Life is good!

"Hey, all of the leaves are back." - comment by James. And they are.. we're loving the weather here and all of the brilliant green. The duck eggs are getting close to hatching. One of them rotted (and burst slightly) so it went to the trash, we're hoping to get at least one baby from this group. If not, we'll try again!

We're getting closer to the end of the school year which will be nice. Charlotte still has more science to finish which might extend into the summertime. James is excited about getting Teaching Textbooks Math 4. I'm excited about a summer off and then getting stuff situated for next fall. 

A few of you already know this, but I haven't been telling the world. :) I officially mailed in my midwife apprentice license forms. In SC, it is a somewhat big deal because it is all a formal affair. I'm also very blessed that it worked out the way that it did. It's an amazing opportunity for me. I will be apprenticing with a homebirth midwife about an hour away and also helping at the birth center in my city. It gives me a broad variety of experience for which I'm quite thankful. 

On top of apprenticing, I need to graduate from Ancient Art Midwifery Institute to meet SC requirements. SC also requires a written exam (NARM, it's expensive, long, and has lots of chatter about it on the internet!) and an oral exam (3 hours, given in state). At that point I'll be a licensed midwife (LM) here and can do a few more things to be a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) which is recognized by a variety of states. 

I feel very blessed that this has all come together like it has.  I am still teaching HypnoBirthing courses at the birth center (and love that!) but will probably not be taking as many private doula clients. My next client is planning to birth at the center so that will work out nicely. :)  

Jim has been a great encouragement, especially since the children are at an age that this isn't leaving us in a bind for finding childcare and such. The children themselves have been wonderful. Charlotte is often my help with giving me feedback on how we can continue to adjust/improve with the variety of schedule changes. Bethany enjoys helping me with office-tasks and enjoys reading about herbs, etc. James sat down by me today and said, "So, are you still liking this midwife learning?" and we had a chat about it. The youngest three are obviously not as involved, but they do keep me sane... I've learned to appreciate plopping on the couch, snuggling, and reading a children's book to them. Being away from them at times (and busier at home) has made me appreciate them all the more.

But, honestly, to God goes the glory. He set this up and I'm eternally grateful for it. One Pastor we know likes to say "If God guides, He provides" and that has happened here. I'm doing a lot of work (I won't even play false-humble and deny it!) but He opened every door and it still brings me to tears at times to think of His greatness in this.  Those who know the full story of how all of this has played out so far, know that to say it was anything -but- God would be foolishness. 

Sooo.. I will try to get posts up. I do have great pics of the kids from the park on Friday. Every so often the printer doesn't play nice with me and I'm unable to get them moved. I'll try soon. :) 

Sesame Street Video - Very cool!

I'm amazed that this was covered by Sesame Street. I showed the video to the children and James said, "She's feeding her baby. Can we watch something interesting like the sheep again?" :)  

Here is the sheep link:

http://shipfullofpirates.com/2009/04/14/foolish-waste-of-time-yet-amazing/

Naomi is two!

It is hard to believe that Naomi is very close to being two. We plan to go out later to celebrate and I'll post two-year-old pictures at that time. This is her birth picture. :) She is probably thirty minutes out of the womb in this shot..  and in denial about everything. She rarely cried at all those first two weeks. We spent the first week almost entirely in bed for our 'babymoon' with nursing and recovering from birth. All moms deserve a babymoon! I missed that with most of our others due to moving, prematurity, or bilirubin checks. Naomi's birth was about as perfect as they come...

* She basically slept her way into this world, born into a large tub of warm water.

* Her pregnancy was the longest I'd experienced, which I credit to the midwife's nutritional information and fish oil. 

* Her birth was unrushed and peaceful. Friends came over (with their children) and it was seen as a normal and natural event.

* I birthed during the day, which was my dream for this pregnancy. I could see the flowering dogwood out the bedroom window... it's flowering now and it's such a nice reminder of that time.

* We ate, drank, and walked in the country while letting labor get going.

* At around 5-6cm I was in the kitchen helping to make grilled cheese for the children. Not because I had to, but because it felt good to be in my kitchen doing normal things. 

* My birth was empowering, not because it was natural, but mainly because it was -normal-. My home, my surroundings, my friends, my family, a normal day with a miraculous happening. 

The verse I kept in mind during my labor and birth:

"Behold, I will do something new, Now it will spring forth; Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, Rivers in the desert." - Isaiah 43:19

The frugal way to get a massage..

At the skills weeked I was able to try out a chi machine.

It basically wiggles you like a fish through water. :) It was interesting to try and felt quite relaxing. The reviews on it were mixed, some didn't like it because they felt it was overwhelming, others loved it.

Yesterday, I joined Naomi outside on the trampoline. After running around with her a bit, I stretched out in the middle and let her run around -me-. First off, if you've never stretched out on trampoline with the spring sunshine pouring down on you.. you're missing out. Second, if you have a small child run around you, it feels a lot like a chi type massage as it makes you "wiggle". She had a great time, I had a mock spa treatment. :)

(If you have a larger child run around you, it feels like a poorly crafted fair ride!)

Feet, Bacon and Old-fashioned thermometers

(Got feet? This was one of the 'failed' pictures from our "lets get a group picture!" adventure. I'm not sure if Jim was aiming for feet? I did not crop it. :) For the record, I am barefoot as well, but they're mainly hidden behind the boy in front of me. And um.. yes, Joseph's pants are on backwards. Don't ask. I don't know how he manages it! Naomi is being held so her feet are not in this picture. Bethany was the one to have sense and wear shoes.)

Thermometers: I looked all over the grocery store for a thermometer. When I found them, I discovered they ONLY sell digital. I wonder if old-fashioned ones are off the market now due to mercury? Although the new lightbulbs have mercury in them.. that has been a hot-button issue on the MOMYS list! :) We have a nice thermometer for the humans in the house, I was seeking an old-fashioned one for the incubator. I'll check the pet store soon to see what they might have available.

Bacon: The ducklings brought up a conversation about various animals and the meat they provide. For the most part, we eat a vegetarian diet here, although it's almost by accident for the bulk of the family. I find that I feel best when I follow a vegan (no dairy/meat) diet for myself and we have a lot of tasty vegetarian recipes (chili, burritoes, waffles, penne & sauces, etc) Anyway, except for eggs, we rarely have meat here. I'm hoping our ducklings are a success because just a half dozen would easily keep us supplied in the eggs that we need. After discussing ducks, James announced that he wants to raise a pig. I was a little surprised by this and asked why. His simple response was... "Bacon". It had all of us laughing. He did lament on the price of bacon and such, which made me realize that maybe I talk about grocery prices a bit TOO much? hehe. When asked how much he thinks bacon costs he said, "$50." :) Silly guy. I confess, I usually don't buy bacon because I know it isn't very healthy, but it's also messy and such to make... I figure our breakfast trip to Ryan's once a year (after camping) is enough bacon! But..... forseeing decades down the road when James may say, "I had so many brothers and sisters that I never had bacon.." I decided to remedy it. Guess what's for breakfast tomorrow?

The boys have been busy making a fort and Bethany took pictures of it. We're going to try to get them up tomorrow. The phone actually sync'd the other day, so maybe we'll get lucky and I can post a video as well.