Deep sigh

Today the doctor called and told me that my screening for down syndrome (for the baby) came back negative. I feel like I have won the lottery. It's kind of strange, but for some reason I always worry about this, so much so that it isn't rational. I know realistically the chances of having a down syndrome baby for someone at my age is pretty low, like 1 in 800 or something (don't quote me on that statistic). But, nonetheless, it scares the bejeebers out of me.

I've talked on here before about my irrational worries, so most of you already know I am a little cuckoo. I am always waiting for the other shoe to drop, always waiting for my stroke of good luck to end. I have been incredibly blessed in my life, suffering very few, if any, real heartaches and struggles. I am convinced that the universe is going to have to even things out eventually and I am going to get hit with a big nasty one in life. This is the way it has to be to keep things fair, right? Crazy, but this is the way I think.

Here's another example of my irrational fears. The other night Danyel went out to pick up dinner right across the street. He was gone for 30 minutes and had left his cell phone at home. I started to freak and assumed the worst. I had visions going through my head of him being robbed and killed. My heart just sunk and all I could think about was how awful it would be to have to raise Carsten and this baby on my own. He returned, of course, complaining about the long line in the drive thru.

Anyway, so I am a little crazy, but very happy that I can be nothing but thrilled now about our new arrival. I am starting to show finally and even felt the baby move a few times now. We have picked out our names for the most part and are starting to prepare the house for another Ramelow. As a side note, I apologize, in advance, to all our future house guests who will be sleeping on a futon bed in the upstairs loft. Not much for classy accommodations, but things are getting tight up in here and it's the best we can offer!

School Days

Carsten started "school" on Tuesday. That's what we call it, but it is essentially a Mother's Day Out program. He goes twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 3. I really think that at his age, he should be learning how to socialize with his peers and function in a group environment where he is not the center of attention. Carsten has always been independent, so I knew that he would do fine. I knew he would love being around the other kids. They pack their days full with outside play, painting, coloring, story time, etc. I had originally only planned to send him one day a week, but the place I choose was far superior to most programs I looked at and they only offered a minimum of 2 days a week. It will work out for the best once the baby arrives in May, anyhow. Plus, it gives me a chance to get all my "to-do's" done while he is there, so when he is at home, I can focus more of my attention on him.

As I was driving to drop him off on Tuesday, I just lost it. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing. It's hard to relinquish control of your child when you haven't done it in his lifetime. Carsten was so excited to be there and barely noticed when I dropped him off. In fact, when I picked him up, he threw a fit to leave. His teacher said he was great the first day, never crying or causing a problem. However, he wouldn't take a nap during the designated nap time on the mats, but she swears he will adjust in time. She said that they all do. He was pretty excited when I dropped him off today and seems to have already taken a liking to Miss Kate. This was very reassuring to me. Carsten only likes people that like him. If you don't shower him with attention and affection, he doesn't take notice of you. If you pay attention to him, he pays attention to you.

Anyway, so far so good. I will take my camera with me soon and take some pics of him at school and post them.

An Inconvenient Truth

I am not one to usually get preachy to others about things I believe in or causes I support. But, this is something entirely different that deserves at least a short blog entry. Bear with me as I get on my soap box.

Last night Danyel and I watched Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", which tells candidly the dire situation we are facing in Global Warming. It is basically an hour and a half of Gore presenting scientific data that has been done in recent decades on Global Warming. It is astonishing and indisputable. I think any person who sees this movie will agree. What he presents is scientific FACT, not theory. The movie is not political (with the exception of a few jokes he makes at his own expense in relation to his "loss" to GWB in 2000). The movie is not liberal nor conservative. It doesn't cater to republicans or democrats.

Global Warming is serious and will probably effect my generation later in life. However, our children, will suffer the worst of it. Our children. How can we continue to ignore the problem when it's consequences are dire for our children? We can't. The movie offers many simple suggestions on how we can help. First, educate yourself about the facts. This movie does this very well and it is very simple to understand. Then, act. Recycle. Buy energy efficient appliances. Use energy efficient light bulbs. Drive fuel efficient cars. Drive hybrids. Call your electric company and inquire about green energy. If they don't offer it, ask why and then try to find a local company that does. Use natural sources of fuel, if possible (biodiesel, E85, etc.). Write your congressman. Vote for politicians that support the cause. Go to climatecrisis.net for more information on other ways you can help. Though Danyel and I do a lot of these things already, there is plenty of room for improvement.

Look, just see the movie. It only takes an hour and a half of your time. Even if you think that you don't "believe" in global warming, just check it out. You may be surprised at what you learn. Men will love it. It's like watching a discovery channel special. What man doesn't like the discovery channel? Don't worry, the movie is not a scare tactic and is not all doom and gloom. Gore presents how much we can remedy the situation just by making very simple changes.

There are lots of causes that we all find important to us individually... donating to cancer research or helping the refugees in Africa. No matter what your cause, shouldn't this be one of them? Without a livable Earth, we will all be refugees.

One last thing... There is an agreement amongst civilized nations that was signed in 1997 called the Kyoto Protocol Global Warming Agreement. Basically, it sets limits on CO2 emissions. In 2001, Bush renounced the protocol and reneged on his campaign promise to regulate CO2 emissions from power plants. The United States is ONE OF ONLY TWO civilized nations (the other being Australia) that REFUSE TO SIGN the Kyoto Agreement. Bush is afraid that doing so would harm the US Economy. This has been studied and proven to be false. The oil companies would suffer. But, many other industries would boom and jobs would be created. I am not adding this little paragraph in here to bash Bush. He is choosing to ignore the problem as many US politicians have done for years, whether democrat or republican. It is our moral responsibility to show politicians that it is an issue we are concerned about. In doing so, they will take note and act. I know, I know. The majority of Americans are concerned about terrorist attacks, the war in Iraq, etc, as am I. But, again, without a livable Earth, all of these worries are gone. They simply become insignificant.