Mega update

I've lost all sense of time. Seriously, minutes pass in seconds, days pass in minutes, and weeks pass in the blink of an eye. I remember as a kid when life passed at the slowest snail's pace, but now it is more like a rocketship. Somebody put on the brakes, will ya?

Life in our household has been continuing full-steam ahead. Nothing major has happened in the last week, except for the most minor case of the sniffles in both kids. My computer at school (where I have the most uninterrupted time to blog) doesn't like Blogger, so I've been unable to post from there and frankly, posting time at home is almost non-existent lately.

So the VBAC birth that was going on last week obviously ended. I was not called to stay the primary doula. Baby was born later that night via emergency cesarean, after a transfer from the birthing center for what the doula described as "scary" decelerations. While at the hospital, the mom was able to continue laboring all the way to 8 cm (that is 7 cm further than she got last time), but then FHT took such a serious dive a cesarean was performed immediately. Turns out there was a serious cord entanglement going on, and baby wasn't coming out without bringing the placenta with it. Healthy boy, 9.5 lbs. Mom is really happy she got to experience so much labor.

In other news, daycare woes continue. Ava is now registered for 3 afternoons a week starting after Thanksgiving, but that is not a convenient schedule for us at all. With some luck, all the right changes will take place in the next 6 weeks, and we'll get both kids in there for 2 full days/week by January 1. Cross your fingers for us. We're still on the waiting list for the campus daycare center, but it looks like that will be July before space is available.

We've been getting our wills and advanced directives together around here. We already had a will, but seeing my aunt's death and the aftermath associated with her will and assets, I've realized how important it is to have everything meticulously prepared. I've been learning about trusts. There are just so many ways to take care of your loved ones after you die. Confusing stuff. Not like we have much to leave em (and not like we plan on dieing for 50 years), but I wanna make sure they get every penny!

Potty training! I think we are officially potty-trained here. Accidents are extremely rare now and almost predictable because of the circumstances. We still haven't tackled nap or night training because Ava has no access to the potty during those times, but it is coming soon.

Night weaning! Alder has night-weaned himself. This has been going on for about 2 weeks. I can't believe it. Last night he slept for 10.5 hours STRAIGHT. And he's not even 6 months. I'm so thankful we've gotten here with absolutely no urging on our part. Franny, I hope your next one takes a cue from Alder. Granted, things were still very rough 2 months ago, but to completely sleep through the night ON HIS OWN at less than 6 months...that is just worth almost anything.

Not much else going on. Keith and I are dreaming of our new minivan that we hope to get next summer.

Oh, and 2 days ago I finished writing the final manuscript of my dissertation. It needs major editing, and I still have to write a brief introduction and brief conclusion to the whole dissertation, but that should only take a couple of days. I can't believe I'm almost there. Hopeful defense date in late January.

And one more thing! I'm on the verge of signing up for my first class towards the long path to midwifery. I'm thinking this will be a one or two classes at a time, maybe a couple of times a year thing...so the entire curriculum will take probably 5+ years (I'm thinking of going for the AS degree which includes the CPM first, then possibly the MSM if I'm still into school and all). But that sounds about right to me. I have no apprenticeship lined up anyway. It takes time to figure those things out, and until I'm done with the PhD and have earned a little money, I can't even fathom an apprenticeship with no income.

Okay, that is all now.

I've met death and I hate her

I held my aunt's hand as she died. I watched this wonderful woman, who was once so full of life and love, take her last gasping breaths. I watched the color drain from her face. I felt the warmth leave her fingers. I cried.

I've taken a little blogging hiatus during this tough time. I was thinking about making a big post about it, but I'm not sure I have it in me. I'm really upset over losing my aunt. I'm so thankful I was there with her in the end though. It was really good for me to see her one last time, and she seemed happy to see me too. I had Alder with me, so she got to meet him and that seemed to provide a good source of many smiles during a sad time. And I was happy to be there with my mom as she (and my bro and I) gave her hospice care in her final days. It was just the 3 of us taking care of my aunt. The rest of the family was far away, so of course the phone was always ringing off the hook.

My aunt died of kidney and liver failure as a result of a lifetime of alcoholism. The final death was actually drowning as fluid filled her lungs. It was really ugly. She was 58. I'm very thankful I live in Oregon, where assisted suicide is an option. I would not want a long, drawn-out death like my aunt experienced. It just was NOT a pretty way to die.

Back to my regular blogging now. I hope.

Death in the family

Vacation cut short. Emergency plane tickes purchased. Leaving in 15 minutes to fly East to be with family. Back next week.

Tuesday, September 11th

6 years. But it feels like yesterday. I was 3,000 miles from the destruction, but it felt like I was right there. I grew up in the DC area and visited NYC on numerous occasions. I knew these areas well. My Dad worked in the Pentagon for crying out loud. Is it always going to feel this intense? Why does it feel like many of the other people around me have digested and moved on? Is it because most of these people (out here in Oregon) have perhaps fewer contacts to DC and NYC? Why does it drive me mad that other people aren't/weren't as affected. I remember walking around on this day in 2001 and being irate that people were going about their daily lives. 6 years and it feels like yesterday. When will it at least feel like last week?

Fish Funeral

He doesn't look too good, does he? While nursing Alder in the middle of the night, I caught a glimpse of this flailing, silver flash of light in our fish tank. By morning, he was gone. It is a sad day in our home. You see, we've had fish for a long time. We've had THIS fish for a long time. He lived in our 72 gallon tank with lots of his buddies, who unfortunately have been biting the dust one-by-one over the last month or so. But this was the first BIG fish to go. And I do mean BIG.

That is him measuring a cool 10 inches and weighing 9 ounces. That doesn't sound very big, but I promise you, put it in a fish tank in your home, and that is HUGE! This was a tinfoil barb, and we do have one more in the tank still who is a tiny bit smaller. Unfortunately he is showing the same disease this one succumbed to, and though I've dosed the tank with an anti-bacterial, I don't have much hope for him. It looks ugly. With the two largest fish in our tank gone, we are now contemplating moving the remaining fish to a smaller tank and placing it in a more central location in our home. Right now, the 72 gallon tank is in a corner, behind an exercise machine, behind baby gates. 72 gallon tanks don't get moved much (ever), so it is just sitting where we put it when I moved in the house 4 years ago. It would be nice to have the fish out where they could be seen and enjoyed more.

So I'll be watching the tank to see when the other tinfoil barb bites the dust. And for those sports fans wondering, fish of this size don't fit down the toilet.