OB Visit and Week of Culture

I had my 33 week OB appointment this week – I’m still at every other week appointments, so at my next appointment I’ll be 35 weeks.  I still can't believe I'm in my 3rd trimester, much less getting that close to 35 weeks.  Today I saw a doctor I haven’t seen before as a patient, though she is actually the reason I switched to this practice when my former OB/Gyn (the one who was also a SMC and encouraged me to start looking at donors) moved out of state.  And guess what, it turns out my OB today has two children from donor sperm!  I don’t know the details behind it, but her kids are now 10 and 13.  She talked to me about how they deal with not having a dad (basically it’s a non-issue because she’s never kept it a secret, and always answered their questions), and how she chose her donor (there were no internet databases then). We then talked about my Braxton Hicks contractions and my back pain, then I signed consents for both a vaginal delivery and c-section.  Definitely the most interesting OB visit thus far (none of my ultrasounds have been at my OB’s office).  So far my weight gain has been 17 pounds, though that’s not counting the TTC and miscarriage weight gain, which was right at about 15 pounds.  Still not too bad, though it would probably be less if I had less opportunities to eat cake.

Last week was a crazy busy week, but a good one.  Early in the week, LB and I went to see George Winston in concert, where we had front row center seats.  We both have loved him since his music was part of our study routines in college and medical school, so it was so great to see him up close as he played.  I'm always surprised when I see him walk out on stage - a balding white guy with a bushy grey beard in a button down shirt and sock feet - he's someone you'd pass on the street and never imagine he could be capable of making such wonderful music.  Chiquitito loved it, too.  He didn’t react much to the slower stuff that I love so much, but he was bouncing all over the place with the jazz and blues stuff, and really loved the slack key guitar songs.  LB felt my belly at one point and agreed with me that he was moving in time to the music!

A few nights later I went to hear Ian Woodall talk about his experiences climbing Mt Everest (both south and north summits) and then returning to “bury” the body of a friend that was left near the north summit.  I did a internet search of him once I got home, and it turns out he’s a fairly controversial person, but whatever the truth may be, he’s a wonderful storyteller.  When he talked about his decision to climb Mt Everest the first time, he talked about how when we’re young, life is all about our dreams, but as we get older, life becomes more about our memories, but we should not forget that we’re never too old to make new memories.  Paraphrasing here:  “There comes a time where you have to follow your dreams, where you have to have faith and jump, hoping angels will catch you on the way down.”