7 Beleaguered Takes

Joining Jen and the gang to assure you all I am not lying in a street somewhere, comatose...

-1-

The first week of my mom being here is over (she's offered to stay during the week to help me study) and already I am feeling at once grateful and guilty. It's like having an extremely competent maid and nanny, who is also your best friend, and charges you nothing, and who makes delicious potato soup...

My point is - why didn't I ever invite her to live with us sooner? And how can I convince her to stay forever? 

-2-

I have ten thousand posts I'm working on that are as yet unfinished, but two I promise to publish if not for you my adoring public, then for Zuzu (8th month bday) and my dad (Father's Day). Better late than...?

-3-

In case you were desperately wanting a Zuzu update, she can pull herself up now! On anything, really...and she is sort of crawling, but as I told dear Auntie Shae the other day, it's more of a pirate crawl? One leg cocked out to the side, with the other in correct crawling position, she extends the one leg and drags the other one along behind...like a pirate. She thinks she's very clever. 

The dog is mostly terrified. 

I'm terrified for his water bowl. 

Edited to add - photo credit by Jen!! (as always)

-4-

I hemmed my first pair of pants the other day and I have to say I am quite satisfied with the outcome, even with the weird jersey fabric I was working with (stretchy sleepy pants). Of course, by the time I've gotten 'round to hemming these damn pants, they don't fit anymore. This should comfort me - seeing as they are what I wore home from the birth center - but I really love those pants. Rats. 

-5-

I started to watch the show 'Call the Midwife.' (PBS via BBC) My  neighbor told me about it. Everyone who watches it tells me about it because they're like, "oh you'll like it - it's about midwives! and nuns!" Because I'm the only Catholic birthing center gal my neighbor knows, maybe. I love parts of the show - some of the story lines are very very beautiful. But the show also does what I knew it would do - tries, firstly, to link poverty and big families , and then links them both to a lack of contraception. So the picture they paint is that big families are for poor, uneducated people who can't control themselves. It makes me angry because it feels they are exploiting the poor and belittling their joys - as if those in poverty are happy about new babies only because they're stupid and don't know better, but that when they despair at the idea of a new baby, that's real and good. 

The show isn't all bad though...the way new life is treated is generally beautiful, and most of the care of women portrayed is good (with some exceptions made for the way 'things were done' then - routine enemas and shaving - puke). 

Now I'm left to scrounge for season 2....

-6-

Spam comments are OUT OF CONTROL lately. But I hate those capcha thingies so...just keep on deleting 'em...

-7-

Inspired by 'Call the Midwife,' I want to change my hair. I love hair - hair that is styled! And lovely looking! But mine isn't. I run every other day or so, and I don't always get the time to wash it on a run day - which isn't a problem, because my hair doesn't grease easily, but it does mean I can't wear it down. And my go-to "messy bun' is really just...ugly. My poor husband. So I'm thinking of going shorter, but not too short, so I can wear it straight or curly.  And investing in some hot rollers (so I can set my hair while hanging laundry on the line or whatever charming thing women in the '40s did). See inspirational pictures below:

My hair-spiration: Nurse Jenny Lee

Further hair-love (obviously not the color):