Not having twins!!!!

Okay, so that worry is out of the way-- could you even see me with twins? I mean can you imagine me balancing all that????

We had an ultrasound and there was just one little bub in there-- cute and flapping around. Sadly I think the first couple seconds really startled the poor little one, as I felt so much movement that s/he actually kicked the OB's wand. I actually saw the movement! Whoa! And that was only at 13.5 weeks......

Oh and Miles started at his Montessori school 3 weeks ago-- the first 2 weeks went fine-- I would stay to draw with him for a couple minutes and he would say, "I will don't cry" and he wouldn't. But the last 2 days has been harder-- he's been having a fit when I leave and it's breaking my heart. Like, am I doing the right thing? Is he too young? Or does he just need some adjustment time?

Anyway, I think it's good at least as far as potty training goes-- they wouldn't even use the diapers I sent him with (he's 2 yrs 9 months now) and he only sometimes has an accident and he's there from 9am to 12:30pm. Sooooo, that's good news as he now wears chones (underwear) except at night. And we are carrying that over to afternoons and weekends as best as we tired (and sick) parents can. He's been doing great with the peeing, but the pooping, uuumm no.

Gotta run get him to school and decide whether I spend my alone time napping (as has been my routine) or staying awake and trying to use my brain for a change. I feel rather dense lately, but that makes sense-- use it or lose it, right?

Miles gets another haircut

I'd been slacking big time on my toddler barber duties since I've been so sick-- had a good day and managed to throw him in the bath and trim trim trim. :)

Blood all looks normal, they say

Just got back from the Hematologist-- he said the exact same thing the Hematologist said during my last pregnancy. It's an in-vitro issue (I just have clumpy platelets that react to the agents they put in the vacutainers) not an in-vivo issue (my blood is normal).

My OB will probably send me for one more platelet count to get a real count (they will do this with an agent like Heparin so my darn clumpy platelets won't clot so fast) but other than that I am good to go. Relieved, as I had been reading up on a new thing called "Sticky Platelet Syndrome" and wasn't liking what I was hearing/reading. But he said that was a totally different issue, and not one I needed to worry about.

Now I just need to move up my next OB appt so I can go ahead and give in and have an ultrasound-- I can't seem to shake this feeling of twins (to the point where I can't sleep at night, and am planning how life will work with three kids! Aaaaahhhh!!!). SO, I just want to be sure that there is in fact only one. Plus, once I have that information, I can start with the plans for flying out my fabulous midwife, Racha. (If anyone ever needs a midwife in the East Bay/Berkeley area, Racha Tahani Gossett and Maura Daly are THE BOMB.

More later....

Made in Malaysia-- baby #2

Yep-- we're pregnant! Baby #2 is under construction (almost 11 weeks along now) and we couldn't be more excited, or more ready. Gilbert has been ready since Miles got here, but it took me a full two years to feel like I could a) handle another child and b) go through another birth. As most of you know, I had a pretty traumatic birth with Miles and have no desire to repeat that. Not likely as we are in a different country, will have a different midwife and (hopefully) a new addition to the birth team: Miles! I really hope he'll be able to be there for it, if he's okay with it and wants to be. My guess is that he will. I am planning my little butt off so that I have everything I think I will need to have the birth I want and deserve. Send me good birth vibes in Feb/March (we are due March 2).

We call the baby "little one"-- and Miles talks talks about him/her almost everyday. Hard not to forget when Mama is constantly lying horizontal on the couch whining about how sick she is. I was never this sick with Miles. With him I had no more than 2 weeks where I absolutely had to eat something before getting out of bed or I would be nauseaus-- the rest of the day I was fine. But this time it seems it doesn't matter what I do most days. I am ill and on the verge of throwing up ALL DAY. Whomever coined the term "morning sickness" didn't have what I (and many women) have. As my mom would say, "it was probably a man".

I'm going on week 6 of this horrific, vile state and I really hope it ends soon. As I sit here I am never more than 12 inches from my crackers and plain soda water. I even took anti-nausea meds a handful of times when I was soooo desperate. Like the day Miles was throwing up on the couch AND having diarrhea. Imagine being in charge of that when you can't even keep your own food down.

We were trying to get pregnant so I was on alert, and I knew a good few days before I missed a period-- just had a feeling. And ofcourse we already had the Australia trip planned so I was in a panic about how I was going to get through that traveling without vomiting all over the flight attendants. I made it fine. Then we get there and I was having a good day so Miles and I walked to the park. And what did I see out of the corner of my eye? It was a couple-- he was hugging her and they looked like...maybe they were teenagers in love and making out in the park? Oh how sweet. Wait, no-- I see the poor girl if puking her guts out and taking sips of water. Repeat. I don't know if she was pregnant or what, but all I could think was, "Yes, I feel you. It SUCKS."

I had a great day yesterday and thought maybe it was over. I was singing, dancing, chasing Miles and lovin' him up like I hadn't done in 6 weeks. Then I woke up this morning and realized it was just a tease. But maybe those will come more frequently over the next couple weeks until I am blissfully into the beloved second trimester. I can't wait for that.

I got in to see an OB last week for an initial appointment (he has a 15% c-section rate which is AWESOME for malaysia and us standards, and his wife is a midwife & doula and the only IBCLC in malaysia). He was really great, especially since I told him I really just wanted prenatal care as I was planning a homebirth, and that I would decline any and all tests I didn't feel were medically necessary. His parting words were, "Sounds great, you can get prenatal care with me and deal with the birth on your own. I really hope you get the birth you want." Wow. What a nice guy.

So, of course my bloodwork comes back weird again-- same as last time-- platelets look low (but they're not) since my blood is in a "hypercoagulatory state". Last time a hematologist cleared me and said all was fine it was just a weird version of normal for me-- I expect the same again this time, but in any case the first step is to go get another platelet/clotting planel (lots more blood-- hope I don't pass out) and go from there. I'm not worried, but it is a little annoying.

We've just sent for a bunch more of our boxes that are in Houston storage-- all birth supplies, midwifery texts and breastfeeding supplies, maternity clothes and baby gear. Can't wait to get all that stuff in my hands.

Post more later, I'm starting go down hill again....fast.

Melbourne, Australia

We got here Sunday morning. Okay, I forgot how much I love it here. Friendly people, nice weather, and a plethora of cafes, smoothies shops and healthy food! Trams, huge gardens, a river. Lovin' it. More importantly, Gilbert is lovin' it. He keeps saying, "I want to live here! Why didn't they send us here! Maybe I can campaign to move here when we're done." Oh my god, that would be a dream. Although we wouldn't be able to afford a maid like we can in KL.

We've had this trip planned for about a month-- Gilbert is here for work...to teach a class for two weeks. It's amazing how more and more he is a valuable commodity for the software that he uses and trains on for ExxonMobil. There are so many more users here than in KL, Gilbert doesn't know why KL got to have him for the region, vs. Melbourne.

Well, we accidentally ended up buying Business Class tickets. Gilbert gets to fly Business (he didn't know though), but when he asked to add his wife and child, they just automatically put us all in Business. We were stratching our heads trying to figure out why is the hee-haw we were paying so much. Shoot, my ticket cost me what my ticket had cost 10 years ago to go from CA to Melbourne-- a much longer flight!

Anyway, a couple of days before the trip he thought to look into it, and lo and behold: Business Class. Gilbert isn't really the sqeaky wheel type, so he just sort of accepted that we had an expensive trip. Oh well, we figured it would be great since we leave at midnight for the 7 hour flight. But let me tell you, I don't think I would ever pay for that again-- not on Malaysia Airlines. Yea, our seats mostly reclined-- but not entirely. Better than in coach, but it was just a few degrees short of fully flat, so I constantly felt like I was falling/sliding out of the chair. Gilbert suggested using the foot rest to stop myself from sliding, but then I felt like I was sleeping standing up. Don't your feet want to rest, too?

We kept having to move Miles back up, so that we wouldn't slip down far enough for the seat belt to strangle him. Thank god he fell asleep in his own chair with seat belt on (holding my hand) because I could not have spooned him this time, like I had on Cathay Pacific-- those were supremely wide seats!!!

It's winter here, and the coldest month, so usually about 50 degrees-- fantastic when you came from KL which is always hot and humid, no matter which month, or what time of day.

Miles and I have been hitting the sites-- the aquarium ( I was loving the sharks, etc. but he kept asking me if I wanted "to go back to our hotel"), botanic gardens-- and today we will ride the tram. Somewhere, anywhere.

So excited that I get to stock up on my Arbonne goodies while I'm here-- and fulfill some orders from folks in Malaysia that want stuff. Perfect timing that they should open the AUS market before I moved to the region :)

Gilbert says he needs to come back here once/year, but he'll campaign to come more often and even move here when we're done in KL.

I have some more to share, but y'all will have to wait a few more days for that, this has gotten too long anyway-- gotta run.

Must. Eat.

The Beach

We went to the beach this past weekend-- Port Dickson it's called-- which is supposed to be a 90 min drive. I think it took us more like 2.5 hours, and there was some yelling and swearing going on, at least until we were able to get back on the right highway. (needless to say Miles has started swearing again).

Malaysia has only recently added a maze of highways so that getting around is "much easier than it used to be". I'm just dying to know what it used to be like, because this "system", and I use the term very loosely, doesn't quite fit the bill. Some maps, people and books talk about certain highways like "E23" and "E1" or "Seremban" and "Pechala Link", but since neither number nor name is used across the board, it's almost impossible not to get lost. Where I come from, you follow on a map, google (not possible to google for directions here) or ask someone and you will probably hear "Take 101 North, to the 405 South then exit onto the 5 South and go 20 miles until Exit 'Santa Clause Road'." Period. And you know what? The signs will say "101 North" and "405 South", etc. Here for the equivalent trip you would hear, "Head out towards Ipoh, then follow the signs for Ipoh and Klang on the North South Freeway, but don't go to Klang, and then don't go to Ipoh, just stay on and go towards Damansara on the E6, go through the toll and you'll see a mosque." Problem is it won't say "North South Freeway" or "E6"-- ever. So you guess. And get lost. Problem is there are a few Expressways now and once you're on it, you're on it. For a goooood long while. It's as is the freeways were built without ever taking into account that they need to be labelled, the same thing every where on signposts. What a concept!

Okay, enough complaining. The hotel had free pony rides (Miles declined-- you know my boy....safety first as always!) a fabulous pool with two water slides. He was afraid to go down, so I climbed the stairs and sat down with him and readied us for the fun-- I thought if we did it once together, he would get into it-- wrong. But imagine for a minute the situation. White lady with tattoos on her back, in a bathing suit without any pants or long sleeve shirt on over it not to mention no burqa, heading down the kid's slide-- it's absolutely no exaggaeration to say that every single person by the pool watched us go down-- with jaws agape. And I do mean agape. And that was just at the pool. We hit the beach (the one in front of our hotel was pretty rocky but there it was so we checked it out) and I was feeling more and more uncomfortable-- I kept my sarong wrapped around me and sat there sweating. Fun. But seriously, I just wanted to sit in my bathing suit in the sand and make sand castles with Miles, but I also was trying to be respectful of my host country and it's (modest, muslim) customs. So the next day at a different beach a few km up the road (this one had fine white sand and few rocks), I didn't even take off my pants....I was getting tired of the stares. Thankfully it was overcast and getting ready to rain, so the sun wasn't beating down on my black pants.

Miles and Gilbert went into the ocean (the Strait of Malacca, opposite Indonesia) as far as they had energy to, and Gilbert was still only up to his knees. It was such a subtle grade-- and that was at high tide. We took a bunch of pictures-- it was really pretty.

Today Miles and I went to Ikea to get a few things, and had a fun little lunch at a sushi place. You know, the kind that had a little assembly line of sushi rolls, etc going past your head at eye level. This particular place also had computers for each table, which was where I was supposed to click in my order. It was too much to pay attention to while Miles was fingering every plate that went by, so I ordered the old fashioned way. Thankfully Miles didn't grab any octopus or eel!

New found freedom

Oh my god-- we drove this weekend! I feel like I can go anywhere! It was awesome-- we got lost both times, but we didn't get mad at eachother-- except when I made a right turn (try this in a land where you drive on the left-- it's very scary), trying hard not to hit a moped-- and Miles thru the car into neutral at the exact moment when I needed acceleration!!! Yes, Miles was in the front on Gilbert's lap-- I know I know-- as we had a bar box in the back seat-- I'll post a picture soon, it's an antique from the UK and gorgeous.

Yesterday we went to the chiropractor again and we drove there-- and Miles got reacquainted with his car seat. He was apprehensive at first, and then every few miles he would complain about how he couldn't move! Ha ha-- too bad. Safety First!

We are planning a trip this weekend-- probably to the beach as it's only an hour away. So awesome to have a car-- it really opens up where we can go and what we can do.

So Miles thinks he can tell time. Gilbert sent him to ask me what time it was, and instead he went straight to the bedroom digital alarm clock....stared at it for a good while and then ran out announcing that it was "40 o'clock!"

He has also memorized the books we read (yes, we need some new ones)-- so I read part of the sentence and he finishes it. It's really sweet to hear him telling me what's going on. He gets bashful if I ask him to read to me, but if I read half the sentence and stop....he will finish it. Love this age-- its so cute. As I write this, he stands nearby playing with his penis. Nice.

Some of you have asked if he is speaking Malay yet-- I didn't think so, but in the car the other day I heard him talking to himself, "Going to Jalan Ceylon! Regency Tower!"-- that's where we leave...on Jalan Ceylon (Jalan = street) and our building is called the Regency Tower-- he's heard me tell so many taxis where we live, now he knows. Which would come in handy if he ever gets lost-- heaven forbid! :)