Insert clever blog title here

I (heart) my farmer and my farmers market

2008-07-30T14:01:00.006-04:00

I absolutely love the Ann Arbor Farmers Market. I have been soaking in all of the goodness that the market provides for the last several weeks. I loaded the kids in the car and we ran down to pick up our veggies. We have been CSA members of Tantre Farm for the last 8 seasons. It feels really good to know who grows your food and to greet them with a smile each and every week.

In our share this week was the following.

Kale
Beets
summer squash
basil
potatoes
green beans
broccoli
cucumbers
onions
carrots

Last week I taught a gardening camp at school and while there were lots of things to do at our school garden (i.e. weeding) I figured the campers would tire of the same old garden rather quickly. I wisely arranged a couple of field trips. Wednesday we went down to the Farmers Market. I had prepared a scavenger hunt and the kids had a great time tracking down all but one thing on the list (gooseberries--they must have just gone out of season, cause they were there just the week before). After our adventure downtown, we came back to school and made a "Farmers Market Friendship Vegetable Soup". The kids gobbled it up and asked for more.

Thursday was our day to visit Tantre Farm. Richard and his wife Deb are just the nicest people around, they truly care about the earth they tend, the food they grow and the community that it sustains. The weather was absolutely perfect and we were able to take an edible farm tour, harvest potatoes, gather chicken eggs and feed some goats and cows. It was so cool to see their faces when they were digging up potatoes, trying to see who could find the biggest, who could carry the most in thier hands and who could fill up the potato crate the fastest. I swear that a couple of them didn't know that potatoes grew underground. The kids had a blast and did not want to leave the farm, even though we were running late for lunch. It was such a great way to make the connection for them, visit the market one day and then go out to the farm the next.

So anyway, back to today. I took my kids down to the Ann Arbor market and we did our usual stroll around. In addition to the veggies from Tantre, I like to pick up a few extra thing: eggs, bread, cheese from Zingerman's creamery and since I haven't been getting any tomatoes yet, I like to pick a few of those up as well. I will be making a caprese salad tonight (tomatoes, Zing's fresh mozzarella cheese and fresh basil). I also picked up some peaches and blueberries. The blueberries for what looks like a beautiful blueberry cake and the peaches for a peach galette.

I wish that the months of July and August could go on all year.

I am back in black (and yellow and white)

2008-07-29T14:10:00.003-04:00

I am back in the caterpillar business folks. I just found my first few eggs. I was starting to get worried, having not found very many eggs, but it appears that things are picking up.

I found 5 eggs and have 3 caterpillars.

Time to get the jars out of the basement.

Last summer I raised 50 caterpillars and kept track of when they hatched out of their chrysalis and whether they were male or female. This year I am going to try and tag some and see if they make it to Mexico. I ordered my tags a couple of weeks ago, and hopefully will be receiving them soon. I will post a few photos later.

Trying again with a new look

2008-07-16T11:42:00.002-04:00

I figured since I was going to attempt to do this again, it would be wise to change the look of the blog. I am no tech wizard, so I just went with one of the templates offered by blogger. Maybe if I keep this up and feel like it, I will customize it a little.

I guess I just want a place to jot stuff down.

Today is the first day of Art Fair here in Ann Arbor. Hundreds of thousands of people descend on the town during the 4 day festival. I usually try my best to avoid it if I can. Parking is scarce if not impossible and I get really overwhelmed by the crowds. The kids have a little interest in going this year, so I may take them down to walk around, but I do get anxious about them getting away from me and getting lost.

When I first moved to Ann Arbor 16 years ago, I met this guy who was a cabbie in town. He let me know his thoughts about art fair in no uncertain terms:

"It ain't art, and it ain't fair". Spoken like a true disgruntled townie.

Still Here

2008-07-14T11:00:00.004-04:00

I have been toying around with the idea of blogging again. I have been posting on Twitter for a little while and I like the idea of posts being short and sweet.

Lots has happened since I posted 18 months ago.

That sweater for The Mighty B was the last finished project I made. I pretty much put down the sticks for a while.

I have only attended 3 births this year and will be transitioning out of doula work for a while.

I decided to go back to school and get my Montessori training. I begin my training in about 5 weeks. I am very excited.

finished!

2007-01-14T21:52:00.000-05:00

Doesn't it look totally cute on her?

sweater!

2007-01-14T21:51:00.000-05:00

I have been working on this sweater for Brooke for what seems like ages. I think I started it before Thanksgiving. I finished the final sleeve the other night, and started piecing it together yesterday. I only got a few seems done and had to stop. Tonight I finished the entire thing.

it's the least wonderful time of the year

2007-01-12T13:51:00.000-05:00

...with the noses-a-blowing and fevers-a-soaring, the strep throat is here! It's the least wonderful time of the year....

Poor Brooke. She has strep throat. :-(

my next car

2007-01-11T19:04:00.000-05:00

By the time this car is available, hopefully my kids will be big enough and I can phase out of my minivan. Check it out. It's Electric!

Its the end of the year as we know it (and I feel fine)

2006-12-31T16:16:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

I was just sitting here reflecting on the last year and how quickly it has flown by. This time last year I was couch bound after breaking my ankle sledding. I have to say the holidays were much more festive this year without throbbing ankle pain. We have not had any real snow to speak of since that fateful snowfall last December when I broke my leg. We have had lots of rain tho.

Mark is in Los Angeles right now prepping for the Rose Bowl yet again. Someday the whole family will make the trip.

That is about all for right now. Here's to a peaceful 2007

solid state technology

2006-11-21T21:25:00.000-05:00

This post will have nothing to do with the title. I was just listening to a wilco song.

Lots of things going on here lately. To name just a few:

Lots of knitting. My digital camera broke, so unfortunately, there are no pictures to show my completed project (felted bag) or my current project (v-neck sweater for my niece Lily).

Lots of football. Our beloved wolverines lost to the evil Ohio State Empire and coach Bo passed on.

Lots of substitute teaching. I have been helping out in kindergarten and have also been a sub for gym and lunch. It is now official: I have turned into my mother. She was a lunch room supervisor when I was a kid.

Lots of celebrating with the family. That begins tomorrow. I wish everyone a healthy, happy Thanksgiving.

question to ponder...

2006-10-30T22:30:00.000-05:00

Is it friggin? or frickin?

bag progress

2006-10-18T10:22:00.000-04:00

So! I started this bag almost immediately after I finished my hat on Sunday night. It is going to be a striped felted tote bag. This is the first time I have swtiched color of yarn and I have to say, it is not that hard! Woo Hoo!

You have to knit the thing in stockinette stitch which as you may know causes things to roll up a bit.
That is my hand and a roll of duct tape show the actual progress of the bag. I have to make 24 stripes for the bag to be complete, and I am almost half way done. I have completed 10 stripes so far. I am on a roll!

The next challenge will be to sew it together, I have yet to sew anything together at all, so I will be seeking out help. I am happy to be doing a felted piece, as I understand any mistakes are forgiven once you put the thing in the washer and it shrinks up. I will post a pic of the thing when I am finished!

the knitting post

2006-10-15T23:21:00.000-04:00

Here it is. The post you have been holding your breath for. THE KNITTING POST!

I am a sporadic knitter. I am not a brave knitter, but once I get on a roll, watch out! I can whip out a hat in 2 days!

What you see on the left is my "Mendocino hat". I purchased this ball of yarn last summer on our vacation at a local farmer's market. It is hand spun and I believe hand dyed. It is totally cool and awesome and I couldn't wait to make a hat out of it. In order to accomplish this task, I had to learn how to decrease. Also, I had to use the double pointed needles of death! SCARY! I must admit, they are not as scary as I first thought. So I started knitting this hat weeks ago during one of Brooke's soccer practices. All was going well, I even got the dang thing on the double pointed needles of death. Then I started to decrease and things got confusing. Come to find out it wasn't really my fault. The pattern was misleading. Anyway, long story short, I had to rip it all out and start over. I started over a few days ago, and finished this evening.

The Result!

I am on my way to more knitting challenges! Next: a striped felted tote bag!

harvest bowl

2006-10-13T11:12:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of some soup that I made for dinner the other night. Wednesday was my last pickup day for my CSA, Tantre Farm. It has been an incredible year for veggies. Every week brought a big, fresh bounty.

The soup is made from butternut squash, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery and komatsu greens from my share this week. For texture I added orzo pasta and white beans. YUMMY!

birth story

2006-10-12T20:45:00.000-04:00

So, I really did attend a birth about three weeks ago. It was a really wonderful birth. First time parents who I met back in August. They interviewed me and hired me a few days later.

At the last prenatal meeting, my client was convinced that she would never make it to her due date, which was October 1st. She was very sure that she would go early. I am always dubious when women say this, because more often than not they go over their due date. Needless to say I was surprised when my phone rang at 7am just 2 days after I went on call.

S (the dad) called me at 7am to tell me that K (the mom)'s water had broken. I asked if she was having any contractions yet and he said no. I asked if the water had any color to it and he said not really, just light yellow. I told him that it was really early yet, but that today would be a baby day!

I next heard from my clients around 9:15am. They had called the hospital and triage suggested that they come in. I asked if they wanted me to come in and join them yet and they said not yet, they would call me when they felt like they needed help.

My clients called me to the hospital around 1:30. When I arrived a short time later I found K contracting and doing very well. She was still dressed in her own clothes and dealing very well with her contractions. When she would have a contraction, her husband, S would say a number between 1 and 4. K would then breathe that many times and then S would say another number. It took me a few minutes to figure out what they were doing, but it seemed to be a very effective distraction technique. They were doing great. Whenever a couple is working well together, I always hang back and observe for a while. I have the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” attitude to labor. If things are working and the mom is handling things well, there isn’t much for me to contribute.

After about 40 or 45 minutes, the doctor came in and asked K if she would like to be checked. She agreed, and she was found to be 4cm and 75% effaced. She was definitely in an active labor stage. After she was checked, she became much less chatty in between contractions and the real serious work of labor started. After about an hour of labor on her side with S still using his distraction technique, I asked if K would like to get into the tub. She said yes, and I started to fill the tub, it was now around 4pm. It took a little convincing to get her into the tub, but once she was there, she really liked being in the water. S was with her and was helping her while she was in the tub. After about 30 minutes in the tub, the Dr. called down and asked that she get out of the tub and put back on the monitor. Back to the bed we go!

Around 5:15 pm K began to vocalize with her contractions. This seemed to help her handle each contraction. When she was not contracting she slept and rested in between. To look at her in that state you would never have known she was in labor! She looked like a sleeping peaceful woman! Things were picking up at this point and the contractions were coming every 2-3 minutes. Around 6pm the resident came back and wanted to check her again. This time she was found to be 7cm. When they asked what her pain was on a scale of 1-10, she said 7. I found it really interesting that both times when she was asked this question, her answer correlated to her dilation!

Not long after she was checked I leaned down and told K that this was now transition and that meant that she would soon be meeting her baby. I reminded her that this is where everyone wants to quit, but that just meant that she was almost done. She seemed to hear me and understand, and continued on beautifully with her labor. After about another hour of lying on her side, I encouraged K to get up and go to the bathroom. She hadn’t gone for about 4 hours and I didn’t want her to have a full bladder while pushing and stall out and have to have a catheter. She got up and went to the bathroom. When she came back, we plugged the monitor back in. But due to her being vertical and moving around, the baby shifted down and the monitor was having difficulty picking up the baby’s heartbeat. Not long after she got back to the bed, the resident and med student came down and there were a few tense minutes while they were trying to find the baby’s heartbeat. They still were having trouble picking it up with the external monitor, so they inserted an internal fetal monitor. Things calmed down once they could get a solid reading on the monitor. K dealt well with this confusion and went right back to handling each contraction one by one.

About 20 minutes later K said she was starting to have pressure with each contraction. We called the nurse back down and K was found to be nearly complete with just a small lip of cervix left. The staff said she could probably push past that lip and be complete. A couple of contractions later, she was complete and started to push. It took her just a couple of contractions to get the hang of it, and she started to push effectively. I always love watching the transition from laboring to pushing. After hours of moms being totally checked out into “labor land” when pushing begins, they come back and check back in and are present. K was no different. We encouraged her and could see progress with each push. At one point toward the end, she was asked if she wanted to touch the baby’s head, she did and that seemed to motivate her even more. At 8:54pm an 8lb 12 oz. baby boy was born.

I told both parents that they had such a wonderful birth. There were a few tense moments when the staff was having trouble finding the baby's heartbeat, but they handled it well. During out prenatal discussions, K was unsure how long she would labor without medication. She commented later that her pain never really got to the point where she couldn't take it. She told me that when I talked to her about the fact that she was in transition, she told herself that she was almost done and that she knew she could continue on. Both parents were very happy with their experiences. If I could clone their birth for all of my clients, I would.

"sssssnnnooowwww"

2006-10-12T15:14:00.000-04:00

Milo looking very confused about the snowshower on October 12th.

Freaking El Nino!

goin to a birth!

2006-09-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

I woke up this morning to my phone ringing at 7am. Client who was due 10/1 called to say that her water had broken. Woo Hoo! I had only been on call for 2 days and now I get to go to a birth later today. This is so much better than going past a due date and getting all anxious waiting for the phone to ring!

I will spill the whole story later.

go tigers!

2006-09-09T11:08:00.000-04:00

quote from the other room

2006-09-06T20:18:00.000-04:00

"whoa, whoa, whoa..... I am the dad. I bought everything in this room, and I am in charge."

"just leave it to the professionals..."

2006-08-24T21:44:00.000-04:00

I had an interview tonight with a potential client for November. I really enjoy the interview process. I have learned in my years as a doula not to get attatched to the client in the interview, sometimes people hire you, sometimes they don't. I always feel like I get the people that I am "supposed" to get.

I don't know if the woman who interviewed me tonight will hire me. I hope she does hire a doula, because if she stays with the care provider that she has now, she is definitely going to need one. We had a really good chat, and she told me about her motivations for wanting to hire a doula. It is her first pregnancy and she doesn't know how she or her husband will be in labor, she wants someone who has been there before. She seems to have all the normal reasons for wanting to have a doula. She said the main reason for seeking out a doula was that the care isn't like she thought it was going to be. She has had an easy pregnancy so far, but expressed dissapointment in a couple of areas. For example the lack of time during her appointments. Also she says she feels "bad" if she is asking too many questions. She doesn't want to be the "annoying question-asking patient". I told her that she shouldn't feel bad at all, that today's care is truly a consumer based arena and that she should get an answer to any question that she puts to her provider.

Then the conversation got really interesting.

She said that although she still has 2.5 months left before the birth of her first baby, she was already thinking about what she would do differently next time. I asked her what she thought she would do. She said she would probably go with a midwife and maybe even have a homebirth. She went on to explain that there was a discovery during this pregnancy in regard to the baby (I don't want to be specific) and that she didn't feel that her current provider gave her the best explanation possible, but tried to blow her off by responding "Just leave it to the professionals..."

When she said this, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

I wanted to tell her to run! Run as fast as she could and find a new care provider. Preferably a midwife, but what could I say? I tried to be as diplomatic as possible, but still let her know that she DOES have options. I wanted to say dump this provider immediately! Instead I told her to listen to her heart. That women have the best outcomes when they feel safe and supported.

I hope she makes the right choice. For her sake.

rock star

2006-08-18T12:48:00.000-04:00

Bad lighting, a little blurry, but sorta cool anyway.

Star Struck

2006-08-18T11:43:00.000-04:00

We have been having a really busy summer here. The neglect of this blog obviously reflects that. The kids have been home with me all summer, and we have been trying to keep busy and stay away from the tv.

I have also had a very busy summer going to concerts. I started off the summer by going to see Ani DiFranco at the Power Center here in Ann Arbor in June. Great show. I have seen Ani before and each time I am awed by her amazing talent.

Then in July, Mark and I flew out to San Francisco for our big "Tenth Anniversary Trip". We initially bought tickets to see Ween and The Flaming Lips and then planned our trip around the concert. My brother-in-law, Dave found it hilarious that we wanted to celebrate such a momentous occasion by flying to California to see Ween. It was completely worth the trip and we had a blast.

Shortly after we got home from California, we went and saw The Raconteurs at the Michigan Theatre. Jack White from White Stripes fame has this band as a side project from the White Stripes. The Raconteurs is a full band as opposed to the two person unit of the White Stripes. Despite the fact that the band only has one album, Jack White and company proceeded to melt our faces off during the show. Awesome.

I have written here before about the fact that Wilco is my favorite band. I have seen them live at least 6 times. Last fall I also went and saw Jeff Tweedy solo here in town. I had a lovely time, and shared the evening with Doulicia and her hubby.

So a couple of months ago I noticed on the Wilco website that Jeff was doing a solo show in Raleigh, NC. We have family in Greensboro and I also have a good friend who lives in Raleigh. I got online the morning that tickets went on sale and put in my request for tickets. I was rewarded with FRONT ROW TICKETS! I really made the purchase on a whim, figuring that it was summer and we could somehow get down there for the show.

As things turned out, Mark was unable to commit to going to the show with me due to work. If it wasn't for the fact that I got front row tickets, I surely would have sold them on ebay or the wilco fan site, but I have never had front row tickets for anything, let alone my all time favorite singer/songwriter. I had to make it happen.

I booked my flight in June and told my friend Tracy that I was coming in for the show, and that she would have to come with me. She happily agreed. I flew in on Wednesday morning and Wednesday evening we went to the show.

It was a glorious evening. It was almost a perfect evening. Great venue, great weather, a great friend by my side and a bottle of Cabernet. The music was just awesome, and Jeff was in fine form. He joked with the crowd and seemed to be having fun too. I went to sleep happy.

The next morning, Tracy took me back to the airport for my return trip home. I was still buzzing from the evening before (not from the wine, just the general atmosphere). I checked in at the kiosk, got my boarding passes and proceeded to the security checkpoint. I was happy to find that there was NO LINE! Raleigh has a relatively small airport, so security was a breeze. I am sitting on a chair, putting my shoes back on and I look up and there.....is Jeff Tweedy. We lock eyes and I immediately crap my pants. I am sure that my mouth was hanging open when I tried to squeak out a hello. He gave me a sheepish grin, and ambled off.

At this point I am freaking out! I was completely star-struck! I just saw my musical hero and completely choked! I get a drink of water and decide to head to my gate. I stopped at one of the news-stand/stores and grab a bottle of water, and THERE HE IS AGAIN! Looking at the magazines. I crap my pants a second time, pay for my water and find a seat at my gate. A few minutes later, Jeff walks up to my gate and finds a seat. (Is the dude stalking me?) I come to the realization that we are going to be on the same flight. I crap my pants a third and final time.

I still cannot find it within myself to say anything to him. I think I was afraid of sounding like Chris Farley in The Chris Farley show . (Thanks for the link doulicia). I am a pretty shy person in general. I don't really like parties because I can't stand making small talk. It takes me a while to get to know people, and am really uncomfortable in social situations. I am just really shy!

However, today I am still kicking myself for not saying hello. So Jeff if you are out there, the girl with the brown hair and brown eyes in the Michigan t-shirt at the Raleigh airport yesterday? She says Hi. And also that I am a big fan and that I really enjoyed the show Wednesday night. And thanks for the music. And, you are awesome.

vacation, all i ever needed....

2006-07-31T01:23:00.000-04:00

These photos are all from our trip to San Francisco and the Napa Valley. Mark and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary this year. We were pleased and excited to be mistaken for newleyweds on two seperate occasions.

furry animals for peace!

2006-07-04T12:59:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July.

onward and upward

2006-06-16T13:53:00.000-04:00

It is now officially, Summer Vacation.

Brooke finished preschool this morning and is now a bonafide kindergartner. She couldn't be happier, I on the other hand am feeling a little sad. We have finished a major milestone of childhood. Today we said goodbye to preschool.

I found this wonderful montessori school 4 years ago. By some miracle I managed to get Andrew in when he was 4 years old (the school year had already started, but they had one spot that was unfilled.) He remained there for 2 years and then Brooke started there when she turned 3. I love this little preschool. It is homey and nurturing and the teachers are kind and lovely. Despite the fact that the school is on the other side of town -- far out of my way, I have never complained about the distance. The school is worth the drive and the extra money I have spent on gas. I love the school that much.

For the past few months Brooke was having a hard time at school and we chalked it up to the fact that she was feeling sad because she was going to be going to the big school near our house. We thought (and she said) that she was feeling sad because she was going to miss her friends at school and was nervous about starting at Andrew's school next year. The teachers and I had numerous conferences and devised various plans to help Brooke manage her anxiety. As the weeks went on, things got better. However, I never realized just how attatched I had become to the school! I am going to miss the teachers and all the other kids as well. And while I won't be upset about saving money on gas, I am truly going to miss being there every day.

I know wonderful things lie in store for both my kids at the new montessori school. Andrew has done well there the past 2 years and I think that Brooke will thrive there. I think the thing that is really getting to me is I am mourning just a little bit of their childhood. They are growing and getting bigger by the minute. I know that parenting is a process of letting go, but this is one of the harder things I have had to let go.

dexter-ann arbor kids fun run

2006-06-04T17:27:00.000-04:00

Andrew and Brooke before the race

Andrew warms up before the race.

Andrew likes his medal.

Brooke celebrates with an ice cream cone from Washtenaw Dairy.

baby girl

2006-05-23T12:24:00.000-04:00

Can you believe it? I am actually doing doula-type things again! I attended the birth of a baby girl this morning.

A little background. This was the couple's third child. The first labor was extremely long (38 hours) and resulted in a very exhausted mom and a baby boy. I did not attend this birth but she did have a doula with her during the birth. Baby was posterior and she vomited with almost every contraction. After 32 hours of labor she requested an epidural. Some six hours later her baby was born.

I attended this couple with baby number 2. After her first experience we weren't sure quite what to expect. I assured her it would not be as long as her first labor, as second babies tend to come quicker. We were all shocked when her labor began around 3:15am and her daughter was born at 5:25am.

None of us could really begin to imagine how this labor would progress. Yesterday I was thinking about the couple all day. They were certainly on my radar as I accompanied my son on his class picnic yesterday. I took my phone with me on the field trip and nearly jumped out of my skin when it rang (It was my husband, not my clients.). Then last night as I was getting ready for bed I was thinking of them again. I just had that feeling. I then chastised myself for not going to bed sooner. The phone rang around 11:30 it was M saying that C's water had just broke. "We like to try and do this differently every time" was the dad's comment. She was not having any contractions yet so they told me to stay home for a while. I tried to read a bit more until the shot of adrenelin and excitement wore down. After about 20 minutes, I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.

Next phone call came at 2:30. Dad says not to rush, but the contractions have started and they now want some company. I wash my face, get dressed and am out the door a little before 3am. I put my birth cd(Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by Wilco) in my car cd player and head off into the night. I arrive and find mom chatty and walking around. I observe her for about 10 minutes and the contractions start to pick up. "Oh, I remember this, I really didn't like this..." I assure her she is doing great. After about 20 minutes, her contractions are coming every 5 minutes and lasting 45 seconds to a minute. She begins to feel nauseous. She was nauseous and vomiting in both her other labors. She looks just like she did at her last labor, I call the dad and we decide to head off to the hospital.

We arrive in triage and she appears to be in active labor. She is vocalizing and vomiting with each contraction. The nurse checks her and finds her to be dilated to 3. We are all a little taken aback by this! This is not labor number 2! We gather her things and make our way to her labor room. Per her request, there is a room with a tub available. We settle into the room and not long after, she announces she is feeling pushy. Midwife checks her and finds her still at 3 but now 80% effaced. We talk her into getting into the tub. This mom really does not like to move during labor, but she is willing to try and get to the tub. Once in the tub, she seems to relax more, but is still vomiting with each contraction. She stays in the tub for about 30 minutes, but cant' seem to get comfortable and wants to get out and be checked again. The thought of having to move again is hard for her to comprehend, but she is willing and we help her back to the bed. The midwife checks her again and she is now 7 centimeters. A big change! And in a short amount of time! We ask if she wants to get back into the tub, but she cannot fathom moving again. She feels exhausted and wants it to all be over. We convice her to get on her hands and knees. Within a few seconds of getting her into this next position, she says she has to push and her body does so voluntarily. The baby's head is out within the first two pushes. One more big push and her daughter is born!

Exciting.

Thrilling.

Wonderful.

contrary to popular belief, I did not fall off the face of the earth

2006-05-18T10:23:00.000-04:00

Hellloooo!

Sorry it's been so long since I rapped at ya, but things around Chez Fisher have been a little crazy. I won't go into many details, but the combination of school quickly coming to an end, various projects I have been working on and the completion of my physical therapy sessions led to the neglection of this blog. So, um, I'm sorry.

But things are looking up! The school year is coming to an end soon, and I can hardly believe it. Andrew will be wrapping up his 1st grade year and Brooke will soon be moving from her preschool to the "big school" for kindergarten next year. I can't believe my baby will be starting kindergarten in the fall. {sniff}

We have a mostly relaxed summer planned. I have only one camp thing per kid scheduled right now. I think it is important for my kids to have serious down time in the summer. It will be nice to sleep in and not have to rush anywhere in the mornings. I am looking forward to it.

Mark and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary this year and we are planning a cool vacation around it. Actually the trip comes a bit before the anniversary, but we will celebrate it anyway. We are going out to San Francisco and wine country in late July. We are staying with some friends in San Fran and will also be going to see the Flaming Lips and Ween in Berkely. I am shaking in my boots with excitement. I am also going to see Ani DiFranco with a friend of mine in June, and I just got tickets to see a Jeff Tweedy solo show in Raleigh, NC in August. I somehow managed to get front row tickets for Jeff Tweedy. DID YOU HEAR THAT? I SAID I GOT FRONT ROW TICKETS FOR JEFF TWEEDY!!!

I need to go lay down for a minute.

gumball machine

2006-04-20T21:10:00.000-04:00

Brooke made this today. Thought you might like it.

blogging when i should be packing

2006-04-13T09:50:00.000-04:00

I realize I haven't updated this blog since the lightning strike!

We are off today on our annual spring visit to North Carolina. I have loads of packing to do after tackling mountains of laundry yesterday. I always look forward to this trip as it is my official "spring has finally sprung" trip. Traditionally this means no more snow after our return. However, this being Michigan, you just never know. It snowed on my birthday last year (11 days from today).

Anyway, I am rambling here with no real purpose. Must. Go. Pack.

holy bowling angels batman!

2006-04-01T18:55:00.000-05:00

Our house was struck by lightning last night! I swear this is not an April fools joke. I wish it were.
Everything is fine, the house didn't burn to the ground or anything, but there were a few minor casualties:

sprinkler system--roasted
old fridge in the garage that was only used to keep extra beer cold--roasted
deep freeze freezer -- we think this no longer works either
dvd player in the living room--roasted
cable box--cooked, but it gave its life for our television

We originally thought the tv was zapped along with the cable box, but upon further inspection the tv is ok -- we think. The high definition channels only come in green. So either we have a bad (new) cable box or the tv needs to be repaired.

UPDATE! The freezer and the fridge in the garage are ok! They were plugged into an outlet that had a reset button on it. Mark pushed the reset button and they started right up! Yay!

Next, we talk to the insurance company to see what they have to say.

back in the saddle

2006-03-30T20:13:00.000-05:00

This is going to be about physical therapy and getting back to doula work!

Firstly, the physical therapy is going pretty well. It is sad to discover just how out of shape I am after 3 months of recuperation. I have been to 4 therapy sessions, and I am doing various exercises at home. So far it is going ok, but I am pretty tired by the end of the day. The biggest surprise is how sloooowly it is taking to get back to "normal". My ankle is still pretty stiff, but I am able to walk longer distances and am gaining more stamina with each passing day. I still have miles to go, but I am happy about my progress so far. Having a kicking mp3 player loaded up for PT also makes it more fun.

Also! I had my first prenatal with my next client last night. This is my first "official" repeat client. Even tho I attended that awesome birth nearly 2 months ago, this will be my first real repeat. The nice thing about having previous clients hire you again is you get to reconnect with people! Also there is history between you and the couple. This couple is due Memorial Day weekend and I couldn't be more excited about assisting them again. We had a great chat last night where we laughed about the last birth. (We were all surprised about how quick it was-- 2 hours from start to finish). I am really looking forward to getting back to work.

spring art

2006-03-23T19:01:00.000-05:00

Yes, she knits too

2006-03-17T09:36:00.000-05:00

This is called the "ribbed for her pleasure" scarf. I swear that is the title. I did not make that up.

I am knitting! And although I swore not to make another scarf, I just had to try to do this one. It is a nifty knit, and purl combo that I had to master before I could move on to larger projects. Things that are not rectangle shaped. My sister-in-law is about to have her second baby, and I want to make her a blanket. So, I am moving from rectangles to squares! Maybe soon I will attempt to make something with sleeves.

quick update

2006-03-09T12:34:00.000-05:00

Sorry, no time for a long post. Just a quick update on how the doctor appt. went the other day.

IT WENT GREAT!

I am all clear to drive and wear shoes. I start physical therapy next Tuesday.

Gotta run. I am going out to run some errands. Did you hear that internet? GOING OUT TO RUN SOME ERRANDS....BY MYSELF! ALONE! DRIVING MY OWN CAR!

This one is for all the broken leggers out there (and I know you are out there)

2006-03-07T09:50:00.000-05:00

Ok all you people who are googling broken leg things, this one is for you.

IT GETS BETTER! IT JUST TAKES TIME!

This experience has been an extrememly long haul for me. It will probably be a very long haul for you as well. However, here is some advice. Take it slow. Don't rush things. If you do you will regret it.

Later today I will go back and visit with my Orthapedic Surgeon. He is a nice guy and I happen to like him. I have done pretty much everything he has asked of me. Today I want him to tell me it is ok to start driving (even though I already have. Shut up! I am ready.) And I also want him to tell me to begin physical therapy. Because honestly, the leg just isn't like it used to be. I would say its about 70%. I have a bunch of work ahead of me.

Do you have a broken leg? Is that what is bringing you to this blog? If so, don't be shy! Say hello! Ask a question if you are so inclined. Just please, allow yourself time to heal. That was the hardest thing for me was to actually let go and allow myself to mend.

Good luck.

rows upon rows of chrysalises (what is the plural of that word -- chrysali?)

2006-03-07T09:37:00.000-05:00

Here is a pic from the weekend at the butterfly exhibit. This was my favorite part, the chrysalises.

You might recall that I did some butterfly ranching myself last summer .

Edited to add: I fixed the link. Click here for a picture of one of my monarchs.

independence day

2006-03-06T14:49:00.000-05:00

I drove my kids to school today. I got behind the wheel and I drove.

It felt really good.

So good that I went to Whole Foods and shopped there for the first time in 3 months.

It was delightful.

Then after walking around Whole Foods in my somewhat elevated boots, I decided that what I really needed was a new pair of shoes, read: comfortable shoes. But what to buy? I needed something comfortable and non-constricting. Something that would allow my foot to swell after I walk on it too much. New tennis shoes seemed out of the question. I then drove myself over to Fourth St. where there is an indpendent shoe store that sells just what I was looking for. Ten minutes later I was the proud owner of some rather clunky, yet comfortable and supportive Birkenstocks . I chose the color mocha suede.

And I did it all on my own. Independence feels good people.

not that I need to offer any excuses...

2006-03-03T20:02:00.000-05:00

I haven't been able to post much lately because I have been hanging out with my kids all week while they are on break. Like I said, I don't need to give you any explanations or excuses. Really! Is there even anyone out there? Hello? Helloooooo?

I must say, it has been a fun week. I was a little nervous at first. The thought of being alone all day with my kids was a little daunting. Actually, no. The daunting part was being home with them and not being able to get in the car and take them somewhere fun if need be. There is only so much you can do at home until it gets boring. And there are only so many times I can yell "Turn off the TV or you are grounded!"

Under normal circumstances (like before I broke my leg) we could hop in the car and go to the library or to a friend's house or to the hands-on-museum or something. Being unable to drive has been the hardest part about the whole thing. However, our babysitter put in a few extra hours this week to help me keep them entertained. It was extremely helpful.

Last year during "mid-winter" break we went to Florida. (I suggest a name change. "Mid-winter break?" It is now March people, lets hope we are at the END of the winter!) Florida was great, we visited friends, went to Disney World and the Kennedy Space Center. A good time was had by all. This year we had to make do with a sleep over, the natural history museum and bowling. The kids had fun, but it really wasn't the same.

Tomorrow we are heading off for a quick get-a-way to the other side of Michigan. (I need to at least feel like I had a vacation!) We will be going to a butterfly exhibit and staying at a hotel with an indoor pool. Boca Raton it aint, but it will have to do for now.

Tuesday brings my next visit with my orthapedic surgeon. All I want to hear come out of his mouth is that my bones are mending and I can start physical therapy. Oh yeah, and that I can start driving.

one year ago today, we went to the happiest place on earth

2006-02-23T12:32:00.000-05:00

ode to a babysitter

2006-02-22T10:14:00.000-05:00

I have to give it up for my babysitter.

She is AWESOME.

I love her.

Every mom knows how daunting it is to find a new babysitter. Especially if you don't know where to start. When my first sitter moved to Florida, I had to find someone new. I asked around but people are very reluctant to give you the name of their babysitter! I went to Craig's List and found that people who are babysitters put ads out looking for jobs! You would think it would be the other way around, but no! You would be wrong. So long story short, I sent her an email, invited her over and liked her right from the start. She began sitting for us on a semi-regular basis. Usually about once or twice a month, so Mark and I could go out on dates.

Cut to December 2005 and me with my leg all broken. I called Rachelle and asked if she would be willing to work for us on a somewhat REGULAR basis. Like, everyday. She is a college student who is studying to become a teacher, (Did I mention she wants to be a montessori teacher? Boy, she sure said all the right things during that interview) so I knew her schedule might be an issue. However, since I timed the accident so perfectly (during the holidays and in between semesters) she was willing to schedule classes around the times that I needed her. Namely between the hours of 3 and 7pm.

Since January, she has been helping out daily. She picks up the kids from school, gives them snacks and helps keep them entertained and away from the television. She shuttles me to the grocery store when I need to go and helps me prepare dinner. She is a supreme salad maker-- I hate to make salads, but love to eat them, so this is very important to me. She eats with our family almost every night and sticks around and loads the dishwasher after! Every day she asks me if there is anything I want her to do around the house. Sometimes I come up with creative projects like changing the sheets on all the beds. She happily complies. You want her too don't you? Well too bad, you can't have her. She is mine.

As my leg improves, and I am able to do more around the house I know my "need" for her will be coming to an end. I am looking forward to driving and being able to do all of the things I normally do around the house, but can't help feeling a little sad about her not being with us on a daily basis. When I became a stay-at-home-mom, I did so because I wanted to raise my kids myself, and sort of looked down my nose at a fellow SAHM who employed a nanny. Now I have seen the light! I am torn by my need to get back to normal and the thought of saying goodbye to my babysitter. I know she will still work for us if we want to go out on a date, but it's not the same. I am going to miss her.

-Sigh-

I JUST WALKED!

2006-02-17T13:13:00.000-05:00

I have been struggling lately trying to figure out just how much I should be pushing myself as far as my recovery goes. I didn't really get any clear instructions or advice from my surgeon about progress with walking or where he expects me to be the next time I see him (March 7). I have been walking with my Darth boot for the past 2 weeks and have been dropping my crutches slowly since my last surgery. First I had both crutches, then I went to one and now I am moving around the house with just my boot on. I know that that is progress.

Right after my accident, my doctor said that I would be in a cast the first 6 weeks and then a walking cast/boot the following 6 weeks. This is what I have had in my head as a time frame. I really want to get back to driving as soon as I can. I am really wanting my life and routine to get back to normal.

So today after I got out of my bath I did the most frightening thing. I walked on my broken ankle/leg without my darth boot on. I only took a few steps, but I haven't been this proud of myself since I gave birth to my kids! It was really scary, but I did it. Granted I took a pain pill before my bath and then made about 1500 circles with my ankle while I was in the warm water, but when I got out I walked on my own two feet! WOO HOO!

I am still in the middle of this tunnel, but I am beginning to see the light at the end.....

and here they are, my clean shaven legs...

2006-02-15T14:29:00.000-05:00

Not a particularly great shot, but you get the idea.

I am now really looking forward to getting a pedicure.

today's tiny victory: clean shaven legs

2006-02-15T12:22:00.000-05:00

As I have been going through this healing process, each day I try to focus on the "little victories". Things that under normal circumstances I would not think twice about, but since my accident take much more time and thought. These tiny victories have ranged from learning to walk on my crutches, to carrying 2 things at a time -- one item in each hand. (Which I accomplished yesterday).

The one luxury I have been looking forward to since this epic odyssey of mending began, was shaving my legs. I had to wait a couple of extra weeks for all of the dead skin to slough off so that I could shave my legs without adding further injury to my legs. Today was the day I had been looking forward to over the last 2 months. This is the razor that I used. I took a picture of it, but it came out really blurry. We received this in the mail as a free sample a few weeks ago. I have been saving it for this express purpose. It is the same razor I talked about in this post a while back. I still find that whole thing hilarious. Make sure you click on the onion article. It still makes me pee when I re-read it.

I am having a hard time posting another picture within this post so stay tuned for an "after" pic.

The photo above is a picture of my legs after not shaving them for 91/2 weeks. EEEEWWWW! Believe me they were much more gross in person. Also take note of the loss of muscle in my right calf as opposed to my left. Pretty weird.

It's a boy (again)

2006-02-13T15:23:00.000-05:00

I got to go to a birth last night!

This is the client that was to be my first "repeat". I was to have my first prenatal visit with her on the day that I broke my leg. Doulicia went in my place and agreed to take her on and cover me since I wouldn't be able to attend her with a broken leg.

However, the invitation had been extended, that if the timing was right and I was able, I could still attend the birth. Last night the stars aligned and I was proud to witness the birth of their second son.

Around 4:30 Doulica called to say that she had just gotten the call that N's water had broken she thought she would be going to the hospital soon and wanted to know if I felt like coming along. Honestly at the time I had been taking a nap as I had't really felt well all day. I told her to call me back and "keep me in the loop."

She phoned back a couple hours later saying she was going to go home and grab her knitting and wanted to know if I wanted to come along then. I told her to swing by and get me after she got her knitting. I grabbed my knitting too as well as my sudoko book. I figured this might be a long one with all the knitting going on.

We arrived around 8:30 to find her in the bathtub. Her partner came out and announced that she was "thinking about the epidural." We went in and found her to be very chatty. Uh oh, I thought, better grab that knitting. But after about 20 minutes in the tub she stopped talking during a contraction and had to concentrate through it. Ok I thought, a little progress. I hobbled out of the bathroom and tried to find a comfortable chair (!) in which to park myself. N came out not long after and I noticed a marked change about her. She was no longer chatty and couldn't quite figure out how to get comfortable. She walked around the room for a while until she got cold. We got her into a gown and I suggested she try to sit on the ball and lean on the bed. She did that for maybe 4 minutes. She said the contractions were coming closer and stronger and she thought she might want to be checked. (Her water broke around 3pm and they didn't check her in triage. This was to be her first cervical check.) The Dr. was called in and found her to be 5-6 and 100% effaced. A few minutes later (really it was only a few) she started saying "I can't do it" and was getting really overwhelmed by the intensity of the contractions. The Dr. was still in the room and there was talk about getting an epidural. The Dr. countered with "how 'bout this, I will come back in 10 minutes and we will check you again, and then you can decide what you want to do about pain control." N (sort of) agreed but countered back with "how about 5 minutes". She checked her again and found her to be at 9cm!
This was about 5-6 minutes after the first check! A couple of HUGE contractions later and she was fully dilated.

She pushed for about 10 minutes and her baby boy was born!

I was so excited to be a part of this birth. I have this philosophy that things always work out. And this time they totally did. From the time that we arrived until the time the baby was born was about an hour! I was home before 11pm! I am truly grateful to this couple who invited me back and to doulicia for providing me a ride!

the one where I promise a post

2006-02-10T16:57:00.000-05:00

I have a bunch of ideas of things I want to post. I just can't seem to get them organized into a cohesive list. Or as my friend Seth would say "I can't get my poop in a group."

I am thinking about my/our client who was due yesterday. I was supposed to go to this birth. It was to be my first "repeat" client. Doulica will be attending her. I may go to the birth anyway if the timing works out. The couple was hoping for things to be "just like last time". I have news for them, it most definitely will not be just like last time. Because IT NEVER IS! All births are different no matter what. I hope I can go and at least sit in the corner and try to be a calming presence. Even though I can't walk, I can still hold the space.

Brooke had a good week at school and as a reward we are going to watch Wallace and Grommit and the Curse of the Wererabbit. I will be making popcorn and I will be using real butter.

Happy Friday!

kid hands

2006-02-07T13:07:00.000-05:00

At least they didn't scan their butts.

the post that will make you hungry

2006-02-06T10:37:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day scheduled for us to receive a meal from our luscious food caravan. It had been an absolute dream to not have to worry about making dinner for the family for the past 7 weeks.

Right after my sledding accident, our friends and family sprang into action and started providing us with food. Andrew's first-grade montessori class assembled a lasagne and cookies for us while I was still in the hospital. Susie P. sent home a tray of BBQ beef and a salad. My in-laws came up for Christmas and cooked our traditional standing rib roast dinner. I normally make creme brulee for dessert at Christmas, but my MIL tackled that as well.

Shortly after the new year, the food train started making regular stops at our house. This list of people was put together by Doulicia through the miracle of the internet. A few quick clicks of the mouse, and friends started arriving with food! Here is a (somewhat) complete list of what we have received over the past month:

Chicken Pot pie , salad and chocolate chip cookies from Lisa A. (a former client)
Ravioli and meatballs, salad and apple pie from Julia G.
Homemade mac with 3 cheeses and salad from Nikki K. (former doula client)
BBQ ribs, baked beans, coleslaw and cornbread from my girl Jere R.
Pork Roast, green beans, baked potatoes and salad from Diane M.
Roast Chicken and a delicious artichoke,spinach/rice casserole and pie from Mary T.
Spaghetti pie, salad and carrot cake from Beth P.
Soup and homemade bread from Doulicia.
Chicken Satay (with an awesome peanut sauce!) fried rice and pudding from Joan L.
Chicken in white wine sauce, salad and strawberries from Leah T.
Rigatoni casserole, salad and bread from Bev D.
Veggie lasagne, salad and bread from our friends Irfan and Stacey.
Homemade mac and cheese from my very first doula client Susan F.

Doesn't that all sound so yummy?! I am a little sad to see the food train leave the station for the last time, but I am so grateful to all of our friends who have contributed. Everything was delicious and healthy and we appreciated it so much! It has also been a really good lesson for my kids. They are aware that we as human beings need to take care of each other. They have witnessed the kindness of others and I hope that they will learn from the experience. I will make sure that we "pay it forward" so they understand that although we are on the receiving end right now, we also need to be on the giving end in the future.

cupcake

2006-02-03T21:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday baby girl.

holy crap, i've been tagged

2006-02-02T08:53:00.000-05:00

Wow, I just got tagged by Hannah at Millner's Dream for a meme. Not sure where the name meme came from but I will happily play along. I just hope I can get all of my links to work.

Four Jobs I Have Had:

Mom - The job I currently hold

Properties Designer for the Performance Network

Theatre Apprentice and later Education Outreach Coordinator for The Purple Rose

Deck hand at Sheplers Mackinaw Island Ferry for 2 outrageous summers in the early 1990's.

Four Movies I could watch over and over:

I am Trying To Break Your Heart - The Wilco Documentary

Raising Arizona - An alltime classic

16 Candles -- A John Hughes Masterpiece

The Big Lebowski - Hilarious on so many levels. "The dude abides.."

Four Places I have lived:

Detroit, Michigan (15 years)

Indian River, Michigan (3 years and summers during college)

Adrian, Michigan (4 years for college)

Ann Arbor, Michigan (going on 14 years. I was recently notified of my status as a "townie")

Four Places I have vacationed:

Kauai, Hawaii 1996 for our honeymoon.

London and Paris - Summer 2002

St. Kitts -- January 1999 to celebrate Nini's 80th birthday

Florida -- Winter 2005. Boca Raton to visit friends, and a trip to see The Mouse.

Four TV shows I watch:

Project Runway (which I have already discussed)

The Office (The British version, although I like the American version too. Steve Carell is hilarious!)

The Sopranos (New Season starts March 12!)

Grey's Anatomy (I am becoming a fan!)

Four Websites I visit daily:

Doulicia

Via Chicago (a Wilco fan site. I am a notorious lurker)

Very Mom (Very witty)

Savage Chickens (for my daily dose of chicken humor)

Four favorite foods (but there are really so many more than four...)

Bi Bim Bop from Kosmopolitan in Kerrytown!

Chipati from Pizza House

Sabor Latino -- Mark is such a regular here, they drop off an iced tea before he even sits down.

This meal that I had in Miami (Cuban food)

Four Places I would rather be:

On my feet walking around like normal

someplace warm

Zingerman's Deli having a bowl of soup and a sandwich

At PT working on getting my ankle back to normal. (This will start sometime soon)

3 People I am tagging.

Doulicia (because she doesn't have enough on her plate...)

K at Name the Blog

Ahava at This Path

These are the three people that have actually been brave enough at one time or another to leave a comment on my blog. Thanks for that! More people should speak up!

the screw is out and i'm on my feet

2006-02-01T13:50:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had my third, and (hopefully) last surgery. It was a pretty quick one. They knocked me out and took out a very large screw. I woke up and viola! I am walking -- although still with the help of crutches. My ankle is very stiff and yes, painful but it is progress. Today I am wearing a pair of jeans for the first time in 6.5 weeks! Baby steps people, baby steps.

I go for a post-op with my surgeon next week. Tomorrow I get to take off the dressings and take a shower. Up until now I have been taking baths. I am also looking forward to shaving my legs! I will save that little tidbit for a later post.

I have to admit, when I started this blog I sort of intended it to have a doula slant to it. However, in light of recent events it is all about my broken leg/ankle. I apologize to all those doulas and potential doulas who found me via Doulicia's and Milliner's Dream. I promise that as soon as I start attending births again, I will write about it.

this is one dream that will come true

2006-01-27T14:54:00.000-05:00

Andrew made this at school. I told him this is going to come true very soon. Here is what he wrote in case you have trouble reading his first-grader handwriting:

"My dream is when my mom gets all her casts off then I can play with her. That is my dream."

the excitement, it is mounting

2006-01-25T12:29:00.000-05:00

So big things are finally happening around here. For the past 5 1/2 weeks I have been sitting around with my leg propped up on pillows and watching the world pass me by. HOWEVER, things are beginning to change.

Excitement #1 -- I purchased my Darth Vadar Boot on Monday. (The Darth Vadar boot is also known as a walking cast). This device will enable me to finally begin to put some weight on my right leg after I have my quick and (hopefully) painless outpatient surgery next week. I have an appointment with my surgeon tomorrow, and he will be taking off my hard cast and replacing it with this boot. He will also be taking some x-rays tomorrow to check on the healing. Hopefully things are coming together nicely. I plan on weaning myself off these crutches next week. I really want to chuck them aside and start walking, but I am realistic, and I can see with my naked eye the amount of muscle mass I have lost by not using my right leg over the last 6 weeks. I am realistic that I won't be running right away.

Excitement #2 -- We are heading to the waterpark this weekend! Brooke turns 5 on February 3rd. Her two best friends have birthdays that are within 2 weeks of hers. A few months ago I consulted with the other moms of her friends and we all decided it would be fun to take the girls to the waterpark for their birthdays. Lets face it. When your birthday is in the dead of winter, it is challenging coming up with new and fun things to do. This will definitely be fun. And even though I can't play in the water this time, I plan on having fun anyway. The moms have all decided to get SPA TREATMENTS! I am scheduled for an aromatherapy massage at 10am Saturday. Please remember to avoid the leg! Actually avoid them both, as they haven't been shaved in the last 6 weeks.

Excitement #3 -- I am actually beginning to get out of the house! It is really great. I have been venturing out here and there over the past couple weeks. Last week I went with the family to the kids tennis lessons and lunch. Today a friend picked me up and we also went and had lunch. Good times.

conversation at lunch

2006-01-21T13:05:00.000-05:00

I swear that this just happened.

Brooke: "Mom, is this a dream?"

Terri: "You mean right now, is this a dream right now?"

Brooke: "Yeah, are we in a dream right now."

Terri: "No Brooke, this is happening right now. We are not in a dream."

Andrew: "If this were a dream, it would be raining candy by now."

secret confession

2006-01-19T13:46:00.000-05:00

Maybe its because I have been stuck in my house for the past month, or maybe I am just plain bored. I have done my share of sudoku. I have read over 5 books, but now I have become a slave to a television show. Worse yet -- it is a REALITY television show!

I know! UUUGGGG! Egads, what could be worse? But internets, have you been watching Project Runway! I am helpless against its powers. I sit with eyes glazed over at the fabulous designers and their dramas! It is like a glorious sled crash that I cannot tear my eyes away from! My husband he just sighs and leaves the room. I am not the woman he married.

My favorite designer? So glad that you asked. NICK! He is fabulous I tell you. He is whom I predict to win it all. He is funny, fabulous, and so obviously talented. He is also over the age of 35 so I am rooting for him on that sheer fact alone. You can keep your Santinos with all their wickity-whack tie ons and over the top ruffles. I can't take the eye rolling and sour faces he makes. He will last the remainder of the show just for the drama he creates. But he is no Nick I tell you. He can't even carry Nick's sewing kit. Although in all fairness, I am sure he is a much nicer person than he is being portrayed on the show. Those evil editing bastards. Here is a funny outtake video that I like of Santino.

So there you have it. One of my only deep dark secrets I will reveal on the internet. I admit I am a hypocrite.

Edited to add: Ok that video link is not working. If you want to go to it, click on episode 7 bonus videos. It is #4 labeled Catchy Tune.

boob squishing on one leg

2006-01-18T15:08:00.000-05:00

So as if recovering from my broken leg werent enough, today I went in to have a mammogram. I had scheduled this procedure long before my accident a month ago, and had made arrangements for a friend to drive me, so I wasn't about to reschedule it. I just wanted to get it overwith already.

If you have never had a mammogram before, let me set the scene: The procedure itself is pretty uncomfortable. You stand there naked from the waist up and are (wo)man handled into a huge machine which compresses your breast into a pancake between two plastic plates. Fun! Now try doing it while standing on one leg! Acrobats! Do I get extra credit? No? Nothing? Just more manhandling and squishing. Hurrah. I am happy to report that all my slides were good and easy to read. I didn't have to have any retakes. Phew!

Tomorrow I get to go back to my dr/surgeon. He will take off my cast (again) and check to see how things are healing. I may have more x-rays taken. (Jeez, soon I will be glowing in the dark!) These visits are pretty routine, he asks me how I am feeling, comments on what a bad break I had ("It was horrible"--a direct quote from him, I kid you not) and asks if I need anymore pain medicine. (No thank you.) Then its back home to my couch.

taking stock

2006-01-11T10:43:00.000-05:00

So what does this all mean for my doula work? Well, obviously I won't be able to take any clients for a while. Thankfully I did not have a client lined up for January, and Doulicia has agreed to take on my February client. The only other person that I had confirmed, was a mom who was due with her third child in April. Although I will most likely be back on my feet by then, I am sure I will be in the throes of physical thearpy and am not sure what my stamina will be like that early in my recovery.

Did I mention how lucky I am to have my friend doulicia as my backup? She wrote a very touching post on her blog about our relationship, and I share her sentiments exactly. We are not only colleagues, but also friends. This was brought home to me by how quickly she picked up the ball and organized a food caravan for me and my family shortly after my accident. (Gosh, I am so lucky!) Her doula heart took over and went into overdrive, and after a few quick emails, we are scheduled to have friends bring us a meal 3 nights a week, for the next 3 weeks. Is that awesome or what? Doulicia, I salute you.

This experience has not only been a huge inconvienence for me, but it has also been a huge lesson as well. It has taught me how very blessed I am. I married a truly great person. Mark has been fantastic over the past 3.5 weeks. He has worked really hard to keep up the house and the kids and also maintain his job. It is not easy doing his job, as well as mine, but he has done it really well, and with little complaint. Thanks honey, I love you so very much.

It has also shown me how many wonderful friends I have. As a doula, I am really used to giving-- Of myself, my energy, my time etc. I am a pretty independent person and I am not used to taking. I give! I am a giver! This has been a lesson in accepting help gracefully. When a situation like this happens, people come out of the woodwork and want to know what they can do to help. I give thanks to all my friends and family who have not only brought us meals, but also shuttled my kids to and from school, picked them up for playdates....and even kept them overnight. When asked what someone can do for me/us I have often said, "I'm not sure, but I will let you know." And then I do figure it out. Thank you so much: Lynn, Natalie, Alicia, Erika, Anne, Joan, Susie, Julia, Lisa, Beth, Jere and everyone else who I am forgetting. I am supremely lucky to be surrounded by such an awesome support system. We honestly couldn't have gotten this far without all of you.

So, as for the rest of 2006, and my doula prospects. I hope to be helping another former client this May. I ran into her not long before my accident, and she asked if I was available in May. Right now, I anticipate that I will be. Attending that birth in May, will mean it will have been 7 months between clients. The longest stretch between clients since I began practicing. I plan to take it slow. My overall health is what is most important to me. If I am not 100% then I will be of little use to others.

this pretty much sums it up

2006-01-10T15:04:00.000-05:00

If you want to know what it was like at the scene of the accident, this is a pretty acurate representation.

ankle haiku

2006-01-09T13:43:00.000-05:00

Orthapedic doc
clever breed of carpenter
surgeon of my dreams

things i am learning about myself as i sit on the sofa and recuperate

2006-01-02T14:09:00.000-05:00

1. I can eat raisin bran for any meal.

2. I am adjusting too easily to being waited on. Brooke gave me a dress-up crown today because she said I am the queen and everyone else in the family is my "slave".

3. I am getting worse at Sudoku the longer I do it.

4. I have the attention span of a gnat.

5. I have absolutely no disciplinary power over my kids right now.

6. Narcotic drugs make you constipated.

7. Milk of Magnesia tastes like ass.

8. Yesterday I bathed completely by myself, without help from anyone! (I am thrilled by the little victories.)

So as you can see (I hope) I have not yet lost my sense of humor.

check out my x-ray

2005-12-28T20:52:00.000-05:00

So here is a scan of my x-ray. These are two slightly different pictures of my leg. Notice the plate with numerous screws holding my bones in place. Fun! Also take note of that really long screw going in at sort of an angle. That one comes out in about 4 weeks. The others I will have with me for the rest of my live-long days. I am thinking of naming them There appear to be 6 of them. Maybe they will be Greg, Peter, Bobby, Marcia, Jan and Cindy.

the view from here

2005-12-27T20:59:00.000-05:00

the one where i talk about my broken ankle

2005-12-24T14:09:00.000-05:00

Before I begin, let me apologize for any typos or bad grammar. I am under the influence of heavy narcotic drugs.

Why may you ask am I under the influence of narcotics? I broke my ankle -- no, shattered my ankle December 18th in a freak sledding accident. Mark described the crash as looking like the one Dale Earnhard died in a few years ago. I slid along the fence for a while until my ankle met its untimely end with a fence pole. Brooke was on the sled with me and came out of it without a scratch -- thank God. My first concern was for her and that she was hurt. Then I looked at my flopping ankle and my concern shifted.

As luck would have it, we were sledding with some friends, one of which is an ER doctor at a local hospital (handy!). At first he suggested to Mark that they load me into our van for a quick ride to the hospital. I countered and requsted they call 911. I would be riding in an ambulance, thank you very much. The pain was like nothing I have experienced before, and mind you -- I have 2 children. Another added bonus of having a doctor on the scene, is he was able to prescribe some morphine for me immediately. Thanks Phil!

When we arrived at the hospital the ER staff quickly diagnosed a broken and dislocated ankle with a tibula fracture (exposed). EEEEWWW. They pumped me full of drugs and whisked me off to surgery. Before the surgery, the doctor described what he would be doing as a "car wash" a quick in and out thing where they would clean me up and then do more repairs a day or two later. However, once I was in surgery, they decided to put Humpty back together again. Specifically by using 8 screws to hold my ankle together. Two days later they did the "car wash" surgery.

I was in the hospital from Sunday thru Thursday. I was really glad to get back home. By the end of my stay, I was actually beginning to be ignored. The nurses were forgetting to bring me my medication, and the techs were slacking off as well. At least if I am home, my family cannot forget about me!

I am doing well overall. I go back to my doctor tomorrow for a post-op appointment. I heard a rumor that I will be getting a hard cast tomorrow. I have yet to decide which color I want. My niece suggested purple, but I am leaning toward hot pink. I am still on medication, but am feeling better day by day. I will be on crutches for another 5 weeks and then I will be in a walking cast for 6 weeks after that. I cannot drive until March!!! My goal is to not gain 50 pounds as I sit on the couch and wait for my ankle to stop throbbing.

As a result of this accident I will never again be able to watch the movie MISERY , the scene where Kathy Bates breaks James Caan's ankle will haunt me until the end....

introducing bonnie the snow lady

2005-12-16T13:54:00.000-05:00

let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2005-12-15T15:59:00.000-05:00

As I write this, we are experiencing a major winter storm. About 5-8 inches when all is said and done. This is the good kind of snow. The happy snow that I like and appreciate until around January 5. Then, as far as I am concerned, it can all melt thank you very much.

However, right now it is very beautiful. All is calm, all is bright.

snow dog

2005-12-15T15:56:00.000-05:00

wanna play? throw the ball. I love the snow, please throw the ball, I will chase the ball. I love the ball. I will chase the ball. Throw the ball. Throw the ball. It is pink, i can find the ball in the snow. It is easy, watch me I will chase the ball if you will throw the ball. pleeeeeaaasse!

the only person in our government who is getting an "A"

2005-12-06T09:15:00.000-05:00

I don't know if anyone saw the report card that the 9-11 comissioners put out yesterday. Basically the administration is doing an abysmal job of protecting us. If the link doesn't work, or you happened to miss the report yesterday, I will break it down for you.

Our government received 5 F's, 12 D's and 2 incompletes. There were a number of C's thrown in, and only 1 A! The A went to terror financing for it's "vigorous effort against terrorist financing." To be fair, it was an A-, but still, it was the ONLY ONE!

So the guy in the picture on the left is my hubby Mark. The guy on the right is his friend Danny Glaser. Danny works for the Treasury Department in Washington DC. He is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Terror Financing and Financial Crimes. (impressive huh?) We of course, have attributed the "A" to Danny. Way to go Danny! In his job, Dan goes to countries and essentialy tells them to cease and desist giving money to terrorists. As he puts it, he goes in to "send a strong message." Danny is a former roommate of Mark's, from when they attended Michigan together in the late 80's and early 90's. Mark tells me he used to do Danny's astronomy homework for him. The photo was taken a few weeks ago when Dan and his family came in for a visit and to attend a football game.

thanksgivings come and gone

2005-11-28T11:23:00.000-05:00

Andrew would say "Happy Thanksgiving" but his mouth is too full. He has been eating this turkey leg since Thursday. He should be done with it any minute.

We had a nice holiday. Despite the unexpected 3 inches of snow we received on Wednesday night. It looked pretty and we even got to go sledding on Saturday before it all melted.

Last night we celebrated my In-Law's 40TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY! They were supposed to take a trip together up to the Niagra Falls area, but with the freak snowstorm they cancelled their plans. We took them to dinner instead. Congratulations Lynn and Roger, you are such amazing role models!

the way a 7-year old's mind works

2005-11-21T17:26:00.000-05:00

"Hey mom, I think I'm going to throw out the rest of my halloween candy.

No wait, maybe I'll just have a piece. Can I have a piece mom?

I just don't know what to do. I guess I will throw it away.

No wait...I think I will have a piece. Is that ok? I am really going to have a piece."

ya can't hear it on the radio...

2005-11-17T14:39:00.000-05:00

Sorry to go right back to the Wilco line of thinking, but for some reason I really can't help it.

I had lunch with doulicia earlier today. She bought my lunch because she owed me money($1.50) from the Jeff Tweedy tickets - (now I owe her money). We had a nice chat about the show last week and not surprisingly, managed to cover some doula stuff as well. (Yes I am still doing doula work, although I have taken a bit of a break for the holidays). Anyway, after lunch I strolled over to Borders and picked up the new Wilco disc Kicking Television. I was a bit reluctant to buy it right away because it is a live disc and I have a couple of bootleg discs from around the time this was recorded. The discs sound pretty similar to what I already have with the exception of the sound quality (sorry all my friendly disc-trading buddies!) but, I am glad I got it because -- It. Does. Rock.

I have seen the band about 6 times now, and whenever I see them it's like getting together with some old college friends or something. I think it has something to do with how these songs are just so embedded in my day to day life. Hardly a week goes by without my listening to one of their discs. And don't get the wrong idea, I'm not a stalker or anything, its just that this music is very much the soundtrack to my life right now. Ever have a band or movie that you just really connect with? Right now it is this band for me.

not so long ago...

2005-11-17T10:57:00.000-05:00

I needed a warm memory to go with the snow flurries that are swirling around outside. This pic is from our vacation this summer. Brooke and I at the beach.

We are on the edge of winter here in the midwest.

TWEEDY!

2005-11-09T09:54:00.000-05:00

As if my weekend in Miami wasn't enough fun, last night I saw Jeff Tweedy in concert! I am a HUGE Wilco fan, and have seen the band about 6 times. The most recent being this past summer. When I found out that Jeff Tweedy (lead singer and songwriter for the band) was doing a short solo tour, I held my breath to see if he would be playing anywhere in my area. I was thrilled to find out that he was going to play right here in Ann Arbor at the Michigan Theatre. I saw Wilco at the Michigan a few years ago, and it was one of my favorite shows ever. Last night did not disappoint.

I won't bore you with a set list, but will point out a few highlights: Sunken Treasure, California Stars, Summerteeth, Gun, Someday Soon (which he claimed the crowd did not know, but I for one, was singing my heart out), Passenger Side, Acuff-Rose....you get the idea. Doulicia attended with me as well, and I hope that I did not annoy or embarass her and her hubby too much by all my "woo"-ing. I had a great time.

And Dear Mr. Tweedy, please come back to Ann Arbor soon! And bring that cute drummer with you!

Miami

2005-11-07T12:01:00.000-05:00

Check it out!

Here are the best photos from my weekend. What a weekend it was! The weather was incredible and I really did have the best time. I fulfilled the prediction that I made in my last post. We ate, we drank and we shopped. I had a really fun time. Highlights included dinner at Nobu, (I enjoyed the lychee martinis and sitting next to A-rod -- yes, that A-rod) drinks at a swanky place that I can't remember the name of. Breakfast at News Cafe, walking on South Beach (i must say the world, and South Beach in particular has a few too many speedos) shopping on Lincloln road, a late lunch at Puerto Sagua (in a word -- YUM!) synchronized swimmers at the Ritz, and seeing the movie Good Night, And Good Luck. Tracy and I had a couple of hours to kill, so yes, we went to the movies.

It was a very fun weekend, but I am glad to be home and back with the family. I missed my kiddos! When I got home last night, the kids were sleeping but I crept in to give them kisses. As I kissed Brooke's head, she woke up and in her sweet sleepy voice said "Hi mommy. I missed you, let me give you a hug." She gave me the sweetest hug and kiss and I nearly melted into a puddle on the floor. I didn't realize how much I missed them until just that moment!

You can find more photos from the weekend here at flickr.

big weekend

2005-11-03T14:50:00.000-05:00

In about 24 hours I will be landing in Miami for an all girls weekend. I have been planning this weekend for a few months as a get-away with some mommy friends of mine.

The three of us met about 6 years ago when our kids were babies. We were brought together by circumstance and formed a playgroup. We are from all different backgrounds and are now scattered across the country. I am the only one still living in Ann Arbor where we all met. I am excited to get together with these women. We are staying at a very fancy hotel and will be doing lots of eating, drinking and maybe a little shopping. All I know is it is going to be warm.

I will post the least embarassing photos on Monday.

who invited this guy for dinner?

2005-11-01T16:11:00.000-05:00

EEEK!

2005-10-31T22:45:00.000-05:00

wagon ride

2005-10-31T14:38:00.000-05:00

With the exception of the blonde hair and a lot less sun damage on her skin, Brooke sorta does look like me.

expired!

2005-10-31T13:21:00.000-05:00

By the way, those Newman's Own Chocolate Alphabet Cookies that expired 2 days ago? I just ate 27 of them and they are perfectly fine.

Don't look at me that way, they were small.

it's the great pumpkin, charlie brown

2005-10-30T23:53:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we finally got around to getting some pumpkins. There is a farm right around the corner from us, so we drove on down and got us some punkins!

When I was a kid, we would get our Halloween pumpkin from Kroger or some other grocery store, so going to the farm is amazing! They drive you out on an honest-to-goodness John Deer tractor and wagon and they drop you off in the middle of the most sincere pumpkin patch that you have ever seen. We ended up with not one, not two, but 4 pumpkins. Two fairly large orange ones and two white pumpkins. We carved them tonight. I will try to post a picture of them later. Until then, Happy Halloween!

a question to ponder

2005-10-26T12:58:00.000-04:00

Should a 4 year old be able to work a DVR (Tivo) better than her 36 year old mother?

adventures in parenting Vol. 2

2005-10-26T09:11:00.000-04:00

I apologize for the return of the totally lame post title. However, it is called for.

The virus that had Andrew vomiting over the course of 4 days last week has now spread to my daughter. She came home from school yesterday and was complaining of a tummy ache. After an hour or so of general malaise and whininess she agreed to get into some jammies. I was helping her into her jammies when the alien life force in her stomach projected its contents all over her bed covers. (Why must the bed covers always be involved!) I hoisted her up on my hip and sprinted to the bathroom. I felt so bad for her as she cried/puked for the next few minutes. Her thoughts then went to the next day.

"Now I won't be able to go to school tomorrow! (whaaaa!) Will you call my teachers and tell them I can't come to school tomorrow? (whaaaa! whaaa!) Mommy, my tummy feels better now."

I parked her on the couch and placed the blue bucket on the floor next to her. She slept well through the night and is feeling better this morning. She is happily watching Sesame Street as I type this. May this adventure come to an end...

don't they have bigger fish to fry?

2005-10-25T13:53:00.000-04:00

I usually don't get too political here. I am political enough in real life. Just ask my friends, they will tell you... however, I feel like this story needs to be addressed.

As the NY Times article suggests, the Bush administration has a lot going on right now...ie hurricane clean-ups, supreme court nominees, Tom Delay being indicted and the whole Valerie Plame-gate debacle going on. One might think they would hunker down a little and focus. Ya know, get their lawyers in line...but no, there is one more pressing bit of business. It seems that they are pissed that The Onion has been using the presidential seal in its satirical newspaper and they don't like it one bit.

Anyone smart enough to read The Onion is smart enough to know that the presence of the presidential seal in said publication does not represent an endorsement by the administration. DUH!

V-Chip Theatre

2005-10-25T12:15:00.000-04:00

Child: "Hey mom, I noticed you put a block on Cartoon Network. That makes me really angry."

Mother: "Well Andrew, there are shows on that channel that I don't think are appropriate for you or for Brooke."

Child: "Oh yeah? Well I'm thinking about putting a block on Oprah."

adventures in parenting

2005-10-20T10:11:00.000-04:00

I know, it's just about the lamest title, but it accurately describes my life over the past week.

Last weekend Andrew hosted his first "sleep over party". It was his own idea and he and 2 buddies had been talking about it since school started. I was a little apprehensive to have a sleep over with first graders. Aren't they a little young for it? When did I start having sleep overs? Would I have to drive boys home in the middle of the night? This was all totally uncharted territory for me.

I can't remember when I last had a sleep over. I am sure my first one involved my friend Valerie, who was my best friend growing up and lived only 3 doors away from me in Detroit. I guess it must have been around age 7, but I honestly can't remember. I do remember the sleep overs in grade school, prank phone calls, truth or dare, and the always popular "light-as-a-feather-stiff-as-a-board". Good times. Girl stuff, lots of giggling and silliness.

Boy sleep overs are altogether different. These guys are all about moving their bodies. They start off playing basketball in the driveway, then they move to the basement to play football. Next they take a break for Pizza. I try to calm them down by putting in a movie and making popcorn, but it doesn't hold their attention and I get tired of breaking up the wrestling matches. I decide to start talking like Yoda. "Banished to the basement you are!" I pop in Star Wars. But the boys demand that I refer to it as "Episode 4" which makes no sense to me because I am always calling it "the first Star Wars" (Um, because it WAS the first Star Wars, duh!) it's all very confusing. By the time Luke Skywalker saves the republic by blowing up the Death Star, it is closing in on midnight. I can't believe these kids are still awake! I hustle them upstairs into their jammies and into bed. I explain the rule that it is now time to sleep and I want them to quiet down. No more WWF for the night. I close the door and walk out.

Minutes later I am downstairs, snuggled on the couch with Mark (who has done the equivelent of not much all night) and we flip on Letterman. I listen upstairs for sounds of tumbling and more wrestling, but all is quiet. I tiptoe upstairs and peek in the room, they are all asleep! How in the world did I do that?

Overall the "sleep over party" was a total success. It was relatively easy! No midnight trips home for the guests and everyone was happy to eat blueberry buttermilk pancakes the next morning. Andrew is already making plans for the next one...

I was also going to post about Andrew puking all over his bed last night, but it was so totally gross that I need a few days to recover from it. Suffice it to say, I have managed to avoid an all out puke fest since I became a mother 7 years ago. I have been living a charmed life. However, that all came to a halt last night. The good news is, he is feeling much better this morning.

filed under: secret confessions

2005-10-10T16:03:00.000-04:00

Here is a comment I overheard at Andrew's birthday party yesterday:

Andrew: " When I was little I used to eat my boogers."

Other 6 & 7 year old boys: "EEEWWW"

Me: "Hey dude, that probably isn't something you should admit out loud to your friends."

Live and learn I guess.

comment spam

2005-10-10T14:55:00.000-04:00

As if annoying telemarketers weren't enough, I have now had to enable the word verification option on my blog. I have caller id on my phone and now I have word verification on my comments. Sorry people, but this is the way it has to be. And it's not as if I have all that many comments! I am just annoyed by having to go in and delete the spam comments. UUGGGHH!

Anyway, here it is. Not much of a post today. Sorry, it's just a rainy Monday and I am not really in the mood. I was in the mood however, to purchase some new discs. Currently playing are: Ryan Adams, The Pixies and Sigur Ros.

baby girl

2005-10-07T21:16:00.000-04:00

When I became a doula I was aware of what it meant to be "on call". I knew that becoming a doula meant that I would have to commit to my clients no matter what. Be that holidays or birthdays or whatever plans or events that occurred in my life. I feel like I have "officially" become a doula now. I attended a birth on one of my children's birthdays, and it really could not have worked out better.

Mark announced earlier this week that he had a very important meeting on Thursday morning that he could absoulutely not miss. The minute he said this I knew that I would be called to the birth during that time. Phone rings at 3:30am Thursday morning. Client is having contractions and is at her mother's house. We chat about what might be happening. I ask her where she would feel most comfortable laboring. She says at home, and decides to head back there. She tells me she will call me when she gets home. Phone rings again around 4:45. It is her husband. They want me to come over. I tell them I will be there as soon as I can.

Hubby and I chat, he is stressed because he will now have to run the meeting from home and will not be able to get the kids to school until around 9:30. I tell him I will do what I can, but I have to leave. I head downstairs, pack lunches and head out the door.

I arrive at my client's house around 5:15am. She is hungry and is eating a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup. "hmmm" I think. She is eating. This is still early labor. I hang out with her and observe for a few minutes, I can't really tell when she is having contractions, and she says they are spacing out to about 5 minutes apart. We strategize and I tell her I think she is still in early labor. She has been up since about 1:30 and decides to go lay down and rest for a while. Her husband joins her and I hang out in the living room. Around 7:30am she comes out to go to the bathroom. She says that the contractions have spaced out a lot, to about 10 minutes apart. I tell her my situation, and we decide that I will go home and take my kids to school. She will call me when things pick up again.

I hear from her next at 11:30 am. Contractions are a little closer together, but more intense. She wants me to come over. I arrive at her house about an hour later. When I arrive, I observe her for a while and things have definately changed. She is much more serious and not as chatty. I think things are progressing. She is drinking a lot of water, and REALLY enjoying crushed ice. She takes many trips to the bathroom. After about an hour, the contractions are 2-3 minutes apart and really intense. She decides it is time to head to the hospital.

We arrive at the hospital around 2pm. She is checked in triage and found to be 7 cm with a bulging bag of water. She is moved to a labor room post haste. She labors for another 2 hours. She finds sitting upright indian style to be most comfortable. During contractions we clasp hands and rock back and forth. She has found her ritual and it is working for her. She is amazing and strong and totally in tune with her body. After a bathroom break she changes position to hands and knees. This new position brings even stronger contractions and her labor intensifies. When presented with the possibilty of breaking her water, she decides it might be a good idea. The midwife breaks her water, and after about 4 extrememly intense contractions, she feels pushy. The midwife checks her and she is fully dilated. She begins to push. I am at her head and decide to grab my camera, as I walked around the edge of the bed I saw the head crowning! Two pushes later her daughter was born. 9 lbs. 10 oz. A big, beautiful pink girl!

I was lucky enough to attend 2 birthdays yesterday! I stayed with the family until everyone was comfortable and the baby was nursing. They were elated and so was I. I headed home and arrived in time to go out to dinner with my family for Andrew's birthday. What an incredible day.

on the button

2005-10-05T10:34:00.000-04:00

I am currently in a holding pattern for my October client. She called yesterday (her due date) to say that she was having contractions, but they were still pretty mild. That was 24 hours ago. I talked to her around 6pm last night and she had been contracting all day, but that it still seemed to be early labor. I was expecting to get a call last night, but never heard from her. And so, I wait.

I can't help but think back 7 years. I was waiting then too. Although, I was waiting for my own labor to start. I woke up at 4:30am when my water broke. After going to the bathroom, I noticed that the water had a green tinge to it. And at that moment my birth plan flew out the window. I went to the hospital around 7am and was admitted. Around 11am I was attatched to a pitocin drip. 15 hours later my little boy was born. It was a long difficult labor, but one that I am infinatley grateful for, because it put me on my path to becoming a doula.

Right now, I am going to bake cupcakes for Andrew to take to school tomorrow. I figure I should do it soon, just in case I am called to a birth later.

my friend, the author

2005-10-04T22:41:00.000-04:00

So I just got an email from my friend Joe Florenski. His book about Paul Lynde has finally come out. I have a friend who is an author! How cool is that?!

Joe and I were good friends in high school. He was one of the few things I looked forward to in 11th and 12th grade. We had long fabulous chats about pop music (mine mostly focused on Duran Duran, his mostly on Abba) and various pop culture events of the mid 1980's. We kept a notebook devoted to these chats and would pass them back and forth in between classes. [Brilliant move on our part. It actually looked like we were taking notes!] A good portion was also devoted to Bob Geldof, Band Aid and Live Aid. These were huge important events to a coule of teenagers in Northern Michigan in 1985. I even gave Joe all 3 of my Live Aid VHS tapes. Lucky for me, they have recently come out on DVD!

Joe is the only person I know who became a pop culture major in college. He inspired me to devote an entire research paper to John Lennon and instilled a deep appreciation for the music of the Beatles. (I still love them!) He had (and still has) a vicious sense of humor, a short temper and a wicked tounge. All things that I adore about him. I believe I was the only girl he ever took out on a date. He came out to me one summer when we were home from college. He is a great person, and one of the few people from high school that I still talk too! I love and adore him. Buy his book!

dialogue between 4 year olds

2005-10-01T11:49:00.000-04:00

Ahava: "Hey Brooke, if you are Jewish, you get to celebrate Hanukkah and go to synagogue and its really special because you pray there."

Brooke: "Huh?"

Ahava: "If you are Jewish, you get to celebrate hanukkah and you get to go to synagogue and it is very special, because you pray there."

(Beat)

(Beat)

Brooke: "Lemme touch your eye!"

things overheard at the open house for my first-grader

2005-09-22T21:06:00.000-04:00

Teacher: "And this is our kindness bank. Whenever we see someone being kind, or a general act of kindness we put a penny in the bank"

First Grader: "Yeah, I put my nickel in there."

(low rumble of laughter)

First Grader: "I want my nickel outta there..."

(more parental laughter)

First Grader: " I'm serious. What's so funny about the nickel?"

(Roar of parental laughter)

ALSO

During one of the teacher's presentations, no less than 5 PARENTS got a call on their cell phone!!! Seriously people, don't you know how the silencer works on that shit? Totally rude.

filed under: truth is as funny as fiction

2005-09-16T16:29:00.000-04:00

I love The Onion. It is on par with my other favorite media outlet, The Daily Show. It is always dead on hilarious.

Last year I was perusing the website and came across this story. It made me laugh at the hilarious one-up-man-ship, that goes on in the business world. I giggled until I almost fell over. It quickly became one of my favorite stories in the onion ever. And remember that this article came out in 2004.

Imagine my surprise when my hubby Mark, drew my attention to this article! The Onion predicted the 5 blade razor -- over a year ago!! I guess the guys in R&D at Gilette don't read The Onion, or they would have added even more blades. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. And FUNNY too!

After the last few days I have had, I needed that laugh.

Sammy 1996-2005

2005-09-15T07:35:00.001-04:00

I am sad to report that our dog Sam died yesterday evening. He was a great doggie, who loved his people and especially a good tennis ball. It took us a few days to realize what was going on with him. We took him to the vet last week and he was diagnosed with leptospirosis. It turns out he was actually suffering from a cancerous mass on his spleen. The staff at the Ann Arbor Animal Hospital was very supportive and compassionate. I thank them for their good care of Sam over the last 9 years.

It is never easy to say goodbye to a friend. Especially one of the hairy variety.

Peace Sammy. We will miss you.

2005-09-15T07:35:00.000-04:00

Sam RIP

2005-09-13T11:37:00.000-04:00

brooke art 9/05

for your listening pleasure

2005-09-13T09:34:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, we had our semi/bi-annual visit from our friend Josh. Mark and Josh went to college together at Michigan and Josh comes in for at least one football game per season. (He will join us again in November for the Ohio State game) In honor of his visit, I have provided a link to a funny song, written and performed by our friend Ron (aka. UFO). The titile of the song is "Josh Pollack's got the funk".

an open letter to milo, my 11 month old puppy

2005-09-08T10:47:00.001-04:00

Dear Milo,

It has been a little over 9 months since you have joined our family. I knew I was a goner when I saw you frolicking with your brothers and sisters on that surprisingly warm November afternoon. You were a roly-poly tumble of golden fur, and we loved you instantly. We brought you home and the training began.

The first few weeks of house training were challenging. I had forgotten what it was like to take care of a little baby. And taking you outside to go potty at 2 am was something I had conveniently blocked out of my memory from previous puppies. At least during one of our nighttime trips I got to see the northern lights!

But you are now almost a year old and I have but one thing to say, enough with the chewing already!!! It is strange, but you seem to have a preference for Brooke's things. Maybe in a past life you were a four year old girl. Gone are many markers, colored pencils, My Little Ponies, Barbies, tennis shoes, and game pieces. Not to mention the plant pots, tennis balls destroyed and generally anything that is plastic. Many a tupperware bowl you have left in your wake. We do love you and despite all of your puppieish behaviors, you are becoming a pretty well mannered dog. I even enjoy taking you for walks, you are honestly the best leash dog I have ever had... but seriously, it's beginning to border on the ridiculous.

As we near your first birthday, we thank the dog gods that you found us. But please, for the love of Snoopy, STOP CHEWING UP OUR STUFF!!

Love,

Your mom

milo the destroyer

2005-09-08T10:47:00.000-04:00

Milo the destroyer

baby girl

2005-09-07T11:00:00.000-04:00

As a former "thespian", I love to watch Inside the Actors Studio. A few years ago Glen Close was being interviewed. She was getting down to all the nitty-gritty actory stuff that I love and she was talking about how the energy can change when a new person walks into a room. How all the molecules get shifted around. I witnessed that this morning (and in a good way).

My client delivered her first baby at 7:10 this morning. She was 7 days past due, her parents had tickets back to the west coast for this evening, and she managed to deliver before they left! And no, she decided against trying castor oil. I first heard from her last night as I was getting my kids in bed. She had been having contractions for about 3 hours, but they were still feeling ok. I suggested she go about her normal evening routine, and if they continued it was labor, and if they didn't they were probably just practice. I next heard from them around 9:15pm. They were around 5 to 3 minutes apart. I asked how she was feeling and if they wanted me to join them yet. They said all was fine, and that they would call back when they wanted me to join them.

I had a meeting of the minds with my hubby about logistics for the morning and getting the kids off to school. Headed to bed around 11pm. Got the next call at 4:45am. They were off to the hospital. I got up, washed my face, found some clean clothes, grabbed the doula bag and hit the road. I arrived at the hospital around 5:20am asked for them in triage, but they had already been moved to a room. Things must be moving I think.

Sure enough, she is dilated at 10 and beginning to push. At first it looks as if she is not really pushing, but still working through her contractions. She is part of a study being conducted at the university, and is designated in the "uncoached pushing group". I love when I have a client in this study who is in this group. Nobody counts to ten or shouts at the woman to push! PUUUSSSHHH! Everything is quiet, with the occasional encouraging statement. "You are so strong" "That was a good one" "Yep, just like that" "You are doing so well". (My client is a runner who has done marathons, I have been instructed NOT to say "You are almost there!" apparently marathoners hate that.) Her pushing stage was so great. She listened to her body and brought her baby down with each push. It was totally spontaneous and utterly amazing. Baby girl was born at 7:10am. Tears in my eyes, I snap photos.

The energy shifts to another emotional level when Grandma walks in the room. Three generations of women, cry together in joy, well the baby was mostly clearing her lungs, but I bet she could feel the energy shift too.

seeing into the future

2005-09-05T10:44:00.000-04:00

Hurricane Katrina is an unspeakable tragedy and I can't really add anything which has not already been expressed. I have only been to New Orleans once, for a friend's wedding, but like many people, developed a deep love of the city and its lively people during my brief stay there. I am stunned and aghast by the destruction.

Last night I was leafing through an old copy of National Geographic (from October 2004). I had originally bought it for the article on Hawaii's volcanoes because Andrew is WAY into them. I was stopped cold by another article in the magazine about the lost wetlands along the Louisiana coast. Check it out here. The first five paragraphs are eerily accurate to what transpired over the last week. Sadly the warnings were not heeded and now New Orleans lies underwater.