When do you walk away and give up?

Even have a eye opening experience that makes you rethink something you hold dear and always held dear? To the point you're willing to give it up and walk away for good?
That would be today.
I don't want to get into too much for now, but I had an experience when I realized things are not the same anymore and rules bog down the fun.
I realized that I could not have the same childhood today as I did back then. And I mourn that for Bri.
When do you say there are too many RULES and REGULATIONS! How is anyone supposed to have FUN? HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT IS THE POINT?
Oh, and let's not forget the rules that contradict each OTHER! And the STRICTER THAT NEED TO BE RULES! What, do you not TRUST people to show the way and be responsible you had to create this CRAP?
And learning that some people should not be allowed to volunteer. At All. For ANYTHING. They should be on a master list to be banned. Explains a lot, but they are still out there. Not to the point you need to call the police, but some people ruin it for others. Some people don't want to play nice.
Then you have the ones who you think are playing nice, but are getting the rules confused. So you look like and idiot asking questions. And how do you go back and say, gee you're WRONG!

I need to think.

BTW- this has NOTHING to do with my parent or my religion. NOTHING AT ALL. If you know me, you understand this.

Little Elk would like to remember

Back when I was a kid, I belonged to the Indian Guides Program (now the Adventure Guides). My dad's friend told us about it and we joined the Ute Tribe with him and his daughter (now called Circles). I spent 11 years having mostly a blast in the Princess and Trailmate programs. Things like below zero Winter Outings (where I ran over two people in an innertube on the sledding hill) and deer for dinner on one occasion were not the highlights.
But we went bowling a lot, ate pizza, went camping, nature hikes, kite flies, pumpkin hunts, all kids of fun activities. Since a lot of the girls I was in Scouts with also were in Guides, we did a lot of activities that counted both for Guides and Scout patches.
For most of us we had dads that worked a lot and it was time we got to spend with them. We also had one Grandfather raising his grandkids and we had a mom and son who joined us for a while. We were equal opportunity to all.
We also had our Indian names during Princesses. My dad was Black Elk and I was Little Elk.

Now I'm passing the torch to James. Last night, Bri and James had their induction ceremony for the Indian Princesses. Of course my mom and dad came with us. Quite a different ceremony. No more canoing across the local pond and flaming arrows setting off a bonfire. Just outdoor fire pits and colored smoke. I tried to get pics, but it was too dark.
So now we have Big Bear and Little Bear (Bri picked the names) in my house and next year Jimmy and I will join Pioneers. I'm giving it another year before we join the program.
One of the traditions in the program is everyone wears a tribe vest to all the events. Back in the day, we made our vests. Our Tribe's was brown vinyl with orange trim. My mom made our vests and I LOVED that thing (almost as much as I loved my Girl Scout sash/vest). Now, you can order them from a local company, which is great for me, because I cannot sew. I can Badge Magic patches on vests with the best of them, but cannot use a sewing machine. Ok not totally true, just haven't used one since 1989 when I took Home Ec. In Junior High.So, think I was geek back but I loved my vest and was quite proud of it. I hope my daughter is proud of hers when she is older.
Note: I showed this pic to James and he thinks it looks like Bri. Only Bri's hair is longer.
Added - this was taken at Camp Tecusmeh in Northern Indiana about 1984-85. James and Bri will be going there next weekend for their first campout with the Indian Princesses. I asked if he will take a camera since I have not been there since 1993.

OK, I'm not talking about the bailout but...

Is it me or is anyone else feeling strained in new ways? For example, I went to Trader Joe's last week and needed maple syrup. Usually costs me $12 to $13 for 32 oz. Now its $17. Add to that what eggs, milk and meat prices have all done recently and my grocery bill is getting insane for the basics.
Gas has gone down here, but there's the cost of the car, if you can get a loan now. Need spotless credit to get a credit card or a car loan. Get a payment behind and the loan companies will harass you to no end.
A new home is out of the question for many, even if you have the money to pay a mortgage, you need 20% down.
I pray every day James and I do not lose our jobs due to the economy. James drives a route as a mobile engineer and I work in insurance. Gas isn't cheap and insurance is the first to go for some struggling companies.
I look at how many of our expenses have gone up in a year and have to give up things we love, like eating out and going on weekend trips. If one of us loses our job, the belt will never be tight enough to cover the basic needs.
Now we're bailing out companies, some of whom are now punishing the average hard working Joe. Even thought we have tried to pay all our bills on time and use credit as wisely as we can. And we're going to be shouldering that payment on our taxes. Then we all will be in the boat of, what goes next and what else do we have to give up?

There has to be a point where you say; STOP! ENOUGH!

Jenny McCarthy has a new book out about families that were able to "cure" autism. I saw it at Target tonight while waiting for my antibiotic.
And guess what?
I'm not reading it.
Sorry, I know my husband met her years ago, but I have to draw my line.
Now I'm glad everything worked for her son and he is doing much better. But she is in a different position than most people dealing with Autism. And usually I rip on Autism treatments, but follow me here.
She has more power and celebrity that the average person. She mentions in Louder than Words she refinanced her house to pay for treatment. I'm sure her house costs many times more than mine. She has celebrity status and celebrity friends to help out. She lives near premiere medical centers for the country. Holly Robinson Peete gave her direction what she needed to do to "pull him through the window." The average person does not have anything but some referrals from a doc, some acquaintances in the same boat and articles about treatments they may see on the web, on TV or in a magazine. The average person dealing with a disability is pretty much in the same boat as any of their friends whose child has a disability. Ok, one may have better insurance than the other, but that doesn't say much these days.
I'm sure people are going to read her new book and figure out how to modify their child's diet at home. Fine, take dairy/wheat/preservatives out of the diet. Better for the child in the long run, if it affects them. There is a greater cost for the foods you feed the child, but nothing like some of these treatments suggested for autistic children.
What scares me is people who read about chelation and decide to try it for their, damned be the cost! The government just canceled their study of this treatment. I worked with a woman years ago whose daughter had lead poisoning and from what she relayed to me, chelation therapy is painful and nasty for the person going through it. And can lead to death along with a list of side effects.
If I had an Autistic child, I may try to modify the diet myself (with books and the internet for help) and get the kid into therapies I could get through insurance, school or an organization. Then, probably work at home with the child after school and such. But that would be where I would stop.
I love my kids, please don't get me wrong, but sometimes you have to say, this is what we can do for you. My son has Sensory Integration Disorder. Yes, I love him. His therapy is what he gets at school and what we do at home with him. Why do you think we have a ball pit in our basement? He is on the Feingold program, just for food dyes. He does not react to preservatives. But bankruptcy is not good for him or anyone else who lives under this roof. What good are we going to be as a family chasing cures for him when my daughter won't be able to take gymnastics or join Girl Scouts? What about putting food on the table, a roof over our heads and clothes on our backs?
When I went to the mommy event for the first grade moms, I met a couple moms whose sons had SID. Someone who knows what I go through! Some kindred souls.
Not really or even close. The moms talked to me how I should take my son to a local center that tests kids for vitamin and mineral deficiencies. That the "window" on curing him is closing and if I don't do something he will never be cured. The one woman's son had been "cured" and the other woman's son was heading that way. And they will get me the information for this place because it is IMPORTANT to get him CURED. NOW! Oh and that the books are wrong and doctors don't know what they are doing. And then, wouldn't be to your advantage so he can attend the Catholic school without any issues?
Now, I read Out Of Synch Child and I NEVER in any of those pages saw about curing a kid with SID. He's learning to deal with his issues well and that is the best I can hope for. We talked to the school and within reason, they will work with us, they have a few high functioning Autistic kids in school now. Maybe I should take him for an evaluation, could be interesting to see what they tell me. If insurance will cover it.

Note to Self - NO MORE LEMON DROP MARTINIS!!!!

So I went to my first 1st grade Mommy event from the Catholic school on Wens. It was not an official event. It was organized by a mom and at a bar. I think I'll stay around.
So, who is the third person I meet that night? The Daisy Co-leader. Did I mention there IS a troop and NO ONE knew Bri was new? Yeah, we missed the first campout. They camp out! Can you see the leaders from last year doing anything outdoorsy? I can't. Oh well. The official 1st meeting is Oct 6.
So talking to the co-leader (even sober I SUCK with names. Could pick her out of a police lineup if I had to.) I realized this was where I belong when she told him not to bring a glass with her beer 'cause it was a waste. I love this woman. In a friendly way, as a volunteering soul mate.
I made my usual offer to help, and said I am also a Lifetime. She goes, "You're the second Lifetime I met, the leader was the first." Yeah, I think the leader is my twin. Haven't met her yet, but too many coincidences between her and me.
Oh yeah, wanna stand out? Order a martini that's shaken at the table. Everyone else there at the time (except the co-leader) was having wine. They all stared while the waiter shook the martini and poured it. Yup, I've just set myself apart. A Martini Mom in A Merlot World. The blog now has a tagline.
So, sipping my lemon scented lighter fluid (it was STRONG!) and discussing what the hell the GSUSA are doing with the changes to the program, I asked if they would sell cookies. She said they put it up for vote to see if people were interested. I then said I would be the Cookie Mom. Yes, the Cookie Mom. I think I made a couple friends that night since they didn't have to do it. And it so far looks as if the troop will sell cookies.
Yeah, no more Lemon Drop Martinis. See what I agree to? Volunteering.*
*I am a Girl Scout and to help where I am needed is a part of my life and the Girl Scout Promise. This is just another example of that. I am not upset or mad about being the cookie mom. Bri gets the "My Mom is the Cookie Mom" patch for this. See? There are benefits!

Karma has now spit on me and gave me the finger

Yeah. Great day. Let's review:

• If you give an employee a new task, please give her ALL the directions at once so she does not have to be chewed out by a manager in a different area who thinks she is now a complete ditz because she did not know the last step. Also, do not tell her the two year old procedures are correct when you gave her a different procedures the day before. Do not let co-workers throw her under the bus because all she did was forward an e-mail. Yeah, never doing this again. I'll give these to my boss to handle.
  
• People sending wrong paperwork that I do not need to handle and blaming me because nothing has been done.
  
• Find out that I have been doing renewals in the wrong order for 3 years.
  
• Ate half a bag of Risens today because I needed chocolate and that was all they had in the sporting goods store. Ate bag of chips from machine because I found change in the bottom of the purse. Did not get on the Wii Fit this morning.
  
• Phone is STILL OUT. Once again, they claim, not their problem. People think I should pay the $77 to phone company to tell me what is wrong in house. Phone expert in family thinks we need to re-wire. There goes my Saturday.
• The only good thing is we have the internet and can make calls. We cannot receive calls so the telemarketers cannot get me. Neither can my friends and family.
• Photo day is tomorrow and have to pay $48 to a company that I hate. Package options make no sense. All I really wanted was a few pics for family and a class photo. I'd like the photo CD, but you have to buy the super mega package.
  
• A co-worker had two family members pass away in the flooding in Indiana. Because of the flooding, no one here from her family will be able to attend the funeral.

So, yeah, Karma has pretty much stuck it to me. I hope tomorrow is better cause I CANNOT take anymore.

Ok, can we stop the drama? Cause I am SO sick of IT!

Gee, what would my life be without it? I'll tell you what I can. I cannot share some of it due to privacy, but pray for me to have the strength to get through this.

• My phone is dead again. My home phone. Yeah, it rained heavy so its dead. After six attempts Saturday while James was working overtime, and having two kids trying to kill each other. The tech came out Sunday and said it was my problem in the house. Get home, phone still didn't work. Had James call because I was so upset. They should be back out Tuesday and hope they replace the box.
  
• We got our largest batch of renewals at work. The problem? I am so SICK of everyone COMPLAINING about them. Yeah it sucks for all of us, but do it and get it OVER with!
  
• I am having a nasty case of writer's block for Blissfully Domestic. I am REALLY trying, but I cannot think! I can write about the Feingold program, but who would care?
• The appliances are having a negative influence on each other. The coffee maker went last week and the washer is acting funky. I think they talk to each other at night and decide how to make my hair gray.
• I got the guilt e-mail from the HSA (its like the PTO for Catholic Schools). The, Please look at the 2 million committees we have and please pick SOMETHING to help. No guilt here. I have to open it here because work's systems are not compatible with Office 2007.

Oh well. That's all I can talk about now. I'm going to watch Jon and Kate plus 8 and have a Blue Glowtini (not 4, like Saturday. We won't talk about that.)

We finally made it to Sonic

One of the social highlights of this summer was getting the first Sonic here in Illinois. Its a 30 minute drive for us to get there. Otherwise its a 3 hr drive to either Indiana or Iowa. Have been by a few times since it opened and the line was INSANE. We tried tonight and finally got there.
AND?
It was ok, different in a good way. Waited 20 minutes to order. Screwed up our order and gave us fries instead of tots. Hard to hear thought drive thru speaker. Was still hungry after eating. Going to a stall was a better option when we went back to get ice cream after Super Hell Mart. One car hop was threatening to quit while we waited for ice cream, not because of us though.
I think I'll wait a while to go back again. Let the crowds die down some more.

9/11/01 - seven years later

September 11 started like any other day on my vacation. Actually it was my honeymoon. I was 8 weeks pregnant. After having a night of weird dreams and having thrown up my prenatal vitamins from the night before, I decided to get ready for the day. We were going to the Magic Kingdom that day (yes, I went for my 10 month late honeymoon at WDW.) We had on a local news channel, they were talking about high school sports in Orlando. So we took our showers. James went back out to get dressed as I was finishing shaving my legs.
Getting out of the shower, I heard James scream this:

HOLY %^$#, THEY HIT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER!

I walked out of the bathroom stunned at what I saw on TV. As I was getting dressed, we saw the second tower hit. We looked at each other what to do. We did not know which airlines the planes were from, or where they originated.
Eema, Peepa and Cousin J were on their way down to Orlando that day from Chicago.
We decided we would go forward with our plans, we had cell phones. They could reach us. What good were we going to do sitting around. We left to get breakfast at Starbucks. I wanted to eat quick just in case. We went to Starbucks and ate our muffins and coffee in slience, listening to the jazz music they love to play. We got back in the car and tried to hear what was going on over the car radio. They mentioned one plane was United and one plane was American Airlines that crashed into the World Trade Center.
We both paused since it was not announced where the flight was from. I don't think anyone knew at that point where the flights originated. We continued on to the park. We got there, parked the car and went into the Happiest Place on Earth with some of the heaviest hearts.
Of course being pregnant, I had to pee. We stopped at the first bathroom so I could go. I walked in and was ambushed by four women standing in the bathroom.
Have you heard what happened? Who do they think is responsible? Who's claiming responsibility for this? Has anything else been hit?
I told them I would tell them what I knew if I could go to the toilet. So I sat peeing and answering questions. Some did not know the second tower had been hit. We found out the Pentagon had been hit from another woman who walked in. I finished my business and met up with my husband. We were going to try to enjoy ourselves as best as we could under the circumstances.
After riding The Haunted Mansion and the Pirates of the Caribbean rides, we were greeted by this announcement over and over:

Ladies and Gentleman, Boys and Girls, the Park is now closed.

I can still hear that in my head clear as day.
We were being herded out of the park for our own safety. We all headed out and to the front to get our buses, monorails and boats to the parking lot and go home. James and I looked at the monorail line and decided it was insane. We took the boat.
We got on the boat to the parking lot and met a Muslim family who asked us many questions (after I had called my mom at home to tell her I was ok, we did not know where James' parents were and we were being evacuated from WDW. My dad was being sent home at that point from his job for safety reasons).
They ask us the same questions; who's behind it, what else hit, why. We tried to answer as best as we could with what we knew. The boat ride ended and we went to our cars. James and I drove back to our hotel. What was normally a 20 minute drive took and hour and a half to get back. We learned a plane had crashed in Virginia. No call from his parents.
We got back to the hotel. The front desk told us his parents were looking for us. We went to the deli and saw them. We ate lunch together in the deli watching the news. they filled us in on what had happened in flight. The flight attendants were friendly and talkative until halfway through the flight. Then they got quiet and didn't say much. The fight attendants didn't tell the passengers. Eema got to car rental and the lines were EXTREMELY long. She could not figure out why. As she was waiting in line, she was talking to other people and then found out what had happened. After an hour she finally got a car.
My 9 year old nephew kept asking if we could go places. Can we go to Universal? Is Disney re-opening today? Do we have to go home now? We finished lunch and went to our room to watch TV.
I talked to my dad while waiting in our room. Eema and Peepa were trying to find out if where we were going to eat dinner that night was going to be open. We had reservation. It was going to be open so we got ready to go.
I-Drive was a ghost town. There was no one on the road, no one out. The restaurant was empty, usually it was crowded all the time, even at opening. We ate a quiet dinner and went to walk around a mall on I-Drive. Almost every store was closed in the mall. We went back to the hotel, watched TV and got ready for bed.
Nothing has been the same since.

Potty training is going nowhere, pass the pull-ups

As I lamented on Twitter a couple days ago, anyone know of books for potty training special needs kids?
We are at an impasse. Jimmy could care less, and we are going to rip our hair out. My hubby is no help, and he should be doing the potty training as Jimmy is a boy and James is a man. I trained Bri, this is all fair.
I read a couple articles at about.com that were not much help. He really does not have an "adjusted age," he's at for some things and behind in others. So no help there.
He likes underwear, but cannot stay dry in them for any length of time. He wants to wear them, but they will be wet not too long later. Ever go thought three pairs of Wall-E underwear in 30 minutes? We have.
He gets we go to the potty, but wants NO PART of it. Seriously. Ask him if he wants to use the potty, NO. Then try to get him to use it. He runs off. Then I read in the about.com article: "Children with sensory integration problems or low muscle tone may legitimately be unable to sense when they need to go. They may not sense when their diaper is wet or be at all bothered by it." He knows when he's wet, but cannot tell us he needs to pee/poop.
Then I saw TinkleToonz. It is a sensor that is put in the training pants and plays music when the kid pees. Yeah, that'll work. Jimmy is the kid in his class that memorized music after a few playings of a song. They do a lot with music and how many different lyrics can be put to old songs such as Bingo or I've Been Working on the Railroad. So Jimmy will be peeing so he can hear the music in his pants. Boy, did that sentence sound bad. But you get the point. And his teachers will hate us more.
So, I have no clue when he will be potty trained. I'm hoping by four, who knows at this point?

Working Women: The oldest debate for women of women

While listening to all the hype and press around McCain's VP, two facts keep being prevalent.

The fact Sarah Palin is:
1) a mom
2) She works

Seriously, this seems to be the two biggest things we know about her from the media. Oh and she hunts moose, likes guns and has a disabled son. Yeah, I so want to vote Republican now. NOT.
If you're like me, you're going; so what she's a working mom as am I. And the fact you'd like to know more about the Libertarian candidate, but that's for another post.
The whole "Working mom" issue has to be one of the oldest arguments I have heard thought my life. I'd like you consider exhibit A, please forgive the fashion as the pic was taken in the late 70's.


On the left is my Grandpa D. He is not part of this discussion.
Next to him is my Grandma H. Grandma H was the 4th female pharmacist in the state of Illinois. Catch that fact? She worked before, when, and after my dad was born and though his childhood. This is a woman who helped her brother run his pharmacy and after that, ran pharmacies in hospitals and did not back down from a challenge. She could have not gone to college, stayed home and married well. She didn't. She went to college, graduated and worked in the real world.
On the right is my Grandma T. Grandma T grew up on a farm and had a 9th grade education. To me, she is on the list of the smartest woman I know/knew. Grandma T got married, had three kids and worked at a factory. She still ran a household and raised three mostly normal humans after her work day was done. Yes, the kids did have to help do things like cooking and laundry, but the point is for the family to put food on the table and clothes on their backs, she worked. Oh and made awesome fried chicken and read a lot.
Sounds like most moms now, correct?
I work full time purely because we need the money. I like what I do, but some days would rather be at home. Life hasn't worked out that way for me.
I cannot speak for other women, but I get the comments. You know the ones that people in the media are making about Sarah Palin. Such as:
oh, if I had a husband and he worked, I would stay home with the kids.
I could never be away from my kids.
Don't you want to be a mom? Why did you have kids if you're not going to raise them?
and
Don't you think your kids have behavioral problems from being in daycare ALL DAY? (implied, but you get the drift)
The point is this, no matter if we get a female vice president, the debate will STILL be going on. You have the women who want to be out there, doing the same thing as men. You then have the women who want to be home and want to keep the gender roles as is. After that, you have the men who seem scared the women are out in the working world. Then you have the men who are not intimidated by strong women. It never ends. I hope it gets easier for Bri.

Happy Blogoversary! Or what has kept some of my sanity the past year

So let's review what you have learned about me in a year:

• I'm a mom
• I'm married to James. He puts up with me. A lot. (He would like you all to know he loves me. A lot. I'm still amazed.)
• I am Polish and Czech. My hubby is Mexican, Polish, German and Portuguese. Our kids are bi-racial, as is my hubby, his siblings and his mom. We celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe, make tamales at Christmas and know some ASL. We don't pass up most pirogies, except sauerkraut.
  
• I work full time, and mostly like my job as an Underwriter.
  
• I fight with school/insurance for my son as needed. Every day/month/year. As necessary.
  
• My son has SPD, a speech delay (which is getting SLOWLY better), and low muscle tone. He is still not potty trained.
  
• My daughter is a princess. Really, she thinks so.
• I became a grandma at 32.
  
• I do not think Scratch and Sniff Nativity sets are a good idea.
  
• I spoil my kids on occasion. Several occasions. Not as many as you may think. They also have grandparents who help.
  
• I love to write. So much so I do HERE (and was humbled and honored they want me to write.)
  
• I like margaritas and Blue Glowtinis (thanks Eema.)
• I like Disney. And coffee. And cheese dip (have I mentioned that before? I'm not sure)
  
• I don't like people who judge me. Especially if they also have a Special Needs Child. Or children.
  
• I live in India, not Holland (figuratively). Really, I live in Illinois.
• I have met many wonderful moms and women online thought blogging. One day I'd like to meet a lot of them in person. BlogHer 2009 anyone? I'd be here for a while trying to list them all, but I have a cold and can breathe out of only one nostril right now.
  

I also gave myself some fitness goals this year (ok last month!) One of them is to walk at least five 5k's a year and do a half marathon in 2010 (I'm not saying which one yet. One person knows the answer and WILL keep HIS MOUTH SHUT for now.) I decided that I want to also write about that, but this will not be the blog/place for it. This is about being a mom and my challenges with that.
So, soon (really, I mean this) I will be starting a new blog, See Mom Walk I will talk about my journey to the five 5k's a year and working to a half marathon in 2010. I will announce it on here and Twitter when its up, and it will be its own thing after that.

So another year of me writing about telling the kids to keep Nintendo games out of their mouths and fights with insurance? Agree? Agreed!

Why I'm happy my kids don't read this blog....

1. They don't know how I really feel about their homework.
2. They don't know the official name for why mommy sleeps a lot sometimes and daddy lets her (untreated depression)
3. They don't know why mommy freaks out A LOT when she thinks about the future (high school costs)
   
4. they can't find out what they are getting for Christmas
5. they don't know where its hidden. What, I don't think I've talked about that.
   
6. they don't know what Eema's getting them for Christmas
7. They don't know what's in a Blue Glowtini
8. They don't know how much I love martinis (in moderation)
9. They cannot read Miss Britt. Yet.
   
10. They don't know how I REALLY feel about the old school/church. All they know is I don't like them.
    
11. they don't know how I really feel about Confession and my issues with it.

I'm sure there is more. They will have fun reading when they are older and yes I will let them. Tomorrow is the blog anniversary. We'll recap what you probably have learned about me in the past year! And a new blog that is coming soon!

Happy Labor Day, now pass the drugs....

I'm borrowing this from Rocks in My Dryer today because well I'm tired from having people over yesterday and then having a three year old kick me in the back all night.

So, here is the meme for Labor Day. Hope you learn something about me and come back tomorrow for why I am glad my kids can't read this blog yet (on their own)

How long were your labors?

Bri - about 14 hours
Jimmy - about 13 hours

Both times, screaming at hubby for first few hours, "NO I'M NOT IN LABOR!"

How did you know you were in labor?

Bri - they broke my water and told me I wasn't leaving the hospital without my
kid.
Jimmy, - they decided my contractions were strong enough to admit to an actual
room from triage.

My kids weren't sure they wanted to be in the world at first.

Where did you deliver?

Hospital. I was not delivering anywhere else unless it was out of my control

Drugs?

Yes, especially with Bri when the nurse came in a keeps cranking up the pitocin every 15 minutes or so. I reached a point I didn't CARE if they had to put the epidural in my eye, I NEEDED DRUGS OR SOMEONE WAS GOING TO DIE!

C-section?

No, almost with Jimmy. Had a version 12/21 and he stayed head down thankfully and I didn't have a Christmas baby.

Who delivered?

The doctors from my OB/GYN group. The first time she came in a few times during the day to check on my. The second time I saw the doc when he came in to catch the baby and stitch me up. I had to hold the baby in until he got there.