To my Mother in Law

I made a list of all the things I want to thank you for and I wanted to have it typed up and ready for Mother's Day.

Many of these things are in relation to the man you raised who is my husband. 

THANK YOU, for, being the kind of mother who let's her children explore and get dirty. Kaleb is not afraid of dirt and the outdoors. It's quite the opposite. He loves being outside and he will pass that onto our children. 

THANK YOU, for, developing his food palette. What I mean by this is, Kaleb is the least picky eater I have ever known. He eats everything and loves it all! That is rare. And I know it's partly because of your cooking and also because you didn't allow him to be picky. "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit" ;) 

THANK YOU, for, being supportive even when the decisions Kaleb made took him further away from you. Because you supported him when he played sports as a child it lead him to become a man who can take risks and chances. He is confident and secure. You supported him even when he decided to move to Minnesota to be with me. I can never fully express my gratitude. Your son is far away from you and your family and that isn't easy. But you haven't ever made him feel bad for his choice to be here with me. And I am eternally grateful because K has changed my life and I am a better person for knowing him. 

THANK YOU, for, all of the baby clothing for E! While I was pregnant it was so fun to get packages in the mail! And E wore the clothes and shoes all the time! He is still wearing the things he hasn't grown out of! 

THANK YOU, for, sending us cute cards! They make our days brighter; Especially in the winter time! 

THANK YOU, for, entrusting me with your friendship. And for being open and honest and truthful. I truly feel like our last trip to visit we were really able to get to know each other's hearts. And I know we will continue to build on our relationship. I have nothing but hope for the future! 

THANK YOU, for, being accepting of my love for God. And respecting how important Jesus is to me and to our family. It makes all the difference. K would not be the man of God that he is today if he didn't have your support. 

THANK YOU, for, shopping with me and garage saling with me. They are beautiful lasting memories I will always cherish! 

THANK YOU, for, teaching Kaleb to think for himself and to stand up for what is important! And he is always ready to stand up for us if he needs to! 

THANK YOU, for, teaching Kaleb to be kind to others. He leads and guides our family with such grace and humility and patience. Cause let's face it, I can be difficult. Well, anyone can be, I suppose. :) 

THANK YOU, for, loving Kaleb and filling his love tank as a child. Together you and Tom raised a man who isn't afraid to love. And isn't afraid of his feelings. And that's because he was loves in your home growing up. And now he is able to have an example of love to show to me and E & to others he encounters. 

THANK YOU, from the bottom of my heart! 

I love you! 

I just had to...

I just had to ... Vent about this article. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2544387/Doctors-urged-talk-mothers-home-births-like-letting-child-not-wear-car-seatbelt.html

The article needs to be talked about so women don't get even more controlled by the stupid medical system. Midwives do a wonderful thing in this society and in the UK. 

DOCTORS use fear. Constantly. And it isn't based on evidence based practice. Women have somehow let doctors control their thoughts. We are so vulnerable during labor. 

Gosh. Homebirth is wonderful. I enjoyed mine immensely. And I was safe. The midwives had all the necessary tools. And they protected me and guided me and encouraged me. They didn't give me ultimatums and deadlines. And even when my body stopped progressing they never said I failed. They simply approached the situation with the solution (which was manually opening my cervix) and kindly explained it to me and moved forward. It felt like the SAFEST car ride I have ever been on. 

My one prayer about the future is that I will be able to fully dilate on my own next time. Because having help was crazy painful.  

The medical system does not respect the natural process. They monkey with it and  when their interventions fail or cause unnecessary pain, they don't apologize. They somehow make women feel as though these problems that occurred were always going to happen. When really at any moment the woman could have said, NO.