Everything, Nothing, and I'm a Middle Child

Those are all possible titles for this entry. None really capture the essence very well, though.

I really want to emphasize that I had an absolutely marvelous weekend. I did. I swear (see, I told you the titles aren't very good at indicating that). My family (most of it) was together to celebrate Ayyam'i'ha. We had loads of yummy food (bao, best pancakes ever), fun gift-giving, overloaded on Pinky and the Brain and gobs of superb chocolate. We partied with friends. Found out my longest-time friend (how do you say that?) is engaged - yay for her!

Sunday, my sister (with assistance) threw this fine baby of ours an "early birthday party". Wow, Mark and I were overwhelmed by all the love, support and beautiful gifts we received. Thank you to everyone who planned, coordinated, came, partied, gifted and loved. Party-goers each decorated a onesie for the little one to eventually wear. They all seriously rock. There's everything from "I (heart) M & M" to pastoral scenes to Mondrian to storybook classics.

A photo, as promised, of a sampling:

See? I had an awesome, exhausting weekend.

Then came Monday. I had two doctors appointments. An ultrasound, since all previous ultrasounds had been done in Israel, and then on to see my midwife.

Crash.

I've had a pain in my left side for a week now. Figured it was ligaments stretching in combo with the baby kicking that very region, which some of it certainly is. However, it turns out I have a VERY SMALL ovarian cyst. Not quite half a centimeter. But there all the same. "Must be monitored". Of course, I know a thing or two in tumor terminology - that's called "watchful waiting". I ain't, unfortunately, ignorant. Largely, I think I reacted so emotionally to this news because of dealing with my mother's cancer for the last year and a half. It's so likely to be benign it's ridiculous, but it's simply over the top, in my humble opinion.

Oh, and that's not even what the midwife is worried about. No. Not going to even think about it again until after I deliver the baby. Her beef? (pun intended) The baby's too small. I need more protein in my diet. Could be I just need more protein in my diet. Or it could be a problem with the placenta and if that's the case, they may want me to deliver early (as in 38 weeks, not 40 - nothing extreme).

Somehow, something with a clear and obvious solution with very few possible repercussions, such as a baby who is only in the 32nd growth percentile, is much less concerning to me than anything related to cancer, however remotely.

But today is Tuesday. Today we have other things to do. And if the weather is nice to us, we will be able to go hear our friend Dick talk about his recent trip to Ghana, which I am very much looking forward to (BWC peeps - he was part of the crew that visited Haifa after the Black Men's Gathering in Ghana).

Posted by at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

It's 7 months today.

Hopefully, I have 2 months left. There's always something to worry over. You know - miscarriage in the first trimester, diabetes in the second (ok, ok, I wasn't super worried about much of anything in the second trimester), and now premature labor in the third.

So, even though the baby is using me as boxing practice, I'm happy for every day the baby gets to develop its lungs, put on fat and grow fingernails.

Posted by at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Last night we got together with my father's family to say good-bye to my Aunt Suellen, who heads back to Argentina tomorrow (she's standing in the center).

Then, today we decorated for Ayyam'i'Ha! My mother has developed several themes, which I suspect you'll be able to devine. First, the dining room:

Then the fireplace mantle:

Here are some close ups to further aid you.

Left side:

Right side:

And finally, the front room bookcases:

and

In with the decorations, we found a dismembered Lego creation that Mendon made some years ago. Realizing my mother's attraction to birds, Mark revived it by reassembling it as this:

A "red-necked honey sucker". My mother wasn't impressed.

See for yourself:

And no, Mendon, this wasn't your whale. :-)

Posted by at 3:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I follow a blog (Baby Central) that gives me a weekly estimate of what to expect in the baby's development and my own bodily changes (thank you, Sieni). At the end of the description, it has a suggested 'activity of the week'. Some just make me laugh. One week it told me to buy a piece of jewelry with my child's birthstone. That being diamond, well, I just laughed. Another week told me to take my rings off, since some women's fingers swell. My fingers have actually shrunk, so I just moved them to other fingers....

Anyhew, this week's suggestion (at 31 weeks?) was to pack my bag for the hospital. I'm not quite convinced I need to do that just yet, but it did bring back memories. When we were living in Columbus, I went to the hospital with Amina and Whitney for the birth of their first child. I hung out in the waiting room with Amina's parents. I feel so honored to have been there, and to be involved in the little ways that I could contribute. I recorded Amina's parents talking about their anticipation and love for this soon-to-be-born first grandchild. I went on runs to the hot dog vendor. I recorded it when the midwife & Whitney came out with the happy news. My favorite part, though, was calling everyone on the list that Amina & Whitney had prepared ahead of time to inform them of the happy news. Not only because it gave me a glimpse into A & W's circle of loving family and friends, but it allowed the rest of the family to be completely focused and present upon the arrival of Elijah.

Anyone have any ideas/stories on things they appreciated having at the hospital or wished they'd had?

Posted by at 7:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Yesterday, the news was nothing but coverage on our "winter storm warning". Snow was falling and it was very blustery outside (i.e. couldn't see much o' anything). It took my mother over an hour to get home from work - 7 miles away. They were predicting 8-16 inches of new snowfall over night. Well, we got all of it, if not more. We had to push snow out of the way just to get the door open. It looks beautiful and my mommy doesn't have to go to work today!

Here's my father, after having shovelled for about 2 hours. Those mounds of snow? They're much closer to him than they are to the camera, just to give you some perspective on how big they are.

And this is out the window. I love the snow on the window. As you can see, the entire tree trunk is buried under snow.

Fortunately, it's nice and cozy inside. We all sat around and had our morning tea together.

P.S. This past weekend, Mark and I went to his nephew's 1st birthday party (a big event in Korean culture). You can see some lovely photos of what this entailed at his Flickr site. The food on the table has significance, though, umm, I don't remember what.

Posted by at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

That's how my aunt and uncle, who have lived in Argentina my entire life, have referred to their branch of the family. They are the southern contingency. My uncle has been here for a while to help my grandmother care for my grandfather, and now my aunt is here visiting. Last night was Feast, which Mark and I hosted. After Feast, they hung around until my parents returned from their cancer support group weekly meeting and we took a family photo.

I was all excited thinking I could show Rae that I was wearing the (maternity) corduroy skirt she got me, but it - and my belly - are totally blocked. Oops! Rae, it's so comfy! I love it!

Posted by at 8:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

I did tell you how cold it was around here.

These are some aliens I discovered in our driveway this morning (aka Maman & Papa heading out for their morning stroll). At least they came prepared for the weather.

Posted by at 7:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)