Start the Week off with a treble and a bang.

Thanks for all of your comments in my last post. Very thought-provoking and supportive!!

My students are on Spring Break this week, so I look forward to completing some long-delayed projects. In a rare burst of inspiration, my hubby and I began to skim the drywall of our kitchen using some pink drywall goop. Maybe we can actually finish this room before June.

On St. Patrick's Day my Irish Dance group performed at a local cafe. A friend's hubby captured my favorite dance, the 3 Sea Captains. Just a couple disclaimers: (1) my dress was too big thanks to the weight loss (2) the stage was extremely bouncy, so we had to pull back a bit on the stomps and bangs. I'm the one in the blue dress on the right. Although you can't see the embroidery very well, my dress has a cladaugh theme (my favorite Irish symbol). Some smart-alecs thought it was a Florida Gators color scheme, but the dress simply reflects some of my favorite colors and symbols.

The Right Doctor DOES Make a Difference

With all the hoopla of St. Patrick's Day (I do have a video of one of my hardshoe dances, by the way!), I neglected to mention my recent switch to a new OB/GYN. Blood Test Buddy recently found a female OB/GYN who was very receptive to NaPro and Catholic morals. And to top it off, the doctor was actually very kind. That got me thinking.

My previous OB/GYN made life difficult. His methods of dealing with infertility were: Clomi.d, ultrasound, exam the husband, IVF. When my husband and I attempted to state the treatments that made us uncomfortable, the doctor was floored. He began many of his sentences before suggesting things (like the bi.rth control pill when I was TTC!) "I know your personal religious beliefs dictate against this, BUT..." When I asked about Femar.a, he went ballistic. "Who told you about that drug? Remember, I'm the doctor! I make those calls!" My husband and I just sat there in shock.

What really hurt me was that he did not make an effort to respect our morals. I never asked him to agree, just for some respect. By the fact that we were never going to do certain procedures, I'm sure he felt like we had prevented ourselves from getting his help.

As any woman could agree, the OB/GYN office is a vulnerable place already. Then to go there for multiple infertility visits, only to have fruitless procedures and feel like a freak, really took a toll. As our visits became less successful and pleasant (Wheelbarrow Rider, this is why I referred to him as an "idiot" on a comment...maybe that was a little strong but he was really mean at times!), I wanted to stay away. That included the necessary annual uncomfortable female exam.

Well, fast forward three years later to a couple weeks ago. I made an appointment with Blood Test Buddy's doctor. First of all, the office is located at a hospital and offers free valet parking. Woo-hoo, that makes this impatient California Driver happy! Even more so, the entire staff of this OB's office are women. My new doctor listened compassionately to my descriptions of infertility and our efforts towards adoption. She kindly asked questions and made me feel at home. By the time she had to do the uncomfortable part of the exam, I felt very much at ease. She did the exam very quickly too! I asked the doctor if she would put up a picture of my adopted baby on her bulletin board if and when that happens. She smiled and said, "Yes! I love adding to my wall of babies!"

Also, she was completely open when hearing about NaPro, especially the effects of the HCG shots. I walked out of that office more calm and collected. Respected. And knowing that should God ever send us a child naturally, I had found a kind doctor whom I would trust to deliver a baby.

What a difference. :)

St. Patrick's Day Slacker!

Good grief, what a huge gap in posts! Once again, time seemed to get away from me. A bunch of events seem to coincide all at once. In addition, this time of year is always the busiest for Irish Dancing, especially tomorrow. On Saturday I participated in a 3k run/walk, marched in the city's St. Pat's Day parade, AND performed 5 dances at the subsequent Irish Festival.

Needless to say, my legs are not happy with me right now. Since our performance had to be cut short on Saturday, I hope to post a picture tomorrow of my Irish Dance costume, curls and all. Consider yourself warned! :)

Thanks again for all of your sweet comments on my last post (especially my brother's). Do take the time to read H.eidi if you have the chance.

Here is a picture of fellow blogger M and I after the race, showing our green spirit!

A Big Lesson From A Children's Book

When my 4th grade class switched to reading Heid.i by Johann.a Spry.ri, my excitement did not match the previous book. After all, we had spent weeks digging deeper into The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardr.obe, enjoying every new discovery or symbol. Heid.i seemed like a letdown after that book. Part of the problem was that my only exposure to the book consisted of a few scenes of the Shir.ley Temp.le movie version (which, by the way, is NOT a faithful rendition of the book).

Then to my great surprise, the old cliche, "you can't judge a book by its cover," began to apply. Heid.i is a charming tale that taught wonderful life lessons. It's an enjoyable read for any adult or 4th grader. While preparing for class one day, I came across this passage:

"Ah, that is a good thought of yours, Heidi," said the doctor. "But if it is God Himself who has sent the trouble, what can we say to Him then?"

Heidi sat pondering for a while; she was sure in her heart that God could help out of every trouble. She thought over her own experiences and then found her answer.

"Then you must wait," she said, "and keep on saying to yourself: God certainly knows of some happiness for us which He is going to bring out of the trouble, only we must have patience and not run away. And then all at once something happens and we see clearly ourselves that God has had some good thought in His mind all along; but because we cannot see things beforehand, and only know how dreadfully miserable we are, we think it is always going to be so."

"That is a beautiful faith, child, and be sure you hold it fast," replied the doctor. Then he sat on a while in silence, looking at the great overshadowing mountains and the green, sunlit valley below before he spoke again.

Needless to say, I was floored. The passage really spoke to my heart not only of Infertility's rough journey, but suffering and hardship in general. Additionally, the plight of not knowing if the present troubles will ever come to light or resolve. In the book, Heidi had stopped praying when God didn't answer her heartfelt prayers to return to her beloved home in the mountains. Thanks to the lessons from her friend's Grandmother, Heidi learned to pray with perseverance. I'll withhold further details in order to encourage you to read the book! :)

When we finished the book, I assigned the students a wrap-up sheet so they could tell me their opinions. One of the questions listed was: "How has Heid.i helped your Christian Faith?" The answers that I received touched my heart. Children really do have a lot of wisdom. Read and enjoy:

"Heidi has helped me understand the importance of helping others and praying for others."

"To put your faith and trust in God." (she must of known I need work in this department!)

"It taught me that sometimes things seem bad but God ALWAYS works bad things out for good."

Finally, my favorite answer, one that I need to post on my mirror for daily reading:

"It taught me that sometimes things seem bad but God always works bad things out for good."

The wisdom of children. The wisdom of a children's book. Amazing.

p.s. My hives cleared up very quickly; thanks for your wonderful advice about IF medication. :)