Bean Anderson

Big breath. That's what Susan is trying to get these days. That's hard to do with the baby growing so much! Bean hasn't dropped yet. Susan laughs and says she'll be able to breathe easier when the baby drops but she'll have to go to the bathroom every hour because of the pressure on her bladder.

Have you heard about flattened head syndrome? Flattened heads are an unintended consequence of placing babies on their backs to sleep to prevent SIDS. In our parenting class the Instructors talked about the importance of making sure the baby's head is in many positions. Too much flat on the back position makes the head flattened in the back. Many Pacific Northwest Native American cultures and other cultures in the world have, in the past or currently, intentionally shaped their babies heads in infancy so that they were flattened. It was a status symbol signifying freedom.

37 Weeks!!!!

Yahoo – this marks another big milestone for us all; 37 weeks marks the official ‘Full Term’ milestone. I keep having these secret hopes that I’ll deliver sometime in the next couple of weeks, but I know that realistically it will likely be later in October. It still blows my mind that we’re so close. It’s funny, sometimes when I’m laying in bed – propped up with oodles of pillows supporting every nook and cranny – I sometimes forget that I’m pregnant. Of course, as soon as I attempt to move that thought disappears in a flash.

Here’s what Babycenter.com has to say about this 37th week of our pregnancy:

Only three weeks to go! Your pregnancy is now considered full-term and your baby probably weighs a little over 6 pounds and is a tad over 19 inches long. You may notice end-of-pregnancy changes soon — like … intense Braxton Hicks contractions (preludes to the real thing). Worried your water will break in public? This statistic may ease your fears: Spontaneous rupture of membranes before labor happens in only 15 percent of pregnancies.

I have been having more frequent contractions, but nothing at all regular or measurable, really. However, the note about water breaking isn’t too comforting for me… They say one’s pregnancy is a lot like her mother’s; if that’s the case for me I can count on my water breaking and delivering about 6 hours later. To be honest, I’m not horrified of my water breaking in public although I know some women are. I’d be thrilled to have such a ‘very there’ sign that our baby was coming soon.

Bean has been pretty active lately, she’s spent the last two days in the ideal birth position; heads down with her feet pointed right and her back to the left. Let’s hope that’s where she stays. Of course, since we’re getting so close her room to move around is much smaller. This translates into much more painful kicks and nudges.

I’ve been going to a chiropractor these last couple of weeks; I plan to continue as I approach the birth – I have a feeling this will be especially helpful when she drops and the weight distribution shifts lower.

Here’s a little tip. If you know of a pregnant woman, never make comments about her size, ask if she’s going to have twins, or insinuate that she’s about to pop. Us pregnant women are extremely sensitive to comments about our size. Not only do we feel huge and encumbered, but pregnancy hormones streaming through our veins serve to exponentially heighten emotions.

OK all, signing off – we’ll keep you updated on our progress during this last stretch.

Susan and I took a parenting and breastfeeding class today. It's hard to believe that we're less than one month away from our due date. On the other hand, it's hard to imagine little bean getting that much bigger in Susan's uterus! The Doctor says little bean is average size, though, and that's good. Here's Susan resting.

Here are 2 interesting 25% statistics they threw out in today's class:

• only 25% of a baby's brain is developed at birth
• a baby's head, at birth, is 25% of its total birth weight (and it's normal for a baby's ears to appear to be really large)

A quick update on the neurological events in my life. Susan and I went to our second opinion specialist and he mirrored the recommendation of the first neurologist, specifically to start Avonex injections. We brought home some materials to view an instructional/informational dvd and material about that treatment. Let me just say it was very bizarre to review my MRI scans with the neurologist and Susan. We are going to do our due diligence on the medication and manufacturer and then make our decision. One funny thing. We recently started watching The West Wing, Series one. We were glad to see a high profile character in this series (the President) living an active life with MS.

So, Susan and I were going to have a house party to help raise money for the No on 36 campaign but can't get it coordinated. Seems like we're going from one event to the next and just don't have the bandwidth to handle this one. Work, baby classes, parenting classes, neurologist and obstetric gynecologist visits, baby showers, house preparation, blah blah blah. The No on 36 campaign is near and dear to our hearts. Mentally it's hard to even imagine that Oregon would vote to add this type of discrimination into its constitution. Mentally and physically it's hard to imagine planning another big event in our life right now when what we need to do is concentrate on preparing for the birth of our baby. Instead of having a party, we're going to send letters to our friends and others to ask them to contribute to this important campaign and vote No on 36. (That's kind of a warning to our friends and family to be prepared for this letter). If you can contribute, please do. Click on the image below to go to the No on 36 website and contribute. Anything you can give would help. And please, if you are an Oregon voter, vote No on 36.

Jean, a co-worker and friend, made this ever so happy quilt for bean. The colors are so cheerful. And I like it that the pattern has angles.

She made another quilt recently for her grand daughter, Alyson, born in Costa Rica.

Susan is trying out some Smart Water. It has electrolytes but doesn't have the added sugar that gatorade and others have. This type of drink is on our list to take to the hospital when we're in labor. Right now, the cranberry grapefruit and tangerine pineapple guava get the highest marks.

Yesterday we had a baby shower. Susan was in luck. There was a rocker just waiting for her to use.



What a fun shower. We played all kinds of shower games including blind baby food tasting and the string game. In the string game, you cut a piece of string that you think would fit around the pregnant woman's belly. In this game you were only allowed to hold the string vertically before cutting it.



Renee's string came close but my string was perfect! I told them I would win if they let me play.



The strings were fun. Everyone played their favorite string game from childhood--Jacob's ladder, spider web, and this one, Cat's Cradle, played by Andrea and Laural. They rocked at this game.



Bean got a lot of great gifts from a car and bouncer seats to booster chair to rompers to diapers and and and...



Lachlan was our star 18 month old at the party. Can't wait until Bean is this big!



There was a wall hanging note to the baby people wrote on. The sentiments were awesome. Here are some:

• You'll be a great addition to this race of humans!
• All blessings and love for you as you approach the bean's birthday.
• Love, kisses and hugs to both moms and Little Bean.
• Baby Bean... You are coming into an awesome family where you will be much loved. The joy you are bringing with you is awesome.
• I can't wait to meet you. Hurry up and arrive!
• Welcome to Earth, Baby Bean. We need you here.
• We love you already and you aren't here yet!
• Welcome Baby Bean and very best wishes. What an exciting time.

Hi All - Susan here dropping in to say how I just can't believe it is Sept. 20th and our due date is one month away. I've had a hard time focusing on anything that isn't related to preparing for the baby - it's sure to get me in trouble at work if I'm not careful - sigh.

So, I just read the most ridiculous quote from our 'friend' Jimmy Swaggart and I can't help but share - check this out:

"I'm trying to find the correct name for it... this utter absolute, asinine, idiotic stupidity of men marrying men... I've never seen a man in my life I wanted to marry. And I'm gonna be blunt and plain; if one ever looks at me like that, I'm gonna kill him and tell God he died."

I mean, gimmie a freakin' break already. I've had enough hate mongoring to last me a lifetime - but this just goes over the top. Isn't Jimmy supposed to be preaching the word of God - you know, the one that talks about love and acceptance??? Oy-vay.

These dolls are from Vietnam and came from Ten Thousand Villages in Portland. They are a fair trade store--meaning they work with artists and crafts people across the world who otherwise would be underemployed or unemployed and offer them an income that is sustainable through trade.

Ten Thousand Villages used to be in SE, on Hawthorne blvd. but they outgrew their space and moved into the Pearl District area. I picked up these dolls last week at their vendor booth at a local diversity conference.

We went to the Doctor's office yesterday and everything is on track. The presentation and position of the baby are good. She's heads down and will likely stay in this position for the duration. We met with our doula last night for our first pre birth-plan interview. I can't tell you how comforting it is to have a doula.

Susan is definitely in the uncomfortable stage of pregnancy but has kept her spirits up. Jack continues to hunt whatever he can hunt--bugs, pieces of string, shadows...

When we bought the house, we knew the vents hadn't been cleaned in at least 4 years and probably double that, so I didn't even bother to uncover and look into them. Until today, when the cleaner came. This is the air intake in the living room.


And this is the giant hairball that was collected from within. Even looking at these pictures make me sneeze!



This cleaning and the fireplace/chimney inspection are the last of our big items planned before our baby is born.

When voices and scenes around me are so bigotedly spewed it's hard for me to focus on all of the good things happening. I'm thinking specifically about a tv ad I saw last night. When a George Bush ad is on I mute the t.v. or make sounds to drown out the voice(s). With this ad last night I tuned in because there was a young white couple on the floor with a baby. I'm all over baby things these days as Susan and I approach our birth. I found myself wondering what was being advertised and why the ad group chose a young white couple and a white baby. Ever since I read Carlos Cortes' book The Children Are Watching - How the Media Teach About Diversity, I question more what is being presented to me in t.v. ads. Then came their money message. Turns out its yes on 36 propaganda. Wow. How depressing. How demeaning. How narrowly defined.

Yesterday I heard the stories of a group of glbt elders on a panel at a Diversity Conference. They've come through a lot, these people. Fear, social isolation, loss of financial status, rejection by family and friends. What's on their minds today? Collectively, our elders think about how they can avoid physical or mental abuse when they come out to their health care providers and whether or not they will have to go back into the closet when they enter assisted living. And why not be afraid? Especially with groups like the Special Rights for Heterosexuals Coalition sending out messages that civil rights are only for them. One guy, a self identified bisexual transgendered male to female person talked about dressing in drag. One day his wife of many years came home and found him in ladies undergarments. He was so afraid and she later said to him "I never want to see that look of fear on you again. I support you 100% in who you are." They've been married for 27 years now. Over on Chuck Currie's blog there's an article about 2 Republican Representatives being less than honest about who they are: " Rep. Ed Schrock of VA was the first to fall. Now comes word that California Rep. David Dreier, CA-26 maybe the next to join the scandal crowd. "

But there are a lot of good things happening. On the Portland Communique there's an article about the Portland City Council unanimously opposing measure 36. You know, Randy Leonard, City Commissioner, brought this to a vote. I have to tell you that I have turned the corner with Leonard. A few years back he ran his race against Serena Cruz, Commissioner for Multnomah County, and being the big supporter of Serena that I am, I wasn't that fond of Randy. I remember taking my own Union to task when they called me and asked me to vote for Randy. I asked them why they weren't supporting Serena, also a Union supporter. The only answer they could give was that Randy was a long time Union employee. Anyway, all that to say, I've been pleasantly surprised at his openness and willingness to step up for civil rights equality.

I have some fun pictures to take and post. I'll try to get them on in the next few days. By the way, thanks to the Portland Communique for the term Special Rights for Heterosexuals Coalition. I have a little chuckle every time I read it because it is so right on in its description of this group.

35 Weeks!!!

It’s hard to believe that we could have our baby girl in just a month! I feel like I’ve gone from a healthy and active woman to a nine-months pregnant woman in the span of about a week… Today, especially, my energy seems really tapped and the baby’s squirms are starting to become more and more painful (especially when she’s kicking my ribs!). I knew there would be a time when I be looking forward to not being pregnant; I’m just a bit surprised it has come so suddenly. But who knows, maybe I just need a nap! Articles I’ve been reading indicate that naps are especially important during this last month. If only I had a bed at the office! Here's what Babycenter.com has to say about 35 weeks:

Your baby's getting big. She weighs a tad over 5 pounds and is just over 18 inches long. Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Your uterus — now up under your ribs — has expanded to about 15 times its original volume, and you may feel like you've run out of room! If you could peek inside your uterus, you'd see that there's much less amniotic fluid and much more baby in there now.

Today I completed all of the hospital paperwork and will get that in to them so that our admitting procedures run more smoothly. Of course, I was supposed to get them in a few months back; better late than never!

I’m also trying to remember to drink my Pregnancy Tea. It has Red Raspberry Leaf tea which is supposed to help tone the uterine muscles in preparation for birth. The flavor is not too bad; it’s just a bit hard to remember to drink it (funny how forgetful I’ve become).

Hi all, Susan here, climbing (carefully) up on my soapbox for a bit of theory.

We’ve been getting a lot of raised eyebrows from many directions when we mention that we’ll be co-sleeping with our new daughter… It’s understandable that in our society this seems a bit ‘out there’ in approach, but if you look at how humans have been raising babies for centuries – and how the rest of the world does it, this approach is much more in tune with our natural instincts. Co-sleeping is one of the core tenets of a parenting approach called Attachment Parenting. (Other ideals include breastfeeding, baby wearing (as in a sling), emotional responsiveness, etc.) Studies show that co-sleeping is better for the baby (possible lower rates of SIDS) and for the parents (better sleep).

Attachment Parenting is all about putting the nurturing of the baby first; responding to their needs on their schedule but also tempered with positive discipline (you can read more about the ideals at http://www.attachmentparenting.org/ideals.shtml). In many ways, this approach is in direct contrast with the ‘convenience’ parenting styles which have been popular in the US over the last few decades. Those styles encouraged parents to get their babies on (the parents’) schedules and proposed that crying was a form of manipulation (thus letting babies cry themselves to sleep). Wow – after taking a step back and thinking about things, it makes a lot of sense that the crying is, in fact, the only way infants can communicate their needs and to ignore those needs encourages a lack of trust and feelings of insecurity. By responding to baby’s crying and pre-crying behaviors, baby’s and moms begin to reinforce their communication cues (and crying incidents are actually reduced).

One of the foremost experts on Attachment Parenting (a family, actually) is Dr. Sears (https://www.askdrsears.com/default.asp) and I’ve been reading his book, The Baby Book. In it, he states some fantastic research in his 30+ years of being a pediatrician and seeing what works. I encourage you to check it out on your own so I can climb down off this soap box, already!

Things on this end are going well. We start our Birthing From Within classes this week; it’s a very small class so we’re hosting the class in our home. We also found a doula! We think she’s peachy keen and can’t wait to get to know her a little better.

I went to the chiropractor today to make sure all was aligned as much as possible; plus my back has been a bit achy lately. Doc says things look good but we’re going to work on easing some aches and pains over the next month as much as possible.

That’s about all there is to report – tomorrow we reach 35 weeks and it’s just impossible to imagine that our baby could actually be here in a month!

One of the gifts Susan's co-workers gave Bean is from Baby Einstein. It's from their discover and play series for birth and up. Good thing they add the "up" because I love them too. The color blocks have multiple textures and hidden sounds and mirrors.

We finally have a weekend to start preparing the house and making decisions about locations for things like the bassinet--upstairs or downstairs? When Susan woke up this morning she said she can't wait to be able to bend again.

Jack is getting comfortable with the house again now that we've been without guests for a few days. He spends a lot of time at the door watching bugs. He loves looking out; he is too scared to go out, though. If the door opens his feet move so fast they can't get enough traction as he tries to run away.

Most people have seen the Gweneth Paltrow Gua Sha cupping photos out there. Gua sha leaves red and purple marks on the skin, but it's not painful. On the contrary, it's great relief. My acupuncturist/Chinese medicine therapist is amazing. Yesterday, she used a ceramic spoon and then cups and finally needles to release the muscle toxins and tension in my neck and shoulders. Ahhhhhhh. It feels so good!

Susan and I went to Gajamukha last night. This dance/music performance was the kick-off of a 30 city U.S. tour of this story of the elephant headed Lord Ganesha. The costumes were amazing and the artistic director, D. Jayanthi Raman (from Portland), embellished an account of the birth of Gajamukha and the interactions of other beings and entities (mouse, bull, moon) with Gajamukha. The performance is beautiful but very long. We didn't get out until nearly 11 p.m. If it's coming to your city--it's well worth the ticket purchase. And the tickets are less expensive than most events at 15.00 to 35.00. A lot of people brought their children. Texans listen up--this performance is coming to your city next weekend! Both Houston and Austin.

Susan update: She's frantic about all the things we need to do before the baby arrives. We created a list and are doing our best to work through it one step at a time. It's getting hard for her to find any comfortable position while sleeping. Her ankles were very swollen last night. I rubbed them with peppermint lotion. They're better in the mornings and it helps that the weather is cooler.

Yesterday I was talking to Susan about Chuck Currie's site. It's such a valuable resource for information. We were talking about Chuck's recent post "Jimmy Carter to Zell Miller: You have betrayed our trust." I still find it hard to believe that Zell Miller spoke in support of Bush at the RNC. Anyway, today we got an email from Chuck giving us some good old fashioned advice to rest up while we can now and after the baby comes to nap as frequently as possible. Chuck and his wife have twin daughters--Frances and Katherine. They're super cute.

Niki and Patrick sent out their engagement picture. No date is set yet, but they're aiming for August or September in Montana 2005.


Susan's family put together a bbq on labor day. This is her dad, Joe, at the grill. He was out of town a lot last month. It was great to get together with them all again.


Susan's energy is zapped a bit. She's taking a nap right now. The Casey Eye Institute called today. The MRI results came back with multi-focal white matter changes and an early indication of demyelinization disease. Given my younger age and the facts that white matter changes appear and that I had a recent optic neuritis even, I am in a high risk category for developing MS. To put it into perspective, there's absolutely no guarantee that MS will occur or that anything will happen further. However, there are newer drug therapies for preventing (and treating) MS. My neurologist wants me to start on Avonex (by intramuscular injection) once per week and then have another MRI in six months to re-evaluate. I'm not sure about that. A lot of what I've read indicates that MS is all over the board on diagnosis. First of all, it's a clinical diagnosis (based on symptoms and indicators). Second, I have to figure out my risk limits. I'm certainly not aligned with the aggressive treatment approach for anything. My preference is more acupuncture than drug therapy. Anyway, I asked them to give me a day to think about it. I think that my next step is going to be to ask for a second opinion.

Hi all – Susan here dropping in to catch you all up on Little Bean’s progress… She’s been an active baby this afternoon – nearly knocking the wind out of me with a couple of her strong kicks. Sheryl and I joke about what types of hobbies she’ll have once she joins us; sometimes we joke she’ll be a drummer because she responds so well to music but today I think she’s favoring kick-boxing, ha ha.

Today marks 34 weeks! In just three short weeks we’ll be considered full term although most women carry through 40 weeks. Developmentally, this is what Babycenter.com has to say about her at 34 weeks (and a bit in there about mom too):

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds and is probably almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which she'll need to regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her central nervous system is still maturing and her lungs are well developed by now. If you've been nervous about going into preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that 99 percent of babies this age can survive outside the womb — and most have no major long-term problems related to prematurity.

You may be feeling a little fatigued lately, and that's perfectly understandable. Let yourself slow down and save some energy for labor day… You may be fatigued from lack of sleep, especially from having to run to the bathroom at night as your uterus keeps the pressure on your bladder.

In some of the preparation we’re doing for the birth experts talk about positive and negative words; trying to focus on the very positive. Recommended is to drop the term ‘labor’ in favor of the more positive ‘birthing’. I like that. As for the frequent trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night – there’s a good reason that is such a stereotype; I’ve been averaging a minimum of two trips each night – sigh.

We are interviewing a second doula tonight – and a third tomorrow. Then we’ll make our final decision on which one to go with. Sheryl is excited to have the extra support there because this person can help in the support role (freeing Sheryl up to play photographer at times); I’m excited to have additional hands because I know they’ll also be able to communicate our wishes to the nursing staff when we’re otherwise indisposed. (I’m really concerned about interventions that are unnecessary – especially IVs, fetal monitors, etc.)

Today is our anniversary; we were married (for the first time) two years ago at an awesome place called Edgefield. Sheryl and I have been so busy with baby preparations and house guests that it kind of donned on us yesterday that we hadn’t really thought what we would do to celebrate. We’ll look to do something special this coming weekend to celebrate, I’m sure.

Niki brought this adorable winter baby coat/bundle unit she picked up at a store in Montana. It's new, yet old. The tag on the inside says "Buntikins, patent pending, by Walter J. Munro." Another tag indicates that it is a Walter J. Munro Inc. design and that it should be laundered in Ivory Snow --a mild laundry detergent. The branding for the Ivory Snow logo is old. Anyway, I haven't been able to find information about this buntikin. The material is all orlon-acrylic first developed in the 1950s, I think, and used for clothing a lot in the 1960s.


Also from Montana Bryan and Kellie sent us a surprise--a beautiful bassinet. They have 2 children, Brendan and Loden. This was a really wonderful thing to send and it's perfect. It's mobile and yet the wheels lock when needed. We aren't getting a crib. We're co-sleeping. Kellie and Bryan also sent a whole set of clothes that we can't wait to use. We're joking that there will be an hourly fashion show at our home.


Susan just zipped through The Da Vinci Code novel by Dan Brown in 3 days, company and all! She said he's an entertaining writer. Does a good job of weaving mystery clues and historical facts into the story. I am waiting to read "The Passion of Pedro Almodovar" in the New York Times Magazine. He's one of my favorite directors. Niki, Patrick and I went to see Supersize Me last night at the Bagdad theater and pub. Once the movie started we couldn't even make it through the popcorn we were sharing. I'm so glad we don't eat at McDonald's. Really, fast food isn't in our diet anymore. Well, there is the occasional submarine sandwich when we're on the road.

We drove to the coast today and stopped on the way at the largest Sitka Spruce tree in the United States. It's on Hwy 26 before you get to 101--the coast highway.


Then we went to Hug Point and ate lunch and went in the water and read books and played frisbee and hiked and watched everyone else having fun too. Well, Niki and Patrick were brave enough to go in the water. The Pacific ocean is very cold.


It was a beautiful day for it. Low 70s, blue skies. Patrick tried his hand at kite flying but the wind wasn't that strong today.

A note about Susan: She's doing great! Her ankles are still swollen. Her abdominal muscles are getting stretched in all directions and this is causing some discomfort. I'd say that this is the most uncomfortable time she's had in her pregnancy. But she's being a trooper and having a blast with her best friend, Niki.

We went to the Saturday market yesterday. It wasn't as busy as I thought. Patrick loved the music. Whenever we lost track of him we would gravitate to the music areas. Patrick and Niki picked up some plants--rosemary, venus flytrap, a water sundew, and a pitcher plant. The Saturday market is a great place to buy cool plants very reasonably priced at about $5 or less.

We had a bbq at the house in the evening. It's getting darker earlier and earlier now. I think it was dark at 7:30 yesterday. This is our friend Megan playing the drum.

Pamela is an awesome guitar player, mostly classical, but she can play a steel string like nobody's business. Whatever that means. Here she just showed some cool drum beats, and she was about to tune my sharply tuned guitar back to normal tuning.

Some of our guests brought gifts for the baby shower because they can't come to that; Susan opened them last night.

Wes and Martha were the previous owners of this house, though they hadn't lived in it for about 4 years before selling it to us.

Today, the Sunday before labor day, is the day that Susan and I met eachother years ago.

Patrick is filling our house with music!

Patrick and Niki made it in from Montana late yesterday and we've been tooling around the city today. Niki went with us to Susan's doctor's appt. and heard the baby's heartbeat today. The rhythm was down to mid 120s which the Dr. said is normal in later stages of pregnancy. Here's Niki reading the wheel of progress. Oct. 20 = just over 33 weeks.

We saw Vera Katz in the long hall from the parking garage to the hospital. It was obvious that she didn't want to engage in conversation so we didn't. We just said "hello" and went on our way. Susan took a nap and the rest of us went downtown. There was a hip hop dance contest at Pioneer square.

Then we stood in the echo circle where your own voice reverberates.

We spent a long afternoon in Powell's bookstore. I picked up the Sears and Sears The Baby Book--the ultimate infant care book. When I checked out, the woman at the register said "I'm reading a Margaret Atwood book!" And then she picked up my next book and said "I just read this book." It's Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy. I think it kind of weirded her out. Niki picked up some Bernstein Bears books for the children she knows in France. On the way back to the bus we came across this bike rack, overflowing. It looked like an art project.

A co-worker informed me that "bean" in Hawaiian is Ka pea. I looked up the translation for bean on the Cherokee Nation site's language pages and found the word tuya. I like the Cherokee Nation site. It has a lot of good information about culture and history. A lot of my family lives in North Oklahoma. Both of my parents were born and raised in that region. Susan's family is from Kansas. We sometimes joke that we are probably related and that if our parents hadn't migrated we would have met in that region of the world. As it is, we had to take the long windy road to meet in Forest Grove.

I got my hair cut today and while I was waiting I read a book from the coffee table about symbols. They had a brief few pages on Carl Jung who they said developed theories from work with his diverse--"normal, neurotic and psychotic"--patients. This struck a funny bone in me. I told Susan about it but she doesn't quite see the humor I do in these being called out as dimensions of diversity.