Haiku – Solitude IV

At home with my wife

Each on one side of the couch

The T.V. is on

If you’ve been reading the last three Solitude poems you will notice they were beach related.  I wrote those before I got married.

The Haiku above is a current version of my Solitude.  The beach is still my place to go, but since I got married.  I have discovered new ways to take my mind away, other than just running to the beach.

Poem – Solitude III

The palms trees blow with the island breeze,

life moves by at an easy pace.

I’m just a castaway on a small tiny island,

far removed from the rat and the race.

I prop myself against a palm tree,

and crack open a frosty cold beer.

I then let the island life take over,

as I’m lead into a world without fear.

Poem – The Gout

I’ve been under a massive gout attack the last few days that is finally starting to subside so I thought what better way to get some frustration out than to write a poem about it.  Anybody out there suffer with this?  It stinks, right?  Throw some stories my way if you feel like venting about it.  We can share this pain together.

Gout - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Gout, a 1799 caricature by James Gillray

Lurking in the body,

deep in the shadows of uric acid.

Hides a creature,

that isn’t so passive.

One day you are fine,

the next day you’re not.

This creature has attacked,

right on the spot.

You can fight it,

try to show it the door.

You will not win,

because this animal knows how to roar.

The best you can do,

is find a place to lay low.

Because if you can endure,

it will go away, ever so slow.

But even when its gone,

it is always there.

Hiding and lurking in the shadows,

soulless and evil, a creature without a care.

Gout (also known as podagra when it involves the big toe)[1] is a medical condition usually characterized by recurrent attacks of acute inflammatory arthritis—a red, tender, hot, swollen joint. The metatarsal-phalangeal joint at the base of the big toe is the most commonly affected (approximately 50% of cases). However, it may also present as tophi, kidney stones, or urate nephropathy. It is caused by elevated levels of uric acid in the blood which crystallizes and the crystals are deposited in joints, tendons, and surrounding tissues.

via Gout – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Week 23

 
This has been the baby’s most active week.  Not only has mom to be been feeling a lot of movement, but I’ve been able to get in on the fun as well.  I have felt him a couple of times myself as he seems to be doing some kind of aerobics inside of her belly.  She’s even been able to see her stomach jump from time to time with his movement.  Pretty neat stuff.
 
We found that not only do peanut related things and pizza cause him to move, but tonight (Thursday – 5/24/2012) we found that pancakes do the trick as well.  It seems like carbs and sugar are the best thing to get him “Sweating to the amniotic fluid”.  In case you are too young to remember it,  Richard Simmons had a show back in the day called “Sweating to the Oldies” so it was a play on that.
 
All in all things are moving along quite well.  Mom to be is having some minor back pain, but a lot of the other symptoms including the headaches have subsided.  The back pain is to be expected so we just have to get her through it.

Your Baby (substitute the she for he in this article)

Your baby’s got a while to go before her lungs will be ready for air and is practicing her “breathing” on the amniotic fluid—sucking it in and out of her lungs. Other highlights this week:

Fat production is in overdrive at this point (for the baby, not you! Well, OK, maybe for the baby and you). Your baby will basically double in weight over the next four weeks! You’ll be happy to know the same won’t apply to you.

Your Mini is starting to look more like a newborn as her skin becomes less see-through. Her body is looking more proportional now, although her head is still kinda big compared to her cute little body.

Your baby is about 11½ inches long and weighs 1 pound, or about the length and weight of a Harry Potter book.

via 23 Weeks Pregnant – 3D Pregnancy Calendar

. . . and so the nursery begins part two

We got the glider together which was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

The crib on the other hand.  Here goes.

Do you see how the crib isn’t all together?  That white piece leaning against the side of it had a flaw in it.  It came down (I kid you not) to one last screw that didn’t want to connect because the hole was drilled wrong.  That rail was all in place and ready to go – crib finished.  When it happened.  I couldn’t believe it.  This close to the end and a problem came up.  My father in law tried to help me get it together and he and I worked on it for a long time before we realized what was wrong.  So frustrating.

I thought it might be an issue to get a replacement, but it wasn’t.  One simple email and now a new piece is on its way.  Once it gets here that will complete it.  It will be nice to get it done.

Now we need to lay the new rug down, get some new blinds, and the nursery will be complete.

So far so good.

What to Expect When You’re Expecting

* * 1/2 STARS

My review to this one is dropping in my http://atothewr.com/ site today.  Swing on over if you want to check it out.

If you want a brief review on it.  I would say this one is stuck between good and bad.  It’s not the train wreck people are making it out be, but it isn’t great either.  For expecting parents it can be a decent watch and maybe expectant grand parents as well, but I’m not sure about the average movie goer.

Week 22

On Wednesday the 16th, mom to be had another doctor’s visit and it went all according plan.  The baby’s heart beat was great and mom to be got a clean check up.

We found out at the office that the baby is now standing up and what mom to be is feeling is him kicking as he stands there.   He’s been very active this week and he should continue to do so as the days move forward.

Found out the joys of Belly Butter this week.  A necessary tool for the ever stretching stomach.

All in all things are going fine.  The headaches are gone and a lot of those first trimester symptoms are behind mom to be.  Here’s to growing and showing the rest of the way.

Your Baby (replace the she with he when you read this)

Your Mini’s hands have grown bigger and stronger and the nerve endings in her fingers have developed her sense of touch. She’s in there testing out her newfound abilities by touching her face and grabbing the umbilical cord. Other cool developments:

You’re already raising a little Einstein. Your baby’s brain is developing at a clip this week and will continue to do so until she’s five years old (so load up on the Omega 3)!

Baby’s hair is now a short, bright white crop (Billy Idol, eat your heart out!). No matter what color it will end up—red, blonde, black—all babies’ hair lacks pigment at this point.

Your baby has started growing taste buds and may be able to detect strong flavors in the amniotic fluid. If you could see inside, you might catch her sticking out her tongue for a taste and then grimacing, a sign that perhaps you should chill on the chili powder.

Your baby now weighs almost a pound and measures almost 11 inches from her head to her heel, which is how the Stretch Armstrong in your uterus will be measured from here on out. Up ’til now your baby’s legs were curled tight up against her torso, so she was measured from her head to her bottom (or crown to rump) and not head to toe. This week your mini is about as long as a package of Oreos and as heavy as a large bag of tortilla chips. Who’s hungry?

via 22 Weeks Pregnant – 3D Pregnancy Calendar.

 

Poem – What is Time?

Time is fleeing,

floating so quickly away,

it would be nice to freeze one day,

one day for a stay.

+++

Why do we try to keep it?

Like an animal in a cage,

for time needs to run free,

time needs to be.

+++

I wish I could be a thief,

and get back the moments of wasted time.

For if I could.

Would that be such a crime?

+++

Who wouldn’t want?

Just  a few extra hours,

to get back at that monster,

that monster that towers.

+++

Yes time can flee,

so easily,

it can pass,

in the blink,

of an eye,

but we live for it,

we harness it,

we make it our own.

For to be without it,

that is something few,

few, have ever known.

. . . and so the nursery begins part one

Well I started on it, but it isn’t nowhere close to finished.

Earlier today I retreated down to the lower parts of the house because our air conditioner was broken.  It was too hot upstairs, the job search was done, the blogs were updated, too hot to work on my latest novel.  I thought, why not go downstairs and try to work on the crib and changing table.

Here’s the reason why that last part of the statement is so odd.  If you know me.  I’m no handy man.  I’m a buyer not a builder.

However, I just felt like today I wanted to work on the three boxes we’ve had sitting in the nursery for a few weeks now.

I opened the box (the crib and changing table came in two – the glider in one) and thought if the instructions were too much I would stop there.  I honestly looked at it and thought, this doesn’t look too bad.  I dove into it and what I found surprised me.  I actually enjoyed doing this and what I thought would be a stress inducing nightmare, wasn’t.  It actually took my mind off of the broken air conditioner and the other things floating around inside my brain.

I still have some work to do on it as you see, but the bulk of it is done.  The rest of it looks a little more challenging and the glider is going to have its own share of difficulties, but it will get done.

By the way – the air conditioner is now fixed and we are enjoying some sweet cool air.  Refreshing – ahhhhhhhhh!

Poem – The Runner

I just closed down my running blog because I’m trying to consolidate some things.  Four blogs was too much so I got it down to three.  Here’s a poem some of you might have seen in that running blog.  If you haven’t I hope you enjoy reading it.

Stretch.

Slide on your shoes.

Step out the door.

Start out slow.

Feel the burn.

Your legs are tight.

Push on.

The miles start to click.

Faster your heart.

Beating, racing, panting.

The miles clicking away.

No pain, no gain.

Feeling the heat.

The burn.

Feeling great.

The miles are done.

Week 21

Happy Mother’s Day to all mother’s reading this post.  Here’s a little poem I wrote to help celebrate the day.

+++

How to describe a mom?

Well,

it may be too hard to do,

without leaving out,

too many things,

that are true.

For a mom is a blessing,

a true gift from God,

her patience and virtue,

is something,

you could never prod?

+++

We are up to Week 21 on this side of the screen.  That is just over half way.  I can’t believe it.

There hasn’t been a lot to comment on this week when it comes to mom to be and baby.   The biggest thing has to be the movement.  Mom to be is starting feel the baby moving around a lot more inside.  It seems like humus of all things is a big catalyst to get him moving.  We found out pizza does it as well.  That’s my boy.  Not even out of the womb and he already loves pizza.

All in all things are getting back to a sense of normal around here.  I think now it is time for growing and showing with the occasional doctor’s check up to make sure everything is okay.

Your Baby

Chances are good you’re feeling someone performing a round-off back handspring in your uterus by now. Is there any other feeling this cool? Other highlights this week:

By now your baby looks like a mini-version of what she’ll look like when she’s born. All her facial features are formed and hair is growing on her head. She’s even acting like a baby and will occasionally suck her thumb or yawn. Aww …

Baby’s heartbeat is getting stronger and can be heard using a good old-fashioned stethoscope. Ask for a listen at your next prenatal visit! By 21 weeks, fetal bone marrow starts making blood cells—previously done by the liver and spleen. This may not sound that exciting, but it’s good news.

The amniotic fluid that has been cushioning your little bean now serves another purpose: Your baby uses it to “practice” chowing down. Yes, it sounds gross (as many aspects of pregnancy do), but it’s an important step for your baby toward being able to chow down in the real world. Your baby has been swallowing amniotic fluid for a while now, but now the intestines are finally developed enough that she’s absorbing small amounts of sugars from it. And let’s face it, being able to effectively digest sugar is important at every stage of life.

Your baby now weighs between 10 and 11 ounces and is approximately 7 inches long—the size of a delicious, cold, frothy bottle of root beer. Float anyone?

via 21 Weeks Pregnant – 3D Pregnancy Calendar