Ethan Choy

My great friend, and supervisor, Ate Estef had her baby tuesday afternoon! He was born by cesarean section. Both mama and baby Ethan are doing well!! They are scheduled for discharge this afternoon! Some stats:

December 23, 2008
4:17 pm
2.8 kgs

Christmas time!!!

I got a Christmas box!!! I have had reports of several little somethings being sent my way... but the first to arrive was probably the last to be sent! My mom sent this Christmas box on November 26... exactly 7 days before it arrived in the Philippines!!! But it was GREAT!!! In this box were all my favorite treats!! and... a "Christmas tree in a box" which I think might just be the best thing ever!!! It is a little box with a paper doll Christmas tree, that me and Holly put together right after dinner! It is complete with little paper ornaments that we have already decided to use as earrings for the Christmas party!!

Also, Christmas angel season is in full swing! I have gotten some pretty amazing stuff from mine so far, this year!! She is crazy thoughtful, and SO encouraging!! She has me hooked on the Filipino treat... "Hello" bars!! I don't like a lot of chocolate stuff... but I do like this! :-) Thanks Angel!!

Here are some pictures of the Christmas box celebration!!!


New Christmas Undies!

Holly With the Christmas tree!!!

Me and Hol with the mugs from London!! Complete with one of Holly's favorite teas!!

Holly laying under the Christmas tree... looking up at the lights!??! :-)

November

well... it's november... My month has been rather slow... but crazy.... There have been a lot of busy busy shifts at the birth room... but... I haven't caught any babies... well.... 3. But compared to last month when I caught 10 babies... 3 doesn't seem like a whole lot. I haven't caught a baby since the 7th of November!! But, my two amazing continuities gave birth this month. The second, Twinkie Mae, my 15 year old... she just had her birthday, she's 16 now... She named her sweet baby girl Sarah Fate! :-) She had the most amazing birth, and she was such a amazing laborer... she took directions well, and did just amazingly. Here are some pictures of that baby...

So... my camera has some sort of short in it so... I don't have many pictures from the last ... long time... but, I cut my hair off... and you can see in those pictures. I'm not sure what made me do it... but... yeah, there it is. It's already growing back nicely. :-)

The clinic has been bustling as usual. And we have just started our "Secret Angel" season again. Secret angel is a name draw where we write encouraging notes (etc.) for a person we have selected... I'm excited, it's a really fun time. Not to many Filipina participants this year though... A few only :-(. It will still be fun. Christmas in the Philippines is a very exciting time of year! It starts in Septem"ber" and lasts through all the "ber" months!! So we have been in full Christmas swing since I got back from vacation! I was just at the mall yesterday and there was a Christmas parade!! Wow! :-) Anyway, it's time to get back to the homework!! I hope you are all well, and had a wonderful thanksgiving! God is SO faithful to us and never stops giving us more and more reasons to be thankful!

~Sarah

A note from the worst blogger ever....

I'm not at home anymore... I actually haven't been at home for a very long time... the pace at which life passes me by is overwhelming, at times. God is always faithful. Since I've been back, I've done 3 assignments (in the middle of the fourth), caught 16 babies, 9 boys and 7 girls... The latest of which is mere hours old as I type. 3 continuities have given birth to beautiful healthy babies (Ricardo Clyde, Diana Riaza, and most recently Sarah Fate last night at 10:26pm). My picture collection is sadly.... non-existent... my camera is not doing so well. I didn't get any pictures of my sweet continuities.... but here is one of baby Ricardo Clyde, on his birthday... he is now19 days old. This is super short... but, my assignment calls... and my cooking duties as well.... More is coming.... Thank you for being faithful readers, and prodding my slow blogging-ness into action!


~Sarah

I'm Home!!

I'm home for my break! It's been a crazy year of learning, and growing, and stretching, and... stuff. :-) But now I am back for a month, and I am looking through some pictures, and here are some highlights from the year (in no particular order)!!

I love these girls!

On a motorbike... on samal :-)

...He he he...

Will she get all the little piggies on there? Chances are, probably not...

We were a killer prenatal team!

The rare occasion I go out of my normal study spot...

Diligent Holly.... studying... (before her computer died)

~Coming and going~

So about a year ago I was just arriving in Davao, and I remember riding over in the plane from Manilla to Davao looking out the window to try and catch a glimpse of my new home... I was looking for a "big orange house" which is where i knew I would live, if only I knew then what I know now... there are TONS of "big orange" structures around davao city, it seems to be quite the popular color for house painting...

I was staring out the window thinking, oh my goodness, what is this place? It looks so beautiful from the sky... What will God have for me here....

Today I brought a classmate to the airport, and these memories came flooding back. I saw the place where I stepped out of the airport and saw the MMC crowd waiting and cheering for us... and I remember walking down the "red carpet" and meeting them all... Oh my goodness. I was so overwhelmed, and tired, and excited... And now it's normal. It's just life. It's just here. So much can change in a year. The 8 strangers who met in Oregon, would meet the rest of their class and become an amazing team of women... I tell you, it's been such a short year, but so much has happened... it's hard to imagine that it's only been a year...

P.S. Sorry about the lack of pictures in the last couple of posts, the internet+blogger=no pictures... :-(

...In my infinite wisdom...

Well, my mom and sisters went on a cruise.... and they came back tanner.... and I was suddenly worried that after almost a year living on a tropical island in the middle of the sea I would be whiter than them.... Which is a definite possibility considering I don't really go out very much, most of my activities involve studying (inside) and work (definitely inside)... So.... I am still white. I decided that in my efforts to become tan, I would go to the pool every day, for at least... well, a while. Also, I got a new bathing suit just last weekend... My old one was a million years old, and you could actually see through some parts of it, which, is not good. It works out ok, cause ALWAYS wear board shorts over it, and sometimes a shirt... So while I had an ok base tan (thanks to that boat trip... ok ok, it was a burn, but after it peeled off, I was definitely darker...) anyway, so my old speedo had crazy a lot of coverage... And this new bathing suit... not as
much...

There should be a picture of my old bathing suit here...
but it refused to load...

New Bathing suit!!

Day 1: 11:30 am..... I go to the pool, I put a minute amount of sunscreen on my shoulders and face.... I get in the pool, I swim around until I am cold then I sit in the sun to get warm, and read... 1 pm, leave...

Result.... burned shoulders and arms... but not too bad, it mostly faded by the next morning

Day 2: 11:30am.... I go to the pool, I have worked night shift, AND initial prenatals, sleeping a mere 4 hours all spread out... I jump in the pool, swim around, get out sit in the sun to dry off, have my book, but get tired, sit on the steps of the pool, fall asleep (oh dear....), wake up 1 hour later feeling really hot... Leave at 1 pm....
Result.... Burned beyond recognizable condition.... sigh....

So, the result of this whole experience is, I am not going to the pool anymore before I leave, and I have a really nice tan where my old bathing suit tan was, and in the places that this new bathing suit does not cover... oh heavens, I am red, not just red, but also swollen... and it's been 2-3 days since this brilliant experience... So, instead of having a beautiful tan when I get home, i will probably be in some stage of peeling, because it usually takes me forever to get there, and then a LONG time to finish the peeling thing... sigh... Holly made the comment that I look like I am wearing a white tankini and a red speedo at the same time... sigh...

~Grill Saturday~

So, after a year of living here, we bought a grill!! It's so exciting! Holly and I, as well as Jes and Michelle have instituted "Grill Saturday." Grill Saturday is going to (hopefully) become a weekly event when we grill some manner of meat. Last weekend it was hamburgers and hotdogs, which, let me tell you is a treat. Typical hotdogs here are of a sweeter variety than your typical american hotdog.... So we invested (he he he) in the 1.50 hotdogs, and grilled those puppies up! Here are some pictures of our little grill, and lunch (which also included french fries, that I slaved over (-: while everyone else got to be outside with the grill) yummy!!

The Hamburgers on our shiny new grill!!!


Our Grill Chef, Jes!

Assistant Holly

The Finished feast!!


MG came over from work to eat!
Yay for great supervisors who let us go home and eat!

No Survivors

Empty Bed?

So last week I told you about the little boy that was missing from mercy... So here's an update. The mother came back on tuesday to check and see if we had found anything, and she was talking to the guard and he turned around for a second, and she started laughing... So we didn't really know what to think about that. And she said she would come back again, and she never did... So we do not really know what happened. But the more people who we talked to, the more mixed up the story got. She was number 6, and her boy would have been there the whole time, I got there at 7:30 and saw a little boy there, wearing a white shirt and dark pants black/navy blue. And that was the description of the little boy. So I thought, oh, that was him. I came down later, and saw that same little boy sitting there waiting for his mama. Then prenatals started, and another midwife over half way through prenatals saw the same kid down there, and the little boy had already been reported missing... and he said he was "just here" and his mom was upstairs. There was only one little boy that age down there that morning... and nobody saw him. Not other patients, not midwives, not other companions, not the guard. So, we are not sure what to think. The story she has told goes back and twists around a lot. We aren't sure what the deal is, and we aren't sure why she hasn't come back. And we are praying that she found him, and he is home safely with his family, but the truth is we don't know.

Growing Up

Natalie

So, I deliver babies. And I see these babies (and feel, before they come out) from about 17ish weeks of pregnancy until about 6 weeks after birth. I very rarely see these babes after the 6 week check. Well this last week I did! And it was CRAZY. First I got a text from one of my moms asking if I would come and be a godmother at her son’s (Noah) dedication. So I of course agreed. It is kind of more of a symbolic thing in the Philippines…. So later I find out that Noah’s mom is the sister-in-law of Cindy (Natalie’s mom). So… it was a very mixed up story, but it turns out Noah and Natalie (I am godmother to both) are sort of cousins (through marriage). The point of this very confusing relationship maze is that: I went to the party and Natalie and Cindy were there!! Great! I haven’t seen them since Natalie’s christening, months ago (at the beginning of the year…)! She is SO big, and she still has crazy a lot of hair! Here are some pictures of Natalie with her midwife. Then, and now. :-)

Natalie now!!

Mimi, Pil, Prixie, and her Lola (grandma)

I also got a text last week from another continuity, Mimi. She was concerned about something, but I tried to be reassuring, and “solve” her problem… we’ll see. Anyway, I told her to come in and bring Prixie Mae, because they live very close. So she did! And I got to see 4 month old Prixie. She is beautiful and funny. She has a great personality! So, Mimi and I chatted for a while, and she brought me some fruit!! Yum! And I got to see her and Prixie. Here are some pictures of Prixie then and now!!

Mimi, Prixie, and I, now!!

So I spent a while praying for all the baby boys and girls that I have assisted into the world, and that God would just show these kids HIS Glory, and make them into men and women who will live for Him. And that God will continue to provide for them and for their families, and show His face in a way that is undeniable for them, so they will grow up to know Him!

An Empty Bed...

I can't sleep tonight. I am tired, but my mind is going too fast. I worked monday prenatals today. That is initial prenatal day, all the girls coming to mercy for the first time. It is NOT a coveted shift. I found myself marching over, doppler in hand this morning at 7:30, picking my way through the crowds of pregnant women, their husbands, and little children. It is not unusual for companions to come to monday prenatals. Usually little kids and their dads line the hall waiting for their wives/mothers to come downstairs. It's not unusual for older little kids (4 and above) to be sitting downstairs on the bench by themselves while their mom is upstairs. No kids or husbands allowed upstairs. Today was no exception. There was a little boy downstairs today, his mother was number 6. They got there early, so that she could try to have her baby at mercy. When she finished her business upstairs she came down expecting to find her 5 year old boy waiting for her, where she had left him. But he was not there. And he wasn't outside the gate either, and he wasn't anywhere on the street. She came back and asked the guard if he had seen him... but in the commotion the quiet little boy was missed. They looked up and down the street, asking people, but nobody knew. Where is this guy? What happened to him? It would be crazy easy for him to have wandered off, getting lost in the big city when he lives about 1 hour away. He's never been here before. It would have been easy for him to follow the wrong "mama" home. It would have been easy for someone to have come in and taken him to do who knows what with. It would be easy for him to be overlooked, lost wandering the streets, with all the street kids around. I'm praying for him tonight, he's probably scared. But I am praying he is safe, in a warm bed, somewhere with someone who is looking after him, and who will bring him back to Mercy tomorrow to his worried mama. I'm praying for his mother, who has been back and forth today looking for her son. Who is at home now, an incomplete home, staring at his empty bed...

Suturing class

My finished chicken!

We just had suturing class a few days ago, and it was great!! Much more fun than IV class!! There was no crying, and lots of laughing (but not that nervous laughing!!)! :-) Our subjects: Chicken breasts. The stitches, deep interrupted, blanket, continuous, and continuous mattress! It was great fun!! And our chickens looked beautiful! The teams were me and Janelle, and Holly and Serena. We were stars. Here our some pictures from the day!!

Injecting my chicken... with... water...

Holly and Serena

My finished chicken! and Janelle~

Wheat thins and Goldfish!

Mom!
Thanks for the wheat thins and the Goldfish... we loved them. The ladies of the porch (Holly and I) shared the wheat thins with the ladies of the hallway (MG, Jes, and Janelle). We all loved them! We just want you to know, you brought cheer to our night, it was like a little porch/hallway party!

Love,
Sarah, Holly, Michelle, Jes, Janelle!

Holly and the whole bag!


Michelle (in the front) and Jes with their wheat thins!
(Janelle was... somewhere...)

Pictures!!

Back Row L-R: Naomi, Michelle, Bethany, Medea, Holly, Jes, Jordan
Front Row L-R: Janelle, Jenn, Stephanie, Serena, Me~

So... The all of the girls in my year went for a picture a couple of weeks ago... And, while we are a fine looking bunch, we are not THIS fine... They photoshopped our blemishes, they photoshopped our hair, they photoshopped our teeth, they photoshopped shine onto our lips, they photoshopped the freckles right off Holly! So, we went to get our picture taken, and we were in this little tiny studio... think, hmm, a large handicapped bathroom. And 12 girls, plus 1 photographer, 1 weird guy looking on, and 1 creepy guy hiding behind a curtain and we didn't even know he was there until we wanted to change... Anyway, so at one point, for a pose we were doing some laying on the floor, and we hear this banging noise, and we see this big background screen falling toward us! yikes!! SO we screamed, and there was some rolling out of the way... and it was pretty much hilarious. It didn't end up falling, and we were all ok, but it scared us a bit! Anyway, so we got to pick 7 out of the... lots... that he took, and it was really fun! My favorite is the "supported squat" picture... leave it to us to have a professional supported squat picture, and then to pay money to have it printed! Ha! I hope you enjoy our pictures!! We certainly enjoyed having them taken!

Supported Squat!

And apparently we all didn't get the same... "make a funny face" memo... oh well :-)

IV class... results...

Oh boy! well, it's over! We all did it! It was an emotion-filled afternoon... Apparently we were much more emotional than our predecessors.... HA HA HA... so I started off the crying party... but anyway... Just to give you an idea of my level of apprehension; before class started my pulse was 60, normal for me... when it was time for me to poke my partner, Jenn (who is SO gracious)... my pulse was 120... which is nothing compared to hers, which was 140. We were both a bit nervous, apparently. I was SO nervous to poke her, that I burst into tears, at which point everyone started laughing and taking pictures. BUT, they laughed too soon, because before too long, they were all crying too! There was crying, laughing, fainting, almost fainting... it was quite the adventure! But, in the end, we all got our IVs in, and running! Yay for us! Here are some pictures from the excitement! The picture of Holly pretty much says it all. :-) Have a great day, everyone!

Me trying to make a nervous face while I was sobbing... oh boy...

After I stopped crying, in the 10 minutes I stood there trying to get up the nerve to poke her... meanwhile, her hand turns black....

I got it in, but I was SOOO nervous to let her drop her hand, for fear that the thing might stop running and I would have to do it all again.

A lovely face I was making during my second poke... that one really hurt... :-)