Full gallery:
http://snapshothost.com/users/Angelika/BabyMonkey/

Updates:
http://silentstar.vox.com/library/post/photo-gallery-updates.html

Vitaliy E. - 30 minutes in deep space #17

Genre: Deep house | Duration: 30:12 | Size: 41.4 Mb | Bitrate: 192 Kbps

Tracklist:

1. Cooccer - Sunshine (Terry Lee Brown Junior remix)
2. Scope feat Sandra lima - This rhythm (Original mix)
3. Vas Floyd Feat. Mr. Jones - Deep House Soul (String Mix)
4. The Timewriter - Vintage Circuits (Original mix)
5. Milton Jackson - Open my eyes (Original mix)

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Author: me V.Valevsky
Chapter 3-line-art
Page for russian steampunk comics "Kukolnik/Doll master".


Kukolnik-chapter 3-cover by *AceKomiks on deviantART

Sketch here

6lbs, 6oz
6 weeks early, but healthy and strong!

Full story here:
http://silentstar.vox.com/library/post/liam-born-nov-20th.html

Posting even more shots to Flikr....pretty much finished with them all.




Not that long ago, but so long ago.

We're a little worried by our latest MiniCard box-decorating competition. It seems to've captured the attention of the MOO Crew just a bit too much. The UK team spent a happy lunch hour crafting their boxes - see Simon and China, below:
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Sometimes the only camera you have with you is in your cell phone.

Vitaliy E. - 30 minutes in deep space #16

Genre: Deep house, Deep techno, | Duration: 33:26 | Size: 45.9 Mb | Bitrate: 192 Kbps

Tracklist:

1. Stereociti - Track n1 (Original mix)
2. Patchworks - Minotaur (Original mix)
3. Alex Gopher - You, My Baby & I (Pepe Bradock's Finger Drumming Remix)
4. Leon Somov feat. Jazzu - Who R U (Original mix)
5. Oliver Koletzki feat Juli Holz - Zuckerwatte (Original mix)
6. Pablo Bolivar feat Inaqui Marin -
Escape from galaxy five (Arriving)
7. Above smoke - Save us (Original mix)

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Discrimination against tall people in hospitals!
Okay I really must protest. It sucks to be tall in hospital.
The most obvious thing is that hospital beds are too short. There is not enough room to stretch out completely.

The second complaint is that when you are on extended bed rest, there is concern about getting an embolism (blood clot), so they give you special stockings you have to wear which prevents them. They are supposed to go all the way from your toes to your crotch. But do you think they make them long enough for me? No!

So it's nice I don't have to wear them, but instead they have to dose me with a blood thinner twice a day with a painful needle. The night nurse tried to show me how to give the needle to myself, because if I ever get discharged to home bed rest (not likely) I would have to dose myself. No thank you!!! I am so bad with needles. I refuse to even look at them, and refuse to learn how to dose myself until/unless I know I will have to.

Ultrasound results:
Had an ultrasound today to check things out. Good news is the cervix has closed up a bit. Also it hasn't gotten any thinner since my ultrasound several weeks ago. Hopefully that means it can stay strong enough to hold Liam in long enough to develop further.

We also got an update on his size. Even though he's 6 weeks before due date, he's already really big! He's estimated to be 6.8 lbs (3.124 kg) already! Sometimes a large baby is due to gestational diabetes, but I've been checked out for that and that's not it. Just genetics I guess!

In other news:
Wow, I've been remarkably busy today. I've seen several therapists, doctors, nurses, a social worker, a dietician, and met some more inmates. Also filled out loads of paperwork and made and received a ton of phone calls. Hopefully most of this busy-ness will subside after these first few days once everyone has the information they need. But it is obvious that there is a lot of support here, and I really appreciate that.

My favourite part of the day was when they unhooked me from the IV! That allowed me to finally take a shower and change into my own clothes. I feel more like a human again. I feel more presentable and ready for visitors now.

Evenings are quieter, and I'm looking forward to Adrian's imminent arrival. It's movie night, and we have to get in our cuddle quota.

 

Originally posted on silentstar.vox.com

my hair is part black, part blue now.

tonight megamary is djing with me from 7-9pm PST on my radio show. perhaps you should tune in. we'll be playing an allovertheplace mix of techno house dubstep idm downtempo mashups ambient from 1991-present.

on friday n_o_m_i_c gets here & then we are going to vancouver for the weekend. this w2 benefit party looks like the place to rave at but vancouverites should correct me if there is something more awesome. also, come get drinks. other things i found: culture crawl * make it vancouver. then the train gets back at 10pm on sunday and we'll prolly head to smash putt 'cuz it's luke's birthday and it's awesome.

"Each and every hole is dripping with excitement! 21+ fun gets your balls smashed and your holes trashed late into the night."

Dan was killed two years ago yesterday. I'll always think of him as a great, intelligent, cheeky, whimsical, fun man who really loved life. I am better for having known him.

I will post a pic later on from home. Rest In Peace, Dan.

Well, the weather outside is frightful and the MOO warehouse staff are getting ready for the Holiday rush. Our trusty elves are enjoying their last silent night before a few weeks of rigorous stocking stuffing. Soon your MOO orders will be walking in the air and climbing down your chimney.
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Friday I had an epic emergency rescue mission to deal with my mother's Alzheimer's-related paranoid-delusional episode. Much coercion, attempts to pacify...finally got her to allow the live-in caregiver back into the house and take her medication. It was difficult and exhausting. Finally went home 13 hours later. Spent Saturday just recovering.

[For full details of my experience as a caregiver to my mother, please see my other blog, "The Waning Days". I will not likely be updating that blog again for a long time as I segue into my new matters at hand.]

Then Sunday morning I noticed a little bit of blood spotting. Called the midwife and although it can often be harmless, we agreed I should come in for a checkup at the hospital that day just for our peace of mind. During the checkup she said "Ooh, your cervix is dilated 3 or 4 cm. I'm going to get an OB to see you right away, but I'm afraid you have to be on immediate bed rest."

The OB confirmed this and said I will have to stay in bedrest at the hospital until Liam is born. I still have 6 weeks to go to my due date! However, it's more likely he'll be born sooner than that. No one knows when...could be days could be weeks! So long as there are no other complications, it's somewhat possible Liam can still stay in the womb to term. By 37 weeks they would induce, as that's considered "term". I would also be induced if there are certain other complications before that time, even if my waters haven't broken on their own.

Although I *really* don't want to hang out here to 37 weeks, it's better for Liam to stay in there as long as possible. His lungs still need a bit more time to develop properly. I'm being given steroids to help boost his lung development in case he does come really early. And the later he hangs in there, the better the chance we can take him home quickly, as opposed to having him stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for a long time.

Whether he's to term or premature, I am hoping to deliver him as "normally" as possible, i.e. no c-section and no drugs during delivery <crossing fingers!>. If he's premature I intend to practice Kangaroo Mother Care. Fortunately, here at BC Women's Hospital they are progressive and support methods that promote mother/baby health and wellbeing, as well as avoiding unnecessary interventions.

Regarding my stay here, now that I've gotten used to the idea I realize it's not so bad. I'm in great hands as far as care is concerned. And they also have a really awesome high-risk maternity ward. I will not be bored and stuck in my room.

I have a nice private room with my own bathroom with shower, highspeed wireless internet, TV, & private phone line. I'm getting loads of personal attention by a bevy of doctors, midwives, physiotherapists, nurses and volunteers and others. They are all amazing. I've met some of the other women here (some have already been here 5 weeks or more!) and can see that they are happy and like it here.

They have loads of free services like a chat group, arts & crafts, beauty treatments, physiotherapy, massage therapy, a hair stylist, and other stuff. I'm especially looking forward to my appointment with the dietician tomorrow, who will be able to get me special healthy meals that are not on the regular hospital-food menu.

I can also fix up my room however I want and bring anything I want from home, such as my own bedding, hobby supplies, music, clothes, etc. Adrian can also sleep over any time on the extra cot. We can also order take-out and bring any of our own food and treats. We're hoping to have a "date night night" here soon...perhaps take-out dinner and a movie while we snuggle in my hospital bed together. Of all the difficult things to adjust to, I will miss Adrian the most. We're used to being very close and it will be hard for both of us.

Not being allowed to get out of bed may be somewhat bearable. Have you ever seen the animated film "Wall-E"? In it the humans are all really fat and can't walk for themselves so they are moved around on personal levitating pods, being served by helpful service bots for anything they need. It's kinda like that (!).

It's hard to just sit back and let all the obligations of my life go though. I did not have everything ready at work. Our home is not quite set up to bring a new baby home. We still don't know who can take care of our dog when I deliver or if a complication occurs that requires Adrian to stay here for an extended period. Issues surrounding caring for my mother still need to be addressed. And I certainly was not mentally prepared to drop everything without notice! But now I have to just let go and trust that others can figure things out without me.

We haven't even gotten to the part in our prenatal classes where they talk about important stuff like, um -- how to deliver your baby! I know nothing about birthin' no babies...breathing or pushing or anything. But I'll have a doula there along with my doctor or midwife and she'll just have to tell me what to do as I go along. Fortunately, my philosophy has always been to not plan too much or overthink this baby stuff. I'll just take it step by step and see what happens.

If I'm here awhile, you can expect me to be posting more updates regularly.


Apologies for crappy webcam image!