poop glorious poop!!

We have been so worried because Samwise has not pooed for several days. After the Doctor on Tuesday, we supplemented my scant breast milk with a goats milk concoction prescribed by Dr. Ed that we had to feed Sam with a syringe. Finally yesterday we went and got him some formula and bottle fed him, and in the middle of the night when I went to go change him, there it was!! I have never been so happy to see shit in my life.
We are going to a lactation specialist in a few minutes that will hopefully help us with breast feeding, but I feel that we have done everything!! I event tried the old wives tale of drinking a stout, but lets be honest, no one really had to twist my arm for that.
After the lactation person, we are going to visit Dr. Ed and see how the circumcision scar is healing, and make sure everything is ok.
On a completely different note, remember the episode of "The Cosby Show" when Denise made Theo a "designer" shirt that was ridiculous and had weird sleeves and a collar? I swear Sweet P made that shirt on last weeks episode of "Project Runway."
Also, "Survivor" totally ruled! I love a coup.

Further Adventures!

First of all, thank you everyone for your well wishes! We are doing fine and so happy to be home.
The thing that is worrying me right now is that its been 8 days and my milk has not come in yet. My doctor said that it is one of the side effects of having a c- section, but I am pretty upset about it. It's hard to not feel like a failure- at having a home birth, at breastfeeding, ect. So we are supplementing his breastmilk with formula in a syringe right now, and I am making lecticin smoothies to help my milk come in.
Yesterday we went and got circumcised, and that was pretty traumatic for everyone. We brought along the traditional manaschewitz, and I said some prayers, but I had to turn away during the actual event. Sam seems to be doing fine, though.
I am feeling better as well. Monday, when Jeff went back to work, I pretty much cried all day. I didn't think I'd be affected by the post pardum blues because I am pretty cheerful by nature, but I have been sobbing alot. It gets better every day.
Samwise has been doing a much better job of sleeping, and this morning I even put him in the bassinet for 2 hours and got some sleep!! Otherwise, I have been keeping up with a lot of TV at night while dozing in between feedings.
Right now Samwise is sitting in his vibrating chair watching me type. He says "hi" to everyone, but its time to eat.

Daddy and Samwise, with Grandpa Steve in the background!!

Samwise on his first day!!

We love the vibrating chair thingie!!

Sleeping Sam

There is my sweet sleeping baby!!

my beautiful son!!

Samwise and mommy sitting on the blue chair that we managed not to ruin in labor!!

Tomorrow, I promise

Samuel Wilder Klein-Morehead was born at 7:01 am on November 20th, 2007. He was 9 lbs, 10 oz, and 22 inches long. We labored at home for 15 hours before going to the emergency room and having a c- section. Mommy, Daddy and Samwise are all doing great, and being kept company by lots of loving family. Tomorrow, after I get the staples removed from my stomach, I promise I will write a longer, more detailed entry with pictures of the most beautiful child in the world.

Here we go

My water broke about 15 minutes ago. Now I am just waiting for Jeff to come home and for Gabriel the intern to come over. Neither my mom or dad are answering the phone. I am FREAKING out. I have literally thought about this moment 1000000 times a day for the last 9 months, and now I am hours away from meeting my son. Nothing is set up, things are scattered around the house, I am just really scares about the pain right now and about what happens next. I pray it will go smoothly. I pray he'll be healthy and I'll be ok. I hope I can stay at home and not have to be rushed to the hospital. Pain I am ok with, but I have never been good with ambiguity, and its the waiting that's been the worst part.
I guess watching "Return Of the King" last night helped out after all!!
Stay tuned!!

Nice Morning

I woke up today and hopped right over to the old Kitchen Aid and whipped out a batch of Pam's pumpkin scones. I threw in the rest of a bag of crystallized ginger that I had laying around, and I am going to glaze them with ginger icing. Not a bad way to start a Sunday. Lets hope it ends in BIRTH!!
Ooh I love when my kitchen smells like things baking. Except with the glasses now, every time I open the oven my glasses fog up. It's a small price to pay for looking so cute in these glasses!!
Bob just e-mailed me and told me that there is ANOTHER Def Leppard movie. How lucky can we get?
Pam- I just took the scones out of the oven- they look delicious. I wish I had a pumpkin pie blizzard to eat with them, or a pumpkin milkshake from Burgerville.
I really am in a baking mood. I wonder what I can make next. Maybe I'll just make the cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving and store it. I think its close enough that it wont go bad.
There is nothing better than hanging out in a warm kitchen on a rainy day listening to the vocal stylings of Neko Case. Except maybe next I'll put on some Def Leppard!!
Rock on!!

My rant against Target

Usually I love Target. Most of my clothes are from there and nothing gives me more pleasure than slowly cruising the aisles in search of something I have to have. But today they committed a grievous offense against me, so now I must boycott, at least for a while.
We went in to get the crib we had been looking at for about a month. There were little pamphlets, many of them, I might add, that you were supposed to bring up to an employee and they would bring you the item. We were informed that it was discontinued, as well as our second choice. They did not have any in stock in any stores, yet they continued to keep them on display. They offered to order me one from the website, but they would charge me shipping. I thought that was horrible customer service, so we went to IKEA and got a nicer one for $30 less, and I got to go to IKEA.
So now I am mad at Target. Why would you keep something on display, for weeks, that you were out of?
The Blazers are also on my list today after blowing a 25 point lead to lose to Philly last night and then Washington tonight.
Maybe I'm just cranky cause I am having contractions. Jeff wants me to call the doctor cause they are pretty regular, but I just have a feeling it's not time, yet. I really, really wish it was, though.
Google, however, has been wonderful lately, letting me sign right on to my blog.

Lighten up its just FASHION

So I am in love with Ravi the Israeli on Project Runway. His dress was beautiful and I hope he wins. Some of the contestants, as usual, are crackpots, like the woman who hand sewed her dress onto her body- seriously, people, its season 4, don't you know that you need to know how to use a sewing machine?
The garment that came in second place that all the judges loved was hideous. HIDEOUS!! Beige and plaid and unflattering. I expect more from Michael Kors. Tim Gunn questioned it, though.
So Janet was wrong, no baby yesterday. I want him to come today so he'll have the same birthday as Brian. Pam says Saturday, Bob says Monday. I just want to sleep on my stomach again.
I don't want to jinx myself, but my blog problem seemed to have miraculously healed itself. When I signed on today it went right to my dashboard!!
I checked on a whim, not really prepared to write, so I need to go put stuff in my hair before my bangs dry kitty-whompus.
By the way, the Office last night- Depressing!! and it's the last one for a while.

And the winner for longest comment ever goes to....

That would be Bob, I think, listing all of the illustrious people who were born on November 19th. Thank you, tell him what he's won...
I think Janet might be right, though. I am pretty sure that I am having some pretty serious contractions right now, although my water has not broken yet or anything. Does one trump the other?
Thank goodness that this morning I went out and got all of my grocery shopping done and got 95% of what I'll need for Thanksgiving.
Pam's latest blog entry got me thinking of things I would never wear. Then again, I always swore I would never leave the house in sweatpants and 6 months into my pregnancy and it was "well, they fit, so..." but in the spirit of bad fashion, here it goes:
Slip on tennis shoes- you know, with no backs? Its like the most counter intuitive, tacky thing ever. they're sneakers, yet, you can slip out of them at any moment. Where is the logic in that?
I am also VERY against all of the colored jeans I have been seeing in magazines lately. Yellow denim? On whom does that look good, I ask you?
I am against store bought cut off jeans, as well. I had to adios a few of Jeff's when he moved in, along with some extra-hideous Hawaiian shirts.
I am not particularly enamored of white jeans, either, and no, its not because of some menstrual catastrophe in Junior High. They just seem like an invitation for disaster.
I don't like printed t- shirts with slogans like "something high school track team" etc that you get at like Old Navy that are "vintage" when it's obvious that you never went to that place or whatever. Did that make sense? However, I would wear an "everyone loves a Jewish Girl " t-shirt.
I will defend my leg warmers till my dying day. I don't care if they look silly. They WARM MY LEGS.
I will probably think of more things, but, OUCH!!

Place your bets

I guess everyone in Jeff's family is placing bets on when Sam will come. Janet says Thursday, and, as Jeff says, Boy howdy I hope she's right. If he comes on Friday it will be Brian's birthday, too, so that would be kind of cool as well. As long as its not Thanksgiving Day!!
We just got back from a small baby shopping spree at Target, where we got a car seat, and much classic pooh themed sheets etc... So cute!!
Also saw Dr. Ed for the shortest appointment ever. Pee in a cup, blood pressure, weight, baby heartbeat, done!! Just the way I like it.
Some woman at Freddies AGAIN asked me if I was having twins. Come on, people! That is RUDE!!
Prison Break Fall finale tonight. I think they did that last year, too. Make us wait until February. Oh well, there is still Nip/Tuck, and Project Runway starts tomorrow night.
Blazers versus Detroit tonight. A nailbiter. Go Portland!! If we win this one we might have to name Sam LaMarcus instead!!

Nadine's Billboard

Today, Yuma, Arizona... Tomorrow, the world!!

2:30 am

It's o'dark o'clock but my back hurts so badly that I can't sleep. I tried stretching and walking around but no dice. So I thought I'd post a little post. Yesterday there was a marathon of "The Next Great Iron Chef" so I watched that. It's pretty good, The challenges are pretty much on par with "Top Chef", and the chefs are all quite reputable and talented. Also, I love Alton Brown and he is the host. I still have the last 2 episodes saved on my DVR.
I think I am going to try to read "Lonesome Dove" for a while, then try to go back to sleep.

sunday

Jeff is at the Comic Book convention today, so I busied myself with a leisurely stroll through Target, and you know what? I have no idea what I need. I walked up and down the baby health care aisle just baffled- shampoo, soap, diaper cream, etc... which one is the right one to have? I need my mom!! I ended up getting a pair of baby nail clippers, a diaper changing mat to go in my e-bay diaper bag, and classic Winnie The Pooh Tigger and Eeyore stuffed animals. Next week I'll tackle the crib and bedding at a bigger Target- mine is kind of dinky and has a limited selection. I also got a new shower curtain liner- finally, a new shower mat and rugs for the kitchen floor, and cleaning supplies. Better late then never for that "nesting" bug, I guess. My Craig's List purchase today was for a pretty much brand new activity mat/gym, and she threw in some bouncy thing that vibrates. The thing we got yesterday- some thing that has hangie things and goes on the floor- I turned it on and music started playing and Jeff got a very funny look on his face. I suppose by the time we have our next kid I'll just be able to plug my i-pod into any toy and that will be that.
I was going to complain today about "The Next Great American Band," but I don't have the energy. Sufficed to say that if you are covering a song by a famous artist in front of an audience of millions of people you should LEARN THE LYRICS, and the judges should probably comment as such and not just try to crawl up peoples butts. But I don't think anyone watches this stupid show but me, and we generally watch it on fast forward, like I watch "American Idol." And I NEVER vote.
The peeing is really getting out of control these last few days. At least I don't do what I read about sometimes happens- the leaking or whatever. I know, I know, tacky to bring up, but seriously, that would suck beyond the telling.
The Blazers KICKED DALLAS' ASS last night!! So satisfying!!

Grrrrrrr Blogspot

I hate getting into my blog at home. For some reason, the blog site or whatever does not recognize me, so every time I want to post I have to create a new blog. I now have several with names like"whocaresnotme223" etc, and the list is getting long and frustrating. When I signed on at work with my gmail address, it went right to my dashboard and I could post away. This is the only downside to not being at work for the next 3 months. My list of unused blogs will grow exponentially with my frustration and ire.

That being said, it is Saturday. I picked up a bunch of Craig's List finds this morning, then went out to lunch with Jeff. He now is drilling hinges into wood for a comic book display case, and will then go on to reprice comic books for the rest of the day.

I had big Target aspirations for today, but I think I will wait till tomorrow, when Jeff is at the Comic Book Convention all day. I am getting so excited!!

So Jeff came inside on Friday night giggling that Dave (our fashionably challenged neighbor) was wearing a tie and some sort of "rakish" hat. I tried to go outside under the pretense of getting fire wood but he was already inside. I managed to discern that a "rakish" hat is indeed a fedora, possibly with a small feather. Jeff remarked that Dave commented that he was "trying out some new looks" and this made him feel like a different person. Of course he was still rocking the cowboy belt. I don't know what disappointed me more- the fact that my sweet husband, under my poor influence, is learning how to be snarky and cruel, or that I missed Dave in person. Oh well. This morning as I was leaving to go pick up a stroller I saw it for myself. It is actually PIN STRIPED! And underneath the fedora was still the "do-rag" And enough aftershave to knock out a small army. I hope he still does not have the link to my blog, that would be embarrassing. His gross sister, who sits outside and smokes all day with her 3 inch talon- like nails, nicely commented that it didn't look like I was having a baby, but like I was having All babies. Nice, huh? Like I don't feel huge enough.

The Blazers played another kick- ass game last night and beat the Memphis Grizzlies. Tonight- Dallas, my least favorite team in the NBA. I am ready to boo and scream at the TV!!

Christmas!! Already?

Every year that I worked at Starbucks I used to get so angry that it was Christmas Christmas Christmas, when they carried on all the time about diversity and respect. As a Jewish girl, I took serious offense to being forced to listen to Christmas carols, use Christmas cups, and decorate MY store with Christmas trees that looked like toilet bowl cleaners. I voiced my concerns often, but was told, of course it was all marketing- which means its all about the bottom line. Christmas sells! Anyway, here it is, November 9th? and the stores are already are decorated for Christmas. Am I the only one that finds this reprehensible?

"You got big dreams, You want Fame...

Well, fame costs, and right here is where you start paying... in sweat"- Yes that's right. I almost swooned when I heard those words coming out of Tyra's mouth on the last "America's Next Top Model." She said it in the dance studio before showing the modelettes how to do a sexy walk, slide down a mirror and not look like a "ho"- which I did not think was possible, and slide across the floor on your knees- knee pads provided. All the girls either looked like the aforementioned ho's, except for a few who looked like mental patients. Then they got to film a music video with pop sensation Enrique Iglasieos (sp?) in which they were supposed to look like sexy vampires. Oh Tyra, where do you come up with this stuff?
Chicago FINALLY won a game last night, against Detroit. We can all let out a sigh of relief in that they will not be starting out the season 0-5!!
This is my last day of work before Maternity leave!!
I have not done anything else interesting lately but take walks and watch TV. I am also reading "Lonesome Dove."
Maybe I'll update more, later.

Blazers 93 Hornets 90

Have I mentioned how stoked I am about basketball! Last night was icing on the cake as our scrappy Trailblazers shot to victory over the as yet undefeated New Orleans Hornets. We watched the first half, then I got so nervous I had to turn it off and watch "House." Then we caught the last 6 minutes, which, if you know basketball takes at least a half an hour, especially when the score is close because there is a lot of fouling going on. Anyway, we persevered, and I think that means we have not lost an opening night home game in 7 years. Also, Who new New Orleans was such a good team? I pretty much ignored them last year, even though they have Chris Paul, rookie of the year from 2 years past, and my 2 favorite former Kings, Peja and Bobby Jackson.
I wish I had started watching basketball earlier than 2002. I feel like I missed out on some of the great players and games. For example, on channel 37 now they show classic games and when nothing was on the other day we watched a Blazers/Spurs game from 1992 that was fantastic, back when the Blazers won the Western Conference. Good times.
One of the first games I remember watching was the Kings/ Lakers game for the Western Finals years ago. It was when Caryn and I were living in the studio, so it's not like I could have gone into another room to escape it. anyway, it was so close and so tense that I had to go outside until it was over. after that I was hooked. I still pretty much hate football, baseball, hockey etc...
Portia De Rossi started her stint on Nip/Tuck last night as Julia's love interest. Does TV get any better? I think not. Poor Ellen.
Oh, and my sister Nadine has a freaking BILLBOARD!! I'll post it when I get home.

Craig's List RULES!!

My newest acquisition? A $149.00 breast pump for $25. Next, a glider rocking chair for upstairs and some toys. I am also looking for a printer. Jeff is very impressed at my thriftiness.
"Prison Break" was awesome last night, but it is just as frustrating as the first season. The episode was 2 hours and when it was over I still was unsatisfied. The plot is thickening, though, with an ever widening conspiracy, but I have to say that I think Lincoln is so stupid. Everything that went wrong this season was his fault.
I just really don't have a lot to talk about today. Maybe I'll come back and write later on.http://www.npr.org/blogs/monitormix/2007/11/
Awesome blog alert!! Carrie Brownstein, formerly of THE BEST BAND EVER Sleater-Kinney, has a blog on the NPR website. You should go check it out even if you don't like the band. She is very smart and knows a lot about music.

Well worth the wait

So I finally got to watch Nip/Tuck last night, and it was worth every second of the wait I had to endure!! I had a huge smile on my face the whole time, and I even heard Jeff chuckle once or twice. HOOKED! Just like I said he would be. And its on again tonight.
I am going to try to spend some time today posting recipes in the recipe section. I made a great vegan shepherds pie last night with a roasted garlic mashed potato crust that went over very well, and there is still the vegan sloppy joe to post, and my other mac and cheese for Nadine that is not made with gross nutritional yeast.
On a sad note, I had thought that I would be able to still cook some things for Thanksgiving this year, but after making this Shepherds pie, that had a lot of steps to it, I was kind of exhausted. Ill take it one day at a time.
I am 38 weeks pregnant, today!! I think that means I am officially at term, so, any day now. I am taking walks and eating spicy food and all the other things you are supposed to do, but he'll come when he is ready, I guess.
After work I have to go return my library books, and then, Dr. Ed!! I wonder if we will get an ultrasound or anything today? Those are fun.
The food section in the Oregonian is all about French onion soup, which is one of my favorite things to make and eat. Alas, its hard to make a good vegan facsimile of it, what with all the cheese, so Ill just have to look at pictures.

Count your blessings

Today while at the 7-11 in line to get my newspaper there was a couple behind me that smelled like a brewery and looked just gross. They were buying 10 tall boys of "Hurricane Ice." Ice beer, as Jeff has informed me, has loads more alcohol then regular. This was at 7:30 in the morning, and I dont think they were buying it for a party later. Also the 7-11 people knew them, so I am sure this is a regular thing. These are the people probably qualifying for government aid, and food stamps, while Jeff and I, technically at the poverty level when I go on maternity leave, still make too much money for WIC. Oh well, at least we still have our teeth, and each other. Things like that remind me to count my blessings.
Things I did not do this weekend:
-Make scones. I made chocolate chip cookies instead. They were a bigger hit.
-Watch Nip/Tuck. I don't want to talk about it but if it didn't tape last night there will be hell to pay
-Move furniture around and make shelves. We decided to get one project done at a time and wait till the comic book convention is over
- Go to see "American Gangster". We stayed at home and watched "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkeban" and "Boogie Nights" instead.
We did, however, take advantage of the lovely weather and take 2 long walks in the sunshine.
Doctors appointment tomorrow, one of the last, I would imagine.
Also, 2 hour Prison Break event that I have to wait for Brian to watch.

Sunday

I have to post every day for this month, so here is a quick one for today. My new favorite website is http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/ They have recaps of most of the shows I watch, and are written in just the snarky tone I love! My favorite was last weeks recap of "The Biggest Loser" when they actually quoted a song from Les Miserable to illustrate the war between the red, black and blue teams..." Red, the blood of angry men, black, the dark of ages past.." then something about blue being the color of Gatorade that is not really a flavor, which was shades of my Icee post, so I was instantly smitten.
They do not, however, review "The next Great American Band" and more's the pity, because if there was ever a show made for sarcasm, well, this is it.
There was also a post of the to 10 best Amazing Race episodes of all time, and, while I don't agree with all of them (my favorite was when Charla the small person carried a side of beef around her neck, or maybe when she got electrocuted), It was still a good read and got me excited for this season, which starts tonight and features Lesbian Clergy and a Goth couple. How did we ever live before reality TV, I ask you.
I suppose I should go make scones now and go to Trader Joes, but I really just want to sit on my blue chair and take a nap in front of the fire.
Peace out.

The Weekend

Here is what we plan to do on our brief weekend!!
- Drive out to Gresham to pick up a changing table and swing we found for cheap on Craig's List
- Go see "American Gangster"
-Sleep, sleep sleep, an extra hour, because THIS week is daylight savings
-Watch disc 2 of "Freaks and Geeks"
- Watch "Nip/Tuck" Finally!!
-Make shelves for the baby clothes, and move furniture around.
-Bake Pam's pumpkin scones
I think that's it!! besides the usual Tin Shed for breakfast, sleep in routine. And then next week is my last work week. Come out come out Sam!!

My favorite time of year..

So it is my favorite time of year. It is when I get all of the cooking magazines' holiday issues, and pore over them looking for spectacular things to make for Thanksgiving, and then end up deciding to go to my old standby, Martha Stewart. This woman has never failed me, not once. I started making every dish from her cookbooks the year she was incarcerated because I felt bad that she was not cooking for herself, and wanted to commiserate, and everything turned out so well that I have been using them for years. But then again, how can a turkey that calls for a pound of butter and a bottle of wine not be miraculous.
One thing I have never done that all the magazines say you should do is brine my turkey. I figure the ones I buy at the grocery store are already injected with all sorts of saline as it is so it would not matter. One year I sprung for an organic, free range turkey from New Seasons, and along with costing me $30 it was kind of dry, so maybe I should have brined that.
Sadness, though, this year in that Thanksgiving dinner will be provided by Fred Meyer or the like, because I will either be too pregnant to get close to the stove, or have a tiny tiny infant. I do not like to relinquish thanksgiving duties to anyone else, so i will probably try to make a few things in advance and fit them in the rapidly filling freezer.
Usually for thanksgiving I cook for 3 days. I make cranberry sauce, which only I eat, and I love it so I make a ton, Sweet potatoes (the kind with marshmallows, I tried something more upscale one year to great protest), mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts (for my dad!), Stuffing, creamed onions, the turkey and usually 3 pies. I also make some appetizers especially the pastry wrapped baked brie for Mary Ellen that tastes so good but kind of hurts the next day. So you can see how Freddies has some hard shoes to fill. Also this year I guess I need to make Tofurkey.

November!!!

Oh man am I actually due in 20 days? I can't believe that after all of this waiting that it is actually November. I waffle between excitement and sheer terror.
Poor California- first the horrible fires and now a big earthquake! Do I really want to move back? At least no one was hurt in the earthquake, nor do I believe there was much structural damage.
I got a haircut yesterday that I absolutely hated when I walked out of the place, then I got home and decided that it was pretty cute, except she cut weird long bangs that kind of wing out at the sides and are too short to tuck behind my ears. Irritating. I still have to play around with it but she just trimmed it (my hair was one big split end) and re- cut the layers, and now it looks good even when it just dries naturally, but it got super curly. I'm curious to see what it looks like blown out and straight. Ill try it now, because I guess soon its ponytail 24/7 for this girl!! With a side of spit up for styling product!!
So I got all of this stupid candy, yesterday was the first Halloween I have actually been home for, and did we get one trick or treater? NO!! So we are stuck with 1,ooo,ooo boxes of Dots, the grossest candy in the world that I bought so I would not eat it all. I made Jeff take them to work, if they don't eat them they can use it to stick down roofing material.
Also- tragedy of tragedies- I set my DVR to tape the season premier of Nip/Tuck- I was looking forward to it like some people look forward to Christmas, and I don't know what happened but my DVR taped 10 hours of I don't know what but NO NIP/TUCK!! I was devastated last night, even thought it will be rebroadcast 100 times this week I really wanted to watch it last night. GRRR.
The new rocking chair is fitting in and getting along great with the rest of the furniture. Jeff has taken to it like a house on fire, I see rocking chair fights in the future, especially when the blue chair is gone. Maybe I will look on Craig's list and try to find another one.