Thoughts on a birthing home

With all of my thoughts about my future lately, I've begun thinking about how I would like my birthing home to be. Of course, my ideas are very much subject to change, as my situation could vary greatly depending on how my "stars align", as it were. My thought is to have my own practice as a CNM/FNP, although if I find the right person/people, I'd love to work with the holistic-minded physician or midwife. That being said, I am writing this post under the assumption that I will not be working in a typical office/hospital setting. So here are a few of the ideas that I've come up with for MY birthing home:

~It would be an old house...perhaps historical or Victorian...possibly an old Bed & Breakfast. I love the feel and the energy of an old house. It has charm and personality, but it also feels more wholesome than today's cookie-cutter houses.
~It would be on at least 1/4 acre, but preferably 1/2 + acres. I'd like to have a yard with perhaps a small playground/play area for kids, a flower garden, and my herb garden. That way my mommas would have a place to walk around in early labor, their kids would have a place to play, and I'd be able to harvest my own herbs for my teas and compounding.
~I'd like to have the interior painted in the style of Lazure. I love the peaceful feel of Lazure, and how each room is painted to reflect its purpose.
~If it is ONLY a birthing home, it would have to be at least 4 bedrooms, providing for an exam room, two birthing rooms, and an office. If it is a family practice as well as a birthing home, it would have to be at least 5 bedrooms, providing for an additional exam room.
~Each birthing room should have its own Jacuzzi tub. One of the full baths in the home will have an immense shower...big enough for a laboring momma and her partner to have plenty of room.
~I'd like the house to have a big, open-plan living room/dining room/kitchen area, which would function as the waiting room. That way there would be full access to the kitchen for my families and a spacious area for kiddos to play. I'd have a big TV with cable and a DVD player...let's face it, labor can take a LOOONNNGGG time!
~The kitchen would be fully furnished, with all cooking accessories, dishes, and appliances. That way I could whip up goodies for my families, but also the families could feel free to cook their own after-birth meals if they wanted, or a birthday cake for the new babe.
~Ideally, it would have either an attic or basement or other large space for classes, meetings, yoga, etc.
~For an additional homey feel, I'd like to have the waiting room stocked daily with things like fresh herbal teas, fruits and nuts, and yummy, healthy baked goods if I feel particularly inspired that morning!

So many ideas! Travis is all for it, and is totally behind all of my ideas, for which I am grateful. Our hope is that our time here in California will allow us to not only get back on our feet financially, but also allow us to pay for our schooling and put a hefty downpayment on a house. If we were able to do that, that would give us the financial freedom (I hope!) to do all of these things. It's a lot, I know. But we're determined. Part of Frontier's program has to do with running a business, so I'm glad I'll get some training as far as the business end of things. It's hard for me to even fathom working in MY environment! You know, it's going to be really cool to read this blog ten years from now and see where my thoughts have gotten me...

A few projects...

I've been knocking out a few sewing and crocheting projects here lately. Here are pics of a couple...

This is Deklan's beanie...it's a wool/soy blend. It was actually going to be for my dad, but it was a modified pattern and turned out too small. So, I guess I'll have to make another for Dad!

This is a crochet blanket that I made for my friend Sarah and her newborn babe, Austin. It went along with the sling that I posted pics of a few posts ago.


This is a sling that I made for my BFF, Lolo. I made an identical one for her sis, April (who is due two weeks before Lolo is), and a wrap for Gavin out of the same cut of material. It's a super-light teal gauze with a tiny silver stripe running through it...I love it!
That's it for now...I had more pics that I wanted to post, but blogger is rebelling and won't recognize my attempts to upload. Guess I'll post them another day. Oh well...it's off to work I go!

These days...

...we've been making a lot of decisions. Like staying here for an extended contract. This new contract will bring me thru the beginning of February at the hospital in Walnut Creek. I had really hoped to get to Redding straight away, but the only hospital with a need was still two hours away from Redding, so what was the point? So, I'm just letting my recruiter know that the only option after this contract is Redding. If they can't find me a position, then I'll go as staff. Since we're staying, we'll be staying in the same apartment. This makes me kind of happy, as I love our neighborhood! Deklan as become such good buddies with the German Shepherd that lives across the way. His name is Charlie, and believe it or not, he's still a puppy! This is the same friendly guy who greeted us the day we moved in, running into the house and showering Gavin with excessively slobbery kisses. This shot of Deklan and Charlie was taken by Charlie's dad for a project he was working on (he's doing classes in Photography).



I did some overtime a couple of weeks ago, and that check finally rolled in. We had been wanting to spend a day in San Fran and I had a run of four days off over a weekend, so we decided to go! We went to Pier 39 and checked out the shops, the boats, the street performers, and the Blue Angels!! We didn't even know that they were having an airshow that day, and it was awesome! In the years that I lived near Airforce bases, I never got to see an airshow...it took me moving across the country for it to happen! Gavin was impressed...


We also went to The Aquarium by the Bay, an aquarium dedicated to water-life in and around the San Fran Bay. Deklan loved it! They had different column-like aquariums with various habitats, such as under a pier, reefs, and grassy/sandy areas.

They had an area where you could touch a bat ray, a baby leopard shark, a sea urchin, or a starfish. Deklan was scared to touch them, then Daddy finally convinced him to touch the least "scary" of the bunch if he touched it at the same time. That starfish was really big!
There was also an aquarium tunnel that you could walk thru, and you were surrounded by water. There were two tunnels, one with smaller fish and another with big fish and sharks. There were fish and sharks bigger than Deklan! He was really amazed...he kept yelling "WHOA!! Look at that one!"

We had hot dogs and clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl, saw the bridge and Alcatraz, and had a good time as a family. It seems like it's been so long since we've gone out and done something special together, not just the weekly shopping.
I got a call from Lolo yesterday, and she said they're heading back to Alabama from Honduras in three weeks. I found some more awesome material at Joann, so I have a LOT of diaper sewing to do! I got more Aplix in from Kayla's Cloth Kits so I can actually finish some. My sewing has really fallen by the wayside, and I don't have a lot of time left to get quite a bit of stuff finished.
I've also been giving a lot of thought these days to my "career path", as it were. I don't really think of it as a career path, but I guess that's exactly what it is. Anyway, I recently had the chance to talk to a midwife who had also gone on to be a Family Nurse Practitioner. She said that she never regretted that decision, and that she loves the versatility that it gives her, as well as the continuity. I keep thinking how I wish that I could see Harmony (my midwife for Gavin) for EVERYTHING, not just pregnancy, childbirth, and yearlies. How cool would it be to have an NP at your primary provider's office, then discover that you're pregnant and have the same person care for your throughout your pregnancy, childbirth, post-partum, then continue to care for you and your family? What a relationship! I would love to be able to work in a somewhat rural area and provide that kind of continuity! I want to start my Master Herbalist program sometime in the next few months. When we're done here in California, I'm going to start the midwifery program. Since Frontier offers NP programs as well as CNM, they will "combine" your programs as best as they can to minimize redundant classes and expedite your schooling. Geez, I guess I'll have a lot of alphabet soup behind my name if I finish all of this as planned. Can you see it? Jessica R. Dempsey, RN, MH, CNM, FNP. Dang. I don't care about the credentials, though, as much as I care about what I will be actually doing at the point. I was trying to explain it all to Travis during our drive yesterday. I always wanted to be a nurse. I was never super excited about going to school for nursing...I loved it and still love it, but it was just kind of always what I figured I would do. Now, looking at years of schooling ahead of me, I'm excited. REALLY excited. Like I can't wait to start, excited. I'll be in my 30's when I finish. Experienced enough to know a thing or two, but young enough to keep learning and have years to establish myself. I can't wait!!

Ponderings...

Well, I'm going to be 27 in a few days. That amazes me! I don't think that I'm "old" or anything, I'm just amazed at how time passes us by. It's little things...like hearing an old school Green Day song and then realizing I liked them in middle school when I was 12-13 years old. That was 15 years ago! Holy crap! Has 15 years really passed? It makes me suddenly feel like I'm in a time warp or something. I've been married for over 6 years, I have two children. I've changed so much over the years. Oh, I'm still the same me, I just view things differently. I remember thinking about my future before I married Trav, thinking about how life as I envisioned it would be. How different it has been than I imagined it! It's been wonderful, mind you, just different than I thought it would be. I thought that we'd end up in New York, doing street and teen work for the local church. Or perhaps we'd stay in the Florida panhandle and start a girl's home there. I thought I wouldn't be working, just being a stay-at-home mom to my children. I thought that I'd have more than two children after 6.5 years of marriage! Instead, we've been burned repeatedly by "the brethren", although we still hope to be in the ministry in some capacity. We've lived in 4 different areas of the country. We had two precious little boys. My views regarding nursing, the medical field in general, and working have changed. I want to keep my home, but I also want to work. I want to go back to school. I want to be a midwife and an herbalist. I've learned a few things about breaking out of the mold and being who I really am. I've learned about balance. Twenty-seven years. I'll be thirty soon. My husband will be thirty-two the day after my birthday. Thirties?? When did that happen? I love my life. I love the direction it has taken. I wouldn't change a single thing. Even the "bad" things that have happened in my life have been blessings in disguise, shaping my way though life, guiding me in different directions, meeting new people, going new places. I am thankful for them.

So, where do I see myself in the future? Well, I see us owning a home up north somewhere...hopefully Michigan. I see me becoming what I so desire...a midwife. I think I'll be doing homebirths only initially...maybe open my own birthing home after a while. I see myself having land, animals, and a garden...to be as self-sufficient as possible. I hope for more children. I'd love to be able to serve in the ministry in some way...beside my husband with him being a pastor or youth minister, perhaps. My future is wide open, and anything is possible!

Whew!!!

I got a lot of crocheting done on the way to Cali! I am working on some Christmas presents, and have actually completed three of them. I also crocheted my first "granny square" this week, believe it or not. I know that's a basic pattern for crochet, but I had just never done it. Now I'm hooked! I am currently working on two baby blankets using the granny square. Here are some pics. The camo is for a little boy (as well as the camo-lined sling...the camo was at the request of his momma). I also picked up knitting again after a long hiatus. I'm currently knitting a pair of w ool legwarmer/babylegs/knee protectors for Gavin in this awesome yarn! I finished the first one and realized it's quite tight, and won't fit him for long. So I'm going to have to get more yarn and modify the pattern to make them a little bigger. I learned how to knit in the round using the "Magic Loop" method, and it's awesome! I need to get some wool off of Etsy so I can make some felted covers for my sons Klean Kanteens. I can't find any wool that I like that will felt in Joann's.

I didn't finish my sewing projects before moving out here, but I brought my sewing stuff with me so I can finish them. I'm also working on a partial stash for my BFF, Lolo. Her babe is due in December. I'm making slings for her and her sister (due 2 weeks before her) out of this beautiful teal gauze with a silver stripe. I had gotten that material for a sling for myself, but I love my batik one so much, it's the only one I use anyway. All of this crocheting and knitting and sewing, all while trying to work and be a mom and wife...so much to do, so little time!
Gavin is has hit a whole bunch of milestones, all within the last week or so. He had been crawling backwards for several weeks now, and taking belly-lunges forward for the last few days. Well, last week finally brought his first real crawl. And already, one day after he figured it out, he's moving FAST, getting into stuff, and terrorizing the cats. Just these last couple of days, he's already started pulling up on things. So far he pulls up on us, the sofa, and the dining room chairs. He clapped for the first time yesterday. And on the last day of August, he cut his first tooth! He's also finally getting some hair on that bald head of his.

Well, we've been busy since my last post! I've got to get back on here more frequently! Well, for the record, I got the position in Walnut Creek, California. I started on July 28th, and I really like it! If nothing comes available in the Redding area any time soon, we'll probably just move up there and I'll sign on as staff. I didn't write for so long because we were so crazy busy, packing and getting things ready to move, moving, travelling out here, and getting settled in. It's been an adventure! We made it to Sacramento from Ellenton in five days! I got my license without any problems, headed to Oakland for paperwork, then settled into our new apartment. We were greeted by a German Shepherd named Charlie, who loved the kids and nearly licked them to death. There are several lovely parks in the area, and we've had great fun exploring them on my days off. We were also given a couple of kittens by a nice lady we met at a pet store...she rescues cats and had two litters born in April and was looking for homes for the kitties. So, we adopted Jasmine and Emma...Jasmine is the gray one and Emma is the black one. The boys have great fun with the cats, although we had to do some pretty intense training with Deklan to teach him to be gentle.

Deklan turned four the weekend we got out to California! My baby is four! Where does the time go? He's such a joy, and I'm so blessed to have been able to spend these last four years with him.

*sigh* This post ended up in sort of backwards order...messed up while uploading the pics. Well, I'll try to update more often than every few months!

Fluffity fluffy fluff...

So, I had this pair of pajamas that I almost never wear...Curious George long-sleeved t-shirt top and fleece pants. So, I decided to do a little recycling and repurposing and make a matching fitted pocket diaper and fleece cover for Gavin. So, here are the results!

This is the fleece cover...
This is the back of the fitted pocket diaper...it looks off-center, but it's just the camera angle...

This is the front of the fitted pocket. It's stuffed with a prefold.

I used the free Rita's Rump Pocket and Cover patterns. The pattern is easily adjustable, so instead of making it so that it fastens with a pin, I used Aplix to fasten..it's more "Daddy-friendly". I just finished them this evening, and I can't wait to put them on Gavin in the morning!

As for a life update, I've been in touch with Agostini, and they're trying to get me into a hospital in Walnut Creek, CA. It's just a bit east of San Francisco, and is a really nice town as far as I can tell. The hospital there is smallish, under 300 beds. We're just waiting for my references to come thru so they can schedule an interview. We've been packing and selling off some of the bigger furniture on Craigslist, and we got our storage unit reserved this week. I'm really hoping that the Walnut Creek assignment works out!

The boys are healthy and growing like weeds. Deklan is hilarious...he's starting to pick up things that he hears in conversation...earlier today he just walked into the living room and said "I give up", then walked away. ???? Silly kiddo. Gavin is trying SO hard to crawl, but he hasn't done it yet! He is teething, though. No teeth have broken the gum yet, but he's miserable, poor guy. Well, I guess that's about it...

I found an awesome use for carrot pulp!

This is a pic of my newest creation, along with my morning coffee and a glass of milk...yummm...

So, I have a gallon Ziplock bag in my freezer full of carrot pulp from my last juicing. I've been searching high and low for a recipe that uses carrot pulp...there are some, but nothing that really caught my eye. So I decided to take matters into my own hands. And hour or so of tinkering around in the kitchen yielded some pretty tasty results! So here, for your viewing (or baking!) pleasure, is my recipe for Carrot-Banana Breakfast Medallions.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
************************
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
3/4 c. dark brown sugar
2 eggs
3 overripe bananas, mashed
1 c. carrot pulp
1/3 c. raisins
1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

Instructions:

*Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with wax paper, spray with cooking spray and set aside.
*In a medium bowl, sift together first grouping of ingredients. Set aside.
*In a large bowl cream butter and brown sugar.
*Add eggs and beat well.
*Add banana and carrot pulp. Mix well.
* Stir in raisins and walnuts.
*Drop batter by 1/2 cupful onto baking sheet. Bake for approximately 25 min., or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on baking sheet for 5 min., then remove medallions onto cooling rack.

These are great on the run or with a cup of coffee or milk!