More snow

Well, we got another snow storm on Sunday night/Monday morning and we're getting another storm right now. When I got Kitty out of bed this morning, I opened up the blinds and told her that it was snowing and let her look outside. She immediately hugged her arms tightly around her body and said, "Brrr! Freezing!!"This is a picture of the road in front of our house at about 11:15 this morning. Hopefully Luke's kindergarten bus will make it fine through our neighborhood (we are usually some of the last roads plowed in the city).

I'm hooked...

Well, I'm officially hooked on the church's internet indexing program. DH had mentioned the program a few times (the people who are working on the program work with DH down in Orem), but for some reason I thought that it was not something that I could do (at least not yet) or would take more time than I had. Then when DH's family were all staying at our house in January for his grandfather's funeral, we got into a family discussion on doing family history work. DH mentioned the program of internet indexing again and DH's sister-in-law Chez really expressed interest in it. When she got back home she was eventually able to get signed up online and wrote a blog about it. When I read the blog, I thought why don't I try it as well. Well, I signed up online and have been hooked ever since. It's a lot easier than I thought it would be and extremely flexible. You can sign up online and then you go through the online tutorials. Then once you receive your user name and password from the church, you can download the FamilySearch Indexing program and start indexing. It is AWESOME!! You can download up to 5 "batches" at a time which for me so far have consisted of one sheet of a census record from the 1900 census which contains 50 lines on it. They give you a week to index each batch and once you're done you upload the indexed info back to the church's server. The batches are set up so they should only take about 30-60 minutes each to index. The absolute beauty of the program is that you can work on it for as little or as much time as you have. You don't have to complete a batch during one sitting. You can start on it and then leave the computer and come back to it when you have more time. Another thing to know is that each batch is indexed twice. Then if there are discrepencies between the two indexings, it goes to an arbitrator who decides which entries are correct.

I signed up a couple of weeks ago and find myself working on it off and on throughout the day. Our computer is in a very accessible location for me so I can jump on it any time and do a little indexing here and there when I have a few minutes. I did a lot while I was listening on the computer to some of the Utah Senate floor sessions when the midwife bill was still alive... I also find myself choosing to use my time to do some indexing instead of sitting and watching T.V. when there is really nothing on at night.

So, if I've perked your interest, here is a link to sign yourself up:


Family Search Indexing


All you really need is a computer and an internet connection. You don't even have to be a member of the church to participate, so if any of you have non-member friends who have caught the genealogy bug, send the info on to them too. Hopefully with everyone working together, the church can get more records indexed and help make family history work that much easier for everyone. DH says that the program will be officially announced in June or July, but right now it is just being spread by word of mouth. So go ahead and start spreading!! (If any of you sign up and have questions about how to enter info let me know. I had to ask some questions because I didn't think the online tutorials or help were very clear or comprehensive enough on some cases. I'm working on trying to get some changes made since DH has an "in" since he knows the engineers.)

**A Word of Warning**
**Internet Indexing is very addictive, so don't let it take away from your spouse and/or family time!!**

Jumbled words

Luke at 6 years old still gets mixed up sometimes when saying his prayers. I think his problem is that his brain is thinking a mile a minute (usually about everything except what he's doing at the moment) and so his words come out all jumbled up. Last week he was saying the dinner prayer and this is what he said, "Dear Heavenly Father, we ask thee for the food. We thank thee to bless it..." I had the hardest time not busting out laughing in the middle of it...

Kitty Jane

Yesterday I came home from a stake choir practice and Kitty heard me come in the garage door. She came downstairs to greet me and when I saw her I said, "Hi Janie" (which is what I like to call her) to which she responded, "I'm Aura". It is very cute that she's starting to call herself by her name (even if she can't quite pronounce it right)...

Sunset

Here is a picture of the sunset tonight. By the time I got to my camera and was able to take a picture, it was almost gone (in just a matter of a minute or two)...
On another note, the hostile midwife amendments bill that was proposed in the Utah legislature this year has reached it's sunset as well. On Friday, the sponsor of the bill chose to remove it from the senate reading calendar and send it to an interim committee to study the issue during the off-season of the legislature. Another win for the midwives!! Yea!! Now hopefully the committee that is chosen to study the issue will realize that it is not needed or will actually have an open dialog with the midwives to see which limitations are reasonable and which ones are not.

More winter

Well, we had about a week or two of really nice, almost spring-like weather and then this is how the kids spent Friday afternoon:
I'm actually glad we got this storm and hope that we get a few more before spring finally sets in. We definitely need the snow, especially in the mountains...

Our three girls

I came downstairs the other day and found our three girls sitting together on the couch watching T.V. I think that even though they have some very different looks about them, they still look like sisters...

The D.I.

I love the D.I. for little girls' dresses! I found these cute dresses today for $3 each and the girls had to try them on as soon as we got home from the store. (Unfortunately they are not so good for older girls' dresses. The only dresses I've been able to find for M&M there are red holiday dresses...)

Alarming Autism Statistics

Is anyone else troubled by the alarming increase in kids being diagnosed with autism, ADHD or ADD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Attention Deficit Disorder)? These problems were virtually unheard of when I was growing up and now I know so many people with these conditions or whose child or children suffer from them. The first time I think I heard of autism was when I was in high school and found out that my high school band teacher's young son had just been diagnosed with it. A year or 2 after I graduated my band teacher quit because his second son was also diagnosed with autism and he wanted to spend more time with them & helping to find treatment for them.

There was a new study just released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which gives some troubling statistics. Out of 14 states that were that were recently studied, Utah had the highest rate of autism. In Utah, 1 in every 79 boys is diagnosed with it!! Overall in Utah, the rate is 1 in every 133 children!! Utah's rate of autism is 20 times higher today than just two decades ago!! (Deseret Morning News Editorial)

What is going on?? Why isn't more time and research being devoted to try and find the cause(s) of this brain disorder??

I have been concerned about these conditions for several years and whenever there is another article or study published, or I hear of another person I know being diagnosed with one of these conditions, my concern increases. Most researchers agree that there are most likely multiple factors contributing to the increase in autism (one of which is better detection and better reporting - but that certainly can't explain a 20 fold increase).

There have been a lot of theories discussed:

• childhood vaccines
  
• a specific gene in the DNA
  
• decrease in maternal bonding immediately following birth
  
• too much T.V. in the first few years of life
  
• drugs administered during pregnancy & childbirth
  
• rhogam shots given to Rh- mothers during pregnancy & immediately following birth

I have read a lot of interesting studies & articles on these issues and they all have some interesting points. There is also a lot of speculation that some kids are more "predisposed" to autism and that one or more of these factors might cause it to trigger in the brain. I just wish that there would be a comprehensive study conducted that could verify or rule out some of these possibilities so that we can stop this epidemic in it's tracks...

Can you do this?

...sit on a balloon without popping it?

Blondie & Kitty have been sitting (and even bouncing) on the leftover balloons from Luke's party. And they have both been laughing hysterically while doing it...

My prediction...

My prediction regarding the midwife bill is that it will not make it out of the Utah Senate - either because it won't get enough votes or because they will run out of time. At the end of yesterday's Senate session they sent all of the senate bills that were on the 2nd reading calendar back to the senate rules committee to prioritize them. The legislative session ends 2 weeks from today and they are needing to cut back on the bills they consider and deal with those that are before them now (especially those that have been passed and sent over from the house of representatives).

On a similar note, there was an excellent editorial in the Salt Lake Tribune this morning that was written by their editorial board. It basically said that they think Sen. Dayton is trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist by proposing this bill.

Here's a link to the editorial if you would like to read it:
The midwife way: Current home-birth regulations are sufficient

Also, there was an article in the paper the other day where Sen. Dayton said that she specifically requested that the midwife bill be assigned to her committee instead of the Health & Human Services committee so that it could progress more quickly...

Why...

Why is it that kids feel they must COVER a cookie with candies? Isn't just one or two good enough?

Making headway?

After the committee hearing in the Utah senate last Thursday, I was a little disturbed by some of the misinformation that was being shared regarding this bill. So, I decided to go out on a limb and write an email to the senator that was chairing the committee to address some of that misinformation. The committee chair that day is one of the senators that is a definite 'yes' vote already so I figured that I couldn't do much damage by trying to contact him. My email basically said that contrary to what was said at the committee meeting, this bill will affect ALL homebirth midwives, not just the ones that are licensed by the state. He specifically asked the bill sponsor at the committee meeting if this bill will affect the "lay" midwives in the state to which she answered that it will not - it will only affect those that are licensed. If you read the actual law that is in place already and how this bill will change that law, it is clear that the bill that is proposed is changing the definition of the practice of direct-entry midwifery which will affect ALL midwives. I even sited to him where in the law that is stated.

Well, I was actually surprised when I got a response from this senator on Sunday evening. (I haven't even gotten an answer from my own senator whom I emailed on Wednesday...) I could tell by this senator's response to me that he hadn't even read my email, or if he did that he just skimmed through it. So, I decided to email him back and state very clearly that a "lay" midwife IS a direct-entry midwife and that this bill will affect all of the direct-entry midwives in the state, not just the licensed ones. I wrote a very nice letter to him and said that I felt that it was important that he understand this point, regardless of whether or not it changes his vote. I also thanked him for his time in reading my email.

Not 15 minutes after I sent off that email, he emailed me back and said that he would check into it and "Thanks for the heads-up."

So, even if it doesn't end up changing his vote, I hope that he does look into it and will pass the word along. Maybe then more of the legislators will understand the concerns that the midwives and homebirthers have.

Rough night?

It's 10:30 in the morning and look who's still sleeping...

She either had a rough night last night or is going through a growth spurt. So much for getting to the grocery store this morning...

(Actually she does look a lot longer in this picture than I remember her being...)

Kinds of people in the world...

I came across this the other day and thought it was cute. :)

There are 10 kinds of people in the world.
Those who understand binary and those who don't.

Did you get it? (Showing my nerdy, computer science side...)

Counting in binary

Didn't make it...

Blondie developed a stomach ache and fever last night so I decided not to try going to the capitol this morning. I was able to listen on my computer at home and it was very frustrating listening to those that spoke (both for and against the bill). Those that spoke for the bill were all doctors (of course) and they like to tell horror stories and scare the legislators into believing that everyone who chooses to give birth at home will die (or their baby will). Unfortunately, they are much more organized though than the opposition to the bill. There was very limited time for comments on the bill before the vote was taken and the 3 who spoke for the opposition I thought were not very good people to have speak. One was a man whose wife gave birth at home 8 weeks ago, one didn't state who she was representing (I actually think she is the president of the Utah Friends of Midwives grassroots group) and the third person was a practicing midwife who didn't say if she is licensed with the state or not. I didn't think that any of the 3 gave very persuasive arguments for our side.

Anyways, the bill was voted on and passed out of committee 4 votes to 2. Right now I think it has been sent to the Division of Professional Licensing for fiscal input. Then it will go to the bottom of the list for the Senate Floor to vote on.

Midwife Bill Update

Well, the Utah Senate assigned the midwife amendments bill to the Senate Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Standing Committee of all places. The last time I checked, midwives & homebirth have nothing to do with natural resource, agriculture or the environment. We all thought that it would go to the committee related to the issue which is the Health & Human Resources committee. The unfortunate thing about this assignment is that Sen. Dayton (the author of the bill) is on this committee along with another staunch opponent. My midwife believes that it will make it out of committee and to the Senate floor easily. It's on the committee agenda for Thursday morning at 8 a.m. So, I guess Blondie & Kitty & I will be making an early morning trip up to the capitol tomorrow. Unfortunately neither of them are morning people so I have a feeling they are not going to be too happy while we are there. (Hopefully they will sleep in the car. :) It's very interesting and frustrating at times getting involved in the political process. I have definitely learned a lot about how the legislative process works over the past couple of years.

I'll post what happens tomorrow...

Midwives in Utah

Well, the Utah Legislature is at it again. Two years ago the Direct-entry Midwives finally succeeded in getting a bill passed in the Utah legislature to officially legalize homebirth with a direct-entry midwife and allow a form of licensure for those homebirth midwives that want to be able to carry and administer certain drugs that they are not allowed to otherwise. The battle to get this law passed actually started at least 5 years ago and I was involved with the lobbying the year that it passed and the year prior to the passing. I have sent emails to my legislators and met with a few of them in person. I have spent hours at the Utah Capitol building attending committee meetings and trying to meet with legislators. Just when we thought that things were in the clear, a senator from Utah County has introduced an amendment to the bill last Friday that would just about make it impossible for the overwhelming majority of women to qualify for a homebirth with a licensed direct-entry midwife (LDEM).

The senator's name is Margaret Dayton and she was an OB nurse and her husband is an OB/GYN. The LDEMs that are currently licensed with the state looked over their clients/births from the previous year and determined that 96% of those births would not have qualified for a homebirth under the current amendment changes.

Everyone is hoping that this bill will be killed quickly because it is so unreasonable. There have been a couple of studies recently published that should also help our cause. In addition to these studies (one of which is by the Utah State Health Department), the report to the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) was nothing but positive. The law that was passed 2 years ago required the LDEM board to compile statistics each year of mother/baby outcomes and to determine if any negligence is occurring in any of the LDEM practices.

All of the midwives have fought so long and hard for the law that we currently have that it would be so sad to see that ruined by this senator who is trying to instill unfounded fear in her fellow legislators. The truly amazing part of the law that was passed is that in addition to allowing midwives to become licensed, it still allows midwives who choose not to license to practice without fear of prosecution. I believe Utah was the first state to pass such a law.

The biggest thing that we all wanted to accomplish with this bill was to allow women to CHOOSE where they give birth and to allow them to CHOOSE a care provider that they feel the most comfortable and confident with. There are no guarantees with birth, but some women feel that more complications are introduced when giving birth in a hospital. Midwives are there with a woman the whole labor and are trained in "normal" birth and how to detect when something is not right before it has escalated to an "emergency".

Here are some links to some studies for those of you interested in reading them or wonder about the safety of homebirth:

DOPL Outcome Report for LDEM homebirths from January 2006-August 2006
British Medical Journal Study on planned homebirths in North America for the year 2000
Utah Health Department Study Home Birth Trends in Utah, 1992-2005

Happy Birthday Luke!

Luke Skywalker turned 6 on Thursday. On Friday we had his party after school at our house (the kids get out of school early on Fridays). It was a Star Wars theme and everyone was so excited. Here is what the invitations looked like:

The picture on the front is a picture of Luke at Halloween time in his Darth Vader costume. I got a lot of ideas for the party & invitations on the internet.

I had a couple of parents tell me that their kids were SO excited when they read the invitation. Boys are so funny at this age because they LOVE play acting Star Wars and similar action shows. I made some very simple costumes for the kids to wear out of fabric I found at Wal-mart for $1 a yard. I also made "training" lightsabers out of posterboard and duct tape. I was hoping to make some out of pool noodles, but I couldn't find them at any stores this time of year. By the end of the party just about all of the lightsabers were destroyed from them playing with them so hard and so much. I think the kids all had a lot of fun except it was a little too rough for one of the girls. Once the organized activities were over I let her leave early since she just lives across the street.

For party favors we gave out light sticks, Star Wars PEZ dispensers, Starburst, Milky Way candy bars and Pop Rocks candy (anyone remember these from when you were a kid?). They also got to take their costumes home.

The party was kind of touch and go this week because we have been battling sicknesses again. Luke stayed home from school last Friday and then again on Wednesday. M&M went in late on Wednesday. When M&M & Luke got home from school on Tuesday, they both took naps (very unusual). Luckily we didn't have any throwing up - just fevers, tired and not a lot of energy. Blondie had a small touch of it on Thursday morning, but Kitty managed to avoid it and everyone was healthy by Friday. The biggest problem with the sicknesses was that I wasn't able to do the shopping and store hunting for the party as early in the week as I wanted to. I had to go to the store on Friday morning to buy the poster board to make the lightsabers - not at all what I wanted to be doing on the day of the party.

One of the kids was a storm trooper for Halloween and wore his costume to the party.

The cake was half a death star with cupcakes around it with little star fighters on toothpicks stuck in them.
Blondie getting into the action too.
Everyone at the party gave Luke a Star Wars toy. The only duplicate was a Star Wars Lego starship.