24 weeks and 4 days, and Circumcision

Today I had my monthly checkup, and it was with Tina. This was the third time I've seen her, and I like her more each time. I would be really happy if she is the one on call when Shim arrives. Shim's FHT were in the 140's, so that is right on target. She felt my belly and listened to him, and said everything looks great. And she even told me I look cute, so I was thrilled. I'm just not feeling all that cute these days. Other preggos look cute to me, but I'm just starting to feel uncomfortable. I have this allergy and cough thing going on, which I get twice a year when the seasons/temps change. Tina told me to take some Zyrtec and Mucinex with plenty of water. Hopefully this will improve soon, because it's making sleeping very difficult.

Tina asked today if we were going to be circumsizing little Shim. Eric and I have talked about it a great deal, and are leaning towards definitely not doing it. When I told Tina that, her response was that our decision goes right along with what AAP recommends. (American Academy of Pediatrics). In any case, here is some info on circumcisions.

From www.circumcision.org
Response to American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
Circumcision Policy Statement

SIGNS OF PROGRESS
The statement takes a position of not recommending circumcision. Consistent with all previous AAP reports, no proven, actual benefits for circumcision are found. The claims of potential medical benefits are discussed in more detail that the last report (1989) and shown to be insignificant. The debate about medical benefits is over.

The report recognizes the extreme pain and trauma caused by circumcision as evidenced by large increases in heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormone levels during circumcision. The AAP notes that according to a recent study, circumcised infants exhibit a stronger pain response to vaccination at six months than uncircumcised infants, demonstrating that the effects of circumcision are not short-lived. By calling for pain medication, in the form of injection into the infant’s penis, the AAP acknowledges that this extreme pain and trauma of circumcision are serious.

The AAP statement acknowledges that the foreskin contains "a concentration of specialized sensory cells" and reports that "penile sensation and sexual satisfaction are decreased for circumcised males."

The statement references a report that circumcised men are more likely to engage in various sexual practices such as masturbation and heterosexual oral sex. This finding suggests that without a foreskin to contribute to sexual pleasure, circumcised men seek alternative forms of stimulation to compensate for their loss.

The report identifies 20 different possible circumcision complications. The 1989 report only mentioned bleeding, infection, and death as possible complications.

It warns physicians that parents should not be coerced by medical professionals to choose circumcision, suggesting that some medical professionals have coerced parents to choose circumcision. In fact, some infants have been circumcised even though parents explicitly requested no circumcision.

As in previous reports, hygiene is not an issue. According to the report, "there is little evidence to affirm the association between circumcision status and optimal penile hygiene.


And from www.kidshealth.org
Approximately 55% to 65% of all newborn boys are circumcised in the United States each year, though this rate varies by region (western states have the lowest rates and the north central region has the highest). The procedure is much more widespread in the United States, Canada, and the Middle East than in Asia, South America, Central America, and most of Europe, where it's uncommon.

Parents who choose circumcision often do so based on religious beliefs, concerns about hygiene, or cultural or social reasons, such as the wish to have their son look like other men in the family.
Despite the possible benefits and risks, circumcision is neither essential nor detrimental to a boy's health. The AAP and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) do not endorse the procedure as a way to prevent any of the medical conditions mentioned previously. The AAP also does not find sufficient evidence to medically recommend circumcision or argue against it.

That's just a little information and intro, and there is tons more out there. I've done alot of reading; enough to make up my mind. But, I'm not the one with a penis, so I'm letting Eric have a great deal of input with this decision. We are not Jewish or Islamic, so we have no relegious basis for doing it. Only about half of baby boys are circumsized these days, so the whole argument of "Don't you want him to look like everyone else in the locker room?" doesn't fly. By the time he's in a locker room, I'm hoping it'll be about half and half between the boys are are and aren't. As far as medical reasons, the benefits are so small percentage wise. So are the risks. It really just comes down to a personal decision.

In my research I learned that the reason circumcision was started thousands of years ago was to decrease the sensitivity of the penis, thereby deterring masturbation. Well, it didn't work, but the practice caught on and became prevalent. Well, now in Africa female circumcision is being forced on women to decrease their sexual pleasure, and called "genital mutilation". The rest of the world is horrified, and trying to find ways to stop it. Where was the horror when we started doing this to baby boys who didn't have a say so?

Well, enough of my soapbox of the day. Eric and I haven't made a final decision, but it should be pretty obvious which way I lean. Medicaid no longer pays for circumcision. Other insurances are stopping reimbursement. And when a peds urologist I work with straight up told me the reason it's still so popular is b/c of money to be made, my mind was made up. He says that as soon as all insurances stop reimbursement, you will be hard pressed to find ANY doctor who will do it, without out of pocket payment up front. Makes you wonder doesn't it?

Okay, I'm really done now. Circumcision soapbox over.

And can I just say that I REALLY like having a blog where I can just go on and on about whatever I'm passionate about at the moment!!! And if someone doesn't like it, they can leave a nasty comment, and I CAN DELETE IT! This is truly fabulous. I can't believe it's taken me this long in life to discover the beauty of blogging. My JM friend Angela is the first member of my entourage. I expect the paparazzi to show up any moment now. Gotta go freshen up my lipstick :-)

I am in such shock, but in a good way

So, as it turns out I am famous. A superstar known to many. Okay, maybe just a few. I honestly thought that my Mom, MIL, and grandma were the only ones who read this thing. Plus a couple of friends. So, much to my surprise, I found out there are others. My friend Angela from the message boards at www.justmommies.com posted this morning that my little blog has been recognized on someone else's blog. Someone who actually has FOLLOWERS. Someone who's blog is so popular it's worthy of advertisements. Someone who's blog I've actually been to and read. And she thought that a post I wrote about midwives was actually worthy of mentioning and linking in one of her posts. I am totally in shock!

So, I know that now you all wanna run over there and read all about it. You can find it at www.crunchydomesticgoddess.com. My blog is mentioned in the article about midwives. You can go see how famous my little blog is. This has totally inspired me to keep on blogging, especially about things that may inspire or educate others. You never know when something you say may get through to someone. I'm so excited- did I say that yet?

One more thing...

Just want to add that I am by no means an expert or even close to it. And if my blogging makes you think a little, don't take my word for it--do your own research! The internet is a fabulous thing!

Plastic and toys

So, over time I hope to make many blog posts that better explain why I make some of my parenting decisions. I don't necessarily feel the need to explain myself or justify my decisions, but rather would like to help our family and friends understand us bit better. Me, rather. Eric just goes along with whatever I think, for the most part. As long as I have a good rationale with research to back it up, he's usually okay with it.

Now for a few disclaimers. Just because I do research and make a decision that I feel is best, doesn't mean I expect everyone and anyone to agree. It also does not mean that I think other parents who make opposite decisions are making bad ones. Every parent makes choices that are right for them, and I am the last one that should be judging that. I also don't care to hear how your child did such and such (that is opposite from our way), and turned out just fine. That's great, but I just assume someone support us rather than question us. Disclaimers over...

Now, onto the plastic issue, the topic of tonight. There are two things in alot of plastics that I've become aware of through research, and would prefer to avoid. One is BPA(bisphenol A), the other PVC (polyvinlychloride). I've chosen bottles to use that don't have either, and silicone pacifier's as well. Another big thing with these two ingredients is toys. Considering that most babies until 18 months or so are always chewing on a toy, this is one of the big things for me. Making the attempt to keep wooden chew toys around, rather than plastic ones, is one small effort I can make. Unfortunately, they are very hard to find in regular stores like Target and the such. Thankfully, the internet is full of sites for these toys. HABA is one of the biggest name brands. The countries of the European Union made PVC illegal in their toys almost ten years ago---Why is the US always behind??? It really frustrates me. Here is some info from the net:

General tips for toy buying:
General Tips on Buying Safer Products for Kids

Buy less! The easiest way to avoid toys with toxic chemicals is to buy less! For some tips on reducing gift buying, see: "Simplify the Holidays".

Avoid toys that list vinyl or PVC as an ingredient (#3 plastic). Soft plastic toys like bath toys, squeeze toys, and dolls are commonly made of vinyl. If you're not sure if a toy contains vinyl or PVC try looking it up in our database. If you see high levels of chlorine, it is likely that the product contains PVC. If the product you are curious about is not in our database, ask the manufacturer or consider an alternative product.
Steer clear of vinyl lunch boxes; choose cloth lunch bags instead.
Choose uncoated cotton bibs instead of vinyl bibs, or choose bibs made of non-PVC plastic.
Avoid diaper covers, rain gear, and backpacks made of vinyl (PVC).
Choose mattresses made of wool, cotton, or natural latex that don't have vinyl covers.
Choose wool changing pads or portable fabric changing pads that do not have vinyl linings.
For a guide to safer plastics, see: http://www.iatp.org/ foodandhealth/
When possible choose plastic-free toys such as fabric teethers, unpainted wooden toys or cloth and plush toys. Polycarbonate plastic (#7 plastic) should also be avoided. For a guide to safer plastics, see: http://www.iatp.org/ foodandhealth/

Avoid children's metal jewelry and toys with small pieces, particularly magnetic pieces. For more information, see CDC's website on lead in jewelry

Check recall lists regularly, and if a toy has been recalled, send it back to the manufacturer. To receive email recall alerts from U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Take action! We can't just purchase our way out of this problem. We need Government and industry to make our products safer!

And some info on PVC/BPA specifically:
From IV tubing to baby bottles, though, plastics are under attack.

The truth is that some plastics are better than others, both for the environment and for our health. For those interested, look at the bottom of most household items made of plastic. There's a number in a triangular shape, usually 1 through 7. According to The Green Guide, avoid #3, 6 and 7; #1 and 2 are considered safer. Why? Well, not all plastics are created equally. We are learning more and more each day about the health detriments of plastic exposure.

The dangers of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) have been known for some time. Phthalates, the "plasticizer" in PVC, has been linked to asthma and other allergic disorders as well as endocrine disruption; PVC's are suspected carcinogens, too. Fortunately, Health Care Without Harm, the environmental supergroup, has been working with the health care industry to remove harmful PVC's from products like IV tubing.

Bisphenol-A (BPA), a component of #7 plastics, is the subject of most recent concern for environmental health advocates. Found in most baby bottles and canned formula, BPA has been linked to several health disorders. A Federal investigative panel concluded recently that exposure to BPA has effects on neurobehavioral and endocrine development both in utero and after birth, in infants and children. The panel's report has been widely criticized as being not harsh enough, using terms like "some concern" or "minimal concern" for the above health effects. To me, again, it comes down to whether or not you believe in the precautionary principle. If you can't assure safety within a reasonable degree, avoid use. But alas, the plastics industries do not embrace the principle, and our federal government seems more interested in the bottom line than in our children's health.

Because of all the above info and research I've read, I decided to make what small choices I can to protect Shim from this stuff. First thing was registering for Born Free bottles. I may also register for some Dr. Browns, I've heard they have a safe version. I am most obviously not the only mother on this bandwagon, and discovered that at Babies R Us (BRU). When I asked a question at the help/registry desk about a particular pacifier and PVC number, they pulled out a sheet from under the desk. It contained every product in the store considered to be BPA/ PVC "safe". I was shocked and quite impressed. Now, I do just want to say that I am realistic. I know that babies put anything and everything in their mouths. Yes, I know that Shim will chew on his fair share of plastic toys. But if I have wooden rattles/chew toys laying around to substitute for the plastic ones, it will make me feel better. As I see it, every little bit helps.

Here are some websites for wooden toys for anyone interested in how cute they can be:
www.childtrek.com
www.planethappytoys.com
www.oompa.com

So now I've blogged about midwives, doulas, and the whole plastic/wooden toy thing. I still want to blog about hypnobabies, breastfeeding, cloth diapers, organic products, vaccinations, and quite a few more I can't think of right this second. If you haven't figured it out yet, I've become quite granola and crunchy. I haven't always been this way. It kinda started when I moved to Charlotte, which is funny b/c this isn't generally a granola city. I mean, it's not Asheville by any means. But I sure do think I'd fit in just fine there. Or Seattle. (Hi Carmie!) Being pregnant has really amped up my crunchiness. Eric isn't by any means, other than recycling. He just mostly goes along with whatever I choose, within reason. Since he is also in the medical field, supplying him with research goes a long way. Okay, that's quite enough of my random ramblings for tonight. Hope your Sunday is a great one!

A rainy Friday night

It started raining last night, and there isn't an end in sight. What a storm this is. I think they are calling it a noreaster. Not really sure what that means though. I worked til this evening, then came home for dinner and an early bedtime. However, first I had to watch ER and Grey's. They killed Pratt off of ER, and I just have to admit that I bawled like a baby. I'm not joking. Eric walked in the den, and I was almost crying hysterically, with big old crocodile tears running down my face. Dang preggo hormones. I was slightly disappointed with the season premeire of Grey's. It was okay, but didn't really keep my attention. That could be the hormones as well.

Eric got the chair rail up in the nursery today, and it looks really good. He's such a great husband- very handy! I bought some drawer liner, and may start putting that in the dresser and chest of drawers tomorrow. I'm on call from 6:30am Sat morning until 6:30am Sun morning, so my productivity level depends on how busy the hospital is. Hopefully the rain will keep people indoors. At the same time, I'd love to get called in at least once for some $$$.

We are running severely low on gas in Charlotte. Lines are over an hour long, IF you can find a station with gas. If morons with 3/4 tank weren't "topping off", it wouldn't be such an issue. My jeep is out almost- the light is on. Eric still has almost a full tank, so we'll be using his car for awhile. We're hoping the situation is resolved before his car gets low. We don't have any plans really this weekend, especially since I'm on call and it's raining for days. I do have a massage scheduled for Sunday, and I'm quite happy about that. My hips and back hurt. I hope I have the gas to get there:-)

Well, Eric is headed outside to get in the hot tub, and I may join him. It depends on how hard it's raining right now. Have a good weekend!

Back to work tomorrow....

I'm in mourning about returning to work tomorrow. I really want to be a stay at home wife. Okay, maybe one 8 hour shift a week would be alright. But honestly, that's about all I want to work. This long vacation has made me lazy. Here is my latest belly pic, at 23 weeks 2 days.



It's really starting to get on out there. My belly button is becoming an outie! Shim moves all the time now, practicing is taebo skills. Active little man he is. I called my office yesterday morning to make sure that the frequency of my braxton hicks (BH) was okay, b/c I have at least 1-2 an hour. And I was also just a little concerned that they started at 21 weeks. I expected them to just say that it was fine, and instead they wanted me to come in for a check. The OB nurse said 99% likely everything was fine, but it's always better to be safe rather than sorry. Anyhow, they worked me in with one of the OB's, and as expected, everything was fine. I was not very happy about having to see one of the Dr's, b/c I just love the midwives all so much. My care with them is so much more personalized and in depth. But, this doc I saw was really nice and thorough, and I really liked her. So, if my worst fear comes true and I end up with a C-section, I would be happy to see her face. At least I've met one out of the 8 or so.

Now that it's a little cooler outside, I have a quarter sleeved shirt I can now wear. My friend Katie sent it to me a couple of months ago, and I've just been waiting to wear it. A pic of it is up above. Even if you are a fan of McCain, you've got to admit it's a cute shirt.

I'm gonna go off on a tangent here. Why won't blogger put a friggin picture I add where I'm typing??? Why does it always go to the top???? If anyone knows a way around this, please leave me a comment. This is my BIGGEST complaint about blogger.

I went shopping Sunday, and pretty much bought my entire cloth diaper stash to last for hopefully the first 6-8 months. It really just depends on how big shim gets, and how fast. I am so excited to have my stash, and can't wait to start washing and organizing them all. Look for a future post on why I'm choosing to cloth diaper, and pics of all my fluff!

We are home!

Well, it is Saturday morning and for some strange and crazy reason, I can't sleep. We got home and to bed around 11pm, and it sure was good to see my own bed. I think part of the reason I can't sleep is that I know there is so much I want to start getting done. The first load of laundry is in, so the cleaning shall commence. I don't go back to work until Wednesday, so I've got four full days to get alot of stuff done. Don't be suprised if you don't hear from the Kirsch's for a while. Meanwhile, I will start posting pics at gallery.mac.com/winternichole. There is no www. Have fun checking out the pics!

Well, for us it is 11am Friday morning, and we are sitting in the Rome airport. However, I’m not sure when I’ll actually be able to post this to the internet/blog.

Eric and I both loved the Cote d’Azur, also known as the French Riviera. We ported in Monaco, and went to France to visit Nice and Eze. Eze is simply a tourist trap, but Nice is awesome. The entire area of the Riviera that we saw was just beautiful, and we’d love to go back someday. We went to the Nice market and did some shopping, then just walked along the boardwalk. Once back in Monaco, I went back to the ship (tired after a long day), but Eric went to the casino. Actually, he had to change clothes first since business casual attire is required. He didn’t gamble since minimums are so high, but he did buy a five dollar chip as a souvenir. There aren’t any photos from the casino b/c they aren’t allowed, but Eric said it looked like a museum- very ornate with marble everywhere.

Yesterday we were in Livorno, which is just a port city that is the gateway to Florence/Pisa/Tuscany. I could go back to this area for a week, at least. It was so pretty, and Florence was one of my favorite Italian cities. And no, it’s not name favoritism. It’s actually called Firenze in Italian. We saw David at the Accademia, then went to the Duomo area, then on toward Uffizi and the Arno river. I got some shopping done and had a lovely time. We also had a great lunch in Florence at Piazza d’Repubblica. We headed to Pisa in the afternoon, and took the obligatory pics of holding up/knocking over the Leaning Tower. I don’t feel the need to go back to Pisa again. I just wanted those pictures:-)

I decided last night that I was tired of being away from the US and healthcare facilities that I could communicate with if need be. Not that anything was wrong, I think I just started getting sick of being away; a little homesick. I miss my doggies. Eric was happy to skip Greece if it was what I really wanted, as long as we could get our flight changed. Luckily, we were at the airport by 8:30, and they got us on a 12:45pm flight to Atlanta. That gets us to Atlanta around 5pm (I think after all the time changes), and we should be in Charlotte by 10pm. So now we have Sat, Sun, and Mon to unpack, and get our affairs back in order. Back to the real world in other words!

update

Well, I know it’s been quite a few days since posting, so I’ll try to figure out where we left off. We completely overslept our 2nd day in Venice, so didn’t even end up going to Murano. We’re saving it for our next trip....(in 15 years maybe).

The day after that we were at sea, then Sunday we were in Sicily. However, we had to be up by 7am, and the weather was crappy, so I decided to stay on board. We had an excursion arranged with 50 other people from cruise critic (an online message board), which was basically just bus transportation to Taormina. I wanted to go to the beach there, but it was rainy and windy. I ended up sending Eric with all the other peeps we’ve met here. He had a nice time, and I got to rest and chill for the day.

Yesterday we were at sea again, and boy was the weather windy and chilly. The seas were horrible, and they had barf bags laying all over the ship. Everyone kept asking me how I was, and if I was okay.....and the funny thing was....I was GREAT! I figured that since I puked for 20 straight weeks, God was giving me a break. I did feel quite sorry for all the other folks though; I understand relentless nausea quite well.

Today we were in Barcelona, and went up to Montserrat. It’s a Benedictine monastery up on a mountaintop, that’s been there for 1000 years. It was absolutely gorgeous! After that we came back into the city and went to Las Ramblas, which is a main street with restaurants and markets. And fabulous Sangria as well! We had a nice lunch with tapas and all the other standard spanish goodies, then came back to the boat in time to sail off again. Tomorrow we are in Monaco, and will spend the morning in Nice and Eze (France). After exploring those a little, we will head back into Monaco/Monte Carlo before sailing again tomorrow night. Thursday is our last full day, and we will port in Livorno. It’s essentially a gateway to Pisa, Florence, and Tuscany. Friday morning we arrive in Rome early, and debark to head to the airport.

We may have some travel issues, b/c our flight to Athens is on Alitalia. If anyone is watching world news, they are bankrupt and starting to cancel some flights, because they can’t pay for the fuel. We hope to make it to Santorini without any issues!!! We will be in Santorini on Saturday and Sunday, then fly out early Monday morning. We should be in Charlotte by 9pm Monday night, barring any travel complications. Things coming out here were so smooth, I almost expect it to be crazy getting home. We miss our doggies and can’t wait to see them! Shim is well, and kicking like crazy. It’s funny to feel him so often now. Eric finally got his ADHD under control for 5 minutes, and was able to lay still with his hand on my belly to feel him. That was exciting, b/c it makes it alot more real for him. I get to feel our little man constantly, and it’s easy to take that for granted. I’m off to bed, and have no idea when we’ll get to post again. Take care everyone!

Well, I should start off by saying “HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!”, because we are a day late. Yesterday we were consumed by Venice, and never had a chance to get online. Hope you had a wonderful day! Venice was unique and beautiful, and pretty much as I had imagined it. I’m so glad we got a chance to experience it before it sinks into the ocean. We first went into the city yesterday by vaporetto (water bus) after our ship docked. The sail into Venice alone was gorgeous, b/c we went by all the high points to get to the marina. We took the vaporetto to St. Marks Square, which is the main tourist destination. After a few minutes there, we took an alley and just started roaming. I bought Shim the cutest booties ever. We eventually ended up near the Rialto bridge, which was one thing I wanted to see. From there, we hopped on the Vaporetto again and just rode for about an hour. We got seats on the back, which was open air, and just took in the sites. It went up the entire Grand Canal, then out to Lido Island and back. It’s a fabulous and quite cheap way to see Venice.

We finally got off, and began to wander again. By this point I was starving and nauseated (always happens with lack of food). We remedied that with more lemon gelato, and tried to decide where to eat. Unfortunately it was only 6pm, and most restaurants didn’t open til 7pm. My only requirement for dinner was that the place had air conditioning, since most places here do not. We finally found a place, and boy was it interesting. It was like coming to Italy and eating at Fazoli’s, or going to Greece and eating at Showmar’s. Honestly, I think Fazoli’s has better food. NOT exaggerating. Our waiter was Indian, and the waitress was I think Korean. However, we spent most of the meal laughing b/c it was honestly just funny. Oh the memories...

We got to go on the gondola ride I’d been talking about forever, and it really was alot of fun. Very neat vantage point to see all the side canals. We saw Casanova’s castle, and where Marco Polo lived. After dinner, we headed back to St. Marks Square to catch the Vaparetto back to the ship, and stopped there once we realized the orchestras were playing. Basically, there are some restaurants that surround the square, and they each have their own little orchestra. They all take turns playing, and it’s just a really cool thing to experience. We wished we’d eaten there, even though it would’ve cost a bazillion dollars.

For those who don’t know, St. Mark’s Square is the famous one in tons of movies, with all the pigeons. I really wanted a picture of me with all the pigeons, but that would involve feeding them, which now carries a fine. Plus, after Eric described them as “rats with wings”, I was a little hesitant. I’m sure they carry a few diseases....

Today we planned to get up and head to Murano Island, which is where they blow the Venetian glass. However, our plans got a little off kilter when we were woken by our room steward at 11:30. Oops. We were a little tired I guess. We showered and ate quickly, and were gonna head out, but I just didn’t feel like it. It was hot, and I simply didn’t feel like walking all day. So, we stayed on board and put Murano on our list to see when /if we ever make it back. It was a good thing we stayed though, because a massive storm came up at around 3pm, with thunder/lightening, etc. I felt so bad for people on land, b/c they had no choice but to travel in the storm; otherwise risk the ship leaving them.

We are at sea tomorrow, and then docked in Sicily on Sunday. We are spending the day at the beach in this cute coastal town Taormina. I still haven’t gotten much of a tan, b/c I’m more into air conditioning than the sun. Shim is well, kicking more each day. Definite soccer potential! Hope all is well with everyone who can sit still long enough to read these long entries!

Another update

Hi all! Eric and I sure have been busy despite being on vacation. We’d hate to come this far, and not feel like we’ve seen as much as possible. However, we definitely aren’t overdoing it, b/c I’m still getting a nap in every day. I’m very lucky to have a husband who is sensitive to the fact that I’m pregnant, and not at my normal physical status. He constantly is asking me how I’m doing, when we’re out and about. The main issue here is the heat; it’s still above 85 each day. I’m praying for a cool down!

I’m no longer worried about how Eric will respond when I go into labor, b/c we had a little test last night:-) I woke up with a charley horse (massive leg cramp) in the middle of the night, and it was the worst I’ve ever had. I’d read they can be bad in pregnancy. Well, I woke up literally SCREAMING, and I’ve never seen Eric move that fast. He jumped up OUT of the bed in about half a second, not knowing what the hell was going on. It finally went away, but I’ve been laughing at Eric all day. You should’ve seen the look on his face. I don’t think it would’ve been quite as scary for him had I not been having Braxton Hicks before bed. Speaking of those, they are quite weird and funny the first few times. Actually, they scared me before I figured out what they were. They don’t hurt at all, but it is strange to feel my belly get so rock hard. I’ve done some research, and it seems they usually appear around this gestation. And dehydration and physical activity make them worse. Shocker. Those two things define this trip. I drink SO much water and apple juice, but it can’t possibly be enough as hot as it is.

Today we were in Dubrovnik Croatia, which was truly a beautiful port and city. They were just at war 19 years ago (with Serbia maybe?), and the popular thing to do here is walk the wall that surrounds the city. It was built for protection, and it surrounds what is called “the old city”. We got up late, and took a shuttle to the old city after breakfast. We walked most of the wall, but it was so hot out. We kept seeing these little nooks carved into the rocks on the outside of the wall, and were determined to get to one. They’d have umbrellas, a bar, and areas to dive/climb into the water. We finally got to the one we’d eyed the most, and it was heavenly. I had a Sprite, Eric had a Croatian beer, and then we went swimming. Well, Eric went swimming rather. I just sat on the ladder up to my waist. These places are literally right up against the wall and cliffs, and there are normal big ocean waves coming constantly. I was so paranoid about crashing into the wall, that I just felt better staying on the ladder. My decision making has shifted now that I’ve got a big man to protect as well.

Speaking of Shim, I’m starting to feel him move a lot more now. I can’t wait for Eric to have his hand on my belly at the right time and feel him. I think he’s going to be a taebo superstar!

I’ve been taking lots of photos, and editing and organizing along the way. If our hotel in Santorini has free wifi, I’ll start synching them with my web gallery then. If not, you’ll all just have to wait until we get home:-) If you are wondering how we can afford to post such long blogs, here is my secret. I type it in pages (Apples version of word) and then just copy/paste to blogger. It only takes a minute or two to do that, and then publish the new blog post. I love all the comments. Mom and B, thanks for the updates. I was VERY happy to hear how well things are going, but can’t type alot in email b/c it’s expensive. Can someone in the Kirsch family let us know how little Gavin is? And how Dianna and Joe are adjusting? Hope it’s not too crazy! (Especially since that’ll be us in 4 months). I can’t wait to get home and see more pictures of him!

We are in Venice the next two days. We start sailing in tomorrow at 11:30, and dock at 2pm. We don’t leave until the next day at 5pm. We don’t have any excursions planned; we’re gonna wing it. The only definites for tomorrow night are a gondola ride, and listening to the dueling orchestras in St. Marks square. Venice, if you remember, is one of the places I have ALWAYS wanted to visit, so I’m very excited. (Santorini is the other). Eric is having such a good time on this trip, and I’m happy since he was a little upset about being away from work for so long. This will be our last long trip for many years to come, so we are enjoying it while it lasts. Well, that’s all I have for now, and I’ve gotta go get our laundry from the dryer. It may be a couple of days before I post again....

Had a wonderful day at sea today; got a massage, laid by the pool, and had a nap. Life is good! Tomorrow we are in Dubrovnik Croatia. Will post sometime soon with more details, but I am hungry.....I know you are all shocked.

Cruise Day 2

We spent today in Southern Italy, and it was AMAZING! We went to the island of Capri, the town of Sorrento, and then to Pompeii to see the ruins. It was a very long day, but one of our best yet. It's now just after 7pm here, and we're gonna get ready and head off to dinner. I'm sure I'll be back in bed early, despite my hour nap:-) Tomorrow is a day at sea, and I am excited about a day to do nothing but rest. And I already have my massage scheduled for 10:30. I see there are still some hurricanes in the southeast, and we hope all of our family and friends are escaping those troubles. How are our dogs Mom? Give Lucy big fat kisses from mommy, and tell Linus he's still my man. I don't know how we're ever gonna leave Shim for vacations, b/c it's hard enough leaving the dogs! I'll update more tomorrow while we have time at sea!

Bonjorno!

I caught Eric off guard with this once, b/c it's the only way he'll take a picture!
The above pic is the Roman Forum in the background.


Hello from Civitevicchia Italy! I am sure I’m not spelling this stuff right, and I can assure you I don’t pronounce it like the Italians! The Italian language is just beautiful. We are on board the ship, and set sail at 7pm tonight. I’ve heard the muster drill is a real bitch, since they do it in five different languages. I’m going to pull the pregnant and invalid card, and ask to sit during it. If they tell me no, I’ll just pretend to faint.....that’ll get me a chair!!! I scared Eric this morning b/c I slipped on the marble steps leaving our hotel. Fortunately all the weight I’ve gained padded my big butt, and I fell right on it. It scared us both, but once I realized I was fine, it became quite hilarious.

We were happy to have a long layover in Boston, b/c we had to leave the terminal and go through ticketing/security AGAIN for the international terminal. We weren’t expecting that, so we were SO thankful to have the long layover. The 8 hour flight wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. We both slept a couple of hours, so that was better than nothing. We got to Roma at 8am, met our driver, and headed to our hotel. We stayed at a place called Suite Dreams, near Termini station. Very nice hotel, would highly recommend it. Anyhow, they had our room ready by 10:15am, b/c I had sent an email ahead of time telling them I was knocked up, and would want to rest upon arrival. It’s a small family-owned hotel, and the girl checking us in immediately recognized our name, and jumped up to see my belly. I was the famous pregnant girl. Very nice people! We got our nap on, then went for our segway tour. We missed it b/c 1-I was starving, 2- I had to pee, and 3- the directions were HORRIBLE!!! Oh well, the place we thought it was supposed to start at was right at most of the ruins, so we just started walking. We saw the forum and colisseum, plus a bunch of stuff I don’t know the names of. We had lunch at a fabulous little diner across from the Colisseum, where I had the most amazing lemon sorbet of my life. Delish!!!

After all that walking, we went back to the hotel for another nap. ( Are you seeing a pattern here?)
Friday night we got up in search of dinner. We walked to Trevi Fountain, then over to the spanish steps. From there, we found a great little place a few streets back, and the food was amazing. Very authentic place. I could not believe the amount of food my husband consumed.....I thinks that he thinks he’s italian now!

Saturday morning we got up, and had reservations for the Vatican tour at 9:15. We met our guide named Max, then started at the Vatican Museums. That place goes on and on, and honestly I got a little bored. Plus, there is no AC, and you have to stand/walk the whole time. Eric could tell I was starting to feel a little crappy, so we ditched the tour group and went on our own. Much better! We flew through the rest of the Musuem and old pope quarters, and went to the Sistine Chapel. It is amazing and beautiful, but it felt a little anticlimactic. We did learn a lot though, so we understood alot of the paintings. Another nice lady felt sorry for preggo Nikki, and made room for me to sit in the chapel. We only stayed a bit, then headed out for St. Peters. I was the most impressed with that. It is huge; I can’t even begin to explain how big this cathedral is. I was kinda missing our guide then, b/c there was some stuff people were doing that I had questions about. What I really needed was my SIL Dianna, b/c she is my answer to all things Catholic. The big square was impressive in front of the Cathedral....it’s the one anyone would recognize as Vatican City. We sent one big postcard to all my little cousins from there, b/c our guide had informed us the Italian post office is corrupt. He said they throw away about 90% of postcards, once they make the money from the stamps. However, being that the Vatican has it’s own post office, and is holy and all....they actually send your postcards. Hope they get it!

Well, I gotta get going, but will continue on another time. Blogging is a great way to keep a travel journal!

BTW, can someone in my family comment and let me know how things are with all the hurricanes? I hope you are all safe!

Rome day 2

We are completely exhausted after spending hours at Vatican City this morning. It's after 3pm here, and we're going to take a nap. :-)

Tonight we have no plans other than finding a fabulous place to stuff ourselves at. Food is EXPENSIVE here!!! We are excited to get on the ship tomorrow!

We're here!

I have to type quickly before my computer battery dies. But, we are here in Rome safely. Our travels and flights were fine, no major kinks. Our luggage made it!!! We've spent most of today roaming around the forum/colisseum area and just checking out ruins. We're going to rest a bit before heading out for dinner and the spanish steps/trevi fountain tonight. We missed our segway tour for a variety of reasons, so we've walked all day. These preggo legs are exhausted. Some really sweet italian teenage girl gave me her seat on the train, since I'm so obviously preggo now. And who says Italians aren't nice.

Tomorrow we are spending the first half of the day at Vatican City and St. Peters, then roaming the afternoon away. No schedule....

Sunday we head to the ship!

And BTW, for those who I didn't get to talk to before leaving, Shim's anatomy ultrasound was perfect. None of the congenital defects I was all worked up about!

Gotta go!

Gavin is here!!!

I'm an AUNT! Gavin made his entrance to the world at 11:30pm last night, weighing 7lbs, 12 oz. He is 22 inches long, and I hear he has huge feet. He's going to be a big boy, and has the cutest chubby cheeks. I can't wait to meet him in November! That seems so far away.....

Tomorrow is my big anatomy ultrasound, and then regular monthly checkup with one of my midwives. Tomorrow's appt is with Tina- I've met her once before and really liked her. I've got a long list of questions and stuff for her. She also has to sign my "permission slip" for Carnival to let me sail. I hope her answers to my questions are what I'm looking for- I really need to know another midwife in the group will be on board for the type of birth of aiming for. So far I know Jan is....and I'm not sure about Sage. Still gotta meet Nancy.

I've gotten most everything done for Europe that I need to. Tomorrow my Mom is coming to pick up the dogs, and go to the ultrasound. There will be a little bit of last minute stuff to throw in tomm night, and then Thursday morning. I think we have to be at the airport around 10. We have to borrow a scale from the neighbors, and weigh the bags. I hope they are under 50 lbs, but I seriously doubt it! If we can make at least one less than that, I'll be happy. We only have 2 big suitcases. That's an improvement, b/c we usually take a third big garment bag. Then we each have a small computer bag/personal item. I, of course, have a carryon, but it's small due to Alitalia's restrictions. It can fit my camera, computer, makeup, and two changes of clothes. I refuse to fly without taking a least a couple of maternity outfits on board. I hope and pray our luggage makes it to Rome with us!

Dianna's in labor!

Just wanted to say that my SIL Dianna is in labor, so I will officially be an aunt VERY soon. Come on out little man!