theselittleones

We welcome to our family

2010-12-11T11:26:00.001-08:00

Jubilee Camilla Richter

She was born on December 11, 2010 at 1 PM. She weighed 8 lb 2 oz.

Praise be to God!

Baby is 39 weeks

2010-12-10T21:27:00.000-08:00

The contractions are strong and hopefully, effective. They feel like the real thing but just not very consistent or close together. I believe I'm in early labor and that birth should be just around the corner. I lost my mucus plug this morning so another big sign that it shouldn't be much longer.
Chris is really unlike most men, I think, how he personally takes responsibility over our births. He took me out walking tonight even though I wasn't very enthusiastic about the prospect of going out in the cold, knowing that contractions may make walking less than comfortable. He wants this baby to come and out we went. God gave us a wonderful walk and it wasn't that cold at all. It was like being on a date. We hadn't had much time to ourselves this past week so it was very nice to hold hands and talk with each other.

I am still amazed that God has given me a husband that is not afraid to take on his wife's birth. He doesn't want that responsibility to fall on anyone else. Neither of us would be comfortable with someone helping us during the birth of our baby. It's an intimate and special time that we don't feel the need to share with others.

We've had to share our births before in a managed setting and it really pales in comparison to what we've since experienced in the privacy of our home. We birth our way, unhindered, under no time constraints, allowing the birth to unfold and be accomplished naturally.

Baby is 38 weeks

2010-12-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

No matter that I've had 7 children. Each pregnancy still is as exciting and unpredictable as ever. Last Friday I thought I was in labor. Chris had just started a two week night shift and I was in bed thinking this was it! And then, he came home! I hadn't even called him. He inflated the pool and I gathered what I wanted for the birth. Then God answered Chris' unspoken prayer, I think. He didn't want the baby to be born with us both tired. My contractions didn't seem to be as consistent so we went to bed. And that was that. I guess a warm up was in order so I can really get super excited for the real thing.

God's timing is better than my timing.

We have been so blessed by our little church family. Last Sunday, they prayed for us and then showered us with love and dessert and money to buy a double jogging stroller. The ladies told me that they decided to give us money instead of an actual stroller because they thought I could find a good deal. Well, God is the one who provides. I saw a double jogging stroller on Craigslist this morning and I got it this afternoon for a very good price! A church blessed us in such a wonderful way. Just like how our church is. For the whole family.

I'm still learning to rest in the Lord and wait on Him. This pregnancy is no exception. God never wastes anything. Everything to draw us closer to Himself.

Baby is 35 weeks

2010-11-15T12:11:00.000-08:00

Baby is still active and moving all around so I doubt delivery is imminent. I think 2-4 more weeks and we'll get to meet this new little one.

I was pondering about Romans 8:28. Does it really mean all things as in everything that happens in a believer's life? Does it mean that even though childbirth is very hard because of the Fall, God will use even the pain of contractions for good? And we don't have to opt out on that pain but if we relied on God to truly deliver us, we can have a miraculous birth? I believe so. I believe God is good, even after pronouncing judgment on mankind, and He gives us grace to endure what's hard and seemingly beyond what we can endure.

I am greatly comforted by God's promises that I don't have to accomplish anything on my own strength. It is God who will shoulder the burden if I don't fret and allow fear to overcome my task at hand. I was thinking over what fears I may be harboring with this birth. I don't think I really have much of a list. I would like a shorter birth than Noble's birth but I am not really fearful of another long labor. Chris and I were talking about whether to go to the Urgent Care 5 minutes away or to the Base Hospital if I needed to transfer. That would be terribly sad, but I don't think I am really fearful of that happening. I don't believe that I am immune from problems arising in labor. Believing childbirth to be a normal non-medical event doesn't mean that I also believe that nothing will ever go wrong. If I wanted to really become fearful, I could imagine all sorts of things that could go wrong and dwell on those possibilities. Instead I will pray for peace and a joyful anticipation of this baby's birth. God is still in control and all is well with me.

Baby is 33 weeks

2010-10-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

This baby is still super active so I guess there's still plenty of room to grow. I feel that I am impossibly huge already but I know my belly's just going to get bigger. I wasn't really sure how baby is lying until I came across this very handy website on belly mapping. I think my baby is positioned either Left Occiput Anterior or Left Occiput Transverse. That just means that the baby is lying on my left side, head down. These are good positions for baby to be in for labor so I'm praying that baby will stay put.

Why homeschooling is so good

2010-10-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

I went grocery shopping this morning. I didn't have to take any of the littles, as all the children were home and could take care of everything. It began raining quite hard on my way home and was still raining when I got home. When I pulled into the driveway, my nine year old daughter was waiting for me with an umbrella to escort me into the house. The boys brought in the groceries and put them away while I had lunch.

The children do school at home. But they also live here at home during the day, serving and doing things that need to be done. They aren't where they can't be available to their siblings or to us. They have the freedom to take care of more important things than school work because they are home. God designed families to serve each other and I'm so grateful that my children are learning to do that and not in an artificial environment where they are learning to serve themselves. God's command for parents to teach their children all day long sure benefits the entire family. Thank you, Lord, for showing us what our responsibilities are as parents and for blessing us with our children.

Baby is 32 weeks

2010-10-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

Amazing. Just amazing how fast this pregnancy is going. I skipped quite a few weeks posting because a monumental event happened last month. My husband came home after being gone for 4 months!

I'm up to 107 pounds. And I feel it, especially after sitting for awhile and then getting up. Although this pregnancy has been pretty normal, I have been plagued by itchy red bumps on my belly. There's actually a name for this. It's called pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy (PUPPP) or polymorphic eruption of pregnancy. I've tried using coconut oil and it seems to help a little, but it's still pretty itchy. I'd think that after 7 pregnancies, my skin would've gotten used to being stretched, but apparently not. Other symptoms I'm experiencing are vulvar varicosities and hemorrhoids. Getting older and being pregnant does have side effects, I guess, for me, but despite these annoyances, it's still pretty exciting knowing that my baby is growing and will be born soon. This is such an active baby that there's hardly a time when I don't feel either the baby moving or my uterus contracting.

I haven't been walking as faithfully but I did go out yesterday and it felt good. I took a bath last night and I am very grateful there's an inflatable pool waiting in the garage for the birth. The bath tub was just way too shallow. What's so nice about the inflatable pool is that the bottom is also inflated so it's not hard like the bathtub. I would recommend getting an inflatable pool just for laboring in because it makes relaxation so much easier to come by even if the idea of birthing the baby isn't that appealing. For me, I love that the baby is supported by water when s(he) is birthed and no one has to catch the baby.

I don't know what made me so sure that I wanted a water birth with our first homebirth. I didn't read any books specifically on water birthing, although a few books did mention using water as a relaxation tool. My husband says he loves it, too. He likes how everything is all in one place and how unmessy it is. I've heard some homebirthers say they didn't realize how messy childbirth was but that hasn't been our experience at all. We've never had to clean floors or sheets because of the birth. All Chris has to do is to let the water out of the tub and we're all done. Doesn't get easier than that!

Family Picture

2010-10-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

We had a great time getting our family picture taken a few days ago. Really. Not just because we had such a good coupon, total paid for our 6 sheets was $9. And not just because we were given 9 ice cream coupons for the Dairy Queen next door to the photo studio. That helped, but the main reason the photo session turned out so well was because the photographer was fast and the children didn't have time to get tired of posing. I just wanted a family portrait so all she took were family shots. She didn't try to get different shots of the boys only, or the girls, or individuals. And then when we were selecting which pose to go with, there wasn't even a mention to buy more. I'm so glad we got to take this picture before the new baby is born.

Virtual relationships?

2010-09-05T00:02:00.000-07:00

I have questions about facebook that I think will keep me from signing up again. I took the plunge when a friend asked me about my son's facebook which I didn't know he had and when I realized that some friends switched to doing facebook rather than writing emails or calling. I quickly found that there were friends from all over who wanted to be friends again. How gratifying! How mundane I found it after a few days of reading about people's scores of games they play daily or their little snippets of life, but not really knowing what is really going on. I found it to be frustrating, too, wondering about the "secret" that someone posted but didn't reveal what the secret was. Of course, none of it is my business but that titillating tidbit created curiosity. I don't think the way I want to find out about a couple's marriage failing is through seeing that their marital status has been changed to complicated. I'm not sure just how free one is to express oneself on a social network where one may be afraid that some certain person should not know about something. That sounds complicated, doesn't it? I often hear of people saying that they don't want it known on facebook because of ... So, does that mean facebook really doesn't satisfy our intense need for real relationships and that we cannot be free to express to all of our friends just exactly what we want to say? Well, that makes sense since sometimes we can only tell one friend where we won't want to reveal to all of our acquaintances every thought we have, but facebook doesn't differentiate between casual and deep friendships, does it?

This article gives a good assessment of facebook.

I would like some feedback of how facebook works for you, please. I'm asking in all sincerity. Most of my friends are on there and I almost think I should be, too. You know, so that I'm connecting. A friend voiced a concern that I thought inevitable. She said she wasn't comfortable with some female friends of her husband's on facebook. I think it's easier to deal with those face to face relationships with the opposite sex. We normally just don't do it, right? Without our spouses. But on facebook, it's normal and so much easier to just add someone, anyone, as a friend. It could be that the success of facebook shows us how lacking we are to our friends. Maybe if we all reached out more on a real face to face level, there wouldn't be such a need for daily virtual affirmation?

Maybe I'm just worried that my children will one day communicate with us and each other on facebook. And that's it. And life goes on but we've connected.

Baby is 25 weeks

2010-09-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

I'm up to 102 pounds and my belly definitely shows it! My babies always sit low so breathing is never an issue but I do feel pressure in my pelvic area and much more so as I get nearer to birth.

While I am not comfortable with having anyone other than my immediate family at my births, I am considering having this birth videotaped by one of our older children. I think it may be a blessing to this child when s(he) becomes an adult or maybe it may help one of our children's spouses to understand more about homebirths if they don't know much about it. I think I will see how I feel about it when labor begins...maybe if the videotaping could be so unobtrusive as to not make me feel inhibited, it may happen. Maybe my husband might not be comfortable with the idea of our intimate birth captured on video. Sometimes my husband has reservations in areas I don't and vice versa.

At the grocery store today, an acquaintance asked to watch the birth of our baby. I explained about how private and intimate it is to us but that there was the possibility of a video. If a video of our birth could help others while not intruding into our privacy, then I think I'm up for it.

Here are some internet links to homebirth information:

http://www.gentlebirth.org/format/myths.html

http://www.gentlebirth.org/ronnie/homesafe.html

http://www.ministryofmidwifery.com/images/pdfs/HartlandFlyer2010.pdf
(What a wonderful opportunity this seminar would be for those interested in becoming a midwife or a doula!)

Childbirth books

2010-09-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

These are the books that I have on childbirth that are especially noteworthy:

A Book for Midwives
A manual for traditional birth attendants and community midwives
by Susan Klein

The Birth Partner: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Birth Companions
by Penny Simkin

The American Way of Birth
by Jessica Mitford

Homebirth
by Sheila Kitzinger

The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth
by Sheila Kitzinger

Immaculate Deception II
by Suzanne Arms

A Thinking Woman's Guide to a Better Birth
by Henci Goer

Obstetric Myths Versus Research Realities
by Henci Goer

Birth as An American Rite of Passage
by Robbie E. Davis-Floyd

Hearts and Hands: A Midwife's Guide to Pregnancy and Birth
by Elizabeth Davis

Special Delivery
by Rahima Baldwin

The Naturally Healthy Pregnancy
by Shonda Parker

The Five Standards for Safe Childbearing
by David Stewart

Emergency Childbirth
by Gregory White
(I printed my copy on my printer from an internet link but I can't seem to find a good link anymore.)

Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way
by Susan McCutcheon-Rosegg

Active Birth: The New Approach to Giving Birth Naturally
by Janet Balaskas

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth
by Ina May

I have found some of the above books on paperbackswap.com for free! No kidding! Homebirth, The American Way of Birth, The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth and others. I really didn't expect to find such treasures on paperbackswap but they're out there!

Please share what books you've found helpful with childbirth!

Baby is 24 weeks

2010-08-27T23:25:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to feel uncomfortable sleeping on my back. I toss and turn between sleeping on each side and get up in the morning feeling totally unrested. :( I haven't been walking very much the last few days so that could have contributed to my inability to rest well, too. I'm now a firm believer that daily exercise should not be underestimated in the benefits one derives from it.

This is such a small thing to go through to get to my reward that I'm definitely not complaining.

Here is an article that shows how hospitals are still manipulating women during childbirth. I think most people don't even realize that they and their baby become wards of the hospital when they check in. Statism has barged into hospitals and no one even minds.

Part of a hospital birth is the medicalization of a normal life event. I once read an article I wished I had kept. The author stated that the high cost of medical insurance could be cut if certain non-life threatening events were not automatically covered like prenatal care and childbirth. His reasoning was that unlike diseases and illnesses, pregnancy is neither and one can and should save up for the fees associated with it. Probably most people would disagree with him but I can totally see his point. Auto insurance doesn't pay for routine maintenance either.

Why do people not question the validity of all the tests and procedures they are subjected to by doctors? I applaud my son for forgoing IV sedation during his wisdom teeth extractions. The dentist gave him no other option but Max read the risks involved and decided he would rather go the safer route without additional drugs. I guess the answer to my question may lie in our trust of medical professionals. We expect that they would act in our best interests. It's easier to submit to their authority rather than to question it.

I've gone through four pregnancies and births without any kind of testing and have found that my trust in God has increased and my worries have decreased. (I do use dipsticks for confirming pregnancies.) I've missed out on hearing the baby's heartbeat, but really I didn't need even that to give me assurance that my baby is indeed there in my womb. I am not convinced that the doppler is really all that safe for babies anyway. :)
How many know that the doppler utilizes ultrasound technology? Who cares? Well, I do. And my advice is to ask your midwife to use a fetoscope instead of the doppler. There's no reason why you can't also listen with the fetoscope. Ask the midwife to get a longer cord. :) After all, you are paying for her services, right?

This is a great article about making wise decisions about technology in birth.

I'll just quote this one paragraph from the article.

"Is the increasing use of technology saving the lives of more pregnant and birthing women? In the United States the scientific data show no decrease during the past 10 years in the number of women who die around the time of birth (maternal mortality). In fact, recent data suggest a frightening increase in the number of women dying during pregnancy and birth in the United States. So it may be that the increase in the use of birth technologies is not only not saving more women's lives but it is also killing more women. This possibility has a reasonable scientific explanation: cesarean section and epidural anesthesia have both been used more and more in this country and we know that both cesarean section and epidural block can result in death."

Baby is 23 weeks

2010-08-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

There's no hiding the fact that I'm clearly with child now. It's good to be asked about how many children I have and to be able to express thankfulness to God and how we look forward to welcoming more blessings of children into our family. We're rather an oddity wherever we go. The children tell me that they notice people staring. It's good to be different this way and to be able to tell people that the reason for our family size is because we take God at His Word that children are a reward, blessings, and a natural and sweet consequence of a marriage that seeks to give glory to God.

I went to a seminar given by a Christian counselor called Caring for the Emotionally Damaged Heart. The speaker said that babies may experience emotional stress in utero! This would only make sense since we know that each little baby is a unique person that God has "knitted" together and knew from the foundation of the world. We know this little person has an eternal soul. S(he) can experience physical pain, so why not emotional pain? I wonder how many babies are emotionally stressed with their birthing experiences and how that affects their well being in the first days of their lives. Another huge reason to have a gentle birth at home.

Baby is 22 weeks

2010-08-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

I now weigh triple digits. Baby is definitely growing. This baby is more active than I remember my other babies. I wonder if that's any indication of a boy. Even Noah is rooting for a girl. I know when the baby is born and we find out what sex the baby is, we will be so happy to have that boy or girl. I think if I found out right now that we're going to have a boy, I may feel a little tiny bit disappointed just because I'm thinking we may have our third girl soon. I'd much rather just wait until birth and have no room whatsoever to have differing emotions about the baby's gender to deal with for the next 18 weeks. When I was expecting Noah and Noble, I thought both would be girls. And at their births, those thoughts were totally extinguished like they were never there. I'm so grateful that Chris doesn't want to find out ahead of time either.

I think the baby deserves some privacy. God gave him his special place to grow. All I need to do is to respect that this baby is his/her own person and is not ready to be outside of me. Should my curiosity preempt my baby's right to be left alone?

Since my husband asked...

2010-08-11T20:52:00.000-07:00

When Chris left, my belly was non-protruding.

I feel particularly huge today. Pictures never really show how big one feels. I feel much bigger than this picture shows. Then I found a picture of myself prior to Noah's birth and I don't feel quite so huge now. It's always so amazing to me that a body can stretch so much and not burst. God is an incredible creator.

What to do with one's loved one at death?

2010-08-09T21:54:00.000-07:00

I read this post at online.worldmag.com and thought it was thought provoking.

I have always been surprised at the popularity of cremation and wondered about it. Understandably, the fact that it costs much less than a funeral home assisted burial must be something that makes it attractive. Money seems to be the big motivator on the decisions we make. Practically speaking, it makes sense. Spiritually? What does money have to do with anything?

I guess most people really don't know all their options. Just as I did not know I could have a homebirth many years ago, I'm sure there are many people who do not know they do not need a business to take care of their dead. I have a book called Caring for the Dead: Your Final Act of Love. Isn't that a wonderful title? "In early America, home funerals were the practice everywhere, and each community had a group of women who came in to help with the "laying out of the dead." " The author, Lisa Carlson, goes on to write, "Just as they [baby-boomers] took back control of the birthing experience, many will choose to handle death more actively, more distinctively-with or without a funeral director." I have witnessed the taking control of the birthing experience by some in my generation, but I really haven't seen much of that in regards to caring for one's loved ones. I'd like to think that we automatically turn to the mortuaries and crematories instead of burying our own dead because this is what society has trained us to do. I hope it's not because the dead body is repulsive to us and we don't want to think about actually having to handle it.

What is it that mortuaries do that they are such an integral part of death? "The funeral industry, emerging between 1880 and 1920, successfully convinced the public (through the efforts of the newly formed National Funeral Directors Association) that professional services were necessary for proper care of the dead-with compatible laws and regulations quickly following. Embalming was the centerpiece of that effort. Families could place a body on ice to slow its deterioration, but only an experienced "professional" could embalm. In fact, embalming remains the only specific skill required in the undertaking business." So, it seems that we hire morticians to embalm and make our dead look like they're not dead. "Most people don't know that embalming is almost never required." And if that's the case, then why do it? So as to delay the funeral until the weekend where more people will attend? "Most people don't know that the normal funeral-type embalming "holds" a body for only a few days." Once a person is dead, is there any reason to keep their body life-like? I don't think so. I remember seeing my dead father's face in the casket at his funeral and thinking that the make-up on him is rather gruesome and that his hair was parted the wrong way. I would have preferred a closed casket. But the mortuary went through all that trouble to make him look good. What a waste that would've been! Maybe that is the kind of thinking that takes place when people make arrangements for funerals. And maybe it's to avoid all these funeral traditions that cremation has become so popular. Caring for the Dead isn't a Christian book and it references cremation. I think a Christian would want to go to the Bible for understanding how a dead body should be taken care of. As far as I know, burning of a loved one's dead is not a Christian practice. And even if Christians now practice it, I believe we should follow biblical precedence rather than cultural norms.

Not too long ago I read about a cemetery where I'd like to be buried in if we still didn't own our own land and family cemetery. This is the kind of cemetery where costs would be kept to a minimum and where one would have more control of the burial. I like what I read on their website: "Burial is not a waste of land, it protects and restores the land." But I'm praying that God would give us our own family resting place one day.

I pray for my family's health regularly and desire that God would give us long lives, especially for our children. But I also want to be prepared for our deaths. Surely if my husband and I are predetermined in our decisions regarding burial decisions prior to any of our family member's death, how much less stressful the arrangements would be when the time does come.

Death does not have the victory over the children of God. We are confidant of this and we rejoice in knowing that the life after, our eternal destination, is where we want to be. I pray that God would grant us peace and acceptance when that time comes. And that we'll be able to truly love and care for each other, in life and in death.

P.S. Another book that is insightful about burials and in particular, the funeral industry, is The American Way of Death written by Jessica Mitford. She also wrote the book I referenced to in my last post. I'm not sure where my copy is, otherwise I would've quoted from that book as well.

Baby is 21 weeks

2010-08-05T22:54:00.000-07:00

I no longer think I am really big for being this pregnant. I know I am! But I am also more than halfway so I should be getting big. I'm still intrigued by the disparity in sizes of bellies in pregnant women. Just as babies come in different sizes and shapes, it figures that pregnant bellies should too.    :)

I wish I had studied the history of childbirth before having children. I would have been better able to make a decision regarding my birthing choices. So many take our status quo for granted, as I once did. It never occurred to me that I didn't have to go to the hospital to have my first baby.

For an interesting read on childbirth history, I recommend Jessica Mitford's The American Way of Birth.

She wrote in her book, "In the year 1900, less than five per cent of all American births took place in hospitals; by 1939, 50 per cent of all women and 75 per cent of urban women chose hospitals for the purpose; by 1970, the figure had risen to close to 100 per cent."? Trends catch on fast, don't they? I wonder how many know that puerperal, or childbed, fever, was an epidemic that was only prevalent in maternity wards of the hospitals during the 18th and 19th centuries. And it was the single most common cause of maternal death. And the reason? Doctors weren't taught yet that they needed to wash their hands prior to vaginal exams and delivering babies. See, doctors are just like us. They don't know everything. Of course, now they know they need to wash their hands, but if medical schools continue teaching that babies measuring such and such must be delivered by C-section, they will go with that too. Here's an interesting tidbit on C-sections: Today, the single most important risk of puerperal infection is Caesarean section.

After doctors learned to wash their hands, it didn't seem that women fared that much better in hospitals. Women were treated like crazy criminals when they went to the hospitals to have their babies. They were strapped on the bed and given injections of morphine and scopalomine, a hallucinogenic, until she couldn't remember what was happening to her. Again, it would seem to be common sense, even to someone totally devoid of medical training, that causing a healthy woman to react negatively with drugs (hence the necessity of restraining her arms and legs with straps) is unacceptable. But that was long ago. Now in our enlightened age, are there safer ways of administering drugs so that there are no risks involved for both mother and baby? Certainly one is led to believe this and never told otherwise. 18 years ago, I wasn't even aware that I was getting an epidural until told to turn over. Not coping well with the contractions while laboring on the bed for hours with an external as well as an internal monitor on, we asked to see the doctor who had not shown him/herself yet. Instead of the doctor coming, I was given an epidural. Accordingly, "Uterine contractions can become weaker and less frequent. An oxytocin infusion is then necessary to improve labor and produce good strength contractions Mothers having epidurals have longer labors and have a higher incidence of the use of oxytocin than mothers having non-medicated deliveries." That was 18 years ago and I'm sure hospitals don't just force epidurals on people nowadays and SURELY they tell women the risks of epidurals before administering them. But just in case they don't, here's the package insert for the epidural medication manufactured by Abbot Laboratories:
Local anesthetics rapidly cross the placenta, and when used for epidural, caudal or pudendal anesthesia, can cause varying degrees of maternal, fetal and neonatal toxicity.... Adverse reactions in the parturient, fetus and neonate involve alternations of the central nervous system, peripheral vascular tone and cardiac function....
Neurologic effects following epidural or caudal anesthesia may include spinal block of varying magnitude (including high or total spinal block); hypotension secondary to spinal block; urinary retention; fecal and urinary incontinence; loss of perineal sensation and sexual function; persistent anesthesia, paresthesia, weakness, paralysis of the lower extremities and loss of sphincter control all of which may have slow, incomplete or no recovery; headache; backache; septic meningitis; meningismus; slowing of labor; increased incidence of forceps delivery; cranial nerve palsies due to traction on nerves from loss of cerebrospinal fluid.

Here's a theological question to think about. Does God desire for childbirth to so incapacitate the laboring mother that she should need laboring aides that may harm her? Someone once said that God gets all the credit while man gets all the blame. God gave grace. Grace to have the knowledge of coping with the work of childbirth. Grace to persevere in childbirth throughout history. From my own experiences, I had one birth with an epidural and 6 without. There is no comparison in the quality and satisfaction between the medicated and unmedicated births. If you had a positive experience with an epidural birth, I would challenge you to see if there would be benefits in forgoing the drug and accepting the grace that comes from the One who loves us and surely wants good for us. He, alone, can dole out the curses and give what it takes to handle them victoriously and joyously.

P.S. I really do hope that it is evident that my intention is not to malign doctors and hospitals. Doctors come away from medical schools with certain knowledge and they act accordingly. Doctors save lives. I pray that they may save mine if there was a medical emergency. Please note that I didn't write that doctors actually killed mothers when they gave them puerperal infections. Their lack of knowledge and women's lack of wisdom in going to the hospitals caused those tragedies. While the hope is that hospitals will offer us safe deliveries, one needs to understand that giving birth in a hospital has a high potential of resulting in surgery.

Baby is 20 weeks!

2010-08-01T22:46:00.000-07:00

Halfway! The weeks have been going by pretty fast still, although I know it always seems to slow down in the weeks before baby is born.

I'm having trouble falling asleep and am waking up numerous times during the night. This shouldn't happen until I get so big I'm too uncomfortable to sleep. I'm expecting to sleep better once my beloved comes home. Not too many more weeks now, although every week is one too many.

I've had a few comments on my pregnancy this past week. It's nice that I've gotten to the point where people don't have to wonder if I'm just really thick around the middle. :)

I was asked what advice to give a first time mom who will be delivering in a few weeks. The first thing that came to my mind was to understand the risks of an epidural and to remember that when one feels like one can't cope anymore, it probably means one is in transition and baby will soon be born.

I am very encouraged that homebirths seem to be on the rise. At least in my circle. I would think that in our internet age where information is so easily accessible that women would understand the risks of a hospital birth and that the rising C-section rate would deter women from planning hospital births. A woman's perception of childbirth will probably determine where she will birth. If she has the idea that childbirth is a medical event or a fearsome happening, she will more than likely think that the hospital will "save" her from anything bad happening or tell her how to have the baby.

The main reason we believe birthing a baby at home is safe is because childbirth is not an inherently dangerous medical event. We trust that God has designed the female body to be capable of birthing a baby. While some women may have medical conditions that require medical attention, most women do not need medical assistance in birthing a baby. They may think they need pain assistance, but that's because their fear of pain prohibits them from coping. Pain from childbirth is different from other sources of pain. This kind of pain comes and goes. It is a productive happening that is for good! What the pain suggests to me is that I'm not relaxing enough and I need to loosen my body and mind and not fight what's going on. We are all prone to pain avoidance. There is a drug for every discomfiture that one may experience. But there's no magic in the drugs. It doesn't make it all better. The symptoms may abate, but at what costs? The epidural that was given to me with my first birth when I was 8 centimeters stopped my labor. I remember crying at that point knowing that I'd much rather have the pain back and continuing on with my labor than for my body to quit doing what it was supposed to be doing. Of course, what often happens in the hospital is the cascading effect of more drugs. How lucky I was that they could give me Pitocin to put me back on track! I am being sarcastic in case you don't know that I dislike using the word "luck". I don't believe in luck. How does God's sovereignty and luck fit together? What is one saying about God when one says "Good luck!" Is that like saying, "May God be with you?" I don't think so. If you want to annoy me, tell me how lucky or fortunate I am to have 7 healthy pregnancies and births. And I'll tell you that God gets the glory and not luck. Sorry to have gone on that rabbit trail. It just irks me that Christians don't change their language habits to reflect that it is God who is in control.

Even if one understood all the risks of medical interventions at the hospital, one is still not at the liberty to birth in a natural and unhindered way. Birthing on a delivery table almost guarantees that a woman will tear. Her legs in the stirrups may assist the doctor in doing an unnecessary episiotomy and catch the baby more suitably, but that's purely for the doctor's benefit. If having my baby in an upright position was my only reason for a homebirth, it is reason enough. But of course, there are so many more reasons to not have one's baby in the hospital. Hospitals are where sick people go and there are germs there. Not like the germs in one's home. I would not want to deliberately expose my newborn to a place where disease and death is inevitable. I would not want to be in that environment either, come to think of it. I am not sick. And I don't want to get sick. Another reason childbirth should occur in one's home is because it's a private family matter. Why should male interns, male nurses or male doctors have anything to do with my body when I am not needing medical care? On the other hand, why should female nurses have anything to do with my body during childbirth? Everyone's fingers are different sizes, one person's 10 centimeters may be another's 7? To me, having a baby is as intimate as ... well, being intimate with my husband. Or to put it in the simplest terms, it's not unlike performing a natural function like going to the bathroom. Some may be comfortable having their extended family, church, and friends with them and to them, it's all good when it's in the privacy of their homes. They have control over their homes. It is a place of safety and peace. The hospital, no matter how nice, is a foreign place where one is a patient. Being a patient means that you give over control what happens to you. And to your baby. Being a patient means that this birth belongs to the hospital, not to you.

I am not against hospitals. One just shouldn't put oneself in a risky situation at the onset of a natural, family event. Should I need to transfer to the hospital, I will be grateful that there is medical help for me or for my baby. Because there is a possibility that I may need medical help doesn't alter the fact that childbirth is a normal and inherently safe life event. If I am going to allow fear to be the deciding factor on where to birth, I know the hospital will not alleviate that fear. Doctors are only human. But I am not going to allow fear to motivate me. Knowledge and wisdom have proven to me that home is where birth is safe and easy, compared to the hospital birth I experienced. I don't trust my body or the birthing process to make me feel safe. I trust in God in whom all good things flow.

Baby is 19 weeks

2010-07-23T23:32:00.000-07:00

God has delivered me! I haven't had hives in nearly 2 weeks now.

This is a very active baby. I feel baby move all the time. Being a mother is so utterly fascinating.

We've been walking nearly everyday, except when it rains. A couple of days ago, I decided to run the last stretch home and it felt so good. I think running is something everyone should try to do sometime. You can't be that old if you can run. :)

Chris and I have been talking about names and discussing whether to get a bigger birthing pool. There's something about my husband's love for our baby that makes me feel so tender towards him. His interest and involvement in our upcoming birth is all that I need. I don't need a doctor relying on machines to worry me or a midwife letting me know that the baby's getting bigger. While I am still curious about why I feel that I am bigger with this baby than with my other pregnancies, I am not wanting any outside interference. Chris also is very relaxed about most things and has no desire to find out anything about the baby. Once upon the time, before we were blessed with girls, he thought that he'd like to know if we were having a girl. The thought came and went and to our astonishment, we did indeed have a daughter with our first homebirth. I think the surprise and utter joy that came with Hana's birth just confirmed to us that not knowing the details of a gift beforehand was something worth waiting for. With my previous pregnancies, the question that is always asked is if I'm having a boy or girl. I am not so obviously pregnant yet, so I haven't been asked that question yet but I know it is coming. Maybe I should try to be straight forward and not confuse people with the answer I have given in the past, "Yes." Definitely a boy or a girl. And then when they understand that we don't want to find out, inevitably would come the trite, "Well, just as long as it's healthy and normal." Um, no, that will be fine, too. We know that God loves us and works all things for our good so how could we reject anything He brings into our lives? A baby is a baby. Healthy or not, normal or not. A baby is a blessing. Period. Thank you so very much, God, for giving us this blessing. Everyday with this new baby is a blessing. I treasure the days I have with this babe in utero just as much as I am anticipating loving the days after his or her birth. How can a woman in her child-bearing years reject the wonder and miracle of new life? A life created in the image of our Lord and Savior! I don't know. It may have something to do with feminism, which really is just another name for self-ism. Or being deceived by our cultural mantra that there is such a thing as having too many children. There are people I dread knowing about our new baby. They want to shame us into thinking that this little being, HUMAN being, should not exist. If I am ever bold enough, I may just ask, "Which one of our seven should not be here?" How can our 8th child be more of a burden and less of a joy than our first? It really doesn't make sense but I know that this worldview of children as burdens is quite prevalent, even among Christians. I think it's past time that churches denounce birth control and affirm one of the reasons for marriages, to bring forth godly seed. Of the churches we have attended, only the family integrated churches teach about the blessings of a fruitful womb. What a sad indication of how the church is not giving forth the whole counsel of Scripture.

I think of those I know personally who purposefully won't ever experience the sanctifying work and indescribable joys of raising a child and I grieve for them. They have been robbed and they do not even know it.

Baby is 18 weeks!

2010-07-15T23:12:00.000-07:00

The baby is finally the size of one of my favorite things to eat. :)

I am getting bigger and bigger. So big, I don't see how I can be due around the same time as 2 friends who do not look anywhere near as big as I am. Hmmm, I am not gaining that much and yet, I feel that my belly is getting enormous. I think this may be what happens when one is on one's 8th pregnancy. At least, this is what is happening to me. I saw a picture of a woman who was pregnant with her 10th baby and at 30 weeks, she looks like what I look like now. I guess I am just getting dumpy in my old age. 39 is definitely not young anymore, yet I don't really feel quite old yet. I have to smile when I remember that I once thought that I'd be old when I turned 30. I was 30 when I had my first homebirth and my first daughter. It was a good year. Now I am almost 40 and I still don't feel too old to be having a child. I think as long as I can bear children, I will not feel too old to have them. It's true that age does affect a pregnancy, but I think being active and healthy goes a long way. Feeling old is really a relative thing. For me, I will know I am old when I no longer want to go outside with my children. I will be old when I want to be alone, a lot. I will be old when I have great grandchildren and I will love it!

We were at a friend's house last night for prayer meeting. After the prayer time, the ladies and I talked about childbirth. It's good for men and women to talk separately sometimes. :) We talked about giving birth at home and about our different pregnancies. Our hostess is a young mother very near her delivery time. She seems so comfortable with the impending birth of her first child. I am very glad to be part of the older women group that can give some experiential advice to a younger woman. I don't remember talking to many women about childbirth before I gave birth for the first time. I don't know why I didn't ask a lot of questions and no one seemed eager to share their childbirth stories with me. I read some books and wasn't too fearful, but I wasn't very confidant either. I know my mother gave birth naturally without drugs but I didn't know how she coped with her labors. I knew my father couldn't be with my mother while she birthed but then she said she didn't want him to be there. It's interesting how fathers were kept away from their wives so that the professionals could handle everything. How can a husband be an advocate for his wife when he's not even part of the process? It's good that hospitals have changed their policies on where a father should be allowed to be when his wife is giving birth to their child. But still in a hospital, there's only so much a father is allowed to do. He is really helpless to do anything for his wife and can only be a bystander. When a woman births at home, her husband is still the head of his domain. He has the capacity to give as much support to his wife as she desires and the authority to do so. He doesn't have to be given permission to cut his baby's umbilical cord. He can be the first to touch the baby if that is the couple's desire. He can be actively involved and not passively wait to be told where he should stand and watch. Some men may not feel comfortable in this environment, but what a man he who can be just as intimately involved with the birth of their baby as with the conception. Husband and wife are one flesh in marriage. We experience that so beautifully in our homebirths. I lean on my husband for emotional support and he trusts my body to do what God designed it to do. I am so grateful that he desires to be with me when I birth and does not neglect me. And I am thankful that he is not a fearful man. He understands childbirth to be a natural process that can be accomplished without medicalization. And very importantly, he trusts me. He trusts that I wouldn't attempt something I am not qualified to do. :) We're a good team. I'm looking forward to another birth with my husband. Wow...we're on a good roll here. This will be the 5th birth that he will have attended. 4 of them at home. So, he's only missed 3 births, that's not too bad.

Exercising together...living together

2010-07-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

We were heading for the auto salvage today and it was in the direction of a new park that we've started going to so we decided to load up a couple of bicycles and we all ended up getting some exercise. The boys rode their bikes on the trails and I took the girls and Noah and walked. Even though it was quite warm today, it wasn't that hot in the woods. The trees kept the sun out and we didn't get all hot and sweaty. The boys did, but that was because we found out that mountain trail riding takes mountain bicycles.

If there are overweight children and parents out there, could it be because they are not spending enough time eating together and having fun together? I don't understand why there's this philosophy that children should play with their friends while their parents stay indoors. I know my parents loved me and they took good care of me when I was growing up but what I remember doing the most together as a family was watching Chinese videos. We didn't do a whole lot of it but other than eating together, that is a memory I have of my family. School seemed to be the main focal point of my growing up years.

No wonder a homeschool movement needed to be started. And family integrated churches. Being together as a family and discipling one's children really shouldn't have to be taught, but our culture has so ingrained each one of us that we need to spend time taking care of ourselves that these movements really became necessary. My husband and I both agree that going to school didn't prepare us for life whatsoever. It made us into egotistical, selfish people. We put ourselves and our friends over our family on a daily basis. And we didn't even realize how anti-family schools were until we had our children and saw how important it was that they spent time together, living and learning and loving each other. We are reading an economics book that views the government as something that harms a society more than it does good. I see schools as in the same category. Although schools may make it easier for parents to pursue their own careers and hobbies, the institution is anti-biblical and anti-family. I know many parents do not even have the slightest idea what sending their children off to school does to their child. They do not know the statist and atheistic views a government school indoctrinates in their children. They trust that the state would have their child's best interests. I understand this and so I don't blame my parents for my public schooling years. I know they didn't know of another way. They didn't know parents could or should educate their children themselves. Just like I didn't know that I could birth a baby in the safety of my own home in the beginning. So this post definitely is not chiding parents who have put their children in schools. I believe families have to guard against culture invading their homes, especially a godless culture that deems children as burdens that need to be brought up by institutions. One definition for culture is religion externalized. We all know how godless our culture is and yet we don't seek to protect our children from the evil influences that emanates from every segment of our culture. How can this be? Our love of self and our love of pleasure propels us to seek self over spending time living life together with our precious little ones. I know I struggle against putting my family's interest over my own often. I get frustrated if things don't go the way I want it to go. I desire that the children always get along and do what they're supposed to do. I don't like to have to correct them all day long and show them what the Bible says about the way we should act and talk. But when I do decide that my priority is indeed to mother my children and to teach them of God's ways, I always reap the rewards of knowing that there's nothing better I could be doing.

We will not have overweight children. If they even start looking like they need to exercise more, I will know it's also my problem. I was not exercising enough. I do care about healthy living and I know my children will benefit if I don't keep it to myself but include them in all that I learn. How easy it is to tell our children to do as we say and not as we do. How utterly ineffective for our children to learn to do differently from us if they see us indulging in sins or not exercising godly living.

I wish children didn't have to become adults before parents realize that spending time with their children is something they actually desire to do. I hope our children will not grow up thinking that they wished their parents had invested more of their time in them. Well, I know I can do more than hope. I can obey the Bible where it tells me to teach my children all day long. Not just during our schooling hours, but to invest my life into theirs. I would be very surprised if my children decide not to homeschool or homebirth or eat healthily and naturally when they are on their own. I will know that teaching really has not taken place in our home and that our children took in other people's values over ours. But I'm praying that the time we've spent with our children will not be fruitless.

Another reason for this post is that it's (almost) never too late, too late to be convicted to be in God's will and to do something about it. I've seen examples of this with our friends. Our long time friends from Hawaii were convicted that surgically preventing future offspring was not God's way and corrected their mistake with a tubal reversal. And God blessed with 3 more precious children! And there is Delta. She is a grandmother of 4 grandchildren. Though she had but one child, these four grandchildren are not too much for her. She takes them canoeing and plays with them at the beach, in the waves, no less. She made a deliberate move to live in close proximity to her daughter and grandchildren. I don't know if her daughter realizes what a treasure her mother is, but I know the grandchildren do. The littlest one, who is only 3, told Delta that she wants to be just like grandma when she grows up. Now, that is the ultimate compliment a grandchild can give to a grandparent, I would think. Then there is a young lady I met at a church who told me that she went away to college but was convicted that her home was where she should be serving at until she had her own family and she moved back home and is joyfully contented as a young adult living and serving in her family.

I don't think it's ever too late to disciple one's children. I hear of mothers who say that they are discontented with their children's school, but will keep them in until the end of the school year. If something is not good, why not go towards something that is good, right away? I know of adult children who don't respect their parents and the parents allow that in their home because they believe their children are now grown and they can no longer exert any influence or control in their own home! I find that deplorable. The Bible doesn't give us an age where a fool is too old for the rod. We tell our children that they need to always treat our home as if they are welcomed guests. They need to be how they would act at any other's home. Even when they are grown, we will eat together and be considerate of one another. A family isn't just where people can act however they want to, but where they are always special to each other. I know I take my family for granted and do not treat even my husband with respectful consideration and I need to continually seek forgiveness. I do not want my children to grow up and not talk to their siblings for months at a time. I do not want the children to think that their family existed to serve them until they are self reliant. No, if we are training our children right, they would think their primary duty is to serve God and to serve their neighbors, with their family being their closest neighbors. One day, our children will grow up and think about the things our family did. And they will remember that we did them together as a family. So, is it important for a mother to stay with her children at home? How can it not be when children need to be nurtured by the ones who God entrusted with?

I talked about government schools but didn't touch upon Christian schools. Our first hand experience with a Christian school was that it took away from the family as much as the government schools. The churches we once attended that had schools drew the mothers away from their homes to serve as teachers in the schools. And the children became segregated from their siblings and spent the majority of their waking hours with other children, under the authority of other adults. We recently went to a friend's graduation. Her mother talked about what happened to their daughter when they put their 2 children in a Christian school after home educating them for many years. The siblings grew apart and the daughter become rebellious. The children came home after the year at the Christian school and it's made all the difference. We've witnessed the change towards godliness in our sweet young friend and we rejoice at God's goodness in directing her parents on where they should entrust their daughter's soul. It was not even in a "safe" Christian school.

Ignorance does not excuse. Not in God's eyes nor in the eyes of our government. We are not to act unrighteously, but that is hardly an easy task when we are often shaped by our culture. We do what our friends and neighbors do. Pretty soon we do even what strangers do. It takes constant study of Scripture for us to not conform to this world. What is acceptable to the world should not be acceptable to us if it goes against Scripture. A movie we all like is Time Changer. This is a good story for showing what happens to a society when Jesus is taken out of morality. Society degenerates. It is easy to imagine people from the turn of the century being shocked at the values people hold today. They would be shocked that women don't look or act like women. In fact, they are hardly distinguishable from men. They would be shocked that children are relegated to day care centers from the time they rise to when the sun goes down. They would be shocked that Sunday is a day like any other, where people frequent businesses and engage in the same activities as they would during the week. They would be shocked that children treat their parents with open disrespect. And the list goes on... People change with their culture and do not hold to their parents' views, it seems. Fiddler on the Roof is an interesting story that shows that while tradition is seemingly what keeps a family together, change is inevitable. (Each one of the daughters goes against the father's wish in marriage. The father complains but is powerless to convince his daughters that his traditions are what is most important.) This is certainly true for many cultures and many families. But it doesn't have to be with true Christianity. If fathers held to a multi-generational vision about sowing God's faithfulness in their families, their children would not remove the ancient landmarks. If the children have been brought up not just knowing religion, but serving a true living God that permeates in every aspect of their lives, then the children will not be double minded and go where the wind takes them. If parents invested in their children's lives and hold themselves responsible for what the children should learn and do and who they should spend time with, the children will grow up knowing that their family is worth their time and affection. Of course, there will always be the prodigal sons, the ones who must experience life the hard way before accepting God's will. By God's grace, the godly seeds sown in childhood may one day bring forth repentance and salvation.

Parenting is sanctifying work. I have realized that I must not give of myself here and there but give wholeheartedly and in every way, communicate to my child that time spent in nurturing and discipling is a joy and is something I would rather do than anything else. I am not very sanctified yet but my prayer is that God will continue to enable me to strive for excellence in my calling as a mother and not be content with my daily habit of being annoyed and dissatisfied with my children.

My children were talking about how I used to sing to each of them when they were little. I don't know why I stopped when they got older, but I am glad we all sing together now. I am glad, too, that those early memories are still there. A family is what God chose to begin humanity. We need to cherish our families by attending to our children "when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. Deuteronomy 11:19

More Noahisms

2010-07-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

Noah, Noble and I were at the store and we told a lady about using the coupon machine at the front of the store to get a $1 coupon for anything in the store. I offered for Noah to get the coupon for her and she was happy with that. She talked to him a bit and complemented him by telling him that he was cute. Noah didn't skip a beat and answered, My brother's cuter. :)

If only that kind of humility stays with a child.

Coming back to the coupon...

We were very happy to get the $1 coupon and told everyone around us. We were quite surprised that the general response was a lack of interest. I think the US is really not that bad off economically after all. I guess if the government can print up as much money as it likes, what's a dollar?

Baby is 17 weeks old

2010-07-09T10:00:00.000-07:00

Baby is active as ever. I am trying to stay active as well. We've been walking 2-3 miles daily for the past week. And it really does feel good to be exercising. It's so easy to neglect to exercise but once I start, I realize that I really do need it. Noah turned 4 in March and no longer needs to go in the stroller! He is doing so well. He will keep up with me if I hold his hand. What a trooper! We've discovered that we don't have to go on the busy main road to get to the grocery store, which is only a mile and a half from our house. We can safely walk on the grassy side away from the road. I really like that our walking serves more than one purpose. We bought some cherries and the children thought it was a good reward for walking home fast.

I wish there were some issues where once you've looked into the matter, you can come to a definitive stance and be done with it. Circumcision is something I am still conflicted about. Once upon a time when I didn't think it necessary to be fully informed before making a decision, circumcision wasn't a difficult issue. My husband was circumcised so our son would be circumcised. How easy was that? It wasn't that easy, though, taking our first born to the pediatrician's office and handing our baby over and having to sit in the waiting room until our baby was brought out to us. For our next 2 sons, I insisted on being with them during the circumcision. Even though it wasn't planned on my part, our first son was circumcised on the 8th day after birth. I scheduled the next 2 to occur on the 8th day as well. There are biblical as well as medical reasons for doing a circumcision on the 8th day. Vitamin K and prothrombin levels are at their peak on the 8th day. They are responsible for blood coagulation.
When I became interested in having a homebirth, I read many books on childbirth. Every single book advocates against circumcision. Could it be that circumcision was an American cultural trend that goes in and out of style? Many cultures never circumcised. It seems that circumcision was done primarily by Jewish people who do not accept the New Testament and Caucasians who are bound by tradition. What I'd like to know is what God expects of us in terms of circumcision for our sons today. Does He command it? It would seem that He does not. Then why do it? Practically speaking, there may be risks on both sides of the issue. I'm not convinced that penile cancer is a threat that can be removed by circumcision. It's good to know that penile cancer is not common.

Without conclusive data showing circumcision to be necessary, we didn't circumcise our 4th son. When I was pregnant with Noble, Chris and I discussed circumcision again. In the end because Chris personally preferred circumcision, we made the decision to circumcise once again.  We were not very happy with Noble's circumcision. We choose to go with a Jewish doctor recommended by many of our friends. It was a routine office procedure. We had to wait for quite some time and when we objected to the vitamin K shot, we were told the doctor would not do the circumcision. We felt pressured to accept something that we knew was unnecessary. The very reason for circumcising on the 8th day was that hemorrhage would not be an issue but maybe the doctor trusted his vitamin K shot more. :(
It seemed to me that a lot of skin was cut off. I didn't have peace about the whole procedure.

If circumcision was something that God wants Christians to do for their sons, why does God not make it explicitly clear in the New Testament? Then again, we see the Old Testament food laws beneficial to our health, so cannot also circumcision be beneficial in the same way?

Maybe you can persuade me that circumcision is something more than just mere preference? But even then, my husband's preference outweighs my ambivalence about this crucial decision.
Chris is such an understanding husband and is willing to listen to my ideas. I could've persuaded him not to go through with Noble's circumcision, but I deferred to him and I'm glad I did. It seems to me that wives are more concerned with certain issues more than their husbands. Or maybe it's just that women think about them and then some more, whereas their husbands are comfortable in the status quo. Most people are probably happy to continue on a tradition, but if I did that and continued hospital birthing, for instance, I know that would not serve our family as well.

Sigh...I hope we have a girl hereafter.

Out of the mouth of babes

2010-07-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

The children are always saying things that I want to write down so I can remember them, but alas, so many times, I don't do it right away and those precious words get lost forever.

Noah and I had a little exchange this morning:

Mama: Noah, you are my helper today.

Noah: Everyday!

Mama: What would I do without you?

Noah: Ask Max or Lucas or Josiah

And just now:

Noah: Mama, I know what I can give to Lucas for his birthday!

Mama: What?

Noah: A real live kitten!
I'm just joking.

(Our cat had 4 kittens a couple of days ago.)

Baby is 16 weeks

2010-07-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

The hives keep coming back. :(

If this continues, I may have to spend my days and nights with oatmeal, in the bathtub. The baths help a little, but doesn't take the hives away. Soaking in the tub is relaxing...until the baby wakes up. I am reminded why a water birth is so helpful.

My stomach muscles must have taken a permanent vacation. I feel quite fat and out of shape. I guess round is a shape, but I'm only 4 months along. I really shouldn't be looking so pregnant. Of course the thought of twins always pops into my mind, but 7 babies and it hasn't happened so it probably won't with this pregnancy either.

I have been praying for the birth. I may have full confidence in our birthing choice but without God, I don't know where I'd be. At the mercy of the hospital, I suppose.

I am praying for a smooth, uncomplicated labor and delivery. Most of my labors have started during the night but then continued on into the afternoon. I'm praying again to labor at night but to have the baby well before the sun rises. A short labor will be so different and so welcomed. I should have prayed that I wouldn't dread every contraction with my last labor. I never felt that I lost focus last time, but the dread of the coming contractions was very defeating. I am praying for not only strength for each contraction, but complete peace and restfulness in between the contractions. This time I really want to be able to cooperate more with my mental desire to ease the baby out and not just go with my body's intense compulsion to eject the baby out with one push. I don't want to keep testing the water's ability to keep me from tearing. I believe when I commit every single thought to God that He would be faithful and give me peace and strength to labor well.

This will be my first winter birth. I am especially thankful that Chris should be here to keep the pool warm and to support me during the birth.

Loveliness can be addicting!

2010-07-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

It doesn't even take a green thumb to grow vegetables

2010-06-28T21:14:00.000-07:00

All it takes is having a compost hole. Some time ago, we discovered seedlings in our old compost hole. We were curious as to what might be growing. I guessed squash. Turned out to be these cute little pumpkins. I can't even try to take credit for it. When I mention that we are growing pumpkins, Noah would say that they grew all by themselves. He is right. We had nothing to do with it. God gifted us with these seedlings and I am grateful that sometimes vegetable gardening is not hard at all.

Baby is 15 weeks old

2010-06-28T21:06:00.000-07:00

I find that I have to go to the bathroom more frequently, especially during the night. My uterus is considerably larger. I've gained 2 pounds. Maybe more. It depends on when I weigh myself. I had a bout with hives last week that I hope is not pregnancy related. Usually towards the end of my pregnancy I would get these really itchy little red bumps on my belly. I attribute that to the stretching of my skin. The hives came without explanation and was quite intolerable. For now, I feel well and am still very happy every time I feel the baby move.

Loveliness

2010-06-23T21:29:00.000-07:00

We went to the grocery store and bought a few items. The 20 things in the picture cost me $1.40. Did you notice that the yogurt was organic? Healthy food CAN be had and it doesn't have to break the bank. On the way out of the store, I was stopped by some beautiful roses. It was the color that made them irresistible to me. I debated whether I should spend $5 on these gorgeous 10 stems. I am glad my frugal side lost out this time. I sent Chris a picture of the roses and told him that he could have them. And give them to me, if he'd like. He did. Now, I don't have to feel like I splurged. The children wondered what the occasion was. I told them that we needed this little bit of loveliness in our home today. And just because. And I got my husband to treat me with them in the end, so I think it turned out to be a very good shopping day.

P.S. I hope I don't sound like I'm bragging about how little I spent on my groceries today. I can waste money with the best of them. I just wanted to demonstrate that God does provide and eating healthy can be done, even on a budget.

Potty training under way

2010-06-23T21:16:00.000-07:00

I've put off potty training Noble for long enough. With the other children, when they turned 18 months, we tackled potty training and everyone learned quickly. Noble is 21 months and not getting any younger.

Noble certainly didn't want to sit on the potty after the initial curiosity. I had to make him sit. And sit. And sit. It's good that he drinks a lot. We usually don't have to wait long after he sits before he'll pee. Then we both clap. After awhile, he caught on that clapping meant that he did well and could get up so he tried clapping too soon, before he peed. And wanted to get up. He was quite unhappy when I wouldn't let him up. We've had accidents, here and there, but all downstairs because I've purposed to stay downstairs with him without his pull-ups on these past few days. I'm so glad we changed out the carpet in the living room. Even when he pooped on the floor, it wasn't a big deal. Today, he actually sat on the potty by himself and pooped! I was so thrilled. He got a Kixt Kat chocolate. I haven't been rewarding him because he seemed to be peeing regularly in the potty but I'm going to make sure he knows how wonderful it is that he's going number 2 in the potty. This really hasn't been that hard. His siblings felt sorry for him when I first had to make him sit and he'd wail but now he doesn't. He's learning self control, I believe. It's only been a few days and he's certainly not potty trained yet, but I'm encouraged that we are having fewer and fewer accidents. I now take off his diaper first thing after he wakes up and I'll put him on the potty directly. We are down to using only 1 diaper for the night and one pull-up during the day. Wished I'd started earlier. Potty training is really the parent being committed to not putting a diaper on the child and consistently using the potty. I really don't mind that it seems that we're occupied with the potty all day long. Better than changing diapers. And so much better for his skin. It's amazing how much joy a little child can give just by going in the potty. It's so nice to see him happy with his own accomplishment and clapping with delight. I am so happy that I can have the privilege of being the one to coax all these milestones. That I don't have to find out about them happening to my child. That I get to be one to experience the fullness of my child learning a new skill. God has given me such a good life.

Can swimming be done modestly?

2010-06-19T22:05:00.000-07:00

I think so. The girls are wearing swim dresses made of swim suit material. They have rash guards and swimming shorts underneath.
Everyone wears rash guards in our family because it's very helpful. It keeps our torsos and arms from getting sunburned. Why is it modest for men to be topless? We believe boys and men should be clothed and not half dressed. Same principle applies with the opposite sex, of course.

What is it about the beach and other swimming places that make clothes so unnecessary? Because of the activity and the location, one can be seen wearing underclothing? Men, save your hairy chests (or lack of) for your wives. Ladies, please don't tempt my boys with how little clothes you can get away with.

It's just too bad that swimming has become an x-rated activity.

How about some modesty quotes?

Modesty is the color of virtue. Diogenes of Sinope

Modesty used to be considered a natural female attribute. No more. Linda Chavez

As blushing will sometimes make a whore pass for a virtuous woman, so modesty may make a fool seem a man of sense. Jonathan Swift

Modesty is the conscience of the body. Honore de Balzac

No education can be of true advantage to young women but that which trains them up in humble industry, in great plainness of living, in exact modesty of dress. William Law

Nothing can atone for the lack of modesty; without which beauty is ungraceful and wit detestable. Richard Steele

Baby is 14 weeks old

2010-06-17T21:04:00.000-07:00

I think I feel the baby moving. I say I think because they are so light but they are definitely there. Coming from my uterus. One of the best parts about being a woman.

Update: After I got off the computer and went to bed, almost immediately I started to feel a very obvious "hic". Then another and another... Right where my uterus is. It went on for a couple of minutes. I was thrilled to update that "think" to "know". I know my baby has hiccups and I can feel the baby's little movements. I don't know of another sensation that I can compare it to. Quite exhilarating!

I have been praying that I could feel the baby very soon. 14 weeks is fairly soon, I believe. God is so faithful in answering prayers.

Old look or new look

2010-06-10T22:05:00.001-07:00

What do you think?

Baby is 13 weeks old

2010-06-10T21:58:00.000-07:00

I really can't complain that this pregnancy is not progressing fast enough.

I would very much like to feel the baby move. Maybe this week!

Still trying to walk to feel energized and be more fit. It feels good to move.

The role of woman

2010-06-09T20:37:00.001-07:00

Can it be that of man?

Here is good reading to provoke some thoughts.

Noble is growing up

2010-06-08T20:14:00.000-07:00

My milk is gone. I am in my 12th week of pregnancy so that's not too bad, I think. Noble has done a tolerable job in accepting that his nursing days have come to an end.

I have tried to transition him as slowly as I could. I was nursing him really only in the mornings and evenings and sometimes before his nap. This morning I didn't nurse him when he woke up. It was a bit hard on him but he didn't fuss for long. We had breakfast and then he was fine. He fussed longer before he'd take his nap without being nursed but he did fall asleep after a bit. Tonight was the best it could've been. He fussed for only a tiny bit and then just lay next to me. I thought that he'd miraculously fallen to sleep in record time. But he was still awake. When he saw that I was looking at him, he grinned at me. And then he drifted off to sleep. So very very sweet.

If my milk hadn't stopped, I probably would still be nursing him. God works all things in His perfect timing. I don't think I'm going to miss nursing Noble that much. He's much more independent than Noah was and can be away from me longer. It's been a wonderful nursing relationship and I'm glad that the weaning process was as fast as it was and not too painful for either of us.

Size of baby at 12 weeks

2010-06-08T13:25:00.000-07:00

Who should pay for one's medical needs?

2010-06-06T00:47:00.000-07:00

1. The government.

2. The church.

3. Oneself.

I know most people know the answer to this one. But what happens when that one hasn't saved for whatever reason and there is no money to meet a medical need?

Of course that is when people, God's people, meet needs. A church doesn't even need to officially step in.

I think, in the long run, it behooves an individual and certainly a family to have a preventative mindset when it comes to needing money. We choose to birth at home and treat illnesses at home not because we don't have insurance, but because we believe we are equipped to deal with these things on our own. However, when they are out of the scope of what we can handle, like surgery, we don't want the church to pay for us while we are spending money on organic food and taking trips. We all make choices in what we spend on. I'd like to think that if we've made no provisions for that unexpected medical need that we would be willing to go into debt rather than burden a church family on account of our lack of foresight.

If we didn't have military insurance, I believe I would be highly interested in Samaritan Ministries because it is based on biblical principles. People who want to be helped are contributing today so that there is money to pool from if and when they need that help. They are already helping other people even before their own need arises, often times.

For some reason, I think when it comes to medical needs, even Christians believe it to be their right to have care. And that one's choice and quality of care shouldn't be based on money. But why ever not, if we are a free market society and different professions make more money depending on their value to people?

I believe the Bible teaches that we are to take care of our health. We are not to be like the heathen and eat whatever we want to and engage in whatever lifestyle we want to. We are responsible for our health. Not the government, not the church. I think Christians should be one of the healthier people around. Visibly healthier. Desiring exercise and restraining from gluttony. We shouldn't be full of the Spirit and totally indulgent in our flesh. I am including myself because I see myself indulging when I know better. When I don't even really want to. But just because the temptation is there. We should not separate the spirit from the body. Both need to be in a healthy state.

Heath, often is, a result of knowledge and the will power to act upon it. Not always, of course, as there are diseases that are genetically predetermined, but on the whole, healthy people are those who want to be healthy and who study to be healthy and then live in a healthy way. On purpose. It disturbs me greatly when I hear about those who say that it doesn't matter how one lives because there are people who live long lives with bad health practices. Their lives may be long, but how healthy were they living it? It's not just about the end, right? The process should be important. We shouldn't defile our bodies with impure foods and unclean substances. That is one reason we reject vaccinations. It is not a healthy thing to do with one's body. To avoid a certain risk by taking on another is highly suspect, I believe, in the way God would have us do things. We ought not to gamble with our lives. But rather we are to seek God on health, both spiritually and physically.

I think while God can use us when we make poor choices regarding our finances or health, we give Him more glory when we are deliberate with everything we take in our bodies and how we spend our money. To God be the glory.

Baby is 12 weeks old!

2010-06-04T12:31:00.000-07:00

Why on earth do you have so many children?

2010-06-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

We've been asked this question numerous times not only by unbelievers, but , sadly, by Christians as well.

I thought I should try to see how many answers I can give them next time they ask.

1. We believe God to be true to His Word in Psalm 127:3.

Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.

2. We understand one of the purposes of marriage.

And did not he make one? Yet had he the residue of the spirit. And wherefore one? That he might seek a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth. Malachi 2:15

3. Another promise from God.

Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. I Timothy 2:15

4. We love children. Especially the ones God gave to us.

5. It's natural. :)

6. It's good for our marriage.

7. It's good for us individually. Raising a child is sanctifying work.

8. Children make life fun.

9. It's good for the children.

10. It's good for others.

11. We look forward to having numerous descendants. We'll be content to have 10 grandchildren from each of our children. :)

12. Nothing compares to the love a child has for his parents.

13. Children teach us so many things.

14. Don't worry. We actually do know what causes it. And that's one of the fun reasons for having more, too. :)

Grace's birth story

2010-06-02T23:49:00.000-07:00

Grace is our second daughter and second homebirth. Her birth story was a testimony to God's faithfulness in answering specific prayers throughout my pregnancy and the birth itself.

My pregnancy was different with Grace than the others because my cycle had never returned. I was still nursing Hanalora, albeit only once at night and once in the morning. We had just moved to Guam and I thought I should do a pregnancy test just to be able to accurately tell the dentist that I was not expecting. I was very surprised that the test was positive. Hanalora was 15 months when I found out. I didn't have any pregnancy symptoms that would make me even suspect that I might be pregnant. But then again, I really don't have a lot of pregnancy symptoms in general.

Chris and I were much more relaxed with this pregnancy and knew just how we were going to proceed. Just like last time. We couldn't find a midwife with Hanalora and had a wonderful homebirth just by ourselves. It's such a peaceful state to be in knowing that there was nothing to be done but wait for baby to come. No due date to aim for. That was an incredibly freeing thing. It was a little unsettling at first, not knowing when I conceived and what due date to tell people. But I got to like it. And felt very comfortable that this was going to be a very different sort of pregnancy.

Chris had to leave Guam often for his work. At first I didn't really think that there would be a possibility that he would miss the birth. Again. But of course I knew that it could very well happen. He'd missed 2 previous births already. I never thought about not birthing at home. I also knew that I didn't want a midwife. I don't know that I could've found one there, anyway, if I had wanted one. Guam is very, very small. I thought I would be praying fervently for Chris to be there for the birth, but that wasn't what I was led to pray. I did pray that if God so willed, to have Chris be there, but there wasn't much pleading there. I began praying that God would give me total peace about birthing alone if Chris wasn't there. I believe God gave me the desire to pray that way because there wasn't a time when I thought about birthing by myself and not having peace about it. I actually began thinking that it would be interesting! I knew I would not fear the birth. Since the birth of my second baby that took place in a birthing clinic in Japan, I knew there wasn't anything to fear about giving birth if I didn't need to go to a hospital. I knew, too, that I would not fear birthing without my husband. When we couldn't find a midwife with our first homebirth, I started reading birthing books and realized that no one needed to attend me. My husband would be my support, but he would not act as my midwife. His role was to just be there for me and my role was to just let the baby be born. Sounds simplistic, doesn't it? That's what happened with our first homebirth. I never felt that I needed to know how many centimeters I was or when I should start pushing. When I did begin pushing, it seemed involuntary. I had been quiet and Chris thought he would just go to the kitchen for something to eat and when he turned his back to walk away was when I realized that my body was trying to allow the baby to be born! I stood up in the pool to get him to come back. Good thing he was still very close by. He came and caught the baby while I continued to stand in the pool. It was really so amazingly simple and uncomplicated. We hardly spoke during the labor. He read the Scriptures I had written out for him beforehand, but other than that, he just waited on the couch while I waited in the pool. I will write about Hanalora's birth in a separate post but I wanted to tell about where I was coming from. My last birth was entirely un-managed and totally free from fear.

I was not worried about anything. Even the worries of the few close friends whom I confided in didn't budge the peace I had about birthing alone. Of course, I really did want Chris to be there, but I became rather fixated by the possibility of him not. On May 25, I felt contractions that didn't seem like the practice kind and then I felt that menstrual achiness . I tried to ignore it but it kept coming. I didn't say much to the children at dinner, but after the children, except for Max, were settled in bed, I thought I'd better get moving. I called someone to see if she could get a hold of someone who could get a hold of Chris. She said she would try. Then I asked Max to help me blow up the pool. I could see that he was pretty tired and told him good night. It was around 11 pm by then. I got a call saying that they haven't gotten a hold of Chris but they'll keep trying. Then a call from the Navy hospital came asking if I was ok. I said yes, I'm fine. The lady I had called must've contacted the hospital to see if they could help. That was Friday. I was told to come in on Monday for a checkup. I said, fine, smiling, thinking that the baby's not going to wait that long. The contractions were quite regular and uncomfortable and I knew I needed to get the pool filled up as fast as I could. I could not get the hose to attach to the sink faucet! I tried a few times and decided that the only thing to do was to fill the pool up bucket by bucket. I began praying earnestly that I would fill the pool in time to give birth in it, that I would not tear, that the children, 11, 6, 4, 23 months old, would not wake up during the night, and that I would give birth before the baby woke up. I don't remember how many buckets I dumped into the pool, but it was too many to count. I thought the pool would never fill up high enough. I had set the pool in the dining area right next to the kitchen so it was very convenient to fill the bucket and then walk a few steps and dump and go right back to the sink. I would time my bucket-filling with my contractions. I would fill my bucket, lean on the sink to ride out the contraction and when it passed, take the water and dump it in the pool. My mind was so totally occupied in my task of filling up the pool, the contractions almost seemed like an inconvenient side thing that was keeping me from filling up the pool faster. All throughout the night, I filled buckets and rocked my hips leaning on the sink and dumped water. Eventually the pool looked like the water was more than half way. I got into it and decided it wasn't as high as I'd like so I got back out and filled more buckets. I was quite ready to settle in the pool when I stopped filling buckets. It felt oh, so very, very good to be in the water. I felt accomplished just in being able to get into a pool full of water. I experimented with a few pushes to see if I wanted to push more and I did! I looked up and saw that it was past 5:30 AM. I had been praying throughout the night and now I prayed that I would have the baby very soon before Hanalora woke. Hanalora was a very good sleeper. She slept through the night at 8 weeks and woke every morning at sunrise. 6 AM. I wanted to have the baby be born before she woke up. And I began pushing more. Then I heard Josiah, 4, calling Mama. I thought, I really need to get this baby out! And she was born the next push. A tremendous push and all of her came torpedo-ing out into the water. I turned her around and scooped her out of the water and held her and Josiah walked into the dining room. It was 5:45. He was the first one besides me to see her. And hear her first cry. Soon Max brought Hanalora to me and then Lucas was awake too. I stayed in the pool with the baby for some time. I don't know that I tried to push the placenta out while I was in the water. I think the intensity of the contractions after the birth surprised me so that I had to really concentrate still to try to relax. I got out after I felt the water getting cool and tried to see if the placenta would come out. It didn't. It didn't bother me at all although I decided to take some angelica drops to see if that would help. Then I went to bed with the baby. The children were supernaturally good. I say this because they're not normally. They're just regular children that play and fuss and make lots of noise. That day, May 26, they seemed quiet. I asked Max for the walkie talkies and I took one and asked him to listen for me on his. When I was hungry, I beeped him and asked for food. I don't remember needing to attend to the children the rest of the day. I stayed in bed with the baby until I felt that I should go to the bathroom. I beeped Max and asked if he wanted to cut the cord. He was willing and did a good job. It cut on the second try for him. When I went to the bathroom at 10 PM, my placenta slid right out into the toilet. It only took 16 hours for it to come out. :) Of course I did pray about it but other than that, I had not worried about it. In hindsight, I think I should've tried harder to push it out instead of just staying in bed the whole day. It felt too good laying there and snuggling with the baby to get up. Chris made it home the next morning. I knew God would bring him home. I didn't need Chris there for the birth, but I didn't want him to miss too many of the precious first hours of the baby's life.

Grace's was a labor full of ... labor. God showed me once again that he keeps the promise he made in Romans 8:28. He used my lack of preparation in making sure the hose fit the faucet for good! The hours of laboring in the night sped away with my labor of filling the pool. I don't remember feeling that I was in a bind or that I wished for different circumstances. I just knew that the pool must be filled and got busy. Resting from dumping water during the contractions seemed like I was getting a break! It was really funny, now, thinking how I'd quickly get back into action as soon as the contraction subsided. I never felt alone. I was in constant prayer and my mind was occupied in filling the pool. I was totally and utterly at peace. I felt so comfortable being by myself in the nude. I don't think I could've done that had anyone else been there with me. I don't regret having to fill the pool bucket by bucket. A water birth is that worth it.

People have expressed different reactions when they found out about my birthing alone. Our beloved pastor told me that what I did was dangerous. He said it very gently and in a nice way so I wasn't offended at all but I wrote him a letter explaining that I had God's peace and I couldn't have done otherwise. That's really just how it was. I would have been very uncomfortable with anyone other than my husband being with me and I had full confidence that I could birth alone and I had the desire to do so. And God blessed and answered all my prayers.

I think our baby was aptly named Grace. God's grace is always sufficient, isn't it?

And the reason we know vaccines to be "very" safe is because...

2010-06-01T19:01:00.000-07:00

the experts tell us so.

Like in this blog article*, titled Vaccines are Very Safe.
"Finally, the Vaccine Adverse Effect Reporting System (VAERS) investigates all reported cases of what appear to be reactions to a vaccination."

In 2009, the Vaccine Adverse Reporting System had 32,821 reports of adverse reactions after a vaccine was given. VAERS states that, "In one instance, VAERS detected reports for intussusception over that what would be expected to occur by chance alone after the RotaShield rotavirus vaccine in 1999. Epidemiologic studies confirmed an increased risk, and these data contributed to the product's removal from the US market. In another example, VAERS determined that there may be a potential for a small increase in risk for Guillain-Barre syndrome after the meningococcal conjugate vaccine, Menactra. As a result of this finding, a history of Guillain-Barre syndrome became a contraindication to the vaccine and further controlled studies are currently underway to research this issue."

Apparently, the RotaShield rotavirus and the meningococcal conjugate vaccine were determined to be unsafe. After the fact.

I included the number of reports in 2009 not to show how big a number it is.

"VAERS is subject to the limitations inherent in any passive surveillance system:

Underreporting- Underreporting is common to all surveillance systems which require someone to complete and send a report. However we also know that underreporting occurs more often with less serious adverse events and that more serious vaccine adverse event are more likely to be reported to VAERS."

Would every case of adverse reaction to vaccines be documented? Of course not. As far as the claim that VAERS "investigates all reported cases of what appear to be reactions to vaccine reactions", it's really quite absurd. "VAERS does not determine causality." How would it even be feasible to investigate all reported cases?

This PBS article gives insight about the Sabin polio vaccine: "In the U.S., cases of polio are now extremely rare, and ironically, are almost always caused by the Sabin vaccine itself -- being live, the virus can mutate to a stronger form."

The CDC gives some background on the relationship between the virus SV40 and the polio vaccine. (It would be interesting to find out how each vaccine was derived. Maybe a future post.) History indicates that even when a known problem exists, the government is not always there to protect us. (Surprise, surprise!)
From the same article cited in this paragraph, "In 1961, the virus was found to cause tumors in rodents (Eddy et al., 1961). That same year, the federal government required that new stocks of polio vaccine be free of SV40. However, existing polio vaccine stocks were not recalled and were used until 1963." And the excuse given? "When SV40 was discovered, researchers did not know if the virus could negatively affect people's health." And yet we depend on these researchers to impact our lives. Lest you think that this may have been a little tiny problem, the article gives these statistics, "More than 98 million Americans received one or more doses of IPV (the injected form of the polio vaccine) during the period (1955–1963) when some of the vaccine was contaminated with SV40." And what does that translate to in terms of people's health?

"SV40 is known to cause tumors in rodents. Have research studies found an association between SV40 and cancer in humans?
Yes. An association has been found between SV40 and certain types of cancer in humans."

In case there are any doubts to the veracity of my refutations of the safety of vaccines, please note that I made sure to only use sources that are pro-vaccinations. Government sponsored websites, no less. So although, yes, of course, I am biased. Extremely biased. I am a Christian, after all. And I have 7 children to answer to. I am, unashamedly, among those in the anti-vaccination movement. However, I am using not anti-vaccination propaganda, but rather, pro-vaccination propaganda to cite historical statistics.

*I do apologize to those who believe I am mis-characterizing Dr. Jay Wile. Or giving him a bad name. I don't doubt his sincerity. I have been citing his blog on vaccinations because of the fact that he has written the articles on vaccinations. There is information to be examined and to be compared. He is a highly respected Christian author of many textbooks and most would never question the validity of any of his writings. Because his blog mentions anti-vaccination propagandists repeatedly, I felt his claims should be explored to see just how blatant and insidious are the "lies" of the propaganda movement.

I think what I am learning from all of this is that anyone can take any statistic, any resource and make it fit according to his paradigm. Lynne Born has a different paradigm towards health and disease and naturally, her take is completely different from Dr. Jay Wile's. It's wonderful, isn't it, that we live in a country where we still have the liberty to access different sources of information and decide for ourselves what the course of action we will take regarding our own health. Or did you think that you had no choice in whether you lived a healthful and abundant life? No, our government allows us the right to take responsibility of our health and that of our children's. As of now, anyway.

I'm certainly not holding my breath, but I wonder if in my lifetime certain medical practices that most wouldn't even question today would become as ludicrous and unbelievable as how we perceive blood-letting to be now. Poor George Washington needn't have died from blood loss if the medical experts of his day were willing to be open-minded and made a paradigm shift in their thinking on health and maintained the basic principle of treating a patient: first, do no harm.

If vaccines are truly effective...

2010-05-28T21:26:00.000-07:00

I read from the CDC website that there was an outbreak of measles among vaccinated students at a high school in Illinois in 1984.

This is a quote at the end of the article:

Editorial Note: This outbreak demonstrates that transmission of measles can occur within a school population with a documented immunization level of 100%. This level was validated during the outbreak investigation.

Again from the CDC, there was a chicken pox outbreak among vaccinated children in MI in 2003.

Then another Chicken Pox outbreak among vaccinated children in NE in 2004.

And recently in New York and New Jersey, an outbreak of mumps occurred. The CDC reports, "Among the patients for whom vaccination status was reported, 88% had received at least 1 dose of mumps-containing vaccine, and 75% had received 2 doses."

What's interesting to me is their conclusion from the above facts: "Although mumps vaccination alone was not sufficient to prevent this outbreak, maintaining high measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination coverage remains the most effective way to prevent outbreaks and limit their size when they occur."

Jay Wile, textbook writer, wrote on his blog that it's people who don't understand the scientific process who would question vaccinations. Well, I guess I will just have to plead ignorance but from what happened in New York, it would seem to me that vaccinations were NOT effective and it takes those who really understand science to be able to see that while they were not effective, they should be given. Is that what science is about? Sounds like circular reasoning. It's effective because everyone needs to be vaccinated. Is that about right?

It hardly takes propaganda from the anti-vaccination camp to come up with facts like these. We can trust the CDC, can't we?

Baby's size

2010-05-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

Baby's size at 11 weeks

Baby is 11 weeks old

2010-05-28T20:24:00.000-07:00

My uterus is easier than ever to find now. These baby weeks seem to be going by pretty fast. Noah is talking more about the new baby now. A couple of friends are also with child! I bet I will go first, though. :)
I usually go a little early so maybe this baby will not make me wait so long as well.

The blessings of a church family

2010-05-25T22:43:00.000-07:00

We belong to a very small church. We do have regular visiting families, but the core consists of 7 families. We have one church service a week. That hardly prevents the families from getting together for prayer fellowships and every other kind of fellowship.

Chris can rest assured that the church is ministering to us while he is gone. A family asked us over on my birthday. They made time for us in the middle of the week and treated us royally. My friend even gave me a massage! I was so blessed.

Then the pastor had us over after church. This is not the type of church where the pastor needs to rest from his flock. :)

Another family asked me to have all the children go over to play so I can do whatever I needed to do without tending to my children for a day.

We didn't get this type of attention when we went to much bigger churches. Some things are better smaller, I think.

I am so thankful that God put us in a church family where ministering to one another is something that is taught and modeled and embraced.

It doesn't matter how good the teaching of a church is if the people were too busy for each other. But then again, maybe it's the teaching that allows that to happen.

If one is not loved in their church, there is something seriously wrong. How can God's love be manifested if not through His people?

We don't have anything kind of programs going on in our church, but even the 4 year olds can recite memory verses. We don't have a nursery even though there are plenty of little ones. All that's needed is people who love God enough to love and be responsible for their families and want to minister to other families.

Baby is 10 weeks old

2010-05-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

I am starting to show! Probably only my family sees it, but my belly's definitely not flat anymore. I still feel tired but not in a I-can't-do-another-thing-kind of tired.

I am so humbled that God is making me the mother to another little babe. I am so undeserving. So not the kind of mother that has it all together. Any yet, God uses the weak things...

Would we really embrace every new thing that is marketed?

2010-05-18T20:03:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid so. One thing I want to be able to teach our children well is to be wise consumers. I want them to be able to make sound decisions for everything they buy. And eat. And read. And wear. :) Basically, everything that affects their bodies, affects who they are.

Microwave ovens haven't been around forever. We didn't have one when I was growing up. I think the reason the microwave oven is so indispensable in the American home is because we are an impatient society. If something can be done quicker, by all means, let's get that gadget that makes our life so much better by not losing as much time. But who are we trusting that the microwave oven really does make our lives better? The fact that almost everyone uses one doesn't really mean much. Many people just do what other people do.

Is there any information around that can cause the thoughtful person to reconsider their usage of the microwave oven? Here is one article. Probably a favorite microwaved food is popcorn. There have been concerns about it since 1997, however. Undoubtedly, the first reaction to a report about dangers is skepticism. But why? Why not err on the side of caution, especially when there are alternative ways of making popcorn?

I want not only the best for my family, but I want my children to be able to discern what's best for themselves. The first thing any of them do when we're interested in a food item at the grocery store is to read the label. I hope they will continue to do that and not be willingly ignorant of what's not good for them.

I knew someone would take this angle on the dresses issue

2010-05-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

I came across this article which makes perfect sense. And here, a man wants to know why women only wear dresses on Sundays to church.

Women have demanded their right to share the pants' wearing in the home. She can be boss as well as her husband. Women no longer need to stay in the home to care for the family. She can even wear combat uniform while he stays home. Our society is trying to play fair. Or is it? Would masculine men be accepted in mainstream America if they chose to wear skirts and dresses? Would they ever want to? Somehow I don't think so.

Thank you, dear husband, for insisting on keeping your role as provider and protector, all the while staying masculine. Please remind me when my inside is wearing pants and femininity is only seen on the outside. I know the heart is what matters the most. I'm glad we both know that what is on the inside should be reflected on the outside. And that's why we do dress up for church. And why the girls and I choose to look distinctly feminine everyday of the week. If we were the last ones on earth wearing skirts, I know you won't want us to alter our clothes just to match our culture. I am grateful we don't have to try to make everything perfectly equal. You wear the pants and I'll happily not.

It's good for me to be reminded that things are just temporal

2010-05-15T20:07:00.000-07:00

While I was shopping at the grocery store today, my wallet was stolen from my purse in the shopping cart I was pushing. I had taken my wallet out to look at my coupons and then set it back in my purse, but I didn't close my purse. Then I turned away from the cart to look at what I wanted to buy. And it was gone. My wallet and nearly everything that is used to identify that I am who I am.

The good that came about...

The manager of the store complimented me on being very calm. We stayed in his little office, all 8 of us, for over and hour. The children were not rowdy and I really didn't feel that badly about what happened.

It really is comforting to know that my home is in heaven and this earth is just a stopping place.

Baby is 9 weeks old

2010-05-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

Look at those little fingers!

I just bought some new vitamins, Garden of Life's Living Multi. The suggested daily serving is 6-9 tablets! I take maybe 3-4, throughout the day. These vitamins don't make me feel nauseous so I like them already.

We went on a walk earlier. Boy, am I out of shape. I need to walk on a daily basis. Pushing a stroller on steep roads is not fun, but I think it gives me a good workout. I've gained a couple of pounds. I'm not too concerned, even though I'm still so early, because the weight eventually comes off with nursing. Or lack of sleep after the baby's born. My weight has stayed pretty steady for a long time so it's too late to start blaming my pregnancy for a big weight gain. Those half-priced frappes are making their mark, I'm afraid. :) I'm going to Starbuck's for my husband. Or something like that.

The day God gave me strawberries, books and a Bumbo to lift me up

2010-05-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

I have been rather dispirited of late. I was telling a friend that I know I need to be joyful, especially for the children's sake. Then God gave us a day so beautiful and so full of blessings that it was obvious that He wanted me to know that I can always find joy in Him. We went strawberry picking for the first time ever. The strawberries were organically grown! The children, including Max!, enjoyed the eating as much as the picking. Then we went across the street to a tiny thrift store which was selling books for .10 each. There were so many wonderful children's books that it seemed like a candy store, but far cheaper and better for us. I would've been fully satisfied with our treasure of books but then I saw a bumbo for $5! A new-looking green bumbo with a tray, even. I'd wanted to get one when I was pregnant with Noble, but didn't want one badly enough to pay full price. I did see one at a thrift store once. It was pink. I thought it was too risky and I'm glad my caution paid off. It's nice that there are wonderfully neutral colors, like green and brown, that would go with either sex.

It really doesn't take a fortune to have children. Any number of children. Not even a small fortune. You'd be surprised how much food we have in the refrigerator and how little we've spent on it. Well, if you have a large family, you probably wouldn't be surprised. (A keeper at home can become quite adept at getting incredibe money-saving deals.) God doesn't stop providing at a certain number of children. At one time when a friend asked if I was going to have as many as 10 children, I thought that was such a great number of children and that we'd never have that many. (I had just turned 30 at the time and felt my childbearing years were numbered.) That was when we only had 4. Now with baby #8 on his/her way, 10 doesn't seem that many at all. We even have enough seats in our van for a family of 12. If someone chooses not to be blessed with many children, it surely cannot be because God will not provide. The God that we serve is greater than the limits we put on Him for our excuses. I can have joy, even when my husband is gone. I just need to believe in Psalm 43:4, "Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy..." The mother who says she can't quit her job because there won't be enough money is right. There won't ever be enough when we're trusting in our own strength. But with God, all things are possible. Let's take Him at His Word and we'll never ever be disappointed.

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23

Baby is 8 weeks old

2010-05-07T20:32:00.001-07:00

I can feel my uterus now! I feel tired all the time, but that's nothing new. I felt a little light-headed a few times today. The nausea I've been experiencing is brought about every time I feel a little hungry, I think. I've gagged a few times but haven't thrown up. Yea! All in all, I feel pretty good. Still kind of amazed that a little babe is growing within. Good thing that amazement never ceases. The baby looks cute already. :)

Alone

2010-05-05T21:54:00.000-07:00

Technically I'm never alone. Our children usually are around, somewhere. And now, I'm really never without child. :)

But when half of myself is not with me, I feel alone. And lonely. I can't really dwell on it too much, otherwise it will be too much and I won't stop crying.

The kids are a comfort. They keep me busy, getting me to see this treasure or that.

Chris, you have a sad wife.

What has the Pill accomplished in 50 years?

2010-04-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Why, it's freed women from the bondage of having children.

Time Magazine looks at this wonder drug on its 50th anniversary. They astutely asked Dr. Mohler to weigh in.

Very interesting articles.

Baby is 7 weeks old

2010-04-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

2010-04-12T20:39:00.001-07:00

Love story

2010-03-21T19:56:00.001-07:00

Where is the outcry from feminists over female gendercide?

2010-03-19T22:22:00.000-07:00

Technology has the tendency to bring out the worst in humanity. Ultrasound technology allows many parents the joy(or is it really?) of knowing the gender of their baby a little ahead of schedule. But for those who have a preference over the sex of their baby, it becomes a tool for murder. Female gendercide has been occurring in China and India for some years. One would think that the feminists who campaign for the rights of women would be the first in line to decry this slaughter. How could they and still be true to their agenda of "every child a wanted child." If no one wanted a baby girl, the baby girl has no right to existence.

It must be tough to be a feminist. To love oneself more than one's own flesh and blood can only bring about the destruction of oneself.

Naomi Wolf tries to be honest and ends up with the same conclusion that feminists have always wanted...it is evil to kill an unborn baby, but evil is justified when you're wanting to please self.

God have mercy.

Everyone can do magic

2010-03-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

"The pediatrician's wanton prescription of powerful drugs indoctrinates children from birth with the philosophy of 'a pill for every ill'."... "Doctors are directly responsible for hooking millions of people on prescription drugs. They are also indirectly responsible for the plight of millions more who turn to illegal drugs because they were taught at an early age that drugs can cure anything - including psychological and emotional conditions - that ails them. " - Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D., How to Raise a Healthy Child...In Spite of Your Doctor.

All it takes is popping a pill. It makes your headache go away. Never mind that death by analgesics (over the counter pain killers such as aspirin and NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) is the 15th most common cause of death in America. (From the Associated Press, 1999.) Immediate relief from any kind of discomfort that life has to offer can be bought and voila! Magic that you can perform on yourself.

It seems that all the pharmaceutical industry has to do is to market a drug and the populace will buy it and alter their bodies according to what the money making head magicians think up.

Take a magic pill and you do not have to have children. What relief! Married, not married, what does it matter. Planning is what's important. If you don't plan to have children, you can have love (I'm being discreet here) and not its God-designed results. You can have your cake and eat it, too. Does it get any better than that? Yes. The head magicians are never satisfied with the status quo. They know that if they conjure up another magic pill to get rid of the nuisance of a conceived child, people will buy it too. Did they ever think that people will be put off by this act of murder? No, the original magic pill that took care of that desire not to have children has paved the road so smoothly, another pill designed to kill rolls easily by.

Plan B is now available for free for military women. Isn't the name of this pill hiliarious? Plan A = don't get pregnant. When that fails, Plan B = stronger magic pill. Just more planning. If our nation is content to send our women to battle, the next step surely is to make them like men. Men don't have babies, neither should military women. Plan B to do more magic.

Someone I'll graciously not name said, If you don't like your circumstances, change them. The magicians know that this is what people want. They are clever. Their magic sells and people don't even question the morality of any of their ways.

The sad truth is that every drug has consequences, more than it's intended ones. The deadliest consequence of all is that the magic is fake and our souls will reflect that. Instead of learning to seek God and his infinite wisdom, we want to take the easy way out and alleviate every twinge of pain and inconvenience. God has the answers for us. And they are not found in the form of pharmaceutical magic pills. The Bible is sufficient for all of life. Search the Scriptures and you will find the answer to combat the magicians. Wives, accept your calling to bear children. Husbands, lead your family away from the world's ways and reject those magic pills that alter God's design.

My favorite doctor

2010-03-15T11:46:00.000-07:00

is Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D. He's passed away but thankfully his books are still around.

I am going to quote his books every so often.

This is from his book, Male Practice, How Doctors Manipulate Women.

"Your doctor won't tell you, so I will: your own bedroom is safer than the hospital delivery room, and the hospital nursery is infinitely more threatening to your baby than a crib next to your bed. I tell all healthy women, including my own daughters, that they should refuse to have their babies in the hospital precisely because of the potentially dangerous technological wizardry that is available to their doctor there.
I have always told my patients that they should avoid hospitals as they would avoid war. Do your utmost to stay out of them and, if you find yourself in one, do everything possible to get out as soon as you can. After working in hospitals for most of my life, I can assure you that they are the dirtiest and most deadly places in town.
That may not square with your perception of all those glistening corridors and sparkling white sheets. I'll grant that most hospitals look awesomely antiseptic, but if you examined them with a microscope you'd know that they are not. They are actually so germ-laden that 5 percent of all hospital patients contract new infections that they didn't have when they arrived. As a result, they are stuck there for an average of seven extra days.
I am also concerned that the obligatory ritual of placing silver nitrate in the eyes of the newborn-theoretically to guard against gonorrheal infection-may be responsible for the higher incidence of astigmatism and myopia in the United States than in countries that don't perform this ridicuous rite. It's a useless procedure, and there is no scientific basis to believe that it's safe, yet in may states it is required by law. I tell my students to comply with the law but to do it by squirting the chemical in the general direction of the baby from ten feet away.
The fact about the hazards of being in a hospital should cause any person, man or woman, to think at least twice before entering one, except for emergency treatment of injuries or in situations that are demonstrably a matter of life and death. Certainly it is folly to go to the hospital to have a baby , or even for treament of any disease that can be dealt with at home. Comparative studies show that even patients who suffer severe heart attacks fare no better when they are admitted to the hospital than they do when they are treated at home.
The complications that a pregnant woman is told to fear are rarely a hazard when the baby is delivered at home. Most of them are real, all right, but they occur only because of the things that the obstetrician does to the mother in the hospital after she gets there.
One complication that the doctor is sure to warn you about is the possibility that your baby will have the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck. He will tell you that this can kill your baby in a matter of minutes, so he must have you in the hospital where he can deal with the problem in time. What he doesn't tell you is that it is very common for the baby to have the cord wrapped around its neck, and that is it not inherently dangerous, whether it is wrapped around once, twice, or several times. However, it can be a serious complication when it occurs in the hospital where there has been induced labor, profuse analgesia and anesthesia, and other intervention and the cord has been unduly compressed. It is not a good reason for going to the hospital, but it's a very good reason for having your baby at home.
The same principle holds for most of the other hazards your doctor will use to frighten you. A prolapsed cord is not uncommon in hospital deliveries becaue the doctor ruptured the membranes, but it rearely happens in births at home. Hemorrhage-another complication your doctor will point to-often occurs in the hospital because of premature delivery of the placenta and for other reaason, but it rarely occurs in the more relaxed environment of your home.
Your doctor will probably refer to the unsanitary conditions in your household and use that as an excuse to send you to the most unsanitary facility to be found. He will tell you that there isn't enough technology in your home to monitor your labor properly, when in fact it is the inaccuracy of the fetal monitoring equipment in the hospital that provides him with many excuses to intervene needlessly. He will say that there isn't adequate personnel at home. That may sound reasonable unless you know that the multiple vaginal examinations you will receive form the cadre of doctors, nurses, and students in the hospital often prodcue a pathology of their own.
The interest in natural, home birth is growing so rapidly that the obstretricians and the hospitals know that they are in trouble. They are fighting back with a cosmetic approach that provides "birthing rooms" with a homelike atmosphere within the hospital environment. Unfortunately, the cozy atmosphere simply masks the fact that the obstetricians are still doing business in the same old and indefensible way. A wolf in sheep's clothing may look less threatening, but he still bites.
American obstetrical practice is the centerpiece of my contention that Modern Medicine is so crisis-oriented that it will invent a crisis if none exists. Almost every stage of obstetrical procedure in the hospital is part of the mechanims that enables the doctor to create his own pathology. Once he has created the pathology, he has his excuse to intervene.
Tragically, it doesn't end there. The complications produced by the intervention often set the woman up as a candidate for the obstetrician's gynecological practice for the rest of her life.
Women would find having babies a lot less painful, risky, and demeaning if the obstetrical specialty were simply abolished. Except for a handful of doctors who encourage natural birth, obstetricians are guilty of perpetuating an unhealthy, unscientific medical disgrace. As you know by now, I have a low regard for Modern Medicine in general but obstretics set my teeth on edge. It is the only medical specialty in which almost everything that the doctor does is medically infefensible and terribly wrong.
I said earlier that doctors have converted pregnancy-a natural,normal, inspiring physiological event-into a nine-month disease."

I'd better stop before I end up copying the whole book. I wish I knew about his books before I had my first child. I pray that women would be discerning and trust God and not allow doctors and hospitals to manipulate them into turning their childbirths into nightmares.

Funny video

2010-03-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I am not a Republican. We voted for the Constitutional Party.

It's just funny. Not trying to make a political statement. Um, yeah.

I love the people around us

2010-03-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

I am so encouraged by the people God has placed around us.

I have a friend who is such a hard worker. She recently spent several months renovating a house she's renting out. She worked and worked and worked. End result? Total exhaustion. That didn't prevent her from throwing a combined birthday party for 2 of her children the day after the house was finished. I felt very honored to be at the party. I had the pleasure of seeing her mother again. This lovely woman is 68 years old and spent many a day helping her daughter renovate the house. My friend said that she couldn't have finished up with the house on time without her mother's tireless help. I found out that doing hard physical work isn't that unusual for this interesting lady. She crawls under her house to fix pipes. She birthed 8 children in 8 years. Enough said.

I may have already written about this family I'd like to share but it would be good to share again. The father suffered a stroke. What did the father's children do? They wanted to love the father. Close by. How close? In the house close. The father lived in Texas. As did a daughter who was single. The decision was made to relocate both father and daughter to North Carolina where another daughter lived with her family. God blessed. The father and daughter moved into a house next door to the other daughter's house. The single daughter gave up her job and became chief care giver of her father. I didn't say that right. She exchanged a mundane work for an eternal one. She certainly didn't bear the burden alone, though. Her sister and her sister's husband and all of the sister's children all cared for the elderly beloved man. He spent the last 2 years of his life surrounded by family. They were with him to the very end. I don't know why God allowed the stroke to cripple this dear man. I do know that God used this for good. He brought a family together. This family didn't profit alone. Their church witnessed what honoring one's parents looks like and that time spent together is so very precious and worth moving for. After the passing of the father, did the single daughter move back to her original abode in Texas? She kept the riches she gained. She still lives next door to her sister. I just saw them recently at a baby shower and they were so much fun. They were like best friends. Hmmm. Maybe they are best friends. They didn't wait until they got really old to decide to spend time together. That is just rich. No money in the world can match the time spent together with those you love.

And then there's my husband. May I brag on my own husband? No, I won't. I'll just tell it like it is. He is going to help his parents with some renovations on their house. He'll have to fly to get to their house but what's a plane ticket? Money well spent.

When we get older, I pray that our children will follow suit and decide that spending time with us is of utmost importance. I hope they know why we spend all day teaching them and all night reading to them. We want to reap the rewards of our investment. How sad that there are parents who invest half heartedly and are surprised when their investments yield such little return in their adult children. The Bible promises that children are a blessing. God, please make us to be a blessing to our children first so that we will continue to receive your promises and enjoy the blessing of our children to the end of our earthly lives.

God gave us words

2010-03-12T20:24:00.000-08:00

so we could reflect Him.

This is good writing.

New phone

2010-02-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

I don't like to spend money. :)

Except when I think something will make a good gift, or if it's a good deal.

We have been without a home phone for many years now. With our cell phones and the internet, there didn't seem to be a need for one. But sometimes the cell phone's battery is dead or I leave the house with it and there's no way for the children at home to call me. We got a third cell phone. I thought I'd never ever have to think about getting another phone. What if both Max and I are out and there's no phone at home? That doesn't happen very often but I thought it would be good to get a phone for the house after all. Walgreens had the MagicJack at 20% off earlier this week. I took the plunge. For $32, I think even if I only use it infrequently, it would have served its purpose. We'll get it set up and give you our "home" phone number soon. And of course, give a review about it, too.

Be very careful writing a book

2010-02-25T13:01:00.000-08:00

I want to write a book on homebirth, from a Christian perspective. Chris and I have already talked about the importance of not giving medical advice. That's really hard to not do. I believe having a baby is safer at home. That would technically be medical advice. What if I actually wrote my book and a Christian read it and had her baby at home and her baby died? What if she read my own account of having a baby unassisted and was persuaded to do the same and her outcome was not good? Would every single writer in all of internet blogsphere rise up to condemn me for brainwashing that poor woman? Probably. I believe sales for Michael Pearl's book To Train Up a Child will suffer severely as a result of the death of a child by parents who read the Pearls' book. But that will be nothing in comparison to the damage of their reputation. How many people have read their book and didn't abuse their children? It doesn't matter. One death is one too many and if the Pearls can be blamed, that just solves a lot of questions like why parents would kill their children? Well, people have been doing it for a long time and for the last 40 years, it's been legal to kill our children, as long as they haven't been born yet.

Would it have been better had the Pearls not written their book? Maybe. But maybe those parents would've killed their child anyway.

Overpopulation is a myth

2010-02-25T09:02:00.000-08:00

Just do the math. And watch these little videos.

Contrast

2010-02-24T23:58:00.000-08:00

this with Mark Driscoll's birth-control-is-good-stewardship talk.

Good list

2010-02-24T23:17:00.000-08:00

Great checklist on humility.

Not enough? Here is a second list.

Church

2010-02-23T22:23:00.000-08:00

I just heard a sermon online that made me so very thankful for our church. Our little church has only a few families, but two elders who love us. Chris told me several times how much he appreciated the time he spent with our pastor before he left for his class.

I know every speaker addresses his audience. Mark Driscoll may be hip and cool but he sure knows how to make fun of people. Does no one in Seattle homeschool? How can he get away with dissing (I know my language is pretty bad...bad company corrupts?) such a huge group of people? What got him started on his rant about homeschooling was talking about Mary Pride and how she became an advocate of homeschooling. He said, "I will tell you that sometimes homeschooling networks are petri dishes for legalism and self-righteousness, fundamentalism and sectarianism and all kinds of other ism. It's religion at its worst. We're the good people, they're the bad people. We know we're the good people because we make our own clothes. Our wife has a dress with a really big collar. We don't use birth control. We breastfeed til they're 27. We read the King James Bible. That's what I'm talking about. That wasn't very nice. NO, but it was very funny. And it's very accurate." What he was preaching about was on birth control. He wanted to contrast between the prominent women who are against birth control and so he said that what these women wrote aren't all bad, but they dared to say that birth control was not good. He did his homework and knew who he's up against: Nancy Campbell, Mary Pride, Vision Forum, Nancy Leigh, and those religion at its worst homeschoolers. I was really surprised at what I was listening to. I wasn't going to use his name at first, but I guess if he's going to throw in all those names, he wouldn't mind if I gave him some publicity, too.

He really was just preaching to the choir. To the choir that is pro-choice. Pro-choice about having their say in having children. Or not. I wonder if he felt threatened by those "legalists" who argue against birth control. Or maybe he just wants to reassure his followers that he's behind their pro-choice stance and actually would be willing to condemn those who are against it. He has nothing to worry about. Nearly everyone is on his side. Hardly anyone goes into marriage without having a prescription for the Pill. And they dutifully get back on it they go in for their 6 week appointment after their baby is born. If he wanted to preach a show stopper, all he needed to say was to let go and let God. But that message would not be pro-choice.

I was discouraged after listening to his sermon (rant against people who are against birth control) but I know that I don't need to be. There are people who are turning away from their own understanding and desiring God to be fully in control of their fertility and rejoicing in an abundance of children. Many of these people are homeschoolers and I guess that's why Mark Driscoll felt compelled to attack this particular group of people. But it all makes sense really. It takes a homeschooling family to go against the norm. To say no to birth control. To continue to welcome children into their families. It's distressing, though, to see Christians being hateful about the very things that they should rejoice in. I'm learning that if someone holds a conviction, there will be criticisms about being legalistic and judgmental. I should have made a count of how many times Mr Driscoll used those words. "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means." :)

Mark Driscoll is wrong in what he was preaching. He may feel comfortable in limiting the size of his family, but that surely is not God's intent. If God intended to give us small families, He would do it. He doesn't need us to preempt him and make our bodies incapable of having children. Do people not believe in prayer anymore? If a couple didn't want to have any (more) children, and they thought it important enough to bring it before God, wouldn't God answer? Well, of course, God would. He would either bless them with children or not. Where is the faith? Daily faith in trusting in God to be wiser than we are. Faith that says that we will be content in whatever situation. Faith that believes God's promises to take care of us always.

It's just saying yes. Yes, God. Lots of children? Yes, God. Even when I'm tired of breast-feeding? Yes, God. Mark Driscoll gave a few examples about people who are in situations where they felt that being on birth control would be in their best interests. He said that he could see the wisdom in that. But does he see God's wisdom? Does he see that God uses difficult situations to conform us to Christ? No. Let's just focus on what is at hand. And say no to God. Birth control is not just making a choice against children, but a choice against God.

How can we not keep our children at home? Not only will they hear all this pro-choice propaganda from the world, but they will surely hear it from God's people. Mark Driscoll is smart to know that the homeschool movement is big. Too big to be stopped by the government. Or the church. He knows that people who teach their children themselves will most likely produce children who think differently. I pray that God will give us many generations who aren't afraid of having too many children. May our children rise up and say yes to God. Yes to children. Yes to asking God for more faith, rather than appealing to the pharmaceuticals for answers. Yes to a life that is not about what feels right but living by His Word.

A doctor who practices medicine God's way? Wow, just wow!

2010-02-22T20:43:00.000-08:00

Another great post from baylyblog.com.

This is Christianity in practice.

Thank you, dear God, for giving us godly examples on what we're to do when you convict us of something. May you bless Dr Miller abundantly and use her mightily.

What happens when people don't use birth control?

2010-02-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

God blesses.

Do people listen to lyrics?

2010-02-19T22:04:00.000-08:00

God is in control. He always has been and always will be. We were at the grocery store this afternoon when I ran into someone from our old sister church. She told me that a speaker on time management will be at the church tonight. We went. It was just what we needed to hear. Of course. God is in control. I don't even need to ask questions like, what if I didn't find out about the speaker until it was too late? If that was so, God didn't want us there.

The speaker recited the lyrics to this song at the end of his talk:

Cats in the Cradle
by Harry Chapin

My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch, and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talking before I knew it and as he grew
He said, "I’m gonna be like you, Dad,
You know I’m gonna be like you"

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man in the moon
When you comin home, dad, I don’t know when,
But we'll get together then, Son,
You know we'll have a good time then.

My son turned ten just the other day
He said "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on lets play
can you teach me to throw?" I said, "Not today,
I got a lot to do" He said "Thats okay"
And then he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said "I’m gonna be like him, yeah
You know I’m going to be like him"

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin home, dad, I dont know when,
But we'll get together then, Son,
You know we'll have a good time then.

Well he came from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say,
"Son, I’m proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head, and he said with a smile

"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin home, Son, I dont know when,
But we'll get together then, Dad,
You know we'll have a good time then.

I’ve long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day........
I said "I'd like to see you if you don’t mind"
He said "I'd love to Dad, if I could find the time.
You see my new jobs a hassle, and the kids have the flu.
But It's sure nice talking to you, Dad,
It's been sure nice talking to you........"
And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me,
My boy was just like me..............

And the cats in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin home, Son, I dont know when,
But we'll get together then, Dad
We're gonna have a good time then.

Wow! Talk about a powerful sermon in a song. This isn't a new song and maybe many have heard it but did they really listen to the lyrics? Why hasn't this song prompted parents to value their children over their own lives, their work, their hobbies, their TVs, their friends, their reluctance to have their children take over their lives? I know the answer. It's just a song. And it's only meaningful to those who already know there's a relationship that needs to be tended to. Parents are to make the time for their children. All day long, the Bible says. How did schools become so important that a child's life revolved around it? I don't really think it's the fault of the institution. The public schools have been severely criticized for not turning out competent citizens. Moral citizens. Well-adjusted to life citizens. How can an institution offer all that should come from one's parents?

I would like someone to tell me how Christians can send their children to schools? How can they bear to have their children be taught by ... just anyone? How can they bear their children learning from the ungodly ways of their schoolmates day in and day out? How can they bear to not know what's going on with their children for most of the waking day? How can they desire that their children be out of their house from such a young age? (It's like work hours, really.) How have they forgotten the unkindness that schools heap upon children? How can they keep from protecting their children from growing up in that institutional environment?

I almost forgot about what socialization does to children. I was shocked when a boy threatened one of my children to get off the swing or else he'll make him get off. This happened at a Christian homeschool co-op class. I was so happy that our son didn't learn to stand up for his rights. He got off the swing and there was no confrontation. I'd like to think that it was our godly training that helped him to avoid a fight. I still don't act that way so I don't think it came from me. Psalm 1 tells us exactly what happens to a man that avoids ungodly company. He is blessed. Children are too precious to be thrown in the lions' den for the sake of ... what exactly?

Ken Ham has written a book that I am interested in reading. The book description reads:

If you look around in your church today, two-thirds of the young people who are sitting among us have already left in their hearts; soon they will be gone for good.This is the alarming conclusion from a study Answers in Genesis commissioned from America's Research Group, led by respected researcher Britt Beemer. The results may unnerve you - they may shake long-held assumptions to the core-but these results need to be taken seriously by the church. Already Gone reveals:
Why America's churches have lost an entire generation of believers
The views of 1,000 twenty-somethings, solidly raised in the church but no longer attending-and their reasons why
Relevant statistical data effectively teamed with powerful apologetics
The study found that we are losing our kids in elementary, middle school, and high school rather than college, and the Sunday school syndrome is contributing to the epidemic, rather than helping alleviate it. This is an alarming wake-up call for the church, showing how our programs and our children are paying the price.

It's about relationships. Life, that is. Schools don't reflect that. The disconnect with the relationships from family and school just grows year by year. It doesn't take long for the child to prefer the relationships of the schools that are so much easier than those at home. After all, one doesn't have to live with those at school.

I've read that some people have come away from watching the movie Avatar feeling depressed. They were awed by the glory and beauty of the imaginary utopia and then they went back to their real world. It's sad. I'd like to see a utopia where people didn't send their children away and where children didn't send their parents away. That really shouldn't be an utopia fantasy. That's how life used to be. God intends for us to have relationships where we desire to take care of each other and live with each other. Christians, please listen to this song and bring your children home and spend time with your children.

Movie review

2010-02-14T09:53:00.000-08:00

I haven't watched Avatar so I cannot give a personal review but plenty of others have watched it and have given their thoughts about it.

Here's another review that mirrored my first reaction to this movie. There is nothing new under the sun. Everything is just a rehash of the same old, same old.

Interesting how even the New York Times sees the religiosity behind the movie.

I know my children would absolutely be thrilled to watch this movie. It's eye candy. I hope they don't get a chance to watch it until they are grown and can discern truth from propaganda. I hope we will have taught them that whatever this world dreams up can never match the splendor that Heaven holds for us. I hope they will find that even in this fallen world God has given us victory over sin and we can have abundant lives without buying into the falsehoods of imaginary utopias that make us dissatisfied with what God has given us.

What makes a blockbuster? Money. If enough money is sunk into entertainment, people, unbelievers and believers alike, will go and make sure their money is part of what makes history.

All the way from scratch

2010-02-13T16:15:00.000-08:00

There's a very popular recipe for corn casserole that uses Jiffy corn mix. It seems all the corn casserole recipes call for Jiffy corn mix. What if one doesn't have Jiffy? Or if one finds the ingredients objectionable? The internet can make the switch from box to scratch very easy. A search produces Jiffy Corn Mix Copycat recipe. How easy is that?

And to think that I once was unhappy that all the muffin mixes have hydrogenated oils. Something that isn't desirable can usually lead to something that is. Muffin mix from scratch. Not only is it cheaper to make but much better for us. Win win. I'm trying to teach the children that usually we don't have to compromise our principles. Um. Make that, ever. If the box has ingredients that we don't use, it means the box isn't for us. If the box isn't for us, we can still make the dish. I think I don't even have to own another cookbook. Well, except for Nourishing Traditions. Some books are just too full of good stuff.

Desiring children

2010-02-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

My husband just told me that his gadget has an app for a fertility calendar.

For some reason, that just sounds so funny to me.

I need to go tell him how his love for children makes me love him all the more.

Our barber, our hero

2010-02-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

I'm sure our boys agree that having their father cut their hair is a much better thing than having their mother cut hair. When I've cut the boys hair, it usually has to be shaved. Even Chris couldn't keep from laughing the last time I attempted cutting Max's hair.

Chris really does have a knack for cutting hair. He offered to let me cut his hair today. I chickened out and he went to the barber. One day, I'll be brave again. Maybe when he doesn't have to go in to work, forever.

I did cut Grace's hair the other day. But there wasn't much I could do to ruin that haircut. I just snipped off about an inch and evened it up.

I think our system is good. I do the girls and Chris does the boys. Good thing our girls have long hair that doesn't require anything fancy.

Want to have something to cry about?

2010-02-04T11:12:00.001-08:00

Not because it's bad, but because it's so beautiful.

http://enjoyingthesmallthings.blogspot.com/2010/01/

nella-cordelia-birth-story.html

I cried not because she had a DS baby. That was her blessing.

I cried because God met her needs. He gave her the grace to see that her baby
was perfectly perfect and tailored for her. He knew her frailty and did not
condemn her for it. Instead, He provided an abundance of love and support
so that she could not help but see and feel that her baby was a blessing.
What touched me were the responses of her father

and sister. They didn't sympathize with her.
They didn't feel sorry for her. Those words

would have been totally wrong and inappropriate.
Instead, they gave her love.

Their acceptance of the baby helped her.

It would be easy to criticize her for her sadness and
rejection of her DS baby.

God met her in her hour of need. God always does.

I'm so glad she didn't know beforehand.
That she didn't have months and months

of having to deal with the fact that her baby was not what she had anticipated.

Instead, she just had to love her baby. And she received healing for her
imperfect heart. It wasn't the baby's imperfections that was so sad,
but our individual sinful hearts that

God needs to mend.

But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. I Corinthians 1:27-29

God gives us people to share their experience and insight

2010-02-04T09:05:00.000-08:00

What a tremendously helpful website for parents!

They get it right, finally!

2010-02-02T22:44:00.000-08:00

"Once upon a time, men wore the pants, and wore them well. Women rarely had to open doors and little old ladies never crossed the street alone. Men took charge because that’s what they did. But somewhere along the way, the world decided it no longer needed men. Disco by disco, latte by foamy non-fat latte, men were stripped of their khakis and left stranded on the road between boyhood and androgyny. But today, there are questions our genderless society has no answers for. The world sits idly by as cities crumble, children misbehave and those little old ladies remain on one side of the street. For the first time since bad guys, we need heroes. We need grown-ups. We need men to put down the plastic fork, step away from the salad bar and untie the world from the tracks of complacency. It’s time to get your hands dirty. It’s time to answer the call of manhood. It’s time to WEAR THE PANTS."

You've probably already seen this ad. I'm usually the last to know. This is interesting advertising, isn't it? Surely calculated, definitely daring and culturally relevant or just clever?

This post is not about whether the ad really means what it says. I don't think so. This culture has lost the male/female distinctions and roles a long time ago. No one wants it back.

I want it back. That is why I wear skirts and dresses. That is why my girls do, too. All the time. Not just to church but even in work and play. Do we have to? Of course not. After all, the Bible doesn't even mention the word pants. Why that is an argument is just too silly to even bother with. What the Bible does teach are principles that are relevant to every culture and to every age. The Bible says that God created male and He created female. He created man first and then woman to help the man. That's God's design and His order. There is a distinct role that man is to play and woman is not to play man's role. The headship of man is not only limited to the husband and wife relationship. Sarah Palin should not have run for vice president. As good of a vice president or even president she may have been, she isn't designed by God to take on that role.

So, what does wearing dresses have to do with anything? If for nothing else, it reminds me that I am a woman. A man, in our culture, may not wear dresses. Well, I guess it's starting to be that he could and we're to be tolerant of that. I think we haven't gotten to the point where it's normal for a man to wear dresses. A dress is not as convenient or practical as wearing pants or shorts. But that can be helpful in reminding me of my role as well. Surely, I can do practically anything my husband does. But I am better suited to being with my children. I can serve in the kitchen. When I purposely choose to limit my wardrobe to dresses and skirts, I am making a statement that this attire is exactly how I like to look. I want to be feminine. I want to be soft. I want to be different from my husband. Sometimes different is good. It brings out the distinctions better.

Could a woman appear less modest in a dress than in a pair of pants? Yes, some women choose to reveal their bodies in a sensual way by wearing dresses. I think wearing modest dresses and skirts that don't draw attention to particular areas of a woman's body gives a picture of femininity that wearing modest pants don't. The main problem with wearing pants, though, is that they really aren't modest. How many women do you see wearing baggy pants? Pants are usually worn form-fitting on a woman. Jeans could be the most popular kind of pants for both men and women to wear. I made a point to look at women wearing jeans recently. From behind, I could see her bottom accentuated and her hips moving quite plainly. From the front, it's no better. It's easy to see where her crotch area is. "Pants accentuate your body," a fashion expert said but really one doesn't need to be told that. It's evident just by looking. Another thing I've noticed is the way a woman sits is different if she's wearing pants. Younger women will sometimes sit with her legs quite far apart. Straddling a chair. Pants allow her to do that. Sit like men.

It's only been 2 generations since women starting wearing pants. Leaving the home to work prompted women to adopt the attire of professional workers. There was no going back. Most women have more pants than they do dresses or skirts. Many young girls I know do not have any dresses. Women who wear modest dresses these days are either at a function, at church or Amish. My girls and I attract attention just by the fact that we wear skirts or dresses. People actually ask me about it. It's good to be different in a godly way. It's my desire that this world can easily tell that there's something different with our family. That may give us the chance to share our faith. Even if I don't get that chance, I'm letting my family know that we're serious about our God-given roles. If we're accused of being legalistic, so be it. Better more modest and old-fashioned than open the door to the world's ways and fashions. Why did women not wear pants before? Was it because they didn't know better? Because they had no real freedom to be like men? I think in the past, society expected men and women to be different. There were probably not too many stay at home dads and women who went off to the battlefields. Reading Little House on the Prairie made me think how so many things are totally opposite now. Laura recalls that she couldn't wait to wear the long dresses that went down to her ankles rather than the shorter dresses because that meant she was growing up. Women were to be protected and men were supposed to be gentler around them. Clothing really does reflect a lot about a culture. When the communists took over China, all the old ways were despised and men and women were all mandated to wear blue uniforms. The Chinese men and women looked so ... without individuality. Men and women really didn't appear to be very different. I think that's how women wearing pants are starting to appear in our culture, too. Women are now just like men. Like the Virginia Slims ads said, You've come a long way, baby.

Women have the liberty to wear pants. They can try for equality in any area of their lives. For me, there is liberty in knowing that I've left the pants-wearing part of my life behind. I used to think that I could do whatever I wanted to. Now I don't even want to. Whenever I feel that I need to remind myself to be submissive to my husband and not usurp my role as wife and helpmeet, I think of a young lady from a church we used to go to. She wore the pants in her house, literally and figuratively. A scene I remember is a gathering we were at and this young lady ordered her husband to change the baby's diaper. He humbly submitted even though she wasn't doing anything that should've prevented her from taking care of the baby. I remember thinking that surely that is not a picture of the Bible.

My body was made for my husband alone to enjoy. I feel more clothed and less sensual wearing skirts and dresses. That may be reason enough for me not to wear pants.

Is this ad going over well with the feminists? Of course not. How typical.

A picture is worth a thousand words

2010-02-02T17:39:00.000-08:00

Here is someone who is showing that abortion really is about babies.

In case you can't see the picture in the link, it's of a woman who is very much with child. On her belly she wrote the words, My baby is pro-choice.

HT

Bible Translations

2010-02-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

I didn't realize that the ESV was published in 2001. And that so much has already been said about this translation.

This is what I know so far about the ESV. It's good. Everyone says so.
Is it as good or better than the KJV? I'm not so sure. The sentence structure and phrasing, at times, sound awkward. In Mark 3:28, the ESV is the only version that used "man" instead of "men". Also, in this verse, "children" is used when the Greek word is sons. Hmmm. And I thought the translators were trying for a decidely different translation than the gender-neutral ones. :)
Genesis 12:3 doesn't sound grammatically correct with the word "him" but just weird.

Is it easier to read than the KJV? I think that depends whether you're used to the KJV. I am familiar with the KJV and so I don't find it difficult to read. The archaic words are like any unfamiliar words we come across. We look them up.

Sometimes it actually hinders to update words. Here are the verses that the ESV uses "pregnant" instead of the archaic "with child". I know hardly anyone says "with child" when they talk about a woman who will have a baby. But that's exactly the whole point. Our language will keep on changing. The further we get away from God's truths, the more our language will reflect that. Do my children know what "with child" means? Of course they do. It means that there is a baby growing within the mother. Is it necessary to update this so that modern readers can understand? I don't think so. There are further implications of updating very important terms in the Bible.

Other times when an updated word is used, the meaning just doesn't quite give the picture that is contextual. "Awe" doesn't give the same idea as "fear". For those who don't like it when words become too explicit and graphic? The ESV handles it much more tamely in Ezekiel 16:25. In I Timothy 4:7, almost every translation uses "old wives' tales" but the ESV chooses to be non-sexist instead and renders it an innocuous "silly myths". Can a Bible translation be PC?

The ESV does not use italics to show when words were being added to the text for clarification purposes. This may not be a big deal, but it makes food for thought, especially in cases like Psalm 53:1. The fool may be saying, "NO! God," though the translators added, "There is no God."

Philippians 2:6 in the ESV reads, "who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped". Sounds ok. But English could be so much more precise than that. The KJV translates this verse like this, "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God". What difference does this make? The word "being" easily can be understood not only to mean the deity of God, but that Jesus has always existed with God. A mountain out of a mole hill, perhaps. Especially since most people know that Jesus is God. Or do they? Many people acknowledge the historical existence of Jesus, but they definitely don't want to say that He always was and forever is God. I John 5:7 in the KJV clearly teaches the doctrine of the trinity, whereas the ESV opts out of the very important words, "these three are one" .

Something I found very peculiar was that I couldn't find some verses in the ESV. No kidding. I'm not talking about the NIV here. I thought the ESV was "the direct descendant of the historic King James Bible." Maybe I don't understand what I read. I couldn't find Matthew 12:47 (even the NIV had this verse), Matthew 17:21, Matthew 18:11, Matthew 23:14,
Mark 7:16, Mark 9:44, Mark 9:46, Mark 11:26, Luke 9:55 (a few words were there), Luke 9:56 (again, only a few words), Luke 17:36, Luke 23:17, John 5:4, Acts 8:37 (This verse being left out makes me very sad. Isn't a confession of faith in Jesus Christ so very important before baptism?), Acts 15:34, Acts 24:7, Acts 28:29, Romans 16:24, I John 5:7.

It's surprising to me how similar the ESV and the NIV translations are to each other. In I Samuel 6:19, the number of men differs significantly from the ESV (and the NIV) with the KJV. The ESV and the NIV also share many of the missing verses from the New Testament. I take this to mean that the translators used the same texts to translate the ESV as did the NIV, maybe? I understand that the ESV is based upon the RV, which does not use the same texts to translate from as does the KJV. I didn't realize how different the ESV is from the KJV until I looked up all those verses above. I think for me to ditch the KJV in favor of a translation that differs so widely from it, I'd have to be convinced that the translators of the KJV were in error in the texts they used in translating. How does God promise to preserve His word but then gives different translators different manuscripts to use?

Is the Bible just another book that we need to constantly update so that it can keep up with us? What I see happening is different publishing companies coming up with translations catering to certain groups and to humanist philosophies. Would anyone be surprised if publishing companies wanted to make different Bibles for money? Why do these publishers tempt little girls to get their parents to spend more?

The reason for this post is because of the subject matter, of course. The Bible is God's Word and the treatment of it should be of interest to any believer. The KJV Bible is the translation I prefer to use so the main focus of this post is in contrasting between these two versions. The KJV will never fall out of favor, I believe. It has withstood the test of time as a reliable English translation. The reason I chose to explore the ESV is because there are so many good endorsements for it. Sometimes there is a reason to switch to something new. The reason may be that the older thing just won't serve as well. This could be the case for the microwave oven. It can heat and cook foods faster than a conventional oven can. But has it been proven to cook foods as safely as a conventional oven. I believe research shows that it does not. But in the case of mammograms, thermography should replace it since it doesn't use radiation. But these examples really are irrelevant to Bible translations because the Bible is in a class all by itself. The main reason for rejecting the KJV is because of the outdated language. The ESV website claims that, "modern readers find the KJV’s archaic words and sentence structures difficult to understand." I really don't believe this to be an obstacle that impedes our understanding of the Bible. The "thees" and "thous" and other archaic terms actually remind me that this is not just another book. I need to treat God's Word with a seriousness that shows my faith in Him. Another reason for writing this post is so that I can see that there is merit in good translations other than the KJV. I am prone to stick with what I like. But I've come to see that different Bible translations can be helpful. I regularly use this online parallel Bible. 1 Corinthians 11:5 uses the word, "unveiled" in some translations, which may give a clearer picture of the headcovering in this verse.

A certain precious young man I know (it's interesting how this little word "know" encompasses so much in the Bible. God knows His children in the way that He loves them. A good translation of the Bible isn't just having the right modern words, it's getting to know God through the whole counsel of God.) might say that we'll just agree to disagree about Bible translations. That is not the point I'd like to make. It's good to know the strengths and weaknesses of the different translations of the Bible. And it's interesting to note that different denominations favor different translations. It'll be funny to be known by what church you go to by the translation you carry, isn't it? In the end, though, I'm certain that no matter how many translations come and go, God's Word will stand.

Homeschooling protects

2010-01-31T12:30:00.000-08:00

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

It is essentially mandatory for school-age children to be vaccinated. One benefit of homeschooling is that we get to decide for ourselves if we want our children's bodies to be injected with objectionable substances.

NC General Statute 10A NCAC 41A .0401

(a) Every individual in North Carolina required to be immunized pursuant to G.S. 130A-152 through 130A-157 shall be immunized against the following diseases by receiving the specified minimum doses of vaccines by the specified ages:

I was actually quite ignorant of this law until I heard a couple of homeschooling friends tell me that. I told them that surely we have the right to refuse. I didn't think that we would have to refuse. There are waivers for any child whose parents' choose to pursue that route. As of yet, homeschoolers here in NC do not have to show a currect shot record. Of course, there are many venues where it must be produced in order for our children to participate, but that's hardly something to fuss about.

Our understanding of health differs significantly from the public, it seems. We believe God gave us sound minds to pursue health through the means of nutrition and godly living. Specifically, He gave us an immune system that works to prevent untimely death. He gave mothers breast milk to protect little babies and the protective effects are long-term. It's incomprehensible to me that doctors used to encourage formula feeding. And it hasn't gotten any better. Every new mother leaves the hospital already defeated in the pursuit of giving her baby the best possible natural vaccine from her breast milk when she only has to mix together the formula the hospital gifts her. To help her out, in case she's nervous about the whole thing. To let her know that the formula's ready to nurish her baby even when she's not sure if her colostrum is adequate. She may not even know there is colostrum, just that her milk hasn't come in yet. But never fear, the formula's there. Sorry about the rant. I still get the lecture about why I'm continuing to breast-feed when there are no benefits past the first 6 months. If my children don't learn about Greek mythology and they grow up culturally uneducated, so be it. As long as they don't swallow false and ignorant ideas, then they will be fine.

Living in fear is not living abundantly. Though I battle with worrying over things beyond my control, I know that it is a trust issue, with God. Why should I worry about my children's health when I know that the children are really on loan from God and that my love for them helps me to take care of them and that is all I can do. Their health and not dying from disease is up to God. Does that sound cold and callous? It's not meant to. Every single second of breath we take is because God is sustaining us. Our understanding of Scripture also teaches us a proper understanding of this world. It is fallen. There is pain and suffering. There is disease. There is also healing. Many childhood diseases are not life-threatening. I regret that I didn't research about vaccines when Max was a baby and he had all sorts of shots. I specifically asked the doctor about the chicken pox vaccine and was told that Max may die if he got the chicken pox. He said that he would do the responsible thing and give it to his own son. How can a caring and responsible mother argue with that? The rest of our children have all gotten chicken pox and there are all still living. It really wasn't even that bad. Why do doctors use fear as a persuasion tactic? They know it works, that's why. But really, I can't blame doctors for the lies they tell. They only learned it from medical school and they have a practice to run, after all. And there are lots of pharmaceutical employees that would be jobless if people relied less on doctor's orders.

They all claim it isn't the money. What is, then? Is it the educating of health? Where? When we were in Guam, a man from our church who worked at the big Christian school there said that the soda machines have to stay because it brings in money for the school. He wasn't being sarcastic. He really felt that the soda machines benefited the school so that's all that mattered.

Conventional medical practice dictates that the body must be brought low in order to have a chance to fight the onslaught of all things evil. This is true with cancer therapies. And also true with vaccinations. Yes, they tell us, you will feel a little sick, but medicine never tastes good going down. Bad medicine is when a brand new baby is injected with toxins for Hepatitis B. How any baby gets out of the hospital unscathed is a testimony to God's saving grace.

We aren't going to just sit here and hope for the best, either. Despite being public-school educated, we have learned to think for ourselves a little. We believe food choices really do matter. Addicting food substances like sugar can cause diabetes. Sodas can cause obesity. And weaken women's bones. So we use raw honey instead of sugar. And we don't eat anything with high fructose corn syrup. Other than the fact that children need wholesome food, they need to acquiring wholesome appetites. We also look to the Bible for foods that we should avoid. I know, I know. Most Christians will immediately accuse me of taking away their liberties in Christ. We're under grace, after all. Jesus didn't come so that we can say that the Old Testament is of no avail. And of no value. If God chose to protect the Israelites from getting sick eating unclean foods, like the other nations did, why would we not heed His wisdom? After all, He is the creator of all the animals. If he says that pigs are unclean, I won't argue with Him. Instead, I will be thankful for the abundance of vegetation and clean animals (yea for bison!) that God has allowed. In my BC (before Christ) days, I played an awful trick on Chris that I regret. I told him to close his eyes and open his mouth. I gave him a piece of congealed pig's blood. He was not happy when he found out what it was that he ate. It sounds awful, doesn't it? Chinese people love it. I would venture to say that most Chinese Christians don't have any qualms about eating it. Most Caucasions would be repulsed, but it's not because blood is one of the forbidden foods. We just have our likes and dislikes. If it's something we like, then it's ok for food. Even though we all know that there are a lot of animals that are not good for food. Like dogs. Try convincing the Koreans, though. We'll just play it safe and go by the list that God has provided.

We look for natural remedies, instead of using drugs. After my root canal, my dentist told me to take motrin to help with the inflammation. I took green tea and grapeseed extracts. And I was fine. I will occassionally give the kids probiotics, especially if we're not eating yogurt or fermented foods regularly. I think a whole host of problems exist because the digestive system isn't functioning well.

Even though many our friends who homeschool do not believe in vaccinating their children, it seems that the homeschool sphere will be just as divided on this issue. I had written a post some time ago about a popular Christian science curriculum writer who is very pro-vaccination. Many people respect him and are influenced by him. He goes to homeschool conferences and speaks on the issue of vaccination. But only from the standpoint that not vaccinating is extremely irresponsible and dangerous. What's a Christian to do? We keep our children at home so they aren't faced with false propanganda day in and day out. The propaganda certainly won't be limited to government schools. Our children need to understand exactly why we do the things we do and be able to articulate them so that they may influence others for good.

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Hosea 4:6

My husband is alive and well

2010-01-31T09:19:00.000-08:00

Dear God, Thank you so very much for keeping Chris safe. Thank you for giving us the technology to communicate with each other. Thank you for listening to my prayers when I don't know what's going on and reassuring me all the while that you are in control. One more question...how do unbelieving wives keep from turning into basket cases every time their husbands go away? I love you, Lord, but only because you first loved me. All in Jesus' name. Amen.

Waiting

2010-01-31T08:22:00.000-08:00

Waiting must be one of the hardest things to do. Waiting to know if my husband arrived safely to his destination always keeps me on edge.

You'd think I would have gotten better at it with all these years of military life, but every time it is still something that isn't easy to do. Just to wait.

The Bible always has the answers.

Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD. Psalm 27:14

Home is best

2010-01-29T20:22:00.000-08:00

"Of all modern notions, the worst is this: that domesticity is dull. Inside the home, they say, is dead decorum and routine; outside is adventure and variety. But the truth is that the home is the only place of liberty, the only spot on earth where a man can alter arrangements suddenly, make an experiment or indulge in a whim. The home is not the one tame place in a world of adventure; it is the one wild place in a world of rules and set tasks."

- G. K. Chesterton

One minor reason why I like the KJV

2010-01-29T12:41:00.000-08:00

Genesis 3:16-17 in three Bible translations:

New American Standard Bible

16 To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you."
17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.

King James Bible

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

ESV

16 To the woman he said, I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”
17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

The words "pain", "toil" and "sorrow" are all different translations of `itstsabown עִצָּבוֺן
(Strong's H6093).

The NASB chooses to use "pain" in verse 16, but then switches to "toil" in verse 17.

The ESV is at least more consistent. It uses "pain" for both verses. If pain is used to imply a sense of hard work on the part of the man, then it should mean the same for the woman in childbirth. But normally we would not think of working as painful.

The KJV uses the same word in both verses, which makes sense since both verses have the same Hebrew word.

What happens when a woman believes that God has ordained pain, and not just pain, but pain multiplied in childbirth? Could she have a view that childbirth is something she cannot bear? Would she try to avoid the pain at all costs? Why not try to avoid childbirth altogether? And why go through childbirth without drugs since it's an experience that is unbearably painful?

And what happens when a woman reads the KJV Bible and accepts it at face value that childbirth would be sorrowful?

Why do most women experience incredible pain in childbirth? They come into the process with preconceived ideas. They expect pain. They fear it. Fear begets tension. Tension in childbirth = pain. It's not easy to relax. It's not easy to allow one's body to go through the process of childbirth and accept that what's happening is what God has designed the woman's body to do, naturally.

Should there be a difference in the way a believer reacts to the challenges of life from the unbeliever? Absolutely. We have the Word of God. They are words of life. If we believe in the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture, we need to believe that the Bible speaks to every area of life, including childbearing. Fear in childbirth is the result of a lack of knowledge. Or maybe incorrect knowledge. Or denial of God's perfect plan for His creation.

Lord God, may we submit ourselves totally to your will. May we not fear what you have ordained. May we, as women, embrace our calling as mothers and that first step towards motherhood, childbirth.

Tantalizing smells from the kitchen

2010-01-28T14:01:00.000-08:00

I don't cook very well. Understatement of my life. :)

I am also not very creative. I have learned that garlic can make my kitchen smell...oh, so... intoxicating. When I run out of garlic, I run out of ideas of what to cook. When I don't have garlic, it is time to go shopping. We can survive without bread, rice, and almond milk, but no garlic, no dinner.

I managed to make no one complain about the brown rice I made for the grilled rice burritos a few days ago. I made Spanish rice and it made for nice fat burritos. That was the first time I grilled the burritos. I have a feeling that as long as it's grilled, it'll go over well with my family.

I have an organic chicken in the clay roaster with, surprise!, lots of garlic in the oven right now. I took a short cut and dumped in a jar of cliantro salsa in with the rice. Hopefully it'll produce Spanish rice soon.

It's really true that a well-fed husband is a happy husband. I didn't want to believe that men, that my very own husband, could be so ... simple. Alas, it is true. Another nugget of wisdom that I didn't pay much attention to before is waiting to talk to my husband about pressing matters until after he's eaten. An empty stomach will not give good responses.

It would be nice if so much time needn't be spent on food. Buying food. Trying to save with coupons before even getting to the store. Organizing the kitchen. Not burning the food. Making brown rice palatable to a family that lived in Japan for 4 years and loves sushi and all things pertaining to white rice. Cleaning up. But then again, it makes sense that a worthy pursuit should take care and effort and of course, time. As a mother, my main concern is the physical and spiritual nourishment of my family.

I wish I had grown up being comfortable in the kitchen. More importantly, being useful in the kitchen. But all I did was eat. I need to remember that before my children can learn to see the kitchen as an area of service, I need to enlist their help. When they offer to do something that I think I can do faster and neater, I should gratefully accept.

I'd love for my children to grow up thinking that home is where good food is. Good food doesn't happen by itself. Thank you, Lord, for giving me a kitchen to prepare in and a family to feed. And dishwashers. 7 in the making. :)

How's that again?

2010-01-26T12:30:00.000-08:00

I was reading Hard Questions Real Answers by William Lane Craig and got to this sentence:

"It is perfectly possible to be a homosexual and be a born-again , Spirit-filled Christian."

And this:

"What the Bible condemns is homosexual actions or behavior, not having a homsexual orientation."

Hmmm.

The last paragraph begins with this sentence:

"Second, for those of us who are heterosexual, we need to remember that being homosexual , as such, is no sin."

Ok.

Time to purge our library.

This article written by an ex-homosexual that I just read on baylyblog.com was much more insightful.

God answers again

2010-01-23T21:30:00.000-08:00

I told Chris that I wish there were missionaries here that are taking clothes to Haiti. God doesn't want me to wish. He wants me to ask Him. He wants to supply. He also wants to get the credit.

There was a request for clothing donation to Haiti on our local freecycle. I don't know why I still underestimate God.

To God be the glory. Forever and ever. Amen.

Let's get together...today!

2010-01-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

There are always reasons why we can't have friends over. Usually it's the house.

I've decided hospitality is just too good of a command to put off. I will look for reasons to ask friends over.

I went to the store on Wednesday and bought quite a bit of french bread and organic salad because they were both on sale. Since I have so much good food in the house, we needed friends over to help us eat it!

What does it matter that we didn't give our friends too much notice. What does it matter that Thursday is a weekday. What does it matter that the house is not quite cleaned. It probably won't ever be. Maybe just before we move. :)

How blessed we were to spend a few precious hours fellowshipping with sweet friends.

Don't put off what you can do now.

Use hospitality one to another without grudging. I Peter 4:9

Caught the book writing bug

2010-01-18T17:22:00.000-08:00

I lay in bed the other night, thinking and thinking about why Christian women weren't all desiring to give birth at home. Does it matter what kind of birth women have? I know it does. It mattered so very much with me.

I don't know if I can actually write a book. I don't know that I have enough ideas and words to fill the many pages that would make a book. I know that I have a burden. And I want to share it with others and try to make a difference.

I'd love to put friends' homebirth stories in my book. May I share yours please?

Where can I save?

2010-01-15T16:54:00.000-08:00

I was wondering if I can pay less on our cable internet bill a month ago. I decided to just call and see what they say. The service representative said, "Sure thing! Would you like to pay $30, instead of $55 a month?" Um...ok. And all I had to do was to call and ask to pay less? Yep.

I don't think we need to pay to watch movies anymore. Netflix is nice, but not $10 a month nice, especially when I have to work at finding good movies to put in my queue. And I don't like feeling forced to watch a movie the day the movie arrives so that I can put it in the mail the next day. I sometimes will forgo being thrifty to hang on to a movie for a few days, but then it's definitely too much to pay the $10 when I only do a couple of movies a month.

The library has free movies. And I do mean free. Like in free to keep. We went to the library a couple of days ago and I saw a DVD on the free shelf. There wasn't a cover on the case so I almost didn't pick it up to look inside. It was the movie, Pendragon. I was very interested in that movie and nearly bought the movie from visionforum a few days ago. God is a great giver. He will give exactly what we want, many times when we wait on Him.

There are free redbox codes all the time. Good thing the selection is very limited. We don't have as much time to read when we watch movies too much.

Is it necessary to try to save as much as possible? I think the effort is worth it. I want to give more at church. I want to be able to give our children the best possible start before they leave home. Could we help them with their future homes? I sure hope so. I'd like to think that our children would not have to be indebted to the bank for as long as 30 years.

I believe preparing our children to start their married lives well and leaving them a godly as well as a financial heritage is biblical.

No, we can't take anything with us. What do we do with what we leave behind? Hopefully, there are children that will continue our vision of multi-generational faithfulness.

God is good

2010-01-10T20:48:00.000-08:00

We lost the baby.

Chris and I were talking about how good God is to us.

My pregnancy was still very early. What I passed was small and I didn't bleed much. God gave us more awareness about how precious every life is. He showed us that He is the giver of life as well as the taker of life. And we are so very grateful that He is sovereign over our lives and that His grace is sufficient for us.

Chris and I "know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."

Lord God,
You are perfect in all Your ways. We love you because you first loved us. Thank you for taking care of us and blessing us so much more than we could have ever imagined.

Taking in the news

2010-01-09T07:53:00.000-08:00

Chris had been at a school and just got home last night. We told the kids about the baby and they were very excited. :)

I wonder about sharing our news on my blog, but maybe it's not such a bad way to go.

I told someone very dear to me and her response was, Again? She called the next day to apologize for not expressing herself well. She told me that what she meant was that she thought it was very soon for me to be pregnant since my cycle just started back. Had she read about it on my blog, maybe she would've responded in a different way?

8 children is just way too many for most people.

God, we want the blessings.

It always takes awhile to sink in

2010-01-06T10:31:00.000-08:00

I don't know why it's so hard to believe that I am really pregnant. It always is.

The wonder of it...the enormity of it all...

I will cling to God's promise:

He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:11

Wanting to know

2010-01-05T09:26:00.000-08:00

Noble turned 15 months last month and my cycle returned! I am so very thankful to God that he's given me a husband who takes joy in the possibility of us having more children.

My cycle didn't show up this month and so I tested this morning and got a very faint line. I almost thought it was my imagination. I took another one and this time the line was daker but still not as distinct as my previous pregnancy tests' results were.

I almost wish pregnancy tests were not so cheap and easily available. Why cannot I just be content to wait on the Lord and not have to know as soon as I can? sigh...

Thank you, heavenly Father, for blessings us so very richly.

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him... Psalm 37:7

Good news about birth control

2010-01-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

Yaz/Yasmin birth control pill takers may win a lawsuit! Life-threatening symptoms and death have resulted from the users of this drug. Of course this is nothing new about the BCP, but isn't it nice that there are lawyers out there helping women become aware of the dangers of chemical birth control? It seems that it's the lawyers who are most effective at making sense out of all the propaganda. I talked with a friend who said that her Christian doctor said there are no problems with the BCP. We had a pastor whose comment about the BCP being an issue between the couple and God. A well educated Christian said that his wife has thoroughly researched the BCP and found it to be safe and he is not concerned about it's health effects or moral implications. Christians don't seem to care much about the history of the BCP.

One would think that after 40 years since the Pill's been on the market that it would now become safe and problem free. Too bad that besides being harmful to women, it's harmful to the baby that was conceived while the mother was on the drug. Harmful meaning, aborted.

Another good news! I am not the only person who knows this about the BCP!

There is a website that also knows!

And of course, Dr. Mercola, gives secular warnings.

Another website.

And another.

One more.

Christian doctors who speak out against the BCP.

The above websites were found during a cursory search on the internet. The warnings seem to be out there. Why are not Christian women heeding? Maybe it comes down to the trust that people put in the medical establishment. If doctors can prescribe it, it must be ok for me. If the Christian culture does not speak against it, it must be ok.

Too many women have died. How many babies have been aborted? Does it matter?

Yes, but, I don't want to be contentious. So, I don't want to talk about it. Surely that is not reason for being silent.

Dear God,
Please give us the boldness to speak truths that need to be heard. Thank you for your goodness.

Curtailing internet activity

2010-01-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

I found that since I deactivated my facebook account, I feel...less busy. One less thing to check when I get on the computer. That's a very good thing.

I don't manage my time very well so I think I need as little distractions as possible.

I also don't need to know what every friend is doing, playing (should their high scores impress me or just make me covet their time to play?), eating, laughing about, trying to win, enigmatic remarks, etc.

Curiosity killed the cat. It could kill my sense of discretion and moderation, too.

I understand that many things can be used for good. This kind of internet activity can so become intrusive and unprofitable that I think, for me and my household, it's best to refrain and pick up the phone. Or email. Or plan a visit.

There are practical concerns are well.

The ways of worship

2009-12-31T22:37:00.000-08:00

For quite some time I have been thinking about 1 Corinthians 11:2-16. About 7 years ago, I asked our pastor how he interprets that passage. He referred me to some commentaries that said that the headcovering for the woman is her hair. Her long hair. Ok. Fair enough. But why aren't women taught to have long hair? For me, the hair length issue is an easy one to see that it does deal with submission. When I was first married, Chris wanted me to grow my hair long. I never would. I kept getting it cut. I would not submit to him...until I came to know Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

Here is a pastor's interpretation that differs from what I was told many years ago. What is this modern woman going to do with this passage? Nothing or seek the Holy Spirit for wisdom? It would definitely be easier to do nothing. I pray if I do nothing, it will be by the prompting of the Spirit and not the fear of man.