You can see the poffertjes stall in this photo.

Here’s a little story of my time in the Netherlands. I lived there between 2002 and 2004. We moved there when my oldest son was only 5 weeks old (which is, by the way, an INSANE thing to do, but that’s a story for another time).  This particular event happened one spring when my friend Audra and her husband Brad came to our Haarlem flat for a visit.

As it was lovely weather, we went down to the Grote Markt (central square in Haarlem where there was an open-air market on Mondays and Saturdays).  On non-market days, the Grote Markt had a herring stall (though I never indulged in the Dutch practice of swallowing herring whole) and a poffertjes stall. Poffertjes are sort of like silver dollar pancakes, but puffier. They are served with butter and powdered sugar, or fruit if you ask for it. I loved mine with strawberries.

That's me, poffertjes stall in background, taken on the very day of the You Want Juice incident.

I was excited to take Brad and Audra to the poffertjes stall and share this lovely Dutch experience with them. After all, the Dutch are not known for their cuisine (for good reason) but pancakes and poffertjes were some of the few exceptions to the rule (also stroopwafels–heavenly! but again that’s a story for another time).  I was trying to show off my Dutch for my American guests by ordering entirely in Dutch and I thought it was going well–until I was given two cups of juice in addition to my hot chocolate and poffertjes. I then tried to explain that I didn’t order juice, but the poffertjes lady insisted. “No, only poffertjes and chocolate,” I repeated (but in Dutch).  “You want juice!” she asserted firmly in English — but in true Dutch style. I finally demurred and took the juice, which Brad drank for me.  I never could hold up against a firm cloggie. They are a tough bunch.  (They also invariably responded to me in English, no matter how fabulously I thought I was speaking Dutch).

Our priest gave a lovely short sermon and one thing he talked about was how a good Lenten practice would be to look in the mirror every morning and think about the things you like about the person looking back at you, and also how to make the person in the mirror better.  He said it more eloquently, but I like the idea.  It was a message more about mercy and God’s love than about sin and penitence, which is what I usually think of Lent being about.  Oddly, Lent is my favorite time of the church year. Maybe I’m a masochist.

Anyway, this year I’m giving up shopping as usual and…wait for it…chocolate. I know a lot of people give up chocolate but I’ve never done it.  I do love my chocolate.  But I’m also going to try to add some things—like the looking-in-the-mirror thing as Father Richard said.  Also, I ordered some Anglican rosary beads on eBay, so when those get here I’m going to start praying the rosary—an Anglican/Episcopal version I found online.  I’m also going to start a new workout program, but I’ll save discussion of that for my Fit Fig blog.

Cormac’s arrival was preceded by a good deal of drama.  As with previous babies, I carried extra amniotic fluid (no idea why) and the baby seemed big as well.  I was having ultrasounds every week to check on things.  The week Cormac was due the ultrasound technician estimated his weight at 9 lb 8 oz.  The docs were concerned and there was talk of induction or even a C-section.  I was not fond of the idea of inducing — Isaac was induced after my water broke and it was a long, tough birth.  I was even less fond of the idea of a C-section.  I managed a couple of large-ish babies already without one so I didn’t see why I needed to have one this time.

Anyway, I was already tentatively scheduled to go in that Friday for an induction so I stuck with that (they were offering to take me on Wednesday — that’s how convinced they were I was about to have some massive baby).

So, Friday morning we loaded the car and headed over to the hospital.  My mom was in town so she was home to watch the boys for us.  I was to be there at 9 so naturally Brian got me there by 8:30 in his usual haste.  They put us in a room and we got settled in.  Finally my doctor, Beth (I’m on a first-name basis with this one because we teach church school together), came.  She gave me some proglastin stuff to soften the cervix to help start labor.  That was around 9:30.  So then she left again and I was strapped to monitors for a bit.  Then I was released and we tooled around the ward and watched Westerns on my room TV.  Not much action at that point.  I had another dose of proglastin at around 1 or so and I was put on the monitors for a bit again.  After that I finally started having real labor contractions.  We tooled around the ward again (more and more slowly) and watched some more Westerns.  I also spent some time sitting on a birthing ball, bouncing a bit to knock that baby downward.

We kept plugging along for a while and then Beth said she was thinking of breaking my waters.  She suggested I go ahead with an epidural since the pain would intensify after my water broke (and I knew this for a fact from Ewan’s birth).  I decided to go ahead.  The anesthesiologist came in and was doing his thing to prep me when there was a crisis across the hall and they called him.  Another woman had a prolapsed cord and they had to do an emergency C-section.  He rushed out and we put my epidural on hold.  He came back a little while later (after what he said was the fastest C-section he’d ever seen).  He told me it was lucky he was in the ward at that time and that my choosing to have an epidural may have ensured the safe arrival of the baby girl.  I have to admit that made me feel better about wimping out and getting the pain relief (told myself my weakness may have saved a life!)

So we went ahead with the epidural and a while later Beth broke my waters (I was about 4 or 5 cm dilated then).  Then we waited a while and watched some more westerns (it was an all-western day on AMC).  The anesthesiologist had to up my epidural dose as my pain was no longer much relieved.  Then a while later I started getting major pain that was not helped by the epidural at all.  I went into my typical late labor stage of tears and mental collapse.  In retrospect it was a little funny because I would suck it up when Beth and the nurse came back in — I’d be a bit teary but not out of control.  Then they’d go out and I’d cling to Brian and whimper and wail.  Beth commented to the nurse once that I was not a complainer so I wouldn’t tell them when I was really in pain — Brian responded that I only complained to him.  In retrospect he was 100% right.

Anyway, once the breakdown happened things progressed quickly.  Beth and I both started to wonder if I could go through with it.  Brian made me look in his eyes and insisted I could do do it (he did that at some point in both previous births — it’s how he works his mojo).  They were contemplating upping my epidural again but first Beth checked and I was fully dilated.  Then a few minutes later I finally felt the urge to push.  Beth had to act fast to get her full delivery gear on (shower cap thingy, gloves, booties, etc.).  I was already pushing as she kept suiting up.  I pushed four times (or really 8 because each pushing session involved 2 big pushing attempts) and the baby finally burst forth (it really feels like something bursting forth — or like splitting your body in half).  I couldn’t believe how quickly he came after my previous births (I had 8 hours of pushing with Isaac, for Pete’s sake).  Apparently at the end Beth did a quick episiotomy (I had no idea until it was all over) and did some pulling as well.  Cormac had the cord around his neck but not tightly (so he was in much better shape than Ewan was when he emerged with the cord around his neck).

Then of course it was time for baby cleanup and examination and all that while I had to deliver the placenta.  So Brian was already over there cooing and checking out my baby while I was being fussed with.  Daddies get all the fun.

So labor started at something like 1:30 or 2 pm after a 9:30 am start to the induction.  We only needed the proglastin and then breaking the water to move things along.  I was thankful we never needed Pitocin.  We moved pretty quickly from 5cm to 10cm and of course the pushing was the fastest I’d ever experienced.  I have to admit, once Cormac was out I was kind of hoping they’d tell me he was a 10-lber — for the bragging rights, I guess, but instead we learned he was 8lb 9oz — just a little squeaker for us!  I’m perfectly happy with a little guy, though, and he’s a very sweet easygoing baby (so far).

Born:           September 18, 2009, 10:49pm EST
Weight:       8 lbs, 9 oz (biggest kid in the maternity ward, but the smallest birth weight of our three sons)
Length:       20 inches
Hair:           Blond (a little peach fuzz on top, and tuft at the back)
Eyes:           Blue (assuming this doesn’t change)

Pictures available here: http://lainiefig.shutterfly.com/1276

Meaning of the name Cormac: “From old Irish corbmac “son of the charioteer.” Cormac Mac Airt was probably the most famous of the ancient kings of Ireland. As the ruler of Tara, the seat of the high kings of Ireland, for forty years (probably 227-266 AD), he was famous for his wise, true and generous judgments. Cormac owned the wonderful gold cup given to him by the sea-god Manannan Mac Lir. If three lies were spoken over it, it would break in three; three truths made it whole again. Cormac used this cup during his kingship to distinguish falsehood from truth and when he died, the cup vanished.  It was a very popular name in early Ireland and is still used today.” (source: http://www.babynamesofireland.com/pages/boy-names-c-d.html; click the link to hear this description read aloud)

Another fun easy anal retentive tool I found recently is the Family Facts On the Go Organizer.  I have already used the Family Facts Wall Calendar for a year and this is even better because I can carry it around.  It’s helpful for the many appointments I’ve needed at the end of my pregnancy and that sort of thing.  Here is a pic and a link:

I feel more organized than I have in ages (and with a 3rd kid on the way, that is a really good thing).  I also have the Family Facts Family Life Organizer and Planner, but I find that one too overwhelming to put it to much use (that’s the lazy side of me again).

I have opened up a baby pool game. Feel free to go make a guess about when the baby will be born, how big he will be, etc.

We’ll be back August 8th.

Well, I forgot to come by and update on the gestational diabetes thing.  My tests came out normal, just as in other pregnancies, and the other docs I see (have to rotate through a few of them to get to know them all before I go into labor, not knowing who will be on call at that time) don’t seem so concerned about it.  So I’m just continuing to be careful, having a bit more protein and a bit less carbs and sugar.  They do still think the next baby will probably also be a large one, since I have a history of that, but not much to be done about it except keep an eye on him (as well as we can while he’s still inside the womb).  I’ll be having another ultrasound to check him out in 3 weeks.

In other news, just started a new blog (I know, I’m crazy).  This one is called Fig’s Frippery and it’s a companion blog to my little Etsy shop.  It’s all about beautiful things, fabric I love, and sewing projects I’m working on.

Well, perhaps no news is good news.  I went to the lab for the gestational diabetes screening last week but haven’t heard anything about it yet, so wondering if it came back normal like in previous pregnancies.  Regardless, this is something I’ll bring up at my next OB/GYN appointment (next Thursday) to see what they suggest and if I should seek the help of a nutritionist.  So far I’ve just tried to cut back on sugar intake and re-focus on healthy eating  (which has been rather hit or miss in this pregnancy).

I know my blog has been rather neglected of late and I’ve even contemplated taking an official hiatus from blogging, but I don’t think I want to do that just yet.  I like having the option to come here and express myself or deal with health and fitness issues.  I hope my readers will come back and check every once in a while to see if I’m still posting and not just delete me off their bookmarks or Google Readers. (Have I mentioned how much I like Google Reader?  It’s how I follow my favorite blogs.)