EuroLife: Day 263

Make More Philosophers

"Philosophy? What are you going to do with that?" If you study philosophy, its good to have a creative answer for this question. Without a certain degree of wit, the more serious answers to these questions seem to be conversation stoppers. The conversation usually goes like this: A: Teach. Q: College? A: Yes. Silence...new conversation topic.

So I've always tried to come up with more creative responses. The best response I've come up with: "Go into private practice." A friend of mine -- who, for the record, quit philosophy to drive a truck and then to work at a home for the mentally disabled -- came up with a better answer. With an impish grin and in an enthusiastic but also conspiratorial voice, he would say: "Make more philosophers!" So true, and funny on so many levels. Anyway, Dolores and I have succeeded in making at least one new philosopher.

I asked David today whether he agrees with Thales that all is water, or whether he sides with Heraclitus' view that all is fire. This must have been a hard question because he thought about it for a long time.

David and Dolores left the hospital today, with much rejoicing. Since we didn't have a car seat, I walked home with David while Dolores and my mother took a taxi.


Here's David, the baby burrito. We wrapped him up tight and for the first time he slept without being held. Yea David!

EuroLIfe: Day 262

Well little David is asleep on my chest after a rough morning and early afternoon here in the Frauenklinik. So far today he has battled bad gas, a terrible poke to the foot, and a rather rough wardrobe change by a stern and pushy nurse who was convinced that, in this 80 degree weather, he was cold. He is out, so I thought I'd take the opportunity to write a quick post. Unfortunately, I left the camera across the room, so the photos will have to come later. (Probably later today, if not then tomorrow.) Michael's mom, Terry, will be here in an hour or so--I am SO excited--and we will definitely have some fun photos to share!

Some of you already know this, but I know that others were wondering about the birth and how things went. Ultimately, things went well insofar as David and I are both healthy! The birth itself was not exactly what I'd hoped for, but it's hard to be too bothered by that with little David asleep on my chest.

We went in for the induction on Sunday, as scheduled, and I think it was good that we did. My first BP reading was 110/60, which was incredible, but an hour later it was 150/110. I had no idea it could fluctuate so rapidly! In any case, I think induction was the right choice. They use two drugs for induction here, a weaker one until you hit 3cm and then oxicotin which is, I think, what they tend to use at home. I got my first dose of the weaker stuff at around 10am and contractions started with the hour! They were weak, but fairly regular. Michael and I played Backgammon and watched some Alias on DVD and waited for things to progress.

I will spare you all of the details of the very (very) long day, but after my second dose of the first medication, things got very intense. By the third dose, I asked for an epidural. I had hoped to wait until 5cm to get one, and I was astonished to hear that I was only 1 1/2 cm after hours of virtually uninterrupted intense contractions...and definitely not going to wait any longer. (It turns out that in the short time it took them to move me downstairs and got the epidural ready, I got to 6cm!)

I am not doing a very good job of sparing you all the details, sorry! Long story short, my water broke as they were trying to get the epidural in and it didn't take me long at all to get to 10cm, so it looked like things were just going to race along. Then I stayed at 10cm for 4 hours and nothing changed--despite all manner of gymnastics geared towards rotating the baby and bringing him out! They tried everything--increasing the medication, decreasing the (already not very strong) epidural, and even stopping the contractions for a while. This baby was just not going to get into the birth canal. So, in the end, we had to have an emergency C-section. within 6 or 7 minutes of the decision, I was on the operating table and being given general anasthesia.

It was not what I had hoped for. Up until a few weeks ago, when this blood pressure business began, the plan was to try for a natural water birth in the Frauenklinik! Still, after the operation they said that there was just no way he would have made it out. (Some bone structure problem, it seems.) I am so incredibly grateful for the state of medicine today, and for the prayers of everybody both here and back home, to have this perfect little guy and to have us both be healthy. I am having a hard time seeing why anybody would ever choose to undergo a C-section for non-medical reasons--the first day I felt as if a monster had just clawed through my stomach--but I am nevertheless grateful for having had one myself. And it turns out they're telling the truth when they say that you get much better each day. I can't believe the difference, and it looks like I will be allowed to go home tomorrow!

I hope nobody minds the lengthy birth story. I know some of you were interested, and I don't have much time for writing individual emails right now so this seemed the way to go.

I promise more photos soon. I have a great one of David and Michael napping together this morning that I can't wait to share!

One more quick thing: If there is one defining feature of David at this point, it is the fact that he absolutely must be cuddled at all times, day or night. He just has to be held all the time, and it doesn't matter how deeply he's sleeping or how tightly he is swaddled. (I did get him into the crib for about 40 minutes once by extreme swaddling, and boy was he ticked when he opened his eyes and saw where he was.) He will sleep on the bed if he's on top of or right up next to your arm, but if you slip that arm away, he immediately begins to cry. It's not the easiest trait to deal with at night, but it's still extremely endearing and, really, we are generally more than happy to oblige :)

EuroLIfe: Day 261

More Pictures!

I'm typing with one hand here, so this will be brief but I'll write a real post one of these days. In the meantime, our little worm is getting cuter by the hour :)

In his very first present, made by his aunt Lauren about 8 months ago!

Trying his best to be awake...


His favorite snack...

Griffins will all recognize this brow...

The most recent--about an hour ago :)


Thank you EVERYONE for your prayers and well-wishes. We will write more soon!

EuroLIfe: Day 259 (Babyblog: Day 1)

Little Peanut (the poor little worm)

After showing me my baby this morning, the nurse looked at him lying there red, blue, and naked, and said, "the poor little worm." She said it in a sweet tone of voice. I can only assume that this doesn't sound nearly as bad in German as it does in English. He did, in fact, look something like a worm at first. However, Dolores and I decided that "little peanut" is a far better nickname. Here he is, David Josiah Morris, doing his best peanut imitation



He got better looking as the day went on, leaving all resemblances of a worm behind.

EuroLife: Day 257

One Last Belly Shot

I have to be honest, once I saw this photo I was pretty sure I didn't want to post it on the internet! Good grief, I had no idea how big I'd grown. (Though I did get my first "twins" comment about 2 weeks ago. Someone needs to tell people that pregnant folks don't like that joke.) In any case, Michael took this yesterday and it shows both my giant pregnant belly and my new hair-cut.
The hair-cut was not supposed to be as short as it is. The stylist cut just a little tiny bit off and asked if that was ok or if I wanted it shorter. I said "Maybe a little shorter"...and she proceeded to cut off the rest of my hair. I really couldn't quite believe it when she cut the first giant piece, but then I couldn't exactly tell her to put it back, or to leave the rest longer, so I just sat and watched her go to town on the rest of my head. Next time I need a hair-cut, I'm going to a stylist that my friends use. (I wanted to this time, but didn't get an appointment in time.)

The one good thing was that my blood pressure medication makes me such a space cadet that I didn't get all that upset about the hair-cut. I sat there, looking in the mirror and thinking "Well, there goes my hair...Looks pretty short...Don't really like it..." but I just didn't have the mental energy to get to worked-up about it :) Actually, now that a few days have passed, I don't mind the hair so much. It's extremely easy, and I know I'm going to appreciate that in the next few weeks!

That's it for now...hopefully, the next post will be a birth announcement! In the meantime, prayers are--as always--appreciated :)

EuroLIfe: Day 256

False Alarm.

Well, I'm back home and still pregnant. We got to the hospital with our suitcase and my Boppy pillow in hand, but the doctor who scheduled this appointment--the Chief--was not there. Instead, we met with a different doctor. He checked my BP, did an ultrasound and was gearing up to just send us home when Michael explained the situation. Well, this doctor didn't think there was any medical reason to induce at this point. (For what it's worth, he had not done any labwork despite the fact that there has been increasing amounts of protein in my urine this week and my bloodwork, last taken a week ago, showed decreasing platelets. Both are signs of preeclempsia.) He called the Chief and they spoke for a long time while we were out of the room. In the end, he said that the Chief was never definite about inducing today, and that it isn't medically necessary. He did say that they could induce by request, but he went on and on about why he thought this was a bad idea. We requested that somebody do my labwork, and decided to talk about induction together and get back to him.

The thing is, I am in general opposed to things like early C-sections and inductions planned around the mother's schedule. I was OK with being induced for medical reasons, but to have to ask for a "medically unnecessary" induction made me really uncomfortable. At the same time, we knew from Terry (Michael's mom) that, were I back home, I would for sure have been induced by now. The baby is 37 1/2 weeks along, and my BP got extremely high before they doubled the dose of my medication. Even more worrisome is the fact that, when I'm not sleeping in the hospital, I am really not being monitored closely. I had my BP and urine checked a few times this week, but no bloodwork at all--and that's what tracks the state of the liver and kidneys. (In the hospital they did daily bloodwork and twice daily urine analysis.) All that to say, I didn't really like my options. (And, of course, it was just emotionally exhausting to spend the week gearing up for labor--and for this baby--and to have the plans changed like that.)

Anyway, we prayed about it together and talked and talked, but I could not even decide how to go about deciding! Finally, Michael suggested that we sit outside for awhile and get some fresh air and talk about it there. Once outside, another doctor (whom I know from my stay in the hospital, and whom I really like) came by to say hello. Before I knew what I was doing, I blurted out our story to her. She said very simply "I see no reason at all not to induce." Michael asked her to explain and she said that, if she were in my situation, she would induce. The baby is far enough along that there is virtually no risk to him, and the risks of preeclempsia are real and can develop very quickly. So, to her, it was a no-brainer. Then she added, "I thought the Chief said you were supposed to be induced today!"

That conversation felt so clearly like answered prayer, we just went back in and requested an induction. They won't do requested inductions right away, so we are scheduled for 8AM Sunday morning in labor & delivery.

At least the hospital bag is packed!

EuroLIfe: Day 255

I am, again, sorry that we've been neglecting the blog lately. I was allowed to go home from the hospital on Monday They released me with a prescription for a very hefty dose of blood pressure medication and instructions to be checked by my doctor during the week and return to the hospital on Friday. The good thing about the medication is that it keeps my blood pressure in an acceptable range. The bad thing is that it makes me extremely drowsy, sleepy, and just plain dim-witted. I'll be mid-sentence and forget what I was saying...I'll just sort of fade off wondering what that was all about. It's no fun!

But, as some of you already know, it looks like tomorrow is the big day!!! We have an appointment at the Frauenklinik at 10:30am and, if things go as expected, they will induce me sometime tomorrow. My labwork has been changing, and I think this is pretty much preeclempsia now. The little guy will only be about 2 1/2 weeks early tomorrow, so the plan is to get things started. It is so hard to believe! It is particularly strange to know, more or less, when the baby is coming.

I have been spouting empty promises about belly shots and whatnot, and I don't have one today either. (I've simply not been feeling particularly photogenic!) But, I really really want to get a "before" shot tomorrow morning, so the plan is to do that and--assuming we stick to the plan--we'll post it next time...with the baby shots!!

In the meantime, I've included pictures of the little guy's bed and stroller. The stroller is super cool, it converts into an upright stroller for older children. I was hoping to convert it and take a picture, but so far I can't figure out how to do it...still, I know it's possible! The best part is the "carry sack" that comes out of the stroller. It is excellent for napping on the go :)

The next time I post, hopefully it will be about our little newborn boy! In the meantime, we'd appreciate prayers tomorrow...thanks!

EuroLIfe: Day 248

Well, my freedom was short lived! I'm back in the Frauenklinik, but it looks like that's for the best. My blood pressure seems to be rising, though my labs are still clean for preeclempsia. It looks as if I may be in here until I have this little guy, but perhaps that won't be as long as I had thought it would be!

In the meantime, I am thrilled to introduce my new niece: Abigail Elizabeth Clark was born on June 10th at a rather healthy 9 lbs 12 oz! I have seen pictures, and she is adorable. Reed and Emily, her two older siblings, were extremely excited to meet her. Reed is not yet 3, and he has been less than thrilled in recent weeks with the idea of a new baby. (In fact, he recently told my sister that when the baby comes, she is not allowed to hold it.) Well, when he saw Abigail, he said "Oh, can we take her home with us?" Emily, 5, reported that she was a "little pumpkin head! With tiny ears and a round pumpkin head!"

Here are some photos that my brother in law posted on Facebook...I am assuming he won't mind my sharing :)

EuroLIfe: Day 245

I'm sorry I've been such a negligent blogger! As some of you already know, it's been a weird week. I did not get to go to Wiesbaden after all, which is really kind of a bummer. Shortly after writing the last post, I went in for acupuncture and my BP was very high (145/95). Long story short, I ended up staying in the Fraueklinik Wednesday night through Saturday afternoon to be monitored for preeclempsia. My labwork came back clear, so I don't seem to have it, and I'm hoping it stays that way!

After I was released on Saturday, Michael and I went to a local park with some friends for a grill-out/picnic. (I did not get the "wear a red-shirt" memo...sadly, I was dressed in green.)The last photo of Thomas and Anja that we posted was taken, I think, about a week before they had their son. Now, Immanuel is almost 3 months old and just adorable! We had a great time eating brats, sitting in the grass, and watching the little guy. Michael, in particular, just can't get enough of this baby! (And, I have to admit, Immanuel seems to love Michael. I got some smiles this time, but he just lights up when Michael talks to him!)
He is incredibly cute, and incredibly easy! I've been trying to remind Michael that most babies are not that mellow...Immanuel will just hang out for ages! In church on Sunday, he woke up in his little carrier and just looked around. He didn't make a peep for about 20 minutes! I know Michael has quite a bit of baby experience, but it still seems worth the reminder that we shouldn't necessarily expect this kind of behavior from our little guy at 3 months :)


Other than that lovely outing, there's not much to report! I'm trying to keep my blood pressure down, and it's very warm outside, so my activities are pretty limited. For the most part, I really love not having, or needing, a car, but it's a little bit of a bummer now that I have to watch my BP. Anything that I might want to do, from errands to socializing, requires a decent amount of activity and then I end up exhausted with a headache. So, I'm basically a homebody these days, and homebodies don't make for very interesting bloggers!

The great news is, the little guy is due four weeks from tomorrow! It's so hard to believe, but it's equally hard to believe that he will continue to grow and I will, somehow, not explode. Maybe tomorrow I will finally ask Michael to take a new "belly shot" and post it on the blog. If I do, please be kind... :)

EuroLIfe: Day 240

Acupuncture...

is weird. I went on Monday morning, and they wanted me to come back on Tuesday morning so I did...and they want to see me again today! Apparently, they think I should get it done every day until the swelling goes down. At that point, I can start coming every 2 or 3 days.

I have always wondered whether or not acupuncture would hurt. I thought it probably would, Michael thought it probably wouldn't. Well now I know: Of course it hurts, they stick needles into you! It doesn't hurt terribly, and some of the needles barely hurt at all, but others...ugh. Here's the funny thing: They stick tiny needles in my wrists (the underside) and on the back of my hands between my thumb and index finger. Then they do the same on either side of my ankles and on my feet. Then they stick decidedly less tiny needles into my legs a few inches below my knees. At this point, they dim the lights and leave me to "relax" for 20 or 30 minutes. It's very funny. Yesterday, I was so tired that I did being to relax, until I realized that I was in danger of falling asleep. Can you imagine what would happen if I fell asleep and my hands fell out of their carefully maintained position? That woke me up pretty quickly.

I do hope that it works, though! The weather has cooled off quite a bit, so I'm feeling a lot better and the swelling is definitely better than it was. (I also got additional tests done for preeclempsia, since my blood pressure continued to rise early this week, and I'm officially in the clear. I'm sure that has helped me to feel a lot better too :)

On an entirely unrelated note, tomorrow I will be taking the train to Wiesbaden to see a friend I haven't seen in well over a decade! I am so excited. (And I will get to miss acupuncture on Thursday and Friday--bonus!) Katie and I grew up together. We went to the same day camp for years and years, attended the same church, and went to high school together. We lost touch in college, and her parents moved away so we didn't see each other over breaks or, really, ever again! I learned a few months ago that she is living in Germany, and we have been talking about a visit for a while now. She has two little boys and her husband (a military attorney) is currently stationed in Iraq. I plan on staying Thursday night and heading back to Jena on Friday evening.

As it turns out, we both turn 30 this month, so we will be doing a little mini celebration as well :)

One interesting bit of trivia about Wiesbaden, courtesy of Wikipedia: It is there that Elvis Presley met Priscilla. Good to know, don't you think? She was 14 and he was 24, and that's a little weird, but it's interesting trivia nontheless.

I thought I'd throw in a few more pictures from Turkey, since I don't have any other pictures to share and Turkey really was lovely.

Our walk from our room to the dining room.

You can't tell from the photo, but this rose is about 8 inches in diameter! The gardens were incredible.

This is where Michael and I would sit and play backgammon, usually in the evenings after dinner. The view looks out to the mountains, and we were often surrounded by fairly loud and very amusing upper crust British folks.

EuroLIfe: Day 237

Officially Enormous

That's me. I knew that some swelling was to be expected in pregnancy, but I had no idea that feet could look like this! Really. Absolutely no idea. I don't seem to have ankles anymore, and the only shoes I can wear (as of yesterday) are my crocs--and those just barely fit! It's very odd. I actually thought about taking a picture of my feet for the blog, but then I reconsidered. Nobody should have to see that. My hands, too, are pretty crazy. Today they look better than my feet, but most of the time I can barely use them!

All that to say: Tomorrow, at 11 AM, I begin acupuncture. A nurse at the Frauenklinik suggested it after seeing my swollen hands and feet. I said "that sounds interesting, I'll think about it." She pointed out my due date and noted that "you still have a lot of time left, and it's pretty bad!" I agreed. She told me that the acupuncture sessions are on Monday, and she could just set up an appointment right now. After much more of this, I eventually got the point (which was that I was not going home without an appointment) so, as of tomorrow, I begin my acupuncture treatments!

We actually had a pretty funny experience at the Frauenklinik yesterday. I got myself kind of nervous about all this swelling, worrying that maybe I had preeclempsia. We spoke with Michael's mother, and she was very reassuring-- giving us the signs to look for and noting that swelling of the hands and feet, absent any other symptoms, is very common and not something to really worry about. Well, of course, once I knew the other symptoms (headache, just not feeling well), I couldn't be certain that I didn't have those too...I did kind of have a headache, and I certainly didn't feel super well. (It was extremely hot, and I was cranky as all get-out.) The problem is, at home you could just run to a CVS and check your blood pressure with one of those free machines. Not so in Germany. (Or, if so, I don't know where to go!) So, after deciding early in the day not to worry about it, I changed my mind at about 10pm just as Michael and I finished a lovely dinner at a sidewalk cafe. We were pretty close to the clinic, so we (which is to say, I and my very accommodating husband) decided to just go and ask for a blood pressure check.

In the end, all was well. My blood pressure was a little high for me, but I typically have very low blood pressure and it's still in a fine range. They did a non-stress test on the little guy and he looks perfect; he spent the whole 20 minutes kicking the sensors, as he really does not like to have anything pushing against him. And, as you now know, I was (strongly) encouraged to seek acupuncture treatment for my ridiculous looking hands, feet and (former) ankles.

Here's the funny part, and the reason why this seemed to merit a post: After all was said and done, the nurse got a very apologetic and embarrassed look on her face. "Well," she said, "It's just...this counts as an 'emergency'"... I got a little nervous, thinking about emergency room fees and all that. "I am sorry," she continued, "but you're going to have to pay 10 Euros."

I nearly laughed out loud. I'm pretty sure we can handle this unexpected medical expense. Then it got better. She gave me a form to sign and then, now blushing with embarassment, another form to sign. That's right, I had to give my signature in TWO places.

"I really am sorry" she said "So much bureaucracy!" For the record, when we arrived at the hospital all we had to do was hand in my Mutterpass and that was that. I hope this woman never has to work at an emergency room in the States!

On a much happier note, Michael and I have expanded our apartment! It's been very warm lately, and we had been planning on buying a little outdoor table just as soon as we could get ourselves to Ikea. It turns out, the former tenant (our "benefactor") left a small table and chairs in the basement of the main building! Our neighbor showed us where it was, and said it was ours for the taking. It's not nearly as cute as the Ikea set we had our eye on, but it has the definite advantage of being (a) free and (b) already here.

(The big pillow on the third chair is for my beastly elephant feet, which now require their own chair.)

So, we have been spending quite a lot of time outside, eating, reading, and playing Scrabble. It's amazing what a difference it has made!

The one funny side effect: Because we are in a hinterhaus, and situated inside a square of buildings, it turns out our little yard is rather noisy in the summertime. Don't get me wrong, it's wonderful to have a little yard, but we were subjected to quite a lot of music that we might not have chosen for our own afternoon enjoyment :) Also, one woman had a series of very, very loud phone conversations while hanging out of her window, and they seemed to be in Russian!

Please forgive the randomness of this post :)