While the writer/text/reader model of communication is simple and accurate at a certain level, it does fall short in representing the orality of the original text.  Perhaps we have not given the Bible text, especially the epistles in this case, enough credit for their oral-communication features.  Literary features abound and so do the scholarly studies into them.  But perhaps there is a need for more studies into the orality features of the biblical text?  And as preachers, perhaps we need to think more about the oral nature of the texts we preach.  There are many possible implications.

Do we preach written texts?  Yes.  But more than that, we preach spoken texts written in order to be spoken, and very importantly, heard.

At first I thought it was odd that her house had no number on the mailbox or by the door and that she had neglected to warn me of this on the phone.

Then to add to my confusion, the woman who came to the door was wearing her bathrobe, and did not look like someone who would be imminently heading out somewhere.  She refused to do anything except confirm her name and take the prize through the smallest possible opening in the doorway.

The net result is that I am entirely unsure that I actually had the correct person or house!

Dispatch guy rides his motorcycle as to deliver meal to customer from the restaurant he works for.

This is strangely conspicuous. I have been tracking my UPS Ground package—stuffed with Disney DVDs—from Spartanburg, SC, for a few days now and I suddenly saw an update saying that the train derailed!! (Google "Train Derailment" and you'll see what those two words mean). I was like, OMG! How tragic!! How often does that happen? Well apparently with UPS, quite often. So I began to do some investigative digging. Today, October 9th, I found out that two UPS trains derailed, one in San Ramon (mine) and one in Oakland. I did some more digging and another one also derailed today in San Pablo, NM. Before that, in September, it occurred in Hodgkins, IL. Yet with all these train derailments (and who knows how many more were reported in UPS' tracking updates that my 20-minutes of hard-core internet journalistic research missed) nothing appears in any news report. Odd.

I wonder, is it the rails, or the trains? Is this some sick joke that an embittered UPS software coder made up? Train derailment. Common, you're kidding right UPS? What's next? A Plane Crash tracking update? Or Truck Experienced Head-On Collision? or Delivery-Dolphin Caught in Fishing Net?  Maybe FedEx is tampering with all of UPS' trains in one giant corporate sabotage.

Forget the economic crisis...our frakin' train infrastructure is falling apart! And nobody cares!! Why aren't we hearing this as the opening questions for the presidential debates? Where is Steam Engine Willy when you need him?

Our kids are going to throw a freakin' temper tantrum because their Disney DVDs did not arrive in time for tomorrow's Friday-Family-Movie-Night. (Wait, perhaps Dreamworks had their hands in this tragic Disney-DVD-package train derailment incident).

What can Brown do for me? Fix your trains or bring back the ponies!!

And please, Brown, next time one of your trains derail don't tell me, "Your package has experienced an exception" (whatever that means), just shoot straight and say, "Your package will not be delivered on time by us—should have used FedEx".

Seriously though, can anybody find any bonified news article about these mysterious UPS train derailments, or is UPS just covering up their inability to deliver packages on time? Have any of your UPS packages had the misfortune of "Train Derailment", or worse, Delivery-Dolphin Netting?

[Locations Update: So far the UPS train "derailed" in San Ramon, San Pablo, Oakland, West Sacramento, San Jose, Pleasanton, South San Francisco, Ceres, and Sunnyvale, CA...I'm starting to think this might have been a terrorist attack!! lol Click on the map image to view how far the UPS Train Disaster of '08 spread]

[Cargo Update: So far the "Derailed" UPS Train carried Disney DVDs, plants, a camera lens, election signs and buttons, a PC notebook computer, Rhino tabs (whatever those are), a new Playstation3, school text books, food items, a guitar amp, a limited collection Scotty Cameron putter, coconut lime verbena and bergamot fragrance oils and essential oils, Obama bumper stickers, an $80 skin care kit and a $20 makeup palette, a Treo Pro, fake poop for Halloween pranks, a softball bat, a grain mill, athletic apparel and . . . any more items to add?]

[Entertainment Update: The following "Lime in the Coconut" video was inspired by Dennis and Eric (see comments below) to help bring a little levity to this tragic disaster [sniff, sniff].

______________________________________________________________________

Here is a photo of a Kern County train derailment that occurred on October 9th, 2008 at 4:12am:

I recently made the mistake of watching "A Baby Story" on the TLC channel. I couldn't get through the whole hour.

I'm sure anyone who's ever had a baby or dreamed about having a baby has watched this show. For those who aren't pregnant it will make you long to feel what it's like to be pregnant and will cause you to call your husband/partner and request that you have a baby asap. For those of us already pregnant, and swollen and emotional it makes us cry. For me the tears weren't just of joy either.

I have done an amazing job (and will try to continue to do so) of staying positive about my labor experience. Early on in the pregnancy I was so desperate for pregnancy knowledge that I bought and read any book I could get my hands on. Once I realized that sometimes you can reach a breaking point where you just have too much information, I stopped reading, stopped wondering and decided to just enjoy my pregnancy, enjoy the changes in my body and put aside the reality that I will someday in the future have to push this baby out.

Watching "A Baby Story" somehow made everything too real for me. I think I need to hold on to the fact that I still have about 2 months left before I need to face labor, so why worry about it now?

What I noticed not only about "A Baby Story" but also about talking to women who have already had children, is that everyone wants to share their horror story. Is there some sort of prize you existing mothers have for sharing your birth story and making sure that the mother-to-be with whom you are sharing the story understands that yours is THE WORST birth story known to man? I don't get it? Every mom I have talked to says something along the lines of "It's the worst thing ever." Really? Geez, then why do women keep doing it?

Call me naive, but I need to, for my own sanity, believe that labor and birthing is the most natural thing a woman's body can do and that my body will know what to do when the time comes. Not to say that modern medicine shouldn't play a role, but I certainly don't want to go into the experience with the baggage of every mom I have talked to. So as the day approaches, I will continue with my positive visualization, continue to work with my doula (yes I decided to have one) and my husband to prepare my mind and body for the experience and just hope for the best. And if all hell breaks loose, there is always the epidural. To happy labors...

And so, the story of my life, always feeling like I'm behind and have to play catch up. I often wonder if other people feel this way and I've been told no. I've been told no by very reliable and credible sources but still, even knowing that I'm not normal in this regards, makes me feel like I need to learn something. In this case, it could be that I need to learn to "Let It Go". Let go of feeling like I'm playing catch up. Let go of the feeling that things aren't exactly perfect. Let go of the feeling that I have to learn everything. Ah, I can pick things to learn and let others go? This is a novel idea.

Why am I on this topic? This past weekend I went to a Floral Conference. I know what you are thinking, "how lovely to surround ones self with beautiful flowers, soft fragrances, ah, how relaxing". Well, anyone that knows me knows that is the furthest thing from the way flowers make me feel!! These conferences bombard me with fantastic business ideas, fabulous product to buy, incredible software to learn!! For me this is the furthest thing from relaxing. Oh my gosh, so much I did not know, so much left to learn. I'm behind again!!

I joke about these feelings, the feelings of not doing enough, not knowing enough but nevertheless, they are so ingrained in who I am, that I can't get rid of them. A mentor once told me that other Business Owners he knows will come out of a marketing seminar that highlighted 15 marketing ideas and they will try to do one, maybe two of the concepts in their business. Ok, even as he's talking I'm thinking "Why would you only do 2? There has to be at least 10 or 12 good ones out of the 15, why not try them all". Before he even finishes telling me about myself, I know what he's going to say. He's going to tell me it's ok to do 1 or 2 or even 5 but that I don't have to do all 15. Well, dah, I know that!! Probably 2 or 3 of the ideas are lame! I'm not that dumb. Gosh, what does he take me for? An idiot?

Ok, so now it comes down to why do I do this? Am I an over achiever? Well, haven't achieved that much, I mean, I'm not President of the United States, that can't be it. Am I a workaholic? I love my time off, time traveling, time spent with family, so that can't be it. What is this annoying habit that I have that leaves my fellow coworkers exasperated, always trying to keep up with my ever growing list of "things to do and concepts to try"? I must know the answer (there I go again).

I think that my constant need to develop and grow as a business person comes from my fear of being left behind. Some people wish to just fade away and ride off into the sunset. That all sounds well and good but for me, that would mean I'm not missed, that I did not make a difference, that whatever I contributed, it just wasn't good enough to make me memorable. For now, I just can't imagine a world without a Monday Morning Flowers.

I often joke about how I'm getting old and that 20 years in this business makes me want to retire to a beach somewhere. But if I was being honest with myself, the reality is that Monday Morning Flowers is such a part of who and what I am. It's so ingrained into my very core to make sure that it not only exists but thrives. I guess the people that know me best, already know this to be true and humor me as I drive them crazy.

As I write this, I think of a sweet gesture made by my husband this past weekend. As we sat side by side at the conference I passed him a note that read, "so much to do". As usual, he saw the look of fear on my face, he simply squeezed my hand and said the right thing. What was it he said? "Don't worry, you'll get to it".

Visit our website at www.sendingsmiles.com

To order wine online from our wine club you have to put in your ID number so we check that we only sell to people who are older than 20. And of course the person collecting the order must be over 20 years of age too, which our drivers check at the door.

Our company ships thousands of bottles of wine around Sweden every week and it works very well. Our customers who live in areas that do not get home delivery collect the wine from Bussgods depots and it it runs like clockwork. Bus depot workers obviously have higher math skills than postal workers.  

Is Posten scared to handle wine, are they being pressured by anti-competitive forces to deny Swedish wine drinkers the opportunity to use the postal service to get access to their wine? Or do they just have such low expectations for their postal agents and workers that checking if someone if 20 years of age or not is beyond their skill level?

Since the April Fools day announcement that the Swedish and Danish postal services are merging the talk about town has been on the clash of cultures.  Maybe we will try again when the more relaxed Danes start calling the shots.

Set to release on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 on: November 11^th, 2008

Set to release on windows-based PCs winter 2008

A game being anticipated by gamers everywhere, this fixture is thought to recreate the “first-person” genre.

This unique game will focus on interaction and interference between the player, who controls the only character, Faith, and the games unique environments.  This game will “convey the strain and physical contact with the environment”, says the senior producer of DICE, Owen O’Brian.  This game looks like it will devour gamers who are fans of unique games (Portal, to name one), including myself, through its freedom of movement that has never been seen in this genre of gaming. 

The game’s movements and tricks that the character can pull off are inspired by the popular art forms and sports of Parkour and Free running, which are very popular in many cities.  Through these acts, they integrate and tie the camera movement with all of the character’s actions.  The camera spins and reacts to the actions of the main character.

What makes this game so different, is that even in the first person view, you can still seen the arms, legs, and even the torso of the controlled character.  This could be a hit or miss, depending on whether the camera is jolting around the whole time, which could make the game’s camera ghastly.  If DICE can successfully create a camera system that is an achievement that hasn’t been seen before, this game will be accepted by many.  The viewpoint will allow the player to see the tasks as though they were doing them themselves, being able to perceive the feelings they would acquire from doing this.

Within the game, the heavy focus is on the movement of Faith.  The user needs to maintain the momentum through a series of chained moves which are accomplished through simple control schemes.  For example, the “up” control will allow Faith to jump or traverse over objects, and to vault and climb over obstacles, while “down” will make the character slide or perform a somersault.  These context sensitive, simplified controls will let the game flow smoothly. 

Moving at high speeds while maneuvering through, over, and below objects can be difficult, so DIC decided to integrate sets of options that include the “Runner Vision” and “Reaction Time” features, which can be toggled on or off through the options menu.

“Runner Vision” provides the player with a depiction of how an actual runner would see the objective, and highlights the objects that are key to the player’s success.  As the game progresses, the number of visual hints gradually decreases.

The aspect of “Reaction Time” allows the runner to plan ahead of where they are currently located, without losing momentum.  This feature pauses the movement of all characters, and permits you to plan your destination.

Although these features can be easily toggled on and off through the games simple options menu, I doubt many “hardcore” gamers will b e using these elements, as it may taint the experience for many of them (including myself).  These options will decrease the level of difficulty within the game.

Weapons, a key factor to any first person game of that respective genre, as many gamers, including myself would agree.  Although “Mirror’s Edge” contains this aspect, O’Brien notes that the useable guns are not the focal point of the game.  “This is an action-adventure. We’re not positioning this as a shooter.  The focus isn’t on the gun, it’s on the person.”  He also states that any type of combat is secondary, and weapons will just reduce the speed of Faith.  Although O’Brien stands firm in this decision, this could lead to growing pains for many gamers.

Besides an immersive story mode, this game will retain its replay value, with included hidden “messenger bags.”  Also, a sort of online play will be available on all platforms; including leaderboards ranking users’ times and some sort of Ghost Data (think Mario Kart ghost data).

Overall, this game is remarkably exciting.  It will be interesting to see if DICE’s take on a first person action-adventure when the focus is not on the combat, much as the Battlefield series was, which was widely encircled around combat.  A unique, simple control scheme mixed with intense Gameplay and accomplishments in a game is always something to look forward to.

Ritu opened the drawer fifth time since morning and sighed again. A long, big sigh!! She remembered her neighbour’s comments and she backed off. Her eyes glistened. She knew she was over reacting but she couldn’t help but feel down.

She was the most beautiful girl of her batch when she was in college. And her beauty was even more endearing for she was totally oblivious to the fact that she stole a lot many hearts on the campus when she smiled and jerked her head back to keep her hair in place. Not surprisingly, she was the most sought after girl!

When she got “attached” to Kartik a lot of alcohol flowed in the boy’s hostel...

After 5 years of marriage to Kartik and a baby later now when she looked at in the mirror she couldn’t recognize herself. Well, almost!! She has put on at least 15 Kgs post delivery! She still looked charming and beautiful with that sweet smile and cherubic face. It was just that she had filled up a bit on her curves.

She had become a woman!

But every now and then somebody would comment on how she used to look in her college days and how she has changed now. Most of the time she would just smile but sometimes she felt bad, sometimes she felt enraged and sometimes she went into depression.

Kartik was always on her side. If he was around he would shoot his favourite dialogue,

“If you want a wife, your children’s mother, a best friend, a professional, a girl-friend, a cook; all wrapped into one and still expect her to be toothpick thin then probably you are asking for too much from a human being!”

But it was not always possible to make others understand how one feels when they talk without thinking.

Today was one such day. Ritu loved chocolates and she was gifted one by her best friend today. As she was about to open it, her nosy neighbour came and commented on how much weight she has put on and how it is not good for her to have chocolates and other high calorie food! She pushed the chocolate in the drawer but couldn’t push the thoughts which were rummaging through her mind!

“Was it her fault that she was genetically prone to put on weight?

Was it her fault that she was suffering from Hypothyroidism?

Was it her fault that even after taking regular treatment she was unable to shed weight?

Was it her fault that she hardly got time to exercise on a regular basis from her multiple duties of being a wife, a mother and a working professional?

Was it her fault that she could not diet as she needed those calories to keep her going?

Was it her fault that Indian females were made to be a bit voluptuous compared to their western and eastern counterparts?

Was it her fault that media was wrongly portraying toothpick thin models and showing that was the way Indian ladies are suppose to look?”

As she stood in front of her drawer, looking at her bar of chocolate longingly, warmth enveloped her from behind. Kartik had come home early with a gift for her – a beautiful skirt and a T-shirt from the “All size” store... He knew she would look beautiful, as always, in those floral clothes!

listen closely
nod one

I don't know if it is the fact that I was pregnant during the summer months this time around and I just lost track of time, or if chasing Madeline around all day long has been a distraction but I can't believe my due date is only 3 weeks away.

Now that I'm getting so close I've been getting a lot of questions from people wondering if I am tired of being pregnant and just ready to be done. My answer has been "no." I am a pretty lucky pregnant girl. Up until this point both of my pregnancies have been about as drama-free as you can get. Plus, I just don't get really big and most people are shocked to find out how far along I am because I tend to carry small. So, I don't end up with all of the uncomfortableness that a lot of other pregnant women deal with.

When I was pregnant with Madeline I know I was very eager at this point to be done with it. I'm thinking it was probably because I didn't know her sex ahead of time, so I had 8.5 months of built up curiosity that was eating away at me. Plus, this time around I know what I am in for, and while I'm excited to have a new baby, I also know the true reality of what having a new baby entails.

I have to admit that I am not looking forward to my post-baby body and trying to lose the weight again, labor is not the most wonderful experience, exhaustion is guaranteed, and this time around I am not going to have the privilege of "napping when the baby naps" since I will have a toddler to take care of. So, while I am excited to meet our little guy I am also savoring my last few moments before things go crazy again.

Well, I should rephrase that. I was savoring my last few moments before labor begins, up until last Friday. Now I am a crazed pregnant chick. Why? Well, I had a doctor's appointment and it was the one where the doctor checks you to see where you are at. It turns out that I am 1 cm dilated, 70% effaced, and the baby is at -1 station. Okay, this is not overly impressive really, and in all honesty I know that it means absolutely nothing, but just hearing those words has made me go a little crazy.

It's like somebody flipped a switch and I am starting to think nonstop about when I will go into labor. When I was pregnant with Madeline I was induced 6 days after my due date, so I really do not think I have too much hope of going anytime soon, but at this point I am pretty sure I will be analyzing every little potential sign of impending labor up until I actually give birth.

So, I have a feeling that the next few weeks have the potential to drag on now that I am obsessing over going into labor. Hopefully Madeline will serve as a big enough distraction in the meantime.

This picture has nothing to do with this post. It is from this weekend when we went to an apple orchard and David and Madeline decided to eat Bison sticks on the hood of my car. I figure blog posts are more fun with pictures, and since I am not going to post a picture of my pregnant belly on here, this will have to do for now!

The One That Worked

The chap who gave the keynote was great. His topic and delivery were engaging. But… here's what didn't work. He started off assuming that everyone had come to this same conference the year before, so in some ways this was a continuation of last year! He didn't have a remote control, so his talk was punctuated by "next slide please." All words on the slides, including for the header, which I couldn't read because it was so small. Lots (and lots) of information, and he talked way too fast. He ran out of time, so went even faster at the end.

But… here's what worked. He had a GREAT story at the end, that left everyone gasping and clapping, totally envigorated and talking about what a great presentation it was. So I learned (again) that it's not always about the technical stuff, the slides and all that. If I'm able to more people's hearts then that's what counts.

The One That Didn't

Second guy I heard was presenting a breakout. This fellow has traveled the world presenting his material in all kinds of settings. This time though, I wasn't so impressed. He started with a video using his laptop speaker for sound. He didn't have his presentation up and ready to go when he did start, so had to scramble to get it up and running. He continually walked right in front of the monitor, so it blacked out the screen. Only thing that could have been more distracting would have been making animal puppets with his hands!

Later in his presentation though was the worst crime — flipping past multiple slides to get to the next point he wanted to talk about. All this said to me (and perhaps to everyone else) as that he hadn't prepared his slides for this event. He'd just used an existing presentation. Nothing wrong with that, but to leave in all the stuff that he didn't want to use?

So there it is — THE STORY WINS.

If that is true, then perhaps it’s worth giving more attention to such matters as personal grooming, dress, body language, smile, voice and so on . . . especially that initial impression.  Incidentally that initial impression in a church setting is often not the same as in a business setting where the speaker emerges from nowhere to begin the speech.  In church people see you in the car park, in the corridor, during the first part of the service.  Maybe the “I’m-so-stressed-because-Sunday-is-no-Sabbath-for-me” look is unhelpful?

I've also ordered a new monopod/travel tripod - there are three supports you can attach to it that allow it to be free standing. It breaks down into component parts for packing, the longest being 28" long. Sounds like an ideal compromise for support to take abroad.

And finally, I've ordered plenty of film to take to Paris. Lots of black&white plus some colour and also some Ilford SFX plus an Ilford SFX filter, for my 35mm just to play with.

Poor old postie, having to deliver all that!

Approach 1 - Springboard Preaching (Inadequate approach to preaching)

This is where the preacher touches down in a passage just long enough to bounce out of it and into their own thoughts.  A word or phrase may be taken on the journey through the message, but it has long since been ripped out of its passage context.

Approach 2 - Highlight Bounce Preaching (Adequate, but "amateur" approach to preaching)

This is where the preacher is a little more aware of the context of the passage and moves through the passage noting highlights along the way.  Typically these highlights will reflect the best bits of Bible study done in preparation (often the best study moves out of the passage, so the message also can jump to other passages, but I did not want to complicate the diagram!)  This is better than Springboard Preaching, but let me show you a better way!

Approach 3 - "Plumbed" Passage Preaching (Preferable approach to preaching)

This is where the preacher has studied the passage in its context and is able to present the message of the passage to some depth.  This is not a series of mini-messages on various passage details, but it allows the details to work together to shape a single message that truly represents the passage in question.  The depth may vary according to time, skill of the exegete, etc.  But this approach to preaching will result in a coherent message, satisfying presentation of the passage and more accurate understanding of the meaning of the passage.  (Please note that it is never possible to fully "plumb" the depths of the passage, so the term is used relatively!)

For simplicity, I have presumed that each message is based in one text and that each message is making connection to the listeners by way of application.  I have assumed that there is a sense of progress in each message.  (None of these can be assumed in real life preaching!)  The simple focus here is on how the passage is handled.  Let's strive to be Approach 3 preachers whenever possible.

Preacher's Style - This is a stilted style pockmarked with King James's terminology and Elizabethan constructions (beloved, unto, beseech, the person of, babe, vale, etc.)  This sort of style, unknown to the apostles, who spoke an elevated (by their content) fish-market Greek, or even the translators of the KJV/AV who wrote exactly as they talked.  This style is a modern travestytotaly without previous history or biblical warrant.  Cleanse your preaching of all such "preachy" language.

Scholastic Style - This technical, super-sophisticated and bookish style is equally unhelpful.  The great biblical, theological terms must be used, but not without exlanation, nor should be be used in profusion.  Don't sound like a theological treatise (or an academic essay).

Chatty Style - This approach majors on the slang and jargon of the day and lacks all form and order.  Again, Adams sees this as unhelpful to effective communication.

Good preaching style is a plain (but not drab), unaffected (but not unstudied) style that gets in there and gets the job done without calling attention to itself.  It should always be clear and appropriate to both content and mood.  The best analogy Adams sees is the news reader on TV.  Our preaching style should not be lower than this, but should be elevated by its content slightly above this standard style with its standard use of language.

That's Adams take a generation ago, what now?  I know some still choose preachy, scholastic or chatty styles.  Is there a better standard than the TV newsreader?

This was such an awesome day!!

La cuestión es, ¿Cambiariamos las cosas si pudieramos?

Realmente el colectivo social-metropolitano, tiene el dogma de más vale malo conocido, que bueno por conocer...

What's inside? Games? A new handphone? Or that Oh Hush thingy?

It's an.....

It's a damn iPod touch 2nd gen!!! The best damn gadget ever! It's simply an all-in-one gadget where you can do everything a laptop does, well, almost everything like surfing the net, listening to music and watching videos.

And why in a bloody parcel you might ask. Because everywhere in the world, shops kept saying the 2nd generation iPod touch is sold out, especially epicenter which they said they would call me once the stocks are here, I made a reservation last week and they have yet to call me. So I got it from the online apple shop instead, efficient! They delivered within 24hours, now how cool is that?!

So here are the details:

$388
8GB
Love: Everything
Hate: Shiny back(full of scratches now =X)

Here are some pictures to enjoy:

The Study Search - Adams suggests working within the confines of your study.  Touch, smell, taste, listen, and look at everything around you.  What does that wood feel like?  What does that old book smell like?  How does the painkiller tablet taste?  What about the sound of the door opening?  And that pile of stuff on your desk, what does it look like?  Take a few minutes and observe carefully.  Perhaps in the process you will come up with numerous similes and anecdotes to vivify your preaching.

The Scripture Search - Take a poetic passage - a psalm or song.  Carefully comb through it looking for sensory language or allusions (direct or implied).  Make note of ways to preach that text so that the senses are fully engaged.  For instance, try Psalm 113 or 133 for starters.  Then consider a narrative passage - life is lived with five senses, so this shouldn't be too hard.  What sensory language could be used to communicate this narrative vividly?  Perhaps try Luke 15, or Genesis 39.

9/14 was Chinese Mood Festival Day – a day where families gather together in celebration to recognize the change of seasons.

That morning I woke up at 4:50 am (I have a projection clock so I always know the time). I was feeling a lot of pressure in my tummy (that’s the best I can describe it). It was completely different from contractions from my first labor. I waited, the sensation passed, then it came back again about 4-5 minutes later and then again.

Just like that, I was having regular contractions and they were progressing in pain fairly quickly. I woke up my husband and told him it was time to go to the hospital I’ve been told many times before by many doctors and nurses that based on my first labor, I should go to the hospital right away for my subsequent labors.

We arrived at the hospital at about 5:30 am. We had to go through ER and then up to LDR on the 2^nd floor. I walked into labor and delivery with a smile on my face and I tell the nurses “I think it’s time”. I can’t really blame them for not believing me I guess. Not many women labor with a smile on their face. One nurse even admitted to me afterwards that she hadn’t believed me. I should have been more melodramatic, holding my tummy and screaming all the way in – then they probably would have believed me.

7 am was also shift change – just my luck. I’m pretty sure that had something to do with why they couldn’t get a hold of the anesthesiologist or why he didn’t show up until a little after 7.

As the anesthesiologist is trying to give me an epidural shot and I’m lying on my side trying not to move too much – my contractions accelerate. I feel as if my contractions are constant and I’m not getting a break anymore. I feel a lot of pressure down there and I tell the nurses that the baby is coming. And this really made me upset – my nurse chuckled and said “that’s not your baby.” Another nurse was better and asked when was the last time I was checked – which was when I had come in and had been 4 cm. So they decide it might be a good idea to check me again – I was fully dilated and baby was definitely coming.

They call the OB, but not in time. The nurse ended delivering my baby at 7:28 am, right after I got one shot of epidural in.  The OB made it in time to deliver my placenta.

I loved the SOFT program at this hospital. Pretty much from when my baby was delivered, he was skin to skin with me for the next 3-4 hours. I loved it. They did all the shots and assessments with him right on me.

I really don’t mind that the epidural didn’t come in time. I really don’t mind that the OB didn’t make it to deliver my baby, even though I switched hospitals and everything just to be closer to home. And it was a big switch took, because I was leaving not only a wonderful OB, but my preceptor and a whole labor and delivery team that I had rotated 6 weeks with.

What is really frustrating is that I felt like I did everything right on my part. I even told the nurses repeatedly that I would be a fast labor when I had arrived. So it really hurts me that I felt like I was completely ignored as a patient. I’m sure plenty of people feel this way all the time. I guess in the end I’m just grateful my son came out healthy and well.