The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. We finished the new room the last week of April. There is still a good bit of organizing of the rest of the house left to be done, though. The last weekend in April we went to Topsail Beach, North Carolina, where I attended a 4 day Passion for Birth workshop while David, his mom (affectionately known by all in our family as "Mil"), and the girls had a nice little vacation in an oceanfront condo. David was surprised by how enjoyable the trip turned out to be, and I was amazed at all I took away from the workshop, which was also quite enjoyable. I am in the process of becoming a certified childbirth educator, and this workshop was one of big steps I had to take before I take the exam in October.
Immediately upon returning home from our dreamy vacation, Nora began sneezing and sniffling. The next morning she had a fever. I was just thankful we had all been well for six weeks. Little did I know what was to come. We ALL got sick. Miserably sick. And because Ava couldn't breathe to nurse, I developed a nasty case of mastitis. After two weeks of fevers, snot, and coughs, we are all better again. Thank You, Lord!
After the PfB workshop, I set out to begin writing my curriculum and progressing toward teaching. Since I needed to find a way to gain experience teaching childbirth classes, I called a local ministry asking if I could volunteer. I was hoping to offer prenatal classes to mothers with unplanned pregnancies. I did NOT expect to be asked to teach 5 days later, but God knew what was needed. Despite how sick I had been, I was able to teach my very first class on labor and birth to a group of 5 girls. Next week I am going back to teach about breastfeeding. This is a new chapter, which is always exciting, but it's even more than that. There is something really special about this opportunity and I am thanking God for the ministry He has set before me.
Last but not least, we are getting ready for a new family adventure. We are getting dairy goats! I have been wanting goats ever since I realized that a cow is a little much to feed. David is busy planning how to shelter them. Our buck was born a few weeks ago. We have named him Percy. Our two girls are a little older. I am not sure about their names yet, but David wants them to begin with the letter "G." They are all Nubian goats, and I think they are just so sweet. They come home in June. In the meantime, I have to go to work a little to pay for them and their fence. TTFN!
