Are we in Utah?

I started to post last Friday with the good news, but computer time has been short -- our prayers were answered and my friend's husband was ordered by the court to return their son to her. God is good! So for now our house is home to three small boys, two mommies and one daddy, whose foremost concern is that somehow he's getting less sex now that he has two "wives" -- and that's not counting the third, who claims to live across the street but is always here when he gets home.

I think I've benefitted the most from the current arrangement, since Carla likes to cook and do laundry! The boys have also been quite happy to have another playmate around, although my secondborn has had some issues with joyful aggression the last two days. Not sure if it's the stress of having the whole house rearranged along with more people living here, or if it's just teething and getting ready to turn two. Trying to get him to understand that other people DO feel physical pain, and that it's NOT okay to cause it. Tough to do with a child whose personal pain tolerance is quite high.

We got the bedrooms repainted just in time to move both the big bed and my 3-year-old's twin into the old playroom. We still have a family bedroom, and they'll have to wait for their new bed. Our kitty, Emma, has shown signs of stress both from her bedroom being moved and the boys tormenting her more than usual. Now I have to go to PetsMart and get some cat stench remover for the carpet. UGH.

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I finally started my first childbirth preparation class last night! I stayed up until 1 a.m. the night before getting all my stuff together and going over my outline, which I ended up mixing all up anyway. I woke up feeling ready and happily anticipating the evening. And then my stomach started cramping.

Spent most of the afternoon in the bathroom, and had to send Scott to Kinko's to make some last minute copies for me, and to the drugstore for anti-diarrheal medication, which I would never take normally. I SO did not want to have to cancel or reschedule at the last night.

My stomach was fine for the duration of the class, thank God. My brain on the other hand -- well, I think I hid its deficiencies moderately well. Though I spent all day today thinking of things I should have explained better and wishing I'd had more props. Thankfully the class is just two couples -- one of my best friends and her husband, who are having their second baby and invited me to be their doula, and my midwife's brother and his wife. So, I don't think I can screw them up too badly with my lack of teaching experience. But I do have a lot of work left to do for the rest of the classes.

This is the moment when I wish I were more choleric and less melancholy -- my perfectionism is keeping me from being able to commit to a finished outline. I'm even starting to wonder if I should have gotten my certification through a different organization. Birth Works looks really good, as does Birthing From Within. Renowned midwife Ina May Gaskin is on the board of the first I'm using her "Guide to Childbirth" in my course, as well as art and writing exercises from Pam England's "Birthing From Within." But I can't make up my mind...