Buying A Pump

After spending three hours wringing out wet towels last night to drain the sunroom finally agreed that we needed to break down and buy a pump. I was inordinately excited about a trip to Lowes (yay shopping!) until I spent fifteen minutes standing around while Tennisfiend meticulously studied the pump assortment.

I dragged a white five gallon paint bucket over to the pump aisle and took a seat across from the display security camera system so I could entertain myself while TF satisfied his research instincts. Thirty minutes later, after some discussion, we left with a moderately priced pump that will hopefully suck out the next onslaught of flood waters. To commemorate my victory in the pump war (I've been campaigning for one since last summer), TF took my pic in the back yard. I'm eight and a half months pg!

As Predicted...

Well, that took longer than I expected. At 3:am I decided that the blurr near his neck just had to be his umbilical cord. Sigh.

 At 7:am, my sanity returned. Sheesh. Oh! And the sunroom flooded again! Water was six inches up the side of the house and an inch and a half deep in the house. So much for our new patio averting floodwaters. We don't have it too bad, though--the neighbor's chain link fence washed away. An arroyo sprung up on the periphery of their property; it looks like the Colorado River over there!

Birth Plan

Birth Plan
To my Health Care Providers: Thank you for taking the time to work with us and our birth plan. These are our preferences; however we are open and flexible to any medical intervention that may become necessary in the case of a medical emergency.
My Name:	Best Fiend	My Due Date:	August 12, 2006
My Husband:	Tennis Fiend	My Doctor:	Sarah Seamstress
My Labor Partners:	Momfiend and Ewbliette

Monitoring
I do not want an internal monitor unless the baby has shown some sign of distress.

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Labor Augmentation/Induction
I would prefer no augmentation or induction unless medically necessary.

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Anesthesia/Pain Medication
I would like to have an epidural.

I would like the strength of the epidural adjusted to facilitate pushing.

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Delivery
I would like to have routine pitocin given to me to assist in the delivery of the placenta.

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Episiotomy
I prefer to have no episiotomy and risk tearing (unless I'm having a medical emergency).

I would appreciate guidance in when to push and when to stop pushing so the perineum can stretch.

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Cesarean
I wish to have an epidural for anesthesia.

I wish to have my husband, Egor XXX, present with me during the procedure, if possible.

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Immediately After Delivery
If the baby must be taken from me to receive medical treatment, Egor XXX, my husband, will accompany the baby when possible.  

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Breastfeeding
I plan to breastfeed exclusively and would like to begin nursing very shortly after birth.
I do not want the baby to be given a pacifier.

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Circumcision
I do not want the baby circumcised.

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Other
I would prefer that no students, interns, residents or non-essential personnel be present during my labor or the birth.

Please keep my door closed during labor.

Pool Project Complete!

Well, its been almost eight months and we finally finished repainting our pool.
 
You can't image how long this project took us! Draining the pool was a bucket of fun, and we almost gave up on the entire project, but the temptation of a fresh, new swimming pool was too much to resist. The hard work began in late March. We had to hire someone to sandblast the old paint off and only two people sandblast locally.
 
Naturally, we picked the scary sixty year old alcoholic with rickety equipment and a bad leg simply because we didn’t want to wait two months for the other company to get around to us. For $200 he pulled his wheezing machine up to the side of the fence and tottered over to Egor, who had to help him inside the pool. E said he smelled about 40 proof.
 
Pool guy was too infirm to clean up the buckets of sand and old paint liberated by the procedure, so we were stuck with the chore. E spent the balance of the weekend sweeping and vacuuming the fine, chalky dust, which seemed to have spread everywhere. I was grateful that we had the foresight to cover the koi pond. What a mess.
 
 While we tried to figure out how what to do next, the pool project remained in limbo. Thirty years ago, when our pool was poured by overly ambitious homeowners, it came out not quite right; they messed up the concrete forms. The pool’s distinctly lopsided appearance has been marred even more by deteriorating concrete painted over repeatedly in lieu of sensible repairs.

Quality restoration would involve an endless succession of patching, cleaning, solvents, washing, more patching, more solvents, multiple coats of primer and epoxy paint. We chose a simpler (and cheaper) route, consisting of lots of patching and minimal solvent use. Weekend after weekend Tennisfiend mixed and mashed epoxy patch and hydraulic cement into the numerous craters, fissures, cracks, chinks and crevices populating the pool.

In the 100 degree plus weather, epoxy oozed down the sides of the pool requiring plastic sheeting and duct tape forms to keep it in place. Hydraulic cement needed to be applied at the crack of dawn to prevent it from setting up in the mixing container. Well, you get the idea, it was lots of work.

When Tennisfiend wasn’t smearing noxious pastes on the pool, he was sanding and shaping the previous patch job. The whole process took about six weeks. After he finished patching and we ordered the paint, New Mexico’s monsoon season began. It rained and rained.

We spent three weeks either pumping rank water out of the pool or hosing off the accumulating dirt and plant particles. Finally, three days of clear weather were forecast and Tennisfiend began to paint. Unsurprisingly, the weather changed and it rained midway through the project. Sheesh. Anyway, it was poolpaint, so he finished. Here is our new pool:




Of course our desire for insane home improvement projects remains unquenched, so take a peek at our pool area:

 
To polish off our project, Tennisfiend will install a ladder (my pregnant self can't get in the pool without one!). We will replace uneven concrete pieces (by the table and chairs)next spring, and paint the entire deck tan. We also plan to remove the unsightly chain link fence and erect an attractive wood fence. It would be great to build a porch over the sitting area, but that might be way too expensive and/or time consuming. Most likely, we will buy one of those shaded enclosures you see at Lowes and Sam’s Club-- has a nifty set up in his back yard that I’d love to imitate!

Sweet Relief and the 3D Ultrasound

I am so relieved to report that Artyom’s appointment with the perinatologist revealed that his heart arrhythmia was nothing to be concerned about. I was so worried for him! I spent most of the night sleepless and became almost hysterical when I could not feel him move first thing in the morning. Sheesh.

The drive to El Paso seemed interminable for everyone. I annoyed both Tennisfiend and myself being neurotic over driving and parking. Other mothers in the waiting room at the specialist’s office seemed sleepy and bored, except for the older pregnant lady in a wheelchair who looked completely miserable. I made a mental note to be more grateful for my life.

The perinatologist, Dr. Topgun, pretty much ignored me, except for the routine health related questions and struck up a conversation with Tennisfiend about North Korea and nuclear weapons. He intently studied the ultrasound, explained why Artyom had a slight heart arrhythmia and that it would disappear at or before birth.

He then examined the rest of the baby’s little organs, proclaiming him to be perfectly normal and healthy. I asked a question or two, and Dr. Topgun made me feel like we had regressed to the 1940’s, when the “little woman” shouldn’t worry when the doctor tells her it’s all going to be okay. I was so relieved that I didn’t even mind. In fact, I’m ashamed to admit that his attitude actually helped me to feel better at the time.

Although in retrospect, it still chaffed a bit, and a non-pregnant, unworried Bestfiend would have certainly asserted herself with dignity and aplomb. To pay me back for a sleepless night, morning panic attack and backseat driving, Tennisfiend (quite chummy with Dr. Topgun, who seemed genuinely impressed with TF’s work with lasers) made me ask the question that I was too embarrassed to mention concerning umbilical cord entanglement.

His answer was totally redeeming. He said, “You can’t let yourself worry over every little thing, bad things can and do happen. You’ll drive yourself crazy if you do. Just focus on being parents. That’s the best you can do.”

Cool. Adding to the warm fuzzy feeling I left the office with, they gave us a nifty 3D ultrasound picture of Artyom. That blurr in the upper right hand corner is his foot! I personally think that he looks just like Tennisfiend, look at those lips! Naturally, he inherited his flexibility from me (not!). I wonder how long it will take me to find something horribly wrong with this picture. I’ll keep you posted!

Uhhm...

Pregnancy makes a girl, really, really canky.

Heart Arrhythmia

I am so grateful to always take someone with me to my appointments. Today, my midwife, Sarah Seamstress, found a heart arrhythmia with Tyoma. Ewbliette was with me in the office, taking copious notes. All I heard were the words “heart arrhythmia” and I sank into despair and anxiety. I did not seem to hear that 90% of the time that this is developmental and indicative of nothing. After telling me about the arrhythmia, Sarah scooted me over to the ultrasound room “for my peace of mind.” When the tech confirmed the arrhythmia, I heard the concerned in her voice as she asked Sara about scheduling an appointment with a perinatologist. I was so overwhelmed that I spaced out while they discussed whether they should send me to Albuquerque or El Paso. The Ultrasound tech said she’d give me a call tomorrow (translation, in three days) to let me know about the appointment.

I went home and immediately googled everything I could find on heart arrhythmias, and made peace with myself, vowing not to obsess over the problem since I can do nothing. I did vow to give up my daily indulgence of a cup of white tea, since I had two cups today. With less caffeine that a soda, this should not be a problem, but at least I feel like I am doing something.

The best thing I can do for myself is to read Ewbliette’s notes and reassure myself that everything is okay. I am so thankful to have a no-nonsense, non neurotic friend. What a lifesaver!

First Flood of The Season

We had our first mini-flood in the sunroom. I wasn't really paying attention to the rain, but it was wonderfully refreshing after weeks (month?!) of drought. I mopped the whole thing up with one of our sunroom towels. Hopefully the new patio we put un will keep the water out of the sunroom. Yay!

The Name Has Been Chosen

Here are the finalists for our little boy's name:

1. Timur
2. Artyom
3. Liev
4. Ruslan 
5. Aristarh 
6. Valentin

Our goal was to choose an ethnic Russian name over any iteration of popular American names. Why? Well, to honor papa's heritage. And of course, having the same name as somebody else is boring. You might fit in better as a Michael, Jacob or John, but I think already it's too late for the little guy. E and I never fit in, so I reckon he'll be unconventional as well.

I personally did not want a Christian name. Both of us are agnostic and I felt insincere bestowing a Biblical name for that reason.  But his beloved Grandmother was named Valentina, thus Valentin. On our final list, E nixed Valentin because of Val Kilmer. I kid you not.  I think he took Top Gun way too seriously.

We also nexed Timur, one of my favorites, due to it's strong Islamic use (agnostic perogative). Liev and Ruslan are wya cool, but my tummy has an A in it. Aristarh or Artyom? Ari or Tyoma? Tyoma.  That sounds so sweet on the lips. We have a winner!

 

Toe Gout!

I woke up an hour ago with the most intense pain in my right toe. The pain radiated from my toe knuckle. I got up to take some Tylenol, wondering what could cause me such pain, when it occurred to me that I must have gout. Since the warning flag for gestational diabetes was raised, I have been on a low carb-no sugar diet. That means lots of protien. Protein + painful toe = gout. Anyway, after consulting my medical library, I decided against gout. Then I realized my toe hurt from the awkward way I propped myself up on the Taurus when viewing fireworks. D'oh!