Coming Home

I just wanted to let everyone know about our plans for when we return to the United States.  Justin has vacation from work starting January 20^th and must be back by February 16^th.  Like always we have a number of errands to take care of while we are home, taxes, Justin’s medical, changing visas, just to name a few.  Unfortunately these things will take up some of our time, but hopefully not much.  Our plane arrives in Spokane on January 21^st.  We will head up to my parents house in Idaho for the first week.  January 27^th through the 10^th of February we will be staying at a beach rental in Lincoln City.  Justin and I appreciate how everyone always puts us up at their homes on our visits, but with Kira it’s a little harder.  So we thought it would be a nice treat to invite all of you to stay with us for a few days.  I’m really excited about the response we’ve gotten.  Even friends from Tacoma and Spokane are driving down to stay with us.  We want this to be a like a mini vacation for everyone so don’t feel like you need to bring anything but yourselves.  I will be sending out an e-mail with the directions and all the details of who is staying which days.  There are still a few days open if you want to come.  I’m also going to try and plan an afternoon at my aunt’s house where all my relatives can come meet Kira while we are in Oregon.  We check out on the 10^th and will be driving back to Washington and Idaho.  We are also hoping to plan an evening with all our friends in Spokane.  Please check your e-mails the next few days for all the informion about our flight times, and the rental, only 10 more days until we’re back.

 

PICTURES OF THE BEACH HOUSE IN LINCOLN CITY

Just For Fun

I just thought I would put up a few pictures of Kira.  I wanted everyone to see her great smile.  She's been trying it out and she's getting to be a real pro.  These are from earlier today.  The last photo was sent to me by my aunt.  It's of me when I was about the same age as Kira is now.  It's kind of fun to compare, now I just need one of Justin when he was little.

We got it!

Kira took her first plane ride on January 6^th, 2010.  I didn’t ride on an airline until I was over 18 years old.  It’s crazy to think she has already checked this off her list before the age of two months.  Justin and I were pretty excited about the whole thing.  We arrived in Mumbai and made our way to the hotel.  We were scheduled to be picked up at 8:30am the next morning.  After breakfast we started our drive to the Mumbai FRO.  The drive took 2 ½ hours.  Fortunately Saif, an expat representative from Jet Airways, met up with us to help out with the whole process.  He had about 20 pages of documents for Kira from Jet, thank goodness.  There was a line that was so long it’s hard to explain.  Saif waited in that line for us while Justin got in another line to use the computer and fill out the application.  The whole process involved a series of lines, a line to do the paperwork, a line to pay, a line to get your stamp, and so on.  Meanwhile Kira and I waited in a room so full that there weren’t even chairs available to sit in.  There was no air conditioning and no smiles to be seen.  Kira was getting pretty fussy after several hours so I found an empty hall, covered up and tried to feed her.  Before I knew it some guy was yelling at me telling me I couldn’t do that.  I ignored him; then another woman came out and told me to go to the bathroom.  Yeah, bathrooms in India, not exactly the place you want to sit on the floor and breastfeed.  Luckily, Kira was relatively full for the time being.  Justin was dealing with obtaining the actual visa.  Later he told me he got so mad at one point that he actually started huffing and clenching his fists like the incredible hulk.  They could tell things were about to get crazy and started making things happen.  It made everyone really uncomfortable when Kira was crying so I think that helped speed things up too.  Finally we got to the point where everything was done and we just had to wait.  Justin took some photos of the room and the outrageous lines so we could post then.  Suddenly a man appears and starts shouting at Justin and telling him he was going to confiscate the camera.  I was thinking, are you kidding me?  Justin says “we can delete them, we can delete them.”  “No.”  Then I took the camera and had to delete the photos.  “There okay?”  So, we don’t have photos to show you.  At this point Kira was soaked in sweat and was tired and crying.  We were pacing the halls and people started to freak out because she was so unhappy.  Then it happened, they handed us her passport with the proper visa.  It was such a relief we were so happy.  We drove another hour to the airport, got on the plane just in time and flew back home.  We were able to change and feed Kira and she fell asleep.  That night she slept for 8 hours straight so was so tired.  We are back home and are both so happy that we can all leave the country as a family.  I am very confident that if we wouldn’t have had Jet Airways help that we probably won’t have been able to do this at all or at least not by the 20^th.  We are so thankful, and can’t wait to see everyone in less than two weeks!

 

SHOWING HER OFF TO THE GIRLS AT WORK.

READY FOR TAKEOFF!

 

AT THE HOTEL IN MUMBAI

THE SLUMS

ON OUR WAY TO THE MUMBAI FRO

CITY STREETS

WE GOT IT, LET'S GO HOME!

Visa Nightmare

With less than two weeks before are scheduled date to leave the country it has become a real concern that we still do not have Kira’s exit visa.  Two days ago I endured the experience of the Hyderabad Foreign Registration Office (FRO).  Saleem picked Kira and me up bright and early and after an hour of driving we arrived at the crumbing set of buildings that made up the FRO.  We passed through security and entered a room where a man sat  a desk in front of a broken window.  I showed him my documents and told him what I required.  I couldn’t understand what he was saying, but Saleem let me know we needed a typed application.  “Ok, so we just so to another building and do that?”  “No, maam; we must find the man on the street.”  Here we go, I thought to myself.  We walked through dirt, past mangy dogs and sure enough a man sat on a folding chair at an actual typewriter.  “Very good” I exclaimed to Saleem with a smile on my face.  Once again I presented Kira’s documents.  He began to type and then suddenly jumped up, said something and started to walk off with her passport along with everything else.  I looked at Saleem.  “We must find a computer.”  We followed the man into a small room where a girl sat at computer monitor from circa 1980.  After about 45 minutes and a little cash we finished and were headed back to the FRO.  Kira had woken at this point, but she was still being pretty manageable.  This time when we entered the room it was filled with foreigners, mostly from Africa.  There was a couple that I suspected was from the USA or Canada, but definitely no other newborns.  We received a number and started the waiting game.  I soon realized that the numbers didn’t mean much after a man that had to be nearly seven and a half feet tall stood as his number, which was after mine, was called.  “Number 9, Number 36, Number 37” and I thought the DMV was bad.  Despite the waiting I was feeling pretty positive.  Kira started crying and I began to pace the room and walk around a bit outside the door.  I had the thought I might get someone’s attention and they would call my number a little sooner.  Sure enough a man pointing at Kira’s application looked at me and said “This is your baby?”  “Yes.”  “Ok come.”  I motioned to Saleem that we were in, phew.  I entered a room where four men sat at what appeared to be folding card tables in the middle of the room.  One man smiled when he caught a glimpse of Kira.  I smiled back thinking I was off to a good start.  This quickly changed when another man looked at my papers.  After pushing them away he informed me that he could do nothing and that I must travel to Delhi.  “No, no it’s not an actual visa, just the exit stamp to leave the country.”  I explained.  “Delhi, yes you are strictly foreigner it’s compulsory you go to Delhi.”  “That’s not true, I know you are lying!”  I stated as my voice began to shake.  “Go talk to him.” he said while pointing at what appeared to be an even bigger jerk.  I scrambled to show my letter from the US Consulate, and explained that I can’t go to Delhi with such short notice and so little time before our departure.  He stared unfazed.  “Please, I just need her stamp to leave.  I have to leave the country and I can’t leave my baby!”  At that moment I broke into tears, and began pleading.  I thought maybe this is when they break and ask for a bribe.  Nothing, I look at Saleem.  They spoke and he told me they do not have the authority at this office due to a new policy and there is nothing to be done.  I felt so defeated and couldn’t hold back the tears.  Then undaunted, the man yells at me “Why are you weeping?!?  Please leave.”  What the heck do you think, you stinking idiot?  I thought to myself and I began the walk back to the car.  After five hours we accomplished nothing.  We were so close.  I called Justin and he started to put the wheels in motion.  Jet Airways says that we can travel to Mumbai and hopefully get this all taken care of.  So today will be Kira’s first airplane ride.  We will be gone for a few days and once we return I will let everyone know if we were successful.  India sure can be crazy.

SALEEM, HE IS REALLY A GREAT GUY.

Nearly Six Weeks

Kira is almost a month and a half and in some ways it feels like it was just yesterday that she was born and in others I can’t believe it hasn’t been longer.  She smiles now and is gurgling and making a lot of vowel sounds; ahhh, gooo, oooh, etc.  She is able to focus more.  She will lock eyes with you and if you move your head she follows.  If you put something in her hand she can hold on to it, but she doesn’t have enough control to grasp things on her own.  Quite a few of her outfits are starting to get tight so we are planning to buy her some new clothes this week.  I haven’t posted many photos lately because Kira had an awful outbreak.  At first I thought it was baby acne which is very common and didn’t think much of it.  We had to stay at a hotel because of the strikes and rioting that has been taking place over the efforts regarding the formation of a separate state.  It has happened three times now and it’s thought that the strikes will begin on Tuesday once again.  I’m not sure if she was sensitive to the bedding at the hotel, but her skin quickly went from a few pimples on her face to a full blown rash.  It looked like severe eczema.  Her face, ears and neck were bright red, with crusty flaking scales.  It was heartbreaking.  Fortunately after a few applications of hydrocortisone it looks remarkably better.  She doesn’t seem to be in pain and honestly I don’t think she is aware that anything has changed; at least that is a small comfort.  She has been sleeping much better at night usually only waking up once or twice.  It takes over and hour to get her back to bed, but we are getting longer stretches of time when it finally does happen.  We are learning to read her body language and recognize her little queues letting us know her needs.  We also physically have her passport now which is a huge relief, but we still don’t have her exit visa which allows her to leave the country.  This brings me to another additional stress we are facing.  A few days ago we received an e-mail for the U.S. Consulate informing us that there is a new policy regarding tourist visas.  I have a tourist visa and this letter stated that I will receive a stamp when I exit the country and will not be able to return for two months.  Naturally this makes our up coming visit in January a bit less exciting and a bit more worrisome.  Justin won’t be affected by this since he has an employment visa and will be returning as scheduled.  We already have our return plane tickets, not to mention that a month is a long time in the life of an infant and Justin doesn’t want to miss out on anything.  Our only hope is that we will be able to obtain a letter stating that I can return before the designated period.  We were told we must present our situation to the Indian Consulate General in the USA.  We are hoping that we can find a way to get this all figured out before we even leave, but I’m feeling doubtful and have to admit I have a lot of anxiety about all of this.  For now there isn’t much we can do, plus we still need to focus on getting Kira all squared away.  Wish us luck.

TOOK THIS ONE ABOUT AN HOUR AGO.

SLEEPING IN HER SLING, MY NEW SECRET WEAPON.

GRUMPY FACE: THIS PICTURE IS A FEW WEEKS OLD.



It's Christmas Time Again

With temperature reaching the 90s and not the slightest chance of snowfall it doesn’t feel much like winter.  It’s hard to believe that this year is nearly over and Christmas is only a week away.  Justin and I both feel like Christmas is meant to be shared with family and friends.  Although this year we are starting our own little family, there is a big part of us that wishes we could be back in the United States with the ones we love.  A few weeks ago we were shocked to discover a four foot artificial Christmas tree along with a limited choice of decorations at a store here in Hyderabad.  We were so happy and immediately added it to our cart.  Once I got it home I put all the ornaments on and couldn’t help but feel that a little something was missing, like some music. When I was growing up we only had two Christmas tapes, Elvis and Mannheim Steamroller.  For whatever reason, I thought the synthetic sounds of Mannheim Steamroller’s renditions of popular Christmas carols were absolutely hilarious.  When the tape made its debut I broke into a fit of laughter, and couldn’t control myself.  I was being so obnoxious that my mom offered to give me a dollar for every song I made it through.  I couldn’t have been older than ten and a buck back then is huge.  Well, even with that amazing incentive I still managed to remain penniless.   Believe it or not, the day I moved out of my parent’s home we still only had those two tapes and it really became I tradition to listen to Elvis while putting puzzles together, doing the dishes, opening presents, pretty much anything.  I spoke with my mom a few days ago and was happy to discover I wasn’t the only one who has been touched by more than ten years of listening to the same songs over and over again.  She let me know that she had actually just ordered the CD’s of those same tapes.  Again, I broke into laughter.  Isn’t it funny how things that start off as a joke can become a very serious tradition?  I can’t wait to see what crazy traditions Kira ends up remembering about our Christmas celebrations.

Meet Kira

Kira is a bit of a night owl.  She likes to stay up late and usually wakes up like clockwork during the late hours of the evening.  She often gets up around 11:00pm, 1:00am, 3:00am and 5:00am.  Lately though, she has been skipping one, and sometimes two of these wonderful wake up times.  When this happens it is absolute bliss.  Usually when she does get up, she’s either hungry or dirty, but occasionally she just wants to cuddle in the moonlight.  The first couple of weeks she had a bit of a stuffy nose which caused her to snort a bit and her nose would even whistle when she tried to eat.  This quickly turned into Justin and me calling her our “Little Puggy Wuggy” because she sounded so much like those pug dogs with smashed facing and breathing problems.  Luckily her nose has cleared and her cheeks have grown so she’s upgrade to being “Little Chubb Cheeks.”  Of course we use all the other typical names too, Sweet Pea, Cutie, Princess, Sweet Girl Care Bear, Sweetie, Silly Bean, Crazy, Fussy Butt, Little Angel, Daddy’s Girl,  and of course Kira.  She loves to start her day by laying on Justin’s chest sometimes she even drifts back to sleep.  After she’s changed and fed we like to have playtime while she’s alert.  Justin has been reading to her a little each day while she lays looking at her little toys on her play-gym.  Now, I know a lot of you aren’t going to believe this, but she can hold up her head, not for a super long time, but she can do it.  Plus the other day, again I promise this happened, she rolled over.  We put her to sleep one way and she woke up on the other side.  We both freaked, it was likely a fluke since she shouldn’t be able to do this until at least two months but it did happen.  Obviously we are impressed and being her parents we’re convinced she’s a super baby.  She doesn’t like her car seat, but she absolutely loves bumpy car rides and loud noise, I’m sure I can thank India’s roads and traffic for that.  If she’s fussy on the way to the car, it’s usually not more than a couple of minutes after we get moving and she’s faded off into dreamland.  Another thing is that she doesn’t have one of those wimpy infant cries; it’s more like a full blown five alarm fire bell.  She has quite a bit of hair that is brownish blond and it is growing like crazy despite that of her nonexistent eye brows.  She likes to save poopie diapers for Justin or for right after I get a fresh one on.  She’s got gas and isn’t shy about it and she loves lying on her changing table.  She likes to sleep in the afternoon and cluster feed right before bed.  She makes tons of crazy faces and gets hiccups about three times a day.  When she sneezes it usually comes in threes and is followed by a little coo, it’s one of my most favorite things.  “Ah-choo, Ah-choo, Ah-choo, goooooo.”  I love getting a little glimpse of what her voice sounds like.  She is getting a little better about bath time, but still isn’t a true fan.  We aren’t sure if she’s going to have and “innie” or and “outie” she just keeps changing.  Also, she really isn’t all that photogenic; she is truly so much cuter in person which all of you will soon find out.  She is wonderful and has changed our lives; we can’t wait for everyone to get to meet her.



All American

Over a week ago Justin tried to get Kira’s Indian birth certificate.  We were issued a temporary from the hospital and told to take it to a local office in order to receive the official copy.  The problem is that nothing is easy when it comes to paperwork in India.  They sure do love their stamps and signatures.  Justin was told it “wasn’t possible.”  Luckily Saleem our driver is absolutely amazing and can speak many languages.  Really what it comes down to is a bribe.  You want your kid’s birth certificate?  How much?  Well, obviously we have to pay whatever it takes because without the birth certificate, we can’t get a United States birth certificate, and without that we can’t get a US Passport, and without that we can’t get an exit visa, and without that Kira can’t leave the country.  So, after some hassling Saleem was given the phone number of the guy we needed to call in order to get the ball rolling.  1100 rupees and about a week later we actually got the paperwork.  What a relief.  Yesterday we had an appointment at the US Consulate, and after several hours and a little more stress Kira officially became an US Citizen! Justin announced the news to Kira after we held up our right hands and swore her in.  “You’re an American Sweetie!”  She seemed a little sleepy, but we could tell she was pretty excited too.  We should receive her passport in about two weeks and then the real fun begins; the exit visa.  She can’t leave India without it, so that is a little scary, but I feel pretty confident that we won’t have too much trouble.  Wish us luck. 

Week One

ASLEEP AFTER PLAYTIME

MARY-SIGNE AND MICHAEL VISITING KIRA

SEXY POSE

DADDY WITH HIS SWEETIE

Kira is Here!

Around 11:30 am on November 16, 2009 I started to feel some of the typical contractions that I had been having for the past week or so.  Usually about the time that I would start to question whether or not labor was imminent that contractions would slowly begin to fade away.  But, the 16^th appeared to be different, not only were the contractions sticking around, they were progressively getting stronger throughout the day.  One thing I learned while obsessively reading about early labor was that it is important to stay active if possible.  Justin and I spent the day running errands, playing cards, enjoying each others company all while trying not to get too excited about what the day may have in store.  By the time evening rolled around and we went on our daily walk around KBR Park things really seemed to be kicking into gear.  Afterwards my stomach was a very upset and I wasn’t feeling up to eating much.  Justin and I hung out a while and then decided we should actually finish putting our hospital bag together.  Afterwards Justin urged me to call it a night and go to bed a little early just in case.  Despite my efforts I found it hard to sleep.  I woke up several times and each time my contractions were noticeably stronger.  Finally sometime around 11:30 pm I went to the bathroom and it seemed that I had developed a bit of a trickle and also had a bit of show.  “Okay, this is it.  I think this is the real deal.”  I thought as I flushed away the evidence.  I decided to let Justin sleep in spite of the strong desire I had to let him know about my progress.  I knew I needed rest as well, but my back pain wouldn’t let up.  Eventually I let Justin know that I was leaking a bit of amniotic fluid as well as the status of my contractions.  We used many of the wonderful coping techniques we had learned about.  I wanted to remain home as long as possible, but after my contractions had been three minutes apart for about several hours I felt pretty confident that I would be around five centimeters, by the time we settled in at the hospital.  Justin called Saleem and he rushed right over ready to drive us to Rainbow Hospital.  Once Saleem arrived, I told Justin I wanted to try and hold out just a little longer, but with my back the way it was the bumpy ride ahead started to seem more and more daunting.  The time came, and we grabbed our bags and headed off.  I was greeted with a wheelchair and taken to the birthing center.  After some time, I was checked and notified of my progress, or should I say lack of progress.  Two centimeters, it was a crushing blow, but I decided to stay positive.  The first stage takes the longest.  My back was in constant agony, what about all the stuff I read about relaxing in between contractions?  I had been warned by chiropractors in the past that due to my Lordosis (Hyper curvature of the lumbar spine) that I may have some difficultly during labor,  This may have been a factor, but later I was told that Kira was turned and I realized I was probably experiencing “back labor.”  Six to Seven hours later I was checked and was absolutely sure that I had reached the transition stage of labor.  Five centimeters!  Man, did I misjudge where I was at the house or what?  Again, I bit of apprehension naturally rushed over me as I received the news.  Justin immediately consoled me and told me how far I’d come and what I terrific job I had done.  Justin was truly amazing all throughout.  He constantly encouraged me, brought me water and rubbed my back and made every effort to comfort me.  I was determined.  I can do this.  God, please give me strength.  I had planned to have this be a completely natural birth and I had made it this far so I focused on the outcome and continued.  Five more hours passed and I will just cut to the chase, I reached seven centimeters.  I should have tried to eat and drink more during the earlier phases, because my strength was almost completely diminished.  I honestly didn’t have enough energy to even open my eyes at that point.  I was trying so hard to resist the urge to push that I wasn’t sure if I would have enough energy to push when it actually came time to do it.  I stuck it out another hour and then I decided I would get some relief hoping that I could recuperate.  The doctors told me they thought that Kira would be born in the next one to two hours, so the epidural would be set to fade so I would be able to push correctly.  It was actually nine hours from then when Kira was born.  The epidural was long gone.  Dr. Reddy was a bit worried that things had slowed and that I was still only at nine centimeters.  She thought I may need Pitocin, but I didn’t want to do that so I went back to using gravity to get that final centimeter.  Before I knew it the urge was there and I could finally put it to use.  I could try and describe this state of being, but it was unlike anything in comparison.  It was uncontrollable and yet so unimaginably powerful.  I pushed and pushed and although I was in another world so to speak, one voice did get through the chaos.  I could tell I was near the end when the tone in Justin’s voice changed.  It was so urgent and genuine.  “Beck, that’s it, you’re almost there, keep pushing, KEEP PUSHING, KEEEP PUSHING!”  I didn’t think I could, but I knew I had to.  They tried to turn her, and then at 11:20 pm it happened; I did it.  Kira was born!  It was absolutely the most amazing thing I have, and probably will, ever experience.  There she was covered in goop, a head like a banana and truly the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.  I grabbed her in my arms.  I couldn’t believe it; 7 lbs 13.5 oz, 20.4 inches and completely healthy.  We are so, so, so, happy.  We couldn’t have asked for anything more.  Although I didn’t follow my birth plan to a tee, I feel like I made the right choice.  I needed that small break otherwise I may have ended up with a cesarean and I still lived through the awe inspiring experience of pushing Kira out.  Every woman that has ever given birth is absolutely amazing.  Thank you Mom, I never knew.  So there it is the close of my terrific pregnancy.  Justin and I cleaned up and gave in to our pure exhaustion with our beautiful baby girl at our bedside.  What a true blessing.  We are home and on our way to recovery.  A new chapter in our incredible journey has begun.  It’s going to be wonderful.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE!

SOUND ASLEEP IN DADDY'S ARMS

BATH TIME WITH MOMMY. 

Garra Rufa

Garra what?  If you don’t already know Garra Rufa or “Doctor Fish” are used for exfoliation in many exotic spas.  I had heard about these freshwater fish before, but only on one of those shows with a host that talks with an affected speech about the “Rich and Famous.”  After some advice to go out and have a little adventure we found ourselves downtown running errands.  While we were out, a promotional display was set up in the mall trying to draw people in to this odd spa treatment.  There was an open tank with bench seating around the perimeter.  Inside the tank hundreds of fish waited to chow down on the dead skin cells that covered our feet.  “Ooooo, Justin we have to do that, I heard about this it is supposed to be amazing.”  He wasn’t convinced and we walked on and decided to grab a bite to eat, but over lunch I worked my magic and before I knew it we were having our feet rubbed with hot towels in preparation for the little Garra Rufa.  Justin stuck his feet in first.  His entire body seized up and his face was indescribable.  “Beck, Beck, Beck!  I don’t know about this, aww, ahhhh I can’t do it.  It tickles too much!”  I told him that after a while you are suppose to desensitize, but based on his reaction I was also beginning to wonder if I would be able to tolerate it.  So I decided to keep my mouth shut and take the plunge.  Nearly every inch of our feet were swarmed with the insane feeding frenzy.  I started to have that jerk reaction to when you are being tickled, but it was so constant that my legs were both shaking uncontrollably.  Justin and I broke out into uncontainable laughter.  We really were quite the site.  Since it was a promotion the display was right in the middle of the mall.  There we were; the two crazy Americans, one utterly pregnant and both shaking, twitching, beet red and laughing wildly.  I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that we drew a slight crowd.  The fish were relentless, Justin looked down at my feet and said, “Oh Beck you killed one.”  Well what can I say, my heels really had the goods, it’s not my fault if he ate till popped.  I told Justin to knock it off, and was sure he was still breathing.  About halfway through our session we realized all the fish seemed to lose interest and circled near the surface.  I said “Well, maybe they got all the dead stuff and they're done.”  Then it became clear that they were all finally taking a breather.  Before we knew it they were back in full force.  It was so much fun and it was less than five dollars!  The main draw for me was the shear novelty of the whole thing, but we soon discovered why this is something the “Rich and Famous” actually do.  Our feet were so soft, truly exfoliated.  Justin blurted out “I can’t believe that actually worked that well, that it amazing.”  I agreed.  When I put my shoes back on, my feet felt so tender and lovely and we only had our feet in for 15 minutes.  Can you imagine doing a full body hour long treatment?  It was a real blast and I hope that all of you, if ever given the chance, will give this crazy treatment a try.

Still Waiting

After several nights of waking up to an upset and cramping stomach only to fall back to and wake again without any symptoms.  I have started to get somewhat discouraged.  I was nearly convinced that I was truly in labor just a few days ago, only to have the contractions stop.  Justin and I have been going on our 5k walk around the park each evening and that usually kicks things up a notch.  Usually about halfway around the park I start to huff and puff a bit as the contractions kick in.  The other day, I even had to stop a couple times, or put my hand on Justin’s shoulder while we walked, just so I could close my eyes and not have to pay attention to where we were going.  We were planning on stopping at a nearby coffee house for some tea afterwards but by the time we were finished, Justin looked at me and said “I think we better just head home.”  On the way I was thinking “Wow, this is it I think maybe tonight’s the night.”  I made it back to the house and into the bathroom just in time.  The contractions were actually starting to get painful.  I was excited and also a bit overwhelmed with the reality of what I thought may finally be happening.  I came out of the bathroom and Justin had that “look” and he says “What do you think?”  I still wasn’t sure and I told him, if it’s not tonight my body is definitely getting ready.  As I cooked dinner every once in a while I would have to stop and pace around, but before long the contractions stopped hurting and eventually faded into nothing.  I really felt bummed.  Since then I am more hesitant to alert Justin.  I will think something is going on, but it soon fades.  We’re both really excited and we are finding it really hard to be patient.  We can hardly wait, so everyone please send your positive labor inducing vibes our way!

Could Labor Be Close?

Where did the time go?  It’s hard to believe that my pregnancy is nearly complete, Justin and I have been in India over a year and 2010 is just around the corner.  It’s difficult to tell if labor is near, but I think it may be close.  I woke up last night with a dull backache as well as an upset stomach.  I just wanted to get back to sleep, but nothing seemed to help.  Around 3:25am I took a long hot shower and tried to relax.  My stomach was still cramped and I spent quite a while in the bathroom if you get my drift.  Finally, I fell back asleep and woke up again about two hours later.  I told Justin I was having some of the symptoms of early labor, but nothing too major.  I have been having contractions, but none with enough regularity worth noting.  I have been doing a bit of reading, but ultimately it has been frustrating because “every pregnancy is different” so these signs could mean labor will kick in within a day or may still be a week away.  I’m trying not to get too excited, but I just wanted to keep everyone posted.  I hope labor it coming soon, wish me luck.

About 9 Months

The latest and greatest.  

The Daira Gallery: Hyderabad

After attending the Nano Art Show at the Daira Gallery several weeks ago I have been pretty excited about the possibility of having my artwork on display here in Hyderabad.  The show featured the works of multiple up and coming artists from around India.  There was also a solo show titled “Call of the Colour” in a separate area within the gallery.  I met Atika, the owner, and we spoke about having my work displayed in the near future.  Following the show we exchanged e-mails and on October 13^th I have an appointment so she can view some of my pieces in person in order to see if they will work for a future show.  It has been quite a challenge to find canvases and paint in Hyderabad, but I recently hit the jackpot at a local bookstore.  They not only had art supplies, but I also found numerous large canvases.  I’m trying new techniques and styles, its great having the freedom to experiment.  For those of you that would like to see the gallery here is a link.  http://www.dairagallery.com the current work on display can be viewed by clicking the Exhibition tab.

  This piece is huge and looks amazing in person.               

 This one is very bright, but color is definately in here in India.

Almost 9 Months

After the recent pregnancy party, I was asked to do a photo shoot for Katrien and Hans.  We had lunch and spent around three hours taking photos.  It was a good thing that we took them because on the 4th of October Katrien had her son.  She was hoping for a natural birth, but after many difficult hours of labor she ended up having an emergency C-section.  I visited her and Hans yesterday and their baby Daan.  Everyone is doing fine and they seem very excited to be new parents.  As for my pregnancy there isn't much news to report.  Despite my ever expanding belly, I am feeling quite well other than a little insomnia.  A little more than a month and Kira will be here. 

Hans kissing Katrien's Belly.

 Katrien only day's before delivery.

34 weeks.

 No stretch marks yet... keep your fingers crossed.

Pregnancy Party for Katrien

The number of pregnant women in Hyderabad continues to rise.  This summer many of the women started to get together for yoga, lunch and just to talk.  Yesterday there was a small party for Katrien; her due date is in two weeks.  Anna, Akiko, Mary-Signe, Katrien and I all got together at Lisa’s home to enjoy cake and ice cream.  We made bets on whether Katrien would have a boy or a girl and also which day she would end up having her baby.  There are many theories on how one can discover the gender.  Are you carrying high?  What foods do you crave?   There are even some based on how often you need to shave your legs.  Supposedly there is a test where you hold a needle above the women’s belly or hand and depending on whether the needle swings in a circle or a line the gender is revealed.  Well, everyone already knows that I am having a girl so we decided to test Katrien to see if she shared my fate.  Well the results were inconclusive, but it seems like she may be having a boy.  We all laughed at how silly the test was.  Really it was just for fun and more of an excuse for all us pregnant ladies to get together and chat over tea.  I guessed she was having a girl and that she would be born on the 9^th of October.  We each put in five dollars, I hope I win.

Mary-Signe holding the needle and string over my belly.

We couldn't help but laugh at this silly idea, looks like it's a girl.

Katrien getting her results, Akiko looks on from the couch.

3D Ultrasound

Today we went in for another ultrasound.  The purpose was just to check the position of everything and to see how Kira is growing.  She is in the 59^th percentile so she’s a little bigger than average, but not too big.  She now weighs about four pounds!  She’s head down which I am super happy about, hopefully she stays that way.  It doesn’t feel like she has much room anymore, surely not enough to do a somersault.  Her brain looks normal and she is extremely active.  Her head was turned a bit to the side, but the ultrasound technician tried to get a shot of her face with the 3D feature.  I felt a little nervous, but I think despite looking a little smashed she looks pretty cute.  Justin says she has my nose, only a couple more weeks and we’ll find out.  After the lady snapped a shot she smiled and said “Chubby cheeks.”   Kira definitely has a little bit of the chipmunk action happening.  I can’t wait to see what she looks the day she is born.

Kira with her hand in front of her face.

 There she is, look at those cheeks!

Picking a Name

After my brother’s son was born I can’t help but feel anxious about my pregnancy coming to an end.  I am still enjoying being pregnant, but there is part of me that is completely ready to meet our daughter.  I can’t wait to see Justin as a proud new dad; he is going to be so great.  Justin is an amazing husband and I know he will be a wonderful father.  Our inability to pick a name has been driving more than a few of you a little bonkers I'm sure.  We’ve had it narrowed down to Audrey and Kira for quite some time and  I’m happy to announce that Justin has finally put his foot down and we decided that Kira is going to be the perfect name for our little girl.

  27 WEEKS 

29 WEEKS 

 30 WEEKS

Roman Edward Geisler

Yesterday I received a call from my brother.  His wife Katie had been sitting at a stop light when all of a sudden she was hit from behind, the impact was so strong that it forced her car into the vehicle in front of her.  She is 35 weeks pregnant and was advised to visit the hospital.  After four hours of being monitored, they were finally released to go home.  They were exhausted and it was already past midnight when they arrived at their house.  While sitting down at the table for a light snack before bed, Katie felt a gush.  Her water had just broken.  With five weeks still to go in their pregnancy they were a bit shook-up on the way back to the hospital.  Jay called me, because he knew I was the only one that would be up at that time since it was the afternoon here in India.  He told me he wanted to wait to call everyone else until the morning.  I told him to try and get some rest, because it sounded like Katie was going to need it since the birth seemed imminent.  I was very worried and I wanted to call someone, but I agreed not to call my parents and Justin is away in Bangkok for simulator training until the 9^th.  I got a hold of a few friends and asked them to say some prayers for Jay, Katie and the baby.  This morning I woke early and called my brother immediately.  Roman Edward Geisler was born at 2:49pm September 4^th 2009.  He weighed 5 pounds and 9 ½ ounces and was 18 inches long.  Everything went fine and he seemed to be breathing well and not having too much trouble feeding.  He will even be able to stay in the room tonight with Jay and Katie.  I am so happy.  Jay is my only sibling, and he is very important to me.  I can’t believe I’m an aunt.  Even though little Roman was a little early he’s seems to be doing well.  Thank you all for the kind thoughts and words of encouragement it means a lot!

Happy Birthday!

 Katie with her new son.

 Look how happy my brother is to be a dad!