Birthing matters and a few lovely things....

My mind doesn't always want to produce average, ordinary thoughts. I like pondering about useless crap that nobody else would care about. I like delving in to the deeper thoughts without using Google. Take yesterday, for example. My mother came to visit with me and help me around the house. We took a break to grab some lunch and hit a second hand store for a bookcase for Max's room. On the way, we passed the hospital where my brothers and I were born. She started to reminisce about our births. I'm fairly sure, after nearly 45 years on this planet, that I've never heard the details of any of this. I found out that my brother Jim was a quick and easy birth; he was born exactly 5 minutes after my father circled the parking lot and dropped her off at the front door of the emergency room. I, on the other hand, "was a pain in the ass" and apparently the best mistake that ever happened. My parents had bought a modest 3 bedroom house and had planned on having just my brothers. When they found out she was pregnant with me, they wondered how they would make room for baby #3. I tell you all of this with the fact that my mother did not say any of this hurtfully; she was simply recounting the story. So anyway, I did not want to come out. My grandparents were visiting from Florida. Every day, they would come over to the house and ask my parents if my mom was ready to have me. Finally, faced with the fact that my grandparents were leaving to go back to Florida, my mother called the doctor and requested that she be induced, which is what happened. My mother said that she always wondered what my real birthday would have been had she not been induced. Now here is where the pondering comes in...

When a baby is induced before its time, does that have an impact on the baby? I arranged to have my son induced because my doctor was going away on vacation for 2 weeks during my due date. I only wanted him to deliver my son. It was the most painful and traumatic labor ever. I knew that day, after the inducement medication kicked in, that I should have waited until he was ready to come. Every day since, I can't help but wonder if things would have been different had I waited. Did inducement have an impact on him? I look at my brother Jim's personality. He is confident, antsy and ready to leave 5 minutes after arriving anywhere. I look at my personality. I'm a late bloomer. I never want to do anything uncomfortable until I'm good and ready or finally forced to act. My right side of my body is also completely different starting with a webbed toe and an irregular earlobe. I also grew differently and had an intensive spinal surgery when I was 16. On a deeper level, I wonder if there is a specific plan for each soul in the birthing process and what happens if that plan is unnaturally interrupted. Hmmm.... See what I mean about pondering useless crap? I asked Breen about this last night and he said that I certainly had an interesting angle but what good would it do now even if any of my theories were true? My mother can't go back and re-birth me just as I can't go back and re-birth my son.

On a lighter note, here are some lovely things that I've experienced over the past few days.

I'm enjoying sketching and making food notes in my new food diary:




I've been enjoying lush, orange produce:


and comfort foods like Noodles Romanoff and grilled Portabello mushrooms and avocado sandwiches:



I didn't find a bookcase yesterday but I did find an amazing sterling silver ring for $6 and a big sparkling belt buckle for $5. I was thrilled this morning to discover that the belt I bought in Oregon a few years back at a cowboy shop has a removable buckle. Now I can change them up!


Don't forget to visit my food blog for a chance to win a vintage sugar sack apron :)) Happy Friday!