The “year of the donkey” is here.
Win one! (or not, and let ME win it!)

Happy New Year!

23 weeks!!!!

(the children’s hospital we will deliver at is one of the BEST in the country. They moved their official V-day date up a week in gestation because they are THAT GOOD at saving babies that come early. (typically it’s 24 weeks)

What does that mean? It means my bab(ies) have technically reached the point where medical professionals, and those that specialize in neonatal care, have stamped “VIABLE” on their chart(s). It means, that gawd forbid they decide to come early, they’ll attempt to save them. (to whatever lengths we all deem appropriate based on their individual conditions, obviously Cricket has his own birth/careplan designed due to his issues)

No one WANTS a “micro preemie” or even a plump little preemie.

We’d like 36+ weeks please. I want to get the chance to complain about how big I am, how heavy the babies are, how I’ve been PREGNANT FOREVER….

Pre-term labor is nothing we hope to ever face, our plates are FULL, thank you.

But despite all the risks I have going, Cricket and Lucky are some very strong and tenancious babies…

we’re officially IN THIS TO WIN IT!

OK, enough jumping around. It’s back to my couch for some rest.

Thru my searches I ran into an older guy online, who gave me plenty of tips on where to go, what to see… and asked that if I happen to be going near Ubud, Bali… he’s appreciate it if I dropped off some supplies for the mothers giving birth there. He had a friend that ran a maternity and birthing clinic there, a woman named Ibu Robin.

Well, as a new nurse, that had MY name writtten all over it. So we hunted around Melbourne, Australia for the best deal on buckets of OTC vitamins (the mommas there are very malnourished. Many simply bleed out and die after childbirth, which rarely happens in a hospital; they simply cannot afford it) and we maybe or maybe not, lol, served as “drug mules” sneaking those VITAMINS into the country of Bali.
I believe the moment I safely left customs, with my bags rattling and my nerves shot, was my very first day as a bonafide Mother Tiger.

http://www.bumisehatbali.org/ Yayasan Bumi Sehat was a tiny little clinic in the village of Nyuh Kuning, right in the center of Bali. I dropped off the vitamins, and offered up my services, lol, and was told I was 2 days too late – the full moon just passed, boy they could have used me a couple nights ago! lol. And then Ibu Robin stopped by the clinic, running around, stitching up a football player’s forehead (the mother wouldn’t let anyone else touch him) with expired supplies and very little in extras. Then once things were calm, we walked down the path to her home, and had some ice tea. Her daughter was there, and I remember talking at length about some baliense rock star lover who had just broken her heart, balanced only by stories Ibu Robin was telling about her recent trip to Banda Ache – and the efforts they were making there to help people survive and rebuild after the massive tsunami in 2004. It was an afternoon I’d never forget. This “simple hero” who wasn’t really changing the WORLD, but she was changing the whole world of many small families and communities. Poor people. People no one knew, or really cared about.

For lack of better words to describe…. It was super cool to sit with her.

I’ve watched her and the clinic over the years… updates on their website, social media took hold and they offer MANY great articles and info on their FB site…. and I was THRILLED to learn she was not only NOMINATED for CNN’s Hero of the Year… but became a Top 10 finalist.

I was tickled pink (and blue) to watch her story on tonite’s award show, and honestly couldn’t decide which of the 10 amazing people “deserved” to win more.

To my shock and delight, Ibu Robin was just named 2011 Hero of the Year, and the $260,000 she receives puts them one step closer to their amazing new clinic they want to build – a safe place for more mothers to get prenatal care and deliver their babies. She puts education and value back into the members of her communities, and teaches midwifery care to hundreds of other Mother Tigers who want to help others as well.

Goodness knows I never would have gotten pregnant again (successfully) if it was not for the amazing technology and healthcare available to us… and I KNOW FOR A FACT that I wouldn’t be pregnant right now without the village of doctors and specialists I have caring for me and my babies right now. Heck, without them, I’m not sure I’d even be alive. AND ALL WE HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT IS MAKING THE APPOINTMENTS, and paying some co-pays.

That’s it.

Big hugs and congrats to Ibu Robin Lim, and all the staff and volunteers at Bumi Sehat.

And to Mother Tigers everywhere!

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/11/living/cnn-heroes/index.html

Before I had kids, there are a few things I KNEW as a mom that I would be insistent about.
1. Leashes are for pets, not children.
2. I’m not going to walk around the house like a mouse when my kid(s) are sleeping. We’re noisy. Deal.
3. Unless we’re heading to a funeral or something, I don’t care if you get dirty. We can wash your clothes, and wipe your face, but that last time *I* checked, those mud puddles are there for you to jump in.

Here’s a peek at #3, after her ballet class.

You are the daughter I’ve always wanted.
You are better than any of those dreams, come true.
You are my shadow. My buddy. My hoot and a half.
You are sensitive.
You are super funny.
You are a super cute baby bird.
You have dirty little feet most of the time, and I love that.
You are wise.
You are full of joy.
You occupy the majority of my heart.
(You always will.)
You are not napping right now, like you should be. But I still think you’re cute.
You have NO idea the miles of fire I will walk on for you.
You are loved by so many.

You are my best.
Love,
Momma

and my little Ava, as Marilyn Monroe: