Our secular baby-welcoming ceremony
When our baby Gene was born, my partner Martin and I had already decided during our pregnancy that there was going to be no christening/baptism or anything along those lines as we simply didn’t go to church or follow a religion.
But we DID want to have some sort of ceremony. Here’s what we came up with…
When I fell in love with my daughter
I thought it would be like falling in love with a man, where you got a rush and butterflies in your stomach; I thought I would moon over her and love would sweep me off my feet. It never happened that way.
Who am I to my partner’s daughter?
My cousin’s parents had been separated for years and her mum happily re-partnered with man that my cousin now happily refers to as her stepdad despite no formal marriage taking place. Along the way my cousin had a few ‘uncles’ and knew playmates who often had their parents’ significant others masquerading as ‘aunties’ and ‘uncles.’
Have screaming kid, will travel
It all started when the pills ran out. You see, when a 4’11”, petite-in-every-place girl delivers a 10 pound baby, there is a lot of, ahem, stitching and fixing up to be done.
Normally I decline medication, but after Jonah tore into the world my doctor didn’t have to push it. In the hospital, floating on pain medicine, I was still struck by how completely unprepared I was for taking care of a baby, but I was handling it okay.
Then I went home.
Who says you need a yard to raise kids?!
We recently moved to downtown Seattle, and were shocked that the first question family asked is “What do the kids do without a yard?” Um, EVERYTHING.
…And my midwife makes three
I’ll be honest, my motives for seeking out natural childbirth started many years ago and sprang from a very rational fear of gigantic needles. I was scared senseless by the idea of a lightning rod going into my spine, and thought the pain of childbirth had to be preferable.
Can you be pagan and celebrate Christmas with your kids?
I love cheesy Christmas songs, I love fairy lights. On the other hand, I feel hypocritical at the school Nativity play.