Faces of Birth, part I

First baby-birthing class last night. Seems like an amenable group - at least most have a good sense of humor. The teacher is just the typical nice, smiley, woo-woo sort that sitcoms have led me to expect. At least she's got her chops - we jumped right into discussions of circumcision, childcare options and other kinda touchy stuff and she kept it all comfortable.

Hiking while pregnant

Over the first weekend of August, Sam, Ryan, Jodi, and I went for a four-day backpacking trip in the Goat Rocks. I have never hiked while six months pregnant, and all in all I think it went pretty well. I certainly feel accomplished to have met this major goal!

The area is where I have been hiking since I was first allowed to go with Dad on "Big Hikes," and where Sam and I spent our honeymoon. This being the year of our 10th anniversary, the trip had even more significance for us. We were prevented from going up the drainage of the North Fork of the Tieton River by a forest fire, so we went up the South Fork to the McCall Basin instead. It was interesting viewing the landmarks we know and love so much from the rear, as it were.

I am so thankful that I was able to make this trip, and grateful to the other three hikers for allowing me to take my time and carry a little less weight. I could not have done it without lots of help from my friends.

The best part of the trip? Aside from the company and the sheer thrill of accomplishment, it would have to be the wildflower display. I have never seen such a lush bloom as this! It was also great to see a herd of over 30 mountain goats cavorting on a snow field. And of course Sam's "Frog Stomp" is not to be forgotten.

The worst part of hiking six months pregnant? It's a tie between trying to find a comfortable sleeping posture on the Therm-a-Rest (always a challenge!), and wearing the pack's hip belt really really low - right over the bladder, as if the kid himself doesn't put enough pressure there. By the way, we decided that if he comes out showing any effect from Mama's pack wearing, we're gonna nickname him "Bucklehead."

It's a . . . Zombie?

Alien autopsy photo? A ghostly apparition? The missing link?

No, it's our new life-form project we've affectionately code-named "Skeletor".

Ain't it cute?

Anarchy Fist

Little Peanut is a punk rocker already. Here he can be seen raising the fist whilst still in the womb. And I haven't even played him any Ramones yet...

No thrifting for Peanut?

I may forever be prevented from shopping at my favorite places - Goodwill and Value Village - for little Peanut's necessaries. Well-meaning do-gooders who pushed legislation to keep lead and other toxics out of kid's toys have unintentionally (I hope) made life much more difficult for secondhand stores and all-natural toy and clothing makers.

Here is a quote from a Rick Woldenburg article published on the Free-Range Parenting blog:

The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act became law on August 14, 2008 and it dramatically changes the way we regulate children’s product safety. After several toys from China were recalled in 2007/8 for high levels of lead, Congress wanted to do something – anything — so it did. And went way overboard.

Until then, the Consumer Product Safety Commission focused only on products that posed an actual threat to your child’s safety – things like faulty car seats, or toys with small parts that could break off and cause choking. Under the new law, Congress imposes arbitrary standards that require the manufacturers of pens, shoes, t-shirts, ATVs, bikes, books, backpacks and toys to “prove” the safety of their products, and label them a new way...

The law also makes it difficult and risky for Goodwill, the Salvation Army and other charities to sell or give away used children’s products, because merely by selling something with plastic or old ink, they might be breaking the law. Thrift stores are reacting to the new regulations by closing their children’s departments. Some have actually THROWN OUT any children’s books printed before 1985. That’s when printing ink still included lead – which might be a problem if children sat down and ate books, page by page, but is no problem at all if they just read them.

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I'm not afraid of the big bad unproven goods wolf, but I hope that all the awesome secondhand and consignment stores I've been looking forward to shopping in are still doing their thing when I want 'em.