The Poltergeist Tree

Remember the movie Poltergeist? I do. Extremely well. You see, when I was 6 year old, my Father was tasked with watching myself, my older sister and her friend, for the day. So, he decided to do what all Dad's do when they have no idea how to entertain three little girls. Take them to the movies. We went to see the cartoon flick, The Secret of Nimh, which was a little scary for me but overall entertaining. And then, after the movie was over, my Dad asked us if we wanted to stay for a special double feature. The movie they were showing was Poltergeist and he promised it wasn't scary.

He freaking lied.

I screamed and ran out of the movie theatre at least twice, but not before I saw the Poltergeist tree swoop in and grab the little boy. Or the scene when the clown under the bed attacked. And who can forget the little girl getting sucked into the TV? I slept with my parents for a week, and I think my Mom was pretty ticked at my Dad.

Found childhood memories.

Why bring it up now, you might wonder? Well, we have a gigantic tree outside the apartment building. Its roots are on three different people's properties. And, lately, the tree has grown so much that the limbs are hanging all over our front walk. Kinda like spindly green arms and, each time I walk from our front gate to the front door, I have to push my way past these arms and I constantly think of The Poltergeist Tree. 

I think it's time to call a gardner to have him come and give the tree a little trim. Otherwise, the limbs are going to take over and I'll never leave the apartment!

Shavuot lunch was fantastic! Everyone loved my deconstructed Mexican appetizer and we all had a really, really nice time. I was exhausted from washing all the dishes, but we had so much fun that it was well worth it. Yesterday, I was in a daze from exhaustion and also because it was a very long day. I still can't get over the fact that, in Israel, it's no longer a holiday while in the States everyone is celebrating second day of Chag. Pidgeon drove me to class and even sat in, which was nice, as he really enjoyed the topic. We analyzed W.E.B. Du Bois Souls of Black Folk and made some interesting comparisons. Pidgeon loves literature so it was a wonderful start to our day.

And, since Pidgeon's sister had a baby girl yesterday morning at 7:45 a.m., we decided to drive into Tel Aviv to buy her a present. Well, that, and because Pidgeon had a 29 credit at CNV (Comics V'Yirakot) and wanted to pick out some good comic books. We also went to Emma Green in Dizingof Mall and bought 2 bath bombs for Mommy's feet, and some cute clothing for the new baby. Afterwards, we popped into Anise for some Terra Chips and juice, and then it was back to Jerusalem for us. We were both so tired that we sacked out on the couch and ate some lunch picked up from New Deli (I had a hot dog craving, which really hit the spot!). Soon, it was time for visiting hours at Shaarei Tzedek and we went to visit the new born. Mommy and baby were doing great and everyone was just happy and tired. We spent 30 minutes with the happy pair before coming back to the apartment.

I was so wiped, and felt like the biggest dishrag, that I fell asleep while watching TV. Pidgeon had to help me into bed, help me with my shot, and I was asleep by 11:30 p.m. 

We had another early morning wake up call today as we went to Tipat Chalav around the corner to chat about my pregnancy. I showed then nurse all my information and she bluntly asked us why we were there. I told her that my sister-in-law told me to come, but I had no idea what they did. She smiled and basically told me that since I have two Dr.'s taking care of me, they weren't needed. We were so embaressed that we wasted her time, that we walked home with perverbial tails between our legs. I was also really tired, so I was angry that we woke up extra early for no good reason. Oh well, I guess the upside was that I know where they are located and what they do for babies. P"G, she told us she'll see us after the birth.

We got home and, since I was starving, I ate a quick breakfast. My eyes started closing so I decided to crawl into bed and managed to nap for a couple of hours. And then, Pidgeon came back from running some errands in town, and he woke me up for today's main event.

Today, we had our "big ultrasound", which is when the Dr. looks at every part of the baby to make sure they are developing well. I was more nervous today than I was on my wedding day. We got to the office, filled our forms, and then sat with the Dr. He asked me to get on the scale and seemed surprised when I asked if I could take off my heavy New Balance sneakers. I, of course, was up 8 pounds since last month. He was not pleased with that and told me that I should "stop eating breads and be careful". He told me not to gain more than 4 pounds a month. I was shocked with the scale and didn't agree with what it said. I weighed myself yesterday morning and I was 4 pounds lighter than what the scale said. I mean, what did the Dr. expect to see? It was 1:30 p.m., I had eaten breakfast and a snack, drank at least 4 glasses of water, and was wearing all of my clothing. That's not the right time to weigh a pregnant lady. Shavuot and all the cheesecake didn't help me either, so I'm back on healthier alternatives to food and hopefully I won't gain more than the required amount. Believe me, with all this working out I've been doing, I too want to keep my weight healthy.

He was, however, very happy with my blood pressure. I wasn't surprised as I've tended towards low blood pressure my whole life. P"G, that should be something that I keep relatively low throughout the pregnancy.

Anyway, the ultrasound was incredible. He did a scan of the baby and looked at everything to make sure it was developing normally. And then, he asked us if we wanted to know the sex, and we said "hells yeah!" And so, now we know, and I'm the worst secret keeper in the world! I just want to tell all of my family and friends what we're having, but we want it to be a surprised. 

So, we told my folks, who needed to know since they already have travel plans to Israel for December. All I'll say is that they are planning accordingly.  As for us, we've been in a bit of a fog since we left the Dr.'s office. It's just so surreal and amazing. I have about 16 ultrasound photos of the little babes, who I could swear was sucking its thumb at some point during the procedure. It was simply amazing. 

Well, I'm off to finish my second load of laundry for the day and to figure out what I'm feeding Pidgeon for dinner. 

Erev Tov from Baka!

Electrocution No More!

I've been bad about blogging lately, but that's because I've just been absolutely exhausted. Shabbos was really nice and relaxing. We woke up early and decided to go to Shir Chadash, which is in a school on Yehuda HaLevi street. We really like the Rabbi, but the Kehillah is not necessarily our speed. Hmm, this whole shul search is frustrating. We've been to so many different shul's and have yet to find the one that's perfect for us. We, did, however find one that we both like which is really close to our apartment. I think we're going to have to give up the shul search for now and just try to make a go of it with the Kehillah in our neighborhood. Besides, my walking is already starting to get a bit limited, so it's nice to know that there is something 2 blocks away that we like.

Meanwhile, the biggest news in my life is that, after 1 year and 9 months living in this Country, I finally have a solution to my Mac problem. Before I moved here in August 2006, I asked the Mac people whether or not my computer would have a voltage issue. They insisted it wouldn't and I bought 2 packages of the international travel plugs so I could plug the computer into the outlets here in Israel. So, I moved here, and even with the new plugs, my computer would shock me. Literally, I had sores up and down the insides of my arms from repeated shocking. I tried to ignore it by always wearing shoes while working on the computer, but after a while it really started to bother me. Then I met Pidgeon, and he would share my computer and would really had the shocking. Once I got pregnant, Pidgeon said that it could go on no longer. We tracked down the phone number for the Mac people here in Israel and Pidgeon finally got them on the phone to discuss the problem. They told him that there's an extremely easy solution! All we needed was a special three-pronged plug. 80 shekel later, I am now the happy owner of this fantastic plug which works with both my MacBook Pro AND my Powerbook G4! It's soo nice to sit at my computer without getting little shocks running throughout my body. And, on the plus side, the sores on my arms are finally healing. This has taught me to never let something really important go, and to try to find the necessary solutions ASAP!

I spent the day in and out of bed yesterday, I was just so exhausted. I would get up, go to the kitchen and wash the meat dishes, then crawl back into bed. An hour later, I would crawl out of bed and wash the dairy dishes and then get back into bed. I did this for various other household tasks throughout the day, and tried to also do some school work reading. I am really proud that I'm getting ahead of my school work and have finished 3 books I needed to read for my two courses. I have about 6 more to go, but I'm hoping it really won't take that long if I'm diligent!

Today, I managed to go back to sleep after Pidgeon left for work. He started a new job yesterday and B"AH he is really liking it. I slept in and woke up feeling really energetic, so much so that I was able to clean the room, fold the laundry, shower, get dressed and make myself a decent breakfast. I was even feeling good enough to clean the toilet and sweep the living room floor. That's pretty impressive given my really low energy levels lately. We have an ultrasound appointment this afternoon that I'm really nervous about. This is the ultrasound where they check for disabilities in the baby. Apparently, they're able to tell with a picture of the baby's neck and then a blood test. Phew, another blood test is not necessarily something I'm thrilled about! My bruise from last week's blood work is actually still healing in the inside of my arm! Well, I'm hoping that the women at the Agrippas HQ of Maccabi are better at finding the vein and drawing some blood. 

It's a beautiful and hot day today! The sky is practically cloudless and with all the windows open in the apartment, we have a very comfortable breeze going. It's nice, especially since I'm sitting at home waiting for Pidgeon to pick me up for the appointment. Well, since I have some energy left, I'm off to put away my Shabbos dishes. 

Yom Tov from Baka!!

Yom Hazikaron

It's Yom Hazikaron in Israel, and since it's 7:20 a.m., the Country has 12 hours left to mourn. Last night was very sad, Pidgeon and I held off dinner until after the siren. We stood together in front of our TV in silence, and I cried. I blame it on the jet lag and the pregnancy hormones-gone-wild. The TV is full of stories of lost soldiers, and the families left behind to mourn their hero children. It's difficult to watch, especially since now I'm B"H going to be a Mother myself too. I can't fathem this type of pain. Pidgeon has to meet with his Professor for a few hours today in Shoresh, and I'm going to be staying close to home. We hope to go to shul tonight for Yom HaAtzmaut tefillah and then a BBQ at his parents home. It's not easy for me to go from super sad to jubilant in a matter of minutes. I don't know how Israeli's do it year in and year out. That's really one thing about Israeli culture I hope to adapt to, the immediate and acceptable shift from Yom Hazikaron to Yom HaAtzmaut.

Yesterday was surreal, I walked around under the jet lag haze and tried to do what needed to be done but failed pretty miserably. Pidgeon's car battery died and no amount of boosting could resurrect it. So, with 25 minutes to go until our Dr. appointment, we made the decision to hitch a ride to the Dr. and deal with the car battery when we returned. Our wait at the Dr.'s office wasn't too long, and when he finally took us in I told him just how lousy I've been feeling lately. He smiled for the first time in the 6 months since I've been his patient and then recommend acupuncture as a known remedy for morning sickness. One needle a day is enough for me (explanation to follow) so I decided to pass and just pray that this nausea will subside on its own in a few days. We went into the examination room and he decided to do a belly ultrasound, which I was thrilled about since I'm not a fan of the internal ones. Pidgeon came into the room with us and suddenly, there was our baby! We watched as the baby played with its feet and both of us just kept saying: Oh my G-d, Oh my G-d, Oh my G-d!

I'm keeping a scrapbook of all our ultrasound pictures, and you can really get a better sense of what the baby looks like at this stage of my pregnancy. It's so amazing sometimes to think that this little baby is growing and alive inside of me! I called my Mom when we got home and told her the news. She decided to dub the baby Tater Tot because I had the stronger urge for Tater Tots when I was home and almost ate an entire bag myself. Which is a pretty good indication as to why I put on 7 pounds in 3 weeks! That's not a healthy number and so I have to figure out some sort of eating plan that doesn't include Entenmenn's, potato chips and Tater Tots. I ate some watermelon and cherry's for breakfast but boy did that just bring on the morning sickness! I'm hoping to be able to keep my eating more in check once the nausea subsides. Otherwise, I'm just going to have to eat a bag of chips a day and pray the weight doesn't pile on!

Meanwhile, now that we're back, I've been so overwhelmed with planning for the baby. I was so wiped from the Dr., I napped for 5 hours in the afternoon and picked up enough energy to unpack all four of our suitcases. I left the shoes for Pidgeon to put away before it's painful to bend down sometimes, but I was proud of what I accomplished. I even managed to make a nutritious dinner for us (peas, Lentil pilaf and chicken cachatorie) before giving in to the exhaustion and sinking into the couch that I didn't leave until after my shot. During those hours, I numblessly watched TV and thought about all the questions you have to think about at this stage of pregnancy.

How do I want to deliver? Who do I want to deliver me? Where do I want to have this baby? What about all of my health issues? Does it pay to go private? What about a midwife or a doulah?

Fortunately, my MIL is a doulah and I plan on asking her to be mine as well. With the language barrier for me, I really want someone in that room who has a bit more invested interest in my health and our babies, who knows how to navigate "the system" and will really just help me out. When I mentioned to my friend Shulamit that I was going to ask my MIL to be my doulah, she was shocked and tried to talk me out of it. Believe me folks, if I was having this baby up at Einstein where I'm surrounding by English speaking Dr.'s, my American gynocologist and with my American neurologist a phone call away, I might make a different choice of doulah's. But this is Israel. My Hebrew is deplorable. I don't understand necessarily how birthing works here, I don't always understand what people are saying to me. Besides Pidgeon, I will have no one from my family here to support me. You bet your ass I'm having my MIL in that room helping me out when she has the experience with these situations. Granted, having her see me in that type of situation is not necessarily something I'm gung-ho about. But sometimes, you just have to suck it up and make difficult choices. This is not an easy choice for me, but I honestly do think it's the right one.

In Israel, your OBGYN is not necessarily the person who delivers you. Unlike in the States, when the Dr. who has been following you your entire pregnancy is the one delivering your baby. That frightens the heck out of me, for many reasons.

Reason 1 - I have pseudotumor cerebri, which I pray is still in remission even with the massive weight gain, and therefore my Dr. needs to be aware of my condition and take that into account during delivery and throughout the pregnancy.

Reason 2 - As if the PTC wasn't enough, I was recently diagnosed with a blood clotting disorder. That means, every single day, I give myself a shot of Clexane (generic for Heparin) in the stomach. People. I shoot myself with a needle in the STOMACH every day. If I really, really thought about what I've been doing, I wouldn't be able to do it. Fortunately, we have it down to a good routine, and Pidgeon is absolutely amazing. Together, we ice the area with a bag of edemame that I promised I would cook up for him once the shots are over. Then, he brings over the shot (still sealed) and an alcohol swipe. I look around for an area of my stomach to pinch enough fat to cushion the shot. But first, I have to measure 4 fingers width away from my belly button. That's the no-shot zone. Once that's done, Pidgeon opens the alcohol wipe and I pull it out with sterile fingers. I swipe the pinched fat area (B"H, I've got plenty of belly fat, which really helps) with the alcohol and then Pidgeon helps me position the shot at a 90 degree angle. That's the most difficult to do, figuring out 90 degrees from the pinched fat portion of my stomach. Once we're set, I take a deep breath, and just insert the needle. Sometimes I draw blood, which really sucks because the bruising can be really painful. The worst part of the shot, though, is the medication itself. It burns like a mother@#%$%r. We then wait 10 seconds after the medication is in (the needle hole is TINY and so you have to wait 10 seconds after plunging to make sure that all the medication goes into the stomach) and then I pull it out, hand the used syringe over to Pidgeon, and try to ice the pain and bruising away. It's a 15-20 minute process, minimum, each and every day. It doesn't get easier. It doesn't get better. And knowing that I have to do this every day until 2 weeks before the baby and then 6 weeks after the baby is born, is not helpful. But I want a healthy baby so badly, that this is a small price to pay for P"G our future children. So, I need to make sure the Dr. delivering our baby is familiar with a blood clotting disorder and would be able to rush in if G-d forbid something when wrong with me.

Reason #3 - Seriously, reasons 1 and 2 should be more than enough. Bottom line is that, with all my medical issues, I don't want someone I never met before who isn't familiar with my conditions, to deliver our baby.

Oh, but did I mention that if I want my current OBGYN to deliver our baby it would cost us 10,000 shekel!!?!?!

Dude, that's just a lot of money.

We're looking into our options right now, but I never thought it would be something I'd have to look into. I'm just happy that at least I know about this now, otherwise, I would be in for a really big surprise when I P"G went into labor and my Dr. didn't show up when we called for him.

Anyway, the nausea is getting pretty bad right now so I'm going to go and forage in the fridge for something to keep the morning sickness at bay. I'm not holding my breath.

May today bring some comfort to all those in mourning as we spend these hours mourning with our fellow Countrymen.