I just watched "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" where she delivers her baby in the woods with her petrified husband by her side. Well-done overall and captures our society's stereotypical view of childbirth while getting some things exactly right.
I LOVE the scene where he's hovering over her in the middle of hard labor.
He asks, "What do I do?" and she answers "Nothing" between gritted teeth and shoves him away, "Don't touch me!" I remember that feeling of tight control, turning inward and thinking it could all be shattered by someone's touch.
In the next moment, the contraction passes (yeah, they're contractions, NOT "surges") and she wants him to hold her. He desperately seeks something useful to do and asks if he should build a fire and boil some water. Reminds me of a class discussion where my colonial history professor said if you ever notice that's what they always seem to tell men to do. "Boil water." It's a lengthy process perfect for keeping him occupied and away from the real work of labor & delivery.
My other favorite part, absolutely stereotypical, was when her husband looks at her panic-stricken, when told he was going to have to cut the cord. SERIOUSLY? She's delivering a baby in the middle of the woods with her FIRST AID KIT and you're all squeamish about cutting the umbilical cord? Way to man up.
My eyes prickled with tears so I would count that as an acceptable birth scene since I always cry when babies are born.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
PJ Time
Time to get ready for bed. Brush teeth and change into pajamas. Depending on the weather, it's either fleece-footie PJs or a flannel 2-piece with optional socks.
Tonight was flannel and Henry had his mind made up about the socks.
Henry: Mama, I want to sleep with my toesies.
(OK, I knew what he meant but decided to have fun with it)
Mama: Where else would they sleep?
Henry: Um....on the couch!!!
The kid has an answer for everything.
Tonight was flannel and Henry had his mind made up about the socks.
Henry: Mama, I want to sleep with my toesies.
(OK, I knew what he meant but decided to have fun with it)
Mama: Where else would they sleep?
Henry: Um....on the couch!!!
The kid has an answer for everything.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Thunder-boomers
So my husband and I had this conversation yesterday. As always, he's astounded by my innate survival instincts that fiercely protect my need for a good night's sleep.
Me: You look tired, honey.
Jim: I was up at 1:30 with the dog, not to mention Henry coming in at 3:00 and then Kathryn woke up at 6:20.
Me: What happened at 1:30?
Jim: A thunderstorm??!!
Me: Huh, I slept right through it. Must have been REALLY tired.
Except when the kids are sick. WHOLE different story. Sleep skillz are immediately replaced by hyper-Mama alert. I half listen to every sneeze & snuffle all night and I emerge in the morning looking like I spent the night curled up with the Nyquil bottle.
Me: You look tired, honey.
Jim: I was up at 1:30 with the dog, not to mention Henry coming in at 3:00 and then Kathryn woke up at 6:20.
Me: What happened at 1:30?
Jim: A thunderstorm??!!
Me: Huh, I slept right through it. Must have been REALLY tired.
Except when the kids are sick. WHOLE different story. Sleep skillz are immediately replaced by hyper-Mama alert. I half listen to every sneeze & snuffle all night and I emerge in the morning looking like I spent the night curled up with the Nyquil bottle.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Squirmy-Worms
As an added bonus to all this rainy-windy weather....
The worms have ventured forth. Or they were washed out. Either way, they are above-ground. I found this out when we walked into church this morning across a parking lot strewn with soggy, squiggly (occasionally squished) WORMS.
Ugh, I hated the thought of stepping on them and did a lot of side-stepping and tiptoeing which naturally drew Henry's attention. Once he found out what those pale stringy forms were, he was FASCINATED and rattled off a thousand questions which all included the word WHY.
On the way back to our car afterwards, he bent down, peering at one close to our car as I opened the doors and loaded our things.
Henry: Mama, I touched a worm!
(OK, knew that was coming. Did NOT see what came after, and I totally should have anticipated this.)
Mama: Great.
Henry: Can I lick my finger?
Mama: NO! Thank you for asking.
Henry: Too late!
The worms have ventured forth. Or they were washed out. Either way, they are above-ground. I found this out when we walked into church this morning across a parking lot strewn with soggy, squiggly (occasionally squished) WORMS.
Ugh, I hated the thought of stepping on them and did a lot of side-stepping and tiptoeing which naturally drew Henry's attention. Once he found out what those pale stringy forms were, he was FASCINATED and rattled off a thousand questions which all included the word WHY.
On the way back to our car afterwards, he bent down, peering at one close to our car as I opened the doors and loaded our things.
Henry: Mama, I touched a worm!
(OK, knew that was coming. Did NOT see what came after, and I totally should have anticipated this.)
Mama: Great.
Henry: Can I lick my finger?
Mama: NO! Thank you for asking.
Henry: Too late!
Storm of the Century Update
* Water? Check!
*Bread and other assorted dry goods? Check!
*Batteries? Check!
*Candles & Matches? Check!
* Diapers? CHECK!! (that gets capitalized because running out of diapers with no Bumgenious backups anymore...ew)
*Enough yarn to last me through a power outage with 2 small children, a slightly neurotic dog and a husband going through football-withdrawal? CHECK!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, that's right. I made a special trip to AC Moore today after church. With Henry. Before lunch. In the drizzling rain. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
*Bread and other assorted dry goods? Check!
*Batteries? Check!
*Candles & Matches? Check!
* Diapers? CHECK!! (that gets capitalized because running out of diapers with no Bumgenious backups anymore...ew)
*Enough yarn to last me through a power outage with 2 small children, a slightly neurotic dog and a husband going through football-withdrawal? CHECK!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, that's right. I made a special trip to AC Moore today after church. With Henry. Before lunch. In the drizzling rain. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Storm of the Century?
All anyone wants to talk about is this big storm headed our way. I keep swinging back and forth from "Everyone's overreacting and it's going to be fine" to "OMG, batten down the hatches, stock up on water and batteries." I'm leaning towards "batten down" now that my husband just said we'll be caught in 3 storm fronts. He's at the store now stocking up on said water and batteries.
The closest I've come to dealing with "natural disaster" with 2 small children was when the transformer blew a few days ago right when I got up and we had to get ready & out the door without power. I was so unprepared- we had a dead flashlight and a few dusty candles in glass jars but I couldn't find the matches to save my life and was reduced to using my cell phone screen as an impromtu torch.
I was young enough that when the Ice Storm hit in 1991, it was "fun" camping out downstairs, snuggling with my mom on the feather mattress while my Dad & Grandpa made the rounds with our generators so our neighbors got a few hours of power.
Now...not so much.
The closest I've come to dealing with "natural disaster" with 2 small children was when the transformer blew a few days ago right when I got up and we had to get ready & out the door without power. I was so unprepared- we had a dead flashlight and a few dusty candles in glass jars but I couldn't find the matches to save my life and was reduced to using my cell phone screen as an impromtu torch.
I was young enough that when the Ice Storm hit in 1991, it was "fun" camping out downstairs, snuggling with my mom on the feather mattress while my Dad & Grandpa made the rounds with our generators so our neighbors got a few hours of power.
Now...not so much.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Nighty-Night
Having some trouble with separation anxiety at bedtime. And I mean both Henry & I are having trouble.
When he looks at me with those big, cute-kid eyes and asks, "Mama, will you rockee me?" I just think of when the day will come when he doesn't want a cuddle anymore. I feel like I have to store these moments while I can.
But at some point, he has to go to bed on his own. He'll turn 4 in a few days and we're still indulging him from his first-child-we'll-rock-you-to-sleep routine.
I guess I should stick to more of a bedtime routine but it's hard when each night is different. Some nights he's so wound that he doesn't settle down until almost 10:00 and other nights he's bleary-eyed at 8:00.
So I have the drill-sergeant approach ("Go to bed! No rocking!") and the indulgant "Sure I'll stay in here and rock you, even though I'm so tired I can't see straight either and I desperately want a few minutes alone before I have to go to bed myself."
We learned the hard way and whether it's the difference between their personalities or the different approach, but Kat goes to bed without any coddling.
When he looks at me with those big, cute-kid eyes and asks, "Mama, will you rockee me?" I just think of when the day will come when he doesn't want a cuddle anymore. I feel like I have to store these moments while I can.
But at some point, he has to go to bed on his own. He'll turn 4 in a few days and we're still indulging him from his first-child-we'll-rock-you-to-sleep routine.
I guess I should stick to more of a bedtime routine but it's hard when each night is different. Some nights he's so wound that he doesn't settle down until almost 10:00 and other nights he's bleary-eyed at 8:00.
So I have the drill-sergeant approach ("Go to bed! No rocking!") and the indulgant "Sure I'll stay in here and rock you, even though I'm so tired I can't see straight either and I desperately want a few minutes alone before I have to go to bed myself."
We learned the hard way and whether it's the difference between their personalities or the different approach, but Kat goes to bed without any coddling.
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