Today I had my second acupuncture treatment. This time I was prepared with an MP3 player and some good music to listen to while I relaxed with the needles sticking out of my face. It hurts a little, like a sting when he puts them in. The one in the webbing between my thumb and first finger hurt the worst. Acupuncture is based on the idea that the body has something called chi, loosely translated as vital energy, that flows through the body. When there is something wrong, an illness, injury, whatever, the energy is blocked, and acupuncture is supposed to unblock the chi and let it flow freely, allowing the body to heal itself and to put an end to the pain. It was probably just the endorphins, but I could feel something as soon as he placed the first needle in my face. I like to believe it was my chi, finally free to flow. I think that even believing in it will help the healing, that relaxing and visualizing my body healing and the pain melting away could really work. I am working on balancing my yin and yang, hoping that health and beauty will naturally follow.

I recently went through something that so many mothers have gone through. Grace, who constantly has to put things in her mouth, swallowed a quarter a week ago. After five days I did not see it in her diapers, so we went in for an x-ray. The lady at the desk kind of laughed. "Oh, I've been through that one before." I had all three kids with me, which was a chaotic mess, and I had to leave Grace in the room screaming while three people held her down for the x-ray. It didn't take long, and there was no quarter to be seen. Apparently I missed it coming out. It was a relief to know it wasn't stuck inside her somewhere. These are the rites of passage that I have gone through, to join the club of mothers with screaming children in the store, tantrums, swallowed quarters, throwing up in public, peeing and pooping on the floor, and staying up all night crying, just wanting to be held. No wonder I wanted this so badly....