Medicine of Immortality "It's a cold, and it's a broken, 'Hallelujah!'"

ThankfulPosted by Rick on December 10th, 2007

I was just listening to Rebecca St. James and Todd Agnew sing “Our Great God,” and it just reminded me how thankful I feel right now.

We’ve had a ton of bills lately with the new table (we outgrew the old one), computer (it died), washer and dryer (they were dying together), computer, midwife, doula, tuition, and visits from family. God has provided a lot of money to meet those bills. I mean a lot. Close to $10,000 in the last three weeks. (I broke a Black Friday sales record and received my overload pay from teaching all in the last three weeks.) That almost covers everything (yeah, they add up). What would normally have been a stressful time has not been that bad.

I have a beautiful new son. The birth was incredible. It couldn’t have gone any more perfectly. The doula was incredible when it came to supporting Rachel. The whole time Rachel was in labor, I kept thanking God for her. The midwife was great too, but let the doula pretty much handle things.

My daughter continues to grow in her relationship to Christ. She amazes me sometimes.

I’m glad to be in a church where we can chant, receive communion every week, feel loved, and our children can commune. We’ve actually been able to develop a relationship with a fellow congregation member (though in its early stages, it’s nice to be able to connect to someone other than the pastor and his family). The lady is a bit older than us, but her youngest son is close to Kyrie’s age.

My class this semester will be taught by Reggie Kidd, and it’s on my favorite subject. How great is that? I’ve been able to finish most of the books (I saved the best ones for last, so woohoo).

I’ve had off of work for three straight days. I don’t think I’ve had more than one day in a row off since August (and even then I was usually working on my day off). It’s been a time of healing and rest (though I must say I am wiped out from all the work I am doing—but it’s different work, so in a big way, it’s restful).

We have family coming to visit. Forrest and Rebekah will be here in less than two weeks. The Enloe family also plans to come by. Mommy and daddy plan on coming in February. It will be so nice to have company again, and it’s nice to have a table that will fit everyone (tightly though!).

I love how all of our close friends’ families are growing. Exponential growth is nice when it involves friends.

We are planning to stay our entire summer in Spokane, if possible. Actually, it would be nice to just move up there, so maybe a job can fall in our laps (pretty please!).

It’s Advent. The long green season is fully over.

Oh, Lord remind us once again of your wonderful works. Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God.

Yay!Posted by Rachel on December 4th, 2007

The blog is up and running again! I was feeling so lost without it.

Happy 41 weeks and 1 day to me. I had a long talk with Antonio today and I let him know that it’s okay for him to take his time, but he’s missing out and he’ll really enjoy all the yummy milk he’ll get when he comes out. Kyrie is so excited about baby brother and I think she’s beginning to sense that his arrival is quickly approaching. Sometimes she’ll say, “Baby brother come out of Mommy’s tummy in a minute?” Hehe…a minute long labor. That sounds awesome.

Okay, PeoplePosted by Rachel on November 28th, 2007

I’m 40 weeks and 3 days, so I thought I should get cracking on this. Predict the date and time of Antonio’s birth. Add as many additional details as you’d like (weight, length, color of hair, etc) for bonus points.

Oh, and the points mean absolutely nothing. But it’s still fun!

What women aren’t being told about ChildbirthPosted by Rachel on October 26th, 2007

Disclaimer: This is not intended to spark a debate. I just thought it was an interesting read.

The United States is also one of the only wealthy countries where the maternal death rate is climbing. In 2004, the most recent year for which information was available, the maternal death rate in the United States jumped to 13 deaths per 100,000, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. This marks a significant increase from just four years earlier when it was 11 deaths per 100,000 births. Maternal death rates continue to be significantly higher for African-American and Hispanic women.

Why are women in the United States more likely to die from childbirth than their peers in other industrialized countries? The rising rates of medical intervention and surgery in birth and their attendant risks are a big part of the answer.