Forest of the Plains

Jacob Simon has arrived! Labor and delivery were pretty exhausting, but all three of us made it through okay.

I know that I'm not the most reliable source of information, but I do think he's cute! All the nurses at the hospital especially loved his chubby cheeks. I've been really surprised with how strong his arm and neck muscles are. It's been fun to watch his personality develop. Jacob looks a lot like John, but we know he's also related to me because it took giving him sugar water to convince him to nurse! He'll be ready for "Yoder size" ice cream in no time!

I also have a brand new respect for single parents. I have always known it's difficult to be a single parent, but after almost 48 hours at home, I cannot imagine taking care of a newborn without good support.

Check out John's blog for pictures.

For the past couple weeks I have noticed a couple of lighting issues in my car. Not enough to take the car into the shop, just enough to be annoyed. The backlight behind the clock wasn't on, the dome light wouldn't automatically turn on when the driver's side door opened (it would for the other doors), and the helpful dinging wouldn't happen when I left the headlights on. Since I rarely drive my car after dark, these things usually aren't a problem.

Today it was pretty dark all day with rain and a strong Kansas wind. I turned on my lights so that I was compliant with the new Kansas law that says if you are using your windshield wipers then you must have your lights on. I stopped in at the office to wrap up a few last things before going on maternity leave. I left the office glad that I didn't have to worry about work.

Apparently I had left the headlights on, and because on no dinging sound, I didn't notice it. My car almost turned over, but not quite. I had jumper cables in my trunk. Feeling very much like a helpless poor pregnant woman, I very nearly cried and couldn't think about how to get someone to help me. I called John who calmly convinced me to go back into the office and ask for help. Luckily a coworker called the maintenance man who was happy to get out of whatever else he was doing.

I opened the hood of my car to discover two nests: one wasp and one rodent. No longer was I a poor pregnant woman, I was a disgusted not-quite-used-to-living-in-the-country woman. I should have known that a rodent was the cause of my problems. I can't believe that I've been a rodent taxi for so long!

So, in the end I missed meeting someone for coffee and my car started on the first jumped try in addition to being exposed to rodent activity. What a stressful afternoon!

Last Wednesday I saw the OB and got to have my 4th sonogram because my belly continues to be measuring big, even with the earlier due date. The OB was going to call me back later that day with the sonogram results. But, since the radiologist lost the report, I didn't get a call until Monday.

The call started all nice, asking how I was doing, etc. Then the nurse says she's calling about the sonogram and "the baby is still large". I said, "Well, I knew that!" Most of me has increased a reasonable size, but my belly really is huge!

So, I am scheduled for an induction a full two weeks before my due date. I get to see the OB again today. Hopefully the visit won't be too exciting - I still have errands to run and laundry to wash and things to wrap up at the office!

Yesterday John ordered a computer for work. Yesterday the computer shipped from China and yesterday the computer arrived in Alaska.

I am also tracking a package that I am excited to receive. I sure hope these cloth diapers manage to arrive before the baby! It took three days just for my package to get out of Florida! Here is the tracking log so far:

Sep 15, 2006 3:37 PM Arrived at FedEx location LENEXA, KS

Sep 14, 2006 10:29 AM Departed FedEx location ORLANDO, FL
4:35 AM Arrived at FedEx location ORLANDO, FL

Sep 13, 2006 8:26 PM Left origin TAMPA, FL
7:34 PM Arrived at FedEx location TAMPA, FL
5:04 PM Picked up TAMPA, FL

Sep 12, 2006 3:35 PM Package data transmitted to FedEx Sarasota, FL

Yesterday I tried to come up with something profound to say about 9/11. My mind jumped from topic to topic, and I had lots of ideas. But for some reason, I kept remembering the story of Maeyken Wens, an Anabaptist martyr from the 1500s. Maeyken's story appears in the book Martyrs Mirror: The Story of Seventeen Centuries of Christian Martyrdom, from the Time of Christ to A.D. 1660. Maeyken, and others like her, demonstrated that the way of peace is not for cowards.