the cake

Here are a few photos of the cake I made for Shannon's birthday. It was actually a lot of fun. While Shannon thought it was cool, he wasn't really interested in eating it. And yes, it is leaning a little to one side.

By the way, it is supposed to be James (the red isn't quite right). When I asked Shannon if he wanted a Thomas cake, he said, "I want James cake." Of course, then it changed about 10 times. But, I decided to go with James anyway, since it was what he had said the most. Here's a link to the tutorial I used.

the church and the people

Shannon occasionally performs the "This is the church; this is the steeple; open the doors; see all the people" finger-play. Shannon has added his own little twist. Once the doors open, all the people introduce themselves to each other. Except, in this case, most of them are named Shannon. I think one is named Jack, and one is named mama.

Enjoy!

no, it's shannon!!

Included in a box of clothes we received from a neighbor was a full body spiderman suit. Shannon loves to wear this all day long, despite the fact that he is nearly too big for it. Last night, he had it on. Sean came up from the basement and said, "Oh my goodness! It's spiderman!"

Shannon put his hand on his chest, with a slightly alarmed look on his face and very urgently said, "No, it's Shannon!"

LOL!!!

the business of being born

There's a new documentary called "the business of being born," which was pioneered by Ricki Lake. Apparently, following a terrible birth experience with her first child, she started doing research. Her second birth experience was a home birth, which was a highly superior experience. So, she set out to make this documentary.

Netflix now has it available for instant viewing, so I just watched it. I thought it was very good. It is amazing how vastly different the American birth experience is from the rest of the world. (Although, having watched several of Dana's (my midwife) videos/dvds, I had heard much of it--except for twilight sleep. Good grief, that is horrific!) And, as labor/birth dvds go, I think this one is better for educational perspective, particularly for women who have never considered a midwife-assisted birth. The one thing that might be lacking is any discussion of the possibility of or pros/cons of midwife-assisted hospital births.

My personal favorite "birth-prep" dvd is called "The Big Stretch." When my midwife lent it to me before Jack was born, she said, "it's kind of out there, but watch it and tell me what you think." And, she was right, it was kind of out-there, and I can't really explain why (I think it was mostly a birth-connects-you-to-mother-nature kind of way--and it wasn't all like that, just a few of the interviewees). And, if I remember correctly, I don't think you witness any actual births. It is just interviews with several women about their birth experiences. (They are all in Australia, where it is apparently illegal to have a Cesarean with out medical need.)

Anyway, I'm pretty sure that my success, if you will, with Jack's birth is partially due to my having watched that dvd. It was so empowering. And, I am not the kind of person who would be easily "empowered" by a dvd--I'm too skeptical. :) But, when I went into labor with Jack, my brain stayed in the "I can do this" place, and it never strayed off that path. And honestly, I still can't believe I did it. (Even more, I can't believe that the nurse who attended my birth said I was "amazing" and that I should teach a class. AND, that Dana wished she could have video taped it for education of her future clients.)

So, I can completely identify with the "business of being born" people when they talk about how empowering a good birth experience can be.

(And, for my regular family readers -- yes, I realize it has been awhile and that Shannon just had a birthday. I will try to post some pictures tomorrow. :) )