Back in the Saddle Again

This morning Aaron went into work a little late. He staid and watched Reuben so I could go on my first post-partum bike ride. I had read the weather report around 1 AM and knew it was cold and blustery so I piled on the layers. I dragged my bike out and eagerly headed for the bike trail. I've got to say the first moments back on my bike might be some of the happiest of my life. I felt so strong and fast and free. I even up shifted. Then I thought woah- slow down, go slow going out, fast back - if you can. I thought I'd do a short four mile ride.

The wind was howling and as I looked up the river I saw a wall of black clouds behind the capitol building. I thought that was odd since the weather report hadn't said anything about a storm. I told myself I could make it to make it to my turn around point. I pedaled hard towards the looming cloud bank. As I crossed into a wooded section the wind was blowing so hard I heard the giant trees groan and whine against the wind. About 200 feet from my turn around point, I began to feel icey rain pelt my jacket and then the sound of branches cracking mingled with the howling wind. I decided I should probably turn around early but then I thought NO, I'm going to finish my ride. I continued on. Then I saw a tree trunk braced against the wind splinter and crash to the ground. The rain turned to snow flurries. I couldn't see and I could feel my hair and eyelashes freeze together. I should have turned around!! I decided I had to get out of the trees as FAST as possible. I headed home but when I broke from the forest there was no cover to break the wind. The wind blew so hard it blew my bike over. I got back on and pedaled head down through the flurries whipping furiously around me. And just like that it was over. The sun was shining and the sky clear. If it hadn't been for the snow and ice clinging to my clothes I would have thought I might have imagined it all. I rode home and dragged my bike back into the apartment expecting Aaron to rush out and congratulate me on surviving. When I asked if he could believe the storm, he looked up from his Raisin Bran, blinked and asked "What storm?" Apparently the mini-hurricane stuck to the river. So I got to enjoy my own personal snow storm. I do NOT understand how snow falling on your nose and eyelashes could be anyone's favorite thing. That's crazy talk.

So thanks to my determination/idiocy I got some exercise and am back on the bike. Woo-hoo!

10

I was down on the floor trying to get a pacifier out from under the couch when I wondered if I could still do a push up. I wasn't very hopeful, but I got into form and tried. To my surprise I made it all the way down and back up. I quickly switched to "girl" form and tried to see if I could do ten. And I did it! I was so happy. And then I felt sad because I was so happy about ten pathetic push ups. But today I tried for 20 and I made it. I'm starting to think I may be able to get back in shape.

I keep reminding myself it's possible to get back into shape even though it's hard to believe. When I start to think it's impossible I think of Jessica Scott who is probably one of the most attractive people I've known. She had a flatter stomach after having a baby then I've ever had in my whole life. Speaking of Jess, the Scotts just had their little boy. Congratulations to them!!

I Hate fire trucks

Until we had Reuben, I knew we lived right next to Reagan airport but I never realized just how close to the fire station we live. Turns out we live pretty close. And it also turns out that our local fire station must be pretty awesome because they never send one fire truck. They always send two or three, sometimes even four. I'll put Reuben down for his nap and just as he's settling an airplane will thunder over us. I'll hold my breath and listen but Reuben will power through. About a minute later the high pitched wail of the first siren will start up and roar past our house. It's so loud that the windows vibrate. Reuben: Nothing. Oh, how I love this kid. Then comes the next fire truck. Then a cop car. Then Battle jumps up on the book shelf and knocks over a stack of books. Finally the third fire truck will go screeching past our window and with that Reuben will open his eyes and let out a plaintive little wail before going back to sleep. He seems to be handling all the interference amazingly but it's driving me crazy! I'm all for fire safety but I have to wonder if there are really so many fire truck worthy incidents. I think the firemen may just be trying to show off.

BYU Blue

I saw this on Amy's blog and it made me laugh. So many memories. I have to admit, I'm almost as proud of the ones I didn't check as the ones I did.

How BYU ARE YOU?

77 questions.

[x] You have been kissed at lease once
[_] Your first kiss was on campus
[x] You’ve had a boyfriend/girlfriend
[x] You lived in the dorms your freshman year
[x] You went to Homecoming or Preference
[x] You hiked the Y
[_] You’ve taken a social dance class
[x] You regularly attended FHE for at least a semester
[x] You’ve participated in Choose to Give
[_] You’ve been to Liberty Square for a party at least once
[_] You’ve driven around south of campus for at least 20 minutes trying to find a parking spot
[.5] You know the cougar fight song
[x] You’ve crossed the crosswalk without using the flags or biked through a red light
[_] You’ve been to Friday Night Live
[x] You’ve performed or witnessed an act that made it onto Police Beat
[x] You’ve been on a “date” to the bell tower or duck pond
[x] You’ve been to the Bean Museum for FHE (I gave the talk)
[x] You’ve been to Divine Comedy
[x] You’ve been to International Cinema
[_] You are engaged
[x] You are married
[x] …in the temple
[_] You were previously engaged/married
[x] You have kids or are expecting kids
[x] Your birth parents are still married
[x] …in the temple
[x] You have at least three siblings
[_] You’ve taken a marriage prep or relations class
[x] You’ve taken at least one religion class that is not based on the scriptures
[x] You have slept on a couch in a restroom
[x] You have been to the BYU Creamery
[_] You have been in one of the BYU choirs
[_] You’ve been on a date to Fat Cats
[x] You have read Twilight
[x] …book 2
[x] …book 3
[x] …book 4
[x] …seen the movie
[_] …more than once
[x] You’ve waited in line at the Bookstore for the Harry Potter or Twilight book premiere
[x] You have seen The Singles Ward or Sons of Provo
[x] You have walked out of a movie you found morally reprehensible (see above)
[x] You know where the “chastity line” is
[x] You can finish the phrase “Nothing good happens after ______”
[x] You read the Daily Universe at least 3x a week
[_] …and it’s the only newspaper you read
[x] You’ve personally known someone who was reported to the Honor Code Office
[_] You’ve participated in or watched a Mr. BYU contest
[_] You’ve received personal revelation that he/she is “the one” (or been told this)
[_] …and told him/her about your revelation (or been told this)
[_] …and then they rejected you (or rejected them)
[x] You’ve been to the Nickelcade -YES!!! I love that place! Some of my favorite dates were beating Aaron at the basketball shooting game over and over again.
[x] You’ve been to Classic Skating
[x] You’ve ignored your parents’ phone calls for at least 3 days.
[_] …and then they called the University Police
[_] You’ve been pulled over by the University Police
[x] You watch The Office religiously
[x] You mostly wear jeans and t-shirts or plain fitted shirts
[_] You own at least 3 things from American Eagle or Hollister
[x] Your sacrament meeting is a fashion show/scam session
[x] You’ve been on a date to the Provo River

You’ve kissed in a…
[x] …campus parking lot
[x] …Provo Canyon or Squaw Peak
[x] …on temple grounds
[x] …on a couch as soon as your roommates left the room
[x] You think UVU is not a real university
[_] You hate U of U with a passion

I'm not sure how the college questions go along with the kissing.

FOR GIRLS (don’t answer if you’re a guy)
[_] You own knee-length shorts
[x] You regularly wear camisoles/undershirts for modesty reasons
[_] You are a MFHD, RMYL, Elementary Education, or Exercise Science Major
[_] Your major crush ended up dating a MFHD, RMYL, Elementary Education, or Exercise Science major
[x] You have had at least one roommate who is in hair or dental school
[_] You own The Italian Job or The Princess Bride
[_] You wear makeup at least 3x a week
[.5] You do something with your hair (other than brush it/ponytail) at least 3x a week - I braid it but I don't think that's what they mean.
[x] You went or plan on going on a mission
[_] …because you couldn’t get married

FOR GUYS (don’t answer if you’re a girl)
[_] You shave every (or almost every) morning
[_] You know when your hair is “too long”
[_] You know what the “divide by 2 and add 7″ dating rule is
[_] …and you follow it
[_] You’ve dated freshmen girls as a RM
[_] …when you already knew better
[_] You’ve used the phrase “On my mission…” to a girl
[_] At least 3 girls have baked cookies or meals for you
[_] You went or plan on going on a mission
[_] …because you wanted to get married


Total: 50

A: 68-77
B: 60-67
C: 53-66
D: 45-52
F: 44 or below

The Art of Losing isn't Hard to Master

I memorized the poem One Art by Elizabeth Bishop back when I was dating. It was nice to have on hand during break ups. But during the holiday season, when so much seems focused on getting and having, I like to think of it. I've found it especially poignant this year as I've recently seen my life change rather dramatically, having lost in some sense, parts of my old life with the birth of Reuben. To my surprise and joy the loss has really been no disaster.


One Art
by Elizabeth Bishop

The art of losing isn't hard to master;
so many things seem filled with the intent
to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster
of lost door keys, the hour badly spent.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster:
places, and names, and where it was you meant
to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother's watch. And look! my last, or
next-to-last, of three loved houses went.
The art of losing isn't hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster,
some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent.
I miss them, but it wasn't a disaster.


--Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture
I love) I shan't have lied. It's evident
the art of losing's not too hard to master
though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

Gift Idea

Looking for a gift for a techy who has everything. Check out this page - 10 USB drives worth having.

Hip Hip Hooray!

Reuben and I were excited to attend my mother's graduation ceremony yesterday. She's worked incredibly hard the last few years to earn her Masters of Nursing degree. She is an amazing example. I hope I can be like her when I grow up.

Away Down South in Dixie

Reuben grew large enough to fit his camo coat just in time for his trip to SC! We're leaving tomorrow morning and I'm so excited I've been singing Dixie to him all day. Every so often, out of guilt, I slip in The Battle Hymn of the Republic or Yankee Doodle to break things up. I know technically I already live South of the Mason-Dixon line but it doesn't feel like it. No boiled peanuts anywhere and that is a sad sad thing. So we're going to go away WAY down South in Dixie.

On a side note, I just learned that Dixie was written by an Ohioan in New York City for a Minstrel show. How ironic. Here's the source.

One Month

Reuben is one month old now. In one month he's learned how to smile, grown some cheeks and begun to bald. He's really embracing the aging process.

Encounters at the End of the World Trailer

Aaron and I watched Encounter at the End of the World this weekend. I LOVED it. I want to live in Antarctica!

Deranged Penguin - Encounters at the end of the world

This was one of my favorite scenes. Werner Herzog has a real gift for phrasing questions. I love that he qualifies penguin insanity as NOT having delusions as Napoleon Bonaparte. Still, hilarious and tragic at the same time. I loved this movie. I can't stop watching it.

LIttle Boy Blue

The first moment I saw Reuben I immediately noticed his eyes. They were the deepest, darkest, most penetrating eyes I had ever seen and they were staring right at me. I was absolutely sure they were pitch black. On closer inspection I realized they were the deepest blue I have every seen. I was taking pictures while he was playing on the ground and when he tired out I snapped this second picture that I think gives you a good view of what his eyes look like.

Hard at Work

I set up Reuben's crib right next to my work station in the office. He's less than an arm length away. So while I do my work he can hang out in the crib. Here are some pictures of how he spends his work time. First he looks at his book.

Then he looks at his beads.

Then he stares at his best friend the wind chime. I got Reuben's first two smiles and the wind chime got the third. He really loves it. We hung it close enough that when he flails his arms - something he does when he's excited- he can knock into it. Hearing it usually makes him more excited so he'll flail and hit it again. It's pretty fun to watch. I have a video of it that I'll try to post a little later.

Cheeks

Despite the cold, Reuben has ventured out. It was a bit of a tight fit, but we managed to get his cheeks into his sweater. We braved the weather and enjoyed a walk with Aunt Marie despite an unexpected parade of bagpiping Scotts men that blocked our route and fired off several round from their cannons. Reuben slept right through it. So there are benefits to living right next to the airport AND the fire station.

A Map of the Would Be Intruder

Here's a link to the Civil War Preservation Trust's site.

Battle For The Wilderness

Walmart is trying to build a Super Center at the edge of the historic battlefield of The Battle of the Wilderness. According the the National Park Service over 11,000 Americans lost their lives on the site. It makes me sad to think so little reverence is being paid to such a significant place. The county of Orange has some POOR planning since they zoned the area directly outside of the park as commercial. The Civil War Preservation Trust is doing its best to try to protect the land. If you want to help or learn more you can go to www.civilwar.org

Book Lust

The New York Times just put out its 100 Notable Books of 2008 . There's also a slide show of the Best illustrated books of 2008. Check it out.
I'm drooling over the selection. I think I might read Home by Marilyn Robinson next. I really enjoyed Gilead. It's one of the most beautifully written stories I have ever read. Definitely in my top ten. And Jillian Tamaki, one of my favorite illustrators, got her book Skim on the best illustrated list. Very cool.

Hi-Ho

On Monday I started back to work. I think I'm insane and if I wasn't before I shortly will be.

Singing Time

Since Reuben's arrived Aaron and I have both been more musical. That isn't much of a change for Aaron but I feel like I'm going from 0 to 60. And I've noticed both of us are struggling to figure out just what to sing. I left Reuben with Aaron one night and from the other room I heard him serenaded to the Aunt Jemima pancake song, the Folgers coffee song (The Best Part of Waking Up), Run DMC, a McDonalds McMuffin song I wasn't familiar with, The Hobbit song, and other entirely unedifying tunes. I'm guilty too. I think, I'll just make up some little melody and then I realize I am humming the opening music to Star Trek and I think, Reuben I'm so sorry - you are now destined to get beat up in middle school. But I can't help it. I'm in a pinch and it's the first thing that comes out of my mouth which is terrifying. We've taken to tweaking some of the words and so a few of our new favorites now go like this

(To the Hobbit Song)
Reuben, Reuben James only two feet long,
Reuben, Reuben Cummings bravest little baby of them all.
He went to the Dr. duh-duh-duh
Then he went to a movie. du-du-du
He started a fire. duh-duh-duh
A magic ring he stole. (At this point I couldn't think of anything else and had to go back to the original lyrics)

(To The Battle Hymn of the Republic)
Reuben James Cummings will not wake up
Reuben James Cummings will not wake up
Reuben James Cummings needs to wake up so he can eat!
Reuben Cummings wake up now. (repeat 3 times)
Reuben James Cummings wake up and have something to eat.

Aaron adjusts a lot more songs, mostly stuff from musicals, but I don't really know them well enough to sing. I do sing Reuben the Who Am I song from Les Miserable but it goes Who Am I? I'm Reuben James! (not Jean val Jean)

But Reuben is probably used to it. The kids musical taste were probably skewed from the start. He went to New Pornographers, Feist, Radiohead and Ben Folds concerts and listened to a lot of Belle and Sebastian and Swedish pop (Irene and the Sambassadeurs) in utero. Now tht he's here and his tender, blank slate of a mind is before us I keep thinking I should dig out the Mozart, which I do enjoy, but I am really enjoying The Fratellis right now. So Reuben gets to too. You can give them a listen here. Punk inspired brit music for nap time - good stuff.

Fire!

Aaron and I took Reuben to his two week doctor appointment and found out the kid put on 2 pounds in two weeks. That's more than 2 ounces a day! We were so proud we ventured out for a family date. We ate noodles at the Noodle Company then went to the movies. I wanted to see Australia but it doesn't come out til today so we went to Twilight. I was a little nervous about how Reuben would do but he seemed to be enjoying the film or at least the darkened room. I enjoyed the movie more because of Reuben. At possibly the most romantic moment, Bella and Edward are leaning in, the whole theater was silent with anticipation, and Reuben chose to let out a huge whooping fart. Being the mature adults we are, Aaron and I immediately started cracking up. Which must have made the theater gods angry because about ten minutes later the theater caught on fire and everyone was evacuated. I kid you not: THE THEATER CAUGHT ON FIRE. So we saw half of Twilight.

Seriously

Today I assembled Reuben's bouncy chair which he seemed to really like. He was wide awake and happy in it for about an hour. When I took this picture he put on a very solemn face. I guess he feels the same way about pictures that I do. He looked so solemn to me that I think he has a bit of resemblance to Salmon Chase, Lincoln's Secretary of the Treasury and eventual Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Aaron doesn't agree. See what you think. Maybe it's just the similar hair style.

Run, Fatboy, Run Trailer

Aaron and I watched this movie this weekend and I LOVED it. I'm pretty sure this is going to be me in four weeks when I get to start working out again.

Pride Cometh Before the Flu

Earlier this week I felt like everything was going really smoothy and I even started to think that I had this mothering thing under control. Then Wednesday I came down with the flu. Fever, aches, throwing up - bad news. I was a sick as a dog. Aaron was a huge help and took work off on Thursday to help take care of Reuben. Reuben was a saintly baby and has started consistently sleeping 3-4 hours each night which really helped me get enough rest to recover. I really love this kid.
All this time home sick gave Aaron and me the time to finish reading Team of Rivals which I highly recommend even though I didn't enjoy the ending (due to the circumstances not the writing). I've started reading His Excellency, George Washington by Joseph Ellis which I like but is giving me nightmares about being attacked by French/Indian raiders. Combined with what I just learned last week reading A Voyage Wondrous Strange by Tony Horwitz (author of Confederates in the Attic) my mind is cooking up some very adventurous dreams.

Instructions

Recently I keep thinking of the flight aviation instructions about children. I think it's a bit odd that my main parenting directive is coming from the pocket of an airplane seat instead of a well researched parenting book. Still, the advice seems effective: in case of emergency, first attend to yourself then help your child. My initial response a lot of times is to answer Reuben's need but I think we both do better when I follow the airline instruction.

For example, in the middle of the night Reuben will wake me up because he knows he wants to eat NOW. I have to go to the bathroom. I'm sure I could probably hold it in uncomfortable desperation. But using the airline guidelines I instead let him cry for a minute while I answer the call of nature. Then while he eats I enjoy myself instead of single mindedly imploring him to eat as fast as possible. It changes the feeding from a torture scenario to bonding time.

Also, instead of just obsessing about Reuben's breathing and hiccups, I'm doing my best to enjoy myself. I figure a happy me makes for kinder, more patient care. So here are a few things that I've been enjoying.



French Milk

Aaron picked this up for me and it is the perfect book to read when you have to hold the book one nursing baby distance away from yourself. It's a graphic novel so the print is large and a lot of the story comes through the pictures. The book is the sketch diary of 22 year old Lucy Kinsley's six month visit to Paris. Reading it takes me away from my calm little apartment and into the joy of exploring Paris. It also reminds me of all the glory of being an angsty art student - which alternately makes me feel depressed that I didn't manage to publish a graphic novel by the age of 23 and inspired to get to work and have as much fun as I know making her diary would be.



Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln ( I found this picture of President Elect Obama posing with the book and it is just too cool to pass up)
This is the book that is worth straining my eyes for. I've been plowing through it while I feed Reuben. I was enjoying this book so much while I was pregnant that Reuben was almost named Abraham. I'm grateful that I've still got another 300 of the 800 pages to enjoy so I feel well stocked with reading material.



Protein Pumpkin Oddwalla

This is pumpkin pie in sweet creamy nutritious liquid form. It's wonderfully easy to consume one handed and is the nectar of the autumnal gods. It also makes me feel like I'm Harry Potter where the pumpkin juice ran freely and always sounded delicious to me.



Dan's apple pie
Speaking of pie, Dan Cummings made us the most beautiful and delicious apple pie. I think he's ready for the state fair. That or he needs to open a bakery. I'm considering more children just to get another.


Gerber Onsies
Some brilliant genius designed a onsie with just two snaps at the bottom instead of the annoying three.



Moby Wrap
I strap Reuben in and I'm hands free. And he's so cute and happy cuddled up against me. I'm also proud of myself for figuring it out on my own and not dropping Reuben when I tried to put him in it.




Reuben himself
Who is possibly the most laid back kid ever.



Help - (This picture shows Reuben before he got rid of his jaundice. He was looking nice and seasonally orange for a day or two)
I don't think I'd be in such a good position to enjoy myself if it wasn't for all the help I've had. Aaron has been making breakfast each morning before going to work and it's so nice to have the time together and start the day of energized. My mom did a TON of work on our apartment and helped me settle in and I owe a lot if not most of my comfort to her. And Merilee Cummings brought me a delicious lunch and dinner and has been keeping me company the last two days which has been really enjoyable. Also thanks to everyone for the congratulations and welcome you've given to Reuben. It's been fun to hear from all of you!

Like Father Like Son

Reuben has been enjoying time with his Dad. Aaron has to go back to work tomorrow which we're very sad about. We've been enjoying our family together time up til now. Aaron has developed some pretty awesome swaddling skills. At the hospital the doctor who checked Reuben commented on how well the nurses wrapped up the babies. She didn't know that the wrap Reuben was sporting was done by his Padre.
One thing I love about Reuben is he got his Dad's crazy long feet. They're frog feet with monkey toes. When I was in college I had an assignment to draw 60 feet from life for a figure drawing class. Aaron graciously agreed to model and I completed the assignment but got in trouble because my drawings were "too long and oddly proportioned." The professor didn't realize the consequences of being too true to life. Anyway, Reuben like the good man cub he is has some feet to grow in to.

Aaron covered a lot of the labor. All I've got to say is I'm drug free and proud of Aaron and Reuben. I couldn't have done it without either of their help. And it wasn't that bad. I'm grateful for every yoga class I ever took and playing a lot of sports growing up. The pain was manageable and I never felt like I needed anything more than Aaron's and my Mom's encouragement. (I know that sounds sappy but that's how it went) Speaking of pain, here's a great Emily Dickinson poem that I think does a good job summing up the whole labor experience:

The Mystery of Pain

Pain has an element of blank;
It cannot recollect
When it began, or if it were
A day when it was not.

It has no future but itself,
Its infinite realms contain
Its past, enlightened to perceive
New periods of pain.

Especially combined with this poem which I keep thinking of over and over in regards to Reuben:

Love

Love is anterior to life;
Posterior to death,
Initial of creation,
And the exponent of breath.

Filling In

Katy has asked me to "tastefully" fill in some of the details. Here goes. Thursday night was like many of the nights we've had recently. We were preparing for the baby by getting some last minute items and totally reorganizing our house. We've been doing this a lot recently, especially the house reorganization, so by 12:30 am, we were pretty much down to a list of 10 more things to do. Katy had been having contractions throughout the day, but we were not particularly concerned because she has been having contractions on and off for weeks. Then, at 4:50 am, she woke me up. Her bag of waters had broken.

With that event, we sprung into action, unpacking the bags we packed weeks ago, and re-packing them to make sure we had everything (or in our case, approximately two of everything). I called in to work and ran a couple of quick errands to get some things we were missing, and Katy worked for about two hours (while having contractions) to wrap up things for work. Then we ate some breakfast together, and around 11am Katy called the doctor's office. She wanted to labor at home as long as possible, but when they hear her water had broken they really wanted us to come in to make sure. When they confirmed it had broken, they encouraged us to go to the hospital telling us we could always go home after they made sure the baby was ok. Of course this didn't happen. Tricky doctors...

When we got to the hospital, some nurse came in and said, "Ok, we've got a plan for you. We're going to put you on pit (pitocin is a drug that induces labor) and really get things moving." We had prepared for a natural birth by taking a Bradley class, and weren't anxious to go on pitocin unless we absolutely had to. The nurses and doctors were kind of bossy and not very respectful of our wishes. Fortunately, we were with a great practice that included midwives. Once the midwives came to see us they worked it out so Katy only had to be on the monitor for 20 minutes every hour and got the nurses into line. Labor progressed slowly from there and slowed down every time they hooked Katy up to the monitor.

Katy did an amazing job. She kept walking around and doing everything she could to move things along. Her determination and endurance were absolutely incredible. They checked her at midnight, and she had dilated 5cm. Then, although exhausted she kicked it into high gear.

Finally, around 4:45am we had moved through transition and she finally got the urge to push. At 5:40 am, she gave birth to a beautiful boy. It was absolutely incredible--the most amazing experience of my life. It was amazing to see Reuben all blue, drawing his first breaths and crying for the first time. As soon as he heard Katy's voice he turned right toward her. He knew his Mom right away and the two have been inseparable ever since. She has been wonderfully patient, loving and kind throughout the whole process. Reuben's birth was completely natural. even though it took 25 hours of labor. Katy received no pain medication or inducing drugs. She was also wonderfully kind and polite throughout the whole labor process. Everyone at the hospital was very impressed, especially because there had been a whole bunch of C-sections that day at the hospital. Katy is recovering quickly and Reuben is figuring things out well. He is already a great eater and seems to be a really sweet kid.

We were helped greatly to have Jen, Katy's Mom, with us at the hospital. She was really encouraging and helpful. I appreciated Katy letting me be there to help out where I could. I recommend Bradley classes to anyone. It was really helpful to us, and made a natural birth possible and pleasant. It was an absolutely incredible experience. We are really excited to have Reuben as a part of our family. Here are a few more pictures of our boy.

Reuben James Cummings

Reuben James Cummings was born at 5:40 AM Saturday November 8, 2008. He was 6 pounds and 12.8 ounces. I love his little size. He's absolutely perfect to me. Here he is, three days old ready for his first walk. We went out at dusk and walked to the river to feed the ducks. His winter coat is just a little big for him but he handled it well. I'm tired so I'm going to trust Aaron to tastefully fill you in on the last three days.

Go Time

This morning at 5 AM my water broke. Looks like the baby will be coming sooner rather than later.

One More Reason

I don't want to discourage anyone from voting so after my description of the long lines I thought I'd offer an incentive. Show up with an "I Voted" sticker and you can get a free scoop of Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

Just Like Christmas Morning

Aaron Voted

I Voted

Behind me is the line at about 6:30



Aaron and I woke up at 5:30 this morning and walked down to our voting location at the senior center. We took our place in line by 5:45 and groggily watched as it snaked down the block and around the corner. Since we were voting at the senior center they only let a few people in every couple minutes in an attempt to not disrupt the residents. The whole set up reminded me of Disneyland. We eagerly stepped into the building only to find another curling intestine of a line inside. The place was packed with eager voters.

By 6:30 we both cast our ballots, effectively neutralizing the other's vote. Walking out of the polling place we saw the line was even longer which helped me justify our crazy wake up time. We took a little walk around our neighborhood and each polling place we passed had lines a block or two long. I feel a little sorry for the poll workers. They're going to have a long day. But I can't wait to see the results!

Dream Vacation

I was reading a Bicycling magazine while eating my mini-spooners and I came across an article on cycling trips. It got me way tooo excited. I am now absolutely in love with the idea of taking a bike riding vacation. I've started shopping around and there are such cool options: pedal through the tulip beds of Holland, through the rocks of New Zealand, through the ancient sites of Greece (with a West Point professor of Arcadian Military History as a guide), through the mountains of North Carolina - I want to do them all. Aaron wants to do France.

As an added bonus there are several that are designed for families, even young families which is something I suppose I should start considering. You bike and the company takes care of your food and lodging and medical care if needed. Most of the trips are prohibitively expensive and as Aaron pointed out, we could just design the route ourselves. Which is what our budget will probably dictate but I still really like the idea of booking a trip about a year from now and having it to train for. The map above is the trip that there is no way we could afford but will fill my dreams-Santa Barbara, CA to Charleston, SC. If you want to see more trips that I will be dreaming about you can go here. This company is definitely the top of the line option, I'm hoping I can turn up something more local and much cheaper.

Gratuitous Imagery

What you've all been waiting for. Me at 35, 36 and 37 weeks.
35 weeks - This is the night I started having regular contractions and Aaron in a panic began snapping unflattering pictures of me in the fear that we wouldn't have a single pregnant image. I was not feeling co-operative. Notice the house. We look so ready.
36 - in Georgetown.
The last one is this Saturday night. Pretty pregnant. The baby's getting big! That or mini spooners (Generic frosted mini-wheats) which I eat for 2/3 of my meals sure pack on the pounds.

Broadening My Horizon

Be forewarned: This is a rant and as such has the potential to offend.

Last night I went to the first meeting of my new ward's book club. I felt apprehensive because I am a person who cares deeply about what I read. I have very strong opinions about what is worth reading and what is sentimental fluff that isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

I've noticed when I get around other women interested in being part of a book club, a lot of them seem inclined to read what I would categorize as "fluff" - this is any book that is described in the following way: "Oh! I loved that book! It was soooo sweet/romantic!....and afterwards we can watch the movie!!" Some of these books aren't bad. They were required reading for your eighth grade English class, like Jane Eyre. Good book but we all read it, we all liked it, lets move on. Aren't we ready for something a little meatier? We're adults now.

In my opinion its absolutely worthless for a book group to pick "an easy, fun" read. Why have a book group about a book that gives you nothing to talk about? That doesn't challenge you? But I guess, I get excited about a book group because of the book aspect, not so much the socializing. And in a way being part of such a book group really makes me step out of my comfort zone and pick up books I would NEVER EVER choose to read myself. It broadens my horizons, which is a good thing. SO why does the broadening feel so similar to dumbing down?

Things are said in book groups that make me feel really uncomfortable, things like: "I just can't read Shakespeare. It doesn't make any sense!"
"I read really slow so lets not do that." - Would you go to a running group and feel okay about telling the whole group that the pace shouldn't go above a walk??
"I just don't understand those books. They just get so dark." - This is usually said about books that I didn't find dark at all. If you want dark...
"That would be such a good book. I've read it like a thousand times" (So have we!!)

I heard all those statements and more last night. And they make me want to say really snarky things which makes me feel like I'm a bad person. Which makes me think I should not go to the book group, but stay at home and narrow-mindedly continue to read the books which lack plucky Victorian heroines.

I'm a winner!

So I'm trying this ebay thing out. Here's my first "win." I hope it fits some day.

Priorities

I got invited to attend an Obama rally tomorrow. It just happened to be at the exact same time as my scheduled Dr. appointment. Since I'm now about 36-37 weeks I suppose it is theoretically important for me to go, even though all the tell me is how much I weigh and that I need to make friends. It's like all of middle school condensed into a 10 minute conversation. (I'm not joking about the friends thing. Everyone keeps telling me I need to make friends so I won't be so lonely - the doctor, the other doctor, the midwife, my mom, Aaron, my mom again, etc. But I really don't feel lonely except when people keep pointing out how friendless I am.)

Anyway, I considered the options and decided I rather go to the rally. I think I may try to dress up (a la Cindy Sherman) as an elderly Jewish woman from Florida so I could get picked to sit behind the stage. Or maybe I can go as myself and hope that the Obama people want to win the votes of young, white, very pregnant women. Maybe if I could look like a teenager who chose to keep the baby...Think if I wore my high school sweatshirt I could get picked?

Pole

I painted this watercolor a week or so ago. I wanted to paint a lonely windswept telephone pole after rereading the opening chapter of O Pioneers by Willa Cather. You can read it here. I'm fairly pleased with it. It's been hanging out on the kitchen table with the aforementioned male nudes. I know if I don't do something soon it will get spilled on or torn but it's a strange size, about 8x8, so I don't know what to do with it. Any ideas?

Ebay

My mother and sister are expert ebay-ers. They get all kinds of steals on great stuff, especially baby stuff. I've never managed to get into ebay, preferring to browse dusty thrift stores and rummage sales in person. But with the high turn-over rate of baby supplies I think I may need to get into the game. Does anyone else use ebay?

Soft October Nights

Under the full moon, these last "soft October nights" I have begun to have my first contractions. I'm trying not to panic, but I NEED more time. I'm not ready. I feel completely unprepared. I'm supposed to have another month!
And so these lines of "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock" have been running through my head over and over again, as I want time for you and time for me and time yet for a hundred indecisions and for a hundred visions and revisions...

The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes,
The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes
Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening,
Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,
Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,
Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,
And seeing that it was a soft October night,
Curled once about the house, and fell asleep.

And indeed there will be time
For the yellow smoke that slides along the street,
Rubbing its back upon the window-panes;
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet;
There will be time to murder and create,
And time for all the works and days of hands
That lift and drop a question on your plate;
Time for you and time for me,
And time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.

You can read the whole poem here.

What's in a Name?

Want to waste some time? Here's a great site: The US Social Security's Top 1000 Baby Names from 2000 to 2007 Some of my "favorites?"
154. Gage- And the next one will be named Sprocket!
241. Chance - This is name that says "I should have gotten a dog"
791. Aryan - What??
824. Maxim - Naming your kid after a magazine?

My favorite name for a boy, Levin, which Aaron doesn't like because he says its too obscure didn't make the top 1000. But his favorite name for a girl, Petra, which I don't really like didn't make the top 1000 either. Ha!

And since everyone is asking, the names on our short list:

Reuben
Abraham
Peter
Levin

What do you do?

Lately people, people I haven't ever met before, have started coming up to me and asking what sounds to me like "What do you do?" I think, "how nice" or on my good days, "I guess I look really interesting and artsy and they want to get to know me better." Then I launch into an explanation of my job and what it involves and as I elaborate I see them begin to look confused and their smile fades away. Then I realize that once again, someone has asked me not "What do you do?" but "When are you due?" And I tell them mid-November and try to think of an equivalent question for them, like "So when is your next big, life changing event?" or "Any personal experience coming up that you would like to discuss with a stranger?"

Run Eliza! Run!

I started reading Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Goodwin and am really enjoying it. The book references Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe several times which made me realize I hadn't ever read the book that by many accounts helped start the Civil War. (It somehow didn't make it into the SC curriculum.) I expected it to be overly sentimental and dated and while there are passages that fit that description I've been amazed at how gripping a story it is. I've been listening to it on librivox (here) while I work. Several times it's brought me to the edge of my seat or close to tears. The one down side is every time I mention it to Aaron he starts singing selections of The King and I and then I have "Run Eliza! Run!" or "Pooor Eliza" stuck in my head.

All The Men

I started my figure painting class at the local art center last week. I've gone twice now and have returned with over a dozen large watercolors. Most are pretty bad but there a few that aren't terrible. It's nice to get the practice and I'm enjoying the challenge.

Aaron took a look at my work and asked why all my paintings are of men. I'm not sure why, but so far all the models have been men. And I'm starting to wonder what I should do with the growing stack of male nudes floating around the apartment. I sat down to breakfast and found them scattered all over the table. Getting dressed I bumped into a couple laying over the dresser. There are several more cluttering the office. I feel like I should do something with them but I'm not sure what. Hang them on the wall? Use them to decorate the nursery-closet? Begin distributing them to friends and family members as early Christmas gifts? Any ideas?

Your Tax Dollars At Work

Aaron and I had a fun weekend together. We added it up and on Saturday, between my class and work and his work, we managed to spend a whole 6 conscious hours together.

As part of those six hours we visited the National Gallery of Art for the George De Forest Brush show. Brush was an American painter trained in the French academy. He returned from France and spent some time living in Wyoming and Montana with the Arapahoe, Shoshone and Crow. He eventually left the West, returned to NY city to set up a studio. His work has almost never left the hands of private collectors and this was the first public show. Brush was suspicious of the modernization and its production of mass produced, cheap goods which he worried was destructive to the environment and art. Most of his paintings contain messages about conservation and preservation. The National Gallery has set up a really good website for the show so you can see most of the work here.

Brag

I just have to brag about this. I rode my bike down to the art store to buy some supplies yesterday. When I came out of the store, I found that it had started to drizzle AND the new pallet I bought was about 3 inches too long to fit in my bag. So I strapped on my helmet and peddled back in the rain, one handed!! I held my pallet in one hand, steered with my other hand while carrying my heavy shoulder bag. The rain became heavier and the wind was gusting but I kept my balance. I was so proud!! Take that stupid pregnancy books that say you should stop riding your bike at 3 months!

Swallow Mobile

I really want to get this mobile "for the baby" which means for me. Having a baby is like getting an imaginary friend who can make demands. You can say things like "I'm fine with either car seat but the baby would like..." It's a cheap trick and I try to avoid using it but I might not be able to resist for such a cool mobile. I love, I mean the baby loves swallows! And aren't they the perfect color for a newborn's inept eyes?

Daughters of the American Revolution Constitution Hall

Aaron's been telling me all week that he had a surprise for me on Wednesday. I told him I was 50% excited about it. That dropped to about 30% when he told me it was right by the White House and there were no animals involved (I was imagining a really awkward work party) then 10% after he told me it was a fund raising dinner for McCain. By yesterday afternoon I was feeling under the weather and ready to call off the whole date. But Aaron seemed so eager about the whole thing that I decided I would be a good sport and swallow whatever Republican event he was dragging me to.

Lucky for me, Aaron is much more fun than I give him credit for and he surprised me with Ben Folds tickets at the DAR Constitution Hall! It was a really fun show. Ben Folds is just as crazy as ever and the show really rocked. Almost all the material was new, which was cool, and the old stuff he played was just perfect. I was really glad I had a seat but there were several songs that made me sad we weren't on a dance floor.



As a bonus I REALLY liked the opener, Missy Higgins. You can check her out here.