The Business of Being Born: Mini-Review

I'm trying to decide which scene was the most memorable: the live home birth in the birthing pool, the panel of doctors admitting they've never seen a "natural" birth (which was funny and oddly discomforting), or the doctor who claimed natural birth was a form of "feminist machoism." Here's the synopsis from the web site:

"Birth is a miracle, a rite of passage, a natural part of life. But birth is also big business.

...

The film interlaces intimate birth stories with surprising historical, political and scientific insights and shocking statistics about the current maternity care system. When director Epstein discovers she is pregnant during the making of the film, the journey becomes even more personal.

Should most births be viewed as a natural life process, or should every delivery be treated as a potentially catastrophic medical emergency?"

I'm sure everyone has an opinion on natural and/or home birth. Or, maybe you never thought about it.... Maybe you always knew what was right for you. Or maybe you had a horrible experience and want to explore the alternatives, as did some of the women in the film. It's amazing how many of us can relate on the end result: baby, but our stories of the birthing experience are all so different....

No matter where you stand on the subject, if you are curious about the practice of birth, this is definitely worth checking out.

PS - there are no gross out shots like they show in Lamaze, but there is some pretty horrific footage of what they did to women in the '50s....

Personal PS - I had a hospital birth, never planned on "natural," but really wasn't given the choice because of the nature of being induced....you HAVE to have an epidural. (Although, I think I waited longer than necessary to ask for one. Damn nurses!) This movie covers that too, and it hit home like a ton of bricks.

Pot Belly

Whenever I walk by her, I have to do a double take. She looks like a stitched up pot-bellied pig. She had a skin tumor removed last Tuesday, but is healing nicely. The doctor called to tell us that it isn't likely this tumor spread anywhere else, which is great news. It cost a fortune for that peace of mind though. Damn dogs....

Sew Easy

(look at these chunky knees!)

In the tradition of my grandmother and great-grandmother, I thought I'd try my hand at sewing something cute and darling for Kennedy to wear. I got the pattern for this pinafore, or apron dress, off of etsy. It is reversible, which I love, and so easy to do - all of the cutting, pinnning and sewing was done in one evening.

The pattern can be cut for sizes 1 to 5. This is the size 5! Too bad we won't be getting much use out of it. It is meant to be worn with leggings or jeans (if she would wear jeans) and can also be worn with a shirt under it. The back criss-crosses, and the inside of this one is floral. K preferred the polka-dots :-)

Word 08 - Updated

The American Dialect Society voted “bailout” as the word of the year. Now, I have linguistics as an interest in my profile for a reason -- I really do care about this kind of stuff, and want to share it with you, all four of you that are reading :-) But of course this post isn't about some stuffy old Dialect Society, but about the words that I think should have been, and quite possibly were, at the top of their list:

Stimulus - Perfect word on so many levels.

Blog - Everyone has a blog now. Everyone. Even the White House.

Facebook - Let's face it, this word is thrown around so much in conversation that it has taken on a life of its own. Plus, it means something else entirely in verb form....

HockeyMom - We love to hate her....

Pirates - specifically Somali. Have we ever heard about so many pirates in this day and age as we have in the past year?

Layoff - That was a biggie in our house this year!

Upcycle - It's good for the environment.
....

Any one have any others they'd like to add?

History in the Making

On this historic evening (MLK day) before one of the most important political days of our lives (Obama's inauguration), I talked with Kennedy about our new President. It's interesting trying to explain the significance of this to someone who doesn't even know what "race" is or what the president does (kind of reminds me of Palin!). She asked where the president lives, and I told her "The White House," the irony of which kind of made me chuckle. She'll be so excited to watch all the festivities on TV tomorrow. May she remember this experience always, especially if the change is as positive as we are all hoping for....

Piercing

Blurry crown and jewels, originally uploaded by melissa.coats.

I'm wondering when the day will come when the cheap plastic princess clip-ons just won't be enough for my accessory-loving girl. At what age is she going to ask, then beg, then demand to get her ears pierced for real? And at what age will I agree to it? I know that I can say NEVER right now, but don't all moms eventually give in at some point? It's either that or you face your daughter doing it on her own, behind your back, who knows where. I know my ears were first pierced very early in my life, when I was too young to remember it. (Too young to ask for it, and too small to protest.) Later, as a teenager, more holes were added, but that was just self-inflicted foolishness on my part. So, what was everyone else's experiences? Is it realistic to think I can wait for puberty? High school? Her wedding?

I want to sit in this room and never leave (in a good way)

What's that design show where they have an "inspiration room"? I would love this "gallery" of art for my living room (the web site even has instructions and a shopping list). The cost would amount to $500 or so, plus shipping. Which I guess for "art" isn't too bad, but I'm going to play it cheap and make a variation of the theme, using thier handy dandy template, with frames and art I have elsewhere, including the garage. It'll be more personal that way, too. Less like it was ripped from the pages from a catalog. As for the cool floor tiles, well I can't swing that....

Pink is the New Black

Kennedy's new girly room.

Painting is like giving birth -- if you remembered all the preparation, agony, and labor from previous times, you would never do it again. Luckily for us, we conveniently forget. Anais Nin once said that she painted each room in home a different color, one for each mood, which is something I think about with my home. Kennedy's new "Prom Pink" room makes me feel, well, settled. To my stomach (i.e. Pepto Bismol.) It's not that bad really, and I can't stand pink. She helped pick it out, painted a small part of one wall, and loves it, and that's all that matters....