Month: April 2008

Soooooooooooooo Sad

I’m a blubber of hormones right now anyway, but this story makes me just incredibly sad. Death Penalty for the man who shot this woman and killed her babies.

Prosecutor: Pregnant teller wounded in Indianapolis robbery loses twins she was carrying

Associated Press
Last update: April 25, 2008 – 1:26 PM


Click here to find out more!

INDIANAPOLIS – A pregnant bank teller lost the twins she was carrying when she was shot in an Indianapolis bank robbery, a prosecutor said Friday.

Katherin Shuffield, who was five months pregnant, was critically wounded in the robbery Tuesday morning at a Huntington Bank branch. Police have been searching for the gunman.

Marion County chief trial prosecutor David Wyser announced the unborn twins’ deaths Friday.

Authorities and the family had said the 30-year-old Shuffield had been wounded in the abdomen but that the bullets had not hit the twins.

But complications had set in, and one twin was born dead and the other died after birth, said Marion County’s chief deputy coroner, Alfarena Ballew.

In a statement, Shuffield’s husband, Jason Shuffield, thanked “everyone for their thoughts, prayers and concerns regarding Katherin’s condition. While Katherin remains in critical but stable condition, we are sad to announce that our twin babies died late Thursday night. Katherin’s recovery is our top priority and she continues to receive the best possible care.”

Earlier Friday, authorities said they planned to release three men arrested in connection with the robbery because a story told them by a suspect turned out to be untrue.

Wyser said several details that 25-year-old Shed James Jr. told police were inaccurate. He said James would be charged with false reporting, and police will release the three other men he had implicated. All four had been arrested Wednesday and held on preliminary charges of conspiracy to commit robbery; authorities had said none was believed to be the gunman.

17 Weeks Down… 23 Weeks To Go!

17 weeks already!!! I’m starting to feel like this pregnancy is starting to fly by (thank God!).

Nothing new to report really. I’ve definitely started feeling flutters and baby is on the move! Kind of a cool feeling- I think it moves most when I’m listening to tunes in my car. My baby is going to be a rock star!! Still counting the seconds until my next ultrasound. Everyone seems to be getting anxious to find out what we’re having.

Pregnancy is such a weird thing. There are days that I love it, but most days, I have hated it. I very much do not like feeling “under the weather” all the time which is how I’ve felt for the past 3 months. On top of the nausea… which still exists. For the most part the vomiting has ceased (mostly at my refusal to give in to it) but the nausea is ever present. I believe I may have permanent bruising and marks on my wrists from the stupid Seabands that I’ve been wearing. I’m tired of food tasting funny and my fear of eating. At least I’ve had wonderful breath! I can’t seem to eat and then not have a breath mint after to get rid of the awful taste in my mouth. I’ve now started an insomnia trend which I don’t understand as I am SO tired all day and then I get to bed sleep for an hour and then I’m screwed for the rest of the night. Perhaps it is training for when baby comes!! Enough of the rant though. I LOVE my pregnant belly. I love the way people smile at me, open doors for me and overall how special I feel. It is kind of like being invited into a special club that nobody understands about until they experience it for themselves. It’s wonderful!

We got AMAZING news the other day! We were invited by my husband’s company on a trip to TAHITI!!!! We’ll be spending a week on the beach in Tahiti, Bora Bora & Moorea. I think we might still be in shock, but we’re so excited for this once in a lifetime vacation. It has sort of become our “Babymoon” in other words, our last chance to get away before the baby comes. I cannot say enough how excited I am!!!!

Abortion Chick

Okay, so apparently this chick may be a faker and this whole thing a “hoax”. Ugh.

Regardless of whether or not this stupid bitch actually did this to herself the idea of it in and of itself is completely ridiculous and offensive.

God how I hate pseudo-intellectuals.

This Is Disgusting On SO MANY LEVELS

My god… what is this chick thinking? You have no idea how offended I am by this and how much this pisses me off. Seriously… after 2 1/2 years of infertility and a horrifying miscarriage of my own I have no words. Art? ART? WTF.

For senior, abortion a medium for art, political discourse

Martine Powers

Staff Reporter
Published Thursday, April 17, 2008

Art major Aliza Shvarts ’08 wants to make a statement.

Beginning next Tuesday, Shvarts will be displaying her senior art project, a documentation of a nine-month process during which she artificially inseminated herself “as often as possible” while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages. Her exhibition will feature video recordings of these forced miscarriages as well as preserved collections of the blood from the process.

The goal in creating the art exhibition, Shvarts said, was to spark conversation and debate on the relationship between art and the human body. But her project has already provoked more than just debate, inciting, for instance, outcry at a forum for fellow senior art majors held last week. And when told about Shvarts’ project, students on both ends of the abortion debate have expressed shock . saying the project does everything from violate moral code to trivialize abortion.

But Shvarts insists her concept was not designed for “shock value.”

“I hope it inspires some sort of discourse,” Shvarts said. “Sure, some people will be upset with the message and will not agree with it, but it’s not the intention of the piece to scandalize anyone.”

The “fabricators,” or donors, of the sperm were not paid for their services, but Shvarts required them to periodically take tests for sexually transmitted diseases. She said she was not concerned about any medical effects the forced miscarriages may have had on her body. The abortifacient drugs she took were legal and herbal, she said, and she did not feel the need to consult a doctor about her repeated miscarriages.

Shvarts declined to specify the number of sperm donors she used, as well as the number of times she inseminated herself.

Art major Juan Castillo ’08 said that although he was intrigued by the creativity and beauty of her senior project, not everyone was as thrilled as he was by the concept and the means by which she attained the result.

“I really loved the idea of this project, but a lot other people didn’t,” Castillo said. “I think that most people were very resistant to thinking about what the project was really about. [The senior-art-project forum] stopped being a conversation on the work itself.”

Although Shvarts said she does not remember the class being quite as hostile as Castillo described, she said she believes it is the nature of her piece to “provoke inquiry.”

“I believe strongly that art should be a medium for politics and ideologies, not just a commodity,” Shvarts said. “I think that I’m creating a project that lives up to the standard of what art is supposed to be.”

The display of Schvarts’ project will feature a large cube suspended from the ceiling of a room in the gallery of Green Hall. Schvarts will wrap hundreds of feet of plastic sheeting around this cube; lined between layers of the sheeting will be the blood from Schvarts’ self-induced miscarriages mixed with Vaseline in order to prevent the blood from drying and to extend the blood throughout the plastic sheeting.

Schvarts will then project recorded videos onto the four sides of the cube. These videos, captured on a VHS camcorder, will show her experiencing miscarriages in her bathrooom tub, she said. Similar videos will be projected onto the walls of the room.

School of Art lecturer Pia Lindman, Schvarts’ senior-project advisor, could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

Few people outside of Yale’s undergraduate art department have heard about Shvarts’ exhibition. Members of two campus abortion-activist groups . Choose Life at Yale, a pro-life group, and the Reproductive Rights Action League of Yale, a pro-choice group . said they were not previously aware of Schvarts’ project.

Alice Buttrick ’10, an officer of RALY, said the group was in no way involved with the art exhibition and had no official opinion on the matter.

Sara Rahman ’09 said, in her opinion, Shvarts is abusing her constitutional right to do what she chooses with her body.

“[Shvarts’ exhibit] turns what is a serious decision for women into an absurdism,” Rahman said. “It discounts the gravity of the situation that is abortion.”

CLAY member Jonathan Serrato ’09 said he does not think CLAY has an official response to Schvarts’ exhibition. But personally, Serrato said he found the concept of the senior art project “surprising” and unethical.

“I feel that she’s manipulating life for the benefit of her art, and I definitely don’t support it,” Serrato said. “I think it’s morally wrong.”

Shvarts emphasized that she is not ashamed of her exhibition, and she has become increasingly comfortable discussing her miscarriage experiences with her peers.

“It was a private and personal endeavor, but also a transparent one for the most part,” Shvarts said. “This isn’t something I’ve been hiding.”

The official reception for the Undergraduate Senior Art Show will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on April 25. The exhibition will be on public display from April 22 to May 1. The art exhibition is set to premiere alongside the projects of other art seniors this Tuesday, April 22 at the gallery of Holcombe T. Green Jr. Hall on Chapel Street.

16week Appointment Update!

I had my 16 week check-up today with my OB and everything with baby is looking great!

I am proud to note that at 16 weeks, I have gained only 8 pounds for this pregnancy (4 of them in the last 4 weeks). Now, I just have to hold steady at a 1 pound per week gain and I should be good!! It’s still not easy to look at the scale and see it going up after all that hard work I did to take it off. On the bright side, I’ve got me a beautiful little baby bump and I LOVE it! I love that people look at my belly and smile, I love that more doors are held open for me, I love… being pregnant!

Baby’s heart was beating at 147bpm today which again alerts me that we could be cooking a little man in there. Supposedly the old wives tale is that a heartbeat under 150 means boy and over means girl. We will know for sure on May 14th when I go in for the anatomy scan!!! This appointment cannot come fast enough for us!! We’re so excited to start picking out stuff for the baby and for the nursery in the new house. Today is one of those days were having a baby actually feels real. That this is really happening and nothing can stop us now! Perhaps that is a bit naive, but considering where we came from in the world of infertility and loss, it is hard to be negative when we’ve come this far.

I’ve been doing thinking about names… For the first time in a long time I am starting to question whether or not we should make this boy a “Jr.” should it be a boy. There are positives- being named after Dad and starting a tradition, and A.J. is a super cute nickname. However… I kind of feel like we’re not putting much thought into giving him his own identity.

Another thing that I’ve been thinking about is all this craziness over deli meat… Eat it. Don’t eat it. Warm it up… I’m sure that Listeria should be a concern, but… I can’t get over my craving. Subway is soooooooooooooo good to me right now! I’m trying to limit them, but it is so hard! I know it is a chance to take, but it MUST be more healthy than a Big Mac & Fries right?

Holy Crap! 15 Weeks!

Holy crap is right! 15 weeks!!!

Yes, it is indeed possible that gender could be seen by now, but I’ve still got another 5 week wait until that appointment. What are we hoping for? Firstly a healthy baby. You ask again… What are are we hoping for? Honestly, we’d love a little girl. I’m not sure why. I think it seems like all of our friends and families have little boys and we’d like to be different. I think my husband is just looking for a little princess to spoil. I swear, I’ll be happy either way though.

As far as how I’m doing physically, it seems my morning sickness has been put on the back burner and I’m now suffering through a cold!! Will I ever get a freakin’ break?? I definitely have a baby belly that I am unable to hide anymore. A co-worker commented to me the other day that I looked bigger than last week… well, duh. hehe.

One thing that I have been struggling with the most is some life-change stuff. While I am absolutely beyond thrilled to become a mother, I feel a sense of loss. Hanging out with the girls last weekend, I realized what a completely different place I am in. One friend has no desire to have kids (nor can she afford one, so I completely would not condone her having babies), another friend is a total career woman- she has a boyfriend but has no desire to “settle” at any point and said she didn’t see herself ever having kids. The other is eternally single. Also a busy career girl, she just has no desire to have a boyfriend or settle down. I have NO PROBLEM with anyone making the decisions they have made. I, for one, after being infertile for 2 1/2 years started coming to terms with the life of a DINK (that is… dual income no kids). Now, being pregnant, I just realized how far away I feel from them. I feel disconnected. I love being able to use the community boards to talk about pregnancy, but every now and then, it would be SO NICE to have a close friend or family member to talk to. Nobody seems to understand or, *chuckle*, remember what it was like to be pregnant. Or, I get a lot of the “I had a perfect pregnancy- no morning sickness for me!”. Oh shut the hell up! It’s just kinda lonely out here in preggo world and I’ve been a little depressed.

I have a question… if I’m not supposed to be eating cold deli meats, then WHY AM I CRAVING THEM SO DAMN BAD???? If I could eat a Subway Spicy Italian every day, I would be so happy. No. Toasting this sub is not an option- must stay cold!

Birth Prediction…

We shall see if this holds true!!! I’m liking a short 4 hour labor- that’s for sure!

Madame Zaritska, our resident clairvoyant, wants to help you prepare for the arrival of your child. Here she does her best to predict certain aspects of your labor and birth experience.

What she senses for you
The day you deliver, outside will be cloudy. Your baby will arrive in the morning.

After a labor lasting approximately 4 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 7 pounds, 8 ounces, and will be 18 inches long. This child will have light brown eyes and a little patch of brown hair.

14 Weeks!

Surreal. 14 weeks.

Yes, I have started to show and I’m LOVING it! I just feel like a cute little pregnant girl. Now… to get rid of this morning sickness crap. The last two days have been relatively good, but the NIGHTS not so good. I lost another couple pounds this week and being in my 2nd trimester, I am ready to start gaining a couple pounds! Importantly, I just want the baby to be healthy.

Speaking of healthy… We got the results back from our NT bloodwork and they said everything is perfectly normal and to CELEBRATE! Nothing better than to hear from your doctor that you should celebrate! We are so relieved to hear that our baby is so far “perfect”.

One thing I keep hearing, especially on the boards, is that some women are saying it is going by so fast! WHAT?! LOL! This chicks probably didn’t have morning sickness. I guess in retrospect the time has gone by relatively quickly. I know we don’t want to miss a thing. We’ve actually decided that we are going to pay for an elective 3d/4d ultrasound later in my pregnancy. I think we just want to have something special as a keepsake to remember this amazing time in our lives.

ANOTHER thing I heard that was kind of… disturbing… were women who had morning sickness were saying that they were wishing they weren’t pregnant and they could care less about the outcome because they didn’t want to be sick anymore. Now. I’ll be the first one to admit that I’ve been a total crybaby about the whole morning sickness thing (especially seeing as I am not one of the fortunate ones who got rid of it at 12 weeks) BUT I would NEVER NEVER NEVER wish those things in a million years. I want and HAVE wanted this baby for the past 2 1/2 years since we’ve started trying. I can totally understand whining about how being sick for freakin’ 10 weeks really sucks big ass, but to wish for a miscarriage? Who would SAY such things? Perhaps you should have thought about the consequences before getting yourself knocked up. I swear… some fertiles are so undeserving of their babies.

Hi Geno!

Giddy Jr. High Girl

I will have my DVR set for this!!! LOL! Mostly morbid curiosity… but… seriously a little excited.

Block Watch: Keeping an Eye on the Kids

MSN Music

Following two months of rumors that New Kids on the Block might be back on the block, the ’80s boy band is slated to appear on the April 4 edition of NBC’s “Today” show.

The network appearance was reported March 31 by People magazine’s Web site, where the first reports of a reunion for the erstwhile teen dreams were posted in late January. Reports that the Boston-based quintet would launch a comeback have been rising in pitch and frequency since, which was underscored by the unveiling of a redesigned NKOTB official Web site saluting Donnie Wahlberg, Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Danny Wood and Joey McIntyre.

MSN Music has obtained new video interviews with members of the group, as well as a teaser trailer featuring clips of broadcast reactions to the prospect of their return. Conspicuous are giddy reactions from female celebs, including Elizabeth Hasselbeck, acting less than their age at the thought of junior high heartthrobs returning to active duty. The timing for a reunion is propitious: This year marks the 20th anniversary for “Hangin’ Tough,” the group’s sophomore album release that established the group’s commercial clout through hit singles such as “I’ll Be Loving You (Forever),” “You’ve Got It (The Right Stuff)” and the title track.

A reunion for the platinum act marks a new twist to a time-honored “boy band” tradition that has reappeared for each generation since the 1950s. With the New Kids, it was Gen Y that largely fueled the screams and swoons, reacting to a videogenic group assembled by impresario Maurice Starr in the wake of his crossover strategy for New Edition. NKOTB’s success in expanding Starr’s teen R&B equation into an even broader pop, hip-hop and R&B mix established a template that would be emulated a decade later by the Backstreet Boys, ‘N Sync and 98°.