Water Meter Magic!

I posted earlier about the saga with our stolen water meter cover, seeing them selling on ebay, and the events that followed. A new twist was added last Friday afternoon, when we discovered that the gapping hole in our garden was covered... by an original water meter cover. It is very rusty; so much so that it takes a little bit of work to recognize that it is an original. We bet that it must have come from a flooded area. But how did it get to us? The sewage and water board does not have a reputation for speedy service for these types of fixes and when they do, the cover is replaced with a plain model. Could it be that someone in the office found this one and decided to send it our way as a thank-you? We have no idea. What we do know is that we intend on cleaning it up, scrubbing off the rust, and enlisting the help of a neighbor talented at welding to help us attach a chain to keep it from walking away. We are really touched and our spirits raised. An anonymous good dead can inspire magic in the heart.

Thank you, water meter fairies!

Surprise!

Yesterday, we got some mail. An even bigger surprise: it contained something that isn't a first class mailer... a magazine! September's Consumer Reports (sent to us for the past few years by the in-laws). This is a sign that the pre-Katrina mail backlog may finally be getting sorted out of Texas?

Accomplishments

In my "freeze state" waiting for my committee chair to get back from parts beyond, I've made some headway in the house. (Note: This is not nesting; I'm much crazier when nesting actually happens.) Acheivements include: getting the area rugs cleaned, securing an estimate for refinishing one of our clawfoot tubs, using Craig's List to find a friendly local willing to share his table saw, learning how to sew/hem sheers for our front doors, finishing and hanging said curtains on one of the doors, scrubbing the stove to fine detail, finding early b-day presents for Mom and Mom-in-law, and creating a stack of paintings with Will.

Paul, despite working an astounding 17 hours over the weekend to bail out others' lack of planning, managed to get his study moved into Will's old room, install recessed lights in the old study (he's done over 30 in the house now), organize the outbuilding and install the cabinets that we found in the house at closing, install lights to the outbuilding to facilitate working out there in the evenings, discover and start to unearth a lost patio, start a planting bed retention wall, and build a little levee to prevent next door's runoff from compromising our foundation piers.

Way to go, us!

This is a very helpful little man.

Paul is an archeologist!

While working to fix the drainage problem and unsightly fence construction from our neighbor's yard, he happened upon an ancient patio. (Okay, maybe "ancient" is stretching it, but it's purty darn old.) We know it has been there at least as long as the house (100+ years) but have no idea what purpose it served. The bricks are in two patterns with a drainage channel between them. Was it part of a service road that may have possibly existed behind the houses? A driveway to an old house that we've been told used to exist in the backs of these properties and burned down sometime before 1950? We haven't a clue. Paul has more pictures and discussion of his ongoing excavation on his blog (no, really, he does!)

One...Two...Three...Five

We have noticed that Will routinely skips the number "four" when he counts. What is most interesting about this is that he does it in both languages (english and spanish) counting "one, two, three, five" and "uno, dos, tres, cinco."

And so we wonder, what does the kid have against the number four?

Overheard

Paul is singing silly songs to Will while dressing him for bed.

And Will says, "Daddy music bad."

Mid City Art Market

After a great french-toast-and-eggs breakfast, Paul, Will and I headed out to City Park to the Mid City Art Market.
It could not have been a more perfectly beautiful day... clear skies, wonderful temps, light breeze, flowers everywhere. City Park, which was flooded in the post-Katrina 17th Street Levee breech, is beautiful. Volunteer clean-up crews and local non-profits have been instrumental in putting several of the park's amentities back up and running, including the New Orleans Museum of Art, the Botanical Gardens, and Storyland. The market was held in the Botanical Gardens, which were just re-opened on March 4th. The gardens lost virtually all of their collections; it is amazing how wonderful it looks considering the devistation. We browsed the Market, met Heather Elizabeth of Heather Elizabeth Designs (and her sister, Holly!) -- where Paul bought a bracelet and earrings to "surprise" me with as a Birthday gift... not my birthday, but Kate's! We also splurged on a fleur de lis stained glass piece to hang in a kitchen window, something we've been talking about getting for a long while. After strolling the artists booths, we ran into our friend Leigh Ann, who joined us for a walk through the plant sale and for a Juan's Flying Burrito lunch. The end of our morning was spent in Storyland, which is a park full of child-sized scenes from classic children's tales. Among other adventures, Will climbed aboard Captain Hook's boat, visited Ole King Cole's castle, sat in Cinderella's Pumpkin Carriage, and went into the dark recesses of the belly of Monstro, the blue whale. He had a *blast*. I took a ton of pictures... so many that it seemed appropriate to put up a photostream in the old Flickr account. Feel free to browse!

Baby Wish List!

Friends Andrea and Leigh Ann are hosting a baby shower for Kate and I! So I've gotten official and made a small registry with Babies-R-Us (#95872878) and have a list of things linked below for those who are looking for gift ideas. I am so excited, touched, and grateful!

Some information:
- My "official" due date is May 7th (although we say it's May 5th -- Paul's birthday)
- It's a girl! We're naming her Katherine and will call her "Kate"
- Will and Kate are sharing a room
- My Mom has gifted us a crib (Will's crib grew with him into a bed)
- Mom also gifted us a crib bumper and quilt in the Pottery Barn "Happy Daisy" pattern, which has light blues, greens, pinks, and yellows and is garden themed


~ OUR WISH LIST ~

NURSERY
- 2 crib sheets in white or light pink
- Crib dust ruffle in green gingham to match the "Happy Daisy" pattern
- Attractive storage bins for the shelving Paul is building(!)
- Hanging diapering supplies storage
- Protect-a-bed waterproof mattress cover

GEAR
- Car seat protector/undermat
- Tandem stroller
- Stepping stool
- Body support for stroller and car seat
- Kids table and chair set

HEALTH/FEEDING/BATHING
- Ear thermometer
- Medela breast pads
- Lansinoh breast/nursing lotion
- Milk storage bags
- Baby washcloths are always welcome... we use those like crazy

DIAPERING
- A set of thick cloth diapers (Chinese pre-fold/"service quality")
- Disposable Diapers
- Wipes
- Butt paste

CLOTHES
Because almost all of Will's clothes were bought after he was born, we pretty much only have baby clothes in blue! Anything "girl colored" is welcome! We'd like to stock her drawers with:
- 3 Layettes ("sacks") in 0-3 month size
- 3 Rompers in 0-3 month size
- Onesies in 0-3 and 3-6 month sizes
- Summer rompers in 3-6 month sizes
- Summer outfits in 3-6 month sizes
- One pair of Robeez in 6 months size
- Socks in 0-6 months size
- 3 light blankets

Fire on Magazine Street

Alex went out in search of a newspaper last night and came back to announce the presence of fire trucks, news crews, and police along our stretch of Magazine Street (about 1 1/2 blocks from our house.) We walked out to the street in front of the house and sure enough -- something was afoot! It was chilly and I was in my pjs, so Paul and Alex went out with camera in hand.

The apartments above two of our local stores (Jean Therapy and Earthsavers) caught fire and were spreading quickly: into a three-alarm blaze! Paul took some pictures, although things had calmed down by the time he got there with firefighters inside the building putting out the smoldering embers and things. (Other neighbors on the scene filled us in... a ton of fire trucks, people everywhere, etc.) It is a relief to see that city fire emergency services are so responsive and effective!

Some artists have their "blue" phase...

... Will is in his "green" phase.

I am practically beside myself with joy that over the past few days, Will has sought out my paints from the closet and requested that we paint! Finally -- I am justified for saving those baby food jars! Unfortunately, I can't find the tubes of poster paint my mother-in-law gave to us (argh!) -- BUT -- I did manage to find the wonderful knob brushes that she supplied. They are *great*. The perfect art brush for little hands! Will prefers to paint in one area, pushing the paint around until the paper has had just about all it can take. I love this picture of him; he is giving me his best mischevious smile!

Unicycle Club Antics

Here are some photos from last week's Unicycle/Juggling club potluck.












Will plays with Phoebe (they play so well together!)
Kate practices juggling fire!



Alex impresses everyone with super neat juggling fire tricks!

Stolen Water Meter Covers

I sent the letter below to ebay and posted links to the auctions and some comments to one of the local NOLA forums hosted by our city newspaper, The Times-Picayune. Within minutes, a host of forum readers had posted comments, sending similar messages to ebay, the sellers, and posting suggestions for action on the list. Apparently, the problem is quite widespread and the forum has been active in getting auctions pulled in the past. Other suggestions were along the lines of reporting the auctions as internet fraud (which they are) through the proper channels, since ebay won't miss the opportunity to gain a buck if there isn't very clear evidence of foul-play. So, feeling it my civic duty, I did.

It made for an interesting day. One of the representatives from the US Attorney's Office called in the morning. He was incredibly nice, had checked out the ebay listings and encouraged me to call the local Federal branch of the Cyber Crimes unit. Apparently, they open the cases and then turn them over the US Attorney's Office. So, I did. In the mean time, I contacted some of the people instrumental in getting the last ebay listing pulled. One of them is a local artist, Heather Elizabeth of Heather Elizabeth Designs. She immediately forwarded messages to contacts she has at the Sewage and Water Board and City Attorneys; we emailed a few times during the day and I can now say I have a new artist friend in NOLA (check out her website and give her lots of great business!) On a roll and writing well, I sent a message to Anderson Cooper, too. (I guess I had hit my limit with the incredible lack of respect so many are showing New Orleans and went a little nuts.)

But the best part of the day was the dinner-time call I received from the Sewage and Water Board, to personally thank me for my efforts. The representative said that post-Katrina, the theft of historical city artifacts has been beyond extreme. Particularly in the flooded areas, where visiting and local workcrews have been stripping private and public properties without care or reflection on what they are taking. We shared the feeling that these are important fights, even if they seem trivial in our post-Katrina world, where anything that is not life and death rings as insignificant. The architectural and historical artifacts within the very streets of New Orleans are things to be perserved and protected; once they are gone, they are gone.

Yesterday ended with me feeling uplifted. I broke out a little from the frustration and sadness I've been feeling and I connected with other people who truly care and are willing to take the time to stand up for little things that matter.

Please join us in reporting these bastards!

Dear ebay Marketplace,

I urge you to pull these items (7752928490 and 6263342841)and penalize these sellers by restricting them from our forum. I am a resident of New Orleans. Water meter covers are property of the City of New Orleans; they are never personal property for sale. I am a homeowner and our water meter cover was stolen from our front yard, right out of our garden, just a few days ago. It is highly possible that one of the listings above is selling this very cover.

Tourists have taken city property off of our city streets for years to sell illegally. These crimes have increased substantially since Hurricane Katrina as many locals and visitors no longer respect personal property as we struggle to rebuild. With all of the incredible expenses that face New Orleans, it is ridiculous to have the added pressure of forcing the city to replace water meter covers that were stolen; stolen because they offer a profitable sale on ebay.

It is clear in ebay's policies that stolen property is not welcome in this marketplace. As water meter covers are property belonging to the City of New Orleans -- NOT an individual -- these items quite clearly constitute a stolen good. What these sellers should do, have they any conscious or good will, is return these items to the City or to the many holes that now stand uncovered.

My husband and I have used ebay for years. We believe in the importance of a community marketplace and take these violations seriously. I look forward to ebay's response to this message and your quick action.

Sincerely,
us

Baby Inventory

While in Mobile this past weekend, I took inventory on our baby situation. It was more dire than I thought!

ONE zippered romper, a few pairs of white socks, and about 6 t-shirts (not onesies, the side snap shirts the baby wears before the umbilical cord falls off) were the extent of what I had that isn't blue. My Mom, ever the excited and doting Granna, took the call and quickly hit the Carter's outlet so we now have 3 regular onesies, 3 dress onesies/outfits, and 2 romper/legged sleepers. That is the extent of our collection for Baby Kate. I realized I need to get organized.

Happy Daisy

Hitting ebay, I found a crib bumper and quilt that I LOVE. Will and Kate are sharing a room and I'm trying to coordinate their bedding somewhat. How domestic of me.

The pattern is Pottery Barn Kids "Happy Daisy". Go ebay; I found a new bumper and quilt at a great price. Gracious and doting Granna gifted us the goods; thanks, Granna!

Kudos and Congratulations!

In my under-the-weather third trimester stupor, I have neglected to post an official hot damn and hallelujah! for my brother, Will's beloved "Uncle Skip," and his beautiful wife, Emily, who have just joined the equity-building world of homeownership!!

They are now welcoming visitors to their platial abode on the northeast side of Jacksonville, FL. (Particularly those visitors baring home improvement warehouse giftcards.)

Congratulations, Skip and Emily! We are vaclempt with happiness and pride!

Interesting things that happened last week...

- Two letters arriving from Creative Benefits stating our official rejection of our Flexible Spending Account reimbursement for Will's daycare from our childcare account.
- A letter from Creative Benefits, arriving the same day as the letters above, giving a check number for the distribution of our requested funds.

Despite the conflicting letters, Friday's payday saw the addition of our Flexible Spending Account funds from Creative Benefits. Hooray! Huge fruit-basket thanks to the guardian angel who helped end that nightmare!

For the record

Folks have been reminding us to document the nuances and special moments of pregnancy. So here goes:
- I can no longer pull my pajama bottoms up over my belly. It's too big.
- After several nights of asking, Paul finally cut my very long toe-nails for me last night because there is no way I can comfortably reach my feet for such a precision job.
- All of the muscles in my lower back/hips (read: butt) ache at the end of the day from the strain of the weight on my front. There have been a few days over the past week when I've begged and pleaded with Paul to rub my butt so that I could walk without limping. Believe me, it is in no way a suggestive comment. It's a necessity for movement!
- I cannot reach cups or plates that aren't in the very front of our upper cabinets. My belly holds me too far away from the counter to get close enough to reach inside.
- A few times a day I stop people to watch the baby put on a show. She jumps around and my belly will literally shift back and forth at an impressive rate (think of the lunchroom scene in 'Alien', minus the gross stuff).
- Still, I feel really good! (Except for the head cold/sinus/whatever I have).

Well, all righty then!

"Momm-eee!"

Calls Will from his bed, announcing to me that he is up from naptime. I walk into his room, lean against the side rail, and ask him if he's ready to get up now. It's our normal routine.

He looks up at me squarely with sleepy eyes and droopy face. After a moment's pause, he turns his head, spits his binky out with a quick "pop", and faces me to say:

"Mommy, I want a treat."

(My theory: Daddy has been giving Will some treat-seeking coaching!)

Belly at 32 weeks

Bela!

Will had his first day back to University Montessori today -- but for only an hour and a half! Our good friend, Bela Singh, was in town for a short weekend visit. (Bela lives in New Delhi, India, so this is a Big. Deal.) We spoke with her husband, Mano, last week and made arrangements with Bela over the weekend to get together today. So, I dropped Will off at preschool, went out to Kenner to pick up Bela and visit with her wonderful brother, Deepak, and then Bela and I picked up Will at school and came back to the house to hang out. It was wonderful to catch up with her. I also got to talk to Chiya (Bela's daughter) and hear all the news of all our beloved friends. We plotted for how we can get out there for Diwali next year (my ultimate dream). Bela also helped me make chai from loose tea leaves... finally, I know what I am doing wrong. (Putting the spices in too late and boiling too long.) We filled her up with our favorite Whole Foods cheeses, Louisiana strawberries, and Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Kettle Chips before bringing her back to Kenner to catch her flight home. Will was his basic monkey-self and had a great time running around and playing with us through it all. I am SO happy that we were able to spend some time with her!!! (Now we just need to get Raja to visit!!!!)

Will's New Favorite Game

"Push, por favor!" Will says so persistently that we must oblige. Will climbs into my desk chair and we rotate him around.

We never seem to start off strongly enough. "BIIIIIIGGGG Push!!!" Will commands in a deep, determined voice. We assume the voce alto is to convince us that he can handle the speed. So we comply: he goes around faster.

Then we stop the chair. Will's eyes adjust, he looks glazed.

Perhaps too soon, Will starts to climb down. "Whoooaaa...." he says over and over. We do our best to brace him as he tumbles about trying to walk. Will understands the silliness of his gait and joins us in laughter. We all agree: what a crazy monkey!

Ooooh! Purple!

Will, in his *new* booster seat -- high chair has been put away until Baby Sister arrives -- get very excited by the prospect of using a purple crayon on his Masterpiece.

It's not pneumonia...

...yet. And it looks like we did the right thing by getting seen yesterday to head it off. I'm on amoxicillin and heavy decongestants and already feeling better. Another plus is that we used the Oschner hospital and were very pleasantly surprised by the facility and staff. They pumped me up with fluids, checked baby and I out, and kept us informed of what was going on during our wait (a huge plus that rarely ever happens in any hospital!)

The bad news is that Paul and my Dad didn't get to finish the lights in the two bedrooms that need them; my Mom and Dad were in town for a banquet Friday night and came over yesterday morning to see Will and help with the lights before going back to Mobile for another function on Saturday. Instead, they provided daycare while Paul brought me to Oschner (our previous clinic no longer has Saturday morning hours, although their voicemail insists that they do, and after waiting for two hours to speak to the on-call doctor we decided to just go to Oschner while we had free daycare available to us). It was a very good choice. We think we will use Oschner for now on for our Primary Care. Paul ended up leaving me there for a little while when my parents had to leave and then came to pick me up when I was discharged. So, while we are behind (as usual) with our many projects, I am feeling better and we are okay.

Today's Lessons

1. When starting a dissertation, meet with no one until you have firmly determined a specific research question. This is a very important and serious lesson. If you decide to be talkative about your process while you figure out your question, you'll just royally confuse yourself.
2. Walking up 6 flights of stairs because you don't want to wait for the only working elevator that goes to the 22nd floor may not be a good idea on a day that started with heaving.
3. Throwing up during the last trimester of pregnancy could be morning sickness... or perhaps that aching soreness means that this could be a case of the flu.

Dear pregnant body,

Morning sickness is not welcome at 31 weeks. There is no need to relive breakfast, no matter how splendid a chef Paul is with eggs and toast. The added touch of bringing on morning sickness right before a meeting with a member of my committee was noted. My apologies if I've upset you with lack of sleep (I will do my part to control the snoring husband and annoying cat). Please, let's work together to find another way of working out our issues. Preferably one that doesn't involving hurling in the sink.

Respectfully,
Me

Childcare Choices!

Now that Mardi Gras is behind us, the city of New Orleans is in Lent and all us sinners are back to the grindstone.

In our household, childcare searching went up a notch. I found several local students interested in sitting (unfortunately, none are available all mornings and several who have worked as full-time nannies are asking $12/hour pay). One student (who gets extra points as a native spanish speaker and seems very sweet) is coming tomorrow morning to babysit for a few hours. Thursday is her only available morning during the week but we want to get to know her so that we may have the possibility of calling on her in the future. I think the last time went out leaving Will with a babysitter was last Mardi Gras when we hit the Quarter with Eli and Wyatt... just to give a sense of what a rare event it is.

But there are other exciting babysitting fronts coming available. One is that University Montessori, where Will was before the storm, is going to have an opening and we are welcome to go back there starting in a few weeks. Will actually has seen several of the kids from this program out at the park and clearly remembers and gets along with them. We love the staff and Will gets along well with everyone, so this is a good option. Another option (and more affordable) is that the Abeona House, a center using Reggio-Emilia teaching (of which I am a fan), is opening April 1st. Some additional benefits of Abeona House: awesome, like-minded parents with cool kids and the fact that children as young as 6 weeks are accepted -- so, in the fall, I could bring the baby there for a few hours a day/week as well. And finally, yet another option is an in-home based provider. I found a woman over Craig's List, a K-8 teacher, who lost her job post-Katrina and is starting an in-home program to help her stay at home with her kids (ages 2 and 7 months). She is bi-lingual (spanish-english), seems very well-spoken and friendly, and would take Will from 8-12 M-F for a mere $100/week. (This is literally hundreds less than any other option.) We're going to meet with her on Friday and check everything out. In the event that we like what we see, Will could start there on Monday. My gut instinct on her is very positive (I've loved our emails) and we're excited about the idea of Will being in a bi-lingual household for a few hours a day.

Mostly, it is very exciting to have choices!!! The bummer is that we are going to be in Mobile for about a month or so around Baby Number Two's birth, so any childcare we start will be interrupted. We could either re-start the same program when we return or start a different one. But at least we have some options.

Which leads us to the next point: where we are living for the next few months. We decided to hold off on selling for a few months. With all the work I have to do, the cost of moving, and the time of re-finding everything from housing to daycare, it makes sense to stick around until after I am officially approved for a prospectus and hear back from some funders. Then we can make decisions about what to do with the house when we go back to Peru. And by having the house a little longer, we'll get through the 2-year window and not get hit with the under 2-year taxes at sale. So staying through the summer is today's plan. The power of acceptable daycare options on a parents' psyche should not be underestimated.

Ultrasound #2

Our prenatal visit with Vicki and consultation with Dr. Maher (a high-risk delivery specialist) went very well! My iron levels, glucose test, and weight are all fabulous and the baby is great. I am officially okay-ed to deliver as a VBAC at Mama's Cradle Birth Center! Hooray!! (Provided that I don't suddenly gain an enormous amount of weight, become hypertensive, or start true labor before 37 weeks.)

Ultrasound #2 showed conclusively that while the placenta is low, it is NOT on my scar. Phew! It was worth bothering little Baby Number Two with the distress of an ultrasound to get that piece of information confirmed. From a voyueristic perspective, it was also fun to see her jumping around -- playing with her toes and even putting her toes in her mouth! (See pictures below.) Her current weight estimate is 4 lbs (a little above the median at 30 weeks) and her foot measured 2 1/2 inches in length.

The redemption of Mr. Anderson

Anderson Cooper is not a reporter that I look to for informative and insightful journalism. Maybe I'm being harsh, but in the days leading up to and following the storm, his reporting seemed sensational, seeking to exploit the terror and trauma of the situation and giving little back to the city and people. It turned me off and I tuned him out.

Like many reporters and celebrities, Anderson joined New Orleanians for Mardi Gras last week. His blog entry regarding the celebration and his rolling with the Endymion Krewe has made me turn the other cheek. I truly feel that he "got" what Mardi Gras is about in these parts and wrote what I found to be a touching and respectful reflection on it. It's well worth a read to gain an understanding of what it is really like to be a part of the Mardi Gras holiday in New Orleans.

Are you a geek?

I have a long standing "thing" for geeks. I've generally felt that I was a least a little on the geeky side, my dating history is (almost?) exclusively with geeks, and I definitely married one.

Last night, the subject of "geeks" came up during our weekly post-unicycle/juggling club potluck. So we took the Geek Test.

Let's just say Paul scored really, really, high. I came out at just under 29% geek ("Total Geek"). Anyone else up for a score?

Preguntas, preguntas

One wonderful thing about my marriage is that we have been through some incredible stresses and strains. Lay-offs, serious and chronic illness, cross-country moves, ownership of 3 homes, renovations, family dramas, a child, 5 international jobs, a bunch of degrees, and the nation's most major natural disaster. All in under 6 years. We figure that with our history of working through these things, the current questions we face are no match for our ability to work together. Still, we are pretty stressed out.

Balls we have in the air:
- We have a very long and detailed punch-list of things to do to fix up the house for market.
- We have no current daycare for Will.
- I need to be in NOLA to work on my prospectus (the writing and research of which cannot happen without the daycare situation worked out).
- As of the first week of April, I have weekly appointments with our midwife in Pensacola (3-4 hours drive from New Orleans).
- We are putting our house on the market sometime between April 1st and May 1st.
- We have a friend living with us until classes end in late April.
- Paul needs to continue to work 40 hours a week, each week, while juggling appointments, the no daycare situation, and home repairs.
- Valerie, my committee member based on Lima, will be in-country in mid-May, so this is the perfect time to present the prospectus... which means I have a ticking timeline that I cannot even start to address until we figure out a daycare arrangement.
- The baby is due May 5th.
- We have no firm plans on where we are going after selling the house, what we are doing with our stuff, or generally what we are going to do. (We are leaning towards a maintainence-free condo in a planned community somewhere, but would need to find somewhere very, very affordable since we need to save our pennies for rent in Lima.)

Just writing all of these things down is giving me indigestion. We know we will be okay and start to figure things out and certainly we're working on it (I've got some daycare leads and have been working on house stuff each day) but there are still so many unanswered questions!

Anyone have a really good magic 8 ball???

Ultrasound #2

We've arrived in Mobile for a short trip. Tomorrow we have a full day of prenatal visits: a morning appointment with our midwife and an afternoon consultation with the doctor who has to sign off on my medical chart for me to deliver at the Birth Center. Part of the consultation is the "scare session" where he'll go through all of the terrible things that can happen in a VBAC and in birth in general. We've heard he's a pretty nice guy and totally into midwifery care, so I'm kind of interested in hearing the schpeal. I'm also glad I know the science and the studies and have the knowledge to stift through it in a responsible fashion.

The big part of the day is the second ultrasound. Turns out my placenta is on the front and low -- possibly on my scar. This is a Big Deal and needs to be investigated for the birth plan to proceed. We feel pretty good about it not being a problem, but it will be nice once we get the go-ahead.