Free pass

Standing in the queue to cast my vote yesterday, I was approached by an IEC official who asked me under her breath while glancing furtively at my now protruding stomach, 'Uyagula?'. Huh? I was confused and so were Hein and Jurie who were trying to lean in and listen into the conversation. After I sensed what her agenda was and laughed saying, 'No I'm not sick, I'm just pregnant.' Shame. The poor lady obviously didn't want to assume I was pregnant. Much less offensive to enquire after my health...

She offered to whisk me to the front of the queue but then I looked around at my voting partners and thought I couldn't leave them behind. Anyway, I'd have to wait for Hein as were in the same car. We weren't even halfway there yet... When I asked the lady whether I could take my plus-two along, she said no and offered me a chair instead. Hayibo! I'm not sick - just pregnant!

And for that we waited an hour and a half to mark our Xs. And it was worth the wait to feel part of something, especially if a change is going to come.

I'm a Red Hot Mommy

It pays to enter competitions! Zodwa just won a beautiful red and brown baby bag from Flaming Lilies from the Red Hot Mommy collection! www.flamingredlilies.co.za from Your Parenting magazine. Yay!

Eish mara I wonder if that hampers my chances of winning the Lotto this weekend though...

Hospital scouting

We're busy scouting for birthing hospitals and I must tell you, there's not an overwhelming choice out there - especially if your OBGyn only services Morningside or Parklane Clinic. Yesterday I went to check out Parklane and it filled me with fear. It was the official Monday tour and the nurses were rather mean and bossy. There was a group of about 40 of us (moms and partners) and we were ushered around the maternity ward. First one of the nurses tells us that all of us will be breastfeeding - no exceptions; and then the other says there'll be no whining if they can't find an extra bed for your husband to stay overnight. Mind you, you've paid for that facility (about R1200 a night) when you're in a private room. 'Tough luck. He'll just have to go home' were her exact words. The cheek! 

I shared my findings with Hein and he said it was all about where I felt comfortable. So what I'm thinking of doing is visiting Genesis Clinic in Saxonwold www.genesisclinic.co.za which specialises in natural births - and going the midwife route. What happens there is you get to pick your midwife and she will assist from henceforth and be there on the day of the birth too. Your OBGyn is really just on standby in case something goes wrong. Thing is, I'm just not finding these doctors comforting at all.

I'll let you know how it all goes.

Looking for God...

It has been preying on my mind for the past few months that Hein and I need to find a church. No longer can we use the excuse that we're too lazy, or we value our Sunday lie-in or that we haven't been able to find a church that we feel comfortable in... a child is about to be born and we'd like to raise her under the eyes of God. Whether she chooses otherwise is entirely her choice but we as parents need to show her the options.

I used to hate getting up for church on Sundays when I was younger. Church and the people in it bored me. And the whole ordeal (getting up, finding something to wear, sitting in pews for hours...) frankly put me off what people like to call the Lord's Day. Puhleeze! Everyday is the Lord's Day and not only on a Sunday. Church felt fake to me - like people only were friendly, stood up to raise their hands when singing and talked about volunteering at soup kitchens only on Sunday - for show. Still I consider myself to be a Christian and through tough times, I don't know what I would do if I didn't have my faith. 

At university, the His People worshippers used to scare me. As if they belonged to some sort of cult, stalking us party-goers outside nightclubs and bars or pizza joints trying to change our ways. Creepy. Each to his own I guess. It's all about finding the right place isn't it? Where you and yours are comfortable. Unfortunately I didn't feel comfortable in the Baptist church my parents took us to neither did I feel at home at Hein's family's New Apostolic denomination.

So on Sunday, Hein and I went to the Anglican Church in Parkview. Verdict: too similar to the Catholic church - all those responses and readings from different prayer books and different speakers are enough to drive you mad. We weren't feeling the sermon either. The search continues... suggestions welcome. No happy clappies. And definitely not Rhema!

Image www.hillsongomychurch.co.uk