The Politics of Parenting?

Today we were officially accepted to the stem cell donor program for when Pavo is born. I am very excited about this for a few reasons. First, sticking it in the Current Occupant's eye is one of my favorite pastimes. Second, several of Pavo's great-grandparents have died from diseases that could potentially be treated or cured with stem cells in the future. Third, and most importantly, there seems to me no greater way to start one's little life than by giving back to the world community.

All this has got me thinking about the political significance of being a parent. Of raising a socially conscious child who is empathetic and caring and kind and unafraid to stand up for what's right. Of guiding that child to become an adult who is giving and committed to improving his community and world. Someone who understands that one's life should be spent working to make the world better in real ways, however he should choose to do that. Of raising a boy who becomes a man that respects women; who is in touch with his emotions and unafraid to talk about feelings. These are, of course, daunting challenges in a society that generally devalues these principles but I am excited about facing them.

When I first got pregnant, I giggled to myself about how this child could be my one small contribution to counteract those children who are being raised in the Bible Belt to fear and to hate and who will likely eventually vote for candidates who support curtailing individual rights and civil liberties. My child's vote in 18+ years will cancel out one of those votes.

Maybe I am thinking too much and too deep about the day-to-day of parenting. I'm sure some people would laugh at these ideas and ideals as unrealistic in the face of sleepless nights, endless diapering, and constant feedings. So, probably the political campaign will start out slowly and we will aim to master the sucking reflex before becoming a true revolutionary, but the stem cells are a good start.

Baby Bath

I have a wicked cold. I blame it on the flu shot they (the medical profession) made me get last week. My usual Rx of copious amounts of Nyquil and Dayquil is off limits to me, so I have been turning to alternative remedies like Vicks Vaporub and now, Johnson & Johnson's Soothing Vapor Bath. It may be an addiction to menthol, but there are worse things in the world. I just noticed that the label of the Vapor Bath says "Comforts Babies with Colds."

I just know my wife would have a lot to say about that.

License to Ill

I was admitted to practice law today in Minnesota. After that, I went with my family to W.A. Frost for a delicious lunch. Then I laid on my left side for awhile. Now we are going to my boss' house for a bonfire and what's sure to be great food. It's been a busy day, so I have not had time to actually practice law yet. Even though I could. And I can. Whenever I want. Wherever I want (within Minnesota). Boo-ya.

Innocent Until Proven Innocent 20 years later

I am really happy that this is on the homepage of cnn.com right now.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/law/10/25/innocence.project/index.html

Now I'll be waiting for one on felon disenfranchisement. I hope the guy in this story is really excited to vote in '08, and that he will move to Florida in order to cast that vote.

The Monday Report

When I first announced this pavo-in-the-roaster, I promised that this blog would not turn into a baby blog. For the most part, until the past few posts, I think I've done a pretty good job, but now I go to the doctor every Monday and my whole week is centered around how the appointment went and anticipating the next one. In short, yesterday's appointment was good. J. scored 8/8 on his first "test" (meaning he is in great condition) and my BP was slightly lower (meaning J. and I are responding well to the 40 hour work week and lounging on my left side.) So, may be able to avoid bouts of tears in the car, at least until next Monday. I feel calm and good.

In other news, here are some more things going on:

• On Friday, I will officially be admitted to practice law in Minnesota. It's an "official" session of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Very very.
• Yesterday was the National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality. I was preparing for a hearing most of the day, then went to the doctor, and then went out for Mexican food. I was not involved in the protest. My life has changed a lot.
• Some random Chinese girl asked me to be her friend on Facebook. It's my first SPAM friend invitation on Facebook. I looked at her profile and all of her other friends are in Sweden and Norway and have the last name Lund. I rejected her offer because that is creepy, for a number of reasons.

Crying in the Car

Crying in the car is a weird thing. It's something I've been doing pretty frequently recently. Pent up worry for myself and J. after a day of work where there isn't much time to be thinking about my own life is released once I am safe in the confines of my car. Cars feel like private places; a little box where no one can reach me. Where I can put on my music and cry until I feel better. The strange part, though, is that cars are really not very private. From a 4th Amendment standpoint, the SCOTUS has conclusively determined that one does not have the same expectation of privacy in a vehicle as one has in her own home. But my home is a bigger box-- and so crying in it is a totally different experience. There is a place to wander and a lot of distractions. Of course, distractions can be good. But, for a good, hard cry that is uninterrupted and can get the endorphins really flowing, the car is a perfect place.

It's not often that I see other people crying in their cars. And when I do, I sometimes want to make eye-contact and let the person know that someone feels sympathy for their pain. But, what I really do is quickly turn away and try to speed up a little so the person can have their privacy. Yesterday at a stop light on a freeway ramp, I was wiping tears away from my eyes and the driver in the car next to me noticed. Middle-aged guy. WASP. Middle-class. Probably not in touch with his emotions. It was clear that he was uncomfortable and he revved that engine to get away as fast as he could once the light turned green. Which made me laugh. Which is good for my blood pressure.

Restrictions

At my doctor appointment yesterday, my blood pressure was up a little- again. This is the reason I am restricted from exercise. Apparently, when BP goes up in pregnancy, exercise makes it worse, not better. Pretty strange phenomenon for the MD to say "hey, your blood pressure is a little high...quit working out and spend more time laying down!"

Because it was up again yesterday, I am now restricted to working only 40 hours a week. I saw a different doctor yesterday (mine was out of the office) and I think she was a bit of an alarmist because when I told her I was frustrated by my BP continuing to raise inexplicably, she at first just suggested extra rest, especially on my left side, and then, in an off-the-cuff sort of way, she said "bed rest." Which means no work. Or getting up. At all. Uhhh....what? No. Actually not an option, absent a true medical emergency. I feel fine and have none of the other red flags associated with high blood pressure in pregnancy (headaches, blurry vision, abnormal blood tests). So, after a brief breakdown in which I described having the bank foreclose on our house and bringing Pavo home to a cardboard box, the substitute MD backed off and suggested dropping from 50 hours a week to 40 hours a week. Ok, that's doable. I have a phone call placed to my main MD and am waiting for a call back so we can discuss how maybe she needs to make a note in my chart that alarmist doctors ought to tone it down a little when I'm on the table.

So, today I worked only from 8am-4pm. It was really weird, and I felt almost guilty leaving so early, even though I know it's the responsible decision, and it is totally ok with my boss. I feel lucky that I work for a place that is understanding and values me as a whole person, not just for the money I bring in. When I told my boss about my new restrictions, he said it's important to take are of myself, do whatever I need to do, and that I have a whole career ahead of me to worry about "making" enough hours. Small business life is a good life.

I am under strict orders to spend as much time with my feet up (and preferably laying on my left side) as possible. And alternating between Law and Order and the Simpsons. Ok, not the last part. Eduardo has been great and is cooking me food with no salt and giving me lots of head-rubs. My mom comes to my appointments with me so that I have someone to keep me grounded when my worry gets the best of me and I envision cardboard box homes.

It's unclear what will happen next. I'm at about 34 weeks and it's possible that, if my BP goes up much more or if I develop any other complications associated with it, they could possibly induce at week 37 or so? Or, I guess whenever they decide it's "time." In any case, even if Pavo was born this very night, chances are he would be just fine--34 weeks would be early, but not generally very problematic. Please cross fingers for after November 10th- it would be really lame to not be able to attend my own baby shower or to tell the hospital staff "Sorry, we can't take him home; the baby shower isn't until November 10th so we won't have a car seat until then..."