May 31, 2009 - Week 33

Monday was the Memorial Day holiday. Paul returned from Clarinda late at night after working on the farm and in the cabin's future bathroom. He went back on Friday for the weekend. He planted more trees and also about a month ago we planted a unique tree I brought back from Czech called "oskoruse", a type of European mountainash.
During the week we went for another prenatal class and I made it once to the gym for a light workout. We also made more baby purchases...this time the car seat and the crib. I feel more and more the pain in my lower back and it is uncomfortable to sleep especially with the multiple trips to the bathroom.
The highlight this week was the weekend wall picture painting in our baby's room. I chose a picture from a children's book by the Czech author Josef Lada. It is what they call a Water Man story. He lives in the pond and comes out at night and sits on a willow tree. My friend Jan and her daughter Kim came to help me paint. Jan is an art teacher and she did an outstanding job. It reminds me of the Czech land and we also have our cats Snooky, Romeo and Rascal in the picture. It is a neat painting and very special for me. I am sure the baby will not care and maybe the first words will not be Momma and Daddy, but kitty and tree. We shall see.

V pondeli byl u nas svatek, neco jako nase Dusicky. Paul se vratil pozde vecer z Clarindy, kde pracoval na koupelne v chate a na farme. Pote znovu odjel do Clarindy v patek na vikend. Zasadil tam dalsi stromy a take jsme asi pred mesicem nasadili vzacny strom "Oskoruse", ktery jsem privezla z Cech, latinsky "Sorbus Domestica".
V prubehu tydne jsme opet meli dalsi predporodni lekci a ja jsem si aspon jednou sla lehce zacvicit. Take jsme nakoupili dalsi detske veci a to auto sedacku a postylku.
Hlavni udalost tydne pro me bylo malovani obrazku na zed v detskem pokojicku. Vybrala jsem si obrazek z ceske detske knizky od Josefa Lady. Je to jeho vodnik. Bydli ve vode a vecer si vyleze na vrbu. Nase znama Jan s jeji dcerou Kim me prisly pomoci. Jan je ucitelka vytvarky na zakladni skole a opravdu se ji to povedlo. Pripomina mi to Cechy a take je skvele to, ze tam zobrazila nase kocicky Snooky, Romeo a Rascal. Vypada to vyborne a pro me to je velice osobni. Nasemu ditku to sice bude uplne jedno a je take mozne, ze prvni slovo nebude mami a tati, ale kocka a strom. Vsak uvidime.

May 24, 2009 - Week 32‏

On Monday I went for my bi-weekly appointment to the doctor. I was asking for my Glucose test results. She said everything was normal and I don't have any issues. I was definitely glad to hear that. When I came home I had my Czech cookies right away. That would be hard for me not be able to eat any ice cream or sweet stuff. I don't eat much of it, but I get a sweet tooth once a while.
On Tuesday, we invited our friend coworker from Amsterdam, Netherlands over for dinner. Paul grilled a steak and pork chop, I prepared potatoes with veggies and we topped the dinner with ice cream with hot fruit and whipped cream. Our friend gave us different kinds of herbs to plant on our garden as a present. Later in the week I planted them besides our tomatoes.
On Wednesday we had our first Prenatal class in Mercy hospital in downtown. These are 6 weeks classes and we should get prepared for the baby's delivery. There was about 20 couples and the instructor had a good sense of humor, which helped.
Paul went over the weekend to Clarinda to work on the cabin bathroom walls and I stayed in Des Moines. I was busy with finishing the baby's room walls and getting ready for the last wall picture paint. Next week, our friend will help me to paint a picture on the main wall from my Czech kid's book.

V pondeli jsem sla na moji prohlidku, nyni kazde dva tydny. Hned jsem se ji ptala, jak me dopadl ten test na hladinu cukru v krvi. Ujistila me, ze vsechno je vporadku a ze nemam zadne problemy. Tak to me spadl kamen ze srdce. Kdyz jsem prisla domu, tak jsem se naladovala nasi studentskou peceti a fidorkou. To by pro me bylo tezke, kdybych nemohla jist vubec zadne sladke. Ja toho sladkeho moc nepojim, ale nekdy prijde ta chvile, kdy se nemuzes udrzet, ne ze bych se drzela, ha.
V utery jsme pozvali naseho znameho, spolupracovnika z Amsterdamu, Holandska na veceri. Paul griloval steaky a veprove a ja delala brambory s opecenou zeleninou na grilu. Nakonec jsme si dali vyborny zmrzlinovy pohar s horkym ovocem. Nas znamy nam donesl ruzne druhy koreni na zasazeni jako darek. Tak jsem je potom v prubehu tydne zasadila vedle nasich rajcat.
Ve stredu jsme sli na nasi prvni predporodni lekci do Mercy (tam budu rodit) v centru mesta. Kazdy tyden bude jedna dvouhodinova lekce po dobu 6ti tydnu. Ma nas to pripravit na porod, tak uvidime. Bylo tam asi 20 paru a lektorka mela aspon smysl pro humor, tak to bylo dobre.
Paul odjel na vikend do Clarindy, kde pracoval na stenach koupelny a ja zustala v Des Moines. Dodelavala jsem steny a pripravovala je na posledni malbu obrazku. Pristi tyden me znama pomuze nakreslit Laduv obrazek na tu hlavni stenu.

May 17, 2009 - Week 31

Our baby and its Mom is growing. We made our first big purchase, the baby stroller. Our first riders were Romeo and Rascal. I went to downtown for a long glucose test. You should fast for 12 hours and cannot drink any water. That was the worst part. I felt lightheaded by the time the test was over around 1 pm. At the end of the test I was glad not to see a needle anymore, because they draw my blood 4 times.
On Monday, Paul and I went to celebrate our friend's birthday to the bar. We also had our company "Brew" party at a shelter with plenty of beer and very good barbecue. The weather worked out nicely this week. We went to Clarinda for the weekend. Paul had a practice with his band for the Glenn Miller Festival. It is coming up. Jean found some baby clothes she didn't know about at their attic, so she gave them to me. Paul continued working in the cabin on the bathroom posts for the future bathroom walls and I pruned our fruit trees. Jean and I spent some time cleaning the grass around the trees and we also applied a mulch. I sprayed the trees against a bugs. I was proud that 6 trees (apples, pear, cheery) survived the winter without almost any maintenance. Few trees were eaten by a deer even thou we put fences around them. It was raining a lot, so our pond was nice and full.

Nase ditko a mamka porad roste. My jsme koupili prvni drazsi vec, detsky kocarek. Jako prvni predjezdci byli Romeo a Rascal. Jela jsem do centra mesta do nemocnice na specialni a dlouhy test cukru. Nemas nic jist a pit po dobu 12 hodin..ani vodu. To na tom bylo to nejhorsi. Necitila jsem se zrovna dobre, ale musela jsem to vydrzet od rana do 13 hod. Nakonec jsem se uz nemohla podivat na jehlu, protoze me 4 krat brali krev.
V pondeli jsme sli do baru oslavit kamosciny narozeniny. V tydnu jsme take meli "pivni" party s vybornym barbecue v pristresku parku, kterou poradalo CCC. Pocasi nam opravdu tento tyden pralo. Na vikend jsme jeli do Clarindy. Paul mel zkousku s jeho kapelou na Glenn Miller Festival, ktery se blizi. Jean nasla jeste nejake male veci na jejich pude, o kterych nevedela, tak mi je dala. Paul pokracoval na chate se stavbou drevenych podper pro koupelnove steny a ja strihala nase ovocne stromy. Jean me pomohla vytrhat travu kolem stromku a take jsme kolem nich daly mulc. Postrikala jsem je proti hmyzu. Byla jsem docela pysna, ze nam pres zimu vydrzelo 6 stromu (jablone, hruska a tresen) a to jsme se o ne moc nestarali. Nekolik stromu sezraly srnky, ikdyz jsme je oplotili. Hodne prselo, tak nase jezirko bylo krasne naplnene vodou.

May 10, 2009 - Week 30

It was a tough week for me after spending one month in Czech. Especially the fact that I had to spend more time each morning choosing clothes I can still fit into for work. It was great not to think about this each morning at my parents house...one stretchy pants and sweatshirt did the job. Another thing I enjoyed so much was that I didn't need to cook. Thanks goes to my Mom for the great varieties of meals served each day. Oh, it was so good...the pastries and the sweet stuff. Don't get me wrong, I am glad to be back here but now I hear the realistic question "what's for dinner? " (Ha). Well, I didn't do much cooking this week.
On Monday, I had a doctor's appointment for a glucose test. You should fast and then drink an unpleasant sweet drink. Afterwards, they take your blood in the office. My result was abnormal. No wonder after a month of eating all the good sweet stuff over in Czech :-) They told me to go to Mercy hospital downtown for a detailed 4 hrs glucose test. The doctor told me our baby is doing fine with a heart beat around 140 beats per minute. Everyone was telling me that I don't look as big for the 30th week, but the doctor assured me the baby is growing OK. I felt good enough to go to part of a spin class and did a little bit of weightlifting on Tuesday. It is relaxing for me, especially the stretching at the end. We had gorgeous weather over the weekend so I did my flower shopping and spent almost the entire time planting my flower containers. It took longer then I thought, but the result was worth it. Paul was a great help and he also cut down a 17 year old diseased pine tree in front of our house. After that, we went to see a movie called "State of Play" and grilled dinner on Mother's Day Sunday.

Byl to pro me obtizny tyden pote, co jsem stravila cely mesic v CR. Hlavne proto, ze jsem kazde rano stravila cas premyslenim, co si oblecu do prace a do ceho se vubec vlezu. To bylo to nejlepsi u nas doma, kdy jsem o tom nemusela vubec premyslet...vystacila jsem si s jednema natahovacima kalhotama s mikinou. Dalsi vec, kterou jsem si doma dopravala bylo to, ze jsem nemusela vubec varit. Dekuji mamce za ty ruznoroda jidla uvarena a servirovana kazdy den. Jeje, to bylo dobre...ty zakusky, kolacky. Nevylozte si to spatne, jsem rada, ze jsem tady zpatky, ale nyni slysim tu realistickou otazku "Co mame k veceri?" (Ha). Tento tyden jsem stejne toho moc nenavarila.
V pondeli jsem sla k doktorovi na test glukozy. Nesmis nic jist a pak vypit docela nechutne sladky napoj. Pote ti odeberou u dokorky v kancelari krev. Muj vysledek byl trochu vyssi nez normalne. Taky se tomu nedivim, kdyz vim, co jsem sladkeho snedla za posledni mesic v CR. Rekli mi, ze mam jit pristi tyden na specialni ctyr hodinove testovani glukozy do nemocnice v centru mesta. Doktorka me rekla, ze nasemu ditku se dari dobre a ze ma 140 tepu za minutu. Vsichni mi rikali, ze nevypadam vebec velika na 30ty tyden tehotenstvi, ale doktorka me ujistila, ze nase ditko roste normalne. V utery jsem se citila dobre na to, ze jsem sla na cast hodiny spinningu a trochu jsem pocvicila s cinkama. Je to pro me dobra relaxace, hlavne potom to protahovani. Meli jsme krasne pocasi pres vikend, tak jsem nakoupila me kvitecka a skoro cely vikend jsem stravila sazenim kvitek do mych zavesnych kvetinacu. Vzalo mi to vice casu nez jsem si myslela, ale stoji to za to. Paul me hodne pomohl a take urezal nas 17 let stary a pomalu usychajici borovici pred nasim domem. Pote jsme se sli podivat na film pod nazvem "State of Play" s Russell Crow a Ben Afleck a v podvecer na Den Matek jsme grilovali venku na zahrade.

May 3, 2009 - Week 29

This was my last week in the Czech land. Paul and I celebrated our 4th Anniversary on Monday via a webcam conversation. I told him that our baby is kicking and moving. I did some walking to downtown and also when I visited my Grandma. On Tuesday, I went to see my Grandma and Grandpa in Hradiste. We had a nice time together and I also had the chance to record my Grandpa's life stories. Especially interesting was the time during World War II when he spent time in a work camp in Berlin. At that time, his life wasn't easy. That same day, my friend and her two kids came to visit and showed off their swimming skills in my parent's pool. My Grandma from Hradiste didn't feel good on Tuesday because her blood pressure was over 200 so my Mom took her to the hospital. They gave her some new pills which seemed to help. I went back to see Grandpa on Thursday to record more stories and we also visited Grandma in the hospital. We went to the cemetery afterwards and I helped him clean up the family grave. It was sad to tell them goodbye for another year or so. On Friday, Mom and I walked to the clay volleyball courts at the château where they were playing a doubles tournament. This tourney is always the start of the outdoor season. The weather was perfect. We also stopped at my Grandma's for lunch. I came back that night to their small volleyball afterparty and enjoyed the time together by an open fire. On Saturday morning, my parents took me to the airport in Vienna and my troubled flight began. Everything was good until I got to Washington DC where they told us there was some type of security breach. We were standing in a long line for quite some time to get through immigration/security and I ended up missing my flight to Chicago. I got on another flight about 5 hours later, but there was no way to get to Des Moines that night. I ended up spending the night in the Chicago airport. My luggage arrived on time (without me) Saturday night so Paul went and picked it up. I arrived on Sunday around 10am so now I am back in the USA.

Toto byl muj posledni tyden v ceske zemi. V pondeli jsme oslavovali s Paulem nase 4. vyroci svatby pres web kameru. Rekla jsem mu, ze nase ditko se hybe a kope. Chodila jsem hodne pesky do mesta a take k babicce na navstevu. V utery jsem sla navstivit babicku a dedecka v Hradisti. Byla to pekna navsteva a ja mela moznost nahrat dedeckovi nezapomenutelne zivotni pribehy z II. svetove valky, kdyz byl v pracovnim tabore v Berline. Jeho zivot v tehdejsi dobe nebyl jednoduchy. Ten samy den moje znama s dvemi detmi prijely na navstevu a ukazali nam jak umi dobre plavat v bazenu u rodicu. Moje babicka v Hradisti se necitila dobre v utery, protoze jeji tlak presahl 200, tak ji musela moje mamka ve stredu odvezt do nemocnice. Dali ji nejake nove prasky, ktere zabraly. Ve ctvrtek jsem opet jela do Hradiste navstivit dedecka a nahrat dalsich z pribehu a navstivili jsme take babicku v nemocnici. Pote jsem dedecka zavezla na hrbitov, ktery jsme spolecne ocistili. Bylo smutne se rozloucit zase zhruba na jeden rok. V patek jsme s mamkou zasli pesky na volejbalove kurty v zamku, kde se hral kazdorocni debl. Venkovni sezona se vzdy otevira timto Deblem. Pocasi na to meli nadherne. Take jsme se zastavily u babicky na obed. Na vecer jsem se prisla podivat na volejbalovou party na satne a bylo super si s lidickama u ohne popovidat. V sobotu rano me nasi odvezli na letiste do Vidne, kde zacala ma strastiplna cesta. Vsechno bylo vporadku do te doby, co jsem doletela do Washington DC, kde nam rekli, ze tam meli problem se securitou. Cekali jsme dlouho nez jsme prosli imigracnim a securitou, takze jsem nestihla letadlo do Chicaga a nasledne do Des Moines. Dalsi let do Chicaga byl zhruba za 5 hodin a zadny let ten samy vecer do Des Moines, tak jsem musela stravit noc na letisti v Chicagu. Moje zavazadla doletely vporadku v sobotu vecer, tak jak mely, tak je Paul vyzvedl. Ja doletela v nedeli kolem 10 rano, takze nyni jsem zpatky ve Statech.