baby catchers

 (Laurie, Anna, Dzhan, me, Danelle, and Kristen)

I had dinner with the midwives on Thursday night. Chalk it up to busy lives, but this is a rare occurrence. It happens like twice a year. Whenever I sit in the presence of these women (whom I love) I sort of feel like I'm with Greatness. But better. They are legendary and yet they are just real people. They are my friends.  I personally, have witnessed and experienced some of the most emotional and moving moments of my life standing right beside them. Birth is so intimate that it seems to bind us together tightly.

We sipped some lovely wine and joked about who was supposed to be on call. We told all of our favorite birth stories over again. There's one story that we refer to as "The Naked Birth". We don't usually get to it until the second or third glass. Wouldn't you like to know how that one goes? Oh man, my cheeks hurt from laughing so hard. It is probably a good thing that the restaurant was nearly empty. Ours is not your typical (or maybe even appropriate) dinner conversation. 

I have a deep respect for these midwives and the amount of "themselves" that they willingly pour into their profession. I am so blessed to have them in my community, to have had them catch my very own babies, and to have them woven into the very fabric of my life. Fun night.