The Richmond Tea Party

1 month from today, we will get home from Mass......and I will start my tea regimen.  

6 years ago, I poked my head into my favorite shop in Carytown, Carytown Teas, right before I was set to give birth to Jeffery.  I had been told of the amazing benefits of Red Raspberry Leaf Tea....one of those benefits being that it can jump start labor and I was so done with being pregnant.  The beautiful French woman who owns this establishment, asked if I had any reason to not want to go into labor within the next couple of days.  I told her my parents were in Europe and they were wanting to be with me as soon after Jeffery's birth as possible.  She cautioned me to not start drinking the tea until I knew they had landed on U.S. soil.  Hahahaha.  :)  They got back around June 26th of that year.....I started drinking 2-3 cups a day on July 1st (gave them a little time to deal with jet lag)....and sure enough, I went into labor the night of July 3rd and Jeffery was born 1.5 days later.

4 years ago, I picked up another batch and started drinking 2-3 cups a day on September 3.  My water broke very early the morning of September 5th and Jakob was born 9 hours later.

My good friend was 10 days overdue with her 3rd child and the doctor was threatening to take the baby (via C-Section) by the end of the week if the baby did not come on his own.  I implored her to send her husband to get some of my tea and as she had nothing to lose, drink 4-5 cups a day.  1.5 days later and before they could get to the hospital, she had the baby on her living room floor before the paramedics even arrived.  Note to self: do not drink 4-5 cups a day.  :)

The short of the long (too late) is that this tea works.  I am told that were I to just buy a box from Kroger or the like, I would have to use 4-5 bags to equal the potency of 1 tbsp of her loose leaf stuff.  And it isn't just this tea that is a godsend.  Her Mother's Bouquet makes it so I don't even know my head is hitting my pillow before I'm asleep.  Dreamy stuff.  Her Tangerine Ginger has cleared up cold/allergy grossness in time for big events like concerts or weddings (Julie, I'm looking at you!).  People who didn't even have a voice or whose throats hurt so much they couldn't even talk, were healed in time to sing in concerts.  Her Peppermint & Lapacho Bark (an actual bark from a tree only found in South America) has been the only thing to help one of my friends undergoing chemo treatments.  The peppermint soothed any nausea from the chemo and the lapacho bark pulls toxins out of the body.  And my Red Raspberry Leaf.....doesn't just work for jump starting labor.  It is amazing with postpartum recovery, nursing issues, etc.  

So.......1 month from today, I will be starting my tea regimen.  You will hear people say "don't chase your labor" but I'm convinced that these people have 1) never been pregnant themselves or 2) just think the last month of pregnancy is awesome.  If number 2 is the case....I would like to know what kool-aid they're drinking.  I would be drinking this tea now were it not for the following issues:

1. I still do need a month to mentally prepare for labor and delivery.  And we still need to buy a car and do some other stuff before Sven's arrival.

2. I need to delay Sven's arrival until after the first of July as some people I know will once again be in Europe and then they are coming to help with the baby and the boys and the house and me and Dave and we hope they are here as soon after the birth as possible.  Their help in the past has been indispensable and a simple god-send so....Sven need to just wait until after July 1st.  

3. Sven still needs to do a little more growing and developing in-utero.

4. I can't get my grandfather's 108 year old baptismal gown until after July 1st so......yeah.....Sven needs to wait.

Aside from these four issues....I'm ready for the tea now.  But....I will wait.  I will bide my time and wait.  But I'm not waiting any longer come July 2nd.  I will let Dave get through Masses that morning (his job) and then, I'm starting on the tea.  And....with any luck and following the precedent set forth by his two older brothers....2 days later, I will be in labor and Sven will arrive shortly thereafter.  

I told my pastor this and he laughed and asked me if I had all of this signed off and approved by God.  Hahahahaha.  I realize my timeline is not God's timeline and that all of the above is assuming a good deal.  But it would be great if those two timelines matched up come July 2nd.  :)  

One month....and counting........

Not her red raspberry leaf tea but another of her teas.....aren't they beautiful?!?!?!