Dissertation

WORLD TAKE NOTE! Just 5 minutes ago, I finished my Ph.D. dissertation. Granted, it is just a draft and will have probably several months of revisions before the library gets its official copy. But I've got a complete dissertation in my hands!!! Shout it from the rooftops! I might actually finish this degree! Dangit, I feel good. I know getting a Ph.D. is an enormous task, but I tell ya...take things one day at a time and you will find yourself here...with a complete dissertation. I'm hopeful for a defense in January. We'll see what my advisor has to say in a few weeks.

She has discovered the TV

Ava has finally discovered what a TV does. She is sitting beside me right now, glued to Alice's future as she wanders through Wonderland. I can't believe I managed to have a kid who at nearly 28 months, only JUST decided she enjoys watching TV. Now when she was younger, we kept her away from the TV. I didn't buy into the Baby Einstein craze. She watched maybe 15 minutes of TV her entire first 18 months. But at some point I sorta started hoping she would take an interest. Not that I want a TV hog, but there are occasions that you just want to be able to plop the kid down in a safe place and now they are happy and entertained. So here we are, finally. So far the daily limit (no more than 1 hour average per day) isn't causing any tantrums. She has asked for "Alice and Underland" each morning lately, but on the days that isn't an option she seems okay with it. I know my mother-in-law has introduced a 30-minute ABC Winnie the Pooh video to her that she enjoys. And we've watched Finding Nemo once or twice. But so far, that is it. Thank goodness she doesn't know we have like 5 cartoon-only channels available on cable. I'm sure that day will come soon enough...

6 months!!

It was 6 months ago at this very minute that I was holding a newborn Alder. Just minutes old even! I can't believe how the time flies. Now he smiles and laughs, he talks his special language, he is nearly up on all fours and is trying to crawl, and he is almost sitting. AND he sleps through the night almost all the time.

We are really starting to see more of his personality now. We are seeing that he is more attached to me than Ava was at this age. He's very laid back and happy almost all the time. He loves his bananas, pears, and carrots, but is not nearly as fond of the sweet potatoes. His hair is starting to fill in and it appears to be light - maybe blond or strawberry blond, but possibly a very light brown too. There are quite a lot of red hhighilghts in his hair too. His eyes seem to be headed in the direction of hazel.

Alder's 6 month check-up was yesterday too, and he looked great! He weighs 15 lbs 14 oz (~15th %-ile), is 26.25 inches tall (~35th %-ile), and has a 17.5 in head (~65th %-ile)! He sure doesn't look skinny with his chubby cheeks, double chin, and rolly thighs.

Anyway, happy 6 months Alder!

Another nose bash

This time it wasn't mine though. Ava was running around at a friend's house this afternoon and she tripped over my foot. She fell, nose first, into the edge of the brick fireplace. Oh god...it was the most intense mommy moment I've had so far. I was SURE she broke her nose. I thought we were gonna be in the hospital. I don't know how, but she seems to be okay. She did scream for quite a while, but she let me gently prod around her face and nothing seems amiss. Wow. And no, she didn't get cut. Thanksfully the corner of the fireplace is rounded and the brick is smooth. So we got away with just a few drops of blood coming out of her nose.

I knew I hated those fireplaces.

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.

Daycare woes

We're back on the hunt for daycare. Keith needs to go back to work full-time, and I need a little more time in my weeks to finish up school successfully, and to give myself just a few hours a week to exercise and stay healthy. Our favorite daycare is a 5 minute walk from our offices, and I get a discount as a student. But they don't have space now, and the waiting list is open-ended. Their best guess is there will be space by July, possibly sooner. The other daycare that gives me a student discount says they DEFINITELY won't have space until July. Greeeeeat. I didn't like them anyway. Luckily, the favorite daycare has two other sites in town, and one of them has space for Ava right now. Granted, it is only 3 afternoons a week, but it is a foot in the door. Once in the center, we get first priority to change schedules to something we like, and we get first priority to get Alder in as well. Too bad they are on the complete opposite end of town. But we like them, and our town is small, so we're gonna do it. So right after Thanksgiving, Ava will start 3 afternoons a week at daycare. It won't give me any additional time at school because I'll still have Alder at home, but it will be nice for her to interact with the kids and it will be a break for me and entertaining the increasingly-non-napping toddler. They said we should be able to switch to more convenient days within a month. And Alder should have a spot by mid-January. And thankfully, starting in January, I actually get paid again (a very, very small amount) to help pay for this daycare time.

VBAC 2

Today I got a call from another doula who was late in the 2nd day of attending a birth. I'm her back-up doula, and things were starting to get really tough for her and the mom. She needed to just talk things out for a bit. This client is a VBAC too, and so far the labor seems to be progressing (or NOT progressing) along the same line as her first birth that ended in cesarean. And she is now 9 days overdue. It is hard to not be there, especially when given this glimpse into where things are at the moment. It sounds an aweful lot like there are some emotional hang-ups for both the mom and the midwife. I just hope things start to show progress. This mom is such a sweetheart and has worked so hard for the chance to birth naturally. She chose her doula before she chose her care provider, so I know the doula (and me as back-up) feels pressure to support her the best way possible. What a tough position overall. I'll be thinking about them until I hear a baby is born (or until I get the call to take over when doula #1 needs a break).

Solid foods

Yep, that much time HAS passed. Alder is eating solids. We started him about a week ago...right about at 5.5 months. He's been exhibiting all the ready signs for 3-4 weeks anyway, and as much as I wanted to reach 6 months, it started to feel like we were just counting off days for no reason. So we have him a little sweet potato. He thought it was tolerable. He ate it fine - no tongue reflex. But he wasn't gobbling it down like our sweet potato monster Ava. So then we tried banana. That was a hit. And now he's onto carrot, which seems destined to be another favorite. We got our first solid food poop too, and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. I guess when you are on a diet of 98% breastmilk, your poop still comes out mostly smelling like breastmilk.

Anyway, my little guy is growing up. He's nearly on his hands and knees now, and he can spin and roll around with ease. And maybe it is my imagination, but I hear a distinct "Mama" when he is upset and wants me to pick him up.

Low lead levels

Ava's lead levels are "very low" and nothing to be concerned about. Whew. Glad we didn't have to get her poked again.

The Business of Being Born

I've been hearing about The Business of Being Born for a couple of months now. The buzz in the birth world about this film is really catching. Well lucky me...it looks like I'm going to get into an advance screening this coming Thursday. I CANNOT WAIT! The film is a documentary about maternity care in America, and how it is failing families as it falls lower and lower in the international ranks for birthing safety. Ricki Lake, former tv talk show host, is producer of the film and I hear the homebirth of her second child is in the movie. I'm just so excited about it. Look for a review here on my blog soon.

VBAC

Yesterday I had a prenatal doula visit with my next client who is due. She's 37.5 weeks now and gearing up for her VBAC. I can't explain how excited I am for her about that upcoming labor and birth. She is so prepared and ready to meet this challenge. I have 100% confidence that her body and her baby can do this. Granted, her baby is most definitely going to be on the large side, and if he is posterior like his big brother was, it could be a darn hard labor that just might possibly end in another c-section. But there has been so much learning for this family that has happened since the last birth, I think the entire thing will be a whole new experience. They fired their old OB who blatantly refused to entertain the idea of a VBAC. They found a midwife group that attends at a hospital (their preference was for a hospital birth) with decent support for VBACs. They hired me. They searched their souls for the best choices for their family. And they've packed their bags.

I look forward to posting a great birth story here very soon.

Nose bashing

I got a really good nose bashing today, courtesy of Ava's skull. It was one of those moments when you bend over your toddler right as she decides to jump up into the air...and SMACK! Luckily, there was no blood. But 5 hours later, I'm still aching. I wouldn't be surprised if I get a bruise somewhere out of this.

Stained glass

I've wanted to post pictures of my first two stained glass pieces for a while now. This first one is hanging in Franny's window. It was a birthday present and it was supposed to remind her of a vacation we took back before our kids were born. We visited all the canyon parks in Utah. This design came straight from a book.
This next piece hangs in our bathroom window. These pictures kinda stink, but you get the gist. The fish, turtle, flowers, and bugs were designs from a book, but I put them together to create this water piece.

Ava as a monkey in 2005

And as a comparison to Alder in the monkey costume below, here is Ava in 2005:

Halloween 2007

We attended our indoor park's costume party where Ava was a ladybug and Alder was a tiger.
Alder also sported the pumpkin hat that a friend knit for us back when I was pregnant with Ava.
Then I decided to try Alder in Ava's old monkey costume and it fit him really well! So for library costume party, we went with that outfit. Ava loved wearing her costume. She was one of the few kids who happily kept it on all evening.

We didn't do any actual trick-or-treating. I see no reason to give my kids candy yet. Ava's had one piece in her life, and she didn't really seem to know what it was. So for one more year, I've escaped the crazy sugar high that I'm sure will be part of all future Halloweens.

I was rather perturbed by the SINGLE trick-or-treat visitors we got at the door. It was a family with five kids. They stomped on the porch, chased the cats, and banged on the window. And the parents both had candy bags too. Jerks. Good thing I was handing out all-natural and odd-flavored lollipops. :)