Commercial Break

I know I promised you a birth story and it's coming. :)

In the meantime, enjoy this video made by my cool BIL.

And if you'd like to go view it on the site, you can follow this link.

One Day Old

Day Old Child

My day old child lay in my arms,
With my lips against his ear.
I whispered strongly, "How I wish--
I wish that you could hear,

"I've a hundred wonderful things to say,
(a tiny cough and a nod),
hurry, hurry, hurry and grow
So I can tell you about God."

My day-old baby's mouth was still
And my words only tickled his ear,
But a kind of light passed through his eyes,
And I saw this thought appear:

"How I wish I had a voice and words,
I've a hundred things to say.
Before I forget, I'd tell you of God --
I left Him yesterday."
--Carol Lynn Pearson

He's Here!!!

It's been 9 days now and most of you either keep track of me through facebook or talk to me in person so it isn't news. But it still feels like news to me. I want to shout it from the rooftops.

OUR SWEET BABY IS HERE!

Here are the stats:

Date: August 11, 2009
Time: 2:02am after approximately 2 1/2 hours of labor and 2 minutes of pushing. That's a lot of 2's!!
Weight: 7 pounds 8 ounces
Length: 20 1/2 inches long

Absolutely darling.

My next post will be his birth story, with pictures.

Until then, you get to help name my baby!

Well, sort of...

I try to be pretty vigilant about keeping my children's identity secure on here, just in case, so they all have nicknames. But you know that.

So it's time to come up with a nickname for this new baby.

Some ideas I have:

• Baby A
• Peanut
• Super Diaper Baby (SDB for short. Those with boys who read Captain Underpants books will really understand.)

Short list. Not all that creative. You can vote for any of my ideas or come up with your own and then we can either put it to a final vote, or I'll decide which I like best.

The Other Side of the Coin (For Entertainment Purposes Only)

I almost posted this the day before our baby was born. This was just hours before I called my friend and doula-extraordinaire, Laura and invited her to come to our birth. Then labor started that night. And it was my easiest birth ever. You never know.

Alternate titles:

Pregnancy Hormones Run Amok
or
The Flip Side of an Ultra-Pleasant Pregnancy
or
Why Heather Is a Big, Fat, Ugly Liar and Lies To No One as Well as She Lies to Herself
or
Can't Somebody Else Do It?
or
Why Practice Doesn't Make Perfect When It Comes to Childbirth
or
Denial is NOT a River in Egypt
or
I Know This Baby Will Be Worth It, But...
or
Dooce is Way Cool, But Also Way Honest and She Scared the Living Daylights Out Of Me
or
Rainbow Relaxation Isn't Always Cutting It Lately
or
Can You Feel the Tigers Circling? Cause I Sure Can.
or
You Read My Joyful Musings, Now Face the Power of My Whining

For those most intuitive among you (or maybe I'm giving myself too little credit for clarity), it is clear that I am freaking out a little.

The Best Birth Books

So, you know that list of great books to read during pregnancy? The one I promised to post quite a while ago? Well, here it is finally!

I was planning on writing a little blurb about each book and my opinions on it, what was best about it, etc. But I don't have the extra time or brain power for that right now. So, each book title links to its description on Amazon. That way, in true Reading Rainbow fashion, you don't have to take my word for it! You can go read what amazon and all of the reviews have to say.

My advice is to read at least three of these really good birth books while pregnant. The more you read, the more well-rounded your information and preparation will be. Enjoy!

Oh, and the stars and the Ps and Os and <3s.... If a book has a star by it, I have it in my library and am happy to loan it to friends and family. If it has a P or an O it means it is available at one of the two major local libraries in my area. If it has a <3 by it, it means I luuuuuuuurrrrrve that book!

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth by Ina May Gaskin * P O <3

The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer * O <3

The Pregnancy Book by William and Martha Sears P

The Birth Book by William and Martha Sears *

Having a Baby, Naturally by Peggy O'Mara

Gentle Birth Choices by Barbara Harper P O

Birth Without Violence by Frederick LeBoyer P O

Birthing From Within by Pam England and Rob Horowitz * P <3

Pregnancy, Childbirth and the Newborn by Penny Simkin, Janet Whalley and Ann Keppler * P

Mind Over Labor by Carl Jones *

Active Birth by Janet Balaskas O

Your Best Birth by Ricki Lake, Abby Epstein and Jacques Moritz P O <3

Easing Labor Pain by Adrienne B. Liberman P

Disclaimer: This is probably far from an extensive list. But these are the books with which I am familiar enough to feel comfortable recommending. I have an alternate list of books to avoid (#1 being "What to Expect When You're Expecting." I have a friend who calls it "What to Freak Out About While You're Expecting.") but I chose to just keep to the positive list for this post.

Question

What's even cooler than having a wonderful sister who has been your best friend for the better part of your life?

Having a sister who loves your kids as much as you do.

If you want to visit my sister's blog, she has some pretty silly pictures of my kids up right now.

Coco Quote

"Mommy, I need diaper change. I 'mell 'tinky and da big kids won't pway wif me."