Aaron: So I saw a cartoon in the newspaper I was going to clip for you
Me: Oh really? What was it about?
Aaron: Well there's this husband and he is sitting up in bed saying "I can't sleep! I'm so worried that we won't be able to sell our home in this market!" And the wife says, "But honey, we don't want to sell our home". And he says, "yes but what if we wanted to??! I'm so worried! What should I do?" And then the wife replies, "I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to go to sleep and be happy that I am not you!"
Me: And that scenario was familiar to you?
Aaron: Little bit...yes. Just..flipped.
This morning, at 2am I informed Aaron that the financial sky was falling!The stock market!!!! DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE STOCK MARKET TODAY? They were saying we were in the worst economic shape we had been in since the 1930's! The Great Depression! We were all going to starve! The bread lines! Aaron! The BREAD LINES!!!
He said, "hmmm.....no I don't think so. Things will probably get better tomorrow" Today when he called from work I asked him what the stock market was doing today. He said "hmm....let me check., "hmmm...yes our stocks are up".
I want you to know that the day Aaron worries, I am going to post to this website. And that is the day that you really should take it upon yourself to panic. But until then, don't worry. I will take care of that for all of us.
Because if I don't worry I am being irresponsible dontcha know
Confession of a confused mother...
In my recent Works for me Wednesday post, I captioned the slumbering child in the photo as boomerang baby #4 ie Finny. But after posting I looked more closely at the picture. Something looked odd. I clicked on it to see it larger and what to my aged eyes did appear but FRECKLES.
Finny doesn't have freckles. But Gabe does. That is a picture of Gabe. And I can still only tell because of the freckles. It is a bit tragic isn't it? Since that is not a picture of him as a baby, but him NOW as a child 3 years older then the child I mistook him for.
Oh dear.
Is your vote largely based on being Pro-life?....
then you really should read this. (I mean you Jen Lynn). And anyone else who wants to make an informed and responsible choice :)
And in political news closer to home.....
Druuuumroooolllll Please join me in congratulating Mr. Vice President Ben (" Yeah Hannah Montana voted for me") Sayer!
WOOT!
His speech was masterfully delivered. We laughed, we cried, we believed. Oh he was magnificent. No really, he was very good, and incredibly cute in his little power tie. And regardless of whether he won or not, I think he used the opportunity to speak to all his school-mates very well, showed his fine character and did us all proud. Go Benj, Go Benj..It's your birthday...Well actually no, it's not so don't get carried away ok?
One day I will be smart enough to know how to get the video off my video camera onto something that the internet can peruse, and then you can see for yourself. But here's a picture taken by his little sister who was dragged from her sick bed to watch him and then taken directly to the Dr. (We have our priorities). But not before she dragged her feverish little self across the school in search of a ballot so she could vote for her big bro. That my friends, is loyalty. We like.
Finny showed his support by cheerfully exclaiming to every person we passed on the way out, "Vote for Ben!".... "Vote for Ben!" it was very sweet. Gabe apparently shrieked like a girl when the news came over the PA system. He is not ashamed of that at all. Go Gabe.
I like these kids.
*Edited to add a belated shout-out to my awesome neighbour Tiffany who has her finger on the pulse of all that is cool and helped us select the most popular peeps for the posters. Yay Tiff!
What made me laugh til I cried as I folded Mt. Laundry yesterday...
Mostly because she reminds me of myself in the way she starts off trying to be all calm and rational and by the end she is waving her hands and frothing at the mouth and saying the H E double hockey sticks word (which by the way I think I show great restraint in not using on my own da...rn blog since it is not considered a swear in SA or apparently in England-and neither is the da*n word). Ellen's closing comment just made it even more sublime.
**Not that I should have to put a disclaimer on my own d*mn blog but a heads up that this is (gasp) political, so if that makes you all squirrely and apt to break out in a rash, you should come back tomorrow :)
Speaking of which, go make your voice heard on this issue, here:
PBS Is Sarah Palin qualified to serve as VP poll
Oh and by the way, a message to all the commentators on youtube who were suprised/scandalized/outraged that she would dare to have an opinion given that she is "not even a citizen!" Seriously? Are you serious? Are you seriously SERIOUS???
Even if she didn't live here and she didn't pay a squillion dollars in taxes every year, and if she weren't as affected by this election as any other bona fide card carrying citizen, here's a news-flash: the US is a pretty influential country. Yeah...just a bit. And what happens has an enormous impact on the rest of the world, with repercussions that affect pretty much everyone on the planet. Nobody else's business? Please tell me you are kidding.
I'm Kirsty Sayer and I approved this message
Keeping little heads in their beds
So you know those ads where you see the mom and the dad lovingly tuck their little cherubs in, and then they turn out the light and leave the room and the little cherub sighs happily, turns on their side and goes right off into dream-land as the parents look at each other in a satisfied way? Aaahh so sweet. So peaceful
So not how it goes in our house. A more typical scene:
This is how it goes:
- put them to bed lovingly,
- ask them why they are out of bed-in a loving way
- send them back to bed after they have had a snack
- ask them why they are out of bed-in a neutral way
- send them back to bed after they have had some water and pee'ed
- ask them why they are out of bed in an irritable way
- send them back to bed after repenting of the irritation long enough to kindly explain to them why they should not fear burglars/monsters/bugs/the act of sleep itself
- ask them why they are out of bed in an unmistakably exasperated way
- send them back to bed after telling them that the only thing they should really be afraid of is YOU.
- OR: they stay in bed but laugh and talk all the live long day believing that you cannot hear them even after you tell them repeatedly that YOU. CAN.HEAR. THEM and issue dire warnings making you seriously wonder if they are as smart as they are supposed to be.
Last year my husband went on a business trip in the Dead Of Winter. I'm not good at the Dead Of Winter. All of my reserves in terms of patience, tolerance and energy are very low to begin with because I have this strange need for sunlight . Anyway, throw in absent daddy, a plethora of Pre-Christmas activities and many feet of snow and it all gets a bit scary to think about. I decided that I simply could.not .be .dealing with the bedtime boomerang child syndrome and so I did me some thinking about what form of bribery it would take to make it stop so that my husband could return to all children in good health and a non-incarcerated wife. Whatever cluck all you like people, you and I both know that it always comes down to bribery. (I prefer to call it Rewards and Incentives). This is what I came up with. (Apologies to those who read about it last year, I just thought it should be an official works for me. Since it really did)
So: I put my kids to bed each clutching 2 of my business cards in their little mitts. Having something of mine to clutch seemed to be an additional comfort. Poor little urchins. Other kids get a teddy bear, mine, a piece of cardboard. They were told that each time they got out of bed, or had to be told to be quiet, they would lose a card. Loss of one card would mean they lost the privilege of hot chocolate with the story the next night, two would mean loss of the privilege of the actual story. Horrors! But! If they kept BOTH cards they would get an extra treat on top of keeping both the hot chocolate and the bedtime book. Imagine that! (I did not tell them what the extra treat was and changed it each night. I believe this part was key to my success. Sometimes it was extra marshmallows, others doing a fun project with me. It took some creativity but never much expense. And you can be creative when you have enough downtime and sleep. Small bribes, especially when they are mysterious work surprisingly well with this age group. (Another reason to love this age-group)
And it worked! Oh how well it did work. I got to put my kids to bed every single night without morphing into Monster Mommy by the 12th time I repeated doing so. It was simply mahvelous. And then daddy returned and in our joy and gladness we forgot about the cards because we are apparently masochists or just very stupid. And actually, for a while they forgot that they had to get up 54 times each night as they were somewhat in the habit of just staying there. But that of course did not last long.
No longer! I am resolving to start the Pre-Halloween Bedtime Business Card Edition as of tomorrow night. I hope to slowly wean them from this very bad horrible awful no good habit and do away with the bribery eventually. I do have really good kids in pretty much every other regard, I suppose this is the price to pay if I want to be an official card-carrying mother.
Bedtime Boomerang Babies no more! Hope this can save someone else from sticking a fork in their eye.
Can't help falling in love......
I asked Finny today as we sat on the swing on the deck soaking up a perfect (and now officially Autumn) day what he would be when he grew up. He remained true to what he has long felt his vocation to be(rock-star) but he branched out a bit more today. He plans to do all these things simultaneously. I suppose with careful time management and a Franklin Planner it is possible.
1.Rock-star
2.House-painter
3.Cooker
4.Life-guard
I suggested that he be a rock-star for Hallowe'en this year in order to get some practise in. He said, "I should be ELVIS" I have no idea how he knows about Elvis but ok.
So we practised saying, "thank you, thank you very much" with the Elvis lip-curl for when he received candy. He found this completely hilarious. So hilarious that he frequently had to lie down to recover. He would try to compose himself enough to say it and then collapse again in helpless laughter. Eventually he said, "I'm just not going to be able to stop laughing until all the laughs have come out". So he worked on getting them all out for a while and then he did a perfect imitation.
I'm not sure how keen he is going to be on the idea when the reality of a high collared white jump-suit faces him although I did say, "you know what Elvis has to wear though, right?" he said very airily, "oh yes, that white fing". Of all the costumes in all the world, I really did not picture Finny wearing this one at Hallowe'en. But I have no doubt he would rock it.
EVERYONE is voting for Ben!
Congrats to Benj and Gabe who continue their 2 year winning streak in student council! WOOT! We are still on track for the Sayer/Sayer ticket in 2000-something (I am too tired for Maths).
This year Benj is also eligible to run for Vice President. And oy to the V- E -Y , have we spent a lot of time trying to find words that rhyme with Ben and Sayer. (Surprisingly few. Agonizingly few.)
With lots of creative input from friends and family (er...thanks Luke)... and even a staged soccer photo shoot with the styling expertise of Coach Nathan, this is what we came up with. Can you believe we found so many celebs to wear Vote for Ben t-shirts?! And I thought that it was jolly decent of McCain/Palin to endorse him considering we won't be returning the favour.
I stayed up very late/early finishing these up. Being a campaign manager is hard work and the pay is ridiculous but it is all worth it to wake up to a 10 year old who is increasingly hard to impress saying, " MOM! THE POSTERS ARE FREAKING AWESOME!!" I suppose they were somewhat less impressive when he left for bed with a pile of cut out celebrities on the rug.
VOTE FOR BEN!! Now we just have to come up with the speech. Strength.
*click to enlarge these. It is worth it.
True love
My mom sent me this via email today.
His lovely wife is injured
He brings her food and cares for her needs
He returns from finding food to find her dead
He tries to wake her
Desperately
Realizing she is gone he stands vigil at her side.
Touching and sad and also puts this into a new perspective:
Matthew 10:
29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
Bread making for the domestically challenged..
So, like bread...it's expensive lately. Have you noticed? No? Well it is. Also?..everything else.
And you know the eveeeeiil high fructose corn syrup that everyone is getting hysterical about although none of us are quite sure why, but we know it is bad. BAD by golly, and that is enough to know.
Anyway, even though all of us have been eating it for years and years and years in pretty much every form and so did our parents and all that blah blah blah... it is way too evil for our little precious ones. So now that I know that this evil is out there and that I must protect my innocents from it I have noticed that it is pretty much in everything. Including the nice wholesome looking 100% wholewheat bread with the Amish wagon on the front that I buy from Kroger! 100% Wholewheat bread WITH an Amish wagon picture?? What the??? Is nothing sacred people?!
Ok so what have we surmised so far. Bread. Expensive. Also: Everything Else. Back to bread: If you buy it from Kroger (or anywhere else) it is full of deadly poisons that will eventually probably kill you. Maybe. Best we don't be taking that chance.
Which naturally leads us to: Ta-daaaaah! D'OH! What every good Mormon woman should have been doing since she was a Sunbeam: Making Your Own Bread.
I have always had a major mental block about bread making (similar to the mental block I have about everything else that goes on in the kitchen) but bread making was especially major and for this I blame my mother. Otherwise very competent in the kitchen, she always seemed to have a bit of a fear of the making of the bread and since she was otherwise so capable, I decided it was impossible for one so culinary-ly handicapped as myself. But then due to the poverty and fear of the poisons, I faced my fears. Or more like I decided that there was nothing to lose.
So I tried it. And I failed miserably. I ended up with bread that might have been acceptable for a Seder but very little else. It was yummy, but very very flat.
But then I tried it again! The very next day. And I succeeded spectacularly. Spectacularly I say. I called my mom in South Africa immediately. She was astounded.
I got a recipe from my friend Amy who is not afraid of stuff that happens in the kitchen. Since I do not have the pre-requisite to be a good Mormon housewife within my unrighteous possession:
she suggested I use my bread machine. That she gave me. ('Cos she is such a good Mormon woman that she has a spare). So basically you double the recipe mix it all up in the bread machine on the dough cycle, wait for it to rise, then divide it, roll it out, make it into nice little loaf shapes (that's my favourite part), put them in pans, let it rise some more (how about that rising!), bake it and then if you are like me, you eat it all in one sitting. With butter and honey.
WARNING :Homemade bread is not at all like store-bought bread. It is dangerously good and it is pretty much a crime not to eat it when it is warm, which requires eating it in all in half a day. Isn't it purty? It smells even better then it looks. The smell alone is enough to make you consider becoming a professional bread maker.
Here is the recipe for Whole-wheat bread that even the most domestically troubled amongst us can handle:
1 1/3 C water (warm-hot)
5 Tbsp. melted butter
2 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
1 2/3 C bread flour
2 1/3 C whole wheat
5 Tbsp dry milk
2 1/2 tsp yeast
*Choose the dough cycle or use your righteous mixer until it is very thoroughly mixed. Amy uses her righteous mixer for about 15-20 mins. Then you let it rise in there (covered) for about an hour or until it looks about 2x as much as it did when you chucked everything in. Amazing how that yeast works!
*Divide in two. Roll out into a rectangle and roll into a loaf, place seam side down in the pans.
* Cover the pans and let them rise some more. I put them in a warm (but turned off) oven with a pretty little cloth over, (it really should be pretty). Let them rise for an additional 20 mins.
*Bake for 15 mins at 425 degrees.
*Enjoy
*Go for an extra long run
BONUS: Just for you my lovely readers! An even easier recipe!
Honey Oat Bread
1 C water
1/4 C honey
1/4 C softened butter
1 1/4 C wheat flour
1 C bread flour
1/2 C quick oats
1 t. salt
2 t. yeast
Bake 350 for 40-50 mins
I did not double this recipe and let my bread machine do all the work overnight. It was perfect and yummy. My kids especially approved and they are very weird about bread.
If you have questions do not hesitate to inquire. There is no kitchen based question too basic for a person like me. If you wonder, trust me people I have wondered. And then I asked Amy. And now I have the answer. So ask away.
Enjoy!
This is the time of your life...
I have mentioned before that I love the words to this song and having just returned from the funeral of my 34 year old friend Stacey, a mother of five, they resonate more with me then ever. Something she had written to be read at the service emphasize those words even more,
"When it seems like there is not going to be a tomorrow, live for today. Watch the sunsets (maybe the sunrise too, but who gets up that early?) Smell the flowers, eat new foods..."
The words of the song I love so much? "This is the time of your life. What you gonna do with it? Don't fool with it", have certainly been put more poetically often and in many different forms. But I have always found it emotive and thought provoking, perhaps because no words are minced.So how much do I live for today, this, the only time I have guaranteed to me? I have been known to say "Oh I love Autumn..it is just a pity it comes before Winter..."
This my friends is a classic example of not living for today. So instead of living in steadfast denial that Autumn is on it's way, I will show you some of the treasures that Finny and I picked up on a lovely walk the other day to confirm this wonderful fact.
I love the light in the Autumn. It is just so mellow and beautiful.
Finny decorated his bike with all the brightly coloured leaves he found. Do you like his Hello shirt? I do. I made it for him because I had one as a child which I adored..
See what it says on the back?
Here it is a little closer. ..bitter sweet. Do you remember mine, mom and dad?
And here is the collage he made for Muss Cindi his teacher. Isn't it amazing how much better things look once the huge gobs of glue of have dried?
Glorious Autumn is on its way! But it is still quite warm and Summer is not quite ready to let go. And on this day, the time of my life, that is just fine with me!
Remembering Stacey..
~2 Timothy 4:7
You know those kiddy punching bags that stand on the ground and when you hit them they get knocked almost to the ground but never quite, and then they pop right back up again? That was Stacey, exactly.
Stacey's life was one of the hardest I have ever known. She experienced so much physical and emotional pain, the loss of a child, the betrayal of those who were supposed to love protect and support her during some of the most critical periods of her illness, her fight to keep her children in her care as she was simultaneously fighting for her life.... I cannot imagine the strength and courage it would take to experience even one of these trials but time and time again Stacey picked herself back up and punched back. Her strength can only be described as superhuman.
As strong as she was, she was always soft. She was gentle, compassionate, forgiving to a fault. She was an incredibly generous human being. She did not allow bitterness to rob her of the time she had left. Her sense of humour never left her. The night before her first brain surgery (she was seven months pregnant and would remain awake throughout the surgery) I called her. She sounded nervous but cheerful. She chattered away and made jokes. I put down the phone that night sure that I would never speak to anyone braver.
Stacey's devotion to her children was nothing short of angelic. There was nothing she would not endure to remain here to take care of them. I absolutely believe that she stayed alive this long through sheer will and love for those kids. Five years ago the Dr.'s gave her a few months at the most. But she decided otherwise and proved them wrong. I am so glad her suffering is over, I know that her welcome into Heaven today was a joyful and glorious one, but my heart aches for her five children who lost the most wonderful mommy. I know she will now be a wonderful angel mommy to them but I can't imagine the pain they must be feeling at this time. Please send your prayers to Logan, Kelsey, Bailey, Avery and Sayler. In them Stacey has left a marvelous legacy. Her children know their mother loved them, that she still loves them. They know that God loves them and that they can reach out to Him and He will be there for him. As her friend, she has left me with many priceless memories and lessons about how to live life, and love life even when life is not going according to plan. I am so grateful to her. I will miss her so much. May she truly rest in peace.
Recent newspaper article about Stacey and her children.
Looking back..looking forward...
Gracie told me that she had to wear red white and blue to school today because of "that holiday.. you know....?" she said vaguely. When I finally figured out that she was referring to the commemoration of 9-11-01, I realized that Gracie had not yet been born when the Twin towers were hit. She was safely snuggled up somewhere under my ribs. I can hardly believe it has been that long.
As chubby little thirteen month old Gabe stood happily trying to catch the CNN ticker as it scrolled the increasingly dreadful news across the screen, I was struck by the contrast of his sweet innocence with the unthinkable evil that had motivated the people flying those planes.
Remarkably, life goes on, my children were blessed to be oblivious to the horror of that day and thankfully to a large extent they remain that way.
But many other children weren't as lucky. Children who lost fathers and mothers that day are still without them seven years later. Children thousands of miles away in Afghanistan and Iraq found their lives and innocence shattered as a war raged around them due to what happened on this day in the United States.
More fathers and mothers continue to be taken from their children both here and there every day. I am hoping that by 9-11-09 as we commemorate those who were lost, we will be also be able to have a real sense of closure knowing that the war in Iraq is over and we are really, finally moving on.
Seven years is too long.
My prayers are with all those families who are remembering their loved ones today.
Surviving big white floors and OCD tendencies..
So I may have mentioned the fact that I have a big white kitchen floor. And four kids. Which two elements kind of make for the perfect storm of OCD induced meltdowns. Thus I have spent much energy in researching and perfecting the easiest/most effective floor cleaning methods in order to keep my family together.
We have been over (and over) my devotion to this product. But wait! There's more!
(First can I say that I'm just so sorry for those of you who have not yet experienced the wonder and joy of this device. My heart really just bleeds for you. I hope the scales will soon fall from your eyes and you will do whatever it takes to procure one, because your life will never be the same. In a good way) But wait! It gets better!
In the interests of full disclosure I have mentioned that although this product is magical and marvelous, once the steam dries it often leaves a little pile of dusty residue where you did not sweep quite well enough (it's almost impossible to pick it all up prior to steaming because the Shark ferrets out dirt that you can't even see. It's Just That Good) . In the past I have dragged the ugly little dustpan and broom out and whisked it away, or in my less environmentally friendly moments, grabbed a paper towel.
This usually left less then OCD-approved perfect results and I had to take a few more swipes. But then! I went to a garage sale. Garage sales, may I just add at this juncture, have yielded me some of my most golden finds, and I believe that everyone should attend at least one each summer. It's good for the soul. ANYWAY, for 3 bucks I picked up this little baby.
And my life was changed, once again. I was complete. No more dustpan and broom necessary, no more paper towels. Just steam steam swoosh and the whoosh with the dustbuster and..perfection. For approximately 3.4 seconds.
My shark steam mop and my garage sale dustbuster make the most diabolical little dirt destroying duo and I am very happy. If I ever have a dirty kitchen floor now, you can just blame it on the fact that my laziness has overcome my OCD-ness because really there is no other excuse. None.
I do hope this is the last entry regarding my kitchen floor because I think it may have got a bit disturbing and sad a few posts ago already.
Supporting the arts...
Last night I was doing a little project and Gracie was gathering the bits of cardstock that were left over from my cuttings and making them into lovely decorated frames for her many masterpieces. Gracie is a prolific artist indeed. As we all marveled at her creativity and talent I noticed Gabe drawing her into a private conversation.
He was telling her that she should definitely sell her artwork on eBay. I heard him say, "you would definitely sell them, that is NOT a lot of money to pay for a CARDBOARD picture made by a SIX YEAR OLD!" He is deeply impressed and has much faith in the retail value of her genius apparently. (I love how that kid is ever supportive with no concept of sibling rivalry. It is tres endearing.)
They continued to murmer intently, until I heard Gabe exclaim in great earnestness, "I've GOT it! I know what you should draw to sell!...DOGS! Playing POKER". It was only Gracie's gasp of amazed joy at the recognition of such a gem of an idea that made the moment funnier.
My kids have got them some culture.
Thought provoking times...
Ok so Sarah Palin. She looks nice, she is well spoken, clearly knows how to work a crowd, has a very beautiful family and has remained married for a respectable period of time. These are all commendable things. Also commendable is that she sees herself as a force for change and is not afraid to act to get what she wants. Lots of us could benefit from just a bit of her chutzpah.
But here is what bewilders me and please feel free to chime in (respectfully please) if you can help me to understand better. I know many Republicans (particularly those of my faith) are Republicans largely because they believe this party better espouses family values. I disagree but I can see why they think so and respect their right to vote their conscience as I do mine. That's not the part that bewilders me. The part that bewilders me is that Sarah Palin has 5 children. One is a pregnant teen, another is a just barely not newborn baby with special needs. But let's not forget the sweet kids in between who don't have a "label" but are no doubt equally in need of focused parenting.
Palin's top priority right now is gaining political office. If she wins, the country requires that she totally commit to this job which substantially precludes her from raising her family.
In terms of family values, it seems a conundrum to me. Any thoughts?
All you want to do is dance, dance, dance....
This awesome singer invited the kids onto the stage at the end of her set to sing a song with her. Benj also got to name one of her songs.
Benj takes the mic.
And just cos there weren't enough pics of this cute girl, here she is that evening too.
Hot magical summer nights... we love you so! Please never leave!
Why yes I believe I can..
Have I mentioned that every day at about noon, Finny says to me:
"Mommy! I would like a peanut butter samich, wif jelly cut down in the middle and no crust. Do you fink you can make that happen for me sweet cheeks?"
If I say, "hmm... maybe.."
He says, "because you are the best mommy in the whole wide world!"
That kid is smooth.
Who could resist this dirty little face?
On Friday night we went to an art festival downtown. As we walked down there the kids were prioritizing the activities for the evening. Finny said, "I just want to dance with my beautiful mommy". He should write a primer:
"How to make a sucker of your mommy".
Me and my charming dance partner.
My boyfriend's back.....
in pre-school that is. That was the longest break ever. Poor kid. He thought the day would never come.
The impatiens are now as high as (an impatient) pre-schooler's eye!
This is the face of the experienced pre-schooler, taking in the lay of the land. His kingdom. He is one of "da big guys" this year. He told me that he could not wait to "take care of the little guys. I love those little guys"
.
I love this little guy. He is still very little. Really.
And now mom has 2.5 hours sans children each weekday. It feels very odd once again, but I'm sure I will become accustomed to it. I will manage somehow.
Labour Day
I found this Labour Day survey at rocks in my dryer and who am I not to jump on the chance to talk about birth?
How long were your labors?
1st-13 hours
2nd-16 hours
3rd-17 hours
4th-25 hours
(Do you see a pattern here that may have dissuaded a smarter individual from persisting with the experiment?)
How did you know you were in labor?
1st-water broke
2nd-when the pain wouldn't stop even though it was annoyingly irregular
3rd-ditto
4th-'bout the same (I always tell my doula peeps: when you stop being excited that you are having contractions you know it is the real deal)
Where did you deliver?
1st-Little hospital in Moscow Idaho. Loved, loved, loved it. Cried when they finally made me leave after about a week. (I had no good reason to stay, they just let me).
2nd-Big hospital in Walnut Creek California. Hate, hate, hated it. Kicked me out within 24 hours.
3rd-Same hospital, hated it even worse. Kicked me out in 18 hours, with 2 toddlers waiting for me at home.
4th-Little hospital in Ohio-water birth in their tub. Wonderful. I stayed for about a week again (although this time I did have a legitimate reason to stay, and it was not quite as fun as when I did not.)
Drugs?
I had pitocin with my first when after several hours the contractions weren't impressing my Dr. enough (they had been impressing me just fine). But never any pain meds. Heck yes, I'm tough.
C-section?
Thankfully never although it was a near thing when the 1st had a bit of prolapsed cord issue but it all came right.
Who delivered?
1. Dr. Episiotomy. He was a very nice man.2.Random (but nice) Midwife supplied by big hateful hospital. Swore never to return.
3.Random (but very nice) Midwife supplied by still big, still hateful hospital I returned to 18 months later.
4.Midwife I actually knew. She was great.
Today we were appropriately labouring sorting through some old papers when I came upon a little essay I wrote when Gracie was 3 weeks old. Tomorrow I will post some of that essay. I believe God sent it to me as a sign that my baby-hunger is really irrational and should be ignored.
Speaking of physical pain and feats....My favourite combo has once again occurred: New month! New week! Who worked out today? I did! I did! Did you? Didja? Didja? Tell me all about it.
