Mint Green. . Part 2

A while back I wrote about our efforts to be "mint green". Changing light bulbs, using re-useable bags at the story (TRY IT, YOU'LL LOVE IT!), using our own coffee mugs at coffee stops, recycling more, trying to buy more local produce etc. (produce from the farmers market really does last longer. . . and taste better) ANYWAY. . I discovered something quite cool today. . I was paying our electric bill today, and we cut our electric usage last month by 55-60% from last year. . . which translate to a bill this month which was less than HALF of what we paid last year at the same time. . . This we attribute to replacing several older appliances with Energy Star appliances (most new appliance are), particularly a 25-30 year old refrigerator. (and I have to believe that all the light-bulbs we've replaced are helping too. We also unplug many appliances when we aren't using them. . like cell phone chargers, coffee pot, toaster. . . really the only thing I leave plugged in are the appliances (stove, washing machine etc.), TV (so TIVO works), and computers. . .I think the little things really do add up.

I'm starting my research on cloth diapers. . . the amount of waste that one little guy puts into the land-fills through diapers. . . amazing. . . plus the fact that it takes up to 500 years for diapers to decompose. . . Any tips on cloth diapers??

Really, it's been FUN to see the little steps we can make that directly (like the electric bill) or indirectly like the number of plastic bags we've saved for someone else to use because of our reuse able bags. . . make some sort of small difference in the world. . . so change your light bulbs. . or get one cloth bag. . . it's really fun to see what you can do!

Some Thoughts I like. .

I have LONG been a collector of word (word groups, really, quotes shall we say?) that inspire.. Here are some I like. . .


"We have been called to be fruitful--not successful, not productive, not accomplished. Success comes from strength, stress and human effort. Fruitfulness comes from vulnerability and the admission of our own weakness." (Henri Nouwen)

"Each time a person stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, she sends for a tiny ripple of hope." Robert F. Kennedy

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them become what they are capable of being" Goethe

"We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and to do the rest." Archbishop Oscar Romero

"If you are not a part of the problem, you can't be part of the solution, if we cannot see how what we are doing, or not doing is contributing to the things being the way they are then logically we have no basis at all, zero leverage, for changing the way things are, except from the outside, by persuasion or force. . if we want to help we must first understand and acknowledge our role-by commission or omission in creating the situation." Kahane

With or To?

Somewhere along the line I heard something about how we interact with people. . . To, With, For or Ignore. We do things TO people, we do things WITH people, we do things FOR people, or we IGNORE. It's always stuck with me as a good model to think about when interacting with people, groups etc. There is probably a time and a place for everything, but WITH is a good model to strive for. (At least I think)

I had my first midwife appointment today, and it drove home WITH instead of TO or FOR like nothing else. I'm so excited about this journey of growing a baby (Reid) and bringing him into the world WITH a midwife.

So I got to my appointment, sat down for like 3 minutes before they were "ready to see me".. . She took me to the bathroom the first step in every prenatal appointment and gave me a cup to pee in . . but here's where it got interesting (and I knew that I had some to the right place. Which I guess proves that I am indeed some sort of a freak) When I had collected my sample, she said, "Let me show you what you need to do every time you come. Take one of these strips, dip it in your cup, wait a minute and compare these three color squares with the color squares on the guide, and when you have done your urine dip, tell me what the numbers were. And here's the scale, you need to weight yourself each time you come in." She told me what each color meant, why they might be different colors, what was a concern and what this test was monitoring and why it's important. So suddenly instead of them doing it FOR me. . I'm partnering WITH them to collect information about my body and this pregnancy!
Then they gave me a binder with information on what each appointment would entail, what information was collected, why, a chart for me to keep track of my weight, urine samples, stomach size etc.

Midwife means, "With Women". . . and I totally get it now, nothing was done TO me, everything was done WITH me. Even measuring my stomach, she told me what she was measuring, had me feel the top of my uterus (which I could never find on my own), showed me the tape measure and said, "You are 22.5, the right size for this stage." (I'm going to record that in my handy, dandy chart!)

This is what I've been looking for from the day I found out I was expecting. I think back to my first doctor's appointment when I went to my regular doctor and all she said was, 'Why do you think you are pregnant." I told her and she said, "Well you are, here's a list of OB/GYN's. . good luck." And then I called an OB/GYN and they said, "What makes you think you are pregnant. You are. Call back in 4 -6 weeks to schedule your first appointment, we don't see Mother's before that time." I wanted someone to sit down with me and say, "Yes, we know you are pregnant because. . and this is what is happening in your body, and this is what you should be doing."
The midwive gave me several assignments, to keep a food dairy for a week so they can monitor my diet. They gave me a list of nutrient requirements I need to meet on a daily basis to keep me healthy and Reid healthy too. Gave me some tips about things that if I do now, will help me to deliver better latter.
SO great.

WITH not TO it's so much more empowering!

New Age. . Kooky Chick. . .

. . or so Todd claims. If there was one thing that I really learned and internalized during my year in China it was that, the way things are done here (in the US) isn't the only way to do things, and sometimes, other ways are better. SO, it's worth understanding how and why we do things they way we do. I was probably more open to learning this lesson because as a child my parents did a pretty good job of teaching my brother and I (see what you think about this Will) HOW to make decisions, not WHAT decisions to make. SERIOUSLY, we had dinner time conversations about decision making "Eating Problems for Breakfast" by Tim Hansel etc.
So when it comes to having a baby, I've been more prone than (in Todd's words) "the average chick" to explore the options, learn about alternatives. . and ultimately embrace an "alternative view" of birthing.(In the US anyway)
We're going to have a baby in a birthing center, attended by mid-wives! It's really not that crazy (I don't think.) The US rates 42nd in the world when it comes to Mother and infant care surrounding birth, which means that there are 42 countries in the world that DO IT BETTER than the US. These are a lot of European countries (and others) which rely on more "traditional" views of birth, such as birthing is a natural process, which a woman's body was designed to do (The Human Race existed and thrived before the advent of modern medicine) Many countries in Europe use Mid-wives commonly as a first line with OB/GYN as back-up for the RARE true medical emergency. The World Health Organization recommends that mid-wives for "normal" pregnancies be utilized by mamas-to-be in the US (and the world). For me, and my journey towards this decision what became important was the quality of care and quality of relationship between the "Medical Model of Birth" and the "Midwifery Model of Birth". I am a HIGHLY relational person, relationship matter, (growing up in Fairfield I NEVER knew my bank account number, because the ladies at the bank hand my account number memorized. . . relationship) OB/GYN's allocate about 7-10 minutes per appointment with a patient. They arrive in time to catch the baby, the labor process is monitored by which-ever nurses happen to be on shift (and changing shifts) during the laboring process. (There is MUCH research that indicates that during labor and birthing, women progress better, faster, smoother when "safely" surrounded by people they know and trust, in gentle (lower lit rooms) etc. environments) In the Midwife Model of Care a Mid-wife will allocate 30-90 minutes per appointment with the mother, and be with the mother THROUGH the entire laboring process. (Most OB/GYN as part of their medical training are NOT required to sit and observe a full Labor and Delivery. . hence they don't always know what is normal, what is not, etc.) While a midwife spends her careers observing women laboring.
So, I had my last Doctor's appointment this week, and will start seeing my midwives next week. (My Doctor was great about my decision, he said, "that's a perfectly reasonable decision, and if you need anything or develop difficults please come back.")
This decision is a decision for a completely NATURAL birth. . there won't be an options for drugs, we'll rely on the wisdom of my body (which I truly believe knows what to do) and the experience and expertise of the midwives who have been doing this for years.
The birth center is 8 minutes from a hospital and operating room, in the HIGHLY unlikely case that something goes wrong we are in essences no farther from medical help than we would be if we labored in the hospital. (Even in a hospital when something happens, it take 10-20 minutes to prepare an operating room) Our midwives would be in contact with the hospital from the minute the decision is made to transport, so basically no time is lost.
I could go ON and ON about all that I've learned from this journey. Todd has been wonderful to support me. . this is so far outside of his world view, but he is willing to support this decision, is starting to understand why, and I've heard from many people that daddy's become the biggest advocates of all for midwifery care when they experience the birth (and even catching their babies).
So, that's my story.
When I ran the LA Marathon I remember someone saying, the two most physically difficult things a women can do are run a marathon and give birth. I've done one, now it's time to apply the marathon lessons that I learned to birthing, (which God MADE women to do) (I'm not so sure He really made us to run 26.2 miles)

Careful what you ask for. .

I've been on this reading binge lately about the Mormon Faith. Idaho is second only to Utah in the number of Mormons. . . I have a strong momorn heritage myself (My dad's mother came from a staunch LDS background, that goes back generations, for sure some of the early pioneers who came to Utah with Bringam Young, maybe even those who went to Missiouri and Illinois with Joesph Smith. . . so it's an honest curosity.

My two "informing reads" have been, "Under the Banner of Heaven" by John Krakauer and "Leaving the Saints" by Martha Beck. Both books present different stories, but much of the same "facts" regarding the Joseph Smith etc. Basically, lets just say there is a whole lot that doesn't really add up. The Chuch can add it up just fine, but those outside that church haven't been able to find the same proof. Last week, when I finished Leaving the Saints and was processing and thinking about all that she'd written, and comparing it with Krakauer's book . . my prayer was, "Lord if the Mormon's ever come to my house,(and I kind of hope they will now) help me ask the right probing questions."

Mind you, I've NEVER had Mormon Missionaries come to my house . . Until today.

Usually I don't answer the door. . I keep saying that, and I keep coming up with stories about answering the door. . . but whatever. . . I was quite suprised to find two young boys (19 years old) in black pants and crisp white shirts standing at my door. My first thought was, "Ah, Man, get rid of them quick, no need to waste their time". . quickly followed by. . . "How ironic. . I've just finished my "moming reading binge" and these two boys show up on my steps. . ." So with a quick, "Help me Lord" prayer, I smiled, opened my door and said, "Can I get you two some water, it's an awfully hot day."

In my reading I learned that a Mormon Mission is successful if they can get one or two converts during their two years out. It's really more about solidifying their own faith. Which I totally get from my year abroad. . that's what living in China did for me. So my cleverly crafted plan last week, while reading these books, and thinking about what I WOULD do IF a missionary came to my house was to ask at least one pointed question that would maybe, on some deep level cause them to think. So after chit chat about the fact that I was from Idaho, and NOT mormon, that I did have mormon heritage etc. I said, "So, I'm curious about the Pearl of Great Price (one of four sacred books on the faith), I understand that Joseph Smith translated that from a Papyra that he bought, that at the time no one in the world could translate, which Joseph Smith DID translate, but now they have learned to translate and basically NOTHING Joseph Smith wrote has proven to be accurate. Is that true?" They told me, as best I could understand, because quite honestly, I got a little lost with their answer. That it was right, because Joseph Smith had a REVELATION, so Revelation and prophets trumps translation. . . again, they lost me on their answer. I did press them a bit, and one said, "well, I haven't heard that.". . .My prayer, is that even a fraction of a seed of thought is lodged in their minds. . because it can't just be some freaky coincidence that the week after I pray that a Mormon Missionary will come to my door. .. they did.