EEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

Look at this:
American Academy of Husband-Coached Childbirth

And then look at this:
Potential New Certifying Body

I am about to take a huge plunge into the unknown, and it makes me nervous, excited and hopeful.

Since my grandma died, school started, the older girls are both gone, and Maya is so much more independent, I have been kicking around the idea of changing my teaching affiliation, and now this new group has come along.  I am impressed by them at every turn.  I'd like to amp up my birthwork business: teaching more classes, more students and doing more doula work (birth and postpartum).  I have the time and the energy, and my family doesn't need me home as much.

I've secured a domain name. but I need to think of a business name.  Ideas (from any of my millions of readers...hahaha)?

meh

The kids are all in school, and it's lovely.

Paige started community college last week, and so far, it's okay.  She put off getting me the info on her books, so she has no books yet; they should be here Friday.
We ordered her books through www.abebooks.com, which had the best prices, by far, on the textbooks she needed.  I was so, so happy because her math book was $180 at the bookstore but was only $90 through www.abebooks.com.  Their prices beat all the other sites I checked out.

I started a new class series last week, and I now have two couples.  I thought I was going to have three couples, which would have been fantastic, but I am pleased with two couples.  I think I have a good read on most people, and I can tell, usually right away, whether my class and I are going to jive, and this class--they rock.  I love their energy and their inquisitiveness.  I have a good feeling.  Plus, I am supposed to have two couples returning for refresher classes during this series as well, which should provide some good energy. 

I'm continuing to lose weight; I think I've hit a point where it's very noticeable because I get comments almost daily from people about my weight.  It feels good to hear, but it's also awkward.  How does one respond to compliments on one's weight loss?  I weighed in at 130.4 this morning, so I am about to lose a point.  I'm doing Weight Watcher's point plan, so I get 20 points a day right now; once I get into the 120s, I'll only get 19 points.  That should happen next week (I weigh in on Wednesdays).

I'm not yet committed to my weight loss, so I won't buy new clothes.  I'm cheap like that.  Everything I own is big on me: shirts, pants, bras, underwear... it's rather unflattering, but I have to admit that there is something comforting in wearing baggy clothes.  

Wayne and I went to Pearl Jam last weekend, and it was, quite simply, the most amazing concert.  I am ready to go to PJ every time they come to town.  My next concert is U2 and The Black Eyed Peas in Vancouver, BC.  I had to get a passport, which I've never had before, in order to get across the border.  Because my parents like to complicate things, I ended up having to send in extra documentation to prove that I am me.  Fortunately the 15 documents and 2 affidavits I sent in were enough to prove that I am me, and my passport arrived about 10 days later.  Yea!  Now I can go to Paris!  But I'm not...I'm going to Canada, which shouldn't be as exciting...but it is. 

My next international trip will be Mexico in January 2011, so this weight loss thing, it has to be maintained for awhile.

sadness

This month marks the beginning of my seventh year of teaching natural childbirth classes.
I can't believe all the wonderful families I've been able to work with; each couple has taught me something new about pregnancy, birth and relationships.

I've been fortunate to have taught for this long without any major incidents with my students-- like injury and death.

I have a new series beginning on Monday. It was scheduled to begin January 26th, so I called my registered students to see if they would be down with beginning on the 12th instead. One mom I talked to received some unexpected news in late December right before the holidays: her baby is not developing as expected, and the prediction is that the baby has Down syndrome. I didn't know what to say. She had to wait until this week to find out more information because, of course, many people take time off for the holidays. She told me, "I'm sorry if I start crying." Oh. I feel awful that she felt the need to say that.

She said that she and her husband are fine with the baby having Down syndrome, it's the unknown that is scary...and the fact that everything that she thought was normal and predictable is now unknown and unpredictable. I am so sad for her--not because of anything that may be "wrong" with her baby-- because being pregnant, giving birth and having a baby can be such a fearful time for women and to top it off with the unknown and the waiting to know....it's just so hard.

I imagine that she will choose to not take my class. The baby will be taken from her immediately after his birth. There will be no immediate skin to skin or putting the baby to breast. She can still have a natural birth, though, unless something else arises that I am unaware of at this time. I try to imagine what it would be like for me to take a birthing class with women who are having perfectly healthy babies knowing that I am having a child with multiple health issues. I think it would be painful, but I also think that the experience can be positive for her and for those in class with her. Her experience can really touch others in ways that she may be unable to imagine right now and may really lift her spirits.

I feel for her, and I wish there was something I could do for her.