34 weeks!

Wow I haven't posted here in 2 1/2 months! Mostly because I blog more at Owen's Monkey Business now (soon to be renamed when little sister arrives!) but also because I am a full-time Kindergarten teaching 8 months pregnant mother of a busy toddler! ha! Thank goodness for my family. My parents are an amazing blessing in the way they care for Owen every day all day and provide him with love, attention, support, yummy food, and fun activities. My husband is a pro at handling all the situations that arise and I have realized that even more so this week as he's been away on business in Chicago. Owen now thinks Chicago is in the sky with the airplane daddy left on, and points to the sky saying "daddy cago" repeatedly. Here is a pic of my baby belly at 34 weeks. Delaney Rose "Laneybug" is blooming and busy, especially in the evening hours. Our little Laneybug is due Jan. 26 but most who see me predict she'll arrive sooner than that (these are not medical professionals-however last time that didn't count for much.) because I am carrying so low. She is definitely more of a "basketball" or "watermelon" shape than O. To read up on O's latest adventures click the monkey business link above! In the meantime, best wishes for a happy holiday season and a joyful new year!!

skyping Gramp Joe in Costa Rica

Got some cute shots of Owen and his daddy skyping with Gramp Joe in Costa Rica last Sunday. The funniest part was as animated as Owen looks in the first few shots, he literally fell asleep sitting in Derek's lap less than five minutes after the last shot. The couch shot is me sleeping with him after Derek finished up the call!

22 weeks along

Posting these pix a little late. They are actually from a week and a half ago (taken 9/22).

Fun Fall Weekend!

I may or may not have mentioned that since Dec. of 2008 Derek has been spending most nights and weekends working on a project outside of his regular position at work. He finished up (mostly) several weeks ago and we have been enjoying having more regular family time again, especially on the weekends. We can get up, make a plan, have fun together, and get things done!

Yesterday we decided to take a trip over to a local park for a Native American Powwow, thinking Owen would enjoy the drumming. We left the house around 11 am, thinking we'd have a half-hour there before Owen started to fall asleep (he naps close to noon most days) and we'd let him sleep while we drove down to the nearest IKEA store for browsing and lunch. Why only half an hour for the festival, you ask? Well, it was 90 degrees by 10 AM and projected to hit 104 so we didn't want to be outside too long. Well, he was asleep before we got to the park anyway so we skipped the Powwow and headed down to IKEA.

We decided to eat first and enjoyed our lunch. While eating, Kirstie Alley got in line at the restaurant with two young girls (maybe daughters?) and we got a close-up celebrity encounter. Then we browsed around and ended up with two toys for O., a surprise for my mom, and some small bowls for feeding.

Sunday we headed out to shop for an outfit for Derek and dress shoes for O. for an upcoming family event in a couple of weeks. O. napped again and after that we went to Whole Foods for lunch. Then Owen got to ride in one of those car shopping carts and "drive" around the store while we picked up a few things.

It was another hot day so after playing with his water table in the late afternoon we decided to fill up his baby pool on the patio around 5:30 and he played in it for a bit. Tonight we plan to skype Gramp Joe in Costa Rica.

Welcome Fall!

Had a lovely day today! School was fun and dinner was fresh tomatoes and cilantro pesto from our local farmer's market. Then I had a mommy's night out at a little Mary Kay foot relaxation get together-oh so needed! Stopped at Trader Joes for bananas and milk (and maybe some pumpkin bread mix since pumpkin butter is not in stock yet) then filled up the gas tank and headed home. Derek had a late daddy's night out too at a concert in LA. He headed out around 8 so my parents came over to read on our couch until I got back about 9. Owen was asleep already when they got here I guess. Tomorrow is mom's birthday so we're all taking her out to eat for dinner. Happy Fall everyone!

T.I.P.

T.I.P. stands for Thriving in Pregnancy, a new program offered by my insurance carrier, Kaiser Permanente. I have been very happy with my coverage, even though it is considered HMO, because Kaiser is a stand alone medical care company with admirable goals. Their one-word motto is "THRIVE", and they really carry it through across all levels of service. They provide their own pharmacies, their own hospitals, their own labs, everything is pretty much under one roof, (or one one city block). The other thing I always loved about Kaiser was the online access. All my records, test results, and appointments are accessible, and I can also email my doctors directly. For the first pregnancy in 2008, I utilized my local Kaiser facility which is more of a satellite facility. WIthout it's own hospital, it provides care and some health education, but is more limited in scope. There is no Kaiser hospital in our town, so I went to Panorama City Hospital about 20 minutes away by highway for Owen's delivery. Labor and Delivery and the maternity wards are in a new section of the facility, which opened in March 2008. There are large windows in the L/D, push bars, showers, and the staff is very amenable to trying to follow your birth plan and wishes. The labor/delivery nursing staff was fantastic. They also have a Level 3 NICU which we viewed on the tour, and even though I never thought we'd need it, it was comforting that it was there. This level of comfort probably had a lot to do with how calm I remained when a "code Pink" was called as Owen was delivered and a team of 5-8 came rushing in to help. Owen did end up going to NICU for his first five hours but his NICU nurse and my Post-partum nurse coordinated so that I could be wheeled over to nurse him after just two hours. This was thrilling to me. I was less satisfied with the care in Recovery. You would think that that part would be more cozy and have touchy/feely/friendly nurses since there are newborn babies involved but I think they were too busy and overworked. I didn't really develop any relationships with them either. All in all, I was pleased with the experience. So when this pregnancy came along (we were a bit more laid back and didn't even visit the doctor until I was 11 weeks this time; it was a month earlier with Owen's pregnancy) I was interested to hear about a pilot program being offered at Panorama City. The Thriving in Pregnancy program would be a less medical, more holistic based version of prenatal care, with monthly group appointments on the last Friday afternoon of every month, and exclusive prenatal care by a midwife instead of an OB. This appealed to me instantly.
(Another great thing about Kaiser is that along with OB's there is always at least one midwife on duty in labor and delivery, so if it's not a busy night you can request the midwife, which I did for Owen's birth!) I had seen almost exclusively a nurse practitioner for Owen's prenatal appointments; I think I had to be seen twice by an OB. I am just more comfortable without doctors in general. The only catch for the pilot program was that all appointments would be at the hospital campus in Panorama City instead of five minutes from home at our satellite Kaiser offices. I didn't even flinch at the idea that I would have to take a 1/2 day from school once a month for five months; this would be so worth it! So I signed up.

The first meeting was on July 30th, our fourth wedding anniversary. Spouses are invited to participate in the group appointments too (another great plus!) but Derek was a bit swamped at work so we decided to meet afterwards for dinner and a movie out. My Aunt and cousins were visiting that week and were happy to watch Owen while we had our first date night since St. Patrick's Day. So, I showed up at the appointed time of 2 pm. A circle of chairs was set up in a large conference room. A dozen or so staff members milled around the room, setting up a scale, blood pressure stations, and projection screens. A small area at the back of the room was set up as a makeshift examination area, blocked by a fabric screen. This was where the midwife would do individual checks during the group meeting. As we signed in, we were given a large tabbed white binder and a bright green reusable fabric carryall bag. Introductions were made around the circle, and we learned a bit more about the format of the program. Throughout the five months, we would have sessions by a variety of staff members such as the nutritionist, a prenatal yoga and relaxation instructor, an OB, a pediatrician and an anesthetiologist. We would have group discussions, be provided with healthy snacks, and given raffle prizes and small prizes like "thrive" water bottles. The first session went well, except it took quite a while for the midwife to see everyone individually and find their babies' heartbeats. It was nice to have so many resources in one place. Some of the resources hadn't even existed during my care at the satellite offices the year before. We had our second group appointment yesterday, right after our ultrasound appointment. Derek was able to come along for this one, and let me just say that we are both stiff from the yoga session, even though it was only about 20 minutes long! Next I will share more about why I like Kaiser's philosophy.

Here we go Again!

Owen's going to be a big brother!
New addition expected on or around January 26.
It's a girl!

Right Now

photo by Gramp Joe

I am so enjoying the now.
Right now I am savoring the summer days with Owen.

Right now I am loving being with him all the time as he

takes his first hesitant steps and then beams with pride
invents new games to play with us
feeds himself cereal, yogurt, chili and pasta with the same short silver spoon with a curved handle his momma used


Feeling so blessed and living in a dream come true.

Chchch Change...

So this summer marks the longest I have lived at one address as an adult and the longest I have held the same job at the same school also...pretty big stuff! I have to admit my gypsy itch started coming on a bit toward the end of the school year. I like change. I thrive on it. So...

Change at Work:

1. We'll be getting a new principal this coming school year. That promises for some change, though maybe not right away.
2. We are revamping the intervention program a bit and targeting the mid-level "bubble" kids instead of the very low.
3. I am going to start using a new system for behavior, though I'm not sure what yet.

Change at home:

1. got rid of our old (8 yr. old? 10 yr. old?) couch and replaced it with a low, modern, streamlined sectional with built-in end tables.
2. removed my desk from the loft nook and made a reading nook with the blue chair that matched the old couch. It's cozy!
3.still working on decluttering. this is one of my major struggles. i can't even part with a soy sauce packet. (it's useful, or could be!)


The change feels good! There are some more in the works, I'll keep you posted! ha.

Towns

Kelly's Korner blog is hosting "hometowns" this week. I am tweaking that a bit to write a post on dream hometowns, where would I like to be from if I could pick.

Here are the top ten (in no specific order)

1.Portland, Oregon
2.Franklin, Pennsylvania
3.Sarasota, Florida
4.San Diego,California
5.Ojai, California
6.Santa Barbara, California
7.San Luis Obispo, California
8.Fort Myers/Naples, Florida
9.Vancouver (Canada)
10.Boulder, Colorado
bonus: Barcelona (Spain)

hmmm.

I am thinking that with a little more traveling I might alter this list just a bit. Especially seeing as how I haven't been to two of the cities listed. (Portland and Vancouver)

Media/Tech fast update

I went forward with a second fast starting Friday morning and ending now(ish). It was a two day fast this time, and was just great. Knowing that I wouldn't be distracted by the siren call of the iphone or laptop allowed me to really focus and enjoy the day. O. and I went to a great concert in the morning, spent time with my parents and their friends during the afternoon, and spent the evening with friends and their new five-week old baby. I will say that I woke up rather early this morning, itching to read some facebook updates and blogs. but overall the fast was a great success, and my plan is to pick a media/tech hour each day, and stick to that. It could be split into two half-hours (morning and evening) or all in one lump. Of course this doesn't include work emails, but I will only check those at work. Here's to more face to face interactions.

Media/Technology Fast

Double posted at my culture and modern American society blog, St. George Street.

My latest Facebook status, posted at 6:12 A.M. yesterday, reads something like this:

I am feeling the need for a media/technology fast. I am finding it a bit harder to kickstart than I expected. How about starting with a 24 hour fast? Ready, Set, Go!

I feel like the media are manipulative, and that my son is apt to grow up thinking his parents are attached to their iphones at the palm. I watch families out for dinner with children glued to small devices and zero interaction with their families. Sometimes even out with friends this happens. My mind balks at first; not believing this could actually be reality. Then my mind always goes next to the young adult novel "Feed", by M.T. Tobin, in which teenagers of a certain age are implanted with a direct internet feed in their brain. Creepy. Propaganda reaches a new high with pop-up ads that just appear in your mind and there is even M-chat, a form of telepathy where you can communicate with others on "closed channels" without actually speaking. In any case, I was viewing the three mothers of the prisoners in Iran (the young hikers have been held for quite a long time) and something snapped. I needed to break my habit. I decided to start small.

The rules:

The first fast would be 24 hours long, 6:12 A.M. Thursday, May 20, 2010 to 6:12 A.M. Friday, May 21, 2010.
No facebook, internet surfing, iphone apps, texting, email, tv, or unnceccessary phone calls.

The easy part:

I picked a day when I would be very busy with open house at school so I would be less likely to break the fast.

The Challenges:

I wanted to let my hubs know that the bike techs put air in my tires on the way to school, but decided I could just tell him when I saw him.
I needed one piece of information from an iphone app. It took 2 minutes to get it and that was it.
I wanted to research some information on toddler feeding and find some nutrition related charts but decided to wait until the fast was over.

What I did with all the extra time:

Biked to work instead of driving
went to bed early
got extra paperwork done at school
spent my break at school socializing


Breaking the rules:

I woke up in the middle of the night (4:30 A.M.) and wanted to compose this blog post. I decided that it was ok because I wouldn't be able to do it later (if Owen wakes up) and I could just set the post option for after 6:12 A,M. (cheating? probably
Was the fast still worth it? Definitely!)

I plan to break the fast around 6:15 A.M. with a facebook and email check and a dose of morning news. Then I will probably up the ante with a 48 hour fast from 7 am Friday to 7 am Sunday! whoo-hoo!

Bike to Work Day

I participated in Bike to Work Day this week and it felt great! There was a hospitality station set up on the bike trail along the way, so they pumped up my tires a bit and gave me a goodie bag too! That was lucky since it was a last minute decision to participate. It's only a 2.5 mile trip each way, so it gives you a good cardio workout and fresh air too. The kids at school had fun checking out my bike and ringing my new yellow electra bell with the pink lotus on it. :) yeah, I'm still seven inside.

The Wisdom of a Cat

For years, our cat Luna Bella has been waking us each day using a variety of feline strategies. First, it was scratching the side of the mattress. Then, clawing at the electrcial outlets (This got a quick response, thus became a favorite technique. Needless to say, we employed the use of outlet covers way before baby made his appearance.) Thus foiled, Luna began to jump on the nightstand and knock everything off one by one. Glasses, books, lamp. On the surface, she seems to be indicating she wants breakfast. However, in my heart of hearts, I think she is one of my gurus, telling me to take advantage of the early morning.

I am not a typical sleeper. My best schedule would be sleep by 10, up around 8. I need a little more shuteye than the average bear. So you can understand my fear of sleep loss when I became a mom. Luckily, we have a pretty great sleeper, and as long as I hit the hay soon after O, we do ok. Now the one area which is lacking is "quiet time". Whether it's for reading, blogging, meditating or whatever it just isn't happening. Until I started tuning in to Luna. Why not get up on her schedule? So, last night, I fell asleep around 8, right after putting O. down. And lo and behold, my eyes opened at 4 am. I would have two solid hours before Owen awoke. The gift of time!

Here is what I accomplished:

cleaned kitchen
packed a salad for lunch
coffee and blogging
shower and ready before O. wakes up!

The other advantage is that when O. does wake up, I can spend the time focusing on him since I'm already ready for work.
Of course we are blessed in that I don't have to dress him or pack him up for the day either. How do you manage the morning at your house?

Marketing

In my twenties, one of my favorite weekly activities was grocery shopping. Maybe it was the newfound feeling of power that I could take a cart and fill it up with whatever I wanted. I would add a bouquet of fresh gerber daisies or sunflowers and the latest issue of Instyle to my cart and feel "oh so modern". I spent about $60.00 a week. I did most of my shopping at Publix and more infrequently at Albertson's. I would go to Whole Foods Market once every couple of months as a fun splurge. It was an adventure.

Cut to today. I abhor marketing. I avoid it whenever possible. It is cold in there. And there are TOO many DECISIONS to make. Plus you have to:

1. remember your reusable bags (which I've been using since the days when you had to tell the cashier really fast so they wouldn't start bagging things.)
2. bring your club card.
3. remember what long lost phone number you registered for said club card with so you can use it if you (gasp) can't find your club card or brought the other keychain without the beloved club card.
4. bring your coupons.
5. have a meal plan or a semblance of one.
6. bring a baby.
a.this means going at the right time and avoiding nap and/or meal time.
b.this also means bringing extra diapers, clothes, food, and/or entertainment items for said (beautiful) baby

Up until about a year and a half ago, I was very very lucky. My husband likes (!) shopping. He takes his time, goes down every aisle, and generally makes an event out of it. His preferred marketing time is (was) Sunday night. I would go along for "together" time sometimes, except:

1. I don't go down every aisle.
2.It is cold.
3. I like to read and relax (preferable in a bubble bath with a glass of pinot grigio) on sunday night.

But he has been so busy with his side project that the chore is mine. Yesterday I had an amazing shopping experience with O.
We went after nap and lunch, primetime for babies. We had a weekly meal plan, a menu, a shopping list, and COUPONS! We even had the club card and the reusable bags. We had spare diapers. We were done in 75 minutes. It was great. How did I manage it? With all the extra energy I garnered by sleeping in til 8 for mother's day. YAY!

Owen Nathaniel

Adding to the weekly blog carnival at Kelly's Korner I am adding the story of our baby's name.

Just like so many of you, I have played with names and especially potential baby names ever since I can remember. One reason I grew to love writing fiction was the possibilities that came with the naming of characters. So when it came time to name a baby for real I had no idea what to do. We had had a girl's name but once we found out we were having a boy we had to start from scratch. I kept lists everywhere. I loved lots of names. My husband, not so much. My one caveat was that I wanted the initials to spell something positive. That actually helped rule out several names, but also added it's own challenge. We settled on Owen (young warrior) as a first name and Nathaniel (gift of God) for a middle name. The initals spell ONR (Honor). His nickname is short and sweet- "O"!

We will keep the girl's name under our hat just in case!

How I met your father (twice)

I met my husband Derek twice in two years: the first time through his friend/my co-worker and the second time through my friend/his co-worker. We didn't date until after the second meeting.

In 2002 I had a new home and a new teaching job in Broward County, Florida. After a rocky seven-year relationship, I was on the dating scene again and determined to date til I dropped. One night I met some of my new teaching colleagues for a night on the town. One girl Toni (his friend and my co-worker) lived in an apartment complex right on the New River in downtown Fort Lauderdale. You could walk right outside and catch the water taxi over to Fort Lauderdale Beach. We headed out to Howl at the Moon. When it was time to head back, I got a ride from a friend of hers who lived in the same apartment complex. We all met back at the girl's apartment and ate pizza. I enjoyed talking to him and we found out that we shared the same birthday and were the exact same age! We also found out that our last names were only one letter different. I saw him a couple more times that year but nothing ever came of it. The following summer, I was planning to meet a friend for lunch (Indian food!) and remembered that this same guy worked with her, so I asked her to invite him along. The lunch was on Thursday, July 31, 2003. After lunch, I let Rachel (my friend and his co-worker) know that it would be ok if he called. So he did. That same night.
he called. I was having a garage sale that weekend, so the next day he came by to help me get ready. We had our first date the following weekend, Saturday, August 9, 2003. We went to a festival at the Morikami Japanese Gardens in Boca Raton, Florida.

As it turns out, there were other points in time where we could've met, but didn't.

*we were on the same New Year's cruise in 2001.
*we went to the same University, but graduated two years apart and due to his study abroad in Austria were only on campus together for one year. (1993-1994)

We got engaged in May 2005 and married July 30, 2006.

REally?

It has been a month and a half since my last post on this blog? Really? And the last one was a meme too? Oh, dear. I guess that means its true. My creative juices and writing muse have run away together and are currently sipping mojitos on some balcony overlooking the ocean. Oh, well. Here comes five question Friday:

From last week:
1.Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Meg Ryan
2. Did you ever go to summer camp?
yep! lots!
3.What sends you running and screaming in the other direction?
earthquakes. but there's really nowhere to run.
4.What is something you do that drives your spouse nuts?
block access to cupboards, doors, closets etc. by placing items in front of them.
5.What is currently your favorite song?
Beautiful Day by U2

Feel free to play along.

Just for Fun- 8 Things Meme

Saw this over on Jlo's Almost Famous blog from a while back.
8 TV shows I watch (notice a theme?)
1. Law and Order
2. Criminal Minds
3. Cold Case
4. Clean House
5. House Hunters
6. Property Ladder
7. ???
8. ???

8 favorite places to eat and drink
1. Karma
2. Elephant Bar
3. Starbucks
4. Malo
5. In and Out
6. Ameci
7. Chi-chi's
8. Chick-Fil-A (but only when in Orange County and not on Sundays!)

8 things I look forward to:
1. spring break
2. summer break
3. owen's birthday
4. D's project being done
5. a trip to the hot springs
6. planting a garden (someday)
7. free time
8. Spending time with friends and family.

8 things I love about winter:
1. yeah. I don't love winter.
2. spring is next.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

8 places I always go:
1. Target
2. School
3. library
4. Starbucks
5. the park
6. backyard
7.G/G's apt.
8. outside!

8 things on my wish list:
1. hot stone massage
2. foot relexology massage
3. hairdo I am in love with
4. more time w/O.
5. a hybrid design I love
6. a heated pool closer to home
7.
8.

8 things I am passionate about
1. Family
2. Love
3. my son
4. yoga
5. books
6. the Earth
7. travel
8.

Tag, you're it!

Fashionista

circa 2007

2008

I like this style!

Or not.

Today's post is meant for Kelly's Korner blog. Each week, she hosts a "Show us your Life" post where hundreds of bloggers chime in on a variety of themes and topics. I love perusing the posts from week to week and this week's post is all about Fashion tips. I need it bad. Let's just suffice it to say, I am not a shopper nor a clotheshorse. For the past five years or so (since our big cross-country move) I have subsisted (Proudly) on clothes I either A) had before B) acquired as hand-me-downs C) bought piece by piece during the occasional stop at Goodwill or other thrift shops or D) given to me by my husband. This approach served me well, even last year with maternity wear. So many friends passed on their maternity clothes and the rest I bought during a shopping spree to an Ohio thrift shop when I was 12 weeks along. Now that I sport the postpartum bod, it is time. Time to purge and shop.

My fashion philosophy is basically one word: comfort. I despise waistbands, buttons, zippers, and fasteners of most any kind. I love one piece cotton stretchy tee-shirt material clothes. Now this worked the best from 2002-2005 when I owned a kids yoga business. Work wardrobe= yoga pants and tank tops. Bare feet ruled. For teaching, I love skirts and dresses, especially long ankle length skirts paired with long stretchy tees. (Where are you Express Sexy Extra Length tee from winter 2007?) Today I am wearing a cap sleeve black tee from Target (circa 2005- one of three in brown, red, and black) and a Tommy Hilfiger khaki miniskirt purchased in September in a Palm Desert thrift shop. My favorite topper is a stretchy light pink hoodie from American Eagle purchased at Goodwill a couple of months ago. Collars are avoided.

As far as shoes, I am a flip-flop girl. Winter and work are challenges for me. Dansko clogs and boots are my options.

Here are my fashion goals:

*Update the basic work wardrobe by adding comfy, fresh, easy to care for pieces in neutral colors.
*Shop when I go to Florida at the Sanibel Island Gap outlet and the Sawgrass Mills Anne Taylor outlet, my two favorite treasure hunting spots!
*Invest in a pair of flat boots to get me through winter.

My only tips?

Go for comfort and frequent thrift shops in places like Palm Springs and Naples or other more expensive residential areas. This way you can find the brand names without the price tag, often in new or nearly new condition!

Kouza!

The whole family is off for an adventure later this afternoon courtesy of Gramp Joe! We are heading to Irvine for a performance of Cirque De Soleil's Kouza under the gran chapiteau (big tent!) Owen is coming along, since lap babies under 2 are free! Should be an amazing experience. Derek and I saw a CDS show in Las Vegas a few years back so we are looking forward to this! Thanks, Joe! Can't wait to see you in TWO WEEKS!!!

Twinkle in 2010!

Twinkle: verb (of a star or light, or a shiny object)
* shine with a gleam that varies repeatedly between bright and faint
noun *a sparkle or gleam in a person's eyes
* a light that appears to continually grow fainter and brighter

Spanish: papadear (star, light) brillar (eyes)

Twinkle is my theme word for 2010. For the past three years, I have selected a word to focus on for the year. In 2008, it was "sparkle". In 2009, it was "bounce". I wanted to be more resilient. This year, I selected twinkle, mostly because it is a synonym for sparkle and I loved feeling sparkly all year. Looking for the glitter in life. I am looking for a balance between inner and outer focus, so twinkle seemed appropriate because it incorporates the brightness and the faint, quiet glow of each. What is your theme word for 2010?

Happy New Year! 2010

Here is a sneak peek of my biggest change for the new year!

Welcome to 2010! Hope yours has started off with a bang! We had originally planned to have dinner with friends on New Year's Eve, but an awful painful sinus infection kept us home, picnicking on the living room floor and watching Prince Caspian instead. This morning Owen sat on my lap to watch the first part of the Rose Bowl Parade, and the cat decided to start off the new year by crawling inside the lining of the box spring of our bed. We coaxed her out pretty easily, and look forward to a relaxing day of organizing for a great new year! This will be a year of travel for our family, it looks like. With five plane trips on the docket already, we will certainly be racking up the frequent flyer miles this year. Luckily our littlest family member will still fly free! I updated a few things down the right side of the blog. Check out the updated winter 2010 avatar with Owen flinging food from his high chair and the new pix of O down the right.