Banner designed by Charlotte..

This is the banner that Charlotte designed for my business website. I am VERY proud of her. We had a great time doing.. redoing.. and REdoing it.. :) She also made a fantastic video that I'll be sharing later on after we get it finalized.

The website will be at: http://www.HypnoBirthingSC.com It is not up yet (although there's a cute pic on there) but should be up shortly.

I am taking reservations for private and group classes now.

Bethany has something interesting up her sleeve.. I'll share that later on after we get the idea worked out. It might be a few weeks.

Back from Florida...

That.. was the focus of my Florida trip. Pregnancy, birth, and helping women to have the birth they desire. It was a wonderful trip. Some are aware that I was going, others I didn't tell because I was super busy in the time leading up to the conference.

Many know our last birth was a waterbirth at home. Others know that I'm a huge fan of natural childbirth done in a calm, easy, and comfortable way.. which is possible. The method I've used successfully with some of the births is HypnoBirthing (The Mongan Method). HypnoBirthing allows a woman to use the power of her mind, through self-hypnosis, to control her body. Basically.. she learns how to relax, release fear, and let her body work as it was created to do so.

I am SO excited to be able to teach this to other women. Too often women say things like..

"I hope the doctor lets me.."
"Maybe things will be different this time.."
"Everyone says it'll be the worst pain.."


And so on. We've been taught, by our culture, that birth has to be this agonizing experience. The expectations we've built up have created our experiences and birth does not have to be that way. We choose. But, it's not as easy as saying "I want.." we also need the tools to make that happen.

It's crazy to me that women have surrended all of their birthing power to others. It's not right. Not at all. One hospital that I heard of doesn't let women leave their beds after their membranes has released (water breaks). How is this practical in any way? Do we think our ancestors didn't walk around during that time? Why is it safe for women in some hospitals but not others? And why do we put up with insane regulations and play "good patient"? Why is fear the major focus on a time that should be about joy?

I want something better, not only for -myself-, but also for my daughters.. and future grand daughters, daughters-in-law, neices, and so on.. We deserve better. Birth is natural. It's neither an illness or reason for fear. It is a time of joy and eagerly welcoming a new life into our family. It creates families.

I also saw the best button. It read..

Please, only happy birth stories, my baby is listening.

What a great way to bless women! Fill them with positives instead of negatives. Let's stop making others believe that birth has to be something it is not.

When the website is up and running, I'll be sure to pass it along. For now, here is a great video from Dateline that discusses hypnosis during childbirth. It isn't the same as HypnoBirthing, but the idea is similar.

Peace... it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.

I'll catch up on other things in a bit. We have soccer pictures to post and so on. :)

Happy Birthday to Charlotte!

On this day.. thirteen years ago..

- I was wishing I could sleep and the company in the hospital would go away.
- I was completely icked by the disgusting poo coming out of that tiny 5lb 13oz baby.
- I was determined to breastfeed, although the hospital was none-too-encouraging. (Babies were not permitted to room in, a private room was a joke, and I was advised to not hold her "too much".)
- I had no idea what the next thirteen years would bring.. I was still a teenager (19) myself.

I did know that I loved that precious little cone-headed baby more than anything I'd ever loved .. and no matter what others told me about the 'right' way to do things, she was MY child and I'd do as I pleased.. thankyouverymuch. :) I read the books though folks mocked me. I set out goals for what I wanted for her, though others doubted. I talked about homeschooling and was told I was nuts.

And now, pardon me for a moment as I point out a few things that have been on my mind lately..

To all of those gloom & doom folks who told me to just wait til she hit 3.. that's when they get mouthy.. til she hits 5 and is completely defiant.. til she hits 8 and those hormones kick in.. til she starts her cycle and decides we will no longer get along.. til thirteen comes and rebellion really kicks in.

I say... "Ha." (Mature, eh?)

We often called Charli our "Miss Sunshine" and she still fits that. Yes, she's got a wit and yes, we sometimes hit a wall where we don't see each other's side. But, you know what? A few minutes later we can talk it over and go on like nothing happened.

Today is her thirteenth birthday. Many would be pushing for this to be THEIR day and to be catered to completely. We woke up to.. 1 fevered boy, 1 boy getting over his fever, 1 boy that was pukey all night, 1 little girl with a fever/cough, and another girl that gave up and went back to bed asap. Daddy is sleeping (he was up all night with pukey boy) and I have an awful sore throat. Charli is the only healthy one. She's been helpful and trading off with me as we snuggle whoever needs it. We finally got everyone settled and she's off writing some more on her book.

Last night, we went shopping for her opal birthstone ring. We visited three stores and then she said she felt a little guilty for being picky. I assured her that this is her ring, she can be as picky as she wants. We didn't find anything in the local stores, so we've been browsing ebay. It's SO fun to see her opinion of jewelry and what appeals to her. She's firm, but polite.

I'm equally in love with this beautiful long-haired zesty teen as I was with the wrapped up little baby. And, I still have a sweet little baby (well, 17 months) so I can appreciate the differences. It's fun to go the bookstore and talk about authors, or visit the coffee shop and have a real conversation. I do realize as she grows older, and more into her independence, we'll hit some other trying times.. but I reject the notion that all young adults have to be surly, grouchy, awful beings that we just put up with til they're 18 and we can toss them out.

And, I am very thankful that we did decide to homeschool. It has been an unhurried childhood and a -good- one. She is very grounded in her faith and has been a witness to many. She's also able to think outside of the box.. and still handles the peers okay. This year, for the first time that she's noticed, a girl in our community decided to not be friends with her because of the way she dresses. Charli shrugged it off, mentioned that's just her personality, and said she can either please God or please man... she didn't get angry, depressed, or run out to change herself. What a blessing. We started out homeschooling for academic reasons, but I realize that *character* is the main thing, not academics.

Her party will be on the 18th and I'll be sure to share lots of pictures! Pictures from today might just be depressing with all of the runny noses and watery eyes.

Charli's birth vs. Naomi's birth. (1995 vs. 2007):

- With Charli's birth, I made my mom *promise* to not tell the doctors I had eaten that day. It was routine procedure to be given an enema and I didn't want that! With Naomi's birth, I was encouraged to eat during labor to keep up my energy.

- After Charli's birth, I saw her for a few minutes before she was whisked away to be cleaned up/etc and I was sent to a recovery room with a bunch of other ladies. With Naomi's birth, she slept through it and the snuggled onto my chest to sleep some more. Five minutes later, we decided to check gender and to wake her up a little.

- With C's birth, I was disappointed that I missed the epidural screening.. was given nubain and puked my way through a lot of labor. (When I wasn't drugged/sleeping). With N's birth, I wouldn't have considered meds and had a relatively pain free labor.

- The night of C's birth, I had a roommate come in and she had many issues due to a high-intervention birth. I was up most of the night listening to her company come in/out, the medical procedures they did on her, and her crying. Charli wasn't with me, that wasn't permitted. The night of N's birth, I slept in my bed, with baby tucked in next to me.

- With C's birth I saw my OB three times - once when she warned me that at 37 wks the baby might have breathing issues, the second when she ordered nubain, the third when she was in the delivery room. With N's birth.. I took a leisurely walk with my midwife, doula, and husband throughout the neighborhood. We all visited with my friend (and her children) that was here to help and it felt like having a big sister nearby.

I am thankful that SO much has changed in the past thirteen years. I also hope to support my daughters (and daughters-in-law) in having positive birth experiences. It makes such a difference. I am thankful that Charli remembers Naomi's birth and not hers. :) Well, both girls.. they've seen that TV/movie births don't have to be reality. They also went to a few midwife appointments and had a good role model there.

Sunday Life

First, random pic.. can you guess which baby this is? (answer at the bottom) And, for the family members wondering if this is another cutesy blog pregnancy announcement.. it's not. hehe. The next pregnancy announcement will probably be something crazier - like a carrier pigeon!

Things heard in our home on Sunday mornings..

"Does he have his shoes?"
"Do you have your shoes?"
"Is that shirt on backwards?"
"No. You can't wear that." (usually towards a boy!)
"Thirty minutes to go!"

"Don't forget to eat." (breakfast is typically bagels or other simple fare)
"Have you seen my shoes?" (Mommy!)
"Have you seen my purse?" (Mommy again..)
"Where is my Bible?" (You guessed it!)
"Don't forget your Bibles."
"Where is the sippy?"

And so on. Finally, we pile into the van and we're off. Everyone has a car buddy. After they finish buckling their car buddy they buckle themselves. Bethany (the carsick one) sits with Nae (the baby always gets the second row). Charlotte sits with Noah, James sits with Joseph. When buckling is done we count off from one to six according to birth order. Bethany says "Six" for Naomi. This is somewhat of an inside joke with the family. When I've called a child by every name but theirs I fall back on.. "You! Child number three, come here please." Strangely enough, I get Joseph and Noah's names mixed the most. We used to joke that Noah's name was Jo-Noah.

We arrived at church today and were greeted by the sight of a few boys playing football on the lawn. Others in our church family were standing at the front door, chatting. We were greeted by name (and lots of hugs. We're "huggers" at church!) and in we went. Our church has a cafe area on the right and the sanctuary is on the left. The cafe has all of the classrooms off of it and each has a large window so it's easy to see inside. Jim went towards the sanctuary with a few and I went towards the cafe/classrooms to deposit the shortest two in the nursery. (Yes, I know many of our Christian friends are against nurseries. We know this church is where God wants us and we are at peace with using the nursery. Please, no tomatoes!).

Before we could get a few feet through the cafe - where many are having coffee and chatting - we end up with various church family members coming over to ask about our morning. A few loved on Nae, some of the ladies having heard about her run-in with fire ants.. (her little foot looks a LOT better). What a blessing to be loved. I think so many are missing this in our world right now. More hugs and into the nursery we go. Adults, who don't have little kids at all, poke their head into the nursery to greet the littles. (The nursery directly opens into the cafe area, and, like i said it has a huge window). More of ... "How are you this morning?" and "Hey, Noah buddy, you're looking handsome today!"

The littles are dropped off and we go towards the sanctuary area. There are still groups of people talking in the hall, cafe, and outside are still folks talking and football is going on. More greetings, more hugs, and into the sanctuary where people are busy fellowshipping. I find where Jim is sitting with three of the kids (Bethany, James, and Joseph). Charlotte sits in the front row where the youth group has been "challenged" to sit. At first I had qualms about this.. again, I know many who would tsk-tsk over our daughter not sitting with the family. But you know what, she takes the most amazing notes during service and this is a chance for her to "own" her faith. Music starts.. and people reluctantly stop chatting and start finding their places..

During worship.. some clap, some raise hands, some sing, a few dance in place, and others just stand. A few say "Amen!" during prayer time and others quietly bow their heads. We have people in dresses, headcoverings, flipflops, and sweats. Praise God for that. Let the guy that slept in his clothes the night before and hasn't showered in a week come into my church.. let God use us to show him the love of Christ. When our kids were much younger, I remember skipping church because I couldn't find nice shoes for Charlotte. Her "good shoes" broke and I didn't have any others. I sometimes wonder how many others skip church because they feel their Sunday best isn't good enough?

After service starts, we always have stragglers that come in. They're not met with glares. They don't sneak through the door like naughty children either. They're hugged, loved, and made to realize that everyone is happy they're -there- even if late. :) After service it's a lot like before service. Kids are skateboarding outside, a basketball game might start in the parking lot, other kiddoes are on the playground equipment. People chat in the sanctuary, others are having coffee in the cafe, and still more are standing in the lobby area. Often, people are kinda pushed out the door a couple of hours later.

To me, that is a church family. I feel very blessed. I know there are other church families like that around as well. I hope all of those who may have gone through bad experiences with churches realize that you can't let that get to you. You have to trust God and know that He will be faithful to set you in the right fellowship.

Believers also need to realize that *we* are a family. In Christ, we've become mothers, brothers, sisters, and so on. A lot of people are hurting and we've got to reach out. I had the most wonderful experience on Saturday at Walmart. The cashier checking me out was positively glowing with the love of Jesus. She joked with the people in front of me and had us all chatting like we were long-lost friends. As I was checking out she was encouraging me with my boys, telling me about her older boys and drawing in the couple behind me.. and it was like water in a desert. I'd just come from a women's Bible study and felt like God just wrapped me in His arms and gave me another big squeeze.

At one time, I was *so* lonely here in SC. I prayed that God would bring me just one friend. People came into my life that were folks I couldn't imagine sticking with, but I tried. Through one of those chance meetings, I met the friend that has been with me since James (now 8) was in the womb. After meeting her, I slowly met others, and my circle of friends is now very rich. But, I haven't forgotten that time of being the newcomer.. no family, no friends, and very limited resources (we had one vehicle at that time and a tiny townhouse). That is one reason I think I find organizing the city-wide homeschool email group, park day, and mom's dinner to be so rewarding. If I can help just one mom who is feeling like I did, that's fantastic.

We really do need each other. We have to remember that even when we get comfortable with our circle of friends, or even with our church family, that there is still room for more. For the believer our eternal life has already started. We'll be with these people forever. It's a good time to start forming those friendships now!


Picture.. The baby in the picture is Noah. He's the only blue-eyed boy we have. :)

Co-op Pictures (lots of them!)

First a note.. Click to see my friend's entry into a digital scrapbook contest. You don't have to register. Just click and there' s a "vote for me" button. For those curious about how digital scrapbooking can be done, this is a great way to see a sample. :)


Oops... I just noticed I forgot to swap some of the pics! Look at 'em sideways. (One day I'll get this right.) This our version of God accepting a sheep sacrifice (see below to figure out what in the world I mean..)

See the C on the forehead? That is Cain's mark that God put on him so nobody would kill him. Cain murdered his brother Able, out of jealously, and then was cursed to wander.
This is a potato that was cut into pieces to show pangaea. This is tied into how Noah's three sons were able to repopulate the earth, continental drift helped.
We measured out the length of Noah's ark going waaaaaaaay down the road.
James reading his report on Adam. Yes, he does change clothes, but usually just long enough to have the current outfit washed. I'm not sure why he has more than 2 sets of clothes.. but I think this shirt is the "shirt for the year". (Yes, Dad, all of the barbers in our area are still on strike. I'll let ya know when they're back in business and the boys get haircuts *hehe*)
Miss Bethany forgot to write out her paper on Abraham... tsk.

Here we were studying ummmm...

gravity? Something impressive and scientific. We'd never just jump around on the trampoline during school co-op time! (For those counting - the number is 10. The 11th child was busy trying to drink rainwater out of a bucket)Cain, Able, and the sheep.



The older girls being silly, well.. one of them being silly!
The pink is the blood. They did a little skit on Cain & Able.
A sideways Charlotte gives her report.
A sideways Julia (I'm leaving her this way!!) being silly. I threatened I'd put it on the blog if she sent it to me.. and she did!! hehe.
The Nile River.. a few weeks later. The foil is for the river that "floods" and makes the crops (aka grass) grow along the riverbanks. With some of the rains lately, it has REALLY flooded!


P.S. Please pray for those families who are going to be hurting due to the recent spike in gas prices. In some places the gas is over $5/gallon. We're hopeful that it will go down again after Ike is done.. but I know many families who are making some hard decisions now due to prices going up on almost everything.