Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Baby Moccasins, by SJJ

Here is a picture of the lovely and talented Auntie SJJ, holding the deerskin baby moccasins she made for The Tenant. They are beaded, lined with fur, and made with traditionally-tanned leather (called "Brain Tan"). Due to the way it is processed, it is soft and light, and smells of woodsmoke permanently. Wonderful stuff.

[I've uploaded a large picture so this is clickable for even more detail]



Nothing like talented friends with love for your unborn,

Bp

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

BBdr visit- the Smackdown!

Well, true believers, we all knew it was coming. Even I did. The BBdr (the lovely and talented Dr. Sara Ohgushi...enter web hit increase here) has, in her gentle and persuasive way, terrorized me into working less. HOW is this woman so effective...inquiring minds must know?!

Week 38. Yep, I could be having this baby any MINUTE now, I am reminded. Oh yeah...it's the cream filling at the end of the tunnel. It's the reason we're DOING this! Such a product based society we live in. You mean I get a treat at the end of this rainbow?!? SWEET! Then, she came in with the Karate chop death blow.

"So, you know you could go into labor ANY night from here on out right? So if you come home from work exhausted and expecting to sleep all night but go into labor instead, you'll be exhausted from the get go."

*insert sound of me screeching to an abrupt halt here*

OH YEAH! That thing I require, nay...CRAVE, oh 10 hours of sleep a day. Yeah...that thing I have been using (besides elk and 3000mg a day of B-12) to recover from working...possibly GONE! EGADS!

Ok...so we're more into the 6 hour a day realm not the 10 hour a day realm, including more naps, until the Tenant has officially arrived.

I'm telling you, this woman can leap any tall building that a client presents for her. I think we might pitch in a get her a cape.

Other than that, I am still moving right along. We're putting the final touches on the downstairs rooms in the next couple of days. The belly is getting oppressively big and cumbersome but the little dude/ette is still firmly ensconced. I think there might be a python wrestling contest happening every couple of hours and I'm not sure who's winning. We'll keep you posted if we get a giant python as the prize rather than a baby.

My loyal fan base (/wave loyal fan base) is keeping me honest by reminding me I promised to post an expose on my new snazzy rocking chair...so that may be on the list of things to do today when I leave work. Gah!

Work, btw, are being massive studs about the whole thing and I have to re-iterate how grateful I am to have such a rocking job. Woot!

So, back to the tax return I'm doing and I'll work to get some photo's posted when I get home. My computer died last week, so I'll have to navigate BP's. /shiver.

Swimmingly,

KT and Tenant

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

37 weeks: We're full term!

Welcome to 37 weeks, ya'll. Lungs on the Tenant are a go-go...that is good since the body is definately gearing up for a significant move-out in the next few weeks. We are well into the realm of lots of kick/punch through out the day and epic bouts of hiccups. Whew!

The overwhelming vote at the baby shower was the Tenant would be moving out early, but I'm not convinced.

Suffice it to say, we're feeling a bit like this:


...even though they assure me it's still weeks away. WHO KNOWS?!

Latest blood test results show a whopping 2 point gain in my hemoglobin levels (10.6 to 12.8). I feel like the DOW! (that is a joke, people) and negative on the Group B Strep. That is a relief since I don't have to have IV antibiotics while in labor now. Sheesh. I tell ya, folks have been having babies for a zillion years and the medical community is all freaky these days about the most RANDOM shit. It's like 1 in 500,000 babies that has a problem with Group B Strep after delivery BUT (!) a convienent test ($) to have to take at 36 weeks just to be sure. Man, freak me out more about this process AMA. Bah!

Anyway...now that I have stopped ranting said my piece, I still have to say I am feeling pretty good. BP got the dishwasher installed and it's like Nirvana and Eden got all mixed together and spread all over my kitchen. WHAT a luxury! And it's sexy too!

Next on the list is moving the guest room downstairs this weekend and settling things there so I can spend a few days on the first floor post baby (sans stairs, I am assured I will want that).

Thanks to all who attended (or even didn't) attend the shower...cards are forthcomming! I promise! I swear!

Monday the 16th is the next BBdr visit (with the lovely and talented Sara Ohgushi) and I'm sure she'll have something cool to tell me since she's taking a baby crano-sacral class all this week.

Until then, loves...

KT and Tenant

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Cupcake Madness

And here you thought I was kidding...

[as per usual, clickable if you need garish amounts of detail]




There is no kidding when it comes to cupcakes, my friends. Redwind is testiment to THAT!

Kt and Tenant

[props to Mr. Turtlevoice for the rocking photo]

Big Weekend



Whew! What are those two smiling about!?

Sorry for the lack of posts recently. It was a pretty big weekend with the Baby CPR class Saturday the 28th, then the Baby Shower Saturday the 28th, the 2nd home birth class Sunday the 1st, my birthday on Monday 2nd and the BBdr visit last night on the 4th.

DANG!

We'll take 'em in order since my little mooshey brain isn't so great at non-linear organizational thought referencing at this stage of the game. Thankfully, I can still organize a individual tax file with the best of them but balancing a corporate balance sheet has been eluding me this week. QUIET with the obtuse accounting speak woman (insert Brandon's voice here).

Baby CPR: Yes, you really CAN push that hard on the little scuppers, Virginia.

It was great to have a refresher course on CPR. Though they have really changed things since I took a CPR class (*cough, with my driver instruction course at 16yo...ahem*). Apparently it's all 30 compressions and 2 breaths for everyone. Just on babies you do 5 sets of 30 and 2 BEFORE calling 911 (if alone...or while someone else is calling 911) and with adults you call 911 THEN start CPR. I also feel better knowing the "flip 'em over and wack 'em on the back properly" choking technique. Makes me feel like I can at least address a severe situation, if not come out ahead.

There was minimal scoffing and eye rolling by the 25 year Neonatal Intensive Care Unit nurse over the home birth / co-sleeping / attachment parenting we are doing. That was nice. She was a plump, dedicated lady that really has the best interest of babies at heart, as I think most NIC U nurses do. And there really wasn't that much fear and doom espoused during the whole presentation, very nice.

Then...OFF to the Shower. I must admit, having the baby shower at a brew pub was FRIGGING GENIUS (applause to Heidi Mann, coordinator and preschool teacher extraordinaire). The old masonic building was cool, the staff was ON it with the pizza and beer (what little was consumed to their great dismay) and the space was perfect for the 57 folks that eventually came and gave a blessing to the belly. The BBdr [the fantabulous Dr. Sara Ohgushi, ND and Midwife] even showed and was a trooper, hanging with the tattooed, pierced, alternative crowd to the bitter end! I have photographic proof of her existence now!



Redwind (spiritual community par excellance) kicked down HARD with the cupcakes. If anyone has a shot of the overladen table filled with at least 10 different kinds / flavors of cupcake I would sure appreciate it. It was awesome and many a sugar rush was had by all (tho yours truly abstained from all cupcakes as the sugar terrorists were lurking about the room). We had a great haul of things and a remarkable dent put in the diaper fund of about 7 months able to be prepaid (THANK YOU EVERYONE!!). The highlight for me (by far) was getting to go through the pictures that folks had drawn for the baby. If you still want to draw a picture that we'll put in a book for the baby I have lots of paper left! I would be happy to mail one to you or feel free to drop by and do one. There were such sweet and hilarious sentiments memorialized!

More random photo's from the Shower ahead. BP also has a few he'll post from his camera.




Sunday continued the "all baby all the time" feeling with the 2nd Home birth class. We met up with the other 7 couples having their babies between March 15 and Mid June (we're couple #2....except we're so ridiculously on time for EVERYTHING, I think we might be early...bah). Went over specifics of breast feeding, diapers, immunizations and circumcision. I have to hand it to the BBdr...she's not a wilting flower when it comes to controversial topics (which I respect IMMENSELY) and we had quite the adult conversation on a range of topics that most folks just fight about. It was rad.

Monday I worked and came home, put my feet up and treated myself to a birthday "let's go to bed at 8pm". The right present for the right time, that's my motto! AHAHAHAH!

Last night we had the crack baby delivery team over to the house so they could check out the digs and find the house in the middle of the night (if needed). It kind of sunk in that the baby could be like 3 FRIGGING WEEKS AWAY for both BP and I. A bit of stress was had last night and we both decided that taking some serious action on moving things around downstairs to make the birth more comfortable and feasible MUST happen this / next week. So if you're feeling like moving stuff around and / or balancing things on the 39cm belly while I direct (and don't pick stuff up) gimme or BP a call! We need to get ON moving the guest room downstairs (next to the bathroom) since the BBdr's want me in it for 3-5 days after the birth (no stairs please, thank you). It will be a bit logistical, but should be fine with a couple of hands.

In other exciting news, we're getting a dishwasher FINALLY! YA! I am so friggin psyched! It goes in this weekend! Thanks to the old cranky attorney for his stellar donation to the cause.

And...well, other than that, lots of movement and kicking going on. I'm getting professional with this waddling thing and I think if BP doesn't die from having to wait on me hand and foot (what a trooper) we should be excellent. T. is off this week to California for a visit so we're going to try to rip the house up and reassemble it before he gets back.

Oh, and work some.

Speaking of work, my new teak awesomeness that is also known as a rocking chair will be exhibited in it's own post. My work folks are the best!

Wow, I guess I did have lots to post. I'll get those other shower photos up this evening if not totally wiped out. Off to the BBdr today for a quick check to make sure I don't have Group B Strep and to have a gallon of blood re-taken to test the anemia and Vitamin D levels. Yipppeee!

Love to all!

KT and Tenant