Heather R.'s Diary Entries Diary Navigation: Choose A Diary Entry -------------------- Latest Entry: 11/30/01 -------------------- 10/25/01 6/21/01 5/10/01 4/8/01 3/30/01 3/23/01 3/15/01 3/7/01 2/27/01 2/20/01 2/12/01 1/29/01 1/17/01 1/1/01 12/27/00 12/19/00 12/1/00 11/13/00 -------------------- Heather R.'s Introduction

June 21, 2001

Hi All!

I owe apologies all around for being so lackadaisical as to neglect my journal for over a month. Life, as you can imagine, has been pretty busy. Things are going pretty well though, so I suppose a “catch up entry” is long overdue.

Ivan the Talker

Ivan is really starting to talk. It’s later than we expected, and it’s a bit garbled, but it’s talking nonetheless. He can now say “Thank you”, “Steven” (his Uncle), “Chloe”, “Raisins”, and “Movie”. Only John, Chloe, Steve, and myself can understand these words, but we can tell he’s communicating. Interestingly his hitting, scratching and biting has all decreased with every new word he’s learned. He doesn’t have to rely on those primitive methods of getting attention as much anymore.

Ivan is also slowing down a little bit to really look at books. From day one, he hated being read to. I first tried forcing him, but soon realized that that would do no good, as he’d just associate the bad feelings of being forced into something he didn’t like with reading. So, I held my breath and gave up on it all together. It was hard to do because I know how important it is to read to kids of all ages. Some of my favorite bonding moments with Chloe have been when I read to her at night.

In the past three weeks, Ivan has taken to books on his own, and will even allow one of us to read to him from time to time. This is a huge step, and I think it’s because those words are finally starting to click in his head. He seems to be on a “brain spurt” and I have to say it is wonderful to watch him learn at such a quick pace. And just in time to save us from further worry no less.

Chloe the Invincible

Chloe has, by all accounts, turned into a true-blooded little kid. We celebrated her third birthday on June 9th. We were in Southern California, and so celebrated it with family and friends. It was a huge event, and the director in most of the day’s goings-on was Chloe herself. This was the first year she was able to offer her distinct opinions on what she really wanted. We had a bug/garden themed birthday, complete with bug decorations, loads of streamers and balloons, and bug candles on her cake. Chloe picked out everything from the decorations to the cake itself – chocolate cake with chocolate filling and chocolate frosting (I think this would prove her to be one of my kids). She was also very vocal about which colors she wanted for her balloons (“No, not THAT color pink – the other one!”). It was such fun to see her contemplating everything in her mind.

The Vacation

We actually left for Southern California on June 2nd, flying to Sacramento and driving the remaining 5 hours to Bakersfield. The kids did really super on the flight there and back, and even on the long car trips we took. We had explained to Chloe before hand that we were flying to California and that we would be having her birthday party there. For two weeks before we left she would ask “Are we flying on the airplane tomorrow?” before bed.

When we finally did get on the plane, she turned to me and said, “Where is my birthday cake and balloons?” She expected that we were having her party ON THE PLANE! She seemed a little disappointed when I explained it all out to her, but the flight attendant managed to swing her mood considerably when she let her see the cockpit and meet the pilots.

We spent a total of 12 days in California, visiting with family and friends, enjoying the warm (sometimes too warm) weather and all our old favorite haunts. One of the best parts of the trip was that we saw Bakersfield again. We had been thinking of moving back primarily because John has yet to find a good job, and the cost of living up here in Portland is so much higher than there. Being in Bakersfield, though, cemented our feelings – we have no desire to move back. Sometimes when you are away from a place for a while, you tend to romanticize it a bit. I can see that’s what we did in this case, and being there was the best cure.

The Pregnancy

So far, so good. After the very last bleeding episode I’ve been complication free. My midwife managed to hear the babe’s heartbeat at only 11 ½ weeks, and then again on Monday, at 15 ½ weeks. My “due date” is December 8th, and I’m confident that everything from here on out will go just perfect. We are planning to have an ultrasound at 19 weeks, and we may decide to find out the sex of the wee one.

If I haven’t mentioned it before, I’ll mention it now. I love my midwives. Their entire practice is perfect for my family and me. They are warm and caring, their entire staff of doulas and intern midwives always remember my name, and they treat me with respect and care. Each of my appointments lasts about 45 minutes to an hour, and I’m never rushed. They are always concerned about every aspect of the pregnancy and they always ask how I am feeling emotionally. My OB never would have asked such a question. Even if I had offered the information I’m sure she wouldn’t have even known what to do with it. It feels great to have the kind of care that I think pregnant women, and all patients really, deserve.

I can’t recall if I’ve posted the website before, but here it is: www.waterbirth.net

You can take a tour and see the rooms that women deliver in. My favorite is the Lavender room.

I think this will wrap it up for me, at least for the time being. Hope all is well with everyone else!

heather r