Sunday, May 30, 2004
Picking up the pace
Things seem to be going by quickly. My last day at work has been
decided as June 18th. The last few weeks have brought too many changes
to the department to keep up with at this point, so I will gladly exit
stage left. I still have to have official meeting with all of my
managers (any one seen Office Space?)
I had a few posts that didn't quite make it up because Blogger
upgraded and I kept hitting the wrong button. To recap, we had a
doctor's visit and finished our Birthing From Within Class.
Everything was peachy at the doctor's office. I gained 2 more pounds
for a totoaql of 11. Although it does *feel *like quite alot more. The
doctor say's I may be lighter after the pregnancy is over because I've
changed some bad habits. She's amazing. We talked about the delivery and
she's willing to catch the baby in what ever position I'm comfortable in.
We talked about birthing and positions in our last class. We even
practiced pushing and identifying which muscle groups you may use. It
was a great class and I wish we could continue to go up until the birth.
The teacher was very supportive. And with only three couples it gave us
a very personalized expirience. All of us are due in July so we've
scheduled a reunion in August so we can share our stories.
Thanks to every one who has been reading the blog and keeping up.
Somethimes it's hard to keep in touch, but I've heard again and again
how much this has been helpful. We love to read your comments.
Allison
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decided as June 18th. The last few weeks have brought too many changes
to the department to keep up with at this point, so I will gladly exit
stage left. I still have to have official meeting with all of my
managers (any one seen Office Space?)
I had a few posts that didn't quite make it up because Blogger
upgraded and I kept hitting the wrong button. To recap, we had a
doctor's visit and finished our Birthing From Within Class.
Everything was peachy at the doctor's office. I gained 2 more pounds
for a totoaql of 11. Although it does *feel *like quite alot more. The
doctor say's I may be lighter after the pregnancy is over because I've
changed some bad habits. She's amazing. We talked about the delivery and
she's willing to catch the baby in what ever position I'm comfortable in.
We talked about birthing and positions in our last class. We even
practiced pushing and identifying which muscle groups you may use. It
was a great class and I wish we could continue to go up until the birth.
The teacher was very supportive. And with only three couples it gave us
a very personalized expirience. All of us are due in July so we've
scheduled a reunion in August so we can share our stories.
Thanks to every one who has been reading the blog and keeping up.
Somethimes it's hard to keep in touch, but I've heard again and again
how much this has been helpful. We love to read your comments.
Allison
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Sunday, May 23, 2004
32 Weeks
Today begins our 32nd week and eight month. Still 8 weeks to go (or so). We'll see if she decides to joins us early, late or right on time. Any one for a guess?
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Today begins our 32nd week and eight month. Still 8 weeks to go (or so). We'll see if she decides to joins us early, late or right on time. Any one for a guess?
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Friday, May 21, 2004
Ethan gains fame
This is cool. They interviewed Ethan for the Denver Post. Check out the bottom four paragraphs.
If the link doesn't work, here's the article:
Thanks to DVDs, the cartoon genre is enjoying its third Golden Age
By Michael Booth
Denver Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 21, 2004
As "Shrek 2" stomps its way through the multiplex this week, the state of animation is far from suspended.
Highly anticipated openings like "Shrek 2" and this fall's "Shark Tale" make cartoon ogres and fish as big in the industry as Tom Hanks or Nicole Kidman. A raft of new animated shows is floating toward the TV dial. DreamWorks may sell public shares in its animation division because it's the most alluring asset in a studio ecompassing live humans as big as Spielberg.
And while computer-generated visual treats like "Shrek" and "Nemo" now dominate major studio efforts in cartoons, there's no reason to mourn hand-drawn classics like "Fantasia."
The explosion in the DVD-buying market will guarantee a steady stream of new studio cartoons, even if they are straight-to-video efforts like Disney's upcoming "Three Musketeers." The whole genre is enjoying a creative renaissance even as it relies more heavily on supercomputer hard drives. After all, great ideas - not microchips - turned "Shrek," "Nemo" and "Ice Age" into hits.
If "Shrek" had been hand-drawn, "it probably would have done almost as well," argues Scott Hettrick, editor of DVD Exclusive, a Variety magazine spinoff. "Everything you see on TV is two-dimensional (hand-drawn), and it does very well. That goes back to the early days of television. 'Bullwinkle' was hugely popular but was the most rudimentary animation ever. 'South Park' is basically paper cut-outs."
"You still have to have a really good story, and you still have to have really good animators," said Evert Brown, animation instructor at the Art Institute of Colorado and a former designer for the Peanuts movies and TV specials. "You still have to be an artist. You can't just be a lover of computers."
Disney was the studio most recently perceived to be reeling from cartoon chaos, with its $100 million-plus "Home on the Range" taking in only $47 million at theater box offices as it fades to black. Disney's other recent hand-drawn cartoon, last fall's "Brother Bear," made a respectable $85 million, though far less than the blockbuster days of "Lion King."
But don't wait for Mickey and Donald to ask for a box of tissues, says Hettrick.
Americans' huge appetite for movies on DVD has forever changed Hollywood forecasting and accounting, especially for animation. The initially dubious "Brother Bear" earned $146 million in home video sales and rentals, on top of its box office. "Finding Nemo," created by Pixar and distributed by Disney, earned an enormous $490 million in home video after shattering all animation records with $340 million in theaters.
As Hettrick noted in a recent column, consumers will spend more on home video - mostly DVD - by the end of May than they will spend all year at movie theaters.
Thus Disney's renewed commitment to putting cartoon characters straight onto the newly profitable DVD, skipping the risks of the box office. "Lion King 1 1/2" has sold $150 million in DVDs, topping all theatrical movies this year except "The Passion of the Christ." The video-only sequel to "Lilo & Stitch" has made $90 million, Hettrick said.
His take on the math: A big-screen animation costs $100 million "to doit right," plus at least $40 million in marketing costs. If it did well and made $85 million, the studio would see only $50 million as its share.
But the DVD-only route needs only $10 to $15 million to produce a top-quality animation, and the studio keeps a much higher share of the sales. "Most of that $90 million from Stitch really is profit," Hettrick said.
In August, Disney will take its first feature-length story starring Mickey Mouse straight to DVD, with a "musketeers" theme in the planning for decades. It will then take Mickey into computer generation for the first time for Christmas, on a DVD of holiday-themed segments.
Traditional animation artists like Brown aren't spending much time lamenting the rapid import of supercomputers into studios.
With the burgeoning DVD market and strong TV demand for animation from American to Argentina to Asia, artists will keep working in two dimensions, Brown said. He noted the critical and box office success of "The Triplets of Belleville," which was mostly hand-drawn with some computer-generated backgrounds.
The box-office problems of what some saw as Disney's last hurrah in two dimensions, "Brother Bear" and "Home on the Range," had little to do with the production tools used, Brown added. "They didn't promote them well, and some people didn't like the stories."
Ethan Hurd, a DreamWorks animator on "Shrek 2," said computer-generated animators took over the theater market because they had the right sensibility at the time - Americans wanted comedies, after a serious run including "Lion King" and "Pocahontas."
"But as soon as a two-dimensional film with a really solid story and characters comes out, there will be a resurgence of 2-D animation," Hurd said. "I'm of the opinion (computer-generated) is not really a technological advancement, it's really just another style."
After DreamWorks rides "Shrek 2" this summer and "Shark Tale" in the fall, and 20th Century Fox releases "Garfield" in June, the next signposts for the future of animation will come from primetime television. Adult-oriented cartoons will show up this fall on Comedy Central, the SciFi Channel, NBC, Fox and elsewhere, as
programmers look for laughs to help stop a major erosion in sit-com popularity.
All the demand makes animators think they're in a "Third Golden Age," said Hurd, following the original golden age of Disney movies in the 1930s and '40s, and a second wave of creativity starting with "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" in 1988.
"As long as we don't get too overloaded with too many animated films, his could go on for a long time," Hurd said. "Any job in the entertainment industry is a flash-in-the-pan kind of job. But we all seem to be doing pretty well."
Ethan is cool...: )
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This is cool. They interviewed Ethan for the Denver Post. Check out the bottom four paragraphs.
If the link doesn't work, here's the article:
Thanks to DVDs, the cartoon genre is enjoying its third Golden Age
By Michael Booth
Denver Post Staff Writer
Friday, May 21, 2004
As "Shrek 2" stomps its way through the multiplex this week, the state of animation is far from suspended.
Highly anticipated openings like "Shrek 2" and this fall's "Shark Tale" make cartoon ogres and fish as big in the industry as Tom Hanks or Nicole Kidman. A raft of new animated shows is floating toward the TV dial. DreamWorks may sell public shares in its animation division because it's the most alluring asset in a studio ecompassing live humans as big as Spielberg.
And while computer-generated visual treats like "Shrek" and "Nemo" now dominate major studio efforts in cartoons, there's no reason to mourn hand-drawn classics like "Fantasia."
The explosion in the DVD-buying market will guarantee a steady stream of new studio cartoons, even if they are straight-to-video efforts like Disney's upcoming "Three Musketeers." The whole genre is enjoying a creative renaissance even as it relies more heavily on supercomputer hard drives. After all, great ideas - not microchips - turned "Shrek," "Nemo" and "Ice Age" into hits.
If "Shrek" had been hand-drawn, "it probably would have done almost as well," argues Scott Hettrick, editor of DVD Exclusive, a Variety magazine spinoff. "Everything you see on TV is two-dimensional (hand-drawn), and it does very well. That goes back to the early days of television. 'Bullwinkle' was hugely popular but was the most rudimentary animation ever. 'South Park' is basically paper cut-outs."
"You still have to have a really good story, and you still have to have really good animators," said Evert Brown, animation instructor at the Art Institute of Colorado and a former designer for the Peanuts movies and TV specials. "You still have to be an artist. You can't just be a lover of computers."
Disney was the studio most recently perceived to be reeling from cartoon chaos, with its $100 million-plus "Home on the Range" taking in only $47 million at theater box offices as it fades to black. Disney's other recent hand-drawn cartoon, last fall's "Brother Bear," made a respectable $85 million, though far less than the blockbuster days of "Lion King."
But don't wait for Mickey and Donald to ask for a box of tissues, says Hettrick.
Americans' huge appetite for movies on DVD has forever changed Hollywood forecasting and accounting, especially for animation. The initially dubious "Brother Bear" earned $146 million in home video sales and rentals, on top of its box office. "Finding Nemo," created by Pixar and distributed by Disney, earned an enormous $490 million in home video after shattering all animation records with $340 million in theaters.
As Hettrick noted in a recent column, consumers will spend more on home video - mostly DVD - by the end of May than they will spend all year at movie theaters.
Thus Disney's renewed commitment to putting cartoon characters straight onto the newly profitable DVD, skipping the risks of the box office. "Lion King 1 1/2" has sold $150 million in DVDs, topping all theatrical movies this year except "The Passion of the Christ." The video-only sequel to "Lilo & Stitch" has made $90 million, Hettrick said.
His take on the math: A big-screen animation costs $100 million "to doit right," plus at least $40 million in marketing costs. If it did well and made $85 million, the studio would see only $50 million as its share.
But the DVD-only route needs only $10 to $15 million to produce a top-quality animation, and the studio keeps a much higher share of the sales. "Most of that $90 million from Stitch really is profit," Hettrick said.
In August, Disney will take its first feature-length story starring Mickey Mouse straight to DVD, with a "musketeers" theme in the planning for decades. It will then take Mickey into computer generation for the first time for Christmas, on a DVD of holiday-themed segments.
Traditional animation artists like Brown aren't spending much time lamenting the rapid import of supercomputers into studios.
With the burgeoning DVD market and strong TV demand for animation from American to Argentina to Asia, artists will keep working in two dimensions, Brown said. He noted the critical and box office success of "The Triplets of Belleville," which was mostly hand-drawn with some computer-generated backgrounds.
The box-office problems of what some saw as Disney's last hurrah in two dimensions, "Brother Bear" and "Home on the Range," had little to do with the production tools used, Brown added. "They didn't promote them well, and some people didn't like the stories."
Ethan Hurd, a DreamWorks animator on "Shrek 2," said computer-generated animators took over the theater market because they had the right sensibility at the time - Americans wanted comedies, after a serious run including "Lion King" and "Pocahontas."
"But as soon as a two-dimensional film with a really solid story and characters comes out, there will be a resurgence of 2-D animation," Hurd said. "I'm of the opinion (computer-generated) is not really a technological advancement, it's really just another style."
After DreamWorks rides "Shrek 2" this summer and "Shark Tale" in the fall, and 20th Century Fox releases "Garfield" in June, the next signposts for the future of animation will come from primetime television. Adult-oriented cartoons will show up this fall on Comedy Central, the SciFi Channel, NBC, Fox and elsewhere, as
programmers look for laughs to help stop a major erosion in sit-com popularity.
All the demand makes animators think they're in a "Third Golden Age," said Hurd, following the original golden age of Disney movies in the 1930s and '40s, and a second wave of creativity starting with "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" in 1988.
"As long as we don't get too overloaded with too many animated films, his could go on for a long time," Hurd said. "Any job in the entertainment industry is a flash-in-the-pan kind of job. But we all seem to be doing pretty well."
Ethan is cool...: )
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Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Shrek Day
Shamless plug:
Shrek opens today. I hope everyone gets a chance to go see it. Both Ethan and I have credit at the end of the film. I know he would never say, but I'm completly impressed with Ethan's work on this film.
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Shamless plug:
Shrek opens today. I hope everyone gets a chance to go see it. Both Ethan and I have credit at the end of the film. I know he would never say, but I'm completly impressed with Ethan's work on this film.
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Wednesday, May 12, 2004
Bigger and Bigger
Our little kid is definitely going through a growth spirt. There's a noticeable difference in size on a daily basis now. She's also wiggling around quite a bit. I can feel her move with no problem and we think that we can make out some of the body parts, although we don't really know what they are. It's all very exciting and scary at the same time. We're taking classes (we have our third tonight) and we've been seeing the doctor on a regular basis.
We're 10 weeks away from our due date, we're trying to get as much accomplished as we can before that date. Although the forces seem to be against us. It's been a bit hard, the growth spirt has taken a lot of energy out of Allison, and I've been assigned to work on a rush project at work. The project means I've been having to work late and work on weekends so I've hardly been at home these last couple weeks. And it doesn't look like it's going to change any time soon. But we're doing what we can and we're taking it one day at a time! At least the overtime will help:)
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Our little kid is definitely going through a growth spirt. There's a noticeable difference in size on a daily basis now. She's also wiggling around quite a bit. I can feel her move with no problem and we think that we can make out some of the body parts, although we don't really know what they are. It's all very exciting and scary at the same time. We're taking classes (we have our third tonight) and we've been seeing the doctor on a regular basis.
We're 10 weeks away from our due date, we're trying to get as much accomplished as we can before that date. Although the forces seem to be against us. It's been a bit hard, the growth spirt has taken a lot of energy out of Allison, and I've been assigned to work on a rush project at work. The project means I've been having to work late and work on weekends so I've hardly been at home these last couple weeks. And it doesn't look like it's going to change any time soon. But we're doing what we can and we're taking it one day at a time! At least the overtime will help:)
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Tuesday, May 11, 2004
Home pooped
I've been at home the past couple of days. All I can really do is sleep. Luckily that's something I'm good at. I just hope this isn't the begining of a new phase. I still have at least a month until I take leave from work, and I'll never make it feeling like this. I'm hoping I'm just tired from the weekend.
Ethan and I attended the Shrek 2 screening and wrap party. I kept myself from seeing any part of the film until it was all put together so I could have a fresh perspective. I'm still absorbing it, not sure what I think yet.
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I've been at home the past couple of days. All I can really do is sleep. Luckily that's something I'm good at. I just hope this isn't the begining of a new phase. I still have at least a month until I take leave from work, and I'll never make it feeling like this. I'm hoping I'm just tired from the weekend.
Ethan and I attended the Shrek 2 screening and wrap party. I kept myself from seeing any part of the film until it was all put together so I could have a fresh perspective. I'm still absorbing it, not sure what I think yet.
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Friday, May 07, 2004
Busy Week
Both with the baby and work.
If you haven't been able to download the link below, we've been able to share some exciting news. We've finally found out that we're having a girl. We're both really excited. And it's been great hearing from so many people to congratulate us on our news.
Tuesday was my doctor appointment, everything checked out as usual. I was right on the money, my guess was that I'd gained about 2 pounds (11 total). I'm still amazed to be comfortably wearing the same pants I had been at the wedding. The fundus measured 29 cm which is textbook size equaling the number of weeks pregnant I am. Blood Pressure still checks out, although my ankles look a little puffy to me. As we near the due date I asked more about things to expect when we get to the hospital.
Wednesday was our next Birth from Within class. I like that it's such an intimate group. We didn't have much of a structured lesson this week, but had an open forum where a lot of concerns were addressed. The instructor started by asking each of us how the week went and if things came up for us since the last class. It seemed to be going well we continued to talk until the break. After that we got to see on of those classic videos you expect from a birth class. I thought it was fairly good, not to many shots that were too long or made you want to turn, but just long enough to answer questions or satisfy a curiosity. I still think it's a great class. We talked a lot about delivering large babies and different types of tears verses an having an episiotomy. Our instructor is also a Birth Doula, so she often has stories that relate directly to our concerns.
Thursday we officially hired a Doula. We met at Baskin Robbins and spent some time getting to know each other better. I hope to find that insurance will cover the extra cost, but it's still well worth it. The best thing is she has experience with working with our doctor and the hospital. I remember she said about our doctor a few really good things, like that she was gentle.
All good news. I still feel like we have so much we want to do. Ethan's been working late and the weekends seem to all be booked. My next big decision will be when to begin my maternity leave.
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Both with the baby and work.
If you haven't been able to download the link below, we've been able to share some exciting news. We've finally found out that we're having a girl. We're both really excited. And it's been great hearing from so many people to congratulate us on our news.
Tuesday was my doctor appointment, everything checked out as usual. I was right on the money, my guess was that I'd gained about 2 pounds (11 total). I'm still amazed to be comfortably wearing the same pants I had been at the wedding. The fundus measured 29 cm which is textbook size equaling the number of weeks pregnant I am. Blood Pressure still checks out, although my ankles look a little puffy to me. As we near the due date I asked more about things to expect when we get to the hospital.
Wednesday was our next Birth from Within class. I like that it's such an intimate group. We didn't have much of a structured lesson this week, but had an open forum where a lot of concerns were addressed. The instructor started by asking each of us how the week went and if things came up for us since the last class. It seemed to be going well we continued to talk until the break. After that we got to see on of those classic videos you expect from a birth class. I thought it was fairly good, not to many shots that were too long or made you want to turn, but just long enough to answer questions or satisfy a curiosity. I still think it's a great class. We talked a lot about delivering large babies and different types of tears verses an having an episiotomy. Our instructor is also a Birth Doula, so she often has stories that relate directly to our concerns.
Thursday we officially hired a Doula. We met at Baskin Robbins and spent some time getting to know each other better. I hope to find that insurance will cover the extra cost, but it's still well worth it. The best thing is she has experience with working with our doctor and the hospital. I remember she said about our doctor a few really good things, like that she was gentle.
All good news. I still feel like we have so much we want to do. Ethan's been working late and the weekends seem to all be booked. My next big decision will be when to begin my maternity leave.
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Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Can I have a drum roll please!
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Tuesday, May 04, 2004
An Antidote
In our first child birthing class we held on to ice to simulate the pain of contractions. Then the teacher thought us pain management by having us concentrate on our breathing. Well the other day Allison and I got smoothes at Jamba Juice. I of course drank mine too fast and got a "brain freeze". My first impulse was to concentrate on my breathing until the pain went away.
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In our first child birthing class we held on to ice to simulate the pain of contractions. Then the teacher thought us pain management by having us concentrate on our breathing. Well the other day Allison and I got smoothes at Jamba Juice. I of course drank mine too fast and got a "brain freeze". My first impulse was to concentrate on my breathing until the pain went away.
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Monday, May 03, 2004
Interactive Baby
Not 100% on this. I read that eventually the poking could get interactive. I was pushing on a hard spot trying to figure out what it might be, head, foot, etc. And the hard spot poked back as if to say "Hey! Stop poking me there!" Ironic, I though, since that's what I've been thinking for months...
Another first
Being jabbed in the ribs...just a feast of new experiences...
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Not 100% on this. I read that eventually the poking could get interactive. I was pushing on a hard spot trying to figure out what it might be, head, foot, etc. And the hard spot poked back as if to say "Hey! Stop poking me there!" Ironic, I though, since that's what I've been thinking for months...
Another first
Being jabbed in the ribs...just a feast of new experiences...
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Sunday, May 02, 2004
Ethan beat me to the punch with his comments on our birthing class. So I’ve been asked for my take.
It took me a while to decide what I wanted to do. Almost too long. We barely signed up for the class the night before. And there are only two other couples attending. This is especially nice, we’re getting lots of personalized attention.
I finally decided on the birthing from within method. The website from the founder said their method is this:
Birthing From Within mentors (teachers) believe that childbirth is a profound rite of passage, not a medical event (even when medical care is part of the birth). We teach parents the power of birthing-in-awareness, even when their birth experience is not what they had anticipated. We create a safe, nurturing class environment which will invite parents to discover their personal strength and wisdom. We balance practical, useful information with introspective, multi-sensory experiences. We teach about birth from four perspectives: mother, father, baby and culture. We help parents build a pain-coping mindset so they may fully participate in birth's rite of passage. We know that Birthing From Within classes are not the end, but the beginning of a parent's journey.
And this Link to the general philiosphy.
It goes on to say that there is more to preparing for birth than assimilating obstetric information. That the outcome can be influenced but not controlled by planning. And the classes are designed to help build coping methods for dealing with pain and the moment to moment changes, even the unpleasant or unwelcome ones. And lastly, that pain is a part of childbirth, but that does not mean suffering.
And these are the things I liked. I liked being told that I can't plan or list my way into the birth I want. That I will have to learn to be in the moment and deal with it. This was great because it saved me from finishing the flow chart I planned on hanging in the delivery room wall. It's liberating to let go of something I have no control of to begin with. And I like the idea of preparing for unexpected things and including things I don't want or expect (episiotomy, cesarian, drugs, etc). So that if I'm faced with any of them I won’t feel beaten by them.
I threw Ethan into it with out much warning. (Not that I knew what it was truly going to be like). There are aspects of the philosophy that can be…hmm, hokey. Like I expected to have to delve into my psyche and express my fears through several art projects. And we were hit with one the first class. We had to create birthing journal covers based on the idea of “a womb with a view.” So Ethan and I played. After all, when was the last time you took a class that involved crayons? At least it provided a place to keep notes and ideas.
In any case, good and bad. This seems to be the perfect class for us. A whole and holistic view of childbirth that will help us prepare for this new experience. We’re getting a lot of individual attention. And dealing with a lot of aspects of our fears. After the first class, I already feel much more prepared. And I think that Ethan feels the same.
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It took me a while to decide what I wanted to do. Almost too long. We barely signed up for the class the night before. And there are only two other couples attending. This is especially nice, we’re getting lots of personalized attention.
I finally decided on the birthing from within method. The website from the founder said their method is this:
Birthing From Within mentors (teachers) believe that childbirth is a profound rite of passage, not a medical event (even when medical care is part of the birth). We teach parents the power of birthing-in-awareness, even when their birth experience is not what they had anticipated. We create a safe, nurturing class environment which will invite parents to discover their personal strength and wisdom. We balance practical, useful information with introspective, multi-sensory experiences. We teach about birth from four perspectives: mother, father, baby and culture. We help parents build a pain-coping mindset so they may fully participate in birth's rite of passage. We know that Birthing From Within classes are not the end, but the beginning of a parent's journey.
And this Link to the general philiosphy.
It goes on to say that there is more to preparing for birth than assimilating obstetric information. That the outcome can be influenced but not controlled by planning. And the classes are designed to help build coping methods for dealing with pain and the moment to moment changes, even the unpleasant or unwelcome ones. And lastly, that pain is a part of childbirth, but that does not mean suffering.
And these are the things I liked. I liked being told that I can't plan or list my way into the birth I want. That I will have to learn to be in the moment and deal with it. This was great because it saved me from finishing the flow chart I planned on hanging in the delivery room wall. It's liberating to let go of something I have no control of to begin with. And I like the idea of preparing for unexpected things and including things I don't want or expect (episiotomy, cesarian, drugs, etc). So that if I'm faced with any of them I won’t feel beaten by them.
I threw Ethan into it with out much warning. (Not that I knew what it was truly going to be like). There are aspects of the philosophy that can be…hmm, hokey. Like I expected to have to delve into my psyche and express my fears through several art projects. And we were hit with one the first class. We had to create birthing journal covers based on the idea of “a womb with a view.” So Ethan and I played. After all, when was the last time you took a class that involved crayons? At least it provided a place to keep notes and ideas.
In any case, good and bad. This seems to be the perfect class for us. A whole and holistic view of childbirth that will help us prepare for this new experience. We’re getting a lot of individual attention. And dealing with a lot of aspects of our fears. After the first class, I already feel much more prepared. And I think that Ethan feels the same.
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11 Weeks to go
I'm warn out from this weekend. We got home this evening from this year's Wonder Con. It's a small local version to the show we've usually attended in San Diego. This year we have other plans that weekend! We went in search of Totoro stuff for the baby's room, but returned empty handed. I don't expect that there's too much more out there too find.
Ethan put the crib together Friday night and we filled the dresser with the stuff that we have. I'm so excited to have the stuff in the room. Even though it's a little crowded. We've left the futon in there as we expect to have visitors in and out over the next few months and we want a place for them to be welcome.
It's one of those nice moments when you finally have the baby's room together. Like one of those horrible Hallmark moments, but one you enjoy.
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I'm warn out from this weekend. We got home this evening from this year's Wonder Con. It's a small local version to the show we've usually attended in San Diego. This year we have other plans that weekend! We went in search of Totoro stuff for the baby's room, but returned empty handed. I don't expect that there's too much more out there too find.
Ethan put the crib together Friday night and we filled the dresser with the stuff that we have. I'm so excited to have the stuff in the room. Even though it's a little crowded. We've left the futon in there as we expect to have visitors in and out over the next few months and we want a place for them to be welcome.
It's one of those nice moments when you finally have the baby's room together. Like one of those horrible Hallmark moments, but one you enjoy.
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Saturday, May 01, 2004
Put The Crib Together
The paint is dry, we touched it up and then brought in the furniture. Everyone and their dog told me to make sure I put the crib together in the room that I intend to use it in because it's impossible to fit it through the door once it's put together. So I took heed of their advice and did just that. This time Allison took pictures of me:
Putting the bed together:

What the? Ethan's reading the instructions:

The Crib is done, time to fill it with stuffed animals:

The Crib is done but the baby is not done....Yet:

The Crib and the changing table:

That's the room, its a bit crowded in there, but we think it will work out.
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The paint is dry, we touched it up and then brought in the furniture. Everyone and their dog told me to make sure I put the crib together in the room that I intend to use it in because it's impossible to fit it through the door once it's put together. So I took heed of their advice and did just that. This time Allison took pictures of me:
Putting the bed together:

What the? Ethan's reading the instructions:

The Crib is done, time to fill it with stuffed animals:

The Crib is done but the baby is not done....Yet:

The Crib and the changing table:

That's the room, its a bit crowded in there, but we think it will work out.
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