Hair.

 did this last night....

Whacked off about 5 inches in the bathroom, after a shower that can only be described as Marcia Brady in The Craft.

Of all the postpartum joys, losing wheelbarrow-full amounts of hair from about month 4 to month 8 has got to be my personal fave.  So, I'm working my way closer to something like this.

Or perhaps this?

I've always been way too chicken to chop my locks, but these days, the old ponytail-bun-thing is my go-to and it's just....blah-yuck-boo.  I also have always been envious of those of you who do extreme things with your hair and never dreamt that it was something I could pull off because, well, I'm not so sure anymore!  Why can't I be adventurous? It's just hair!  If I had beautiful, dreamy, thick, luscious locks I may be singing a different tune, but my hair has always been very fine (sorry Lua) and kinda scraggly, so maybe it'll look 10x better short?!? Maybe I've been missing out this whole time?!? 

But what if it's spikey like Kate plus 8? Or a mullet?  Or I look like a drag queen on his day off? I don't know! Stay tuned!

yes, i encapsulated my placenta.

my placenta was encapsulated with love by PushLoveDoula, London King.  pictured above: umbilical cord dried into a heart, placenta "happy pills", placenta print (partially visible underneath other gifts)

so many people were totally weirded out that i decided to eat my placenta(yes, even my husband at first), but when i looked at the possible benefits:

balance your system
replenish depleted iron
give you more energy
lessen bleeding postnatally
been shown to increase milk production
help you have a happier postpartum period
hasten return of uterus to pre-pregnancy state
be helpful during menopause

and weighed them against the risks:

virtually none

...i decided that there was really no reason not to :)  and, the pills really did help with my energy level.  i also noticed - afterward, of course - that on the days when i forgot to take them, i was more of an emotional wreck that normal.  

maybe it's a passing fad ... i've done a lot of research since lua's birth and most science shows that there is no biological "need" to eat your placenta.  they also smell awful.  like a wet dog.  yuck.  heck, how am i even supposed to know - this being my first birth - if they worked?!  

to be honest, i probably decided to do it because the whole cycle of life thing is a cool idea and i was pretty sure it wasn't going to kill me, so, why not?  if you have had a difficult postpartum period, or are nervous that you'll have PPD, i would highly recommend encapsulation, though.  like i said before, the benefits far outweigh the risks :)  you can read more about it here.