I spent all day yesterday taking birth photos. I have taken shots of seniors, engagements, and families but never a birth. It isn't something many do around here. Even though I have six children of my own, 5 vaginal deliveries and 1 c-section, I have never been on that side of the table. We coached the mom's son in soccer when he was very young probably 7-8 yrs ago and lost touch. Then about 4 yrs ago, I heard she was having a tough time as a single mom especially at Christmas. We saved some extra money as a family and gave it to her. She worked at a local store. Shortly after, she seemed to disappear. A few months ago she contacted me through facebook to tell me she was newly married and was having twin rainbow babies after 4 tries with IVF and wanted me to take her birth photos. I have been doing photography for a few years but only for friends and family. I don't have the time to start a business and birth photography was never in my thoughts. I almost turned her down but she said she couldn't find anyone to take them that she felt comfortable with. She wanted to know the person but not be someone she would see daily. Anyway, long story short, it was AMAZING!!! She was hoping to have a vbac but it was changed to a c-section a few hours in. She had a beautiful, perfect girl and boy. I have some pretty amazing photos. Last night as I was scrolling through on my camera, I noticed one shot with the girl's legs sticking straight up out of her stomach. It wasn't until I zoomed in that I noticed her precious face could be seen slightly behind the doctor's arm. Birth is truly a miracle. Funny, I have always had my mom take videos of my deliveries except the c-section which she was only allowed to take still shots of. I have never looked at them. I don't know, I get a little embarrassed thinking of seeing it even though it is me yet I felt none of that while being in her delivery. One other thing I learned is that I am perfectly happy with 6 kids. I didn't realize until after I left that I never even held the babies. I interacted with the family but minimally allowing myself to photograph everything. Oh...one more.....when babies were newly born, they placed them in the same small warming bed for a few seconds. Instantly the babies held hands all on their own. Mom couldn't see it from across the room as docs were still working on her but I was able to get several pictures of it.

Thanks. It wasn't a problem. Later I began thinking about it and just wondered what was the "correct" descriptor and how other countries address it. Or is this primarily an issue in America and not such a big deal in other countries. Just curious and wanted to learn something. Again, it wasn't an issue and not something I was stressed over just curious.

Thank you for the information. It can be so confusing sometimes. I wish I could travel and experience more personally.

Because she wouldn't know which coach to approach when looking for him based on that description. If I told her he was the only black coach in that age division, she could locate him on the field. Instantly I was going to say African American but I had just told her he was from England and only here for a short while so it wouldn't be right to call him American.

I am one of those people that the information would be of no help. I have no idea where he is from other than England. We have only spoken in short soccer related conversations. I really need to learn more about the world around me. Thanks for advice.

Thanks for the response. Like I said it wasn't a big problem just one that came up and made me think. I try not to offend and typically use African American. Yet when I was describing him, I had just told her he was from England and here for a short time so using American seemed odd. I suggested she speak to him about her daughter joining our team and since all the coaches at this league wear the same uniform regardless of age coaching, uniform wasn't a good descriptor. He is however the only black coach in this age bracket so using it was perfect but I instantly hesitated because she is African American. I ended up using the term black and she didn't seem to take offense. Later I was pondering the issue and what is generally accepted as correct. As I said, maybe I am wrong and black is accepted as much as African American. I only know that I have been corrected before irl and seems the most accepted online. Am I mistaken?

I don't know if it is a problem everywhere but I have been corrected before and told that the politically correct term is African American.

I was trying to describe my daughter's new soccer coach to someone the other day and ran into a minor problem. In America it seems to be more acceptable to use African American instead of black. My daughter's coach moved here a relatively short time ago from England and is black. Describing him as African American seems wrong since he has no intention of becoming an American citizen. He is here for a short time I believe. Regardless, it brought to mind are black people in Europe called European Africans? I hope nobody takes offense to my questions as I am truly just curious. Is it offensive to use the term black in other countries as it is here or is that primarily because of our issues with slavery/racism in America? This isn't to start a debate on the topic of terms, just want to be enlightened as I have very limited travel experience and most of my friends are Americans.

Actually there are lots in Louisiana. Two are within 5 miles of my home. They are not allowed to put a straw in your cup but can hand you one out the window. Sorry to derail thread.

I understand the fear. The fact is a pitbull can do more damage more quickly than a poodle but that wasn't my point really. I my day to day life I find that most large breed dogs especially ones thought to be aggressive and that have owners that take them to the park, children's sports, etc, tend to be trained better than smaller dogs that you meet at the same places. Generally I think it is due to the fear you mentioned but people underestimate what a small dog can do especially to a child. Personally, I don't think either belong at a kid's sporting event as there are too many factors that can change quickly. While you may know your dog's training, you never know what a random child will do to cause the training to fail.

Off on a tangent but some might find it funny. Our town had arrested a man for drunk driving/riding a horse after visiting the local drive thru daiquiri shop.

Really? The only dogs I have run into that are more aggressive breeds are pits and dobermans and have seen many at youth sports. I have yet to see one that isn't top notch obedient. It has always been the little dogs that cause the most disturbance, running on the field (retractable leash), peeing on other people's chairs, snapping at kids,etc. This isn't to say I haven't seen some little breeds that were top notch trained but overall not near as many fit this category as the larger breeds that I see. I believe so many think little dogs are cute and can't do much damage so they take risks that a great large breed owner wouldn't. Nobody is looking at the small dogs and thinking man I worry about them doing something wrong until it is done yet a large breed dog has to be on its best behavior to overcome that fear and even then it isn't enough. Sad for the dog but I understand people's fear, rational or not. BTW, the only dog that has ever bitten me is a miniature poodle that bit my cheek/mouth and I got 8 stitches. For this reason I tell my kids to ask before approaching a dog.

Guess I missed all of it. I have probably seen the ad but it didn't hit my radar as something abnormal. Why should it?

White Fang. The bad thing is that we underestimated the time and were only able to see the first part of the movie before we had to leave due to curfew. Later the next weekend we went back to watch again so we could see the end. The theater was 60 miles so that was a big deal.

Has anyone received their games and been able to play them yet? I would love to read reviews for future game purchases. I bought lots but have only been able to play two so far. Bad Beets is a simple card game that my 5, 7, and 9 year old enjoyed quite a bit. I didn't love it but it found it medium grade entertaining. My kids loved it enough to play it on their own later however my older teens didn't even want to give it a shot. Given the choice of fast paced card games that younger kids can play, I would first grab Dutch Blitz or Sleeping Queens with the latter being closer in style to Bad Beets. It just doesn't flow quite as good as either of them which is why I would give it four stars and they both get 5. Bugs in the Kitchen is a game played with a Hexbug. I loved it as much as the kids which included the teens. My youngest two will not hold the hexbug when on but still loved the game. It is a relatively fast paced game, has several options to alter the game play, and simple to understand from the moment you open box. All parts including the box were of superb quality. We liked it so much that I looked to see if they had another game of its style to purchase. They do but the reviews on it isn't as favorable. Definitely a 5star game. To give insight into us as gamers, we tried Munchkin and it just didn't click with us. Maybe at a later time. Our favorite games are Sleeping Queens, Dutch Blitz, Dominoes, Rook, Spades, Quirkle, Blokus, Battle Sheep, Taboo, and Pictionary. Abalone, Tenzi, and Apples to Apples are loved by the kids. My preschooler loves Sneaky Squirrel Game.

We love Steve Harvey's Little Big Shots.

My 19 year old daughter is getting married next year and we were surprised at the costs. It adds up quickly. Here in Louisiana, venues run anywhere from $700+. We looked at many, some all inclusive, some not. There was only one that has ample, yet beautiful space indoors in case of rain. The others meant we may have to rent tents which started at $1500+ for her size wedding of 150 guests. Ultimately we chose a barn venue that has 6000 square feet under roof. Indoors will be the reception area and the porch overlooking the lake will be for ceremony. It is $3500 for venue rental alone. She bought her wedding dress online for $180. Her flowers are artificial, arranged by us, and cost nearly $500. We will have it catered which will run around $1600. We haven't priced the cost of a bar, hiring a bartender, or a d.j. yet. The photographer will run $900. (Photography is very important to us as both of us are hobby photographers. I took her engagement photos but we need a professional for the actual wedding. ) Overall we expect to spend $7000. By we, I mean my daughter and her fiance. Neither think we should foot the bill for their wedding and are trying to keep the budget as low as possible. My daughter is a full time college student, psychology major, and works minimum of 6 shifts per week as a waitress. She has managed to be on the president's list each semester. Her fiance is in the national guard, attends college part time, and works as a waiter. My daughter lives in a tiny house on our property for which she pays all the utilities and her car insurance. We don't charge her rent and the car is paid for. Her fiance has a car note but lives at home without expenses. When they approached us about paying for their own wedding, they stated that this will prepare them for living on their own and creating a budget or goals. They also intend on paying for their honeymoon but dh and I hope to surprise them closer to the wedding with a lump sum that they can use toward the honeymoon if desired. They may chose to keep the honeymoon simple and use the money for their apartment deposit/rental which they are saving for as well. I am very proud of them for working hard, creating a budget, and prioritizing goals. I don't believe anything else could prepare them for marriage better.

Ended up buying Bugs in the Kitchen, Tsuro of the Seas, Bad Beets Game, Enchanted Forest, Ratuki, and Garden Dice. Already own Dixit, haven't played yet, and Munchkin, not a favorite here. Munchkin is just too complicated for us. It was our first time playing this type of game so maybe we aren't the best judges.

I bought Bugs in the Kitchen and am looking at Garden Dice, Bad Beets and Tsuro of the Seas. Anyone have these?

Stitchers, Arrow, Supernatural, Quantico, When Calls the Heart, Sleepy Hollow, Last Man Standing, Once Upon a Time, Blindspot, The Flash, Brothers and Sisters, Downton Abbey, Beauty and the Beast (CW), 11.22.63 , The Flash, Agents of Shield

I too would love for it to be on audible.

:grouphug: Praying

Anne is my middle name and my mom's middle name but the one she "goes by". Her name is actually spelled Ann legally but she spells it Anne. She also used the spelling Anne with my name. I asked her why and she said she always hated the spelling Ann. It not only looked less appealing to her but also most misspelled it anyway. Around here the spelling Anne is the more common one I have found. As for middle name suggestions, we almost went with Anne Melissa back in the day. Some of my other favorites are Anne Claris Anne Josephine Anne Juliette Anne Romilly Anne Miriam Anne Rosalie Anne Scarlett Anne Louisa (think this might be my fav with your last name)

The red area is more how she described it. I remember her complaining about her upper thigh once as well. Ugh. Does endo pain only happen during menstruation? She does have stomach upset as well but more now that pain is subsiding than before.

According to my daughter it felt like horrible cramps throughout her stomach from under ribs all the way down to pelvis. Occasionally she had lower back pain as well. Thinking it may be reflux or indigestion, I asked if it was like a bubble that moved and she said no more like cramps and tightening but everywhere in her stomach. It hurt to touch her stomach so she wouldn't let me rub it. She didn't want to walk or get up and down or even stand. When she did walk, she hunched over saying straightening up was painful. Even when she just stayed in bed she said that any movement made it worse. Thankfully she is able to walk around now and it is gradually getting better. I thought it wise to wait and see since she was getting better but now I am concerned. Of course it doesn't help that my mom pointed out that my aunt had problems with ovarian cysts and then got ovarian cancer which ultimately killed her. I don't like googling because of all the scary things you can read but I want to make sure we are choosing the right course of action.