Haven't updated because there is nothing to say. No blood-letting and no pregnancy. It is a mystery, looks like my body is REALLY trying to tell me it is done. The thing is, I am stubborn.
So I am getting needles stuck in various parts of my body to bring on the blood-letting, after that I will have to see what the next step is.
It is all a little frustrating.
Darch
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Monday, February 4, 2008
A spot of pink changes everything!
This afternoon when I wiped there was a little pink spot, could it be implantation spotting???? Hope not because I had a few beers watching the Super Bowl yesterday, that was how sure I was that there is no way that I could be pregnant. But now with this little spot of pink, a bit of wonder has set in *sigh* and the roller-coaster begins.
Ellen is lying next to me sleeping, she is cute as a button, just thought you would like to know.
Darch
Ellen is lying next to me sleeping, she is cute as a button, just thought you would like to know.
Darch
Friday, February 1, 2008
Back to the acupuncturist...and the infertility diet.
Didn’t realize how much I missed going to acupuncture until I went back. After getting needles stuck in various places on my body, I fell asleep, not a half sleep, a deep full sleep. It was heavenly. I always feel so relaxed after a session I am often a bit out of sorts. And the best part was I got to show off Ellen again, I absolutely love that part!
It also means I am back on the herbs, not THE herb but the awful tasting herbal teas to help me with my infertility issues. Basically I have blood deficiency and blood stasis, in western medicine terms I am anaemic and clotty, (the blood doesn’t flow well).
And I am back to the infertility diet:
No dairy - not an issue, I use rice milk mostly, except for cheese, I love cheese but I can have goat cheese.
No Wheat – I eat spelt cereal as it is, I miss bread but it isn’t too bad and there are spelt replacements and I tend to eat rice pastas anyway.
No Sugar – Easy Peasy
No Booze – I will miss my wine
No caffeine – this is hard, some days that is the only energy I have!
Eat organic – I already do this, as much as I can
Isn’t this the most fascinating stuff?
Darch
It also means I am back on the herbs, not THE herb but the awful tasting herbal teas to help me with my infertility issues. Basically I have blood deficiency and blood stasis, in western medicine terms I am anaemic and clotty, (the blood doesn’t flow well).
And I am back to the infertility diet:
No dairy - not an issue, I use rice milk mostly, except for cheese, I love cheese but I can have goat cheese.
No Wheat – I eat spelt cereal as it is, I miss bread but it isn’t too bad and there are spelt replacements and I tend to eat rice pastas anyway.
No Sugar – Easy Peasy
No Booze – I will miss my wine
No caffeine – this is hard, some days that is the only energy I have!
Eat organic – I already do this, as much as I can
Isn’t this the most fascinating stuff?
Darch
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
And the 2 week wait begins....
It seems a little odd to think about it really. I don’t think I am going to get pregnant this cycle. I don’t think I am going to get pregnant without assistance. Today I didn’t think about it at all until I ordered a coffee then realized I have to be off the caffeine, I drank it anyway. Now I am blogging about it and I don’t have that much to say. There is no belief in success and there is no anger or frustration about impending failure. So really there is nothing interesting at all.
In other news......
I am teaching myself how to knit socks, it is going well, easier than I thought but for some reason I am knitting them inside out. I will post a photo when I am done, they are an earthy coloured wool and bamboo blend, quite lovely I think.
Ellen has a nasty bum and it is too cold for her to have some diaper free time, I have taken her off solids and hopefully the nastiness will calm down.
It is freaking cold here in Calgary so we have been house bound. Both Ellen and I are going a little stir crazy, hoping that tomorrow we can get out for a walk, it will be a balmy -23 (celsius).
Everything is well in the House of Darch & Bones, just a tad on the boring side.
Darch
In other news......
I am teaching myself how to knit socks, it is going well, easier than I thought but for some reason I am knitting them inside out. I will post a photo when I am done, they are an earthy coloured wool and bamboo blend, quite lovely I think.
Ellen has a nasty bum and it is too cold for her to have some diaper free time, I have taken her off solids and hopefully the nastiness will calm down.
It is freaking cold here in Calgary so we have been house bound. Both Ellen and I are going a little stir crazy, hoping that tomorrow we can get out for a walk, it will be a balmy -23 (celsius).
Everything is well in the House of Darch & Bones, just a tad on the boring side.
Darch
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Appointments & Exhaustion!
Well the appointment with the RE went really well. We showed off some Ellen pictures, bragged about how great Ellen is and he seemed genuinely pleased for us.
So now I have to wait for my next cd1, call the clinic to get my HSG scheduled, fun. Last time was horrible, I actually cried, not bawl my eyes out cry but that quiet cry where the tears were just streaming down. The dr kept reassuring me this was just to get one step closer to having a baby, I knew that but for some reason I needed that emotional release. So needless to say I am not looking forward to the next one. I am hoping last time was a release of all the frustrations I had felt trying to have a child and this time it will be easier on me.
I have cd3 blood work to check my base hormone levels, cd21 & cd28 blood work to see if I have ovulated and what my progesterone levels are. I will also have an abdominal ultrasound, yahoo I have missed the dildo-cam! (yes that is sarcasm)
After all the testing is done we visit with the RE and start the hormone suppression, injections, dildo-cam sessions and turkey basting. *sigh*
Thing is I have so much sh*t going on in my life, mostly to do with a family member and some of my family reads this so I am not going to name names but I am going to say, can’t we all just get along and quit the power struggles and just because I refuse to play the game, doesn’t mean I don’t care, ahh but I digress, I am tired, exhausted in fact and you need energy, drive, determination to go through treatments. Right now I feel like I save everything positive for Ellen and I really don’t think it is fair to deprive her if I don’t have the strength to go through it all at the moment. Then I have to remind myself, I may be in a completely different place in a couple of months.
Right now I really need something to be easy but am I even in a head space to recognize when something is easy, it just seems that every little thing is a struggle at the moment. I am just worn out, physically, emotionally, I am just worn out.
Darch
So now I have to wait for my next cd1, call the clinic to get my HSG scheduled, fun. Last time was horrible, I actually cried, not bawl my eyes out cry but that quiet cry where the tears were just streaming down. The dr kept reassuring me this was just to get one step closer to having a baby, I knew that but for some reason I needed that emotional release. So needless to say I am not looking forward to the next one. I am hoping last time was a release of all the frustrations I had felt trying to have a child and this time it will be easier on me.
I have cd3 blood work to check my base hormone levels, cd21 & cd28 blood work to see if I have ovulated and what my progesterone levels are. I will also have an abdominal ultrasound, yahoo I have missed the dildo-cam! (yes that is sarcasm)
After all the testing is done we visit with the RE and start the hormone suppression, injections, dildo-cam sessions and turkey basting. *sigh*
Thing is I have so much sh*t going on in my life, mostly to do with a family member and some of my family reads this so I am not going to name names but I am going to say, can’t we all just get along and quit the power struggles and just because I refuse to play the game, doesn’t mean I don’t care, ahh but I digress, I am tired, exhausted in fact and you need energy, drive, determination to go through treatments. Right now I feel like I save everything positive for Ellen and I really don’t think it is fair to deprive her if I don’t have the strength to go through it all at the moment. Then I have to remind myself, I may be in a completely different place in a couple of months.
Right now I really need something to be easy but am I even in a head space to recognize when something is easy, it just seems that every little thing is a struggle at the moment. I am just worn out, physically, emotionally, I am just worn out.
Darch
Monday, January 14, 2008
On to the next...
So my next appointment at the Fertility Clinic is on January 18th. Not sure what the appointment will yield. It maybe that I am put back on the wait list and we get started with all the preliminary testing or maybe we can start right away.
Ellen will be 6 months and 1 day. My emotions are very mixed. I definitely want more children and I definitely want more time with just Ellen. But with my old and crusty eggs I have to get a move on.
Darch
ps Life will Ellen is still amazing!
Ellen will be 6 months and 1 day. My emotions are very mixed. I definitely want more children and I definitely want more time with just Ellen. But with my old and crusty eggs I have to get a move on.
Darch
ps Life will Ellen is still amazing!
Friday, November 16, 2007
4 Months – Life with Ellen
Simply wonderful.
She is a dream. Bones and I can’t believe how lucky we are with her. We are both so in love. Some people say that having a child can drift the parents apart, for us it has brought us closer. Bones & I are quite stubborn people so working together is somewhat of a challenge, with Ellen we are on the same page even when we disagree.
Breastfeeding has just not worked out for us. When she was born my breasts were too big for her mouth, so I pumped and tried to use a shield. That worked, my milk production went up then it
came crashing down. So I tried some milk producing teas, and pumped like mad, got my milk production back up, got her off the shield and felt like the natural mama I wanted to be. I had a few weeks of breastfeeding bliss when my production once again went down. On to the pills, my production came back but Ellen was frustrated with the boob by this point so I pumped, once again I dried up. At this point I decided I couldn’t take it anymore. It was rejection like I had never felt before having her scream at the boob and each time I dried up I felt it was a personal failure.
My lowest point as a mom sounded something like this, ‘ I couldn’t get pregnant on my own, then my body wasn’t a good home for her anymore so I had to be induced, now I can’t even feed her’, said with the crying of a mom who is exhausted and feeling very guilty.
Thankful
ly I was able to move on, she is such a terrific baby and some of that has to do with my parenting.....right?!?
This little girl hates her car seat, hates her stroller so we carry her. This has brought on a carrier obsession. I have a stretchy wrap, great for when she was a newborn as it pulled her in so close, a pouch sling for the pool, a ring sling for when I am running errands and I loved Bones’ Mei Tai carrier so much that I ordered one for myself. My shoe obsession has been successfully transferred! Ellen loves being worn around.
In 4 months she has grown 5.5 inches and gained 7lbs 4oz, 2 teeth are coming in, she has been on a plane, gone on a long road trip, been to a wine tasting, (unfortunately there was not milk tastings going on for her), and fed a giraffe. She has taken all of this in stride.
Ellen has a few nicknames, Gussy Fussbucket for those days she decides that laid back is not the way to go, the 24 inch dictator, Droolly Malone, Stinky McFartsalot, Buttercup and Sweet Pea. At this rate it will be at the kindergarten role call when she will finally figure out her real name.
She loves to give kisses, which take the form of opening her drooly, teething mouth and rubbing it on your face. They are precious and you feel so special when you get her slobbery present, but it is best if you have a face cloth on
hand. I now understand the need for 50 face cloths!
Ellen plays her own version of hide and go seek, she places her head in your chest then looks out into the world and gives out a cry of joy and places her head back into your chest. I love this game.
She prefers showers over baths, loves to sleep with mommy & daddy, hates to be alone, loves her playgroup, loves to look at pictures on the computer, loves her mobile and loves the dogs. She will even give them treats if they sit for her, such a generous girl.
Ellen is a true dream, we are so lucky to have this little girl.
Darch
She is a dream. Bones and I can’t believe how lucky we are with her. We are both so in love. Some people say that having a child can drift the parents apart, for us it has brought us closer. Bones & I are quite stubborn people so working together is somewhat of a challenge, with Ellen we are on the same page even when we disagree.
Breastfeeding has just not worked out for us. When she was born my breasts were too big for her mouth, so I pumped and tried to use a shield. That worked, my milk production went up then it
came crashing down. So I tried some milk producing teas, and pumped like mad, got my milk production back up, got her off the shield and felt like the natural mama I wanted to be. I had a few weeks of breastfeeding bliss when my production once again went down. On to the pills, my production came back but Ellen was frustrated with the boob by this point so I pumped, once again I dried up. At this point I decided I couldn’t take it anymore. It was rejection like I had never felt before having her scream at the boob and each time I dried up I felt it was a personal failure.My lowest point as a mom sounded something like this, ‘ I couldn’t get pregnant on my own, then my body wasn’t a good home for her anymore so I had to be induced, now I can’t even feed her’, said with the crying of a mom who is exhausted and feeling very guilty.
Thankful
ly I was able to move on, she is such a terrific baby and some of that has to do with my parenting.....right?!?This little girl hates her car seat, hates her stroller so we carry her. This has brought on a carrier obsession. I have a stretchy wrap, great for when she was a newborn as it pulled her in so close, a pouch sling for the pool, a ring sling for when I am running errands and I loved Bones’ Mei Tai carrier so much that I ordered one for myself. My shoe obsession has been successfully transferred! Ellen loves being worn around.
In 4 months she has grown 5.5 inches and gained 7lbs 4oz, 2 teeth are coming in, she has been on a plane, gone on a long road trip, been to a wine tasting, (unfortunately there was not milk tastings going on for her), and fed a giraffe. She has taken all of this in stride.
Ellen has a few nicknames, Gussy Fussbucket for those days she decides that laid back is not the way to go, the 24 inch dictator, Droolly Malone, Stinky McFartsalot, Buttercup and Sweet Pea. At this rate it will be at the kindergarten role call when she will finally figure out her real name.
She loves to give kisses, which take the form of opening her drooly, teething mouth and rubbing it on your face. They are precious and you feel so special when you get her slobbery present, but it is best if you have a face cloth on
hand. I now understand the need for 50 face cloths!Ellen plays her own version of hide and go seek, she places her head in your chest then looks out into the world and gives out a cry of joy and places her head back into your chest. I love this game.
She prefers showers over baths, loves to sleep with mommy & daddy, hates to be alone, loves her playgroup, loves to look at pictures on the computer, loves her mobile and loves the dogs. She will even give them treats if they sit for her, such a generous girl.
Ellen is a true dream, we are so lucky to have this little girl.
Darch
Monday, September 3, 2007
Nipple confusion of a different sort.
Really early this morning Ellen didn’t want to be put down in her bassinette so I brought her in bed with me. She cuddled in close, I was on my side facing her, she was on her side facing me when she latched onto my nose. Once asleep she let it go.
These moments are the best.
Darch
These moments are the best.
Darch
Friday, August 31, 2007
They blame rapid population growth
It has been so long since I posted and so much has happened. I am going to start with a post I was working on before we left for Ottawa. It is about a heinous crime that occurred a block away from where we live so if you find it hard to read about such things skip this post.
Bones took the dogs out for a walk in the morning and noticed a tented off crime scene area. Listening to the news we found out a woman was murdered. Later that morning a police officer came by to see if we had heard anything. She was found a block and a half away from our house on a person’s lawn.
From the news we found out she was viciously raped and beaten in the outdoor hockey arena in our local park. It is where we have our community spring market, local artists, crafts persons and small business set up booths, there is an antique car exhibition and a calypso band belts out tunes on their steel drums. The neighbourhood kids play on the jungle gym, swings and slides, in the winter they go tobogganing if we are lucky enough to have a snowfall that sticks around for any length of time. After the hockey arena was threatened with being torn down the community rallied to keep it open. This is a community place.
She managed to leave the arena, bloodied and partially clad and make her way down the hill yelling for help. Three households admitted to hearing her but didn’t make any call. This all occurred between 3-5am.
Days later when they released her photo I recognized her. She was one of the local prostitutes who I often saw across the street at the 7-11. She was always getting the largest slurpee going and other sugary sweets while I was caving into my pregnancy craving of Oreo ice cream.
This happened during a week when there were 9 violent incidents and recently there was a car load of people who randomly stabbed 4 people, killing one. How can I raise a child here?
I am absolutely pissed off at my neighbours who heard her cries but did nothing. How loud where her screams to wake someone up when she was outside and they were inside? One excuse given, his property was where she was found, thought that it wouldn’t do any good to call 911 as he didn’t know where the cries were coming from. WHAT??? 911 – this is my address – I am hearing a woman screaming, ‘HELP ME’, (he did hear the words clearly), - not sure where the cries are coming from. How effing hard is that!
Some people believe she was a prostitute so it is separate, this isn’t really going to affect us, well I am affected. It really could have been anyone, I have been propositioned before. What if I was out walking Cody, he often whines to go out for a pee in the middle of the night.
It seems so easy for some to dismiss this occurrence because she was a prostitute, it doesn’t matter, she didn’t deserve it. Period.
Darch
Bones took the dogs out for a walk in the morning and noticed a tented off crime scene area. Listening to the news we found out a woman was murdered. Later that morning a police officer came by to see if we had heard anything. She was found a block and a half away from our house on a person’s lawn.
From the news we found out she was viciously raped and beaten in the outdoor hockey arena in our local park. It is where we have our community spring market, local artists, crafts persons and small business set up booths, there is an antique car exhibition and a calypso band belts out tunes on their steel drums. The neighbourhood kids play on the jungle gym, swings and slides, in the winter they go tobogganing if we are lucky enough to have a snowfall that sticks around for any length of time. After the hockey arena was threatened with being torn down the community rallied to keep it open. This is a community place.
She managed to leave the arena, bloodied and partially clad and make her way down the hill yelling for help. Three households admitted to hearing her but didn’t make any call. This all occurred between 3-5am.
Days later when they released her photo I recognized her. She was one of the local prostitutes who I often saw across the street at the 7-11. She was always getting the largest slurpee going and other sugary sweets while I was caving into my pregnancy craving of Oreo ice cream.
This happened during a week when there were 9 violent incidents and recently there was a car load of people who randomly stabbed 4 people, killing one. How can I raise a child here?
I am absolutely pissed off at my neighbours who heard her cries but did nothing. How loud where her screams to wake someone up when she was outside and they were inside? One excuse given, his property was where she was found, thought that it wouldn’t do any good to call 911 as he didn’t know where the cries were coming from. WHAT??? 911 – this is my address – I am hearing a woman screaming, ‘HELP ME’, (he did hear the words clearly), - not sure where the cries are coming from. How effing hard is that!
Some people believe she was a prostitute so it is separate, this isn’t really going to affect us, well I am affected. It really could have been anyone, I have been propositioned before. What if I was out walking Cody, he often whines to go out for a pee in the middle of the night.
It seems so easy for some to dismiss this occurrence because she was a prostitute, it doesn’t matter, she didn’t deserve it. Period.
Darch
Thursday, August 9, 2007
No words to describe
Bones, Ellen & I are heading home for the funeral of our little niece, 14 months old, a real tragedy. We have been holding Ellen a little closer, missing our niece and worrying about her parents.
Good-bye little one,
Darch
Good-bye little one,
Darch
Monday, July 23, 2007
She’s Here – The Labour
After a week of Severe Restricted Activity where I was checked in on repeatedly by the Antenatal Community Care Program to monitor my blood pressure and being sent back and forth to the hospital the decision was made to induce. The decision was made on a Friday, Sunday July 15th the appointment was made. My mom flew out on Friday evening. It looked like everything was in place.
Sunday came and my blood pressures were high so off the hospital, before my appointment, and I received the suppository that would soften the cervix and hopefully start labour, early. Wow, I had such severe cramps that I didn’t sleep at all that night. The next morning I was checked and not dilated. So we tried again. Went home made some calls, paid some bills, the cramping got worse.
While talking to my sister-in-law I was in so much pain I had to get off the phone. Walked around a bit thinking that would ease the cramping but it didn’t, at this point I could barely take it anymore and thought I should go back to the hospital. While there it got more and more intense, I thought this was severe cramping, when I was finally checked, I was 3cm dilated. WHOA....I was in labour!?!?!?! How did that happen????
Within hours I dilated 3cm, hours later I dilated another 3, for those who are unfamiliar with induction, it is like running a marathon without the training. Pregnancy is an amazing thing, your body trains, Braxton-Hicks contractions, and will get your body prepared for labour, it may take days to weeks to dilate to 3cm, for example. Needless to say I was in so much pain I was screaming for drugs and became really disassociated with my body and even my baby.
I was stuck in Maternity Triage waiting for a labouring room so they gave me some morphine, it only took the edge off. I had little time between contractions to gain control, mostly I was out of control. Finally I got a labouring room, now the challenge would be staying still while getting the epidural. I had 4 contractions while the epidural was being administered. Thankfully the nurse was in my face like a drill sgt keeping me breathing and she had a firm grip on my arms.
The epidural was heavenly, I couldn’t feel a thing, labour was slowed down but that was a good thing, by that time I hadn’t slept for 40 hours so thought I could get some shut eye. Nope, I was too excited. By 7am Tuesday morning I was 9cm, still no sleep, 9am, fully dilated, still no sleep. Decided to wait a bit and let my contractions to push down the baby a bit. Plus I laid off the epidural, (I was in control of the drugs), so that I could feel the need to push.
At this point I was nervous, a bit dizzy and thinking, ‘holy crap I am going to have a baby?!?!?!’.
Around 10am I began to push. The first bit was great, then my left butt and lower back began to hurt. Thought I had pulled something. With each push it hurt more. Tried to readjust but nothing would ease. At this point the baby pooped and everything changed. She needed to come out now and I got a bit panicked, the discomfort turned to pain and I began to lose control.
As she was crowning there is a pain the nurse called the ring of fire, (not the ring of fire I usually associated with eating too many hot wings the night before if you get my drift), at this point I had to hold. The nurse here was amazing she was in my face helping me keep focus. This was horrendous pain, actually shouted out repeatedly that I couldn’t do this. All I could think in my head was, ‘she has to come out now’ and ‘I will never be able to have a second’. Then the pain eased, (I had torn), one final push and she was out. Feeling here come out was the most amazing thing I had ever felt. Total euphoria. She cried right away.
I can do this again.
Because she pooped she was taken to be looked at to make sure she didn’t aspirate anything. I couldn’t see her. All I could picture was her ultrasound photo where she looked like she had long legs so I asked, ‘Does she have legs?’. All the medical staff looked at me strangely, the doctor looked up from stitching me up, and laughed. At that point I realized what I had said and explained myself.
Bones was amazing throughout, there is no way I would have been able to get through it without him.
This experience taught me a lot about pain. Hopefully these lessons will remain in my memory if I ever am lucky enough to go through this again.
My daughter was born 10:57am July 17th, 6lbs 2oz, 19 inches.
She’s here, she’s beautiful, she’s perfect my little Ellen Dianne.
Darch
Sunday came and my blood pressures were high so off the hospital, before my appointment, and I received the suppository that would soften the cervix and hopefully start labour, early. Wow, I had such severe cramps that I didn’t sleep at all that night. The next morning I was checked and not dilated. So we tried again. Went home made some calls, paid some bills, the cramping got worse.
While talking to my sister-in-law I was in so much pain I had to get off the phone. Walked around a bit thinking that would ease the cramping but it didn’t, at this point I could barely take it anymore and thought I should go back to the hospital. While there it got more and more intense, I thought this was severe cramping, when I was finally checked, I was 3cm dilated. WHOA....I was in labour!?!?!?! How did that happen????
Within hours I dilated 3cm, hours later I dilated another 3, for those who are unfamiliar with induction, it is like running a marathon without the training. Pregnancy is an amazing thing, your body trains, Braxton-Hicks contractions, and will get your body prepared for labour, it may take days to weeks to dilate to 3cm, for example. Needless to say I was in so much pain I was screaming for drugs and became really disassociated with my body and even my baby.
I was stuck in Maternity Triage waiting for a labouring room so they gave me some morphine, it only took the edge off. I had little time between contractions to gain control, mostly I was out of control. Finally I got a labouring room, now the challenge would be staying still while getting the epidural. I had 4 contractions while the epidural was being administered. Thankfully the nurse was in my face like a drill sgt keeping me breathing and she had a firm grip on my arms.
The epidural was heavenly, I couldn’t feel a thing, labour was slowed down but that was a good thing, by that time I hadn’t slept for 40 hours so thought I could get some shut eye. Nope, I was too excited. By 7am Tuesday morning I was 9cm, still no sleep, 9am, fully dilated, still no sleep. Decided to wait a bit and let my contractions to push down the baby a bit. Plus I laid off the epidural, (I was in control of the drugs), so that I could feel the need to push.
At this point I was nervous, a bit dizzy and thinking, ‘holy crap I am going to have a baby?!?!?!’.
Around 10am I began to push. The first bit was great, then my left butt and lower back began to hurt. Thought I had pulled something. With each push it hurt more. Tried to readjust but nothing would ease. At this point the baby pooped and everything changed. She needed to come out now and I got a bit panicked, the discomfort turned to pain and I began to lose control.
As she was crowning there is a pain the nurse called the ring of fire, (not the ring of fire I usually associated with eating too many hot wings the night before if you get my drift), at this point I had to hold. The nurse here was amazing she was in my face helping me keep focus. This was horrendous pain, actually shouted out repeatedly that I couldn’t do this. All I could think in my head was, ‘she has to come out now’ and ‘I will never be able to have a second’. Then the pain eased, (I had torn), one final push and she was out. Feeling here come out was the most amazing thing I had ever felt. Total euphoria. She cried right away.
I can do this again.
Because she pooped she was taken to be looked at to make sure she didn’t aspirate anything. I couldn’t see her. All I could picture was her ultrasound photo where she looked like she had long legs so I asked, ‘Does she have legs?’. All the medical staff looked at me strangely, the doctor looked up from stitching me up, and laughed. At that point I realized what I had said and explained myself.
Bones was amazing throughout, there is no way I would have been able to get through it without him.
This experience taught me a lot about pain. Hopefully these lessons will remain in my memory if I ever am lucky enough to go through this again.
My daughter was born 10:57am July 17th, 6lbs 2oz, 19 inches.
She’s here, she’s beautiful, she’s perfect my little Ellen Dianne.
Darch
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Here we go again!
So it would appear that when I begin to breath a little easier all of the sudden I am thrown for a loop.
I am in the hospital. Went to my 36 week prenatal appointment yesterday and my blood pressure was 132/98, I was sent straight to the hospital. Getting into the car and driving there I was a bit of a robot thinking they are just going to do some tests and I would be on my way. I mean I had a Stampede Lunch to go to, (will eventually write a post on Stampede in Calgary, it is truly an experience!). As soon as I got to the triage desk, I started crying. As much as I wanted to meet the wee one, I want her to stay in to term.
Once I got a room in triage they had me hooked up to a fetal monitor. Thankfully this little girl is so active that I haven’t been too worried about her health. I also got hooked up to a blood pressure monitor that automatically checked my bp every 15 minutes. It when down for a bit but started rising again. The doctor looking after me wanted to induce.
After consulting the senior OB/GYN the decision was to do a 24 hour urine, (to check for protein in the urine), and to monitor my bp every 4 hours. My bp is still high. Today at 4pm the 24 hour urine ends and shortly after that I will find out what will happen.
So far these are the plans:
- If the urine comes back with too much protein, induce.
- If my bp is still high but urine ok, induce on Tuesday, (I will be 37 weeks and the baby will be considered term at that point).
- If my bp stabilizes, I will be at home on modified bed rest with a nurse coming by daily to check my bp and monitor the wee one. This is most likely what will occur.
All I know for sure at this point is there is no more work for me, which is distressing in itself as there
are a few loose ends I would have preferred to tie up before leaving, and I am filled with mixed emotions. As much as I don’t want to have my baby now, I am so excited to meet her. Bones and I had some giggley bonding time as we contemplated being induced. I was excited and ready to go by the time the plug was pulled on that plan.
I did manage to head out for a walk today. The hospital is along a reservoir, check out the pic, so there is a nice path and I got to pet some pooches who were out for walks. Wish I thought of having my dogs meet me out there for a visit when Bones dropped by this morning.
Update: Had to stay a 2nd night, Bones brought the dogs, (that is me doing my best Jabba the Hutt impression, look at happy Cody), for a visit. I will be heading home with a nurse coming by everyday to make sure everything is still hunky dory.
Darch
I am in the hospital. Went to my 36 week prenatal appointment yesterday and my blood pressure was 132/98, I was sent straight to the hospital. Getting into the car and driving there I was a bit of a robot thinking they are just going to do some tests and I would be on my way. I mean I had a Stampede Lunch to go to, (will eventually write a post on Stampede in Calgary, it is truly an experience!). As soon as I got to the triage desk, I started crying. As much as I wanted to meet the wee one, I want her to stay in to term.
Once I got a room in triage they had me hooked up to a fetal monitor. Thankfully this little girl is so active that I haven’t been too worried about her health. I also got hooked up to a blood pressure monitor that automatically checked my bp every 15 minutes. It when down for a bit but started rising again. The doctor looking after me wanted to induce.
After consulting the senior OB/GYN the decision was to do a 24 hour urine, (to check for protein in the urine), and to monitor my bp every 4 hours. My bp is still high. Today at 4pm the 24 hour urine ends and shortly after that I will find out what will happen.
So far these are the plans:
- If the urine comes back with too much protein, induce.
- If my bp is still high but urine ok, induce on Tuesday, (I will be 37 weeks and the baby will be considered term at that point).
- If my bp stabilizes, I will be at home on modified bed rest with a nurse coming by daily to check my bp and monitor the wee one. This is most likely what will occur.
All I know for sure at this point is there is no more work for me, which is distressing in itself as there
are a few loose ends I would have preferred to tie up before leaving, and I am filled with mixed emotions. As much as I don’t want to have my baby now, I am so excited to meet her. Bones and I had some giggley bonding time as we contemplated being induced. I was excited and ready to go by the time the plug was pulled on that plan.I did manage to head out for a walk today. The hospital is along a reservoir, check out the pic, so there is a nice path and I got to pet some pooches who were out for walks. Wish I thought of having my dogs meet me out there for a visit when Bones dropped by this morning.
Update: Had to stay a 2nd night, Bones brought the dogs, (that is me doing my best Jabba the Hutt impression, look at happy Cody), for a visit. I will be heading home with a nurse coming by everyday to make sure everything is still hunky dory.
Darch
Thursday, July 5, 2007
TMI – The boob update
Here are the stats:
I have gained 30lbs so far.
My chest size has gone from 36 to 38, not bad.
My cup size has gone from well let us just say that they have increased 4 cup sizes, (now this would not be so bad if I started at an A, B, or even C, but that was simply not the case…. ). No Joke. I could wear my bras as a toque, and they would fit quite comfortably.
Now the word out on the street is that they will increase 1 more cup size once the milk comes in. How high do cup sizes go again?????
If I have milk production issues I will be majorly pissed, I mean there is all this storage room created in there, don’t want it to go to waste!
On a more positive note, my expanding belly makes the boobs look smaller and the ever-expanding boobs make my belly look smaller.
It will be interesting when I lose the belly but am breastfeeding! Maybe I can make some extra bucks headlining as a stripper, at least my start-up costs would be low as I wouldn’t need the boob job.
Oh the possibilities!
Darch
I have gained 30lbs so far.
My chest size has gone from 36 to 38, not bad.
My cup size has gone from well let us just say that they have increased 4 cup sizes, (now this would not be so bad if I started at an A, B, or even C, but that was simply not the case…. ). No Joke. I could wear my bras as a toque, and they would fit quite comfortably.
Now the word out on the street is that they will increase 1 more cup size once the milk comes in. How high do cup sizes go again?????
If I have milk production issues I will be majorly pissed, I mean there is all this storage room created in there, don’t want it to go to waste!
On a more positive note, my expanding belly makes the boobs look smaller and the ever-expanding boobs make my belly look smaller.
It will be interesting when I lose the belly but am breastfeeding! Maybe I can make some extra bucks headlining as a stripper, at least my start-up costs would be low as I wouldn’t need the boob job.
Oh the possibilities!
Darch
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
36 down 4 to go!
So the excitement is mounting. Every time I think, this has to be a peak, there is no where left to go on the Excitement-Meter, I somehow do. I will try my best to write without the over-use of exclamation marks but please be patient with me if I don’t succeed.
Nearly peed my pants again, Bones & I were joking about something and of course he got me laughing – hard – thankfully I just gone to the bathroom so it was only a dribble. But that set the stage for later that night when we had friends over for dinner and the goal was to get me laughing hard enough that I would pee myself. I kept my dour expression and it didn’t work. How do I keep any semblance of dignity when so many are conspiring against me?!
Sunday we went out for breakfast and in this tiny little eatery, it seats about 30 max. What do you know but there were 3 hugely pregnant women there, including me. Well one of the women was in labour and I guess it was progressing a bit quicker than expected as they rushed out of there forgetting their jackets. Thankfully it was a neighbourhood restaurant and one of the other patrons knew them, she was the one who spilled the beans that her friend had gone into labour. I got quite weepy.
Last night was the last of my prenatal classes. I must say that most of what we learned was common sense, even so that classes have made me feel more prepared and confident. Again I left thinking, ‘ok I want to have my baby now!’
Just to let people know my home internet is down, haven’t had a chance yet to get it up and running so there may be a delay in returning emails or moderating comments. I do have internet at work but for some reason they appreciate it when I am working while at work – go figure.
Darch
Nearly peed my pants again, Bones & I were joking about something and of course he got me laughing – hard – thankfully I just gone to the bathroom so it was only a dribble. But that set the stage for later that night when we had friends over for dinner and the goal was to get me laughing hard enough that I would pee myself. I kept my dour expression and it didn’t work. How do I keep any semblance of dignity when so many are conspiring against me?!
Sunday we went out for breakfast and in this tiny little eatery, it seats about 30 max. What do you know but there were 3 hugely pregnant women there, including me. Well one of the women was in labour and I guess it was progressing a bit quicker than expected as they rushed out of there forgetting their jackets. Thankfully it was a neighbourhood restaurant and one of the other patrons knew them, she was the one who spilled the beans that her friend had gone into labour. I got quite weepy.
Last night was the last of my prenatal classes. I must say that most of what we learned was common sense, even so that classes have made me feel more prepared and confident. Again I left thinking, ‘ok I want to have my baby now!’
Just to let people know my home internet is down, haven’t had a chance yet to get it up and running so there may be a delay in returning emails or moderating comments. I do have internet at work but for some reason they appreciate it when I am working while at work – go figure.
Darch
Friday, June 29, 2007
Some days everything is just great!
Everything seems to have settled down in the House of Darch & Bones, here is a quick bullet form update:
- Cody is better, his cortisol levels are normal, at the moment, so now he gets ‘poisoned’ twice a week to keep his levels under control. He is back to his normal annoying self, he is a terrier and it is just part of living with a terrier, love him dearly for all that personality but man there are times he can annoy me to no end.
- I can actually DO stuff without pain and not feeling like my heart is going to beat out of my chest! This is not only good for my sanity but that of Bones as well. I am not so snippy, (I wasn’t frustrating with him, frustrated that I needed so much help to do really basic things like get up off the couch, yes I got stuck twice and don’t want to discuss it any further but feel free to tease), anymore.
- I have somehow achieved the miracle of only having the quilting paraphernalia in 3 areas of the house, hoping to have it down to 2 by the end of the weekend but I am not sure if I have enough karma points to pull that off!
- We have the change table area all set up with diapers washed and ready to go, a garden & bug inspired mobile above the change table, all conveniently located beside the toilet.
- All of Ellen’s clothes, bedding and bathing stuff has been washed and put away in her dresser, I have finished 2 quilts for her, have another 2 on the go, and another 3 in the planning stages, she is going to be one warm & padded baby.
- And just to clarify, Bones is not taking figure-skating lessons, I was hoping if I tell outlandish lies about him he would update you all on how he is doing as opposed to me letting you know. In reality Bones DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO SKATE!!!! I still don’t know how any Canadian grows up not knowing how to skate, what is even more surprising is that he grew up in Ottawa. Ottawa, home of the longest outdoor skating rink in the world, where every year during Winterlude, (a winter festival on the Rideau Canal, for those who don’t know), there were school trips to go skating along the canal. Sometimes the truth is more outlandish than the lies.
- Bones is doing well, he is really excited. Won’t be running too much this year, injured his Achilles and it has taken a while to recover. His 2 hiking buddies are going through divorces so he figures if he has to listen to them discuss the divorces all the time he is not going to feel too guilty about all the baby talk.
- Bones & I will be missing our friends at the 13th Annual Canada Party, this year with the added bonus of moose meat. It was 7 years ago at that very Canada Party that Bones & I threw caution to the wind and decided to have a wee fling, (we have known each other since I was 16 and he was 20, we worked at the Elgin theatre and were friends with many of the people who worked there but we didn’t really notice each other until I was 27, he crashed my 27th birthday party with his girlfriend at the time. I thought he was truly amazing but I am no man stealing ho and he lived in Edmonton, but the following year, at the Canada Day Party, he was single….). He was living in Edmonton at the time and I was about to end a relationship with someone, so it wasn’t like we thought it would be anything more than a wee fling. We were smitten. A month later we met up in Calgary, had some job interviews, looked for apartments, a month after that we were living in Calgary. A year later married. Needless to say, that Canada Day Party holds a special spot in our hearts, that and we miss our friends too.
Today has been a really great day.
Darch
- Cody is better, his cortisol levels are normal, at the moment, so now he gets ‘poisoned’ twice a week to keep his levels under control. He is back to his normal annoying self, he is a terrier and it is just part of living with a terrier, love him dearly for all that personality but man there are times he can annoy me to no end.
- I can actually DO stuff without pain and not feeling like my heart is going to beat out of my chest! This is not only good for my sanity but that of Bones as well. I am not so snippy, (I wasn’t frustrating with him, frustrated that I needed so much help to do really basic things like get up off the couch, yes I got stuck twice and don’t want to discuss it any further but feel free to tease), anymore.
- I have somehow achieved the miracle of only having the quilting paraphernalia in 3 areas of the house, hoping to have it down to 2 by the end of the weekend but I am not sure if I have enough karma points to pull that off!
- We have the change table area all set up with diapers washed and ready to go, a garden & bug inspired mobile above the change table, all conveniently located beside the toilet.
- All of Ellen’s clothes, bedding and bathing stuff has been washed and put away in her dresser, I have finished 2 quilts for her, have another 2 on the go, and another 3 in the planning stages, she is going to be one warm & padded baby.
- And just to clarify, Bones is not taking figure-skating lessons, I was hoping if I tell outlandish lies about him he would update you all on how he is doing as opposed to me letting you know. In reality Bones DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO SKATE!!!! I still don’t know how any Canadian grows up not knowing how to skate, what is even more surprising is that he grew up in Ottawa. Ottawa, home of the longest outdoor skating rink in the world, where every year during Winterlude, (a winter festival on the Rideau Canal, for those who don’t know), there were school trips to go skating along the canal. Sometimes the truth is more outlandish than the lies.
- Bones is doing well, he is really excited. Won’t be running too much this year, injured his Achilles and it has taken a while to recover. His 2 hiking buddies are going through divorces so he figures if he has to listen to them discuss the divorces all the time he is not going to feel too guilty about all the baby talk.
- Bones & I will be missing our friends at the 13th Annual Canada Party, this year with the added bonus of moose meat. It was 7 years ago at that very Canada Party that Bones & I threw caution to the wind and decided to have a wee fling, (we have known each other since I was 16 and he was 20, we worked at the Elgin theatre and were friends with many of the people who worked there but we didn’t really notice each other until I was 27, he crashed my 27th birthday party with his girlfriend at the time. I thought he was truly amazing but I am no man stealing ho and he lived in Edmonton, but the following year, at the Canada Day Party, he was single….). He was living in Edmonton at the time and I was about to end a relationship with someone, so it wasn’t like we thought it would be anything more than a wee fling. We were smitten. A month later we met up in Calgary, had some job interviews, looked for apartments, a month after that we were living in Calgary. A year later married. Needless to say, that Canada Day Party holds a special spot in our hearts, that and we miss our friends too.
Today has been a really great day.
Darch
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Today is ma birthday!
So 35 years ago was the very best day of life, I was born, (it should be the best day for everyone who has had the pleasure of meeting me but apparently I am mistaken in this assumption). I have always celebrated the anniversary of this event with abandon, often lasting for days. Never really viewed it as getting older, more that none of the fabulous things that I have experienced would have happened without this day having occurred.
This year my celebration will be on the sober side, no swigging tequila straight from the bottle while sitting around a bonfire like at my 30th birthday, (have I ever mentioned what a classy chick I truly am!), my abandon might take the form of an extra piece of cake with all that sugar and caffeine and it might just last for today. No matter, there is something else happening that is more important than a week of drunken debauchery. I AM HAVING A BABY!!!! That is the very BEST gift in the world!
Speaking of having babies, there was a wee baby, only 4 days old at our prenatal class last night. He was born at 35 weeks and a few days, 6lbs 11 ounces. He was just precious and it was so difficult for the rest of us to pay attention to class. He was so good, slept mostly, every now and again let out some noises for a bit and went back to sleep.
Next week is the last class and I am really going to miss it, thinking we should have taken the extended classes. I am enjoying the company of the first time almost moms. There is another woman in the class who also struggled with achieving and maintaining her pregnancy so we have bonded a bit. I also find that it gives me a solid 2 hours a week where I focus solely on arrival of the wee pea, no thinking of what needs to be done, no thinking of work, chores, no distractions. Just Bones and I sharing this time, getting excited about our expanding family.
Darch
This year my celebration will be on the sober side, no swigging tequila straight from the bottle while sitting around a bonfire like at my 30th birthday, (have I ever mentioned what a classy chick I truly am!), my abandon might take the form of an extra piece of cake with all that sugar and caffeine and it might just last for today. No matter, there is something else happening that is more important than a week of drunken debauchery. I AM HAVING A BABY!!!! That is the very BEST gift in the world!
Speaking of having babies, there was a wee baby, only 4 days old at our prenatal class last night. He was born at 35 weeks and a few days, 6lbs 11 ounces. He was just precious and it was so difficult for the rest of us to pay attention to class. He was so good, slept mostly, every now and again let out some noises for a bit and went back to sleep.
Next week is the last class and I am really going to miss it, thinking we should have taken the extended classes. I am enjoying the company of the first time almost moms. There is another woman in the class who also struggled with achieving and maintaining her pregnancy so we have bonded a bit. I also find that it gives me a solid 2 hours a week where I focus solely on arrival of the wee pea, no thinking of what needs to be done, no thinking of work, chores, no distractions. Just Bones and I sharing this time, getting excited about our expanding family.
Darch
35 weeks down….5 to go
Wow, I am in complete awe and wonderment. My body has been fully taken over, and at the moment I love the sense of surrender to it.
Had a doctor’s appointment yesterday to check up on my blood pressure issues and it is down, still slightly elevated but it isn’t a cause for concern anymore. Plus my blood work came back good too. My iron count is a little low but higher than before. And I am not in pain anymore, in a fair bit of discomfort but not pain and I am alright with the discomfort.
I am so relieved. It isn’t that I was too worried about her survival, sure thoughts of a child with respiratory problems in a small house, in dusty Calgary with 3 shedding dogs gave me fears but that could happen if she is a preemie or not really. It is more that I want her to be as healthy as she can be and I want to have her naturally if I can.
So many people think I am nuts, it would seem like everyone in my prenatal class is all about the drugs, but I want to experience it all, fully. This may sound a bit airy fairy but it is not only about her birth but my transformation into mommyhood. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe you have to have a natural birth to transform or be fully complete as a mom or anything. It is how I am viewing my personal desired experience. In the end I am not going to beat myself up if I can’t go through it without the drugs or if for some reason an intervention is required. Oddly though, most of my friends, those who have gone through home births and hospital births have done so drug free. I am at least as tough as them right?
Darch
Had a doctor’s appointment yesterday to check up on my blood pressure issues and it is down, still slightly elevated but it isn’t a cause for concern anymore. Plus my blood work came back good too. My iron count is a little low but higher than before. And I am not in pain anymore, in a fair bit of discomfort but not pain and I am alright with the discomfort.
I am so relieved. It isn’t that I was too worried about her survival, sure thoughts of a child with respiratory problems in a small house, in dusty Calgary with 3 shedding dogs gave me fears but that could happen if she is a preemie or not really. It is more that I want her to be as healthy as she can be and I want to have her naturally if I can.
So many people think I am nuts, it would seem like everyone in my prenatal class is all about the drugs, but I want to experience it all, fully. This may sound a bit airy fairy but it is not only about her birth but my transformation into mommyhood. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe you have to have a natural birth to transform or be fully complete as a mom or anything. It is how I am viewing my personal desired experience. In the end I am not going to beat myself up if I can’t go through it without the drugs or if for some reason an intervention is required. Oddly though, most of my friends, those who have gone through home births and hospital births have done so drug free. I am at least as tough as them right?
Darch
Friday, June 22, 2007
The honeymoon is over…
…I am not talking about in the marriage, that was over a while ago, we seemed to be firmly entrenched in the it is really too easy to take each other for granted so we try hard not to but it doesn’t always turn out that way phase.
I am talking about the pregnancy. These past couple of weeks I think I have been denying the inevitable, things are not going as smoothly as before.
This pregnancy hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park but it hasn’t been difficult either. I got 18 quilts finished, can you believe it –18. Crazy! I never got really sick, just a bit queasy here and there and had some food aversions. Somehow I managed to weed my garden, plant my pots and it all looks stunning or at least to me. I am a daisy, brown eyed susan and poppy fanatic so if you like those flowers, you too will love my garden. It is so casual and colourful, plus it blooms all season, but I digress…the only thing that has been really difficult has been the headaches or should I say migraines and they have been really bad. All and all though, I’ve had it pretty easy.
Well the tides have changed. I am in pain. A lot of pain. I am alright while sitting or lying down, going between sitting and lying down not so much. Anything in the upright position, really painful and walking has me counting in my head as a distraction from the pain. My walking seems to have caused no end of amusement for others though, at least there is a positive?!?! The pain is all normal, for this pregnancy anyway, she is making her way down and causing quite a commotion while doing so.
The worrisome aspect is my blood pressure. Yesterday it was 140/90, I felt like total crap all day, moody, nauseas, hot/cold sweats, this morning 136/92, not feeling as bad. Had some blood tests run, will find out the results tomorrow. Should I feel the way I did yesterday again I am to head straight to the hospital. If the blood pressure doesn’t come down I will be permanently off work, if it still doesn’t come down they will induce me early. I guess my body is not the hospitable home it once was for my wee pea. My next appointment is on Tuesday.
Now I long for the days where all I had to worry about was whether or not I was going to pee my pants…..it only happened once but man it was really freeing!
Darch
I am talking about the pregnancy. These past couple of weeks I think I have been denying the inevitable, things are not going as smoothly as before.
This pregnancy hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park but it hasn’t been difficult either. I got 18 quilts finished, can you believe it –18. Crazy! I never got really sick, just a bit queasy here and there and had some food aversions. Somehow I managed to weed my garden, plant my pots and it all looks stunning or at least to me. I am a daisy, brown eyed susan and poppy fanatic so if you like those flowers, you too will love my garden. It is so casual and colourful, plus it blooms all season, but I digress…the only thing that has been really difficult has been the headaches or should I say migraines and they have been really bad. All and all though, I’ve had it pretty easy.
Well the tides have changed. I am in pain. A lot of pain. I am alright while sitting or lying down, going between sitting and lying down not so much. Anything in the upright position, really painful and walking has me counting in my head as a distraction from the pain. My walking seems to have caused no end of amusement for others though, at least there is a positive?!?! The pain is all normal, for this pregnancy anyway, she is making her way down and causing quite a commotion while doing so.
The worrisome aspect is my blood pressure. Yesterday it was 140/90, I felt like total crap all day, moody, nauseas, hot/cold sweats, this morning 136/92, not feeling as bad. Had some blood tests run, will find out the results tomorrow. Should I feel the way I did yesterday again I am to head straight to the hospital. If the blood pressure doesn’t come down I will be permanently off work, if it still doesn’t come down they will induce me early. I guess my body is not the hospitable home it once was for my wee pea. My next appointment is on Tuesday.
Now I long for the days where all I had to worry about was whether or not I was going to pee my pants…..it only happened once but man it was really freeing!
Darch
Monday, June 18, 2007
Gas & Oil Expo had a visit from the Yes Men
And boy do I feel all giddy inside!
The Yes Men, if you don’t already know, are globalization activists, they are against globalization just to clarify. To really boil down into an over-simplified version, their message would be that in the way globalization is being used by most corporations, it is just another form of slave labour, stealing natural resources using methodologies that would not be tolerated in their home country and the taking of these resources to an extent that drastically undermines or kills the environmental health of a region. Honestly I couldn’t agree more with them.
Needless to say these past few days watching the Yes Men on TV has made me a little star struck *sigh*
In Calgary they claimed they were members of the Natural Petroleum Council, advisors to the White House on oil & gas issues. The expectation is that they would announce findings on a joint US-Canadian energy policy. Instead they got to hear about how due to impending global disasters that would adversely affect the oil supply, we could supplement it buy transforming all those who died into oil. They even lit candles claiming to be “Vivoleum”, people, or specifically a poor Exxon janitor who died from cleaning a toxic spill. It wasn’t until a video was shown of the janitor talking about how he wanted to be made into candles when he died, that the guys were taken off stage.
In the end they were each fined about $300.00.
If you haven’t checked out their documentary I would recommend it. In fact if you are interested in anti-globalization/corporation documentaries the following are some real eye-openers:
The Corporation – high production value and really easy to watch, listened to a follow-up interview on the CBC of the guy who owns the carpet company, he was looking to use more sustainable technology to manufacture his carpets and he is on target and has found that the although the initial investment was high he was able to recoup costs in a shorter timeframe than expected.
The Yes Men – medium production value, still really easy to watch. Here they are ‘representing’ the WTO, watch their shenanigans that are both disturbing and roll on your ass funny but you just can’t believe that people are taking in what they are saying, especially at the textile event.
Darwin’s Nightmare – low production value, can be difficult to watch but it is utterly interesting. Be prepared to be thoroughly disturbed, it really touches in a very personal way, the loss of humanity that can so be easily tossed aside when making corporate decisions. This is a very honest portrayal of the influence of Western Society’s need for fish and devastation it causes a region in Africa. I do warn you though it is very disturbing, had me crying for quite awhile.
Who Killed the Electric Car – Good production value, easy to watch. Just leaves your shaking your head.
Almost anything by Noam Chomsky, this is one brilliant man who can easily explain complex situations in simple terms. I must confess I have a HUGE brain crush on this guy, have since I watched Manufacturing Consent, (not to be mistaken with Manufacturing Dissent, a documentary showcasing the manipulative tactics used by Michael Moore).
I know there are others but they just aren’t coming to my mind at the moment. We watch a lot of documentaries about a variety of subjects. One way to exercise our minds as we chug along with the day-to-day, and believe me we do, Bones and I don’t always see eye-to-eye on topics and you always have to take into consideration the source. I would not expect unbiased commentary by Ann Coulter or Michael Moore but they sure interesting to watch!
Darch
The Yes Men, if you don’t already know, are globalization activists, they are against globalization just to clarify. To really boil down into an over-simplified version, their message would be that in the way globalization is being used by most corporations, it is just another form of slave labour, stealing natural resources using methodologies that would not be tolerated in their home country and the taking of these resources to an extent that drastically undermines or kills the environmental health of a region. Honestly I couldn’t agree more with them.
Needless to say these past few days watching the Yes Men on TV has made me a little star struck *sigh*
In Calgary they claimed they were members of the Natural Petroleum Council, advisors to the White House on oil & gas issues. The expectation is that they would announce findings on a joint US-Canadian energy policy. Instead they got to hear about how due to impending global disasters that would adversely affect the oil supply, we could supplement it buy transforming all those who died into oil. They even lit candles claiming to be “Vivoleum”, people, or specifically a poor Exxon janitor who died from cleaning a toxic spill. It wasn’t until a video was shown of the janitor talking about how he wanted to be made into candles when he died, that the guys were taken off stage.
In the end they were each fined about $300.00.
If you haven’t checked out their documentary I would recommend it. In fact if you are interested in anti-globalization/corporation documentaries the following are some real eye-openers:
The Corporation – high production value and really easy to watch, listened to a follow-up interview on the CBC of the guy who owns the carpet company, he was looking to use more sustainable technology to manufacture his carpets and he is on target and has found that the although the initial investment was high he was able to recoup costs in a shorter timeframe than expected.
The Yes Men – medium production value, still really easy to watch. Here they are ‘representing’ the WTO, watch their shenanigans that are both disturbing and roll on your ass funny but you just can’t believe that people are taking in what they are saying, especially at the textile event.
Darwin’s Nightmare – low production value, can be difficult to watch but it is utterly interesting. Be prepared to be thoroughly disturbed, it really touches in a very personal way, the loss of humanity that can so be easily tossed aside when making corporate decisions. This is a very honest portrayal of the influence of Western Society’s need for fish and devastation it causes a region in Africa. I do warn you though it is very disturbing, had me crying for quite awhile.
Who Killed the Electric Car – Good production value, easy to watch. Just leaves your shaking your head.
Almost anything by Noam Chomsky, this is one brilliant man who can easily explain complex situations in simple terms. I must confess I have a HUGE brain crush on this guy, have since I watched Manufacturing Consent, (not to be mistaken with Manufacturing Dissent, a documentary showcasing the manipulative tactics used by Michael Moore).
I know there are others but they just aren’t coming to my mind at the moment. We watch a lot of documentaries about a variety of subjects. One way to exercise our minds as we chug along with the day-to-day, and believe me we do, Bones and I don’t always see eye-to-eye on topics and you always have to take into consideration the source. I would not expect unbiased commentary by Ann Coulter or Michael Moore but they sure interesting to watch!
Darch
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