Tomorrow

Boober will be here TOMORROW. 11 days late, but he will be here.

Nervous? Maybe. Petrified? Abso-freakin’-lutely.

Hey, Look! Words!

35 weeks down, 5 weeks to go.

With less than a month and a half to go until Boober’s arrival, things in the house have gotten to a new level of excitement (and some days, frustration).

Here’s how I’ve been filling my days:
Sewing. Mostly diapers, but they’re not perfect yet!
Organizing baby clothing.
Washing baby clothing.
Reorganizing baby clothing.
Getting hospital bags ready (or at least stuffing things in the same place in our room)
Eating
Trying not to eat TOO much
Worrying.
Trying not to worry too much.
Petting cats.
Sitting on my birthing ball, trying to coax Boober into the pelvis. Maybe I should put a
brownie down there or something? A carrot?
Stressing about how organized the house isn’t.
Getting music CDs ready for the birth. As long as I end up with one of the “natural” birthing
rooms (4 out of 5) there will be a CD player, which is nice.

Oh, and waking up at ungodly hours of the morning. Yesterday it was 2:30am. Today it’s 5am. “They” say the last few weeks your body switches to a new schedule to help you adjust so it’s not such a shock. I think I’d prefer the shock to 2:30am bright-eyed-bushy-tailedness that leaves me unable to function come 3pm.

Most days, I’m doing OK, and Olivier is becoming more and more use to my emotions doing turn-on-a-time flip-flops. Based on how he’s acting now, I think he’s going to be great during the delivery. He’s becoming more sure of himself, which is really nice to see

We had our 3rd trimester ultrasound on… Some day this week. Wednesday? Boober is on target weight wise, right around 5 pounds now, on target to be 8 pounds at delivery. Everything looked good, and he’s doing great, according to the doc.

We’re hopefully going to Brugges next weekend. Doc said I needed to rest until 35 weeks, and after that I am free as long as I don’t do marathons or rock climbing Maybe some walking around will get this boy into a deeper position!

1600 Words on Why I am Not Anorexic

There is something to be said for not sitting down and eating a pint of ice cream. Everything in moderation, even wine!, is OK in pregnancy. Exercise is important, but not hard cord heart-pumping spin cycles or anything, in pregnancy. Everything in moderation.

And over the months, your once flat (ok…not flat. But not too poochy, either) stomach begins to round, as do your breasts, hips, and, mysteriously, the back of your arms, thighs, and if you’re not careful, your neck, as well. And you watch your diet. You let yourself splurge once a week, sometimes twice, one a bit of ice cream, getting your insane dairy cravings out of the way with yogurt and glass after glass (or liter after liter) of milk.

And you keep active. You swim, walk when you can (thank you, swollen ankles), and even participate in a cave archaeology dig, hauling 10-15 pound buckets of soil up and down ladders. You stay active. Your hips complain, your back aches, but you know you have to stay active. So you do.

And you feel gorgeous. This little person inside of you, kicking and moving every day. Responses to foods (pineapple juice seems to be his favorite, and it seems to give him lots of energy), responses to Mom and Dad’s voice, you’re a real person! And Mom is getting bigger by the day, she feels bigger by the hour, especially at the end of the day. She can she her stomach harden in practice contractions (unless she’s done something she wasn’t suppose to, and then she has to rest), she sees her body doing amazing things, getting ready to bring this real person, living inside of her, into the world.

And then someone, maybe you, maybe someone you over hear, makes a comment. “You shouldn’t eat so much, you’re getting too big.” “I was never that big!” “How far along are you?” Response: “7 months.” Response:“Wow, you look like you’re going to pop, are there two in there?” Response: “No, really, there’s just one.” “You’re enormous.”

Enormous. Defined as:

e⋅nor⋅mous

–adjective

1.	greatly exceeding the common size, extent, etc.; huge; immense: an enormous fortune.

2.	outrageous or atrocious: enormous wickedness; enormous crimes.

Now, I figure I’m not atrocious or outrageous, though my inner diva does go sparkly sometimes, it’s not too much, ya know? Just a bit of glitz on a gloomy day. So that can only leave definition number one. “Greatly exceeding the common size or extent, etc.”

Common size for who? A 4 year old? A 16 year old? A 24 year old? A 61 year old?

Let’s try pregnant. Let’s do a little bit of math and see what happens when you put a nearly fully grown person inside of a another human being, and then see what happens to their figure. One assumes it grows, when appropriately fed.

Average weight gain/Average Female:

HOW YOUR WEIGHT ADDS UP

Baby – 7½ pounds
Enlargement of uterus – 2 pounds
Placenta – 1½ pounds
Amniotic fluid – 2 pounds
Breast enlargement – 2 pounds
Extra blood and fluid volume – 8 pounds
Extra fat stores – 7 pounds
Total – 30 pounds

Now, if you’ve gained more in one of those places than another, you may balance out or you may gain more. Milla Jovovich famously gained over 70 pounds, ending up well over 200 pounds when her beautiful (healthy) daughter was born. If you gain more than 4 pounds in a week, it is imperative you go to the doctor, you may have pre-eclampsia. If you have rapid weight gain for no apparent reason, the doctor may order a glucose test.

If you go to France for almost two weeks, you may gain 8 pounds instead of 4. And then you may have to eat healthy things like rice and beans with veggies for a couple of nights a week to balance out those extra calories.

And some how, in all this, you still feel beautiful.

And now, I’m becoming personal.

I have not, since the age of 7, been a skinny person. I developed early, was a size C/D when I was 13 (ask my cousin Pam, I stole a bunch of her bras!), and unless I am very, very careful, I gain weight very easily in my thighs, stomach, and face. But, luckily, no where else. Yay!

And now, I’m pregnant. My child, my husband and I’s child, is growing inside of me, kicking the living daylights out of me some days, telling us that he is healthy and growing and happy. My doctor is happy (except that little extra 4 pound gain), and I am happy. And here’s the astounding part: When you see me next to OTHER women as pregnant as I am, I am their size.

Here’s news: Different women carry differently. I am not 6′ tall. I am 5’1 (and a half, on a good day), I have very long legs, and a very short torso. There is NOT MUCH ROOM. Yes, there is fat there. I’ve gained fat AND baby, it happens. My breasts are a cup size larger, my ribs are expanding at a rate I haven’t seen ever, and I’m retaining water. On any give day I can make my ankles the size of baseballs without trying too hard. And I’m 7 months pregnant.

And my husband finds me sexier than he ever has, tells me on a daily (if not hourly) basis, and I get smiles from people on the street.

Pregnant women are very, very sensitive. They are often sleep deprived after the 5^th or 6^th month, they can never get comfortable when they sleep. They can be hungry or even ravenous at the drop of a hat, and it has been medically proven that blood sugar drops can make anyone very, very cranky. And the hormones. Oh, the beautiful, beautiful hormones. They make the placenta stay attached, they help create breastmilk, they encourage the body to hold fat reserves for breastfeeding after birth, and they physically change the brain, allowing a woman to be more open and able to attach to the baby after birth. Oh, and they make you psychotic sometimes.

Sometimes, somone says “You’re pulling that out of your butt”, and you cry for an hour because you’re just. that. sensitive. And then right after that, someone comes along and tells you “You’re not large, you’re enormous.”

And if you haven’t been pregnant, you have no idea how much it hurts, and how long it stays with you (Long enough to fume about it over night and then write a thesis sized post about it, that’s how long). I’m aware I’m not a size two. I wasn’t before, I won’t be during, and I’m fairly certain I won’t be afterwards, either.

I have stretchmarks. The first one came, and was lonesome for weeks. Then in the span of two weeks (which, I found out after that fact, coincided with a fetal development phase), about 40 of his closes friends and family showed up to camp out on my expanding belly. And currently, they’re all at or below my belly because little Boober is laying transverse, and that’s what really needs to grow for him, apparently.

But my body is doing what it needs to do. I am eating the right foods and drinking lots of water. This week, I’ll admit, cookies have played a large part in my diet, but they’re oatmeal and I make them myself and try to keep the sugar and butter to a minimum. It quells the cravings, and I drink it with milk. It’s a sacrifice I need to keep myself sane right now. I LOVE my body right now. I love that my stomach gets hard and I can feel him moving and feel all the things he’s doing, whether it’s playing with his feet or finding new and painful ways to play with mommies pelvic nerves.

Pregnant women come in every size and shape imaginable. When they’re healthy, they grow. If they’re anorexic, they do not grow. If I ate my “normal diet”, I would probably gain some weight, but it wouldn’t be the calorie and content that the baby needs. Baby wants dairy right now, baby gets dairy. For 2 weeks in my first trimester, all I wanted was red meat. Luckily that phase passed just as Olivier was calling Uncle. Another week I ate nothing but eggs (1.5-2 dozen in a week, I believe). Another week the craving was tuna, but I had to put the brakes on that one: tuna can contain dangerously high levels of mercury, which inhibit fetal nervous development.

But before you go and tell someone they are “Enormous”, take a look at the “common size”. All of the following pictures are of women who are the same gestation that I am.

Women 28-32 weeks pregnant, 7 months

These next two photos are my two favorites:

Anorexic Woman, 6 months pregnant

Demi Moore, a beautiful 7 months pregnant in 1991

Now, please tell me which woman looks more likely to carry a healthy child to a full 40  week term?

Enormous, huge, gigantic, balloon-like, whale-like, are not words or phrases that are good to say anyone, EVER, especially when pregnant. Pregnant women have enough to deal with, their own weight issues and the insecurities that come with being a person’s parent in the very near future. And realize, that even if they ARE above average, unless their doctor is concerned, you really shouldn’t be either. The woman who is known to have gestational diabetes and you see her eating a box full of cookies? Yes, say something. The woman who is perfectly healthy, but “looks” large? Those comments aren’t life savers. And you don’t “have” to say it. It hurts, it’s unnecessary, and it leaves a longer lasting impact than you realize.

There are thoughts.

I’m just a little worn out to express them. Boober’s doing good. It’s a boy! We’re working on putting together the montessori-based infant environment and Boober (and mama) are growing… well.

Newest picture at 29 weeks. 10.5 weeks to go. Start my birthing classes August 11th.

Warning: Objects in mirror are larger than they appear.

Just a little update to point out how farking huge I am. Continue about your day.

25 Weeks! Where in suffer from BWS

BWS, you ask? Beached. Whale. Syndrome!

The Boob-o-meter:

Boober is approximately 34 cm in length and weighs almost 690 grams.
Normal people measurements: around 13.5 inches in length and 1 and half pounds.
Bones are becoming solid, hands are now fully developed.
The brain is growing rapidly, the brain cells are starting to mature.
The sexual organs are fully developed.
Boober is pretty well built portion wise even though s/he still has little body fat and his/her skin is thin. The structures of the spine begin to form — All 33 rings, 150 joints and 1000 ligaments. The tiny brain is growing rapidly, and the baby is starting to fill the space in your uterus (starting? Ha!). The uterus is now about the size of a soccer ball and mom looks (30weeks) pregnant (apparently).

Baby’s hands are now fully developed, although some of the nerve connections to the hands have a long way to go. Dexterity is improving. S/he can make a fist and clasp objects placed in palm. Exploring the structures inside your uterus may have become baby’s prime entertainment (my bladder and intestines, though not in the uterus, are apparently especially interesting). Fascinated by the amount of tactile stimulation a fetus can gives itself, it touches his hand to his face, one hand to the other hand, clasps her feet, plays with both feet, and grasps at the umbilical cord.

Babe’s starting to move a lot more (or at least I can feel it a lot more) and a couple times I have felt a switch from head up (or, sideways) to head down with a solid butt in my upper stomach. I get movement now above my bellybutton and below my ribs on my sides, it’s amazing where this kid is spreading.

A coworker gave us a stash of clothing for 18-24 month olds, which is awesome. We’re trying to work on getting some organization to all the baby stuff, but that really has yet to happen. It’s aggravating but understandable. After we get back from our little vacation to the beach, I’m going to get the dresser from Ikea which will allow me to put all the diapers (only waiting on the stuff from the states! Woo!) away, clothing for up to three months (because apparently cloth diapered babies are in larger clothing), and any other little stuff away.

I go for my 6th month check-up tomorrow, I’ll do a little mini-post about that. Baby seems to be doing good, ultrasound last week was perfect…. I should get some ultrasounds back from the doc tomorrow, I’ll try and scan them in or something so that you guys can see how Boober’s doing.

Other than that, we’re going on vacation next Saturday for a week so there may be no 26 week update, which means the next update will be the start of my 3rd trimester! Good lord!

To leave you with: A list of things never to say to a pregnant woman, with my comments!

1.Rub or feel her belly. Would you go up to a perfect stranger who wasn’t pregnant and touch their belly? No, you wouldn’t. So why do people feel like a pregnant woman’s belly is public property?
2.”Wow, you’re getting big.” Really? You don’t think I haven’t noticed? I’ve put on probably 12 kilos (25ish pounds). I feel huge. I’m worried about my weight. Do you THINK I need your comments? No. Shut up.
3.”You look ready to pop, I can’t believe you still have (insert time frame here) to go.” Thank you. So what you’re saying is I’m fatter then what I should be? A pregnant woman can be very self-conscious of her growing size. You’re probably doing nothing but making her feel even more insecure then she already is, especially if she still has a few months to go.
4.”Are you sure you’re not having twins?” Of course I’m sure! Four ultrasounds have repeatedly shown only ONE person in my stomach.
5.Telling labor horror stories. The last thing a pregnant woman wants to hear is how you struggled for countless hours to have your last baby, or the neighbor that needed an emergency c-section, or whatever. I was born by emergency c-section. I’ve heard my own stary.
6.”Should you really be eating/drinking that?” I was at a school function and a parent had the gaul to tell me “You should drink orange juice instead of coke. It’s probably healthier.” Well, actually, I’m starving, I need some fast sugar, and I had three glasses of OJ for breakfast. I’ve had enough OJ for the day, ok?
7.”Was it planned?” Talk about invading someone’s personal life. Whether a pregnant woman planned her pregnancy or it was an “accident,” it’s none of your business.
8.”Are you going to have any more babies?” Will you be having sex tonight? What about tomorrow? Really? What position? I don’t want you to share your sex life with me, please don’t ask me about mine.
9.”Are you going to breastfeed?” What will YOU be doing with your breasts in 3 months? Can I see?
10.”Enjoy sleep/time to yourself/insert-any-enjoyable-activity-here now, because you’ll never get any once the baby comes!” It’s not that very pregnant people DON’T want to sleep.  It usually means that they can’t. I am also very well versed in the sleep deprivation that comes with newborns. This is not new to me. I have spent lots of time around them, taking over night shifts for exhausted cousins and friends, and I am AWARE that I will be FARKING TIRED. You cannot “build-up” sleep. If I get a good night’s sleep 1 week before the birth (ha!) that’ll be just as good as a week’s sleep now. And you know what? Because I’m so farking huge, I can’t get comfortable, so no sleep now, no sleep later.
11.“Take the epidural.” I understand delivery is not a piece of cake. I understand it HURTS. I am aware of the fact that it is probably one of the most dramatic things that can happen in my life. However, with my husband and my prenatal physiotherapist who is trained to help naturally relieve pain, I am hoping to get through this without drugs. From a handout on epidurals:

How can an epidural affect my baby? As stated above, research on the effects of epidurals on newborn health is somewhat ambiguous and many factors may be contributing to newborn health at the time of birth. How much of an effect these medications will have is difficult to judge and could vary based on dosage, how long labor continues and individual babies. Dosages and medications vary, so concrete information from research is lacking. Studies reveal that some babies may initially have trouble “latching on” among other difficulties with breastfeeding. While in-utero, they may become lethargic and have trouble getting into position for delivery. These medications have been known to cause respiratory depression, and decreased fetal heart rate in newborns. Though the medication may not harm the baby, the baby may experience subtle effects like those mentioned above.

An epidural is, after all, a DRUG. A drug that affects the health of the mother AND the child, and can cause more interferences. I understand that some women need the pain handled for them. I understand I may get to a point where I am physically and mentally exhausted. I am aware. But the dangers in the epidural have to outweigh the problems going on in the delivery room before I am willing to take one. Like all drugs, benefits and dangers need to be weighed carefully.
12.“It’s a boy/girl because ______.” Oh dear god, shut up. Just shut up. There is an inch of fat, several centimeters of amniotic fluid, and probably legs in the way. If my doctor who has been doing this for 30 years won’t make an educated guess, then maybe you shouldn’t either, eh?

Week 24!

Baby’s growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts the weight at just over a pound. Almost a foot long (about the length of an ear of corn!), s/he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and Boober’ll soon start to plump up. Delicious delicious brains are also growing quickly now, and taste buds are continuing to develop. Boober has shown a favoritism of spicy Indian food, becoming extremely, EXTREMELY active for 2-3 hours after I eat it. I’ve gotten two of my most powerful kicks after Indian food. The lungs are developing “branches” of the respiratory “tree” as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help air sacs inflate once s/he hits the outside world. Though the skin is still thin and translucent, that will start to change soon.

We had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound this week! It looked great, Boober is measuring on target, but we have no pictures (the one ultrasound we have is blurry, at best) to show.

I’m on “modified rest” again, meaning I’m allowed to move around but no heavy lifting and lots of rest. I feel like a lame duck most days. I can go back to work on Wednesday, just in time for the last day picnic. I got completely chewed out by my boss when I dropped off my medical certificate. She invited me back when I’m ready.. but honestly, I don’t know if I want to go back.

We’re looking into ways for me to stay home longer than 10 months. We’ll see… the idea of putting my child in a creche (what daycare is called here) really doesn’t appeal to me. We’re rearranging the house so I can create an infant-to-toddler environment. Starting in mid-late august, I’m going to be advertising some English tutoring around Namur. Stuff I can drive or take the bus to, or that people can come here. Only children in the 2-7 age, for now as I don’t have the materials for older kids. But the beautiful part is that I’ll probably take October to January off (for the baby) and then I can take the baby with me. Just feed and change before a ½ hour or 1 hour long tutoring session and for the first couple of months, it should be fine. I’ve already got three students (a soon-to-be former student and his two sisters) that I can do back-to-back, so I can get at least 12 hours a month out of them. I figure if I have 15-20 hours a month, it’ll give me a good enough income that we can relax a little bit on finances.

We’re also already planning ahead to our trip in December/January to see family. It’ll be an adventure on so many levels, and we’re really, really excited:

First: Traveling internationally is always exciting, you’ll never know what’s going to happen.

Second: We haven’t flown “together” in over a year. I’m use to traveling by myself, so traveling with Olivier (and his own personal way of traveling) makes things more exciting.

Third: Traveling with Boober! I’ll be the first time s/he takes to the skys. Supposedly, traveling with a newborn is only second easier to traveling as a pregnant woman. They sleep most of the time, and as long as you have something (i.e. mom) for them to suck on during take off and landing, they’re suppose to be OK. Sleeping isn’t really an issue at this stage, only because “jet leg” isn’t something they know of. They get fed and changed every 2-3 hours, and other than that, it’s normal behavior. I’ve read from seasoned travelers to try and find a “quiet space” in the airport if baby seems overwhelmed by all the noise.

Fourth: Cloth! We’re traveling with cloth diapers! Some would say “Why not just use disposable” while you’re traveling? And to them I say: Well, if it were only for 3-4 days, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But a month’s worth of disposables on a newborn can be expensive, and I don’t want to rely on them for a months’ time. It’s just too long for me. We’ll be staying at places that have washing machines and dryers (or a laundry mat VERY close by), and one of the friends we’re staying with is also a cloth-diapering family, so it’s just easier.

People have been asking “why cloth”, and my answer comes down to: I’m trying to eliminate as many chemicals and plastic from the house as possible. Eco-friendly people often argue that cloth diapers are “more environmentally friendly”, and they are, in some ways. But the energy it takes to wash them and the water it takes (even with the high-efficiency machines we have) can off-set that. The COST of the water and the electricity are often a minimal increase to a family budget, and we’re going to spend less than $1,000 to outfit the child from birth to potty training, and the diapers (and covers) are reusable for successive children.

We’re going to have three types of diapers, for different situations:

All-in-one/One Size: Use it like a normal diaper, except you put “solids” in the toilet and wash them! The brand we’re choosing to use is BumGenius. See it here The bonus of these is that we can use them from Newborn to potty stage. These will be our “day out” diaper, as they are extremely easy to use and there no “accessories” to misplace.

“Fitted” – Fitted diapers are like a cloth version of a regular diaper (with snaps, velcro, or pins) but you must put a diaper (see diaper covers here) cover over it. Some sites say you don’t necessarily need covers, but if you have carpet or cloth on your couches, it’s ideal to have a diaper cover for protection. However, they DO give the option to allow the child to be without a diaper cover (and more breathable) for a few hours, especially with a diaper rash.

Prefolds: Prefolds are essentially what most people know as burpcloths now. However, the kind sold at Wal-mart are not usable for cloth diapers – - they’re just not thick enough. These are the “traditional” kind that take pins. However, there is a fabulous new product called a “snappi” that means no more pins! It’s great. The other bonus for these is that when a child outgrows one size, the size they’ve outgrown can be used as a “doubler” (meaning you can make the next size diaper thicker). Prefolds are the cheapest type at about 1.50 -2.00 per diaper. I’ve bought about 2-3 dozen in each size. You really only need 3 dozen for the first 3-4 months, and then after that 2 dozen should get you through 2 days before you need to do laundry.

Diaper covers: These go over the “fitted” and “prefolds” We’re going to be using mostly wool diaper covers (Disana) , as it eliminates the most amount of plastic (100% cotton diapers and 100% wool covers, 0% plastic). Wool covers can be used repeatedly, but they do need to be “re-lanolized” every so often (adding lanolin, the natural oil found in wool, to keep the diaper covers absorbent), and on those days we’ll be using Thirsties Diaper Covers (love the colors!). The downside is that both of these types are “sized”, meaning that you can only use them for certain weights. The bonus is you only need 3-4 diaper covers, and they too are completely reusable for the next child.

Other questions about diapers:

Staining and smells: Some people are really turned off by the idea of smelly diapers and stained diapers. Well, here’s the truth: using a bucket of cold water and 3-4 drops of tea-tree oil erases the smell and disinfects the diaper. Also, cloth diaper sellers recommend going no more than 3 days between washings, only because the smell DOES build up. Imagine if you left diapers in a trash can for 3 days. It wouldn’t smell nice. It’s the same here. However, the tea-tree oil helps fight the smell, disinfects, and the cold soak helps prevent stains from soaking in. IF you happen to still have a stain after washing, you have two options: Wash again, or put it out in the sun for a few hours. The sun is mother nature’s best stain remover. It also works for regular clothing. The sun also helps fight yeast and other things that can build up in a diaper (and on baby’s skin), disposable or not.

Cloth diaper wipes: Don’t you need a product to clean baby’s skin? No! However, if baby has a rash or some other “issue”, a few drops of tea-tree oil in a spray bottle often help clear up the issue BEFORE diaper rash cream is needed. Baby’s skin can be washed with a good solid diaper wipe (I made my own out of terry cloth and flannel) and warm water. They are easily washable with the diapers, and you never “run out” of them in the middle of the night and have to run out and get more. While you CAN not wash them often enough, I’ve made about 2 dozen two-sided and have a few just flannel for pee-only times. All in all, I have 30-35, and a few “extra large” (about a foot long and 5” wide) for those really big messes. The upside for me is that I have custom sized for different uses, meaning that I don’t have to worry about using 6 or 7 expensive disposable wipes when baby makes a mess. Also, I’m a dork and made them color-coordinate with my diaper-bag.

Finally, the biggest argument is that I mostly will have time (it takes what, 10 seconds to load a laundry machine) to do this, saving us money in the long run. We’re cutting every cent (we recently cut an 8 euro cable bill to save 96 euros a year) to make sure I can stay home. It takes a lot of planning, but very little money, something that is our priority right now.

And, here’s a pretty picture of my enormous belly! It’s sure to just keep on gettin’ bigger.

Baby’s growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts the weight at just over a pound. Almost a foot long (about the length of an ear of corn!), s/he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and Boober’ll soon start to plump up. Delicious delicious brains are also growing quickly now, and taste buds are continuing to develop. Boober has shown a favoritism of spicy Indian food, becoming extremely, EXTREMELY active for 2-3 hours after I eat it. I’ve gotten two of my most powerful kicks after Indian food. The lungs are developing “branches” of the respiratory “tree” as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help air sacs inflate once s/he hits the outside world. Though the skin is still thin and translucent, that will start to change soon.

We had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound this week! It looked great, Boober is measuring on time, but though we have no pictures (the one ultrasound we have is blurry, at best) to show.

I’m on “modified rest” again, meaning I’m allowed to move around but no heavy lifting and lots of rest. I feel like a lame duck most days. I can go back to work on Wednesday, just in time for the last day picnic. I got completely chewed out by my boss when I dropped off my medical certificate. She invited me back when I’m ready.. but honestly, I don’t know if I want to go back.

We’re looking into ways for me to stay home longer than 10 months. We’ll see… the idea of putting my child in a creche (what daycare is called here) really doesn’t appeal to me. We’re rearranging the house so I can create an infant-to-toddler environment.

Starting in mid-late august, I’m going to be advertising some English tutoring around Namur. Stuff I can drive or take the bus to, or that people can come here. Only children in the 2-7 age, for now as I don’t have the materials for older kids. But the beautiful part is that I’ll probably take October to January off (for the baby) and then I can take the baby with me. Just feed and change before a ½ hour or 1 hour long tutoring session and for the first couple of months, it should be fine. I’ve already got three students (a soon-to-be former student and his two sisters) that I can do back-to-back, so I can get at least 12 hours a month out of them. I figure if I have 15-20 hours a month, it’ll give me a good enough income that we can relax a little bit on finances.

We’re also already planning ahead to our trip in December/January to see family. It’ll be an adventure on so many levels, and we’re really, really excited.

First: Traveling internationally is always exciting, you’ll never know what’s going to happen.

Second: We haven’t flown “together” in over a year. I’m use to traveling by myself, so traveling with Olivier (and his own personal way of traveling) makes things more exciting.

Third: Traveling with Boober! I’ll be the first time s/he takes to the skys. Supposedly, traveling with a newborn is only second easier to traveling as a pregnant woman. They sleep most of the time, and as long as you have something (i.e. mom) for them to suck on during take off and landing, they’re suppose to be OK. Sleeping isn’t really an issue at this stage, only because “jet leg” isn’t something they know of. They get fed and changed every 2-3 hours, and other than that, it’s normal behavior. I’ve read from seasoned travelers to try and find a “quiet space” in the airport if baby seems overwhelmed by all the noise.

Fourth: Cloth! We’re traveling with cloth diapers! Some would say “Why not just use disposable” while you’re traveling? And to them I say: Well, if it were only for 3-4 days, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But a month’s worth of disposables on a newborn can be expensive, and I don’t want to rely on them for a months’ time. It’s just too long for me. We’ll be staying at places that have washing machines and dryers (or a laundry mat VERY close by), and one of the friends we’re staying with is also a cloth-diapering family, so it’s just easier.

People have been asking “why cloth”, and my answer comes down to: I’m trying to eliminate as many chemicals and plastic from the house as possible. Eco-friendly people often argue that cloth diapers are “more environmentally friendly”, and they are, in some ways. But the energy it takes to wash them and the water it takes (even with the high-efficiency machines we have) can off-set that. The COST of the water and the electricity are often a minimal increase to a family budget, and we’re going to spend less than $1,000 to outfit the child from birth to potty training, and the diapers (and covers) are reusable for successive children.

We’re going to have three types of diapers, for different situations:

All-in-one/One Size: Use it like a normal diaper, except you put “solids” in the toilet and wash them! The brand we’re choosing to use is BumGenius. See it here (http://www.bumgenius.com/one-size.php) The bonus of these is that we can use them from Newborn to potty stage. These will be our “day out” diaper, as they are extremely easy to use and there no “accessories” to misplace.

“Fitted” (http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/15444/parenting/what_are_fitted_diapers.html)- Fitted diapers are like a cloth version of a regular diaper (with snaps, velcro, or pins) but you must put a diaper (see diaper covers here:http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/covers.htm) cover over it. Some sites say you don’t necessarily need covers, but if you have carpet or cloth on your couches, it’s ideal to have a diaper cover for protection. However, they DO give the option to allow the child to be without a diaper cover (and more breathable) for a few hours, especially with a diaper rash.

Prefolds(http://www.diaperpin.com/clothdiapers/article_prefolds101.asp): Prefolds are essentially what most people know as burpcloths now. However, the kind sold at Wal-mart are not usable for cloth diapers – - they’re just not thick enough. These are the “traditional” kind that take pins. However, there is a fabulous new product called a “snappi” that means no more pins! It’s great. The other bonus for these is that when a child outgrows one size, the size they’ve outgrown can be used as a “doubler” (meaning you can make the next size diaper thicker). Prefolds are the cheapest type at about 1.50 -2.00 per diaper. I’ve bought about 2-3 dozen in each size. You really only need 3 dozen for the first 3-4 months, and then after that 2 dozen should get you through 2 days before you need to do laundry.

Diaper covers: These go over the “fitted” and “prefolds” We’re going to be using mostly wool diaper covers (Disana) , as it eliminates the most amount of plastic (100% cotton diapers and 100% wool covers, 0% plastic). Wool covers can be used repeatedly, but they do need to be “re-lanolized” every so often, and on those days we’ll be using Thirsties Diaper Covers (love the colors!). The downside is that these are “sized”, meaning that you can only use them for certain weights. The bonus is you only need 3-4 diaper covers, and they too are completely reusable for the next child.

Other questions about diapers:

Staining and smells: Some people are really turned off by the idea of smelly diapers and stained diapers. Well, here’s the truth: using a bucket of cold water and 3-4 drops of tea-tree oil erases the smell and disinfects the diaper. Also, cloth diaper sellers recommend going no more than 3 days between washings, only because the smell DOES build up. Imagine if you left diapers in a trash can for 3 days. It wouldn’t smell nice. It’s the same here. However, the tea-tree oil helps fight the smell, disinfects, and the cold soak helps prevent stains from soaking in. IF you happen to still have a stain after washing, you have two options: Wash again, or put it out in the sun for a few hours. The sun is mother nature’s best stain remover. It also works for regular clothing. The sun also helps fight yeast and other things that can build up in a diaper (and on baby’s skin), disposable or not.

Cloth diaper wipes: Don’t you need a product to clean baby’s skin? No! However, if baby has a rash or some other “issue”, a few drops of tea-tree oil in a spray bottle often help clear up the issue BEFORE diaper rash cream is needed. Baby’s skin can be washed with a good solid diaper wipe (I made my own out of terry cloth and flannel) and warm water. They are easily washable with the diapers, and you never “run out” of them in the middle of the night and have to run out and get more. While you CAN not wash them often enough, I’ve made about 2 dozen two-sided and have a few just flannel for pee-only times. All in all, I have 30-35, and a few “extra large” (about a foot long and 5” wide) for those really big messes. The upside for me is that I have custom sized for different uses, meaning that I don’t have to worry about using 6 or 7 expensive disposable wipes when baby makes a mess. Also, I’m a dork and made them color-coordinate with my diaper-bag.

Finally, the biggest argument is that I mostly will have time (it takes what, 10 seconds to load a laundry machine) to do this, saving us money in the long run. We’re cutting every cent (we recently cut an 8 euro cable bill to save 96 euros a year) to make sure I can stay home. It takes a lot of planning, but very little money, something that is our priority right now.