spregnancy update: 37 weeks

The countdown is here! I can deliver anytime!

As of Monday, Marcy The Midwife felt our baby to be just under 7 pounds. The thing about this child that we get to see the most of is one single knee, which sweeps across my belly several times daily. I'm hoping he or she has two knees, not just the one. But we're open.

Everything has really come together in the past couple of weeks.

We had our home visit last week, whereby the midwives checked to see that we have everything in place. You wouldn't believe the odd assortment of goods we need: to name a few, a crockpot and olive oil and ginger (for warm compresses), big bottles of hydrogen peroxide, and a flashlight and batteries, since I'll be birthing in a calm, low-light setting and they need to see what's going on every now and again. So interesting! This home birth preparation has been very educational and enriching for me. I feel like I am in control of at least the preparation piece, and that is so empowering. What happens in labor, who can know? We pre-registered at the hospital yesterday just in case.

Here's my view of Jason napping on the floor.

My final order of newborn cloth diaper paraphenalia is on the way, and I think I'm set for the big experiment on that front. I am trying a couple of style combinations to get started, and when I know what the heck I'm doing, I'll settle on something for as the baby grows. Supposedly we'll save the planet AND a 2 - 3 thousand dollars over using disposables, so I'm very anxious to see how this turns out. If we don't save the planet, I will be so pissed. Ha ha. Pun totally intended. I'm using the old-school prefold diapers (like our moms used) with Thirsties brand covers. I'll experiment with wool covers too like these, although Jason is skeptical. Has anybody tried them? They're really groovy looking and supposedly very soft and absorbent. I've got a few "all in ones" too that don't require a separate cover.

We found a good carseat this week too, for $2 at the thrift store. I know that sounds so dreadful! But it is in excellent shape! We learned all we could about it and made sure it is a very safe model with no recalls. The only thing I wonder about is accident history (as in, this specific carseat), but we intend to drop by the fire department for them to give it the once over.

We visited a pediatrician yesterday too, and I think we'll go with her. Now come all the decisions about vaccinations. Lord, have mercy. What happened to the days of yore when a woman was pushing her horse-drawn plow, stopped at the end of the field to deliver the baby since she realized she was too far from the house, wrapped it in her petticoat and headed home? That actually happened to my great-great-aunt, and is one of my favorite birth stories so far. I've been listening to a lot of them these days.

And for the most exciting news of all: Jason is almost done with our bassinet! I will post here a teaser photo, so you can see the beginning. He made it from a photo I found on the web, and it is gonna be dropdead gorgeous. This guy, I'm tellin' ya. I'm real proud of him.

oh boy.

Money stresses get the better of us some days. Like today, when we reviewed our spending and income for the last 5 months and realized that the first far exceeded the second. But just when we needed a boost up, we called Chugach Electric (up in Anchorage) about a letter we'd received from them regarding member profits. We learned that during the three years they were our electric company, we earned $29.67 in profit-sharing. That's twenty-nine dollars and sixty-seven cents, which they'll be sending to us in roughly 15 years.

I am not joking about 15 years. This is per Tilly, the phone representative.

So, there's that to look forward to.

Grandma Maxine

On Hallow's Eve, Friday, October 31st, Jason and I, my parents, two aunts and an uncle sat with Grandma Maxine at her home as she breathed her last. My dad had just picked up his sister from the airport and made it to the house ten minutes before hand, where they and another sister prayed, held Grandma's hands, stroked her hair, and told her of their love. Grandma was 89 years old and still a lovely sight. She'd had Alzheimers for six years and had been cared for by my aunt and uncle in the five years since Grandpa died. So, while we lost her bodily that night, we had lost her mentally over a long time, which made her passing bittersweet.

Within 1/2 hour, our local cousins, my brother and his wife, and my mom's parents arrived, and we sat together all evening mourning and celebrating a long life now gone. A complete rainbow stretched across the sky just outside the house. We all stepped into the cool autumn where we could see it end to end.

The next week was full, with family members arriving and a memorial service to plan. I think our time together watching old slides, recounting our heritage, and especially the service itself were fitting tributes to Grandma. Lots of people shared memories of her life of humility and giving; she was absolutely the most selfless person you could hope to meet. She followed my grandpa to the ends of the earth. In the 60's, before this type of thing was commonly practiced, they drove a pickup camper from Alaska to the southern tip of South America, stopping along the way to help whomever they could, mostly pastors in small churches who needed sabbaticals or other support. They combined their love of travel and different cultures with service to God and man.

Here's their engagement picture.

Grandpa and Grandma Lautaret's four children:

Lavonne, Carolyn, Larry, and Rita

This is my sister and I with our namesake grandmas.

My middle name is after Grandma Louise,

and Rachel's is after Grandma Maxine.

One of the songs we sang at the memorial service was an old bluegrass number that has these lyrics that I've been singing ever since:



Mother's not dead
She's only sleeping
Patiently waiting for Jesus to come
The birds will be singing
While Mother lies sleeping
They will sing o'er as the grave sinks away

other happenings over the past few weeks

Dad's 62nd birthday

feeding the ducks with sis-in-law Heather

(and Peanut and Murray) at Woodland Park

What do you think about the white guy on the far right?

Nice hair, dude.

The day after the election, David requested Obama-Os,

so Mom complied. I have a rather punny family.

Nothing special going on here.

I just felt this was a timeless shot of an overall'd man

eating steak, potatoes, and green beans

with a Penney's catalog nearby.