Interesting placenta medicine!!!

Recently we talked to a couple in Mexico (Thai-French). They told us that they turned the placenta into medicine. This medicine can be used throughout the baby's life and the mother's.

After checking this out on the internet, this is what we found...

...don't read on if you are extra-sensitive!

Keep in mind though that Chinese have made this type of medicine for centuries and that animals eat the placenta after birth.

Here is the powdered method, put into capsules.

http://blog.birthbalance.com/?cat=21

And here you will find a recipe to make a concoction, which entails soaking a piece of placenta in alcohol, then removing it, and using this concoction as a base for your own personal medicine.

http://www.unhinderedliving.com/placentaessence.html

The big day is coming soon...

I have decided, from the beginning, to have a homebirth. Manu has been supportive all the way.

In Mexico city , it's quite rare for a woman to birth at home. On the other hand, all the indigeous women do it at home, in the country side of Mexico. Here are the biggest reasons why I want to have a home birth:

1. I don't have to leave home to have our baby.

2. I know who will be here, in our home, it will be a small intimate group of people whom I trust and love.

3. There will be no intervention (epidural, IV, etc)

4. I won't come into contact with other sick people's germs in our own home!

5. I feel 100 % more comfortable in my home than in a hospital.

6. I want the most natural experience possible.

Of course if anything complication arises, then we are only a 5 mins. car ride from a small hospital called Maria Jose. I have visited it with my dad a few months ago, and it's pretty nice, considering it's a hospital! The private rooms look similar to a bedroom in a home...but let's keep our fingers crossed that we won't be going there!

We have a midwife, Laura Cao-Romero and a surgeon/homeopathic doctor, Yolanda Victoria who will be there for us.

Here is their website. http://www.parteras.org/

What I love about them, is that they see pregnancy and birth as a natural process. There was never any panic from their part throughout my pregnancy, even when I felt panicky...they calmed me by their wisdom and experience. I feel as though everything is going the way things should...naturally, and on its own time.

The date for little Simon's arrival is around the 10th of September. Manu is so excited and impatient for him to come out! I am mixed...part of me really wants to have him in my arms, start our lives together and get my belly back...and another part of me is enjoying the full night's sleeps, my freedom, the peace and quiet! But can't have both right?!

So...whenever little Simon is ready to come out, I'll be ready for him!

Still have a few things to get ready before...but of course, if they're not ready, no biggy.

By the way, it's going to be a full moon on the 5th. Laura, our midwife, told us that many births happen around the time after a full moon...so we'll see!!!!!!!

Who said pregnant women can't go on the zip line?!?!

Last weekend, we headed north east of Mexico City, about 1.5 hours to visit El Chico area, in the state of Hidalgo. (Just about 10 km north of Pachuca)

We left Friday afternoon to avoid traffic.

Once we arrived, we searched and searched for a decent hotel for a reasonable price and found the perfect one in a nearby village called "Carbonara", almost sounds like the Italian pasta! It's so tiny, that it's not even on Google Maps. Only about a 10 mins drive north of El Chico.

The rand spanking new hotel was 400 pesos including breakfast!!

Saturday we visited the Prismas Basalticos in Huaca. They look similar to Ireland's Giant's Causeway, but the difference here is that it's inland. The rock formation was created from hot lava that cooled in hexagonal columns. It's quite a sight!

We walked around and took in the beautiful scenery.

He's a getting bigger and bigger!!!!!

Later that day, we visited an old mine, which only closed in 1983, called The Acosta Mine, run by a British man. We walked through the tunnels and were shown what signs to look for when searching for gold.

Sunday, we were highly recommended to visit the zip line park, only 5 mins from the hotel in Carbonara. Being pregnant...of course, I figured it was out of the question for me...I'd have to settle for being Manu's photographer while watching him having a blast.

But once we arrived, Manu insisted I could do it...you just need sit back on your butt and enjoy the ride. The person who welcomed us in the parking lot, also figured I could probably do it, no problem.

I definitely wasn't prepared shoe-wise...I had a choice of Burkenstock clogs, or my wedding sandals! I opted for the latter.

The hard part for me, was getting to the zip line...we had to climb up the side of a mountain for about 15 mins...at 3200 metres above sea level. Although I was panting and walking slowly as a mule...I finally made it to the site.

We were harnessed in...and taken to the first station...I went first! I didn't want to be left behind waiting, as it might give me a chance to change my mind. But really, the harness was comfortable, the tightness was in the thighs, not on the belly. Literally, you hang from the metal cable, in a sitting position...very smooth!

It was fabulous. The view incredible...we were literally flying through the forest!!!

If you are interested in going...it is a cheap thrill, for about 12 dollars per person. The guys working there, are so kind and hospitable. It's totally safe and fun!

If you want to take a look at all the photos, they are here, on Picassa:

Getting ready for Baby!!

Only about 3 weeks to go....and here's what we've been up to.

We've got a hold of the list of things to get to be ready to welcome Baby!

His bed is nearly done...just a few finishing touches, material-wise. We'll post a photo when it's done!

Washed all the Baby's clothes so they are pristine clean for his new little body!

And that's about it....oh yeah...and Manu is already trying to play football with him...I wonder if he'll be as big of a football fan as Manu...I hope so, so that he'll have someone to watch the games with.

Concert : Soirée Parisienne

Here is the link to the Huntsville Festival of the Arts.

http://www.huntsvillefestival.on.ca/viewevent.html?eventid=133

This was a big project for me!

It all started with the documentary I made on Nisha Coleman, my very close friend from Huntsville. The ironic part of this, is that we really got to know each other in Paris, while living there at the same time. She's a violinist and was busking in the streets of Paris. Last year, I gave a copy of the documentary "Nisha's Four Seasons" to Rob Saunders, one of the organisers of the Huntsville Festival of the Arts...offering him to use it, if a film festival was taking place in the winter time. After watching it, he asked if I had plans on building on it...ie turning into a concert...

I talked with Nisha...and after some brainstorming sessions, we came up with a multi-media, multi-sensory show: piano, violin, video, text, smells, tastes...

Here is the video of the concert. I do apologise for the poor sound quality.

Canadian Vacation

I went to Canada from the 16 of July to the 3rd of August. Manu arrived on the 22nd. He came purposely the day before the concert so as not to see me all stressed out, practicing our brains out for the concert. Nisha and I put on a show called "Soirée Parisienne". It happened on the 23rd of July. A great turnout, 120 people! We were even interviewed on the French CBC.

My dad and grandma came all the way from Montreal to see the show...and my bump!

Video of the show to come...

It was a nice relaxing time...well, once the concert was over.

Went to Sarah Thompson's baby shower. She's expecting a girl around the 11th of August. It was the first ever baby shower I have been to, and it was FUN! Manu came too...he was the only male, besides our little Simon in my belly.

Mom, Manu and I spent a day at Monk Lake and saw family: Tom and Jeanne, Neil and his fam, Michael and Mack, Marcia and her kids, Veda...and lots of dogs. Had a barbecue and a ride on the lake. The weather wasn't too inviting to swim in the lake...we passed. Next time.

The rest of the time, we slept in the cabin on Mom and Tony's lake, went for swims and ate delicious food. Buttertarts, pie, ice cream, BBQ, salads...

On our way home, we stopped in Toronto and spent the day with Sarah and Rob. We took a walk along the Ontario Lake shoreline and had yummy gelato.

The following morning, at 4 am!!!! We took the cab to the airport. Manu and I flew on different flights. I was on Air Canada...and bumped into Deanna Hendriks, a friend from the Music Faculty!! It was surreal. She was the flight attendant in First Class. We had a chance to chat and catch up. She's married and has a 3 year old daughter!

We are happy to be home, but sad to leave Canada...

lots of changes will be happening in our lives soon..come Sept. 10th. And for the new year, we are leaving Mexico!!! We won't be bored from now till then, that's for sure!

Bed Making

Dad (LG) came for a surprise visit to Mexico. We put him to work by helping Manu make Simon's first bed!! They did an awesome job. Now that it's done, it's my turn to do my part.
I need to figure out how to make a bassinet with material...that's my project for this month of August!!

Florida Baby Shopping

Around the 13th of June...Manu had to go to Miami for work. I joined him on the Thursday to spend the long weekend with him.

We took advantage of this opportunity to get baby stuff.

I found the greatest second hand baby store in all of Florida called Baby Posh Garage!

I was overwhelmed with how much stuff was available there, in excellent condition at a superb price!! I spent nearly 6 hours there, going through clothes, baby strollers, toys, books, you name it, they have it!! The girls there were fantastic, answered all my questions and led me in the right direction, they even fed me snacks to keep my energy going!! Left that place exhausted, but managed to fill 2 suitcases full of goodies for Baby, plus an awesome lightweight Snap 'N Go stroller! If you ever need baby stuff, go there!!

www.babyposhgarage.com

On the Saturday, we drove north west of Miami to visit the Everglades. Manu really wanted to go on a safari tour to see the wildlife. We got our tickets and waited for the tour to begin, but unfortunately a huge electrical storm came in and the tour was cancelled. So, we drove south in the rain towards the Florida Keys, where we had reserved a campsite along the beach.

The campsite was literally between the ocean and the highway that runs along the keys!!!

As you can we had some very quiet nature sounds to lull us to sleep.

The following day, we went to Key West and tried their famous keylime pie and sherbert...it was DELICIOUS! The town of Key West is picturesque. All the houses are adorable, made out of wood. It must have been a nice quiet place to live at one time, but now there are lots of tourists.

KEY WEST

KEY LIME SHERBERT

A look inside - Un regard de l'intérieur

Virus and Earthquake/Virus et Tremblement de Terre

Ok....come on...we already have the start of a pandemic in Mexico City...and just today, at 11:46 am we had an earthquake...I was talking with Patrick in Taiwan over Skype and had to leave the computer and find a safe place in case it got bigger...the movement didn't stop, and I heard neighbours opening their doors...leaving their apartments....so I left too...but then it luckily stopped. My upstairs neighbour reassured me : This building is safe, very resistant. Well, even if I don't believe her 100% , it was somewhat reassuring.
The epicentre was near Chilpancingo, Guerrero at a magnitude of 6.0. I don't know what the damage was, if any...the news hasn't covered it yet.
Here is a map of the world showing all the earthquakes:
http://www.iris.edu/seismon/

Regarding the swine virus...it's taking over the city, taking over our daily routines...
most people are trying to stay at home, working from home, avoiding crowded areas. Schools are closed until May 6th, church mass is cancelled, my massage classes at the school are cancelled this week, yoga class is cancelled,...the whole city is freezing up.

It is a little unsettling, scary, but at the same time, the Mexicans are taking this well. They are calm and not freaking out. They are taking precautions and wearing the masks, bulking up on vitamin C. My nutritionist friend told me today, that the medical doctors are now saying it might not be a good idea to take antiviral drugs if you are infected as the virus could become immune to it. I, being pregnant, am staying away from heavy duty drugs...just drinking orange and lemon juice and taking my vitamins. I am staying at home mostly avoiding contact with people. Luckily I have lots of projects on the go to keep me busy and not bored...but it feels strange all the same.

I can't describe much to you of what it looks like outside, because all I 've seen was the park yesterday with people walking around with and without masks...walking their dogs, running, etc. In the supermarket, almost everyone was wearing their mask. Other than that, I haven't been out...I have heard that it's a lot quieter than usual. This is a good sign. People are taking this seriously and being very careful.

Just want to reassure you all that Manu and I are doing fine. We are healthy, eating well, and wearing our masks when we need to leave the house and be in closed crowded places. We'll keep you posted!

Baja California...text to come, texte à venir

Ultrasound Part 2

The ultrasound on the 27th of March was really exciting, because you could see a huge difference in the baby. It now looks like a real baby with a bone structure, a beautiful spine, hands, feet, legs a face...and a beating heart at 158bpm. The most amazing part was how much it was moving...and I couldn't feel a single thing. It measures about 10 cm...so it's basically swimming in there with lots of room to move. I am reassured that the baby isn't hyperactive, it's apparently normal for a baby of 16 weeks to move like this.

I've been feeling good...overall...except for being tired and dizzy at times...and I was sick the day of the ultrasound..probably because I had to drink 1lt of water before it.

Canyon de Cobre (Copper Canyon/Canyon de Cuivre)

Saturday, March 28:
We flew with Interjet to Chihuahua with our friends from France, Estelle and Cédric. By the way, Chihuahua is the name of a real city, which is where the smallest dog in the world comes from too. We arrived later in the day, so not much time to visit...except for the Palacio de Gobierno. Inside the court yard is an impressive mural of the local history. The leader of the Mexican War of Independence, Miguel Hidalgo, was betrayed, captured and executed here in 1811.

Sunday, March 29:
From Chihuahu you can take the Chepe train which follows the Copper Canyon until Los Mochis. We took a bus to Creel instead of the train as the view is the same from the road. In Creel, a small village, with a coolish climate, we stayed at Casa Las Margaritas. A very good deal, 350 pesos per couple, plus breakfast and dinner!! We took a little tour with a local in his van to see the rock formations, a Tarahumara village and a lake.




Hanging the snake skin out to dry for medicinal use.

We actually felt the rock move a little!!!

Monday March 30:
We rode bikes to hot springs called Rekowata. The pools were somewhat out of place, reminding me of a fancy spa. We deserved our relaxing soak in the pools after a 45 min bike ride and over an hour's hike down. The worse was going home...an uphill hike and the the bike ride home....too bad the hot springs weren't at the end of the circuit!



Tuesday, March 31:
We woke up super early to catch the van to Batopilas. We were the only tourists among Tarahumaras. I hate to say this, but it was a very stinky 5 hour ride to Batopilas. I don't think they shower often...B.O. doesn't seem to bother them, neither does hoarking. Although it was cold, we kept opening our windows to freshen up the van.
The best part was stopping along the winding dirt road to pick up three more Tarahumarans becaue their truck broke down. Alcohol emmanated from the two guys. The woman was calm. One guy had a furry animal (a cholugo) in his arm which we found out he killed with his hands to have as a meal. (His shirt was covered in blood!) Cholugo apparently tastes like chicken.

Batopilas is a tiny town that was made famous by an American who developped the mines. It was the second city in all of Mexico to have electricity first! The old mines are empty today, and can be visited with Arturo Aguilar. He's the man if you want the grand authentic tour of Batopilas. He took us all over in his comfortable pick up truck! A real nice guy. Outside of Batopilas are mining areas exploited by the Canadian company, MAG Silver.

The cholugo in the arms of the alcohol man...who took a seat on the roof of the van!

Arturo Aguilar


Thursday, April 2nd, 2009
Got up super early to be at the corner at 4:30am to catch the 5:00am van back to Creel. To our surprise and disappointment, there were tons of people wanting to get to Creel and no more seats were left for us. We were devastated, it's the only van service available. We ran up and down the streets looking for someone who was leaving town...finally we found a huge truck going back towards Creel, but only to the paved highway...and free of charge...the only catch was to hop in the back like the animals do. No seats, no windows, just fresh cold dusty air! And not to mention, the bumps in the dirt road and the rattling sound of metal pieces clanking together were going to be felt and heard in an amplified manner...for about 2.5 hours of windy road along the steep canyon!!!!!
THIS IS THE BIGGEST ADVENTURE WE HAVE EXPERIENCED in MEXICO.



We made it after almost 3 hours of hanging on to dear life!



Finally we arrived at Divisadero (had a guy drive us from Creel to here). Savoured the best gorditas in all of Mexico. Vegetarian options too!



We arrived in El Fuerte, which is a quiet colonial town. It used to be the capital of the State of Sinaloa and of Sonora.

Friday, April 3rd, 2009
We took a bus and a small local bus to Topolobompo. There we enjoyed an afternoon on the beach and had lunch, accompanied by very loud ranchero music, blasting from truck speakers. The Mexican who owned the truck, of course, was seated at the other end of the restaurant, but our table right next to the parking lot...with the door wide open for EVERYONE to enjoy the music...I think we were the only ones who didn't appreciate it!