Fiesta Poncho

I'm thinking I should rename this blog "The Pregnancy Diaries," except I won't be pregnant forever, but I do expect to be knitting forever :-)

This little poncho is actually all done, but needs blocking, so I haven't taken a "finished" photo yet. But you get an idea of how the color pattern worked out. I quite like it, and am working on a matching hat (ch'ullo style) that is turning out too big, so I'll have to redo it I think.

Hiccups!

Last night when I was settling down for bed, I realized the baby had hiccups!

I'd read about this, but this was the first time I felt it:
"Besides the kicks and shiftings you love to feel (though not necessarily at 3 a.m.), you may notice fetal hiccups early in the third trimester – short, spasmodic blips in your lower abdomen. Hiccups are usually short-lived, so by the time you've hollered for your mate to "come feel this" and he finally gets there, they will probably have stopped. Hiccups often occur around the same time each day, so you may be able to catch another performance soon. These sudden new twitches may take you by surprise, but they don't bother baby, and most mothers just think they feel funny. "

Something nice

One of my students gave me this book today, authored - and autographed - by his own dad!

Updates

The euphoria couldn't last: we lost to Harvard on Saturday. Booooo!
But the weather turned warm and springlike today and I wore new shoes that Terry picked out for me this weekend (all my other shoes were getting too tight!)
I met one of the midwives this morning for a check-up, and she recommended a pair of doulas who also do childbirth classes. And they gave me a free children's book!!!

"You're not a goalie, you're a sieve!"

"Dartmouth has two great big sieves
Great big sieves, great big sieves
Dartmouth has two great big sieves
They let the puck go by SIX TIMES!!!!!"

Other highlights:

Scott's 100th goal
Greening's hat trick (last CU hat trick was in 2005!) About 30 people threw their hats out on the ice; it was pretty funny but then they told the crowd CU would get a penalty if they kept doing it...

Fun times, fun times.

Snowy Days

Lovely snow. The cold is not so pleasant!

















Terry has been running "webinars" this week; online training courses for people scattered about the globe. Here he is at his "console" - looks like a DJ in this picture!

just a little complaining

I feel like I've entered the third trimester 2 weeks early. Slight edema of hands and feet mean that I've taken off all my rings except for my wedding ring. I feel like I've pulled a muscle on the left side of my rib cage, so it hurts to take a deep breath - which is getting harder just in general! The first knuckle on the middle finger of my right hand is swollen and a little sore - is this a sign of carpal tunnel? And it's getting harder to find a comfortable position for sleeping.

Added up, though, it's still a very small price to pay. And I am thankful.

Another beginning

Last night I cast on what is intended to become a poncho (for the baby); it's a pretty simple design. I'm planning to make the stripes according to the Fibonnaci sequence. Lest this make me look totally nerdy (too late!) the reason I'm using it is because the Yarlot said that this sequence is naturally pleasing to the eye :-)

I plan to use a descending and ascending order:
13 rows, then 8, 5, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13.

Seeing "Red"

People often ask me what strange foods I've been craving; at a restaurant the other night I was offered deep-fried pickles with ice cream... strangely unappealing!

I can't say I've had any bona fide cravings as such, but I have had unexpected keen interest in foods that don't normally tickle my palate. To whit:

1) bananas (the best midnight snack ever)
2) orange juice
3) anything red

Ok, that's the weird one. Whereas the fact that I will now stand in the kitchen and eat half a jar of green olives at once is more about my new license to indulge, my response to foods that are red in color is really strange. It has nothing to do with flavor or texture: strawberries, cherries, grape tomatoes, red jello, red velvet cake, red M&Ms, salsa - if I see red I want to eat it. This is only problematic if your husband brings home a bottle of cherry-red dishwashing detergent. I went to wash the dishes and had to consciously resist the urge to drink the detergent...or at least taste it...it just looked...so...delicious...

Now that I've smelled it, though, the urge has definitely passed.

Smell, now smell continues to be a problem. The last two hockey games I went to were an olfactory assault by the third period, with all those warm bodies (mostly still clad in our winter wear since they keep the rink pretty chilled) packed closely together. Bleah. I've ridden a lot of tightly packed buses in tropical countries throughout my life and I think generally I have a pretty high tolerance for strong smells, but this is different. It's kind of fun, though, too :-) Sort of like having a secret super-power. Though if I had my choice, I think I'd prefer the ability to turn invisible at will, or to fly like Superman... telekinesis would be pretty cool too. Too bad those aren't side effects of pregnancy! Nope, just the ability to pick out bad smells at 100 ft and grow my fingernails really fast.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Since Terry is in Haiti, I bought a V-day present for the Critter:

Weekend

We spent this past weekend in DC, meeting with the person at World Vision who contracted us for a research project. It was a satisfyingly productive time, although the trip home was a bit not-fun - Terry left for Haiti early Sunday morning, so I was driving back north alone. Can I just say, I hate PA in February? First there was a delay around Harrisburg, where I lost about 45 minutes crawling through clogged traffic; then there was a 4-mile section of 81 that was shut down just south of Hazleton. I'll grant you that the blowing snow along that section did make visibility a little dicey from time to time - evidently there was an accident that they made us detour around. It took about an hour to get around that. Four miles in one hour. Yikes.

But I'm home safe. It's super-cold and I miss Terry, but it will be a busy couple weeks.

I have to show you how nice the place was where we stayed in DC: the Swann House. This was our room - a round turret room on the second floor. Every detail was so nice! And the breakfast buffet was truly memorable.

Well, back to the grindstone!

Thinking

So I'm thinking of hiring a doula. There is one thing that I feel very strongly about related to the "birth plan" - I do not want the baby taken away from me right after birth. I do not want the baby put in a nursery. I want the baby to experience human touch for as long as continuously possible after birth. From what I know, in case of a C-section I wouldn't be able to hold the baby right afterwards. I also suspect that post-partum it may be challenging to insist on my wishes. Statistically, doula-supported births are less likely to go to C-section, and a doula would be able to advocate on my behalf in ways that perhaps family members might not be able to.

I know there are many things beyond my control, but this is one thing that I do feel very strongly about.

Blue Mitts

I finished the first mitt; all but the button to hold down the shell that flips up to cover the fingers. The second one is all done except for the shell itself. I fiddled with the pattern a little bit to taylor it to the dimensions of my hands; longer in the cuff, and I made the fingers both bigger around and longer.

Tonight I went to see a documentary called "The Business of Being Born," which was fairly thought-provoking. I don't think I've ever been in a room so full of pregnant women. I thought it was cool that one of the people they interviewed was a medical anthropologist :-).

[Don't] Let Your Babies Grow Up to Play Hockey

Last night I used Terry's season ticket to attend the Cornell-Colgate hockey game (funniest ch/jeer of the evening: "Toothpaste! University! Toothpaste! University!" while pointing to each respective team. Second funniest ch/jeer: "Crest is better!"). It was a thrilling game, 1-1 tie going into overtime, when the winning goal was scored about a minute in. It's such a roller-coaster ride of euphoria and despair, riding the waves of emotion with a very expressive crowd.

The worst moment was when a CU player was hit in the head (I didn't see it, my friend C. says he was elbowed in the neck) and ended up on his knees and elbows on the ice for many long minutes as the medic crouched next to him and his brother, also on the team, stood guard nearby. Pretty scary, especially when you see how physical this game is, the falls and the body slams into the sides, you know it's serious when someone can't get up for a moment.

Eventually he was able to rise and the medic helped him off the ice as everyone applauded in relief.

Watching these games, especially when they're close, the tension is almost unbearable at times - and it's this very thing that has up until now kept me away from sports spectatorship. That, and I feel sorry for people when they get hurt. But being married to a sports FAN has helped me understand the athlete's point of view a little better - the risk of pain is part of the pleasure of the game. And going to hockey games has really helped me understand the addiction of the adrenaline rush. It's cathartic like theater is, only more intense. When I got home last night, I spent several hours online reading statistics on the team and the division, so this morning on the phone with Terry (he's on his way back from VA) we had an actual sports conversation!!!

I was reflecting on this and remembering my mom's advice when we got married: to explore and support each other's interests. She talked about how much it meant to her when my dad bought her a book of romantic poetry one time. I thought about how Terry knows more about knitting now than I'm certain he's ever dreamed he would - he knows what felting is, the difference between straights and circulars, the importance of dpns, and has even on several occasions ventured alone into yarn shops to buy me presents! So as much as hockey-talk is out of character for me, I'm really really enjoying getting into it.

Our friends whom we go to the games with have often expressed amazement at how "mild-mannered Elizabeth" turns into a screaming fan (under what other circumstances is it possibly socially acceptable to scream at someone "Hey [opponent]! DIIIIIEEEEEE!!!! Drop Dead! Go Home!" and enjoy it? Sorry, Colgate - it's nothing personal! Harvard, though - that's another story...) :-)

Also, I was thinking that if our baby turns out to be really into sports, this will help me relate to him/her. Although if s/he decides to play hockey... it's going to be really hard not to worry 24/7 about elbows to the neck.

Convex

This evening I caught glimpse of myself in the mirror and exclaimed, "Holy cow, I'm BIG!"

"Poochie!" Terry commented agreeably.

So I had to get him to take a picture.

Here I am at five months pregnant, in front of the fridge - my newly favorite appliance in the world.

Update on how I'm doing

I'm sick - I started getting a sore throat a few days ago, and then it developed into stuffy nose, feeling tired and run-down, and now a dry cough. But I saw the Dr. today and she said I could take Sudafed safely. But mostly I should drink lots of liquids (which I have been - just short of hooking up an orange juice IV! I warm it up in the microwave and add honey - yum!) and get enough rest. Last night I slept really well for 11 hours (with the usual bathroom/snack breaks of course). I've taken to leaving a banana on the kitchen counter so that when I get up in the night, I have a bite to eat and drink some water. It seems to help me get back to sleep after I wake up.

I'm feeling better today; I was very energized for my class that I'm teaching and have felt pretty good since then. Nothing like standing up in front of 17 pairs of eyes to get the adrenaline going!

In further medical news, the Dr. said that I'm "young, healthy, in good shape, tall" and overall low-risk - so there's no reason I couldn't have a midwife-assisted birth! I liked it that she said I'm young :-) But it's up to me. So I'm going to schedule an appt. to talk with the midwives and just check 'em out. The clinic I go to was described by Terry as somewhat "impersonal" and by another woman who goes there as "not much love," but they're very competent and efficient and those things are more reassuring to me than touchy-feely-ness. In any case, I just want to see if the midwives are more personable while maintaining the overall professionalism of the practice.

Next month I get to do the routine glucose test, as well.

So far this semester is going really well. It's great having Terry here full-time! I had a little (hormonal?) melt-down this morning when I couldn't find my keys, but other than that I'm having a great time - the class I'm teaching is going phenomenally well, and the classes I'm taking are likewise good. I find myself looking forward to the work of each day. Of course... this could be hormonal too! But I'm going to enjoy it while it lasts!!!

Baby pictures!

These are not as cute as the ones you'll get after June, but they're what we have right now. In some ways I think they're a little creepy, but also kind of cool. Top to bottom:

1) View of back and head - head is to the right; you can see the outline of the cranium.

2) The money shot! This one was taken for cuteness, rather than for measurement (which is the primary purpose of the sonogram). Here you can see the face, at the right of the screen, at a 3/4 angle. The easiest part to pick out is the nose (I think it looks like Terry!), with two dark spots for eyes, and a dark area above that is the brain. Right next to the cheek you can see the little hand in a fist!



3) Here you see the legs and feet; what shows up most clearly are the bones, but the legs are probably pretty skinny right now anyway. Although baby is definitely developing muscles, as I can attest from the kicking! The feet are at the far left.

4) This is the hardest to make out: forearms and hands. You see that lighter spot surrounded by dark? That's the nose and mouth, and the rest of the face is in "shadow." The two horizontal bits are the forearms, and the hands are at the right-end of each.

The technician had to try some pretty odd angles to get these shots, because of how the baby is oriented right now. Basically s/he is head down, with back and bottom up along my left. Knees are curled up against the belly and the arms are as you see them. I feel the most kicks and prods on the right and in the middle.

The Pea Pod sweater in progress is turning out rather big - I think it might get put away until summer '09 . . . so I'm thinking for the moment I might go back to baby blankets. I'm really not sure what to knit for a summer baby!

I'm such a nerd...

I love the first day of school... I'm so ready to be back, and I feel so lucky to be here. It's bitterly cold outside but we have heat and electricity and internet connections and libraries full of books. I'm flush with second-trimester energy and looking forward to meeting my students in about an hour! I even brought my own apple :-)

Loves Music!

Last night Terry and I went to see a play, which turned out to be a musical comedy - it was terrific, very funny, creative, with warm and likeable characters. The best part was that during all the most lively (loudest?) songs I could feel the baby moving A LOT - kicking, wiggling, ... dancing? It was really, really fun. In fact, the first time I felt movement at all I had my laptop on my lap playing music with the speakers right next to my belly. I think this baby likes music!

Back in the Game

I knew the first trimester was over when I got my knitting mojo back. For three months I didn't even really feel like picking up the needles... now I'm definitely back in the game!

Last week I finished knitting the Yarn Harlot's Snowdrop Shawl, and here it is! The top two photos show the finished shawl before (left) and after (right) washing and blocking. It is so drapey and soft, I just love touching it.

These dimly lit pictures show what it looks like during blocking - big picture and close-up. It was a much faster knit than I expected - took me almost exactly four weeks - and was quite fun. I only had a little trouble at the point, and had to improvise to make it symmetrical.

Currently I have on the needles another version of the convertible mitten/gloves I made before, and the Pea Pod sweater I also made before. Next in queue: scarf/hat set from Australian yarn!

p.s. forgot to say - I used alpaca yarn I bought in Peru, 1 kilo on a cone with no manufacturers label - but it was perfect for this project :-)