Welcome to harmony's Roundeo.

DUE DATES, SCHMOO DATES.

Thats what I say.  It is just an annoying "educated guess" that causes excitement and anticipation and then serious let-down. 

My "due date" was last Friday September 12th.  As is probably obvious my due date was nothing more than a cruel  joke.  My baby is due when she and my body, or the powers that be decide, not according to a calculation invented by some guy apparently named "Naegele ." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pregnancy). My baby is still quite happy to remain where she is with no signs of coming on her own any time soon. 

"Fewer than 5% of births occur on the due date; 50% of births are within a week of the due date, and almost 90% within two weeks.^[16] It is much more useful to consider therefore a range of due dates, rather than one specific day, with some online due date calculators providing this information." 

Yeah, a range of due dates, not one date, but somehow that doesn't happen, and we can't help but get hung up on that magical date, even though it means almost nothing.  And everyone we know can't help but get hung up on it either, accounting for the very frequent statements and questions one in my state recieves, like, "You're still pregnant, I thought you were due ___," "Wow, when are you going to have that baby?" "Oh, I thought you would have had a baby by now."  You get the idea.  I'm not faulting these people, I too am a victim of due date hang-up, and these people just say the things I myself am thinking, and I'm sure I've said these very things to a very pregnant woman like myself before.

So somehow even though we KNOW that a due date is not a date with destiny, we hang everything on it.  (Excuse me while I vent. ) For example, Spencer has a client in Israel he needs to do work for and in a certain time period, and so a while back they planned a trip for him to Israel for well after the baby was to be born, the only problem is the baby wasn't in that meeting and couldn't tell them that she was never planning on coming on September 12th. If they had been able to consult her they surely would have planned the 5 day trip to Israel at the perfect time, not for less than a week after her birth, or even possibly during her birth.  Because Spencer is a good husband and Daddy he is now trying to rearrange his plans. 

According to Naegele, actually my due date was to be September 28th.  So, how did it turn into the 12th?  This is due to another magical bit of educated guessing called ultrasound.  My doctor is confident in the ultrasound guesstimate, but as things are as they are now, I feel it is only logical to question such confidence.  I had an exam today and it looks like absolutely nothing is happening where it counts.  No dilation, no effacement, plus I can tell you without the aid of a practictioner that I have experienced no contractions. The only evidence (besides my growing belly and swollen feet) that I am anywhere near the end is that the baby isn't sitting as high as she once was.

About that growing belly and swelling feet...well, thats probably enough said to create a lovely mental picture. Sufficeth to say, especially as far as the feet are concerned, not fun.  Fall has suddenly swooped down upon Geneva and I can't get any shoes on my feet except for flip-flops. And I now engage regularly in a battle with my shirts for coverage of the protruding belly.

To complicate matters, being "overdue" brings with it the word "Induction," or as we say here in French land, "provocation." To be or not to be provoked, that is the question.  In my case, that is in a VBAC situation, induction is usually to be avoided as it carries with it an increased risk of uterine rupture, but I also happen to have another case, which is that with Paisley we experienced something called "Shoulder Dystocia," which means that when her head came out and her body was supposed to just "floop" right out on the next push, it didn't. In fact it took several pushes and a big lady jumping on my abdomen before she flooped.  So, now  we're trying to avoid induction, but oh wait, also the increased risk of another shoulder situation.  I feel a bit stuck between a rupture and a heavyweight.  But just as with due dates, we really have no more than educated guesses as to the size of the baby, using once again the magical tool of ultrasound.  And what if my due date, despite the Doctor's confidence otherwise, really is September 28th, well then I'm not overdue at all am I, in fact inducing now would be quite premature if that were the case. 

Add to this my fears of a repeat 12 trillion hour labor, and you might start to get a feel for what I'm feeling right now.  Everything I've read says if a woman's body isn't showing certain signs of readiness, then induction can either fail, or be a nightmare.  With Paisley my body was working really hard with labor but my cervix wasn't interested in responding to that work, and I can tell you that as much as I'm into the whole natural birthing thing, I'm not into repeating that experience.

So considering all of this information: a husband's 5 day foreign country trip scheduled for Sunday the 21st, being over the "due date," risks associated with induction, risks associated with baby largeness, uncertainty of the due date, fear of an unripe cervix dragging me through another ridiculously long labor, and general disillusionment with pregnancy, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? My doctor scheduled me for an induction on Thursday morning, but prior to doing that she led me to believe that, "I wouldn't want to induce you if your body isn't ready."  Well, did I miss something, or is a body now considered ready with 0 dilation, 0 effacement and 0 contractions? So yeah, that's pretty much what I asked her in an email that I'm pretty sure she won't respond to, based on history. 

Here's to DUE DATES!

Now there are those that may be thinking, Hey just Enjoy it, because once that baby is here, life as you know it is over!  And the truth is, they would be right of course, and I know that, but there's also the fact that, there's no avoiding it now, nor was there (assuming a healthy pregnancy ending in a baby) since day one, which was over 9 months ago.  I mean believe me most of the time I freak out thinking of myself with 3 kids and I actually even think, "What am I thinking! I'm not ready for a baby!" But then I remember that there's no way out now except for the baby, and nor do I really want one anyway.  And being pregant forever even if it were an option, is much less desirable than adding a child to your family, regardless of how difficult said child may be or become.  And you just can't help getting attached to that silly date and feeling jipped when it comes and goes. Its like, now what?  I was all ready to have a baby today, now what do I do? And honestly, my to do list is pretty empty, which is sort of cool, sort of strange, and sort of annoying.  I finished nesting a while ago, bring on the bird!

We went to a RAD pool on Saturday.  Its in a city called Nyon, a short drive from Geneva.  It is set right on the lake, and has three pools, one really shallow for little kids, one thats great for everyone, and then a lap pool.  You can go down to the lake too (though the rocks aren't kind on the feet).  There's a playground, a great big grassy hillside, even a restaurant if you want to do that.  We brought a picnic lunch and invited a new family, the Gillespies, who just arrived here from America on Thursday, to come with us.  They took the train and Spencer picked them up there with our mobility car.  It was such a blast.  The weather was gorgeous and hot even, and both of our kids just loved playing in the water.  Paisley definitely preferred the deeper pool, and Cado of his own accord decided to put his head under water and swim toward the wall with arms pulling and feet kicking, meaning he SWAM!  It was just a couple of feet, but he really did it!  The Olympics, or maybe his Dad inspired him. It was a really nice outing and it was great to meet the Gillespies.  We also had them over tonight for dinner. Yay for new friends!

My friends threw me a fabulous shower at a really amazing restaurant that happens to be a very short walk from my front door.  It is a Thai place which is cool for a few reasons.  One of which is that I've never really had Thai food, and everyone I know loves it.  Another is that Spencer ate here a long time ago and told me "I ate at a really good Thai place today right by our house."  Well, after being there, that is an understatement!  The food was amazing, the atmosphere and decor was amazing, the entertainment and dessert were all amazing.  How cool that I got to go to a fancy restaurant and I didn't even pay, and I got to go with 5 great girlfriends.  They not only treated me to dinner, but also gave me gifts! It was really, really nice.  What a treat!!  THANKS FRIENDS!

In a related, though very old story, I threw Jennie a shower in May right before going to the U.S.  when someone asked me what she was having, I said, "a bird,"  because I planned the whole shower around that theme and I even built her a nest.  You'll see.  It was actually a surprise shower which was really fun. And we had a good turnout, and provided her with lots of diapers.  Even though it was lots of work to do everything for it, it was fun work, work that I needed.  I loved having my hands and brain into something creative. 

 We've been keeping quite busy, its hard to keep up with us!  So, I have a bunch of albums and blogs to put up right now! 

Last Saturday we went to Yvoire, France.  Its just on the other side of Lake Geneva (Lac Leman) about 30 min. away.  So close, so quaint, so cool!  We loved it.  Its an medieval walled city complete with castle which sits right on the lake.  Everyone we saw was eating some sort of yummy treat, so we had to join in.  We had crepes and later ice cream.  We pretty much just walked around and ate food.  It would be a great date village, there were lots of fun little shops (mom, you would love it), and galleries. We also visited the medieval garden which is called "Jardin de cinq sens." Or Garden of the 5 senses.  So there was a garden for taste, touch, smell, sight, and in the corners and middle were fountains and bird cages for hearing.  It was really lovely and cool, even the kids enjoyed it.  We also got lucky and that evening a band was setting up to perform later and so we got to watch them for awhile, and they were really good (called "La goye").  I just love the ambience of these little European towns, where everyone is out and about and there's music in the air, and yummy treats and foods to try, art to look at, and really really old buildings everywhere. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO AN INSPIRING WOMAN:

My Grandma Maris Thorn Grotegut.

She is amazing.  She has more energy than me and she's at least 40 yrs older.  I confess I don't know her age (which she is probably okay with me not sharing), though whatever it is I'm sure knowing it would only show how cool she is, since her age doesn't define her.  She is always going, going, going!!  I have always loved visiting her home which her and Grandpa built, largely out of stones.  She is so creative and talented and has such zest for life and passion.  She is beautiful and down to earth. She has an amazing garden that somehow she still manages to tend and use it to make and can great food.  She is a china painter, a hobby she picked up within the last few years, and her work is gorgeous.  She's great at so many things,  and so much could be said about her very full life!  She throws great parties, she has  great musical and dancing ability, she knows how to work and play hard.  She has a great love for the Lord and the gospel and shares her testimony through her words and actions. She gives freely of herself in service to the Lord and others.  She's funny and fun, sometimes even zany, she's bold and wise, smart, creative and energetic.  She gave me my wonderful mother and she has always been a wonderful grandma to me.  She is my friend, and I've always felt so comfortable in her home and presence. 

Thank you for your friendship and love.  I love you Grandma!  I hope you have a great birthday! 

How 'bout you come celebrate in Switzerland!  

Cado went to school for the first time in his life today . . . and in FRENCH!  We've been talking about it all summer, he's known whats coming and he's been pretty excited, but not as excited as he was the closer it got. 

We've been talking to him a bit about how school is about following directions and doing what the teacher asks.  Last night Spencer told him a "Little Pig Bill" story.  A tradition he's continuing from his Father.  I love it and am usually impressed by the little nuances he puts into them.  Usually they are based on Cado's life and are useful in teaching him things or helping him with things.  Last night's story was about Little Pig Bill's first day of school.  When the kids got in line, Little Pig Bill did it too, when the rest of the class listened to the teacher, so did he, etc.  So today on the way to school Cado said, "When the kids sit in their chairs, I'll sit in my chair.  And when the kids play with toys, I'll play with toys," etc. He was feeling very confident about his ability to follow the teacher and do a good job.  It was really cute. 

This morning he jumped into our bed with a ton of energy and a big smile and said, "ITS THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!"  over and over.  It reminded me of Nemo in that movie, but then some of you might not be as familiar as this mother of two young'uns. 

We went to the school to meet his teachers and see his classroom on Saturday.  It made me feel a lot better about his first day.  I am still nervous that the time will come when he is not so keen on it, is frustrated by the french or bullied  by some kid, or something, but today was just a good day.  He's excited to go back tomorrow and his teacher said the day "passé bien," that it went well.  He told us that he colored a fish, played with dinosaur toys, ate a snack and played on the playground at recess, and sang a song that he showed me some of the actions from.  And he told me I need to ask his teacher how it goes.

I did not expect to get emotional, but when he sat down in his chair and got to work coloring his fish, I suddenly got a little lump in my throat.  And Paisley wasn't too keen on the whole thing either.  She was quite reluctant to leave him there, and at least thinks she would really like school too.  (I am going to keep working on getting her into something a couple of times a week but right now everything is full).  Cado easily recognizes his own name now and is getting very good at recognizing letters and their sounds and even writing them.  He's really into it. 

How did this happen?  There's nothing we can do to stop it.  All we can do is try, and sometimes its really hard, to cherish it, and do the best we can not to damage, but to help this child's future that we both look forward to and loathe.

So, from the moment you lay eyes on your little baby you think, "how strange that someday he will go to school.  He'll be big enough to do that and I'll take him there and he'll be so much older then, someday that day will come."  Just like you know that someday the time will come when he'll hopefully go on a mission, go to college, and get married, etc.  And you picture it and now that someday it will not be in your fuzzy future imagination, but something you are actually living.  And here we are at a milestone, and its a wierd feeling and it came sooner than expected (really, as in 4 instead of 5 years old).  Its happy and sad to watch your child growing up and becoming more independent.  Their infancy and childhood slips through your fingers and you try to make the moments last and the memories vivid enough to keep their childhood alive as it slips by.  You mourn its passing, and yet feel happy and excited for your child's natural progress and successes.  I guess that's what got me feeling a bit emotional.  

Really he's not gone long enough though!  He'll go from 8-11:30 4 days a week.  Paisley and I went to a park for a bit so she didn't feel sad, and then I painted her toe and finger nails and she watched her "fwavwit" girl movie, "Sugar Plum Princess."  (Barbie Nutcracker)  But she was grouchy and clingy the whole time Cado was gone so it wasn't time well spent today.  We'll get better at it.

Cado, I'm so proud of you!  You are such a big, smart, independent boy!  You are going to do great at school.  In the last year you've learned how to get yourself dressed, even most shoes, all by yourself, and undressed, and make your own bed, brush your teeth.  You help your sister with things, and I can count on you to help me out and make my life a little easier.  You are learning your letters so well and are so good at building cool things and drawing and using your imagination. I love your confidence and charisma.  You are such a stud. I love you so much. 

Congratulations on your first day of school! Now stop growing up so fast!!

We had such a fabulous day on Saturday in the Berner/Bernese Oberland which is about a three hour drive from us.  It is such a beautiful place.  Its definitely a place we'd love to take anyone that visits.  We left around 8 am, and came home around 11 pm I think.  When we got there we were so excited because the weather was gorgeous and clear, and that meant it would be worth going to the top the "Schilthorn," on the gondola that stops in a total of 4 places.  Its the only way up to these towns.  Who thought of building up there?  And then undertook to create an amazing gondola all the way up!  I am impressed and awed by all of it. 

After hanging out in the snow for awhile (how cool that in August you can do that, which for me is probably the only time I'd want to with my low tolerance for cold), we headed down to Murren where we did a "Children's Adventure hike."  Don't be decieved (as I was), "Children's" does not mean easy or short.  It was quite difficult, rigorous and steep and much longer than we ever discovered.  It was an adventure and beautiful though.  "Children's" refers to the fact that there are playground things for the kids along the way, if the kids and their parents can make it, which in our case we only got a bit past the first playground.  But what an extremely picturesque place!  Then we went down to tiny little Gimmelwald where they have cheese shacks, cows and goats and other animals roaming along the steep grassy mountainside, and quintessential Swiss style homes with flowers blooming out of every windowsill and balcony.  Then we actually ate in Lauterbrunnen which is at the bottom before the gondola, at a restaurant at Hotel Oberland.  We had some Swiss classics and enjoyed a gorgeous view from our patio location.  It was really a lovely day that I'm so glad we experienced!

So What have we been up to since our Epic U.S. trip?  Lots! 

What's in our forecast?

Well its only a month left til this little girl comes!  I'm excited.  I don't think I will ever consider myself ready, because I am so far from being the ideal mom that I wish I was, but I know I love this girl and am excited to meet her and add more joy to our family (as well as sleepless nights, exhaustion, worry, stress,etc.!)  I set up our room to be ready for her, put the pack and play crib up, and laundered all her clothes and made a place for her and her stuff.  It got me excited.  Every time I see that crib I imagine a sweet little baby girl in it and I can't wait!  (as a figure of speech of course, I'm fine with waiting!)  My friends are treating me to a restaurant shower next week. 

Cado starts school on August 25th!  French public school.  And I am hoping to get Paisley into a "creche" preschool thing a few times a week as well. 

We are hoping to use our 4 remaining Saturdays til baby to do fun things exploring and getting out and about.  So hopefully there will be more exciting day trip blogs and photos coming!

Just a teaser for you Grandmas who can't wait to get your hands on these beautiful kids!

And I'm so happy I finally got a battery charger for my external flash.  What a difference!