Lately I'm so inspired by people who see a need in the world and get out there and do something about it. For family night last week, our family watched a movie about Harriet Tubman.
OH MAN! The tears were pricking and the pride was swelling! To even think that I belong to the same species as someone THAT amazing just made me happy.
And then there's my midwife... She sent me an email today and at the end of her email she has some favorite quotes. The one that struck me today was
"Those who say it cannot be done
should not interrupt the person doing it." -Chinese Proverb
I don't want to embarrass her, but she is a modern day Harriet Tubman. She has 9 kids, 1 grandkid {though she doesn't seem old enough}, runs a successful business which REALLY helps women--two birth centers and several midwives, attends births, started MamaBaby Haiti, is the Relief Society President, and has the courage and takes the time to lobby for her profession to state lawmakers--giving women in Oregon the right to choose what kind of birth they want to have.
Then there's Rep Holly Richardson of American Fork, Utah. I may or may not agree with her politically...that is to say, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. But she is ONE amazing woman: midwife, political activist, mother to 24 kids--most of them adopted from around the world--many of them with varying physical and emotional disabilities, several of them having passed on from this life. And now she is a Representative for the state of Utah. She is exactly the kind of person we need in government--someone who is selfless and caring and willing to stick there neck out there for things they believe in.
I like to hope that in my own little way I can grab on to something I believe in and love, and run with it until I help as many people as humanly possible. I know I'll never be one of the Harriet Tubmans...but I can do everything I can to try.
I {heart} midwives
Midwives are some of those people who are giving and caring and sacrifice for the well being of others. Their care is patient-choice oriented, in that they will make sure the patient is educated and allows them to make the choice. They give, give an extra dose of love, caring, time and listening to each of their patients. Their clients are happier, their births have better outcomes, they are sued less, they cost less money, they more or less will let YOU as the consumer, have the birth you want (within reason and the law). Oh I love doctors too, and they also have their place in our medical system. But I believe that for low-risk, healthy mamas and babies midwives are best.
That's why on May 5, International Day of the Midwife, I went to the Oregon State Capitol for a Midwife Rally.
some of Oregon's many midwives
capitol building
The birth of my first baby was so amazing and incredibly empowering, I immediately felt a calling to become a midwife. I already had a B.S. in health and nutrition, so I started back to school the year after Joshua was born to get my nursing degree, with the thought of joining the Certified Nurse Midwife program in a few years. But during my first semester in nursing school I just wasn't feeling right about it. And so I dropped out, a decision I do not regret. Over the last 9 years I have contemplated if and when I want to go back. The world needs more midwives. I often ask myself if I have that within myself to give.
I'll leave you with this great video clip that I saw on facebook today:
Ok...first off just let me say how underwhelmed I am by the response from my fund raising efforts for Mama Baby Haiti. BUT, no prob! It's really my fault. I didn't promote it AT ALL (too busy!). AND, I made a little oopsie in calling it a giveaway. What I should have called it is a drawing. You donate $5 {via paypal}...you enter a drawing for some really awesome prizes! And I should have elaborated more on how awesome these prizes are going to be:
1 ~ A mini session with TM Custom Portraits. I think that is at least a $100 value! TM is my best buddy and she takes STUNNING photos. If you don't live in Portland, now is a good time for a road trip! Or, you could make other arrangements...TM does occasionally travel to Utah to visit family and would probably be happy to arrange a time (although I can't exactly speak for her, haha!).
This is our family picture she took in 2008.
We have it printed on a gallery wrapped canvas in our living room and people always ask who took it.
We're about to get new family pictures done! I'm very excited.
2 ~ And I am giving away two beautiful, new, LARGE handmade blankets from my own personal collection {which I have dubbed "Sweet Meadowlark"}. These blankets are 1 full yard of sweetness with a modern cotton print on one side and velvety soft minky on the other side. They are the only blankets that my baby will sleep with. The retail value for these blankets is about $40 each, because of their size and quality of fabrics {but I don't sell them, I only give them away}. They are great for your baby, toddler or would make a very sweet gift.
Those prizes TOTALLY rock...and all you need to do is donate $5. Come ON!! ;-) We all are blessed with so much more than people in other lands. Please donate, and then make a comment on this blog entry. OK??!! I'm going to close the drawing on my daughter's birthday AUGUST 16. So that gives you two and a half weeks to get around to making a donation. I PROMISE this is a GREAT charity, which can REALLY use the money. And all of the money will go straight to helping the people of Haiti, as I personally know the founders and know they are paying for a lot of stuff (rent, supplies, food, water, medicine) out of their pockets. They are mostly there to help mamas and babies, but they have also given food to starving children and medical care to anyone who needs it. It is staffed completely by volunteers.
NOW>>>In celebration of my own Sweet Meadowlark...I am going to GIVE AWAY one of my above ^^ mentioned blankets, completely free {and separate from the MB Haiti drawing}. All you have to do is make a comment on THIS blog entry. Any nice old comment will do. Birthday wishes for Elsa. How fit I'm looking. How much you love me. :-) Etc, etc. And I will close this give away on Elsa's birthday as well. You do not need follow my blog or advertise for me, but you can if you want!
LOVE you, people! Thank you for all of the love and support you have given me over the past two years. Now... Please enter! Please enter!
This is something NEW for me because I am actually going to post something that we did today, TODAY! Just this once...then I'll get back to my backlog. Ha!
A Sunday evening stroll through our new neighborhood:
Today, while the blossoms still cling to the vine
I'll taste your strawberries, I'll drink your sweet wine
{but only metaphorically, because I don't actually drink wine}
A million tomorrows shall all pass away...
...Ere I forget all the joy that is mine...
...TODAY
-John Denver song, penned by Randy Sparks
totally appropriate for a day like today.
P.S. Tara--this is where I was thinking of doing our photo shoot...hurry back before the flowers are gone! :-)
There's this little charity that I've talked about before...maybe you remember Mama Baby Haiti? One of my midwives who helped out when Elsa was born traveled to Haiti in February 2010...6 months after Elsa made her brief appearance on earth, and right after the people of Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake. You can read about some of her experiences here. In short, the conditions there were so poor that women and babies were suffering for the lack of facilities and resources. Some of the babies died. My midwife learned to say "I'm sorry" in Haitian Creole to these mothers. I remember reading her blog entries with tears streaming down my face, having suffered through that heartbreak just 6 months earlier. However, many of these deaths could have been prevented (as was not the case with my sweet little Elsa) if the mothers had proper care and resources. My midwife and her colleagues started Mama Baby Haiti before they even left from this first trip...and their motto became "No more Mwen Regrét Sa". No more I am sorry. They have opened a beautiful birth center and medical clinic where volunteer health care providers catch babies and treat various maladies.
Over and over I have tried to imagine HOW I could make a difference by taking something hard that happened to me and use it to help make life better for someone else. Because if I could possibly help another mother from going through loosing a baby, then I would in a heartbeat. Well, lots of my friends up here in Portland are participating in the Portland Triathlon as a fund raiser for Mama baby Haiti, and I thought that sounded perfect! I would love to do another triathlon. However, when I discovered the date I realized that I would not be able to participate. So (and I know this is late notice) I decided that I am going to try to raise funds in conjunction with the half marathon that I am running tomorrow instead. I don't need all the money tomorrow...I'll keep it open a few weeks. But my goal is to raise $500 for Mama Baby Haiti. Can you help me with that?
If 100 of you can donate $5 via paypal, we can reach that goal!! $5!!! That's an easy way to help some of our fellow humankind. (You may donate as much as you want though!) And to sweeten the deal a little bit, I'm doing a drawing in conjunction with this fund-raiser!
I'm going to offer up a few awesome prizes:
1 ~ A mini session with TM Custom Portraits. I think that is at least a $100 value! TM is my best buddy and she takes STUNNING photos. If you don't live in Portland, now is a good time for a road trip! Or, you could make other arrangements...TM does occasionally travel to Utah to visit family and would probably be happy to arrange a time (although I can't exactly speak for her, haha!).
This is our family picture she took in 2008.
We have it printed on a gallery wrapped canvas in our living room and people always ask who took it.
We're about to get new family pictures done! I'm very excited.
2 ~ And I am giving away two beautiful, new, LARGE handmade blankets from my own personal collection {which I have dubbed "Sweet Meadowlark"}. These blankets are 1 full yard of sweetness with a modern cotton print on one side and velvety soft minky on the other side. They are the only blankets that my baby will sleep with. The retail value for these blankets is about $40 each, because of their size and quality of fabrics {but I don't sell them, I only give them away}. They are great for your baby, toddler or would make a very sweet gift.
Those prizes TOTALLY rock...and all you need to do is donate $5. Come ON!! ;-) We all are blessed with so much more than people in other lands. I PROMISE this is a GREAT charity, which can REALLY use the money. And all of the money will go straight to helping the people of Haiti, as I personally know the founders and know they are paying for a lot of stuff (rent, supplies, food, water, medicine) out of their pockets. They are mostly there to help mamas and babies, but they have also given food to starving children and medical care to anyone who needs it. It is staffed completely by volunteers.
So if you think you can help me out with raising some goodness for the Haitian people AND you want in on a fun prize you may enter the giveaway by doing the following:
1)Required to enter the giveaway, you must donate $5 or more and make a comment on this post. You do not need to tell me how much you donate, but I would appreciate it if you could either make a comment on your online donation form Mama Baby Haiti that it is in memory of ELSA MEADOWLARK, or send me a private email letting me know the amount (so I can track my goal) to katespidey@gmail.com.
2)You may receive addition optional entries by a) publicly following my blog {I want to make more new friends}, b) blogging about this fundraiser/giveaway, and/or c) facebooking/tweeting (whatever you do) about this fundraiser/giveaway.
Please show Mama Baby Haiti some love in honor of Elsa Meadowlark!
xxoo! Drawing will close on Elsa's birthday. August 16.
...OR the two AMAZING reasons for being so behind on my blog.
Once again I am SO behind on blogging. I have a lot of catching up to do in order to document our family's adventures and my thoughts along the way. I do have TWO very good excuses for being so behind this time...
1) We MOVED!
Surprised??? So are we! What can I say about the move except that it was unexpected. We were led to this house. This was not really our plan right now...but we really felt that this is what God wants us to do right now. I found this house online and just knew that it was for us. I felt that knowledge flow through me like a ray of light entering the top of my head and flowing through my whole body. However, I still wasn't really sure about this move. The thought of leaving our first home together...the one we shared so many hard but sacred moments, the one we poured heavy labor into (like the time we were laying sod until 1 am in the freezing rain)...it was hard. But I can say that it has been and will continue to be such a good thing for me and for all of us. Moving on. It can be hard, but is cathartic...like a salve for the soul. And our new house is so full of light. So much more than our old house. And light makes me happy. VERY, very happy.
We love the wild yard and all the birds!
The views
And the neighborhood peacock!
office and master bedroom
dining room and living room
I'll post more pictures when I am closer to being unpacked and having furniture.
And 2) My sister got married and we took a trip to Utah (in the middle of moving) to go to her wedding!
the lovely couple!
(more on the wedding and trip later)
Oh and...school ended, Toby had a birthday, I trained for a half marathon (running tomorrow! Happy Independence Day!), and we've had our usual adventures.
Last year when I was pregnant with Ollie I snapped up this little Kettler trike {like new} at a garage sale for $20. Brent was a little grumpy that I bought something we wouldn't need to use for over a year. But I tried to convince him that it would be worth storing it for a year. Then when Christmas time rolled around and we got toy catalogs in the mail, we saw JUST how worth-it it was to store said trike for a year {$250 worth!}.
So we finally had a sunny day and a chance to use the sidewalk in our backyard for its intended purpose:
