apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

OK Jill, out with it! They can't have been in hospital for over a day with no news.

Actually, Matilda, apparently they can. Some labors are really long. Hope all is well. Warm thoughts, Maxwell and Sara Kate!

Since she was 7 days late I think they would induce if nothing happened after a couple of hours. I certainly hope she hasn't been in labor for this long!!

A long wait at the hospital is better than giving birth in the car on the way to the hospital, as a friend of mine did last week.

I would hope they don't induce after just a couple hours - inducing a labor is way more stressful on both the mother and baby. If things are progressing, even slowly, without trauma or distress to the baby, then it's ok for a labor to take a long time. My mother was in labor with me for 28 hours, after being a week and a half late, and I was perfectly healthy, no induction necessary.

It may also be that they really want to keep the first few hours to themselves. Having a baby is a huge, monumental event. It doesn't necessary have to be public the entire time.

Even two weeks late is still within a normal range.

Matilda, I was on bedrest with both girls to *prevent* preterm labor. Both went over a week past our due date. The first baby they wanted to induce and we refused. Labor was over 24 hours--with a pitocin drip when I hit a "plateau." It is not a lot of fun, but boy those endorphins make you forget fast:>)

I am waiting for another post from kate(NC), following yesterday's gem. Great stuff!

"There is something sweet and touching about our strange anticipation for Baby GR, I am cynical and frightened about the state of the world and I am ever more grateful for any and all acts of kindness and compassion. Some are born into love and die surrounded by love. I just came from the emergency room and luckily my husband is sore but ok. Two broken ribs, some stitches. I coincidentally went out to get into the car just in time to see him plummet off a 2nd story roof (he was repairing and painting) and land face down in a mix of dirt branches and cement. My neighbor immediately showed up,a firetruck and EMI and an anbulance, friends and family came to help. There are endless horrors, appreciate the moments of love while you can."

Posted by kate(NC) at 09/26/06 11:40 PM

is there any online guide to east village/les thrift/vintage shops? there seem to be many.

Several posters yesterday felt creepy about all the hullabuloo (spell?) pre-birth. But I admit that I actually checked AT when I first woke up this morning - in case - and if we're being creepy, better it be about a newborn and the joy it brings than anything else going on in the world. I will try not to gush too much with excitement for them. Okay, Not.

Off the gushy stuff: I don't have my own kids but I remember being told that I was 2 weeks overdue and had a HUGE head. :)

I know plenty of people who were in labor for more than 24 hours (one went 36 hours unmedicated before a c-section was ordered), it is especially common to have a long labor with a first child. also, many women will opt for the epidural shot as labor progresses, one of the side effects of this is to actually slow and sometimes stop labor altogether. The good news is, that once she went to hospital in full labor/fully dilated/effaced they will not let her leave until that baby is born (one way of another). That is the case in New York, I know other states and cities may do things differently.

That said, I agree with Rachel who said they may have already had the baby but are taking this time to rest and enjoy him/her in private for a while, I know that was what I wanted after a merciful 15 hour labor.

Jackie (too) -- well put. I was one of the "check before breakfast" crowd this morning, too, and, well, I'm leaving AT up on my browser (minimized) and I keep doing furtive check-and-refreshes. There. I've confessed. And as I've already said, warm thoughts to M and SK G-R! And B G-R! It's like the baby has all kinds of pseudo-aunties and uncles, waiting for word, with joy and concern.

They want the inevitable smushed-up-and-wrinkled-newborn look in the face to subside before Annie Liebovitz shoots the child for the Vanity Fair cover. I'm sure that's all.

They also want people to keep checking since it raises the site statistics.

The more personal posts are never up first thing in the morning, not even first thing in my three-hours-delayed morning.

That does not stop me from checking constantly, just in case. If that makes advertisers happy, well, it doesn't make me unhappy, so we're cool.

Jackie-

I was overdue and I also had a HUGE head. Still do. I have trouble finding hats that fit.

Smallcitybeth in canada:

:) I have the feeling we aren't the only ones minimizing -

I loved Rick's repost of Kate(NC)'s comments. Last year, my husband was someone who died surrounded by love, and my niece gave birth to a child surrounded by love. We are all so blessed, even in difficult times.

I can think of no better way to celebrate life and possibility than to have a huge group of human beings await the birth of a child. That child will alter the equation on all levels.

My best to the entire family.

Do ballerinas and yogaists deliver babies quicker?

Thanks Rick......snalllcitberh, exactly what I was thinking, we are somewhat a virtual family, a "grand falloon" to quote vonnegut, except I was thinking I am the Grandma, I am one in real life. All NY was invisible,covered by a dense fog while we cocooned with the new baby and the intense physical/bodily needs of that time. The fog lifted and I made my first independent forray into the city and bought some beautiful pj's for my daughter at Bloomies. I felt like a real New Yorker for the first time. They rightfully should be focused only on each other and this special time, But we could hope some liason to the site may take pity and give us a word They should set on a hot or not style click on for us so each congratulation doesn'g stretch for miles.. or is that a web site success?

Curtis: You're the man. I can never be that brief and witty.

Kathleen: My baby pictures clearly indicate someone stuck a bowling ball on my body. Hats: Oh dear, me too. How funny is that.

This grandma needs to find the good pair of glasses.

Okay,okay, its a slow day here....

Wende: I really like your living room and I had no idea you made dollhouses. Very nice.

Does this mean I'll now how to move to Phoenix to meet you? Your novel, dollhouses, blogs, how do you find the time - good for you.

Wende -- I've been wondering how Marva and Brian and the twins have settled into Arizona! Glad someone mentioned the dollhouses, so I'd have a kind of segue into my question!

And, I think being a part of this community is so cool -- er, warm! Thanks, y'all.

Jackie -- It's called "not having a real full-time job," something I hope to fix here in Phoenix.

Thanks for the kind words on the living room. It's really clear that beige is my favorite color, isn't it?

We'll get together when I visit somewhere you are, unless you're a fan of desert vacations. I love Phoenix, but I grew up in a much, much smaller version of this kind of place, so Phoenix is what my childhood mind subconsciously accepts as "big city." To a New Yorker, it must look like endless suburban strip malls baking in the relentless sun.

I have to admit, I thought the GR baby blogs were a bit curious at first. But after a horrible day at work yesterday, I checked in and the collective excitement and happiness of a bunch of relative strangers for the birth of this baby brought a huge smile to my face. And the first thing I am doing today is checking in for the latest news!

There is so much ugliness in the world. We should appreciate all expressions of togetherness and collective joy. Community is something to be valued, no matter what the format. Best wishes to SKGR, MGR, and baby GR.

Smallcitybeth -- Marva & Brian will probably be unpacked at the beginning of next week. The hanging houses are slated to go above a new IKEA sideboard that we're assembling tonight, and I have to have that in place before I can work out the complicated arrangement of what goes on the wall. (There are wallhanging houses that aren't on the existing Web site -- no two items are the same size -- no two items have the same finish. Waaah!)

To J: the joy spreads.........:)

Wende: closest I've been to Phoenix was Scottsdale one July on business and I thought the air was being sucked out of my lungs. "But its a dry heat"......ok, but it still sucked the air out of my lungs.

Actually, I want to plan a trip to Sedona during a cooler month......we'll see......and I'm going to look deeper into your mystery on the blog....creative minds....

It was in Scottsdale in July that I viscerally grasped why summer is the "off season" here. Walking from my car to a nearby store required a full bottle of water.

Our growing season starts in September because summer is inimical to life and veggies.

Wende -- wall hanging houses? Cool! I'd love to see a pic when you get them all sorted out and arranged and all. I used to dabble in small things, made a house for a 4-inch bear when I was a teen (made the bear, too, he was supposed to be 6 inches, but he didn't turn out that way, so his name was Small. the next one did turn out to be 6 inches, so he was Not So Small.) I love looking at small objects and seeing what they could become in a miniature world.

We should arrange an annual get together of interested posters and arrange for the venue to be a centrally located State so all interested parties can attend.

I want to see the real Marva & Brian and I now I'm wondering if I could do miniature faux walls and marble fireplaces for you Wende (since that's the "old" money maker I had) or maybe Marva needs jewelry (new potential money maker).

I do believe someone slipped me real caffeine this morning. Frightening...they pay me, and for what, I wonder?

I have a quick question. A good source for legs?

I'm trying to make a simple parsons table for my bedroom. I can't buy one because I can't find any that fit the space and I can't have one custom made because I'm cheap (and good enough at carpentry to do it myself). However, I can't seem to find respectible parsons table legs anywhere. (I've been looking for interesting short legs for a dresser, too.) Does anyone have good sources for buying legs?

I could probably just make some out of lumber, but none of the lumber is the right size to start with and I have a great rotary saw, but not a table saw for exact things like that.

Have Marva and Brian bought turquiose jewelrey and boots yet?

cara - IKEA sells legs for desks separate from the tops. that's all I've got.

Cara,

Room & Board has a program where you can buy table tops and legs separately. I know they have parsons legs.

Another source is www.mockett.com

Good luck.

Kate(NC): Marva and Brian will remain spiritually in the Bay Area, so that I can continue to poke fun at its sillier qualities.

Jackie: You're too kind. You know how to marbleize? You're also too talented!

I'd vote for Minneapolis as a nice, central meeting place (in a warm month) -- it's reputed to have broken out in good design stores since we left in 1999. (I suppose Chicago would win, since it has an actual AT to plan a party. Chicago would be nice, too.)

hello,
found this amazing website for finding apartments, its called www.kexter.com
regards
guru

east village shops -- egad -- there are so many -- they open and close so fast.

I don't know of any guides per se, but what I do as an east village local is simply walk the grid from 13th to Houston, Second on to B or C, and see whatever there is to see.

Last time I looked White Trash looked interesting and Mara's Homemade had great Southern cooking.

A few other places will probably come to mind later after I finish thinking about the sort of apartment therapy toddlers tend to wreak on habitats.

Egad! Storehouse may be going out of business. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/27/AR2006092700501.html

jonb, thanks for your reply, i noticed enough walking around on the weekend to wonder what i had not noticed, if that makes any sense.

anyone have any thoughts on attractive non-bamboo creeper supports? it's for an indoors jasmine creeper that i have managed not to kill long enough that i feel ready to get serious.

also, i went into oriental lamp shade co. the other day and was shocked by the beautiful lamp bases, all too mcm or ming dynasty for me, but very nice.

i'm waiting for...
the apartment therapy- the boston edition!

i'd give anything to get jasmine (or better yet, honeysuckle!) to creep up the walls of my apartment. i wonder if you could put up some kind of lattice as a support, rasil? i know they love that kind of stuff outside.

Thanks Juli and angelune- Neither of the ikea or mockett ones seem right, but maybe room and board. Thanks for the leads!

rasil, it makes perfect sense, hence why I suggested canvassing the area as a grid. I should add that we seem to get more and more bars, cafes, and restaurant and fewer and fewer shops, especially design/furniture/decorative arts. Timbucktoo, Second and Second is great fun (and good prices for what it is), btw. Also Mangora, a Latin American restaurant that's both good and relatively cheap. just back from a class so putting on my thinking cap will have to wait until tomorrow.

Curtis,

Also loved your post. "...smushed-up-and-wrinkled-newborn look in the face to subside..."

Perfect!