Check it out

I was just looking over the few pictures I have of my body throughout this pregnancy, and I guess the changes didn't seem so drastic to me at the time, but comparing them to now, I can't believe I thought I was big here:

15 weeks

18 weeks

19 weeks

20 weeks

23 weeks

24 weeks

26 weeks

28 weeks

I guess we didn't really take any pictures for a while, so there's a huge difference:

34 weeks

These were taken today, at 37 wks +3 days:




Let's hope these go away...:


I don't know how much longer my skin can stretch, so Lucas better come out soon!

Pregnancy Stuff- 37 weeks

Today I am 37 wks + 2days and I just had my doctor appointment.

At 37 weeks:
Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, his lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.

Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz.

Since I have had kidney trouble during the pregnancy, my doctor may induce me a little early, depending on 'how ripe' I am at 38 weeks, which is next week. I see him weekly now and he started checking my cervical position today. Regarding labor stations, I am -2. Which from what I understand, means that he is 2 centimeters away from being just at the cervix (point 0) which is when he will begin his descent into the actual birth canal. You can be anywhere from -3 to +3 which is when he will be 'crowning' (showing his head to the outside world). Here is an animation since my explanation may not have been very clear:

My doctor stressed that if I have any leaking of fluid or contractions (even painless braxton-hicks) every 5 minutes, just to go directly to labor & delivery at Mary Immaculate and he may induce me to get Lucas off my kidneys. I am very excited to think that he could come as soon as next week! I am glad he is in head down position, my cervix was soft and -2 station is better than -3!
Also, my test results came back for Group B Streptococcus came back negative so I won't be needing antibiotics in an IV during the birth which is great. Blood pressure was great too. My next appointment is on Tuesday January 6th, and I will be 38 wks +3 days. I am kind of hoping to have him then--partially because of the excitement, partially because he won't be as big as he will in 2 more weeks, partially because John's parents will be here on the 8th and they will get to spend lots of time with him, and partially because John will be able to take his full 10 days of paternity leave, before his deployments in the end of January/beginning of February. Please pray for everything to go smoothly and safely--and for me to have the strength to do this! I can't wait to see his face!!!
*And to see John's face in reaction to holding his baby*

Favorite Foods 2

My next favorite food blog is for Breakstone's Lowfat Cottage Cheese. I started eating it in Saratoga NY, and quickly got addicted to it! I prefer the "large curd" type, but they don't seem to carry them out here in Virginia, so 'small curd' is alright. These big containers usually run about $3.69, and there are supposedly 4 servings in each. But I usually eat half in one sitting. In NY I would eat it by itself, but since I have been in Virginia, I usually only eat it with a sandwich and chips. Anyway, I don't know if I've ever seen this brand on the west coast, but keep an eye out for it because it's good and good for you!

Because it's high in calcium and protein, I will give it a:

They

I just read a book called, "Bataan Death March: A Soldier's Story" by James Bollich. It is his recollection of the almost 4 yrs he spent in the U.S. Army as a prisoner of war in the Philippines, by the Japanese in World War II. This is a poem written by a comrade of his who also survived the atrocities--a man named Jesse Knowles, who later became a Louisiana State Senator. He wrote it while being held captive:

They
Strange things were done under the tropic sun
By the men in khaki twill.
Those tropic nights have seen some sights
That would make your heart stand still.
Those mountain trails could spin some tales
That no man would ever like;
But the worst of all was after the fall
When we started on that hike.

'Twas the 7th of December in '41
When they hit Hawaii as the day begun.
'Twas a Sunday morning and all was calm
When out of nowhere there came the bombs.
It didn't last long but the damage was done--
America was at war with the Rising Sun.

Now over in the Philippines we heard the news;
And it shook every man clean down to his shoes.
It seemed like a dream to begin;
But soon every soldier was a fighting man.
Each branch was ready to do it's part:
Artillery, Infantry, Nichols and dark.

And then they came on that Monday noon,
They hit dark Field like a typhoon.
That Monday night the moon was clear;
They razed Nichols from front to rear.
As the days went by more bombers came;
And soon only a few P-40's remained.

Then the orders came and said retreat,
That no man would be seen on the city streets.
So across the bay we moved at night
Away from Manila and out of sight,
Deep into the jungles of Bataan
Where 15,000 were to make a stand.

Here we fought as a soldier should.
As the days went by we spilled our blood.
Tho' the rumors came and went by night
That convoy never came in sight.

April 7th was a fatal day
When the word went around that we couldn't stay,
That the front line was due to fall;
So the troops moved back one and all.

The very next day the surrender came.
Then we were men without a name!
You may think here's where the story ends,
But actually here's where it begins.
Tho' we fought and didn't see victory
The story of that March will go down in history.

We marched along in columns of four
Living and seeing the horrors of war,
And when a man fell along the way
A cold bayonet would make him pay
For those four months he fought in Bataan.
Then they'd kill him 'cause he couldn't stand.

The tropic sun would sweat us dry
For the pumps were few that we passed by.
But on we marched to a place unknown,
A place to rest and a place to call home.
Home not that you might know,
But home to a man that suffered a blow.

Then to O'Donnell Camp en masse
Some never back through those gates to pass.
In Nipa huts we lived like beasts,
Bad rice and camotes were called a feast.

Our minds went back to days gone by
When our throats were never dry;
Of our wives, our mothers and friends,
Of our bygone days and our many sins.
And about four thousand passed away
And how many more no man can say,
For no tombstone marks the spot
Where thirty to fifty were buried in a lot
Piled together as a rubbish heap--
The remains of men Who were forced to retreat.

Now I want to state, and my words are straight,
And I bet you think they're true,
That if you gotta die it's better to try
And take them with you too.

It's they that took us that fatal day,
It's they that made us pay and pay.
It's they that counted us morn and night,
It's they that again we wanted to fight,
It's they that made us as we are,
But it's not they that'll win this war,
For the men in khaki will come someday
And take us back to the U.S.A.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I was interested in this because of 2 different stories of my grandparents, ironically one from each side.
My mom's dad Norman Lee Fox was 16 when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, and before he finished his service, he ended up stationed in Corregidor, off the island of Luzon in the Philippines. When the Japanese invaded, he was held prisoner and experienced 4 yrs of captivity undoubtedly similar to the soldier's who wrote this book. Norman almost died throughout those four years, of the typical afflictions that many of the almost 100,000 prisoners (Filipino and Americans) suffered from, and many died from; hepatitis, dysentery, beriberi, malaria and of course exhaustion, starvation, untreated injuries incurred by Japanese torture. His comrades forced him to eat to stay alive. While I still need to find out all the details, from what I know, he was held captive in Corregidor, then transported to "Camp O'Donnell" (I'm not sure if he took part in the actual Bataan Death March) and then transported on what they called "Hell ships" to another concentration camp in Japan, until the Americans and Russians rescued them in 1945.


This is a picture of him and his crew on the U.S.S. Norton Sound in 1949. Soon after this, he met and married my grandma Elizabeth Eulila Clemens:

He retired as a Chief Warrant Officer for the Navy, and was awarded a Silver Star, the third highest military decoration, for his WWII service. He died in his sleep in 1984. My mom vaguely remembers him talking about what he endured while in the Philippines, but as the other survivors say, there is no way to describe what they saw and felt for those 4 years. The Japanese were endlessly beating, killing, disemboweling, and maiming Americans. They allowed the Filipinos to be freed in 1942, but held onto the Americans. Any Filipinos that tried to help Americans were shot on the spot.

During the 6 day march of 60 miles in tropic heat, many would fall out of line unable to continue--they were many times not allowed to be helped along by others. They were usually run over by the Japanese, and the "clean up crew" would finish them off in any way they pleased. There are also accounts of Japanese driving by with their bayonets out slitting the throats of prisoners walking along them. Needless to say, none of the rules of the Geneva Convention were followed. Many were not allowed edible food (or none at all) and though there were ponds and puddles, and sometimes fountains of water, they were not allowed any. When the delirious would try to get some water, they were immediately shot or beheaded with pleasure.

About 54,000 of the 75,000 that marched, lived at least to reach Camp O'Donnell, where many more died as a result of the conditions. Most of the prisoners were transported to other concentration camps in Japan, on "Hell Ships" where they were packed like sardines in the bottom of the ship, with room only enough to stand, although they could barely do that at the time, as most of the men were badly ill and malnourished to skin and bones. Keep in mind they never were given any bathroom facilities, other than the holes they dug in the ground at camps, which were always covered in flies carrying malaria. While in Japan, the prisoners were forced to do labor at various places, including coal mines and japanese factories. They were forced to live in heavily targeted areas, (another violation of the Geneva Convention) which toward the end resulted in American planes bombing American POW's. If anyone attempted escape, they were not only tortured and killed, and buried in a grave they dug themselves, but many innocent what were called "blood brothers" were also killed to discourage future attempts.

*These photos were taken from http://www.forties.net/WWIIPOWs.html
As the book tells, even after the armistice was signed, it took quite a while to be rescued, and many died even after. The trek back (at least for the men accompanying the author) was still hellish, as stormy waters took the lives of many that were on their way home...their families having just heard that their loved one survived, had to hear that they died on the trip home. The book is a great read and makes you so grateful to the veterans that serve/served our country. I have started another book called Hour of Redemption" also on the POW's in the Philippines.

Oddly enough, I just heard from my brother Reggie in Hawaii, my dad's son from his first marriage. He is making a family tree book--he has been looking into genealogy and told me a few little details about the Gallardo family that I never knew, and still don't even know if my dad knew.
Evidently my dad's mom moved from Hawaii to the Philippines just before WWII started, and was held prisoner in a concentration camp also. While there she was raped by a Japanese guard, and my dad was a result of that...I never knew that and it's kind of wierd to think I am 1/4 Japanese, but worse to think about being related to a horrible rapist. When it was found out that my dad's mom was a U.S. Citizen, she was shipped from the Philippines back to Hawaii, and she gave birth to my dad on the ship. I guess that's why it's been so difficult to find his birth certificate. It's always been interesting to know that members on both sides of my family were POW's, but now I know so much more and want to learn even more. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of my dad's side of the family yet, but I am asking Reggie to send some when he has time. When my mom has all her photos and memoribilia of her dad's sent out her from CA, I will be sure to post more. Thanks for reading if you got this far!

Favorite Foods 1

Since we're on the topic of sweets we like, I am starting a new blog on favorite foods. I have been having lots of different kinds of ice cream, despite the obviously smaller container they all now come in. I recently tried Pumpkin, which did indeed taste like pumpkin, but it was so rich, that without a crust to go with it, I couldn't eat it.
John and I gambled on this new kind with Girl Scout Samoa cookies and it's very good! I recommend it.

On a scale of 1-10, I give it an:

Tagged by Sarah: Guess the candy! UPDATED

I won Sarah's challenge : http://hatchingapatch.blogspot.com/2008/12/guess-candy.html
which was (Chewy) Sweetarts.*
So here is my challenge. I couldn't find a few that I vaguely remember..I even asked on yahoo Answers and no one could remember the names or brands of some I thought of, but I do remember these distinct candies that my dad would bring us. Apparently they came here from Germany in the 1950's although I couldn't find an original ad/picture of the old ones:



the whole picture:


I will show the whole picture after everyone guesses, or in a few days. I hope this one isn't too obvious! I might have to do another one just in case.

Brianne- IT'S YOUR TURN NOW! (And Sarah could do another one too*)

I love Walmart

Well, its not always the best, but for right now, they're the best. I ordered my Graco SweetPeace baby swing and a Glider/ottoman set on their website, which listed both items for much less than any ads/sites/stores...(saved $50 on the swing!) And, the shipping was free with the site-to-store option. AND they already came in! Considering it's the Christmas season, it's a big deal that both items came in 2 days BEFORE the expected period even began. I picked them up yesterday, and decided to open them and make sure all the pieces were there, and in tact, which they were. Then I decided to put a few pieces together, and voila! Here they are:






Shmoopy still doesn't know what to think of the swing, but he likes to sit right next to me and watch it swing back and forth. The songs/water/heartbeat noises are cute too, but I will be using the I-pod option; the speaker is pretty clear, and loud.


*Tyrone is still clueless as to anything but his own tail which he has been chasing for the last couple days...only on the rugs though, since the flooring doesn't give him any traction.

Tennis Anyone?

Norman, John and Mom played tennis on Sunday at Queens Lake. It was a little cold, but I bundled up to tape them. They had fun (I think) but John and Norman are getting real competitive with each other...what with bowling, tennis and game nights lol. But when John wins, I always tell Norman, "Don't worry, John still belongs to the Navy," and that always keeps John's ego in check.*











Enjoy another sped-up video. Again, I missed a lot of the good "rallies" they had toward the end, but if John gets a membership at the tennis center, I am sure they will both improve and I'll get better videos.

Can you imagine...

your 13 yr old friend, neighbor, sister being exploited like this? What about your own daughter without you ever knowing? Why does PP do this...what motives could they have?





These cases aren't so 'isolated' anymore...looks like standard procedure for them.

My Quote of The Day 4

Robert H. Bork- "Slouching Towards Gomorrah"
Chapter 3: We Hold These Truths to Be Self-Evident; The Rage for Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

“[The Declaration of Independence] speaks in the vocabulary of natural rights, which many Americans find congenial, though without examining the full implications of that vocabulary...It would rather have spoiled the effect to have added ‘up to a point’ or ‘within reason’ to Jefferson’s resounding generalities.”

Enough said...although the Supreme Court (and many Americans in general) ignore the part about being "endowed by their Creator" with unalienable rights, most importantly LIFE. In keeping with their radical individualism and unrestricted self-gratification, they substituted (i.e. invented) a right to "PRIVACY" instead of a right to life.

Bowling Night 2008

Here is a stitched photo of our family bowling night, with our friend Kathleen: I sat out and happily watched to avoid hurting my back in these last 5 weeks I have. But I am a horrible bowler so it's probably best not to waste the money just so I can get frustrated lol. Enjoy the montage of bowling clips I made:

My Quote of The Day 3

Robert H. Bork "Slouching Towards Gomorrah"
(introduction)

“The defining characteristics of modern liberalism are radical egalitarianism (the equality of outcomes rather than of opportunities) and radical individualism (the drastic reduction of limits to personal gratification). These may seem an odd pair, for individualism means liberty and liberty produces inequality, while equality of outcomes means coercion and coercion destroys liberty. If they are to operate simultaneously, radical egalitarianism and radical individualism, where they would compete, must be kept apart, must operate in different areas of life.”

This quote is the most significant (in my opinion) of the whole book; it summarizes 'modern' (radical) liberalism in a nutshell, and exposes the huge contradiction of their mindset. He words it very well, but it did take me a couple reads to really understand. Everything they push for falls into the categories of either radical egalitarianism or radical individualism , but to truly embrace both policies is impossible because they counteract each other. Thus they must be separated for the convenience and plausibility of the left's 'cause'.

Radically enforcing any kind of policy that would guaranty that everyone ended up with the same amount of the same things regardless of what they truly merit (ties back to the first quote- "...distorts incentives by increasingly rejecting personal achievement as the criterion for the distribution of rewards”), is by it's definition unfair. While it may benefit the people who do not work or live responsibly, it is definitely infringing on the rights of the people who do work hard, do their share and more, while still receiving the same. That is unfair, in a democratic society at least, which is what this country used to be the epitome of. A prime example of egalitarianism gone wrong, is today's unnecessary and detrimental (even to the beneficiaries) affirmative action policies in school and workplace. Now we are leaning more and more toward a socialist 'turd-world country' (courtesy Michael Savage*).

And the other cause of the left is radical individualism- or basically, when convenient to their secular-progressive ideology, endlessly fighting for the individual's rights to offend; limitless self-gratification at any cost. The ACLU has the 'defining deviancy down' part down pat (that sounded funny i know lol*)- they are always finding the dirtiest debased cases to defend, from pedophiles to neo-nazis. Everything that is truly offensive and harmful is defended as 'free-speech', but something as innocent as an elementary-school kid praying is fought against, claiming their B.S. "separation of church and state," and distorting Thomas Jefferson's ideas regarding congress establishing any certain religion.

Democracy is never going to be good enough for them, so they fight on toward communism, thinking it will work. How many times must socialism fail before they realize Marx was wrong?

My Quote of The Day 2

Well, this is a long one only because there are really good points that all relate to each other. Take your time reading it- I have to re-read a lot of his writing!

Robert H. Bork "Slouching Towards Gomorrah"
(introduction)

“Emile Durkheim, a founder of sociology, posited that there is a limit to the amount of deviant behavior any community can ‘afford to recognize.’ As behavior worsens, the community adjusts its standards so that conduct once thought reprehensible is no longer deemed so. As behavior improves, the deviancy boundary moves up to encompass conduct previously thought normal. Thus, a community of saints and a community of felons would display very different behavior but about the same amount of recognized deviancy...

“While defining deviancy down with respect to crime, illegitimacy, drug use, and the like, our cultural elites are growing intensely moralistic and disapproving about what had always been thought normal behavior, thus accomplishing what columnist Charles Krauthammer terms, ‘defining deviancy up.’ It is at least an apparent paradox that we are accomplishing both forms of redefining, both down and up, simultaneously...

“Middle-class life is portrayed as oppressive and shot through with pathologies. ‘As part of the vast social project of moral leveling,’ Krauthammer wrote, ‘it is not enough for the deviant to be normalized. The normal must be found to be deviant.’ This situation is thoroughly perverse. Underclass values become increasingly acceptable to the middle class, especially their young, and middle-class values become increasingly contemptible to the cultural elites.”

Aside from realizing how most entertainment glorifies criminals and demonizes police, businessmen and people with any morals, I am sure we can all find real examples where our society has 'defined deviancy down', lowered standards, and chastised the 'good or normal'. Values of the middle-class, the family, and the Christian faith are all seen as not only offensive, but oppressive:

*The typical 'wal-mart mini-van' middle-class family is looked down upon as hicks obsessed with consumerism. (Not to mention the bourgeois 'capitalistic pigs' that run walmart right?)


*In Massachussetts 2005, a man named David Parker was arrested and removed from his kindergartner son's school. Parker objected to his 5 yr old son being indoctrinated with homosexual-tolerance books, but all he did was go to the school and request to be notified before his child recieved such unnecessary and confusing information at the age of 5. The school declined to making this simple agreement and he wouldn't leave the premises until they signed a contract for his modest request. After he was arrested, his house was routinely attacked by gays during "David Parker" rallies, simply because he wanted to be NOTIFIED about what his son was 'learning'.

*Just last week in the Washington state capital of Olympia, atheist groups displayed signs mocking religion next to nativity scenes. Apparently they are offended by the statues depicting Jesus' birth. Here is the sign they put up:
Which would you see as an offensive attack? A few plastic statues huddled in a stable, or a sign declaring that "there are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell"? If they are so confident in that belief, then a plastic baby in a manger shouldn't bother them.
What's next? Are they going to put up signs next to Santa Claus that say "there is no santa claus"??? Oops...I don't wanna give them any ideas...

My Brother Norman

*Until Lucas comes along, we will continue to torture Norman with the camera.*
I had this shirt made for Norman today--he can't wait to wear it to school on monday:


He's telling Susan to stop taking pictures of him:


His 'emo' look...he's gonna let susan cut his hair this week:

The other model in our house: