Last week we started a conversation about Birth plans, and today, I’ll go over the most important things to consider. If you missed it, here’s a link: The Best Birth Plan
Communicating with your OB or midwife
If you’re reading this, you probably have a progressive OB provider and are delivering in a progressive and up-to-date hospital. By progressive, I mean that they actually listen to you, they answer questions, and explain what you might experience during your pregnancy and in labor.
If this is not the case, or you need more information, consider reading my Personal Guide to Pregnancy, which has been used by close to 1 million pregnant women to navigate their way through one of the most vulnerable times in their lives.
Calling all Nurses
If you are a L & D nurse, midwife, OB or doula, we all want to hear from you about what works and what doesn’t with birth plans.
Healthy Baby & Mom
Everyone’s goal is to have a healthy baby and a healthy mom
The NY Times recently reported on a new blood test for Ovarian Cancer, OvaSure. What at first seemed promising, may not be, after all, because the testing was done on women who already have Ovarian Cancer, not on women who are being screened for the early signs.
CA – 125
The test measures 6 different proteins in the blood, including CA-125. You’ve probably read a lot about this blood test. It’s really great for women who have already been diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer, been treated, and are in remission. The CA- 125 works by alerting us that the cancer is still in remission or may be returning.
Here's my look (regrettably from afar) of the UC/Oklahoma game:
First off...OUCH!
Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press
Secondly, after 14 years and 167 straight games--this was the first Bearcat football game I've missed in person. I can tell you, regardless of the company and food and drinks, it's not any more fun watching at a "B-Dub".
Now, from what I saw....
Defensively I was shocked that UC missed so many tackles. I know BK doesn't hit in much at practice as Dantonio and Minter did and I think this shows a little here as some of last year's tough defensive guys were used to "tougher" practice weeks and more "physicality" (Nakamura, Hoke, Craig). I think the defense can be pretty good, but it was a little disheartening watching so many plays not being made. Obviously, Sam Bradford had too much time in the pocket and the Bearcats paid for it. The tight end killed UC and the DB's that should play with anyone, couldn't play with the Sooners.
Offensively, the run was shut down and that makes for difficulty with the rest of the offense. Mardy Gilyard was outstanding with his game at WR and kick returns and that's good as Oklahoma all but shut down Dominick Goodman (except for the TD) and Marcus Barnett was not a factor. Grutza's INT in the red zone was a killer and that's one area of his game that has kept him off the field for BK in the past--decision-making. Still, he's the best option at this point--but that'll have wait about a month with his leg injury. By then, don't be shocked to see someone else in control and it MAY NOT be Tony Pike. Pike gets the ball for now, but if I know BK I know he's going to want to take a closer look at what else he has. Chazz Anderson and Demetrious Jones would be the next in line, but if you're looking for another "Mauk-type" it might be Zach Collaros. There's also true freshmen they like (Kelce and Kay) but I'd guess he wouldn't want to throw them in the fire right away. Then there's always Mauk, should and act of God, the courts and the NCAA allow him back on the field--who knows what happens then. Realistically though, no one should be banking on Ben Mauk to save anything.
Punting...Kevin Huber boomed some, but made a bad pass on the fake which pretty much took UC out of the game. However, if he completes it, BK is a genius. It's all or nothing on that play.
Kicking, another missed XP! I think there needs to be more of an emphasis in recruiting kickers because these guys can make or break a game for you. I've already sent a suggestion to the coaching staff and if you know of anyone with some consistency, perhaps you should too.
Bottom line, I haven't seen everyone, but right now I think you'd be hard pressed to find a more complete team than Oklahoma. How West Virginia thumped him in the Fiesta Bowl and then turned around and stunk it up at East Carolina Saturday is beyond me.
Two bad, bad teams. Really, everyone knew the Ravens would be running, and Le'Ron McClain just ran it down their throats. I covered McClain in college and never remember him looking that good in college. Of course, he was playing the SEC, not against teh Bengals, so that could explain it.
* Kerry Collins will lead the Titans this week in Cincinnati. He looked good and Tennessee comes in with a win over Jacksonville. 0-2?
* Absolutely hate to see Dustin Grutza suffer a broken leg. Here's a guy who has always done what has been asked of him and he gets some bad luck against the Sooners.
* I'm as old school as anyone when it comes to baseball, but loved what Jolbert Cabrera said after Sunday's game about Kerry Wood yelling at him: "He has a reason to be mad, but not at me. I was just doing my job. I'm sure if he strikes me out, he pumps his arm."
* The Hardball Times has a list of theme songs for all 30 teams. The Reds? "Battle of Who Could Care Less" by Ben Folds Five.
* Great stuff on My Old Kentucky Blog about the 10 Commandments of Concert Behavior. This is a big pet peeve of mine. I'm very big on concert demeanor. This one -- Thou Shall Not Request Songs -- reminds me of a show my friend Lee and I went to years ago. It was a PJ Harvey show -- Is This Desire? tour, I believe -- and someone was screaming a song title and Lee looked over and said, "she ain't a jukebox, people.' I always loved that line. It was delivered well. And, well, it's right on. Also remember an Afghan Whigs show, on my 23rd birthday, that someone yelled out a song that they'd already played (Conjure Me), and Greg made fun of him for doing so.
* More Ghostbusters 3 news here -- basically, it's on.
* Oh, and my first born's namesake is pretty good...
(Seriously, even if you hate football, watch the runs at 1:20 and 2:05 -- those are the last two runs on the tape, but with several replays, because they're kinda good.)
Monday, September 8, 2008, 03:17 PM GMT [Politics]
Former President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing addressed a conference organised by Global Vision and The Daily Telegraph in central London this morning. Giscard believes that it should be possible for Britain to negotiate a Special Status within the EU - basically opting out of certain new policy fields. Whether or not that would include elements of past European treaties remained rather unclear - at several times he said this was not acceptable to most European countries, but then indicated that it might be negotiated.
I have the slight suspicion that the Irish Republic might be offered precisely such a special status. In fact Giscard mentioned that Ireland had asked to be excused from certain elements which would infringe upon its common law tradition. Were Ireland excused from the elements which infringe its constitution, the Lisbon Treaty might just become acceptable enough for its citizens to say "yes" next time.
A friend from the Taxpayers' Alliance pointed out to me that the Special Status would be a red herring for as long as the European Court of Justice remained supreme above UK law. Indeed, whenever there would be a conflict about the Special Status it would normally be decided by the pro-European ECJ. Therefore any Special Status would need to include clauses which undo the ECJ supremacy.
Time was, being found in the company of employees of the oldest profession would do serious, even terminal damage to a political career.
Marke Clarke is trying to get prostitutes not to work in his constituency
So it's striking to hear about a Conservative PPC who's practically shouting about the amount of time he spends with prostitutes. Mark Clarke, the Tory candidate in marginal Tooting, has even got his girlfriend involved in his nocturnal adventures. The couple apparently spent three hours with sex-workers on Friday night, though Mr Clarke says: "My girlfriend was quite distressed."
OK, ok, before anyone gets the wrong idea here, I ought to explain that Mr Clarke is actually trying to drive the prostitutes off his turf, on behalf of his prospective constituents. He's encouraging residents to email him when they spot prostitutes plying their trade, whereupon he will "go down there with people from my family and ruin their business."
Social responsibility in action; be the change you want to see in the world and all that. Surely Dave would approve. But I wonder if any of the Tory frontbench will be keen to join Mark in his work?
This is from Puppy Love/Love Cats Rescue. I recently posted a lost dog for them. Her story ends tragically, but can be a lesson for us all. ___________
It is with the heaviest of hearts that I am letting you know that Hazelâ€TMs story ends tragically.
HAZELâ€TMS STORY
Hazel arrived specifically to go into a Foster-to-Adopt home. Her new Daddy was actually referred to me by a good and trusted friend who does animal rescue. Also, he had a great application. My organization, Puppy Love / Love Cats Pet Rescue, screens our applicants thoroughly and has but a few rules that must be followed in order to foster or adopt one of our beloved animals.
When he came to pick up Hazel the day she arrived, we spent 20 minutes fitting her for two collars! The entire time we were doing so, I explained the reasoning behind it, and, besides it being MANDATORY for both fosters and adopters, I emphasized its importance. Collars break, dogs can slip / back right out of them, and then they are gone. The second collar is a safety backup. Moreover, I am very blunt about what can happen if this rule is not followed.
On Monday (August 11), her foster person called me a little after 1pm. He told me that Hazel had gotten loose. I asked what happened. He explained that she was playing with another dog, and the other dog must have gotten her collar off. I said, “What?†and he said it again. I immediately asked about the 2nd collar and he said, “Now is not the time to yell at me.†I was livid, but tried to keep my cool and ask him for details. He told me he was standing on the corner of Des Plaines and Lake Streets and she was playing with another dog (both were on leashes) when she got out of her collar and started running down the street. I had to mention the double collaring again, and he actually told me that he thought we were only double collaring her for the time when he left the building from where he picked her up to when he got to his car!!!! Thatâ€TMs why we spent so long fitting her for two collars?
A woman named Cecilia helped because she saw it happen and followed Hazel. She saw Hazel try to cross I-90 at Randolph and believes she was hit by a car. I printed up a picture and went straight to Animal Control and Anti-Cruelty. Then, I went home and made better flyers and sent out a ton of emails. Several people offered their time and we posted HUNDREDS of flyers. I began receiving calls of sightings of her almost immediately. The majority of them were in the UIC vicinity. We posted a couple hundred more flyers over there. It was excruciating because so many people were calling saying they saw her the day before or in the morning or they “see her right nowâ€, but nobody could get her! She was so incredibly elusive. I spent the entire week in the car scouring the area, going to Animal Control, etc.
Friday the 15th is a day that will haunt me for the rest of my life. My friend called me said that she saw Hazel that very moment. I had my dog with me because I thought Hazel might respond to another canine and that might give me a chance to slip something around her neck. When I met Kristen, she said that Hazel was down along some overgrown railroad tracks. We walked in that direction and then we saw her! I sent my dog Katie towards her. This is what kills me - when Hazel saw Katie, her soft, sweet, little ears perked up and she started walking towards Katie. I had turkey deli meat with me and threw it forward. Katie turned around to get the turkey. Hazel followed her! She was coming towards us! But when Hazel saw me, she stopped and her expression was that of, “Mmmm, no.†She turned on her heel and took off. She went running along the train track yard and disappeared. Later that day, another friend looking for Hazel called me because she had her in sight and was slowly following her. I was only a few blocks away. The last time I saw Hazel alive, she was in an alley between 18th & 19th streets one block east of Halsted. The ever-elusive Hazel got away again. She just would not let anyone come close at all.
We found a place that we thought she had been often napping. So, we got a large animal trap on Saturday from Anti-Cruelty and set it up. However, it was Saturday afternoon and I hadnâ€TMt received any calls about her. The last one I received was at 2:30am that morning. Someone said they had seen her about 45minutes prior on the corner of Jackson and Morgan. Late Saturday afternoon, a friend called and told me that a friend of hers had emailed earlier in the day saying that she was driving on her way up to Michigan and saw a dead dog that was reddish in color on the side of I-90 right before the 18th Street exit. It took me two seconds to get on the expressway and get to the area described. Although there was nothing on the road, the woman said she saw the body on the left shoulder which was only about a foot wide. I wanted to throw up! The silence of my phone that day was deafening. I drove up and down from Ohio to 31st about 7 times looking for any sign of her. Nothing. I called Kristen for help, and she and her husband came out looking too. I called Animal Control, IDOT, and Department of Streets and Sanitation. They said they had no record of calls and no report from employees of having moved anything.
I identified and recovered Hazel at 7:00 pm Monday (18 August) evening from IDOT. She is being cremated. I plan on taking half of her ashes and scattering them in a peaceful and beautiful place to honor her free spirit. The other half will remain with me where she will always be in a Forever Home.
The tragedy of Hazel is the horrendous ordeal that she went through in her young, sweet life. She was terrified while she was lost. You should have seen her scared eyes! She wasnâ€TMt eating enough; when I saw her, her ribs were protruding. And, she may have suffered horribly if she wasnâ€TMt killed instantly.
DO YOU REALLY WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO YOUR DOG?
Anyone and everyone who has a dog, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! DOUBLE-COLLAR YOUR DOG AND HAVE BOTH ATTACHED TO THE LEASH! Iâ€TMve talked to so many people that say, “Iâ€TMve had my dog for 11 years and nothingâ€TMs happened.†Do you not realize that it only takes one time?
Just one.
Think of Hazel.
Linda Schifferdecker, President Puppy Love / Love Cats Pet Rescue
Copyright 2008 Margot Potter for CYSWCSE Photo Courtesy of CYSWCSE
(Click on image to see close up)
Here's another of my Halloween themed designs for Create Your StyleTM with CRYSTALLIZEDTM-Swarovski Elements. It's a huge trick or treat bag that Mom could carry as a purse too. I love that orange stitched grosgrain ribbon I scored at Michaels and the vintage image is from a Dover permission free Halloween collection. It's printed on Pabric, an easy to use printable fabric I was able to run through my HP inkjet printer without a snag. It's just a simple canvas tote I got at Michaels, nothing fancy. I had fewer embellishments initially, but they asked for more and I think it turned out well. There's one crystal I would place in a different spot if I were to redo this project, but that's just me being super anal. As soon as the links go live, I'll post them here. This kind of design work is interesting because it's all about showcasing the materials. My challenge for all of these designs was that they be striking, affordable, and easy for a Mom and kid to work on together. Purses are my favorite medium, they're endlessly inspirational and generally speaking the average women will be far more outrageous with her accessories than their clothes.
My daughter Avalon was sitting next to me waiting for the bus on the front steps the other morning. As we straddle that nebulous and terrifying territory between childhood and puberty we're working on the finer points of personal hygiene. It's an ongoing battle. She's a little rebel without a comb. She loves to dress up and she really does have her own punky, quirky fashion sense, but there's a disconnect somewhere with the cleanliness factor. I must admit I had the same issue at her age, so she comes by it honestly.
"Did you remember to wear your deodorant?"
"Um...I don't know."
"Well, you may want to put some on so you don't get odorant."
"Mom!"
(Insert eye roll here.)
"Odorant is not a word."
"It will be after gym class."
She's been asked to audition for a lead role in a local children's theatre production of The Wizard of Oz. Because my background is as a performer, I've been reticent to get her into theatre. Maybe too much so, but I didn't want to hoist my dreams on her. She's got an innate talent for drama that's far better used on stage than around the house during chore days, so we decided to let her give it a whirl and see if she liked it. Two theatre camps later and apparently she's a natural. They emailed me asking if she was going to audition. We're in a pinch financially with the new braces, the doubled oil bill and my cut back in hours at QVC, so I wasn't sure we could swing it. We worked it out and she's auditioning next Saturday. We went online to download a song for her to sing and she picked Good Morning Baltimore from Hairspray! How much do I love my kid?! She's been working really hard on her dance moves and learning the words. I love seeing her engaged in something because her natural tendency is to lie upside down on the couch eating snacks watching TV like a tree sloth with pig tails. There's not much future in that dontcha know.
Lindsay Lohan isn’t taking it off for anyone or any
price.FOX
News reports the actress turned down a
700-thousand dollar offer fromPlayboy to pose nude for the magazine.
She would have been featured topless in an eight-page spread for the
55th anniversary issue. Her spokesperson told the men’s
magazine,“She’s not going down the New York
magazine road again.”
(Baltimore Sun photo) "I started running, and I was thinking, 'first down, first down, first down,'" Flacco said of the run that came on first-and-10. "I got to the first-down point, and I thought, 'Oh, my gosh, I don't think there's anybody there.' I just started going upfield, and I just thought, 'I'm going to get in the end zone here.'"
*****
Big East Special Teams Player of the Week UC's Marty Gilyard set a BIG EAST record with 246 yards on kickoff returns and had a school-record 365 all-purpose yards in the Bearcats' 52-26 loss at No. 4 Oklahoma. He scored a touchdown on a 97-yard kickoff return and also finished with seven receptions for 119 yards.
Britney Spears’ mom,Lynn, is coming out with a tell-all book that reveals some
salacious secrets about her famous daughter. In the tome, titledThrough the Storm: A Real Story of Fame and Family in a
Tabloid World, the elder Spears divulges that
Britney first took a liking to alcohol at ag
e 13, experimented with drugs at 15
and actually lost her virginity at 14 to a high school football player.
According to England’sThe Sun, the 53-year-old Lynn confesses her regret of losing control
of her daughter’s career to handlers who promoted her as a sex object. She also
claims that the Spears family was shocked by Britney’s behavior when they caught
her with cocain
e and marijuana on a private jet when the starlet was 16. Mama
Spears even admits to going along with the hoax that Britney was a virgin. Read
all that and more whenThrough the
Stormhits shelves on the 16th.
Hi Fan Nation I will be going to Raw tonight in Fort Wayne Indiana! So I will have a complete Blog tomorrow on all the events before and after the show!!!! And I am still having power outage problems so i will try to have my Unforgiven blog and my part 2 Bret Hart blog today???
Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press
album out tomorrow.
