Seed Catalogs and Babies

I miss blogging. The days have been flying by. Life is very, very full but also very fulfilling.
I'm happy the kids are on break now. It's nice to have them home during the day and to not have that school world of commitments for a couple weeks.

I just recently received my Fedco Seeds catalog! This makes me a very happy lady. I'm trying to hold off looking at it until after Christmas. Don't ask me why, I just feel I can savor it more after the flurry of holiday activity. There is something so peaceful and calming about plopping my butt on the couch with a cup of Earl Grey, a legal pad, a sharp pencil and highlighter, and my seed catalogs. It's such a fitting activity at the beginning of the year: planning the growth of our family's food. The best kind of resolution to make, in my opinion. :)

Fedco has a very cool seed fund-raiser for schools and non-profits. I've passed the idea to our school PTSO. They're interested, so we'll see if anything happens with it this year. There are three different fund-raising options, the easiest being a seed sale that works like Girl Scout cookie sales. I'm not on the PTSO, but I'd definitely help with a seed sale. It would totally fit in with the school's healthy eats strategies and organic gardening/sustainability ethos.

Aside from seed catalogs rolling in, my only other plans for the next two weeks it to chill out as much as possible. The work load has lightened a bit. All the December mamas have had their babies now, and an early January baby arrived too. So there's a little sit back and relax time as far as being on-call goes. We still have normal prenatals and a couple postpartum visits left for the recent ladies, but with the kids out of school and no babies due until mid-late January, I feel like this is a real Christmas vacation!

Magdalena has been to five births in 6 weeks. I can't believe it! I feel so very blessed to have such a sweet baby and such lovely births. It's been interesting to see Magda's reaction when a woman is in labor. When someone is moaning or even making loud noises with the effort of pushing, Magda becomes real still and listens so intently. When a baby is born, she quiets again and listens to the meow of the newborn's cry. Her reaction makes me wonder if there's memory there. Does she remember me moaning and growling during her labor? Does she remember that smell of amniotic fluid and blood? Does she remember the chill of air on new skin and the warmth of being clasped to my chest with salty tears falling on her head?
I'll never know what's going on behind those huge brown eyes of hers, but it's amazing to watch her still herself and listen during those pivotal moments, as if remembering another time and place.

Growing=amazing.