Baby Brain

- You will l be a great mom -  a kind barista told me one day at Starbucks.
- You think so? - I asked.
- Yes, because when  I asked if it's your first child you smiled!

Such words mean a lot when one is about to be responsible for a Baby. Meanwhile, we are intensely preparing for the upcoming changes:

* About once a week I still go to yoga. It helps me mentally and physically. What's better than lying in a pre-natal savasana  after an hour-long stretch? Instructors also pay a lot of attention to the importance of breathing. Every week I also go for a swim to a nearby pool.

* Visits to the doctor proceed without problems, and our test results do not deviate from the norm. At any time I can send a personal message to my OB/GYN. I can count on professional and friendly responses regarding issues like hand swelling.

* On a recent doctor visit I received a prescription an electric breast pump. Interestingly, the changes made by the Affordable Care Act imposed an obligation on insurance companies to reimburse the costs. Mine already has reached me by mail and fortunately came with instructions.

*As the baby has grown a lot- it's been almost 7 months-I can now only fit in plus sizes or in clothes from the maternity department. While I still have energy, I am supplying myself with extra attire, which I hope be enough until May :)

* I need to get on with reading specialist baby care books. At the moment I'm not doing as well as I could. Maybe it's the Baby Brain syndrom. I just cannot concentrate that well. I also don't want to add more stress to myself. I hope that the upcoming Great Expectations parenting classes will be good motivation. We start this week with an infant care class.

* Every day, thanks to the applications on the phone, I receive a bit of information on Baby's and my development. Today I learned that Baby is almost 16 inches, and I will be prone to more mood changes...poor Dean.

* We also had to choose a pediatrician. In the US it is the hospital nurse who arranges the first appointment with a specialist, designated by the parents. Apparently, no one visits mother and Baby at home, as is commonplace in Europe.

* Of course, we spent much time on compiling Baby's registry.  After some extensive research and solving dilemmas like whether we really need the changing diaper pad furniture, we have successfully made an online Amazon order. By the end of the week, the stroller, crib and a number of other necessary gadgets will be delivered.

* We are still waiting for diaper samples from the Tiny Tots website. If we like them, we will, for a small sum, order a  weekly delivery of new and clean diapers. #makelifeeasier :)

Next Sunday we are throwing Dean's birthday party and my mini Baby Shower. Easter holidays will also be our chance to Babymoon ... Stay tuned. And now let me go back to sorting Baby's and my clothes.

                              

H.xx                                      

Bay Bridge 

Our high-rise is located near the port of San Francisco and the Embarcadero-a waterfront located just by the bay. This splendid promenade runs under the great Bay Bridge, which connects San Francisco with nearby Oakland. It was opened in the 1930s, around the same time as the Golden Gate Bridge. The project was supervised by a distinguished engineer Ralph Modjeski, son of the Polish actress Helena Modrzejewska.

The bridge has two levels, and it eases the city's circulation. Unfortunately it does not ease the work of the experts. The old construction, which partially fell down in the 1989 earthquake, required an extension and constant maintenance.

For Christmas, the Bay Bridge is always illuminated. Last year, the residents appreciated the Bay Lights display so much that it will be displayed permanently from 2016.

Take a look how the Bay Bridge presents itself: 

Credit:SFWeekly 

      

(A)Typical Neighbours

During my sociological studies I was asked to make a presentation on homelessness. At that time it was for me only a distant phenomenon. I did not know then that one day I would be living in a city where homeless people are actually my neighbors, and it is not because we live in a poorer area of the city.

Homelessness in San Francisco and the Bay area is a serious problem, fought for more than decade by the local administration. Between six and fifteen thousand people live on the city's streets. It is the largest per-capita number of homeless people in all major cities in the United States. 

What is amazing, is that this isn't a depressed area of the country, but rather the most expensive city in the U.S.

Millions of dollars have already been spent, but there is no end in sight.

It does not matter where you are, whether it be the entrance to an exclusive shopping mall or the downtown subway, or at the door of a fancy restaurant, you will often find yourself stepping over someone half-conscious on the street. Dying homeless people remind me of pictures from Third World countries. I've seen a lot of similar scenes.

Police officers are seen around, but they do not hurry to act. San Francisco is liberal city, so even though encampments are illegal, and the law says they must be torn down, the law is not enforced. Even the City Hall area is among those that I would most likely avoid.  What would Police do anyway? If every homeless lawbreaker were arrested, the city's jails would overflow.

I can not say which approach is more effective: liberal or conservative, especially when compared with the recent incident in Los Angeles. The local policeman shot dead in broad daylight a mentally ill homeless man. Like many of those from San Francisco, his severe mental problems led to being on the street after being released from institutional care.

Fortunately, as far as fragrance and esthetic-cognitive unpleasenteries, I did not experience any greater trouble. 
However, in various conversations, I hear people complaining about the aggressiveness of the homeless, but this had not been our experience in general. Of course, no sooner do I write this than we were confronted by a frightening screaming homeless woman, while we waited for Uber.

This year in San Francisco a new mobile center for the homeless is set to be opened. Unlike other centers of this type it will be available during the day and located near actual encampments. The goal is for these centers to get entire encampments off the street simultaneously, as psychologists find that there is a strong group identity.

So maybe there is hope for all the residents of San Francisco ....

Ps. We are feeling good. Stay tuned for an update on how we are preparing for our upcoming changes.
                 

Some benches are designed to prevent homeless people to sleep on them

                                               

Here is a camp in the center of San Francisco, adjacent to the Mozilla and Gap headquarters, and just a short walk to some of the most expensive restaurants in the city.

Some areas are homeless-free, especially those on the hills. Residents of these areas lobby against local public transportation,  so that homeless people don't relocate there.

H.

Ps. If curious, take a look:

http://www.sfchronicle.com/archive/item/A-decade-of-homelessness-Thousands-in-S-F-30431.php

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S-F-takes-new-direction-on-homeless-camps-with-6038197.php#photo-7430304

http://m.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Ex-tech-CEO-who-blasted-degenerates-hosts-6129315.php