Coming from Good Stock

I have a feeling we're in for it when it comes to Baby D's impending appetite and the very hungry genes he is made of. Here are two of my favorite men, enjoying some of their favorite foods, in varying degrees of neatness.
This is Nick at the Columbus Arts Festival, enjoying one of our favorite fair foods - corn dogs!!!

And this is Chip at one of our new favorite Columbus BBQ joints - Pig Iron BBQ (let's just say, it's so good we went there three times last week!). This meal inspired the still-to-be-made Baby D onesie saying, "If you think I'm a messy eater, you should meet my uncle!" Of course, what this picture doesn't show is the drops of BBQ sauce on my own protruding baby belly! :)

The Dekker Home on Google Streetview!

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Sorry, folks! Not baby related. (No, he hasn't arrived yet.) In response to my brother Dan's recent post about their home being on Google Streetview, here is our house! Google apparently did Lexington and Columbus around the same time. The images appear to be 9 months to a year old; that's the previous owners' furniture on the porch.

39 weeks today!

Today marks our 39th week of pregnancy. Beth and I have both begun a steady chorus of, "I just want to meet him!" Above is our latest family photo, complete with Maeby posing like a champion. Don't ask me how she learned to do this - she just does it. In family photos she's usually the best behaved (for example...).

We had another non stress test and ultrasound this morning. On the ride to the appointment, our little man wasn't moving around much, but once the non stress test got going, he started bouncing all over. We showed our doctor a copy of our birth plan and chatted about birthing. Overall, we feel pretty good about it. Our doctor is obviously level-headed and experienced; he said that he views his role as "helping Mother Nature do her job," meaning that he won't rush to induce or do a C-section unnecessarily.

The doctor took some measurements today, too, although they can be inaccurate. Our little boy's weight clocked in at 8 lb 13 oz, although the standard deviation for this measurement is + or - 2 lbs. Even the doctor said that if he can measure within 10%, he's doing really well. Still, our poor little boy has already earned the nicknames Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and Baby Sasquatch. We are reminded, however, of the strong 6'2" Dutch genes that run rampant on his father's side (see Uncle Greg, for example).

Otherwise, we're just playing this waiting game. Whenever he's ready to come out, we're ready for him!

It's day lily time!

The time of year has arrived for some of our favorite flowers! When we moved last August, we transplanted cuttings of all our day lilies, many of which came from Beth's dad (our resident day lily expert). We planted our cuttings along the longest fence in our backyard, and it seems to be the perfect place for them! These hardy plants look like they need to be split already!


This past weekend we finished up the landscaping in the backyard. And just in time: here are the first blooms on some of the day lilies.



Who's that hiding under the tomato plants?


We even have an infestation - if you will - of tiger lilies. These aggressive guys are often seen growing wild in big patches along the side of the roads (not so much in Ohio, though). We inherited a big patch of them behind our garage. I yanked a bunch of them at the start of the season, but they're still growing in force. If anyone would like some, you're welcome to them - but beware! They grow like weeds. Tall, beautiful orange weeds.

Helpful Literature?

For starters, I want to make it quite clear that I have the utmost respect and admiration for medical professionals. The majority of my extended family and friends are doctors and nurses, and I am in awe of the healing gifts with which God has blessed them. (Don't get me started on how insurance companies are slowly suffocating their fields with disrespect and red tape.) I was also a medical assistant for a few years at my father's pediatric practice, so patient care (both sides) is not a foreign concept to me.

The fact is, quoted by my doctor amongst many others, the vast majority of post 2nd-trimester pregnancies (98%) end in a healthy baby and healthy mom. Because of this great news (and it really is awesome, when you think about it), I have a feeling that obstetrics is fairly run-of-the-mill (as far as procedures go) most of the time, injected with 2% adrenaline. The stats are in favor of the doctors', nurses', and med assistants' tendency towards apathy regarding 98% of pregnancy aches and pains because of the awesomeness of God's Creation towards furthering future generations!

Nick and I had a normal non-stress test today, our dozenth one or so. At the end of the visit, the new med assistant nervously asked, "Have you been given your postpartum literature?" Well, this sounded fancy, albeit strange coming from someone other than the doctor...as I would assume he would have gone over it with us himself at our other weekly visit. She rustled through a few files in the bottom drawer of a cabinet and emerged with four xeroxed sheets, stapled, with the heading "Labor & Delivery Instructions." She handed them to us, saying "These are some important things to remember. You're all set! Have a good day!" I swear to you, I thought she was joking. As we looked it over in the car, we were horrified to realize that they were serious. The black copied hair marks, faded lines from an overused toner cartridge, and body text in all caps with a smattering of typos all stood as monuments to that 98% apathy rate.The pages included when we needed to call them because I might be in labor, and 3 pages of after-birth instructions, including an informative 5 lines on breastfeeding help, which I'm sure is all anyone needs, right? Where was the REAL information? Where was the sit-down discussion asking if we had any questions? Where was the spellchecker? Let's just say, it's a good thing Nick and I have already devoured 5 pregnancy/delivery books and have taken 4 weeks of a childbirthing class, (none of which we found out about through this practice) or I might be just a little concerned at this point.

Now, please don't misunderstand me, I don't expect me or my child to receive special treatment for any reason. I am fully aware that I am merely another baby growing machine with a swollen uterus, and should one of the 5 doctors in this high-end big-city practice happen to be there to catch my kid, they get paid for it by our insurance company. I am their best-case-scenario patient...I am realistic, healthy, self-motivated, educated, and no-nonsense. I am not worried about labor and delivery, or even postpartum stuff. But what about the women who aren't? Compassion, empathy, and sympathy go a long way, not to mention a little time.

There's no doubt I have trust issues with the medical sector, and this comes from having been raised by two of the best D.O.'s east of the Mississippi, and being blessed to know some of the most loving, caring, and amazing nurses as a mother- and sisters-in-law. I've been ruined; I know how good the medical field can be, because I've been surrounded by the best. But that's no excuse for everyone else to hit apathetic mediocrity and be ok with it, is it?

Babyland

When Nick and I closed on our house, we had a whole month after to make all the little (and big) changes we wanted to before we moved our stuff in. We altered every room in the house at least a little bit (and a few A LOT), except for the nursery. We always called it the nursery (that's what it had been for previous owners, and would be for us) but we were still in the middle of fertility treatments when we were moving into the house and didn't want to make any decisions regarding color or set up. It served as Maeby's room and sometime-guest room until a few months ago, when we turned it into Babyland.

We painted the walls an aqua blue color, and used cream, brown and lime green as accents. Because the wood trim in our 100-year old home is a deep espresso brown, we stuck with that for the nursery furniture. I made the valance out of two fabrics, a striped and a diamond one.

The crib is one of those 5-in-one grow-with-me beds, which I think is a great idea on paper... :) We'll see if my 18-year-old takes this bed to college! :) But I love the look of it, and I can't wait to see it at a cute toddler daybed! I made the little crib skirt too...it's brown with pleats of diamond fabric.

The bumper pads and quilt were made by Nick's Mom and turned out beautifully! The inside of the bumper is made from ultra-soft cream minky dot fabric, my new obsession, and the outside is the same stripe fabric as in the valance.
The changing table and bookshelf matches the crib and provides plenty of storage for Baby D's already-growing library! (We're working our way through it already...The Hobbit is our current nightly story!) This picture also shows the glossy elongated diamonds painted on the wall that match the window valance.
This is the "Quinn" chair and ottoman from "Best Chairs, Storybook Series" which we were introduced to by our friends Kim and Kurt. It really is the best chair ever! It came in a million fabrics, and glides and swivels, and is SO comfortable. I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of time there!
As co-founders of an arts organization here in Columbus, Nick and I wanted to fill the nursery with local art. The art piece above the chair is by Judi Young. This is the other side of the room, with the tiny closet and hanging toy caddie (a la Ikea!).
The vinyl quote above the crib is, of course, by the Bard himself, and was my first attempt at using InDesign! (With A LOT of help from Robin of Genre Creative, design goddess extraordinaries!) It was printed and cut by Darrin Maxwell, who has done some amazing stuff for us, the Geese, and the shop.
Here is the tiny closet, already brimming with adorable clothes, blankets, and outfits...all thanks to our generous friends and family! I guess it pays to be the first grandchild of 7 kids, the first great-grandchild of 15 grandchildren, and the first Wild Gosling in a flock of Geese! And, honestly, how many tiny shoes can an infant need? Well, according to my sisters, you can't have enough! Baby D now boasts real Keens to match mom's and dad's, soccer Adidas (from Kurt, who happens to work there!) and a number of others that all suspiciously look like Nick's style... :)
These fun little guys are part of a series called "Life of the Party" by Adam Brouillette and his Little Red Men art. We just love these guys, the little yelling cloud, reading man, and hedgehog...all with party hats on! They're just waiting to welcome Baby D home soon! (But not this week...the Meyer family is on vacation, and we don't want to cause a Labor & Delivery Evacuation from the Outer Banks!)

Sunglasses: $5










Nalgene Bottle with ice water: $8









Green Keene Newport sandals: $40












Pink Renetto Canopy Chair: $39.99










Being able to go strawberry picking with your friends
on a 95 degree day when you're 37 weeks pregnant:

priceless.

What to do with 72 pounds of Strawberries...

It's June now, so what does that mean? STRAWBERRIES! I won't lie that this is one of my favorite times of year here in Ohio, and that thoughts of these berry-filled weeks have been quite the motivator throughout the past 8 months...as berries have been one of my major cravings.
As anyone who has had a mid-December overpriced Chilean strawberry will tell you, it pales (literally) in comparison to the small, bright red centered, unbelievably flavorful fruits that are found on the hot ground on a 92-degree June day in Ohio.

But how do you capture the berry flavor to enjoy it throughout the year? It's so fleeting, so instant, so immediate. One can only hope to truly enjoy it mere seconds after picking.

But, wait! Maybe if we get enough friends together and pick an inordinate number of strawberries, we can squeeze all the enjoyment and delicious flavor from them, enough to last until next year, at least!
What will our total be? 11 people (10 non-pregnant and able to pick!), 6 giant buckets, and an endless field of strawberries...
72 pounds! This was so impressive even to the Strawberry Picking Hut Lady that we got our picture taken for their website!
Now, back to my original question, what do you do with 72 pounds of strawberries? Well, make jam, of course!
First, you clean and de-stem them.This is where a lot of people come in handy!Then sugar, pectin, and FRESH lemon juice are added, and we buy out the grocery store's 1-cup gladware section!

All in all, we made 150 cups (10 gallons) of strawberry freezer jam, froze 15 quarts of whole strawberries, and 6 quarts crushed strawberries! Just enough to make it through next year's season! Join us, won't you? And if you are questioning the amount of jam we made...just one taste will convince you that we might not have made ENOUGH.... :)

Productivity

I have just over three weeks to go now, according to the magically infallible and super-accurate due date. Some annoying pains set in a few weeks ago, as I expected. I am forever grateful that they held off so long, however!

My main complaint is the carpal tunnel, which I have mentioned before. My hands are numb and tingly most of the time, and in burning pain the other part of the time. It's amazing how just a little fluid build up can cause such a difference. The pain and numbness wouldn't be so bad, though, if it weren't for the fact that I can't do simple little things I have taken for granted for 29 years. Well, I CAN do them, but it causes shooting pain...things like: opening water bottles, turning the steering wheel, holding pretty much anything.

The worst part is how helpless I feel, which, for anyone who has known me for three seconds knows is just unbearable at times. I just thank God every day for my wonderful husband, who has taken over the housework, the feet rubbing, and the majority of my griping, and for my friends and family, who step in to handle even the smallest tasks.

Not too much longer now. My dad keeps reminding me there's no such thing as chronic pregnancy.

Man Shower aka Man Gathering aka Wii Party

As my brother Mike pointed out, the nomenclature for any assembly of the male of the species needs to be considered carefully. In our terms, a Man Shower is non-existent, because a "Shower" implies formal invitations, wrapped gifts, and "ooos" and "aahhhs." Men would never be caught behaving as such in public. Meanwhile, a Man Gathering is the correct term for a celebration held prior to a man's wedding, featuring a mass e-mail invitation, grilled meat, and gifts - mainly tools - that, if wrapped, are wrapped only in the plastic bag from the store.

What happened a couple weeks ago, while my wife enjoyed her baby shower, was in the spirit of the Man Gathering, but should be appropriately titled a Wii Party.

A Wii Party involves a group of men - namely your fathers, brothers, and good friends - who gather around pizza, sports paraphernalia, popcorn, a stuffed lion, and two Nintendo Wiis - one projected on a big screen; the other on a flatscreen TV.


The Wii Party was thrown by some of my good male friends in Columbus, in a separate room in the Darby House, while Beth's baby shower was held down the hall. It makes perfect sense to do that - that way husbands and wives can be invited to the events, and enjoy themselves in different ways. All in all, it was a great time - the weather was beautiful that day, and the views out the window showed off the woods and the Big Darby Creek.

The scheduling worked out so that all of my family could be there, as well as a good number of friends from in- and outside of Columbus. As the title implies, we hung out, played Wii on two different screens (with Mario Kart and Guitar Hero III dominating), ate pizza and popcorn, and generally explored the space. The Darby House is filled with fascinating memorabilia from John Gilbreath, the owner who passed away in 1988. Mr. Gilbreath was a businessman who owned the Pittsburgh Pirates and a number of racing horses - so the walls are filled pictures, trophies, and gear. There's even one case with various letters and gifts from different Presidents, Popes, and Queens.

A special thanks to all the guys who came, and for all their support as we make this big step. And a really big thanks to everyone who threw such a beautiful shower for my wife - I can't think of anything more honoring.