Short

I find myself sitting on the post screen pretty often since I started blogging again. Sometimes I'll write a few sentences, sit for a few minutes, and then close everything. I'm not sure why I do this... Maybe I'm not sure what to say, or not sure that what I have to say is interesting enough to be a meaningful contribution to the blogosphere. But that's where I'm at right now, and why there haven't been any updates.

Hiatus

I'm sorry for the long hiatus from this blog, I did not mean for it to last this long. There are honestly two reasons for this; one of our computers (the one I use most often) randomly stopped accessing certain websites, including this one, and I have been debating what exactly I want to put on the site.

On one hand, I say some things that I'm not quite comfortable sharing with certain relatives and friends, things that I would rather keep anonymous. But I'm pretty convinced that if I didn't share the blog with people I know, I wouldn't have any readers.

One day I'll come back to this, but it's not today. Sorry.

Stretch Marks

I have posted here a few times about my frustrations with society's assumptions, mostly regarding pregnancy. Well, there's a new one.

I like my stretch marks. I wear them with pride. I've heard a lot of advice on how to get rid of them. It seems that there is a whole slew of products made just for me! Well, me if I wanted to get rid of the scars. There's oils and lotions and pills and herbal remedies, etc, etc.

Me though? When I decided to get pregnant I signed up for everything that went along with it. I signed up for the sleepless nights, the crying baby, the feeling of constantly being needed. I even signed up for the stretch marks.

I feel like I should have something I can show off, like "look what I did, I got so big that I split at the seams!" I look at my stretch marks and I see an accomplishment, I see a reminder of my wonderful uncomplicated pregnancy where I tried really hard to take good care of myself, I see a reminder of my wonderful labor and delivery where I managed to do everything without any drugs or medical interventions.

So after you comment on my large, still red stretch marks, when I say that I'm not looking to get rid of my stretch marks, that is not an invitation to keep telling me about whatever magical remedy you are convinced I need to be using. That is not an invitation to tell me about how I will want them gone. And it is definitely not an invitation for that chuckle that says "aw, that's cute, but you're not serious". I got that same laugh when I talked about unmedicated delivery and I went through with that just fine.

In the end, I just don't feel like I need to be told to hate my own body.

Need to Post!

I have a lot of intentions for this blog. It's almost unfortunate. There's a list sitting next to the keyboard where I routinely write down whatever comes to mind for entry topics, but I don't seem to be getting anywhere with actually writing them! I'd really like to get most of this down by the time the baby is here, partially as a way to remember for later, and partially as a way to remind myself that I'm not alone in this. I don't have any friends that I see on a regular basis who are pregnant or have  young children, I feel pretty isolated in all this. It really doesn't help that J and I share a car, so I have to drive him to work and use extra gas if I want to get out of the house at all.

Anyways, here's my list of entry topic ideas. Please PLEASE PLEASE comment on which you'd most like to see written about! It can be something you're interested in learning more about, or something that you have strong opinions on that you'd like to share.. or you could just be curious about my parenting intentions... whatever reason it is, let me know so that I have some reason or motivation to post!!!

• Cloth Vs. Disposable Diapers: research and my intentions
• Breast Feeding: research and my intentions
• Baby Wearing: research and my intentions, with extra attention paid to sling recall
• State of Midwifery in Illinois: research
• Sentimental Fetus Post: basically a post about how i'm trying to love something that gives me heartburn and how it's hard for me
• Gender Neutral Parenting: my parenting intentions
• Baby-Led Weaning: research and my intentions
• The Awesomeness that is My Hubby! because he rocks
• Baby Shower: family issues and the difficulty of wanting a gender neutral shower

Anyways, PLEASE comment!! even if you never read this, even if you just glance at it, COMMENT! 

Notice?

For some reason I seem to have some extreme morning-sickness like nausea today (it's had me on my knees in the bathroom a couple times, but no puke yet) even though I'm in my third trimester. So Featured Seller Tuesday is being postponed.. Sorry! and sorry that I haven't been better about updating regularly. It's been hard to pull myself away from him on the days that I have have my hubby home.