Mama Notes is giving away an ERGO baby carrier, a backpack or changing pad, and a front pouch!!

I’m super excited!

I like the idea of the Sport Carrier:

The Happy Housewife is talking about wills.  I need one.  I’ve been putting it off for quite some time, and this is just another reminder that I need to get my act together.

The Happy Housewife is giving away one free will from LegalZoom.  I, of course, am trying to win, but I think you should too.

I have a friend who does estate planning — i should probably call her if I don’t win this.

So the next question is… who wants my kids? 

I can’t believe it’s been 2 months since I’ve posted.  I’m just not feeling the blogging thing….

I started a new blog, but my goal is to remain anonymous on there, so I won’t be sharing the link — sorry!

My anony-blog is not a place to complain and whine — though I’m often tempted to have one so I can “vent” about the things that my I might not want my friends/family reading (because it involves them…).  It’s a place for me to talk more about my spiritual journey in the Orthodox faith.  It’s soo anonymous, in fact, that not a single person has read the blog.  Someone might stumble upon it one day, but who knows.

There’s so much I could be talking about on here — i’m wondering when or if God will bless us with another baby.  There are new medical studies and positions out, one specifically where ACOG says that —- wait for it — drinking liquid is good for women in labor (where do they come up with such crazy ideas???).  I have a doula client scheduled for April — which is exciting because this mother is leaning towards a homebirth.  My best friend is moving away — far away — to the West Coast and that’s pretty sad (aside from the whole happy for your family and new opportunities stuff).  I could talk about how wonderful my girls are — they really, or how the new date nights with my husband are going (very well).

But I just don’t feel like I have enough to say to fill whole posts on this stuff.

Our family blog is super-lacking.  I should really get on that one day.

Until I get the blog-bug again, you can keep up with me on Facebook.  Otherwise, I hope to pop my head in now and again and maybe I’ll start moving things along again.

I’m sitting here taking a break from our vacation packing.  We leave tomorrow for the beach.

I’ve not posted in forever, and a lot has gone on.

I’ve attended some births as a doula — one being a VBAC!

Last Monday I landed myself in the ER and ended up having my gallbladder out — i had one gall stone the size of a golf ball… gross!

Bella is stil nursing although i feared she’d wean after the surgery.  She isn’t breastfeeding as much during the day as a result, and I’m OK with that.  I’m ready to get my cycles back (it’s been 2 years!!), and i’m a tad sad to know that we won’t find out we’re pregnant while on this vacation, like we did in FL with both Emmy and Bella’s pregnancy.

Anyway, I’m sure that there’s that has happened since then, but my break is over.  Maybe I’ll get to blog on vacation??

Oh – and today is the Feast of The Nativity of the Holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord, John.  I really wanted to make it to liturgy today and Bella breastfed forever and I fell back asleep and I missed it.  I’m pretty disappointed, but the Feast Day has been on my mind a lot today.  I love the story of John the Forerunner.  The announcement of his conception, Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the birth!  It’s all mind-blowing.  And you know me, i love a good birth story

Expo to Answer Questions — from the Courier Journal

Having a husband and family in the marketing and advertising industry often makes me suspect of product and/or company advertisements. When I see a big PR campaign explaining how safe Product is, I immediately wonder what un-safe effect happened to launch this PR move –and then avoid the company.

Anyway, marketers do their job — they hook ya.  They impress, offend, or tickle your funny bone.  They want you to remember the ad, the product.

Check out this mattress commercial from Spain.  I love it.  And not only do I want to buy a new mattress, but I also want a new baby!

Thanks to the Birth Activist for sharing this gem.

Have you see seen the swim suits over at Lime Ricki?

Love them!

Super cute without being super skimpy.  Or skimpy at all.

Head on over to the perch to get your chance to win.

Hello! My name is Erin — and I’ll be your doula this evening.

I had a full, exciting, and amazing doula training weekend. I’m a trained doula! Yay

Yippie!!

I realize that I’ve not blogged in a while… again.

I can say it’s because I’m so busy.  I can tell you that there’s just nothing to talk about — although that’s not true.  Honestly, my brain just feels tired and I’m having a hard time formulating my thoughts enough to write a real blog post.

I was catching up on the Birth Activist blog, and saw several things that made me think ‘hey, I should put that on my blog!’  But, call if laziness or just not stealing insipiration, I’ll let you go there to check out some cool new posts:

Things you shouldn’t say to a pregnant woman

Birth Right

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Oh, and this article on doulas was on the front page of our local paper!  A good friend (several, actually) was interviewed for this article – and it’s pretty good except for my friend’s baby’s re-name.

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Oh, and in personal news, I might be going to a doula training next weekend.  My husband and I had planned on it, but unfortuanly, finances didn’t allow for it when the time came (unexpected but very necessary expenses arose over and over).  Anyway, I applied for a scholarship, but I’m not counting on “winning.”  If I do, hurray.  If not, we’ll save again (maybe in change, so that it’s harder to spend, haha) and I can try for another training in the future.

Also, Emmy’s birthday is tomorrow.  I had some guilt-feelings yesterday as I was remembering the events leading up to her birth.  On the 10th, I was having prodormal labor, but didn’t know such a thing existed.  I *asked* to be checked at the OB office.  I was 1 cm and the OB said she could “help me out.”  Being helped out always sounds good to me, so I agreed.  Apparently in this case, being helped meant getting my membranes stripped.  My water broke the next day (3 years ago today) and I had a cesarean at 3 in the morning the next day (tomorrow – the 12th).

The guilt comes from my educating myself during my pregnancy. From not thinking enough to ask questions.  From asking to be checked!  From not knowing that we should have known Emmy’s position (she was breech).  From not insiting we try to turn her?

Could I have had a breech birth?  I wonder that often.  She was little enough (does that matter?)  I wasn’t having any contractions, so it would have involved pitocin in a cesarean-happy hopsital anyway, so I wonder if the end result would have been the same (expect for the good-for-the-baby-labor) anyway.  Did the OB know how to attend a breech birth?  I doubt it.  She even “suggested” a ECV, but dismissed it saying she’d never seen it work or something.  I don’t really remember as I was in tears the whole time.  Anyway, I think I just wish I had tried.  But I had given up control long before — and never knew it was gone