Still no baby yet. If you didn't get the most recent pics of the LW, let me know and I'll send them. She's been out in the back yard working in the potting soil. We picked up some plants last night from the new Lowe's on our side of town. We went in for plants and came out with light fixtures, lamps, irrigation supplies, and an irrigation timer that I needed since the other one fried itself out. The LW picked out most of the flowers, but I picked the Side Show Purple (Osteospermum/Cape Daisy) and it is pictured here. CP is five days late now and her mom reminds her of it every now and then. Everyone is anxious, including us.
The midwives continue to monitor the LW's condition, but all appears to be well. It was a tough blow mentally to see CP's due date come and go. That date is just an educated guess that gives the doctors the right to force you into an induction, monitoring, IV,........bills. I know all about the lifespan of the placenta, fluid levels, etc. I also understand that obstetricians have golf tee times and lunch engagements that they don't like to miss. The LW and I were both first children and we were both late babies. She was 3 weeks late and I was just a little over 2 weeks late. We're just continuing on with life as (un)usual for now. There's a stress test planned for Monday if CP's still hangin' in there.
The beloved VW bus went to a new home this week. There's a big vacant place in the yard now. I listed it on craigslist.org on Sunday night and had a guy come pick it up on Monday morning. He evidently has one that has been wrecked, but still has good parts everywhere else. I went out in the back yard with him and had just fired it up and let it idle and he said, "I'll take it". I doubt that I'll ever see another one with a factory sunroof for less than $10 grand, but them's the breaks... I actually did see one that was restored the other day on eBay and it was going for $10,995. The money that I raised from selling it will combine with some recent baby gift money and will start a college/first home fund for CP. The way things are going, she'll need all of the help that she can get.
The LW and I just heard about a movie that's being screened at Tribeca called "Flock of Dodos". It should be a pretty good show, but people will still believe crazy mythologies and antiquated creation stories because they are easy on the mind and encourage them not to think too much. Take scientology for instance, if you think the other religions have the market on outright looney behavior and methods, think again. At least the other god clubs don't have their own Navies.....yet.
In other news, the garden is coming along nicely and the first planting of corn is waist high already. The remainder of the sprouts have broken ground and are moving into the light. It really takes a good bit of soil temperature to get the pepper seeds moving along. They're stubborn.
It's a beautiful sunny day out.
The LW's contractions continue, but other than that, no news is good news. A few relatives have been sneaking around the "don't call us, we'll call you" plan that we set up. I wonder if anyone that's in our immediate nuclear family feels as though we won't call them immediately when something starts happening.
WE WILL. TRUST ME ON THIS.
The labor is moving along slowly, and from what we hear, that's a good thing. When things get rushed, odd stuff starts happening and we don't want any part of any medical intervention. We'll probably go for another walk this evening around sunset and see what happens then.
The LW and I both use MSN's instant messenger service. Just email us if you need the screen names and we'll get them to you. It's an easy way to check in with us during the day and you can tell at a glance whether or not we're out of touch. Also, it keeps anyone from waking the LW up. Something that I feel is of great importance right now.
Prelabor has begun!! Yayyyyyy! The MW appointment this morning went well. No dilation, but the cervix is effaced and CP's head is down in the pelvis. All is well. The contractions continue to be random and non-progressing. The LW is happy, well-rested, and as beautiful as ever today.
It's a bit cloudy and windy today. It started out calmly this morning when I was up on the roof with the shopvac cleaning out the tray of the swamp cooler. The salts from the water had clogged the drip rails last season, so I figured that I'd give it a good cleaning. Within an hour or so, it was humming along and it now cools the house nicely.
The LW is off to have lunch with Brandy today. It's become a Friday ritual of sorts and it gets her out of the house. I think that they were headed to Pei Wei for some oriental style food. I've had a few appointments this week and it's kept me busy and kept my mind off of the "watched pot" that is my wife.
I heard a really good story while listening to Science Friday on the way home this afternoon. It was all about farming and how we have basically taken a good solution, in having animals and crops on the same farm, and have separated it into two problems (where cows go to feedlots and corn fields need nitrogen). The story was about how some farmers have started to use a closed-loop system. I heard of this one farmer who lets cows feed in a pasture, moves them out, waits 3 days, then moves in chickens. The 3 day wait allows the grubs in the cow manure to grow. The chickens move in, dig up the grubs, and spread the manure at the same time. The flies are kept to a minimum because the chickens catch them in the larval stage. The LW and I dream of eventually living somewhere that gets regular rains and feeding ourselves from what we grow and gaining income from the extra that we sell. Ahhhhhh maybe someday we'll find such a place where the local science education hasn't been gutted and supplanted by myth.
Today was belly cast Sunday. We had a nice relaxing weekend and decided that today was the day to get the cast going. The LW has already started having random contractions that give her low back pain. This kid's coming some time this week.....we hope. We sat her down in the kitchen and got everything prepared. I had just started putting on some of the second coat when, the reason why the instructions mention getting a fan, became apparent. The LW became as white as the plaster of paris and almost checked out. It was just like after the amniocentesis...she had that "everything's fine" look on her face - that look, to me, means she's about to check out. I had time to scramble around, grab the fan, and plug it in. I kept her talkin' and she started coming around after a few minutes, but it was kinda spooky. The cast turned out wonderfully and will make a nice heirloom piece to show.
I took the LW out on a date last night. It will probably be our last date as a childless couple. We rushed off to one of the local Chipotle shops for a bite to eat and then on to see One: The Movie. I like going to local restaurants, but lately the Losbetos down the street has been getting so stingy with their ingredients, the burritos come out looking more like a rolled tacos. We made it to The Loft in time to get popcorn and be accosted by the groovy brothers handing out pamphlets about some psychic metaphysical stuff and One: The Conference. After seeing the movie, the conference seems like a way to cleanse your spirit and your wallet of $200 or more. The film is, after all, the project of a lawyer.
After being asked various things by the MC from, "say hi to your neighbor" to "what are the best qualities of being human?", we finally got to sit back and watch the movie. It was billed as a review of life's big questions by lots of different, and interesting people. It turned out to be a wandering home movie that went way too far into discussion of the idea of the movie, how it was made, more behind-the-scenes junk, and brief potshots at atheists. It seemed as though, just when the people being interviewed were about to expand on the ideas discussed in their brief snippets, the editor would cut to the cheesy little "journey" sub-plot. Some of the people interviewed were more than just "interesting". Ram Dass, Mantak Chia, Barbara Marx Hubbard, and "Dragonfly could have easily been edited out, but seemed to have been left in for comic relief. It would however, have taken two or more hiballs of bourbon, to make them even remotely funny. The remainder of the gang had some interesting things to say, but it seemed as though Chris Wallace, the street kid was right up there with them. Maybe he should get in on the game of selling tapes, books, and videos to help people find their inner punk while separating them from a few dollars. He's the only person in the list of "great leaders" not in that particular game yet.
Maybe I could become a great spiritual leader and charge for enlightenment. I might just get my $20 back.
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