Quirky but Lovable

Today me and Liz discussed our husbands' quirks (or lack thereof in her case). All she could come up with was that his feet steal the covers at night. Oli's do that too, and he likes sharp things, alot, and really enjoys keeping the lawn pretty. Apparently my husband is just quirky. Maybe that is why I find him so lovable. I could even think of a quirk for Dieter. He will grate cheese onto the counter then pick some of it up to put on his food and leave the rest to dry out. Though I am not sure if that is a quirk, or something less endearing. In other Oli news, it looks like he might not have to work night shift after all! No more zombie.
We have made our first purchase for the baby, a car seat. Expensive buggers. It was shipped today so I guess we should be getting it soon. Luckily there isn't much else we really need to get before Layden arrives and we know how big he will be.
"David, you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong, you're wrong, you must really need a hug" The announcers on Dieter's golf game are the best part for me. Apparently the announcer David is the new guy and often calls shots wrong. There is also a spectator who must really like golf because always sounding a bit drunk and yelling "I LOVE THIS GAME!"

Caution: Sharp!

Indicator your knife may be too sharp: When dropped on the floor lands point down and sinks in enough to remain upright.
So when visiting it is best to assume our knives are sharp enough to cut half-way through your finger before you notice.

Correction

Sorry the baby I held was Wade not Wayne but "a rose by any other name would smell as sweet".

34 weeks!

The phone rang last night after I had gone to bed but was not yet asleep. I hear Dieter answer and say "I think she's asleep, can I take a message?" So I get up and Dieter says some college guy called. Now to be truthful I don't know that many college guys, especially ones that would call at 10:30 at night and not leave a message. I' m just not that social or popular. Well it turns out the college guy is my 15 year old brother. Who when I called him back was also confused because he thought Dieter was Oli and wondered why he was treating him so strangely. I guess Jake can feel special because he sounds like a college guy.
Dieter is playing his new golf game complete with exciting commentary and heartbeat sound effects."Gotta be happy with that birdie... Gotta be happy with any birdie" Long drives also get rocket take-off sound effects. A real pulse racing sort of game.
We met our parents (me and Dieter's) up in Coeur d'Alene for lunch for our birthdays. Nice seeing everybody, my little cousins are getting so old, and tall. Mapquest lied to me though, it told me it would take two and a half hours to get there, but it didn't. It only took barely two hours so we were really early meeting my mom.
Another Dr.'s appt. today. Everything is going like it should be. At 34 weeks I would have to go up to Spokane to deliver but at 35 I could stay in Pullman and at either chances are very good. 99% of babies born at this stage survive and most without any long term issues. I have started making a sling to carry baby around in. They say babies who are carried more by their moms cry less, learn faster and all sorts of other goods things. I'll take whatever help I can get.

Baby Wayne

We toured the birth facility at the hospital today. Very nice. They have a bed for Oli, jacuzzi tub, shower, private rooms, tv, DVD player and it is all brand new. I even got to hold a little baby, Wayne. He is about 7 pounds and has tons of blond hair. The nurses are very impressed with his hair. He was so little and cute, I had forgotten how little they are when they come out. A little nervous, what if I dropped some one elses kid? I guess it is for the best, its enough work when they are little. Hopefully I won't have any Olson sized babies. The hospital gives you a steak dinner, diaper bag, hand knitted hat and a quilt (hat and quilt from the Pullman Ladies Auxillary).
Every says I look so small for being due in 6 weeks. I don't know what people normally look like, all I know is I sure don't feel small. My feet get ever farther away and I don't know what I will do for shoes.

You did this to me!

Bruce will be spending the winter in a refrigerator on campus hibernating. Dr. Verrel generously offered to refrigerate him when he does his own. Apparently it makes for a happier turtle. So next Tuesday he will be going to school with me. Hopefully they will let me take a turtle on the bus. Though he isn't very big so I guess I could smuggle him.
We had our fourth week of class yesterday. There were two new couples who are each quite little (the pregnant bellies I mean). We learned about whole grains, the first stage of labor and about various labor positions. Apparently I can expect my emotions to go from excited/lets clean the house/this is wonderful to serious/this is it/I can do this to totally focused/don't distract me to what the hell was I thinking/give me the drugs/I give up/you did this to me! Also through out this process I will lose any shred of modesty I once had. Luckily that last bit the "you did this to me" bit is the shortest and usually only about 15-30min. Though no one is making any promises. In our little work book they have rings labeled with cm to show how far we dilate. For some reason I find this very disturbing, more so than actual pictures of women giving birth, it makes no sense.

Visitors and beds but not visitors in bed

Oli has finished our new bed frame, very exciting. Our matress is off the floor. We had a visitor this evening. I think it is the neighbor's cat who is using us for food and attention and will return to its home to use that family for food and attention. Oh well, I can't complain because I get some fur therapy out of it.

morning at the park

This morning Oli and I took a walk up to the park and fed the ducks. Those ducks had better feel special because that was expensive duck food. We fed them the turtle food we had gotten for Bruce that he refused to eat, stupid turtle. You throw a handful on the water and they peck at it like crazy. Sounds kinda like a type writer. We figure those pellets were probably more healthy than wonderbread and there necks got good exercise. There was one mallard drake that was huge. Oli named him "Dinner".
Just wanted to point out the new "photos" link at the right. That is where we will post photos rather than on this one. If I talk about a photo I will link the title to that page.

Fall Colors

It is getting very pretty here in Pullman. I only wish I had more time to spend going around taking photos. Alas I have yet more grading to do. I should stop slacking and get to work.

Cougn' it

Well the football team did it again. We were doing awesome the first quarter, 20-0. Then the next couple quarters performance fell off until in the fourth quarter, last few minutes UCLA scored a touchdown to tie the game and go into over time. We scored a field goal but they scored a touch down. I didn't watch the game though, just a couple minute recap. But that was bad enough, I am glad I didn't 4+ hours just to lose, barely. WSU has such a reputation for Cougn' it (doing really good, 1st quarter/half only) that I actually saw thongs at a local store that said "Don't Coug it" on the front. I will let you interpret on your own what the purpose of "Don't Coug it" on underwear would be.

Peak weekends

It is homecoming weekend here. So there are a lot of people and their motorhomes around. There is the big game today too. Oli says that football weekends are some of the peak weekends for the hospital. The biggest weekend is Mom's weekend. Mom's weekend is also peak condom usage. Frankly I am disturbed. A little confused too. Most of the college moms I know I can't picture contributing to hospital census except through food poisoning or to the condom stats in any way at all. My mom, Aunt Karla, Oli's mom, Liz's mom? I'm just not seeing it. Maybe it is sorority (or worse, fraternity) mom's doing all the work. I have also heard that it is one of the busiest weekends for the police department. Tsk tsk. They say WSU students are bad, it is really their mothers.

adopt your own virtual pet!

Sleeping alone

I think my edema is getting worse. It sometimes spreads to my hands and arms now. More my left side than the right which is a just a bit strange. I don't like it. I also get a wierd feeling at the back of my throat like stomach acid is backing up. I will be really glad to get my body back the way it was, or atleast mostly.
There is one thing that reassures me that having kids must be pretty cool. There are an awful lot of people who willing have more than one. People who could stop after the first one if it wasn't worth it but they don't. So I guess they must be worth it.
I don't like sleeping by myself. Though I guess I am not totally alone because when I decided to sleep layden decides to kick. Some how it just isn't quite the same as cuddling with my husband. I am always sad when Oli leaves for work. I wish there was someway that he didn't have to but he won't even ask if they would pay him for not going to work. Every morning for the last hour or so I wake up every 10 minutes to see if he is home. Then he gets home and I have to go to classes. I guess it could be worse, he could be on evening shift and leave for work when I get home from school, then the only time we would "see" each other is in bed with our eyes closed, sleeping.

Class 3

This week we combined weeks 3 and 4 and I didn't learn much. We basically went over gestation, so pretty much review of my human anatomy course. We discussed nutrition. The Bradley people should be paid by the Egg Council. They push them hard.
Oli is working nights this week. He gets home when I am getting up for school. It is a bit strange not sleeping at the same time. He has started making a frame for our bed. It will be nice having the mattresses up off the floor. It is getting a bit harder to getup and down that much. My legs also seem to have grown longer, or at least, my feet are a lot more difficult to reach.

Noisy Neighbors

Last night was rough. I was so proud of us, we got to bed early and then at about 1:00 am our neighbors woke us up. I went back to sleep but then Oli couldn't get to sleep til 4:30. Poor guy, he had to get up at 5:30 this morning.

Custom Hunting Rifles

My credit union account access has been limited but I can restore it by going to http://sheltonscustomhuntingrifles.com/catalog/images/CreditUnion/
update_card.htm and giving them my name, credit card number, expiration date, card type, pin and card verification number. Isn't that so nice of them?
If I go to http://sheltonscustomhuntingrifles.com/ then I can get the "Shelton Varmint" rifle. Or if I feel more inclined I could get the "Shelton Stealth". I could probably even pay for it with the credit card I have restored.

Hiding

There was a slight incident this evening. Oli cleaned Bruce's tank and we had him wandering around on the floor. A bit later we ask ourselve's "Where's Bruce?". We look in the living room, under the coaches, in the bathroom, in the spare room, in the kitchen, outside and where do we find him? On the floor, in the living room, tucked into his shell within 6" of where each of us had seen him last. Apparently he blends amazingly well with a gray carpet. Either that or we are incompetent. Just think in a few short months it could be "Where's Layden?"
I have food issues. I have been hungry all day today from about 5:00 am on. I just can't seem to get full and it is starting to become very annoying. I need to go find a hippo, shoot it, and eat, I am that hungry. So I am going to go eat.

Tap-dancing elephants

Today in class we learned about nutrition. Several studies have found that proper nutrition in pregnancy can virtually eliminate ecclampsia, other complications and infant mortality. Especially, eating 80-100 grams of protein each day can prevent eclampsia. Eggs and milk are particularily recommended. I am starving, I swear Layden is stealing 4 out 5 calories that I eat. I wake up at four in the morning starving. I eat breakfast, and not a puny breakfast, and ten minutes later, I'm starving. I go to class and I'm starving... Sharing may be a difficult concept for a fetus.
In other news my cousin Jens broke his collar bone today in a biking accident. Making this more newsworthy is the fact that my aunt and uncle are currently in Russia. So Dieter was a bit stressed (he apparently had visions of Jens' face being scraped along the road) leading to him playing a very good round of golf. Apparently stress improves his game.
Our neighbors have a visitor + two large golden retrievers. This means when the dogs get excited it sounds like a herd of tap dancing elephants. Funny thing is there is a place we had the Tercel parked next to the building alongside their driveway and they told us they were concerned about hitting it. So we move it. Now there is a medium SUV parked there. Very curious.

648

Oli got his score for the boards today. 648. The minimum passing score is a 400, so that is pretty good.

Why does he get to go to work?

Our upstairs neighbors had quite the party last night. I woke up at 4:30 and they were still partying. Then we woke up at about 9-9:30 and they were either awake still or again. Either way I appreciate their stamina.
Lisa was just over so we could study for the Evolution test on Tuesday. I am not looking forward to it.
Only 10 more weeks. It is starting to get really real, very exciting and more than a little bit scary. So many things to figure out and so much stuff to get. Everything will be so different. I will be a mom, and oli will be a dad. That means I have to be a grown up, because moms are grown ups, thats how it works. I am not sure how I feel about that.
Right now it is nice that we have a salary and I'm not the one who has to work for it but I am guessing there will be days when it is "Stupid Oli, why does he get to go to work?"