Spider-Man and the Cabinet-Makers

Spider-Man and the CabinetMakers

It's not easy to be married to a midwife, and even harder to last decades.  The reasons are obvious- the crazy hours, dinners or shopping or laundry abandoned, daytime sleeping (if you don't have little kids) and  childcare chaos ( if you do.)  The many times that the spouse gets the bottom of the barrel, emotionally, after draining labors and all the other stressors of this life.  Not only has my dear husband Greg hung in there with me, but in recent years, I've been able to convince him to come to Haiti, too!

Thus this trip has a couple Surviving Hero Mid-Husbands:  2 life- long, 30+ year partners, mine, and Jessica Jordan's husband, David.  Both experienced carpenters and re-modelers, Greg and David may have one of their most unique re-hab projects ever, as they are re-building and painting the broken, torn-up cabinets at St Therese Labor and Delivery Rooms.  Before today, I think neither of them had to measure space and evaluate wood structure literally 2-3 feet away from a laboring woman- much less one VERY vocal and with an urgent need to throw her dress off.   The guys were entirely unruffled...tape measures clicking.  That is what 30 years of having labor and birth conversations can do. I did stand by the lady and rub her belly and her back, mostly in order to keep her from kicking the guys or grabbing their arm as they walked by. 

Now the CabinetMakers are deep into their piles of tools and supplies, figuring out how to get those doors off, painted, the structure repaired, and then the doors back on, with new hardware, this week.  Clean, organized medical supplies- - a lofty goal, and also must be done while birth goes on!  They sure do deserve the cold beers at the end of the day that will also be supplied to them. 

My husband won the Hero award early, however-- he killed a huge Spider this morning that we'd been warned about last night.  I'm talking a 6 centimeter spider that moved fast, lurking in the corner of the ceiling.   Greg nailed it wth a towel, threw it on the floor and stomped it dead.  Herosim is not dead, this week in Haiti.