Time in Parent Mode

May 7, 2008 by 1 Comment

Here is an entry I wrote in Week 1 of Anoush’s life with us, but never posted.  Though you might enjoy reading it and the update below.

Nobody warned me that parents have a different time dimension than the rest of the world.  Anoush has been here a week already, and I honestly don’t know where the days went!  We enjoyed watching the clock yesterday, saying things like “this time last week my water broke” and “by now, she was already here!”

This has likely been the fastest week of my life.  Couple this with what one woman called “placenta brain” (that scatter-brain state of new mothers) and I literally find myself walking in circles because I’ve forgotten what I was doing…constantly distracted by all the baby stuff scattered around our apartment that needs to be put back in place.

This new concept of time is intimidating for someone who has two assignments and a book review to write and a dissertation to tackle by September 15!  I find myself wondering if I will make it.  I believe, however, that as we become accustomed to having Anoush in our lives that we’ll somehow manage to find a rhythm and schedule that will help us return to some state of normalcy.  If I’m wrong, don’t tell me because it’ll make me panic!

Any tips or reassurances?

Thankfully, since then things have gotten easier.  I’m dealing better with all the baby items, now that they all have a proper ‘place’ in the apartment.  Having Mom and Dad here for a week was a great help, and now Jason’s classes are finished, so he’s here most of the time.  Having an extra set of hands and arms in the house is tremendously helpful!

Anoush is doing very well.  She’s gaining weight and up to 7 pounds 5 oz at her last weigh-in, which was a week ago.  She had a check-up at the hospital for her prolonged jaundice which has since cleared up and the Dr. is happy with her current state.  We go for our six week check-ups on Friday and I will also take her to the hospital the same day for an ultrasound of her hips.  This is common procedure for breech babies.  The paediatrician checked her out already and is confident she has no problems, but according to protocol had to refer her for the ultrasound check.  She is spending long periods of time awake now, just gazing around.  She loves staring out the windows and is drawn to sources of light.  She’s managing to get her fists and thumbs into her mouth from time to time (no pacifier yet).

I’m also doing quite well and feeling more like myself each week.  Today I will finish the second of three term papers.  I’ve taken Anoush to the university a few times for meetings and presentations and she’s done fantastically well.  As long as she’s in the sling or being held by someone, she’s a happy little girl!

I received news last week that my proposal to present a paper at the annual conference of BAICE (British Association of International and Comparative Education) has been accepted.  I will travel to Glasgow, Scotland in early September to present at the conference, and as one of the few student presenters, will be eligible for a cash prize.  This should be a very good networking opportunity for me and will help me get my name ‘out there’ in the field of international and comparative education.  Wish me luck!

As Jason mentioned, our postings may be fewer in the coming weeks.  We both have a lot of work to accomplish for university.  Please keep the comments and emails coming…just know that we may be very slow in replying.  Please don’t be offended or think we’ve forgotten about you.  Thanks, as always for your support!

Filed under Anoush, Life, University

Week 1 Highlights

April 6, 2008 by 1 Comment

13 28.06.2008 019 (Medium)
It’s been an incredibly fast week – the speed of which I’ll write more about later in a few days. Here are some of the things that I’ll cherish and remember about the first week with Anoush in our lives:

  • Hearing from so many friends and family
  • Feeling very loved
  • Learning to type one-handed
  • Baby hiccups
  • Being amazed at the capacity of the human body
  • Smothering myself in lanolin (you new moms can relate)
  • Moments of hormone-induced insanity – can you say Dr Jekyll and Mommy Hyde?
  • First baby bath at home
  • Getting accustomed to the baby sling/carrier
  • Switching from disposable to cloth diapers
  • So much laundry!
  • Endless humming and singing to Anoush
  • Looking one more time before crossing the road
  • Being ridiculously excited to finally have a dirty diaper
  • Listening to Jason console me about the fact that what I’m feeling (in the midst of my rollercoaster) is normal
  • Being amazed and humbled by his patience, nurturing and support

Click here to enjoy some more pictures of Anoush’s first week.

Filed under Anoush

Pictures of Anoush’s First Few Days

April 2, 2008 by 6 Comments

Here are some pictures of Anoush’s first few days. She is changing so quickly, it’s amazing to us!

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Filed under Anoush

Feelings of Early Motherhood

April 1, 2008 by 2 Comments

Well, it wasn’t a conventional birth, but I would not go back and change any of it. All unexpected elements considered, it went very well! Everyone involved was very helpful, reassuring and calm. Jason was fantastically supportive. Although we both thought I was simply going crazy as the labour progressed at lightning speed, when I told him he needed to call the hospital, he didn’t hesitate and was collected about the entire experience. I am so thankful to have a husband with a strong sensibility about him.

Anoush’s birthing experience in no way deters me from wanting to have more children. We’ll just have to live at the hospital for my last month of pregnancy next time!

Anoush is a little sweet pea, and we are enjoying her so much! We always had a feeling that the baby would be a little girl. She’s already gaining better control of her eyes, head and neck. She’s taking after both of her parents and turning into a thumb sucker. Interestingly, she seems to be keeping a similar schedule to what she had in-utero: wakeful early afternoon and late evening, quiet morning and midday. She’s gotten the hang of feeding quite well and is doing so with more frequency now. The first two days, she slept for hours and hours on end, followed by feeding for hours at a time. Things have evened out a bit more today. Last night, she slept for five hours straight without hardly a stir or peep.

I am feeling quite well today. Better than yesterday, although I can’t say that I have felt badly at all. I attribute that to having kept very active during the pregnancy – getting outside nearly every day for a walk, doing yoga and stretching often, and most importantly, having a positive outlook.

Everyone’s wonderful support and love has been overwhelming. I said to Jason yesterday that I feel similar to the weekend of our wedding. So many friends and family sending well-wishes and feeling so loved. Thank you all for your wonderful comments, phone calls, and emails. I’m sure you’ll understand if it takes me awhile to get back to you, but know that your communication is much appreciated!

I must also acknowledge my incredibly supportive husband! He’s been so wonderful – at the birth and every moment afterward. Cooking, doing dishes, going to the store, making me tea, asking me a million times a day if I need anything, changing diapers…the list goes on and on. Anoush loves being snuggled by her Daddy. She spent some time sleeping on his chest this morning, which was adorable. He’s simply fantastic with her!

We’ll be posting regularly on the website, so keep coming back for more.

Filed under Anoush, Life

Terra’s Ramblings and Thanks!

March 26, 2008 by 4 Comments

Terra At 38 WeeksI went to a labor and pain relief workshop today, organized by my midwife unit. Being there made me so glad to have been involved with the helpful group of women at yoga class who have a positive and natural attitude toward birth! If today’s workshop had been the only one I had attended about labor I would have come home completely worried! There was no attention to different positions or using gravity to help you in labor, very little about breathing, and everything was framed in such negative wording. I actually feel bad for some of the women there today who are clearly terrified of birthing – this class clearly did not help them feel equipped to handle the experience.

The attitude of the group, overall, was confounding. Some people were so pessimistic about pregnancy. The midwife asked us to go around the room and introduce ourselves and say one thing we had enjoyed or not enjoyed about being pregnant. Some women said the best thing about being pregnant was being able to eat whatever they wanted and not worry about weight gain! Others said the best part was that all of the sudden they had a lot of attention from everyone, or that they could use being pregnant as an excuse to get others to do things for them. Husbands grumbled about their wives needing to get up too many times in the night or snoring and disturbing their sleep. I kept thinking, ‘people – get some perspective here – pregnancy is not about YOU! It’s an amazing experience all about bringing another person into the world! Get yourselves out of the way!’

People were clearly not comfortable hearing about certain parts of labor either – there was giggling, rolling of eyes…I felt like I was in a room full of 12 year olds (or rather back in middle school sex ed class!).

I didn’t really learn anything that I hadn’t already gotten from yoga class, having gone to the active birth class earlier this month, talking with other moms, being at Breanne’s delivery with Walker, talking to mother or my sister, who is expecting her second child in May.

thanks.jpgThis has all prompted me to say thanks, again, to everyone who has offered such wonderful advice and support about everything from birthing to diapering! Thanks especially to my sister-in-law, Breanne who allowed me to be present at the birth of her son, Walker! So many women I meet have never experienced a birth and I feel more comfortable going into this experience having witnessed the miracle before with you.

To my sister Kim, although I wasn’t able to be at your delivery, and I’ve never told you before, I learned a lot from your positive attitude with your pregnancy with Katrien. I remember visiting you and Mike the summer before Katrien was born and being so impressed at your energy. You never asked anyone to do things for you. When you needed a glass of water, you got up and got it yourself. You never treated pregnancy like a handicap – like so many others I meet. I know these examples may seem trivial, but they are the things I’ve remembered all through my pregnancy that have helped me stay positive.

And thanks, most of all to my loving husband, who isn’t afraid of body functions and human physiology! I know that sounds silly, but Jason has always been comfortable with communicating, sharing and doesn’t shy away from the unknown. He’s my constant cheerleader and is always telling me I can get through things when I think I’ve met the end of my endurance; whether that be in school or work and now as I begin to prepare for bringing our child into the world.

Maybe I’ve just been lucky, but I have really loved being pregnant and honestly am looking forward to doing it again soon! That’s not to say that I haven’t had difficult days, moments of insanity (particularly pre-placenta stage) or haven’t experienced discomfort over the last nine months, but keeping a positive attitude has been a saving grace for me!

Finally, to my pregnant lady friends, and those who are trying to start their families, just remember that attitude plays a huge part in how you experience pregnancy. Enjoy the experience, revel in the changes of your body, embrace what nature is capable of, and take care of yourself – mentally and physically.

As the days dwindle away and the baby’s delivery approaches, keep sending those positive thoughts, prayers, love and energy our way. We look forward to sharing the news with you once Tigran or Anush arrives!

Filed under Life, Pregnancy, Run-ons

Week 38

March 23, 2008 by 1 Comment

Week 38First, I must say that pregnancy has been an amazing journey and I’m already looking forward to doing it again! At times, I just can’t imagine myself without a baby belly anymore, and the thought of not having those little bumps and wriggles occuring inside seems strange. Although I think I will miss being pregnant, we’re very much looking forward to the arrival of our little Anoush or Tigran!

Jason and I took a helpful “Active Birth” class last weekend, run by the same woman that I take yoga classes from. We learned about the physiology of birth, practiced some helpful positions and tips for the labour and delivery. I will attend another similar day workshop on Wednesday run by the midwife unit where I go for my regular checkups. This one will be focused more on the medical side of delivery including the hospital aspects and pain relief options.

I went to my midwife last Thursday, and everything continues to stay on track. The baby is still head down, but not fully ‘engaged’ into the pelvis yet. I’ve been having sporadic ‘Brackston Hicks’ contractions, which are good practice for my body.

Only a couple of weeks to go until the delivery date, but I’m hoping the baby will decide to come a week late or so. I hope to complete two of my three term papers before April 5th, then take a few days to relax and do some cleaning around the apartment. We’re all set with the necessary items for the baby, and I’ve managed to wash all the clothes and cloth diapers, etc that we need. I’ve been so blessed to have a smooth pregnancy and I thank all of you who have sent words of support, advice and help throughout!

Terra At Week 38We will of course put pictures of the baby on the website as soon as he/she is born! Keep your eyes out – but keep your fingers crossed that they don’t appear for a few more weeks!

Filed under Pregnancy

Day Trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge

March 23, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Two weekends ago, I took the opportunity to go on a day trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge with the international students services. They arrange a different excursion about once a month, and when I heard that they were going to Stonehenge, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity! It was a drizzly and chilly day, but I’m glad I went.

SalisburyCathedralWe first visited the small city of Salisbury to see the Salisbury Cathedral. This Cathedral was built in 38 years from 1220 and is unique in being almost entirely in one architectural style, Early English Gothic. It boasts Britain’s tallest spire, at 123 meters (404 ft), Europe’s oldest working clock dating to 1386, the earliest surviving complete set of choir stalls in Britain and amazingly, is the home of one of the four surviving original Magna Carta (1215)!

After touring the cathedral, I took off on my own to see the charming town of Salisbury. I took a short walk to the city market, wandered around the stalls and bought a homemade cake for Jason and I to enjoy before heading back to the bus.

StonehengeWe then continued a short while to Stonehenge, which amazingly is perched atop a wide clearing and appears out of nowhere without any pomp or circumstance. There is a small ticket area and gift shop on the other side of the road – and that’s it! This is one of the things I love about England! Americans would have built a huge complex and made the entire area into a marketing and consumerism madhouse. Anyhow, there is a lot I could say about the history of Stonehenge and the theories about who built it and how, but instead of writing it all here, you can go to the Stonehenge Wikipedia site and read about it yourself.It was a good experience, but unfortunately, the cold and wind minimized my enthusiasm. I did get some decent shots, from different angles, which you can see by going to the photos pages. Enjoy!

Filed under Leisure & Travel

University Update

March 23, 2008 by Leave a Comment

I can hardly believe it, but the second semester is already over! My classes finished a week ago Thursday and now I’m writing my second semester term papers – three of them at 4,000 words each – just like last semester. Speaking of which, I finally got all my papers back from the first semester and I’m happy to report that I achieved all A’s! One was for my research methods course, and we were required to write about a group mini-research project that was conducted throughout the semester. The second was a comparative study between teaching styles in Armenia, and the third was about how international agencies and global education agendas are impacting the Armenian education system, particularly the manner of assessment.

This semester, I am writing, again, largely about Armenia’s education system and new policy changes: One paper about the new combined school-leaving and university entrance examination, and a second about the expansion of secondary school from 10 to 12 years. The third paper is on a completely different topic, for a course titled “race, ethnicity and education”. I plan to look at education of refugees, particularly the barriers to their success in school (like interrupted learning time, dislocation and adjustment to a new education system, and language barriers). There is a large Somali population here in Bristol, and I plan to take this group on as a small case study. The first two papers, I aim to complete before the baby’s arrival, while the last paper I will ask for an extension, hoping to submit it in May.

So, I’m trying to stay comfortable in front of the computer as I type these first two papers up before the baby arrives. Then, I’ll take a break for awhile and get back into the swing of things at the end of April. At that time, I will have to begin writing my dissertation proposal, along with writing my third term paper as well as a book review, which I’ve been invited to write for an international education journal. Lots to accomplish, but you know Jason and I – we like to keep busy!

Terra with ClassmatesHere’s a picture of me with some classmates at a small, end-of-term dinner we had last week. In front are Wing from Hong Kong and Gina from Korea, in the middle is Pi-Yin from Taiwan, and in the back with me is Shawanda from Jamaica.

Filed under University

Week 35

February 29, 2008 by 4 Comments

Week 35We’re cookin’ now! Up to approximately 5 pounds and 20 inches our little one decided to give up the comfort of lying horizontally and is head down now. I’m continuing to feel good, but understandably a little more tired as the weight of the baby really starts to kick in now. Still out walking around but have neglected my yoga this week, and I can tell the difference. My ankles and knees show signs of water retention, but hopefully another massage, some more walking and a bit more exercise will help alleviate that in the coming week.

Here I am sitting at the computer on my exercise ball. It’s much more comfortable than my desk chair and allows me to move more freely andTerra Week 35 change weight distribution when I get uncomfortable. I think it will be a lifesaver as I work hard to complete my second term assignments by the end of March in preparation for the baby’s arrival.

Thanks to all of you who have sent comments, ideas and tips for using cloth diapers! Keep the information rolling in!  We appreciate it.

Filed under Pregnancy

Week 33

February 16, 2008 by 3 Comments

Week 33It might be hard to see in this picture, comparing to week 31, but this baby has certainly grown leaps and bounds in two weeks time! I told Jason this morning that I think it spawned a twin. This is weight-gaining season for the little one, who could weigh up to 4 pounds now, but could as much as double before it’s birthday. There’s more baby than amniotic fluid in the womb now, which explains why I can feel movement easily these days. This week, the baby’s immune system begins functioning, and it can receive antibodies from me.

I’m still feeling pretty good, but getting a little tired. I take great strides to keep on top of my health and comfort, however, and am still doing yoga about three times a week, getting out and walking regularly, drinking lots of water and eating plenty of healthy foods. I also have had two free massages this week, which has been fantastic in helping reduce swelling in my legs and keeping me relaxed. Have been squeezing in some mid-day naps, too.

Wednesday, I’ll go to the midwife for my regular checkup and we will participate in two different types of birthing classes in March. The plan is to birth as naturally as possible, which tends to be the way most women do it here. The birthing process is much less ‘medicalized’ here, with far more home births and natural birthing. While we have a midwife, we are not planning a home birth – I’ve not gone that radical yet.

We’re also planning to be as natural as possible in our baby care options. We’ve decided to go the cloth diaper route, I’m preparing to breastfeed for as long as possible and we’re not investing in the normal amount of ‘gadgets’ and accessories until we see a need. It’s just a simple bassinet, a baby sling, cloth diapers and clothes for us. From there, we’ll purchase what is needed as we see fit. If you have any tips on cloth diapering, we’re open to suggestions and recommendations on brands and styles.

Filed under Pregnancy

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