Baby Update

Homeschooling continues, but all thoughts are on the impending arrival.

I am 2 weeks away from my due date, and I am locked, loaded, and ready to go. Just waiting for God to pull the trigger and get this baby rollin’. The doctor says the baby is fully in position, and that I may feel “some pressure.” MmmmHmmmm. I feel like I have a sumo wrestler sitting on me. Of course, sometimes that is almost true. Max thinks that climbing my stomach is one of the great joys of life. I think this baby is so terrified of Max that he is going to try hiding inside for as long as he can!

The doctor seems to think I will be right on time since I have been one day late, one day early, and right on time. Still, he asked if I was having contractions. I did have 4 hours of them last Sunday night, and spent 3 hours hovering at 7-8 minute intervals with them getting stronger. When I told him that, he said, “If the contractions stop, you know you aren’t in labor.”

I just stared at him. I wondered if I should ask for my co-pay back, but thought I shouldn’t push my luck. I may ask for pain meds if things get rough, and I’ll need him to be on my side.

As much as I appreciate that this kid needs this time in the womb, I don’t wait well. I met someone who is being induced 2 weeks early because she is so tired. If being tired is the criteria, I should have been induced a long time ago. I had to look it up on the internet. Naturally, I found several references for ways to induce labor naturally.

I like pineapple a lot, and I was willing to eat a few slices, but I thought that eating 7 raw pineapples in a row would be too much. I was afraid I get half way through the 6th one and get tired of pineapple, and then I would have consumed 1500 calories for nothing.

We went for a drive yesterday in search of bumpy roads, but couldn’t find many. I think I’ll write a letter to the editor to complain that there aren’t as many as there used to be, and they should leave a few around for emergencies like this.

I also found a website that showed various acupressure points that are supposed to either induce labor or make it less painful, depending on which you use. I tried pressing on my legs, 4 fingers’ width above my ankle bone, but nothing happened. I just figured that with all Max’s climbing, he has probably pushed the anti-induction pressure points so many times that the trigger has shut off.

Then there was the castor oil. Let’s just say I’m not that desperate. Yet. There were 2 suggestions: take it with orange juice or take it with eggs. I like eggs and I like OJ, so I don’t see how it would help me to mess them up. If I did ever take it, I’d want to take it with liver or Brussels sprouts so I wouldn’t have to worry about hating those foods for the rest of my life. Am I the only one who thinks of these things?

Since today was Sunday, I thought I might get a nap. If taking a nap on Sunday counts as keeping the Sabbath holy, then I’ll get an A for effort. Brian got a movie, we put Max down for a nap, and I settled in. They say that pregnancy makes a woman’s thermostat go up, and I am no exception to this rule. My internal body temp has reset from a constant of 97.1 all the way up to 97.2.

I piled on a down comforter and took another one and doubled it up to put on top. I used a lap blanket to cover up the one arm and my ear that were sticking out. After listening to Brian breathe for a quarter of an hour, I felt myself getting warm and falling asleep. I woke up in great pain, wondering if my bladder could possibly hold any more. This was that “some pressure” the doctor had warmed me about. It had been a half hour since I’d been in the bathroom, and I was afraid my bladder would burst, sending urine icicles spewing all over the room. I ran to the bathroom. There must have been 3 tablespoons’ worth in there. Whew!

The clock said I’d been asleep for 20 minutes. I settled in again and tried to get comfortable. I’m afraid to lie on my back for fear that I’ll get stuck and spend a half hour trying to roll over with my arms and legs flailing, like one of those beetles you see on the nature shows. I finally got into a position that wasn’t painful and relaxed. I felt myself drifting off. That is when Max woke up, screaming.

I think I’ll go eat some more pineapple.

Graduation rates

Our local paper today had a story which stated that, in California, it is impossible to know the correct graduation rate in public schools. Something about not being able to track that info accurately so they give an official and unofficial estimate.

Maybe I'm missing something, but I'm thinking someone needs to go back to class and figure out a way to count students and follow them along to see who is graduating. By the article's estimate, it will be 4 years before the CDE is able to track that info. Interesting.

Science at home

Hmmm, it has been a while, I see. We're still here, still homeschooling. Our latest science project is raising the 25 chicks we just received from Belt Hatchery in Fresno. The kids are having a blast. Unfortunately, we seem to be losing 3 of them. Not sure what went wrong, but the others seem hale and hearty.

Thanksgiving Thoughts

OK, OK, so it's been a while since I've posted. In my defense, coming home from our and getting caught up with life was hectic! The article about the trip appeared in our paper today, reminding me that I need to do a bit more writing for some of the publications that expressed an interest in our trip story. Plus, I'd rather spend time writing than folding laundry, so here I am.

Before I forget, the link to the article is here:
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/2006/11/23/features/education/edu1.txt
and I think that expires in a few days, so I will try to figure out how to get that to work after that if I can.

This was the laziest Thanksgiving I can remember. Katia, Ed, and Alyona helped Wednesday evening with making pies and our side dishes, so all we had to do today was reheat them while Brian grilled the turkey. We usually do the big dinner and sit around at the table with guests and all that traditional stuff, but today seemed like a day to do something different, so we ate in front of the TV. Gasp!! Well.....what can I say except that, for us, that is a pretty rare thing, so it seemed like something fun to do. Of course, we discussed what we are thankful for before we got started, and everyone mentioned family at the top of the list. Turkey was up there too, so we're in good company.

We never can figure out when the Macy's parade is, so we ended up only seeing part of it. I guess it looks the same either way, but watching it in Spanish gives it a whole new twist.
Adios!

Cracker Barrel

Yesterday we left the Grand Canyon a bit earlier than planned so that we could add some drive time. The kids agreed to push through past Barstow, so we added 3 hours to the drive in order to make today, our last day on the road, a bit easier. When we hit Kingman, Brian fulfilled a trip-long dream of going to a Cracker Barrel store/restaurant. He had been seeing signs along the way, and something about them interested him. As it turned out, the one in Kingman was the last one on our trip. It was a cute little place, and we had a good time rocking on the porch.

We ended up staying in Tulare, about 5 hours from home--I think. I'm getting a little punchy and I am really ready to be home.

Grand Canyon

We spent 3 relaxing days in Pinetop, AZ where we lounged by the pool, played games, and wandered about. Brian and Katia did take a ride in to vacuum out the van, and Brian picked up some groceries so we could make use of the kitchens in the units where we were staying (we always need 2).

Yesterday afternoon we arrived at the Grand Canyon. We made a brief stop at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff which was a bit of a letdown for the kids--lots of exhibits to read, but not a lot of hands-on things to do.

We walked around quite a bit along the rim trail, and Brian took a lot of pictures. I walked out to the first observation point and made an observation of my own. I am afraid of heights. Now, I know this about myself, it is not a new revelation. For some reason, I had not equated being terrified even of standing on a ladder with having any reservations about looking out over the canyon. I did manage to drag myself to the rail a couple of times. As long as I look out over the expanse, I am fine, but as soon as I look directly down, I am overcome with an irrational fear. I was quite content to stay on the rim trail from that point on, and, I have to confess, there were moments where I could not even look at the kids as they ventured in closer.

This morning, Brian and Ed went to watch the sunrise. I stayed back with the sleeping brood. We are all anxiously awaiting their return so we can head out to breakfast. We are back to the canyon today for a bit more exploring, then we'll head out. We expect to cross over into California this evening and head home tomorrow.

More Directions Gone Awry

September 27, 2006
Phone call to the Holiday Inn Express in Albuquerque, NM.

Rose: “Hi, I’m calling for directions. I’m coming in on I-40 West.”

Desk Clerk: “You can’t get here from I-40 West, you have to come in on I-40 East.”

“I can’t come in on I-40 East, I’m driving from Texas.”

“You’re driving here from Texas?”

“Yes, on I-40 West”

“Well, you’ll just have to get on I-40 East then.”

I think I should stop calling for directions.

Quite a Discovery

Wednesday September 27
After calling information for the number for the Don Harrington Discovery Center in Amarillo, TX, the conversation went something like this:
Operator: “(muffled speech)…..help you?”

Rose: “Hi, I’m coming in on I-40 West, and I need directions.

“OK, are you familiar with Amarillo?”

“No, I haven’t been to Amarillo in about 20 years.”

“No problem. From I-40, you take the Coulter exit. That’s C-O-U-L-T-E-R. Turn onto Coulter and then take a right onto Wallace. We’re right there.”

“OK, I exit at Coulter and turn onto Wallace. I got it. Thank you.”

“So, are you coming in for a breast exam?” (long pause--maybe the cell phone is acting up).

“Ummmmm, what was that?”

“Are you coming in for a breast exam today?”

“You know, I might have the wrong number, I’m calling for the Don Harrington Discovery Center” (and I’m wondering what sort of discovery center this is!)

“Oh, the Discovery Center is just down the road, also on Wallace.”

“Good. Thank you. Bye!”

I was a little cautious going in, and completely relieved to find that the Discovery Center was, after all, a hands-on science museum for kids with a new exhibit on engineering and a planetarium show. Whew! What a relief.

Where the Buffalo Roam--or something like that

Tuesday, September 26
Somewhere in Oklahoma, along I-40
We stopped at a roadside “trading post” because we are ahead of schedule. We are supposed to be meeting my aunt and uncle for dinner and we stopping more often than usual to keep everyone occupied. I took the little girls on a little walk to see some buffalo that were in an enclosure. I felt sad to see such creatures penned up. It is hard to imagine the plains they used to roam. Of course, if I had a vote, I’d give the plains back to them, and they could deal with the infernal wind.