Barf

We were supposed to go on a playdate today with Shawn and Bella. We haven't seen them since before Xmas, and we used to get together at least once sometimes twice a week. Every time Shawn and I make a date to get together, something comes up. Fogotten dental appts or other annoying appointments. Today was the day, though. But Maya threw up. So it's Disney movies and vegging for us today.

One of my couples had their baby last Wednesday. It was a wondeful thing! They did a homebirth and it went quite smoothly. She tore pretty good, but other than that, all is well. They plan to come to the next class to show off their baby, Kazumichi. I don't know if it's Kazu Michi or Kazumichi.

Class 9/12 next week. I'm getting people signed up for my April class now, too.

Brittani is with her mom for the next two weeks while her stepdad, Tim, is back from Iraq.

Damn. My aunt just called. My grandma is back inthe hospital because when they tried to place her port for her chemo, they punctured her lung. That bites.

Melting Pot

Last night Wayne and I went to The Melting Pot for dinner. It was delish, as always. They make the best mojitos, btw.

We were talking as our waiter, Aaron, was prepping the pot for the cheese appetizer; I was mentioning that I was having a hack of a time finding a speaker for our next ICAN of Tacoma meeting. Wayne said, "Penny said she couldn't, right?" and I said, "Palmer, not Penny." Our waiter pipes in: "I know Penny. Well, a Penny" Penny is, of course, Penny Simpkin. I chuckled because why on earth would a waiter at the melting pot know who Penny is?!?

Apparently his wife is working towards becoming a doula and recently had twins. I asked, "were they born vaginally?" I don't think I've ever said "vaginally" over dinner to a waiter before. Indeed, they were. They used Dr. Elizabeth Sanford and birthed at St. Joseph Medical Center, which offers waterbirth. Bitchin'. They couldn't have a water birth because it was twins, but still. Very cool. It is difficult to find an OB who will attend a vaginal twin birth!

Wayne wondered what his wife's name might be, and I guessed Sara(h). When Aaron came back, I asked his wife's name just because I may bump into her at some point.
Sara(h) Holmes is her name.
Crazy.

Wow! ICAN

What a great day!

It was beautiful here in the PNW: sunshine-y and warm, for a change. It has been a wonderfully dreary winter here this year, so the sunshine was a welcome change of weather.

I had a BOD meeting with ICAN of Tacoma today, and it was just so awesome! Our BOD has drastically changed since last summer/fall, when our chapter was mentioned in USA Today. Our original Chapter Leader stepped down due to pregnancy related issues. Then, quite suddenly and without notice, our PR person quit via email. I was so stunned, I still haven't responded to her. Then, to make thing just a little more stressful, our treasurer quit after being asked by National for her 6-month financial report. She, too, was so considerate as to quit abruptly via email. What's that about, anyway? It's about pissing me off, I'll tell ya that much.

So, what was a board of 5 was quickly a board of two.

Well, we invited another woman to join our board as Secretary; the Chapter Leader is now the Treasurer, per her request, and I am the sole Chapter Leader. That's it. That's our board. We do have a consultant, but she's not technically on the BOD, even though she attends every BOD meeting and is very active in and supportive of our chapter.

We have so much to do in our chapter; we came out swinging with our VBAC rallies and such, but we need to make a more lasting impression upon our community in ways that extend beyond activism. We would also like OBs, CNMs, LMs and FPMDs to see us as a resource and not as an adversary. We really need more members and donations to sustain our chapter and to continue our advocacy work.

I know that i feel really excited after today's meeting! I know that what we are doing is important and will have an effect on policies in our community. It will take a concerted and consistent effort by consumers and professionals in our area, but it can be done! We can make birth safer for mothers and babies!

It's February

I love February! Mostly because of Valentine's Day. I love flowers, chocolates and going out for a nice dinner. Without kids.

I have a funeral to attend this week. My dear aunt Mary Lou passed away Saturday after a long battle with cancer. It's terribly sad, as most deaths are. She's my grandma's sister, and my grandma spent the last week of Lou's life inthe hospital or at home resting after colon surgery. They were very close, and I know my grandma is so upset that she was unable to spend time with her at the end of her days.

My aunt was married to my Uncle Eddie for over 50 years. They've been together since they were, like, 15 & 16. How is my uncle going to get through this? Their son lives very near to them, but he is pretty much housebound and depressed. Their daughter, who is my age (their son is my mom's age!) lives in Virginia, where her DH is from. Eddie and Teresa are very close, but Eddie and Steve not so much. I hope Eddie gets through this okay.

My gosh! Maya just lost her first tooth! We discovered the loose tooth on Sunday during the Super Bowl. It was really loose, and I thought it would come out yesterday. She doesn't seem old enough to be losing teeth.
This is kind of a goofy picture, but you can see the empty space that once held a sweet little baby tooth.