Making new friends

I thought I was feeling better so I stopped taking my anti-nausea meds. Whoops. Monday I felt terrible! So I'm back on. The good news is that it must be working.

Last week I was spotting a little and went to the doctor. No activity for two weeks. I'm not too worried because the doctor found the heartbeat right away. Maybe I should worry more, but I know that this occasionally happens.

Jen just found out that she's having a girl :-) My prediction has always been boy for Mary, girl for Jen and for me. So I'm feeling pretty confidents as I'm 67% correct. Actually, I'm 9 for 9 of the baby gender predicting.

I did this search for genetic disorders looking for what exactly the deal with Jamie Lee Curtis is and I got a link to this guy's blog. I went to it and it had good info and I read more and I thought, "wow, I like this guy. I agree with everything he says". Cool. It's good to find other people who think like you. So I looked him up to see his profile and sure enough, he's a physics grad student in Texass. It's almost kind of funny how nerds just click no matter where or when. It's like nerd-nerd particle interaction is what connects you. So I agree with all his ideas and read most of the books he has posted as library and it made me miss the last years of college when you take classes with other people in your major and sometimes it's like they're the only people who "get" you. I miss my physics geek friends. They aren't exactly a dime a dozen. Luckily my husband is in the nerd family and can satisfy my need for nerd. It's just nice to have someone who'll laugh at something like "nerd-nerd particle interaction". Oh, and Red Dave would like him too as there seems to be a strong interest in cooking.

Showing? Or just getting fatter

I have now gained five pounds, bringing me back to my pre-pregnancy weight. However, it is not my pre-pregnancy appearance. I'm finding that I'm more vain than I thought. My little belly is getting jigglier. I know this because we had a dress rehersal for bellydance on Sunday and I was at the studio with all the mirrors and there was more to my shimmy than there used to be.

It isn't that I think "I'm fat". It's more about the changes to what I'm used to. Pants feel tight and not as comfy. I'm in permanant "thanksgiving dinner" mode with my top button undone.

I'm trying to prepare for the out of control experience of gaining weight and inches, however appropriate it is. Pregnancy is one of those things where you think you know what it is like...and then it hits you. Reality. It's kind of like teaching. You think you know what it'll be like, but somehow it is so much harder. And you think, "wow, no one appreciates what teachers do, how hard they work... blah, blah, blah". Same thing with pregnancy. Man, it is hard to do and most people have no idea (and 50% of the population never even could know).

On a more positive note: Dave comes home Friday :-) I am lonely and I do love him. This is good because at about 6 weeks I hated him! Ah, hormones.

Go with your gut on matters concerning... areas south of the gut

Monday I had my doctors appointment. It was pretty lame; my blood tests are fine. That was it. But because of all the the things I had heard and my doubts about my doctor, I needed to ask some more questions. So I asked about epidurals, episiotomies, induction, and c-sections. It was pretty reassuring as his answers seemed to echo my philosophies and feelings. He doesn't like that the hospital pushed epidurals and pressures women into them early. I agree with that. He says sometimes the nurses push them to make their jobs as labor coaches easier. This makes sense then why the nurse didn't like him and said he yelled at the nurses. If he knows that his patients want to do natural labor and then the nurses convince her to do something else, no wonder he yells at them. Everything he said made perfect sense. I think it'd be silly for me to switch. Plus, another good point he made is that since he is in private practice, I'm guaranteed to get him in delivery, not someone who doesn't know me or how I feel. He knows not to even suggest inducing unless it is very necessary. And, I won't be induced to make sure the baby is born on his shift so that he gets paid for it.

On another note, I just finished another documentary: Word Wars. I've been watching documentaries alot lately. This one is about Scrabble tournament competitors. It was interesting. This one guy, G. I. Joel (cause he has GI issues and gulps Maloxx) was awesomely geeky. Several of the people didn't have actual jobs. They dedicate hours a day to practicing Scrabble and memorizing words and letter combinations. I cried when they showed the winner. I'm hormonal.

Odyssey of the (hormones) Mind

The odyssey has come to an end. My team and I went to the State competition in Traverse City on Saturday and competed against the best in the state. I didn't have really high expectations, but I had hoped the kids would place in the top 6. Unfortunately, they did not. They didn't feel very good about the spontaneous portion and I don't even know what their problem was (we're not aloud to talk about it until after the awards and then we were too tired).

It was an early and long day; I left GR at about 6:30 am and didn't get back until 11:00 pm. It was actually a very good day and I very much enjoy my kids. They are crazy and weird and hyperactive, but that's why I love them. Carter's parents had a motorhome that they so graciously took up north with all the kids and set and props. It was a great plan as we pretty much hung out in the motor home all day. The kids watched movies (they are almost all in the musical "Guys and Dolls") and we got pizza.

It can be intimidating to hand around parents, but these people are so cool. Great, supportive parents, who really know and understand their kids (as much as can bge understood at this age). I really did have a good day. And I'm so proud of those kids; they did a nice job.

There was an extra bonus; the mom that I rode up to Traverse with turns out to be a labor and delivery nurse. We talked labor and delivery the whole ride up and most of the way home. She was super nice and cool and unfortunately, I found out that my doctor is not the best, in her opinion. She actually recommended switching and said that they are very few doctors she'd say that about, but mine is one of them. I'm not sure what to do. I have a doc's appt. tomorrow and I'm sure I'll go to it. My doc has always been respectful to me, but apparently is awful to the nurses and staff. Of course, doctors are often assholes who have a power struggle with the nurses. So a bad review from a nurse for personality isn't too bad...but then again, she seemed pretty adamant. I really pressed her for info, but it sounds like he is fine with patients, and not dangerous or anything, just a jerk. I don't want him to be a jerk to me, though! She is going to send her kid with a list of doctors for me on Monday and I'll have to decide what to do about it. I'll play a Scarlett O'Hara and "I'll think about it tomorrow".

The Last Dance

Well, tonight I did my last performance at Mezze, at least the last for some time. It was for a private party and it was nice since it was at 5:30 and I didn't have to stay up late! It is sad, but I'm glad. I've got other stuff to do.

Today, for the first time this year, I wanted to do yardwork. I usually am so eager to start working on my garden I'm out while the snow is melting. But this year, with the tired and the sick, I have been thinking that it sounded like alot of extra work. Which it is, but I usually enjoy it. So today, when I had to leave for the performance all I wanted to do was clean up the yard.

This is with the exception of the pond. That thing is full of dead fish, rotting leaves, and downright nasty. Don't really want to work with that right now, but clearing away leaves doesn't sound too bad.

Tomorrow I go to Traverse City for my kids' OM team state competition. Thankfully, after that, it is all done :-)