Happy Birthday Fynn!

On the USS Intrepid, in case you’re wondering, and yes those ropes are insanely heavy!My little guy turned 4 today, and it’s bittersweet as always.  So big and independent!  So big and independent :(.  Four is so easy to please though, at least this one is … the thing he was happiest with were the balloons I grabbed at the last minute.  Helium = joy, and he hasn’t even discovered the voice-changing squeakiness of it yet :).  He went to bed happy and exhausted, and I’m following soon after.  Birthdays are always last minute around here, and usually involve too-big projects at 11th hour, leaving us exhausted and crashing.  Today is no exception, but the handmade easel my husband turned out last night will be a hit long after the balloons have collapsed. 

On an utterly unrelated note, what pet names do you call your kids?  Mine get called Goose affectionately and fairly often.  No idea why, it just seemed right.  Catch you tomorrow!

Choices in Childbirth | Petition

I received the message below from a birth organization here in NYC that supports women’s right to give birth in whatever way they choose … hospital, birthcenter, home, etc.  The petition below is specific to the Service Employees Internation Union, but it’s great (I think!) to have insurance cover hospital AND non hospital births.  Please look and sign if you feel free.  Thanks!

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Hello everyone,
I wanted to see if you might help us get the word out about a rally we’re holding with our sister organization on March 18th (details below). We’re working with a woman who was denied health insurance coverage for an out-of-hospital birth (in her case, homebirth) by the SEIU. We’re planning a support rally for her for the actual appeal hearing, but we want to show that there is national support for this coverage - please sign the below petition and we’ll be sure that the SEIU hears your voice (and yes - a rally at a union is a bit odd - agreed!)
Can you forward to anyone you think might be interested?
Many thanks,
Becca

Petition:
http://www.PetitionOnline.com/newspace/petition.html

Happy Birthday/Anniversary!

Today is the 7th anniversary of the day I became a mom.  I’m looking for profound thoughts but so far have none, other than how on EARTH do I have a 7-year-old?!  The photo below was shot by lamplight when he was 20 minutes old.  I can remember it like it was 20 minutes ago.  Does that ever change?!

Speaking of 7-year-olds, this one has my heart :).

Happy Birthday Douglas!  Thanks for starting me on the in(sane) venture that is motherhood, I wouldn’t trade it for the world :).

A Movie I can't wait to see ...

I’d make a Sane Mom Event trip out of going to see this if I could!  It’s the new movie The Business of Being Born, by Abby Epstein and Ricky Lake.  It’s about the birth industry here in the US, and looks like and expose/documentary type of thing.  It’s showing in NY, LA, San Fran cisco, and Seattle in the next month, and hopes for a wider theatre release before going to DVD, so get out there and see it if you can!  I’m going tomorrow here in NYC, and will report back what I find.  If you’ve seen it I’d love to hear what you thought!  I do think the way we feel about our birth experiences can have a big effect on how sane we feel afterwards, and knowing more about what choices we have is only a good thing.  Maybe it will inspire some of you to go share your birth stories over here in the Beginnings forum too :).