Sorry to all of you who may not want to see a bare pregnant belly, but I wanted to give you all the full effect!!
October 6, 2007
29 Weeks
August 17, 2007
My sister Katie
It’s long past due. It’s not Katie’s birthday or anything, but I’ve just been appreciating her more and more lately, and since she is the only faithful blog reader from my family, I thought I’d give her a nod.
Katie and I have a funny history. She is six years younger than me, and I think we’ve gone through phases in our relationship from her being the cute little sister, to me trying to be her mom when she was a punk teenager (and she was a punk), from her admiring and looking up to me, to me admiring and looking up to her. It’s funny how relationships can grow and change like that, especially among siblings.
It’s so strange to be adults now. Our age difference is becoming more and more non-existent. When I was Katie’s age, I was just returning from China, and trying to figure out and carve out my life. She is married with a house and a a child and seems to have it figured — at least the basic stuff. Somehow in these years between when I was her age and now, she has become the older sister because she knows about the things I figured out I wanted — domestic life with kids. So I look to HER now for advice on what to do in pregnancy etc. Katie is an EXCELLENT mother to her adorable little girl, Vivian. She also takes care of Delia during the week, and I am in awe of her expert ways in child discipline. She has flowed into the role of mother with the kind of ease that shows she is really meant for it.
Katie has somehow extended her role as caretaker into our family. She arranges vacations, baby showers, general get- togethers. I talked to my mom the other day and realized that I usually just call Katie when I want to get general information relayed to the rest of the family. She is in charge. She seems to know who is doing what and when at all times.
I guess I just want to express how much I appreciate my little sister, Katie and all she does for all of us. Last week when we were on our family vacation to a cottage, I found that when tensions were running high (as they often can during large family vacations), it was Katie I would turn to for signs of comfort, clarity and reassurance.
Thank you, Katie, for being such a wonderful sister and friend.
August 13, 2007
OK, here is the Bump
FINALLY! I have something to show. I don’t think I have “popped” yet because I still have two different sets of rolls, but I do think I have gotten a little bigger in the last week or so. Sorry about the blurry picture. I can’t take pictures in the mirror apparently.
August 2, 2007
Just Don’t Expect Me to Call You Back… any time soon
I have a problem with keeping in touch on the phone. I admit it.
My Auntie “J” (I’ll protect her identity here) recently repeated a conversation she had with her daughter about me:
Cousin “P”: What’s up with Jenna? I called her two weeks ago and she never called me back.
Auntie “J”: Don’t be offended. Jenna talks on the phone when it’s convenient for JENNA.
Wow. Thanks Auntie “J.” It was nice of you to repeat that conversation word for word to me. I felt like a big huge a__ hole the whole day afterwards. (Please understand, there is sarcasm coming out of true pain and regret here).
Anyway, all sarcasm aside, I do recognize my need to work on this problem. Since this blog is read by my friends only (I assume) I decided to take this opportunity to apologize to those of you who are offended by my late call backs. Know that I have been working on it. There are also those of you out there that are just like me, in a way. We can talk once a year and it’s no problem. Xiao Xu even tried giving me a fake number at some time this year. I kept persisting and eventually got the right number and called her. We had a lovely two hour conversation!
So like Auntie “J” said, DON’T BE OFFENDED! I’ll call you back when it’s convenient for ME.
July 31, 2007
The last visit… EVER!!!!!
This is a picture of me with my good friend EK Mudd. She is my travelling buddy. I have had some of the most amazing experiences of my life with this girl.
Counting back from 2000, we have had the following adventures: Dali/Lijiang/Xishuangbanna China Spring Festival trip 2000, Laoation Vacation (trip overland through Laos to Thailand) Spring Festival 2001, Xinjiang Adventure (with Kate too!) Summer 2001(thanks for the encouragement Buckley Lai), Greyhound bus trips to and from Denver to MInneapolis, summer 2002, Thanksgivign in NYC, 2002? Three week Milwaukee vacation, 2003, San Francisco 2004, Weddings — Milwaukee, San Diego 2005, China 2006, bring us to our recent Last visit… EVER! Denver 2007.
To explain that last visit part, Erin believes — and she is probably right — that since I will soon be a mother, our frequent travels will have to end, for a while at least. I have to say that the above mentioned vacations and adventures were mostly just summers and spring festivals. We had MANY more adventures in between those. Erin is a fun, interesting, and good friend to travel with. We have had our trials: Ricky the Rat who used to follow us everywhere and show up every night when we were sleeping, 42 hour sleeper bus rides, sickness on the road, shopping obsessions/regrets, etc. But we always have managed to find great humor in everything along the way.
The memories I have made with Erin K. Mudd are some of the best of my life. I treasure all of them, and KNOW there will be more in the future, even if we have to take a break for a little while…
July 19, 2007
Dazed
I just finished reading East of Eden. I have that dazed feeling you get when you have been absorbed in a book that is thick with good, deep thoughts and insights about life. It’s been glorious to have the time to make reading this book my daily morning ritual, and to have it to go back to when parts of the day get too dull. A good book is like that. You get kind of sad at the end because there is no longer that place to go to. It’s like a really good HBO series. You finish one episode and have that same place to go back to with the next. This was such a nice, long book for that too.
I’m thinking about copying down passages of conversations between Sam Hamilton and Lee. There were so many good things to chew on there. I found myself wishing I could sit down with the two of them to sip some ng-ka-py and talk. There were so many points in the book where it stuck out to me that the time period, the slower pace of life, was something we are hungering for today. Steinbeck did an excellent job of hinting at how the passage of time and advent of technology were changing the very way people were living and communicating. Sometimes I think we miss the value of a good face to face conversation with a friend. The importance of that experience as opposed to the telephone conversation or IM chat.
Anyway, excellent book. Highly recommended.
July 18, 2007
You Know Your Cat is a Freak When…
Your three year old niece describes him to her neighbor by mimicking the loud screaching/whining sounds he makes.
Your own neighbor comments on the very loud sounds coming out of the house in the middle of the day.
He follows you around the house from room to room all day long making these annoying cacophonous sounds!
July 17, 2007
Too Many Choices
My mom said to me that it must be difficult living in a bigger place like Milwaukee when trying to choose a doctor. She was right. I’ve already switched once. I switched to a group practice because it is at the Aurora Woman’s Pavilion, which I just assumed is fabulous because everyone said it was. I am ashamed to admit that I have not yet toured it myself. The group of doctors I see was recommended by my friend Molly from work, whose sister is a nurse at St. Lukes and said she and all of her nurse friends would go to this one doctor there. Well, I guess if you are pregnant, you can only see this particular doctor once and have to see all of the others in addition in case one of them might deliver your baby. When I first went to this clinic (I’ve had two visits there already and have my 20 week ultrasound scheduled for this Thursday), I liked how organized it seemed in comparison to the single doctor I had seen in my early pregnancy. But there have been some glitches. On our last visit, Charles had some questions about research on some medication I am taking. She (the doctor) had us fill out an envelope with our address and said she would send it. Then we filled out another envelope. Can’t even remember what that one was for. We decided to get that triple screen done on that visit and she said if the news was bad they’d call, but if it was good, we’d get a letter by the end of the following week. Four weeks later, nothing. She was also supposed to switch a perscription of mine and forgot. Yesterday I called because my perscription for pre-natal vitimins from my previous doctor have run out. I got switched to a voicemail of some random person who does that for the practice and said she could fill it in two to three days. When I called about the triple screen test results (something they have signs everywhere telling you NOT to do), I only got as far as a receptionist who took my name and number and said they’d get back to me. Nothing.
So, needless to say, I’m switching again. My mom has cautioned me not to do it too much as that is frowned upon, but whatever. My friend Kira is seeing some Midwives. Sarah saw one too. Why don’t I just go to where they are?? Not sure. I made an appointment with a doctor that was recommended to me by a woman at Sarah’s baby shower who must know what she’s talking about because she runs milwaukeemoms.com. I also read that this doctor was highly recommended on other sources on the net. It means I will be switching to St. Joseph hospital though. But that is ok, because I read some more articles on the Pavilion yesterday and learned that it is targeted to suburban women and may be taking money away from Aurora Sinai which services more low income women. Makes sense. Anyway, I just want good care before hand and good care for my baby once it is born. We can go without the fluff of whatever else the Pavilion has to offer.
I’m still torn about Midwives vs. regular doctor though. Seems that all my friends feel that midwives are all the rage. I don’t seem to be so into natural stuff the way I thought I would. I want hospital equipment and the latest technology and medications there for the birth. Maybe some part of me feels that a doctor doctor is necessary too. Although I know they are available with midwives too. I am so naive about the health care situation. I think if it’s a doctor, she will know what to do. If it is a hospital, you will be taken care of. I know that is just not so anymore. But the myth is comforting.
July 12, 2007
Toni Bologna Marie
Happy Birthday Toni! Actually, this should be posted yesterday, on July 11, which is her birthday. I am late.
But here is to the sweetest, patient, funny, and fun sister there is.
Toni is the middle child and peacemaker in our family. I used to be really mean to her, which I regret daily now, because I can
step away from myself long enough to see her sweet nature and feel the shame for my young adolescent cruelty.
But back to Toni. Luckily, we have enjoyed a friendship in our more mature years. Toni is the BEST person to watch a funny movie with. When it strikes her, she will laugh at anything, making it even funnier. She used to think her name was Toni Bologna Marie, see the title. We used to call her that all of the time as a child and we have her on tape at the age of two telling some woman on a cartoon show that that was indeed her name. Toni has the gentlest touch — she is a massage therapist — and that gentleness comes though in her mothering to the infamous Delia. Toni is a great mom, and a very beautiful woman.
Happy Birthday, Toni! I hope this next year brings you the joy, peace, and happiness you deserve!
July 8, 2007
Oh.
I guess I’ve read East of Eden before too. I swear I have the worst memory. I can never remember the names of musical artists or authors. Last year I bought a little book right before school started about how to improve my memory. I was hoping to learn kids’ names faster. It didn’t work. Oh well.