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Baby (Details to Come)

This is Eric. The baby is here! Both he and Mojan seem to be doing fine, though we are all exhausted. Mojan is eager to post about the experience as soon as she is back from the hospital, which is likely to be on Monday, so I will not post the baby’s name for now so that she can make the formal announcement herself, with all the concomitant details and photos.

For now, all I can say is we love him like crazy, and from the first moments, Mojan showed me that she is going to me a loving, caring mother to this beautiful baby.

And for that, I love her like crazy.

Fetal Monitoring, 40 Weeks

Eric and my mom arrived just after 5:00 am yesterday. I peeked out the door as they were coming up the stairs, and when my mom saw my head poking through, she told me not to scare her with my belly. (After all, she’s never seen one of her daughters pregnant before, and I’m quite pregnant.) When I opened the door and stepped aside, her eyes widened, but only for a moment -- and then she said, “Your belly isn’t as big in person as it is in pictures!” So there you have it, people. I’m not as massive as you think.

Okay, onto fetal monitoring. My doctor told us to go to the hospital if I haven’t delivered by 40 weeks, so last night we made our way there. It was a little overwhelming, considering that all the signs at the hospital are in Hebrew and our nurses barely spoke English, but fortunately they were able to communicate that everything is in working order and that the baby seems to be healthy.

The best part was listening to the baby’s heartbeat at full volume. For thirty minutes they had me lie on my left side with some monitor strapped onto my belly, and while we were listening to the heartbeat I had to press a button every time I felt the baby move. (Explains photo below.)

And the worst part? Well, let me just tell you: listening to a woman in a neighboring room scream and cry her lungs out while in labor. It was terrifying. Every time she screamed, Eric and I would look at each other in horror. But our nurse just rolled her eyes and gestured that the woman was being overly dramatic. I guess I’ll know for myself soon enough.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention! If the baby doesn’t come in the next few days, we’re supposed to go back for fetal monitoring on Sunday -- my 30th birthday.

My Mom’s Coming

It’s about 1:15 am. Eric just left for the airport to greet my mom. I can’t wait to see her! I hope all goes well -- no lost luggage, no hassles at Customs, easy trip back to Haifa. Hopefully I’ll get some sleep before they return. G’night, all.

My Tranquil Afternoon

After spending an hour with Bayan this afternoon, I spent an extended period of time at the Shrine of the Báb, just walking in the gardens, praying at the threshold, and essentially preparing myself for motherhood.

From the Desktop of Dell D. Latitude

My friend (more like a brother), Bayan, arrived in town on Sunday night and brought our new laptop with him! He not only lugged this thing all the way overseas, but he did all the necessary updates for us, AND brought gifts for baby and me from him and family. He must have an empty suitcase now.

Then, last night Eric cracked this thing open and started installing software, and I could tell from his gape that something left him speechless. It turns out he installed everything in under five minutes. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we got ourselves one fast machine. “I had no idea life could be like this,” was all Eric could say.

So, I think we made the right decision in retiring our slow, aging laptop and acquiring this new one. Even when I looked at my blog this morning, I couldn’t get over how fast the pictures loaded.

You know what this means? More Websurfing in less time. Oh, life is grand.

Justine’s Bridal Shower

My cute French friend moves back to France in a couple of weeks to marry cute French boy. We are all so happy for Justine (pronounced in the cute French way, Zhoos-teen, not in the flat American way, Just-een).

Notice that her bridal shower was held on a huge balcony overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and the city of Haifa. Beautiful.

Orthodox Jew at Grand Kanyon

Our Israeli Dining Room

Just beyond our living room is our dining area, which we occasionally use for eating and frequently use for computing (I love that word) and art projects.

The placemats were sent by my aunt in Uganda.

The table, chairs, sideboard, and outdated lamp were already in the apartment. Oh, and note that you can see our guest bedroom behind the sliding glass door.

Shingo did the artwork hanging on the wall; it’s my favorite thing in the apartment. Behind the doorways, from left to right, are the kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.

Our Israeli Living Room

I’ve already shown you our austere bedroom and our green kitchen, but other than a quick glance, I haven’t really shown you our living room. That’s because we were busy cozying it up! But I think we’re done now.

Our apartment came furnished with the couches, tables, and bookcases. We rearranged them and gradually added the rug, pillows, and last week we finally hung the curtains.

We scored the papasan chair and rocking chair from friends who moved back to North America.

Behind the glass door is our guest bedroom. The basket and drum against the wall were sent by my aunt in Uganda.

For a while we were considering getting an apartment closer to Eric’s work, but now that our apartment is so comfortable, we’ll probably just stay where we are.

Random (and Guilty) Thoughts, 39 Weeks

We’re awfully close to the big moment, yet I still find it hard to believe that any of this is happening.

People said that I’d be dying to get the baby out at this stage, but because I feel good physically, I honestly feel like I could go months before having to face the reality of parenthood -- when in fact it could be just days away. Or hours, even.

I will say this: for the first time in pregnancy, I feel big right now. See for yourself.

I will also say: I miss my high heels. And I loathe the extra chub on my neck. And every time I glance over at the empty crib in the middle of the night, I suddenly find myself wide awake, eyes unblinking.

Maybe I Need Therapy

I’ve mentioned before that I’m slightly OCD, but I haven’t elaborated any further because, frankly, it’s not something I’m proud of. Let’s just say that I like things to be, um, in their place. So, obviously this means everything does have a place.

Now that I’m spending more time at home during the day -- straightening stuff -- it occurred to me that my child is going to be here, watching, while I sort and straighten. There will be absolutely no way for me to hide my OCD from him, and this causes me some anxiety. Until now, I had never thought that my behavior could affect someone else.

It pains me to think that my child may feel like he has to constantly look over his shoulder to be sure I’m not watching when things are moved or misplaced while he’s playing. I really want him to feel free. Free!

But to be honest, I’m afraid I don’t know how to live that way.

Eric’s Baby Shower

Eric’s co-workers know that I’m getting all the attention, so they threw him a baby shower of his own yesterday.

Jinous, Derek, Sima, Kiyomi

We serendipitously bumped into some old friends on Monday night.

Defective

Someone told me that curly hair is a genetic defect. Is this true?

If so, it’s totally my best genetic defect.

Sorry to Delete You

If you’re wondering why your blog is no longer linked here, it’s probably because you don’t blog often enough. My general rule is that if you haven’t blogged in three months, your link is gone, gone, gone, whoa-oooh-oh. But sometimes I’m even more brutal -- if I see that you’re only blogging about once every two months, for example.

This brings me to my next, unnecessary point. Why do you blog? If you’re doing it for other people (“What should I write? Am I as interesting as other bloggers? Why doesn’t anyone comment?”), chances are that you’ll grow bored of it quickly. So, my advice is that if you’re going to blog, do it for YOU. My favorite bloggers are the ones who don’t have expectations; they blog because they love it.

And for my last, unnecessary point, I’d like to say that it’s 4:57 am, and I’m awake again.

No Rest for the Weary

I had this happy fantasy that I would spend much of my non-working hours in deep sleep (see happy sleeping photo below).

But the reality is quite opposite. Ugh.

Just Me, No Baby Yet

Bad timing for my Internet connection to go down for four days! Sorry to make you guys think that the baby came. This is to confirm that the baby’s still in my belly, creating a ruckus.

So, it’s tougher than I thought it would be to accept that my life is at home now. Even though I’m “not working,” I ended up in the office three days last week. On Wednesday Eric urged me to stay home and rest, but ironically, that was the day our Internet connection went down. “Hey, no biggie!” I thought. “I can entertain myself without the Internet!” Except Eric accidentally took both of our keys to work with him, so I was locked inside our apartment and had no idea what to do with myself. It blew.

The past few days have been pretty uneventful while I’ve mostly been shopping for last-minute baby things and cleaning. I do experience mild contractions at least once a day, which gets us excited/nervous. Eric asks, “IS IT TIME? OH MY GOD. IT’S TIME, ISN’T IT???” but a moment later everything is back to normal.

Still, it’s hard to believe this is all really happening. Everyone told me that the last month of pregnancy would pass excruciatingly slowly and I’ll be eager to get it over with, but every day I think, “I’m so not ready for this. I hope today’s not the day,” and then I do a load of laundry just in case.

In other news: last Wednesday was a pretty exciting day in my family. For one, my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. I can only hope that Eric and I have their same success in loving each other faithfully, raising a happy family, and enjoying each other’s company for forty-plus years.

Second, my cousin, Tahirih, had a baby girl. Tahirih and I are close in age, so it’s exciting that our children will also be the same age, even if we are on separate continents.

Whew. It’s such a relief to be back online! Hopefully this won’t happen again before the baby comes, otherwise really, what will I do at home?

Nertz Round Two

Our Nertz game was so fun last week that we played again last night, mostly with the same group (Eric, Jaclyn, Kadria, Shahriar, me) and a couple of newbies (Kaveh, Roya).

Except this time I showed the indomitable Jaclyn who’s boss. OH yeah.

After the game we decided that Nertz could be a great distraction when I’m having labor pains, and that once the contractions start, I should call everyone over for a round or two.

Buying Sheets in Israel

It’s a shock buying sheets in this country. You realize that sort of thing when you’re shopping for your guest bed.

For one, there is no such thing as a “flat sheet” here. People just don’t use them. Beds get a fitted sheet, a duvet, and a duvet cover. No flat sheets.

After some initial frustration, you get over the flat sheet thing and decide that you can live without one. Alright, on to fitted sheets and pillowcases. Except since these items are sold separately, you can't find them in a matching color, so you ask the clerk, “I want the navy blue fitted sheet. Do you have a navy blue pillowcase?” She says no and shows you how well the navy blue fitted sheet matches the bright turquoise pillowcase.

You hesitate but eventually let it go. Taking your mismatched set with you, you walk down the aisle to find a duvet cover. Except, for some reason, all the duvet covers come in wildly bright colors and cartoony patterns -- wait, are you in the section for teenage girls? You ask the clerk if this is all they have, and she shows you how well the navy blue fitted sheet and bright turquoise pillowcase matches the bright orange floral duvet cover.

You hesitate again, and this time the clerk notices. So she walks you over to the matching sets. Hey look, a fitted sheet, pillowcase, and duvet cover all-in-one! But when you look closely, you realize that not only are the “matching sets” not well-matched, the designs are also just ridiculously brightly-colored and gaudy.

But you have to choose something, because your mom is coming to visit and probably needs something to sleep on. So, you apprehensively pick the best set you can find, take it home, put it on the bed, and think to yourself, “Dang, this is really bright.”

And then you fantasize about what it could be like if you had a work visa and weren’t expecting a baby -- you could revolutionize the textile-design industry in this country.

On Our Own Now

Just went to the doc. She reiterated the “huge baby” thing, and then she added, “For your sake, I hope he comes next week and not at 40 weeks.” Uh.

Oh, and then she was like, “Okay, then! Good luck with the delivery!” and we were like, “Um, is this the last time we see you?” and she said, “Yes, so I hope all goes well.” And that was that.

Oh boy.

The Game of Nertz

Nertz is so chaotic and intense with seven players that we were surprised it didn’t put me in labor.

My Last Official Workday

So, just like the title says, today was my last work day. At least officially. I’ve never been good at making clean breaks, so I’ll be in a few more times over the course of the next couple of weeks to make sure that all of my projects are finalized and my desk emptied.

My breakroom buddies threw me a little farewell this afternoon. We ate passion fruit cheesecake. The only thing missing was Lucas, who shares an office with me and who decided to take a vacation at the WAY WRONG TIME. Of course, now that I think about it, he probably went on vacation because he knew it would be too painful to say goodbye to me.

So I’ve written Lucas a poem to make him cry with regret while he’s eating his choripán on top of some big mountain. Here goes.

Goodbye Lucas: A Poem

You said you needed vacation
time for a little break
But the real reason you left
is because of heartache

Deep down inside you know
that this is a tragedy
You’ll never have a colleague
who is nearly as fun as me

Yes, we shared some laughs
and maybe we shared a cry
But the biggest tear-jerker of all
is having to say goodbye

My friend, don’t you worry
you’ll make it through somehow
We’ll always have these memories
and we’ll always have Cow Now

Swollen Hands, 37 Weeks

My hands have been swollen lately. Eric is afraid to hold them, because he says I have Man Hands.

Olinga and Sarah’s Visit

Olinga and Sarah, our friends from Chicago, were in town this past week, along with Sarah’s parents, David and Linda. Sarah is quite the expert knitter and brought a rainbow-colored sweater for the baby! It’s very adorable. I wish I had one for myself.

Oh, and please note that Eric is holding a breadstick.

What is that Odd Tapping Sound?

It’s RAIN!

Catman

Every neighborhood has a bizarre character, and ours is the Catman. We started calling him Catman, and sometimes Catmandu, because he feeds the street cats every morning and because he sort of resembles a cat himself.

The cats wait for him in little alcoves around the neighborhood. If the Catman forgets to feed them one morning, or if he’s late getting to them, the cats get visibly anxious and confused.

It sounds harmless, but I am actually slightly afraid of the Catman. In the mornings he may have a mission to accomplish, but in the evenings he seems to wander and yell at innocent people or objects. If I hear him yelling just as Eric has gone to take out the trash, I run to the window to be sure all is okay -- which it usually is, since Eric will tell me that the Catman was just yelling at a fire hydrant.

Pictures from My Second Baby Shower

I know, I’m spoiled.

Last Saturday I had a second baby shower, thrown by some of the ladies who were in my orientation group (we all arrived in Haifa at the same time and went through one week of orientation together).

They made a delicious lunch and gave gifts that we totally needed, and then we just talked and told hilarious stories (mostly about living in Israel).

I am lucky to be surrounded by so much love.

No Rain

Everyone told me that it doesn’t rain in Israel from May through October. Since I usually live in locales where people are always prepared for rain (not including those six years in L.A.), this was a really far-fetched concept for me -- but they were right. We haven’t seen rain in six months! Even when the clouds were ominously gray and I was absolutely certain we were going to see rain, we didn’t.

Well, it’s November now, so I assume the rain could come any day. Though it wouldn’t be completely disappointing if I were wrong.

The Sun Sets on Louis Promenade

Friday was great. After a relaxing lunch and smoothies at Arcaffé with John and Natascha, Eric and I went to the Promenade to watch the sun set.

Then, on the way home, I think the baby began to drop lower into my pelvis -- a crazy process we just learned about called “dropping down” -- which basically means the baby is getting ready for his grand entrance.

Insomnia, Part Two

Yep. Still awake.

Insomnia

I’ve been awake since 3:00. Second night in a row. This sucks.

Katharine’s Baby Shower

Last Friday at Holly’s place.

Notice I’m seated next to the two other preggies -- Kami is directly to my right, and Katharine, the guest of honor, is next to her.

FAQs, 36 Weeks

How’s the baby?
I hope he’s alright! He doesn’t tend to respond when asked. Perhaps he’s shy.

Are you excited?
I think so. As excited as I can be when I know my life is about to change forever and I’m not sure I have the capacity to handle it.

How much weight have you gained?
Honestly NO CLUE. My obstetrician has never weighed me -- not on my first visit, and not anytime since. Plus, I don’t know how much I weighed just before I got pregnant (though it was definitely heavier than usual).

Speaking of weight, it’s funny that everyone has a different opinion on my size. One person will say, “Are you seriously due in four weeks? That can’t be! Where’s the rest of you?” and two minutes later someone else says, “Oh my God, you’re huge! That baby is so ready to come out.” So, I’ve decided that no one knows what they’re talking about.

What foods do you crave?
I always imagined I’d have an ice-cream-and-pickles type of pregnancy, but to my (and others’) dismay, I haven’t had one craving. NOT ONE. Of course, if I walk past Fresh Juice Guy, I might think, “Oooh, fresh orange juice sounds good,” or if I feel a slight headache coming on I’ll crave chocolate -- but these are temporary Everyman cravings and unrelated to my condition.

If anything, I’ve had food aversions. I’ve never used the words “that looks disgusting” more than in the past nine months. Yeah, a lot of foods gross me out, though not consistently -- one day something is delicious, and the next day it’s nasters.

What’s your birth plan?
God, I love this question! When asked, I get a far-off, dreamy look in my eye and sigh, “Oh. Birth plans are what they do in America.” No one does birth plans here -- at least not in the official sense.

Very few people here have home births. It’s getting more and more common, but where health insurance is involved, it gets complicated, so we really have no choice but to have the baby in a hospital. Also, for those of you who are big fans of water births, they’re illegal in this country.

I understand that in the U.S., pregnant women will go over their birth plans with their obstetrician or midwife, essentially making their obstetrician a partner in that plan. Here, it doesn’t quite work that way. My obstetrician won’t be present for the labor. That’s right, peeps -- the doctor I’ve gone through my whole pregnancy with DOES NOT DELIVER THE BABY. My obstetrician does just three things when I see her each month: takes my blood pressure, does an ultrasound, and asks how I feel. It takes about five minutes, then she sends me home. After the 39th week, we may never see her again.

Here, a midwife that I’ve never met before will deliver my baby at the hospital. She may or may not speak English. If there are complications, a doctor will intervene, but mostly we’ll be with that midwife; and if there’s a shift-change during my labor, that midwife will probably go home while another one takes her place.

I do hope to have both Eric and my mom with me during labor. However, if the baby chooses to come before my mom arrives, I’ve asked my friend, Maryam, if she would accompany us to the hospital, and she has delightfully accepted.

Um, whoa. Do you regret getting pregnant in Israel?
Nope, not at all. I imagine that this would be a difficult experience for someone who has already had a child in the U.S., but since I don’t have anything to compare my experience to, it all seems to be working out just fine.

Have you picked a name yet?
Yes, we think so! We’re pretty sure it’s the right name, but we’re still testing it out. I’m looking forward to introducing him, and his name, to all of you when he arrives.