Short Days/Long Days

Though the days are at their shortest for the year, I am feeling like they are taking much too long to pass. A nice walk outside would be nice, but there's ice everywhere and it's cold. I wanted a few days to take it easy after the holidays and I got them. It's a shock! I finished Ina May's book about home births a couple days ago and I finished A"Diary" by Chuck Palahniuk (author of Fight Club) today. I couldn't put Diary down so I read most of the day today. The first book was obviously about pregnancy/birth. The second wasn't, though there were some chapters (diary entries, rather) about birth control,pregnancy,motherhood...It seems that every book and movie has some plot twist that involves procreation. Even "The Godfather II", which we watched the first half of last night has a climactic scene in which Michael's wife Kay admits that she didn't have a miscarriage, she had (gasp) an abortion-then Michael (Al Pacino) whacks her across the face and gives her the look of death which is not a look you want to get from him. We stopped the movie shortly after this scene, so I don't know if Kay meets her demise or what. I hope not, I like Diane Keaton. We rented the 5 disc set for .99 at Cash Wise. These movies are soooo long. Neither Peter nor I have seen any of the movies (another gasp). Another one we saw recently was The Golden Compass. Peter's read it, I was about 3/4 done when I stopped reading it about 6 months ago. It was good. I think it would be confusing to someone who has not read the book. They give away the final chapter in the first or second scene about "Dust." Since I never finished the book, I was a little taken aback by this giveaway, but I liked the movie nonetheless. Tonight we are going to National Treasure, which will make it 2 theater movies this week, plus all the Godfathers, and also another rental...I can't remember the name...it was about Russian mobsters in London clashing with a (get this) nurse midwife. I've been getting tired and light headed all the time so it limits what I feel like doing, hence all the lazy activities. I think I'm fighting a cold, too. Pleasantries. I bought another puzzle today and I have numerous baby books to read and will continue with "The New Kings of Nonfiction," edited by Ira Glass. Oh, and of course finish the Godfather series.

Happy New Year! We aren't planning on staying up to see the ball drop. Maybe we'll have a party next year in our "urban cabin" when I'm a real functional person again.

Our driveway after a beautiful snowfall.


Elphaba looking rather goofy.

Registry

I have had a few people ask me where Peter and I have registered for all of our baby gear, so here goes:
Babies R Us
Target
cottonbabies.com

32 Week Shot

Sphincters and Other Cute Baby Things

I just finished the chapter in Ina May's Guide to Childbirth about Sphincters.
Apparently, the cervix and vagina are sphincters. I was not aware of this.
"Who cares?"
Well, it turns out that sphincter muscles are quite crucial to labor and delivery. That sounds obvious, so I must again ask,
"Yeah, so?"
Well, sphincter muscles are very connected to a persons emotional state, particularly the state of relaxation. Ina May's argument is to get women out of the hospitals and into their own bedrooms for birth. I am quite comfortable with my hospital and nurse-midwives, so I will not be at home, but I think her sphincter lesson is still a useful one to anyone about to experience childbirth. She compares the relaxation and opening of the birth sphincters to the other more commonly talked about sphincter. Think of how most people feel uncomfortable using public restrooms, and they even have private stalls and locks on the doors. Now think of laying on a table with strangers staring at your nether regions and telling you to relax. Her advice on the promotion of sphincter relaxation boils down to a few tips. I'm not sure how possible they will be, but it will be worth a try:
1. Do not feel startled or frightened.
2. Laugh. Laughter not only releases natural pain-relieving endorphins, but it also allows the sphincter to open. Does anyone know a good joke for a woman in labor that will surely distract her enough from the intense pain to laugh? I am up for suggestions. I will write the jokes on a piece of a paper for Peter to bring into the delivery room. I can just hear him say "So what's up with this thing," in a Jerry Seinfeld voice as he picks up a random birthing prop. I wouldn't laugh at that now, but I do laugh at the visual image of the look I would give him after he said it. OK, that will go on the list. I wonder if hysterical laughter would help. I bet it would. I bet I would freak people out if I did that. On with the list.
3. Deep Breathing. I can handle that.
4. Water Baths. Also one that I can see helping.
5. Sing. I just don't know what song would be appropriate.
6. Moo.
7. Make "raspberries" with your lips, like a horse.
8. Speak aloud positive thoughts. That whole quantum physics deal.
9. Speak aloud of your greatest fears. Vocalizing your fears may help you dilate, they may be bottling you up.

Holiday Exhaustion

We just finished a Christmas marathon. Phew. It was fun, but, wow, very tiring. The usual hustle and bustle of getting packages together and concocting some special holiday fare (ths year Peter and I made our first loaf of pate),was extra crazy since I am pregnant, still working at the Clay Coyote (which is very busy this time of year), and encroaching on a few life changes very soon.

First to discuss; pregnancy. I am so tired. My back hurts. Thankfully, I have read that this is the hardest part of pregnancy in terms of the baby moving around. He is about 4 pounds now and has a lot of force compared to before. But, soon, he will be too big to kick, he'll be so squished in the womb. I feel bad for the little bugger, having to have his feet contorted up to his head pretty much. The other day I was riding in the car as Peter was driving and couldn't stop laughing at the insane feeling in my torso, this little guy was stretching out with his head (I presume) slamming against my bladder, and his back, (or butt) pressing outwards so as to create a bone-hard round lump of baby sticking out of my side. The feet (again, I think that's what was going on) were shoving up to my ribs. It just kept getting stronger and stronger until he relaxed. At that point I was able to breathe again and sit in a normal position. What da???? This is so weird.

Next issue; life changes.
Peter has decided to go to Law School. This will be a definite change from our current lifestyle of running an organic vegetable farm outside of Hutchinson. We have come up with a kick-ass plan that makes us both happy. Here goes.
We will continue to have a vegetable CSA, at least for this coming season. We will drop over half of our membership and all wholesale orders and say bye bye to all livestock. Peter leaves for school in mid-August, so we will also start the season a little early to minimize the number of weeks I will be solely responsible for the farm. Peter will move into an apartment in St. Paul, start school, study during the week, and come back home on the weekends to help out. Then, come November, when the season is long done, the baby and I will live partially here at the farm and in St. Paul in the apt, or, as we are choosing to call it, our urban cabin.
Some things to take into consideration with this plan:
1. I will be the full-time caregiver of a 6 month old baby and running a CSA by myself.
2. We need a car that fits me, a baby, which means a backseat, vegetables or other farmy things, possibly two retrievers, and the generals like diapers and the 560 other baby things every baby magazine and website are telling me are necessary.

I have a "bring it on" attitude about item 1. I much prefer to be challenged than to be bored and stir-crazy. I'm not saying my baby will bore me, but rather that I need something else in order to lead a satisfactory life. It's something that is crucial to my sanity.

I have a "let's go into debt" attitude about item 2. I'm thinking a wagon. I love station wagons.


Well, the moral of the story is that I am tired. Come to think of it, everyone seems a little tired on Dec. 26th. It was a great Christmas. We had an excellent time and thanks to everyone that put on parties and celebrations!

Jonah Arthur Mittman

Weighing in at 8 pounds and 1 oz and measuring 20 inches in length, it's Baby Mittman! I love the name. He looks like a Jonah.

Baby Mittman!

Baby Mittman has arrived!
It's a boy!
Way to go Jessa! Peter and I are so proud of you!
We still haven't heard the details of the birth, and we still don't know what his name is, but we do know that 37 hours after her water broke Jessa gave birth at about 2:00 a.m. on December 17th to a healthy baby boy. Throughout the days we got the play-by-play from Roz, Peter's mom, who was at the birth. Jessa delivered at home with her husband Eric and her Midwife. Lil' Mittman was in the posterior position, (head down, but facing backwards), so I think that Jessa endured a lot of pain.
She did it all with natural herbs and relaxation techniques. Both mama and baby are doing great. We can't wait to visit!

Lately I've been reading A LOT about labor and delivery. Currently I'm reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth (loaned from Jessa). She is the head midwife at The Farm, a birthing center/commune formed in the hippie era and still going strong today. Still, when hearing about Jessa's birth as it was going on, I felt really scared as the reality set in a little deeper about what labor is actually going to be like. As Peter and I went to bed on Saturday night, and then Sunday night, we knew that Jessa was still at work. I mean, THIRTY SEVEN hours. I don't know if I can handle that. Then, we we got the call around 2:30 this morning and it all seemed possible. Once we see the baby I think it will seem even more possible. Crazy stuff.

30 weeks along...10 to go

I haven't posted on my blog for awhile because I've been in a bit of a pregnancy funk. I've felt a little panicky at times, thinking I haven't felt the baby move for awhile and that something must be wrong, of course everytime I lay down to count kicks, he kicks away. Then, I will suddenly feel down and out. Next I will be tired and clumsy, wanting only to go to bed since it is the most comfortable place to be (sitting doesn't feel great, and standing is tiring). More than half of my maternity shirts are too short now, either my flesh or unattractive stretchy maternity pants waist band show. It seems like a waste to buy new ones with only 2 weeks left to wear them. I think I'm feeling blue because I am uncomfortable and I still have over 2 months to go. Thankfully I have some things to look forward to in the meantime. I'm breaking the time up with these milestones: Jessa will have her baby in mid-December, then Christmas, then New Years, next comes a baby shower for Amy and I, birthing classes, then my birthday, shortly after that another baby shower, then Amy will have her baby, at which point, I will nearly be due. So really, it won't be THAT boring of a wait. Perhaps I will get more jigsaw puzzles for Christmas for those days that do drag on.

I had my 30 week appt. today, everything was normal. My uterus measured 31 cm and I gained another 1.6 pounds. The baby's heartbeat was around 150 and she could feel that his head was down and his back along my left side. I had been feeling a fluttering feeling by the head and that was probably the baby putting his hands up by his face. Ahhhhh... I go in at 32 and 34 weeks for the same kind of check-up, then in 6 weeks I get a full exam and more blood tests to prep me for labor. Wow! That's pretty crazy. Wait! I'm not ready! Hopefully I can post some pictures of our niece/nephew to be soon. The picture that Peter just took of me is way to ugly for anyone to view.

Thanksgiving Preggos

We had quite the Thanksgiving tour this year! We started in Buffalo, MN with a good Thanksgiving meal at my aunt's house. Here's a picture of the three sisters, Amy (due Jan. 28th), Bethany (not pregnant, hence the waist), and me.


We headed south to Forest City, IA Thursday night where we crashed at Jim and Roz's house. We were resting up for the trek to Iowa City on Friday morning, where we had a wonderful "Locavore" Thanksgiving at Peter's little sister, Jessa's house. Jessa and Eric are going to be parents for the first time really soon. We usually head up to the cabin in Hayward, WI for Thanksgiving, but that would be nearly a 10 hour drive for the Mittmans, a little far to travel when childbirth could happen any moment. Jessa is due Dec. 18th, exactly 2 months before our baby. I didn't feel quite so pregnant when I stood up next to Jessa!

I think this picture says it all. OK, it was a little staged, but still...that is a baby ready to be born!


Peter and I just got back from my 28 week checkup. It was a great checkup and everything is just as it is supposed to be. Every time I go in, I have gained exactly one pound for each week it has been since my last appt. This is normal, but I still hope the weight gain slows up a bit. I'm still working out at Snap Fitness 3-4 times/week and I am eating good nutritious foods every day, so I don't think I will start "watching it." Also, in the last week my upper back pain has vanished. I was suffering with that for about 2 months and I was beginning to think it was my gallbladder. Either it was tension and my sister Beth cured me with a really good back massage, or the baby moved and released some nerves he was pinching. Suddenly, I feel the little guy up by my ribs. It was pretty startling the first time I rubbed my stomach and felt an arm (or leg?) move. Now it feels like he's romping around all over, especially at night. I've been waking up with rhythmic kicks.
"He's gonna be a soccer playa...he is...HE IS!"

Officially Starting the Third Trimester

Yes, it's official. I am getting large.
Someone at work the other day (a customer) said to me, "Wow, you must be expecting a Christmas present baby." I replied, "Uh...try Valentines Day." Someone else said (Oh wait, like 10 people) ,"When are you do?"
"February."
"You're HUGE!."
My mom reassures me that I don't look like I am nearing full term, and I trust her opinion more than some old guy. I have decided that I am in the third trimester. It is never quite clear how to calculate where I am in gestation, there are 40 weeks in pregnancy, and that somehow equals nine months which somehow also equals three trimesters. How does that work? Am I six months pregnant? Seven? In the seventh? I'm 27 weeks, so if each trimester is 13 1/2 weeks, then I am entering the third on Tuesday, or so. No, last Thursday. I've been paying so much attention to the passing of each week that I really don't know how to comprehend the idea of having the baby early, which apparently is normal to be up to 3 weeks early (37 weeks), or worse, to have the baby late, which is also normal (up to 42 weeks). What??? My due date could actually be January 28th or March 3. My sister Amy is due January 28th! What if she's late and I am early! Oh, the zany nature of procreation. I can hardly stand it. What's the point of even trying to keep track. It's apparent, anyhow, that I am bigger today than I was yesterday so I AM moving forward in time.

26 Week Checkup

OK, this ultrasound photo is from 6 weeks ago, but I thought I should include it at some point, since I just started the blog, that time is now. He is so cute.
Today I went in for my 26 week checkup with Lynn Artibee NM (Nurse Midwife). It was a successful and positive appointment. I took the glucose test which consisted of me drinking a 1/2 cup of really really sweet orange soda-esque glucose then having my blood drawn 1 hour later. The idea is to see if my blood responds correctly to sugar, if not, I need to go in for a 3 hour test that will determine whether or not I am at risk for gestational diabetes. I must have passed the test because I haven't heard anyting from the Medical Center.
Baby's heartbeat was around 155-normal. Besides these two tests we were able to ask the Nurse Midwife quite a few questions about the birth. We have been working on our birth plan and needed to know what and who we are dealing with. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the standard protocol with the N.M.s is just what we hoped. For one, they have birthing rooms equipped with aromatherapy, dimmed lights, soothing music, birthing tubs, birthing (exercise) balls along with the other stuff, like a birthing bed... They also encourage the mom to deliver the baby herself (after the head is out) so she can immediately bring the baby to her belly, then the partner is encouraged to cut the cord once the placenta is out, then they rip my gown off and I move the baby up for his first feeding. Apparently the baby is ready to feed immediately, and if he waits longer, he will already be so exhausted for the next 24 hours that it will be more difficult for him to get a good first feeding. With that first feeding under his belt the baby is more likely to be a good breast feeder throughout babyhood. It was a good appointment. Now I start going every 2 weeks to get checked out.

Democratic Offspring

Peter and I (and baby) made a trek down to Iowa last weekend for the annual Jefferson Jackson Dinner, a big political event where all the big democrats stand on a stump to woo the Iowa voters before the caucus in January. We are big-time Obama supporters, and he didn't let us down! His speech was the most rousing and original, the 42 busloads of supporters from Chicago didn't hurt either to create a very Obamaish environment. The baby was kicking like crazy during Hillary's speech. Ha Ha.

We traveled from Hutchinson to Forest City where we jumped in the car with Peter's parents, Jim and Roz. Here we are all ready for the big event. Peter and I didn't dress up all fancy-pants, we thought we were going to be in the cheap seats, but it turned out we got to use some of the floor tickets after all, oh well, we were a little underdressed but no one seemed to mind.

Below is a picture of Peter's aunt and uncle Liz and Scott Brennan. Scott is the president of the Iowa Democrats, and he was in charge of this event. It was fun to see the two of them on the stage with all the big names-Nancy Pelosi, John Edwards, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Biden, Dodd, Harkin, Bill Richardson... There were many speeches...we didn't leave until after midnight.

It was a difficult trip for a mama-to-be, it's become really hard to sit for long periods of time, and we spent most of the weekend in the car, sitting and chatting with family, and sitting at this event. Nevertheless, it was a great oppurtunity and I'm glad we went.

23 Weeks

Wow, I don't feel like my belly looks NEARLY as large as it feels. This is my first pregnancy, it has been an adventure so far-both for me and for Peter. Since we are organic vegetable farmers, we do a lot of manual labor, and that was not in the picture for me in the first trimester. I had morning sickness about 1/2 of the time, morning, noon, night, it didn't matter what time of the day it was, I felt like death. Now I am feeling pretty energetic (though sleep is deep and wonderful when I get the chance) and the baby is pretty energetic, too. Peter successfully felt his first kick last week, at about 24 weeks. I am feeling movement throughout the day, and especially as soon as I sit down in bed to read at night, that's when the gymnastics start. I have a feeling this kid is going to be pretty wild, every time we have had the heartbeat checked with our nurse midwife she has a hard time finding him because he's moving back and forth within the womb constantly. The same thing happened during the ultrasound. Coincidence? I think he is always like that. I attribute it to raw milk from our organic dairy farm neighbor and all the organic produce this baby is growing on. Plus, Peter is always trying to force feed me chocolate, "Chocolate makes for a happier baby," he says.