1,980

I have just set the kitchen timer for twenty minutes. If whatever I do not really have to say cannot be said in that time it will go unsaid. Seriously. I felt embarrassed when I realized how long, how very very long that last post wound up being. My lack of self-control will be my undoing. But not today.

Caroline - who has been more or less indifferent to literature; certainly when compared to her brothers - suddenly developed a passion for one particular book: Hush Little Alien. She rootles through the toy basket (when Edward outgrew the Moses basket in which he slept I moved it to the floor to hold toys; I still think this was resourceful and I mention it because I am not usually clever like that) looking for this one book and when she finds it she races over and chucks it at my face. Endearing. So I read/sing it to her (it's Hush Little Baby with aliens, a Patrick hand-me-down) and she dances and then when it is over she picks it up and shouts "A'un!" which is either "again" or "alien" or possibly "di di mao" and repeats the whole face chuck. Ad infinitum. Precious.

Actually I do find it precious, which is how toddlers manage to survive to preschoolhood despite the foot stamping and the neverending hilarity of waiting until you finally get up from scrubbing whatever it is off the floor before letting the next round fly...

the toy phone is all alone in the living room saying HELLO! and then GOODBYE! every thirty seconds, which is the toy's subtle way of announcing a decreased battery charge. it did the GOODBYE thing at four in the morning once and I almost had a heart attack - imagine waking up to a creepy disembodied voice saying goodbye from a dark corner... excuse me while I go slaughter the phone and bury the remains in the garden - this is not counting toward my twenty minutes...   

So Caroline had one of us read Hush Little Alien to her eleventy billion times this weekend and she wanted to take it to bed with her last night.

Sidenote: as part of my patented Path of Least Resistance parenting approach I have always let Caroline and Edward (and Patrick before them) clutter their cribs with whatever they think they might require in the night in the hopes that it will prevent them from summoning me in the dark watches. Patrick for months slept on top of a quilted alphabet wall hanging with a three foot-long metal fire truck  surrounded by twenty books. Edward has two blankets, his music player, his bear, his lion, EarDeer, LegDeer, a rubber duck and (probably the same) twenty books. Caroline has her two blankets, a puzzle toy, a frog (frrrrruh) a duck (duuuh) a very small bear (baaaah) and some books as well. Yes, they probably take longer to fall asleep at night because they play first. Yes, they probably wake up in the night and play some more. And yes, they definitely wake up in the morning and start playing. Like the bartenders of old, though, I firmly believe that you don't have to go home but you do have to get the hell out of here. In other words, I don't care what you do after bedtime just as long as I don't have to be personally involved.      

Ha! Look at me swaggering around like a badass now that it has been two whole weeks since the twinkles stopped - mostly - screaming for me in the middle of the night. Caroline was crying this morning around 4:30 and she had a thirsty sort of look about her but did not want water in a cup and I was really fucking tired (why? I don't know. I have been sleeping so much lately that you would think I would have caught up by now) so I did the one thing my pediatrician said specificially not to do: I gave her actual milk in an actual bottle. Then Edward woke up a little later so I gave the rest to him. They both slept until a quarter to ten this morning. I'm not sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

Gracious. My point.

Caroline took her favorite book to bed with her last night and there is precedent for doing so. However, I am now regretting this because when I went to get her this morning I discovered that she must have been busy trying to figure out what, exactly, makes this book so good. She has performed a board book autopsy and it is now in nine distinct pieces.

"A'un?" she asked hopefully, holding up the tattered spine.

Did I mention this is her favorite, her very favorite, book?

As Steve walked out the door to drive the car pool I said, oh, hey, Cricket's disemboweled the alien book so would you swing by Borders after you drop-off the kids and grab another copy before she realizes what she has done and becomes unbearable?

Over indulgent? Most likely. Practical? Indubitably. Clueless about publishing cycles and book retailing? Apparently. Not only did Borders not have a copy they acted like they had never heard of it. Ditto Barnes and Noble. Amazon has a few used copies but fails to distinguish between an actual hardback and a hardback paper on board - the former being completely useless unless we need confetti - and I don't feel like springing twenty bucks to find out which one I have purchased.

Any thoughts on how to get an out of print board book before Caroline's lovely green-grey eyes fill with tears? I would be grateful.

Paraguard! IUD! As promised:

I have now had four post-IUD cycles. The first month things were normal but my period lasted for just over two weeks. Meh. Meh, I say. The next month was much shorter and painless but I thought I was going to bleed to death the entire time. So there was that. Third and fourth month started with half a day of hideous cramps (I never got cramps before. never) followed by a day of near-desanguination followed by a normalish five day cycle.

So in conclusion: Actual insertion was kinda painful but not ohmygodI'mdying. I do have a high tolerance for pain, though, so take that for what it is worth. Periods for me are now heavier with some additional discomfort. I would call it "acceptable but not ideal". My arrangement with Steve was that I would try it for six months and then we would reassess the vasectomy option at that point. I am pretty sure I am going to re-lobby for a trip to the urologist but I am willing to deal with the IUD in the meantime.

I have gotten a lot of questions about this and I am just one data point so I would really appreciate it if you would leave your IUD (Mirena or Paraguard or... is there another one?) experiences in the comments if you have one. That way someone trying to figure out what to do re. semipermanent birth control can read our wildly divergent opinions and be more confused than ever. At least they will know they are not alone.

Steve and Patrick were very busy this weekend now that morels have come to Minnesota. I swear to god I am never going to be done with these horrible little things [Confidential to Sarah in Michigan from Patrick: tell your husband to look for morels around dead elm trees. I will now pull my fingers from my ears] and Caroline and Edward and I are getting a little sick of each other's unalleviated company. We read books. We look for cats under the bed. We color until 66% of us start gnawing on the crayons like crudité and 33% of us say "Oh for heavens sake! enough! your teeth are purple!" and remove the crayons leaving the original two-thirds in tears. It gets a little boring and I am always looking for new things to do.  

So I was pleased when I discovered on Saturday that my Christmas camera has a timer that lets one take a series of pictures approximately half a second apart. I figured I could do a bunch of tasteful studies: Exurban Grass Mushroom Widow with Child(ren)

What I discovered after about forty of these is that Edward and I are ready for a Coke commercial and Caroline finds us both appalling.

Observe:

Yeah. I am wearing panda ears. It's a long story. Actually, it isn't. I thought the postpartum regrowth hair fuzz was so ugly in the first few pictures that I decided to hide it with a daring accessory. Did it work?

Here we have me (hair by Elmers+tap water; well "hair paste") and Eddybear all aboard the SS Superfun while Cricket attempts to dive off the stern.

And that is how I spent my weekend.

PS Speaking of Coke commericials I have finally recovered from the bitter bitter disappointment of the Veronica Mars ending (you warned me. I know. but still) and am ready to learn to love again. We just started season one of Mad Men from Netflix and I have to ask: do ANY of these people become REMOTELY likable at some point? Because as of episode two Steve has started drinking Scotch and I am dying for a cigarette and we both find them all so unpleasant that we are kinda hoping the Cuban missile crisis goes the other way this time.

PPS I saw my new primary care physician last week. He went over the neurology stuff (MRI and MRA, ANA, et cetera, et cetera) and ruled out lupus, MS, Lyme's and a brain tumor. He said it sounds like I get weird migraines and is sending me back to the neurologist in case there is anything more esoteric out there that he might have missed.

"Esoteric?" I asked.

"Yep," he said.

Then he flicked the side of my face, hard, with his finger and when I jumped he congratulated me on the fact that my cheek seems to be feeling better. I really liked him.

PPPS Thirty three minutes. I cheated.

PPPPS I just figured out how to make these things look shorter. I kill me.

Comments

[JoAnn]

Quick question - I can't remember if it's ever been discussed - how were your periods in the old days (say, before/between kids)?
I have had the Mirena IUD for 8 months, normally have VERY heavy painful periods. Now have no cramps, no pain, much less quantity of bleeding, but have my period for 2 1/2- 3 weeks of each month. AFTER 8 MONTHS. So I pretty much hate that, will give it one full year and then have it pulled. Plus I have acne now. Also, I always thought they were twinkies, just realizing they're twinkles. May still call them twinkies in my head. Sorry about that.

[Emily]

I've had the Mirena IUD for 2 1/2 years now. I had one normal period after insertion, then about 4 months of medium to light spotting. Now I get spotting once every few months. I absolutely love it. Not getting a period is great for me, I know it freaks some people out but I love it.

BTW, adorable pictures!! Your kids are beautiful.

[Amanda]

So glad you didn't stick to 20 minutes, I could read what you write all day.

Re: IUD... I've thought about going that route, but hate pain and my periods are never longer than 5 days. Ever. And only one of those 5 days is ever heavy. So you can see why I wouldn't want to monkey with a good thing.

Look forward to reading other stories, because every one I've ever read is pretty much like yours, which makes me pretty sure the IUD is not for me. Not that it matters right now, since I've come down with The Knocked Up (HUZZAH!) but, yaknow. Options. Later. Whatever.

[Melissa]

It's too bad Caroline isn't sitting up in that last picture because 66% of that photo is beautiful and I know the other 33% would be too if I could just SEE her!

Also - make the posts as long as you want, I enjoy every word!

[Liv]

Hi Julia - Edward looks like a baby boy that a Mama just wants to eat up, sooooo sooooo cute! He must make you melt a million times a day! And Caroline is adorable with look of a mischieveous hellraiser - she cracks me up, she looks like she's a confident and hilarious risk taker, with awesome pigtails - gorgeous, both of them and their mama too!

I was going to go the IUD route, but we opted for my husband getting a vasectomy instead - felt great for me! It was uncomfortable for him for a few weeks but he's good as new now, didn't affect anything regarding our play time, thankfully, that had me a bit worried, but he's back to normal and I can't tell the difference. Still wild after all these years of birth control to just do it and not worry about a thing, still amazes me!

Quick favor, since you have so much free time (wink) could you post some more recipes in your sidebar? If you have any toddler friendly suggestions that would be great, I have a 14 month old and am running out of ideas of what to feed her, feel like I'm boring her at this point.

Love your blog - Liv

[Sarah]

Re: "Hush Little Alien." I never have used Abe Books (www.abebooks.com) but always plan to, so I checked them for your little alien, and the only copy I see that is clearly marked "board book" (of the 29 copies they show) is around $120. I am thinking that Abe Books has made a mistake or Caroline has very expensive tastes. Take a look--this is very odd. The Scholastic edition is inexpensive but I assume it's paperback.

[Melissa]

Ok, you are totally receiving some leftover hostility from this article, http://drhelen.blogspot.com/2009/05/they-occupy-roughly-same-status-in.html, which is massively pissing me off, but even though I love you the posts are long sister. Maybe I'm jealous, however, since my own little family blog suffers from severe neglect.

Anyway, your kids are very cute and you seem so engaged with them. If you could transmit some of that "engagement" dust my way I would appreciate it. I totally suck at making up activities for my 2.5 year old.

[Meegan]

Ah, the Paraguard. I swear it's trying to kill me by slowly, oh so slowly, depleting my body of iron. I had it inserted in October and since then I menstruate every 2 weeks for 5 days. And it is HEAVY. Really, really heavy. My husband and I believe that the way it truly works is by interrupting your sex life in a dramatic fashion. Vasectomy is back on the table in this house!

[Laurie A]

I've had the Mirena for about a year now - inserted a couple of months after the birth of my second and presumably last son. It came highly recommended by my (trusted) OB/GYN who still thinks my ovaries look fabulous and that at almost 44 we should still try for a girl. (Yeah, right!)

The Mirena insertion was painful but not overly so and I still have the same pack of Kotex I had before I got pregnant. I think I've had a decent period once and intermittent spotting the rest of the time. Nothing that isn't handled by the pantiliner route. I had cramping on and off for most of the first month or two post insertion. It was annoying but not debilitating.

Prior to my nearly back-to-back pregnancies my periods ran about 3-4 days with about 1-1/2 days of heavy flow at the onset. I haven't had one like that in ages.

I will say that my "drive" is almost nil but that probably has more to do with chasing a 3 yo and a 1 yo every day, putting on weight, and having hormones possibly readying themselves for peri-menopause moreso than the Mirena. I do intend to discuss it with my OB at my impanding annual appt though.

Edward is all you and Cricket is all Steve! You are all just.all.beautiful.

[Nicole]

Not sure if this will help, I think I found the actual board book for sale (paper over board?) Crossing my fingers that this is it! :)

http://www.hyperionbooksforchildren.com/board/displayBook.asp?id=267

[Catherine]

Mirena IUD. Had it for 3 years now. Love it more than anything. Periods are a wee bit o' spotting for a day max. Seriously, not even tampon worthy.

I'm an IUD convert and preach to the masses whenever possible and appropriate.

[Karishma]

you silly woman, if i had posts as long as yesterday to read EVERY DAY i might be the happiest person in the world. seriously, more than three days without an entry from you and i go into julia withdrawal. your blog is the best writing i've seen on the whole wide internet, and 20 minutes is OBVIOUSLY too short.

[Nancy]

Try Half.com for the Alien book.

[Jen]

ISBN 0786805382 looks like the hardcover, 0786807598 the board book, 043917676X and 0439285038 appear to be paperback. Use this at alibris.com or abebooks.com (or Amazon if you want) to find the version you want. Alibris includes the seller's contact information, so you could always ask before you buy just to be sure.

[Jen]

The board book and the hard cover will have different ISBN numbers. Good luck!

[Angie]

Love my Mirena IUD. Got it 4 mo pp. I nursed for a year- have been done nursing for 4 months ( our kiddos are the same age.) Love it- no period what so ever. Occasionally I have some spots of blood on the tissue, but then nothing the next time I wipe. I have the extra huge box of pads and Tampons- do you want me to send them your way : ) Insertion not bad- just a bit more oncomfortabe for than a pap. I guess I have had it about a year now.

[LisaCarol]

It also looks like Hyperion is both board book and hard cover publisher, but the board book was published in March 2001, with the hard cover published in October 1999. alibris.com has a couple of board books for less than $10, so you might get one fairly cheap. Or, if they're gone, you can save on the expensive ones with the coupons if you order before May 26:
Save $3 off $30 Coupon code:EDGAR
Save $6 off $60 Coupon code: ALLAN
Save $10 off $100 Coupon code: POE
(Or you can do like I do, and order too many books - watch out for the shipping charges, unless you order from a single store.)

[Jenorama]

I could read your posts all day, too, so please dispense with the timer!

I have had my Merena IUD for almost 5 years. I got it when I was 35 because a dear friend had a double brainstem stroke and she had been on the pill. I freaked and went off it immediately and some medical student friends recommended the Merena.

I love it. I never have a period. Not ever. No cramps, no spotting, no nothing (except bitchy pms, which always takes me by surprise because I don't have cycles anymore). I will probably have to get a new one this year. Can't wait.

I wish I could remember what my periods were like when I first got it, but I never had very heavy ones to begin with.

[Liv]

Ages ago, while spending the day with a friend and her houseful of kids, the electricity went out. It came back on a few minutes later and we all freaked out when we heard, "Peeeek a booo" coming from the corner. It was a Big Bird toy that played peek a boo when you covered his eyes. We all lost a few years off our lives that day.

I have had my Mirena since October-ish? I spot mildly (usually I only notice when I go to the bathroom) the day after intercourse. I think I had 2 what may be classified as periods. I don't seem to have any other face, weight, or hormonal issues. I give it 2 thumbs up.

The most frustrating thing I had to deal with regarding the Mirena was my religious mother all but accusing me of killing my unborn children because it makes the uterine lining 'inhospitable' for an embryo to attach. She must have forgotten the 12 previous years it took before I conceived my son au natural.

[sheilah]

Your kids are so absolutely gorgeous I simply can't believe it. And you; you look like you're about 25 years old.

If I didn't love you so much, I would seriously hate you.

[Christiana]

No complaints on the length of posts, unless they are occasionally too short. But even then, I'd rather hear from you than not at all.

The kids and you are beautiful! Still completely jealous that you have a daughter with thick hair you can do something with. Your Caroline only has about 3 months on mine and I cannot do anything with mine's hair. Not to mention that she pulls every little clip out and prepares to eat it.

Haven't looked yet, but try bestbookbuys.com for the book.

Have you done Gilmore Girls? 7 years of fast-talking brilliance. Also Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Young, yes, but oh, so witty. I miss Veronica very much myself.

[Melinda]

I'm on my second Mirena IUD. I've had them a total of 7 yrs. No periods after the first few months. Rarely, I have some light spotting. It is amazing! I feel much more emotionally stable than I did on the pill. I joke with my GYN and her nurse about going on tour to promote it so here's my endorsement.

The pictures are adorable!

[Christi]

"Hush Little Alien"... found some on ebay for $25, but I think they're used. Condition listed as "very good". You can ask seller if it's a board book before buying.

[Carla Hinkle]

Honestly, I think getting the axe from The Mom Moment is the best thing that's happened to my blog reading in a while, because now you post here all the time and I eat up every word. No one writes like you; no one. It is very run-on-sentence and slightly Victorian and peppered with amusing-ness and really, you are one of a kind and I hope you don't enforce time limits on yourself.

All this talk about IUDs doesn't really make me want to try one when the time arrives. It seems like heaven on earth for some, but for the rest it sounds like all periods, all the time which would be awful! Mine just last 4-5 days at the most on the pill so I should probably just stick with what already works.

Love the photo sessions.

[Jen]

I am de-lurking to answer your request for b/c comments, and will admit to feeling a bit embarrassed that this drew me out, but FWIW, I have had a really good experience with the Nuva-Ring. Easy insertion, leave it in for 3 weeks, then remove and get a v. light period, with little cramping, and insert a new one the next week.

[Carolyn]

Have you taken a look at Alibris.com? We've successfully located favorite books from long ago; you might have good luck there.

I'm one of those lurkers about whom you may wonder; who are these far-flung readers from whom you never hear? Me. for one, but now I've taken that first step. I can't say enough how much I enjoy your writing! Thank you for taking the time - 20 minutes or an hour, whatever you have to spare. And it's so nice to see who you are, as well as your sweet Twinkles. And Patrick, of course. And Steve. :-)

[Reese]

I've had my Paragard IUD for just about two years now. I had it put in right after my daughter turned 1. Her birth heralded a new age of regular cycle dates, shorter duration, and no cramps. My periods have stayed a straight-up 4 days in duration since insertion but dear GOD the cramps!!! Not to mention volume. *shudder* Another 3 years until my hubs will get a vasectomy. Can't wait!

[terri c]

Dear Julia, it would not be possible for you to write a post so long it would bore me. Children are wonderful, you look terrific, and, yeah, don't worry about the timer anymore, OK?

[Gillian]

Your blog is the first one I pull up and anyone who complains about too long can go to quiet time please. Long is like sharing fantastic coffee with scones and you ask 'Would you like another cup?.' Oh yes! Please ma'am could I have more?

My grandson has a bunk bed that is upside down while he is small and has a canopy so it is like a little cave. It has always been full of stuff he likes, a sippy cup of water, books and special blankets and toys. He adores his bed. He plays and sings on the monitor at night and when he wakes up. He used to then speak normally saying he was ready to get up because with monitor magic his parents magically hear every word he utters. He now gets up on his own, but before he does he will spend some time in quiet play. All of us should go to bed and wake up in a beloved, happy nest.

[Rbelle]

That last picture is the most entertaining thing I've seen all day. You and Edward look ebullient. Caroline looks like she's auditioning for the Metropolitan Opera by demonstrating her wicked skills in languishing - from broken heart or maybe just ennui.

[mrs shortcake]

I love those pictures of the three of you! You and Edward look so much alike!

[Jessica]

Bookmooch.com (trading system, one book earns you one point which you can then spend on any available book... i.e. it's not a strict person-to-person swap) - invaluable resource for OOP or hard-to-find books. Kids' titles move through it fairly quickly, so you might well get lucky.

[Cris]

I've been hearing about the Essure thing (where they stick it in the fallopian tubes and it grows into a permanent barrier. What are your thoughts on that if Steve balks at the vasectomy? I'm thinking about it as an option later after our one failed attempt at IVF w/PGD. I mean, I don't know its going to fail, I'm just guessing.

Also - why come over here to read, if you don't want to - I don't know - read? I love the long posts.

[melissa in NY]

In between kid 2 and 3, I used the Paraguard. Periods were definitely heavier and crampier. During c section number three, doctor was to tie remaining tube (lost one due to ectopic pregnancy) but could not get to it in time as my uterus was not cooperating (bleeding uncontrollably) and my spinal was wearing off. The urologist's number was tucked into my complimentary diaper bag with Similac samples...I was DONE!!

[Amanda]

I've had my Paragard for about 4 months, and yeah, the volume is astounding! I had occasional cramps before, but they're definitely stronger now. Nothing Advil can't handle, though. For me, though, the insertion was painless. I was prepared for pre-epidural labor pain, but for me the most uncomfortable part was that my regular OB was out sick and I had it inserted by a male doctor I'd never met before. Not that I care, really, but I like to know men for longer than 5 minutes before I allow them to enter the Promised Land, you know?

Anyway. He said, "I'm going to insert it now," and I took deep breaths and gripped the side of the table and felt... nothing. Not a thing. I've had Pap smears more painful. So maybe insertion pain has something to do with skill?

But your assessment is right-on: acceptable but not ideal. I've heard Mirena slows your period-- even though I'm not a hormone fan, I think I'd go that road next time. Or just go back on the Pill, where I can control when and whether I have periods at all. But then there's the hassle of taking a pill every day... I suppose nothing's ideal.

[Amy]

I have the Mirena, which I love. I had a pretty heavy period followed by lots of intermittent spotting, say up to 3 weeks worth, for the first 3 or 4 cycles. Then nothing. Not a period, not a cramp, nothing. It's really fantastic. Historically I have had a pretty easy time with menstruation though--your standard 28 day cycle with 2-5 days of medium to low flow, very few cramps.
OH, I was also on the Paraguard IUD briefly (6 months or so) and didn't like that one as much, my periods were much heavier than I was used to.

[Heather P.]

Look at you, all looking you're only about 20, with two gorgeous babies!!!! I am jealous of that widow's peak of yours too!
Yes, I was going to suggest Alibris too! I am completely hooked on them, they take PayPal and I have been find so many of my favorite old movie star's biographies! My love of Alibris is such that I even gave up my Barnes & Noble Membership.

[Laurie A]

P.S. Took me a while to figure out the 1,980. Another reason why I love reading your blog - you titles are so clever!

[erica]

Hush Little Alien was the favorite book of all toddlerhood for Audrey. I found it on clearance at BN.com long ago. Ours was not a board book, though. The song became her soother, too. I recall holding her and singing it over and over when she had to have blood testing done at ~15 months.

My younger brother was a book destroyer. My mother wept when the precious board books that had graduated through my older brother's and my hands with nary a chewed on corner were ripped apart by my saskwatchian brother.

[Mandy]

I had Mirena for a year and a half. I rarely had a period. I had it removed so I could try to get pregnant. I did after five months. Yay! Then after our son was born I told my husband two was enough and he needed to get the ol' snip snip. He did when our son was 2 months old. Now our son is 14 months and my periods this past year have been so bad. Even though my husband had a vasectomy I decided a few weeks ago to get the Mirena put back in. I am hoping it works like it did last time and I will stop having these horrible periods. I've never, ever had them as bad as I have the past 14 months. So, to sum it up, lol, I love Mirena. It worked great the first time, didn't cause any trouble when I wanted to have a baby, and hopefully round two will work just as great!

[beyond]

i love nuva ring. cannot feel it (neither can husband), leave it in 3 or 4 weeks, then out for one week -for a very light period.
those photos of you and the twins are adorable.

[alianora]

I happen to have an extra copy of Hush Little Alien, as Voldemort loves it, and they had five copies at the thrift store. If you want it, I can send it to you. :)

[peanutsmama]

I LOVE Mirena! Best thing ever. I have had it 2 1/2 months and it really, truly is the best thing ever. Had one true period and only the lightest spotting since. Was on BCP for seven years prior to getting knocked up and I loved Lo-estrin b/c it allowed me to go from ten day long periods to three days. My LO is thirteen months old and we are done on the baby front.
No real pain on insertion but my cervix bled like crazy for the rest of the day, but just mild pressure with insertion. I had exuberant scar tissue on my perineum for six months post-partum, so I know about pain below the belt. I tried going back on the pill after the baby, but it just didn't work. My ob tried to get me on Mirena as soon as I stopped nursing at six months, but I am hard headed. I only wished I had listened to her sooner. So, yeah Mirena!!!!

[Susan]

Please! Don't limit your writing. I love reading every word. Clicking and finding a new post is always cause for excitement.

[Lindsay]

As a diabetic, I needed non-hormonal birth control, so I ended up with a Paraguard IUD. WHICH I LOVED. Insertion was mildly uncomfortable (not painful, just uncomfortable), and my periods were heavier (but shorter). The upsides, though, more than made up for any downsides; I didn't have to think about it, I had no hormone effects like I'd had with all the other methods, it is much more effective (read: less user error) than other methods, I never felt a thing (nor did the spouse) AND it has no residual effects - when you take it out, you are back to your regularly scheduled fertility right away. I recommend IUDs to everyone now.

[Kristin]

My oldest son had a book he was like that about and, after the first one bit the dust, I lucked into finding it at a bookstore and I bought 3 copies. Yes, 3 copies. I had to avoid the tragedy of book death.

RE: my Mirena IUD...hurt like a mother going in. It had to be a man who said it would only pinch a little bit. I loved it. I spotted a bit the first few months but after that I didn't have a period at all!

[Casey]

Not that you asked, but I have just discovered that on very nice days, when we are playing outside, a bucket full of water and some measuring cups go a looooong way to entertaining my 22 month old. I wonder if Caroline and Edward might also enjoy this, while waiting for the morelmongers to return. Oh! And paint brushes to paint (anything) with the water. And sidewalk chalk, with the water and paint brushes, which makes a sort of chalk-paint...and now you've just landed yourself in "Needs Bathing Immediately" territory, but hey! that kills at least another 30 minutes, right? (Because it is clear you won't be needing those 30 minutes to sautee any morels with garlic and shallot.)

[L.]

I had the Paragard and I think I posted my experiences previously but since you asked again... I think the flow thing is likely to differ as compared to the Mirena because of it being hormone-free. But anyway. I had almost exactly the same experience as you did, for six months. I had it taken out and will not be bothering with one again. I don't know exactly what I will do next since I am not quite ready to implement a permanent solution but I think it may be back to the trusty condom.

[Jessica]

I've had both Paragard and Mirena. I had the Paragard for 4 years and have had the Mirena now for 3. I love the Mirena a lot more. The Paragard really did a number on my system. I had very, very heavy bleeding. Really bad cramping and the hubby said every once in awhile he would get a little pinch from the strings. With the Mirena, I have periods that last 3 days and they are very light. I don't have cramps hardly at all, just a little twinge the day before my period starts. I kept the Paragard in for so long because the insertion sucked a lot and I was scared of what it would be like to get it out, not that bad incidentally, I wish I had switched sooner. The Mirena was no different, it sucked going in. But I have some significant scarring from some procedures so that had a hand in the insertion pain.
I highly recommend the Mirena over the Paragard if you can handle the hormones, it's much nicer to my body!

[Erin]

Somebody may have already suggested this, but if the pages are still intact you could punch holes in the pages and tie them together or use rings. Good luck in the book search.