Brave Little Girl

What a brave and mature little girl! I can't imagane being put in this situation and having the strength and composure to try to resolve it like she did. Hopefully this will be an example to others and turn the tide of child brides in Yemen and other similar countries!

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/15/yemen.childbride/index.html

Arrest Warrant Requested for Sudanese Pres

I just found this article on the NY Times website, and it is very interesting. The International Criminal Court and the United Nations get a lot of flak for failing to intervene in the most extreme humanitarian crises, but they are actually taking specifc action to stop the genocide in Sudan and bring perpetrators to justice. Unfortunately, the process is such a lengthy one that we still won't see much accomplished for many months. It is frustrating to see something so important move so slowly, that is puts the criticisms of the red tape in American gov't to shame. However, when dealing with such weighty issues, the slow pace is unfortunately necessary to make sure the correct action is being chosen and prevent a major global dispute.
The good news is: this is the first time they have taken action against someone who is still in office (and during a crisis that is still happening), so maybe the tides are changing - one can hope!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/15/world/africa/15sudan.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

The Shed at Glenwood (restaurant)

This is absolutely not baby related (aside from my excessive fondness for good food), but we went to a new restaurant in Atlanta last night with some friends called The Shed. It is in the Glenwood area, just south of I-20, not far from Grant Park. It is a "farm to table" concept, which generally means they try to use local, seasonal ingredients in all of their foods. Menus usually change daily depending on what's available, and the tastes are amazing because the food is so fresh and thoughtfully prepared.
The Shed was a real treat - excellent food, including artisian cheeses (pasturized, I checked), roasted red pepper gazpacho, and delicious fresh salad. Corey ordered a filet, which they cut fresh off the cow to the size/weight you order. He was very excited that they let him go back and watch his dinner being cut, and the server and chef were very friendly and explained all kinds of stuff to him about what they were doing and why. Not cheap, but not overpriced - it was a great experience!

http://atlanta.citysearch.com/customer_website/46364718?nl=37

Body functions in the womb / Sex of baby

Based on several questions I've gotten about my swallowing comment, here's my current understanding:
Babies definitely pee in the womb, but most of their nutrients (and oxygen) come straight from the umbilical cord. Babies do begin to swallow some of the amniotic fluid at a certain point in development, but the lungs also produce their own fluid and push it out to prevent the amniotic fluid from filing the lungs since they (and maybe the epiglottis) aren't yet developed enough to block the fluid form entering the lungs.
Side note: when they do swallow, it is amniotic fluid. When they pee, it is also into the amniotic fluid. However, the pee if filtered by the mother's body through the placenta so the baby isn't drinking its pee. And, when a fetus is near term, it actually swallows about half the volume of amniotic fluid each day!
Also, for those who asked: Corey doesn't want to find out the sex, so I'm trying to keep my control freakishness under control and play along. So, we probably won't find out until the birth. For now, I'm called the baby Corey Jr. because (1) Corey can be a gender-neutral name, (2) I hate called it 'it,' and (3) because the ultrasound technician said that the babies arms are back behind its head like it's just lounging around and relaxing - anyone who knows Corey knows that is just his style! :)

Video of 20 week ultrasound

Here's the video Corey recorded while they did the ultrasound. This is where you can see the heart beating and watch it make swallowing movements. In the audio part, the technician is telling us that some flavors pass through the placenta and the baby can taste them in the amniotic fluid. :)
Update: my boss, the expert physiologist, explained to me today that the baby probably isn't swallowing because they try to avoid getting amniotic fluid into the lungs. In utero, the lungs produce an excess amount of their own fluid to block amniotic fluid from seeping into the lungs. They regurgitate into the amniotic fluid to make sure the flow of fluids is in the right direction. So, they are probably throwing up lung fluid, not swallowing amniotic fluid. What a lovely thought!

20 week ultrasound

Hi everyone,

We had our 20 week ultrasound this morning.  Getting to the appointment was quite an adventure.  A MARTA bus actually ran us off the road on Peachtree, so we were late.  We are fine - just a little frustrated and shaken up.  My hormones kicked in and I was bawling for quite a while - all of the people at the doctor's office must have thought I was crazy when I walked in the door.

Corey actually missed half of the ultrasound because he had to go back and deal with filing the report after dropping me off at the appointment.  He was so disappointed because he has been coming to every appointment with me, and this was the most exciting one.  However, even though everything looked healthy, the US technician said that the baby's position made it difficult to get some of the photos they need, so we have to have another US at the next appointment in 4 weeks.  I think she just felt sorry for us.  :)

Here are some of the photos: everything looks healthy, but the baby's size is about one week behind our due date.