officially unofficial

I completed AND PASSED my academic requirement to teach childbirth education classes... YAHOO!!! That means I'm officially a not-quite-official Bradley instructor! Next Monday, I will teach my first provisional class, and the following weekend, I will begin my birth doula certfication. I haven't written about this yet, because I don't really know where to begin on this topic. There is SO much inside just waiting to be shared. Far too much to unpack right now.

It's after one.

WHY am I awake right now??? In less than five hours, Maya's face will meet mine - hers, vertical. Mine, horizontal. "Momma, what are you doing?" she'll inquire. "I'm sleeping," I'll yawn my response, then struggle to get out of bed, wondering once again... WHY WAS I AWAKE AND BLOGGING AT ONE A.M.???"

I digress.

Although I have collected bits and pieces of this puzzle for over ten years, it is just in the last few months that I've begun to put them together. His promises have met my desire in a most breathtaking dance. The emerging picture is so beautiful. So exciting. So overwhelming. So perfect.

Eden's Birth.

There is much to tell. There is even more to learn and still much work to be done.

Yet only 4 1/2 hours remain until the morning staredown... I'm going to bed.

suddenly i see

Her face is a map of the world

Is a map of the world
You can see she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl
And everything around her is a silver pool of light
The people who surround her feel the benefit of it
It make you calm
She holds you captivated in her palm...

Suddenly I see
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me.

I feel like walking the world
Like walking the world
You can hear she's a beautiful girl
She's a beautiful girl
She fills up every corner like she's born in back and white
Makes you feel warmer when you're trying to remember what you heard
She likes to leave you hanging on a word...

Suddenly I see
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me.

And she's taller than most
And she's looking at me
I can see her eyes looking from a page in a magazine
Oh she makes me feel like I could be a tower
A big strong tower...

She got the power to be
The power to give
The power to see
Suddenly I see...

Suddenly I see
This is what I wanna be
Suddenly I see
Why the hell it means so much to me.

~KT Tunstall

thirty

I had a big birthday last weekend.

My sister, Folayo said it best, "Holy crap, Abi! You're 30?!?!?!?"

Indeed.

expedition

I had an exceptional day yesterday. I was far more patient than normal, and my genuine delight in my children abounded. For a change, I decided not to worry about everything that had to be done. Then, I strapped on my backpack, got out my binoculars and joined the hunt for imaginary dinosaurs.