The end of the first trimester

Well, I have finally made it to the end of the first trimester of my pregnancy...I think. Actually, it's a little confusing figuring out what is considered the first trimester. Some books say 13 weeks, others say 12 and I saw one that said 14 weeks. So, I'll be at 13 weeks on Thursday so I'm officially counting that the end.

Last week I had a doctor's appointment and was able to hear the heartbeat this time. It was so cool, it's amazing to think about. I think my uncertainties and worries are starting to fade. Now I just can't wait until I start showing and feeling the baby move. Boy, the next few months are going to crawl by!

I got some good news at the doctor's office. I was a little worried about the hospital bills and such but I found out that my out-of-pocket max is only $900 a year. So, that's a lot less than I thought we'd have to pay...makes me feel much calmer about it. I've learned a real lesson...don't read those "self-help" articles in women's magazines. It was an article about how having a baby ruins couple's finances that started my money worries. I guess those articles just inspire people to freak out about nothing!

#16: Not your average Civil War novel

Savannah or A Gift for Mr. Lincoln by John Jakes

John Jakes has been a guilty pleasure of mine since I snuck my parent's copy of North and South in the sixth grade. His novels do tend to be a little shallow but, at the same time, he has a genuine handle on the culture of the south and definitely knows his history. So, shallow but relatively accurate, I like John Jakes.

Savannah is the story of the Christmas of 1864. The war was rapidly drawing to a close and the south was on its knees, aided, in part, by Sherman's rampage. Just before Christmas in 1864 Sherman conquered Savannah and sent a telegram presenting the city as a gift for President Lincoln. That Christmas was remarkably peaceful and Sherman's treatment of Savannah very different from his treatment of Atlanta and other Georgia cities.

Jakes tells the interesting story in a captivating way with, as always, colorful characters. Another good book from the master of southern Civil War novels.

#15: A great satire

Aiding and Abetting by Muriel Spark

This book is one of the many great things about having a sister in law who was an English major. Jen was going through some stuff in her room at her parent's house this Christmas and came across a bunch of books from her college years. She handed me a stack and said they were ones she enjoyed that she thought I might like. Aiding and Abetting is the first I've had a chance to read.

This book was great! It tells the story of Lord Lucan, who disappeared 26 years ago after brutally murdering his children's nanny. It was an accident, the murder. He intended to kill his wife! His friends, other members of the nobility, have been helping him stay out of police custody for the last 26 years. Unfortunately, those inclined to help him are starting to die off. So, he needs to find another source of income.

So enters a psychiatrist, Dr. Hildegard Wolf. It turns out, Dr. Wolf has a secret and Lord Lucan has found it out. Perhaps she can be his new source of income. Intrigue and suspense follow...along with many laughs!

#14: by the author of Bridget Jones

Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding

I was bored so I read this. It was entertaining but not the best book I've ever read. I don't know what to say about it except that it's candy and if you need something quick to read, this is an okay one. Not as good as Bridget Jones.

Tagged by Donna

Four jobs you have had in your life:
1. Wine Librarian

2. Safeway PIC

3. Safeway Checker

4. Burger King counter help

Four movies you could (or do) watch over and over:
1. The Sound of Music

2. Pride and Prejudice (the BBC mini-series)

3. Casablanca

4. The Muppet Movie

Four places you have lived:
1. Rosalia, WA

2. Dayton, WA

3. Corvallis, Or

4. Tulsa, OK

Four shows you love to watch:
1. Gilmore Girls

2. The West Wing

3. House

4. ER

Four places you have been on vacation:
1. Orcas Island, San Juan Islands, WA

2. San Diego, CA

3. San Sebastian, Spain

4. Truman Lake, MO

Four websites you visit daily:
1. Crosswalk

2. msnbc.com

3. hotmail

4. Frugalreader.com

Four of your favorite foods:
1. Lasagna

2. Spaghetti

3. Eggs Benedict

4. Pad Thai

Four places you would rather be right now:
1. At the library

2. Joplin, MO

3. Corvallis, OR

4. with my husband

Four bloggers you are tagging:

I hate tagging people. Please consider yourself tagged if you're reading this and are an interesting person. :)

#13: A Not-Over Hyped Book

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I was almost afraid to read this book. I had heard quite a lot about it and I was worried that it would be one of those books that everyone talks about but that ends up not be as wonderful as promised. I was wrong. This was one of those books that far exceeds the hype surrounding it.

The Kite Runner is told from the point of view of Amir, the son of a weathy businessman in Kabul. Amir is Pashtun and a Sunni Muslim, his world is privledged. His best friend, Hassan, and servant is Hazara and a Shi'a. Although they live in very different worlds Amir and Hassan are inseperable until the day Amir witnesses other Pashtun boys abusing Hassan and does nothing to stop it. Eventually Amir learns more about Hassan and regrets losing his childhood friend.

The backdrop to this story of family and friendship is the changing political world of Afghanistan. Amir and Hassan are young boys when Zahir Shah is overthrown by his counsin Daoud Khan. Later, Amir witnesses the arrival of the Russians. Still later, the Taliban controls his country. All of this is a portrait of a country's pain and a boy's.

This is a wonderful book and my comments here do not do it justice. You must read it for yourself!

Announcement

Yes, the ticker tells the story...I'm pregnant. I've been reluctant to share this news, I've had a rough history with pregnancies but this one seems to be sticking! We're so excited. It definitely changes some of my plans but I think they will be changes for the better.

So, stick around. You here my stories of pregnancy, the process of getting ready for baby, and, maybe, some about looking for freelance work I can do from home. I think this will all work out great!

#12: Why should I be concerned about Flu?

Flu: The Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918 and the Search for the Virus That Caused It by Gina Kolata

I am very interested by the fact that the influenza pandemic of 1918 has been largely forgotten or ignored by history. This flu was the most important world health crisis since the Black Plague. As a history major I know that the plague is discussed fairly extensively in freshman history seminars but the 1918 flu, a pandemic that killed 40 million people, no one ever talks about it. This is what lead me to pick up this book in the first place.

I was also interested in this book simply because flu has been all over the news in the last few years. The bird flu, H5N1, is causing some scientists to be concerned that another pandemic may be approaching. But the news rarely explains why scientists are concerned and most of us weren't around to remember the 1918 flu so we don't really understand why flu is something to be worried about. For most of us flu is nothing more than a bad chest cold.

Gina Kolata's book is excellent. She combines history and science in a way that highlights the importance of the science while making it understandable even for non-scientists. She explains some of the nitty-gritty (like why they call bird flu H5N1) and also makes the 1918 pandemic more real. The book is full of important information and reads like a novel. I highly recommend it.

#11: Another British comedy

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella

I actually read this book and The Year of Magical Thinking almost simultaneously. There were times when I just needed a break from the heavy material of the previous book so I would switch to this lighter read. The two books couldn't be more different and the sort of mindless aspect of Kinsella's book helped me get through Didion's book.

The Undomestic Goddess is the story of a late twenties lawyer, Samantha, with a goal of becoming her firm's youngest partner. She works 20 hour days, takes very little time for herself, and eats nothing but takeout. On the day her dream of partnership finally comes through she realizes that she made a terrible mistake that cost one of her clients 50 million pounds. Destraught and overwhelmed, she takes off blindly and ends up accidentally applying for a housekeeper position in the country.

After getting the position, there are a number of humorous scenes of botched dinners and messed up laundry. Samantha meets the gardener of the estate and falls in love. Along the way she realizes that her priorities are all out of whack and decides that being a lawyer is not for her. She'd "rather clean loos" than deal with the firm she left.

The book is a funny, light British comedy a la Bridget Jones. It was an enjoyable afternoon read.

#10: A Picture of Grief

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

"Life changes fast.
Life changes in the instant.
You sit down to dinner and life as you know it ends.
The question of self-pity."

So opens Joan Didion's incredibly moving memoir of grief, The Year of Magical Thinking. On December 30, 2003 Didion's husband of 40 years, writer John Gregory Dunne, died of a massive heart attack. One moment she was in the kitchen preparing dinner making small talk with her husband who was sitting at the table. The next moment her husband was on the ground, dead. And just like every other moment of tragedy, it seemed like such a normal day.

The book begins with the day of John's death and progresses throughout the year, detailing Didion's absent-mindedness, her refusal to give away his shoes because someday "he might need them." The book contains beautiful memories of a marriage, the homes they lived in, the fights they had, the decisions she questioned. The book also contains stories of their only daughter, Quintana, who was hospitalized through much of the year following John's death and then died herself only 6 weeks after the book was finished.

This is one of the most lovely and honest books I have ever read. Joan Didion doesn't try to assign meaning to her husband's death, she doesn't struggle with the whys of her loss. Instead she honestly describes the every days that follow such a life changing event. Heartbreaking and moving, this is a must read.