some light reading

There is lots going on in the news today, so I thought I'd share a few great articles I read this morning.

We will miss him dearly. The New York Times has a fantastic article about Gordon B. Hinckley today.






*photo from www.ldsmag.com




The rest of these are political:

From Time: "Can Romney's Inner Geek Win Out?"

From The New York Times: "Desperate Husband"

Also from NYT: "A President Like My Father" This one is a HUGE deal. If you only read one, read this one.

And related to the last one: "Kennedy chooses Obama, Spurning Plea by Clintons"

13 weeks

How your baby's growing: Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

I can't believe I only have one more week left in my first trimester! This past week I didn't feel as well as I had for the past couple weeks. Wednesday night I got terrible cramps. It was a bit scary, but I wasn't spotting or bleeding at all so I wasn't too worried. Jared gave me a blessing, and I was able to go to sleep. The next morning, the cramps returned but milder and lasted through Friday. Friday I didn't go to work because I woke up with a headache that wouldn't go away and just felt crappy all day. That night I was seriously craving a hamburger so we went out to a local restaurant, and I had a very delicious burger! Sometimes I just need meat I guess. Or maybe the baby does! Saturday the cramps were gone, and I felt quite good. I think the cramps were just my uterus growing because my tummy seriously got bigger over night! All of a sudden my pants are tight and to the observant eye I have a bit of a belly now.

obama vs. the clintons; heath ledger

photo from www.dailymail.co.uk

If you are paying attention to the craziness that is the presidential campaigns you know that the Clintons have been pulling out all the stops against Barack Obama. As he said in the South Carolina debate the other night, "I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes." They've been tag-teaming it and not being very nice about it, especially Bill.

In today's New York Times, columnist Maureen Dowd has a great op-ed about it: Two Against One She brings up an interesting point: "It’s odd that the first woman with a shot at becoming president is so openly dependent on her husband to drag her over the finish line."

Something to think about.

photo from nytimes.com

In other more tragic news, I am so sad about Heath Ledger's death. It's terribly tragic. He was a great actor and seemed like a decent guy. He was also my number one celebrity crush for years back in high school. Who didn't fall in love with his bad boy with a heart in 10 Things I Hate About You? I feel so sad for his family and especially his little daughter. It will be strange to watch the new Batman movie this summer knowing that he won't.

there really is a person in my uterus

Well it's officially official. I have heard the heartbeat! Someone is growing in my uterus.

We went to the doctor today and they used the Doppler to listen for the heartbeat. It was beating nice and strong. I thought this would make it feel a lot more real, and it does sorta. But it also still feels very strange to know that a little person is inside me. My abdomen is starting to grow a bit, but I don't look pregnant. Perhaps once I do it will feel more real. Or when I feel the baby for the first time. That will be nice.

The doctor says I am looking and feeling good and my blood test was normal and all that. I go back in 4 weeks and then in March we will have the ultrasound and get to find out if we are having a boy or girl! I'm REALLY excited for that visit!

(btw... isn't that photo amazing! I can't believe how developed a 12 week fetus is! It really is miraculous.)

12 weeks

How your baby's growing: The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

This past week as been really good! I think I am definitely over the worst of being sick. I feel SO lucky that it didn't last very long and wasn't that bad. I'm definitely hungrier than usual now, and I still feel mildly icky if I don't eat soon enough, but other than that I feel great. I'm also not as tired as I used to be. And now only two more weeks until my second trimester! We are going to the doctor on Tuesday, and I am really excited to hear the heartbeat.

push presents?

Have you heard of "push presents"? Several weeks ago I read this article in the NY Times, "A Bundle of Joy Isn't Enough?", about the growing trend for new moms to receive gifts from their husbands after giving birth, usually in the form of jewelry.

Quoting the article: That’s “push” as in, “I the mother, having been through the wringer and pushed out this blessed event, hereby claim my reward.” Or “push” as in, “I’ve delivered something special and now I’m pushing you, my husband/boyfriend, to follow suit.”

“It’s more and more an expectation of moms these days that they deserve something for bearing the burden for nine months, getting sick, ruining their body,” said Linda Murray, executive editor of BabyCenter.com. “The guilt really gets piled on.”

A recent survey of more than 30,000 respondents by BabyCenter.com found that 38 percent of new mothers received a gift from their mate in connection with their child. Among pregnant mothers, 55 percent wanted one. About 40 percent of both groups said the baby was ample reward.

I remember first hearing about this idea years ago when Angie Harmon appeared on Oprah after the birth of one of her kids. She was a wearing a big fancy ring and said it was her present for giving birth. Her husband gave her a piece of jewelry for each kid. At the time I didn't think much about it other than, "That's nice." But now it seems that this trend is catching on and becoming an expectation for some new moms.

So while the idea of getting a gift for going through nine months of being inhabited by an alien and then getting that baby out seems justified, I also feel that this is becoming just another way for us to be materialistic. I mean, a baby is pretty great gift for all that work right? What do you think? Did you get a special gift, jewelry or otherwise, from your husband after having a baby? Do you think this sounds like a great idea or just another marketing ploy to get us buying even more stuff?

Do tell me what you think, and have a wonderful 3 day weekend!

*ring pictured from sundancecatalog.com

afternoon surprise

This afternoon I got a very nice workday surprise with a delivery of fresh flowers sent by my darling husband. They smell delicious! (Sorry for the lack of visuals.) The card read:

Just wanted to let you know how much I love and appreciate you, Katrina.
I love you more than ever!
Jared

Today is not a special occasion or anything. How sweet is he? And then he just stopped by to see me real quick on his way home from campus. I sure love him.

more politics

Rachel had this posted over on her blog today, and I couldn't resist putting it up on mine too. This little quiz asks you 14 policy questions and then tells you what candidates most closely line up with your preferences.

After taking this, I realize that I am still undecided on a lot of issues. I definitely need to do more research. So who was the top of my list? It was actually a tie between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. I totally admit that their policies aren't that different, but I definitely think Obama is the better candidate. Hillary is very smart, but there is just something about her that I don't trust. And I really don't see how being first lady counts as so much "experience". On the other hand, Obama seems truly genuine with a very diverse background that I find refreshing.

Take the quiz. It doesn't take very long. You might be surprised by who tops your list. And of course, please share!

an interesting little op-ed on romney

Today is the big day in Michigan, and I am very interested to see how it plays out. This morning the New York Times had an op-ed piece, "Driving Mr. Romney", by Dean Barnett, a staff writer for The Weekly Standard, who has known Romney for years.

You should read the article as it's not very long, but basically Barnett says that Romney's campaign has left people not trusting him, when in fact Romney is a really good guy who has the skills to be a great president and who's motivation is very sincere. I don't know Mitt Romney, but I have met quite a few people who know him well, including the current president of BYU-Idaho, Kim Clark. For years Mitt Romney was the Clarks' home teacher in Boston. Mr. Clark had nothing but wonderful things to say about Romney, and this was back before he was running for president.

Even if Romney gets the nomination, I don't yet know if I'll vote for him. I am still undecided on a lot of things. But... I really want to see him do well at this stage of the game. I am disappointed that he has been portrayed as a flip-flopper (not without reason). I really admired Gov. Romney who was elected in the very Democratic Massachusetts and really got a lot done. It makes me sad that he has now come across as so insincere.

I just hope he can pull off a win today in Michigan. If he doesn't, I'm afraid he might be done. But if he does, this campaign will be all the more interesting. He has, after all, managed to get the most total votes in 3 states than any other candidate. I'd say that's consistency, wouldn't you?

11 weeks

How your baby's growing: Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccupping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

Good news! I have felt SO much better the past four days! It's been wonderful. I haven't been at all sick, just hungry! I hope this lasts, but I won't hold my breath.

Thank you to everyone who commented on my last post. I really appreciate your input. For anyone who still has thoughts, feel free to keep commenting. I welcome the different perspectives.