How Do We Choose A Doula?

Help, please.

We want to set up a "meet & greet" with one or two of the local doula organizations, but how do you pick who to meet from a list of bios online??

Thanks in advance, oh wise IVP.

Photo Friday: Show & Tell

I'll start with Co, because she has the coolest thing to show: her bump! At six months in, she is really looking pregnant. This picture is from 23 weeks 4 days (note our lovely B & B in the background):




I, however, have undergone a mild makeover to assuage my pain at going back to school, so I present to you my newly purple toes, and touched-up auburn hair:





We're off now for a whirlwind weekend baby tour: Nephew S., Squeak, and Gus.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

*Stayed at the most wonderful, friendly, pet-friendly B & B. Seriously, I recommend this place for anyone remotely nearby (C*pe M*y).

*Went to the beach. A lot. In our family, people and canines alike enjoy the beach. (The black lab is my mom's dog, Buster.)

*Saw dolphins. Also a lot. Over 500 dolphins from North Carolina spend the summer months in C*pe M*y. You can see them daily from the beach, and you can go on a dolphin watch boat. The captain of this particular boat tells all his passengers how poorly dolphins fare in captivity (they survive only 5 years, as opposed to 50 in the wild) and urges us to see them in the Atlantic, their natural habitat. It's truly amazing and we could do it every day. The dolphins love the boat; they play in the wake and seem to show off for their audience. Here's the best video I got of their antics.



You can see many other local sights from the boat, as well.

*Spent a few days with my mom, which were mostly pleasant. (She always talks about joining us on our beach vacation, so I didn't think much of it when she brought it up. Imagine my surprise when she followed through!)

*Zipped over to Wildwood to see Oneofhismoms, partner A., and the ever adorable Cakie. We played mini-golf (complete with annoying singing pelicans), admired the baby on the beach, and dug big holes.

*Watched Maggie hunt a mussel. Yes, she hunted a mussel. She is so weird. Something about the scent must have triggered the same instinct that causes her to hunt domesticated hamsters (to her credit, she has hunted and killed two mice). Note the instinctual pawing, snapping, and jumping back. Clearly she has something to fear from this particular prey.



*Played skee-ball and other boardwalk games. I played Whack-A-Mole (actually the version of the game was whacking alligators) because, I maintain, it is just like teaching.

*Ate lots of great fish, ice cream, fudge, and other beach food.

*Brought home delicious Jersey produce. Jersey tomatoes & peaches...mmmm...

Two Years

Two years ago today...










P.S. 1st photo by A. & S. Last photo by Fostermoms.

Photo Friday & Off to the Beach

This is a cheater picture because it's not from our neck of the woods. It's from our trip to California. This redwood was on display at Henry Cowell State Park (near Santa Cruz):



This tree was almost 2000 years old. Wow!!!

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Also, we are off to the beach tomorrow!! Wheee! We love to read on the beach, jump in the waves, and take Maggie to the dog-friendly beaches. (There is a small possibility that I/we will be checking in to comment, depending on wireless access. Otherwise...see you in a week!)

Lesbian Lawyer

Today we met with our lawyer for the first time, yet another addition to Team Flipper. We really liked her. She went over all the details of second parent adoption, estate planning, and name change with us (another post forthcoming on *that* issue). The end result will be pricey, but worth it, and we're hoping to deduct some to all of it as part of the Adoption Tax Credit.

Our lawyer is "family" and she and her partner have a daughter. Her firm specializes in LGBT law and that feels right. Also, her office is in the Emp*re St*te Bldg, so on our way up to the office we saw a man in a large King Kong outfit. That, I'm guessing, is not part of a typical lawyer's visit.

EDIT: We also did some reconnaissance shopping and picked out Flipper's (first) bed! I was very excited. Then we stopped at P*tSm*rt to get a crate for Maggie; we're taking her on vacation and wanted a secure way to leave her in our B&B room while we're at the beach.

Guess whose bed was more expensive.

Feeling Rich!

We finally met Lagiulia for the first time today (despite living practically around the corner). She is lovely, and her twin boys are positively adorable. Plus we found out that we went to the same (very small) college! LaG generously handed off many of Picchi and Pacchi's former things...clothes, toys, bottles, you name it.

I can't believe how much stuff we have! Thank goodness for basement storage. It makes me really happy to have so many well-loved items for Flipper.

Here's a picture of the bouncy seat:

She wasn't fond of the vibrating setting.

Also, in keeping with Sacha's recent video of Finn rolling over, here's some footage Co got yesterday:



And for good measure, here's what happens 'round here at dinnertime. Every day. (Make sure your sound is up for full effect.)

Photo Monday: Our Art

I'm a little late on this one, but hopefully you'll find our art worth the wait. ;-)

The first piece is a metal sculpture that hangs on the wall. It was a wedding gift from a cousin, who bought it at a fair he attends out in Oregon (where he lives) every year. Co calls it "Two Women Holding Hands...They Must Be Lesbians."



Second is our ketubah (a Jewish marriage contract). Though we are not married legally, we are married Jewishly. The ocean theme in the ketubah art was perfect for us, and I *love* that there's a rainbow incorporated in a non-cheesy fashion. The gold lettering around the circle says (in Hebrew) "Ani dodi v'dodi li" which means "I am my beloved and my beloved is mine" (from Song of Songs).




In other news: we met up with some NYC bloggers this weekend. It was great fun!

And I felt Flipper kick once. Hoping for more soon...

8 More Things About Lo

Oneofhismoms tagged me, so here you are, 8 more random facts about me. And boy, are they getting more random (I've done this one twice before). I will make Co do this as well. It's been too long since she posted.

Here are the rules:
Let others know who tagged you.
Players start with 8 random facts about themselves
Those who are tagged should post these rules and their 8 random facts
Players should tag 8 other people and tell them they’ve been tagged.

1. I have great teeth. I saw the dentist on Tuesday and he said mine were the best teeth he had seen all day. (This makes up for my doctor's appointments. I'm quite healthy, but everyone has something to say about my weight.)

2. I can touch my nose with my tongue. I can even stick it up there, a little bit, which leads to...

3. Sometimes, I have the sense of a humor of a 7th grade boy. I hope Flipper appreciates that.

4. Every so often, I like to spend a whole day in my pjs. This drives Co crazy.

5. I am fiercely loyal to Macintosh. My father, who made us Mac girls, has gone over to the dark side and now owns a Dell. Hmph.

6. I have never seen an entire episode of "Friends." Until recently, this was true of "Seinfeld" as well.

7. My two best friends in college were straight when we met, and lesbians by graduation. Mwa-ha-ha.

8. I can lift one eyebrow. It scares students. :-)

I don't know that I can tag anyone who hasn't done this one. So I'm sorry if you've done it but here goes: Marci, J., Meg and Kim, A., Sarah, MermaidGrrl, and Sophia.