Mike...my Guinea Pig

My husband has been a wonderful sport through the years, as I've learned new skills and strived towards yet another degree. He often let me use him as a guinea pig, although never to the point of placing an IV or urinary catheter as some of my classmate's husbands did! However, he did recently let my apprentice draw labs on him, being the first human being she had ever stuck. She did perfect though, so no real drama and he needed his cholesterol and fasting blood sugar taken anyway.

I have been reading about sterile water papules once again, as many years ago when I discovered this technique I never had the opportunity to utilize it. Bedside nurses have no authority. In my own practice, I am once again inspired to pack this trick in my bag. Paula, my wonderful birth assistant, and I are offering a birth assistant workshop later this month and are planning to teach this technique. As many new skills in nursing or medicine, you must first learn on yourself. However, having experienced many PPDs over the years, I am well aware of how excruciating an intradermal stick feels and am rather reluctant to experience this myself. However, today Mike was cleaning the basement and pulled a muscle in his back. I was thrilled - opportunity for me to practice my new learned trick!

He continued to complain into the evening, so I finally told him to go lay on my exam table. I gathered my supplies and immediately Mike began to panic, "You aren't sticking anything in me!" I explained that it would only hurt for a few seconds and yes, it is awful but then he would feel no pain for ninety minutes. He was asking tons of questions and refusing to turn over..."Mike, do you not trust me!?! I watched a video on how to do this." That didn't build his confidence at all unfortunately.

In between hysterically laughing, I finally pinned him down and began to make marks on his back with my pen. He screeched, "What are you doing?!" I explained that I was marking the spots by his spine. "WHAT! You aren't sticking needles in my spine!!!" All I needed to do was inject 0.1ml of sterile water just under the skin in four spots surrounding the spine and this apparently blocks pain receptors to the spine, using the Gate Control theory. Again, he was not convinced. Remembering that he had worked in a battery factory and had PPDs yearly I reminded him that would be all he would feel.

He finally agreed and let me make my first stick - AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Oh my **********, *********, ************* and some more *********!!!!!!!!!!!! "THAT IS THE WORST PAIN I HAVE EVER FELT IN MY LIFE!!!" I am now on the floor holding my gut in laughter and trying not to wet my pants...explaining to him that if he doesn't let me put three more in his back he will have suffered the pain of one stick and not benefit from any pain relief. "Help me get off this exam table! I can't even get up!!! I can't walk!"

Hum...and to think that laboring women are grateful for this because it doesn't compare at all to the pain they experience in labor! Wonder why the Lord doesn't impregnant men?

Christmas Movies

Christmas Eve we had too much anticipation for Christmas and each opened a single gift prematurely. Noah opened a game for his X-Box and ran straight up-stairs to master it. Samuel opened body paint for the tub - ELMO! Keely opened her MP3 player and was thrilled. I as well, opened a MP3 player. Then my poor husband, having just grabbed the first Dad gift he could find, opened a reflector vest... bought for a dollar as a stocking gift, thinking he could wear it this summer when riding with the kids. He didn't say anything, but after watching every one's excitement as they opened their own gifts, we all saw the built up excitement in Mike blow out of him the instant he realized that the box really did have a reflector vest in it. I was laughing so hard I couldn't even see through the tears in my eyes. I couldn't have planned that to be any funnier! Mike just put it on and wore it the rest of the evening without saying anything.

Christmas morning was wonderful. The kids opened gifts and were thankful for each one. No one complained or missed gifts they had requested and didn't receive. It was an absolute joy. It is hard to say though who was more excited, Gus or the kids. We hung a candy-cane shaped bone on the tree on Christmas Eve and Gus cried all night long.

Later that afternoon Candice came over and opened her gifts. We gave her a boost into her own wine collection - wine glasses, a fancy wine cooler stand, a few bottles of my favorite wine, and a puzzle that we could not figure out. Apparently you put the wine bottle inside, flip gadgets, twist ropes, wrap around objects and ta da...we never figured it out. Hopefully this will prove some fun for them later. Mike, Samuel and Candice then left for his mothers and the kids and I went to the movies.

We first saw 7 pounds with Will Smith. Great movie. Absolutely terrific movie. Really makes you think. Fascinating. And that's all I can really share about that one.

Then we watched Benjamin Buttons. Another great movie. Really terrific. I remember several times thinking, "I wish I had some scratch paper to write that down." There were so many lines that were really life changing. It was a fabulous movie. Truly brilliant.

Milestones

Samuel is talking more and more everyday. The other night he was telling me all about his bike ride. Keely walked with him to the park and Samuel peddled his bike the whole way! He was giving me details, trying to use every word he knew, as he was getting nighttime boobie. He'd come on and off, adding more and more to his story. He went "Boom," and Keely had to tell "Boah to stop," and "Sissy push." The next thing I knew he was snoring.

Yesterday he was watching a dinosaur movie with Mike Bybee. He was showing off a bit and telling him about the "DDino" and roaring. He was so worked up and excited that he had to get off his chair and jump around. That night when we went to bed, he reminded me about the "Ddino." I said, "Yep, I remember, Samel. Do you remember what the dinosaur says?" Samuel got off the boobie, sat up with a big smile, his head cocked to the side, and his arm waving..."Hi!"

We have started working on potty training too, which I think is a bit too early, but with Mike home for the holidays, a baby on the way, and a fresh pack of new Elmo underwear in Samuel's stocking, we thought we'd give it a try. He wore his underwear the other day, which makes his butt look so teeny tiny. A bit later I heard Noah screaming, "HE POOPED!!!" I thought, "Oh no, it's on the floor." Nope. He went poop on his own potty and sat there for quite a long time quite proud of himself, standing up to check on it and then sitting back down again. All evening when we would ask him if he had to pee he'd reach for someone to take him and then look at everyone else with a swing of the arm, "C'on everybody." He ended up wetting his pants and we haven't put anymore effort into since. I am not sure that was wise though, because tonight he was clearly pooping and I said, "Saammuueell...are you pooping?" He said, "Nope. I am done." Hum. Maybe we ought to get back on that potty training.

As for the new little one, I felt the first movements on my birthday and have felt it move more and more everyday. I suppose I have to accept that I am in fact pregnant now, but I can really empathize with women that don't have any clue they are pregnant until everyone else has to tell them. This pregnancy has been a breeze. I think looking back, Samuel's was too, and probably Lyrics to a degree. This one though, has really made me humble myself and realize that the Lord can offer us grace far beyond what we are willing to accept and if I can't humble myself and appreciate that with thanksgiving, then I am really missing out on an abundant blessing. I suppose I've come a bit too accustomed to expecting the worst for myself and am strongly resisting the urge to fear that an easy pregnancy means a difficult birth or whatever else may come. The truth is, the Lord can simply bless me for no other reason than He loves me.

Santa Clause

Last night I was telling Samuel the story of Santa Clause. He has heard the kids talk and he did meet him the other day in the mall, so he has had some idea of what Santa Clause was about, but being only two, I sort of took for granted that he didn't really grasp the idea of Christmas morning.

I explained Santa would come down the chimney with his big bag of toys that he made special, just for Samuel. He would put them under the Christmas tree as Samuel slept and then he would wake up and have Christmas gifts to open. We listed toys he wanted...Elmo...cars...dinosaures...chips...Nemo...chips...

This morning Mike and I woke up and immediately began working on the bedroom. I pulled off all the paint I could reach and then went up-stairs for the vacuum. When I came back down I hear paper riping and I thought, "Wow! Mike is really getting busy." Then I realized, "OH NO!!" Downstairs Samuel was ripping through Christmas gifts under the tree. He had opened two of Noah's before I caught him.

Noah was thrilled though, rather than disappointed, because the two gifts were more pieces to the Christmas village he collects. The boys took them up-stairs and set them up. The anticipation of tomorrow is growing by the moment! Tonight we'll discuss Christ's birthday and see what Samuel learns from that.

I had to share too, that while we were putting our room back together Mike and I were putting a lock of Lyric's hair in a special frame I had bought a long time ago and just never had the piece of mind to get those two put together. Anyway, we all stood around it for a moment in memory, staring at it and in walks Noah. I shared with him that we finally had Lyric's lock of hair in the frame and he said, "You kept Lyric's toxic waste?" Then he looked down at Samuel and said, "That's what your hair is Samuel, your own personal compost bin." This family has such a large share of nuts that you just really can't be down for more than a few moments.

Finding my Youth...at the Spa!

Isn't it funny how a few hours at the spa can turn your whole perspective around? I figured since my family forgot my birthday, I shouldn't have any guilt spending some money getting my hair done. I'll have to say, this is the best color I have ever had and the cut is pretty awesome too. After getting home, I discovered Noah didn't get to go with Sean afterall, and we realized since Keely has a role in the living nativity, she will have to be home on Christmas Eve afterall. Whew!

Mike and the kids did remember by evening that they missed mom's birthday, and the next day I got breakfast in bed and dinner at Red Lobster. Oh, I didn't mention that because Mike felt so bad he wasn't able to growl over my having cut all my hair off. I think he is actually beginning to like it too. Overall, besides missing Keely, we had a really great celebration. I wish I could share hair cut pictures, but we STILL haven't found the camera. I can't imagine where it would be but I am starting to fret about Christmas pictures.

We are ready for Christmas although we didn't make any of our own gifts this year, which is really disappointing. I suppose I have to be grateful that I have survived my first year in private practice and after almost finishing the first year's budget, we have proven a recession proof endeavor! That is a lot to be thankful for in itself. I have also picked up speed again in the law program, although remain far behind - on probation actually. We have done quite a bit of work on the house, but have a TON more to do. Mike is painting our bedroom now, which has been neon orange and green since we've moved in. We picked a nice cozy blue to complement our black headboard and white/gold bedding. Again, pictures will come if ever my camera surfaces.

Noah has found a passion - martial arts. He takes classes at church on Thursday evenings. I can't give words to how monumental this is for him. Noah has suffered from sensory integration disorder and since recognizing this as his challenge, we have also began to appreciate just how crippling it is for him. However, a wonderful client of mine has provided Mike and the kids weekly massages. This has brought near complete relief for Mike's muscle aches and sore feet. Keely can wake up in the worst mood and be complete transformed after her massage and Noah, as I mentioned, has really started to accept new sensations after having received massages. Wearing his gee (martial arts outfit) was never an option before. He has also begun wearing BLUE JEANS!!! Well, one pair he wears rather regularly and Mike and I are in shock everytime.

Keely continues to work on her social network, which expands more and more each month it seems. She also seems to have a gift for community service - doing quite a lot with Junior Leaders, toy-drive, church activities and so forth. We have a lot of work to do regarding their own school work though. Keely had a rough start comprehending the reading, so we started over two or three months into her school year. We'll get there, but we really need to focus. Having said that, my practice really starts popping in January too. I think every month is full except for April and May, just prior to our own birth. Amy, I think it will be a girl too.

Getting Old

Well, it's happened. I am old. How do I know? Because my family forgot about my birthday. I had dreams of breakfast in bed, a nice day at church, and then baking Christmas treats with my kids, maybe a movie with Mike. However, Mike went to bed last night at 9:30, hours before I knew he was even in bed. I got the kids prepared for bed and then began studying into the early morning hours. I woke up this morning about 8:30 and was eager to meet my peaceful day.

Samuel began crying for booby a few minutes after I was out of bed and naively I had hoped Mike would tend to him before he lost his ability to control himself. Nope. He slept right beside him and Samuel wailed all over the bed. I can't imagine.

Having lost the window of opportunity to rationalize or appropriately discipline Samuel, I laid back down with him and nursed him. I then woke Mike and asked him if he could start breakfast and get the kids up for church. He disappeared, off to find another place to cuddle up and rest. I suppose in another ten years I might still be exhausted after eleven hours of sleep too. I can't imagine.

I hadn't realized Mike and Keely made plans for her to leave today after church to spend the next week with her big sister Candice. Apparently Noah is leaving too, to stay with his buddy Sean (Candice's boyfriend). This is almost as good as Christmas to them, although I guess even better since they will be with them until Christmas. I can't imagine.

No Christmas baking today and no movie. No cake or ice cream either. It's official. I am old. A simple Happy Birthday would have been nice though. (This must be why God created Facebook!) Sort of like the Christmas you realize Santa Clause really doesn't sneak gifts, hand-made by his elves, under your Christmas tree.

I suppose a quiet Christmas morning without the big kids will further validate that I am, in fact, old. I hadn't expected to feel that for at least another twenty years. I can't imagine. I suppose Samuel and I will have to pack our bags and go find Santa.

The Mom Song

Here is another fabulous video. I am sure many of you have seen it, but it is one of those that can bring a smile to your face even after having watched it twenty times.

Blessings!

Prayer Warrior

The greatest gift I can give my children is to be their prayer warrior.

My prayers for my children:
That they will develop a thankful and generous heart and a positive attitude.
That they will mature mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially all the days of their lives.
That they will develop a strong sense of family love and unity and keep their vows.
That they will seek a relationship with God and have a deep desire to do His will.
That they will develop a passion for the Word, turn to it daily, and learn to apply it to their decision making and prayer life.
That my children will hate evil and cling to what is good, taking a stand for Christ and all that my children are called to do for His glory.
That they will be protected from Satan and his temptations. That they will develop self-control and conviction regarding sinful habits.
That nothing will hinder their accepting Christ as Savior and Lord.
That God will reveal the work he has planned for them, and give them peace and strength as they face trials.
That they will be blessed by Godly mentors.
That they remain pure for their Godly spouses and either become a Godly husband that respectfully leads the family in the ways of the Lord or become a wife more valuable than rubies, a genuine blessing to their husbands and communities.
That their life will be a witness to the hope, love, and saving power of Christ.
And I pray each of this for their future spouses...as well as, of course, that they will breastfeed, homebirth, leave their baby boys intact, and come home for holidays.

Prideful Admission

I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the house top. Psalm 102:7

I have to pridefully admit that with each pregnancy I secretly anticipate the world celebrating in great jubilation that I have been given such an incredible blessing. I expect my husband to dote on me and I expect this time I will be thin, with a beautifully rounded belly that can be shown off in those tight little maternity tops. I expect people to stand and offer me their seat, for anything I am carrying to be quickly removed from my hands, and of course, I expect handicapped parking privileges. It is quite heart-breaking each time my fairy-tale bubble is burst and I realize that most people don't share in my glee until I present the adorable baby nine months later.

I have just come to the realization, thanks to a wonderful pregnancy devotional, that part of the beauty of pregnancy is that I do get to experience this in solitude. The miracle of pregnancy is walked alone. I have this precious time when I alone commune with my child. I can imagine my baby and I integrally wrapped together. There is great simplicity in solitude and all too soon it will come to an end, when I give birth and present him or her to the world.

These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Colossians 2:17

Look on my right hand and see - there is no one who takes notice of me; no refuge remains in me; no one cares for me. I cry to you, O Lord; I say, "You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." Psalm 142:4-5

Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:15-17

Santa Franny and Stomach Flu

Yesterday, I think, or maybe two days ago... Santa Franny left a package of gifts for the kids on the back porch. Samuel and Noah discovered them late into the evening and helped themselves, ripping them open before I even knew what was going on. I heard Samuel screaming, "Elmo! Elmo!" When I turned and looked he was tearing off his shirt and putting on his newly unwrapped Elmo shirt. Then he saw the Elmo place mat. Again he yelled, "Elmo! Elmo!" Then in the next breath, he vomited all over the front of his new Elmo shirt. He was devastated. We ran up-stairs to find him his Elmo pajamas hoping to calm him, but were only successful in locating his Elmo bottoms. He did settle with a Spiderman top.

Then we went down-stairs to put clothes in the laundry and get Samuel a glass of water. And not ten minutes after he guzzled his water, he again vomited on his Spiderman shirt. Completely broken-hearted, Samuel and I just went to bed.

Keely washed Samuel's new Elmo shirt during the night and the next morning, following a nice night's sleep, she surprised him again with his Elmo shirt. Yeah! He immediately put it on and you guessed it, he vomited again. Poor kid. It has yet to be washed however, because we have all taken turns with the stomach flu and no one has any energy. Mom is the only one that has bathed in two days!

Warning ***Little Vent***
Ladies, how many times do you think I've heard my husband say, "I am sick. I can't. I don't feel good. I can't think. I can't move. I am sick."? Let me make clear to you, that he is the only one in the house that has yet to vomit, but is the only one in bed. After his most recent whine, I reminded him that this is what the entire first trimester feels like...every single day...you just have to keep moving. He looked up at me with pitiful droopy eyes and said, "That is exactly why I don't get pregnant!"

On a good note, he did dump bowls and fetch fresh washrags for Keely and I through the night. He would be in the middle of a deep snoring session and the tiniest sound of Keely in the other room would wake him. He would immediately be up, pants on, and out the door to lend her a hand. That was the first night ever I wasn't the one tending to the sick kids. He scored several very needed bonus points last night.

YouTube

I am realizing the power of YouTube and thought I might start to share some of my favorite videos here on my blog. Down below my posts I've shared my favorite video. Enjoy!

'Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

Sustainers

by: Karyn D. Kedar

The People

In your life mirror your world.

If they are hollow, dull, or cruel

So will you see your life.

If they are loving, inspirational, and supportive

You will reflect that beauty.

It is most important

That the company you keep

Reflect the life you wish to live.

Choose your companions wisely,

Seek your teachers well,

Consider carefully the ones you engage

In serious conversation.

Look into the eyes of those who surround you

And you will see a reflection of yourself

Joining a practice, for example as a midwife, is like a marriage. You can't change the practice like you can't change your partner. You mesh and make each other better or you don't mesh at all.

Amen!

"Business is a combination of war and sport." Andre Maurois

Another Top Ten Mommy Moments with the Lane Children

I had picked up Noah's friend, Skylar, and the boys were in the back seat discussing a recent injury in Skylar's family. I believe his brother had broken his arm and had surgery. Noah responded, "I had surgery once."

Skylar asked (thankfully because I didn't know Noah ever had surgery), "What did you have surgery on?"

I was very earnestly spying in on their conversation, starring through the rear-view mirror, "When I was little my mom cut half my penis off!"

I don't know if I was more shocked or Skylar, poor kid, but that was by far one of the funniest moments of my life. I knew I had to take the opportunity..."Noah, don't you think it is important that your penis looks like your Dad's?" Afterall, this is the reason everyone circumcises their little boys, as they now know it isn't for medical reasons.

Noah yells at me, "Mom! That is STUPID! Who cares what Dad's penis looks like!" Then he turns to Skylar whose jaw is still in his lap, "Mom didn't know any better back then."

Priceless!! I was waiting for a call from Skylar's mom, but that never did come. I suppose the kid's friends realize the risk they take by letting the "midwife's kids" play with theirs. Noah could clearly lead his own La Leche League group.

Boys and Their Toys...

I have been meaning to share this story for quite some time, as it really is one of my favorite mommy stories. Several years ago, I am guessing Noah was five or six, he walked down to the neighbor girl's house with his sister to play. A few hours later, he came home quite concerned and I asked him what was wrong.

"I found out I can only have two kids mom," whined Noah, who had otherwise wanted to have five or more.

"Why do you think that, Noah?"

"Keely's friend was reading my hand and told me I would only have two kids."

Remembering this hand trick kids play, I explained to him, "We don't believe in hand-reading Noah. That really isn't something God wants us to do."

"No, mom. I know she was right. I can only have two!" as he was starting to panic.

"Why, Noah?"

"Do you know that bag that hangs down behind my penis? It only has two eggs in it for my wife."

Such thoughts are all part of being the son of a midwife..."Mike! You need to come in here and talk to Noah!" which leads me to another story...ironically, the wisdom of midwifery doesn't rub off onto all the boys in the house the same.

When I was pregnant with Noah, Mike had a vasectomy. A few years later, he had that reversed. Mike has two older daughters and we have Keely. Noah was our first boy. We then had Lyric and Samuel, three boys in a row. Mike asked me one afternoon if I thought the doctor had only successfully reversed one tube - the side attached to his boy testicle.

Ha! Ha! Ha! As I often say, he is blessed to be good-lookin!

Chicken & Dumplings

We made this recipe (Keely made this recipe) for our birth assistant meeting the other day and we've had requests.

Turkey Dumplings (or Chicken)

1 pound cooked, chopped turkey meat

3 cups water

salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 (12-ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough

1. Place the turkey, water, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, or until a broth has formed.

2. Spread flour on a medium cutting board or other flat surface. Roll out biscuit dough and cut it into 1x2 inch pieces. Drop the pieces into the broth and cook over low heat approximately 15 minutes.

We served with very lumpy homemade mashed potatoes. Enjoy!

Noah is a Nut (maybe poor choice of words)

Noah is really moving into the cool kid stage, sort-of. He seems to want to wear his pants so his boxers are always showing like the older boys, but he really doesn't have any hips and has figured out that instead of dropping his pants and risking loosing them, he'll just pull up his boxers as far as they will go. I don't even realize this most days because his shirt comes down over his boxers and his pants aren't hanging off his tush. But...then I'll get a glimpse of what appears to be a very painful wedgie when he is wrestling around and his shirt comes up. I can't help but die laughing each time because they are truly pulled up to almost his nipple line. His belly-button is lost way down beneath the waist band. I am not sure if he'll marry a super-model at this rate.

This evening I was laughing at his self-inflicted wedgie as we were leaving Wal-Mart and he realized it, so he just pulled his shirt up higher to aggravate me. I warned him that people were going to see his boxers in public and he just boasted more. In doing so, he pulled his coat up over his head and walked directly into a light pole. Smack! I had to cross my legs to keep from wetting my pants and then we all heard some loud cackling from the van right in front of us and feared an audience had witnessed our crazy family shenanigans - humiliated. In great relief, Keely announced, "Whew! It was just a dog!" Then we scurried to our van without looking at any other vehicles for on-lookers.

Mike and I were laughing about it on the phone and we questioned the benefit of having bought him boxers, which clearly was so we would have tons of grandchildren, but we have potentially caused more harm than good now!

Christmas Tree

Noah absolutely LOVES getting ready for Christmas, but everyone in the family is very convicted that we need to give thanks at Thanksgiving and then celebrate Christmas or we would have the tree up in early November. The Friday after turkey dinner, the begging begins. "Can we go get a tree!?!" It wasn't until Tuesday that we found time in our schedule to head over to Dull's tree farm.

We, rather Noah and I, wanted to pick out and cut down our own tree this year. Keely hadn't dressed herself by 3:00 o'clock in the afternoon when we piled into the van (danger of homeschooling), so she sat in the van while Noah and I walked around in the snow. What a joy. Dull's Tree Farm not only has fields of green pine trees among the snow that smell delightful, but they also have beautiful old barns full of wonderful Christmas items. Noah and I stopped in the reef making store and purchased a huge boxwood reef for our front door, complete with a big red bow, and a grave blanket for Lyric. This was the first time we have bought him a blanket shaped like a cross. It was really lovely and we took it to him before even setting up our tree. (The picture is on my camera.)

The kids and I decided we would decorate the tree with Santa Clause ornaments this year. Each year we pick a different color or theme, but I think we'll stick with Santa Clause from this point forward. We spent some money this time (although all 50% off!), rather than making our own ornaments and I don't imagine I'll reinvest in anymore. It is a beautiful tree. Noah and I also picked out some bubble lights and just love them. I'll share a picture of the tree eventually too, hopefully.

We really debated on where we would put the tree since our sectional couch takes up the entire living room. We thought we would put it in the sitting room at the top of the stairs, because there are three big windows there so the tree could easily be seen from the street, but we use that area a lot for studying. We then decided we would put it at the bottom of the stairs, just inside the front door. It just fit. Then the kids and I hung the Christmas stockings down the stairway. What a joy...we have enough kids and just enough stockings to fill the stair rail...as beautiful as a Christmas card.

We have some crafts planned, stay tuned and Merry Christmas.

Found the Cure for Cancer...

It is Samuel. He is the smartest kid ever born. He isn't quite two yet, but has started counting, knows a few of his colors, and talks incessantly. He is brilliant. He is so smart, he can out-wit, out-last, and out-survive us all with his temper tantrums. We're in trouble, but when he finds the cure for cancer, it will all have been worth it.

He also has his first crush, Miss Julia, Keely's friend. He talks about her all the time and has even dreamed about her, because he called out her name in his sleep. I was showing him how to write his name (again, he is brilliant), but he wanted to write Julia, Julia, Julia. He was singing in the tub the other day..."Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, Bubbie, Julia, Gus..." She is part of the family and he adores her.

The brilliant little kid is also a bit vain. He loves to look at the pictures of himself saved on my camera, so I have no idea where he has hid it and can't share pictures with you. I do have a new phone with lots of new pictures on it, but Mike is still debating whether he will allow me to have internet access on the phone (he doesn't think it is a priority, but he doesn't even know how to type - gasp!!).

Mean Mommy

Samuel has begun tattle-telling. Often Boah (a combination of Bubbie and Noah) is mean and has boomed him in the eye. Other times Keely is mean and put him in time-out, but occasionally Mike and I are the mean ones. He woke up immediately today and said Boah was mean. I asked Samuel why Boah was mean and he replied, "I no-know?"

I'll admit though, I have an ornery streak and could justly be called "mean mommy" every now and then. I was reminded of that today at McDonald's. Noah wanted to stop by the Redbox and pick up some movies. After he picked one out for himself, another one for Keely and a farm movie for Samuel, he jumped back in the van. I looked in both directions as he slowly proceeded to his seat the back. There were no cars in sight so I hit the reverse with a little punch sending Noah to his knees, grasping the seats. Just as he had regained his balance with a growl, I gave an every peppier punch in forward, sending him into a heaping pile within his seat. It was really pretty funny, especially because Noah is such a dramatic actor.

I asked them if they would aggravate their kids as I have them and Noah yelled out, "Absolutely!" Noah said he couldn't wait to pull the "ditch 'em" trick. When the kids were younger, we would often drop off or pick up books on hold at the library. We would drive through the circle, Keely would jump out to drop off books and when she came back to the van we would drive ahead so she would have to chase us a bit to get in. The boys would laugh hysterically. Occasionally, I would just drive on around the circle before she turned back and would park in the parking lot. She was always in clear site of me, but the first few times she would look around wondering where we had gone (not fearful because she had become use to her aggravating mother by that age).

Noah was always a bit too young to tease, but one afternoon Mike and I couldn't resist. We had taken him to Applebees and as we were all crawling into the van he remembered he left his toy inside the restaurant, in the booth. We told him to run back in and get it and we would watch for him. Mike and I really debated because he was still rather young and we might really scare him, but being the mean mom the desire to trick him got the best of me. We had parked directly in front of the restaurant, straight out the front doors, so Mike and I decided we would move the van and park beside the restaurant. Again, we were still in plain site of him, but rather than being out front we were down the sidewalk to the side of the front door. Noah came walking out and immediately I regretted the plan. I felt horrible guilt and knew he was going to panic. He ran out holding his toy, looked up for the van and realizing it wasn't there, he jerked back snapping his fingers with the expression, "CRAP! They GOT ME!!!" Mike and I laughed so hard we couldn't even breathe. He heard us laughing and was so irritated at us, but not for leaving him - for getting him! This was suppose to be something we could only pull off on his sister! Too funny. He wasn't our baby anymore.

Please, no one call Child Protection Services. We are loving parents, although we do pleasure in a bit of torture!

Heart Tones

At ten weeks, I attempted to listen for the baby's heart beat, still not confident in this pregnancy. I heard nothing. At eleven weeks, I tried again after having gained some confidence. I thought twice that I heard it but only briefly and then I heard my own heart rate very loud and was convinced that I hadn't heard anything other than my own rate.

This past Wednesday, just prior to Thanksgiving, Rachael was here and gave it a try. She nearly depressed the probe to my back bone, but we did hear about five seconds worth of fetal heart tones. I was left cramping the rest of the afternoon and questioning whether those were really fetal heart tones we heard, but I was very grateful. However, I remained in denial a bit.

Tonight, Noah and I gave it another try. Sure enough, loud and clear, we heard the baby's heart tones. I simply am having a hard time imagining I am pregnant. I have had two head colds, which is very unusual for me, and of course am sleeping a lot, but that isn't too unusual with my odd hours. Otherwise I have no real symptoms of pregnancy - Oh, the horrible acne.

Wow. I am pregnant. Twelve weeks. Already ending my first trimester. Immediately after excepting that fact, I realized...now I am going to have to birth this baby!

What fun though...another little one to play around the house. It sure makes me think of making wise Christmas toy investments that can be passed down, rather than whimsical toys that are currently in style. I am so grateful to be a homeschooling mom. What a joy it is imagining the little ones reading through the same books and curriculum that the older ones have. Hum...pregnant? I simply can't imagine.

Thanksgiving

Full of ideas and grand plans, we tend to do something a little different each year for Thanksgiving. One year we served at a local church, serving dinner to families down on their luck or delivering them directly to the homeless. It seems a large number of families reach out on Thanksgiving, so volunteer opportunities are really hard to come by. A few years ago, I thought I would host dinner for our family at my house. I do enjoy entertaining and really enjoyed myself, but it cost several hundred dollars to serve all those people and realizing only an hour after dinner that we were alone to clean up the mess gave little motivation to make that an annual tradition. At least until my kids are grown.

Last year we invited family over for breakfast. We had all the fixings and the wisdom in that plan was that breakfast shouldn't coincide with anyone else's family dinner so everyone could join us. Plus, they don't have to rush off immediately after the meal to the next dinner. It was a hit.

This year however, Mike volunteered to work - all four days of Thanksgiving vacation. (He may regret that when he realizes he worked two days for Uncle Sam.) I had wanted to take the kids somewhere special for the weekend, since we would be missing Daddy, but he didn't want us to spend the money he would have earned. We decided to hunt hard for a volunteer opportunity. At the last minute we found a need with Wheeler Mission. They asked us to be marathon Marshall's for the mini-drumstick, directing the runners and handing out water. We were excited, but I'll admit I was very anxious about waking my night owls and preparing them for freezing weather at 6:00 in the morning. As I feared, we didn't succeed in making that obligation.

We did however, invite Franny and her family over for Thanksgiving. It was a joy. We learned a few years ago to buy the prepared turkey that is ready to cook straight from the freezer. No fuss and great taste. We also glazed a ham from our barter. From there, Keely and I prepared very lumpy mashed potatoes with gravy in our frog gravy-boat, green bean casserole using our garden beans, stuffing (Stove Top of course), Rhodes bread with apple butter, cranberry sauce, and the best cheese cake I have ever had. Oh, we also made apple cider in the crock pot. Delicious.

Two Step Creamy Cheesecake

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup white sugar

1 (12 ounce) container frozen whipped cream topping, thawed

1 (9-inch) prepared graham cracker crust

1/2 pint sliced fresh strawberries

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon mixture into graham crumb crust. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Once the cheesecake has set, garnish with sliced strawberries. Serve.

This evening we are headed to Rachael's for the annual tradition of chili on Black Friday. Mike will meet us back home at about 9:30pm and I think, Candice will drop by here as well. At some point this weekend, I think we'll put up our Christmas tree. We are sticking to the tradition of buying a real tree. Noah in particular really enjoys that. We can pick up a grave blanket too, for Lyric. Blessings to You!

Baby Name

When I was a little girl, I always dreamed of having a little girl and naming her "Miranda Priscilla." I loved that name for years and Keely screeches in horror at the thought she could be called Miranda. When I was pregnant with her though, I was confident I was having a boy. I had picked out the name Damien Cole. (No, I had no idea there was a movie about a satan child named Damien.) Later in my pregnancy however, I was reading a book and found the name Keely. I looked up the meaning and it meant beauty or beautiful. Keely's pregnancy was a bit of a struggle for me because I was a young mom and had little support. I knew though that my baby would be the first beauty to enter my life and I was blessed. In fact, she did change my life for the better in everyway. After having such conviction with her name, it seemed quite clear I was having a girl.

While pregnant with Noah, again, I wanted to be surprised with the gender. We liked the name Emma, because of course I thought I was having a girl, but it just didn't touch my heart the same way Keely's name had. Just prior to becoming pregnant with Noah, Mike and I had begin attending church at New Hope. I had wanted to be baptized immediately, but Mike was more hesitant initially. A few months went by and I tried to be Mike's Holy Spirit, clearly causing distance between Mike and the Lord. However, the Lord prevailed in spite of me and Mike and I were baptized in May, the fifth month of my pregnancy. Afterwards, we felt rather isolated. Our family seemed to think we had found a new fad and reminded us frequently that we had many flaws, which real Christians would not have. This persecution made me really identify with the isolation Noah must have felt. When I shared this name with Mike we knew the Lord had hand picked it for him and of course, we gave him Mike's middle name. Noah Michael. Noah genuinely thought he was closer to God than the rest of us because after all, he did build the ark and was baptized while in my belly.

Our third pregnancy, we knew the Lord would provide a name but waiting for that to come was painstaking. I remember reading an Old Testament passage about being pure like the lily and thought Lily might be her name. Again, convinced I was having a girl. This child came after years of my praying for another child. Mike had a vasectomy while I was pregnant with Noah and for years, I prayed the Lord would change his heart and give him the desire for another child. Many years later it happened, but he said if the Lord wanted us to have a child, he could overcome a vasectomy. Not too long afterwards Mike said if we could find the money or a cheap resource for a reversal, he would have it done. Another miracle presented when we found a Christian physician in Merriville, Indiana. He was a wonderful man and performed the procedure at cost. Mike had the surgery just prior to my starting graduate school in June. Seven months later we learned we were pregnant. After much prayer and thanksgiving for this pregnancy, the Lord provided the name Lyric. It was perfect because we were so grateful and wanted a name to represent the praise and worship we wanted to offer. I was also quite moved by the story of Abraham and the test of faith he was given. I had prayed a great deal for this child and like Hannah, bargained for him. It wasn't until after Lyric was born and was clearly going home to Jesus that we found the irony in both his first and middle name, Lyric Bram. It was hard to write the name on his birth certificate, but I knew the Lord had picked them for him and years later, I can't imagine anything different.

Samuel was maybe the easiest of all, I mean in respect to waiting for his name to be clear to me. I am not sure if that was because I was in denial of my being pregnant for so long or if that was because his name was clear from the beginning. It seems we knew immediately though that we would name him Samuel - God's gift. The meaning was perfect, but the name itself wasn't quite comfortable on my tongue. I found in a commentary somewhere that Shem was a nickname for Samuel. Shem was Noah's son, the blessed son. His middle name Moses was simply because the story of Moses was and is one of the greatest inspirations to me from the Bible. There are so many wonderful lessons to be learned from the life of Moses and daily the Lord seems to remind me of at least one, which gives me the perseverance in my own calling. The funny thing, and completely unexpected, was Samuel ended up being born in water. Still today he loves being in the water and seems to be completely unaware of when it completely covers his face in the shower. Samuel Moses - our gift, born into water.

Now...once again, I await direction from the Lord as if I am awaiting Christmas morning. Our back-up name for Samuel was Jewel, although we were confident with him that we were having a boy. This time, once again, I wonder if I am having a girl. I simply can't imagine though. It would be fabulous and of course, she would be well welcomed, but we all seem to agree that we have become quite use to boys in the house. The name Jewel though seems to sit in my mind. Mike's grandmother's name was Jewel and having been so close to his father, it would please him immensely to name his daughter after her. However, I am also reminded of a mother I cared for very early in my career.

As I started my shift, the board of laboring mothers was read to the on-coming nurses and we were told a very large mother in room ten was being induced and clearly would need a cesarean. She was assigned to me, sort of as a joke, "because if anyone can get a vaginal birth out of her, it would be Penny." Absolutely. I was on a mission. Believing in women goes a long way! This woman, whose name I can't even remember, was one of the kindest women I have ever met. It was an honor to assist her in birthing her daughter, Diamond Sierra into the world. A few years later as I took report for my shift, again as had become my legacy, I was given the difficult case. I walked in room six and to my surprise was Diamond's mother! She remembered me too and had said, "Oh, it's Penny," and she turned to her family and said, "Penny is a Christian." Then looked back at me for validation, "Right?" I was astonished and honored. My love for her was apparent. I was shocked that she knew I was a Christian without it having been blatantly shared.

Again, we had a beautiful birth and she named her son Marque, although I can't remember his middle name regrettably. It also was the name of a gem like her daughter and I asked her, why she had chosen such names. She explained to me that she visioned entering the gates of heaven and seeing an enormous, breath-taking wall of gems for all the Christians she had been a witness to and her children had led to the Lord. Anyway, I think of her and her wall of gems when I think of Jewel. What great joy it would be to have a daughter whose name represents evangelism. I suppose we'll see where the Lord leads us as we still have many months ahead of us!

We are ALL Winners!

The one sperm that achieves its destiny has won against gigantic odds, several hundred million to one. The baby it engenders has a far greater mathematical chance of becoming president than the sperm had of fathering a baby.

Alan Guttmacher, MD

More than ten thousand babies are born daily in the United States.

Each year, about 175,000 babies are born to dads who are at least forty years old. At the same time, 31,000 are born to mothers who are at least forty years old.

The best thing a man can do for his children is to love their mother.

Mother's Prayer

Dear Lord, I do not ask
That thou should'st give me some high work of thine,
Some noble calling, or some wond'rous task;
Give me a little hand to hold in mine,
Give me a little child to point the way
Over the strange, sweet path that leads to Thee:
Give me a little voice to teach to pray,
Give me two shining eyes Thy face to see.
The only crown I ask, dear Lord, to wear
Is this: that I may teach a little child.
I do not ask that I may ever stand
Among the wise, the worthy, or the great;
I only ask that softly, hand in hand,
A child and I may enter at the gate.

Author Unknown

Mothering Quote

"Mothering is never, never polished nor orderly nor placid nor smooth. It is instead a wonderful roller coaster of sweet and disorderly chaos and clutter, smiles and worry, battle cries and lullibies, ecstasy and wonderment, with constant overtones of hard work, busted budgets, and the glorious feeling that I have the privilege of influencing the life of another human being for good."

A mother of Four and Grandmother of Ten

Blessing

I've had a few readers discover my accidental pregnancy announcement! Ha! I hadn't shared before because I had so few symptoms, and absolutely no nausea, so expected to miscarry at any point. As time passed, I became a bit more nervous that this pregnancy wasn't viable. After sharing my concerns with several thorough readers, it became quite clear that I have among my friends a few prayer warriors. I was so sick the other night I thought I was going to die! Sick enough in fact that I didn't have to point out the obvious to my husband (that he needed to care for Samuel so I could make friends with the toilet!) I was praying and repenting my doubt and ungratefulness for a peaceful pregnancy. Thank-you my friends and of course, the reassurance took me shopping in celebration! No more prayers for nausea/vomiting though! I am good to go!

Not only did I buy some maternity clothes, but I found lots of sale items for Christmas. I found Elmo pajamas and a robe for Samuel. I was so excited and can't wait to watch him open gifts this year. Keely has picked out a large portion of her gifts, but I suppose once you confess to not believing in Santa Clause you live with the consequences of not having the anticipation of Christmas morning. We do plan to make most of our gifts this year though.

The other blessing yesterday was rededicating my love to Chick-fil-A. Who doesn't love that place? The service is always excellent. The food is fabulous. They support their community and clearly are a faith-based practice. They are a bit pricey though. Yesterday however, I was reminded that this simply means you are getting what you pay for. I went through the drive-through and ordered the boys their kids meals and me the number one. Then as I rounded to the window I remembered Samuel playing with my wallet in the office and I hadn't returned it to my purse. Of course, I couldn't get the attention of the workers until they were ready to hand out our food. I quickly explained the situation and asked if they would set the food aside, that my husband was in town and could run some money over in the next few minutes. She looked at me like I was absurd and said, "You need to eat! We'll give you the food and the receipt. Then when you can, just stop back buy and pay the bill." What?! I am a life-long Chick-fil-A fan. Eat Mor Chikin!

Faith

Clearly we have all been given different spiritual gifts or various doses of those gifts. I am very grateful that it seems my greatest spiritual gift is Faith. Unfortunately, the consequence of this gift seems to be significant trials, persecution, judgment and loneliness (worldly).

As a new Christian many years ago, I caught myself in the middle of a praise and worship prayer confessing that nothing would rock my faith. Immediately I realized I had just put a target on my children because if I ever lost a child or my husband, I just may falter. I have since prayed faithfully that the Lord would continue to deepen my faith and guard me from Satan's trials (as well as my own pride). My faith has survived the death of my son and the Lord was and is glorified.

I have been reading a bit today about trusting God in labor. As each of us know, faith and belief are not at all the same idea. Most everyone believes in God, but a much smaller number have a heart of genuine faith. We also know that works do not bring salvation, but the result of your faith brings works. In my lifetime, I have become close with many that have been given the gift of service or giving. I have had a bit of envy of these women, as these are gifts everyone sees the fruit of; where a gift of faith is more personal and often private. Unfortunately, I have been victim to many volunteers in the church that judge my relationship with God as weak because I don't volunteer to organize VBS or lead a Sunday school group. I have been told that I need to plan my vacations from work better so I can participate in these sorts of activities.

Clearly, my own ministry is not one that all Christians view as fruit for the Lord. It sounds so foreign to me to discuss my profession, my passion, my calling with my Christian sisters and brothers and for them to giggle, belittle or cast off my calling as a real oddity. Do they not see this as a matter of faith? Have they forgotten to look at the WWJD bracelet when it comes to matters of pregnancy, birth and mothering? I am a bit over-whelmed at how easily the idol of technology, convenience and comfort has snuck into our lives without any conviction what-so-ever. I remember clearly, as a baby Christian, hearing the woman I had looked up to as "the perfect Christian Shepard" laugh when she heard I was a midwife and exclaim, "Ha! I don't think any woman should ever feel the pain of labor. Give me an epidural right away!" My heart cried out, but you are missing the Lord!!! To be carried through birth on the wings of the Lord is much greater than the ride of any epidural man's science can offer and I genuinely thought, this great Titus 2 woman would recognize that immediately. This was when I became aware of just how sneaky cultural traditions can shade our Godly vision.

It is rather peculiar too that a deepened faith is an attribute common to Christian prayer, yet when faith is demonstrated in the life of another, it is often viewed not as one of obedience but instead as recklessness. However, if our step in faith is truly in obedience of the Lord's will, the world will not understand it and will mock us.

This post hasn't followed at all the process my mind had when I first began typing, but I close on the great oxymoron of my life's calling. I am a homebirth midwife and a law student with a mission for creating change in our culture. My vision is for Christian families to depend on the Lord during their pregnancy and birth, while having awareness of how the journey of pregnancy through mothering can allow for tremendous molding by the Potter's hands. I also am grateful for the opportunity to witness and share with the unsaved all the many miracles our Creator has to offer during their experience. I am an enormous advocate in all aspects of my profession working for political and legislative change, education, support and so forth. However, I don't have vision for midwifery to be accepted on a grander scale than it is today. I believe because we are to a large extent, proponents of His created purpose, the world will continue to persecute our work as Christ was for His own evangelism. We are attempting to give pearls to pigs. Yet, the blessing of catching just one child of God's or witnessing the transformation of the lost to someone that genuinely feels the arms of Christ wrapped around them in labor is beyond words. I am daily putting energy into work that I believe God is asking of me, but I don't necessarily believe will give the results the world would judge as successful. I suppose this is living in faith.

A good laugh...

I found a web site of homemade items, many specific to birth, breastfeeding and midwifery, but clearly a very new age company. This had me laughing hysterically. Before you look, observe over your shoulder for children's eyes.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_list_18&listing_id=17076728

Food Co-op

I have wanted to join a food co-op since I was pregnant with Lyric and haven't been successful in finding one. Of course, many of my friends and/or acquaintances have mentioned being in one and promised to pass along the information, but time just flies and we would forget. Finally, one of my clients copied and brought me the information. I have joined a West Lafayette/Lafayette group and hope to join a Lebanon group tomorrow! I found a source for chickens, raw cheese and fish too! Thrilled! I have copied this information and will share it with each of my clients and of course, I'll keep you up-dated on my findings.

I've shared before that this was the first year we have had a hog butchered. I don't think I'll ever buy pork over-the-counter again. An old friend of mine has huge convictions regarding the cruel methods in which animals are killed for their meat and she left quite an impression on me and the children. This meat was not only humanly killed, but is organic! We are suppose to get our calf this month too. I can't wait.

Unfortunately, we are nearly out of green beans, as well as spaghetti sauce and corn. I had to tell Keely to stop making green beans with every meal, because I canned enough to eat a jar a week for the year. She whined, "But...they are so good!" Mike has huge plans for the garden next year and has already tilled a plot twice the size of last year's garden. I think we both forgot that I'll be birthing a baby in mid-June!

A Child's Vocabulary

Every child ought

to know the pleasure

of words so well

chosen that they

awaken sensibility,

great emotions,

and understanding

of truth.

Take all the words available in the human vocabulary and read them from a dictionary and all you have is a list of words, but with the creativity and imagination God has given human beings, let these words flow together in the right order and they give wings to the spirit. Proverbs says, "A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver."

Books, the right kind of books, can give us the experience of words. They have the power to evoke emotion, a sense of spiritual conviction, an inner expansion that fills a child to the brim so that "the years ahead will never run dry."

Words and experiences go together. One enriches the other. We can play games with our children to inspire their vocabulary. How does the summer night sound? How does a rainy day feel? This helps train the ear to listen and the heart to feel beauty and emotion as it comes out in stories that the children later read.

Since words are the way we communicate experiences, truth, and situations, who should know how to use them more creatively than people who are aware of their Creator? Words can offer a glimpse of God-huge thoughts, of beauty, of substance beyond our earthiness, of the immensity of all there is to discover. Children are the most imaginative of creatures. They have an amazing capacity to learn. Respect their eagerness and competence by introducing them to good books.

Books can help children learn what to look for in life. Reading develops the taste buds of the mind as children learn to savor, heard, and experienced and fit these into some kind of worth-while framework. Books do impart a sense of security. Children meet others whose backgrounds, religions, and cultural ways are unlike their own. They come to accept the feeling of being different, and fear, which is the result of not understanding, is removed.

Facing failures and tragedies with the characters of a story may vicariously give children the experience of courage and loyalty. Weeping with some and rejoicing with others - this is the beginning of a compassionate heart.

Paraphrased from Honey for a Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt

Keely has just finished reading...

1. Mara, Daughter of the Nile
2. The Golden Goblet
3. Hittite Warrior

Noah has just finished reading...

1. Ginger Pye
2. The Red Sail
3. The Pony Express

Grab a book and curl up with your children.

Law Suit Frustrates Me...

I found this article on Yahoo and am thoroughly frustrated. I can't imagine the rule the courts must have used to base their ruling. Any thoughts?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081108/ap_on_re_us/house_hidden_money - New Link!

Had this couple's contractor found mold or termites in the wall, rather than a load of money, neither he or the previous owners (and their twenty-one descendents) would have shared in the expense of fixing it. How can they have legal claim on a found treasure?

Laundry Soap Update

The laundry soap is wonderful. It cleans nicely and smells wonderfully. It is also just a penny a load! I have attached a link from another blog that details how to make the recipe with pictures. I purchased all of the items at Marsh, except the five gallon bucket was a bit hard to find. I eventually found one at Advance Auto for $5.00, but today Mike found one at Rural King that also has a lid and it was about the same price. Let me know if you enjoy your own. It was extremely simply to do.

http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/search/label/Laundry%20Tips

Homemade Laundry Soap

Inspired by the blogger, "Grocery Challenge," I have finished gathering all the ingredients for making my own laundry soap and am melting the first batch on the stove now. I have always had the desire to be more self-reliant and earth friendly by making my own cleaning products, but haven't really found many of my recipes near as productive as the store bought brands. We have switched to all organic cleaning products, which except for cleaning the kitchen sink, work perfectly well. I will keep you up-dated on the success of our laundry soap, but for inspiration, making my own will only cost me a penny a load! I am going to add some lavender to the batch, but otherwise my recipe is straight from her recommendation.

Vaccinations and Public Safety...

I am currently learning about public verses private rights and where liability lies. I was rather surprised to see vaccinations as the example provided. Here is what I've learned.

"Suppose the government forces all children to be vaccinated. This is for the good of everyone and the only way to stop disease. However, in rare cases the vaccinated child will suffer a serious reaction that may cause brain damage or even death even though no one is at fault. If a child is injured in such a case, should she be permitted to recover from the government on the ground that the government exacted a benefit for society as a whole by forcing the child to accept the risks of the vaccination?"

In Lapierre v Attorney-General of Quebec (Can. 1995) the court rejected the claim that the government should be liable for injuries from compulsory vaccination. The issue seems to be whether the government intentionally imposes harm, and when they impose risk that is not substantially certain to injure any particular or identifiable persons.

Personally, I think this argument is naive. This ignores the issue of capitalism. Vaccine manufactures are making billions, if not trillions, of dollars from vaccines that most of which do nothing more than provide us convenience from minor, irritating illnesses. Most people my age suffered and survived the chickenpox, the mumps, the measels, even the Roto virus. We missed school, but we got the benefit of being pampered by our parents. The so-called benefit in these vaccinations is that they decrease days parents miss work because no longer are they required to stay home and care for their sick children. However, this is a very short-lived benefit. When these immunized children grow up and realize their protection only lasted twenty years and they become exposed to chicken pox as an adult, no longer is this a simple, irritating disease, but potentially a deadly one. Not only will they miss a few days of work, but potentially will be hospitalized for treatment. Did the government consider the impact to the unborn baby of a pregnant woman exposed to chickenpox that never developed her own antibodies as a child, and was unaware that her chickenpox vaccine is no longer protecting her?

Further, how can the government ignore one in forty children suffering from autism, which parallels the increase in immunizations? Why is it that vaccines often have far more ingredients than is necessary or safe? How can we trust, even mandate, human manufactured products when we have a plethora of pharmaceuticals and medical products recalled daily for safety hazards?

When we live in a country that prioritizes capitalism over private citizen's rights, I am always cautious of manipulation. Does the government truly not recognize the intelligence in each of their citizens and our own ability to weight the risks and benefits of immunizing our children? We seem to feel it is appropriate to allow women to choose not to breastfeed their babies and aggressively protect the rights of a women to choose how they will feed their infants. And as appauled as the nation would be at the government's mandate for all women to breastfeed, this wouldn't be unlike demanding all children be vaccinated for public safety. Not breastfeeding has posed far greater risk to mothers, babies and our community than the chickenpox virus has. Once again, when a company (like our formula manufacteurs) stands to gain trillions of dollars, capitalism trumps public safety. The government doesn't even support an advertisement campaign supporting breastfeeding because it might harm the artificial breastmilk sales. Let me be clear, the government prioritizes capitalism, not the safety of its citizens.

I don't deny that immunizations have been one of the greatest leaps for mankind this century, but as is true for most all aspects of human nature, we tend to take a good thing too far. Do children really need nine vaccinations at only two months of age? Really? Do they require more than fifty by the end of their first year to live a healthy, productive life? When a company stands to gain as much as the vaccine manufactures do, is the government really so naive to assume that their products and their marketing, even their lobbying, is solely for the good of mankind? I believe our children's children will be reading in their history and science text books about the dichotomy vaccinations offered our generation, and the greed that created such catastrophe.

P.S. This is my blog and I can post whatever I want to!!!

Another Milestone...

Samuel is dressing himself now. Unfortunately, he often goes straight to the dirty clothes, rather than his dresser. His top priority is finding a pair of Noah's boxer shorts.

Hope I am Never this Attorney...

ATTORNEY: She had three children, right? WITNESS: Yes. ATTORNEY: How many were boys? WITNESS: None. ATTORNEY: Were there any girls? W ITNESS : Your Honor, I think I need a different attorney. Can I get anew attorney?

ATTORNEY: ALL your responses MUST be oral, OK? What school did you go to? WITNESS: Oral.

ATTORNEY: Do you recall the time that you examined the body? WITNESS: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m. ATTORNEY: And Mr. Denton was dead at the time? WITNESS: If not, he was by the time I finished.

ATTORNEY: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for apulse? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: Did you check for blood pressure? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: Did you check for breathing? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when youbegan the autopsy? WITNESS: No. ATTORNEY: How can you be so sure, Doctor? WITNESS: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar. ATTORNEY: I see, but could the patient have still been alive,nevertheless? WITNESS: Yes, it is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law.

I am attending law school on-line, which I believe is the wave of the future for most academic programs; however, the national law association doesn't recognize on-line education even though three supreme court justice's are graduates of Concord Law School. For this reason, when I graduate, I will sit the BAR in California but will be unable to be licensed in Indiana because like many states, they follow the recommendations of the national organization and will not recognize my degree.

Now you ask, "Why would you attend a school that offers a degree that will not even allow me to practice law in Indiana?"

Several reasons...If an attorney has passed the BAR in any state, they can practice federal law, which offers the vast majority of options I had visioned for my legal work. Further, it is my hope that more and more states, including Indiana, will reconsider recognizing on-line programs with respect to the changing times and proven success of Concord graduates. Additionally, this is the only option I would have for legal education at this point in my life, as I simply couldn't commit to the daily schedule of a brick-and-mortar school.

That being said...here is some hope!

An interesting filing in the Texas state legislature to allow folks like us to take the Bar and practice in Texas. It takes a while for bills like this, but at least there's motion: http://www.legis. state.tx. us/tlodocs/ 80R/billtext/ html/HB01055I. htm

To track this bill, and see other info around it, go here and make use of the tabs at the top of the page. http://www.legis. state.tx. us/BillLookup/ History.aspx? LegSess=80R& Bill=HB1055 As the bill says (section (b) is underlined by the legislature itself), if passed one day, so long as we pass the CA bar, and are in good standing, we could take the Texas Bar and practice. We simply need to keep writing our legislature and help keep the ball rolling.

Five Things...

Let's play along. I got tagged by Maria.

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. I gave birth to Noah.
2. I was working in the OB-ICU at the Indiana Medical Center.
3. Keely was in Kindergarten, so I was often assisting her school teachers.
4. I began playing in our church's contemporary praise and worship band. (My New Year's Resolution that year was to play flute in a band!)
5. I began searching for ways to help breastfeeding mothers succeed.

5 Things on My To-Do List Today:
1. Study
2. Write some briefs
3. Memorize rules
4. Finish at least four modules
5. Shower!

5 Snacks I Enjoy:
1. Cheese & Crackers
2. Watermelon
3. Carmel apples
4. Carmel popcorn
5. Coke Floats

5 Things I'd Do If I Were A Millionaire:
1. Pay off our house
2. Make some surprise contributions
3. Travel with the family for a year
4. Create non-profit groups supporting my passions
5. Invest in our retirement/kids future

5 Places I've Lived:
1. Colorado Springs, CO
2. Holland, Amsterdam
3. California - can't remember where
4. Frankfort, IN
5. Lafayette, IN

5 Jobs I've Had:
1. Domino's Delivery
2. Migrant Head Start Health Coordinator
3. Wal-mart Household Department & Wore Barney Costume
4. Camp Counselor for Band Camp
5. Sugar Shack

5 People I Tag:
1. Franny
2. Rachael (and challenge to start your own blog!)
3. Amy
4. Chelsea
5. Dana

Rules: Each player answers the question themselves. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment letting them know that they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person that tagged you know when you’ve answered the questions on your blog.

My First Craig's List Purchase

Rachael has always been an avid goodwill shopper, has been completely addicted to ebay for years and I think will soon, if she hasn't already, add Craigs List to her vices. Of course, she inspires me to dig too every now and then, when I find the time. I've always loved auctions and garage sales, but rarely find time to give bargin shopping the attention it needs to really find the good deals.

A few days ago, I was looking for an black iron wrought headboard and although I didn't fine one, I did find another bed that would suit our bedroom nicely. After e-mailing the poster, I realized the couple was on the next block over from us. How funny! Mike and I got up this morning and walked down to their house to check out the bed. We liked it, wrote a check, picked it up, and carried it home on our shoulders. This is a picture of the back side of it. Beautiful, huh?

My plan was to get a large round, black bedside table, with a black iron wrought bed. Now I am thinking we'll use this solid bed with a large iron plant stand painted black with a glass top. Keep your eyes open! I think I am going to sew some curtains to! Yikes!

Harvest Party

Thorntown is such a fun little town to live in. We have greatly enjoyed ourselves since moving here and are just learning all the little quirks. This year the kids enjoyed the free Haunted House that ran two weeks. Keely, Samuel and I were the first ones to walk through it this season. Keely held the back of my sweater tight, not touching a single thing, except for running into the wall when she turned too sharply. Noah was with his friends in the pack behind us. They used their cell phones as flash lights and then had to have an escort to leave, but claim it wasn't because they were terrified. Funny enough, the second time Noah went through, with his Dad, he held on for dear life!

On Halloween, which our family has never celebrated before coming to Thorntown, a rather large parade walks through town. Last year we had no idea what was going on. We were sitting on the couch and saw hundreds of people in costumes out our front window. As we wondered over to see what was going on, we realized the excitement was only beginning and almost every porch had someone positioned to share candy and some sort of scare. I caved into their begging and had them run home and put on some old costumes that we had bought them on clearance after last year's Halloween celebration. It was fun getting to see our neighbors and I made the kids promise when they accepted candy to say, "God Bless You."

This year, Keely hosted a "Harvest Party." We made the rule that we would have no Halloween decorations (scary things), only harvest/seasonal items. It was our first year shopping for costumes as well, before the holiday. Noah wanted to be a ninja and finding a costume for Keely was a real challenge because most things her size were either supper short or Gothic. She tried on a sponge-Bob outfit, which was cute, but it was so thin she would have to wear an entire outfit under it, as well as leggings because the skirt was too short. That was okay until I saw the price of $54.00! We ended up buying some brown dress pants and a yellow shirt off the clearance rack at JC Penney's and some knee high socks. Then we stopped by Franny's for some material and made her a collar, a tie, some eyes and a big grin. Her outfit was adorable.

Samuel wanted to be Elmo. However, he drug the outfit with him everywhere for a week that it has apparently vanished. We ended up dressing him in one of Noah's old spiderman outfits and he was very happy with that too, "Spiman." Noah was too cute, and in his Ninja outfit, looked very underfed. He clung to his bag of candy all night.

Mike dug a large hole in the back yard so they could have a bonfire with their Harvest Party, which they abandoned soon after the fire was finally started. Keely decorated and cooked all day - peach cobbler, Oreo surprise, carmel apples, cupcakes, peanut butter and sugar cookies, pizza... The kids played several games. The first one was guess the body part. They felt, blinded, into bowls of chicken livers, pigs feet, dog bones, eyeballs (mushrooms) and teeth (slivered almonds). The second game was a race to eat the marshmallows, although not as easy as it might seem. They had to wear knee highs on their face and someone behind them would pull the hose trying to keep them from getting it. Hilarious!

Following this game they went into the yard to toss eggs at each other. This was fun until Noah's partner beamed the egg at him when he wasn't looking and smashed it all over him. They the boys all tried to steal more eggs from me so they could hit each other. Stephanie and Cameron were the winners of that game.

We then came inside and played fear factor. The first two contestants were Keely and Karissa. They both ate a pickle spear with hard shell chocolate on it. Karissa won by a land slide, although Keely did way better than I imagined she would. Karissa moved on, competing with Jordon. They were given spaghetti with tarter sauce. Neither of them survived that and poor Karissa was left with a few moments of gagging. She is a champion in my book!

The next two kids ate an apple with spaghetti sauce on it, then a banana with butter rubbed all over it, then a huge scoop of mayonnaise with Reese pieces in it. The last challenge created vomit from both the contestants, so we were done! They all did way better than I would have!




We moved on to pizza in effort to settle bellies, and the kids played an I LOVE YOU game. You'll have to find better directions from Keely, but the essence I believe was to get another friend to smile by saying, "If you love me, you'll smile." They would do funny things trying to elicit the smile. Lots of laughs came from the living room, so they must have been comical.

Samuel was pooping out about this time and told me repeatedly he needed boobie and babies up-stairs. We headed up there to watch Jon & Kate plus eight, and tucked him in to sleep. I think the kids were picked up soon after because when Mike came home, everyone was asleep in their beds and all the fires were out.

Samuel found Candy

Notice - he is once again wearing Moey's boxer shorts. Also in the back ground is our back yard. The dirt path was a three foot deep dig so we could bury water lines to the garage and garden. Mike and I are rather eager for next year's gardening season!

More cute pictures of Samuel

After Shot of Living Room

I realized I never shared an after shot of our living room. It is quite bland. I feared if I painted the walls a color too different from the couch, then the huge sectional would be too over-powering. My hope is that the two of them blend in a bit, which they do, but now the room really lacks color.

We need either lots of fancy pillows on the couch, tossing out the standard ones that came with the couch, or big luscious drapes. It just might be a crime to cover the woodwork though, although I suppose the drapes could be hung high and wide. I had thought some pictures along both sides of the windows would be nice too, but now I think they are a bit too small. I need lamps too, but of course, all of this will come in time. The room is much more welcoming now.

Prayer for Franny

Friends! Please send up a prayer for Franny - she has a mysterious physical "thorn." Although I would ask for complete healing, peace would come most abundantly if she had answers to the cause of this mystery as well. Her physicians need prayer for wisdom! I suspect when she is able, she'll update her blog. Stay posted.