The Bauer Confidential

Our baby’s predicted due date is November 23rd, that means, as of today, that we have exactly one month to go (that assumes she will decide to make her entrance on her due date, which happens only 5% of the time according to our Dr.).  We had a Dr.’s appointment on Monday and though the baby is “head down” she has not “engaged the pelvis” yet, so the Dr. thinks she’s not coming before November, which is good actually.  This bun needs a bit more time in the oven, and as of right now we’re in no hurry (don’t get me wrong, I’m tired of being pregnant, but that’s a different issue).

So far so good.  For all my belly-aching about it, I know I haven’t suffered the way a lot of pregnant women do and my issues have been very minor.  This isn’t of great consolation at two in the morning when I wake up to pee and attempt to get my legs to stop aching.  Though soon, I will probably be looking back at these nights of not-so-great sleep with tremendous longing.  And I still teared up when I noticed my first stretch-mark.

Some people have asked us how well prepared we are for the baby coming.  In terms of all the “necessary baby equipment” I’d say we’re not that well prepared actually.  We have the stroller, car seat, a place for the baby to sleep, tons of clothes, more blankets than one baby could possibly use, and a few miscellaneous things but we still have quite a few items to acquire.  I’ve been trying to get some stuff used, keeping perfectly good items out of landfills and a few extra dollars in our bank account.  I did get a changing pad from Berkeley Freecycle.  And I’ve been keeping my eye on the Berkeley Parents’ Network marketplace newsletters and Craigslist.  If all else fails, there’s always Target and Babies R Us. Maybe I’m not worrying enough about all this, but the stuff we need is relatively low on my list of priorities.  I know it will be easier to have everything when we come home from the hospital, but it’s not like we won’t be able get things once the baby has been born.

I think she’s going to be a busy little baby, she’s definitely active now.  She kicks, and how!  I think she may be destined for kick-boxing.  She moves around a lot, pressing out with a tremendous amount of force at times.  She throws lots of punches.

We picked a pediatrician and we’re going to our final baby-preparation class this weekend.  We’ve been to infant CPR, a class on labor and delivery, and now baby care and breast feeding to finish up the trifecta.  I hope I’ll feel more prepared after this weekend’s course, I think it will be really useful.  In terms of the mental preparation, I feel like we’re doing pretty well.

Matthew took this picture after climbing up to the top of one of the grain bins on his parents’ farm in Illinois.  Sept. 2008.

Missouri State Capitol, Jefferson City, MO.  September 2008.

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So I skipped a month of book club book reviews because I wasn’t able to make myself completely finish Animal, Vegetable, Micracle by Barbara Kingslover.  I have to admit, she’s not my favorite writer, and this book shows me how much the narrative of the characters in the other book I read by her (Prodigal Summer) sounds like her own voice.  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is not for people like me, it’s for people who’ve never known what it’s like to live a rural life or grow their own food; if you have done those things, listening to her espouse about it can seem a bit condescending.  I did learn some interesting things though, so if you like environmentally oriented books and are interested in gardening, you might enjoy this tome (despite some scientific mistakes).

It was my month to choose a book for book club, and after seeing it on a list in Real Simple magazine (the only magazine I subscribe to by the way, and I really like it), I chose Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. The setting is an unnamed South American country where a grand party is being thrown for a Japanese business man’s birthday to encourage investment in the local economy.  Many dignitaries and their wives are present at this gala held in the Vice-President’s mansion.  The real incentive and reason for attendance is a performance by a world famous Opera Singer, the soprano Roxanne Coss.  The issue eventually becomes who is not in attendance, namely the country’s President.  He has stayed home to attend to less important matters, which eventually lands all the party guests in a heap of trouble when a group of terrorists infiltrate the house in an attempt to kidnap the President.

Their plan thwarted, the terrorist make a series of rash decisions, ultimately leading to taking the entire party captive.  The beginning of captivity is marked by tragedy, but as it becomes evident neither side will negotiate, and the captives are held longer and longer, a sort of contentment develops for all parties.  Routines are established, the soprano sings for everyone, friendships develop, and love blooms.  The captives start to see the that the terrorists are people too.  The terrorists become friends with their prisoners, learn from them, come to respect them.  And they all perfect the art of forgetting; forgetting who they are and why they’re stuck in this separate little world.

As you may suspect, and as the author hints many times throughout the novel, no good can come of this situation.  The events as they unfold drastically change the lives of all who are there, but as it did during the long captivity, the world goes on when all is said and done.

This book is really a study of character, with special consideration for the love of music.  The consistent theme throughout the novel is music as a living force, something that occupies a person’s soul, music as a metaphor for life and love.  Everyone finds the soprano to be amazingly beautiful and they are enraptured by her, though they often remark that she is actually quite small and plain, a testament to the power of beauty to transform.

Bel Canto is a good read, if a bit slow at times.  The middle section is a tad difficult to plow through mainly because no progress seems to be made.  The boredom that sometimes overwhelms the captives comes through a bit too well.  My only real complaint with the book is the Epilogue, I just can’t buy it.  Psychologically it makes sense on several levels, but it feels a bit like a betrayal.  If you’re a classical music buff, I think you would enjoy this book even more than I did as you would understand a lot of the musical references that went over my head.  Even if you’re not into music, the human connections are so easy to relate to, it’s impossible not to have empathy for the characters.

What we’re reading this month:  The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine.

If you’re a Big 12 football fan, or just want to see some silly college football smack talk, check out my first ever guest post over at the blog of an old grad school buddy.  Go Huskers (and Tigers)!

A path by the Governor’s Mansion, Jefferson City, MO

I forgot to put one up last week. To make it up, here is a pic of some adorable but feral kittens that we came across at my parents farm

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