New Edition (minus Bobby Brown - he's trouble)

Our family has now increased in number by 33%. Mass increase is approximately 2% even though the bugger was nearly 9 lbs at birth. Life as I previously knew it meant that I occasionally did some soul-searching and self-critique or pondered the current political climate or the future of the human race. Now my thoughts are consumed by a 3-year-old and a 2-week old. My reading material in the last 2 weeks has included the daily horoscopes (at the request of the 3-year-old) and whatever has happened to be sitting next to the toilet (I've read the same article on cacti in Horticulture magazine 3 times and have yet to determine why anyone would cultivate the little beasts). I also read the letters to the editor in Sports Illustrated this week, but does that count? I think not, considering I hadn't read any of the articles to which they were referring. It was like hearing half of a phone conversation. Which is also like my intake of current events: I watch the news on mute as I'm nursing the baby in the middle of the night. Does this sound like complaining? It's not meant to... it should sound more like whining, because that's what I feel like doing. Please will someone call me up so I can talk about how sore my private parts are using grotesque and personal details in a very whiny voice? How's that for an invitation?

13-Yr-Old Who Thinks She Knows Everything (and just might)

Here's an abbreviated transcript (link below - I think I first saw this on bitchphd) of the conversation between a 13-year-old in Florida who is being denied the right to an abortion (even though it is legal in that state). This young woman is an excellent representative for our gender at such a young age - I'm guessing she was coached by the ACLU or another rights group, but she is nonetheless making a mockery of a system that deems women unfit to make informed decisions about their own bodies...

L.G.: Why can't I make my own decision?
Judge Alvarez: I don't know.
L.G.: You don't know? Aren't you the judge?
. . .
Department of Children and Family Services: The Department of Children and Families has the custodial responsibility to do what is in the best interest of the child.
L.G.: I think if I want to make the decision, it's my business and I can do that. It would make no sense to have the baby. I don't think I should have the baby because I'm 13, I'm in a shelter and I can't get a job. DCF would take the baby anyway [but] If I do have it, I'm not going to let them take it.
. . .
L.G.: Since you guys are supposedly here for the best interest of me, then wouldn't you all look at that fact that it'd be more dangerous for me to have the baby than to have an abortion?
Judge Alvarez: A good point.
OBGYN: At her age and at her stage of gestation ... her risk of death from an abortion procedure is about 1 in 34,000. The risk of death in pregnancy is about 1 in 10,000.
. . .
Judge Alvarez (paraphrase): Who is the father?
L.G.: That's not really necessary


Link to story (I can't make my mac do hyperlinks right now... working on it) http://story.news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050428/ap_on_re_us/abortion_dispute