Photography Class - Final Project

I haven't updated in a while, but today I finished up a 8 week photography class.  I learned a LOT about my DSLR and am feeling pretty comfortable manipulating settings.  I'm super lucky that Mr. Lucky Brown is such a good subject.  Enjoy!


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Knits for Chirphead

Two days ago I shared an in-progress image of the Zebra Woobie (a blanket with a stuffed animal head in the middle) I'm making Chirphead.  I finished this project today, and as I was adding it to the growing pile of knits for Chirphead I realized that I wanted to share all of the projects I've completed thus far.  

Many knitters report being questioned on if they are making baby items or if they are pregnant while knitting in public.  (Thankfully I had never been asked if I were pregnant while knitting until recently!)  I have always loved knitting baby items, and I have taken this pregnancy as an opportunity to go a little nuts.  It didn't help that the newborn photographer we've booked googled me and commented on how she knows I'll come to the shoot with the best props.  You bet Chirphead will have the best handmade props!  

I completed a few of these projects before I knew I was pregnant, the winged Hermes Baby Socks are even my own design!  I completed the Baby Marley Hat over a year ago, and knew that it was something that I would need to save for my future child.  I used the Turtle Love Bib to announce the pregnancy on ChemKnits.  The striped baby socks were just a quick little project that I whipped up while taking a breather from some larger projects.  

Why does Chriphead need two owl earflap hats?  I made the small one first and then panicked that it would be too small for a newborn baby.  The crochet hat has some stretch, but I didn't want it to be obviously too small.  I whipped up a second version so that way one of them should fit my son!  (If the other is too small it can become a doll toy.)  Most of the other projects haven't been published yet on ChemKnits, but the details will be out in the coming months, including the Alpaca Baby Shawl (the blue blanket), a hungry caterpillar cocoon and hat, a pumpkin hat (for Keith).  

I'm so proud of the finished woobie zebra that I need to post another close up picture here:

Knitting while pregnant

Sometimes, knitting while.pregnant is especially cute!

Chirphead's Zebra Woobie - In Progress

ChemKnits Featured in C&E News!

My knitting blog, ChemKnits, is featured in this week's American Chemical Society publication Chemical and Engineering News!  The feature is in Volume 91, Issue 21, p 56: NEWSCRIPTS - Settlers Of Mars, Molecules Tied Up In Knots.

I have not yet seen a paper copy of the blurb, but the editor is sending me a copy of the issue.  Thankfully it is online so I can share it with all of you!

For those of you that don't know about C&E News, it is a weekly magazine that is sent to all members of the American Chemical Society - I had a subscription while I was in gradutate school.  In graduate school, I published a peer reviewed article in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and attended the national meetings.  You can imagine my surprise when an editor of C&E News contacted me a few weeks ago asking to interview me!

Pregnancy And CFS - The First Trimester

It is no secret that I have had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) for a long time.  I don't often talk about it publicly but I am very open to talking about my experiences.  I therefore thought it would be worth keeping track of how I am managing the increased fatigue that comes with pregnancy and eventual motherhood.  I know that these stages are difficult for all first time parents, and adding persistent chronic fatigue and corresponding anxiety issues to the mix can make things complicated.  

Planning

Before Keith and I considered getting pregnant we talked about it with my doctor.  She was very supportive and encouraging that I would be able to handle the crazy tasks, both physically and emotionally.  Nothing about my condition prohibits me from becoming a mother.  I am also thrilled that this is one of the life goals that my disease HASN'T taken away from me.  (I am also excited to be able to say "I'm a stay-at-home Mom" when people as me what I do rather than "disabled" or "taking some time off."  Being a mom is a non-awkward explanation for not working outside the home.)  Being a stay-at-home mom was never my plan as I attended Wellesley and then completed my PhD at Harvard, and I still hope that someday in the future I will be able to work a full time teaching position.  However, I know that I will soon have a little baby who is ready to learn from me and I am so excited for the next chapter in our lives.  

Secondly, I know that it is going to be hard.  Keith is extremely supportive and we have talked about plans for dealing with the extra chores that come with parenthood.  We are aware that there are many things that will come up that you cannot plan for, but we plan on taking things one day at a time.  It is very possible that we will need to extra help, whether that comes in the form of a cleaning service, dog walker or a babysitter some afternoons.  

Pregnancy Symptoms 

I have been very lucky in the pregnancy symptom department.  (Poor Keith has dealt WONDERFULLY with my random crying and mood swings!)  Here are my experiences with some of the more common pregnancy symptoms.  

• Morning Sickness - Between Weeks 5-7, I had some afternoon/evening sickness that I was able to manage by napping.  The nausea was very light and very manageable   I think that if I were on my feet all day rather than resting on the couch, I may have found it more burdensome  but since most days there was nothing urgent to attend to, I didn't mind it at all.  By week 8, this rarely happened.  
• Aches and Pains - Sorry if this is TMI, but my boobs are now HUGE (not that they were ever small before.)  They are a bit tender, but that comes and goes.  The first few weeks I knew I was pregnant (weeks 4-5) I had pretty constant aches in my lower abdomen, but rarely was it more than just a slight discomfort.  Unfortunately in week 6 I started having HORRIBLE lower back pain to the point where I could not fall asleep due to being so uncomfortable in every position I found.  Thankfully this was done by week 7.  
• Fatigue - Week 3 (before I even knew I was pregnant) I had increased fatigue to the point that it concerned me.  I was feeling so frustrated... until we got that positive pregnancy test.  Suddenly everything made sense and the frustration I was feeling evaporated.  I'm pregnant, I'm supposed to be tired!   Since then my fatigue levels have gone up and down.  I am able doing a little less physically because I am extra tired, but it is much better than it was in those really early weeks of pregnancy.  The biggest difference from pre-pregnancy is that I am now doctor encouraged (and self encouraged) to nap.   I am HOPING that my experience dealing with fatigue is helping me function and cope with this better than the average person, but we shall see.  
• More Fatigue - Weeks 10-14 - After a brief break, the fatigue got a bit worse again.  I am sleeping around 12 hours a day (between night time and naps).  Thank goodness this is something that many pregnant women experience, and not just me!  I do tend to be a little crankier (poor Keith), but this is also somewhat related the mood swings mentioned briefly above.  
• Cravings - I'm not sure if I'm having pregnancy cravings, but if I start thinking about a particular food it suddenly becomes very important that I get it QUICKLY.  Keith has been very supportive of this, running to the supermarket or a drive through to pick something up for me if if I'm too tired to go myself.  The thing I've been craving the most?  Steak'n'Shake burgers.  

Ultimately, I feel that my pregnancy symptoms are extremely managable, and the experience of being pregnant is pleasant!

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

(As posted on Facebook)

4 years ago, I went to the doctor for unexplained chronic fatigue symptoms.  After dozens of negative tests and confirmation of hypersomnia through sleep latency tests we have yet to know the cause of my fatigue.  The best diagnosis that fits me is "Chronic Fatigue Syndrome."  I have been officially disabled for the last two years.  I am thankful to have had doctors, family, friends and even insurance representatives who have never questioned that my symptoms are real.  I am grateful to my graduate adviser who let me work reduced hours mostly from home to complete my PhD rather than taking a medical leave of absence.  

What is living with CFS like?  I wake up every morning feeling like I just completed a very long day at work and am so mentally exhausted that I cannot think.  I get easily overwhelmed by simple tasks and decision making.  I have always been somewhat scatterbrained, but now it is much worse.  My fear of melting down/collapsing in public keeps me from attending certain events.  Slowly, I am getting better at compensating for my deficiencies (thanks again to the help and understanding of friends and family.)  After 4 years, I still feel like if I just have a good week of rest I will feel better, but that rested feeling has yet to come.  

I say this today because many people who look at me cannot tell I am sick.  They still see the bubbly energetic girl I used to be.  She is still inside of me, but I am just not able to let her out to play as often as I would like.  It pains me that some people judge me as too lazy to get a job or content to live off of my husband.  It pains me that I have had let go of certain dreams.  However, despite the limitations of my disease, I am happy.  I have new goals and dreams that work within the framework of my fatigue.  These last 4 years have been some of the best of my whole life, and I wouldn't trade them for anything.  

Rebecca's First 5k

Many of our friends have been running 5k's for years.  Three years ago they all decided to train to run the BAA 5k, a plan which I stubbornly refused to participate in.  Well, watching Alan and Caroline run the Boston Marathon this April finally inspired me.  I wanted to run a 5k.

Keith and I found the Monster Dash, a fun costume oriented 5k.  I thought this would be a good first race because it was raising money for a good cause (Team Ortho) and it would also be a race that many would not take seriously.  I knew that if I was doing a "fun run" then I would feel a lot less pressure.  I didn't want to dress in costume (it was my first race, after all), but Keith and I put temporary Halloween themed tattoos on our face and hands.

Keith and I ran together a few times in preparation for the 5k, but mostly I ran with Indy.  (If you ever ask him "do you want to go for a run?" he will start squeeling and jumping around, pretty cute.)  Even Keith isn't as fast as Indy, but Indy and I found a good pace together.  Rather than running large loops, we run from home to an empty field that is ~0.5 miles around and do laps.  This gives me the opportunity to push myself further if I feel up to it, knowing that I can still manage to get home if I start to become too tired.  

Running was not an easy thing to add to my daily routine.  My CFS treatment plan is to provide balance and to not overexert myself.  By pushing myself harder with running, I was tipping the balance to doing a little too much each day.  I needed to compensate by doing less of my other activities (knitting, blogging on ChemKnits) and taking more naps.  Ultimately, it is worth it to keep my heart healthy.  

Nevertheless, I am proud to say that I finished the 5k, AND felt that I could have run a bit further!  (Keith's Garmin watch thought we had run less than the course, so the finish line snuck up on us sooner than we expected.)   We finished with a time of 33:50!   And the fatigue?  I did well until we got to the car where I started to crash during the ride home.  The nap that afternoon was a good one because it was filled with victory.

 

The race was the week before Halloween... and I haven't run since.   I DO plan to run more in the future, but the cold weather has gotten a little in the way.   I cannot wait for the 2013 race season to begin, I plan on signing up for more 5k's.