Lots of Rain

Life has slowed down over the weekend, and it's been a refreshing change-of-pace. With the rain, we're limited to indoor activities, so this keeps life pretty simple. I've been getting caught up on laundry...we made a trip to Costco to stock up on non-foods & canned food items, the grocery store for produce and meat, been chipping away at household chores like finishing a long-forgotten spackling project and replacing burnt-out light bulbs that have been too long ignored and gross abuses of electric outlets with surge protection. The window A/C in Samuel's room is now in the basement, and we put a fan in his room to help him sleep while Landon and I are still up and about in the house.

So, call me crazy, but I'm considering taking on a project over the next week or so which entails preparing Samuel's old clothes for a consignment sale called Pass It On. You get 70% of what your items sell for, and you set your own price, prep & tag your own stuff, and can pick up everything that didn't sell at the end of the consignment sale. Now that I'm having a girl, I have many bins of saved boys' clothing that I'd like to get rid of. This might be a great way to do it. However, I don't know if this is the right time to take this project on. I might just wait until the next one, but something tells me that life isn't going to get any simpler...
Karli

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It's Official...

I'm a Mom now. I volunteered at Samuel's preschool for the Portland Marathon to raise money for his classroom. Landon helped, too, and it wasn't too bad. We worked for a couple of hours stuffing packets for the runners. They had childcare set up in one of the classrooms, so Samuel played while we worked. When we got home, Landon finished spreading mulch, and I took care of Samuel & did household chores. I got the last CD of Season 3 of Desperate Housewives today. I can't believe how quickly I whipped through them! Now I have to wait for a year to watch Season 4--I really dislike watching commercials, so I only watch TV on DVD (usually).

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Crazy Day

I'm ready for a slow-paced weekend.
6AM-Got up & ran to Fred Meyer to get supplies to remake the meal for a Mom in my group.
8PM-finished making quiche & hopped in the shower.
9AM-met medical claims adjuster @ Starbucks to sign paperwork.
10AM--playgroup.
1PM--dropped off 1/2 the chilaquiles I originally made for the Mom @ Landon's parents house so it wouldn't go to waste. Kept the other 1/2 for dinner tonight.
2PM--chiropractic appointment for my stiff neck due to auto accident.
4PM--Arrived home, put dinner in the oven, and called it a day.
7PM--Landon and Samuel made chocolate chip cookies.
7:30PM--I ate warm chocolate chip cookies in front of a crackling fire. Great way to end a busy day!

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Maternity Photos

I met with Campbell-Salgado today for a portrait planning session for my maternity photos. Since this will more than likely be my last pregnancy, I'd like to have these done. I've decided not to go w/ them, but have e-mailed my friend Katie, and am hoping to have a photo shoot w/ her.

I also decided which body shop will fix my car, and made an appointment w/ them for next week. Fortunately, the rental car exchange takes place when I drop my car off, so at least that part of this process is fairly painless. The medical adjuster wants to meet w/ me at Starbucks tomorrow morning so I can sign a medical waiver & we'll also discuss the medical claim. Hopefully, all this will be in the past soon.

Oh, and the three of us went down for Last Thursday in the Alberta Arts neighborhood. It was fun, but it's rough going for walks these days, and I had Braxton-Hicks contractions the whole time. Not only that, but my shoe size has changed a whole size in one foot since being pregnant, and pretty much all my shoes don't fit me properly, so my feet were killing me by the time we walked up and down Alberta, which took nearly two hours. Does anyone know if there is a company out there that will sell me a pair of shoes that are different sizes? I'm an 8 1/2 to 9 in my right foot and a size 7 1/2 to 8 in my left. After I had Samuel, my feet were always a 1/2 size off, but now they are really off, and all my shoes pinch my right foot!

Okay, gotta go finish making the meal for the new Mom to baby #2 in my group so I can drop it off to her tomorrow morning!

**This did not just happen. I found out right after making vegetarian chilaquiles for this mom that they have a tomato allergy. It's now 11pm, so I'm going to get up at 7am and make a chicken/mushroom quiche. What the $#$^$%&$%&??

--Karli

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Appointments

With everything that's been going on around here for the past week, I totally forgot that I was supposed to deliver a meal tonight to a Mom in my moms' group. I'm now delivering the meal on Friday, but can things get any more crazy around here?

I got everything checked out today w/ my midwife, and things look great, although I was measuring a little small, probably because the baby was laying in a transverse position. I was given a list of supplies I need to put together for the home birth, which is just around the corner. I'm hoping life slows down a bit by next week so I can start working on that. Here are the stats from my appointment:
144 Heartbeat
90 Pulse
118/70 Blood Pressure
28 cm. Fundal Height (I'm 31 weeks, so measuring just a little small, but probably only because she was laying transverse)
172.5 Weight (7 1/2 pound gain since last month...almost exactly what I weighed at this point in pregnancy w/ Samuel)

I also went to my chiropractor, because I've had some neck soreness/stiffness since the accident. I felt so much better after the appointment. I plan to see her again on Friday or Monday.

Karli

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Needing a Break

Okay, there's been too much stress around here lately. Today, I was looking forward to sitting in one of my favorite coffee shops, drinking a hot latte, and writing out some long overdue note-cards for some friends while Samuel was at preschool, but while at the bookstore picking out the cards, I remembered that I had a chiropractic appointment that I'd failed to enter into my google calendar. I had just enough time to leave the bookstore and drive to my appointment. After the appointment, I stopped for a bagel & some coffee on the way home, and then sat in the coffee shop's parking lot to make a quick call to Landon. After leaving, I was feeling glad that I still had an hour before I had to pick up Samuel from preschool to rest a little, and was looking forward to meeting my friend Sarah & her son Ben for lunch shortly after. So, on the way home, I was heading south on Barbur when a Widmer beer truck headed north on Barbur hit the median, which sent one of his side doors flying up and two kegs of beer flying across the median and towards my car. By braking, I was able to avoid one of the two, but one of the kegs hit my car on my front bumper. For a minute, with these kegs briefly air-bound, then rolling at a high speed towards my car with me going about 45mph, I really wasn't sure how this accident was going to play out. Fortunately, my bumper caught the keg and not my windshield. I felt okay at the time, but since the accident, my neck has felt sore. I'm so glad Samuel wasn't with me. It was a traumatic accident for me. I've spent most of the day trying to recover, and the other part dealing with insurance adjusters and making appointments w/ my midwife & chiropractor to get checked out tomorrow. Oh, and I had to cancel my lunch plans w/ Sarah & Ben, which I'd really been looking forward to.

Anyway, what's up with the latest string of events? Samuel's scary bike incident, then his cold/cough of last week, which led into a high fever and ear infection and nightmare ER experience over the weekend, and now this MVA. Also, Samuel's new bed rail broke tonight, and now I need to take it back & figure out which bed rail to get next.

Not only that, I hosted book-club last night, and chose to reserve the balcony down at Bella Espresso, but whoever took my reservation gave it to someone else instead, so when I got there, some health & wellness group had the balcony, and my book-club had to meet downstairs by the noisy water feature. Some of the women weren't so keen on meeting there to begin with, but I told them to give it a try and that it would be fun. Well, it turned out okay, but really wasn't ideal since the balcony fell through (not literally), and some of the women complained that they couldn't hear w/ the high ceilings. I like things to go the way I plan them when I host events, so it stressed me out that it didn't work out the way I wanted it to. The balcony would have been perfect. The rest of the coffee shop, not so much. Bella did give me a $10.00 gift card to show their apologies, but still...the stress of it all!

I really need life to return to normal quickly and stay that way until the baby is born! I don't know if I can take anymore physical or emotional stress!

Karli
P.S. Samuel was completely well by today, so I took him to preschool. I'm just hoping that he doesn't contract a new virus this week! Thanks to Andrea & Sarah for the great advice.

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Off I go...

to book-club. We're discussing Case Histories by Kate Atkinson this month.

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Sick Little Boy

Samuel's pretty sick right now. He was in a lot of pain last night, and after Landon got him to sleep twice sitting upright with him, he would wake right up as soon as we put him back down. Laying horizontal seemed to cause painful pressure in his ear, especially his left one. OHSU doesn't have urgent care, so at around 11pm, we decided to take him up to the ER. Unfortunately, this experience was a complete nightmare. The health system is so screwed up. It took nearly 4 hours. They weren't even busy. Samuel fought pretty hard, so it was nearly impossible for them to get a look in his ears. Finally, they sent us home with a prescription for amoxicillin, some numbing drops, and advised us to give him Tylenol and Motrin. We had to wait for an hour between when they said they'd write a prescription and when they actually got us the prescription. So ridiculous. We didn't get home until almost 4am, and by that time, Samuel was at least feeling a little better due to the drops. Unfortunately, four hours later (around 8am), he had a fever, which he didn't have in the ER. He vomited Friday night, and has since said several times that he feels like he's going to throw-up, and we run to the bathroom with him, but he doesn't. Tylenol isn't bringing his fever down. He won't let me get a complete reading. The thermometer errors between 101 and 102. Based on how he's acting, I don't think his temperature is much higher than that, but I'm going to keep trying to take it. He's been sleeping on and off all morning. Right now, he's laying on the futon with Landon. He's too sick to do anything else. Last fall/winter, he had 6 ear infections, and we were almost to the point where they wanted him referred to a ENT specialist to talk about getting tubes put in. We might have to look into that possibility in the near future to help with his chronic infections. The thing is, the antibiotics don't do anything for viral infections--only bacterial. Many ear infections are viral, so I don't even know if the amoxicillin will help in this case. We're just going to have to wait it out. I want to avoid the ER at all cost after the poor service last night, so I'm hoping to have Samuel seen tomorrow morning with our family practitioner. Of course, I don't know that there is much she can do that hasn't already been done. I think we're just going to have to wait this one out. --Karli

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No Energy

I didn't have any energy today. I've done a pretty good job of fighting off the sore throat/cold that was coming on shortly after Samuel & Landon came down with it. I had all these ideas of what I wanted to do today, but didn't have the physical energy to do them. So, it was a slow day today, but ended with Samuel crying endlessly about his ears, which eventually led to us deciding to take him to the ER.

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How can it be?

I'm SO bummed. Samuel's been lethargic most of today, and at one point this afternoon, he was laying amongst his toys with his head down. I thought maybe he didn't feel so hot from his cold that he's trying to get over from this past week, but then he didn't want to eat all day, and now I know why. He just threw up all over his room. Not last winter, but the winter before, Samuel was sick 8-10 times with colds & fevers/vomiting. I'm starting to wonder if this winter will be like that one. We aren't getting off on the right foot with two viruses in less than two weeks. I don't really know what to do. Part of me wants to seclude him socially all fall/winter, but the other part of me feels strongly that his community center activities & preschool two mornings a week are important as well. I just don't know if I can take weekly illnesses, especially when Landon and/or I contract the virus as well. And it really doesn't seem fair that he gets hit with another virus before the first has even run its course. Sigh!

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Little by Little

I went into Babies R'Us for the first time in almost 3 years today and boy did it bring back memories. I wanted to cry the first time I walked into that store newly pregnant with baby #1. Today I waltzed right in, knew what was on which aisles, and got in and out of there with the things I had on my list in no time. I got a few things for the new baby & a bed rail for Samuel's toddler bed, which I installed myself this afternoon. I got a contour changing pad for the top of the baby's dresser & a pink terry-cloth cover, as well as a yellow back-up. I try not to give into pink, but almost all the girl stuff is pink. I never realized! Anyway, little by little, things are coming together for the new baby. And hey, I'm 30 weeks pregnant today!

Karli

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Beautiful Fall Day

I figured that I wasn't going to feel any better staying around the house for another day, so Samuel and I headed to Alberta this afternoon to walk around and enjoy the nice fall breeze & sunshine. We had a crepe, coffee (for me), and went out to lunch later for pizza at Bella Facia's (this just might be the best pizza I've had in Portland!). We had a nice walk around the Alberta arts neighborhood & stopped to watch some of the construction on various fixers. Alberta is really turning into a beautiful neighborhood. Every time I walk around there (which isn't too often) the neighborhood seems to have changed once again.

We have to get the lock on our garage door repaired this evening, but once Samuel is in bed, I'm looking forward to putting Desperate Housewives into the DVD player & relaxing with a fruit smoothie and maybe some homemade popcorn with butter and salt if I'm feeling extra indulgent (homemade is SO much better than the microwaveable stuff!). I've been watching Season 3 of Desperate Housewives through Netflix (by the way, if you have Netflix, add me as your friend so we can exchange reviews). I don't like watching TV with commercials, so I'm always a season behind everyone else, which I don't mind. About the smoothie--my non-pregnant self would typically relax with a nice glass of Cabernet or a cold glass of Chardonnay while I watch a movie or an episode from a series, but these days, I have to find a way to be happy with either a smoothie or a glass of ice water. I have to admit, when Samuel and I were having pizza this afternoon, a young couple was sitting outside near us enjoying a pint of cold beer with their pizza and I was so jealous!

By the way, I'm feeling oh so much better now that I've been taking the Emergen-C packets that Andrea recommended. They did wonders with my energy levels, and my sore throat hasn't turned into a cold yet, so I'm hoping that I'll fight this thing off. Landon hasn't been so lucky. He's been feeling pretty awful for the past few days. Samuel's entering the 2nd week of his cough/cold, and seems to be getting back to normal, but he still has an ongoing runny nose, cough, and seems a little more cranky than usual. Hopefully, we'll all be feeling much better by the weekend!

Hope some of you were able to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather today! --Karli

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Rachael Ray

I watched Rachael Ray for the first time last night with Landon since neither of us was feeling up to much of anything with these colds we've been battling, and she rocks! I might have discovered a new addiction--cooking shows! Today I subscribed to her magazine, and coincidentally enough, my friends, The Tice's, had a blog entry about her & one of her recipes today, which I'm going to try out tonight. Click on the hyperlink to their blog & check out the recipe for yourself!

Image from https://argylewinery.com/store/blog/20060903/Rachael_Ray_001_450w.jpg

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Oh, no you didn't, Bill Maher!

I listen to Bill Maher's podcast every week since we don't get HBO, and I have to admit I was a little offended after hearing his "New Rules" section during which he completely slams breastfeeding in public. He says American women think they deserve a medal for giving birth, which is something a dog can do. Urban Mamas sums it up pretty well on their blog, and they have a link to the youtube clip as well. Skip ahead to about the 7th minute of the clip to hear the section on breastfeeding. I know this guy gets paid to be controversial, but he finally managed to pick a topic that hit home with me. And what's up with him taking the conservative side on this issue? Hey, for a liberal, he's starting to sound pretty narrow-minded.

To be honest, the very fact that this issue is controversial at all is completely ridiculous. I really wish the United States would overall get off their Puritanical high-horse and stop sexualizing the breast. This is the root of why there is a controversial issue here at all. After all, breasts are primarily there for breastfeeding. Those opposed to public breastfeeding want women to breastfeed in bathroom stalls and hidden rooms, away from the public eye. Maybe those who are so against breastfeeding in public should try out all the isolation breastfeeding in private means for a new mother and see how they like it. It really comes down to this: our country does not value mothers or families no matter how family-values are talked up at political campaigns (especially on the Republican front). Apparently, it's more important that we put our money into the war in Iraq than into funding for universal healthcare and paid maternity leave. This says a lot about our nation's values. It should come as no surprise that a nation that does not provide paid maternity leave to women would also in general look down on a woman breastfeeding her baby publicly.

As a mother who practices attachment parenting, feeding on demand is a big part of how I parent my baby. Believing that babies cry for a reason, I respond accordingly. When I had Samuel, breastfeeding was so awkward in the beginning as a new mother, that I used to breastfeed privately just to get everything set up and save myself any embarrassment from making a complete spectacle of myself. I'd sit and cry in a back room or bathroom stall while I breastfed, separated from everyone else in the other room talking, laughing, and having fun. I could have used a good laugh in those days. Being alone at that point was not what I needed. I made a decision about 6 weeks after Samuel was born that I would no longer breastfeed in private. It was more important for me and the baby to be around other people than it was to spare someone's uncomfortable feelings. Of course, I didn't make a spectacle of it, as Bill Maher seems to think mother's always do. I believe he called it "pulling a Janet Jackson." I'd be discreet while breastfeeding, but I'd also breastfeed openly and without reservation. According to Bill Maher, it's public breastfeeding that is the issue, but socialization is the very thing that new mothers need. This helps combat post-partum depression, unnecessary isolation, and encourages an overall feeling of community, which is something that is largely lacking in today's society.

The saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child. Unfortunately, most of us don't have the village these days, and if we did, this job of parenting would be so much easier. The way I see it, we can create a village around us by being supportive of one another--and in this case, being supportive of breastfeeding mothers. If we can begin with that...who knows...maybe one day we'll match the standards in other progressive countries and give women the paid time-off they need to care for their babies.

Image from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTLAC/Images/Malnutrition_in_CA_breastfeeding.jpg

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Getting Better

 

Thanks to those of you that left helpful tips on yesterday's post for combating the flu/cold season! It's about 7pm, and I'm finally starting to feel like myself again. I slept for a couple of hours this afternoon, and I think that really helped. Landon had a gig & an afternoon session yesterday, but he made up for the time he was away by being extra helpful with Samuel today, so I was able to lay upstairs and read & also take a nap. He also let me sleep in until 10:15am this morning. What a guy! Samuel seems to be doing a little better as well, but not well enough to go to my sister Tracy's this evening, so I'm going to miss out on The New Pornographers tonight. Landon is still going to the show, but couldn't find anyone that could go with him, and even after posting the extra ticket on craigslist, it looks like my ticket will go to waste. Oh, well! I'm bummed I can't go--they are a really cool band, and I love Neko Case! Check out the myspace link above. They remind me a little of Belle & Sebastian. Their latest album is "Challengers," and I have to say track 3 (for which the album is named) is my favorite, but the whole album is good. Neko Case has a beautiful voice--check out her solo work!
--Karli

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Cold & Flu Season is Here

Samuel is sick this weekend with a cough/cold, and is feeling pretty awful, so I've been home with him most of the day. Landon had an afternoon session & a gig tonight, so he hasn't been around too much today. I'm a little annoyed that Samuel picked up a virus w/in the first two days of school. It's a little overwhelming when I think about another fall/winter of having constant cold & flu viruses cycling through our house, and I'm nervous about that happening with a new baby. I was up quite a bit with him last night as his cough kept him up a lot. I feel sorry for him that he's sick & not feeling well, but don't know how to avoid these viruses other than keep him home all fall & winter away from other kids, and that isn't good for him either. I'm going to talk to his teacher at school and make sure they are making a conscious effort to wash their hands before snack time. I'm starting to get his cold now, too, so guess we'll just take it easy this weekend until everyone's on the mend.
--Karli

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Onions and Potatoes

I received my October issue of Martha Stewart Living today, and learned the following:
Store potatoes & onions in a dark, cool place.
Never store them together, as the onions cause a reaction that will quickly spoil both.

Happy 54th Birthday to Landon's Dad, Mike!

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Laundry Day

If I had a camera (it's still in the shop), I would have taken a picture of our laundry pile, which is massive right now! Sometimes I think I spin my wheels. Laundry is one of those household chores that really is never done. There's always more heading to the pile no matter how quickly clean laundry is folded & put away. So, today is laundry day. Samuel is at preschool this morning, and I'm trying to chip away at the pile. I still have to buy Dreft & wash all the baby clothes, but I've been putting that off. Our washer/dryer are in the basement, and our bedrooms are on the 2nd floor, so doing laundry means going up and down two flights of stairs over and over again. At 29 weeks pregnant (today!), it's slow going moving up and down those stairs. But, alas! it must be done (unlike ironing, which I try to avoid at all cost by hanging clothes up as soon as they are dry).

Oh, and by the way, I just checked out the new lineup on "The View," as I haven't watched yet this season, and although I love Whoopi, I have to say that Sherri Shepherd is awful, and coupled with Elisabeth Hasselbeck, they do a good job of sounding both brainless & naive. Of course, Joy Behar has been a long-time favorite of mine on the show, but I don't think I'll even bother to watch anymore with Shepherd and Hasselbeck in the line-up. I thought Hasselbeck was bad, but Sherri Shepherd is so much worse! What was Barbara Walters thinking? I think Rosie's right...maybe it is time for her to retire.

--Karli

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A Clean House

I went to Target today & got some cleaning supplies for our hardwood floors (that's the only flooring we have in our house!). A dry mop sure beats cleaning on my hands & knees, especially with the added weight of my pregnancy, which is how I've been cleaning our hardwood floors in our various dwelling places over the years. I got a natural (Method) wood cleaner, a dry mop, and special cloths to clean our stainless steel appliances. Yay, no more streaks on the stainless steel! I've been using a washcloth, then going over it right after with a dry cloth, but what I got today works so much easier & leaves the appliances with a polished look. I've just about had it with the cats in the house. I really do like a clean house, and I don't know how much cat hair I can tolerate. I'll spend the morning vacuuming the furniture & floors, only to come back an hour or two later and find loose cat hair all over the futon again which marks the spot where a cat slept for an hour or so. Also, our one cat Priscilla seems to have a shedding problem, and I swear wherever she walks, she leaves a trail of loose hairs behind her. I'm not sure how to go about finding a good home for our cats, but with the new baby on the way, I don't think I can keep up with it all! Well, all I have to say is nothing beats having good cleaning products! Now, I've just got to train Samuel to help me with some of these chores! I'd also like to get an index card system for chores to do on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis so that I can pace myself and get to all the chores over time instead of trying to do it all at once. We have 32 window sashes in our house, and these all need to be cleaned inside and out at least on a yearly basis. Unfortunately, we'll most likely have to hire out the cleaning of our exterior windows, as we don't have the proper equipment to reach that high, and have steep slopes which do not allow for the average extension ladder. That's okay...we need to hire someone to clean our gutters and roof anyway for the same reason, and maybe they can do all that at once. Oh, the joys of homemaking. --Karli
P.S. Landon says I'm nesting.

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One More Pic

Here is another pic from my ultrasound yesterday. This one shows her eye open. She spent a lot of time with her eyes open, and it was neat to see that so clearly on the 3D. From what I've read, babies' eyes unfuse at around 28 weeks. I'll be 29 weeks tomorrow.

Watched the 2nd disc of Season 2 of Desperate Housewives tonight after I spent an hour & a half down at Bella reading alone. Landon says I need to take more time out for myself, especially before the new baby arrives, at which point it will be much harder to do so. I'm trying to make that a priority!

--Karli

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Prenatal Testing/Ultrasound

First thing this morning, I had an appointment with my midwives to have my glucose & hemoglobin tests, as well as my RhoGAM shot since I am Rh-. My glucose test came back at 110, which is great, and my hemoglobin levels were 11.5, which is also good. It was 13 before, and it always drops around this time due to the increase in blood volume, and anything above 9 or so is normal, so I can rest easy. One quick note about the glucose test is that I didn't have to drink the solution. The midwives test by doing a random finger prick. Of course, they will continue to watch for any symptoms for gestational diabetes, such as spilling sugar in my urine, but so far, no worries. The RhoGAM shot was uncomfortable, as it burns when they inject it, but it was over quickly, and before I knew it, I was out the door and on my way.

For fun, I went down to OHSU this afternoon for a 3D ultrasound to get some third trimester photos of the baby. My sister Tracy was able to hook me up, so it was free of charge. Here are some photos from that visit. Her arms were covering her face most of the time, so it was pretty difficult to get some good shots, but these were the best the sonographer was able to get after trying for about 30 minutes. She was opening her eyes a lot, which was neat to see on 3D. Everything looks good & she has filled out a lot since my 20 week ultrasound. She is currently head down, but she likes to move around a lot, so I doubt she's there to stay for too long. As long as she flips down after week 34, I don't mind her moving around in the meantime. November is just around the corner...I am looking forward to meeting her! I'm amazed at how closely she resembles Samuel!

Karli

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Sunday Outing

I met my friend Colleen tonight down at Bella Espresso, the new coffee shop in S. Waterfront that I mentioned late last week in my blog. It was great to see her, and I'm so proud of her--she starts her 3rd year of med. school tomorrow. Congrats on getting through boards, Colleen! --Karli

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Beach Trip

We've been wanting to go to the beach all summer, but either poor weather conditions at the beach or other engagements have kept us from going. Finally, we were able to go today. It was beautiful! A little windy, but warm, relaxing, and lots of fun. We got there at 1pm, and didn't get home until 9pm. We stopped on the way home for clam chowder & shrimp salad at Mo's. It was a fun day, and I'm so glad we were able to go before summer's end. Check out Samuel's blog for additional photos.
--Karli

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David Lynch

Started watching "Inland Empire" tonight with Landon, and in typical Lynch style, the lines between fantasy and reality are blended. This particular film, however, is incredibly disjointed. I've only seen "Mulholland Drive," so I don't know if this is more disjointed than all his previous work, but to me, it was like cutting out scenes from many different movies with different plots & different characters, mixing them up in a bowl, then stringing them out again. Not my idea of entertainment! It didn't make any sense, and I felt it was meaningless. Has anyone else seen this movie? If so, do you have any thoughts to contribute on this particular film? --Karli

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28 Weeks Pregnant--Start of Third Trimester!

As I type this, I can hardly believe it's possible that I'm already entering my third trimester, and in 10-14 weeks (2 weeks early, 2 weeks late?), our new daughter will enter the world. I continue to prepare for a home birth by getting the house & bedroom ready & have also been reading lots of books on natural birthing. Right now, the baby switches from a breech position to transverse on a daily basis. By 34 weeks, I'm hoping she'll settle for a head-down position. If not, my midwives will try to turn her, and my chiropractor also knows of some naturopaths that are skilled in techniques to turn a breech baby.

As for how I'm feeling, my pelvic bones ache quite a bit, and it's pretty uncomfortable turning over in bed now. So far, this has been an extremely healthy pregnancy, and depsite some discomforts (I had my first leg cramp at about 2am one morning last week), I've overall been feeling really good. I'm really tired all the time, but I've become used to that, and try to nap with Samuel when I can. Every once in awhile I struggle with insomnia, such as right now...I've been up since 5am. I got up and did some laundry, packed Landon's lunch, did the dishes, made a pancake & decaf coffee with blueberry cobbler creamer (yum!), and am now updating my blog. A case of what's called nesting, I presume! I'm already anticipating an afternoon nap...I'm going to need it today!

Karli
P.S. Our camera just came home from the shop last night, but within 30 minutes had a problem come up that we've since learned is due to a defective chip that Canon recalled some time ago. So, it will be another 3 weeks of waiting before we get our camera back once again. We only have to pay to have it shipped this time, as the chip will be replaced for free, but it's a drag to not have a camera. In the meantime, I made do with photo booth on my mac for my pregnancy shot. I know the pics aren't great, but they're better than nothing, right? I'm 7 months pregnant today!

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Busy Wednesday

It amazes me how busy I am as a stay-at-home mom. It seems like a full time job just keeping our affairs in order & and completing all the errands that come up from day-to-day. Today I returned Landon's book, exchanged his earphones for a different pair that he preferred, went to a chiropractic appointment, and stopped for lunch. This took up my whole morning, and then it was 1pm and time to get Samuel home for his nap. By the time he woke up, Landon was off work, and we headed downtown to our favorite Mediterranean Restaurant, only to find that it's closed & now a sushi bar. We walked from Pioneer Place back to the South Waterfront district where we'd spotted a new Japanese Restaurant. It was sooo good! I was super hungry after the long walk, too, so savored every bite! Afterwards, I found a new coffee shop that is beautifully decorated called Bella Espresso. I got an iced decaf caramel latte. They serve gelato and gourmet desserts. I'm definitely going to have to get together with one of my friends there soon. I love that retail is starting to open in the S. Waterfront district, which is only a mile from our house. I love urban living!
P.S. The pictures above are of Samuel and I in front of some of the new buildings down at the South Waterfront District, and Landon & Samuel waiting for the streetcar (which we rode downtown) in front of OSHU's Center for Health & Healing building.

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Happy 28th Birthday, Landon!

Samuel and I had a nice birthday celebration tonight with Landon. We went out to dinner at Marco's, then came home and Landon opened up his presents...new leather wallet, lots of new shirts from REI, a book called On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins that he's been wanting to read (later I found out that his Dad had already ordered this book online, so I had to return it, as he wants to borrow his Dad's copy), and some new earphones for his ipod. We had little cheesecake cupcakes, and Samuel blew out Landon's candle just as I was setting it on the table. He was really into Landon's birthday this year, and it's fun now that he's so aware of what's going on. He handed Landon all his presents, and was really excited for me to sing happy birthday. Of course, he was the most excited for his cupcake. Happy Birthday, Landon! We love you!

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Labor Day

I spent the morning shopping for Landon's birthday tomorrow, and in the evening, we headed over to Landon's parents' house for an early birthday celebration with them. We went for a walk after dinner & Samuel rode his bike. On the way home, we stopped and did our weekly grocery shopping. We're not very organized when it comes to grocery shopping, I'm afraid! --Karli

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Train Station

We picked up my parents, brother & his wife, and sister & her husband from the train station. They just returned from a cruise to Alaska. I think everyone had a good time, but mentioned that when the ship docked that thousands of people flooded the ports, leaving little to do from all the crowds. My Dad said he was even pushed a few times. I've always been a little adverse to cruises as a form of vacation, and after hearing about this trip, I think my mind is made up--planes, trains, or automobiles for me, thanks!
Karli

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September!

Landon worked on staining the fence today while I kept Samuel occupied. He got one side of our 50' fence completely stained. Tomorrow he will stain the other side. Good times!

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