that would be as strong as he'd squeeze for the peak part of the simulated contraction but since I never said anything he just kept on going until he was squeezing with ALL his strength and having a hard time keeping it at that level for the whole 60 seconds. (No wonder I have red finger marks on my left arm!) Then the second time when I was just sitting and he had to do the same squeeze he didn't even get the chance to get to peak squeeze because before he even got out of the first 10 sec taper-up bit I pulled away and hit him because it hurt so bad.

We were both pretty amazed at the difference in my tolerance during the two examples.

We got homework assignment (practice the 2 patterns) and homework assignments to practice on for the next few weeks with increasing pain stimulus to help us learn to concentrate. (1 arm squeezed, 2 arms squeezed, 1 arm squeezed and one ice cube in the other hand, ice cubes in both hands but no arm squeezing, etc.)

THEN we went to the hospital to visit with Dad for two hours -- told him all about class and we talked about car shopping some more. It excites him that I'm getting a new car and he's thinking of getting a new van so we're trying to see if we both like something form the same dealership if we can get a bit of a price break since we'd be purchasing 2 vehicles rather than 1. So chatting about when we'll go looking and test driving and stuff. We walked the ward with him for a bit, kept him company through his dinner, had him tell us about this vistors that day (mom and his friend and the friend's spouse), what his doctor said and what he is supposed to be over the next few weeks recovery period, etc.

So. Another very long and involved day. One more tomorrow, and then Monday I'm taking off. No errands, no visiting, no cleaning, no nothing. I just want to have a sleepathon!

Up early because I got hungry. My late snack and dinner got all screwy because we were at the hospital. Just loaded the dishwasher and got laundry going... I have to kill 2 hours before I can do a blood sugar check. I probably won't get to sleep again until we get home from class and seeing Dad at the hospital. I'm a bit worried about Paul -- he looks tired and this weekend is already so full. If I could move Lamaze over to another weekend I would. December is always such a crazy month and today will be a loooong day!

So last night at the hospital... Mom told me over the phone that at first Dad wanted only Mom and Paul to come because he thought I'd get agitated and that would be bad for me because I was pregnant. I told her not to be silly -- I don't get upset easily and besides, by that point we already knew Dad was in decent shape and not in dire circumstances. So after she hung up she saw Dad off in the helicopter from the one hospital and then came by to get us in the van and made Paul drive the rest of the way to the other hospital.

By the time we got to the hospital they transferred him to, everything that needed to be done had been done. He got checked out, they located the block, put a stent in, and he was recovering. He didn't have any other blocks or thinning passages. We got to see pictures of his block -- it was 100% closed! Now it's open and hopefully the stent will work out. They are going to keep him for 3 days for observation to be on the safe side but his attendant and doctor told us that because they caught it well within the 6 hr window he doesn't think that any of Dad's heart tissue died and at most there may be some slight scarring. He got a 98-99% chance of recovering from this episode without further complications so we were all glad.

Mom's going to spend the day with him and we'll pop in after Lamaze later today. We talked to him for a while and he seemed to be groggy, in decent spirits, but annoyed with how dry his mouth felt. He didn't want any of his water and smack in the middle of a conversation he stuck his tongue out at us and started feeling it with his hands like he was trying to stretch it out so he could look at it. He looked so weird trying to look at his own tongue we all busted up laughing.

As we were leaving Dad called Paul back and when he came out I asked him what was all about. Paul started to laugh and told me Dad called him back to tell him to make sure to wear a hat because it was cold outside.

People in recovery get so weird as they come out of it and start to come back into themselves. Paul never let's me forget how I told my nurse I could see her brains through her nostrils when she leaned over to check on me post-endoscopy a few years ago.

Weird day. Went to get my car, which runs, but still feels weird to me so I need to get on with new car shopping ASAP. I don't want to put another repair on my '95 Cavalier. While over there Istarted having crampy Braxton Hicks that would NOT let up. So when I got home I called the OB and they said to drink water, lay down on my left side and to call back if there were more than 6 in an hour. It went on intermittently all morning but eventually tapered off and never got to 6 in an hour. But I decided to go hang out at my parents' house for company in case it started up again. It really hurts my bellybutton when those happen. :P Dad came to get me and I had lunch with them, watched a movie and crocheted my blanket.

Paul came home early from work because he felt sick and collected me at Mom's around 4:30. I was taking a nap at home when Mom calls at 7 to tell me Dad's fainted and has been taken off by 911 and she's going to follow them in their car. She's called several times as she gets more news and it turns out Dad had a heart attack and they are taking him by helicopter to a different hospital that has more heart/cardiology stuff. She says he's doing fine and is very calm and she sounds fine but we're going to go with her to see Dad get settled for the night. They are keeping him for observation.

Thanks for all the e-mails and comments, everyone! Didn't mean to disappear on you but Paul's office move meant our ISDN line to his office was down for a bit and then he decided since it was going to be down anyway to change to DSL.
We're sort of back.. at least on one of the home machines. Paul's working on getting the rest of our little network happy behind the firewall and cooperating with our new DSL line. So a longer update...

Thanksgiving and Paul's birthday were nice. We went with my parents to my MIL's and got to see the family for a bit. Mom B. was worried I was upset with her or something later but I explained I wasn't upset -- I'm just tired and very pregnant. Baby has become even more active (how could that be possible?!) and I'm feeling it. Donna was also feeling uber-pregnant and we probably looked funny flopped on the sofa together. I'd gotten used to the crazy kicking and then baby goes and surprises me again. It's really weird to be sitting down, minding my own business and have my boob flop up because baby has kicked my stomach THAT hard. Sometimes I watch my stomach and see body parts stretching my skin out with punches. Very cool.

Mawmaw is back from hospital after going in for observation beause she had super high blood pressure over Thanksgiving. They think it was a reaction to her meds so they've changed it, and she's doing better. My own grandmother is thinking of coming down to visit and meet the new baby so Mom is trying to get a room ready for her mom. Paul has never met any of my mother's realtives so meeting Popo will be interesting for him.

I get my car back tomorrow so that ought to help some -- doing some errands during the week rather than piling it all on at once on the weekends when Paul is home and can help or going with my parents to do things. My parents have been very good about taking me to my doc appts and helping out -- it's just that Dad drives a bit too jerky for me right now and riding around with him when he takes sharp corners makes me want to puke. He's trying to remember I'm pregnant and can't take the motion like that. And now I can car shop in earnest since I can drive over to car dealerships and check out new models at my own speed.

Anyway... a lot of endoc appts (4) and OB appts (2) over the last two weeks. I can't even remember the first OB appt... it was routine.

Dr. H (endoc) got the last A1C's from Dr. G. (OB) and wasn't happy with them being high normal, but my thyroid is doing fine. So he made me come back for another GTT but promised I could eat food instead of drinking more foul glucola.

So I went back again and did a 3 hr test were they took 4 blood draws. Basically just like the previous 3 HR GTT only I got to eat Nature Valley Banana Nut bars and I didn't throw them up. Hooray! I did get a little faint near the end and they let me lay down and brought my mother to me to keep me company. To come in fasting and get nothing but 2 granolas and then wait for 3 hours more before having lunch -- ugh. I was getting quite grumpy, hungry, and light-headed.

They called me that afternoon to tell me my results were over and that I had to come in again Monday to see Mary, the diabetic educator to pick up an Accucheck machine and learn to use it. So I go over there again for the third time, get taught to use the little machine and make another appt. for Thursday to see Dr. J. and show her how my blood sugars are. Stabbing my fingers with a lancet pen thingie 4 times a day isn't my idea of thrills but it's not too bad.

Wed. I saw Terri, the midwife, for my 2nd OB appt. My iron is 11.6 (last time was 11.7) so I'm escaping extra iron supplements so far. My weight gain was fine, my blood pressure stable. Baby's heartbeat was 147 bpm and really LOUD on the doppler. Even Terri commented and how strong it sounded.

She took down copies of my blood sugar chart, gave me a gestational diabetes diet, and gave me the number for diabetes nutrition class. She was happy with the numbers since they're all under 140. And the OB moved me to once-a-week visits a bit early and I get a non-stress test next week and an extra ultrasound the week after that. Like the endoc. they've decided it's better to just play it on the safe side and watch me more closely.

Today I saw Dr. J. (other endoc. since Dr. H. was booked up) and she took copies of my blood sugar chart, and she wants my numbers under 120. Apparantly they go with a different standard. She thinks between diet and exercise it should be under control because I'm not sooo far over 120.

My fastings are 70-80 where they want under 100. For my post-meal numbers I'm 100-138. The 138 came from too much juice in one sitting -- I'm starting to figure out how much of what I can have. But it is going to feel really stupid to put back a whole bottle of juice when there is only 3 or 4 oz left in it.

I have to call her in 2 weeks and report my numbers again and if they are not stable looking she's going to send me to a dietitian. She explained that my test results AFTER eating were ok but my fasting that day was off so they're just going to be safe and monitor me anyway for the last 2 mos of this pregnancy. I asked her to find out if Glucophage affects breastfeeding or not. Because I think I'd feel best going back on it when I'm allowed to. (PCOS/IR -- I don't think you ever get "cured" -- you just learn to deal with it. But neither do I want type II diabetes later.)

I got a call from the hospital regarding the diabetes nutrition class and if my insurance does not cover it, it will be $300 for the 1 day class. Personally, I'd rather go see Karen, my old dietitian, and fork over the $45 it costs me to see her instead. Who wouldn't prefer one-on-one to a group setting? Speaking of class...

This weekend is our Lamaze class -- it will be an interesting experience with Paul. The midwife told us to take lots of notes over things we had questions about and as the weeks go on we can start talking about how I want to birth the baby and how the hospital does things vs. how their practice does things. I measured 31 inches at 31 weeks pregnant for fundal height so nobody is getting excited about baby being too big or anything. I've been gaining 1 lb a week or so in third trimester so that looks fine too. So hopefully all this extra attention will wind up being just that -- extra attention but nothing distressing coming out of it.

I called my doula so we can hopefully meet some time soon now that Thanksgiving is over.

I got the out of town kids Xmas shopping done, so now I have to finish with my out of towners and mail things off.

Paul told me his brother e-mailed that it looks like they are having another little girl by their ultrasound. Not 100% sure, but it's looking like a girl.

I washed all the 0-3 mos clothes and stuck them in the dresser. I'll deal with the 3-6 mos. later. Even though cotton does shrink a bit when first washed, all my favorite little clothes are 100% cotton because they are sooo soft.

Paul brought home a little dress and socks that his boss gave him. Larry had gotten it from Chad, a co-worker who left ages ago, for his then newborn daughter and stuck it in his desk and forgot about it. It's not til now that they've moved to the new building and are changing all the furniture that he found it again. Of course, his baby has gotten too big to wear 3-6 mos -- she's over a year and a half old now. Deborah is having a boy so she told Larry to put it on Paul's desk and Paul told me it was weird to walk in to work and find a little pink dress on his keyboard.

Paul put all the things together that needed to be put together -- rocker, co-sleeper, swing, stroller, etc. The living room has exploded into a baby circus.

I've been playing with thread crochet lately to relax. So far I've edged 2 flannel receiving blankets and I'm almost done with the third. I think they look prettier than leaving the edges as plain seams. My mother made two for baby that way and when I was sorting baby things to wash I realized I should just go ahead and trim some myself. Mom told me coming back from the endoc. this morning that now that she knows "Cletus" is a girl, she's going to watch for fabric sales in cute prints and start doing little outfits and dress-up clothes.

So things here are a whirlwind of various activities!

quick update -- still no internet at home. Busy with holiday things... OB appt this week. DSL should be installed sometime this week so I'll catch up then.

Paul e-mails me just now to tell me this:

We're going to have a lil' girl with a pug nose and scary monster feet!!!!

Weee!!!

I have been having a stupid grin on my face for the better part of the day.

You cute,

-me

Cletus isn't even here yet and she has him wrapped around her pinkie. LOL.

29 weeks. Up early because I'm hyper about our ultrasound appointment at 8:50 AM. Last night we were watching the u/s tape from last time to get it to a blank space for today's appointment and both of us had forgotten how small Cletus was at 12 weeks. How big will he seem now in comparison?

My babyage.com order shipped so if I'm lucky it might get here this evening or tomorrow. Whee!

[10:45 AM]

We are back, and I've scanned and posted the ultrasound pictures. Cletus-the-Fetus is a GIRL! A strong 166 bpm. Everything looked great, we got to see her swallowing, waving, kicking, rolling, her bones, heart, brain, amniotic fluid size, etc. She's measuring at 3.5 lbs, so 2 weeks ahead but nobody seemed overly worried.

Dr. G. spoke to us briefly once we got out of sono. He wanted to be sure we registered for a class, and just said we'd keep an eye on how she is developing and if she is still measuring ahead and looks like letting her go to 2/5 may make her hard for me to pass her vaginally, we may talk about inducing her a bit early. Paul knows I'd prefer to let her come at her own time but asked on the car trip home if the choice is inducing early or C-sect, what I would pick. I'd pick to induce early.

He also confessed that even though he would have been totally ok with either, he was secretly leaning towards a girl. I don't knwo how many times he patted my stomach on the way home. He's so cute giddy. :)

I'm on appts. every 2 weeks now. (!!!)

Just spoke to one of the two class coordinator people and she said I should have gotten my papers a while ago since we spoke Nov 4th for the weekend class of Dec 6th. Tour is part of class. She's sending me all that stuff again and I don't have to return anything -- I can just pay at the door when we show up to class. Supposedly I'll have it in tomorrow's post so I know what time and what room and all that.

I'm not holding my breath.

Paul's cholesterol labs came back -- overall chol. and LDL are ok, but his HDL And triglycerides could use improvement. Didn't check his blood sugar -- will have to make them check that later. With diabetes in his family I really worry about that.

My family practice will take newborns! Hooray! So the ped. on call can check baby out at birth and then Dr. B. or his staff can deal with me, Paul, and baby. I forgot to ask about after hour pediatric type calls though... I will have to call them back up to be sure I can speak to someone outside their office hours. Hopefully it will work out because it will be nice to have the whole family treated by the same people.

Just got off the phone with Dr. B's clinic and they told me there's a doc on call for after hours stuff. Good. One more thing off my checklist!

Queasy today and yesterday. Morning sickness better not be coming back in third trim! That would suck! :P

Added my name to the PCOS quilt.

Having fun reading archives.

Thoughts on Misconceptions: Truth, Lies, and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood by Naomi Wolf?

It reads fast, but probably not something everyone is going to want to read while pregnant, esp. if you have an anxious personality and worry easily.

The first half of the book disappointed me with it's tone... a frequent complaint reviewers seem to have. No, not everyone has the same pregnancy experience. But, geez, it got old fast... all the personal stories were negative experiences -- there were no positives to help balance it out. I just couldn't relate to it. I've read personal memoir type books that were much better editted for a more balanced tone overall and present themselves as a collection. In a clearly defined anthology or collection, you know going into it that every story is going to have it's own slant.

With a title like Misconceptions: Truth, Lies, and the Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood I was expecting something something more factual, better researched, and more truly unexpected. So I wasn't ready for the heavy personals in the first chunk.

I still wonder why it has "parenting" as the back cover's category guide. But then, they couldn't have put "anthology" or "non-fiction" or "women's studies" or "popular culture" on it either because the book doesn't seem to have a clear writing style or clear goal in mind. Or maybe it aims for one and misses the mark? But definitely it was NOT a "parenting" type book.

The second half was slightly better in tone but it wasn't anything unexpectedly new. It has less personal stories mixed in and more statistics but seems to skim across the topics rather than going deeply enough. I remember wondering why this book was so short if the topic it attempted to cover had so much potential material.

One review I read made me laugh because it echoed my thoughts in a succint way:

Reviewer: ytak from Canadada
It stretches credulity to imagine that Naomi Wolf was unaware of any number of the issues her book covers.

Gosh, North American doctors tend to medicalise pregnancy, labour, and delivery.

Golly, pregnancy really gets a woman's nesting instinct perking.

Jiminy crickets, being a mother really changes a person's life.

Gee whiz, motherhood is seriously undervalued in North American society.

Heavens to Betsy, women generally end up being the primary caregiver.

Gracious, it's hard to be a mother **and** have a career.

I mean, duh.

While it's true that no one is fully prepared for motherhood, Wolf ranges, wide-eyed yet uninsightful, across well-travelled terrain, displaying a disheartening ignorance of the reproductive aspect of womens' lives. She presents as fresh and new phenomena and experiences that have been widely chronicled and trenchantly observed by far more perceptive writers than she, and she does it all in a prose that is both breathless and cloying. It is shocking that an educated woman, a proud feminist, no less, could have been as thoroughly uninformed about pregnancy, childbirth, and mothering as Wolf apparently was.

All in all, a silly book penned by an uninspiring scribe.

I'm still not sure if it's bad editting or unclear goals in writing that are the fault with this book. I wanted to enjoy it so much more than I actually did. I'm probably going to re-read it before I make up my mind if I'm keeping it or returning it but it certainly wasn't one I'd heartily recc. to friends and right now it looks likes a return.

Kathy, the doula coordinator called and after lsitneing to her descirbe my other 2 matches I told her we were happy with Michelle. (I don't know why I was calling her Rochelle.) The 2nd match is in Hawaii and doesn't get back til a week before my due date and the third lives farther away than Michelle does so since I liked her on the phone I am going to go with her. We'll meet after Thanksgiving.

So the weekend... every year for the last 3 years or so I try to book us an anniversary weekend mini-vacation. The first was to go mountain biking in Croom, the second we wound up having a spa weekend at the Wyndham, this year we had to postpone it a bit because of morning sickness in August but we finally got to this month. Originally it was going to be Universal Studios themed but we scaled it back to just being away. I'm feeling too waddly to deal with theme parking.

Friday. While I popped into the endoc. to get my lab drawn, Paul went next door to mail all these things he was supposed to have done earlier but didn't get a chance to do. The nurse doing my lab asked me if I was expecting an donce I said I was, if it was a single or twins. We did groceries on the way home, unloaded them, fed the pets, and then played video games for a while. Then we left for our 4 PM check in time at the Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa. We stopped at Target to get camera batteries and the cashier asked Paul if we were expecting. He had a funny but pleased expression on his face -- it might be the first time someone directed the question at him rather than me.

Check-in was very quick and we got to our room. It was very nice at a good location at a decent price. Anyone coming to Orlando to do that whole tourist thing who is going to rent a car for their stay would def. do well to stay there. We lounged about reading all this tourist info packet stuff and then we watched trashy TV until dinner time. We went down I-drive with the idea that we'd stop when we saw something tasty but we drove the whole length instead and ended up in the Belz shopping area at Van's Skate Park.

I think Paul secretly wants to give it a whirl -- I told him I'd rent him equipment for a session if he wanted to come back after dinner but he didn't quite take me up on it. He's got to get over his shyness first and the idea that he might be too old to play around on skateboards. Mostly it is the shyness though because the "too old" stuff is crap. Sure there were a lot of kids/teens there, but in the really BIG pool and BIG ramps? It was all adult men with their wives and babies/toddlers watching them from the balconies. They were our age or older. I'll have to write to Lara to see if Dean would enjoy a day at the park with Paul when they are down for the holidays. I think if he goes with a friend he'd feel better about the shyness in new places thing. We spent more than an hour people watching -- Paul explaining to me what different people were doing or trying to do.

We went to Cattlemen's Steak House on the way back down I-drive and it was very good food. Paul told me ever since I've gotten pregnant we've been to more steak places than ever before previously. I told him since we'd NEVER gone to steak places before it wasn't hard to beat by going two times. He laughed. He's right though -- if I had to name the one odd pregnancy craving I've had it's steak. I'm normally not a steak person.

We'd talked about mini-golf but we were both too full so instead of going to Tiki golf we just went back to the resort and enjoyed the jacuzzi bath. Stayed up late watching bad TV shows. We don't normally watch it so it was amazing to watch all this junk on TV. We saw a LOT of bad stuff but "Jackass" probably tops them all.

Paul wouldn't let me change the channel because he wanted to watch the entire thing. He lay there under the covers giggling and I KNEW it was out of nostalgia so I punched him. Not that Paul's ever laid on the hood of a car and run gone through a car wash or run down the street in a dutch girl costume flashing people. But he HAS gotten into tubes and then been pushed down hill. And that stunt where they guy was trying to "skate" while strapped on to sanding belts? That's totally something he and his friends would have done. The climbing up a stepladder on snowboards going down a hill bit had him dying with laughter because if there was ever snow in Florida, that would have been something he'd have done also! Boys are demented. That's all I have to say.

Saturday. We slept in til noon and then we went to TooJay's for lunch. We bumped into Adam (co-worker of Paul's) and his girlfriend while there and chit-chatted for a bit. Paul joked on the way to the car that he was going to have give Adam a stern talking to on Monday because bumping into them entirely ruined the illusion that we were on vacation somewhere else.

We found a Barnes and Noble we'd never been to before and we spent a long time reading and looking at things. I picked up Misconceptions and Paul got another Terry Pratchett and a Christmas Carols book because he wants to learn to play them on the harp he just made.

Pit stop at a grocery to snag something for dinner. I hadn't realized we were going to have a kitchenette in our studio room otherwise I would have brough some food from the first grocery trip on Friday but oh, well. Then we tried to go swimming but Paul told me the water was way cold and when I stepped in to my ankles I agreed. It would have been ok for just me but I'm leery of too cold/too hot stuff with baby and all. We'll have to try swimming at the heated pool instead next weekend. Since the swimming was out we decided to walk around and explore the resort. It was probably 2+ miles roundtrip... we went all over the place -- by the lakes, by other pools, tennis courts, shuffleboard courts, the arcade, etc. I got a "menu of services" card from the Papillon Spa and Paul told me if I wanted to book an appt. for the next day to go ahead but I told him I already checked and they don't do pregnancy packages like I wanted. I just wanted the menu for my collection. We holed up again after that -- reading, more TV, long bath, dinner, etc.

Sunday. We checked out at 10 AM and went to breakfast at the Bistro McDonald's just because it was funny looking and their bistro menu cracked us up. Unfortunately we didn't get to try anything on the bistro menu because it was 10:30 and it was still breakfast. Went to Michael's to look at hobby stuff and to Petsmart to get a mouse wheel and then home for a nap. Later we popped in at Holly's to trade movies and visit for a while-- it was nice to chat.

Very restful weekend -- apart from doing nothing in particular, it was so good to get to just be together without interruptions. No phone, no family, no pets, no work, no baby discussions, just him and me.

Had a rough night last night for many reasons:

• Baby was very active and clonking around with no end in sight. Getting strong too -- a few of those kicks or punches made me wince!
  
• I was going through this hot/cold thing where my blankets just weren't right or the pillow was getting hot on my face. Had to keep shifting positions to find a cool spot.
  
• My hips hurt. I don't know if all the cleaning aggravated my hips or if it's that loose joint thing in pregnancy but man! I just could NOT get comfortable!
  
• Bathroom breaks. These are getting old, fast.
  

Baby continues to clonk even though I'm up for the day already. I can only hope on ultrasound appt. day he's this active.

Speaking of appts... Off to my lab appt. at the endoc., to do some errands, and then Paul and I are freeeeeeee for the rest of the day! Whee!

28 weeks, entering third trimester.

I'm so excited to be in the home stretch! Even more so for the ultrasound appt. I hope Cletus "tells" us if he's a son or a daughter... I'd like to start using his real name.

I'm taking a break from housework. It's very frustrating to want to clean things below waist-level and not be able to do it properly. I can sweep things into a little pile, but then bending down with the dust pan is hard. I really don't want to leave little piles around for Paul to get for me later. At least most of the house is not too horrible -- we've been cleaning quite a bit and it isn't so much mess or clutter as it is general dusting/sweeping to maintain the status quo plus sorting for Goodwill.

This morning I was trying to take digitial photos outside in the sun of the afghan squares I've done lately and they came out all weird. It's the dark yarns -- I just can't get a good texture shot with them no matter what I do. I think once all the squares are done, before I whipstitch I'll take new photos with the 35 mm SLR instead.

Up early so I can get Paul up and to his morning lab appt. to have his cholesterol checked. Not that it maks much difference -- I'd be up anyway. I'd just gotten to where I was sleeping comfortably and soundly for once when all of a sudden there's another problem with my sleep. This time it's not baby clonking around that wakes me, but my bladder urging me to pee.

[later at 4 PM]

Just got off the phone with Rochelle, my 1st doula match. I got a good impression from her so after I talk to Paul about it to see what he thinks, she's probably going to be the one we choose unless someone else impresses me more. Told her I'd call her back Mon.

I just want to check with Kathy, the doula coordinator, if I am supposed to be getting any other calls from prospective doulas or if she's giving them to me one at a time. She's not in the office til Fri., and I'm taking off for the weekend then so it's a bit awkward.

While the phone call is still fresh in my head:

• Is she certified? Yes, CEF trained with Kathy, the doula coordinator.
  
• Does she provide prenatal and/or postpartum visits? Yes, at my home, or meet for dinner for pre's, at my home for post's.
  
• What can you expect during these visits, if offered? What will her role in early labor?
  How does she define her role during labor and birth? guidance, help, support --- was very long answer covering different things and how to help the father in his role. As I get closer to my due date she will be in contact via phone about every other day.
  
• How many births has she attended? 50+ in the last something months/years -- I forgot it now that I didn't write it down while talking to her...doesn't do more than 2-3 clients due in the same month, been a doula for 3yrs, loves what she does and sounds like calm, sensible person.
  
• Can she provide references? Yes, via CEF.
  
• What types of births has she witnessed (Cesarean, epidural, intervention free, VBAC, teen birth, etc.)? Described her first one which was a forceps and another complicated sounding one I've now forgotten but overall her births seem to have gone pretty normal. She's done them at APH and birth centers. Also teaches hypnobirthing.
  
• Her fee? Already dealt with via CEF -- didn't even ask her that part. Kathy covered it already.
  
• Has she ever worked with your care provider or at your place of birth? Yes, worked with Terri and really enjoyed working with her, but has yet to work with Dr. G. It's luck of the draw who is on call the day I deliver. But she had great things to say about Terri's prescence and told me I was very lucky to get into one the best practices here. Which reminds me, after this next appt, I want to try to start alternating visits with her and Dr. G. both now that Terri is back and recovered from her surgery thing.
  
• Does she has back-up arrangements available? Yes, via CEF network and she's also training a doula in hypnobirthing. I'd like to know names and speak to her back-ups if I can.
  
• Will she provide labor support at your home prior to going to the place of birth? Yes.
  
• Is she familiar with many methods of childbirth? Ask this one again -- I've forgotten her whole answer.
  
• Misc: Lives 20 min away. She has email, but her web page is not yet done. Also has 3 kids : 18, 11, and 5. For hynobirth info she referred me to hypnobirthing.com and hypnobabies.com if that is something we'd be interested in reading about. Is more than happy to play the bad guy in keeping people I don't want out of my delivery room.
  

Having fun watching the hamster babies toddle about -- they've just opened their eyes and are teething on things, chewing things, dragging things around, but still nursing on Susie. They squeak but it sounds like little honks to me more than squeaky noises. The mice babies have fur now but are still not mobile and have eyes closed.

Had some cramps yesterday and today -- indigestion. Seem to get that more lately. Celtus was also very active yesterday so that didn't help any -- my insides feel like there's not enough room. Breathing deeply? Forget it!

Paul told me his Aunt Dareen said his cousin Lisa had one of her babies at 7 mos. While certainly possible, I think I'd prefer if Cletus stayed in for longer than that!

Doula coordinator just called to tell me she got my stuff and that she's trying to match me with someone who lives near me. She told me she may not have her today, but possibly on Wed. so we can do a telephone interview. I like this woman so much -- so on the ball!

Changed my endoc lab appt to friday instead of thursday so Paul can take me. Still don't know when my car will be ready at the garage. Poo. :P

This weekend is the 15th -- mid Nov. already! I was looking through babyage.com at all the things I want to order from there (co-sleeper, stroller, car seat) after the weekend.

We got home form the wedding around 9 PM. I crashed out and apart from waking up a few times during the night to pee, slept really well. Baby got active closer to morning so I went ahead and got up. And my back feels great. Hurrah for maternity belts!

It was all held at the restuarant in various spots. The service was outdoors in the side garden and very short. I was a bit surprised to see the bridesmaid's all wearing black and carrying creamy-pink tea roses -- a bit somber for a wedding but from a practical point of view, reusing a black evening dress type thing is a lot easier than trying to reuse a bridesmaid's dress that's too weird or frilly so I thought it was a great choice.

I have to remember to learn the Lord's Prayer (Padre Nuestro) in English. Paul didn't say it, but I said it quietly in a mixture of English and Spanish because I started out in English like everyone else in the congregation but then got tired of mentally translatating in my head so finished it up in Spanish. I never learned any of the prayers in English as a child whenever I have to say them I have to think it in Spanish but make it come out in English. It's weird.

When it was done we all went to this porch area to collect seating assignments and sign the guest book -- no receiving line. Then we got fruit/cheese/crackers/drinks from the litle buffet table and bar and hung around chatting with Paul's coworkers until a waiter announced that the dining salon was open. The bridal party came last so the DJ could introduce them all.

We got assigned to a table with Ira. Not exactly a coworker, but someone Paul knows from work and someone that I've met quite a few times. His grilfriend and then his younger brother and his wife were the other people there. Turns out the younger brother and his wife only got married 2 weeks ago, and we hear Ira and Karen may be getting engaged soon so there was a lot of wedding talk/comparisons. When Mike found out we eloped an then just threw a welcome home party after the wedding he told me that is what they would have liked instead.

"Oh, did you get pressured into a bigger one by family and stuff?" I asked him.

"Did I say that?!No....not me!" he rolled his eyes.

I laughed at him.

We talked about honeymoons and places to go, having kids, and chit chat like that in general. It amused me that all of the coworkers who haven't seen me in a while told me I looked great or fabulous or exquisite pregnant. What else would you tell a pregnant lady? That she looks like a wreck? LOL.

Other than me and Deborah (another coworker of Paul's) there were 4 other very pregnant ladies there. I don't think I've ever been to a wedding where there were THAT many people pregnant at once. It was kind of funny watching the bathroom door and the preggo parade.

Paul asked me to dance and I smiled and told him it was nice of him to ask but he was only asking because he knew I'd say no because of my shoes and being mega-pregnant. He grinned back. He NEVER wants to dance at weddings no matter how many times I try to coax him.

The lunar eclipse on the way out was nice -- hope someone got a picture of that for Dan and Lisa's wedding album.

More evidence that I'm becoming the Stay-Puft Marshmellow Man:

• My size 10 black high heeled mary janes that have always been a touch too lose? Very snug, to where I will wear them to the wedding today but I have to start looking for another pair of black dress shoes for the Xmas holidays.
  
• My grandfather's jade ring that was too loose on the thumb? Fits my ring finger fine now.
  
• Short necklaces? They are now chokers. Yow.
  
• the D cup bras I bought intentionally too big earlier in this pregnancy? They are fitting me almost normal.
  

27 weeks. Got Paul to give me a back and hip rub last night and It felt nice but I woke up early this morning hungry and with aching hips. It's weird how all my joints are suddenly so loose.

This evening when we went to go get a wedding card we popped into Motherhood to get me pantyhose and a maternity belt. I won't be wearing it around the house or to things like this wedding where I don't want it showing through or under clothing, but for running around town or walking around a lot I can see where it will come in handy. Cletus-the-fetus is getting quite large and the extra support feels really good.

Both Paul and the saleslady commented that I looked happier in it and that my posture was beter -- I didn't slouch forward with it on. So now I'm curious... exactly how big is this baby now anyway?!

Had a dream where I kept Baby in a drawer in my childhood dresser and that Baby was really this weird plastic pink doll. Yet it still produced wet/pooey diapers so I spent all day jus changing it. I don't know what that was all about but it's the first dream I've had in a little while.

FedEx came early this morning to bring Paul his harp kit so I have a feeling he will be working on that tonight.

I may not get to wear that skirt to the wedding -- new stretch marks and much poochier belly. Sigh. When I tried it back on this morning and joked to Paul, "Ack! How dare he grow! My skirt is tighter!" he thought I said "How dare he growl?" Paul told me he then thought, "Growling... that's a new one...." This struck me as funny.

Baby is still knocking about but I'm in a much better mood and feeling alert and happy. Maybe that mythical 2nd trimester burst of energy finally arrived. I feel less draggy so I'm more kindly disposed again.

Baby settled down so I got to sleep a lot. Yay! But then I woke up with that bellybutton ache again. It's always something, isn't it?

I was reading some Post Partum Fitness Links this morning. I'm starting to feel restless and I miss my normal routine, my normal range of motion, my normal sleep position, everything. As soon as Dr. G. gives me the ok post partum I'm ready to go back to fitness goals.

Cletus is still active. Little sleep again. Sigh.

Stole the doula questions from here for a template and modified them to apply to my situation. So the packet is signed, the questionaire finished, the deposit check enclosed, and if I'm lucky before the end of the week I'll hear back from Kathy, the doula coordinator about who my potential doulas are.

Susie Hamster is a better organizer and housekeeper than the mouse. Both feed well, but the hamster keeps track of her babies and deals with them better -- goes out to collect them back if they wander off. She also cleans her nest daily. The mouse made a nest but I never see her rearranging things like Susie does and she leaves babies flung all around her tank when she's tired of nursing and walks off with babies still clinging to her underside. I have to keep putting them back in one corner. One I didn't see in time so it died because it never got fed.

The baby hamsters still have their eyes closed but have fur now so it's neat to look at the "cow" patterns on them in brownish-black and white. We're probably going to keep 1 girl... so I'm trying to decide which one has a recognizable pattern. They also walk around the tank blindly and it's cute to watch them trying to coordinate their back legs with their front legs until Susie comes along and herds them back. No fur on the mouse babies.

Paul said Susie Hamster is a whacko because she took one of her babies on a jog in the hamster wheel. She was holding it in her mouth while running. I think she was on her way to put him back and decided to take a spin first. He told me he better not come home one day to find me on the treadmill with Cletus in my mouth squeaking like crazy. Well, darn! There go my plans!

Paul got to feel Cletus for the second time -- yay!

Updated belly pix. And speaking of belly pix, a story:

Miss Prissy is the hen from those old Foghorn Leghorn cartoons. In one episode Prissy goes hunting for a husband and Foghorn the rooster tries to get her to think that Dawg the dog is really a rooster in dog disguise. He tells her the way to a man's heart is through his stomach and sends her over to the dog with a melon to wave around and entice him with. She does this crazy little melon dance all around the dog who is sleeping in his doghouse. He wakes up, gets all excited and barks at her. Then he starts to chase her because he's gotten angry and want to eat the melon. She's THRILLED to be chased!

We saw this episode in the last month or so and we both found Foghorn's instructions and Prissy's subsequent melon dance hysterical. "Show him the melon, but doooooon't let him have it! You gotta teeeeease him a little," explains Foghorn to the attentive Miss Prissy.

A few days after we saw it, I remembered the cartoon coming out of the shower. So I didn't bother getting dressed after towelling off and went to go find him in the dining room.

I didn't say a word -- I just held my very large, round pregnant stomach in my hands and started waving it at him and then taking it away and doing this wacky little naked gyrating dance all around the dining room table and he kind of laughed and looked at me like I'd gone insane.

"Honey, what on earth are you doing? Are you just being weird?"

"No. I'm doing a Miss Prissy dance and tempting you with my melon, " I answered and shook my stomach at him again. "I gotta teeeeease you a little."

Then he *really* started laughing and chased me all the way to the bedroom while I screamed in my best Prissy voice, "Ooooooh, a maaaaahhhhhnnn!"

Every once in a while I still wave my stomach around at him when we're out on the town and it cracks him up every time. That's me. The Lewd Belly Thruster.

BIL just called to tell us they're 11 weeks pregnant with #3. We're happy for them and glad they're almost out of first trimester. I'd been wondering if we'd be hearing news of that kind soon but I'm not surprised they kept it quiet for a while since they'd been worried about miscarriage.

Mom is making me nuts with baby freakout stuff. I would have expected more of this if I were closer to due date but dang... I've got 3 mos yet! Too tired to write. Baby is beating me up today.

Slept badly last night and woke with a headache and a calf cramp. Ugh.

Went to Bahama Breeze with my parents for lunch and then to the movies to see Runaway Jury. It was ok but not something I would have picked to watch myself. But mom is a big John Grisham fan so she picked it and we went along with it. Gene Hackman's performance was very good but for me the movie was too predictable.

Going to the movies with my parents was the same as always -- Dad bursts into laughter at inappropriate spots and he and mom keep arguing in firece whispers. They can't just NOT talk. I can't sit next to Dad or else he'll keep poking me and ask me what's happening. But it was fun and then when I got home I took a nap.

Spent most of Sat. with my BIL and the nieces. Greg wanted to check out photo shops in the area and the kids came along just because. Paul and I had a good time tagging along and offering suggestions. Greg starting to get into photography and is trying to set up a darkroom in his garage so we're lending him a lot of my supplies and things to help defray his start-up costs since I'm not going to get to play with that stuff for a while between pregnancy, breastfeeding, and early baby care.

After being dragged to all these (to them) boring stores we took the kids to the playground to blow off steam and they seemed happier.

I remember going to the bathroom with Sarah twice to help her with a particularly hard button on her shorts and to lift her high enough so she could wash her hands in the sink. She was sitting there on the potty babbling away at me while I was sitting on the edge of the tub waiting to help her fasten her pants when it suddenly occured to me to wonder -- how many years of sitting on the edge of the tub do I have ahead supervising a baby/toddler on the toilet?

We took a nap after they left before heading out to dinner. At dinner I mentiond to Paul that while I look forward to having kids, there's still a little part of me that feels like our couple-only days are on countdown and I'm really going to miss the QUIET. I'm glad we waited a while before having kids -- gave ourselves enough time to be alone with just each other. It's helped make for a stronger marriage.

My hips still hurt when I get up in the morning and I've noticed more breathing struggles and more waddling. This baby is getting uncomfortably big.

Took my car in to be checked out because sometimes when you start it up you smell gas. I hope it's nothing major or bizarre. Paul followed me there and dropped me off at home before heading for work.

I asked him if he was going to be home early since it is Halloween and he said he'd try. I'm not sure if we're going to be mobbed this year or not. Some years we are and some years we aren't -- it depends what other local activities there are. The craziest year was the year we has 100+ children cruise through here and we had to leave the house when we ran out of treats because the doorbell was making us NUTS.

So far I've eaten 2 "fun size" things of M&Ms. So far so good on not having a candy binge.

Baby is still thumping around energetically at all hours but refuses to show off for Paul... it's uncanny. I'm a bit disappointed he's only gotten to catch a feel once when I'm constantly getting baby bopping and riotous rolling about.

I'm feeling more energetic so hopefully that mean my cold is going away.

It's not quite the way I want it to look like nor how I want it to navigate but it's back up and mostly readable. Yay.

Fuzzycraft

26 weeks. I'm closing in on 7 mos so lately in my head I've been changing from "Cletus-the-fetus" to just plain "Baby." When we get the u/s and hopefully learn gender we can start using the real name it is going to be but I'm getting more excited. To me babies aren't "real" until they are viable outside the womb on their own -- that's somewhere around 7 mos. So on Paul's birthday we'll be celebrating a lot of things.

My stomach is getting a lot more stretch marks and my bellybutton is shallower. I keep wondering if that's where it will stop or if it will pop out or not?

Mom told me she bought the baby a potty and a bath tub. I thanked her but I keep reminding her they've already helped so much they really don't NEED to keep getting us baby things but I think she's grandma obsessing.

Baby is clunking around -- must have liked the waffles this morning.

Got the doula paperwork -- Paul has to read it with me and give me his feedback but it is mostly all done except for our signatures and the last question.

"Please list any other information you would like us to know about you. Include any questions, comments, or concerns that you have about your upcoming experience or our services."

Talk about a broad question! I think I might need the weekend to mull it over.

Just hung up the phone with the doula coordinator at the hospital. She's sending me a packet of info with this questionnaire thing we'll have to fill out and then she'll match us with 2-3 potential doulas and then we'll go from there.

I also spoke to the class coordinator but she wants me to call her back again on the 3rd because they still do not have the class schedule for weekend classes. I'm a bit annoyed since this was when she told me to call her back the last time I called last month.

Had some stomach pain this morning -- not sure what from. digestive or maybe I think it's digestive and it's sharper Braxton Hicks? Baby is busy punching me and I'm still sickie and slightly grumpy so I kind want to punch back! Sigh.

We saw my parents yesterday for a short visit. Both were startled at how I looked since the last time they saw me. Mom told me I looked like I was carrying high and to start walking more to help get him down but then since it was a first pregnancy she wasn't surprised. Dad wanted to know if my pants weren't too tight -- he didn't realize I was wearing maternity jeans with a full panel. I happen to like that pair quite a bit because other than the panel being poochy, it's a slim cut through the legs. Mom hemmed my other pants (khaki) while we all chatted -- we're going to the movies with them next weekend.

Paul is nesting more than me! He went beserk when we got home and cleaned the office floor and closets and got 4 bags for trash and 3 bags for goodwill ready.

I feel kind of gross today -- sore throat, still sneezing a lot. Cletus-the-fetus is rolling around doing things but I just feel sickie.

My stomach STILL itches from that wool sweater but I slept very well and woke up to a quiet baby. Cletus just started kicking around now and it still amazes me how much more comfy his new position is than last week's was for me. I really, really hope he stays that way for a while before rolling around somewhere else. I think I felt his head... not sure though.

Reader Leigh-Anne asks about the pregnancy newsletters I get. I keep up with two of them. One is from pregnancyweekly.com and the other is from verybestbaby.com And congrats on the positive test! :)

Tried getting a hold of my parents to see if they will be in this afternoon. Paul cut Dad's wood for his table project and we want to take it over to him. I also want to see mom about the zipper for the baby hoodie I made. They aren't in so I don't know if they went to work or just out.

Just got back. Wonderful Japanese dinner! Mmmmm! Shopped all day and did manage to get this skirt at Old Navy. Fit very well. I tried on a sweater there and got all crazy itchy so that was annoying. I had thought it was acrylic but it was a wool+acrylic blend and I'm allergic so that explained the crazy itch. Ugh. I found a silk sweater at Dillard's instead so I'm set for the wedding except for pantyhose and that can wait til later.

Cletus has moved and I feel much more comfortable. All the kicking and stuff was happening on my left side. Now it's happening in the center. Today I am off shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding... Paul said he'd work on the server while I'm gone. When it died last night he said most of the files should be fine but he needs to remember to start backing things up and I just about croaked right there.

The craft blog stuff I've been redoing is not a big deal if I had to re-do from scratch. That was less than 20 entries. But the 5 years of journal archives?! Ack!

Woke up this morning with baby kicking me but feeling rested. I think I am getting a cold though -- I keep sneezing all the time. At first I thought it was just the Wed. sneezes from the landscapers but it's Fri. and I'm still going. Plus last night I felt really hot. I had this pain in my upper middle stomach -- right below the center of my rib cage. Also had a pain in my groin and my side. Not sure what that's all about but I'm not surprised either -- this kid has been rolling around and kicking for yonks now and I'm feeling sore all over.

Lab nurse called from the OB's to tell me the A1C from yesterday came back normal. Yay.

25 weeks. 17 lbs gained. From my pregnancy newsletter:

You may experience an increased level of discomfort
starting soon. Gas pain, feelings of bloating, water
retention (edema) and an overall difficulty getting
comfortable are very common complaints.

Gee, tell me something I don't know. I'm having a really hard time rolling over or getting out of bed in the morning. I'm starting to feel like I can't breathe deeply enough either.

Susie Hamster had her litter. There's at least 4 of them, but possibly more. I can't quite see because she's feeding them all. I'm a bit jealous -- she only had to gestate for 3 weeks! The prospect of another 15-16 weeks for me makes me soooo tired.

Off day again today. Maybe that means tomorrow will be better? I just feel blah and when Paul got home from work and saw me, he informed me I was leaking all over my shirt again. Baby is either rolling around or SOMETHING. It jsut feels very busy in there.

Susie the Hamster is very pregnant and her nipples are all very obvious. She's now hopping all around her tank trying to climb the walls. She was chewing on all the cage toys, running frantically in the hamster wheel, or digging in the hamster litter from one end to the other. Boy Hamster is hiding from her because any time he gets in her way she hits him or threatens to bite him.

I feel a lot like she does today. Sigh.

Other than my boob itching like crazy, this morning's OB appt. went fine. He wanted to repeat the A1C test because the last one was slightly elevated but I forgot to ask if breakfast matters? Because if it does, this one will be slightly elevated too -- I had waffles with syrup right before heaidng to the doc.

He started measuring fundal height today and told me I've "blossomed" and will need to keep an eye on my weight. I'm going to have to get more regular walking in.

Heartbeat was strong and we also got to hear some kicking with the Doppler -- this was amusing.

Next month is a sonogram and the start of appts. every 2 weeks instead of every 4. I'm excited! :)

Wow! Amazing what a good night's sleep and then a good afternoon nap does! I feel a LOT better! Baby is still punching me but I don't mind it nearly as much when I feel rested.

Just got off the phone with Mom... we talked for more than an hour over nothing really. Travel, my aunt, a produce conference and the exhibits my parents saw while working that show, fetal movement, what that powder is to make fruit salad not turn brown instead of using lemon juice, Dad's new suit, renting movies, yakkityyakkity. It was fun. I haven't seen mom since my birthday so it's been almost a month this week. We're trying to figure out what days she's got off so she can help me sew a zipper into a hoodie sweater I made.

Got some decent sleep last night so I feel better.

We had a quiet evening watching Raiders of the Lost Ark. Paul got new strings and restrung/tuned his sitar during the movie while I made some little booties from scrap yarn. They turned out ok so I'm probably going to save that pattern. I'd tried it before and it wouldn't come out right but for some reason last night it didn't give me a problem. Maybe it was just that the yarn was easier to see?

Cletus-the-Fetus had me pretty tired so we ordered pizza. I cleaned out the fridge and freezer and in a bit I'm going to hit the grocery store and stock up for this week. Paul helped me with the trash and then gave the kitchen floor a quick scrub. We took a shower and then I went to lay down and read before going to sleep while he finished up with the sitar strings. He really likes his new rosin too.

While I was reading Cletus started back up again with the mega kicks so I got Paul to come over and try to feel them and he actually caught two good ones. So at last he got to feel the baby move! We were both happy about that and I laughed at him when he told me it felt really weird to feel something bopping around in me. I told him to think about how that feels non-stop ALL DAY LONG.

Rough day. I feel queasy and want to just hurl and get it over with! Cletus-the-fetus is big enough to be felt from the outsides now and it's been making me nuts all day -- banging and thumping and just ugh. I hope tomorrow is better...

Loong day today and we didn't even do anything. My womb feels heavier and heavier and all I think about is escaping my body and going somewhere else. All my female relatives who've been pregnant before look at me knowingly and say "Just wait til later! It gets worse!" I don't want to wait til later. I don't want it to get worse. I want to escape NOW. Uggggghhhh.

No dice... slept awkwardly as usual and woke up to Cletus-the-fetus beating on me as usual. Here I thought the exciting day yesterday would have worn him out but nooooo... I feel fine though. No aches or pains other than my feet being a little tired still.

Got results from the endoc. and my thyroid is still fine so no changes in meds yet.

I'm moving the craft blog to a different URL so I've taken it down for now...

Just got home. Spent the day with Paul's family at Magic Kingdom. Both my SIL's told me I was showing a lot and patted my stomach "hello" when they saw me. My BIL joked Paul ought take me theme parking in another 2 months when I'm REALLY out there and see what happens.

I'd brought food from home in case theme park food disagreed with me but it was ok. Better to have it in a locker and not need it than need alternatives and not have them. What I did need and I forgot was Body Glide. By the end of the day my feet and legs could have used some of that after so much waddling around. At 6 mos. along it's not too bad but I don't think I could do a park much past that! Paul told me he should have listened and worn sneakers rather than sandals or at least used Body Glide with the sandals. His feet hurt too.

Cletus-the-fetus was active at times and quiet at times -- I'm sure the day sounded interesting in there. All this music and crowds and later fireworks... maybe he'll have been sooo stimulated all day with new noises that he'll sleep through the night without beating me up!

Big Thunder Mountain was closed, Splash Mountain I sat out, and nobody wanted to do Space Mountain or Goofy's Barnstormer and those were the only 4 rides that AllEars suggested pregnant people stay off of. There was a dip in Pirates of the Carribean but really not much of one and I don't get motion sick very easily so the spinny rides didn't bother me at all. Since the kids were 3 and 5 we did mostly the kiddie stuff for them -- Snow White, Peter Pan, Small World, Buzz Light Year, Character Meetings, Carousel of Progress, etc. All mostly slow, steady rides that were mostly well lit and not too scary looking. The worst of the bunch was probably Snow White for scariness. They both got a bit anxious over the witch. My youngest niece slept right through Pirates and they didn't seem to bother her older sister. We got to see the new Mickey's Philharmagic (sp?) 3D movie thing and it was very cute. The nieces had a great time trying to touch the 3D objects flying out of the screen towards us.

We stayed a little bit later than they did because I really wanted to do the Haunted Mansion and the Liberty Belle boat ride since we didn't get to do those with the kids along. So after walking them to the entrance and giving them some Halloween goodies from the locker for the kids we went up to take the train back to Frontier Land. I don't know if it was just having eaten dinner or if it was the Pony Express but when we were getting off the train Paul told me I was clutching my stomach with a weird smiley look on my face and I told him Cletus was kicking really hard and it felt strange to have that happen while I was walking. It was a first -- usually when he kicks that hard I'm sitting or laying still. It felt kind of weird while walking. It's hard to describe... but it was odd. My telling my body to be walking and then some other thing in my body doing something else of its own volition...

We got Fast Passes for the Haunted Mansion and took a ride on the Liberty Belle. Back to use the passes and then we got ice cream on the way out. We saw the fireworks from the ferry station. If we'd gotten more sleep last night we would have stuck out the last 2 hours and done some of the other things we wanted to do sans kids but that's ok. It will be there for some other time.

It's the first time either one of us has been with a family group in a long time and it was a nice change. Although I have to agree with Paul -- I secretly like our slow-pokey, meandering pace as a couple more. When you are herding a larger group you do tend to get a little more business-like about how you approach the rides and what you do and what you skip. Esp. with young children. There's more of a plan. When it's just one or two -- you kind of play it more by ear and wander all over with no rhyme or reason.

Slept a LOT today. And I'll probably go to bed early tonight. I want to be well rested for tomorrow when we go hang out with the family. When we got together for birthdays 2 weeks ago I was pooped out by the end of the day.

I told Paul I was going to start calling baby "Frosty" instead of "Cletus-the-fetus" because all day or night it is just thumpity-thump-thump-thumpity-thump! Today all this kicking kind of hurts my left side -- I keep rubbing it hoping he'll chill out.

I keep grunting and making noises when I get about like "Nrrrgh!" or "Ooof!" and Paul keeps running over to look at me to see if I'm ok. I'm fine -- just struggling to do things while feeling like a hippo. I can't reach my feet any more. This is both amusing and alarming to me.

24 weeks. Last night I started leaking colostrum so badly it was making me CRAZY.

Paul laughed at me trying to roll over in bed -- it's def. a struggle for me now. Theoretically this baby is creeping in on 2 lbs. So no wonder I feel heavy and cumbersome.

Dad asked me when he called yesterday how I was feeling and I told him other than queasy I was fine and then he wanted to know if I was SURE it wan't twins. No twins in the ultrasounds but I think he's still wondering since twins happen in my family and I keep struggling so much with queasiness and movement. I think I just have a very active singleton. But next week is the OB and then the next appt. after that we learn gender. I am getting sooooo excited to find out what we're having!

It surprised me when Dad suddenly said to try to avoid being induced if I could. Unless there's a problem or unless baby is soooo overdue I wasn't planning on inducing and I told him that. I think he's starting to worry about my giving birth. It's sort of cute. Poor Dad.

The bad? I feel really queasy and nothing sounds good to eat.

The so-so? Diseny Half Marathon packets came. I can't race pregnant so I felt a little down about not being able to participate this year but we'll go get our goodie bags in Jan. and watch so that will be fun too.

The good? Was playing with Cletus-the-fetus again and devised a new game. Previous games were "hide and seek" with the stethoscope to see if I could find his pulse and "make him kick" by letting Paul make noises in his general direction. The new game is "kick the bells." I have a key chain with two jingle bells on it that are perfectly round. I came across it while I was in the bathroom looking for a ponytail so more out of curiosity than anything else, I took them up and went to lay down.

I was laying there with my shirt hiked up and these bells on my stomach when Paul walks in and wants to know what I'm doing. I told him I was waiting to see if Cletus can kick strongly enough to make the bells chime yet or not. Turns out he can't make them chime, but he can make them quiver. It was really neat to watch these balls rolling on my stomach every so often. Particularly nice for Paul, since he can't yet feel the movements because Cletus turns shy around him for some reason.

I know. Goofy fetal games.

Had to go get a "new baby" card for my new nephew and I noticed it again while shopping. Waddle, waddle, waddle. I keep wanting to walk faster than Cletus will allow! He's so big and punchy!

First it was the purple shirt, now my NF shirts don't fit quite right -- pot belly is sticking out there. So I need to pick up some T's sometime soon. I just don't like that stretchy shirt feeling -- prefer things loose. I didn't like any of the ones I saw while out so I'll have to add it to my shopping list when Holly and I get together to shop for a maternity dress I can wear to a wedding we're invited to.

When I got home my SIL called to tell me about nephew's birth defect but my MIL had already called last night. SIL said she was glad. Apparantly MIL was worrying that the news might upset me because I'm pregnant even though SIL kept telling her I'm very sensible and don't get riled easily. Turns out nephew was born with some middle fingers on one hand that are not normal length. Everything else seems fine.

Now nobody wants anything wrong with their baby, but if a baby has to be born with something wrong, I much prefer some small physical thing like this to something more major like a heart or brain problem or blindness or deafness or something. It would be different if he had no hands at all... and it's not like he's missing fingers -- he's got them... just that 2 are sort of short or stubbier than normal.

My uncle and his mother both lost several fingers to accidents and they do fine. It's a manageable situation. You can't even tell they're missing digits until you look closely -- they're that fast!

Both MIL and SIL told me that other SIL and BIL (they are grandparents to this nephew) are still kind of upset and getting over the shock. Nobody has mentioned how the young parents themselves are taking it. I kind of think Paul should call his family and see how they are doing tonight.

Funky, moody, queasy, sleepy... yep. Another pregnant day goes by.

1400 calories down, 900 to go between here and bedtime. I'll settle for 600 to get me to 2000 for the day. I don't think I can manage 900.

I'm having this craving for milkshake and it's all because the last time I saw Nancy she was talking about making Dave go get her milkshakes at Steak 'n' Shake when she was pregnant. I've got it on the brain now.

Paul asked me if I was going to go make him get me a milkshake and I said he could either take me to Baskin Robbins or hit the grocery and then make me one in the kitchen. Ben and Jerry's is too far away. BR is closer.

And he should be glad it's only been in the last 3 weeks that I've had cravings for things. Up til now I've been too queasy. I'm still queasy, but now I just have food urges.

Up and down weekend...

Iggy, my SIL's pet iguana that we've been caring for, died in her sleep so we had to tell Angie and ask her what she wanted us to do -- bring her body to her or bury her here. She said to bury her here since she lived with us for a bit and had other reptile friends here. So today Paul had to bury her in the yard. She died of old age and led a content, well-loved ife so it wasn't unexpected and was a happy passing. We all have Iggy stories and we'll miss her. Companion animals always are.

Then we heard that today our great-nephew was born and arrived weighing 6 lbs, 8 oz, and was 17.25" long. He's so pink in his pictures!

Measured my waist and I'm 2 inches wider than the last time I checked so these stretch marks I'm getting have been confirmed. As if my struggling in and out of my car today wasn't the courtesy clue phone ringing loudly enough. Paul noticed my waddling in the Target parking lot and told me to warn him when it's time to start dropping me off in front of places before he parks the car. I wore my new maternity jeans today and I'm glad I got them in my current size and in one size up. Who knows how big this pot belly is going to get?!

Got up early because I got hungry... then spent 1.5 CDs cleanign the kitchen. (I clean to music). My leg started acting up so I had to quit and put some Tiger Balm on it. Paul said if I got the kitchen floor cleared away he'd mop, strip and rewax it for me so I jumped at the chance to not have to do that myself.

I'm starting to feel better emotionally -- less prone to weeping and more upbeat in general. I hope that's a phase that doesn't cycle around again!

I think maybe Cletus-the-fetus is repsonding to sound. Continued to be very active while I was watching a movie last night and then Paul finished up his drum pad made out of a tupperware container and started playing with the baby. He was pounding away on it in different synth voices when I complained he needed to quit because his thumping made Cletus thump and that made me tired. So of course he didn't stop and it was this big experiment to see what noises Cletus "liked" best -- including a short stint on the 12-string. Then I got a belly rub -- so I guess the musical torture was worth it!

I got up this morning because I heard the kid from the corner start up with his skateboard and I felt Cletus stirring when I was muttering, "Go home kid! Skate in front of your own house!" to myself. Now that the kid is gone and there's no noise other than the keyboard clacking, Cletus quit punching. I'm going to try to see today if he gets more active when there are noises about.

PS: Put Nora Jones on the CD player and there goes baby... thumpthumpthump! This is kind of fun!

Orange-pineapple juice = heart burn. Sigh.

I think Cletus-the-fetus has discovered the joys of water aerobics. Because that's all I've been feeling since 10 AM this morning -- swish, kick, punch, swish, kick, punch.

The OB hasn't asked me to start keeping any kind of movement log but I doubt this baby is going to be a problem there -- it just doesn't STOP! Powpowpow!

Noticed little purple marks -- the start of stretch marks -- on my belly after bath today. Baby is kickingup a storm lately -- having trouble sleeping with all that going on. Foods I can't eat while pregnant? Watermelon or melon of any kind (farts) and chocolate chip cookies (heartburn). I keep wondering what new thing I'll discover tomorrow?

I am struggling with some PCOS/TTC related thoughts lately but don't want to go into any detail until i get it sorted out in my head. Basically I know it's frustrating to get diagnosed with PCOS, I know it's frustrating to TTC with PCOS. But it really bothers me to read of patients on forums who don't give each step of the way much time before wanting to jump on to more invasive procedures. But then on the flip side -- how do you decide how much time is enough time before moving on? There's no one answer but it is interesting to think about.

23 weeks. Woke up with a bad headache, cramps, and allergies gone beserk thanks to the landscapers yesterday. E-mail tells me:

"Your baby weighs about 1 lb. 6oz and is about 11.5 inches
from head to toe. Your baby's nostrils are open and the
movements that are practice for breathing outside the womb
have begun. The lungs are secreting surfactant, the
substance that keeps the moist, interior surface of the
lungs from sticking to itself. your baby's visual and
auditory systems are watching for light and listening to
your heart beating and your stomach growling."

Feel like this baby is getting huuuuuuge.

Went to the post office and the grocery store and then went down for a 4 hour nap. I can't believe it! Def. have to talk about this tiredness to my OB.

I'm having a really hard time staying up past 9 PM lately. Usually we stay up til midnight so we can spend some time together but i just can't keep my eyes open. I miss playing with Paul. I felt kind of bad that yesterday he'd bought us the whole Monkees collection on DVD and we were going to start watching the episodes but I conked out.

Feel queasy and that bellybutton ache is back. Baby is moving around and I feel drained. How is this possible? I've just had ten hours of sleep!

Down 2 lbs -- whiel I'm not surprised given the nausea and blahness of the last week or two, I'm going to be worried if it doesn't come back on before my next Ob visit. I feel soooooo tired lately too.

Dentist told me all things considered, I don't have a lot of plaque and my gums are not swollen -- two things he would have expected more of since I'm now pregnant. I did beg off the floss part though from the dental hygienist. After the dentist scraping plaque off and then Sandra doing the polish I don't think my sensitive gums could take a floss as well. I promised to do it when I got home.

Got 2 pairs of maternity jeans and a pair of capri length workout pants for under $20 on the way homr at Ross. Go me!

Neck rash (eczema) itches.

Feel weepy and emotional.

Headache.

Tried Boca Ravioli and don't like it.

NOT one of my better days.

Well, there go my feet.

Had my first bout of foot swelling today and I spent a lot of time with them propped up so they'd feel better. Drinking lots of water. Tomorrow I think I'll ice them for a while too because running the cold water over them isn't quite enough for me. They feel sweaty and hot. If we're going to Epcot with the families, it better happen this month. I won't be able to deal with it later!

I have a feeling I'm going to break out the socks and Birkenstocks for winter. Trouble is, the last time I wore birks was almost 10 years ago so I have to go to the factory outlet some time and check out what new colors/styles they've got. I was liking my sneaks for the support but now with this hot feet thing and my black sandals ruined in the street flood, I have to look at new shoes. WIDE shoes.

Added the foot thing to the list for my next OB appt. Edema -- hooray. :P

On a happier note, I finally update the home page with the ultrasound photo at the bottom and added a belly page.

Mom called to see how I was doing and asked if I'd heard from my sister. She seems to think Karen is down or something because when she last called her she sounded "moody."

Me? I'm moody today too. 22 weeks along. Weird little aches all over and my right breast is turning this brownish color in patches so I have to ask my OB if this is part of that "pregnancy mask" business.

Add the weepies where I start crying for no reason at any given moment... ugh. I prefer the happy days to the weird ones.

My hair, face, chest -- all oily and acne prone. Ugh. Pregnancy hormones make me feel beserk sometimes.Bit of a headache this morning but the stomach thing from last night seems to have settled down. What IS that baby doing in there?!

Holly called last night and we made plans to get together on Sunday. Haven't seen each other in weeks because of one thing or another so it should be fun to catch up. We're going to try a new Japanese restaurant or go to dim sum -- one of the two.

Lab appt. was fast -- in and out really. Still cleaning the craft supplies/closet and before Sat. I have to get to the photography stuff because I told my BIL he could borrow stuff while he's taking his photo class. I'm pleased with how things are coming along with the yarns but I drrrreeeead sorting my portfolios.

Just now my stomach has started to hurt. I can feel baby rolling around in there and s/he must be doing something to aggravate me or s/he's hitting me really hard because I just want to go back to laying down. My MIL just called about getting together over the weekend and it got me up. Potty break and then I'm going back down and nobody else better call!

Labs at the endoc. today. Poo. :P

More crochet?
Basic crochet Instructions
and then
Crochet Tutorials

Reader Zay asks me if I know a good book for a crochet newbie. Coincidentally enough, I just put up a another blog called Fuzzycraft over there on the side. Apart from wanting a craft blog I'm experimenting with different locations to revive the old Cat/astrophe/PinkPig stuff once baby is born but I know I'll be short on time and won't be fiddling with HTML coding the longer way.

Anyways... I realized today I have 127 days left. Which breaks down nicely to an average of 1 block every two days for the 63 Block afghan leaflet. I thought it would be fun to race the baby and see who gets here first -- Cletus-the-fetus or the afghan.

The full name of the leaflet is called "63 Easy-To-Crochet Pattern Stiches to Combine to Make an Heirloom Afghan" designed by Darla Sims and published by Leisure Arts. It's typically found at almost any Wal-mart unless they are out of stock. You can get it online as well from several companies.

I've taught several people, including hubby, how to crochet with it as a reference so when people ask me for a newbie guide, I always say that one. It's got some of the clearest illustrations I've seen in the basic stitch guide and you are not really obligated to do all the squares. Just do the ones you like and make the blanket from just 4 squares to all 63.

I'm off to go do errands and get yarn. It's either going to be the same red-grey-white as the Fair Isle afghan I'm working on concurrently or some other color with grey.