Midwife #3. 10-27-11

I saw the 3rd of the 5 midwives today. They rotate who is on call. So, no surprises when I'm in the delivery room. I liked this midwife pretty well. She was telling me that several of the midwives trained at Frontier in Appalachian Kentucky. Apparently, as a part of the requirements for their training, they had to know how to ride a horse. As she explained, there weren't any SUV's and such back in the 70's. The best way to get into those hollows--or is it hollers?--was to ride a horse. I so want Boop to be delivered by a midwife riding a horse!! But, I guess there's no excuse for me. I'm only about 2 miles from the hospital, and my neighbor has every type of vehicle and has already offered to get me there. So no horses :(
I got the name of a doula in the next town. The fact that she immediately sprang to the mind of the midwife could be a good sign. Since there is no specific training, there can be considerable diversity in the level of help. One thing the midwife and doula have to know is: 1. I want pain meds--yes, to the epidural!, and 2. if the labor isn't progressing well, then let's move on to the C-section. I'm not out to be a martyr!
I drank that flat orange syrup for the initial gestational diabetes screen. It really wasn't that awful, but I didn't realize that I would have to drink it today. I have felt a little out of kilter today as a result. Fortunately, it was later in the afternoon; so I didn't have to feel yucky at work. I've been a bit dizzy this afternoon, but it could be because I've been standing up a fair bit, looking up, and holding stuff over my head. My helper and I changed out some lights upstairs.
So, they said the results will take 2 days. Being that this is a Thursday, I probably won't hear the results until Monday. They said they wouldn't call if the results are negative. Of course, I'll follow up at my next visit. Now that I'm 7 months, I will start going to the midwife every 2 weeks. Otherwise, my infection is gone, along with the thrush, and Boop seems to be in good shape. My bump is measuring well, and Boop's heart rate was about 150bpm. AND SHE DIDN'T KICK THE MIDWIFE :)

Adult Children. 10-26-11

Someone had posted a summary of a session with adult children of SMC's at the 30th Anniversary conference a few weeks ago. The thing that struck me was that adult children really seemed to do okay with many challenges of having a single parent, except the challenge of having only 1 rule giver and 1 enforcer. Reflecting back, the children wished that they had another parent to provide a different perspective and perhaps serve as a mediator.
So, I guess out of all of the concerns they might have expressed, it could have been much worse. Do I wish that things had worked out differently, and I had done this in the context of a happy, loving relationship? Of course. Was this the best decision in my circumstances? Definitely. Overall, in spite of the concern about having only 1 source of discipline, the research seems to indicate that children of SMC's do quite well. Unfortunately, the literature indicates the children that have the most problems are in situations where parents stay together/married for the sake of the children. A bit ironic.
I still hope to be in the right relationship. I realize that in my circumstances it's not likely to happen soon. But I guess stranger things have happened. I've certainly had my share of strangeness in the last few years. Fortunately, I haven't worried about it as much, even with the occasional computer interference <A few folks adding extra salt to the pot, without the original cook being fully aware?>. Having little short-term memory causes plenty of problems, but I do appreciate that I have been ruminating less. I can be stressed about something, and poof, it's gone. About the only thing on my mind these days are the ins-and-outs of my job and the perpetual search for red meat!

Another Drive. 10-25-11

On my way to Mom's, I tried to reach my aunt to have a late lunch. Unfortunately, her phone was off. So, I got some Chipotle, did a quick trip to Home Depot, and then stopped by Aunt D's. She was bummed that she missed out on lunch. We had a nice, quick visit, and I picked up a baby rocker that I left last time. With that, I headed on to Mom's and got Winnie situated. With all of the construction, I was running a little late, but so was S with the crazy bridge situation. I'll blame Mitch; she'll blame Barack ;) So, she, her husband, and I headed out to the Vietnamese restaurant. Her husband always orders the best stuff. I had a yummy noodle soup. It was nice to have a visit to catch up. I think S would make the best mom.
The next morning, I attempted my first German potato salad, which was not Mom's favorite, but I kept catching her sneaking bites of it. And when we started filling our plates at the reunion, it didn't stand a chance! The K family enjoys big meals and telling even bigger stories. It's so good to have a chance to have a time each year that we can all relax and enjoy each other's company. And I'm always happy to have a little extra time to spend with a cousin that I really haven't had a chance to get to know very well. For the most part, my family is so excited about my little Boop. There were only a few awkward moments. A friend of the family that I hadn't seen in many years asked me who the father was... I was a bit flabbergasted; it's one of those moments when you can hear the needle rip across the album. I'm going to have to do better in the future for Boop's sake. Other than a few bits of awkwardness, we had a beautiful fall day, catching up, and watching the coal and gravel barges meander up the river.
Sunday: homemade country breakfast at great aunt D's. I went by to pick up my great aunt A for breakfast, and Mom took over my milk so I could get special gravy and biscuits. I'm pretty spoiled that way :) I pretty much had to eat and run. At 89 years old, great aunt D made breakfast for over 50 people. She cooked all morning! And then I took the northern route back to my house. Big mistake. It should only be about a half hour longer (7.5 hours), but there was so much construction that it added more than an extra hour. I did manage to go to hit some of my fave groceries near my old house and to stock up on whole wheat cous cous and Asian noodles. I also got a bit of Turkish for lunch: eggplant and ground lamb :) I was pretty exhausted when I got home (9 hrs on the road). Fortunately, I'll have time to chill this weekend...

Taking Stock at Week 27. 10-24-11

Here's what happening at Week 27:

• Wow, it was a long day getting home yesterday. Started later due to country breakfast at great Aunt D's and trying to get the crib in the car. Then, I took the northern route, which should be about a half hour longer as I wanted to stop at my old stomping ground and stock up at my fave groceries (whole wheat cous cous and lots of noodles at the Asian grocery!). My pit stops only added about an hour (the car was getting a bit warm for Winnie), but then the traffic jams added another hour. I won't be trying that again for a long time...
• I'm so close to month 7. All of Boop's parts should be in place. I'm just gaining weight. Yay-rah... Good for her. Not so good for me. I go to reach for something, and then I remember there's a big bump :)
• One of the pregnancy websites recommends starting to think about post-partum family planning (i.e., birth control). I couldn't help but get a little laugh out of that one! Another notes that swelling may be starting now. I seem to be doing okay, but I'm trying to get prepared for it in the coming months.

Speedbumps and Hooks. 10-20-11

What will I remember most about living here? Speedbumps and Hooks. I had the new rim put on my car, and the car was driving pretty well. Then, I hit a speedbump, and the car is out of kilter again. I picked my car because it had such a smooth ride, but you wouldn't know that now. This town is just chock-full of speedbumps (and potholes, hence the need for a new rim). The infrastructure of the town is really quite poor. So, the solution: build more speedbumps and build them even higher. I guess that slows down some of the college students... I guess. I find them rather problematic.
And then the Hooks. That is my name for the former owners of this house. They passed away, their daughter lived out of town, and she sold it. It has really been a BIG project. At least I knew what I was getting into. I just didn't realize the challenges of finding folks to work on the place; so I've resorted to students, who have plugged along pretty well. And so the Hooks. Apparently, "Mr. Hook" was paralyzed after falling down the basement stairs (I have since had the stairs redone), and "Mrs. Hook" passed after having had some sort of dementia for a while.

On the bathroom door...

I have discovered many interesting quirks about the house, but perhaps the most, er, exotic is that they put tiny hooks everywhere (and shelves, they apparently also were obsessed with shelves). I can't tell you how many little hooks we found in the kitchen during the remodel. The front porch is covered with these tiny little brown hooks. And then, the upstairs bathroom, which I'm remodeling. I just closed the bathroom door to discover there are 4 hooks on the back of the bathroom door. I just keep finding those little hooks.

On the wall beside the bathroom door...

I guess there are much worse things to find when you're remodeling, but I would have rather it been something much better, like money :)

Bath. 10-19-11

I really need a bath, a nice warm bath. I've been imagining it for a few months now. I haven't had a bath in a good 6 months. Some states have laws, like KY I think, that say you have to have at least 1 or 2 baths a year, whether you need it not. Well, I did have showers, which I suppose is in the spirit of a bath, but just doesn't feel the same.
Last night, I had 2 helpers over while I was gone to massage therapy. They finished painting the little hall upstairs, did some touch up painting around the bathroom, and cleaned everything up. The floor was so nice and clean, all of the fixtures and even the tub. The tub hadn't been cleaned since I moved in, well actually long before I moved in, I'm sure, and there had been wood floor sanding dust and drywall dust all over the bathroom and hall walls. Clean and freshly painted, it looked like a different place.
I was so excited this morning. I took my big fluffy purple towels and soaps and shampoo upstairs, threw my new cotton rug on the floor, got my new soap dispenser out of the box and filled it with liquid soap... I was so ready. I saw a dirty spot on the tub that my helpers must have missed and sprayed some cleaner on it. Then, I turned on the bath faucet. Nothing came out! Moan, groan... So, I hoped that the valves had been turned off at the access panel in the hall. I went over to it. Painted shut. I couldn't get the door open, but I did manage to accidently pull off some the trim. So, my bath will wait a few more days, I guess.

Next Stop. 10-19-11

I managed to get to R's by 4pm, and after getting some adorable outfits from R for Boop ("My mom rocks!"), joined her and J for a Cemetery Walk nearby. It was a family burial plot from the 1800's narrated by folks playing the role of different family members buried there. Unfortunately, there was a fair bit of standing in one place, and I could feel my blood pressure dropping. So, I just plopped down amidst the sawdust path and sat Indian style until the next stop on our tour. One woman was very apologetic to tell me the story of how she died in childbirth and tried to soften her story as much as possible, adding that times were so much different then. If she only knew some of the things I saw in genetic counseling!

Okay, so maybe a little ironic, especially at this point in my pregnancy...

Afterwards, R and J got changed (I was still sporting my sawdust pants), and we all headed out for the Irish pub. I'm sensitive to vegetarian friends, but not nearly enough to not eat meat ;) I had a nice Irish stew with something I figured was parsnips? We were running behind, the concert started at 8pm, and so we made our way to pick up Z. I asked her to bring out M to give her a toy, which she received with a big grin. With that, we got to the concert a few minutes before 8pm, and me, of course, with a very full bladder. Finally, I gave in and ran to the bathroom in the Mexican place next door.
About 9pm (10pm my time), we got into the concert--not sure why they started so late (R's ticket said 7pm). I wound up having to sit down during the bulk of the concert, and I gave up on leaning my back against the stage due to the vibrations, which Boop didn't like. In retrospect, the sound was probably too loud for Boop, and I shouldn't have been so close to the stage. More mother's guilt :( Fortunately, the guy from NY didn't appear. And other than the volume, the concert proceeded well enough, folks were in good form, nothing too crazy, except maybe one large, exhausted pregnant woman who was trying to figure out what was going on. I wasn't much good for anything else after that and pretty much went straight to R's house to bed. The next morning, dreading the 9 hour drive back home, I was definitely feeling the trip was a bit too ambitious.