Jeyson's 30th Birthday

Last week was Jeyson's 30th birthday.  What made the day extra perfect was that it was a holiday here in Brazil, so we and all of our friends were off!  To strart the day, Jeyson and Elijah went out to breakfast at the bakery and ran a few errands together. 

Ready to head out for "men's breakfast" as we called :)

 Then, in the afternoon we had a picnic party in the park.  We normally don't have birthday parties, but being Jeyson's 30th, I couldn't let it slip by.  I made sloppy joes, mac n cheese, dip, cookies, and fruit kebabs.  It was easy and turned out to be tons of food for the 25 or so people who came. 

 One of the best parts is as we were having lunch under this tree, 3 monkeys showed up!  They hung out for the whole afternoon and even ate from people's hands.  They liked the desserts best...who doesn't :)

 Jeyson is well known for his love of hot sauce, so I had everyone surprise Jeyson by bringing him a bottle of a different kind.  He wound up with a whole collection that will be waiting for him when we return.

Jeyson also loves random trivia, so I organized a surprise game of trivia for the guests...about Jeyson.  Our friends did great and know my husband well.  I also gave some of Jeyson's guy friends a slip of paper that started off a sentence, such as "Jeyson is..." "My favorite memory of Jeyson is..." "Jeyson always..." and they had to complete the sentence.  It was so nice to have a little time of fun and encouragement for Jeyson as people shared how much they thought of him.

 Happy 30th Birthday to my wonderful, hard working, kind hubby!



Going Down a New Road

It's been six months since Elijah arrived.  You may remember I posted his birth story which included much more than just the actual story of Elijah's birth.  The whole thing really started before I was even pregnant, when I became aware of the challenges of birth in Brazil for women who wanted to have a normal birth.  In the States, this is pretty much all women who don't have a medical emergency, but in Brazil, almost all women choose c-sections or are lied to by their doctors about reasons they "need" one.  Maybe that sounds like an exaggeration, but when you look at the facts, that the rate of c-sections in private hospitals is as high as 90% ?!?!?! you know something has to be wrong with this system.     



Seconds after Elijah arrived

 Anyway, long story short, I wound up hooking up with a very rare doctor and having a beautiful, completely natural birth.  It wasn't easy though!  I was seriously like a fish swimming up water to not have a c-section, even though both Elijah and I were totally healthy.  The doctor never put any pressure on me (he is a 1 in a million doctor here who prefers normal birth), but pretty much every woman and medical professional I met didn't think it was possible.  (BTW, I'm not even talking about an all natural birth...which I did have...but everyone doubted I could even have a vaginal birth at all!).  Anyway, the experience of everyone telling me how impossible it was going to be was actually much harder than the birth even was! 

I wound up having an incredibly beautiful and easy birth from beginning to end and didn't need even the slightest medical intervention.  I truly wanted to have a normal birth in order to show just how incredibly God had designed the whole process and He showed that off clearly through my experience.  I LOVE telling women, especially in Brazil, just how God thought of everything and built us to do it. I LOVE being able to encourage women who are at all open to a normal birth because it truly was one of the best experiences of my life. 

This is our hospital room...basic to say the least!!!  We even had to bring our own blankets and it was a hand crank bed!

But it probably wouldn't have been such a great experience without my friend, Michawn. 

Michawn is also a missionary with Asas de Socorro and is a birth instructor/doula.  What??  Basically she is certified to teach courses to couples about birth.  She got together with me and Jeyson about 8 times during the pregnancy and taught us all about what to expect and trained Jeyson to coach me.  There are absolutely no hospital classes here, like you have in the States, so other than what we read she was our only real source of information.  I can't even tell you how valuable it was to have Michawn by our side during the pregnancy and then during the birth (she came along).  It would have been such a lonely, discouraging experience to try to have a natural birth in Brazil without her friendship and support!

Michawn with us in the hospital

Anyway, after the birth I assumed I was pretty much done with birth until our next baby.  However, it wasn't over.  I just kept running across women who knew I had had a natural birth and wanted to hear all about it.  I've gotten to share with many women, both Christians and non-Christians about how God designed every part of the birth process and really give Him the glory.  Many women have really opened up and wanted to know more so they could also avoid a c-section if they didn't have a medical reason.  They have asked me to help them in the same way that Michawn helped me...teach them about what to expect and be with them throughout the pregnancy when really few others are encouraging in this way. 

I would LOVE to help them!  To have this as a tool to connect with and support women in a unique way.  To have this as a little unofficial ministry on the side when God brings the right woman along.  To build relationships.  To show God's love.  To get together a bunch of times with a couple in need.  To share Christ's message of salvation with them. 

First famiy picture - in the hospital still

The problem?  I'm not officially qualified! 

Then this trip to the States came up and the door opened up to get training to become a birth instructor through Informed Beginnings.  It's really incredible to see how it worked out.  There will only be two training courses this year, one in Boston and one in Chicago.  And guess when the one in Chicago is?  The exact few days that we will be going to Chicago to pick up our car and driving out to Ohio!  Only 30 minutes from where we will be staying.  Seriously...what are the chances of that? 

Another cool thing is the women leading the course was a missionary in the Philippines.  And she also got started in this area in almost the same way! 

I was able to get a discount through the organization since I will be using my skills as a ministry, but the course is still pretty expensive.  If you are interested in being part of this journey in some way and want to help with the costs, please let me know! 

The course itself is only 3 days of training, but then I will have a lot of requirements to fulfill.  Hospital tours, attending a birth, a mentoring relationship, a bunch of books to read and reports, planning a course, and more.  I am excited to have this as a little side project while Jeyson is getting trained in Ohio.  I will keep you updated as things unfold!