Blessings 2003

Blessings! 2003 has been a busy year. We want to thank these babies for having us be a part of their birth-days:Gavin, Sofia, Mary, Sophia, Amy, Camille, Marcea, Clay, Maxwell, Akira, Levi, Edwin, Rondall, Nathaniel, Sean, Marielise, Righter, Reign, Miguel, Owen, Eoin, Isaac, Charlie, Reanna, Andrew, Drew,  and Xander.

 That’s 18 boys and  9 girls.  Seven of these were first babies, and  nine more were first homebirths.  Ten were repeat clients of  ours. Our smallest baby for the year was 6 lbs. 12 oz. And the biggest was 11 lbs. 4 oz.   The longest labor in 2003 was 19 hours and 55 minutes ( yes, it was a first baby). The shortest labor was 34 minutes from the first contraction. The most exciting birth of the year was a fifth baby that decided to come while Kathy was in KY and had no signal on her phone,  the laboring mom  called Jennifer at work so she hurried over just in time to catch the baby!  We had very few trips to the hospital this year with only 2 emergencies. All the Moms and babies were healthy and happy in the end!

 We went to Nagaland , India during March and April. to help at Mother’s Hope.  The home for unwed mother’s and orphanage offers an alternative to abortion. It is the only place like it in Nagaland. We taught classes to the pregnant girls, helped with the babies and they were blessed with lots of donated maternity and baby clothes.  We  enjoyed blending with the Naga culture, living at the home, and visiting Moamenla, our friend there. This was Kathy’s first trip to India and quite an adventure!

There was no motorcycle trip or  Africa trip this year. Jennifer  did however spend the month of July in Australia visiting her friend Melinda and teaching at the YWAM base in Sidney. When she got home she turned into a working girl and helped me with births too. The first of December she had laser eye surgery. No more glasses! All went well and she can see great now. Jennifer has been accepted into the LPN program at Sumner Regional Hospital. Classes start in January. She hopes to take her nursing skills to India in a few years and practice at Mother’s Hope. Kathy is already planning her trip to Kenya for August of 2004. So we won’t be taking on any births due in July, August or September.

We pray for all the families we have come to know through BLESSINGS. We often think of you and remember birth stories and babies always. We enjoy hearing from you and getting updates as your little ones grow. Our web site has been updated to include more pictures and links. We are still open to add your birth story and/or photos!   We hope that 2004 will hold many Blessings for you and yours!

Kathy and Jennifer