How my cavity healed

I try not to blog about things as boring as teeth.  However, there is something crazy that has happened recently, that I just had to share the excitement, so here it goes.  In my 31+ years of life on this earth, I have never had a single cavity – that is until this past November.  One evening during dinner, I was shocked to discover that on the inside gum line of my bottom incisor, there was a pretty substantial hole.  It was big enough that I could stick my tongue into the hole.  I panicked, never having experienced this before.  But, instead of rushing to the dentist, I bought a book.  I had heard about a book that explains how you can heal tooth decay by your diet.  It’s called Cure Tooth Decay by Ramiel Nagel.  I had read testimonies of people who had followed the advice in the book, including a guy who needed a root canal, and watched in amazement as their teeth healed on their own without any medical intervention.  So I thought I’d give it a try.  To be honest, I did not get through the whole book (I’m pretty bad about finishing books), and I did not do everything the book suggests to do.  I did however, put just a few changes into practice, and I am not even exaggerating, within days my tooth began to heal.  About a month later, the tooth was healed enough that I could no longer stick my tongue into the hole.  And now, just 3 months later, my tooth is almost completely healed.  I made the plunge this week and got braces (something I’m now questioning myself on, but trying to convince myself it was a good decision).  I had to get x-rays as part of the process, and no cavities showed up on the x-rays!  So, you might be wondering what the changes were that I made to my diet.  One of the changes is probably pretty obvious – cut back on sugars and grains (crackers, bread, pasta, etc.).  I was not entirely successful in this area (especially during the holidays).  However, the change which I felt made the biggest difference was a daily dose of Green Pastures Blue Ice Royal Blend.  It’s a blend of fermented Cod Liver Oil and Butter Oil.  “Gross!” you might say.  But really, surprisingly, not at all.  Actually after reading about the tremendous benefits found in this amazing stuff, I’ve been giving it to the girls every day.  Lili even asks me for it and asks for more after I give her 1/4 teaspoonful.  Turns out that most of the tooth decay that happens is because our diets are extremely lacking in fat-soluble vitamins A and D, found in the most concentrated forms in fermented Cod Liver Oil, but also available in many other sources.  (You can read about it in the book).  So there you have it.  It is possible to heal your teeth without having to do such invasive things such as being drilled, filled, and billed!  Hope this inspires someone to seek alternative methods to healing their teeth through diet.  Also, just want to mention, that if our teeth are decaying, it’s a sign that our bodies are breaking down in a matter of speaking.  I would rather do what I can to address the needs of my depleted body, than just cover it with a filling.  Food for thought.

 

 

3 Years

Three years ago today we made the move down here to Mexico City.  It seems like so much longer.  So much has happened since then.  So much has changed.  We came down with so many unknowns: home, ministry, school.  I have to confess I might have a hard time going back to the way things were when we first got here.  The 3 of us living in a tiny bedroom with no hot water for the first month, walking or taking public transportation everywhere we went, everything so foreign, a LOT of free time (read: boredom), lugging our laundry 5 blocks to do the washing and take the occasional hot shower, none of the comforts of having our own home.  Yet it was all an adventure at the time.  Now, in comparison, we are quite spoiled.  A big 4-bedroom house with 2 1/2 (albeit SMALL) bathrooms and a tiny yard, a car that circulates 6 days a week, most of our belongings from the States plus some, phone, Internet, TV, a washer and dryer, HOT WATER.  It’s good to remember the things we have to be grateful for.  But at the top of our lists (besides our own family) are our friends and ministries that the Lord has given to us.  Though at times we feel overwhelmed or discouraged, we really love what we’re doing.  Who would have thought that we’d get to do so many things that we love to do on a regular basis as part of our ministry down here?  I’m teaching music to the girls in the safe house, using materials I used over 10 years ago when I taught piano and studied guitar, and I love it.  I have so much fun with them.  I’m discipling two ladies and hold a weekly small group for young ladies, and I love it.  I’m part of the weekly staff meetings for our new church plant, La Cosecha.  We spend time praying together, brainstorming together, and encouraging each other, and I love it.  We’re part of the worship team, which means we get to play together and worship the Lord together, and I love it.  Best of all, most days I’m home with my girls doing my very favorite job as mommy and homemaker.  I get to giggle and play with my girls, marvel at how quickly Liliana absorbs the material in her preschool books, walk to the local produce and meat stands to buy food for the day’s meals, gather fresh eggs from our chickens.  God has really blessed us.  Although, in the day-to-day ins and outs, I don’t always have this “I’m so blessed” attitude.  Some days I have to confess it’s mere survival of my sanity.  All in all I wouldn’t change this life for any other.  I know it’s where God wants us.  As I read inspirational stories like that of Katie Davis, I think, “I want to do MORE, SO much MORE!”  But then I think, “With what time?”  And then instead of thinking of ways to take on the whole world, I remember that it’s more about a step by step, day by day, growing obedience to the Lord, cultivating my relationship with Him, and I know that He will open and close the doors that He sees fit in His perfect timing.  My prayer is to live a more selfless life so that my life fulfills His purposes and not my own selfish ones.  I thank Him for what He has done in the past 3 years and trust Him for what He will do in the years to come.  Some people ask us if we have any plans to move back to the States or leave Mexico, and the answer is “no.”  We’re here until God makes it very clear that He wants us somewhere else, and we have no idea when (or if) that will ever be.

 

The Holidays

So we’ve been home from the States for a little over a week, and I thought I’d give a little summary of our trip.  Highlights from our time in Oregon include my mom’s birthday (as previously mentioned), watching Violet crawl for the first time, playing racquet ball with Loren almost every day, taking Lili and her cousins ice skating for the first time, swimming at an indoor aquatic park, celebrating Christmas, and of course lots of QT with the family.  =)  Highlights from our time in Pennsylvania include Christmas Eve services and Christmas day, spending time with family and friends (among them were my bff Abby Koontz and her husband who drove out from Indiana to visit with us for a few days), Lili playing in the snow (she did not stop talking about playing in the snow before our trip, so I’m SO grateful we got a little bit of snow for her to play in), seeing Daniela (a girl from here in Mexico City who went up to visit friends of ours from Emmanuel Baptist Church), and going skiing.  I have to admit I enjoyed the liberty of having on-hand babysitters (aka the grandparents) to watch our girls, which made it easy to get up and go.  Oh, and I learned how to make cute hair bows while in the States!  Mara and I had a little sisterly-bonding time together making bows for our girls.  It was fun!  We had a wonderful time in the States, and even though the time seemed to fly while we were there, it seems like we were gone FOREVER!  Coming back home felt a little strange at first.  Several people asked us if it was hard to come back, and to be honest, it wasn’t.  For me, it’s ALWAYS hard to say goodbye to my family (I almost never make it without shedding some tears at some point), but coming back here to Mexico definitely feels like coming home.  We have such a sense of belonging here, like we’re supposed to be here.  I know that comes from God.  I think both of us were also eager to get back to the work God has given us here.  We really enjoy the ministries and church that we are involved in and at this point in our lives couldn’t imagine ourselves anywhere else.  We’re excited to see what the year 2012 holds!

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VACATION!

So it’s been 3 months since my last blog entry.  Wow, I have no idea how so much time goes by between posts.  Oh, well maybe I do.  Maybe it has something to do with the fact that life as a wife, mommy, and missionary, just never seems to slow down.  I love my life as all of the above, but am also very grateful for breaks, which is what we’re enjoying right now (not that I’m getting a break from being a wife or mommy or even a missionary, HA!) as we’re in the States for four whole weeks – two with my family in Oregon and then two with Loren’s family in Pennsylvania.  Our arrival here in Oregon was somewhat of a covert op as we were trying to surprise my mom for her 50th birthday.  We arrived on December 9, but my mom was under the impression that we would arrive on the 13th.  So my sis picked us up at the airport after a very long day of traveling with 2 little ones on 3 different planes, and the plan was to meet Mom and Dad at a restaurant the next day to surprise my mom.  We would all be seated at the table when Mom and Dad arrived at the restaurant.  Some unexpected car problems made us late leaving.  We drove in 2 separate cars.  Jen and I with 3 of the kids in one car and Nathan (Jen’s husband) and Loren in the other car with the other 2 kids.  As we got close to the restaurant, Nathan (my sister’s husband) called us to tell us he had spotted our parents’ car, and that we needed to take the back way to the restaurant to avoid being seen.  So we snuck our way around the back all the while keeping our eyes out for my parents silver Audi.  When we finally met up with Nathan and Loren, we cautiously made our way to the restaurant.  Suddenly Nathan yells out, “It’s the Audi!” so we all stop and do a 180 to make a mad dash for cover.  Only, Jen and I weren’t able to make such a speedy getaway as we had the 2 three year-olds in tow, one of them in clogs.  So as the Audi came around the corner, and we realized that we were helplessly and completely exposed with no where to hide, we just froze and watched as the Audi drove slowly by.  Trying to hide behind Jen, I peaked past her to find to my relief that it wasn’t them.  False alarm!  My 3-year-old niece Jazmyn was crying hysterically.  We realized that in the frantic haste of running away, both of her shoes had fallen off, and she was standing in just her socks.  I’m pretty sure we laughed the entire way to the restaurant.  The hostess took us to the table they had reserved for us.  Thankfully Mom had her back turned to the table, so she didn’t see when we came in.  When we were all settled in our seats, the hostess went to get my parents.  The look on my mom’s face was priceless.  As she made her way over to our table, we started singing “Happy Birthday,” and to my surprise I wasn’t really able to finish singing because she was crying and it was making ME cry!  Ah we did it.  We surprised her.  Months of planning and scheming paid off.  Now we can all breathe a little easier now.  So after a weekend of celebrating my Mom’s birthday, we plan on taking this week to do some relaxing, more Christmas shopping, mailing out our newsletters and Christmas cards, and of course just enjoying time with my parents, my sister and her husband, and our 2 nieces and 1 nephew.  Yea for vacation!

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Through it all

Oh what a day, quite different from what we had envisioned!  This was a day we had anticipated for quite some time as the launch date of the church plant we are part of, Iglesia Biblica La Cosecha (Harvest Bible Chapel Mexico).  But sadly we missed out on this momentous occasion due to a series of unforeseen events.  Loren left for church early since he was playing bass on the worship team.  I later followed with the girls in the van.  Only I didn’t make it very far because as we were going down the hill near our home, I was distracted by two mosquitoes that were flying around the inside of the van.  As one ventured over to my side of the van, I thought, “I’m going to kill that nasty thing.”  Apparently I was pretty engrossed in the process because as I went to smack it against the window, we smashed into a pole in the middle of the road.  Um, so yeah, I feel pretty stupid.  Thankfully none of us were seriously injured.  Lili and Violet were both crying hysterically, but I think mostly because of the shock.  When I went to the back to check on the girls, Lili cried, “My shoe fell off!”  I was somewhat relieved that that was her biggest complaint at the moment.  I asked her where she hurt, and she stuck out her tongue, which she had bitten.  I also noticed she had some scrapes from her seat belt.  I called Loren and waited for him to come get us.  I noticed that my cheek was bleeding and that I had a big knot on my head.  I guess I hit my head on the steering wheel, but I don’t remember that.  My airbag didn’t deploy, but the one on the passenger side (where no one was sitting) did.  Helpful.  Unfortunately, that wasn’t the end of our injuries.  We called a tow truck and had them take the van to our house.  Loren was in the driver’s seat while they were unloading it, but then as he tried to get out, the driver pushed the van back and it rolled backwards, smashing Loren into the wall.  The driver had to pull the van off of Loren to unpin him.  We were worried that he might have fractured his pelvis, so he went to the emergency room.  Later some friends picked the girls and me up and dropped me off at the hospital.  I wasn’t planning on getting examined, but our friends and Loren both encouraged me to do so, so we both got x-rays taken and waited for our friend Oscar, who is a doctor at the hospital, to give us the results.  We felt pretty silly sitting in the waiting room in hospital gowns, and even more silly being pushed around the hospital in wheelchairs.  It turns out that Loren didn’t have any fractures (Praise God!) and I have a rectified cervical spine (or something like that).  Still not entirely sure what that means, but I think the whiplash caused my spine in my neck to lose the natural curve it normally has.  Oscar said to wear a soft neck brace for 2 weeks, and I should be fine.  He prescribed some pain meds for both of us and we went out to dinner with him and some other friends from the church.  As we were sitting there eating together, I was thinking how nice it was to be with friends in the middle of a somewhat miserable situation.  We were able to laugh and have a good time.  Pastor Antonio had announced in church that we were in an accident.  We had SO many calls from people checking on us.  It’s so nice to feel loved and cared for.  I am so sad that we missed the launch service of our church, and I have no idea why all this had to happen.  Becky had mentioned in the staff meeting last week that she thought we (as a church, as church leaders) would be attacked by the enemy, especially on the day of our first service, as we have already seen his attacks.  We know he doesn’t like what we’re doing.  I’m not too upset about it all.  I am more just grateful the girls are OK and I’m trusting God to provide as He always has.  Even though I might think this all happened because of my own stupidity, I still cling to Romans 8:28-29: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”  Kind of hard to get around the word “all” in that passage.  The words “through it all” kept running through my head, and I was trying to remember what song had those words in it.  Then I remembered it’s “More Than I Can Bear” by Kirk Franklin.  Just got through listening to that song a couple of times.  The chorus says, “He’ll never put more on me than I can bear.”  So true!

On a happy note, we came home to a nice little surprise.  So let me back up.  Yesterday we went to the Xochimilco market and bought 3 chickens.  You probably have no idea how exciting this is for me, but I have been wanting chickens for a long time.  Part of moving to the house we are in now is that it has a yard where we could put our chickens and goats some day.  Well, I was actually hoping within a few months of moving in.  But here we are almost a year after moving into our house and we have chickens!!  For those of you who don’t know, I am so into the whole urban farm thing.  There is an urban farm in a southern California suburb that is my inspiration.  I look at that blog and think, “someday.”  Yes, I am the woman with a garden on the roof (Loren just made me 2 square-foot garden beds!) and 2 composts.  I love the idea of eating “the fruit of our labor,” home-grown food, free of chemicals.  In Chicago, I used to try to buy free-range eggs, but here they’re more difficult to find, so I decided the only solution was to get some chickens, so that’s been my dream for the past couple of years.  So a week ago, Loren built a coop (can I just say that I have a very talented husband?) and fenced off a small part of our front yard (which is actually supposed to be a parking space) and yesterday we brought home 3 chickens.  I was literally jumping around, and Loren told me that I wasn’t that happy when we got married (which isn’t true, of course.  He’s crazy).  I just love hearing them softly cluck and watching them scavenge around for bugs.  It’s so soothing to me, makes me feel like I’m “back on the farm.”  Oh wait a minute, I didn’t grow up on a farm – that was Loren.  Guess I’m just a farm girl at heart.  =)  Yesterday, I thought it was hysterical when one of the chickens got so excited about a big fat centipede she had found and how she protectively guarded it from the others as she savored her delectable treat.  I thought, “You go, girl!  I’m scared to death of those things!”  So two of them have another month or so before they’re old enough to lay eggs, but the other one is already laying we were told.  The two small red ones we named “Rosie” (I picked that name) and “Chickie” (Loren picked that name).  The large white one we named “Cici” (Lili picked that name).  I honestly didn’t have great expectations when I went out to check the nesting box this morning.  Somehow I just figured it wouldn’t be that easy.  I figured the chickens might require some coaching.  So I wasn’t too surprised to find the nesting box empty.  But tonight, when Pastor Antonio and Becky dropped us off at home, Loren went to put Cici in the coop, as she was the only one who hadn’t gone in there.  And to my delight, he pulled out a beautiful brown egg!  Our first egg.  I’m so proud.

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Pijamada & Mother’s Days

TODAY is the day that Loren comes back from Chicago.  I’m so excited.  Maybe that’s why I’m up blogging instead of in my bed sleeping like I should be.  Never has 10 days seemed so long (except maybe the 10 days between Lili’s due date and the day she was actually born).  I remember thinking the last time Loren went away (last October) for a week thinking, I’m not letting him leave without me again!  (we see how much good that did).  But now I remember why.  I HATE having him gone.  He says he’s had a good time and learned lots and that he’s excited about the changes that will be coming.  I’ll just be happy to have him home again.  =)  And, well, yes, of course I am excited to hear about the things they learned and all the exciting changes.

The “pijimada” (sleepover) was a success!  I stayed up until 5:00 AM!  Quite a feat for someone who is almost always in bed by 11.  It was an evening of fun and pampering and laughter.  There were 9 ladies/girls who came ranging in age from 12 to 35, plus a friend of Lili’s, who is 4 years old.  We ate pizza and played games and celebrated one of the ladies’ birthday and did foot spa massages, manicures, and pedicures.  One of the ladies is a masseuse, so we all received mud-mask facials.  Mine ended at 5 AM, at which time I crept upstairs and slept in my own bed, instead of on the floor or mattress on the floor or couch with the others downstairs.  Is that cheating?  Well, I had to be with Violet, of course, so I don’t think so.  It felt SO good to crawl into bed, but sadly it was short-lived as Lili came into my room around 7:30.  I coaxed her into my bed, but was unable to fall back asleep, so finally got up around 8:30.  Everyone was up and moving (albeit a bit dazed).  We ate pancakes and watched a movie, and everyone left around 2 in the afternoon.  It really was a lot of fun – something we’ll definitely have to repeat sometime.

The ladies at the sleepover (minus 3 of us and the 2 little girls who were already asleep at this point)

I celebrated 2 Mother’s Days this week (American and Mexican) – privilege of being an American living in Mexico.  =)  Mother’s Day is always the 10th of May here, no matter what day of the week.  And for some (like Raul), it even means the day off of school.  I have to admit this year was a little rough with Loren being gone for BOTH of those days.  I felt like I was double jipped!  But I did have someone take me out to lunch both days, so I guess I can’t complain too much.  AND Loren says he wants to take me out when he comes back, so I’ll probably take him up on that.  Raul took us out for Barbacoa (goat meat) tacos on Sunday, and my friend Karina, bought my lunch on Mexican Mother’s Day at the Sirloin Steak Buffet.  I have thought a lot lately about what a blessing children are, and I am so so grateful for the opportunity and privilege of being Liliana and Violet’s mommy.  Liliana is so full of life and joy.  I love just watching her dance or listening to the funny little things she says.  She thinks she’s so grown up, and yet she is still so tiny!  I love watching Violet as she grows and develops at the rapid pace that babies do.  Just today I was watching her as she was staring intently and even touching a toy in front of her for the first time.  Just seeing her smile lights up my day and makes me melt every single time.  I treasure my time with them and relish the age they are now, but also look forward to seeing them grow up and hopefully become more and more like Jesus.  I pray that I can be the example I want them to have and follow.

Mother's Day (American)

Violet turned 3 months old on Monday.  She weighs 12.6 pounds and measures 24″ long.  She discovered her voice last Thursday and has become quite a conversationalist since then.  She actually said her first word in Spanish: “ajo,” which means, “garlic.”  I think she’s going to be a healthy eater.  =)  She loves people’s faces and breaks out in a big smile when people look at her.  She’s a charmer already.

Violet's 3-month photo

 

Camp, Cumpleaños, Chicago

That’s what we’ve been up to lately.

CAMP: April 20-23, we joined the youth of Iglesia Bíblica de Tlalpan for camp in Amealco, a small town a few hours north of the city.  This was our second time to go, and we took our whole family, including our dog, Jack.  The trip got off to a little bit of a rough start.  Our bus was supposed to arrive at the church at 6 a.m., but never showed up, so we ended up cancelling with them and calling another company.  By the time our bus finally came, and we loaded up and pulled out, it was around 9:30.  Lili made friends with a missionary family who lives near the camp, so she spent two nights and two days at their house.  Loren and I led morning devotions for the leadership team.  Loren did some of the teaching, and we both were leaders of a small group.  I really enjoy the small group time, but I was reminded again of how I really need to work on my Spanish some more.  I feel somewhat frustrated that I still struggle so much, and I wonder, will I ever be fluent?  I have started reading my Bible in Spanish in the morning and try to watch children’s programs on TV with Lili in Spanish, but living in a family where we only speak English, and having so many friends who speak English, definitely doesn’t help.  Anyway, back to camp, it was a very enjoyable few days and exciting to see God moving in the hearts of the young people.  We arrived home late Saturday night exhausted!

Everyone who went to the camp

CUMPLEAÑOS: For those of you who don’t know this means “birthday.”  Our Liliana turned 3 years old on April 27.  It’s so hard to believe that she’s getting so big!  We found a really fun place just south of the city, not too far from where we live called “Rancho Mágico.”  As soon as we found out about it, we knew that Lili would love it, and decided to have her birthday party there.  We invited a few of her close friends down here and their parents and made a day of it.  It worked out great that kids had the week off of school.  We spent the entire day petting, holding, and feeding animals and then came back to the house for a down-home meal of BBQ sandwiches, potato salad, chips, lemonade, etc.  Lili had a blast with all her friends, but was completely wiped out, which is why I think she came down with a fever the next day and was sick all weekend.  Poor girl had a little too much fun I guess.  =(

Lili loved holding and feeding the animals. She's a farm girl at heart.

Cake time! Red velvet with cream cheese frosting and Blue Bell vanilla ice cream!

CHICAGO: Loren is currently in Chicago for 10 days (May 2-11) for a leadership training conference with Harvest Bible Chapel.  The church we are working with here (IBT) is in the process of becoming Harvest Bible Chapel Mexico.  The pastor has been up there the past few weeks, and now a group of leaders from the church is up there for some training.  Loren says that it is going really well, and he is enjoying being up there.  He is excited to get some fresh ideas.  But we definitely miss him at home.  It makes for looooooooooong days when he’s not here, but we’re managing.  Loren is also excited about the chance to meet up with some friends and even his brother’s family for a little bit while he’s up there.  I am hosting a sleepover here at the house tomorrow night for the girls/young ladies of the church to take advantage of Loren being away.  Raul is getting kicked out of the house for the night.  He’ll be staying with a friend.  Yay for girl time!  =)

 

Life as the mommy of 2

Well, Loren’s parents, who were the last of our visitors (other than Raul, who is here until June 15) left last Wednesday.  We definitely enjoyed our visitors, and now it’s back to life as usual.  Having two kiddos has definitely been an adjustment, but thankfully Liliana is pretty independent, and Violet is not too demanding.  I am shocked, and probably a little bit spoiled, that she normally sleeps for a solid 7-8 hours at night!  I think the Lord knows I need my sleep so I can have the energy to keep up with Liliana!  It has been fun to see how the girls already really love each other.  Liliana loves to cuddle with either Loren or me and Violet, saying, “You can hold two girls?”

I enjoy my time as a mommy at home.  But I have also been recently blessed with a ministry outside the home, something I have been wanting now for awhile.  Loren watches the girls for me, so that I can volunteer two days a week at The Well of Life, a home for girls rescued from human trafficking.  Right now there are only 2 girls living there.  I am giving them music lessons.  Since there are no instruments there, we are just working on music theory.  But hopefully, soon, we can have a keyboard and guitar there, so the girls can start playing instruments.

I’ve also taken up gardening a little more this past week.  It has been SO hot outside, that it’s best to do it in the morning or evening.  But it’s so therapeutic, and just nice to be outside for a little bit (when I can manage it).

I am amazed over and over again that God has blessed us with such precious girls.  I am so thankful for them.

 

So grateful for my mom!

Violet loves her Gammy

Having my mom here has been such a huge blessing!  Besides the fact that I’ve been able to take my time holding and admiring little Violet while Mom takes care of Lili, I’ve also had the luxury of unrushed showers, uninterrupted (most of the time) quiet times, and naps!!!  AND I managed to find time to make homemade cold cereal and cross a few other things off my “to do” list.  I’m excited that my Dad comes tonight.  I just don’t know what I’ll do when they leave in a week.  Oh, how I’m dreading it.  =( Thankfully my friend Abby Koontz is coming a week later for a few days and then Loren’s parents will be here for 2 weeks, so I’m looking forward to their visits.  But I will definitely miss my mom!

 

The arrival of Violet Elyse Kurtz

I’m a bit embarrassed by the amount of time I’ve allowed to pass since my last post.  But the arrival of our newest family member is a good motivation to return to the blogging world.  Maybe I’ll be able to keep it up…

So, as you probably already know, on February 9th of this year, our family grew from 3 to 4 as our second daughter, Violet Elyse, made her appearance into the world at 10:36 P.M.  It all went so fast.  I’ll try to recap that momentous day for you.  That day I was feeling really out of sorts.  My back was really aching and I could feel that she had dropped even lower.  (Violet first dropped at 30 weeks, which had its positives and negatives.  Positive: I could BREATHE so much better!  Negative: A lot of pressure in the pelvic area and almost constant back aches.)  I was also in a very irritable mood that day.  Liliana and I were home together all day, and I found myself getting annoyed with all of her energy and innocent little antics.  I didn’t feel like doing anything that day, so I folded laundry and watched “Baby Mama” while eating almost an entire pineapple (I had read that fresh pineapple helps get labor going.  But I also read it takes about 7 to actually do anything, and this was just my second one of the week.  I figured I’d just keep eating pineapple until my baby was born.  Now I can’t think about pineapple without my lips puckering up!) I just chalked all these annoyances up to the final pregnancy day blues – the “just please let this baby come soon!” syndrome.  I had been having contractions off and on for weeks, but nothing too painful – until that evening around 5.  Earlier that afternoon I had called my sister, who is studying midwifery, to get her opinion.  She didn’t answer, so I left a message that sounded something like this, “Hey, Sis, it’s me.  I’ve been having a lot of backaches and contractions today.  Just wondering what you think.  It’s probably nothing, but I just wanted someone to talk to.”  She called me back, and as we were talking I got a really strong contraction that brought small tears to my eyes.  She told me if I got 2 more similar contractions to call my midwife.  We hung up, and not even 5 minutes later I got another strong contraction, so I called one of my midwives.  She didn’t answer, so I called the other one (both happen to be named Guadalupe).  The second one (Guadalupe H.) did answer, and she told me to take a hot shower and lie down to see if the contractions slowed down or went away.  The first one (Guadalupe L.) then called me back and told me we’d be in contact.  I called Loren to find out when he would be home and asked him if he could come home soon.  I also asked him to call our friends, Antonio and Becky Munoz, to have them come pick up Liliana.  It was a little while before I could follow my midwife’s instructions as I had a hungry toddler, so after fixing her something to eat, I did as I was told, but the contractions continued to come.  Guadalupe L. called me shortly after that, and I told her the contractions were still strong, averaging about 6 min. apart.  She asked if I wanted her to come, and I said yes.  Loren called to say that traffic was horrible.  There was a protest going on that evening, and entire streets were closed down.  It took him over an hour to get home.  Traffic was just crawling along, so he and Raul ended up getting out of the taxi and running the rest of the way to the house.  They got home sometime after 7.  Then it was a mad-dash for Loren and Raul to move the furniture in our bedroom, inflate the birthing pool, fill the birthing pool, and fix me something to eat.  Becky showed up around 8.  She too, had been stuck in traffic.  She ended up parking her car and walking the rest of the way to our house.  Normally it takes about 10 min. to get to her house.  It took her over an hour.  She stayed with me until my midwife arrived around 9.  Then she took Liliana home with her.  By that time, I was in hard labor.  The contractions were so intense that I couldn’t stand up.  Guadalupe L. was great, massaging my back and giving me support.  I was just dying to get in the tub, but it wasn’t ready yet, so I tried to get in the shower, but couldn’t make it because the contractions were too strong and too close together.  Finally the tub was ready around 10, and I eagerly got in.  Instantly I could feel my body relax, and the contractions even eased up a little.  I was feeling so much pressure, I just knew that our baby was coming soon.  Loren was still running in and out of the room trying to get things ready.  I was in too much pain to talk, but I was thinking, “He’s going to miss the birth!”  My second midwife (Guadalupe H.) showed up a little after 10.  By this point the pain really felt unbearable, and I thought, “If only an epidural were available right now!”  The fact that everyone was scurrying around to get things ready, and I didn’t have anyone right by my side really made it more difficult.  Finally Guadalupe L. told Loren, “You probably want to stay in the room because it’s getting really close.”  So thankfully he came and sat outside the tub by me.  I had already felt Violet’s head when Guadalupe L. told me it was time to start pushing.  So I got up on my knees and leaning over the edge of the tub, began to push with each contraction.  After the first or second push, Guadalupe L. told me to reach down to feel her head.  I could feel a full head of hair and was so excited that she was almost here!  All of a sudden I had a stronger motivation to get her out and see our precious baby.  In about 2 or 3 strong pushes, she was out.  I eagerly turned around to grab my baby and pull her to my chest.  The feeling was euphoric.  Words can’t describe the joy and relief bound in that moment.  Violet was in my arms and Loren was right behind us.  After a few minutes, Loren cut the cord, and then the Guadalupes took Violet and helped me out of the tub and into my bed.  I was able to breastfeed Violet right away without any problems.  After a little while, the Guadalupes left us to sleep.  Violet slept in her co-sleeper by our bed.  After a feeding-frenzy that lasted until about 3 AM, she slept a solid 5 1/2 hours.

Violet Elyse weighed 7 pounds 13 ounces and measured 19.7 inches.  She has brown hair and dark gray eyes.  She looks a lot like her sister Liliana did as a newborn.  She was born 10 days before her due date, which also happens to be the birthday of Loren’s maternal grandmother, who passed away of cancer 33 years ago.  We think it’s special that she shares a birthday with her great-grandma.

I chose to have a home birth because I wanted an all-natural birth with no interventions and the peace of being able to recover in my own home.  I am so grateful that my recovery has been a lot easier and quicker this time around.  As a result, I’ve been able to enjoy the experience so much more.  My mother flew down here to Mexico the very next day.  She is here with us for 4 weeks.  I am so grateful for her help.  My dad will coming down a week from today to stay with us for one week.

I feel beyond blessed with this new little life God has given us.  What a miracle the creation of a new life is!

The night she was born

Liliana got to see her little sister the next day. Her reaction, "Shes so cute!"

The four of us

Guadalupe H. And Guadalupe L. - wonderful midwives!

Our beautiful little girl!