Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Random thoughts

1. Did you hear that? That is the sound of Yaakov breathing - sorry if it woke you up. (Luckily, Ariella sleeps right through it.) It's only this noisy when he's on his back. Since I have a well-worn copy of "The Care and Feeding of Rose Men," I know that the trick is to roll him from his back to his side. Voila! Silent breathing! (And yes, we briefly considered the whole extract-some-body-part route, but since the problem is so easily fixed, we're going with the while do-nothing route. Also, it doesn't bother him. Just us, when we're trying to watch Lost.)

2. Speaking of which, Lost is a repeat this week. Is there even a reason to get out of bed? Sigh. My alternate self and I are sorely disappointed. If you find us near an open well, just go ahead and push.

3. I made a spinach thingy for dinner, the very same spinach thingy I had been making approximately one year ago, during the famous traifin' up the kitchen Incident. I repeated my new mantra during the cooking: "Don't use the wrong spatula, don't use the wrong spatula, don't use the wrong spatula...." And it worked! I managed NOT to traif up the kitchen! Poofahs all around!

4. Ariella is FINALLY kochav nolad. Well, next week, but we've been working on the massive poster for 2 days already. She has been waiting for this ALL YEAR. Nay, all her life! Next Monday (because Sunday is a vacation day) we bring in the posterboard with the pictures. Let me just say, that Ariella's poster was done entirely on her own. No one can tell THIS girl what she CAN'T do! I taped the pictures on, but otherwise, she wrote the captions (all 20 of them), added the nekudot, wrote the header ("Ariella Kochav Nolad Hashavua!") and carefully went over everything in marker. Now, some people's posters (whose names I will not mention mainly because I do not know them) were clearly done by a parent. You know the type. I have to say, Ariella's diligence and my laziness made a very good combo here. The poster came out really nice, and definitely authentic.

Next Friday, Donny and I have to go in and run an activity with 32 little first grade __________. (insert your own colorful phrase here). Naturally, this will be done in Hebrew. We are planning on Pictionary, or Pencilnary as Ariella calls it. I already made up 32 cards, each with 3 Hebrew words, which I will have to vowelize after I print it. Hopefully it will be a resounding success. Hopefully the children will snicker quietly enough so as not to make me cry. Hopefully the baby will comply and stay on the inside for a little while longer.

5. Speaking of which, I am soliciting anti-inducing labor advice. I know, most women want to know how to get that baby out sooner rather than later, and it could be in 2.5 weeks I'll be one of them, but for now, we need Punja to stay right where it is. There is much to get done in the next two weeks. Most of it revolves around Ariella, actually. Kochav nolad next Friday. The Sunday after that (May 9), there's some sort of Chumash presentation in Jerusalem. Jerusalem! What, Modiin suddenly isn't good enough for Chumash? We're only good enough for the apocrypha, apparently.

Then, that Wednesday is her dance performance, the culmination of the dance chug she's been taking. Thursday is my last day of tutoring. That brings us to Friday, the actual due date. (In case you were needed stats, Ariella was a week late, Yaakov a week early. So hopefully Punja should be right on time.) So we need Punja to stay in the Hatch until at least Thursday afternoon.

7. I went to the doctor today. You may think that this is no big deal, that someone who is 37.5 weeks pregnant is at the doctor all the time. Well, you would be wrong.

Some of you have been asking me to blog about the differences between pre-natal care in the US vs Israel. Well, here's an example. I went to the doctor right after Pesach for an appointment. That was 4 weeks before my due date, the time when, in America, you are told to come in every week. My doctor? "So, if you haven't given birth by 38 weeks, come back. Bye!" Today marks "almost 38 weeks." So we went back. She said, "Okay, you don't need to come back here. Here's all your pregnancy information for the hospital. If you're late, here's a referral for the women's center where they'll do an ultrasound and fetal monitoring. Have a good labor! Bye!"

The nurses, though, are another story. I went this morning, for what feels like the 15,162,342nd time. I've been seeing them once a month, and since Pesach, once a week, for blood pressure, weight, and pee-in-a-cup. They are very interested in seeing me often. I guess they have an excess of cups.

8. Now to close, a poem by Donny:

Pregnant is pregnant, what can you do?
When you find all the Lost clues
Poofahs for you!

12 comments:

Arica said...

Hmmm....I guess I just have to say that not all Israeli pregnacy care is created equally. I think it would have been more restful for me if I was on bed rest in my doctors office as I was there at least 4 times a week-sometimes twice in one day.
Also-the bed rest thing helped me keep Nadav in until 42 weeks-but it doesn't sound like there is any rest in your future. Good luck!

MOMZWIFEOFDADZ said...

I guess you have to be grateful that when you do get to the hospital, they don't say, "here is a forceps in case you need it, good luck!"

Oh, and "We're only good enough for the apocrypha, apparently" - SO Donny.

Gila Rose said...

Yes, that was Donny's line - howja guess?

mother in israel said...

"We're only good enough for the apocrypha, apparently."
Love it, love it. Donny would hit it off with my husband, I suspect.

Pesky Settler said...

Yeah, my OB was like that too. And I had to advocate for myself when my blood pressure started going up during the last couple weeks and neither the OB nor most of the nurses seemed concerned.

Once I hit my due date though and was on the fetal monitor and we were getting a better picture (decelerations) I was sent to L&D after every visit... until they finally induced me at 41 weeks.

BTW, the best anti-labor thing you can do is make sure you've got the most convenient babysitter(s) lined up, the ride to the hospital is set and you have a block of time that is totally free of appointments and such.

OneTiredEma said...

I suggest regular drives to the mall (walking might induce) for coffee. And I am INSULTED that I didn't get a shoutout after I based a whole post on our Aroma meeting :)

Gila Rose said...

I realized after I published that I did not shout you out at all, Tired. My apologies. And it was such a nice kid-free experience with another grown-up! And coffee!I'd almost forgotten what that was like.

Also I forgot to mention it was Momz's birthday.

So 0 for 2. Bad aliyahbyaccident, bad!

Risa said...

First of all, I like the nickname "little Punja."(Reminds me of that Indian guy, Punjab, from the movie, Annie.) My advice: don't do laundry. (All I can say is that I did laundry Sat. night and my water broke with Elan very early Sunday morning. Eliyahu was a whole different story.) Also, I am the third. My sister and brother were both late, but I was right on time. (Should've known then that I was destined to marry a "Yeck".) In all seriousness, though, I hope that whenever little Punja arrives, everything goes well.

kathleen said...

I hope that little Punja at least waits until his due date! I don't have any anti-labor advice to give you though, my oldest was born on his due date and the other 3 were early (right about 38 wks). That is interesting to hear about the differences in OB care.

Dadz said...

HERE'S MY LIST -

REFERENCES ARE TO GILA'S PARAGRAPH NUMBERS.
(GILS, THERE'S NO PARAGRAPH 6 [GOES FROM 5 TO 7}, IS THAT BECAUSE THIS IS THE 6th SEASON OF LOST?)

NOTE: I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THESE ARE NOT THE OFFICIAL ANSWERS.

#1 - "WELL WORN COPY" - REFERENCE TO THE BOOKS ON THE ISLAND, ALL OF WHICH ARE DOG-EARED. (1)

#1 - "WE'LL JUST DO NOTHING" - RESPONSE BY SOME "LOSTIE" CHARACTERS TO VARIOUS SITUATIONS, WHERE SOME TYPE OF ACTION IS RECOMMENDED BY OTHER LOSTIE CHARACTERS. (2)

# 2 - "OPEN WELL" - NEEDS NO EXPLANATION. THE OPEN WELL HAS BEEN IN MANY EPISODES. (3)

# 2 - "PUSH [ME]INTO THE OPEN WELL" -
SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO LOCKE/SMOKEY AND DESMOND. (4)

# 2 - "ALTERNATE SELF" - IF YOU DIDN'T CATCH THIS ONE, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN FOR THE PAST TWO SEASON'S? (5)

# 4 - "NOBODY CAN TELL ME WHAT I CAN'T DO" - ONE OF THE BEST LOCKE LINES EVER. (6)

# 5 - "HATCH". (7)

# 7 - "THE NUMBERS" - GILA YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO PUT THEM IN BOLD!
(8)

AS YOU CAN SEE I CAME UP WITH EIGHT.

HUMBLY SUBMITTED,
DADZ

miriamp said...

I was due just before Pesach. I DID NOT WANT TO GIVE BIRTH BEFORE PESACH, NOR ON SEDER NIGHTS (we have two here.) SO I made a deal with G-d -- I would deal with dragging on almost forever labor (have done such before with prev. kids, so this deal made sense to me) if I got to wait until after YomTov. Preferably until after Pesach entirely, but we'd deal with Chol HaMoed.

Result: Random labor pains waited until Pesach, started during first seder, on and off for days, mostly on at night and off during the day, naturally, leading to waking up every 20 minutes all night. "Real" labor started early Shabbos (Chol haMoed) morning (like 1:29am early). Continued all Shabbos, while I stayed home (I was NOT being sent home from the hospital either.) Finally went in midnightish motzoi shabbos, had the baby (a 9lb 10oz boy) Sunday CholHaMoed around 8am. Made it to 41.5 weeks

So I guess the deal worked. Your mileage may vary.

Gila Rose said...

I have so many deals going on with God right now, I don't know if I should add another one. But it's a thought!