Books to read (and a documentary): Childbirth

I am a big believer in normal birth. Ultimately the Lord has a perfect plan for every birth, and that is not always it. But I am a big believer in working towards that goal. To that end I had 2 books that were invaluable in preparing for birth, and 1 documentary.

1. Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

The first half of this book is filled with birth stories that take place on the Farm*. The stories are varied and beautiful. The second half of the book discussed birthing techniques in detail. The book also shares fascinating statistics at the Farm and in the U.S. and how our births have changed during the 20th century. Her point is basically that our abilities haven't changed, despite obstetric "common knowledge" to the contrary.

I highly recommend this book!

*The Farm is essentially a commune in Tennessee that was founded in the 1970's and is still in existence today. They do many things themselves there, to include midwifery. They are well known for their collection of midwives that are trained through apprenticeship. It is common within this community to grow up attending the births of others in the community from a young age. Ina May is chief among those midwives and is an extremely respected individual in the field of midwifery. Although our world views differ, they have some valuable insights into what is natural for your body and what is not. I genuinely wanted to have a Farm midwife delivery Ethan but alas, we're about an hour outside of their serviced area.


2. The Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth

The title is a bit condescending, and the book can be just that at times. However, the information contained within it is invaluable! Henci goes through different elements of birth, mostly focused on interventions, and discusses the statistics associated with those interventions. The intent is to help you make an informed decision about all aspects of your birth. I used this book to sway my OB in Houston to leave Ethan's umbilical cord connected until blood was no longer pulsing through it. Of course, I ended up delivering with a midwife in Tennessee but it was a great nonetheless. I was able to give her bibliographic references from the book on hand that day. And then at our next appointment I had printed off the referenced medical journal article for her perusing.

I highly recommend this book!

3. The Business of Being Born (Documentary)

This documentary was suggested by the all knowing Netflix;) based on my other viewing interests. I watched it the first time with rapt attention and this was all after our miscarriage a before we were pregnant with Ethan:). I have since watched in probably 5 times with various family members. The intent of the documentary is discuss how birth practices have changed over the 20th century in America and how that effects us as a people. It also shows several birth experiences. I love this movie, it's statistics, it's stories, and I will watch it with you happily if you're interested! It cracks me up but Joel and my brother-in-law Dylan are such big believers in this documentary and the information contained therein, that I have heard both of them spouting off it's information to all kinds of people:). I also had a blast watching Joel sharing his passion with a soldier friend, in the middle of their office! It was quite an amusing scene to hear the back and forth of 2 Infantryman touting the wonders of natural childbirth!

I highly, highly, highly recommend this documentary!

Mooched Mommy Idea: Prayer

4. Prayer

What I'm about to say may sound common sense to you but it was revelatory for me. As Ethan has grown older and more verbal we now give him an opportunity to pray aloud at night in addition to our prayers. He was so excited to talk about Jesus but, a bit shy to decide what to say. I figured this was to be expected and he would have something to share eventually.

A few weeks ago I was reading a post on Baby Bangs and Amanda discussed her nightly prayer with her daughter that is a few months younger than Ethan. Somehow, it really had not occurred to me that I should give him a simple prayer to repeat after me for his own individual prayer...Sad but true. My hope is that the reason is not total ineptitude but rather my lineage as a Butler pray-er:). You see, my family's prayers are characterized by their length and extreme inclusion. I love it!

It's so amazing to see how excited Ethan is every night to pray his prayer. For now we are keeping it short and sweet: "Thank you for loving me, Thank you for dying for my sins, Thank you for Mommy & Daddy, Thank you for Lady, and Thank you for this day. Amen." My favorite part is that we build toward the thank you for Daddy like a crescendo and then Ethan adds in where Daddy is right now:). I finally convinced him last night/this morning that Daddy is in fact, coming home!

"Don't Make Me Count to Three!"

This book rocks my socks off! I started in months ago right after completing Shepherding a Child's Heart but I took a break as I digested all the goodness from Shepherding. I went back and finished the last little bit this past week and wow. Just what I needed! The concepts are not different, both are focused on the heart and how our parenting bends our children toward a need for a Savior. The big difference I experienced was that Ginger Plowman had some very practical means of application from a mom's perspective.

I highly recommend this book!

Mooched Mommy Ideas

Ironically enough I'm mooching the Mommy idea of Mooched Mommy Ideas:) from my friend Sara over at Domestic Goddessing.

Idea #1
Pool noodles as bed bumpers.
It's brilliant! Ethan squirms a lot in his sleep, a trait he inherited from me, so we had been padding the floor with pillows. Now I have a pool noodle on both long edges of the mattress and it works like a charm! They fit nicely under his sheets and he loves to sleep nestled in a spot anyway.

Idea #2
As many tiny potties as it takes to keep potty training moving forward.

I don't know where I read it, or maybe Ashley told me about one of her friends doing it? We only used 2 potties but having one in the car was invaluable when we were still training. Thankfully I think I can safely say that Ethan is trained fully in step 1 and moving into full training of steps 2 & 3. Wahoo!

Idea #3
Homemade yogurt

Ethan loves yogurt! I, on the other hand only like soy yogurt, but I digress. Ethan loves yogurt but buying the whole milk, non sugary stuff is pricey when he's eating 1-2 a day. Plus, when Joel's home, he loves yogurt too. Enter homemade yogurt (duhn dudha duhhhh!) Making homemade yogurt makes you feel like quite the culinary master, a bonus, and even better it's easy! I've tried several different methods but the Crockpot method is, by far, the easiest. My only down fall with this one is cutting off the yogurt supply to take a little bit and start it all over again. This coupled with making sure that our milk supply is sufficient:). When you have plentiful clean, non wonky smelling/tasting yogurt abounding in your house, there are SO many ways you can work it into your cooking! There are certainly recipes that call for it but you can also use it as a substitute. If you don't like the consistency of your yogurt consider straining it for more of a greek yogurt texture.

Books you should read

I love to read. It's a simple pleasure really, one that I have long enjoyed. In recent years, with lots of moves and not a ton of room to store books, I've gotten more organized in my reading pursuits. Try not to make too much of fun of this...

I keep a running list of books I want to read. I read reviews on the books, a lot of reviews. Then I look for means to procure said book. Is it at the library? Can I get it through Paperbackswap? Or is it one I'll need to buy? As a result, I've still had some lemons but there have been loads of lovely novels and even more nonfiction books that I want everyone I know to read. So, in the spirit of my friends the Pitts, I'm going to start sharing some of my favorites of late.

I'm going to start with some that have come up a number of times in this season of life, ones that I am constantly going back to. Parenting books.

1. Shepherding a Child's Heart, Ted Tripp

If you have not read it, it is a book that very aptly points you as a parent to focus on the heart issue's involved in your child's behavior. And a great deal what that starts with is understanding your own heart issues. I think that for anyone that reads it, it's an eye-opener to your own sin, but in a good way:), and one you could read every year and find great utility each time.

2. Wise Words for Moms, Ginger Plowman

This one isn't really a book but rather a pamphlet or reference sheet. Nonetheless is a great tool for parents. It hold a list of heart issues the heart attitude you desire to produce instead. The root of the heart issue and then multiple verses to address it. It's an easy reference tool and I keep it on our fridge.

There are a few other parenting books that I am in the midst of reading or are in my stack to read, so I'll get to those soon enough.

Homecoming

Welcome Home ceremony 2008 (Ethan was there too!)

Joel should begin his flights back home from Afghanistan at the end of this week and we hope that his Welcome Home ceremony will be sometime next week?!

We are so excited to have Joel home for a long period, and thankfully it hasn't been that long since we last saw him. As we are wrapping up our 11th month of deployment and looking towards a reunion with Joel I've been reflecting on this year. What have I learned? How did the Lord use this time in our lives? Why didn't I post on the blog;)? Am I a better or a poorer parent after this year? Is Ethan better or the poorer as a result of this year? What will life look like as a family of 3, all together, in the same house, possibly for 2+ years?!

November 28, 2008: Just a mere 5 days before Ethan's arrival.

I'm not sure what the answer's to those questions are. But I'm certainly looking forward to finding out! And I'm thankful to know that whatever separations we go through, whatever rottenness there is in our hearts, He never fails.

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. -Psalm 73:26

To Ethan, on the occasion of your 2nd Birthday!

**Well I'm nearly 2 months behind on posting this because I have tried in vain to post a darling video of Ethan on his birthday:). Hopefully I will fix the video but, in the meantime I wanted to get this published!

Sweet Ethan, You are 2 years old today. You are such a sweet boy and so helpful around the house. In the last week you've decided that you want to sit at the table in a chair for your meals, you've tried out sleeping in a bed more, you are doing great with potty training, and you are putting your dishes into the dishwasher?! Your daddy is particularly impressed with your dish clean up skills! Your daddy has been gone for 9 months now but he begins his journey home today, on your birthday!!! Your language has exploded over the last few months and it seems at this point that you can say just about any word you set your mind to:). Some of my new favorites: bible, I love you (only for Daddy for now), sewing, giraffe("wrap"), and on and on. We will celebrate your birthday with Daddy, family, and friends next weekend but today you & I had a little celebration for breakfast. Here's a little video from our morning. I love you big boy!