Happy Birthday, Dad!

Thanks for teaching me to skip rocks, not to throw like a girl (well, you tried), and how to make a mean pie crust. Among other possibly more important things. You're the best.

Make way for baby

We spent part of last weekend cleaning out closets and rearranging the apartment. Our little closet space was already crammed, but we managed to empty two whole shelves in the everything closet! Such good parents we are, making room for her in our life. We also moved the furniture out of the alcove to make space for a “nursery”.

I should have taken "before" pictures, but the biggest difference is that the desk used to be in the alcove. We weren't wild about the idea of having the desk in the main part of the living room, but we're happy with how it worked out. Unfortunate the lighting was so bad... please forgive me.



Now there's space for a crib. The poster on the wall was in the home of my mom's dear cousin, Fran. It's one my mom had given her and I wanted to take it when she passed away to keep for such a perfect need. It's small for the wall, but oh well.


The pile of stuff to donate... looks smaller here than every day when I have to walk around it.


This weekend - back to Ikea if Steve doesn't get hit to cover someone.

26 Weeks

Woah! Someone's growing...





Yikes!

And here's a link back to see the progression: http://newmillenniummotherhood.blogspot.com/2008/12/belly-pictures-finally.html

26 weeks down, 14 to go... there's some asymmetry to those numbers that's a little daunting (and thrilling!). Smaldita's movements are getting more pronounced and I get a kick out of some of her antics (no pun intended). She also seems to enjoy wedging some limb, or I think it might be her head, up next to my belly button and just hanging out.

P.S. - more snow today. It had been ten days so I suppose we needed more to prevent some sort of cosmic imbalance.

P.P.S. - how did I manage to use the word cosmic in my last two posts?

Inspiration

I got an email yesterday from a friend with a 17 year old daughter who is having some health issues that are turning out to be quite complicated and also have cosmetic effects, which means they likely are of cosmic importance to the teenage girl. Her words about it moved me so I had to share:

"She is an absolute champion, with much grace and strength. A part of that I know comes from her trust in me to find the best solution for this and that I and her doctors will make it come out all right in the end. It is a gift to be trusted like this - this, Kate, is the essence of mothering, is it not? That your child orients from such a base of security that she is able to trust that she will always be cared for and be ok no matter what?"

It's a tall order and a scary proposition. But I'm inspired.

To Maine with my main squeeze

Our weekend in Maine was fabulous! It's just been such a hectic week, I haven't had a chance to post till now. We had such fun visiting Rachel, Nate and Molly. It snowed 20 inches in Brunswick on Sunday, and even Nate, the native Mainer, was impressed.


Rach and Molly

Molly's support staff prepares her for a walk around the Bowdoin campus

Rach, Nate and Molly

In the Brunswick Town Commons

Steve shovels the driveway while Nate clears the roof (this was round two of shoveling)

Demonstrating how deep the snow was

When we got back to Boston we noticed that the Charles River was totally frozen and covered with snow. It's a big river so it was quite a sight! Had to take a walk to get a few pictures.

Along the Esplanade

Hard to believe I have sunbathed on that dock

The snow covered river

Grrrrr

Dear MBTA,
I generally love riding the train to school. But not yesterday! I hate you, MBTA, when:
- you post updates online that outbound trains are running late but say nothing about inbound trains
- I arrive at the outdoor platform to find my train is 15-30 minutes late
- it is 16 degrees
- the sign updates to say my train is 45 minutes late
- my toes begin to freeze (they are still sensitive from last year's episode although it was not as cold then)
-I get hungry
- you say the delay is due to weather, but the morning trains were on time and it has not snowed since
- I have reading to do and a presentation to prepare
- the sign updates to say my train is 60 minutes late
- I paid A LOT of money for my monthly pass and sure, you don't charge if you're half an hour late, but it doesn't help when I have already paid

With ire,
Kate

What a day!

"And so, to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and we are ready to lead once more." President Barack Obama. 1.20.2009

Loved this pic from The New York Times.

I watched the inauguration at school with a huge group of students, faculty, and staff. It was especially incredible to watch with so many international students. I was struck by Senator Feinstein's line about this being the 44th peaceful transfer of power, especially in a room with students from China and all over Africa. It's sobering and thrilling to see the attention President Obama's inauguration is having around the world.

It's amazing to me that Smaldita will be born while the first African American president is in office. How will this change what her world looks like? What values and assumptions will she take as given?

Cold Weather Guidance

This was the subject of an email I got from the VP of ops at school today. In a way it cracks me up - things must be extreme (or Xtreme to the Jensens) to get such a message. The advice was practical:

Please exercise caution when going outside in the extreme cold. Emergency-management officials suggest that you:
-- Continue to be aware of the weather conditions by monitoring media reports.
-- Minimize outside activities, particularly for the elderly and very young. Also, consider your pets.
-- Dress in several layers of loose-fitting, lightweight clothing, rather than a single layer of heavy clothing. Outer garments should be tightly woven and water repellent. Wear a hat, mittens and sturdy waterproof boots, protecting your extremities. Cover your mouth with a scarf to protect your lungs.

Following these simple rules will help keep you and our facilities safe.

My last 'real feel' check was -2 again. Does this mean I can't go to the post office today? And why does Steve refuse to wear a hat when it feels like it's 34 degrees below freezing outside?

Really, I just needed to post again about how COLD it is because I am obsessed. It's all I can think about. And, I don't have class on Fridays.

Baby, it's COLD outside!

It's pretty sad when you look at the ten day forecast and get excited about when the highs are predicted to reach almost 30 degrees! We are in the midst of a cold snap. Yesterday when I left for school, the "real feel" temp was -2. The snow from a few weeks ago has turned the sidewalks into a frozen mess. Tomorrow's high should be in the teens, but the wind will ensure that it feels much colder. What do you do under these conditions?

Go further north! We'll be spending the weekend in Maine with friends. Can't wait, but I hope they aren't planning any outdoor activities. I'm looking forward to a cozy weekend inside. Sunday's snowfall should warm things up a bit. Hallelujah!

Birth? part 2

The funny thing was that after my minor (and passing) freak out over the actual birthing process last week, I went to a girls night on Friday night. Among the guests, 2 others were pregnant (plus have another child already) and 2 were nursing. So, naturally there was a lot of pregnancy and baby chatter. I revealed my birth angst and got a whole bunch of new things to worry about... actually, it was fantastic to hear from so many women who have been through it. They had different perspectives and were so supportive and humorous about the whole thing. I just found the timing a bit hilarious.

Happy Monday.

Role Models

As I think about becoming a mother, I think of all the role models in my life. This is a shout out to my awesome mom who completed her first marathon today! She turned 60 in November, and did her first marathon the same year she's getting her first grandchild. I'm impressed. Mom, you rock! Thanks for being an inspiration - I hope I'm impressing my daughter by doing something super cool (not a marathon but maybe a summit?) when I'm 60!

Birth?

I have been a little bit in denial about the fact that Smaldita has to get out somehow. I don't have strong feelings on c-sections, natural childbirth or painkillers. It will all happen and whatever plans I make will probably be shot when it happens, so I haven't been giving it much thought unless asked. Fast labors run in my family, too, so I've just been figuring that whatever happens will be quick. And one of our friends told us she'd loan us her childbirth DVD instead of taking a class since Steve has relatively few Saturdays off. Plus, given possible placenta previa I may have have to have a c-section anyway so I'm not worrying at least until we know whether or not that has resolved. So I guess it's not that I haven't thought about it, I just have a mishmash of concerns and I'm hoping I don't go into labor until after my thesis is written, but not while I'm presenting it. This is Maslow's hierarchy of needs as translated to Kate's hierarchy of labor concerns. Or something.

Then, yesterday the doc gave me the pamphlet on childbirth classes. I realized then that this is something real that I will need to confront, probably at some point in the next 17 weeks. I casually asked if she recommended any. She said prepared childbirth unless you're interested in any of the natural childbirth options. But then she followed up by saying that if the placenta bit doesn't clear up, I'll be having a c-section. Okay, then.

I went home and showed Steve the pamphlet and told him about how I don't really think I'll need painkillers, I'm tough, etc., and he again mocked my perception that I have a high pain tolerance. My trump card in this is usually to remind him of the broken leg he advised me to "walk off", but since he now doesn't believe that's when I broke my leg he stops listening and says "just get the epidural". So I sat down to read the labor and delivery section of my lovely Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy and it made it not really sound so bad. I was feeling informed and resolved to go back to not worrying.

Then I read this: http://finslippy.typepad.com/finslippy/2005/11/i_was_reluctant.html
I was laughing hysterically but sobbing at the same time. How's that for pregger-emotions?