What's in a name?

The town hall have agreed to change my name to Catherine Gleghorn. This may seem like a small thing but it is a big deal to me. My chosen name will appear on baby M's birth certificate.

Now back to the baby. I'm trying to decide which baby carrier to buy and am finding this just as much of a minefield as choosing a travel system. The firm favourite at the moment is the Wilkinet Baby Carrier. It has a traditional look so that Phil can wear it without too much embarrassment and it has excellent reviews. Other than the baby carrier, I have pretty much finished shopping for baby things.

All being well, I will have a homebirth and this requires some purchases that we had not anticipated. Firstly, I have to buy two rectal thermometers. One for the baby and one for... me. How I tried to talk the midwife out of this. "Leave my bottom alone!" I told her but she would have none of it. She told me that once in labour I won't notice or give a damn what implements she chooses to shove up there. "Give me my dignity!" I told her. All pleas fell on deaf ears. We also have to raise the level of the bed to make examination easier. The midwife told us to go to the local supermarket and ask for eight Coke crates. No, I'm not kidding. I sent Phil to do this because I would probably have laughed or got very embarrassed (not quite as embarrassed as with the rectal thermometer, but embarrassed enough). Phil dutifully made the request and the assistant didn't even bat an eyelid - she just fetched the crates. I guess it is very common in Holland for births to be sponsored by the Coca Cola company.