Damn you, Learning Channel

Continuing with the all-baby-all-the-time programming, let me just say that it's been difficult adjusting to staying at home by myself.  I've been able to keep mostly busy, cleaning, and running errands, and puttering around finding little things that need to be done.  I've made dinner every night and currently have chicken simmering on the stove to make enchiladas later which: yum.  

However, there has been waaay too much daytime television built into my day as a result of just generally being in the vicinity of the TV.  Which means about four too many episodes of A Baby Story each day.

The one thing that I've learned from all these completely-true-to-life-and-not-dramatized-at-all 'documentaries' is that I am happier and happier with my decision to have Joe and only Joe with me in the delivery room.  On one episode yesterday the woman had both her mother and mother-in-law in the room.  Each was stroking her face and grabbing her arms and generally draping themselves over her as the husband and father-to-be stood awkwardly off to the side of the room looking useless and too scared to ask what he should be doing.  

Now, I love my mother-in-law, but I haven't even asked my own mother to be in the hospital with me; there is no way I would want Joe's mom in there.  First and foremost, (geographical impossibilities notwithstanding) I just think it's going to be such a personal moment for us as we welcome our first child into the world.  Then of course I just think I would feel too reserved in front of Joe's mom (or even mine) to do what I need to be doing.  Also, I can see my mother reminding me for years to come of things that I will say while I'm in labor and quite frankly I don't need any part of that.  If Joe was stroking my face I would have no problem telling him to get the F off of me; if one of our mom's were there I might be a bit more restrained in my loving words to him.

Obviously, as a military wife I need to reserve the right to change my mind about having my mother in the room if at some point I find myself in labor with Joe out to sea or something, but at this point I watch these shows thinking these people must be nuts to invite cousins and sisters and in-laws and whoever else all in the room with them.  My mom tells me that once you're ready to push you don't care who's in the room: you just want the baby out.  At this point I'm not quite ready to push, so I will take this opportunity to decide who will get to see that lovely, personal, miraculous moment and who can hear about it after the fact via phone call.  (or blog post)

Now if you'll excuse me this woman just asked her doctor to check her cervix while her own father was in the room, so I need to go stare at the TV and judge people.