Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

Every once in a while something happens that makes me realize that I'm not the 17-year-old I usually picture in my head.  Many apparent milestones pass me by, but somehow this one just slammed right into me:  I'm the mother of a child who lost a tooth! P.S.  He doesn't ride in the front seat of course... he just likes to come up and push the automatic door buttons for me and I snagged this pic.

I really want to talk about my experience with Hypnobabies in part because I found the reviews I read a little confusing (but so positive that I just went ahead and bought the home-study course anyway).  What I came across was several glowing reviews where it seemed to have worked just like the mama hoped, and several glowing reviews where either the mama didn't use it or said it didn't work.  This program has hardly any actual negative reviews, and what was there didn't seem very relevant to me. I was a little confused by this--5 stars and she didn't even use it for her birth?  5 stars and she didn't think it worked? I get it now. First, I want to say that if you are using the program, I really encourage you to bring up your Bubble of Peace, or maybe skip this and come back after your birth.  My experience was really different from the one that you are working to cultivate, even though I would definitely recommend the program.  I'm a fan of hypnosis, I co...

Obviously, I'm not pregnant anymore!  In fact, we've just had our 1 month pediatric appointment for this fast-growing boy.  Ian Thomas Kitsye Watt joined us on March 14, 2017 at 3:45 pm.  He was 9 lbs 4 oz and 21 inches long. This birth completely defied our expectations, both because it was so vastly "off course" from what we thought we had planned (ha!) and because nonetheless we found it so tremendously satisfying.  Here we are a few days before this story unfolds. Yes, even the dog is looking in the right direction! Starting around 38 weeks I started having "false labor."  Only, not the braxton-hicks contractions that tighten up part of your belly and make a seasoned mom wonder for a moment.  I mean full-belly, coordinated contractions every 4-15 minutes for six or more hours, complete with sweating or shivering.  They were never uncomfortable, but they were intense, and they left me exhausted.  Every other night for a week, we geared ...

8/13/15 Today I learned my second miscarriage is imminent.  For now, it’s a waiting game, except that (a) we have the power to stop waiting (a prescription for a drug that will bring it on in 4-8 hours) and (b) I’m trying desperately to not sit around and wait. This experience is bringing to light so many things I took for granted.  My first miscarriage showed me that just because it’s relatively easy for me to GET pregnant, doesn’t mean it’s easy to have a second child.  But even then, I operated off of the confident assumption that a healthy pregnancy was just over the horizon and only a matter of time.  Now, I realize that I have to consider the fact that my family might be done growing.  I might find myself a mother to only one person, a role I cherish and am thankful for all hours of the day, but one I never imagined for myself. We haven’t talked about it, but I assume we will start trying again right away.  I am debating whether I want to...