It's been a while...

But much has happened in the last couple of months that has caused me to stay away so long- both tragic and hopeful, but none the less busy. A quick run down:

September 13- I found out that I am pregnant!!
October 4- Attended my first birth
October 5- The beautiful baby died of what is believed to have been a lung condition
October 9- Attended the baby's viewing with the family
October 10- Spoke at the baby's funeral and later that evening attended my Second birth
October 16- Found out that I received a scholarship from CAPPA for my Certified Lactation Educator Training
October 17- Found out that we are going to Hawaii with my in-laws for Thanksgiving
October 31- November 2- Attended my postpartum doula training through DONA
November 8-9- Attended my birth doula training through DONA
November 11- Had an ultrasound and sure enough there is a baby in there with a heart beat of 146!
November 13- Found out that a dear friend attempted suicide the night before

So, needless to say, there has been a lot going on and it has been emotionally draining. Thank you all for your understanding and I hope to be returning to posting very soon! However, next week I am looking forward to a much needed tropical vacation on the island of Kauai where I intend to at least take a small break all to myself at the Grand Hyatt Spa! It is much needed!

September already?!?!

Alright, I can't believe that September is already here! I kept thinking it was farther away than it really was and that August was going to last longer- but it didn't and September is here! This officially marks the beginning of me getting VERY busy!! Check out my fall:

Doula Stuff:

• Will attend my first birth (a UC) as an assistant doula next week- I will also be the postpartum doula for this client
• Will attend an infant adoption education seminar next weekend to supplement my doula work
• Apply for a scholarship for my Lactation Educator training
  
• Acting as back up doula for a client due in early October
• Doing a TON of doula reading before October 31!!
• Going to my postpartum training workshop (and hosting it!) October 31- November 2
• Getting my CPR certification November 6
• Going to my birth training workshop November 8-9
• Sometime at the end of November, beginning of October I will be attending my first official solo-doula births and postpartum doula-ing for those clients
• Oh and the 3rd Saturday of each month I will be attending our local doula network meetings!

Do I sound crazy yet? There's more!

Projects:

• Sewing somewhere between 30-50 stockings for my parent's home decor shop (Labor of Love Creations) and customizing some with stenciled names and sayings
• Knitting booties and a hat to match the sweater I posted here
• Finishing a larger version of the hat I posted here for a friend's daughter's birthday (which was at the beginning of August! Oops!)
• Knitting my father-in-law this winter hat (he saw a similar one at a local street fair we went to and has been begging me everyday since!)
• Finishing Roman's Ditto Daddy training pants (although I don't think we will need them anymore since he is doing so well wearing normal big boy boxer briefs- they are hysterical!)
• Oh, and I recently found some fabric at the local fabric shop that I fell in love with and am desperate to make a quilt out of!!
• Plus I want to do a few projects as Christmas gifts, probably bath teas, bath salts and knitted wash clothes!

Hmmm... on top of that we are trying to get pregnant, figure out Chic & Savvy Mamas (and try to expand), do TotSchool with Roman and be a better wife and housekeeper than I have been lately! Okay, deep breaths... I work better under pressure... I WILL be more productive this way... I can do this... pray for me and wish me the best!

I have said it once and I'll say it again...

I adore The Business of Being Born! This morning a friend and client of mine (oh, and did I mention wonderful mama to an adorable little girl) came over and we watched the film together. She is already signed up for Bradley classes that start next month and is so committed to having a better birth experience this time around- I am so proud of her! I could tell that the documentary just solidified everything I have been talking to her about! I love The Business of Being Born for so many reasons- most of which is it's ability to inspire mothers to want something better in their birth and work for it! I have seen it so many times now I have lost count, and yet each time it still moves me and reaffirms my decision to become a doula!

Lately my life has been seemingly consumed with all things birth and doula! Between training, interviews with potential clients, meetings with current clients, reading, writing my contract and doula meetings I barely have time for anything NOT related to being a doula! Funny how in the midst of all this I seem to be dealing with mild postpartum depression from my miscarriage. While I was speaking with my midwife on Saturday at a meeting, she gently pointed out that fact. It makes a lot of sense, and in a strange way is oddly comforting- I finally have a reason for feeling such a lack of motivation in my daily life, for these odd panic attacks and unwarranted fears I keep suffering from (particularly that of never being able to have any more children and of loosing Roman), and for my inability to get pregnant in the last year.

Yes, a year. We are officially at that point- I conceived Micah a year ago in September, and for many months now have been plagued with the overwhelming fear that no more babies are in my future- that I will never be able to experience pregnancy again, or that homebirth that I so dream of, to give Roman a sibling, or be able to put into practice everything I have learned since having my first. But you know, as I was talking to my midwife, and telling her those fears, and how desperately I want to be able to have a birth with her as my caregiver, she told me that she looks forward to attending a birth with me as well- as if she was sure that she will. She said it without any inkling of doubt in her voice that it will happen. It was a simple statement, but I went to sleep Saturday night for the first time since I can remember, actually believing that it is possible for me to have another baby. It's a small step, but a step none the less. A little glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak outlook. Just keep praying. Just keep praying...

So excited- DONA training coming to town!!!

So, for those of you who don't know, I am in the process of training to become a birth & postpartum doula. I have been working on my requirements (such as reading, lactation training and birthing classes) for quite some time now, but I just wasn't sure how I was going to be able to finish one of the largest parts of my training- the workshops! You see, the closest location for me to attend a workshop is all the way across the state in Seattle. Combining the cost of travel & the workshop fee, along with having a toddler who is difficult to leave for a number of days, plus the fact that I would need to attend both the birth and postpartum workshops which would total out to 4 weekends in Seattle, it just wasn't an option. So, after much frustration and a little ingenuity, I decided to contact DONA (Doulas of North America- my certifying organization) and see if they would bring the workshops to Spokane. Well wouldn't you know it, I had a large handful of trainers ready to make the trip and was able to schedule both workshops right here in little old Spokane! Better yet, they are two weekends in a row, so as of the beginning of November I will be ready to accept clients for both birth and postpartum that can count towards my certification! Wooohooo!

I already have one client due in the beginning of December who is a good friend, pregnant with her second baby and anxious to have a different birth experience than she did the first time around. I have also been accepting clients in the mean time to gain experience, which has been a very learning experience! My very first postpartum client has twins! Oh the things I have to learn!!

By the way, if any of you are interested in attending the workshops they will be as follows:

Postpartum Workshop
October 31- November 2, 2008

Birth Workshop
November 8-9, 2008

Tuition fees vary depending on when you sign up and how many people you sign up with, but start for the most part around $350. Partial Scholarships are available for the Postpartum Workshop and payment plans are available for both. You can contact me directly at chic_kenz@yahoo.com for more information.

Also, if you happen to be pregnant, or know someone who is, and would like the services of a doula, don't hesitate to interview me! I am currently accepting postpartum clients for just the cost of gas to and from their home and will be accepting 3 postpartum and 3 birth clients due after November 9, 2008 completely free of charge!