Giving You the Best That I Got, Which Isn't Much Today

In snippet form:

This morning I saw my general practitioner for the second time in seven days to see how the urinary tract infection I've been suffering from all month responded to the antibiotics. While everything appears to be in tip-top shape, I'm still running to the bathroom every eight seconds, so he prescribed a second round of meds to treat any lingering effects. UTIs are nothing new to me; I've gotten at least one a year since my sophomore year in college, most likely due to the fact that I don't get thirsty very often, I'm afraid a liberal intake of fluids will result in bathroom overload, and I hate the logistics of leaving my office, marching down the corridor, and going through the whole depants-pee-handwash routine twelve times a day. Of course, this eventually guarantees that I'll leave my office, march down the corridor, and go through the whole depants-pee-handwash routine twelve times a day, only with a sharp pain in my bladder and a heightened sense of urgency. My plan, she's not working so well.

During my visit, the doctor and I talked about how Luke and I plan on actively trying for children soon and discussed the importance of finding an ob/gyn now, so I have time to interview different practitioners and determine which one will be the best fit. Besides abandoning artifical birth control last year, this is the biggest step I've taken to acknowledge that I (hopefully) (some day) will become a mother. For some reason, it's freaking me the eff out. Any suggestions of questions to ask when putting these MDs in the hot seat?

My much-anticipated Big Love season one, disc one DVD came in the mail on Tuesday and I popped it in last night, as Luke is away on business and completely uninterested in watching the life of a closet polygamist unfold on the small screen. Thirty seconds into the opening credits I already loved it, knew it would be a work of art, and spent the next two hours learning about the marital interworkings of Bill and Barb, Bill and Nicki, and Bill and Margene.

Storywise, it's fascinating, watching this man juggle three different families and serve as a referee of sorts in the family's interactions with each other. It's also disturbing; Margene, his youngest wife, can't be older than twenty-two, and the way they communicate reminds me more of a father/daughter relationship (minus all the sex, of course) ("Oral is moral!") instead of one in which each partner is on equal footing. (One might argue that women involved in plural marriages aren't looking for equality, but that's a post for another day.) And I can't help feeling for Barb, who spent ten years of her life with a man in a committed, monogamous union before talks of a second wife began. How betrayed she must have felt; how heartbroken she must have been to know her husband was interested in adding another woman to their family.

I don't know if watching this show will be a good idea for me in the long run, but I plan on plowing through a few more episodes, maybe even the entire first season, before I make a final decision.

BlogHer '07 is fast approaching, and updates regarding theme, location, and seminar topics are showing up more frequently in my Gmail inbox. One tiny fact that has yet to be revealed: the freakin' cost. When perusing the list of upcoming conferences, I noticed that BlogHer's business extravaganza in New York City is running for a whopping six hundred and ninety-nine dollars. The hell?! What middle-class Jane Doe can afford to drop a grand in conference and travel fees at a moment's notice? I'm hoping and praying the Chicago shindig is more reasonably priced, seeing as the majority of women who blog either do so without the benefit of financial compensation or generate meager sales from ad revenue and/or shopping paraphernalia. With Luke and I working so hard to get into a house this summer, I can't in good conscience do anything to jeporadize that. However, the possibility of not going makes me very, very sad. Maybe I can talk to Saint Joe about shouldering some of the costs--you know, for academic research!

When the nurse weighed me this morning, I registered at an even 133, even with my clothes on. So apparently I lost four-point-eight pounds in twenty-four hours. I could get used to (delusions like) this.

Yesterday I realized that, whenever I say my blog title in my head, I'm totally doing a throw-back to Biff from Back to the Future, in the scene where he grabs the fifties version of George McFly by the collar in their high school cafeteria and snarls "What're you lookin' at, butthead?" to an onlooking Marty McFly. That'll be a fun story to share at dinner parties.

Comments

[Lauren]

I have to really urge you to give Big Love a try. I was a loyal fan each week when the show was on and can't wait for season 2. If you've only been through the first episode then you may not have gotten to the backstory as to WHY they actually entered into a state of polygamy. And trust me when I say the character development amongst the wives is really something to watch. Margene is my favorite, you just can't help but love her, but throughout the season you really get to see each of their strengths and weaknesses. I find the show fascinating and there are moments where you will be at.the.edge.of.your.seat. I really began to see the show as not being really about polygamy or religion but more about families and interpersonal relationships and the choices we make...

[Jessi]

Lauren basically said everything I wanted to say about Big Love - Stay with it! Totally worth it! Like crack but cheaper and with fewer withdrawal symptoms! (The final episode? You. Will. Not. Believe. It.)

[CPA Mom]

Ok, I have to borrow the wonderful Mrs. Squirrel's expression here "Sweet Sally Struthers!" It's how much $ again for Blog Her (probably)? Holy Guacamole! I'm OUT.

[Molly]

Dude, we could still have a BlogHer party in a nearby hotel for all of the financially-unstable-just-buying-a-house-just-having-babies crowd. Wait and see, wait and see.

And, I totally hear that Biff line too!!

(Between "dude" and "totally" I think that something terribly Valley Girl has invaded my subconscious today.)

[Elisa Camahort]

Don't worry: BlogHer '07 pricing will be in the same range as BlogHer '06, around $99-$149 per day (BlogHer '06 was $249 for both days.) And we do feed you breakfast, lunch and very cocktail party food on BOTH nights, so you won't have a ton of other expenses on those two days.

So, I hope we'll see you there!

[adina]

how do i get blogher emails?

[Rachel]

To answer your question about finding a good OB:

Talk to other women, girlfriends, co-workers and get some references from them. I can't think of any questions to ask them, maybe things like how they feel about inducing labor, when they like to give epidurals, how quick they are to do a c-section, things like that.

Think about how you want your pregnancy and the impending birth to go and ask questions based on that.

I wish I could donate my OB, but he might charged extra for the traveling, but damn, he's soooooo worth it!

[Isabel]

Sorry about the UTI's. I've never had one, but my Mom gets them all the time. They sound horrible. (Just wait until your pregant and huge and having to walk to the bathroom every 15 minutes.)

As for choosing an OB/GYN, I suggest asking people in your area to suggest some. Maybe the moms at your Church could tell you who they go to. The best advice I got when I was looking for one was to find an office that was close (duh!) and a practice where you like the other doctors besides your own.

Odds are that one of the other doctors will actually be the one to deliver your baby. (My doctor promised up and down that she would deliver my baby. But in the end...she didn't. It was okay-but you just never know what will happen.) So make sure you like the other doctors.

And as for the BlogHer price...sounds good to me.

(I signed up for the e-mails and have never received any!)

[VirginiaGal]

I'm with you on the neglecting to drink water on a regular basis during the day. Though, knock on wood, I've yet to suffer from a UTI (dehydration, yes, but that's another story).
I've found that following this plan doesn't make me pee every 15 minutes (though I do have a very tolerant bladder): I drink a glass of water (approx.) 8 oz. with my AM vitamin (prescription pre-natal in hopeful prep), a tall glass (approx. 16oz) of water between the time I get to work and lunch, another between lunch and the time I leave work, and another tall glass or two with dinner or spread across the span of the evening. Add in a 12 oz can of soda in the AM for my caffeine needs, and I am over the recommended daily intake. I find that at room temperature or a little cooler it's easier to drink more. Of course, I don't seem to drink much else but water...and I can tell now when I haven't been drinking enough, even though I'm not necessarily thirsty.
Sometimes in the evening I will mix a glass of (approx.)1/3 100% fruit juice (white cranberry or white grape with peach or cherry are my favorites) with 2/3 water if I am in need of something sweeter. Since I've started doing that, straight juice is really too sweet for me. To me, this mix is even better, and cheaper, than the flavored water options out there.

On the OB-GYN front, you also want to know their individual hospital affiliations, so you aren't stuck going to a hospital farther from home or with a worse reputation.

Off to fill my water glass...sigh.

[Katie]

My advice on choosing an OB/Gyn is to not bother. I went to a CNM (certified nurse midwife) for my first birth, and to a DEM (direct-entry midwife = homebirth midwife) for my second and third. However, it could be a little more challenging for you, because according to http://www.mana.org/statechart.html, midwifery in both IL and IN (sorry - I forgot where you live now, grr) is "Prohibited by Statute, Judicial Interpretation, or Stricture of Practice". Even if homebirth midwifery is restricted in your state, there will still be midwives available.

[VirginiaGal]

One thing I forgot to mention is that at work I aim for about an inch of water every half hour (guessing it's about 4-6oz), which seems to be a reasonable amount at any one time, and doesn't make me slosh.

If you don't have an OB/Gyn, who does your yearly checkup? Since my mom always went to the OB/Gyn I assumed that's to whom you had to / should go. But the thought now of the same person looking into my ears as my nether regions, eh, I like to keep them separate.

[Katie]

I keep checking for TLF updates. . . . If today is Thursday and not Friday I am going to be very not-happy!!

[Lucky Gem]

First, I love Big Love! Patiently waiting for season 2.
Second, I read on SilyHilly's blog that you were giving up 'All My Children'. Well, I'll just say that I'm going to find out who the satin slayer is today (at least the commercials are teasing us with that)Nananana boo boo. Wait, you probably already know, don't you?

[Silly Hily]

Oh, that Lucky Gem is mean isn't she?
Everyone else had really good advice for the OBGYN stuff. (But like someone else said, do you not already have one for yearly check-ups. Tell me you get your anual pap. Don't make me go all Mama Hily on you.)
Find someone close to work (you will be going weekly during the last month), word of mouth is great, pick somewhere that you think you will be comfy with ANY of the docs delivering, make sure it's someone who will do their best to give you the birth you want, check with your insurance, etc. etc. etc. I personally like young doctors fresh out of school. They aren't so worn out on everything. My OBGYN? She came in on her day off to deliver Silly Boy. She's fabulous and I love her.

I'm sorry you are having the UI problems but I'm glad you cleared up that THAT was the reason you were going to the bathroom every five minutes because otherwise we would have all been all GO PEE ON A STICK NOW.
Oh, and you should totally talk to St. Joe's about footing some of the BlogHer bill. I would!

(And dude, I think I'm like, totally rubbing off on Molly.)

[Lindsey]

Damn girl, it makes "it" so real when said out loud to a doctor. I hope everything is getting cleared up in the who ha department. If you lived in Richmond, I'd recommend my ob/gyn because she is awesome! She also just had a baby about a year ago! BABIES!