check this

My cousin made this video. Pretty incredible, no?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcrhjVSx5V4&eurl

the true origin of thanksgiving

I wanted to post this article not to put a damper on tomorrow's festivities but instead to reveal the truth in the hopes that our country would begin to be more honest about our true history, shameful as it may be at times. Tomorrow while we celebrate with family and friends let us also remember the Native American people and the centuries of struggles that they have had to endure at the hands of non-indigenous people.

The Thanksgiving Myth
Written by John Two-Hawks
Let me begin by stating that thousands of years before the 'official' Thanksgiving Day was proclaimed by Governor Winthrop of the Massachussetts Bay Colony in 1637, North American Indigenous people across the continent had celebrated seasons of Thanksgiving. 'Thanksgiving' is a very ancient concept to American Indian nations. The big problem with the American Thanksgiving holiday is its false association with American Indian people. The infamous 'Indians and pilgrims' myth. It is good to celebrate Thanksgiving, to be thankful for your blessings. It is not good to distort history, to falsely portray the origin of this holiday and lie about the truth of its actual inception.
Here are some accurate historical facts about the true origin of this American holiday that may interest you.

'Thanksgiving' did not begin as a great loving relationship between the pilgrims and the Wampanoag, Pequot and Narragansett people. In fact, in October of 1621 when the 'pilgrim' survivors of their first winter in Turtle Island sat down to share the first unofficial 'Thanksgiving' meal, the Indians who were there were not even invited! There was no turkey, squash, cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie. A few days before this alleged feast took place, a company of 'pilgrims' led by Miles Standish actively sought the head of a local Indian leader, and an 11 foot high wall was erected around the entire Plymouth settlement for the very purpose of keeping Indians out! Officially, the holiday we know as 'Thanksgiving' actually came into existence in the year 1637. Governor Winthrop of the Massachussetts Bay Colony proclaimed this first official day of Thanksgiving and feasting to celebrate the return of the colony's men who had arrived safely from what is now Mystic, Connecticut. They had gone there to participate in the massacre of over 700 Pequot men, women and children, and Mr. Winthrop decided to dedicate an official day of thanksgiving complete with a feast to 'give thanks' for their great 'victory'....

As hard as it may be to conceive, this is the actual origin of our current Thanksgiving Day holiday. Many American Indian people these days do not observe this holiday, for obvious reasons. I see nothing wrong with gathering with family to give thanks to our Creator for our blessings and sharing a meal. I do, however, hope that Americans as a whole will one day acknowledge the true origin of this holiday, and remember the pain, loss, and agony of the Indigenous people who suffered at the hands of the so-called 'pilgrims'. It is my hope that children's plays about 'the first Thanksgiving', complete with Indians and pilgrims chumming at the dinner table, will someday be a thing of the past. Why perpetuate a lie? Let us face the truths of the past, and give thanks that we are learning to love one another for the rich human diversity we share.

at the moment

... I am unable to respond to messages or comments. We had an unexpected death in Phil's family and are in Michigan for the rest of the week/weekend. I will try to catch everyone up once we get back to Charlotte.

Please keep us in your prayers.

little things

Okay, first of all: I just want to update those of you who actually read my blogs. Phil and I are back in Charlotte after a week-long trip to Michigan. Phil's 22 month old nephew passed away unexpectedly last week so we went back to be with family. It's been difficult knowing how to grieve something so confusing and sudden. I'm sure it's never easy, but it's particularly tough for me, as a new mother, to grasp.

In that vein, I've come to be thankful for little things and have eased up on my expectations for myself as a mother. After all, I have a very lovely, very healthy son who loves to give me kisses lately, apparently likes to eat wads of paper, and he woke up this morning. So that in and of itself should be enough to help me overcome my aversion to supplementing his diet with formula or bemoaning the fact that it takes him up to an hour to fall asleep. Suddenly I am no longer sad that Ocean eats more formula than breastmilk. Suddenly the fact that he wants to be held all. day. long. is no longer a burden to me. Suddenly I don't mind being woken up by a cry in the middle of the night... because I'm just thankful to hear him cry.

Experiences in life don't happen to you; they become part of who you are. I hope that this changes me in a good way. I hope I will be a better mother knowing how short life is, and that tomorrow isn't a guarantee.

Okay, I'm off to watch a sleeping baby. Maybe he'll wake up so I can steal some more kisses.

Edited to add: I really have no problem with formula. Obviously, because I use it. My problem was more with the fact that breastfeeding has been such a struggle that I've had to resort to using formula instead of being able to supply all of my baby's nutrition myself. Certainly don't want to offend other formula feeders! Okay, now back to the regularly scheduled blog...

a fairy tale

Once upon a time in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self-assured princess
happened upon a frog as she sat contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle.

The frog hopped into the princess's lap and said: "Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am and then, my sweet, we can marry and set up housekeeping in your castle with my mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so."

That night, as the princess dined sumptuously on lightly sauteed frog legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she chuckled and thought to herself:

I don't freakin think so.

things i love today

I love wearing clothes that don't wear me. I can't stand it when I have to constantly "think about" what I have on. I loved my outfit today for that reason.

I love conspiracy theories. If you do too check out 911truth.org.

I love Ocean. He's getting so big and I can tell he loves me too and he really really misses me when we're not together. It's sweet.

I love nursing bras. Honestly. I'm not sure if it was the picture of Angelina Jolie on the cover of People magazine that changed my mind but by gosh I'm okay with my clasps poking out of my tank top now.

I love Burt's Bees. We've made the switch. No more parabens or sulfates for me or my family, thank you very much. Next thing to get replaced is the makeup but that will be a much more expensive undertaking.

I love football season. I walked in the house tonight to the sound of the Michigan State/Notre Dame game on the television and I was overcome with such great memories...

I love sleep. Which is why I'm signing off and going to bed.

an open letter

To the lead singer of the band who played at Buckhead on Saturday night:

Your band is comprised of some great, extremely talented musicians. However, we decided to leave after the third song. Mainly because we decided our time would be better spent getting home to our son.

Yes, that's right, I am a mother. Which is reason #358 why no, I do not want to "show my titties". If you were offering, say, TWO free CDs instead of just one, well then we might have a deal. For $15 no. For $30... maybe.

Being that your band (what was the name of it, again?) displayed phenomenal musicianship leaves me in this tension because, while I appreciated your Guns n' Roses cover, I did not appreciate the 27 F-bombs it took to explain which song you were going to do. Come to think of it, I'm still not sure which song it was. Effin' ef, effers.

And your rendition of Buckcherry's "Crazy Bitch" was just kick you in the crotch, spit on your neck fantastic. And not at all demeaning to the 43 year old woman in the front row who you kept trying to get to lift her shirt after many failed attempts with the few remaining women on the dance floor. Did you even give her her free CD?

In addition to your extensive vocabulary of cusses and ability to piss off every woman in the crowd, I was amazed at how good you were at clearing the dance floor in less than 10 minutes. I guess no one wants to see a cover band getting drunk on stage and acting like they are real rock stars. Go figure.

So thanks for a complete waste of a perfectly great Saturday night. You were an absolute buzzkill... and I wasn't even drinking.

Love,
The girl who now knows why Buckhead charged a cover on Saturday night. So their bar wouldn't completely empty out when the patrons realized what a tool you were.

making the connection

From an article entitled "What About Grass Fed Beef?" on The Food Revolution:

"The cruelties of modern factory farming are so severe that you don't have to be a vegetarian or an animal rights activist to find the conditions to be intolerable, and a violation of the human-animal bond."

"Confronting the brutal realities of modern slaughterhouses can be a harsh reminder that those who contemplate only the pastoral image of cattle patiently foraging do not see the whole picture."

repeat after me

"To be a vegetarian is to disagree... with the course of things today. Starvation, world hunger, cruelty, waste, wars- we must make a statement against these things. Vegetarianism is my statement. And I think it's a strong one." - Chef / restauranteur Alice Waters

why i am happy

1. Three of my friends are currently pregnant and expecting within a couple weeks of each other. One of these friends wants to have a natural birth and breastfeed. Give me 10 minutes with the other two and they will also.

2. My friends came over today and shared some yummy cuisine and many giggles. I appreciate my friendships.

3. Ocean said "Mama" this weekend for the first time. He doesn't know what it means... but I do. And it makes my heart smile.

who is chris brow?

So I received this email from a girl browsing a website that sells my CD:

HEY CASSIE I LOVE YOU SONGS I WOULD LOVE IF YOU WOULD RIGHT BACK TOO.YOU SONGS MAKE I SEEM LIKE YOU AREALL COO PERSON IF SO I WANT TO AT LEASE WRITE A NOTE TO YOU. I AM HONORED TO HAVE THIS CHANCE TO WRITE YOU. AN OHH YEAH I REALLY LOVE THE SONG CALL YOU OUT AN JUST FIENDS I HOPE YOU MAKE VIDEOS FOR THOSE.

AN A NOTHER THANG I THINK YOU AN CHRIS BROW WOULD MAKE A GOOD COUPLE.

Immediately followed by this email:

IM SOOOOOOOO SORRY I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE CASSIE THATS SING THOSE R&B SONGS SO ERASE ALL THOSE THOUGHT OUT YOU HEAD AN THANK YOU GOD BLESS.

So what you're saying is, you don't love my songs, I'm not areall coo person, and Chris Brow and I would NOT make a good couple?? Well, Pfffff.

outski

Heading to the beach, y'all.

See ya when I get back. That is... if I come back...

Just kidding. (Or am I?)

thank you...

...to everyone who has been asking about Phil. He's out of the hospital and doing a lot better, and we're planning to head back to Charlotte mid-next week-ish. For those who were wondering on the diagnosis, he had a pulmonary embolism in his right lung, which is a fancy way of saying "blood clot". The doctors don't know what caused it because he is very young and fit but he's on some medication to prevent more from forming.

You never really know how many people truly love you until you go through something so scary. I have the greatest friends and I love you guys a lot!

grrr.

BabyTalk magazine did a recent survey and found that over 50 percent of those surveyed felt that it is essentially inappropriate to breastfeed in public. Over 70 pecent of Americans would be offended to see a nursing mother on television.
They didn't survey me, so this is my contribution to that piece:

Breasts exist for feeding babies. They can be sexual also, but when it's appropriate. If over 50 percent of Americans have a problem with seeing a little boob during a baby's meal, why am I not hearing anyone complain about the Victoria's Secret commercials? No babies, just boob. And some ass.

I will not go into a restroom to feed my baby. Would you eat your lunch in a room where people take craps? Don't expect my child to, either.

If my baby can ask for the breast, or just because he has some teeth, it does not mean he is too old for it. It means he is hungry, thirsty, or needs some comfort and that is what he will get. There are many benefits to nursing past the age of one year. From the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines on breastfeeding: "It is recommended that breastfeeding continue for at least 12 months, and thereafter for as long as mutually desired."

I'm getting pretty pissed at the lack of education and sheer ignorance of people who insist that breastfeeding is shameful or should be done in private. Women, let's start supporting each other in motherhood and stop judging each other and our choices. I say give every mother the freedom to feed, whether by breast or bottle, anywhere she needs to.

And if my baby eating is offensive to you, why don't you finish your lunch in the bathroom.

what's new

So first of all, I posted yet another video of Ocean on MySpace. He started eating rice cereal this week! For those of you without children, no I don't mean Rice Krispies cereal... there is a special mushy cereal made from rice that is fed to babies. Snap, Crackle and Pop are not involved.

Also, for those who are interested, today Ocean and I paid a visit to the North Mecklenberg County Lactation Goddess and Ocean had her stumped with his lack of interest in nursing. I really have no idea what's going on and neither did she. Typically babies don't wean until they are at least 10 months, and even that is kind of early, but it seems that Mr. Ocean is much too busy to make the time to nurse. SO... the plan is to switch to exclusive pumping by day, and nursing by night (which is the only time he will breastfeed). I appreciate all the support and encouragement from everyone... I have decided that it's not worth my sanity to keep beating the proverbial dead horse. I am grieving a bit but know that this will ensure a much more positive relationship between me and my little man.

I also want to give a shout out to Rebecca. Dude, you need to quit lurking and get a MySpace. Thanks to Becca, I now have the cleanest floor in North Charlotte. And yes, we will be friends until we're blue in the hair

talk me down

I'm sick of fighting the breastfeeding battle. Ocean has been on a nursing strike for a month or more now. He will only eat while asleep (weird, I know). I went out and bought formula tonight but something in me just doesn't want to give up breastfeeding yet. I need some encouragement.

wrapped in swaddling clothes

I stopped swaddling Ocean a couple of weeks ago because he's four months old (officially out of the "fourth trimester") and he seemed to be sleeping okay without it. Well today I was rocking him, trying to get him sleepy for his nap and he just kept crying and kicking his legs. I knew he was SOOO tired... but he's an expert sleep-fighter so I kept trying for like 15 minutes. I finally remembered that the unofficial definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. So I threw a blankie on the ground and layed Ocean on it, crying and flailing. I wrapped his right arm... and suddenly his crying turned into hysterical laughter!! I wrapped his other arm, picked him up and he fell asleep in about 10 seconds. Unbelievable. Who knew swaddling would make a comeback?

i'm in a terrible pickle

Let's just say before I had Ocean I wore a size "X". Three months after having Ocean I resigned myself to the fact that I would never again fit into an X and bought new clothes. Because I hate clutter and did not constantly want to be reminded that I was now a size "Z" instead of X, I decided to sell all my size X clothes on Ebay. Most of them were purchased last summer and barely worn. I started with all my summer clothes and just shipped the last item out last week.

Then after playgroup the other day, I noticed that my new size Z capris were feeling kind of saggy in the buttockal region. I kept hiking them up and finally went to look in the mirror. It was offensive. At first I was mad at American Eagle, thinking how I got ripped off on these cheaply constructed capris that made my backside look like that of a fifty year old mom (no offense to the fifty year old moms out there, but I am a 20-something year old mom and have no intention of looking fifty-something before I actually AM).

Then suddenly a lightbulb went off. I dug out a pair of size X jeans that hadn't yet made it onto Ebay... a pair of jeans that wouldn't fit over my (new!) hips just days ago. And wouldn't you know it... they fit. And my butt looked normal again.

So I literally went from a size Z back to a size X in about a week. This would be awesome except that I SOLD ALL OF MY SUMMER CLOTHES! So now I'm stuck in a dilemma. Do I now Ebay all of my size Z clothes to buy new size X clothes? Or do I hang onto the Z's, because inevitably I will wear them again one day?

I suppose it's a good, albeit expensive, problem to have.

clue

"You couldn't get a clue during the clue mating season in a field full of horny clues if you smeared your body with clue musk and did the clue mating dance." -- Edward Flaherty

the gospel according to switchfoot

"We were meant to live for so much more; have we lost ourselves?"

I believe we were each created to challenge the status quo. What is your purpose? What were you created for? Why are you here? Are you settling for a life less than you desire simply because it's the way things have always been done, or maybe because you've lost sight of your true self?

I don't know about you, but I am pissed off at the American culture and the only way I know how to combat what I see is how I spend my time and money. I challenge every person who reads this to change one thing that you wish was different about the world you live in. Even if no one else seems to notice, do something today that shows where you stand.

"I want more than my desperation, I want more than my lonely nation..."

it's a girl!

Ayla Starr was born yesterday at 7:30-ish pm to Hypnobirthing mama Lindsay. She was an itty bitty 6 lbs. 8 oz. Get this: labor lasted 4 hours, pushing only 20 minutes! Lindsay called me two hours after giving birth sounding totally amazing. Guess who's doing Hypnobirthing next time...?!

Congratulations guys!! We can't wait to meet Ocean's future wife! (Ocean and Ayla sitting in a tree...)

tell me what you think

Phil and I have been talking about what we do and don't "get" out of Sunday's church service, and whether or not we are justified in having expectations for worship service.

I'm just curious, for those of you who care to answer, what is the purpose of church for you personally? Whether you go, don't go, whatever... if you had the ideal church "experience", what would that look like? Or if you already are in the "perfect" church for you- God love ya- what makes it that way? Reply to this blog and let me know.

I'm not looking for "right" answers here folks... just some good, old fashioned honesty.

PS: Feel free to substitute "church" with temple, mass, mosque or your particular place of worship.

*Addendum: Casey brings up an interesting thought, so I'm going to roll with it. Is it fair to have expectations of receiving something on Sunday mornings during church service? For example, if I have a genuine need, can I expect that need to get met on Sunday mornings? Or am I just to show up and give fully of myself, not expecting to get anything in return? Additionally, to what degree, if at all, can I expect to be challenged by the message on Sunday morning? Or again, is God more interested in me just "showing up", and he will make sure I get what I'm lacking through another avenue?

i heart playgroup

Ocean and I had our first playgroup today (big ups to the Little Monkeys and their mamas!). I highly recommend playgroups, and wonder where playgroups have been all my life. I'm hooked.

the da vinci code

Yes, I should be sleeping right now but I'm awake and pondering the important things in life: Vanilla Wafers, circumcision and The DaVinci Code. Not that any of them are related, and I have a lot to say about all three, but my focus here will be on the latter of these important life issues.

Here in Charlotte it seems like most churches are doing a DaVinci Code smear campaign. Admittedly, I have not read the book and know very little about it's content. I do know, however, that the author wrote it as a work of fiction and yet judging by the titles of sermons I'm seeing here ("Cracking the DaVinci Code" and "The DaVinci Con" to name a couple), many Christians are threatened by the release of this movie. My question is: WHY? Why are you threatened? If what you believe to be the truth is indeed the truth, why does the release of a fictional movie bother you so much? If someone points at a garden hose and tells me it's a snake I'm not going to flip out because I know it's a garden hose. Is the god you serve so much smaller than a fictional movie made solely to generate revenue? I don't know about you but my God is a lot bigger than Hollywood.

Additionally, I believe the same people who are so valiantly crying "Boycott!" on this movie are the same folks who were crying "Freedom of Speech!" when The Passion of the Christ was released. Let's not be hypocritical. Just because I happen to have a strong opinion about something (like Vanilla Wafers, for example) does not give me a right to deny freedom of speech to others. Or, if I'm wrong and we can indeed change The Constitution, we should add something about baking cakes made from rainbows and smiles.

As a sidebar, having huge banners in front of your church with "DaVinci" anything written on them is really just free advertising for the movie, don't you think? It's kind of like your mom taught you when you were five: If someone is bothering you, just ignore them. Churches here aren't doing a good job of that and they've certainly piqued my interest on this movie.

Just some un-wafery food for thought.

do or do not; there is no "try"

We started our Hypnobirthing class last night. I'm so beyond excited about it... I clearly have a lot to work through because of my previous birth experience but I'm feeling positive that this one will be entirely different, in a good way. We learned a lot about the subconscious mind, the mind-body connection and did some basic hypnosis exercises. What stood out to me the most was when our instructor suggested that we have the power and ability to decide how things will affect us, and how we will feel about those experiences.

Part of me wants to give myself permission to throw my natural birth plans out the window if I have another intense 28 hour labor, because I'm afraid that first contraction will hit and I'll flash back to those 24 unmedicated hours and beg for the drugs immediately, not wanting to relive the intensity of that experience. But I also know that I need to make a choice about what I want and how I'm going to get there, and decide not to fear labor. I'm working through this and hopefully in a few weeks I'll be all hypnotized and determined to have a natural, peaceful birth.

I also want to add a note just to say that I realize birth is an incredibly intimate and personal experience for every woman and I believe each mother should make decisions about labor and birth that are in the best interests of her and her baby. My commentary is in no way to suggest that I disagree with pain meds or necessary medical interventions... my desire is simply to have an unmedicated birth, with no judgment of those who choose a different path. =)

it's a boy!

Our new little nephew, Benjamin Shawn Grenesko, was born tonight to Phil's oldest sister Kim after FIVE hours of labor. If she didn't just have a baby I would flick her in the ear. No, seriously, I'm happy that someone has labors that are shorter than 28 hours. I don't have too many details; only that he is 20 inches long, weighs over 8 pounds and someone said he looks like Phil... which probably means he looks like Ocean. We're still waiting on pics so we'll see. That makes 5 boys and just 2 girls from the Brabbs clan. Someone needs to start having some girls. Brooke, you're up again... go ahead and give it a whirl. I'm on deck.

boycott nestle!

http://www.breastfeeding.com/advocacy/advocacy_boycott.html

i have a fever...

...and the only prescription is more cuddling.
i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle i love to cuddle...

(I think it's working, honey!)

wasting time, waiting for phil to come home...

Things you're rarely asked

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
No. But Shalina and I ended up in the back of a cop car when her car ran out of gas outside a party on State Street at 2am. They just took us to a gas station. Lame, I know. We so wanted to be rebels but it just didn't work out that way...

2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?
No way!

3. When's the last time you've been sledding?
About 5 years ago, in Ann Arbor with Evan and Cedric. I'm not a big fan of the sledding, because I'm REALLY not a fan of the snow.

4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?
I hate cuddling. Hug and roll, baby.

5. Do you believe in ghosts?
I don't know. I think there's more to the spiritual than we can see or comprehend.

6. Do you consider yourself creative?
Yes.

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?
Yes.

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie?
Jennifer is cute as a button and she definitely got a raw deal. But Angelina adopts babies and gives away like a third of her income so that pretty much gets my vote.

9. Can you honestly say you know ANYTHING about politics?
Yes. But they piss me off so I don't talk about them.

10. Do you know how to play poker?
Yes, but I always need a refresher at the beginning of a game.

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?
Labor and delivery.

12. What's your favorite commercial?
The one where the white guys are dancing to the rap music on the boom box in the office... I'm not even sure what it's for.

13. Who was your first love?
Nick

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around you, do you run a red light?
No. But I will make a right hand turn, pull a U-ey and turn right again. Sort of like cheating the system.

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?
No.

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees?
I don't care.

17. Have you ever been Ice Skating?
Yes; took lessons when I was 8.

18. How often do you remember your dreams?
Always right when I wake up; sometimes I'll be talking to Phil and remember some crazy a$$ dream, like emus that need hugs to survive or being at the spa with Lindsay Lohan and getting pissed at her for saying she doesn't know Evan.

19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?
A couple of weeks ago when Brian was over and we were talking about art sluts and drinking naps.

20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles?
Can't buy me love, Yesterday, Help, Ticket to ride, Yellow Submarine

21. What's the one thing on your mind?
Ocean and when he's going to wake up to eat again.

22. Do you believe in love at first sight?
No. I think you grow into it. Love is a choice, not feelings of infatuation or lust.

23. Do you know who Ba-Ba-Booey is?
Nooooo...

24. Do you always wear your seat belt?
Yes.

25. what superpower do you wish you had?
To clean the house with the snap of a finger like Mary Poppins.

26. Do you like Sushi?
Only California Rolls (I don't eat anything that has parents)

27. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident?
How does one know if an accident would have been fatal? I almost rear-ended someone on the interstate at 75 MPH... it was 3am and they just stopped right on I-75; I had to swerve and slam my brakes. Very frightening.

28. what do you wear to bed?
Pajama pants and a t-shirt, much to the disappointment of my husband, I'm sure.

29. Have you ever been caught stealing?
No.

30. Does size matter?
It matters when I have to drop $60 on new bras.

31. Do you truly hate anyone?
No. But there are people I would like to give swirlies to. One in particular who shall remain nameless.

32. Cake or Death?
WHAT THE...?! What kind of a question is this??

33. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be?
My husband. He's so famous... just Google him and you'll see. Haha.

34. Do you know anyone in jail?
I don't think so.

35. Have you ever sang in front of the mirror?
Of course! It's been way too long since I've done that; gosh. I'll be right back.

37. What foods do you find disgusting?
Animal flesh and olives. I like olive oil though.

38. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours?
Gross. No.

39. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?
No. To their faces ONLY. Just kidding... I am not mean spirited and would never laugh at someone's expense. Unless they trip and fall. Now THAT'S funny!

40. Have you ever stood up for a person you hardly knew?
Yes. And a puppy, too. But that's a long story.

41. Have you ever been punched in the face?
No, but I got hit with an iceball in the ear. Another reason I hate snow.

shots suck

Baby Ocean got his first round of immunizations today... he was very brave. A lot more brave than his mommy.

Did you know that immunizations are required by law in North Carolina? In Michigan (and several other states) parents can choose not to immunize on the basis of philosophical opposition, but not here. I thought that was interesting. And pretty crappy. I don't know if we would have opted out if given the choice... but a choice would have been nice.

Anyway, baby is sleeping soundly and even gave me a little smile and "Ah-goo!" before he fell asleep. Sweet little angel boy.

nursing mothers' myspace addendum

-If you have ever breastfed twins, even just for one day, you get to be the President of Nursing Mother's MySpace AND Queen of the World.
(All hail Julie!)

quote

"It is fascinating. In the West, you have bigger homes, yet smaller families; you have endless conveniences -- yet you never seem to have any time. You can travel anywhere in the world, yet you don't bother to cross the road to meet your neighbors. I don't think people have become more selfish, but their lives have become easier and that has spoilt them. They have less resilience, they expect more, they constantly compare themselves to others and they have too much choice -- which brings no real freedom." -The Dalai Lama

sour milk

I'm pretty sure I will smell like this for the next few months. Why do I even bother showering??

nursing mothers' myspace

I think there is a need for this. If you like it, you can take it... if not, just send it back. The requirements are as follows:

-You must be able to correctly pronounce the following: Medela, Lansinoh and colostrum. Bonus if you actually know what any of them are.
-You must have had, or know someone who has had, mastitis or thrush. Bonus if you've had both. Double bonus if you've had both more than once. Triple bonus if you can name the prescription medications used to treat each one.
-You must know what Le Leche League is. You do not need to be a member, but bonus if you've ever called them for advice. Double bonus if you've ever been to a meeting.
-If you have a pump, you must have a name for it. Example: Mine is Ian Gold, as in the former Michigan football player, because on the first setting it sounds like it's saying, "Ian Gold, Ian Gold, Ian Gold...". Phil pointed this out, and now Ian has become an integral part of all our lives. i.e.: "Have you seen Ian?" or "I need to pay Ian a visit."
-You don't have to be nursing currently, but you must have nursed for at least 6 weeks in order to join. Otherwise you may have missed the experience of someone else's crying baby causing your let-down. SO weird. And yet such a huge part of the nursing mother's life.
-You must know what Lanolin, Fenugreek and Alfalfa do.
-You must have nursed at least once in the following places: The backseat of a car (not while moving, of course), the doctor's office and a public restroom.

Also, I think our motto should be, "Free To Be... Between Feedings." This was Courtney's idea; I can't take credit for it. But if you're nursing, you know what we mean.
Do I have any takers??

my new album: "baby upped the ante"

Song Titles:
"Wide Awake At 3am"
"Screaming in the Sling"
"Did My Right Breast Offend You?"
"Something Smells"
"My Mom Was In Labor For 28 Hours and All I Got Was Her Long Arms"
"Cry It Out... Mom"
"I Only Sleep In the Car"
"Anybody Want a Baby?"

big ol' head

..not exactly what you want to hear about your baby from your OB right before you give birth. We had a check yesterday to make sure Baby is in good position for delivery and they did a quick ultrasound and check on the fetal monitor. The doctor, while doing the ultrasound, said, "Yep, there's a big ol' head, right where it's supposed to be." I'm hoping he was speaking in comparison to an egg. Or a golf ball. Or a marble.