Bayan was here

and here...

and here...

and here... and here...

and here...

and here...

aaaand here...

and here...

and here.

During the past week Bayan has very thoughtfully emptied out the entire bottle of organic shampoo into the bath tub. It was a bubble bath to rival all bubble baths. Both he and Anisa had to be hosed down ( I mean showered) afterwards. He also managed to blast me (twice) with the Persian bidet Mehran has installed in the bathroom. He has unravelled three balls of my good knitting yarn (three entire balls) and has wound them around the front room in a labyrinth web. He has located stashed blocks of chocolate and noshed his way through a few of these. When his folly was discovered and every chocolate in the house was hidden away he sniffed them out and stacked stool on top of chair, Dr. Seuss style, in order to reach them again. He also discovered that this gave him access to the freezer and more importantly to the ice cream popsicles tucked inside. The last photo needs no explanation and the only thing not pictured are the partially eaten apples placed back into the fruit bowl for unsuspecting guests to find. Yes folks, Bayan has had a busy week, but I assure you mine has been even busier.

The Temple of Inscriptions

I think that I mentioned before how I have been helping out at the girls' school by doing a country focus on Mexico and teaching the kids some Spanish on Fridays. We started off with some Pinatas, language games and some simple activities in the first few weeks. We moved on to food and cooking. The kids made individual place mats with Spanish labels and spent one day taking turns in the staff kitchen helping prepare a Mexican feast. I 've got big plans for them in the weeks ahead but this week I present ... The Temple of Inscriptions.We have spent some time looking at Mexican history, including the Aztec and Maya civilizations and I thought it would be fun to get the kids to become archaeologists for a day. So I have spent quite some time over the last few weeks painting palm fronds, sketching hieroglyphs and preparing activities for the day. I had hoped to have enough hieroglyphs to cover every wall in the room, but despite all the work I only had enough for half. Luckily the principal had some green fabric stashed in her classroom and I'd asked the kids to paint some palm trees so there were some features to walk around, which made it feel more complete. As a final touch we got the students to make colorful butterflies and I had the girls help make a few paper flowers to brighten things up. I think it worked pretty well. The room was kept a secret, so there were lots of "Ooohs" and "Wows!" as the kids caught a glimpse for the first time. I had discreetly stuck four dots on the floor and the first activity centered around getting a brief glimpse inside the temple and trying to notice as many details and features as possible. In the end only one child noticed the dots on the floor or mentioned that they might be significant somehow. Similarly it was quite some time before any of the archaeologists investigated the grooves on the actual floor of the Temple at Palenque. In the end it led down a very steep staircase and to the discovery of a tomb. The kids heard the story of the discovery and got to see and touch a replica mask found in the tomb and were supposed to start creating their own mosaic version later that day. But first there was the temple to further explore. I gave the middle and upper primary students sheets and questionnaires to fill in asking them to identify certain glyphs or to work out days or months based on the calendar system, which I had included amongst the hieroglyphs. They also did some basic translations from Mayan to Spanish to English based on some vocabulary that they had already learned. They got to use flashlights to help them, which added a little something extra to the experience and which all the kids loved.

The younger students were given individual cards with glyphs on them and were asked to see if they could match them up. When they correctly matched up the images they got to trade for a different card. While many of the kids tried to see who could find them the fastest and amass the greatest pile of glyphs others took their time, just happy to explore.

Amazing Race Part 2: Ecuador, Peru and Spain

This is the second and final installment of my version of the Amazing Race. It will not be quite so long as the first (I think) so you can breathe a sigh of relief (maybe).

From Colombia students travelled to Ecuador. I know that I, personally, learned more about this country than any other. Judging from some of the feedback I received from students I think they did as well.
Instead of a cryptogram I handed out my routine map and flag (thank you Enchanted Learning) whiting out the name of the country and while the students colored the flag I played a song called "Ecuador" (I don't know who it is by as I have misplaced the CD cover, but the guy pretty much just shouts "ECUADOR!" throughout the song) once teams had correctly filled in their sheets and could tell me the name of the country they received their next clue. A map of the Galapagos Islands. They had to list the Galapagos Islands (belonging to Ecuador) from largest to smallest in order to receive their next clue. For the following task students received some information on the physical features of the islands including the famous lava tunnels. Teams then had to move into the gym where I constructed a lengthy lava tunnel with stage blocks and fabric (normally you'd walk through, but in this case you had to crawl). Both team members had to make their way through the lava tunnel and tell me in Spanish the names of some of the wildlife native to the Galapagos Islands whose pictures I had hid in the tunnel along the way. When students had made it through the tunnel and correctly told me the names of the wildlife they received their next clue. Teams then read a bit about the most famous of all Galapagos Island creatures - the giant tortoise and once they had correctly answered a series of questions both team members went to get their photos taken with "Lonely George" a gigantic tortoise that I pained and pinned to the wall. Once they had their photos taken they were able to check in and take a bonus sheet.


Ecuador Part 2:

Back on the mainland teams were handed a sheet filled with questions about the rainforest. Such as how much rainforest is disappearing each year, how is it disappearing, who is responisble, what is important about the rainforest and how all of this is affecting the people that live there. They then had to move to different stations around the classroom in order to answer these questions. Once they had answered the questions correctly they got their next clue. For their next task students learned about one of the most poisonous animals on the planet, the poison dart frog, and how these tiny creatures, who contain enough poison to kill at least twenty adults, are used by the native tribes of the rainforest. In order to receive their next clue students had to follow some simple directions in Spanish to locate one of these frogs (just a plastic replica) and work out a way to bring it back to class without touching it. When I received their frog they received their next clue. Teams were then introduced to the Huaorani Indians who have lived in the Ecuadorian rainforests for centuries and whose lifestyle is rapidly being destroyed by big oil companies specifically Chevron / Texaco. Once they had a general idea about the Huaorani way of life and a brief understanding of the tribes history they were then told that, like the Huaorani, they must live off the land and that one team member must catch a fish (not a real one) but both team members would then need to read and follow the instructions on the back of their fish. Each fish bore a different tale of tragedy and suffering, based on real life accounts of the Huaorani who are forced to live alongside open waste pits created by the oil companies, who are forced to drink from and wash in toxic water because no one has bothered to clean up and poisonous waste is leaking into the environment from abandoned pipelines. This was very eye-opening for some of the students. For their task teams had to draft a letter to John Watson the head of Chevron who, instead of taking responsibility for what his company has done and the countless lives it has cost, has spent his time and money attempting to cover his tracks. (Go to chevrontoxico.com or type in Chevron Texaco Huaorani into your search engine to take action or to learn more.) For their final challenge each team read about the 917 toxic waste pits that Chevron left behind in the Ecuadorian jungle. They also read about how the oil company helped solve the problem by "lining" just over a hundred of them. They also, thoughtful as they are, covered the pits with topsoil because obviously that will contain toxic waste and keep it from further leaking into the environment (note the sarcasm). One member of each team then had to search through 917 randomly placed numbers to find one of the "lined" pits, once students gave me the number of the pit and understood that lining the pits made absolutely no difference at all they were handed the bonus sheet and allowed to check in.

There is much scope here for further action if students are so inclined.

Peru:

Students began this leg with a mystery dot to dot map and had to use an Atlas to work out what country they were headed to. Once they correctly identified the country and completed a flag they were given their first challenge. Students read a little about the Incan civilization including the Incan messenger system that allowed messages to be relayed throughout the empire with surprising speed. In order to receive the next clue two teams had to join together to form a relay team of chasquis ( Incan messengers). A message in Spanish was given to the first member of the group, that person then had to accurately relay the message to the next ream member and so forth. The last team member had to relay the message back to me, if the message was correct they (both teams) were handed their next clue. If not they had to start again. The next clue had students reading another chapter of Incan history. They were told about the last Inca emperor Atahualpa and how he was held hostage by the Spanish, how he ransomed himself for rooms filled with gold and silver and how the Spanish did not honor their promises, but killed him anyway and tried to keep the treasure too. When the Incas heard about what had happened they stopped the last convoys of treasure and reportedly hid it in the mountains, where it has eluded discovery for centuries. Students had to decipher and translate a treasure map and correctly identify the most likely area where the lost treasure lies hidden before they could claim their next clue. The final challenge for the day included a brief description and general information on the Nazca lines. I had measured the oval and had hoped to use a line marking machine to map out a life-size replica of one of the Nazca lines, but alas the grass was too wet and so I was forced to use the combined area of the basketball courts and hard play area and do a slightly smaller version in chalk. It was still too big to be seen properly at ground level so it worked well enough. Team members had to walk around the perimeter of the design, drawing as they walked, once they had gone around the entire image they came back to class to see if they could match their design to one of the Nazca lines. When teams answered correctly they were allowed to check in and were given their bonus sheets.

There was so much more that I wanted to do with Peru, but we were running out of time so things were kept short. I would have loved to have gotten the kids involved in making grass boats that they had to float a certain distance while teaching them about the Uros tribe that live on floating islands on Lake Titicaca or challenging them with puzzle skills while learning about Incan architecture. There was so much that could have been done. Maybe next time.

Spain:

Students headed to Europe for the last leg of the race. They started by reading about the Tomatina Festival and then had one of their own (though instead of tomatoes they threw soft, red, balls) when both team members had been hit (below the waste) with the required number of 'tomatoes' they were given their next clue. Students joined in the running of the bulls (an obstacle course I set up on the oval) and when both team members made it to the end they chose a number which corresponded to a number of different scenarios all of which can routinely happen during the course of a bull run. Some teams made it through unscathed and were able to take their next clue, some teams were injured, impaled or worse and had to take corresponding penalties. The length of time corresponded to the injuries received. For their next challenge students read about the Altamira caves and the prehistoric drawings that were discovered in them, looking at pictures taken from the caves, students then had to create their own version of the cave drawings before receiving their next clue. Students were then directed to the Alcazar Castle in Segovia, were told briefly about it's history and then using visual and written clues (that had to be translated) were asked which famous Walt Disney Fairytale Castle was inspired by this one. When students could answer correctly they were handed their next clue. This took them to the outskirts of the city where they learned about the history and function of the Segovian aqueduct. After some careful reading and relatively simple mathematical calculations students were told that when they could accurately tell me the number of single arches in the Segovian aqueduct, in Spanish, they would be handed their last clue. Their final challenge for the race had them deciphering directions and making their way along the streets of Madrid using a map to find specific locations. Once teams had completed their challenge and correctly identified the mystery locations they checked in for the last time. Final scores were calculated and the winning teams announced.

I had intended to have one "tie it together" portion of the race as well, recapping certain challenges and reviewing concepts covered during the race. I had especially wanted to make use of all the flags they had drawn and get them (for one such challenge) to put them in the order that we "visited" them in, but due to illness and unforseen events that did not happen. The trip to the restaurant was also slightly delayed. It would have been better if I had managed to sample many items from the menu beforehand, but that was not on the cards. One of the girls was really looking forward to some chili con carne and was so enthusiastic about this dish that she convinced two others to try it as well. The other three all tried different dishes like quesadillas, taquitos and burritos and I ordered a huge nachos for everyone to share. This proved to be a very wise move as all three chili con carnes (we ordered mild) came with huge slices of jalapenos all the way through it, even the rice that came on the side was peppered with chunks of chili. Poor dears. At least the nachos were polished off completely and the other dishes went down well. I took them for ice creams afterwards partially because I had promised them dessert and partially because I had three students whose mouths were on fire. Overall the kids had a great time. They thanked me for organizing the race and told me about what they had learned and said many nice and sweet things. So, while it was a lot of work and it was sometimes challenging keeping track of where each team was and which group was up to what clue, and while there were certain things that I probably shouldn't have done like attempting to tie a hula-hoop to a basketball ring while standing on top of a ladder in the rain, or ignoring contractions while sketching giant glyphs on the pavement and bull runs on the oval it all worked itself out and was worth it in the end.







P.S. Photos from Google and the Chevrontoxico site.

You know you're having a girl when...

At 22 weeks your tummy looks like this (and no, we're not having twins). Each day, despite the fact that you are now five months along, you get to experience your own personal vomit fest.

You are extra emotional and cry often and profusely for any reason at all.

You experience the joys of spontaneous acne, the likes of which most teenagers have never seen.

You develop what appears to be an unsightly rash along your neck. You soon learn two things. One: it is not a rash, but burst capillaries and two: They may or may not disappear after the baby is born...Sweet.

The "ultrasound man" (that sounds like a comic book hero, but I have to hand it to Bayan because it sure beats the heck out of sonograph technician) quietly indicates as much.

Amazing Race: Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia

This post is for me. Somewhere, somehow I appear to have morphed from a teacher who could easily recall the names of 900 students (two of whom were identical twins. Identical I tell you) who could keep track of where each class was and who needed extra help with certain tasks or extension work in other areas to an exact personification of the absent-minded professor. I only have 300 odd students and yet I am constantly calling students the wrong names, I need lists to remember who is up to what task and must write down where individual classes are or I completely loose the plot. Worst of all I am forever misplacing my lists. It probably doesn't help that I am about to move my classroom for the third time this year and that bits of my materials are tucked around the school in various locations. Anyway there has been heaps of preparation in what I have done with my year (grade) 6 and 7 students over the past term or so and for future reference I really want to have it handy so that I can remember what I did and how it went. So if this is of no interest to you feel free to scroll down or up as the case may be.

For those who are interested you should probably get comfy. You should also get snacks. This will be a long one.

So. The Amazing Race. After two terms of grammar, and language building exercises I wanted to do something fun and different with the older kids to get them excited about learning Spanish and to help them gain a better appreciation of other cultures and communities particularly in regards to their histories and customs. The students were divided into teams of two (each class with approximately 15 teams) and during each lesson they were told that they would be racing through various Spanish speaking countries, participating in different tasks and challenges and that teams would check in at the end of each lesson. The first team to check in would be awarded 15 points the second 14 and so forth. There would be no eliminations (except for students who were not on task) but there would also be a bonus sheet at the end of each lesson where each correctly answered question would award that team an additional point so that the winning team would not necessarily be the fastest, but the team that had gained the greatest understanding through completing the tasks. The prize was sadly not a million dollars, but rather an all expenses paid lunch at a Mexican restaurant which would also include the afternoon off school. To say that the kids were pretty excited would be a serious understatement.

Our first destination was... In order to find out where they were students had to decode a cryptogram that detailed facts about Mexico. Once they had correctly decoded the facts and used them to identify the country they were handed their first clue. From there they read about the origins of the Jarabe Tapatio (The Mexican Hat Dance) and watched a performance of the dance, when they were able to perform it without any mistakes they were handed their next clue. The last challenge for that day was to read about the ancient Aztec game of tlachtli and to attempt to get a ball through a hoop (which I had tied to the top of a basketball ring) Aztec style, using only your hip, elbow or knee. Once the students understood the difficulty of this task (after a certain number of attempts) they were able to try to get the ball through the hoop using either hands or feet and were then allowed to check in and take a bonus sheet.

Mexico: day 2

The first task was to color in a Mexican flag and, after reading a brief passage, to answer some questions about the symbolism and history of the flag. They were then handed a sheet that retold the legend of Popo and Izta (a remarkable warrior and an Aztec princess who, in an ancient version of Romeo and Juliet, were transformed - legend has it - into the two volcanoes that lie on the outskirts of Mexico city) as well as many facts about Mexican volcanoes and were given a challenge to create their own mini volcano. Once each team managed to make their volcano erupt they were handed their next clue. Their final challenge for the day centered around understanding how children in many third world countries must work to help their families survive. One such way is by collecting water. For their next clue they were given some basic facts about water, such as how nearly 1 billion people lack access to safe water, and how much water is needed for a small family each day (approximately 20 litres) as well as how and from what sources that water may be collected. Each team was told to take a bucket, filled with (5 litres) of water and walk the length of the oval to where their partner was waiting. Their partner then had to do the same. Team members had to continue to do this until they had sufficiently "collected" (carried) the required 20 litres of water. I broke it down into five litres, to make it more physically suitable for the kids (who wants to get sued?) and also to help prevent spillage. We also used the same buckets for the next class in an effort to conserve water and the students - a few of whom were not happy about doing this (I have a couple of classic kids who find it strenuous and annoying if they so much as have to bend over to get something off the floor -you can imagine how fun they found this challenge) all definitely gained a deeper appreciation for what some kids have to do every day - multiple trips to get water that may not always be very clean, just so that they and their families can survive. This was a really good lesson. Even some of the ones who complained thanked me later. This challenge was followed by the check in and bonus sheet.

Mexico: day 3

Teams were immediately handed their first "clue". A brief description and history of the "Ojo de Dios" or "God's eye" that is thought to have originated with the Huicol Indians of Jalisco Mexico. Teams had to follow some simple instructions to create their own God's Eye. (An extra helper who just sat and visually demonstrated how to create one would have been great.) Some teams had a bit of difficulty but everyone was able to pull through and receive their next clue. For their next clue students read a brief history about, perhaps, the most popular Mexican dish: nachos. They learned about how, in 1943, Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya created the dish and the circumstances surrounding it's invention. In order to receive their next clue teams had to recreate Anaya's original dish and then eat it including the jalapenos. (I double checked allergies beforehand and tweaked it slightly for certain individuals.) They all loved this challenge. A lot. Their final clue for the day was to look at a wall mural (on-line at riveramural.com) by Diego Rivera which depicted the history of Mexico (both good and bad) from the time of the Aztecs till the mid 20th century. This site was a great resource as it included a key with details of who certain individuals were, what they were doing and why their actions were symbolic. After reading a bit about Diego Rivera teams had to search the mural to find certain famous people in Mexican history and explain who they were and what they were famous for. When they answered their questions correctly they were allowed to check-in and were handed the bonus sheets.

Guatemala: Day 1

To begin with students were told that they had left Mexico and were travelling towards south America but to get to their first clue they would need to tell me what country they were currently in. Each team was handed a cryptogram, with lots of clues about Guatemala, and once decoded and answered correctly students were handed their next clue: some simple information about the "munecas quitapenas" (Guatemalan worry dolls), a sample doll and instructions on how to make their own. Once students had correctly made their dolls they were handed their final clue for the day. They were given a sheet with some dots and lines on it and were asked to begin to figure out what it meant. Once they understood how difficult that was they were handed a Mayan code that archaeologists had cracked, despite the fact that so many writings and resources were destroyed by the Spanish. Using the code and their new found information on the Mayan number system they worked through a set of mathematical equations and wrote their answers in Mayan. This was followed by check-in and bonus sheets.

Guatemala: Day 2

To begin with students were given a map of Guatemala (from Enchanted Learning) and had to label it and answer some general geographical questions. When teams finished their maps they were handed their next clue which consisted of some basic information about backstrap weaving, once they had read about what backstrap weaving involves, how it started and how it is done they were told to take a number (some teams would have to wait) and find a "loom" (these were makeshift looms that Bayan helped me make at the beginning of the year) once teams had woven a certain number of lines and a certain number of colors they were handed their next clue. I had set up the back of the classroom as "The Temple of Inscriptions" (though officially that is in Mexico) and handed each team some simplified information on Mayan hieroglyphs. They were told that they would need to visit the Mayan temple and would have to decipher and translate their page of Mayan hieroglyphs in order to check in. Most teams did this with surprising ease. This task was followed by bonus sheets.

I would have liked to have done something with chocolate as well, but we ran out of time and needed to keep moving on.

Colombia:

Students had to accurately draw the Colombian flag and then, like Guatemala, label a map of the country and correctly answer some general geographical questions. Once teams had accurately completed these tasks they were handed their next sheet which outlined ten facts about Colombian coffee, including such information as the average coffee tree produces only one pound of coffee each year. (I didn't realize that.) I then provided students with information on Fair Trade and why Fair Trade products are so important. But how do you tell which product is fair trade and which is not? In order to receive their next clue students were invited to approach a "coffee plantation", one team at a time, to scrutinize, smell and touch (but not taste) four different types of coffee. Teams had to accurately decide which one was fair trade and explain their answer before they could receive their next clue. I retold the "true" story about the legend of El Dorado and how it is most likely connected to Lake Guatavita and a ritual performed by a native Indian tribe. Students read this history and then had to play the role of the Indian tribe. They had to accurately draw and label three crops traditionally grown in Colombia and then trade / barter their crops for golden nuggets (in Spanish) teams then had to translate directions (which were in Spanish) that would lead them to a little wooden box hidden in the school forest which contained a "precious stone" for each team. Teams then had to respectfully, accurately and safely toss these treasures into (a makeshift) Lake Guatavita in order to check in and collect their bonus sheet.

I didn't get any pictures of the students doing their activities and challenges as I was too busy handing out clues, checking answers and supervising tasks to have time for anything else, but if I am ever insane enough to try this again (and lets face it - I probably will be) I think some pictures will be fabulous. The ones here are all taken from google.

Anisa is Seven

Sometimes I am amazed at how grown-up she has become. A beautiful artist, a budding chef, a comedian with a highly unusual sense of humor and a sweet nature with a quick temper. Anisa has been very forgiving this year as she really wanted a party, but based on the fact that I have been working 4 days a week, am still nauseous and have caught a horrible cold which kicked into high gear today that idea has had to be postponed. Indefinitely. There may not have been a raging party but I did manage to bake a simple chocolate cake for her class to share today as well as cupcakes for the rest of the school. Despite my fever, nausea (have I mentioned that before?) and lethargy she also got her favorite breakfast, her requested dinner, including a surprise salad with her favorite ingredients, and a cake to share with the family - to say nothing of the little puppy she has been begging for for ages. So it wasn't a total loss. Besides, I heard the cake was really good.

Been there... done that...

Did it again. Here is a little known piece of trivia about yours truly:

Towards the end of year 11 I was walking with a friend down towards the lake in front of our school (there was a picnic or a barbecue, I forget because I never actually made it there) I was wearing some new tights and was looking forward to some good food and socializing when my foot caught on something and while I went flying downhill my foot, being caught, did not join the rest of me. I consequently tore the ligaments and tendons around my ankle (to say nothing of my tights) and spent the rest of the afternoon in, first the nurses office and then, the local hospital. Fun. The doctor said that I was to stay completely off my foot. Completely. He handed me a pair of heinously torturous walking sticks (also called crutches) and sent me back to school. Now Maxwell (the school I attended) was nestled at the foot of a hill, on the shores of Shawnigan Lake and had lots and lots and lots of stairs, but no elevators. At all. While I spent the next few days conscientiously keeping off of my foot, the torturous walking sticks were systematically chaffing the skin from under my arms until it was but a raw, bloody, mess. It was nearly the end of term, we had heaps of assignments to hand in and projects to complete and I was, not only in a lot of pain, but also pretty exhausted. I was helping set up for a big project that Christina and I were presenting the following day. You know what's coming don't you? I hobbled back to the dorm, on my horrible sticks of death, to collect some extra supplies and had to go down yet another flight of stairs (our room was in the basement...naturally) well one "crutch" slipped out from under me and I toppled to the bottom of the stairs where I landed on my other ankle. Seriously. I'm not kidding. Thankfully Lily witnessed my elegant arrival, to say nothing of the thunderous descent and howls of pain and had the presence of mind to race off and summon the nurse. Again. Meanwhile I, with as much dignity as I could muster, crawled back to my room. I was, once again, escorted to the hospital for x-rays where it was determined that I had an extremely bad sprain and was told to stay off my foot for at least the next five weeks. On the bright side the doctor took the crutches away. Unfortunately they were replaced by a wheelchair. A decrepit wheelchair which had been donated to the health centre at the school and which bore a striking resemblance to defective shopping trolley as it's wheels would not go straight. Luckily it mostly stayed in the dorm -remember the stairs everywhere- but it was my primary means of travelling to the bathroom at the end of the hall. Sadly it had the uncanny habit of propelling me towards the wall and you could always tell if I was on the move because it would rattle down the corridor knocking me into all the lockers along the way. So, now the stage is set. Because guess what I did today? I was hurrying to pick up the girls and had been on my feet all day. I was feeling really tired but was mostly just conscious of getting down to the classrooms before the kids came out. Bayan was tired and had just woken up from a five minute power nap in the car. He was not feeling happy and I picked him up to help him down the stairs. What happened next is still a little hazy. Somehow I lost my balance and I dropped Bayan to the side because in that split second I knew I was going to fall, there was nothing to stop me and nothing to hold onto. I didn't want to crush him and the next thing I know is that I was tumbling down a flight of concrete steps. (Refer to photo above.) I know I rolled at least twice before landing at the bottom with a rather familiar pain in my ankle. As a crowd of children began to gather in the distance I looked back at Bayan and was relieved to see that he hadn't gone far. He was, however, awkwardly sprawled upside down with his head on one step and his body precariously balanced on the one above with his little legs in the air. I hobbled up the steps to check on him as he was crying most piteously. A few minutes later he was fine and was happily chatting to the girls. My foot was wrapped by one of the teachers who helped us to the car. I will unashamedly admit to bursting into tears as soon as we drove off. I was more worried about the baby than anything else. We headed home and then straight to the doctor who, though completely booked and busy, made time to check the heartbeat and fetal movements. Both of which appear fine. Anyhow, I am currently hobbling around on a sprained ankle (nothing new there) with bruises and scrapes and swelling. An arthritic turtle could move more rapidly than I currently can and I feel like I am about 105. But the baby is fine (thank God!) Bayan recovered swiftly and despite the fact that I, very gracefully, tumbled down about 15 concrete steps I didn't impact my abdomen or head. How that is even possible I cannot say but I am very grateful.