Category: Uncategorized (Page 97 of 188)

But looking good? One might be impressed by my latest bag I picked up at… Target. That is, when I get flashy enough to leave the county to make such a purchase. 

And now that the bar is set low in terms of expectations, let me just express my sheer hatred of maternity clothes. We’ve had a lot of developments in the past decade, many significant contributions to society. I now think it’s time that someone that knows how to wield a pin and needle spend some time on the wears of women in my frequent condition.  

I’ve found a few categories of maternity clothes:

1. Jeans and hoodie. This method of dressing is limited to, oh, not 90-degree weather, but it’s my preferred choice.

2. Ugly. Seriously, who decided that maternity clothes needed to look so… maternal? I’ve never owned so many pastels. I’m surprised that more of the stuff doesn’t feature applicque (um, sorry Google Chrome, but that IS a word) or cartoon characters. If not donning an ugly print, my shirt just hangs wanefully from my enormous belly. At least half of the tops aren’t “maternity” but an XXL that has an “M” on the tag instead. I have a tent in the garage that fits better than the dress I wore to Easter sunrise service. 

3. They just don’t fit. Most of the shorts I own make my buns look like “two pigs fightin’ under a blanket” (2 points if you can name that movie!). My pants from yesterday nearly turned off the circulation to my legs if I sat upright. 

OK, that’s enough whinyness for now. I’ll go dry my hair and go to work where people can look at me with pity over the clothing selection I must clearly be up against.  I consider this a public service announcement, a little bit of Calamine lotion for my sister and whoever else might be trying not to scratch an itch. 

Tune in next time when I let the opinion fly on children’s clothing. Really, who thought a collar on a baby’s pajamas would be an improvement? 

1. When it comes to pricing, Meijer wins the battle on chicken, Kroger wins on steak. Meijer also won rounds 2, 3 and 4 – veggies, fruit and spaghetti sauce. I didn’t check milk. But the discount on gas for buying groceries at Kroger… this is going to require a bigger spreadsheet. 

2. Never forget that the power to create life is greater than the power to destroy it. Straight from the newest read: Radical Homemakers. 

3. Just the intro to that book is stirring an itch for more school. I’m currently standing with my back against a wall, swaying side to side, pretending it’s not there. 

4. 2 2-year-old boys that don’t get to see each other very often but love each other very much: buckets of fun. 

5. Baby no. 3 is twice the mover and shaker that the other 2 were. Combined. There’s been so much activity that last night I had a dream that his/her hand was starting to protrude through my stomach and was able to amply grasp items. Freaky. 

6. Tomorrow I have an ultrasound to tell me just how big I really am (apparently we need more accuracy?). Not the way I really want to kick off a weekend, but I suppose it’s better than other medical procedures.

7. I still love my iphone. 

8. The kids were introduced to the idea that the van has a DVD player. They were impressed. Well, Miss M wasn’t… she was facing the back window. She only heard about it. 

9. We broke out the baby doll (with stroller and carrier) that Miss M received when she was born. Watching her carry it around has to be one of the cutest things. Ever. 

10. My lettuce is looking great. Tomatoes not too shabby. The broccoli stands strong. But the weeds are outnumbering productive veggies at a rate of 300 to 1. 

11. Today we bought a singular piece of chicken for $5. The 7 piece meal was $14.79. However, it was only dark meat. Husband and I prefer the breast. So we upgraded to the 8 piece meal for $19.99. There was one breast (we thought that by definition they come in pairs?), the rest was dark meat. KFC might receive a phone call. 

Couple that with the fact that I started reading Babycatcher (doing a pre-read to see if it could be part of a possible midwife appreciation gift) and I woke up thinking a lot about birthing decisions. Well, sure, the fact that I’m about 8 weeks away *probably* has something to do with it as well. 

I’ve mentioned before my own tendencies toward childbirth au naturale; I realize I could spend 9 cm. watching The View (or, as I tend to be a night laborer, Criminal Minds), but there’s something to the entire experience that I want. Much like running, I suppose it’s that I’m a glutton for punishment. But after 2 times, both with quick recoveries, I’ll have my sights set on that version again. Sigh. That doesn’t mean it’s any easier. I really do put it next to running half-marathons (if I’d ever run a full I would’ve put it in that category, I’m sure): no matter how many you have under your belt, it still requires a bit of mental and physical preparation and endurance to actually complete. 

But not everyone likes to run and not everyone wants to feel excruciating pain, and I’m not one to say they have to in order for life to be complete. I’m a mere advocate for having the option to do whatever works best for the woman. I’m sad that this has not always been (and still isn’t now in some settings) the case.  

The current book opens with a story of a young woman who, after successfully laboring for several hours, was strapped to a cot and forced into a gas mask to knock her out. This was basically as the baby was making an appearance; the doctor continued to gas her to prove a point: she was not strong or capable enough to do this on her own. She needed a doctor to save her. Once sedated, he actually called her an “animal” saying, “they shouldn’t be allowed to reproduce.” (So much of this story is appalling, but I promise the book as a whole is very good). 

These stories make me realize how fortunate I truly am; no one is forcing me into feeling like I can’t do something I wish. No one is keeping JE from numbing the things she wishes not to feel. The experience of welcoming a baby into the world is our own, with no one to force it otherwise. And we both enjoy the comfort of a trusting relationship with our midwife (we go to the same practice), so that if something were to go awry and she says, “THIS needs to happen” we know that it’s in the best interest of mom and baby’s health, not an agenda to prove what we can and cannot do. 

I might have a tendency to have strong opinions on some things (not all things, mind you. Ask my husband. I have only 1/8 of an opinion on movie selections). But not because I think my way is the only right way, or that it’s even better than someone else’s. Lots of people live lives different from our norm, and they’re quite happy, healthy and successful. I suppose I’d just like a bit of breathing room to explore an alternative that just might work better… at least, for us. And, in the off chance that a few others in the world are considering an adjustment or two, I appreciate that I have the freedom to share our experiences. Which is why the 6 of you continue to read this blog.
But back to the gratefulness and the freedom and the ways that we all gain a bit from learning there’s always another option, an alternative… and to healthy new babies and chicken tenders! That’s the way to end a post.