A new government report highlights health insurance disparities
between women and men.

http://www.HealthReform.gov/reports/women/index.html

I also read today that 46 million Americans have no health insurance
at all.

This as we go into debt further bailing out rich bankers from
their greed-crazed follies that brought the economy to a standstill,
on the verge of total collapse.

Five years ago I got pregnant for the first time.
Four years ago I had my fibroid surgery and got pregnant for the
second time.
Three years ago I got pregnant with my son.
Two years ago I was in the blur of taking care of a new baby.
Last year I increased my work hours and started letting a part-time
sitter watch my baby, soon after he learned to walk and cut down to
one nap.

As my little boy is growing and changing and discovering the world at
such a quick pace now, I can see how he is decidedly moving out of his
babyhood (well, eventually). I think back on the various stages of his
development this far: late night nursing and diaper changes; various
sleeping patterns; progressive motor skills; increasing communication
ability. The first two years are really remarkable in how quickly the
child grows to be able to a more autonomous person, albeit still in
need of supervision and training.

------
As my partner and I up the effort to have a second child we have
humourously noted that our son doesn't approve of the effort. While
having ongoing banter with a toddler you find that they arbitrarily
(at times) respond in the affirmative or negative to questions.

Yet each time we ask him, no matter how the question phrased, about
whether we should have another, he decisively answers "No."

"would you like to be a big brother?"
No.
"there's mommy, daddy and J. Should we have a new baby?"
No.
"would you like to have a brother or sister?"
No.

We have tried explaining that he would have someone to play with and
used his cousins and other examples of siblings but no dice.

At least if our efforts don't pay off we can rest assured that J
wasn't on board anyway.

I just stopped by to give a little update. I've started going to acupuncture again for regular treatment as I wasn't feeling that great and my cycles have been odd. I wanted to help build myself up for our TTC effort. They have me on a Chinese herb mix that is compatible with nursing to help build my blood. They diagnosed me as blood and yin deficient -- but having a child and nursing both require a lot of blood and yin.

I've also started going to qi gong again. We are doing Soaring Crane at school. I went last week for the first class and I felt my body working through some things.