Here I am sitting in a train on the way back home and writing this post on my new iPhone. How cool is that? Ok, well lots of people have been doing this for years but I was never able to afford a laptop or other such things. So I guess I've finally entered full geekdom at the ripe age of 40! But now on to business:
Some of you may know that I was concerned about going to Italy for Christmas this year with Dante so little.
The midwife was all doom and gloom about everything that could go wrong. So there was that to worry about. Clearly he's too young to fly, so we had always intended to take the train. A long trip: 11 hours. But just in case we had bought tickets early knowing we could get a refund if we ended up staying home. I was having nightmares about all the stuff to drag along and how provisional the set-up would be.
But we couldn't have been more wrong. I had seen that he was doing better And better with activities and since I'd figured out how to get him to sleep easily at home I decided we should risk it.
Aside from some anxiety that we would miss our connection in Munich due to delays or that it'd be super stressful with kit and caboodle, the trip was amazingly easy and restful. Dante was peaceful and our seats were great. We'd reserved the infants compartment, which is specially designed to accomodate a carriage. We had it to ourselves. From Munich however it was just a regular compartment, but again it was just us. We made the connection no stress at all!
We stayed with Magnus' parents as usual, but thankfully they'd moved the huge wardrobe into another room so M's tiny room had a bit more space for the 3 of us. His mother had fixed up the crib that had been in the family since M's grandmother slept in it and it is beautiful. Here's a picture:
They had also moved one of the sofas into the spare room so i'd have a comfy place to feed Dante.
Since we arrived a few days before Christmas Dante had a few days to get acclimated before the hordes arrived. He did great! I was so relieved. The only trouble we had was that he had real difficulties burping, and he'd cry and cry if he was still hungry, which makes it impossible for him. Our solution was for Papi to do the burping. Oh, also, he went through the third developmental/growth spurt and so he had a couple of days fraught with crying fits. But it wasn't unbearable.
Because everything was so new and exciting he was awake a lot. But that also meant that he slept well at night. Phew!
People were very respectful and I didn't have to pass him around. He was generally very tranquil and happy. He laughed a lot. He also discovered his hand and his eyes can now track things without moving his head. :-)
In 6 hours now we'll be home, so i'd say a very successful venture! Yay!
Oh and Happy New Year to one and all!
Friday, January 01, 2010
Christmas and New Years eve 2009 in Italy
Here I am sitting in a train on the way back home and writing this post on my new iPhone. How cool is that? Ok, well lots of people have been doing this for years but I was never able to afford a laptop or other such things. So I guess I've finally entered full geekdom at the ripe age of 40! But now on to business:
Some of you may know that I was concerned about going to Italy for Christmas this year with Dante so little.
The midwife was all doom and gloom about everything that could go wrong. So there was that to worry about. Clearly he's too young to fly, so we had always intended to take the train. A long trip: 11 hours. But just in case we had bought tickets early knowing we could get a refund if we ended up staying home. I was having nightmares about all the stuff to drag along and how provisional the set-up would be.
But we couldn't have been more wrong. I had seen that he was doing better And better with activities and since I'd figured out how to get him to sleep easily at home I decided we should risk it.
Aside from some anxiety that we would miss our connection in Munich due to delays or that it'd be super stressful with kit and caboodle, the trip was amazingly easy and restful. Dante was peaceful and our seats were great. We'd reserved the infants compartment, which is specially designed to accomodate a carriage. We had it to ourselves. From Munich however it was just a regular compartment, but again it was just us. We made the connection no stress at all!
We stayed with Magnus' parents as usual, but thankfully they'd moved the huge wardrobe into another room so M's tiny room had a bit more space for the 3 of us. His mother had fixed up the crib that had been in the family since M's grandmother slept in it and it is beautiful. Here's a picture:
They had also moved one of the sofas into the spare room so i'd have a comfy place to feed Dante.
Since we arrived a few days before Christmas Dante had a few days to get acclimated before the hordes arrived. He did great! I was so relieved. The only trouble we had was that he had real difficulties burping, and he'd cry and cry if he was still hungry, which makes it impossible for him. Our solution was for Papi to do the burping. Oh, also, he went through the third developmental/growth spurt and so he had a couple of days fraught with crying fits. But it wasn't unbearable.
Because everything was so new and exciting he was awake a lot. But that also meant that he slept well at night. Phew!
People were very respectful and I didn't have to pass him around. He was generally very tranquil and happy. He laughed a lot. He also discovered his hand and his eyes can now track things without moving his head. :-)
In 6 hours now we'll be home, so i'd say a very successful venture! Yay!
Oh and Happy New Year to one and all!
Some of you may know that I was concerned about going to Italy for Christmas this year with Dante so little.
The midwife was all doom and gloom about everything that could go wrong. So there was that to worry about. Clearly he's too young to fly, so we had always intended to take the train. A long trip: 11 hours. But just in case we had bought tickets early knowing we could get a refund if we ended up staying home. I was having nightmares about all the stuff to drag along and how provisional the set-up would be.
But we couldn't have been more wrong. I had seen that he was doing better And better with activities and since I'd figured out how to get him to sleep easily at home I decided we should risk it.
Aside from some anxiety that we would miss our connection in Munich due to delays or that it'd be super stressful with kit and caboodle, the trip was amazingly easy and restful. Dante was peaceful and our seats were great. We'd reserved the infants compartment, which is specially designed to accomodate a carriage. We had it to ourselves. From Munich however it was just a regular compartment, but again it was just us. We made the connection no stress at all!
We stayed with Magnus' parents as usual, but thankfully they'd moved the huge wardrobe into another room so M's tiny room had a bit more space for the 3 of us. His mother had fixed up the crib that had been in the family since M's grandmother slept in it and it is beautiful. Here's a picture:
They had also moved one of the sofas into the spare room so i'd have a comfy place to feed Dante.
Since we arrived a few days before Christmas Dante had a few days to get acclimated before the hordes arrived. He did great! I was so relieved. The only trouble we had was that he had real difficulties burping, and he'd cry and cry if he was still hungry, which makes it impossible for him. Our solution was for Papi to do the burping. Oh, also, he went through the third developmental/growth spurt and so he had a couple of days fraught with crying fits. But it wasn't unbearable.
Because everything was so new and exciting he was awake a lot. But that also meant that he slept well at night. Phew!
People were very respectful and I didn't have to pass him around. He was generally very tranquil and happy. He laughed a lot. He also discovered his hand and his eyes can now track things without moving his head. :-)
In 6 hours now we'll be home, so i'd say a very successful venture! Yay!
Oh and Happy New Year to one and all!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Lord Dickens' Declaration - benefit for Spider and Jeanne Robinson
Hi everyone! Trying to get this done from Italy has proven rather difficult, so I'm just going to cut and past the information gleaned from my buddy Matthew Sanborn Smith's blog. It's about the wonderful writer, podcaster and narrator Spider Robinson and his wife Jeanne. She is sick, and they have little money to pursue all the available options for treatment. Please continue reading:
"I need your help.
"Quickly: Science Fiction author Spider Robinson's wife Jeanne is fighting cancer and they're both fighting to pay the bills. 100% of any money used to purchase Larry Santoro's excellent e-book, "Lord Dickens's Declaration," will go directly to the Robinsons. Here's the link: http://www.starshipsofa.com/shop/lord-dickenss-declaration/
"Dec 31st is the last day that people can buy Larry's story. I'd like to end the fundraiser with a bang. Let's get the word out all over the web to let people know on December 30th, there's only one day left to help. Why December 30th? Because if there's only one day left people won't put it off and say, "I'll do it later. I still have time." Make sure you link to the purchase page!
"If you've got a blog, please use it. Tell your friends that are into speculative fiction ahead of time and ask them to blog as well. And let's ask the big boys to mention it, like BoingBoing, Gaiman, Scalzi, VanderMeer and whomever else you can think of. One last big push to help some good people in a bad situation.
"Please tell me what you've done here, even if it's just sending some e-mails or tweets. Or post a link here to your blogpost. And if you happen to get a confirmation from someone like Cory Doctorow, then the rest of us won't all be bothering him for the same thing.
"A few minutes of your time is all I ask and it could make a huge difference for the Robinsons. Thanks!"
A clickable link: Lord Dickens's Declaration
"I need your help.
"Quickly: Science Fiction author Spider Robinson's wife Jeanne is fighting cancer and they're both fighting to pay the bills. 100% of any money used to purchase Larry Santoro's excellent e-book, "Lord Dickens's Declaration," will go directly to the Robinsons. Here's the link: http://www.starshipsofa.com/shop/lord-dickenss-declaration/
"Dec 31st is the last day that people can buy Larry's story. I'd like to end the fundraiser with a bang. Let's get the word out all over the web to let people know on December 30th, there's only one day left to help. Why December 30th? Because if there's only one day left people won't put it off and say, "I'll do it later. I still have time." Make sure you link to the purchase page!
"If you've got a blog, please use it. Tell your friends that are into speculative fiction ahead of time and ask them to blog as well. And let's ask the big boys to mention it, like BoingBoing, Gaiman, Scalzi, VanderMeer and whomever else you can think of. One last big push to help some good people in a bad situation.
"Please tell me what you've done here, even if it's just sending some e-mails or tweets. Or post a link here to your blogpost. And if you happen to get a confirmation from someone like Cory Doctorow, then the rest of us won't all be bothering him for the same thing.
"A few minutes of your time is all I ask and it could make a huge difference for the Robinsons. Thanks!"
A clickable link: Lord Dickens's Declaration
Monday, December 07, 2009
Going back to work
Hi my friends!
Dante is now a full 2 months old! My, how time flies. It seems like the last 2 months of pregnancy (and pregnancy itself) were interminable and now, when I'd like to savor each moment, it just flies by in an exhausted blur!
Anyway, on the recommendation of my midwife, Sabine, and a bit of impatient pushing from one of my pupils (the one I trade lessons for massages with), I started teaching again a couple of weeks ago now! Sabine thought that I needed something besides Dante in my life, to do something for me. Her daughter, Charlotte, comes over on Monday afternoons and I teach for an hour, get a massage and then teach another pupil for an hour. It's pretty awesome. Charlotte is great with the Li'l Poet and I get some quality me time and professional, adult time.
I had originally thought I would start teaching all my pupils in December, but I've decided I just can't. I don't want to be away from Dante that much! :-) Besides, December is a crazy month anyway and short with Christmas, so I've decided I'll start again in January. I hope it works out. I have 8 people and a massage I need to fit in. Hopefully I'll manage on 2 days: Mondays and Fridays, when Charlotte can come. Magnus may be able to take over on Fridays, when he can get away from the office.
So, that's my update. Here the most adorable picture of the Li'l Poet:
Dante is now a full 2 months old! My, how time flies. It seems like the last 2 months of pregnancy (and pregnancy itself) were interminable and now, when I'd like to savor each moment, it just flies by in an exhausted blur!
Anyway, on the recommendation of my midwife, Sabine, and a bit of impatient pushing from one of my pupils (the one I trade lessons for massages with), I started teaching again a couple of weeks ago now! Sabine thought that I needed something besides Dante in my life, to do something for me. Her daughter, Charlotte, comes over on Monday afternoons and I teach for an hour, get a massage and then teach another pupil for an hour. It's pretty awesome. Charlotte is great with the Li'l Poet and I get some quality me time and professional, adult time.
I had originally thought I would start teaching all my pupils in December, but I've decided I just can't. I don't want to be away from Dante that much! :-) Besides, December is a crazy month anyway and short with Christmas, so I've decided I'll start again in January. I hope it works out. I have 8 people and a massage I need to fit in. Hopefully I'll manage on 2 days: Mondays and Fridays, when Charlotte can come. Magnus may be able to take over on Fridays, when he can get away from the office.
So, that's my update. Here the most adorable picture of the Li'l Poet:
Friday, November 20, 2009
Introducing (finally) The Li'l Poet
Yes, I'm finally raising my head from the depths of new motherhood to introduce my baby to the world!
His name is Dante, after the Italian poet. He was born on Oct. 3, 2009 at 2:06am. He weighed in at 4115g or 9 lbs and 55cm or 21.7 inches at birth. A big boy! In the meantime he weighs about 10 1/2 lbs (5330g).
We had a bit of a rocky start, but only mildly so. Dante got a little faint of heart after 12 hours of first phase labor (and all ready to start pushing!) and required an emergency C-section to enter the world safely. Not what I had hoped, but I'm very glad that he's otherwise healthy.
He developed a bit of jaundice too, which made him a very sleepy boy (I called him my little rag-doll for a couple of weeks), and a lazy eater. We had to feed him formula and I had to work to increase my milk supply, but after 2 weeks we went cold turkey and are breast-feeding exclusively, yea!!! He's been doing very well ever since. He cries quite a bit, because he's easily overwhelmed and overtired and doesn't want to sleep, but hopefully he'll work that out soon. The trade-off is that he's always been a good sleeper at night, usually just rousing to nurse once in the middle and managing two 4/5 hour sleeps.
Here are some pictures from the hospital and home:
His name is Dante, after the Italian poet. He was born on Oct. 3, 2009 at 2:06am. He weighed in at 4115g or 9 lbs and 55cm or 21.7 inches at birth. A big boy! In the meantime he weighs about 10 1/2 lbs (5330g).
We had a bit of a rocky start, but only mildly so. Dante got a little faint of heart after 12 hours of first phase labor (and all ready to start pushing!) and required an emergency C-section to enter the world safely. Not what I had hoped, but I'm very glad that he's otherwise healthy.
He developed a bit of jaundice too, which made him a very sleepy boy (I called him my little rag-doll for a couple of weeks), and a lazy eater. We had to feed him formula and I had to work to increase my milk supply, but after 2 weeks we went cold turkey and are breast-feeding exclusively, yea!!! He's been doing very well ever since. He cries quite a bit, because he's easily overwhelmed and overtired and doesn't want to sleep, but hopefully he'll work that out soon. The trade-off is that he's always been a good sleeper at night, usually just rousing to nurse once in the middle and managing two 4/5 hour sleeps.
Here are some pictures from the hospital and home:
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Quick Updates
I'm finding sitting at the computer very uncomfortable these days. It's so easy to get sucked in though! :-)
Today one of my Science Fiction poetry readings has aired on StarShipSofa. It's "Clone Assassin" by Lyn C. A. Gardner.
StarShipSofa Stories Vol. 1 will be released in Hardcover! You can acquire your very own copy in the following formats: paperback, deluxe trade paperback, Hardcover, Kindle, and FREE ebook. Just follow the link.
Tomorrow, 1 October, is Support Our 'Zines Day an event masterminded by Damien Walter, a SF writer for the Guardian Blog! If you are a reader of or listener to Science Fiction and Fantasy literature, show your support of the industry by subscribing to a genre magazine (in print or digital) and/or donate to any number of podcasts, websites or authors dedicated SFF.
Still no little Dante, except in my womb... Small signs that his birth is getting nearer though. Any day now, sweetie!
----------------------
Today one of my Science Fiction poetry readings has aired on StarShipSofa. It's "Clone Assassin" by Lyn C. A. Gardner.
StarShipSofa Stories Vol. 1 will be released in Hardcover! You can acquire your very own copy in the following formats: paperback, deluxe trade paperback, Hardcover, Kindle, and FREE ebook. Just follow the link.Tomorrow, 1 October, is Support Our 'Zines Day an event masterminded by Damien Walter, a SF writer for the Guardian Blog! If you are a reader of or listener to Science Fiction and Fantasy literature, show your support of the industry by subscribing to a genre magazine (in print or digital) and/or donate to any number of podcasts, websites or authors dedicated SFF.
Still no little Dante, except in my womb... Small signs that his birth is getting nearer though. Any day now, sweetie!
----------------------
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Home Stretch
Long time no see! Yes, I apologize for going radio silent just as I've entered the Home Stretch of pregnancy. No, Dante hasn't been born yet. He's much too comfortable in there! My Mac Mini decided it had had enough (force feeding, I guess) and refused to start up. I took it to the Apple Hospital and they got it to work again. Unfortunately, there are random bits of software which are missing, so random programs don't work properly. I'm clueless about these things, so I think it'll probably be about 18 years before I stop getting random error messages. My friend, Meredith, formerly of the CtK choir in Frankfurt suggested a Big Mac might help. Maybe it's worth a try? ANYWAY...
I have a couple of things to report on:
The Final Wedding Performance
My friends Isabel and Jens asked me to sing for their wedding on 5 September. They chose Laudate Dominum from Mozart's Vespers. We had agreed that if I really wasn't up to it, I could cancel. I felt fine, and my voice was fine, but breath management was weird. I was concerned, because I needed more oxygen than I needed air to sing this piece and my body would get all stressed out by the end of it. Luckily the church was big and the balance with the organ was such that I could sing louder. Strangely, that seemed to help. I "wasted" the air I needed for oxygen's sake and the whole process was more efficient. There wasn't quite the dynamic variation that Mozart suggests, but you know what? I sang well, the bridal couple and several guests were moved, and that's what counts, no?
StarShipSofa Stories Volume 1
The first official Anthology of StarShipSofa's Aural Delights Audio Magazine is available for purchase at Lulu, a print on demand publishing house. You can also download a free ebook version of this fantastic collection of stories. Have a look at the book, which is styled after those wonderfully campy 50's pulp Science Fiction paperbacks, complete with advertisements from 50's magazines interspersed between the stories and original artwork for select stories. Click here. From there you can decide whether you'd like to purchase the book from Lulu or download. In any case, you can also donate to the StarShipSofa. As I've mentioned before, I've narrated countless stories and poetry for the SSS and Tony Smith has become a friend. Three of the stories I narrated for the podcast are appearing in the Anthology. If you listened and liked those stories or narrations you might like to have them in print and you can help out by purchasing the book. All proceeds will go toward production costs of the podcast.
Pregnancy
Officially the due date is 13 October. My doctor has gone back and forth a couple of times whether it should be the 6th or the 13th. She's now convinced it should be earlier than the 13th anyway. She declared that from 22 September she'd no longer consider it a premature birth and Dante is welcome to make his appearance. Being pregnant is definitely getting tedious and I'm so curious to meet my little boy. I've been remarkably free of problems worse than elephant feet and cankles due to water retention. I've started with acupuncture to ease the birth and next week the doc will set some needles to help with the swollen legs and feet. I wouldn't have thought, but these needles are much more uncomfortable than the ones they stick in your face for hayfever! I'm trying to rest a lot, and not over-do it. Not sleeping too well these days. Tomorrow we'll have another consultation and ultrasound at the hospital and perhaps set a last date when they'll induce if he's gotten too comfortable in there. Magnus and I will have birthing class on Saturday. Next week some friends have organized a baby shower for me. I think we are pretty much organized and anything we don't have yet won't be tragic.
That's it for now. I'm planning on reviewing a wonderful Dance production I went to recently, but I'll do that in a separate post.
-----------------------
I have a couple of things to report on:
The Final Wedding Performance
My friends Isabel and Jens asked me to sing for their wedding on 5 September. They chose Laudate Dominum from Mozart's Vespers. We had agreed that if I really wasn't up to it, I could cancel. I felt fine, and my voice was fine, but breath management was weird. I was concerned, because I needed more oxygen than I needed air to sing this piece and my body would get all stressed out by the end of it. Luckily the church was big and the balance with the organ was such that I could sing louder. Strangely, that seemed to help. I "wasted" the air I needed for oxygen's sake and the whole process was more efficient. There wasn't quite the dynamic variation that Mozart suggests, but you know what? I sang well, the bridal couple and several guests were moved, and that's what counts, no?
StarShipSofa Stories Volume 1
The first official Anthology of StarShipSofa's Aural Delights Audio Magazine is available for purchase at Lulu, a print on demand publishing house. You can also download a free ebook version of this fantastic collection of stories. Have a look at the book, which is styled after those wonderfully campy 50's pulp Science Fiction paperbacks, complete with advertisements from 50's magazines interspersed between the stories and original artwork for select stories. Click here. From there you can decide whether you'd like to purchase the book from Lulu or download. In any case, you can also donate to the StarShipSofa. As I've mentioned before, I've narrated countless stories and poetry for the SSS and Tony Smith has become a friend. Three of the stories I narrated for the podcast are appearing in the Anthology. If you listened and liked those stories or narrations you might like to have them in print and you can help out by purchasing the book. All proceeds will go toward production costs of the podcast.
Pregnancy
Officially the due date is 13 October. My doctor has gone back and forth a couple of times whether it should be the 6th or the 13th. She's now convinced it should be earlier than the 13th anyway. She declared that from 22 September she'd no longer consider it a premature birth and Dante is welcome to make his appearance. Being pregnant is definitely getting tedious and I'm so curious to meet my little boy. I've been remarkably free of problems worse than elephant feet and cankles due to water retention. I've started with acupuncture to ease the birth and next week the doc will set some needles to help with the swollen legs and feet. I wouldn't have thought, but these needles are much more uncomfortable than the ones they stick in your face for hayfever! I'm trying to rest a lot, and not over-do it. Not sleeping too well these days. Tomorrow we'll have another consultation and ultrasound at the hospital and perhaps set a last date when they'll induce if he's gotten too comfortable in there. Magnus and I will have birthing class on Saturday. Next week some friends have organized a baby shower for me. I think we are pretty much organized and anything we don't have yet won't be tragic.
That's it for now. I'm planning on reviewing a wonderful Dance production I went to recently, but I'll do that in a separate post.
-----------------------
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