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This will be my last post on Let’s Talk Mom 2 Mom, or mom2momhamptonroads.com. I’ve moved to my new home on the web, Melodie’s House (http://www.melodieshouse.com/). Please head on over to my new blog and subscribe to my feed so you can receive notifications of new posts and updates.

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I watched the Dr. Phil spinoff show “The Doctors” on 9/10 b/c it was an episode on hospital vs. homebirth. What a sham that show was! First off, the format of the program does not allow sufficient time to explore any topic in any real depth - you get sound bites and brief video segments in between commercials. Second, they never intended to lay out all options, they wanted to use the invited couple to sensationalize homebirth and scare people for ratings. Third, some gross misinformation was presented.
continue reading "“The Doctors” TV show - a disservice to women"

birth, birth center, childbirth, Dr. James Sears, Dr. Jim Sears, Dr. Phil, Dr. Sears, home birth, homebirth, midwife, midwifery, midwives, natural birth, natural childbirth, pregnancy, The Doctors, unmedicated birth, unmedicated childbirth

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I’ve registered a new domain called “www.melodieshouse.com” and I’m combining both my blog and my Mom 2 Mom Central sites into this one site. Thank my husband for thinking up the domain - he always felt it should be something simpler and couldn’t understand me struggling to maintain two sites. So look to Melodie’s House to continue reading my ruminations as well as to find articles, links, and recommended merchants all in one place. In a few days I’ll park mom2momcentral.com and mom2momhamptonroads.com and they’ll both redirect to melodieshouse.com when it’s ready.

blog, blogging, domain registration, web development, web site, website

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A friend of mine, Petrina (Trina) Dortch, passed away Monday night, 9/8, only 40 yrs young, after a very long battle with a blood disease. For seven years she dealt with myelodysplastic syndrome, or preleukemia, and was diagnosed with leukemia in July of this year. She entered VCU Medical Center in Richmond for aggressive chemo in late July and never left the hospital. The chemo destroyed all of her bone marrow but she was never able to start producing any again before a massive fungal infection took over resulting in her organ systems shutting down. Actually it was a miracle she survived this long with severe anemia and a very compromised immune system before developing full-blown leukemia. But it was still a shock when the diagnosis finally occurred, then to see her go downhill so quickly, and then to leave us. She left behind three daughters, four grandchildren, three sisters, a brother, and more extended family and friends than I can list here. I came to know her because she was my husband’s ex-wife and they shared a daughter.

On Monday night, right about the time my husband received the call, I was upstairs showering and getting ready to wind down for the night, but Trina was weighing very heavily on my mind. I prayed “Heavenly Father, she’s in your hands now,” and felt compelled to go over to my computer and play “Go Rest High on That Mountain” by Vince Gill. I had no idea her daughter (my stepdaughter), my stepdaughter’s young son, and my stepson had arrived at our house just in time to overhear the call. When I got up from listening to the song, my husband called for me, and said we had company. I hollered down, “Who?” He came upstairs and whispered to me that Trina passed away about 1/2 hr before.

As my personal tribute to Trina, I’m linking to a music video of “Go Rest High on That Mountain.” We love you and we miss you greatly, Trina, but we know your suffering is over and you are at peace in Heaven with Jesus and we will see you again someday.

Here is Trina’s (now) memorial website, Flowers for Mommy.

acute myelogenous leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, AML, bone marrow, chemo, chemotherapy, leukemia, myelodysplasia, myelodysplastic syndrome, preleukemia

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My son turned 3 last month and he’s not potty trained yet. He’ll pee on the potty when he feels like it, but under no circumstances will he poop on the potty. He’s very quick to run and tell me he’s got a poopy diaper when he does, though, with a hint of triumph in his voice. Last weekend (I think it was Sat. night), he took it upon himself to strain and make a little poop in the potty (he likes to use to grownup toilet) TWICE, and I rewarded him greatly with sweet treats, but he hasn’t gone to the potty since, at least not for me. Since I have twins under age 2 still filling their diapers, I’m eager for him to be potty trained. I have changed diapers every day of my life since March 28, 2003 when my oldest was born, and I need a break! (Well, I guess it could be worse - the Duggars are about to have kid #18 and there’s an average of only 18mos between them, so Michelle Duggar has been changing diapers nonstop for over 20 yrs!)

I must say, however, that my little guy has come a long way from 8-12 mos. ago, when he was taking off his diaper after pooping in it and making “art” while in his crib during naptime, whenever he was awake and bored in there. Zip-up blanket sleepers or onesies were enough to dissuade him, and he was over it by the time he moved into a real bed at about 2-1/2 yrs.

As for my 23mo twin girls; well, for the last 2-3 mos. they’ve both been prone to taking their diapers and any clothing over them off. After a while they figured out how to get a diaper off through the leg of a onesie and then I found they will zip their way out of a blanket sleeper, so about a week ago my hubby suggested tape. We had some wide masking tape laying around, and I started putting a strip across the front of their diapers over the tabs. Problem solved! I can get the diapers off by lifting the bottom edge of the tape, putting my finger between the overlapped velcro tabs underneath, and tearing the tape vertically over them so I can open both tabs. I swear I was about to go batty over changing crib bedding 2x a day and outfits as much as 3x each a day.

diaper, diapers, potty training, toddler, toddlers, toilet training, twins

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I was watching the Republican convention last night and while Sarah Palin held her baby son Trig onstage after her speech, I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be funny if the baby spits up on her shoulder while the world’s watching?” I didn’t see her drape a burp cloth over her shoulder either. Amazing what mommy brains think.

babies, baby, Palin, Republican National Convention, Sarah Palin, spit up, Trig Palin, Trig Paxson Van Palin

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This is a pic of the back of my right calf about 4 days after getting bitten repeatedly by a shiny golden-yellow fly while in a garden digging out some tomato plants:

The fly was only slightly larger than a housefly, and I hardly believed it when told by my hubby and stepdad it was a horsefly. So I searched the ‘net, and sure enough, it was a type of horsefly or deerfly. Let me tell you, get bit by one of those, and you won’t soon forget it. The bites itched and burned so bad, and for 5-6 days I could hardly put my weight on my right foot b/c my lower calf was so sore. I read that cows stop giving milk when badly afflicted by horseflies. I don’t doubt it makes them absolutely miserable and stresses them out to that point.

deerfly, flies, fly, fly bite, horsefly, horsefly bite

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My brain’s a little fried tonight so I thought I’d post on something arcane though it’s the wrap-up of a couple earlier posts. I had minor surgery to fix an umbilical hernia a year ago, and I thought I’d show off my barely-noticeable scar. I just can’t get over how good my belly button looks. I took this photo w/my camera phone about 2 months ago, but this has been how it looked since about a month post-op:

belly button, hernia, navel, scar, surgery, umbilical hernia

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This is absolutely outrageous:

Texas truant students to be tracked by GPS anklets
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jFYM06p0hvA97H1VyrK6×4G6dzqQD92NRQ4O0

Satellite GPS to Track Truant Students:
http://radio.woai.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=119078&article=4137166

The worst part of this is that the anklets will be on 24/7 until a judge orders them removed. This is a blatant disregard of Fourth Amendment rights, which are also interpreted to protect our right to privacy. The state has no right to monitor the whereabouts of these students, only to enforce compliance with compulsory attendance. Where is the outrage?

Look at these quotes from Bexar County, TX justice of the peace Linda Penn:

1) From AP:

Asked why the students have to wear the ankle bracelet all the time instead of just the school day, Penn cited problems with runaways.

“Sometimes, as I said, students are runaways. Parents don’t know where they are,” Penn said. “So it’s for the safety of the child, as well as the safety of the community.”

Burke [from ACLU] said truant students and runaway kids are different issues.

Asked specifically about privacy concerns, Penn said she didn’t have a comment. But, she added, her priority is “looking for the good of making these children accountable … it’s for the concern of these children getting an education.”

2) From radio station WOAI news:

“My overall program tries to address many of the root causes of truancy, but the electronic monitoring will be another tool that at the very basic level makes sure that the kids are in school when they are supposed to be,” she said.

Judge Penn said the ankle monitoring has the added benefit of making sure students are not committing crimes when they should be in class.

Judge/Justice Penn in my mind lacks both sound judgement and a sense of justice. She is a dangerous person to be on the bench because she supports the Big Brother/Nanny Govt. machine and has figuratively trampled our Bill of Rights underfoot.

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I’d like to share some of my favorite childbirth videos on the web here. WARNING: These are graphic videos, so don’t go there if you don’t want to look at women’s crowning privates.

1. An Asian (I believe Japanese) hospital birth that appears to be from the 1980s. The rhythmic chanting performed by the nurses is rather interesting, and the father is tender and supportive toward his laboring wife:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1352951885473041821&hl=en

2. An 18-year-old old gives birth in a tub in a birthing center attended by midwives. This birth is absolutely beautiful! I was so awestruck watching this young mom give birth naturally, that I was feeling like an amateur after birthing four myself:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncranxBo-AI

For even more birth videos, check this site out:
http://pregnancyvideos.googlepages.com/

birth, birth center, childbirth

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