Category Archives: People

Baby Update: Six Weeks to Go

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I met with the midwife yesterday. Here’s the baby update:

  • I’m measuring a little small but in the “normal” category (but I am a little small and I have a long torso so that’s to be expected, I think.)
  • Baby’s back is on my left side and his head is down! 😀
  • His feet are kicking my right side, so that’s what keeps poking out around there.
  • His heart beat is normal.

My husband and I are taking a three-session, six-hours-in-all “childbirth education class.” After two two-hour sessions, I haven’t really learned anything that I haven’t read in a book. 😐 But it’s good all the same. It is clear that in Australia there is much less emphasis on epidurals and much more emphasis on active labor (i.e., moving around) and other pain control options (gas, which is illegal in the states, and some other stuff). At the same time, 50% of women in this particular hospital do get an epidural so it’s definitely an option. 🙂

For all of you who have gone through labor: they haven’t discussed “breathing” at all. I thought those “breathing” techniques were an important part of labor. Did you think so? That is something I haven’t read anything about and now they haven’t discussed it. Just curious what you think is important to know.

Here’s what other people are telling me this week (and my reaction):

  • Well, you’re swelling up nicely! (How am I to respond to that?! Just wondering…)
  • You are very tiny for 34 weeks. (What else is new?)
  • You’re baby will surely be born sooner rather than later–you’re carrying low. (I thought I was just “small.”)
  • You really popped out this week! (Actually, it was a few weeks ago that I grew a few cm in one week, but if you didn’t notice, that’s OK.)
  • Well, there’s definitely a baby down there. (So that’s what that kicking from inside is…)
  • You walk like a pregnant woman! (This is from my husband. Thank you for rubbing it in… 🙄 )

All in all, I am so very excited to meet this little guy. Pretty soon now. Six weeks is half the time it took to get our Australian visas. No sweat!

Hopefully, we’ll get our baby crib and nursery set up before he comes!

Preparing for Baby

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We’ve been looking at cribs this week. Here they are called cots. This, of course, is “a must” for baby. I also really would like a glider rocking chair. I hear that they are “a must” for late night feedings. I’ve looked at some. We could rent one rather inexpensively, I think.

We will meet with our furniture rental company on Saturday. Our wish list (I should rephrase that: my wish list) has grown larger. It includes the following items to either rent or buy:

  • cot (aka crib)
  • mattress
  • dresser (four drawer) with change tray on top
  • glider rocking chair
  • two-seater couch for upstairs (for sitting during the day when I don’t feel like going back downstairs or when a slightly older baby is crawling around playing contentedly)
  • change mat for downstairs (I have a perfect place for a baby changing station in the laundry room!)
  • portable crib for downstairs (so he can sleep or play while I cook dinner, etc.)

What am I forgetting in terms of furniture? I know there are all sorts of other baby things on my lists…

In the mean time, while we still don’t have baby’s room all set up, I did add a webpage for our baby. See the link in the right column for Paul’s Page. I figure, making a webpage for him will make it easy to post the extra-adorable pictures of the extra-adorable kid once he comes. You won’t even have to read my ramblings. (Unfortunately, I think you have to register separately on that page in order to post comments.)

Does it seem strange that Paul is still kicking around inside of me and yet he already has a webpage? It is kind of odd, I admit.

ETA April 2011: Paul’s separate webpage has been merged into this one.

Reid Family Update

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Growing Baby

I am starting to feel like I am seven months pregnant. Baby keeps on kicking all night long. It is so great, in some ways, to know it’s a baby down there. On the other hand, I know this means that from now on I’ll never get a good night’s sleep again.

I’m still not ready to send pictures. You people keep asking for a picture–and I’m not sure if you are teasing me or if you just missed the point (that point being that I’m not ready to hear your comments, good or bad!!!). Maybe in a few more weeks when I start to feel more miserable I’ll feel like sending a picture. I’ve only been marginally uncomfortable for about two weeks now. Give me some more time…

Getting to Know Australia

My husband and I went on some photography journeys to see this great land we live in. A few weekends ago, we went to the Dandenong ranges, which are only 30 minutes from home. Then the next weekend we went to Noojee, which is a part of the Yarra Ranges, about 1 1/2 hours away. We had a good time. I was going to post pictures from those excursions, but I don’t really feel good about any of my photos. I’ve got my tripod now, so maybe our next trip will end up nicer. I’m still learning how the camera actually works.

Setting Up Home

We got our shipment from Chicago last week. So far, we think they only missed one box. I guess $200 of stuff is an okay loss when consider you just shipped $9,000 of stuff across the world (amazing how it adds up!). The major thing we are missing is our HP printer. We know we handed that over! Also noticed missing is my husband’s ice cream maker and a few oval bowls–but we can’t be sure we ever packed those; they may be sitting in our storage unit. We could live without those. But the printer is sorely missed. We’ll see what happens: the Chicago warehouse says they’re “looking for it.”

Staying Busy

During the week, I’ve been volunteering at the local city council volunteer office, helping with filing, data entry, and reception. (I think I’m much better at entering data into Access than I am at answering telephones. …I’m an awkward receptionist.) I volunteered there 1 day last week and 1 1/2 days this week. I may do more as needed in the next few weeks. It’s nice to feel needed.

(My husband says I’m finally making what I’m worth. “Nothing?!” I asked. “No. You’re priceless.”)

Other than that, I’ve been learning to cook some easy meals (some turn out better than others), I’ve been reading certain novels that have recently been published, and I’ve been growing a baby.

Hopefully in the next few weeks we’ll get our rental baby furniture. I can’t wait to set up baby’s room. The Big Day is some day in the next two months. I’ll feel more ready when baby’s room is ready!

Just Right

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I went to the hospital on Tuesday. The midwife measured me. I am 29 cm. At 28 1/2 weeks, that is just right.

So I don’t want anyone to tell me that I’m too small! She told me that I can just ignore anyone who tells me that.

So there.

Of course, it didn’t stop the Relief Society sisters at Enrichment night. Someone said they were only carrying on because they were jealous.

Why would anyone be jealous? I want to look like I’m 6 1/2 months pregnant! I don’t want to look “small.” Not at this point.

Give me another two months.

On Being 6 Months Pregnant

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It is July 4, 2007. My baby is due three months from today: October 4, 2007.

We went to our new ward on Sunday. I introduced myself in Relief Society. After explaining where we’re from and why we’re 10,000 miles from home for the next few years, I told them that I was also 6 months pregnant with our first child.

You’d have thought I’d said I was from the moon.

“You?! I look more pregnant than you do!”

“It must be any day now that you’re just going to pop out!”

“You’re so tiny! I never would have guessed.”

So I survived the icky first trimester, being sick every other day, and now that I’m finally getting big (and I am getting big!) no one actually believes I’m big enough. Haven’t I paid the price to be pregnant? I know, during the next three months I will get progressively more uncomfortable and large. But really, ladies, please believe me and be excited with me! And please don’t tell me I’m too small.

The Spirit of Elijah

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Since I still haven’t received my visa, I am still in Chicago, waiting for the next stage of life. My husband has his visa, so as soon as I get mine we can mail off our 800 pounds of stuff and then get on a plane ourselves.

I’ve started some projects in the interim. The one most interesting to me right now is family history work.

The History of This Family History Project

A few years ago, when I first got off my mission and did not yet have a job, I scanned a number of personal histories from Dad’s Big Box of genealogy. I found them interesting. I wanted to continue the project but then I got a job and got busy. The files were backed up to a CD and on my computer.

Of course, at least once in the next few years, my computer crashed and I lost the hard drive completely. Last year, someone asked me if they could have a copy of the files. To my distress, I found that the CD backup was cracked. Thus, hours of scanning and OCR-ing (is that a verb?) were lost. Back to the Big Box, I guess.

So when I found out last week that I still don’t have my visa, I thought maybe this was a good time to pull out the Big Box and start over. Besides, last year I acquired a more powerful scanner when I married my husband. So, I set the scanner on autofeed, and in a few days the files were scanned. (Of course, the scanner lamp is almost burned out…) Now I am OCR-ing those that didn’t read well. I’ll add files to the server as I get to them.

I have simply loved reading the stories of my ancestors. My husband and I just returned from a Church History road trip. Now I find out that our ancestors were there at Winter Quarters and Far West and Nauvoo. Reading their stories makes it even more real than it was last week.

Here are some questions for the immediate family. Do you know who is who?

Did you know…

  • One ancestor was attacked by Indians and left for dead?

    • (an elderly Indian came along and had pity on her; after she healed, he sold her to the settlers at New Amsterdam [supposedly])

  • We had two ancestors on the Brooklyn?

    • (the mother and daughter, both midwives, paid their way by caring for the captain’s wife)

  • Our ancestor was the one who first settled Miller’s Hollow, later to be the site of the Kanesville Tabernacle (i.e., Council Bluffs, Iowa)?
  • One ancestor served a mission to Australia?

    • (he was shipwrecked coming home, landed on a remote atoll in the South Pacific, and lived on turtles for two months before a rescue party was successful)

  • One ancestor married a widower when she was 19, immediately becoming a mother of three?

    • (she later had 14 children of her own, including our ancestor)

  • One ancestor once made a profitable living by making beer?

    • (in Utah!)

  • Our ancestors helped settle the Big Horn in Wyoming?

    • (I have a friend from there)

Are you intrigued? Click on the Sorenson Family History tab above to find these personal histories. Here are the ancestors from above. (As I add files in the next few days, I’ll update this post to indicate which file to reference for the details.)

  • Penelope Kent Van Princis (Stout) [see any of the Stout, Richard or Stout, Penelope sources]
  • Hannah Tucker Read (later, Graham) and Christianna Gregory (Reed) [see Read, Hannah Tucker]
  • Daniel Arnold Miller [see personal history of Daniel Arnold Miller, plus book excerpt and sketch by daughter]
  • James Graham [see personal history of James Graham and account of Julia Ann]
  • Amanda Melvina Fisk (Stout)
  • Allen Joseph Stout [see life history of Allen Joseph Stout]
  • Franklin Jamison Graham and William Benona Graham and families [see life histories]