Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Ohhh-o-o the sweetest thing
The road to the hospital
The road that got us to the delivery room was a little bumpy...
Also due to swine flu, we had a four day battle with the hospital just to allow Ken to be in the delivery room. We spent hours trying to figure out if there were other good possibilities within the country (and Kyiv) or if we would have to up and fly to another country. Thankfully the director and a doctor at the American Medical Clinic made our desires a priority, made numerous calls over the weekend, and talked the 
hospital into allow Ken to be there. What an answer to prayer! Ken just needed to get a normal flu vaccine (there are no s.f.v. here) and a good bill of health from the general physcian and we were good to go. So here's the happy soon-to-be papa! And mama, well let's say she was a little less exhubrant.
hospital into allow Ken to be there. What an answer to prayer! Ken just needed to get a normal flu vaccine (there are no s.f.v. here) and a good bill of health from the general physcian and we were good to go. So here's the happy soon-to-be papa! And mama, well let's say she was a little less exhubrant.
Our first family photo
Weighing in at 4.32 Kilos (about 9.3 pounds)
Measuring 55 cm. (21 5/8 inches)
Monday, November 16, 2009
Swine Flu = No School
Well rested from our break and ready for the distraction and busyness of school, we were informed over the last weekend of break that we wouldn't be returning to work as we knew it. The Ukrainian Prime Minister announced that due to the H1N1 epidemic, all schools and public meetings would be canceled for three weeks. The staff reported back to school on Monday and the administration outlined what the next three weeks would look like. From four year olds to advanced physics—we would all be creating on-line units. It's working out alright so far. Not to be pessimistic, but I'm not sure of the integrity of the whole endeavor—after all, kids will be kids. Still—we have no complaints and have been very grateful for this time! 
Overall, it's been a blessing. I've been able to kick my feet up, literally, and do all my work from home. We've really been hoping that Rawly would come soon so that Ken could spend more time home with him. Every day we tell him that it's time to come out and play. He's not listening. We're hoping that this isn't too much of a forewarning of how stubborn he will always be!
Overall, it's been a blessing. I've been able to kick my feet up, literally, and do all my work from home. We've really been hoping that Rawly would come soon so that Ken could spend more time home with him. Every day we tell him that it's time to come out and play. He's not listening. We're hoping that this isn't too much of a forewarning of how stubborn he will always be!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Autumn Break and baked apples
The last week of October was fall break here at Kyiv International School. Ken and I had hoped to travel to visit our good friends in Vienna. Unfortunately, we were getting mixed reviews from the various ultrasounds about Rawly's growth—some suggesting that he might come October 31 or November 4. As much as I love squatting over toilets, after our last train ride, there was no way that I wanted to be using the rocky facilities nine months pregnant over a 20+ hour ride. That settled, while most of friends headed to places like Italy, Norway, Poland, Croatia, Hungary, or Germany, Ken and I prepared ourselves for a week in Kyiv.
We slept in, lounged around, caught up on American TV episodes, explored new places, and simply enjoyed our time together—knowing that it would be some of the last for just the two of us.
Tuesday we joined a friend and her visiting mother for an Ukrainian folk concert. To our surprise the opening speaker was the President himself. We couldn't understand a word he said, but he spoke for sometime without use of notes or a teleprompter—the crowd seemed to eat up his words. After the marvelous show we too saw him as he waited for his children who had been in the performance and left with his family. Ken thought it peculiar that he waited 27 years of his life to see our own President-almost-Elect and now we've been in the Ukraine for three months and the President was close enough to touch!
Wednesday I went in for “routine” blood work at the birthing hospital and then we spent the day doing as much walking as my body could handle. Later that day we were back at the hospital to get the results—of which they informed us that my bilirubin count and ALS levels were higher than they ought to be. We talked with the doctor, then with a specialist—neither of whom could explain what it meant except that the liver wasn't functioning properly—then to off to do an ultrasound on my internal organs. The organs all appeared to be normal, no irregularities. They wanted me to stop taking my prenatal vitamins, start taking some type of medication (in Russian of course), and going on a diet basically consisting of porridge, boiled meat, cooked veggies, and baked apples. Needless to say, we were a little nervous about all of those things—were the meds safe to take during pregnancy? Would I be getting enough nutrients on a restricted diet without the help of vitamins? Were the levels high enough to hurt the baby? We spent the next couple of days calling back to the States, trying to figure out what was happening. After a lot of research and advice, we contended to take the meds and follow the diet With no other source of sugar besides baked apples, I was craving EVERYTHING—chocolate pumpkin brownies, ice cream, fresh fruit, and the list went on. A week on the diet and four days after beginning the medication I felt lethargic and melancholy. The blood tests showed no change, so we informed another specialist that I wouldn't be taking the medication or restricting myself on that (silly) diet any longer, I'm not sure if they quite understood what we were saying. To make the long story short(er): a week later my levels were lower! The doctor told me to keep taking the medication and remain on the diet, we fibbed a little and agreed for ease.
We slept in, lounged around, caught up on American TV episodes, explored new places, and simply enjoyed our time together—knowing that it would be some of the last for just the two of us.
Tuesday we joined a friend and her visiting mother for an Ukrainian folk concert. To our surprise the opening speaker was the President himself. We couldn't understand a word he said, but he spoke for sometime without use of notes or a teleprompter—the crowd seemed to eat up his words. After the marvelous show we too saw him as he waited for his children who had been in the performance and left with his family. Ken thought it peculiar that he waited 27 years of his life to see our own President-almost-Elect and now we've been in the Ukraine for three months and the President was close enough to touch!Wednesday I went in for “routine” blood work at the birthing hospital and then we spent the day doing as much walking as my body could handle. Later that day we were back at the hospital to get the results—of which they informed us that my bilirubin count and ALS levels were higher than they ought to be. We talked with the doctor, then with a specialist—neither of whom could explain what it meant except that the liver wasn't functioning properly—then to off to do an ultrasound on my internal organs. The organs all appeared to be normal, no irregularities. They wanted me to stop taking my prenatal vitamins, start taking some type of medication (in Russian of course), and going on a diet basically consisting of porridge, boiled meat, cooked veggies, and baked apples. Needless to say, we were a little nervous about all of those things—were the meds safe to take during pregnancy? Would I be getting enough nutrients on a restricted diet without the help of vitamins? Were the levels high enough to hurt the baby? We spent the next couple of days calling back to the States, trying to figure out what was happening. After a lot of research and advice, we contended to take the meds and follow the diet With no other source of sugar besides baked apples, I was craving EVERYTHING—chocolate pumpkin brownies, ice cream, fresh fruit, and the list went on. A week on the diet and four days after beginning the medication I felt lethargic and melancholy. The blood tests showed no change, so we informed another specialist that I wouldn't be taking the medication or restricting myself on that (silly) diet any longer, I'm not sure if they quite understood what we were saying. To make the long story short(er): a week later my levels were lower! The doctor told me to keep taking the medication and remain on the diet, we fibbed a little and agreed for ease.
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