Letters to Holly

Friday, May 28

We'll Probably Bite Back

It's been quiet the last few days.

Your Sister's doctor appointment yesterday was slightly different. In addition to checking for premature delivery signals, she was swabbed, and we checked Roo with a scanner. He's in the right position, and the amniotic fluid level looked good. We tried to get final-and-for-real-this-time confirmation that Roo is an outie, but the position was all wrong for that. So a chance lingers that Roo is a Ruth. (Note: We won't use that name if Roo comes out all girly.) They remain baffeld about her dizziness, which she claims is calming down. Her blood sugar and pressure are fine. She's lost three pounds since the last appointment. Next week sees the first of our weekly appointments. She's going to work with me today for an office baby shower. I gave her feeble gifts for her birthday, but they included Nutella, and that was received well.

We had dessert with Kathy and Travis and talked babies. Their youngest is biting, and we discussed parenting tactics. I'm in favor of gradual deprivation. I hold out corporal punishment for capital offenses, and those include repeat offenses. We still like the idea of squirt bottles to shock the child and end the bad behavior until the child can understand verbal commands. As always, keep in mind we don't know know what we're doing. Kand T asked what we're missing for Roo, and we have no idea. In the mail yesterday, we received a baby seat for meals and bedding. I think all we're missing is the baby.

The annual Memorial day street festival offers a child-seat check, and I'll take my set-up there to confirm I did it right.

I'm still playing with a logo for the local roller derby B-team. I'll finish it before the second week of June and send it in so Roo can't distract me from it.

Picture of the Day
That baby is all kinds of squirmy.

Tuesday, May 25

You Were a Good Number Two.

Your Sister's maternity leave may have begun. She's still suffering from the dizziness, and she's talked to the benefit manager about her sick days. She has more sick days than there are days left in this semester. She's preparing plans for her long-term substitute, and she thinks she'll stay home to grade the big projects and prepare plans for the semesters she's out with Roo.

The dizziness is no fun for her, and her energy is sapped. I think she has a head flu. Her nose is clogged, and her voice is getting squeaky; this happens when she's got a head cold. I think the doctor's medicines are treating symptoms and not the problem. I'm concerned that she'll be stir crazy within a week, especially when she gets over the bug. I've had lingering headiness, but I fight it with junk food and video games. I have a system. It's homeo-pathetic.

I had to back to the office. More specifically, I had to get back to Asheville, where my bank is. I had to deposit a paycheck.

My broken toe is much more an inconvenience than an injury. I've lost no sensation. It's fat and purple and mobile. I feel a dull ache when I walk, but that's it.

Picture of the Day
Back to work. Got my game face on.

Monday, May 24

Nothing Is Irreversible

We're at home again today as Your Sister had something of a relapse Sunday. Saturday seemed OK, except I was feeling a whirling of the head too. So it can't be all pregnancy. Your Sister complained of fluid in her ear when we saw the doctor a week back, and he poo-pooed it. My symptoms were a headache, slight dizziness, and a fifth-gear work ethic. I went to town on my to-do list: testing the baby seats for our cars, cleaning out my car, composting and thinning the garden, cleaning my workshop, and assembling the jogging stroller. I stopped only to eat dinner. We went out to eat, showing how much better she was feeling.

But Sunday morning met her with a full case of the woozies. We called the doctor and got a new prescription, a type of Dramamine. I fetched groceries, and she took it easy all day. I also broke my piny toe punting the sidewalk border. It's swollen and bruised, but not painful to the touch. I don't think I can do anything for it except soak it to reduce the swelling. That night, we made Hawaiian pizza for the Lost finale.

This morning she's feeling better, but she's considering calling it a day for the rest of the semester. I think she's jumping the gun, but it's her call. I think she'll change her mind on that before week's end. She'll get cabin fever. I continue to telecommute, but there are some things I have to do at the office.

The Lost Finale
We watched the series review before the finale. Two hours of recap had us primed for the ending, and that 150 minutes was a massive and satisfying undertaking. My thoughts:

1) Thoroughly right in tone and plot. It felt good the whole way through.

2) The last shot refers back to the first shot (Jack opens his eyes in the bamboo field, Jack closes them in the bamboo field), and this tells us the show was Jack's story. He had a purpose in life after all, and he did what he always does: He fixed things. He had a very Christlike ending (pierced side, commissions his believer to carry on his work, is aware he saved his friends, etc.) and that's fine given the religious themes throughout this episode and the series.

3) There are unspun tales between Jack's death and the afterlife -- Hurley and Ben wielding the island as they see fit, the remaining lives of those on the plane -- but I'm not desperate to know what happens.

4) The reunions were what we wanted, and they were done well. However, not everyone is ready to move on. Ben has work to do (and he should stand apart from the Oceanic people), and Daniel and Charlotte didn't have a real moment on the island to refer back to. Eloise alone seems to know what's going on, and she wasn't in the church. But we know she moves through timelines on her own.

5) I want to watch the whole series again. This might happen as we're settling in with Roo.

6) I learned the DVD of the finale season will have an extra 20 minutes tying up smaller threads from the series.

7. Man, people are having babies everywhere. Maybe we should name Roo after Lepidus (who can't be killed) or the Russian agent ("Patchovich").

Picture of the Day
The National Post has a character review image. If you rollover the characters, you get a brief recap.