WEEK 31!

SO, how's all that pregnancy stuff? I will spare you the litany of complaints, because honestly, this has been a super easy pregnancy. It has been pretty much identical to my other pregnancies: I have the same weird tailbone thing that hurts like the dickens, but only if I sit in a hard chair-- so I don't sit in hard chairs! Like last time, sleep is getting harder and harder, but honestly, it is probably good that I am starting to get practice waking up constantly again. In some ways, this pregnancy is easier than when preggy with Jesse because I can easily put the kids in front of the TV for an hour so that I can get in a nap, and I am not getting up nightly to sooth a toddler. I am also not nursing, changing diapers, or dealing with daily tantrums!! The biggest difference (other than just having more STUFF going on), is that I am HUGE. The numbers on the scale are truly frightening for someone who has hovered around a 10 lb range for most of her adult life. Sure, I gained weight in the other pregnancies, but I havealmost already gained almost all the weight from the last two pregnancies COMBINED. I am also measuring about a month bigger than I should be. Yikes!

In the meantime, the baby is doing great. She is definitely head down, and is really wiggly and kicky. I have no idea how people claim to know their baby's temperaments while still in utero. She feels like a big baby in there. That's about it. We did come up with a name... but I will keep that surprise for another post! I will also reveal our foray into the strange new world of HYPNOBIRTHING. Yes, folks, this is no joke-- we are paying someone money to teach me (and Kevin) how to hypnotize myself into believing that I am not in pain while giving birth. Go ahead and judge-- but unless you have actually experienced the joy of unmedicated labor and birth, you have no idea to what lengths I will go to avoid a repeat performance. More later-- thanks for checking in!

Psychosocial development, aka: which camps do I send my kids to?

As you all know, I am a developmental psychologist...which means that I know a thing or two about kids, and what makes them do the things they do. I'm also a mother of 2.5 children. Interestingly, my work-world does not intersect with my home-world as obviously as you might imagine. Yes, I do videotape my kids doing things to show to my class (see babythink.blip.tv for an archive of Elena and Jesse doing every Piagetian task in the books), and yes, I do like to think that I am maybe a little bit more in tune with all the things I am doing to mess my kids up than just any frazzled mama, but generally speaking, I leave the textbooks at school and mother-by-instinct.

However, this summer, when faced with trying to figure out which day camps to send the kids to,, my instinctual-mama was totally stumped.  As the kids are getting older, it feels like choosing their activities is more and more important. Up till now, I have always felt like home life really trumped what kind of daycare they went to, or which friends they have (they have none, so that solves that problem). But now Elena will be going to KINDERGARTEN! And kindergarten leads to first grade, which leads to middle school, and then college! Honestly, I have no fear that Ellie will excel in all things academic, but kindergarten means recess and gym, and recess and gym mean that she will be taunted and teased and made to feel horrible (maybe a little bit of baggage coming out there) and that might last a long, long time.

So what do I need to do NOW to prevent that? Day camps that teach her how to be sporty and strong? Or maybe do I forgo that battle (since there is NO way my daughter will ever excel physically-- I know that, she knows that, anyone who watches her run knows that), and concentrate on a skill that can be her forte? So, is it better to improve on weaknesses or support strengths? Is there a critical period for that? So, I hit the books (or psychinfo online database, whatever) and... didn't find much. But then I remembered good old Erik Erikson (maybe becuase I just graded 80 essays on Erikson) and he claimed that the major crisis of the school aged child was industry vs. inferiority. Like I said, Ellie is already a super gifted kid, but has some issues with her ability to do a forward roll. Or jump down from the minivan to the ground. Or kick a ball. Thank God, she can climb the ladder to the top bunk, but honestly, that was a lucky break. So, my decision on summer camps: GYMNASTICS and SOCCER. (I also put them in two church daycamps, because a kid can never get too many lessons in being a good, God-loving person.) My goal: for her not to feel like a doofus on the playground. I want her to feel capable-- not the best-- just good enough not to be the last person picked for the team. If she can just have a few good moves in her pocket, I think it will last her a long time. Her intellect gets stimulated every day she hangs out with her geeky parents (tonight we had a long discussion about why humpback whales are called humpbacked if they don't have a hump?), but I will never be able to teach her how to dribble a ball. Thank you Erikson-- we shall see if nurture can help build some resiliency and ego strengths in my nature-challenged child!

(You may be wondering why I am not considering Jesse in all this agonizing decision making? He is totally already the coolest kid on the block. He taught himself to whistle and snap, climbs every tree he can, is a natural with a ball, and is super smart to boot. I have no worries about Jesse feeling inferior... let's give him a couple years to see what weaknesses we need to boost. Maybe working on humility?)

How's Kevin???

Phoebe, the therapy dog, after Kevin's last chemo treatment.

Laughing with the Hahns.

Birthday card from Ellie

Kevin's birthday table!



The new lovely and cozy den.

Working on the new BBQ station with friend Jimmy.

Scraping out the top of a cello to the exact millimeter.

I know, I know, I desperately need to give a Kevin update. Kevin is doing very well! He finished his last round of chemo last month, a few days before we took a car trip to Montana to visit the Hahns over Memorial Day weekend. Valerie made him a spectacular birthday cake and the kids made him a wonderful card, then we got to celebrate his birthday again with the traditional Birthday Table at home a few days later. Obviously, this birthday (38!) is super meaningful, but there were no tear-inducing heartfelt speeches-- just a tacit warm gratefulness that permeated the whole week. I don't know if the true impact of this whole cancer episode will really become clear for quite a while yet. I can imagine how we will be able to fit it all in to the big picture with some distance and perspective. Till then, we are happy to be at the tail end, but mostly just completely swamped with the rest of life.

In true Kevin fashion, he has hardly slowed down at all throughout this whole thing. A few new things up his sleeve: He went to Southern France to study with his master Cello Maker, Robert Young, and now has the tools and skill to put some crucial finishing touches on cellos he has comissioned from a Chinese master maker. His big idea is to make very high quality cellos for a small investment, then sell them for a reasonable profit margin. That's right. He is not looking to make a million, just sell excellent (but cheaply made) cellos for a reasonable price. The cellos his students can buy now are poorly made, and extremely expensive-- just not worth the money. The first Kevin Krentz Special cello off the assembly line (aka, our basement) sounded fantastic (I honestly thought he was playing his own cello from the other room) and went to a very grateful student for less than he would have spent on a cello of far, far poorer quality. So, a challenge to you, readers (all 9 of you!)-- Kevin needs a brand name! He would like something classical, Latin, musical, conveying an appropriate meaning... Elizabeth and David? I think this one is up your alley!

What else? Well, due to a smart investment in a super high quality Robert Young cello that got sold to a Seattle professional, we had a bit of a nice money windfall, and Kevin decided he deserved the Very Best BBQ ever. I can't really argue-- he does deserve it. And of course, instead of hiring out someone to do the job, he is doing the whole outdoor kitchen himself. This last week, he poured a concrete base, and this weekend, he installed just about the most amazing Australian Beef Eater gas grill you have ever laid eyes on. To come, will be granite countertops, stacked stone siding, a SMOKER, and a PIZZA OVEN!

We also got the den painted... (Kevin did NOT do that himself) and we think it looks lovely and cozy. he has been spending hours and hours and hours of his days in the lovely and cozy den (usually in front of the TV) practicing for a Very Secret Cello Challenge that I can not discuss over the blog, but will fill you in if things turn out well. Needless to say-- more Kevin working his hardest... this man is really quite unbelievable.

What else is up Kevin's sleeve? The Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival is coming up at the end of July, and Kevin, as artistic director, has spent a lot of time putting together what we think will be a really spectacular season. I am so excited that this year much of my family will be there the first weekend! Some all the way from Germany!

I am sure I am leaving stuff out, but that is a brief update on the projects of my man-of-many-talents. This week he started his radiation treatment. He gets a small dose every weekday for 3 1/2 weeks. We are hoping that it won't cause more than some mild fatigue, but there is also the risk that the machine will zap some of his esophegeal tissue, making it hard to swallow for a while. I also find the radiation area (roughly from blow his adam's apple to above his heart) dangerously close to many other incredible vital organs... but I will trust that these guys know what they are doing. Kevin has been coughing a lot the last couple of weeks-- likely whooping cough-- and I can't help but think that this tumor is getting in the way of his body clearing his lungs and healing. It feels to him like his initial cancer symptoms, so that is scary, but we are trying to trust that this is "just a cough" and it will clear up in good time.

SO, all in all, good news! Kevin is doing very well.

Mother's Day!

"No Mom allawd!"

 

I had a great Mother's Day this year. Kevin was out of town, so the kids took it upon themselves to make it a wonderful day. They made secret cards, then accompanied me to the nusery where I spent A LOT of money on annuals for my patio garden. We spent the day cleaning and moving pots, and filling them with lots of beautiful flowers. My color theme this year is yellow and pink! The picture above is my "before" picture-- I'll post an "after" picture once I actually have completed the project. I am still working on pulling out a nasty ground cover that has taken over the back garden. Kevin got me a fabulous cookbook called "Artisan bread in 5 minutes a day" and it totally works. This is a picture of my first loaf! I texted Kevin a picture (he was still in Alaska) and he could hardly believe that I made this loaf with NO kneading, NO rising, NO fuss. So easy, and it totally tastes like Zingerman's Rye. Dense, flavorful, fine crumb, perfect for toast and sandwiches. I can't wait to try the other recipes. I don't need to say it-- my kids are AWESOME and being a Mom is absolutely my favorite job in the world. So, yes, a super happy Mother's Day indeed.

I'm back!

Dear blog-followers (all 9 of you!),

I apologize for the extended blog break! It has been a crazy few weeks. Everything is fine, just busy. But summer quarter has officially begun, and I'm happy to report that "keep up blog" made the Master List of Summer-Things-To-Do (along with submit three papers, run babies in new experiment, paint several rooms, renovate bathroom, throw a couple parties, host guests from near and far, prune a million bushes, plan and execute Mommy Camp, and have a baby!!)

First bit of news-- notice that "Write tenure file" is NOT on the Master List. For some completely mysterious reason, my dean decided to give me a second year off the tenure clock (or "delay" towards tenure) for my third child. Don't ask why I haven't gotten a year per child off, or delayed; or the difference between "off" and "delay;" or if that means I am responsible for scholarship expectations during that time; or WHAT; because SPU does not have an official maternity leave policy, or an official "stop the clock" policy, nor are we encouraged to ASK (let alone QUESTION) about said non-policy... so I DON'T KNOW. All I know is that I don't need to go up for tenure in the fall, and I have been advised not to, so that's that. Of course I am relieved, but a good part of me is seriously dissapointed because I feel like I am ready to take that step, and I'd rather do it before baby #3 rather than after, but if I am not supported by my department, than I need to comply. So in the meantime, I will continue to work very hard to become a better teacher, colleague, and researcher;  provide ample evidence that I am worthy to get job security, and a raise; keep my eyes out for other job opportunities as a back up (yes I did interview for another job last month, but didn't get it); and plan on trying again in a year (or two? I don't know. Don't ask.)

But thankfully, God decided that I was worthy to nurture a new life-- and gave my husband the gift of continuing his life-- and so that is what I am celebrating this summer. I have job security as a wife and mother, and I love both jobs, so I really can't complain. My time will come in my professional life. Hopefully at SPU, but maybe elsewhere.

So, that said, I'll send updates on the further adventures of the Krentz family very soon!

Love, Ursi