Well, on Friday we had our 37 week appointment and no baby yet. Ho hum. I guess I am feeling tired today of being pregnant and I just want him out-- I want to meet him and count his toes and see if he really does have as much hair as I am imagining. I have been really feeling good up until now, other than the typical pregnancy symptoms of swollen feet, sore back, heartburn and fatigue.

Today I have begun to really feel the impatience and the stress of simply not knowing when he will be arriving. Do I buy extra groceries in anticipation of Noah arriving soon and needing to feed me, Jim and my parents? Do I really clean out the hall closet the way I want to to fit the stroller in it and risk going into labor while everything is halfway done and strewn across the floors? Is this sudden emotional shift an indication of impending labor? (Probably not-- more likely just one of those pregnant things.)

At my appointment everything was fine. My blood pressure is still good, and Noah's heart rate seemed fine and we only heard about 2 missed beats. After he is born, if it isn't gone totally they may do an EKG, but it looks unlikely that we'll have to do even that. I am still about 3cm dilated-- about the extent that I can do without being in active labor, but I am now more effaced, which is definitely a good thing. I would love it if my cervix could be totally thinned out by the time I am admitted to the hospital, and I would only have to dilate whatever is left at that time. Noah was also quite low- no surprise, but it makes me even more impatient to know how close he is to the door.

I suppose the one negative would be that I am Strep B positive-- about 35% of women are, and that means when I arrive at the hospital I will have to have an IV, and another every 4 hours if I do not deliver at that time. However, when I am not getting the IV, I will be able to walk around with just a saline lock on my hand. This doesn't mean anything bad for the baby, and only about 1 in 200 of babies whose mom's tested positive even get strep at birth, but they are so fragile at that phase that they don't want to take the chance of any baby being infected. This also doesn't mean that I am sick-- I am just a carrier. Not too pleased about that, but among complications I could have, this one is pretty innocuous.

When last we left the saga of Noah and his life inside of me, I was cleared to fly to MI for our shower with friends and family back home. Noah had dropped low and against my cervix, but I had not begun to dilate or efface at all, so no worried about flying home and seeing everyone.

Fast forward 2 weeks to my 36 week appointment-- the first of my now weekly appointments and the beginning of regular cervical checks. I told my OB that I was excited to see if I was dilated at all, because Noah has seemed determined to wiggle his way out of me, and it felt as if he were opening my cervix, whether or not he is realistically capable of doing so. I was also experiencing some Braxton Hicks contractions (practice contractions) with a lot of tightening and a little bit of pain. These contractions usually do not dilate you, but doctors do want you to monitor them, just in case they come too frequently because they can signal real labor. Dr. Ambur told me at this appointment that now as many as is possible is a good thing, in contrast to the previous tactics of trying to stop them as quickly as possible.

After our regular chatting and questions at our appointment-- yes I am having some foot swelling, yes my blood pressure is still good, yay- my iron levels are considered normal again, we finally moved on to checking me for Strep B (I won't say anything more about that test) and checking my cervix.

I can't say who in the room was more shocked, Jim, me or Dr. Ambur, when she said, "Well, you are dilated to three cm." Three? I think Noah was the only one who wasn't in the least shocked, since he has been determinedly pushing the top of his head against my cervix and I like to think he enjoys the new toy and task that he is mastering as he strengthens his muscles and feels the changes on the top of his head.

In retrospect, I think that Jim was the most shocked. I have the opportunity to feel all of Noah's motions from the inside and knew that it felt like he was opening the gate to this world, but Jim has only what I tell him to rely upon. I tend to leave certain pains and sensations out, simply because I know that they are normal and will only worry him that Noah is coming early. Now the worry about Noah being pre-term is gone since we have reached 36 weeks and everything seems to be happening in quick succession. Dr. Ambur advised us that I could go into labor or my water could break at any time, or that I could walk around this dilated until after my due date.

Going from 0-3 cm isn't unheard of in a 2 week period-- many women start at 0 when they begin their eight hour labor, but it certainly got our attention and made us aware of the things that we still have to do to get our home ready for our little man, and for visiting family. On our way back through the skyways we stopped at the downtown Target and got toiletries and a back massager and several other items we had been putting off getting for our labor bag, and then went home to clean and get our guest room ready.*

Since last Friday I have still been feeling the same Braxton Hicks (BH) contractions and the same pushing by my son, so I am eager to see where I will be at my next appointment-- if I make it that long. We haven't done any of the "Old Wives Tales" to begin labor-- I am not that impatient and we still have so much to do to be ready--- if you can ever feel really ready for something like this. We even went on a mile and a half walk on Saturday and ate lots of spicy foods this weekend, which didn't set me off.

So if Noah needs to bake for a while longer, I am content to have him in there, and if he and the BH keep dilating me more, then I say go right ahead. Any little bit that happens before I have to be in real labor is less that I have to be in horrible pain for, will make it less likely that I have to be induced later on and will make labor shorter overall.


* I later told Jim that I didn't think that Noah was going to come over Easter weekend and that he would probably stay put for a while longer, and he had the best comeback-- "Yeah? Well you didn't think that we would be able to conceive either." That managed to freak me out a bit and showed me that while I may think our baby still wants to be a May baby, he may very well arrive any time now.

My night at GEMS usually consists of a lot of energy, a lot of trying to relax the girls to get done what we need to do, after they have had a long day at school, and at least 2 questions about Noah and comments about how big he is (which really mean comments on how big his MOMMY is.)

However, last night I had more questions than I think I ever have, probably because Miss Jessica was in the room, and her craft for the night involved making cupcakes, loaded with sugar. So yummy and cute.

I always struggle with how much to tell them when they ask-- I am not their parents, and I am not an official educator in a formal school setting. And they are only in second and third grade. However, they are intelligent girls whose minds can be quite curious about the watermelon growing under my shirt. Last night it all began simply enough:

K: "Where is Noah's head?"
Me: I pointed out where- placing my hand below my belly button. "He's right here."
K: "He's upside down?!"
Me: "Yes, a lot of babies are upside down. You might have been. You should ask your mom."
C: "Does Noah have blood?"
Me: "Yes, why do you ask?"
C: "If he is upside down, wouldn't all of the blood rush to his head?"
Me: "Umm, well, he is water, so it doesn't all rush to his head."
C: "He's in water??"
Me: Yes, it keeps him safe so he doesn't get bonked." (This is when I began to worry that I had said too much.)
J: "How does he breathe?"
Me: "Well, he doesn't need to yet. When he becomes an outside baby, then he will breathe."
Miss Jessica: "Yes, the first time he cries, then he will need to breathe." (I send her a thankful look for backing me up.)
A: "Does he throw up?"
Me: "Umm, no, not yet."
A: "My mom says that when I was a baby, I would eat and eat, and then I would throw up, so I always had to have a bib on."

Thankfully, at this point the conversation was steered toward throwing up, rather than Noah's current existence, which I always fear will come down to a discussion of just how the little guy ended up living inside of me, which is certainly NOT on the curriculum list sent to us by the lovely GEMS headquarters in GR.

Okay- I have to brag a bit about my husband. This brag may or may not meet with his approval, but I don't see him anywhere around here, do you? No? Good.

Last week while I was napping Jim went to get the mail and woke me up, excited to get something from the deacons at Faith. It was a letter informing him that he had been nominated by someone to be a deacon at Faith for the next term. We were both so honored to read the letter and to think about the characteristics that are laid out in the Bible that someone saw in him, to make him worthy of being nominated.

This is an even greater honor, since we only began attending Faith less than a year ago and became members this past December. As far as his becoming a Deacon, this newness may hinder him in the actual election (depending upon how Faith conducts the process of choosing their Consistory.) Not too many people know him closely, although for those of you who have met Jim, you know once you have met him, he will know you for life, and make you laugh in the process. I am continually amazed at how he can see someone in a Sears in Coon Rapids and remember his name from meeting him during coffee time at church, and remember his job and at least one other fact about him. I really do believe that Jim would make a great Deacon-- his personality predisposes him to the duties of a deacon, and our experience church planting back in MI and his work experience all make him a well-qualified candidate.

The next step is that someone will call him and tell him more about the process and what would be involved if he was a Deacon. We'll see what they say, and I will definitely be giving an update about the man I am honored to call my life partner.

I am such a blessed woman. really, I am fully aware of how lucky I am. I was blessed to have not one, but two showers, the most recent of which was in Minnesota and was put on by one of the women from our small group out here at our church- Sara. There was a time where I thought I probably wouldn't have even one shower for Noah, and so to have 2-- and to be also given random toy samples from the showroom at Jim's work when the packaging got wet is beyond anything I would have expected.

This second shower was filled with women from our small group, as well as other GEMS teachers and a couple women who I had never met before, which seems to be a recurring thing at my showers. I was so blessed with all of the wonderful baby items that Noah got, and to talk to other women about their labor experiences. Sara was also such a gracious host. When I arrived I was greeted by balloons and a large diaper cake, which tragically Noah will treat without the lisghtest regard for the beauty of it. Sara was even so sweet as to offer me punch, snacks, cheesecake (she made it from scratch) and whenever I needed it, and even before I asked. I don't think that I had to get up at all to get anything.

It feels so wonderful to be surrounded by women of God who have gone where I am going before me. When I fist found out that I was expecting Noah, we had just begun to attend Faith a few months before, and while everyone was super hospitable and we felt like we were int he place that God wanted for us, it did not feel like the home that it feels now. Now we cannot wait for Noah to join in on Sunday mornings during the Children's message, for him to sing in front of church at Christmas, and for him to be friends with the other boys and girls who are so abundant in our church.

I have so many thoughts and feelings running through my mind after our whirlwind vacation and shower in MI. I know that I do not have the time right now to write an adequate post to describe it all while I am still processing much of what happened, but I wanted to write something of my initial feelings and responses to the weekend.

I was so honored by how many people attended the shower and I loved getting to see so many of my friends who I have only been able to see in passing during rushed holiday visits and hurried stops at church events. I was also doubly honored by the people who attended or sent something who I have never met before-- from the friends of my Grandmother and Aunt Susie in Missouri who made us a blanket and an afghan, to my brother's mother-in-law, who not only attended my shower, but brought us a roast and oven-baked potatoes for everyone to eat.

The idea of all of the work that my dad, Melissa and Melinda put into making the experience a special one is so honoring. Even a few days before the shower I realized that I didn't know even the details of what time the shower began. I was able to simply show up and enjoy seeing all of our visitors.

Thankfully, everyone was kind and gave us small gifts so that we-- with a duffel bag borrowed from Jim's mom-- were able to bring most things back to MN, aside from a few fragile and oversized items, and some that just wouldn't fit (my parents will be bringing us a carload when they come out for Noah's birth). We are now surrounded by so much baby stuff. Noah will be one of the best-dressed babies around-- and one of the warmest. I think that everyone knew that in Minnesota our little boy would need plenty of blankets to snuggle down in and be kept cozy and warm. Currently everything is still in semi-organized piles on the couch, as we decide how we are going to store our abundance in our apartment until we get a house.

I am so thankful that I got to see everyone, but it seemed like just mere minutes and everything was over. And now I am on to the point in my pregnancy where everything all seems so close to being over. Since Christmas the idea of travelling so far while so pregnant has been looming-- would I even make it this far, and how would I handle the long car/plane ride? How would people who haven't seen me in so long react to suddenly seeing me so big? Now all of that worry and stress is over. The plane rides and car trips were taxing, but not nearly as bad as 11 hours of driving each way would have been, and all of the worry over would I even make it has been answered with a resounding yes.

I will try to post pictures soon, and share how all of our abundance looks here where Noah will live, and give more detailed thanks to everyone later as well, but right now I am so distracted by the mountains of onesies tottering precariously on our couch.

Blessings!

This weekend we are travelling to MI to see friends- the last time I am allowed to travel by plane before D-Day. So I thought that I would write about the things that I still miss from MI, and hope we can do a few of while we are back.

1. Friends and family that we have known for years. Everyone out here at our new church is great, but there is just something that comes from knowing the same people for years and years. Job changes, relationship changes, happy and sad life events are not something that can happen in a few short months, and I am looking forward to knowing people here as we do back home. And our families, well, they have to accept us, no matter what, and nothing else is like that.

2. Campus Kitchen-- I miss General Tso's chicken. Cheap and good, and Jim misses it so much more than I do. I miss going to the ponds at WMU and feeding spicy rice to the ducks, being able to eat well for $5 for the 2 of us. I miss Rasa Ria-- the Malaysian restaurant with the square egg rolls and stuffed tofu. I'm sure we will find "our Campus Kitchen" and other places out here, especially because of our large SE Asian community, but it again takes time to discover new places that meet our requirements.

3. I miss saying, "The Mall," and having everyone know exactly where I am talking about. Here it most likely means The Mall of America (MOA) but it could mean the Nicollett Mall downtown, or any number of other suburban malls surrounding the metro. There was something so easy about that. The same goes for Targets-- I recently counted and we have at least 10 that I have visited more than once-- no surprise with the headquarters being here.

4. I miss being close to the Great Lakes. Duluth is the closest and it is 1 1/2 hours away. It was so nice to just decide after work in the summer to head out to Lake Michigan for the sunset, and to enjoy festivals and fireworks.

5. I miss East Campus. Where Jim proposed, and where I have enjoyed looking out over the city many a time.

6. The roads. Getting from point A to point B-- so simple. Only 2 highways! So few names for towns-- no 70 or so suburbs and 30 or so neighborhoods like in Minneapolis. The roads really are in such good condition too. There is really nothing to be done with the cold around here; potholes are an inevitability that is really hard on the car.

7. My parents house on the island. I miss boating- kayaks, speedboats, rowboats, canoes, sailboats. I miss sitting in back of the house in summer with a fire going. I miss eating cheese souffles, and 4th of July watching fireworks all around the lake. I miss my parents and my brother's companionship.

8. I miss the Taylor's basement. Well, the whole house really. Where Jim and I met, where I have learned so much in small group, Veritas, work meetings, making soap, wedding and baby showers, and just getting together with friends.

9. On a related note, I miss small group. So funny and quirky-- Thanksgiving in February, white elephant gift exchanges, and Super Mario DDR. One of, if not THE longest running small group from The River.

10. Popping in to visit kids I once taught at school. Either at a party, or a concert, or on a random day, it is always wonderful to see how they have grown and succeed.

11. Lunch after church at Panera, QDoba, or Saladays.

12. QDoba!

13. Water Street Coffee Joint.

14. Visiting my dad at the fire station. (Not really possible now that he is retired, but it was always nice to hear what was going on, and to go up in the Ladder truck.)

15. Driving around campus and rejoicing that we are done with WMU and its horrible parking.

16. Attending shows at Miller Auditorium. I could count regularly on someone from the group of my parents friends deciding not to go to a show and me being offered a ticket. Or covering a show for the paper.

17. Getting to cover cool events for the paper.

18. The Edison Task Force. I never thought I would miss getting sweaty, stinky and covered in paint, but I miss hanging out at John's house and painting.

19. Driving up to Traverse City. North Peak Brewing Company, Scalawags fish sandwiches, and just relaxing on the pier or in the park.

20. Going to the UP.

I know that we are not meant to come back or anything, but every time we visit, there are so many memories, both good and bad, that flood my mind. I hope that our son will get to experience some of these things. I hope that he will still feel some connection to MI, even though he will be a born Minnesotan. That he will know that mom and dad are both irrevocably tied to this state and the people that we miss. Love to you all and see some of you soon!

I am trying to put together a list of music to listen to wile laboring. I think when I am to the point of pushing, I may just want peace and quiet, but for at least a few hours, I think it will be nice and help the time pass. We will probably also do some of our favorite movies to help time pass since that is such a vital part of our relationship and how we began to be friends and eventually date.

When I was teaching- especially during summer program when I would have my K-5th graders all day and we were hot and tired, and I would be stressed, I started the practice of putting in an upbeat song and grabbing some of the kids to dance, just to relieve the stress of the day. Hopefully it will have a similar effect on me during this time of stress.

So far my musical choices are,

• Nichole Nordeman
• Caedmon's Call
• The Sundays
• Ladysmith Black Mambazo (some "Diamonds on the Soles of her Shoes" is in order.)
• Eva Cassidy
• Bob Marley
• some classical
• "Streams" this very calm Irish CD I have

Anyone have any further thoughts on musical choices that will induce Noah to dance his way out of me?

I will probably get more response to this from Facebook than here, but I love the feature of writing in one location and automatically having the note imported there. I always forgot to mention something or post something in one location or another before I did it this way.

Let me first of all say, for friends and family near and far, that Noah is fine. He is happily growing away and making is mom gain at least a pound and a half a week-- which is welcome after her earlier lack of weight gain. However, we did have a little scare, that I am even reluctant to call a scare in retrospect, although at the time, my new mother's heart was aflutter with nerves, which is very similar to what my little baby Noah's heart was up to about three weeks ago at my regular prenatal appointment. Everything was decidedly routine until it came time to listen to Noah's heart.

Dr. Ambur found it easily-- he has been laying head down and butt out for the past several weeks, but after she found it, both she and I heard something unusual. "I think I need to go get a new Doppler. It might be the battery that is making it sound strange." Noah's heart, although good and strong sounded odd to me even still when Dr. Ambur came back with the new Doppler and listened with a much more serious face than usually when she heard his heart.

She told us that she heard an irregularity in it, which is exactly what I heard when I listened. Every fourth beat or so Noah's heart would beat an extra beat-- "bum, bum bum, bah bum," it would go. I immediately began to fear that something was terribly wrong wit my sweet little baby, but Dr. Ambur told us that it was likely something far more common called a PAC-- "Premature Atrial Contraction," which is found commonly in fetuses in the third trimester.

Typically babies with PACs outgrow them in the womb, or shortly after birth. Dr. Ambur advised that we wait and listen in a week, at an appointment between my regular bi-weekly appointments. The addition of a new appointment told me more than anything that if this wasn't PACs it could be something serious, but I told myself to not worry and to relax over the next week to encourage Noah to have a regular heartbeat (one possible cause of PACs is stress.)



I spent the next 7 days thinking calming thoughts to my baby, avoiding sugar and caffeine and researching everything I could find about PACs and irregular heartbeats in pre-born babies. I found out good things about their commonness-- about 15% of babies have PACs. I heard from women in the May What to Expect When You Are Expecting (WTEWYE) message board-- their experience ranged from experiencing just what I was and waiting to see if their baby was okay, to having gone through it in past pregnancies. Some babies simply outgrew it, and others had fetal EKGs and other heart monitoring tests just shortly after birth. One woman's doctor even had her baby placed in the NICU for 3 days shortly after birth simply as a precaution.



I also asked my good friend and wonderful doctor Sara if she knew anything about PAC, and said that although she didn't she would ask a friend of hers who was a pediatric cardiologist what she knew. The answers I got were very soothing, and I really appreciated getting an answer from someone who, I am sure, is often deluged by more medical questions than she would like.



Finally, the next week arrived and my next appointment. Jim and I waited nervously-- he kept insisting that it would totally be gone, or at least much improved, and thankfully-- he was right. This time Noah's heart still had some irregular beats, but it was every 12 or so, rather than every 4 beats. This improvement seemed to confirm that he really was outgrowing it, and Dr. Ambur was content to wait until the next week when my regular appointment was scheduled to hear how he was doing. If it wasn't gone at that point we would proceed with an ultrasound of Noah's heart and possible other monitoring and tests.



Once again we waited through the week until Friday arrived. I dropped Jim off at work (we are still sharing a vehicle) and began to drive home until time for my appointment. Driving down University, I came to its intersection with Broadway, and saw that the light was red. I moved my foot off the gas and was abut to brake when the light turned green, so I simply proceeded on in my path. As I got to the intersection I saw on my left a large semi barrelling at me, as I slammed on my brakes, he made a left turn to drive in front of me.



Immediately my little one began to punch and kick as never before. I was unsure if he was responding to my adrenaline or if it was from being squished by the seat belt, but he definitely had strong opinions about the idiot driver who I now was forced to follow most of the way toward home. I had read of placental abruption in cases of car accidents and knew that it is generally advised that if a pregnant woman is in a car accident she goes to the hospital right away, but I had not been in an actual car accident, so I contented myself with laying down and doing kick counts and then asking about it at my appointment.

I asked Dr. Ambur about seat belt placement and was surprised when she said, "Well, we can throw you up on the fetal monitor for a while, and it will give us a nice long chance to see is heartbeat." I was secretly delighted. I got to hear my little boy's heart for 20 minutes, not just for the few seconds that Dr. Ambur could manage to wrangle him to lay still for the Doppler? The fetal monitor is commonly used in non-stress tests for overdue or at-risk pregnancies. Once I was all set up on the couch, I knew that his heart was SO MUCH improved. I do not think that I heard any irregularities, and his heart reacted just as it should when he would kick or punch, or squirm. It would speed up, and then gradually slow as he stilled.

"The primary goal of the test is to measure the heart rate of the fetus in response to its own movements. Healthy babies will respond with an increased heart rate during times of movement, and the heart rate will decrease at rest. The concept behind a non-stress test is that adequate oxygen is required for fetal activity and heart rate to be within normal ranges. When oxygen levels are low, the fetus may not respond normally."

For those of you who don't know-- a fetal monitor has 2 straps that go around the pregnant woman's abdomen- one to hear the heart, and one to monitor for contractions. There is also a Jeapordy-esque toggle to hold that I was directed to push each time I felt the baby move, which was quite often. I now wish I had one at home, so that I could listen to him all of the time. I never thought that I would be thankful for a semi almost hitting me, but without it we would have had a much shorter time to listen to our boy's heart.

Surprisingly, it sounds as if most women don't share my affection for this procedure. When I told Dr. Ambur that I really appreciated getting to hear him for so long, she told me that most moms can't wait to be done with the monitor. Maybe if I was overdue (a common reason to conduct a stress test) I would feel differently. If I were a week overdue I think everything would annoy me, but for now I am content that my little boy is growing well, and that his heart is healthy (although I am still a worry-wort at times) and that he will stay put for the remaining 6 weeks as he should.

After we all listened to the regular bump, bump, bump till we were satisfied of its normalcy we were told the blessed news that Dr. Ambur tought that it would be advisable that we could go back to regular 2 week appointments, at least for a few more weeks until I am down to weekly appointments and srreenings for dialation and effacement. Eekk!

I feel like this giant clock is in my life-- this ticking time bomb that is set to explode, and I am anticipating it in many ways, and also dreading it in others. The worst part-- I can never forget that this explosion is imminent, because the bomb is inside of me and protruding out of the front of me at every move. However, I wouldn't wish it away for the world, because if I were, I would be wishing away one of the greatest blessings in my life. My almost-born son.

As of today, I officially have 8 weeks and 4 days left till his due date on May 8. Crazy. Typically, modern obstetrics recommends induction or a caesarean at 41 weeks, so the greatest amount of time that I have is a little more than 9 weeks. In some ways this seems like forever and I long to feel my little ones soft and fuzzy head, to see if he is a blonde as I was when I was a child, or if he has his father's dark and curly hair (I hope.) I want to hold his little hand and see his father's soft brown eyes light up as he looks at the son that fulfills a decade-long wish to be a father. I long to turn my parents into the grandparents they are eagerly anticipating becoming-- to prove right my mother's predicitions that Noah really will be the cutest baby ever. I also wouldn't mind sleeping on my stomach and drinking coffee with impunity again.

However, our calendar for these last two months have already become filled with meetings, agendas and all sorts of tasks that a good part of me fears we won't be able to complete in time. First time parenting jitters are running rampant, I will freely admit. My rational mind knows that these new-parent fears are often far from the reality that I have learned over years of working with children in so many different capacities.

• We need to baby proof our home-- Ahhh-- there are so many dangers! The reality-- when Noah comes home to live with us, most of his days will be taken up with sleeping, eating and pooping. Considering he won't be able to roll over for much of our remaining stay in our current home, it isn't so vital that the stove guard be installed in the kitchen from day one.
• We need to buy a house before Noah comes along-- we want our baby to be raised with a yard! The reality-- Noah could care less if we are in an apartment or house for a few months after his birth. As long as he is warm and dry and his mommy and daddy who love him are there, that is all he cares about. This worry is also conveniently forgetting about the thousands of babies and small children in urban areas that live quite comfortably in apartment homes for their entire childhood. There is one real dilemma that I haven't answered though-- is it better to move at 8 months pregnant, or with a small infant?
• We still have so much to buy-- our registry list is huge and empty! The reality--We have many of the things that our baby will need already. My parents gifted us with the money for our crib and nursing chair, and Jim's dad gave us the money for our stroller and car seat. Many of the things on our list are non-essentials, or at least not vital for the first month after Noah is born, but will make life A LOT easier for us in the long run. Babies did fine for centuries without a Boppy-- no matter what the good people at Boppy try to tell you. I have also been blessed with the offer of my parents to throw us a shower in MI where I can see friends and family for more than 2 minutes during a holiday visit, as well as by Sara from our small group offering to throw a shower for us out here. I don't imagine that a great many people will come, since we have been in the church for less than a year, but just that they care about us enough to have a shower at all is wondrous.
• We are totally not ready for birth! Why did I ever decide to do natural birth?! The reality-- Tonight is the second of five classes that are proving very helpful in teaching breathing and other coping techniques. I have already been surprised by the effectiveness of the breathing techniques we have been learning on my Braxton Hicks contractions. Women have been giving birth without medicine for thousands of years. Our bodies do amazing (albeit painful-- thanks Eve) things during the process of labor it is up to me to allow and assist my body in doing what it needs to do to bring Noah into the outside world.
• Our lives will totally change! We'll never be able to go anywhere or do anything beyond 7 p.m. again! I'll never get any sleep, and my body will not be my own for at least a year! The reality-- As the commercial says, yes, "having a baby changes everything." But is the change for the better-- undoubtedly. To have a son that is mine, me combined with Jim, is an honor that I do not take lightly. We imagined, and I worried, that this might never happen for us. For us to decide to start trying, and to reach success so quickly, and just before the economic downturn that would have likely caused us to decide to wait, can't be a coincidence by any means. It is important for some reason for us to have this child, in this time, and we have only to guard and instruct this precious gift that God is entrusting to us, and to help Noah grow into who he is meant to be.

This past Tuesday Jim and I began our "Preparation for Childbirth" classes up at Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, where we will not be giving birth, but is part of the same hospital system as where Noah will be entering the world. My OB said that this should be fine and would save us driving into S. Minneapolis for the class every week.

It was great to finally get down to making an actual plan for the birth of our child, and to meet with other expectant families who are making the same decisions and going through the same fears and frustrations.

Some highlights were:

• Separating into male and female groups to discuss pros and cons of pregnancy. The girls had a quite a few more cons than the guys did, and later they said that they had thought of some of what we had put up, but were worried that they would get in trouble for mentioning things like "constipation." Oddly enough the #1 pro for the guys was the tax break and #2 was the child itself! Men. We women did list the tax benefits, but under the baby, and making your parents grandparents and several other things.
• Practicing breathing techniques. This was really helpful for me, and relaxed me almost to the point of sleeping (one guy did actually fall asleep, which I'm not sure his wife appreciated) Hopefully this will prove useful when it comes to the time where I really need it.
• Discussing other coping techniques for the pain. I think I will get a birthing ball, and I have already known that I want to stand in the shower for quite some time before and possibly after we go to the hospital.

One of the things that wasn't a highlight was the men's uncomfortable joking. I think that this is really hard on them to actually confront the reality of their wives and girlfriends going through so much pain that they can do nothing for, and so they have resorted to joking to relieve their tension. I'm sure that as the weeks go by, they will get more accustomed to it all, and hopefully relax.

One guy that I really feel for is actually there with his sister to be the birthing coach. The poor kid looks like he is about 18 and is SO uncomfortable during one exercise where the partners had to give the ladies a hand rub, and then the women had to give the coaches a back rub how they would like to get one during labor. They didn't even attempt that one. They did do the breathing, but sat next to each other, rather than her between his legs, as the rest of us were.

It is strange, but for Jim and I, our weeknights are getting busier, even before the baby comes. Tuesday is this class, Wednesday is GEMS, and on Thursday nights is a men's Bible Study that Jim is thinking of attending, and I think will be even more vital once he steps firmly into the daddy role.

It is hard to believe that the year of GEMS is almost over. Shortly I will be giving birth, and shortly the girls will be enjoying spring and then summer break. Our spring is filled with fun events, the first of which is the Bake Sale during the Cadet's Pinewood Derby this Saturday.

Last night all of the GEMS were making different treats for the bake sale, and I decided to make Spinach Fettuccine with the girls for something different, and something for people to buy who might be trying to eat healthier, but still want to support the GEMS. I was really surprised that the girls weren't totally disgusted by the cooked spinach, which is a vital component of the pasta. Several even told me that they liked to eat is raw as a salad, but not usually cooked. I'm not sure if this is a MN/MI thing, but I don't think I have had 2nd and 3rd graders before who would feel like that about spinach.

The girls really seemed to enjoy getting to add all of the ingredients, and especially looking at the slurry of spinach, eggs, oil and water that was created using the blender. They were also amazed at how "Play Dough" like the whole process was, and had fun rolling, cutting and hanging the individual strands to dry. I hope that people will be interested in the pasta after all of their hard work. I may augment some of the pasta with some I will make because they had a ton of fun decorating labels for each of the bags. Aside from that though, they really did work hard making a quality product, and also worked hard to keep things clean for their customers.

The girls are so great, and we are finally seeing some real togetherness between the girls from Faith and Calvin Christian Schools and the girls from New Life Church, in part because Kate (my wonderful co-teacher who unfortunately can't be there every week because she also is on the worship team) and I have worked to play name games or some other game with the girls most weeks.

Last night, as usual, I got more questions about Noah and what it feels like to have him be awake and asleep in there, and at one point someone began singing, "That's Elmo's World," (don't ask me why) and they soon switched it to "That's Noah's World" and Cassandra pointed to my belly and said, "That is Noah's world in there, in your belly." I have to agree, it is rather round and planet-like as of late. I can't wait to see how they will really react when they see him outside of me, after hearing about him and seeing him grow over the months. I'll probably have to be careful that he doesn't end up going home with one of the girls!

I'm still unsure how much I am going to be able to do next year. Noah will be about 4 months old when next year's GEMS start up, and although Jim is more than willing to hang out with his little guy while I am away, I'm not sure A: How much I will want to be away, and B: how pumping will go, and IF I will be able to be away for even that length of time. We have talked about having childcare for workers next year, and I might end up doing that so I can have him with me and still be of service, because I don't want to totally drop off from volunteering simply by having a child.

I used to get bulk emails about home decoration and photography and the latest sales, now I get emails entitled, "100 foods that can harm your baby while pregnant." I recently got this pip of an email, which is helpful explaining the fire that is often scorching my throat, but is not the most sterling example of prose ever penned by the good people at whattoexpect.com. I especially love the part about my, "now gigantic uterus, which has taken over (my) abdominal cavity." I suppose it is true-- if any other organ in our bodies grew as exponentially as a woman's womb does during pregnancy, something would be seriously wrong.


"Many of the early pregnancy symptoms you thought you'd put behind you are coming back to haunt you: like the need to pee all the time (because your baby's head is now pressing on your bladder), along with the tender breasts (as they gear up for milk production), the fatigue, and the heartburn. And no one — not even a regular at the corner greasy spoon — does heartburn like a third-trimester pregnant woman (except, of course, a pregnant woman who's a regular at the corner greasy spoon).

During pregnancy, the muscle at the top of the stomach that usually prevents digestive acids from splashing up into the esophagus relaxes (like all those other muscles in your digestive tract), allowing digestive juices to back up. That's the burning sensation you feel when heartburn strikes. Add to that your now gigantic uterus, which has taken over your abdominal cavity, forcing your stomach to practically reach your throat, and you've got good reason to be feeling the burn."

Lovely, huh? They make pregnancy sound so delightful and such a beautiful experience.

I think I must be getting really big, because the other night at GEMS at church, these 2 little girls that I had never met before came up to me and the older-- who was about 4 patted my belly, to which I replied, "Oh, can you tell there is a baby in there?" And she patted it again and her younger companion leaned in and called out, "Hello!" into the general region of Noah. My GEMS girls, who are all 2nd and 3rd graders all love to say hi to my little boy. They all forget about greeting me and say, "Hi Noah James," and one asked me the other day if Noah would move if she patted me. I told her that yes, sometimes he does, but that he was sleeping right then because I had been on my feet all night. They are so sweetly excited about Noah, even though I knew they wished he was a girl at first.

"Did you know, that when you are just born (she meant conceived) that you are the size of a bug?!" one of my girl's excitedly told the others last night. At times it takes a little skill on my part to avoid telling them more than their parents would like, or to quench the conversation where one girl who may know a bit more than the others will "educate" the others about something that their parents may not be ready for them to know. :)

My doctor called me on Friday-- officially a week after my last appointment (one of the detriments to the practice having two offices doctors work out of) to tell me that I am "just a very, very little anemic."

Great. Anemia isn't a horrible thing in pregnancy, as long as is it counteracted by taking a quality iron supplement and eating iron-rich food, such as spinach and liver. Yum. Basically, as my blood level has increased to help strengthen the baby, my body was not able to produce enough iron, so the baby stole it from me and left me depleted. According to all of the books, 20% of women become anemic during pregnancy and it can cause weakness and paleness. I have been experiencing a little bit of both, but I thought that was normal Minnesota-winter and late pregnancy feelings.

Accoring to the lovely people at BabyCenter.com:

"Unfortunately, most women start pregnancy without sufficient stores of iron to meet their body's increased demands particularly in the second and third trimesters. If you get to the point that you no longer have enough iron to make the hemoglobin you need, you become anemic.
Your risk is even higher if you have morning sickness severe enough to cause frequent vomiting, if you've had two or more pregnancies close together, if you're pregnant with more than one baby, if you have an iron-poor diet, or if your pre-pregnancy menstrual flow was heavy."

The latter of those is probably the likeliest cause of my issue, and I may have also contributed to my body not absorbing the 150% or so of iron in my regular prenantal vitamin by my inclination toward taking my vitamin with milk, rather than water or light fruit juice. I have typically heard that it is bad to take medication with foods and beverages rich in Vitamin C is bad because it can prevent absorbtion into the body, but it seems that this is the opposite.

I am now pill-popping like a GNC customer. I now take 1--my regular prenatal vitamin, 2-- a B6 supplement to counteract any lingering traces of nausea, 3-- A Fish oil supplement for baby's brain and nervous system and 4-- my new iron supplement's green color looks like a small corroded penny, or a rivet from the Statue of Liberty.

The past few weeks have been extremely hectic for us, which may seem odd considering I am currently writing from home, but am otherwise unemployed, however, the blessings that I have received during this time have made up for all of the running around, and planning, budgeting and running around that have been going on.

We were so blessed to receive a package recently from my parents, which at the top had a wonderful card and the admonition to open the contents of the package when we were together. We opened the first blue-wrapped package and immediately oohed over an achingly adorable outfit for our son. It was only then that we noticed that Noah's outfit had something sticking out of the pocket. A check! Our baby was coming with money. How thoughtful of the little guy. And how thoughtful of my parents. I set the check aside and felt the extreme softness of his new outfit against my cheek and moved to the next package.

Jim asked to open the next one, and he opened the next entirely adorable outfit and we awwed again, all before we noticed that there was once again something in the pocket-- another check! We had simply assumed that the one was the entirety of the monetary portion of the gift. But no, for each of Noah's 4 new uber-cute outfits in different sizes, there was a check enclosed in his pocket! Being as hormonal as I am lately (probably even without being hormonal I would have done the same) I began to cry. At times it is hard to be so far from family and close friends with children who we can look to for guidance on what to buy, what questions to ask my OB, how to not get overwhelmed with impending parenthood, and it has been so nice very time our families have shown us such care and love.

The outfits are so cute. All but one came with its own fancy hanger, and one of the outfits in particular I'm intending to keep nice for next year's Christmas. My mom thoughtfully picked out outfits in various sizes, so that he will be able to wear these clothes for almost a whole year. My favorite one has an extremely soft white top, that if used regularly will be destroyed by a baby who will have just begun eating baby food, but used just at the holidays it should be perfect for photos and cuddling by friends and family.

As for the monetary gifts, we think we will be getting our chosen nursing chair, which bounces softly, and our favorite crib and some other incidentals. It is so odd that I am finally coming up near the end of this pregnancy.

I have one appointment three weeks from my appointment on Friday, and then I will begin having appointments every 2 weeks, which has seemed like a milestone from the beginning of my pregnancy. All of the thought and planning now needs to be matched with action in these last few months, and as most new parents feel at this time, the sheer amount of things to ready has me nervous. I am so thankful to have a family that has been so supportive of us in this time of great change, and I can only look forward to other greater changes that are soon to take place.

Thanks again mom and dad!

Last month I did this for my doctor's appointment and people on facebook seemed to really enjoy the format that I chose, so I thought that I would stick with it this month.

On Friday I was at just 27 weeks and had my regular prenatal checkup, but I also got to experience the joy of my:

Glucose Screening Test: If it has been a while for you since babies or you just don't know all of this information, basically what happens is you drink what I have read called "boiled down 7 Up" with extra sugar added. Then after an hour of allowing your body to process the sugar in the drink, blood is taken to see how your body is doing at controlling the amount of sugar in your bloodstream. After my normal peeing in a cup, blood pressure and weight I got to drink the much-hyped beverage, and while it was gross, it did not make me "almost throw up" as many of the other preggos on my May mommies message board attested to. I was able to go through my regular appointment with no problem, and only felt the slightest bit sugar-buzzed as I sat for the remainder of the hour in the waiting room. I was also surprised because many of the May Mommies have said that they had to wait a day to find out the results, and they were able to tell me after just a scant minute's wait that I had passed with no issues.

If I had failed, it wouldn't mean necessarily that I was destined to have GD or need a special diet-- many women I know have failed the one hour, and then have to endure the annoyingly long 3 hour test where blood is taken for each of the hours to give your OB a better idea of how you process sugar. Most of these women pass this secondary test with no problems. I am happy that I didn't have to count the minutes for three hours in my OB's office, and that I believe this means good things for my non-pregnant ability to process sugar. This is simply my assumption, but it seems that if you are more likely to be diabetic during pregnancy and you are not, it means that you are most certainly not nearing diabetes in a non-knocked up state.

Weight: I am pleased as punch to report that I have gained 6 pounds since my last appointment! I am now up a total of 2 pounds since my first appointment at 6 weeks, but what is really important is that finally now in the third trimester I am gaining even some of the weight that I am "supposed to." I have never been told to eat more by my doctor or chastised for not gaining more, but personally I have felt that there might have been something wrong if my body has been changing as much as it has been without any additional weight.

Jim was so pleased that he told my doctor that it was all due to the Belgian Waffle Maker we received as a Christmas present from my parents. I think it may partially be the butter and syrup of this, but in general I feel more hungry and have incorporated additional snacking into my day, and am now going through an even more mammoth amount of milk than I did before. (Like the gallon in our fridge was purchased Friday at 4:30, I used 2 cups in Alfredo sauce I made, Jim drank a glass or two, we were gone nearly all day on Saturday and now there is about 2 glasses worth of milk left in it. and we managed to down a carton of light chocolate soy milk in there too.)

Fundal Height: 28 cm. Still right where I should be. My OB says that as far as she can tell from feeling the baby-- which is wonderful that she can do now because he is so large-- and from feeling me that I am right on track. Baby should be around 2 pounds and approximately 14 inches.

He has approximately doubled in weight from the last appointment and is now entering the portion of pregnancy where he will be growing by leaps and bounds-- which is what he is apparently doing in there. I have been trying to capture the wild movements of my abdomen on camera, but whenever I get up to grab our P&S he seems to halt his movements as if he knew just what I was up to. It is also funny to be lying on my side and to be able to feel him touching the "floor" or whatever I am laying on" as well as touching the other far side of my womb. Jim laughs because he purposely will put his face up to the movement and talk to Noah in hopes that he will be kicked or hit by his son. When hearing that his son had kicked Jim, Jim's friend Slicker (not particularly a baby fan) said, "I think I might like this kid after all."

Fetal Heart Rate: Dr. Ambur doesn't use the feature on the doppler which gives an actual number, but it sounds right on with last month's number of 130 bpm. Yay!

General Health: I have been really surprised that I have not had any horrible colds this winter thus far, despite working with my 2nd and 3rd grade GEMS every week. Could it possibly be because of the- gasp-- flu shot I tried to avoid, but eventually gave in on? Jim has actually been sicker than me-- poor guy, and during a week that would have been very inconvenient to miss at work.

My back has been the most annoying symptom as of late-- with spasms from sitting in the car, sewing too long, or simply being upright too long. I am hopefully getting a lovely belly support band soon, which is something I swore never to get, but am now convinced is the most wonderful invention ever made for the pregnant woman. I can really feel where I have filled in upwards under my bust, and the pressure up there also hurts my ribs at times and forces me to adjust how I am sitting. On the whole, I would take the annoyance of a sore back instead of the heartbreak and possible complications of Gestational diabetes any day, and so I consider myself fortunate.

I have also begun to think about labor as an impending reality, and am still convinced that no epidural will be the best for me and my child, and I hope that this is something that I can follow through on in the heat of the moment. My mother did it twice, and countless other women have done it over the years, and thankfully soon we will have our hospital tour and begin labor and delivery classes that will assuage some of my fears and equip me for labor when it arrives.

I have always had debilitating cramps and pain associated with "my womanly cycle" and one of the few positive symptoms of pregnancy has been the cessation of this pain. If I was not pregnant I would have had to suffer through this pain for days an additional 6 times (because of my long cycles) and with nothing to show for it except for having annoyed my husband with my PMS symptoms. Now I am looking at enduring something that will be the culmination of these un-experienced cycles of pain, all coming together in one or two days. There is one big difference between this pain and the former though-- at the end of it I will have a wonderful child, my son, to hold in my arms. For that, for him, I can endure this pain. For the idea of him I have endured all of this former pain-- with merely the hope of children at some point in the future. It is so wonderful to have that idea and that hope of him finally here to redeem the pain of all of those times.

This past weekend was one of those weekends where we came to Sunday evening after a day of cleaning, cooking, eating and travelling and I felt confused as how the entirety of Saturday and Sunday had passed without us seeming to notice it. I guess in some ways that is a mark of a weekend well spent, we were having such an enjoyable time that we didn't even notice the time passing. Saturday was the busiest of these days (Sunday was spent at church and doing some fast and furious loads of laundry and dishes.)

It began early in the morning. Jim had been invited to spend a good chunk of the day out at the Hudson, WI Rod, Gun and Archery Club. One of his coworkers lives over the border in WI and knows of this club. It is perhaps the nicest gun club I have ever been inside of. I think it is because of the rich hunting and fishing history of the area-- the club was established in 1924 and had a wonderful lodge. I took the opportunity to explore the border areas of the state that we haven't taken full advantage of, despite their reputation as quaint and removed from the hectic nature of the Twin Cities.

Hudson is the last city on the border of WI and MN and typically when we are driving through it we are either beginning our long road trip back to MI or are almost home after a long drive, so we tend to zip passed the city, which lies on the shores of the St. Croix River. It is somewhat funny that we have just discovered this area since it is the same river and general area that we will be enjoying in February for the Winter Picnic I recently blogged about. However we found it, I am happy that we did, because I find myself longing for places with a small town feel that are not simply a suburb of The Cities, but independent communities. Hudson is a wonderful small town that hosts events such as the 20th Annual Hot Air Affair where they launch hot air balloons in the dead of winter. While it would be lovely to watch, I certainly don't envy those who will be flying the balloons in the frigid air.

They also have The Octagon House Museum, which I am so excited to see, but is only open during the warmer months of the year. In my college years, I think that we actually discussed this building during an Art and Architecture lecture, and to just happen to come across it was a delight, even though I could only see it from the outside. In Hudson, I also tried to get some pictures from the Lakefront Park .(which is somewhat a misnomer because it is really on the river, although the river here widens to technically be a lake) Jim was wearing long underwear for the day because he was going to be outside for part of it, but I was dressed only in my typical coat and shoes, and not ready for the frigid sub-zero early morning air and only got a few shots of the I 94 and Stillwater Lift Bridge.

The said Stillwater Lift Bridge is a curious structure, which makes even I who drive over The Mississippi River sometimes 8 times a day hesitate. The bridge has a reputation for getting stuck in the UP position and delaying traffic, sometimes for as much as 3 hours and many miles on HWY 36 for those who live in WI, but work in MN. They are discussing eventually altering the bridge and using it only for foot and bike traffic over the river, and replacing it with a modern alternative. The bridge was built in 1931 and has been essentially unaltered since then, and the fact that I had to drive over a structure that was so reputed to malfunction made me nervous.

However, I wanted to explore the city, made famous as the "Birthplace of Minnesota" and once held the first seat of territorial government and now sells antique books and home decor. Really, it is an absolutely perfect example of a quaint small town, and I can't believe it has taken us this long to discover it. We were bemoaning (or really I was feeling sad about) our lack of a Traverse City experience that we had when we lived in MI, except for Duluth, which is really a large city and difficult to navigate, and lo and behold, we have another city that is probably more quaint than TC just 40 minutes from our home on the other side of the Twin Cities.

Unfortunately, it was still early when I arrived at Stillwater, and many of the businesses were keeping "Winter Hours" during this time where many of the tourists and day-trippers were kept at bay by the cold temperatures. However, I made note of several places I wanted to visit, and several options for food once Jim was done in WI. I am already anticipating a summer of visits (probably briefer than I am used to due to diaper changes and feedings) of trips to the Warden's House Museum-- memorializing the Minnesota Territorial Prison, which housed criminals such as the Younger Brothers, who were members of Jesse James' gang.

When I eventually picked up Jim (after a day of shopping and some photography while soaking in the humidity of the Tropical Room at the McNeely Conservatory) we decided to eat at "Shane's on Main" a restaurant offering hot sandwiches, and a view of the lift bridge from the back room. The staff were very friendly and offered us better seats if we were cold sitting by the windows and jokes about the bridge and their view of it frozen in mid-air at times. We were able to both eat soup and homemade sandwiches for under $20, and several more restaurants were similarly priced. (We'll see if this holds true in tourist season.)

Also visited were the now open Midtown Antiques Mall, St. Croix Antiquarian Booksellers and several other home decor. stores. While compiling this list I am also making plans to visit the Antique Radio Company where they sell and repair antique radios, the Chef's Gallery, The Stillwater Farm Store and The River Market Community Co-op for some fresh produce. Wow, that is quite a list, and I haven't even discussed the local state parks that we are now so excited to visit and the riverfront that was too chilly to explore much. That should probably be left until it actually is warm enough to explore, and till we find out how we survive the Winter Picnic.

"Jim is going to need to help you go get the box from the office. It weighs 27 pounds." My father left us this message regarding a package that my Aunt Susie and Grandma had recently informed us was on its way. I had expected some baby onesies, or a bit of fabric, but I was instead shocked as we walked through the dark and cold to the community office and Jim hefted an imposing box onto his shoulder.

The inauguration is over, the pageantry concluded and I am sure that very few Americans took note of one small reference to threats to the inaugural ceremony. However, one specific threat caught my interest, particularly as a Minnesota resident. Fox, as well as other networks mentioned one threat that had been investigated by the Secret Service:

“Authorities monitored a rush of intelligence leads Tuesday at the largest security operation in presidential inauguration history, including a possible threat from an East Africa radical Islamic terrorist group.Law enforcement and intelligence officials received information that people associated with a Somalia-based group, al-Shabaab, might try to travel to the U.S. with plans to disrupt the inauguration, according to a joint FBI/Homeland Security bulletin issued Monday night.”

Probably for many of you, al-Shabaab is simply another in a long list of Islamic terrorist organizations that are operating on the other side of the world, however, this is one organization with ties that hit a bit closer to home for many Minneapolis and greater Minnesota residents.
For a wide variety of reasons, Minnesota is home to the United States largest Somali population. Many of these immigrants have fled their homelands as refugees from the unrest (perhaps best referenced by the book and film, “Black Hawk Down”) In fact, on Lake Street in Minneapolis, near the West Bank of the University of Minnesota and the tragedy of the 35W Bridge collapse over 120 Somali owned and operated business can be found. Unfortunately, also in this area is a high rise apartment complex locally nicknamed “The Crack Stacks” for the poverty of the Somalian residents of the building. Many of those that have fled from Somalia are former doctors and lawyers who are now reduced to filling jobs of manual labor and live lives of poverty.

Even more recently the Somalian community has been rocked by the dissappearance of many of its teenage and young adult males, estimated at as many as 2 dozen “missing boys” have been lured back to the very country their parents have fled, by members of al-Shabaab to execute terrorist attacks in Africa. Said of one bombing:
“It’s believed that one of the suicide bombers was 26-year old Shirwa Ahmed, a naturalized U.S. citizen and resident of Minneapolis, home to a substantial Somali émigré population. Ahmed moved to Minnesota in 1996 and graduated high school there before becoming one of over a dozen young Somali men to disappear from the area in recent months. All are believed to have returned to Somalia to join the fighting, possibly as suicide bombers. FBI officials will not confirm whether an investigation is under way.”

While the FBI is officially remaining non-commital on the issue, according to local news on Thanksgiving weekend several Somali visitors were prevented from returning to Somalia at the Minneapolis- St. Paul Airport, although they were not officially arrested. However, FBI officials returned the remains of one of the “missing boys” to his parents. Reports one site: "The FBI wouldn’t even confirm if a teenager whose remains the agency returned to his family last month was one of five suicide bombers who attacked government and foreign installations in Somalia, killing 24. Yet almost everyone in the community believes that 19-year-old Shirwa Ahmed, a University of Minnesota student, was indeed a culprit in those attacks."

The same site also reports: “Special agent E. K. Wilson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office in Minneapolis wouldn’t confirm or deny the fate of the “missing boys,” as they are known in the community. He would only say that his agency is aware that an unspecified number of Somali youths have traveled from throughout the United States, including Minneapolis, to “potentially fight in Somalia.””

My husband mentioned that during the day of the inauguration there were several helicopters patrolling the air above downtown Minneapolis, and I am certainly not claiming that this was somehow associated with the perceived threat. However, it did make me wonder what sort of actions were taking place to asses this threat, and how much of this investigation was taking place in my new home.

I am so sad for the families of these teenagers, especially because of all of the unanswered questions associated with the disappearance of their children. They fled Somalia in the hopes of providing a better future for their children here in the United States, and because of the actions of a few men have gone back to Somalia and are choosing in some cases to die there. I have in no way exhausted this topic, and I urge you to look at some of the links I have provided. Much of what has been written is opinion-based, and there is conflict even among the Somali population of whether or not as many boys have gone missing as has been reported and where the actual destinations of some of these teenagers has been.

...that our Christmas tree is sitting undecorated on our balcony. It actually doesn't look too bad from the road. :) Makes me look forward to gardening on our balcony this spring.

The first winter we spent out here, we were confused by the number of people that appeared to be celebrating Christmas into February and March by leaving their lights out on their houses, wreaths on doors and garages, and inflatable holiday characters in yards. Finally, we asked someone why this was, and they told us that it simply is too cold, and the ice too dangerous so people tend to leave up their decorations for a lot longer than in other places.

This made sense, although I am still questioning why people had their lights turned on for all of this time, but I guess that is just one of those mysteries I will never know. Last year our tree was down fairly quickly-- we weren't entirely on the up and up with our complex about our having a live tree in our apartment. I ended up taking to it with some gardening shears and the handsaw that Lisa gave me for Christmas the year we lived together in Winchell Way, after another Christmas tree issue.

Our current home is much more amenable to live trees, but sent everyone a note regarding watering of trees, which was an issue since we were gone for over a week, and advising us to dispose of our trees by throwing them over our balconies rather than carting them down the hall, shedding needles. "Please look beforehand for animals and people underneath your balcony." This warning was well advised, but still somewhat humorous coming from the apartment office.

We typically keep the tree up till New Years, but a combination of Jim's horrible work schedule, my being pregnant and unable to throw and cart a tree to the dumpster and the -35 wind chill turned us into the Minnesotans I had been derisive of just one winter ago. Well, the weather has finally broken (it is now a sweltering 22 degrees) and we have had an actual weekend to enjoy being together and Jim being out in daylight, so this issue should be resolved soon. I'm just thankful we don't have to throw the tree from the 3rd floor and avoid hitting cars in the parking lot from a stray gust of wind.

A few days ago I noticed something on my flickr feed that has previously escaped my notice. I was contacted by someone from the Science Museum of Minnesota in St. Paul about using one of my photos in their upcoming exhibit, "Water."

According to the letter I received when I responded to the message,

"The Water exhibit celebrates one of the most basic necessities of human survival. Innovative presentation techniques converge with a variety of interactive activities to let visitors examine the scientific, cultural and environmental aspects of water. Visitors will explore the ways that our societies strain the planet's finite resources and have the opportunity to experience the power of water firsthand."

Running from January 30- April 26, my photo would be used as a part of the program created in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History, and run in a slide-show all day for each day that the exhibit runs. There is no pay for this, but it is an honor to be asked among about 39 other photographers and Jim and I will be given a pair of tickets to enter the museum and see the exhibit and I would receive recognition through a photo credit running alongside my work. While not as much of an issue in water-plentiful MN, the scarcity of water is already impacting other areas of the United States and, in a much more dramatic sense, other areas of the world, and I am happy to be a part of making this exhibit more impactful to visitors.

According to Jim Imholte at SMM, "we’d like to add a projection of water in its various states through images taken by photographers in Minnesota." I think that this will have an impact upon MN visitors to the museum, as it will make the issue more relatable to them and allow them to think about the issue as it pertains to their own water resources here which are vital for agriculture, life and tourism of the state.

The photo that they selected was from the visit that Jim and I made to the Obon Festival at Como Park back in later August, when I was newly pregnant and exhausted, but didn't know the reason why yet. Aside from the satisfaction garnered from participating in such a worthwhile exhibit, I also feel a great deal of personal satisfaction for having my work recognized. I feel like I missed so many opportunities during this past fall. Pregnancy, in some ways, has been hard on me, although I'm thankful that my suffering has been limited to exhaustion, round ligament pain and morning sickness. I feel like I am only just now gaining back the time that I have missed, and really getting our home organized the way that I have wanted it to be, had I the energy the whole time that we have lived here.

I am also very much aware that my life will change in dramatic ways once I have firmly entered the realm of mommy-hood and the days where I can spend my time attending festivals, and going on walks simply to take photos will be limited. I know that I am good at things, like writing, being a wife, cooking, photography, making our apartment a home, but I never have felt like I am great at very many things. It feels very vindicating to have one of the few photos I took and one of the very few that I posted during my first trimester of pregnancy considered for something such as this. It feels like an acknowledgement that I do have talent in this realm, and that I do have a voice that people will want to hear.

Sometimes it is the small changes that feel so good in life. Somehow, the change the changes that I just made to the template of this blog make it feel fresh and new to me again, and after over a year of posting here, that is a very good thing.

I love the left-handed profile setting and the new simplistic color scheme. Just what I needed. And the changes have also added much needed space to the text portion of this blog, and make my posts seem not so quite outrageously long.

I know that I am no expert when it comes to making a home for an infant. Our little one isn't even going to have his own room for a while since he'll be sleeping in the same room as us (in his own crib or nearby bassinet) because statistically this is the best place for newborns to sleep to avoid SIDS and because Jim slept in his parent's room when he was a baby and felt like it was important. However, I know that through thought and planning I can make my little one's first years a wonderful and nurturing experience for him and for his parents.

Thus, in searching for room decor and for our little one's layette, I have looked for baby-oriented websites that cater to this mindset.

One site I love is Ohdeedoh. They offer nursery tours in a wide variety of budgets and tastes, and get the parent's perspective on why they chose the pieces they did and how their life philosophy connects to the space in which they have created to raise their child. From a nursery that takes up just half of mom and dad's walk-in closet, to nurseries in loft apartments and carriage houses, there is a great deal of variety, and individual pieces and stores are often linked to-- and instructions on alterations to store bought pieces are given. It has also let me see our hoped-for Hensvik crib in action, albeit in a girl's nursery.

Found through Ohdeedoh, the Flickr group, "Go to Your Room," and the connected baby group offer real life nurseries that aren't primped and styled for magazines, but have practical insights into decorating for a baby or youngster. Some of the people in the group are just advertising their own creations that they sell on etsy and in other locations, but are easy enough to skip over and focus on the practical inspirations and dramatic before and after photos.

Another site I love came courtesy of my lovely sister-in-law. She made us a pair of delightful baby pants for Christmas and told me upon my receiving a sewing machine about the site Make Baby Stuff. While the sites downloadable patterns are kind of sad, their innovation with making pants out of old adult t-shirts and practical discussions of freezer paper patterns and appliqued onesies is a great thing.

IKEA--Duh. If you have read my blog at all, then you will know of my love for the clean lines, inexpensive prices and joyful attitude toward childhood that I have found in this mammoth store. When I look at the sample nurseries available on their website it makes me happy, and it delights me to see a girl's nursery that has been designed as something other than a pink, green and brown Princess overkill. From my childcare days I have vowed that I would resist this sterotyping, after seeing 3 and 4 year old girls whose only ambition is to be a princess when they grow up. For items that we will purchase new, the bright colors will also allow us to have a gender neutral palette that isn't "Classic Pooh" or simple yellow and green.

BRIO- In a world of plastic toys, it is nice to see a manufacturer that is still making classic wooden toys, many of which were first launched in the 1960s and are still sold, with small alterations, today. They are perhaps best known for their wooden train sets and train tables, but they may also be known for the Toddler Wobbler, Puck and the Daschund pull-along. Their high contrast, but non-frantic color scheme is also good developmentally for young children. My only sadness is that the infant toys are not currently sold in the United States, but I know how quickly time will pass until our son is ready to use the toddler and preschool level toys. While the toys are a bit more expensive than others, the quality is so great, and through back channels we are able to order items at a deep discount.

For instructions on how to make super cute applique onesies, like it or not, Martha Stewart has some great advice. She featured a wonderful etsy seller, Bella Blu, who manufactures onesies and offers construcitive advice on how to make some of your own. This weekend I'm intending to head out and get the necessary items to create some of my own. Because of the patterns available, so far I have made plenty of pants for The Bean, but no shirts. I'm intending on buying a pattern for baby shirts as well as some pre-made onesies that I can work on up at the Coon Rapids JoAnn's Fabrics, which seems to have the best selection of baby fabric as well as a great selection of pre-made appliques and iron-on onesies. I already have some iron on backings, but I bought the wrong type and ended up having to pin my design to the pair of pants I was making.

What's a little -10 windchill when there are hot dogs to be roasted? Recently I received an email from our church small group leader, who also happens to be the small group coordinator for Faith. In July we attended the Independence Day Picnic at Interstate State Park on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota. This email announces a picnic with just as extreme weather as the painfully humid day of the last picnic, only this one announced an event that is just about as far away in temperatures as Minnesota can get.

Winter Picnic XV is a uniquely Minnesotan event where hearty Scandinavians and wanna-be's like us get together and have a picnic at the St. Croix River Boom Site. Hot dogs (or something else for those of us that are pregnant and told to avoid nitrates) hot cocoa and s'mores are served and a fire is laid along the edge of the river. From the photos in the invitation, it looks like a chilly and fun time will be had by all.

I'm really excited because we have had plenty of opportunity to explore places like Ft. Snelling State Park, Interstate State Park, have gone pretty far into Wisconsin and enjoyed the remote beauty of places like Asheville, we have also visited pretty much every park along the Mississippi in the Twin Cities area, but we haven't done much along the St. Croix (which partially forms the border between WI and MN.) The Boom Site, near Stillwater is also on the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated as part of the St. Croix National Scenic Waterway. Sadly, it sounds as if it has become a somewhat forgotten site, and I would love to explore a landmark like this that hasn't been overrun by visitors and garbage, although it sounds like the place might be in trouble due to neglect.

It will be strange to consider packing both snowshoes and our orange Kelsyus beach chairs for the same event, but it should be an exciting and frigid time of fun. Long underwear is definitely in order, and I may try to manhandle my bulging belly into a pair of snow pants, although zipping them has been abandoned before it is even attempted. Thanks to my yearly Christmas Stocking, I also have quite the storehouse of pocket hand-warmers that should come in handy.