Diaper mania

Oh, boy, DIAPERS. People warned me about this. (This means you, Glenda!) To cloth or not to cloth; that is the question. And the answer is, cloth diapers are better in many ways but maybe not as great as advertised. They are definitively better for the environment – studies showing that disposables and cloth are equally bad for the environment have been funded by disposable diaper companies. Good articles on the benefits and history of cloth diapering are here and here. Unbleached diapers – whether cloth or disposable – are better for babies’ bottoms because of the dioxin (this is the same deal as with menstrual pads). Disposables can be more convenient because they are all in one piece (the absorbent cloth, fastener, and waterproof cover) which is quicker and easier to change, they do not require a large initial investment, and they do not require extra loads of laundry (although they do require extra loads of garbage). On the other hand, cloth diapers can be more convenient in the long term – after your sizable initial investment, you only pay laundry costs so cloth diapering ends up much cheaper overall, children in cloth diapers potty train from six months to years earlier than children in disposables (Pampers just came out with a diaper that fits 5-year-olds), and depending on your diaper system the convenience can rival disposables (they make all-in-one cloth diapers now that you can just velcro on, basically a cloth version of a disposable diaper).

What people told me is, don’t feel guilt about doing disposable (subtext: everybody does it). This is true – fewer than 1 in 10 households use cloth diapers, and many cities no longer have cloth diapering services (including Rochester, unfortunately). Not only that, but unlike in the 1980s – when cloth diapering was a symbol of the environmentally conscious – nowadays they are more likely to get you mocked.

So, what have I learned? That initial cost is daunting, especially for the more convenient systems. It’s about $250 for the initial outlay of cloth diapering accessories: a diaper pail, 2 washable pail liners, 2 washable wet bags for dirty diapers on-the-go, a small supply of diaper fasteners, a few washable changing pads, a large supply of washable baby wipes, a sprayer hose that hooks to the toilet to spray down poopy diapers (as opposed to the old method of dunking and flushing with a good grip on the diaper), and a roll of flushable diaper liners.

Contrast that with the initial outlay for disposable diapers: a diaper pail, garbage bags, bulk disposable baby wipes, and a few washable changing pads, totaling around $100.

Then there are the diapers and covers themselves. You need about 12 a day to start, so if I figure on washing every 3 days or so, that’s 36-48 diapers. If you get all-cotton diapers you also need a waterproof cover to go over the diaper and some cloth inserts to stick in the diaper at night, when babies go longer between changes. If you get all-cotton diapers, you also have an initial cost to prepare the diaper – you must wash and dry all your diapers 3-10 times so they quilt up and get fluffy and soft, and so all of the oils in the unbleached cotton are removed (oils reduce absorbency). The cost of 48 newborn cloth diapers, 8 covers, and the laundry at our local laundromat for 6 wash-dry cycles of 24 diapers at a time is $150, enough to last around 6-8 weeks. We’d probably pay the same amount again twice more as our baby grew.

Contrast that with the initial outlay for disposable diapers: bulk newborn chlorine-free diapers for $56, enough to last around 1 1/2 weeks.

Of course, that’s the cheap cloth option – for more convenience you can pay much more. But even the cheap option has a more significant outlay, a total of $400 as opposed to $156.

As another cloth option that is more convenient, say we got pocket diapers (similar in convenience to disposables) instead and decided to do laundry every 2 days. We’d need 24 diapers plus inserts, which is $400 as a package deal online. After the newborn size, you can buy a pocket diaper that is “one size” and fits from about 10 pounds through potty training (35+ pounds). If we got 24 of those plus inserts, that would be about $500, $900 total for the cloth diapers for one child. Or we could mix and match – do the cheap newborn option and then do the pocket diapers, for a total of $650. That seems to make the most sense to me.

In conclusion, I can see how cloth diapering would be much cheaper over the long run, but it is still crazy how much diapers cost. A perfect gift, for those going to Molly’s shower, would be a one-size pocket diaper, which run about $20 each. Any brand is good because I would like to try a variety. Somerville is lucky enough to have the Diaper Lab (right across the street from our apartment), where you can go see the diaper before you buy. The in-store prices are comparable to what I have found online. Diaper inserts are often sold separately, and would make another great gift. (As a side note, I have been warned to stay away from the all-in-one or AIO diaper because they take forever to dry – pocket diapers, once stuffed with inserts, work the same way but don’t take as much time to dry).

Too Much Information, huh.

Okay, now I feel fat

Sorry to all the people out there who are like, “SARA!! You are NOT fat! You are 8 months pregnant and still skinny! You are skinny enough that if you wanted to you could easily hide your pregnancy with clothes and people would never know!” But I think I just passed the number which is the most I have ever weighed pre-pregnancy, and I feel big. My boobs are big. My stomach feels huge and is constantly moving around. This baby is gonna love a jumparoo or other rocking/bouncy toys…actually, it won’t even need them.  It can do it all on its own.  All of a sudden, I feel arms and legs, not just lumps. And my innie went from a snaggletooth to an outie – or, at least, it does every time the baby pokes it, which is pretty often.  Let’s just all agree that fatness, or even just “feeling fat,” is subjective, okay?

LOTS to update about! I am waaay behind and I know it. A recent lack of motivation has stalled me. Two weeks ago was my shower in Seattle. It was so amazing! First of all, because I love visiting Seattle. Second of all, because my auntie and closest friends FLEW UP FROM CALIFORNIA to attend. Third of all, it was great seeing my family – my Mom and Dad looked great, Alex and Steve are looking forward to moving into their own home later this summer, Linus is big (!) and walking (!!), and Hannah has amazing stories from her trip to Botswana and South Africa. I got to see a lot of people that I wish I could see a lot more often.

The shower was lots of fun! We got a ton of super-cute outfits, a moby wrap, a bassinet/changer/bedside sleeper, books, toys, and generous gift certificates, among other things. Plus a whole lot of love and vegan goodies. My Aunt Susie wrote a poem for the occasion which was very special. I will reprint it here:

I will never ever forget the day
That Sara Weisman came into this world
She was the first child to really ever come into my life
This beautiful baby girl!

I remember Karen sitting breastfeeding her
Both blissfully happy with no cares or woes
I couldn’t wait until they were finished
So I could play with her cute little fingers and toes

As a child, Sara was friendly and happy and always had a smile
She was the most fun and spirited little girl
She loved to listen to music
And always loved to dance and twirl

Grandma Betty was so in love with Sara
And proud as she could be
She would always share the exciting updates with me and Ettie
Having Sara for a granddaughter made her extremely happy!

Sisters came and life did change
No longer the only center of attention
But Sara coped and the girls grew close
With Karen, Mark, Lily, Val and Diane’s support and love, I must mention

And then Sara connected with Kelly
What a wonderful connection that turned out to be
They have been having a beautiful life together
And now a new chapter we all will see

Sara is going to be a mommy
Kelly a dad
Life is coming full circle
And for both of them we are so very glad

Picturing sweet Sara, at four
Twirling her blankie on the dance floor
Whoever would have thought
The daughter of my brother
Would be sitting with us today
About to be a mother!

So congratulations to Sara and Kelly
We know awesome parents you will surely be
We love and adore you both
And wish you all the best of life, love, health and most of all
To be happy!

All My Love,
Aunt Susie

How special is that, huh?  We also got Linus’s almost entire first year layette (clothes and diaper covers), which in addition to the huge box of baby clothes Glenda sent us and the stuff we have received at the showers means that we are basically all set up on the baby clothes front.

It was really nice to be pampered and “showered” with so much love during the trip.  Kelly and I have also been very much in love lately, and it was nice to get away from home with him.

Last week at work I had a second baby shower, this one with Tufts people.  That was also nice, although in a different way.  It made me appreciate how much community I have with the people I work with.  Pam was the life of the party with stories about raising her infant in Cairo, and other mothers had lots of advice and jokes.  We even got a strawberry vanilla cake from Whole Foods!  Pictures from this shower are up here.  (I have pictures from the other shower as well, and will share a web album soon.)  We received lots more cute clothes and a baby bath set which is very practical and useful.

I have been doing lots of research on cloth diapers.  I googled “cloth diaper Somerville” and was floored to find out that the store which carries cloth diapers is ONE BLOCK AWAY from me.  Seriously, I just walked across the street the other day and spent 2 hours with the proprietor fingering all the goods.  I will write another post solely on diapering because I have that much to say about it!!!

This past weekend, I had planned to drive to Rochester with Kelly for his youngest brother Casey’s high school graduation.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been sleeping well and I was completely knocked out by Friday, so Kelly ended up taking the bus alone and I stayed home all weekend.  To all the people who keep saying “Sleep now, while you can”: that is completely useless advice!  I only WISH I could sleep through the night!  I usually get up twice to pee, and fall right back asleep the first time but lay awake in bed after the second time.  And it can be very hard to get comfortable, so I toss and turn for a long time.  Oh, body pillow, why does your magic fail me?

Anyway, I was disappointed to not see Kelly’s family, to miss the graduation, to not get to cruise Rochester neighborhoods, and to miss out on the first apartment viewing that I orchestrated.  Kelly said of the apartment that I would have hated it and found it totally unacceptable.  I believe him!  Too smelly.  But I console myself with the idea that in two months I will be residing there, so I will have plenty of time with the fam and to get to know the city.  In the meantime, I spent the weekend culling more books for sale (I blew past my goal of 10 grocery bags and am now up to 14).  I also emptied one set of floor to ceiling shelves in the bedroom so Kelly and I could move it into the hallway last night.  We will do the same with the other set and then have plenty of room to create a baby corner, which I am raring to do.  Also we need to sell our bedroom chairs on craigslist.  Anyone local want some comfy, slightly bouncy chairs for a good price?

I am feeling ready to quit work and just be at home bring productive.  It takes a ton of time to declutter and get rid of stuff, which is what I really want to do before the move.  Not only am I great at tucking an amazing quantity of stuff into spaces you wouldn’t think could hold that much, but once you have gone through it and decided to give it away or sell it, you still have to do the work of hauling or posting it!  We gave away our vacuum, which is great.  I am so happy to not ever have to think about that again.  We also got a swiffer, which I enjoy using because it is easy and effective, but I wonder if there are chemicals even on the dry sweeping cloths – they smell funny to me.  The internet was not forthcoming.  Since I kicked up a lot of dust moving all those books and cleaning shelves, I ended up using a lot of dusting cloths.

I am nesting!!

The Best Vegan Diet and Nutrition Pregnancy Resources

The Importance of Diet During Pregnancy

While there is a lot of pressure on vegan mothers to eat well during pregnancy, this pressure is not unique to vegan women. All women need to reevaluate their diets when pregnant to make sure that they are getting enough of what they need. Both pregnancy and breastfeeding are very physically taxing on the body. You can imaging that if you were going to begin an intense muscle-building program you would probably need to change your diet. Well, you are going to begin an intense muscle-building program…along with building bones, ligaments, organs, and all the other tissues that make up a human being!

Talking to your Prenatal Medical Provider

It is important to find a medical practitioner who is supportive of your vegan diet. I would definitely look for someone who knows or is willing to learn what a vegan is and is comfortable with it. Sometimes I explain that “I am a strict vegetarian and eat no animal products” to doctors who are unfamiliar with the term “vegan.” Anyone can understand what a strict vegetarian is, and vegetarianism is generally more known and accepted than veganism.

I wouldn’t necessarily expect your medical practitioner to understand the ins and outs of vegan nutrition. For instance, he or she may not be aware that B12 deficiency is a concern to vegans or that omega 3 fatty acids are rare in a vegan diet and that vegans must take care to supplement with both. If you become anemic during your pregnancy, which is relatively common, your practitioner may not test to see whether it stems from iron deficiency or B vitamin deficiency. You may need to do some research on your own and remind your doctor to request appropriate tests.

My experience with doctors is that they are generally neutral or supportive of veganism, as long as I have presented my choice with confidence backed up by information. Showing a lack of confidence in one’s diet, while completely normal for any pregnant woman, encourages doctors to give you their standard advice to eat according to the FDA food guide, which is not appropriate for vegetarians. Having information from a reliable source like the American Dietetic Association – a source that doctors and nutritionists trust – can be invaluable when talking to your doctor. You could also make a copy of the chapter on pregnancy from Becoming Vegan and bring it in to an appointment to discuss.

I recommend asking specific rather than open-ended questions. For instance, rather than the very open-ended “What should I eat?”, instead ask “How can I get enough protein from plant foods?” or “I am having trouble including enough sources of calcium in my diet. What are some high-calcium vegan foods I can eat?” or “I lead a very busy life and rarely have time to make myself a lunch. Do you have any tips on buying a healthy lunch?”

I’ve read about other vegan women online who recommend not bringing up your diet with your doctor. I do not recommend this. Since your fetus/baby is living entirely off of your body’s resources, a healthy diet and exercise are probably the two most important factors in any pregnancy. Lies by omission to your medical provider prevent him or her from offering you the best care possible.

It Can Be Difficult to Make Dietary Changes

I have been a vegan for about 10 years now, and I tend to eat a very low-fat, low-sugar, high-fiber diet. I was very surprised when I started looking closely at my average intake of specific nutrients after I became pregnant. I had no idea that my diet was so low in protein and iron! Like most people, my husband and I have 5-10 standard dinners that we make 95% of the time. When I realized that many of our standards, while tasty, were not supplying enough nutrition during pregnancy, it was quite a hassle to find new recipes we both liked and wanted to eat regularly.

Food aversions can make this process even harder. I was very averse to garlic and onions until about 20 weeks into my pregnancy, and those formed the base for most of the dishes we usually made.

Despite being being vegan and so looking more closely at ingredients than most people, my husband and I had not before looked closely at the nutritional value of our food, believing the vegan community hype that vegan diets are ideal and combat cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and other diseases. It was hard for me to get support from friends and family about changing my diet because it meant admitting that the vegan diet I had promoted as very healthy was actually not as healthy as I had thought. I certainly don’t want to give people the idea that it is very difficult to be vegan, but now I also realize that the vegan diet holds more challenges than I had thought.

It is important to make sure that your vegan meal is “balanced.” An easy rule of thumb for lunch and dinner is that your plate should be approximately 1/4 protein such as beans, legumes, seitan, or tofu (containing at least 14g), 1/4 green and yellow vegetables, and 1/2 grains such as brown rice or pasta.

Do Not Assume That Taste Substitutes Are Also Nutritional Substitutes

I think the biggest lie that vegan perpetuate is the idea of meat and dairy “substitutes.” Unfortunately, many vegan meat and dairy substitutes do not contain an equivalent amount of nutrients as the item they are substituting for, and are really only tasty placeholders that can be quite nutritionally empty. For example, what follows is a list of protein values in meat and dairy products (found at the USDA National Nutrient Database) and in the equivalent vegan substitute (found at the various manufacturer websites using the nutrition facts information).

• 79 grams of hard-boiled egg contains 10 g of protein but the same quantity of refrigerated Nasoya organic firm tofu contains just 7 g.
• 14 grams of cheddar cheese contains 4 g of protein but the same quantity of Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet cheddar cheese alternative contains no protein at all.
• 2 tablespoons of cream cheese contains 2 g of protein but the same quantity of Tofutti Plain Better Than Cream Cheese imitation cream cheese contains just 1 g.
• 71 grams of broiled frozen ground beef patty contains 16 g of protein but the same quantity of Gardenburger Flame Grilled veggie burger contains just 11 g.
• 1 8-ounce cup of 2% milk contains 8 g of protein but the same quantity of Soy Dream original enriched soymilk has only 7 g and Rice Dream original enriched ricemilk has just 1 g.
• 100 grams of Breyers all natural light vanilla ice cream contains 5 g of protein but the same quantity of It’s So Delicious Purely Decadent Purely Vanilla non-dairy frozen dessert contains just 1 g.
• 1 6-ounce container of lowfat fruit-flavored yogurt contains 7 g of protein while Silk Live! fruit-flavored soy yogurt contains just 4 g.

In other words, you need to eat a larger amount of soy products than meat or dairy products to get the same amount of protein. This doesn’t mean that you can’t get enough protein from a vegan diet, but it does mean that you can’t assume that taste substitutes are also nutritional substitutes and that you pay attention to the protein content of foods to make sure you are getting an adequate intake.

I compared protein values above, but the same comparison can easily be done with iron and calcium. Vegan foods are just not as rich in minerals as meat and dairy foods. Again, that is not a problem if you pay attention to the nutrients in what you eat and/or supplement.

It was sooo frustrating to go through my kitchen and realize that the soy cheese I was piling on added little more than fat and salt to my diet, whereas if I were piling on dairy cheese I would be getting more protein and calcium as well. As an ethical vegan, I would not go back to eating cheese, but I have to say that I was pissed off to find out that all these supposedly vegan-friendly companies and products were giving vegans flavor but stiffing us on the nutrients.

Dietary Areas to Focus On

Pregnant women should eat 3-4 servings of protein a day (at least 1 serving with each meal), with a single serving being 14g. It can be challenging to get that 14g in one meal, but including high-protein vegan foods like seitan and some brands of vegan soy crumbles or strips with each dinner have made it easier. In addition to protein, I have had to focus on getting enough calcium (I started taking a calcium supplement with vitamin D), iron and B12 (now supplied by my Floradix supplement), and omega-3 fatty acids (still figuring out how to integrate this one into my diet consistently).

The other area to focus on is caloric intake. Since most vegan foods are not very calorically dense, it’s important to include some fatty and high-calorie foods like nuts, dried fruits, and avocados, and to make sure that you are getting lots of beans, grains, and root vegetables and a variety of oils. Shakes and smoothies with banana, soy protein powder, flax or canola oil, and fresh or frozen fruit are a great way to bump up the calories and nutrients.

It Can Be Done

A vegan pregnancy can be done, and successfully, but it may take some lifestyle changes. While I went into my pregnancy feeling confident that I could remain vegan and healthy, I was discouraged to find it would take more work than I had originally thought. Now that I have learned a bit more about nutrition and my husband and I have adjusted the way we eat together, it has become easy again. It’s routine now to take our supplements with breakfast and to think about combining calcium with vitamin D or iron with vitamin C to improve absorption. When we talk about what’s for dinner or shop for our lunches, we make sure that each meal includes enough protein.

I feel that the time I have spent researching vegan nutrition and changing my diet during pregnancy will reward me in the long term when I breastfeed and plan meals for my family in the future.

WEB RESOURCES

The American Dietetic Association has a new food guide for North American vegetarians that includes a vegan food guide pyramid. A great resource to print out and give to your prenatal medical provider.
http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/governance_5105_ENU_HTML.htm

The Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group of the American Dietetic Association has a web article on vegetarian diets during pregnancy. Another great resource to print out and give to your prenatal medical provider.
http://www.vegetariannutrition.net/articles/Vegetarian-Diets-During-Pregnancy.php

The Vegetarian Resource Group is the next place to go. They have articles on the vegan diet during pregnancy and lactation and vegan nutrition in pregnancy and childhood, as well as specific articles on getting protein, iron, calcium, and B12 in a vegan diet. They also have the ADA’s food guide in PDF format, which is unavailable through the ADA website unless you are a member.
http://www.vrg.org/nutrition

A great article on high-calorie vegetarian foods is available on the Toronto Vegetarian Association website.
http://veg.ca/content/view/170/112/

VegFamily, the magazine for vegan family living, has an archive of articles on Vegan Pregnancy.
http://www.vegfamily.com/vegan-pregnancy/index.htm

DEVA Nutrition makes a prenatal vitamin formulated specifically for vegans. The website lists online retailers under the distribution link.
http://www.devanutrition.com/vegan_prenatal_multivitamin.html

PRINT RESOURCES

Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina is the absolute best book on the topic of vegan nutrition, and the only one you will truly need. There is an entire chapter on diet needs during pregnancy, perfect for copying and discussing with your prenatal medical provider. There is also a helpful chart showing how to achieve a high-calorie vegan diet.

Vegetarian Pregnancy by Sharon Yntema has reliable nutrition information, and specifically includes vegan diets.

The Vegetarian Mother’s Cookbook by Cathe Olson has a lot of easy, nutritious recipes if you are looking to eat healthier. Not all are vegan, but most are easily adaptable or include vegan versions.

Note: You do not need Pregnancy Children and the Vegan Diet by Michael Klaper. The information is way out of date and much less useful than that in Becoming Vegan.

VIDEO RESOURCE

Bellydance: Prenatal Fitness & Dance Instruction Program DVD with Naia is a fun way to keep in shape throughout your pregnancy. Unlike most prenatal videos, you do not need any accessories – no weights, balls, blocks, ropes, chairs, or floor mats. Any time I experienced physical discomfort during pregnancy, doing this video helped immensely. Bellydance works on the muscles you need most for pregnancy and delivery.

Sleeeeeeep

Oh, man, I need sleep.  I keep waking up at 4:40 to pee, but then I can’t get back to sleep after that.  Two nights ago I eventually fell asleep again around 6:15, but last night I just ended getting up after about an hour and a half to clean the house and pack for the trip to Seattle.  I am sooo tired today.

Also, last night I was exhausted.  I went to Isis Maternity to buy some compression hose for the plane after calling ahead to make sure they had my size in stock.  Lies!!  Not only did the Arlington location not have it in stock, but none of their other two stores in the area did either.  Motherhood Maternity in the Cambridgeside Galleria Mall assures me they have my size in stock – we’ll see.  I’m taking off work after 1 today to have lunch with Barb (who is in town for the day) and then go buy compression hose, finish packing/doing dishes, and get the taxi around 5:15.

Can’t believe I will be in Seattle tonight!

Midwife appointment, Heat, Ultrasound

Last Wednesday (June 4) I had an appointment with Tiffany, my midwife.  The appointment went well.  I had a few questions for her, which were answered to my satisfaction.  How can you tell what position the baby is in?  (It’s too early to tell – the baby is still moving around a lot at this point.)  Will my anemia affect my ability to give birth in the birth center?  (Probably not – only very severe cases of anemia are transferred to the hospital.  Even though I am taking Floradix twice daily, I will probably get a bit more anemic as the pregnancy goes on because my blood volume will continue to expand and red blood cells take months to manufacture.  However, this should not be a problem.)  Tiffany filled out the forms for my FMLA maternity leave from Tufts, and I filled out a form to get my medical records released so I could take a copy of them with me to Seattle just in case.

As usual, I peed in a cup and got weighed and had my fundal height measured.  My fundal height was less than would be expected for my gestational age, so Tiffany ordered an ultrasound for me to make sure that the baby was developing normally.  Because babies vary so much in size, only babies who measure below the 10th percentile or above the 90th percentile in size are considered abnormal.  I was worried all week about it.  What if my baby wasn’t growing right?  There could be many possible reasons for this, including malfunctioning placenta and malnutrition.  All “mal” – bad!  On the other hand, the constant movement in my belly was very reassuring and the baby certainly feels big!

I had the ultrasound yesterday, and all is well.  I could not be more “normal” – my baby is in the 49th percentile in terms of size.  Exactly in the middle of the curve.  The ultrasound machine estimated his or her current height at just over 18 cm and current weight at over 4 and a half pounds.  Very reassuring!!  The only lame part about this ultrasound was getting jabbed really hard by the tech, who wanted to get a good shot of the skull circumference.  The baby (once again) was in a not-ideal position, with its head tucked down under my public bone.  It felt like the tech was trying to pry my pubic bone up with the wand.  Fun.  And for the rest of the day, the baby was grumpy, full of activity and wiggling.  I am sure it got a headache from all the pressure!

The other big pregnancy happening was the horrible heat this week.  The heat index got up to 105 degrees with the humidity on Tuesday, and the heat and humidity combined have been brutal.  Not only am I not sleeping well, but my feet have been swelling.  The weather is back down to 80 today though, which means my swelling is gone.  We have window unit A/Cs in our apartment, but they only cool the temperature to about 15 degrees below outside, so if it’s 100 outside it is still 85 in the apartment and too hot to sleep.  I am hoping that this whole summer will not be like that.  The trip to Seattle tomorrow sounds great, and I am really looking forward to the shower.

I keep logging on to TheThingsIWant.com to add more items to my list, but it is very overwhelming.  I think I need to actually go to some stores to see what they have.  It’s hard to tell, for instance, which stroller handle will be more comfortable in terms of angle, grip, and height without actually holding them.  Similarly, which crib is sturdiest and is the right height to bend over the rails.  I am going to try to add a few more things today, though.  Consumer Reports recommends the Chicco Key Fit as the best infant car seat, and that seems like the kind of thing you don’t want to skimp on.

Alex just emailed the baby shower menu, which sounds yummy enough that I am going to post it here.

Edamame dip with rice crackers, jicama, raw vegetables, etc.

Mango salsa wontons

Tofu and walnut stuffed mushrooms

Mini pizzas

Fruit cornucopia

Cupcakes, various sweets from Flying Apron vegan bakery

I am so excited to see my family and friends!!  And just for your information, I do like it when people put a hand on or rub my tummy.  I think people hesitate to do that, and I would be totally weirded out if a stranger did it, but I love it when my friends or family get to feel King Kong monkey around in there.  I recently discovered that my little munchkin (Mischieverina is our current nickname) loves to be rubbed as well.  If I rub or put hands on my sides, she or he moves so that she can get the attention, which is pretty uncomfortable for me!  If I just rub or put hands on the middle part of my belly and rub up and down rather than side to side, he will move into a much more comfortable vertical position.  Now I only rub in the middle up and down, and I think we’re both happier.  This kid is going to love getting massages!

New books I think I need: books on breastfeeding, infant massage, the first year of life, and infant health and care.  We’re going to take an infant CPR class, but I’m not sure I also need the breastfeeding class or the newborn essentials class.  Each class costs money!  I’ve looked into Rochester mommies groups, and there are a lot of them.  I am planning on hooking up with at least one group to make some friends when we move there.

I can’t wait to be in Sea-town!  Got to go buy those maternity compression hose for the plane today.