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Maud is Puma

Good news. We discovered our stray cat, who I named Maud, has a home in Rendodo Beach and is really named Puma. After a week with no response to the signs we put up in the neighborhood, my mom took the cat to our vet to see if she has a microchip. Sure enough she did! We got in touch with her owners, who could hardly believe we had her so far away. She is an indoor cat that escaped. They came by last night and took her back home. It gave me such a nice feeling that it all worked out and she got to go back to her owners. Technology is amazing. I'm glad our kittens have chips, just in case.

Fish?

I've been getting alot of advice and cautions on what to eat during pregnancy. One confusing issue is whether to eat fish. Gary, being a vegetarian, would rather I not eat any meat or fish in general, but definitely not anything that would be risky for a development fetus. Of course the key is that some types of fish are risky with high levels of mercury or other pollutants, while other fish are quite healthy with high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.

The March of Dimes says:
Avoid swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tile fish. These fish can contain potentially risky levels of mercury. Mercury can be transferred to the growing fetus and cause serious health problems. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a pregnant woman can safely eat up to 12 ounces (two average meals) a week of a variety of fish and shellfish that are low in mercury. These include shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish. But you should eat no more than 6 ounces of canned albacore (white) tuna per week. Canned white tuna has more mercury than canned light tuna. For the same reason, eat no more than 6 ounces of tuna steak per week. Also avoid game fish until you check its safety with your local health department. (A game fish is any fish caught for sport, such as trout, salmon or bass.)

A better, more detailed resource is the Monterey Bay Aquarium website with a yearly updated list of different fish, how there are caught, and what specific risks each has. I printed out a nifty pocket guide to keep in my purse. I recommend everyone get a copy, not just pregnant women.

This cat showed up on our front porch Friday crying and looking very confused. She seems like an indoor cat that got out and is lost. She is quite friendly and keeps trying to come inside. Although she seems like a nice cat, we figure we already have all the cats we want and do not want to keep her for ourselves. We gave her some food and put up signs around the neighborhood with her picture. We may take her to the vet and see if she has a microchip imbedded in her skin. Hopefully we can locate her owner, if not, we'll have to figure out how to find a new home for her. In the mean time I named her Maud.

In other wierd cat news, some guy called Gary's cell phone Saturday night to say he found our black kitten, Selina, about five blocks away. All our cats wear collars with their name, our address, and Gary's cell number. This fellow had her in his car and would wait until Gary went and got her.

His story sounded a bit fishy when he said he'd been trying to call us for over an hour, but Gary had no record of it on he cellphone. Also, that he found her so far away seems strange. And finally, once Gary got over to his car, the guy asked for a reward. Gary told him, he didn't have his wallet since he left the house in such a hurry, but they guy could call back and leave his address and we'd send him a check. We never heard back from him. Kind of strange.

ultrasound

Yesterday Gary and I went for our detailed fetal ultrasound exam. It went well. I tried not to give the technician too much trouble. Most parents are happy just to know the baby has arms and legs and what the sex is. On the other hand, we did not want to know the sex, and I kept asking things like "Is there a three vessel cord?" or "Do you measure the lateral ventricles?, why not? oh just a view of the choroid plexus." and "So the placenta is low lying, but doesn't cover the os right?" The sono tech didn't seem to mind too much and I got some nice photos. One of the perks of working at the hospital where I get my prenatal care.

Cancelled cruise

I went and cancelled our planned Hawaiian cruise. It was very frustrating and I really wanted to go on that trip. I decided to complain to Orbtiz (who we booked the cruise through) and try to get all my money back. I"m going to write something along these lines...

I had already talked to my doctor and he said sailing around Hawaii at 30 weeks, or 7 months, of pregnancy would be safe for me. After paying for the cruise, I noticed on my confirmation notice, in the small print under Norwegian Cruise Lines that:

“Pregnancy is regarded as a medical condition. The cruise line may require a medical certificate establishing the passengers due date and fitness to travel. In no case will the cruise line permit passengers who are 24 weeks or more into pregnancy to travel.”

I spent the next two days and several hours, mostly waiting on hold, trying to communicate with the cruise line and/or Orbitz about this. I was told that if I tried to reschedule the cruise to an earlier date, I would still have to pay about $100 for cancelled air fair and the difference in price for the two cruises, or if I cancelled the whole trip I would have to pay $194 for the airfare and Orbitz fees.

This was a very frustrating experience. I really wanted to go on this cruise and I felt it was unfair and in bad faith to not disclose the pregnancy limitations until after I had paid for the trip.

stressfull week

This seems to be one of those weeks where a ton of stress gets dropped in my lap. Between work stress (no clerk again), vacation stress (it seems we won't be able to take the cruise we were planning due to their no pregnancy rules), and temple stress (as the chair, I am struggling with last minute High Holy Day issues). Oy. I'll be glad when all this has passed.

No Tri this time

The weekend went by quickly. I was reminded that Sunday was the LA triathlon - and I was not there. I did the race last year. I wasn't planning to do that race again anyway, mostly because having to drop all your gear off the day before and shuttling from Venice Beach to Staples center is a big drag. But I have been feeling a bit down about not being able to exercise or race like I used to.

I still try to get some moderate exercise (swimming or using a stationary bike) most days. Running is getting more unconfortable now, and my workouts are alot shorter and easier then what I used to do. In the recent past, I got alot of satisfaction from doing running races and triathlons and all the workouts needed to prepare for them. I miss it. With the baby on the way, who knows how long it will be until I get back into the swing of things, if ever. I guess my exercise routine will be one of the many things I'll have to adjust.

cathy's blog

Cathy's got a blog!

Birthday

Today I turn 29. I got an iPod for my birthday and I have been wasting alot of time playing with it. I had a nice relaxing long labor day weekend. Sunday Gary and I went to a BBQ/pool party and Monday we went out with my family for brunch at a local French restaurant.

I also found out today that my triple screen (AFP blood test) results were normal. I was joking that if the blood test came back showing a possible problem, I'd have to call myself to schedule follow up testing.

Existance

Emily Sharon Parkhurst was born September 5, 1977 to Margaret and David Parkhurst in Los Angeles.