In the mood for a good book?

If you're not on GoodReads and you like to read, you should be -- it's a fun way to chronicle your reading, see what your friends are reading and get some good recommendations.

Here are just a few of mine, based on what I read in 2009:

If you want my book reviews, click here:

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
 -- In 2007-2008, I read all of Jane Austen's books, bios, etc - it was a fun task and while I love JA, Jane Eyre was truly incredible. Maybe it was the gothic aspect (I kept picturing a lot of storms).  In JA's books, it's more everyday life, in Jane Eyre it's a saga, an epic, and it's wonderful. I could read it over and over again.

House on the Strand by Daphne DuMaurier
 -- I read about 4 DuMaurier's books in 2009, all were good but this one was different. It was the present day, it wasn't "gothic" (as I felt Jamaica Inn and My Cousin Rachel were -- and to some extent Rebecca), and it involved my favorite aspect of Time Travel (though not in the normal sense). The whole book made you think and was easy to get addicted to.

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
 -- I read this before seeing the movie and I thought it was a very thoughtful picture of a 1950's marriage -- one of so many, I can only imagine.  It makes you understand why the feminist movement takes place years later (although I wish we asked for important things like adequate maternity leave and women's health be taken seriously and not just, "we want to be equal to men").

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
 -- Warning: It takes about half the book to get into the story, but it's worth it.  I don't know a lot about Sweden, but it wasn't this picture. A great mystery, thriller, set on a remote and cold Swedish Island.

The Wife: A Novel by Meg Wolitzer
 -- This is what would have happened to the wife in Revolutionary Road - years later. Resentment, bitterness, and downright dis-like of your spouse... all as he's about to receive a prestigious literary award and after 30+ years of marriage.  Another look at a wife's role in the 50's-60's and it's outcome.  I really enjoyed this book.

Tortilla Curtain by TC Boyle
 -- If I had read this book now (when I'm pregnant), I wouldn't have been able to stomach it. It's fiction, but you know it's based on reality and the reality is hard to swallow. The wealth of southern California juxtaposed with the poverty of day laborers -- what happens when their world meets?

Pregnancy Tea

One of my garden blog readers reminded me of the benefits of Red Raspberry Leaf Tea during pregnancy.

I had heard about this, but also heard it shouldn't be taken in your 1st trimester, so I was grateful for the reminder.  So I went to Whole Foods and picked up not only that, but also some Pregnancy Tea - both by Traditional Medicinals, makers of my favorite Dandelion Tea.  The red raspberry leaf is supposed to support and strengthen the uterus and it has been said to ease labor and make it go smoother.  You're supposed to drink several glasses a day.  I'm starting with the Pregnancy Tea (which contains Red Raspberry among other things) with 1 glass a day, and then I'll up it to 2 and eventually 4 as recommended once I see my Doctor in 2 weeks. Then I'll switch to the straight Red Raspberry.

When I take stuff like herbal teas, it makes me think of Outlander and how the women used to dabble in herbs for remedies. I feel so medieval, I want to grow my hair out long and walk in a field ...

15 weeks Photo

11/26/09 - about 4-1/2 weeks

2/10/10 - 15 weeks 2 days

Childbirth Classes

For most people, when they find out they're pregnant, they start planning everything but I did nothing. I didn't even want to try and "bond" with the baby (hence the name Caligula). Now that I've hit my 2nd trimester, I realize that I have some catching up.  One of the things I need to do is pick a childbirthing class to attend and the options are plentiful.

Right now, I've decided to go for a natural birth (as natural as a hospital setting will allow). I want the epidural to be an option, but I really want to let my body do what it needs to do -- the thought of being numb and having someone tell me to push sounds terrifying. I'd rather feel what I need to do and push when my body tells me to.  If anyone has any insight to this ... PLEASE contact me!

So I'm trying to look for childbirthing classes that focus on preparing you for an unmedicated birth and there are quite a few:  Lamaze, Bradley, Hypnobirthing...

So the Hypnobirthing struck me as the most interesting.  The philosophy is to take the fear out of labor and create a calm, meditative state to help you through the contractions - and not to view it as pain but be in tune with your body.  Anything that creates CALM is what I'm looking for.   The good thing is that there are classes at a Yoga studio not too far from me and the next session is from March - May (3 classes). And the teacher is a doula so maybe I can hire her too?

Now I'm thinking it would also probably be good to try another birthing class, for another point of view.  The Bradley classes look good, but they are 12 weeks long. Then there are the classes thorugh the hospital.

The hospital ... I don't mean to sound bad, but I don't really like hospitals. They feel factory-like and I'm worried they'll want to get me in, pump me full of pitocin to "get the show on the road" , cut me open, stitch me up, and send me home. I'm only going for the hospital setting because it's my first.  After this, I may opt for a birthing center & midwife (or home?!)  So I'm going to have to tell my OB my plans and see how they react. What if they give me a weird look if I mention Hypnobirthing and Doula?

I guess I shouldn't say anything until I tour the facilities. My hospital just added a new birthing wing that supposed to be "state of the art." So maybe it won't be so bad.

Construction is afoot again!

Saturday, Matt and I finished cleaning out the spare bedroom and finding places for all the furniture, clothes, shoes, and heirlooms that have lived in that room for the last 5 years. While we were cleaning up, I had my iPod going and the song "My Little Corner of the World" by Yo Lo Tengo came on and I started crying because it's such a pretty song and here we were, Matt and I, making our little one's "little corner of the world." My emotions are running rampant these days.

Once the room was cleared out, my dad came over Sunday to help Matt take down the built-in closets (we'll build a new one), and start pulling up the parquet floors (we're laying real hardwood). The glued the parquet to the particle board subfloor so that was hard to take off, not to mention it pulled a lot of the particle board apart in the process. So now my dad has to add a filler over the sub-floor before we lay the hardwood. But now the room looks huge!

It's only just begun.

Three's a Crowd: Me, the Pillow, and Matt

My nights are getting uncomfortable. 

First off, I wake up at least 2 times a night (this from someone who can sleep for 12 hours straight) and when I go back to bed, I can't fall asleep again.  I toss and turn, when I'm normally a back sleeper- all night - who doesn't ever move (ask Matt, it's like I'm dead).   My nose is stuffed up (not form a cold) but I read that this is a symptom of pregnancy. So I'm probably not getting enough oxygen and I'm keeping Matt awake.  The other night he woke me up, "Rosemarie, you're whistling through your nose."  And then he said, "Can't you breathe through your mouth?" Then he threatened to sleep in the other room.  He must have been having a bad night, he's not normally this cantankerous.  But if he continues, I'm gonna get myself one of these ...  which I hear are akin to the Great Wall of China between you and your sleeping partner.  Plus, we only have a queen size bed so I think me and the enormous pillow will be taking over.

14 weeks

Last night, I used my up last progesterone supplement. It's very weird how you stop cold turkey. There is no weaning off, no tapering of the dosage. One day you're taking 200 mg, the next day nothing. Today was the first morning in 10 weeks where Matt didn't wake me up out of my slumber at 6AM to hand me my "little white bullet." It feels really weird, like "Are you sure I can stop?" It's nerve-wracking, knowing that this supplement is perhaps the reason why this pregnancy remained viable while the other ones didn't have a chance.

Well, I'm off to buy new bras. Mine are all so tight around the rib-cage now that I feel like an 18th century courtesan. Matt read to me that the rib-cage begins to expand, but I think it was that Nutella shake I had yesterday (oh my goodness delicious!).