Politically Correct or Actually Correct

I enjoy thinking of little things about my childhood that would seem unusual for children today. Granted, I grew up in Australia, not the USA.

These days there is so much to do with the seperation of church and state. Christmas is typically discouraged in state schools, at least in the US, but I need to check up on today's Australia. When I was in elementary school we had "scripture". Every Friday our class "scripture teacher", a community volunteer, would come and teach an hour-long lesson on Bible stories. We each had an age-appropriate workbook full of illustrated worksheets to complete. When I was in fifth grade, we had an LDS combined class (of about three or four of us from the whole school) which i think my mum taught, but I can't remember , but until that point , everyone just had a generic christian lesson together with all the other kids in their regular class.

I like the idea of scripture in school. So long as Christian values are being taught, and parents can teach the finer points of doctrine at home. I think the home is still the primary place to teach values, but it would be ideal if schools would also include values in their curriculum. Having said that, I get the impression that schools today often teach left-of-center values. Of course, they are not taught as values though, they are taught as truths. So, I guess by values I really mean truths. Of course, I don't believe most so-called truths to actually be true. Some overarching so-called truths of the popular left are:

We have to save the earth because we bad humans are destroying it.

Ancient/primative cultures were more peaceful and earth-respecting than today's cultures.

Homosexuality is as good as heterosexuality.

Islam, Buddhism, and atheism are as good in every respect as Christianity.

Europeans are more refined and enlightened than Americans.

Some people are bad because their environment causes them to be that way.

Equality is more important than freedom.

...Just to state a few of my perceptions. Some might want to challenge these, and they're probably right that I could better phrase them, but you get the point I hope. My perception at least is that some are taught overtly, such as the save the earth stuff and the homosexuality stuff. Of the subvert doctrines, I think kids get the idea that Europeans are better than Americans perhaps because of high-end fashion and also I've heard many young adults say things like "I just love meeting people from other countries. They're so interesting and all the Americans are so milk-toast. (I actually heard this from someone teaching a young Women lesson at church! Even being the only non-American in the room, I thought of correcting her, but figured a debate would only drag things further off topic.) I think the statement is more a case of the grass being greener on the other side. It assumes that the values of people from other countries are superior to American values. Yes, it's great meeting people from other countries, but it's very simplistic to say that Americans are generally boring or somehow not as good.

I started out just to record a little memory of my childhood, but then my brain went off on this tangent. I admit that I haven't refined these statements or my thoughts yet, but in a general way, I believe my objections to be correct.

The bottom line is, (and I paraphrase from one of my favorite writers/speaker, Dennis Prager) "The notion of political correctness by nature is in opposition to truth or actual correctness."

Welcome Miriam

Welcome Miriam! We’re so glad you arrived! Getting to know you has been a joy. We love you.
Picture: Joe, Louise, and three-day-old baby Miriam--Just home from the hospital 10-10-2009.

(I wrote this journal article on 12/16/2009 and have finally edited it for general consumption.)

I’m finally sitting down to write a record of Miriam’s birth. Back in September I was naïve enough to think I would bounce right back within a week or so, but here I am with a two-month-old and finally entering what a friend of mine dubs “the new normal.”

I had been having small contractions for two weeks preceding the birth, some regular, some not. We scheduled an induction two days after the due date and arrived at the hospital at 7am. According to the nurse’s gadgets I was already having contractions at eight minutes apart even before they induced… (funny that I hadn’t noticed).

They administered the pitosen at around eight or nine and by mid morning I requested the epidural—a preemptive strike. By the time the epi guy arrived, I was sure glad. I was brave for the needle. Once upon a time I might have fainted, but then again, what is bravery really when millions of mothers have given birth without pain meds! Sane people choose the meds if they are given the option though.

Joe took a little video interview of me right after the drugs were administered. I told him basically that the epidural was the best thing that had happened to me in the last nine months! No more labor pain, and miraculously, no more pregnancy discomfort—bonus! I had forgotten what lying down comfortably in a bed felt like.

As time went on and contractions got stronger, I wasn’t completely pain free; I still had pain in my hips, but of course it was leagues better than the alternative. The interesting part was that I could feel the pressure of contractions and although I could not lift my legs, I could shuffle them across the bed.

By 1pm I was ready to push. All had happened relatively quickly up until that point, so we expected to have a baby within the hour, but not so. Miriam was head down, but facing up, so she got stuck, unable to pass my pelvic bone. The nurses helped me into several different positions to encourage her to shift. Joe was being very attentive throughout the whole time. I wasn’t able to eat or drink, but he was holding my hand, counting with the nurses, and feeding me crushed ice on a spoon to keep me going. What a champ!

Throughout the whole time I was listening to her heartbeat on the monitor and was just glad to know she was okay, but after three hours of pushing I was getting exhausted. However, at 4:15pm she arrived!

At this point I think many mothers are impatient to see and hold their baby, but I can remember just feeling relieved that she made it and glad to know that she had her daddy and a flock of nurses taking care of her. Within a few minutes Joe brought Miriam over. She looked peaceful with her eyes closed, but she perked up a bit when I nursed her.

And so, Miriam was born at 4:15pm on October 7th, which equates to 8:15am on October 8thin Australia, which is within five minutes of my birth date and time. So, one might say that from the time I first saw my mother’s face to the time I saw my first daughter’s face, it was exactly twenty-seven years to the minute. Further trivia is that Miriam and I were both born on a Wednesday. To complete the stats, Miriam weighed 7 pounds and 13 ounces and was 19 inches long. (I think I was seven pounds seven ounces and I’m not sure how long.)

Still further trivia, but of much less interest perhaps, is that I used exactly one bag of the epidural medicine. I think a bag costs about $500, so in a second respect, the birth could not have been timed better since I did not end up requesting a second bag.

While feeding Miriam for the first time, I was craving apple juice like no other! I drank cup after cup of the stuff before digging into my first meal of the day. Joe also got himself a meal and me another large bottle of apple juice.

An hour later Miriam was wheeled off for a proper check over in the nursery while I was wheeled off to my new room. I thought that by this point I would be impatient to tell the world the news. This was about the opposite of my real feelings by this point, so it was lucky that I had Joe to take care of all that for me. I did eventually call Mum to let her know though… about four hours later! I’m lucky she’s not the kind to be impatient.

At around 10pm that night while Joe was changing a diaper, Miriam began choking and turning blue! We had a moment of mad scrambling as my call button was on the arm of the chair where I couldn’t reach it from the bed, but after a moment of panic, we managed to get it pushed. Thanks to Joe, she was back to breathing again and nurses arrived within a minute. We remembered that she had swallowed some amniotic fluid during the birth and so she was taken to the nursery to be suctioned out.

She was returned to us at around midnight, but when I tried to feed her, she was uninterested, and soon began to choke again. Joe was quick with the suction bulb, but of course she had to take another trip to the nursery. We got the report at around 3am that she had continued to have troubles and so they had called Dr. McGueehee, our pediatrician, and he had recommended that she be sent to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) where she could be monitored.

Between the late night, pain and fatigue from the birth, an appointment with the lactation specialist, and a temporary closure of the NICU because of some unstable babies, I didn’t see Miriam again until noon—twelve hours from when I had last seen her. This was not the first night with baby that I had imagined and I was mildly sorry to have woken Dr. M., but glad to know that Miriam was safe.

Although Miriam had no further problems after that first night, she had to stay in the NICU for at least 48 hours, so the next two days were a constant stress getting back and forth from one end of the hospital to another. She ended up getting most of her meals from a bottle during that time, but I was there at least a handful of times each day and pumping the rest of the time.

The hospital room was very nice—like a hotel minus the carpet. Thursday was my birthday and the hospital delivered a birthday cake with my lunch that day—Nice!

Miriam was released to be in the hospital room with me on Friday night. This made things so much better. My milk also came in that night and although it hasn't been that easy, ever since, I’ve had a peculiar satisfaction from hearing her gulp.

On Your Marks...

Been awake half the night with contractions which have since stopped. Now just waiting for the rhythm to kick back in so we can get this show on the road. Is October 1st just wishful thinking??

How Long is a Piece of String?

Back from the doctor's office...

He says I could go into labor any time, possibly tomorrow but almost certainly by the weekend. If not, he is happy to schedule an induction any time

The baby has descended just a little further (now about -2.5cm). I'm 90 per cent effaced just as last week. Beginning to dilate but not yet at a measurable point. He says that once labor kicks in that will happen pretty quickly though in my case.

He says the bottom line is that my situation is the most favorable for a first time mother that he's seen this month.A+ for me!

Now just waiting and trying to squeeze in some extra tasks in the meantime.

Fun With the Lunts

Just got back from lunch and a trip to the thrift store with Natalie and Judy Lunt. Had fun and found a few bargains--a few winter outfits for baby and a Fisher Price baby bathtub (sells for about $20 new, but I got it for $7). Not bad.

By Popular Request...

39 weeks! Take a look now because this belly will not be around much longer...

This may well have been our last Sunday at church pre-parenthood...

37 weeks with no need for a dinner tray--the belly serves a dual purpose although there's no guarantee of staying crumb free...

36 weeks

September 2009 Update

The procrastination ends here--I'm finally writing.

The first news is that our baby is due in just two weeks! All seems to be going well. I’m not hating the third trimester as much as I could be… I’m still in pretty good health and the baby seems to be doing well too. She’s pretty active and those lungs seem to be developing—as evidenced by her daily hiccoughs. I wonder if she’ll be as hiccoughy when she reaches the outside...

I’m down to weekly doc appointments now. Got my first ever flu shot. Last appointment the doc did an impromptu sonogram to check the baby’s position; her head is down but her body is a bit oblique. Her butt is sticking out towards my left hip and her feet are pointing over to my right hip. Doc says it’s nothing to worry about, but we’ll keep an eye on it. Also, I’ve been pretty steadily gaining weight at about three pounds per week for the past month. That’s probably more than expected (by me), but I’m still within normal ranges. Last of all, I’ve been having some pre-labor contractions for the past four days or so. So far it doesn’t hurt, but it seems to wake me up in the morning and happens several times a day for maybe thirty seconds at a time. My belly just tightens up and gets uncomfortable for a bit, makes me a little out of breath, and then it slips away again. I’m pretty sure this is the “dropping” phase since the baby seems to be sinking down a bit lower.

Oh, here comes another little contraction…

In other less exciting news, our renters in our San Antonio house have been having trouble paying their rent. This hasn’t been a very fun situation for any of us, least of all for them I’m sure. We’ve prayed for them every day this month I think. We’re feeling bad for them but learning that we need to be a bit tougher so we can avoid falling into their situation. Paying rent here and mortgage there isn’t sustainable for too long. Still, I consider this month’s mortgage payment like tuition in a real estate class. It’s just like Grandpa Walch says “Well then, that’s your thousand dollar education!” Shucks. Also, I think I’ve gained a better understanding of the gospel concepts of justice and mercy. I sure wish some savior would come to give our renters mercy, and to satisfy the justice our bank account demands. Still, the more time goes on and the more we hear about their financial woes, the more it becomes apparent that mercy for them might be to have them move into a cheaper place. As for us, we’re grateful to be feeling the peace and protective power of paying tithing.

Lastly, just to mention a little something of our life in Fort Worth this month, we finally tried out Uncle Julio’s, a Mexican restaurant close by that always has a full parking lot. After a beautiful walk in the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens, we went to Uncle Julio’s and pulled out all the stops with a lobster and fajita platter and they gave us a complimentary plate of sopa pillas. So delish. I think that’s about the most we’ve ever spent on a meal, so it’s lucky our grocery bill came in well under budget this week. You know, if it weren’t for our usual diet of rice, beans, cereal and PB&Js, I think I’d feel guilty. Instead I’ll just settle for feeling grateful.