Happy New Year!

At this stage in my pregnancy, I'm finding that I get tired super easy and that is the excuse I'm using for why I have not been updating my blog as regularly as I should be…sorry!

I hope everyone had a fantastic New Year, sadly, I puckered out by 11pm and sent my husband on to a party, so at least he could enjoy. I was content to just go to sleep (smile). Speaking of sleep, anyone have tips on how a nine-month pregnant woman can sleep better? My shape is making it hard to really stay sleeping, I end up getting up at least twice a night, should I use pillows all around? Tips most welcome!

I've been following the going-on's in the Ivory Coast with fascination. It is rather a sad situation and yet sometimes when I listen to the news I just have to laugh. To recap, Laurent Gbagbo, the incumbent president, lost. But, he refuses to step down. A variety of sources have confirmed this, but Mr. Gbagbo refuses to believe or concede. This makes me laugh in a way…it is such anathema to what we believe here in America. If you lost and the powers that be, the election commissions, the outside fair election coalitions, the Supreme Court, verify this, in America, the loser, graciously steps down. But Mr. Gbagbo is saying, "no, I refuse to step down." Its like a little child, just refusing to get out of the sandbox. And in a trait shared by all power hungry personalities like Mr. Gbagbo, he is saying that he is only staying in power because of the security of his country – mind you his denial to step down is THE reason there is tension and a potential for civil war in the Ivory Coast. These power hungry people cloak their selfish behavior in psedu-altrustic terms to convince themselves that they are not the monsters that they really are (this is a common tread I read about in all dictators). I suppose, ultimately what I would like to know is what does the world do when a leader refuses to step down??

Another thing on my mind was a debate I heard the other day on the radio about American pediatrician's performing faux female circumcisions. The radio host was naturally against it but I am not so sure. If a person is from those parts of the world that believe in female circumcision, to the extent that they would go to an American pediatrician to request it, I think its better if that doctor performs a faux female circumcision (in this case just giving the girl a nick in that area, so the parent's will see bleeding, but no actual circumcision). My thinking is if the American doctor doesn't do this "act" these parents will just take the child back to the home country and get it done there and we know from evidence that in those cases its going to be the real thing, scarring and damaging the child permanently. What do you think??