Week 37!

Roasty is now "full term" so he can come out whenever he wants (I'm ready).  He's over 6 pounds and is the length of a stalk of swiss chard.  We're very curious to see what color eyes Roasty will have.  Leighton has light eyes, my dad has blue eyes, my brother has hazel, so could we have a black haired, blue eyed baby?

The stoop

We went to Chamakome last weekend to help with Eleanor and Sam's wedding preparation. Yuki and Betsy planted the whole vegetable garden, Karl, Lance, Leighton and DJ built a stoop for the study, Susie and I made tandoori chicken, naan, raita and two delicious fruit tarts to feed all of the hard workers. We stopped at Valley Ford Market on the way up on Karl's suggestion to get oysters.  They were HUGE!  Even big mouth Leighton couldn't suck them down in one bite.

The veggie garden

We're still really struggling with a first name.  Leighton likes all the proper English names so common in Jamaica--Douglas, Duncan, Russell--I seem to like religious names--Elijah (but it's climbing up the popularity chart, no good for us). I think we should name him Kingston.  It's strong and is an homage to the homeland.  Leighton claims the Jamaican family will think it's way too weird--thoughts?

We have the baby room pretty much complete.  We're already getting rid of stuff that we have acquired.  We're desperately trying to keep it simple.  Lance and Susie bought us an Ikea rocking chair which I love.  Lance built us a book shelf for all of our new baby books.  And I convinced Leighton to get rid of most of his old textbooks and notebooks!  This means a whole shelf has been cleared!

I'm still working.  School ends on June 17th, I'm due on the 14th. I've arranged my schedule, with the help of my amazingly supportive colleagues, so that I get a lot of extra time off.  So far, so good.  My school doesn't give grades, instead we write these very details "progress reports" that outline all of the strengths and challenges of each child.  They take about 45 minutes each and I have 50 students.  Usually, we work on these the week after school gets out, but because I may have a baby, I'm trying to get them done ahead of time.  I'm making good progress, but it is a stressful obligation to to have hanging over my head.

We met with Michelle, our doula, again and practiced labor and birthing positions.  She kept commenting on how strong I am and how helpful that will be as we move around.  She had more bad news about Oakland Kaiser.  The new batch of OBs are being very anal about a lot of obnoxious rules--no cameras, no positions except on your back, no unstrapping the baby heart monitor (which means limited mobility), no outside food (even for dad), no personal clothing (must wear the horrible hospital gowns)...The good news is that Michelle knows all of the doctors and nurses and so she knows who are the less strict ones that we can request.  She also knows all of our rights and how to advocate for what we want in a way that won't piss them off (clearly, I won't be talking).

Yuki and Momoca go to a Tsunami fundraiser

Also, as we get closer to the birthday we're thinking about how to let everyone know.  Leighton is going to try and write an email for the majority of the family and friends, but we'll also post the news on this blog.  Make sure you are signed up to get an email notification when the blog is updated.  You can do that by typing your email address in the box on the right that says "follow by email". Then hit submit.  Feel free to call or text either of us to check in.  We'll get back to you if we can!

Bike shed progress--roofing.

Week 36!

Roasty is the size of a Crenshaw melon, 6 pounds!

I've finally begun suffering from the famous lower back pain in pregnancy.  I notice it the most when I get out of bed 800 times to pee.  Sometimes it sort of flairs and it hurts to walk.  Yoga helps a lot.  And Leighton has been rubbing me down with tiger balm.

We got a new OB, Dr. Stavely, thanks to recommendations from our doula.  She is sooooooo much better!  She actually talked to us!  I also got weighed at my last appointment...207 pounds!  Leighton only weighs 214, so we'll see if I can catch him.

My school does a "TBS Idol" in which Leighton performed with one of my colleagues, Chris.  They got mad love from the audience.  I call him my Jamaican idol.  Check them out:  http://vimeo.com/23931110

The boys pose before the big party.

Leighton and almost grandma

We also got to celebrate Carol's 60th birthday at Stinson Beach.  We ate, we danced, we canoed, we ping ponged, it was a great vacation.  So many folks in the extended family have new babies so there was lots of mama talk.  It was fun to compare bellies and stories with Katie who is two months behind me, and we have the same doula!  Speaking of Michelle, we met with her to discuss our labor plan.  We're going to try and stay at home as long as possible and then stay as relaxed as possible while at the hospital (that's the challenging part).  Hopefully staying at home will mean fewer interventions.  We're hoping everything will go smoothly enough to let us stay where we are comfortable. 

Emma and Katie's bellies.

Lance and Susie fight the current in the lagoon.

Playing Ping Pong at Stinson, almost beat Mickey and Leighton.

Two of our roommates, Froy and Christa graduated from Cal with Masters in Environmental Sciences.  We had a huge dinner of terriyaki chicken and tempura with both graduates and their families.  Plus, I made a special edition Oski carrot cake...mmmmm....

The graduates with their special Cal carrot cake

We love it when Froy's family visits!

Week 35...OMG!

Feeling strong, but tired.

There he is!

Roasty is the size of a honey dew melon, and I feel it!  He's still practicing his volleyball moves, even though they claim he's pretty snug in there and not moving as much.  Most of his basic physical development is complete, now he's just gaining weight.  I'm getting tired again.  Leighton had to tie my shoes for me this morning.  I'm having mild allergies which mostly sucks because I can't take anything for it.  I've got some minor pain in my lower back, nothing like what I've heard most women suffer from, so I still feel lucky.  Yoga is really the only physical activity I can handle and it feels REALLY good.  Though I've noticed that I am carrying much smaller than all of the women around my same number of weeks.  Is it possible that I'll have a small baby??  Maybe he'll slide right out...a girl can dream.

Karl, Leighton and Grace

Hot tub!

Leighton ate in the sandbox with Grace

The Feast!

Leighton and Yuki are ready to race!

We got to celebrate Mother's Day at Uncle Bob and Joanne's pool.  Jonna and I made Mother's Day Love Punch, which we sipped by the pool.  Joanne made her famous gogoebi ribs...mmmm....with corn, potato salad and tons of delicious appetizers.  Then we worked off the big meal with fun games in the pool.  Jonna even gave me a Mother's Day foot rub!  She also pulled out her stethoscope and was able to faintly hear Roasty's heartbeat--very exciting.

Grace and Yuki

On our way home we stopped by Cousin Nate and Trish's house to steal more of their delicious oranges.  They are amazing!  No wonder California is known for its citrus!  We completely raided the tree, Leighton climbed right in and lobbed oranges at us to catch.  Nate and Trish also gave us a car seat that they aren't using--score!  And of course we got to see baby Zoe again.

Leighton raids the orange tree.

Last weekend, one of Leighton's friends, Kaki, took us sailing for Opening Day on the Bay.  It was amazing!  I wore a tanktop for the majority of the trip, unbelievable.  I was worried about being extra motion sick, but I kept my tummy full, snacked on ginger snaps and had no problems.

DJ and the Golden Gate Bridge

Week 34!

I think the shadow makes me look bigger than I really am.  He's a pineapple.

It's getting real, people.  I'm getting less and less mobile and more and more tired.  I went to school the other day feeling light headed and shaky.  I came home, took a 2 hour nap and then felt fine.  How am I going to make it to the end of the year?

We got to have a long meeting with our wonderful doula and she enlightened us on all sorts of tricks, tools and prep work.  My iron is a touch low which is not good because I will soon lose lots of blood.  My stupid OBGYN put me on iron pills, which aren't absorbed well and make you constipated.  My doula, on the other hand, required that I eat beef and lamb at least twice a week (please send along your favorite recipes!).  She also recommended coconut water to help with the hydration, which has been difficult to keep up with.  In an attempt to strengthen my amniotic sac, I'm to eat grapefruit once a day.  In an attempt to ripen and soften my cervix for labor I'm to use Evening Primrose Oil suppositories and have lots of sex.  Apparently, one of the many interventions they will use at the hospital if things aren't moving along quickly enough is a massive dose of prostaglandins.  As always, the synthetic stuff isn't as good as the natural stuff and semen is a great natural dose of more effective prostaglandins.

We are trying for a natural birth which isn't easy to pull off in a hospital.  Our doula warned us that at our next appointment we'll be required to do a Group B Stress test.  Basically our doctor will test the levels of bacteria in my vagina and anus.  If they decide the levels are too high, I am required to be hooked up to the IV and on strong antibiotics throughout labor.  This is because the bacteria could cause problems for mom and more serious problems for baby.  As usual though, it is quite rare AND there is really no reason why they should be checking for group B in the anus, as we all know babies don't come out of butts.  Doula Michelle to the rescue!  I'm going to use a homeopathic treatment called Gynatren two weeks before my test.  I'll also clean my anus with tea tree oil.  This will help make sure they don't find more bacteria than they want and I won't have to be tied to an IV.   Knowledge is power.

Lastly, Michelle told us about the vitamin K shot which the hospital automatically gives to the baby immediately after birth.  Vitamin K helps the blood clot and somewhere along the lines of 5 in 100,000 babies will have a problem with blood clotting and will suffer from "tragic intracranial bleeding".  On the other hand, who knows how this massive dose of vitamin K affects a newborn.  We can ask that they do not give our baby the shot, but we've got to explicitly include that in our birth plan.  Along the lines of torturing our newborn, we have to decide if we'll have him circumcised.  It turns out there is no medical reason to do it and it is very much going out of fashion, especially here in the Bay Area.  Michelle says that if we circumcise our child he'll actually be in the minority.

Right after the surprise, I'm still in shock.

The diaper cake (not edible)

The other really exciting event was the surprise party that the parents and students at my school threw for me.  Leighton told me he was taking me out to dinner on Friday night, which was shocking and very exciting.  He was acting funny and I kept asking questions.  We started heading into Piedmont, so he says, "we're going to have dinner with my ex-girlfriend".  I thought that was fishy because I didn't know of any ex-girlfriends who lived in Piedmont, so naturally I started yelling at him.  We pull up to a house and he makes me go in first.  I recognize a parent who answer the door, but he's acting weird and sends me to an empty living room.  I hesitantly walk forward and out jumps, from both sides mind you, about 60 parents and students!  They almost surprised me right into labor.  I couldn't believe that all of those 12-14 year olds were able to keep their mouths shut all week.  We had a HUGE paella, salad, cake, and then I opened hundreds of wonderfully thoughtful gifts.  One of them was this creative "diaper cake".  It's all little baby diapers rolled up and surrounded by awesome toys (little rattles on the ends of booties!)

opening tons of gifts while everyone ooo'd and aaahhh'd.

Week 32 and 33!

I even wore heels!

Leighton and Tanya cutting a rug.

I'm a little behind, but only because we've been so busy.  We went to my school's auction on 4/16 (where we somehow didn't win anything...)  We got all dressed up and even went out dancing afterwards.  Leighton had a blast dancing with anyone who was willing, especially during my mandatory rest sessions.

The next day was the Welcome Home Yuki BBQ!  We're so happy to have her back and it seemed like a good excuse for a party.  Cousin JoYi was quite intrigued by my belly (as the younger sister, she never got to see mom pregnant).  She kept poking my belly button, maybe hoping it would do something.

Roasty is currently the size of a large jicama.  The baby weighs almost 4 pounds and is now in the crazy growth phase.  He will start gaining about a half a pound a week!  I'm now weighing in at...198 pounds!  Take your guesses as to when I'll cross over to the 200 pound mark.

JoYi and Thai playing with their new cousin in utero.

Other exciting news is that I have been ordained by the Universal Life Church so that I can marry sweet Yuki to my adoring brother.  Watch out for wedding invitations soon!

Week 31!

It's non-alcoholic, people.

This was an exciting week because two of my childhood best friends flew into town to help celebrate Roasty. I got a few of my best girls together to decorate onesies, eat and play silly games. All together we made over 20 onesies with lots of fun one-of-a-kind messages. Charity and Yolanda made delicious brunch and Eleanor graciously hosted at her house. Thanks, ladies!

The sweater Sarah knitted for Roasty.

Brunch on a beautiful day!

Naima begs for help while Asher attacks her pacifier

Finished onesies drying.

I'm pretty proud of my Jamaican flag.

Yo and Mac talk designs.

My latest pregnancy side affect has been middle of the night charley horses. I wake up screaming with my calf totally seized up. Of course Leighton jumps out of bed, panicked, and then ignores me when I tell him it's just a cramp. The one I had this week left me limping for days. I felt like I had run a marathon, that's how sore my poor calf was.

The quilt Yolanda made for Roasty

The artists at work.
(Alexis carved a jicama stamp!) 

I got to hangout with a midwife at Lucy and Mackenzie's house. She poked and prodded and determined that Roasty's head is way down in my pelvis (right on my bladder, as a matter of fact) and his butt is right up against the center of my rib cage. She said this is a great position for him to be in for birth. He's already a good boy. I feel most of his movements on both sides of my belly which makes sense--that's him waving his arms.

I also stepped on a scale for the frist time in a while...196 pounds! Leighton's happy though because he says my butt is getting bigger...

Karl found a pretty awesome name idea.  Well, the name is a little weird, but the meaning is too perfect.  According to Jainism, one of the three primary spiritual traditions of India (along with Hinduism and Buddhism), "Tirthankaras which literally means “maker of a ford” and refers to a human being who achieves omniscience and then teaches the path to liberation to others, thereby establishing a ford across the river of rebirth"


Per my last post, there is an online petition to bring Postum back.  Help a sister out and sign here:   http://www.PetitionOnline.com/postum/

Week 30!

Roasty is the size of a cabbage, about 3 pounds.

I'm posing in the "baby room" in front of our crib (thanks Bob and Joanne!)

My mother's favorite pregnant drink was Postum. It was created as a coffee substitute and enjoyed a rise in popularity during WWII when coffee was rationed. Why is it so appealing to pregnant women? Well, it's caffeine free and non-acidic. Since we live in a cold, drafty house, we tend to require a lot of hot drinks. Tea, my usual standard, has been wholly uninteresting, in part due to the acidic aftermath. I want Postum. The sad news is that it was discontinued a few years ago. I am now stuck trying alternatives--Inka, Pero--but neither have the rich molasses flavor of my dear Postum. I even found a jar of Postum on sale on Ebay for only $70!! Honestly, I'm tempted.

Back to my mother. As a child I envied my mother's fingernails. They were so long and feminine, mine were always short (plus I bit them). I used to come home and put on my Lee Press-on Nails, which fulfilled my long-nailed fantasies as long as I didn't touch anything or move much. Lame. My mother could touch her fingernails together without the pads of her fingers touching. That was my goal in life. Which brings me to my favorite pregnancy side affect--long and strong fingernails! My dream come true.

We got to visit my cousin Nate's new baby, Zoe Isabelle. She's adorable and I got to get in my baby time. I can't wait to have my own!

Karl and Leighton have been working on our bomb shelter *ahem* bike shed. It's HUGE! They have designed and carried out all of the building on their own (how cute) except for the cement pad which required buying and hauling 85 bags of cement that weigh 80 pounds each. Cousin John helped Leighton make the 5 trips to Home Depot, load the bags into the cart, unload them into the van, unload them at Hillegass, then carry them to the backyard. The 10 by 12 foot pad is impressive, and impecable minus Momo's footprints walking across one corner.

Leighton won't let me drink. I don't want to drink much, just a Red Stripe for lunch in Jamaica, a pint with my colleagues on Friday, a glass of wine at a birthday party, but he is a stickler. I found a NYTimes article that explained that, 1. We have no idea what moderate drinking does to a fetus, 2. in Europe pregnant women are told to keep their drinking down to 14 servings a week (as in two drinks per day!!) This was verified when I watched the Swedish film, "The Girl who Played with Fire". The reporter, Bloomkvist, convinces his pregnant lawyer sister to represent Lisbeth and clear her name. The sister meets up with Lisbeth at a bar and in the entire scene she is drinking red wine, totally casual, no funny looks from other patrons. Unheard of in American films. Apparently, the way a pregnant woman gets crooked looks in Europe is by eating raw vegetables--the bacteria, the horror!