Mr. Golden Sun November 29, 2005
Just thought I’d give you a little taste of the sun’s schedule at this time of year. Lucky for you, today is a sunny, pretty day. We’re supposed to get SNOW this weekend!
37 weeks November 25, 2005
New Mom and Baby pic
I’ve finished my 37th week and am starting my 38th
What BabyCenter.com says:
How your baby’s growing: Congratulations! Your pregnancy is now considered full term — meaning your baby is developmentally ready to handle life outside the womb. (Babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 weeks are post-term.) Your baby probably weighs a little over 6 pounds at this point and measures between 19 and 20 inches, head to heel.
Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don’t be surprised if your baby’s hair isn’t the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children are born blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.
• Note: Experts say every baby develops differently — even in the womb. This developmental information is designed to give you a general idea of how your baby is growing.
Altman Family Calendar
From Fred****************************************************
Our Calendar –
December 2005 – Baby Altman arrives. JP [Tim's step-sis] starts new job in Alexandria (same company, different location and responsibilities).
January 2006 – McGill’s (Jan’s [Tim's step-mom] folks) move to assisted living.
February 2006 - Ken [Tim's step-bro] will be back on US soil on or about February 9th. He will be stationed at Norfolk for the next three years.
March 2006 – The Altman’s move from Norway to US soil.
April 2006 – Probably time frame for JP to move to her own place.
May 2006 – Jan and Fred to meet Kathy and Hank in Albuquerque.
[Kathy is Fred's sister, married to Henry/Hank Collis]
June and July – Try to fit in some work around the house
August 2006 – To Milwaukee for Amanda’s wedding.
[Amanda Collis is Tim's cousin]
*************************************************************
Wow, eventful year.
Thanksgiving (2)
Food was great (though I’d had some issues getting the corn pudding made).
Taught English Allan a bit about Thanksgiving and then the Christmas Season in America.
Played with the baby and cats. Tim continued his juggling “lessons” (Chris and Katy juggle) and “airplaned” C.
It had kind of been a rough morning and early afternoon (I was just frustrated about the pudding) but it was a really nice meal and visit.
Babies popin’ up all over! November 24, 2005
I just found out that Julie (formerly Segar) and Matt Heisig are having a baby!!! Due June 26th! Another anniversary present (married June 3rd this year)!
Labor and Delivery Course November 21, 2005
We had our first of two courses tonight and it was very enjoyable. The British Mrs. Berge had a nice presentation and gave printed information on her timeline for discussion, a great list of translations for related words, as well as a list of possible questions. The course was originally planned for three or four couples but it was us and one other couple which I felt was even nicer.
Looking Forward November 19, 2005
There bunches of things and places I’m looking forward revisiting and having available when we’re back in the States. People are more important but I’m not going to make a list of you. 
I will however, make a list of things and places:
Review of Events November 17, 2005
Now that I’ve got my wits about me, I can recognize what is was about today that really upset me. The hormones and confusion alone was enough but it goes deeper than that.
As I’ve said, I love the midwife system here and all those women I’ve been in contact with have been wonderful! Kari Janne is great, Dr. Tine too, the midwife who did the ultrasound in July, another midwife from the health station where we see Kari Janne who I spoke to on the phone when I was having frequent Braxton Hicks contractions and occassional pelvic pains was reassuring and told me what to do if it changed to something more labor-like, and even Elisabeth Berge who I’ve spoken to once and will lead the course next week. The woman from today, as Tim showed me, was the exception among all these great, calm, helpful women. I haven’t had any other language problems or any one else make me feel nervous.
One thing that can be risky during pregnancy, perhaps especially a first, is reading all those books available. I’ve read two on pregnancy in general, What to Expect… and Birthing From Within, and one specifically about breastfeeding, The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. I have even read one Mom sent Tim called Becoming a Father. I really liked it for it’s male perspective and the birth and parenting wisdom. It helped me to clarify the reasons why I believe certain ways to raise children are best. I hold my parenting ideals adamantly but I needed to know exactly why it’s best in order to answer inevitable questions. WtE does have some useful information but I found that many of the questions asked and answered “portrayed” women who had no faith in the way their body works and everything seemed like a crisis. Sure, I was curious of stuff and wondered what it meant, but I knew that pregnancy would bring discomfort and sometimes odd changes. In BFW, the author talks a lot about birth art and how it can help a woman to envision the pregnancy she wants or to voice her emotions and frustrations from a previous birth experience. I’m not a big fan of the birth art thing, though it did help me to develop my Tigress viewpoint to hold anyone at bay who would try to make me act again my instinct. The book did help me to clarify the things I want and the information that “everyone” talks about but rarely objectively. One thing that is unfortunately common are the traumatic “horror stories” that are for some reason told more frequently than the joyful stories (women who dealt with the pain but focus on the gain). Sadly, there were many of these in BFW. Often the bad stories were followed by the better story but it’s the scary ones that stick in your mind. This happened to me too. I think my first baby experience will be very different here than it would be in the States but I still have the stories in my head and want to avoid the bad stuff. My pregnancy has been really easy and I don’t rely so heavily on all the stuff I hear but today, when the midwife kept repeating the words epidural and acupuncture (I know it’s suppose to be relaxing or something but I don’t want needles in me and peace of mind is more important to me than ease and comfort), I had visions of being forced to accept something I didn’t want and not being able to trust my body to work and deliver my baby. But, as everything seemed lost in translation with her, I need to remember Kari Janne’s words that we are viewed as capable strong adults who can make honorable decisions.
p.s. I do actually recommend BFW despite the bad stories
Christmas Gift
Well I feel dumb. Back in July, after the first ultrasound, we scheduled today’s appointment. Obviously I never read the letter clear enough because the true purpose of today’s appointment went completely over my head. I assumed we were going in for another ultrasound was so excited. I wanted to know myself the sex of the baby and to tell you all. I was planning to have Tim take photos of me during it and to include that and a sonogram on this post. By now you must be wondering what did happen.
Dinner November 16, 2005
Tonight’s creation: cheesy pasta from a mix. Add chicken and green beans, let it soak up cheese sauce.
