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. 

ASLEEP AFTER PLAYTIME

MARY-SIGNE AND MICHAEL VISITING KIRA

SEXY POSE

DADDY WITH HIS SWEETIE

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 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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.