Cherry Blossom

We went to the Tidal Basin on Saturday to see the Kite festival and the Cherry blossoms. It was rainy and chilly. The cherry blossoms were goregeous. I remember them from when I was a little kid but it's been a long time. I want to go back one day this week if the weather is nice.

A Lawyer & Scientist Get Hitched!

So it wasn't untill last weekend in Amelia Island Florida that I realized what really makes a wedding perfect. It's not the ice sculptures, fancy dresses or even the band. It is truly the spirit of the day. And there couldnot have been a more perfect wedding for these two. Every single detail was a reflection of the love they shared. The bride had filled little funnles with flower petals to hang on every seat, her aunts and mother carefully created every boquet of orchids and NO detail was over looked. The photographer was fabulous (and I am pretty picky about photographers). It was such an honor to part of their special day.

Job Loss

We just found out that my position at work is being eliminated and they will no longer be offering Doula services. The financial impact on me is minimal because we were moving anyway. But the effect on my psyche is significant. It certainly leaves me (and the 12 other doulas) feeling undervalued and disposable, especially in light of the fact that there were no other layoffs at the hospital. It has been challenging to find the window God has opened as this door is being closed. Some of my coworkers have found it too painful and have chosen to walk away from this work. No one becomes a Doula to get rich and famous. We do it to help women transition into motherhood with grace, dignity and empowerment. We can blame the slumping economy, the fiasco of American Health care or the hospital administrators but it is truly a shameful day when hospitals tell women that it is no longer important that they get the best possible quality of care. Women have the right to informed, empowered birth options. This was one of the largest hospital based Doula programs on the East Coast and we have served thousands of people since the program began. My heart aches to think of the hard work, sweat and soul that was poured into this program by countless doulas over the years..... all wiped away with single stroke of the red pen. I hope that in my lifetime birth is viewed not as a means to ends but rather as a transformative journey to "motherland", a journey which we learn to support, mind body and soul.

Digital

One of my best friends, the Lawyer is getting married Saturday in Florida. I am in the wedding and hubby and I will be flying down Friday. It will be our 1st trip with out kids in 3 years. The Lawyer and our friend, The Baker were at my wedding, The Lawyer and I were in the Baker's wedding and now the The Baker and I are in the The Lawyers wedding. I am lucky to have such great friends. It got me nostalgic for my own wedding (9 years ago!). I went back to my wedding album and it hit me that I got married before digital cameras! I am so OLD! My pictures are SO important to me that I realized I have to get my wedding pictures scanned in so I wont loose them. What a HUGE project. My scanner is not the best so I will need to have it professionally done. When I do, I will share some images from that awesome day. I also realized that in one way or another all of the people that we surrounded ourselves with that day are still a part of our lives today. YEAH!

Aunt Karina

I am headed to the West Coast of Friday to visit my nieces and nephew. I am looking forward to the weather! It has been dreary here lately. I am going by myself so I can help and spend quality time with them for a few days. I am looking forward to playing ALOT with my neices! I love being an Aunt because I get all of the fun and none of the parenting stress. I dont know what I will do with myself on a cross country flight with no diapers to change or noses to wipe. I am so excited!

worst day

I had such a bad day last week. I got 2 speeding tickets in 10 minutes on my way to go pick up my daughter from NJ. She had her first extended sleepover away from us. She came back a bit of a mess having consumed nothing but sugar and not sleeping for 4 days! Then things at work got messy and stressfull. I am not good at compartmentalizing my life and stress from work easily spills over to home. The baby is getting molars and wont stop crying, which really doesn't help on the 4 hour drive to NJ. When the 2nd police office pulled me over, I just lost it and started sobbing. I think he thought I was crazy. He may have breifly considered aresting me for "insanity". The stress of the impending move is also starting to weigh heavily on me. I even called hubby to come home early from work.
At the end of the day I realized that it was the worst day I have had in a VERY long time. I am grateful for this day because it is an opportunity to remind me how good my life really is. If one bad day is all I can remember, then I would say I have it pretty good.
2 speeding tickets - $320
Gas to drive to NJ- $35
Comfort Food- $10
Long Distance hysterical phone call to Friends - $3.20
Remembering how good my life is - priceless

Inauguration

So we took a big risk and decided that we should take all 3 kids to the Inauguration. We knew that there was a chance that this would backfire and be a disaster but we thought it was worth the risk. We stayed at my dad's house in Dupont Circle and walked down to the National Mall before the sunrise. It was cold but we were well prepared. Snacks, long underwear and stickers were our defense from the cold, hunger and boredom. Then we discovered that the American History Museum was open and we ducked in to warm up and use the bathrooms. When we reemerged the sun was shining and the ceremony was begining. It was a great day and the kids did so well. Greg and I were absoluteley exhausted by the end of the 2.5 mile hike back to the car. It was a day I will never forget and I am glad that we took the chance.