Lola Bites Back: And Other Inspirational Tidbits: 2010-10

The Miracle of Life

Whoa! Where have I been? This posting is dedicated to my Aunt Patty, who recently disclosed to me that she checks this blague daily in the hope of finding signs of life: this one's for you.

SO yes, I am alive, and I'm not alone: a fiesty baby (28cm/11in) who weighs more than a pound inhabits my soccerball-sized uterus, which now stretches (rather uncomfortably) to my belly button. I am no longer nauseated - praise the Gods! - but there are plenty of other reminders of the miracle of life inside me, including but not limited to a stuffed and bloody nose, sinus headaches, back pain, bleeding gums, scratchy dry skin, blue veins popping out all over my chest, nipples measuring the width of my hand and persistent heart palpitations.

My existence is now measured in weeks. Today marks the second day of week #24, the last week of the second trimester and the last week of my sixth month. Measuring my life in weeks is more difficult than it sounds; My long-held belief that four weeks equals one month turns out not to be the case. I had given up trying to keep track until today, when our midwife (who I prefer to think of as my personal trainer) presented me with a cool baby wheel thing with all the important dates on it. I first felt the baby kicking me about a month ago (the 20th week/end of 5th month according to my baby wheel). Baby is due on Valentine's Day.

To be perfectly honest, I will never be one of those women who, like my mother, gushes "I loved being pregnant!" Something like, "I had my tubes tied after the baby was born" is more likely. And while I wouldn't exactly call myself maternally inclined, my friend Maltman rightly pointed out that I was really good with my cat Griselda..

One exciting prospect about having an impressionable little person around is having the opportunity to experiment on him. We've decided that Fritz will speak exclusively in German to the baby while I will speak only English. Voila! A perfectly bilingual five year old.

Early on I was worried about feeling the baby kick. It conjured up images of the movie Alien, when the guy is writhing around on the table and suddenly an alien bursts out through his gut. But it's actually fun to feel the baby moving around, like having really bad gas (or giardia), only the bubbles are in your uterus instead of your bowels. When I don't feel the baby doing much, I poke my belly and say "buggy...what are you doing?...wake up.."

But pregnancy has deranged me in many ways. I continue to harbor an inexplicable fear of sunflower seeds and I am really worried that my belly will get so big that my belly button will protrude. The fact that these fears are irrational doesn't make them any less frightening.

So that's my update for now. I'll sign off with a Heartwarming Holiday Recap: a few photos and memories from our recent holiday in Poland..

Welcome to Polska!

Signs are keys to understanding cultural isiosyncrasies....this one is particularly helpful if you are on the train and unsure how to open your alcoholic beverage.

All I knew about Poland came from old Nazi documentaries; a grey, dreary place with train stations. Once I switched the camera into B&W mode and snapped a photo of the train station,
I knew we had arrived. Even the train whistle is the same.

Fritz and I enjoy our first Polish meal...pierogis and beer (buttermilk for me). Pierogis are yummy Polish dumplings.

Copernicus is a famous native of Poland, and one tradition says it's lucky to touch his nose, which is just what I (with local Polish woman Lidia S.) did.