I'm dreadfully sick with a cold. Feel horrendous. Is it multiplied because I'm pregnant? Or are colds getting worse becuase I'm aging? Hey, last Christmas I was deathly ill with a cold, it was freaky. It was just a cold, but it knocked me out for three days.

Anyhoo, I'm sick. I have a cold. I can't think.

But a quick update: The D-Man and I have finally agreed on the circumcision dealio. It was Round 4 last night. He told me who he talked to, I told him who I talked to, then we both got on a computer and did some more research. I was visiting Dr. Pollock of Circumcision Vancouver (who, for some reason, kind of freaks me out. Reminds me of a hair-plug surgery website... scarey), and he was over visiting the folks of the Canadian Children's Rights Council.

On Dr. Pollock's website, it states that he gives them sugar-coated pacifiers to take their attention away. I voiced my concerns over this, and that "So he's trying to create an alternate reality for a newborn so he won't feel pain. A NEWBORN. CREATING AN ALTERNATE REALITY FOR A NEWBORN." Uh, hello???? Sybil, anyone? When Rabbit Howls anyone? (Ok, ok, that might be a bit extreme, but that's exactly where I went. I mean, it's just to take his attention away - and Donald does the same thing to get a bandaid off me.... but it still freaked me out). Anyway, as I was voicing my concern over this, Donald silently got up and walked into the kitchen.

"We're not circumsizing."

I was shocked silent. I mean, I thought we'd have a few more goes at this. What changed his mind was the information on the Canadian Children's Rights Council website.

So I didn't really know what to do at that moment. I saw the look on his face and my heart hurt. He looked almost defeated. I said to him, "I feel like I've taken a piece of you away."

His response?

"At least we won't be taking a piece of our son away."

So I knew he was ok and we had a good chuckle and actually chatted about it instead of butting heads. If only 13.9% of Canadian boys are now being circumsized (as of 2003), that tells me that our little guy isn't going to be the only one in the locker room with a different looking penis, so to speak.

Two battles over and done with: exclusive breastfeeding and circumcision. Next up, cloth diapers and vaccinations. Oh joy.

(I'm sad that simple conversations over these kind of things tend to turn into WWIII in our household. It always turns into a battle - one of us trying to "win". And that's sad because it's not about that, it's about trying to make the best choices for our baby until he can make his own choices. But we lose track of that most times. Perhaps bringing that into the consciousness will help to change things from here on out.)

All for now.
s.

3rd Trimester! Here we are. We've made it this far. Week 26. My god. Week 26!

(The cucumber pic is the only picture I could find that shows the relative size right now. Weird, I know.)

The little guy is still taking little breaths, even though it's amniotic fluid, it's still great practice for him. So he's a superhero to me now. I mean, did you ever try to breath liquid?

His little eyes are starting to open. HIS EYES ARE STARTING TO OPEN! He is in a growth spurt from here on out and his brain is developing at an intense rate - so nutrition is important right now. More grains and veggies! So much for the Ga Lei Bau and coconut bun (and caramel macchiato) I had for lunch. Hey, even mom has got to treat herself once in a while.

He might start jumping around more when he hears loud, unexpected noises because the nerve endings in his ears are still developing - so he responds to sound more consistently. And will from here on out. No pun intended (funnier when you say it outloud.) (or really not funny at all) (let me repost:) "....so he responds to sound more consistently. And will from here on out."

It's not even funny to me actually.

The placenta is equal in size to the little guy. Question - my placenta is in the front... if something happens that I have to have a c-section, will this be an issue?

And my belly button is now 1/2 and innie and 1/2 an outie. I'm having an identity crisis. My body is not my own. Weird things are happening. Werid spots showing up on my chest (that I thought was just sun damage - but it's getting worse and I'm covered up and not baking on the beach). No stretch marks though - still oiling up daily with the Escents aromatherapy stuff.

Rolling over at night is uncomfortable hilarious a production all on it's own. By the time I manage to get comfortable, I'm pretty much wide awake and have pissed off the cats and then Chicken starts to knaw on my foot and thinks it's Game On and "Oh yay, mummy's awake!" and Ling Ling just looks at me, turns her nose up and leaves the room.

At least I then have the bed to myself.

Until my husband rolls in around 3am, then it's a whole other production as I've got to get rid of my massive body pillow so he can have room too. ARGH.

***

The breastfeeding issue is no longer. Donald and I are on the same page and he's looking forward to all the other ways of bonding with the little guy. Circumsicion, on the other hand, is an ongoing issue - and I'm starting to rethink my decision based on what a few fathers have said, both circumsized and non-circumsized and who have circumsized their boys and some who haven't. It's been eye-opening, but it's not over yet! I still can't stand the thought of my child being cut. Of inducing trauma, knowingly. More research required...

And cloth diapers. Someone mentioned the other day that there is actually LESS diaper rash with disposables than with cloth because of the layering - that the pee is soaked into the diaper and away from baby's bum. Again, more research required. (It's not just about diaper rash, it's also about the environment but there you go.)

And another big one: vaccines. This is going to be difficult. Or perhaps not. I'm going to grab the Dr. Sears book and have a gander.

Also, your comments really help us to see through our fear of doing the wrong thing and our preconceptions, etc, so please continue to comment! Weigh in on the subjects - I love hearing from all of you. Makes me feel less alone in this journey. There's been a few lately that I have yet to respond to, but am going to in a few minutes, so feel free to browse through them for my replies.

Phew, this was a long one today.

S.

So my mom (one of my two readers) just emailed me and was concerned about my comments at the end of the last post. She thought they were rather harsh. The "Perosnally I'm not about to take on that responsibility" and so on. She wants me to censor it a bit.

So the gal chose not to write publicly, that's her perogative. Just because I choose the opposite and write very publicly, doesn't make either one of us better or worse. She wasn't writing for advice - who am I to give advice anyway? - she was just sharing her experience.

Hey, I'm not saving the world here, I'm not curing cancer, I'm sharing my opinion. In my own style. It doesn't have to be the same as yours.

I'm just a gal that's pregnant and writing about it.

Went to my first prenatal yoga class last night. It was delightful! And the best part was the instructor. Turns out, she's the sister of a close friend of mine. As soon as I saw that it was her teaching this class, I just knew that it would be the best and I signed up right away. She's so gentle and grounded and focused and full of love and LOVES BABIES, so I also knew that it wouldn't be strictly instructional with no feeling. And I was right!

She totally focused on the baby and our connection with our babies. I almost started to cry at one point when we were doing some breathing exercises to start and she said something along the lines of "feel your breath touching the baby, caressing the baby, feathering the baby". It was amazing. And she stressed the heart connection, and feeling our hearts in sync. It really set a beautiful tone for the rest of the evening.

Ok, so maybe that was the best part of the evening!

And it was a great workout! The little guy loved it. Looking forward to next week.

I start another class on Monday nights, closer to my home. It was the same one I took last year. Not as energetic unfortunately, but I'll get to meet more mom's-to-be and get a workout in, so I'm all good with that. Besides, it may be a different instructor. Who's to say?

***

A gal emailed me last night about circumcision. She didn't want to post a comment for fear that she'd make other mothers feel terrible about their decision. Personally, I'm not about to take on that sort of responsibility. If someone is going to feel terrible about a decision they made, that shows they weren't sold on it in the first place, or didn't do thorough research, or times have changed, or whatever. That's theirs to deal with, not mine...I've got enough to deal with, lol! If it was the right decision for them, whatever that decision was, then they won't feel horrible about it, because it was right. For them. And I applaud that. Her email did get me thinking about me though. I suppose, if one blogs for the world to see, they can't be too worried about pissing other people off (ie: my 3D ultrasound post) or creating a difference of opinion, or a bit of confrontation, or whathaveyou. And just to set the record straight... I'm not worried about pissing other people off. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, but I'm not worried about pissing people off. This blog isn't about anyone else but me and my pregnancy, and my journey. The opinions are mine. If you don't agree, that's fantastic! Send me a comment, let me know your viewpoint. It may very well be something that I'd like to know! A new piece of scientific information, or just a new piece of information for me. Something that I hadn't considered before. Send it along, please! Difference in opinion creates conversation. That's what creates movement and change in the world.

Good times.

All for now.
s.