Ivy is 11 months old!

Eric, Ivy and I just arrived in Seattle last night to visit my sister and to go to the AWP conference, while my mom watches the other kids. It's the first time we've left our children and gone somewhere together. I'm looking forward to good food, warmer (if wetter) weather, lots of fun sight-seeing, and best of all one-on-one time with Ivy during the day. Thanks to all my blog readers who sent in suggestions of things to do!

She does this funny scrunchy thing with her face when she smiles

Having only one child is SO EASY in comparison to four. Only one little person to get dressed and feed and clean up after and buckle into carseats/strollers and get in and out of the car...

Ivy's fourth tooth popped through yesterday, right in time for turning 11 months. She hasn't been cranky or drooly, so it took us by surprise.

Ivy's new tricks this month:

• She says "papa" and we're pretty sure it's intentional
• She grinds her upper tooth with her lower 2 teeth and it sounds like she's chewing on rocks. All my kids have done this
• She says "psssss" when I bring her to the potty or make the potty sign. She's still a bit hesitant to go pee, though. When it comes out, she startles and stops peeing and look around as if to say, "uh oh, I don't think I was supposed to do that!" 
• She can turn around and climb down the stairs by herself
• She loves music and starts dancing any time she hears a tune or a beat
• Her favorite thing to carry around is a tube of chapstick. Not sure why, but you'll always see one in her hand. 
• When she's done eating, she starts throwing her food onto the floor. Then she lifts up the tray of her high chair and throws that down, too. 
• Sleeping in her own room

Look who got into the cocoa powder and was eating it by the fistful...

I was about to say that she's sleeping pretty well. She wakes up twice a night, usually, around 2 am and 5 am. But then I realized that I'm still getting up every 2-3 hours and that's not much of an improvement over a newborn! She does have that first long stretch, but I don't really benefit from it. Ah well...some day she will sleep all night long and I will feel amazing. Some day, right?

She's tricky to get back to sleep when I nurse her at night. I usually have to nurse for a good 30 minutes or more to get her tired enough. Even then, she often wakes up and cries when I leave the room. I may be the only parent who does this, but I often crawl out of the room so she can't see me as I leave. Yeah, the things you do when you have a baby...

Ivy's other "mama" Leilani--she and her family stayed with us for 3 months

Seattle

Are there any Stand and Deliver readers in Seattle? If so, please send me an email :)

First-time mom looking for in-hospital breech catcher

I received a request from a first-time mom looking for a CNM or OB willing to attend a vaginal breech birth. She lives in Pittsburgh but is willing to relocate, if necessary, if her baby remains breech at term. Please email me if you have any recommendations!

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I am 33 weeks pregnant (first child), and the baby has been breech since 23/24 weeks. I'm doing all of the spinning babies exercises, and planning to do acupuncture, as well as seeing an OB whom my midwives referred me to to discuss an external version. (I am seeing a group of CNMs with a freestanding birth center, but they don't deliver breech or VBAC, and neither does anyone else in the city do breech deliveries voluntarily, as far as I can tell.)

However. This baby is stubborn. Nothing has made an impact on him/her so far, and I'm concerned that it will continue to be breech. I'm hoping that you can point me towards some providers who will accept a primip trying to have a breech vaginal delivery. I live in Pittsburgh, but my husband and I would drive or fly virtually anywhere and stay there as long as necessary if the external version fails. I just don't want to find myself at 38 weeks (especially not *in labor* at 38 weeks), and have no option other than to go to the OBs, who will insist on a C-section.

I'm especially looking for CNMs who can deliver in a hospital, or OBs who are ok with breech, as I'm concerned enough about the risks of the situation that I don't really want an out of hospital birth at this point. (At least for the first one; subsequent ones, I'll be much more cheerful about "accidentally" waiting too long. ;)

I would deeply appreciate any information you can give me.

We do it just to ruin your day

We lactating mothers just can't wait to bare it all. Because we're all exhibitionists at heart. And we want to ruin your day.

Sparrow-Folk have a go at breastfeeding in public in this song  "Ruin Your Day" from their debut album The Fox and the Lark.



About Sparrow-Folk:

Jules and Catherine first performed together in an improvised show and went on to play a fully improvised gig at a Chalk Board Tent in The Canberra Folk Festival in 2012. It was there the dream was hatched to start Sparrow-Folk. They began performing in backyards, at family events and even had a couple of small appearances at local venues like the Hellenic Club, and Smith’s Alternative Bookshop.

Recently, Sparrow-Folk was named the ACT winner of the ABC Exhumed competition for 2013, after playing to a packed crowd of 300+ at the Woden Southern Cross Club. They played live on 666ABC Canberra radio, and their songs have also been played on Triple J, though their premiere performance was under southern stars and a Hills Hoist.


Sparrow-Folk are passionate about music, women, fun and of course their fans, the ‘Nesties’. Their quirky style is aimed at bringing a smile through songs and commentary on the world around them.

Sparrow-Folk’s experience of the world comes through in their music; they bring whimsy, giggles, fun and sunshine through the ability to laugh at themselves and provide a real commentary on what it’s like to be women in 2013. They are both ridiculously serious, and seriously ridiculous.

Birth in the caul

I want to share these two stunning photographs of babies being born in the caul. The first is from a twin birth by photographer Leilani Rogers of www.photosbylei.com.*

The second photo was taken during a cesarean section and shared by Greek obstetrician Aris Tsigris.

I feel such a sense of awe and mystery when I look at these pictures. Even though I've had four children, I still wonder how they folded up inside. Seeing a baby born, yet not fully emerged, gives me a fleeting glimpse into the hidden life of the unborn baby.

This is me trying to figure out how Inga managed to fit inside of me.

*You may share this photo if you give credit and include a link to Leilani Roger's website www.photosbylei.com.