I can say right at the start of this letter that in the past year we have not added any children (or pets) into our family, we live in the same house, drive the same cars, and Super B still works for the same company, albeit in slightly different position. We even took the same vacation (Disney) this year. The only P that has really changed much this year is Dalton (1). Last year at Christmas he was cute with lots of potential, but not doing much besides nursing, crying and looking sweet as he snoozed. While Dalton still loves a good meal, a good cry and a good snuggle, he is otherwise completely different. He runs all around the house trying to keep up with his siblings and is very busy as only a toddler can be. It makes me equal parts proud and sad that he is growing up so fast.
Our biggest highlight of the year is that in the Fall both Ashby and Reese chose to make professions of faith. I am sure you can imagine how cool it was to see my two oldest children baptized together. I think I missed most of the actual dunking due to the tears of joy and, quite frankly, perhaps a few tears of relief too given the crazy things my kids have done through the years. Baptism might not make them perfect, but at least they are forgiven! Luckily we got it on video so I have been able to watch with mostly dry eyes since then.
Otherwise the kiddos are energetic and my house is still always messy and loud. Reese (8) and Ashby (10) are both doing Scouts and choir and Reese is into soccer. His team, led by our very own Coach B, had a few wins in the spring and an actual winning season this fall. Ashby is a reading queen but has really gotten into cooking this year, a hobby I am definitely encouraging! Wes (4) goes to speech twice a week which we call “little school” and enjoys the pleasures of a more relaxed kind of life.
Super B is still at X. He worked crazy hours much of last year but recently moved to a new position that seems less time intensive. He has a fancy title, but I admit I have taken to telling people he runs the vending machines at his office. B would have me insert here that sadly he has never been allowed to remove a single quarter from the machines despite the fact he thinks that sounds fun. However, he does manage the contracts for food services among many other comptroller duties.
As for me, I continue to passionately love being a mom, attending births as a doula and occasional work at a local birth center. There I have added some clinical midwifery skills to my repertoire, which is a thrill for me. It took me well into adulthood, but I am completely thankful that God has brought me opportunities to find and follow my passions of being both in the home with my family and being a birth advocate for others.
We may be pretty boring, not changing much from year to year, but Christmas is a time to be different. Starting from the way Jesus was born (I am no stranger to out of hospital birth, but a stable is out of my league) to the way he died, it was all different than what one might expect. I don’t know what the next year holds. Perhaps next year we will be called to do something totally different, or perhaps the plan is to just continue getting up (way too early in my mind) each day to love and serve others. We are looking forward to finding out.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year y’all!
Monday, December 27, 2010
Monday, November 1, 2010
Go Cowboys?
Yesterday Super B and I went on a date. Sadly this is very rare for us. One of B's suppliers gave us 2 box tickets for the Cowboy football game. It wasn't the best date in terms of quality time together as technically B was "working" and we didn't have real time to just chat. I actually originally turned down the chance to go because I didn't feel the hassle and expense of dealing with childcare was worth it, but eventually B wore me down and I am so glad he did. Not because I just love football mind you, but it was fun and different...and free food was involved. Plus my date was kinda cute.
So yeah, Cowboy's Stadium is crazy. Between the 100 yard long TV, the retractable ceiling, and an ad on anything that had a semi-flat surface, the stadium is one big testament to humanity's bent to excess. I am not slamming excess, the stadium provides gobs of jobs, it really is beautiful on the outside, and the mongo TV inside is just jaw dropping, but I still do have to say...it's football, just football (and I hear the occasional concert and monster truck rally). I know it is mega simplistic to say this, but if even a minuscule part of that effort was put into an orphanage, how cool would that be?
I don't want to down play that it was fun. I enjoyed the spectacle quite a bit. I ate and drank liberally from the buffet (we were in the Pepsi suite so B had to remind me not to ask for Co-cola which is my generic term for all soft drinks...). However, I will not be painting my face blue and silver anytime and worshipping at the feet of previously mentioned mongo TV screen. However, I was given a really nice Cowboy's t-shirt from the supplier who invited us and I am wearing that today. Hopefully that walks the line between excess, idol worship and having a good time.
By the way, the Cowboys lost. Big time.
So yeah, Cowboy's Stadium is crazy. Between the 100 yard long TV, the retractable ceiling, and an ad on anything that had a semi-flat surface, the stadium is one big testament to humanity's bent to excess. I am not slamming excess, the stadium provides gobs of jobs, it really is beautiful on the outside, and the mongo TV inside is just jaw dropping, but I still do have to say...it's football, just football (and I hear the occasional concert and monster truck rally). I know it is mega simplistic to say this, but if even a minuscule part of that effort was put into an orphanage, how cool would that be?
I don't want to down play that it was fun. I enjoyed the spectacle quite a bit. I ate and drank liberally from the buffet (we were in the Pepsi suite so B had to remind me not to ask for Co-cola which is my generic term for all soft drinks...). However, I will not be painting my face blue and silver anytime and worshipping at the feet of previously mentioned mongo TV screen. However, I was given a really nice Cowboy's t-shirt from the supplier who invited us and I am wearing that today. Hopefully that walks the line between excess, idol worship and having a good time.
By the way, the Cowboys lost. Big time.
Writer's Block
I am a semi-insomniac. Don't get me wrong, I love to sleep, but I have some trouble falling asleep almost every night. Of course no problems with sleeping in the morning, I could sleep in every day if the reality of life allowed such luxury. However, I don't navigate the transition from wakefulness to oblivion quickly most of the time. I do many things in that hour(s) resting in my bed. Sometimes my time is spent poking Super B to stop him from taking up the whole bed but other times I find myself productive and I create much needed to do lists, I pray or I rearrange the house's furniture in my head. Recently I have found myself writing blog posts. Perhaps this is my brain's way of processing my life or perhaps it is just because I enjoy writing and have such little time to do so these days.
Considering starting a blog about doula and birth stuff specifically because I am would like to blog about my kids for my own enjoyment and memories and then write about birth because I just need to get the words out...would love to throw some faith stuff in the mix too. Oh course this is all fantasy at the moment, but sometimes I wonder if I could write more if I could sleep easier (or at least earlier...).
Considering starting a blog about doula and birth stuff specifically because I am would like to blog about my kids for my own enjoyment and memories and then write about birth because I just need to get the words out...would love to throw some faith stuff in the mix too. Oh course this is all fantasy at the moment, but sometimes I wonder if I could write more if I could sleep easier (or at least earlier...).
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Cold Shower Anyone?
Last week our hot water heater died. Luckily it didn't explode or even leak, it just stopped producing hot water. So we bought another one and amazingly the hot water heater guy came the next day to install our brand spanking new source of non-cold water. He installed it in less than an hour and zippee do dah, we were on our way to hot showers and clean dishes once again. But.....
You have to have the installation inspected by the city government to make it "official". The inspection is not so important that we couldn't use our newly heated water, you just have to have a certificate on file somewhere in the boughs of city hall to say that your hot water heater passes inspection. You call, you choose a day for them to come, they come and if all goes well then they file it for you. For those reading closely, I said you choose a *day*. Not a time frame of 2 hours, not a time from of 4 hours. No, you pick a day and they will come with no advanced notice sometime between 9 and 4 on your chosen day.
Today was our day. I don't do much on Thursdays which is why I picked today, but I do usually leave the house at some point each day, if nothing else to walk down to the kids' school to pick them up. We were lucky, the water heater inspector came just after noon freeing up the rest of my day. He could not have been nicer chatting it up with Wes, remarking on our floor plan and my cute baby. He looked at the water heater for maybe 5 seconds and left. Apparently our water heater was installed correctly. Not that we were worried mind you, we paid a contractor $1300 for the heater and installation and it came with a 10 year warranty. But thank you City Hall for looking out for me.
Did I mention that we also had to add $100 on to the cost of our water heater to pay for that 5 second inspection and the certificate that is now making its way into a file somewhere in our government's big file drawer? I hope that is one pretty certificate, perhaps suitable for framing. Thankfully I don't work, so I didn't have to take a day off for the privilege of the inspection but gosh, for those who work and may have to take a day off (possibly without pay) to sit and wait for the kind inspector man as well as pay for the inspection and the actual water heater and installation, a new water heater is a pretty expensive proposition!
Taking a cold shower could have a whole new meaning!
You have to have the installation inspected by the city government to make it "official". The inspection is not so important that we couldn't use our newly heated water, you just have to have a certificate on file somewhere in the boughs of city hall to say that your hot water heater passes inspection. You call, you choose a day for them to come, they come and if all goes well then they file it for you. For those reading closely, I said you choose a *day*. Not a time frame of 2 hours, not a time from of 4 hours. No, you pick a day and they will come with no advanced notice sometime between 9 and 4 on your chosen day.
Today was our day. I don't do much on Thursdays which is why I picked today, but I do usually leave the house at some point each day, if nothing else to walk down to the kids' school to pick them up. We were lucky, the water heater inspector came just after noon freeing up the rest of my day. He could not have been nicer chatting it up with Wes, remarking on our floor plan and my cute baby. He looked at the water heater for maybe 5 seconds and left. Apparently our water heater was installed correctly. Not that we were worried mind you, we paid a contractor $1300 for the heater and installation and it came with a 10 year warranty. But thank you City Hall for looking out for me.
Did I mention that we also had to add $100 on to the cost of our water heater to pay for that 5 second inspection and the certificate that is now making its way into a file somewhere in our government's big file drawer? I hope that is one pretty certificate, perhaps suitable for framing. Thankfully I don't work, so I didn't have to take a day off for the privilege of the inspection but gosh, for those who work and may have to take a day off (possibly without pay) to sit and wait for the kind inspector man as well as pay for the inspection and the actual water heater and installation, a new water heater is a pretty expensive proposition!
Taking a cold shower could have a whole new meaning!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Yummy?
Summer is just flying by. Actually I find summer to be a strange mix of being really busy and being really boring. Maybe I am the only one who feels that way, but we either have a lot going on (vacation!, company! VBS!) or a lot of hanging out in the house doing mundane stuff and trying to keep the kids from killing each other. Literally.
Yesterday I had to call poison control because Wes fed Dalton hand sanitizer. I don't usually keep hand sanitizer on hand (we like germs around here), but I found some small containers of sanitizer and thought I could drain them so that I could then fill them up with sunscreen to legally carry in our bags when we fly this weekend. So the sanitizer was draining into my sink when apparently Wes thought it would make a good snack for little D. Turns out you have to drink A LOT of sanitizer to really see any bad results but that was certainly some excitement I could have done without.
Yesterday I had to call poison control because Wes fed Dalton hand sanitizer. I don't usually keep hand sanitizer on hand (we like germs around here), but I found some small containers of sanitizer and thought I could drain them so that I could then fill them up with sunscreen to legally carry in our bags when we fly this weekend. So the sanitizer was draining into my sink when apparently Wes thought it would make a good snack for little D. Turns out you have to drink A LOT of sanitizer to really see any bad results but that was certainly some excitement I could have done without.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Hanging In the Wind
Watching a few events going on in the periphery of my life has me thinking again about extended families... and how alone my family is. I have a friend whose daughter was in a near drowning accident and I have been following her blog. It is wonderful to read how the extended family rushed in and have moved heaven and earth to help with any and everything. Obviously it is a tragedy for all involved, but everyone is involved. I find myself weeping when I read the blog, not only for Claire but for the love the family has demonstrated to each other and quite pathetically on my part...how jealous I am of that support system.
Then last week the mayor of our town shot herself and her daughter. It is horrible, horrible, horrible. I don't think all the details are known and they will never be understood but basically the father/husband died of cancer two years ago, left them broke and grieving and mom decided to end her life and that of her only child...a 19 year old daughter. There was no other family involved...this mom and daughter went through everything alone and didn't come out the other side.
When I look at my life I have a lot more in common with the situation of having no support. My own mother died when I was a teen and so she will not be flying in to help. My dad remarried a wonderful lady, but she is completely caught up in her own issues to pay much attention to us, and for that matter she insists that my dad stay caught up in her issues too. In many ways I feel like I have lost my dad, and that is a huge loss because my dad is amazing. Thank goodness for my brother and SIL because they would pretty much be the only joining members of Team Pokluda if we needed recruits.
Then there's Super B's family...I believe it's probably best to not speak ill about one's inlaws, however I will just say his dad is in a nursing home and his mom hasn't come to see us in years, mostly because she won't bother to make the drive. Needless to say, they are not going to be coming to anyone's rescue when life makes a sharp turn.
I believe God will provide what we need when we need it, but at the same time, the whole thing with the mayor really has upset me. It seems so unnecessary...where was her family? Then I think, where would my family be? Probably not here. I can't imagine that I would ever, ever, ever shot my child and myself but I also can't imagine going through the grief of losing a spouse alone.
I am picking up valuable lessons in what to do when my kids are grown. These seem like no brainers, but my life experience tells me it must be easier said than done.
1: Never-ever-never put clean carpets before relationships.
2: My DIL/SILs may not like me, but I need to work to make those relationships happen. If bribery is what it takes, so be it.
3: I don't need to live next door (though sounds like a fantastic idea) but I do need to get involved in their lives. even if it is inconvenient and uncomfortable.
Then last week the mayor of our town shot herself and her daughter. It is horrible, horrible, horrible. I don't think all the details are known and they will never be understood but basically the father/husband died of cancer two years ago, left them broke and grieving and mom decided to end her life and that of her only child...a 19 year old daughter. There was no other family involved...this mom and daughter went through everything alone and didn't come out the other side.
When I look at my life I have a lot more in common with the situation of having no support. My own mother died when I was a teen and so she will not be flying in to help. My dad remarried a wonderful lady, but she is completely caught up in her own issues to pay much attention to us, and for that matter she insists that my dad stay caught up in her issues too. In many ways I feel like I have lost my dad, and that is a huge loss because my dad is amazing. Thank goodness for my brother and SIL because they would pretty much be the only joining members of Team Pokluda if we needed recruits.
Then there's Super B's family...I believe it's probably best to not speak ill about one's inlaws, however I will just say his dad is in a nursing home and his mom hasn't come to see us in years, mostly because she won't bother to make the drive. Needless to say, they are not going to be coming to anyone's rescue when life makes a sharp turn.
I believe God will provide what we need when we need it, but at the same time, the whole thing with the mayor really has upset me. It seems so unnecessary...where was her family? Then I think, where would my family be? Probably not here. I can't imagine that I would ever, ever, ever shot my child and myself but I also can't imagine going through the grief of losing a spouse alone.
I am picking up valuable lessons in what to do when my kids are grown. These seem like no brainers, but my life experience tells me it must be easier said than done.
1: Never-ever-never put clean carpets before relationships.
2: My DIL/SILs may not like me, but I need to work to make those relationships happen. If bribery is what it takes, so be it.
3: I don't need to live next door (though sounds like a fantastic idea) but I do need to get involved in their lives. even if it is inconvenient and uncomfortable.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Good to be Me
Today was good to be me, and I am going to brag about it, 'cause if you can't brag in your blog, where can you?
A few months ago I doula-ed for a sweet couple. The dad had cancer and was literally days away from having a bone marrow transplant when the couple delivered. He was dealing with the side effects of his chemo treatment and was generally not at the top of his game in terms of his ability to support his wife through birth. To top off the whole cancer thing, toward the end of the labor he got very sick and shortly after the birth (which was fantastic... great OB, great nurse, of course great doula...and most of all mom did an amazing job) he had emergency surgery to remove his appendix. Yowzers.
Anyway, what makes that a cool-to-be--me thing is that I got the sweetest mail today. It was a note in a pretty frame that reads:
Dear M,
Thank you for bringing comfort to me and peace to my husband during the birth of our son. My husband says that hiring you was the best decision we made for our labor. I especially appreciate your guidance throughout and your additional support afterwards, since my husband was unable to be with me. May the Lord bless you for your kindness towards us and continue to bless your ministry as a doula.
How cool is that? I have had a few tough births recently and have been feeling a bit guilty that I was away from my kids a bit more than I prefer (admittedly I prefer not to be away from them at all...). I am still planning to cut back, but receiving this note today really did remind me why I do it and to continue with my commitment to God to leave my doula gigs in his hands and allow him to use me in whatever way as he brings me expectant couples.
Why else is it cool to be me? I have been married to Super B for 14 years today. Yup, he has put up with me that long. We didn't do anything special for our day, we are often lame like that, but our kids were super cute. They made us a full dinner complete with napkins wrapped around our silverware, a table center piece, and name placards for the seating assignments at the "formal" room table. They also composed a special song and dance and gave us coupons to redeem for such things as "we will stop fighting with each other", "sleep in", "no chore day" etc. The dinner was good too, and they really did cook it all start to finish including some chocolate chip crepes for dessert. Oh, and we received a trophy (it looked suspiciously like a soccer trophy won by Reese...) for being the best parents. Not a bad anniversary at all!
A few months ago I doula-ed for a sweet couple. The dad had cancer and was literally days away from having a bone marrow transplant when the couple delivered. He was dealing with the side effects of his chemo treatment and was generally not at the top of his game in terms of his ability to support his wife through birth. To top off the whole cancer thing, toward the end of the labor he got very sick and shortly after the birth (which was fantastic... great OB, great nurse, of course great doula...and most of all mom did an amazing job) he had emergency surgery to remove his appendix. Yowzers.
Anyway, what makes that a cool-to-be--me thing is that I got the sweetest mail today. It was a note in a pretty frame that reads:
Dear M,
Thank you for bringing comfort to me and peace to my husband during the birth of our son. My husband says that hiring you was the best decision we made for our labor. I especially appreciate your guidance throughout and your additional support afterwards, since my husband was unable to be with me. May the Lord bless you for your kindness towards us and continue to bless your ministry as a doula.
How cool is that? I have had a few tough births recently and have been feeling a bit guilty that I was away from my kids a bit more than I prefer (admittedly I prefer not to be away from them at all...). I am still planning to cut back, but receiving this note today really did remind me why I do it and to continue with my commitment to God to leave my doula gigs in his hands and allow him to use me in whatever way as he brings me expectant couples.
Why else is it cool to be me? I have been married to Super B for 14 years today. Yup, he has put up with me that long. We didn't do anything special for our day, we are often lame like that, but our kids were super cute. They made us a full dinner complete with napkins wrapped around our silverware, a table center piece, and name placards for the seating assignments at the "formal" room table. They also composed a special song and dance and gave us coupons to redeem for such things as "we will stop fighting with each other", "sleep in", "no chore day" etc. The dinner was good too, and they really did cook it all start to finish including some chocolate chip crepes for dessert. Oh, and we received a trophy (it looked suspiciously like a soccer trophy won by Reese...) for being the best parents. Not a bad anniversary at all!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
LIfe in 200 words
I think the last time I managed to get on this computer to type anything in my blog I was bragging about how Dalton was sleeping so well. Hmmm, that will show me not to brag. Shortly after that post we went through a grueling period of sleeplessness. It seems to have abated quite a bit, but out of fear of starting another season of extreme sleep deprivation, I will say no more about how much better he (we) are doing.
So beyond learning to live on coffee, it really has been a fun few months. Let me recap, not in any particular order (except the lice and head shaving incident, those were sequential).
I turned a year older
kids finished school
Super B finished school (CPA stuff)
Wes started going to speech therapy
big boys had lice (should I admit that on a public blog?)
big boys got heads shaved
I taught a bundle of childbirth classes and attended a bunch of births
D got 2 teeth the day he turned 6 months and 4 more the day he turned 9 months
Ashby had her ballet recital
Ashby read all the Bluebonnet books
Ashby got a perfect score on her TAKS test
Reese's soccer team won 2 games (1 better than last season!)
We all flew to Greenville to celebrate Easter
Dalton learned to sit up, crawl, go up stairs and eat anything and everything
Dalton started solids right after he turned 6 months starting with avocados
I bought 50 avocados at the store b/c they were on sale and Dalton likes them so much
So you can see we have been busy, if not productive.
Summer is now here, kids are out of school, and I am hoping not to melt as Texas summers are not my favorite experience. Lots of fun on tap though for upcoming weeks and I am looking forward to time with kiddos, family vacations as well as doing a lot of VBS hopping.
So beyond learning to live on coffee, it really has been a fun few months. Let me recap, not in any particular order (except the lice and head shaving incident, those were sequential).
I turned a year older
kids finished school
Super B finished school (CPA stuff)
Wes started going to speech therapy
big boys had lice (should I admit that on a public blog?)
big boys got heads shaved
I taught a bundle of childbirth classes and attended a bunch of births
D got 2 teeth the day he turned 6 months and 4 more the day he turned 9 months
Ashby had her ballet recital
Ashby read all the Bluebonnet books
Ashby got a perfect score on her TAKS test
Reese's soccer team won 2 games (1 better than last season!)
We all flew to Greenville to celebrate Easter
Dalton learned to sit up, crawl, go up stairs and eat anything and everything
Dalton started solids right after he turned 6 months starting with avocados
I bought 50 avocados at the store b/c they were on sale and Dalton likes them so much
So you can see we have been busy, if not productive.
Summer is now here, kids are out of school, and I am hoping not to melt as Texas summers are not my favorite experience. Lots of fun on tap though for upcoming weeks and I am looking forward to time with kiddos, family vacations as well as doing a lot of VBS hopping.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
This apparently is not a season in my life where I get much time to blog. But that is OK because my little guy is growing bigger every day and one day I will be able to blog all the time but I won't have sweet (and sometimes not so sweet...) little ones wanting me to play or hold them. I am not really looking forward to that day!
Dalton got two teeth this week and thanks to a week of mommy/baby sleep bootcamp he is taking regular naps and sleeping better at night. So thankful for that! We were all on the edge of insanity until this week. Nobody... mommies, daddies, babies or their siblings were meant to survive on no sleep. What did boot camp entail? Well, it didn't involve plain 'ole cry it out because I don't like that method...though everyone and their cat told me that is what I needed to do, but it did involve some crying. Instead of just letting him scream, we started a consistent wake time and bed time and the rest fell into place pretty easily. Honestly, it was so easy that I feel like an idiot for just figuring this out on baby #4. We need to have another baby just so I can enjoy a baby that sleeps normally from the get go. Seems instead we have always "disordered" them at about 4 months of age which I have learned is the age parent can start to have an impact, positive or negative, on real sleeping skills. (see Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child for more details.)
Oh, and if anyone notices the day and time that I am posting....yes it is Sunday, and yes I am home skipping church...because Dalton is napping. :) B and the rest of the crew are at church though.
Dalton got two teeth this week and thanks to a week of mommy/baby sleep bootcamp he is taking regular naps and sleeping better at night. So thankful for that! We were all on the edge of insanity until this week. Nobody... mommies, daddies, babies or their siblings were meant to survive on no sleep. What did boot camp entail? Well, it didn't involve plain 'ole cry it out because I don't like that method...though everyone and their cat told me that is what I needed to do, but it did involve some crying. Instead of just letting him scream, we started a consistent wake time and bed time and the rest fell into place pretty easily. Honestly, it was so easy that I feel like an idiot for just figuring this out on baby #4. We need to have another baby just so I can enjoy a baby that sleeps normally from the get go. Seems instead we have always "disordered" them at about 4 months of age which I have learned is the age parent can start to have an impact, positive or negative, on real sleeping skills. (see Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child for more details.)
Oh, and if anyone notices the day and time that I am posting....yes it is Sunday, and yes I am home skipping church...because Dalton is napping. :) B and the rest of the crew are at church though.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Whole Food Republicans
While catching up on my newspaper reading this morning, I read an editorial in the WSJ that used a new term, to me anyway, that I find appealing...a Whole Food Republican. I generally use the term crunchy conservative to describe my political/lifestyle views but I like this one a lot too even though I don't consider myself a Republican (more of a Libertarian really). However, this term is an ode to the fact that you can be a cloth diping, organic food eating, raw milk drinking, homebirthing, herb swallowing, alternative medicine using, extended breastfeeding, skipping vaxes kind of gal and still be a down with being a conservative and follower of Christ. I think most people equate shopping at Whole Foods, veggie co-ops, leading an environmentally responsible lifestyle, homebirth and herbs as things that line up with being a liberal politically speaking and perhaps leaning New Age religiously speaking. Tree hugging in general definitely seems to be the province of the Left. However, to me, conservatism and these choices go hand and hand. It is all about personal liberty. The less rules the government makes, the more each person can make choices that best suit their family. Big government gets in the way of that process more often than not.
I know others like me exist, I meet them on line all the time. I just don't see them very often in everyday life though and I never see them in the pews next to me at church. I see conservatives for sure, and I see those who are "crunchy" but rarely the combo of the two.(Don't get me wrong, there are lots of very nice folks in my life and church and being crunchy or conservative is NOT *the* thing that makes great friends or great people in general. In fact in the grand scheme of things it is a minor detail.) That being said, it was fantastic to see an article about people like me in the Wall Street Journal. I feel very cool and loved after getting some press!
I know others like me exist, I meet them on line all the time. I just don't see them very often in everyday life though and I never see them in the pews next to me at church. I see conservatives for sure, and I see those who are "crunchy" but rarely the combo of the two.(Don't get me wrong, there are lots of very nice folks in my life and church and being crunchy or conservative is NOT *the* thing that makes great friends or great people in general. In fact in the grand scheme of things it is a minor detail.) That being said, it was fantastic to see an article about people like me in the Wall Street Journal. I feel very cool and loved after getting some press!
Monday, November 23, 2009
Life Now
Dalton will be 12 weeks tomorrow. 12 weeks! That is just craziness, it seems like I was just pregnant and rubbing my cute tummy. However it has been the quickest 12 weeks of my life. As I have had what I consider hard babies each previous time, I was expecting life to be really difficult after Dalton arrived. To the contrary, I have either gotten more laid back or he is a laid back guy himself because it has been great! He is so sweet and cute and precious and all those adjectives us moms use to describe our offspring. Best of all, he sleeps! Not all night every night, but for 6 plus hours straight each night. Not too shabby considering my others did not do that until, oh....maybe a year.
We did have a few moments of imperfection. Dalton lost a lot of weight his first weeks of life and I had trouble nursing him which led to even more weight loss. I am proud to say that after LOTS of work and stress on my part, nursing is now going great and he is a chunker, at least compared to those first scrawny days. And I did it all without anything but my mommy milk. He did get many a bottle but he never got any supplements. I do think some of those bottles represented equal parts milk to my tears. Nursing issues immediately post partum are so not fun and I definitely cried as we struggled.
Dalton went on his first plane trip when he was around 8 weeks when we flew home to SC to see my family and for him to meet his great grandmother. Travel is still pretty easy at that age because nursing takes care a multitude of baby woes. He nursed most of the plane ride and was also very accommodating during the visit. He did have some "loud" moments in the 2 hour car drive that was necessitated due to overbooked flights and us not being able to fly into the closest airport to our destination. Nana seemed to think he was pretty cute and everyone thinks he looks just like W.
I had my first after- having-my-baby doula client delivery two weeks ago and that went fantastically. Luckily for all of us it was quick and mom made it look easy (though I know she would most certainly say it was NOT easy!) It is great to be back in the delivery room but after my homebirth I really can't wait to start my midwifery training. It will be hard to put it off the 3 years or more that I want to wait for Dalton to get bigger....and of course I won't stop praying for another little blessing in the mean time (but don't tell Brian just how hard I am praying for that, hehe).
I know there is lots more I could say, but my blogging time is limited right now. Besides, I am pretty sure no one but me will have too much interest in my babbling on and on about my little guy, who by the way just woke up and needs some momma lovin'.
We did have a few moments of imperfection. Dalton lost a lot of weight his first weeks of life and I had trouble nursing him which led to even more weight loss. I am proud to say that after LOTS of work and stress on my part, nursing is now going great and he is a chunker, at least compared to those first scrawny days. And I did it all without anything but my mommy milk. He did get many a bottle but he never got any supplements. I do think some of those bottles represented equal parts milk to my tears. Nursing issues immediately post partum are so not fun and I definitely cried as we struggled.
Dalton went on his first plane trip when he was around 8 weeks when we flew home to SC to see my family and for him to meet his great grandmother. Travel is still pretty easy at that age because nursing takes care a multitude of baby woes. He nursed most of the plane ride and was also very accommodating during the visit. He did have some "loud" moments in the 2 hour car drive that was necessitated due to overbooked flights and us not being able to fly into the closest airport to our destination. Nana seemed to think he was pretty cute and everyone thinks he looks just like W.
I had my first after- having-my-baby doula client delivery two weeks ago and that went fantastically. Luckily for all of us it was quick and mom made it look easy (though I know she would most certainly say it was NOT easy!) It is great to be back in the delivery room but after my homebirth I really can't wait to start my midwifery training. It will be hard to put it off the 3 years or more that I want to wait for Dalton to get bigger....and of course I won't stop praying for another little blessing in the mean time (but don't tell Brian just how hard I am praying for that, hehe).
I know there is lots more I could say, but my blogging time is limited right now. Besides, I am pretty sure no one but me will have too much interest in my babbling on and on about my little guy, who by the way just woke up and needs some momma lovin'.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Dalton's Birth Story
This is the story of our 4th child and 3rd son. It was my longest pregnancy as well as my longest and hardest labor. It was also my first homebirth, and probably due to it being a homebirth, it was my most enjoyable birth and easiest recovery.
Sunday, August 30th During the afternoon, I started to feel what I thought were early labor contractions. They were not painful, just a whisper of the sensations I knew would come. All day they came but I kept this to myself and continued on with life. I went to bed early thinking that sleep might be elusive. Fortunately I did sleep for a few hours, unfortunately I woke up around midnight for a nightly potty run and I could not go back to sleep.
Monday, August 31st The contractions were no longer whispers, but the definite tightening that signals real business. Further more, with each one I needed to go the bathroom, so for several hours I played the back and forth game between the potty and the bed. Finally around 4am I fell into a weird twilight sleep where I dreamed odd dreams that incorporated the contractions in crazy ways and I knew that today was the day we would meet our little one. I was wrong.
Once the big kids were out the door to school I went for walk. It was slow going stopping for contractions every 6 minutes or so. However, it was a beautiful morning and walking around made me feel like I was doing my part to encourage baby’s exit. Though I did worry a little about freaking out the neighbors if they happened to glance outside while I was breathing through my contractions. I would like to say Wes and I did exciting things all day to pass the time, however we mostly just hung out cleaning the house, reading books, eating and talking on the phone to family and friends. Contractions were still coming every 6-10 mins with no pattern, though the intensity picked up through the morning and afternoon. I decided to get in the tub to see what happened, especially as I needed to do my pre-birth leg shaving anyway. I figured things might slow down or things would keep moving along. Of course since I was in the tub, Wes felt the need to join me. I can’t say that having a 3 year old ram toy boats into my thighs was really all that relaxing, but we both got clean, my legs got smooth and I established that my contractions were definitely not going away.
We walked down to pick the older kids up from school and once again walking felt productive. When we got home, I sat on my birthball for a while and had Ashby rub my back. I started to feel like contractions were getting closer together so I texted Donnellyn (my midwife). She thought I should time some to see how long they were lasting. Timing contractions is actually quite a challenge when one is alone in labor and can’t find one’s watch with a second hand, so I went to contractionmaster.com. According to the site my contractions were coming every 4-6 mins and lasting about a minute.
I have to admit; I was getting a little frustrated dealing with contractions and not having any one around to help the kids or me. I was also frustrated that my labor didn’t seem to be progressing as fast as I hoped. I was too uncomfortable to do much but not uncomfortable enough to be ready to push out a baby. Super B did come home around 6:30 and he watched me have about two contractions before he phoned Donnellyn and Charlotte (my doula) and told them it was time for everyone to come over. I was not sure it was really time, but B saw a panting wife and figured he needed to bring in the troops, if not for me then for him. Charlotte arrived first and we immediately went to walk. Donnellyn arrived about half hour later (8pm) and Lynsey (the photographer) a bit after that. After Donnellyn arrived she asked if she could check me, but honestly I was too worried to find out that I might be completely undilated to let her.
Maybe having B home and made me feel I could stop being mom and start being labor woman because contractions hit a regular pattern and intensity picked up. I was somewhat concerned that the baby was in an asynclitic position due to my labor’s slow start. We used some rotational positioning to see if that would encourage baby into a more ideal position if that was indeed an issue. The positioning slowed labor a bit, but eventually I made it through the whole rotation and it was obvious that afterwards my contractions were now stronger. Donnellyn again suggested doing a vaginal exam so that she would have a better idea about when to call the second midwife. I was still very apprehensive about having an exam for the same previous reason, but I did consent. I was thrilled to find out after a quick exam, that I was 100% effaced and 6cm. With this good news I had a sudden burst of energy and walked around the house with a big smile on my face. It was probably around 10pm at this point.
That happy energy didn’t last long because I quickly entered the fun of transition phase. At first I was doing great, breathing slowly to relax through contractions and laboring on the toilet, against the kitchen bar, and at the end of my bed. However, within a short period of time my labor seemed to overwhelm me. Sarah, the second midwife, arrived at some point and Donnellyn suggested it was time to get in the tub, which I happily did. Once in the tub I relaxed well in between contractions, but it was hard getting comfortable during contractions. I don’t know how long I was in the tub, but the water had gotten cold and I needed to go the bathroom, so I got out. I honestly don’t know why I never made it back in, but at that point I started to come a little unhinged. I was laboring holding on the footboard of my bed and leaning over into each contraction but I no longer had any control of my breathing. With each contraction it felt like the baby might be coming out of my thighs and hips there was so much pressure there. I also had the shakes and felt like vomiting with each contraction. During this time the baby’s heart tones were getting a bit high, so Donnellyn and Sarah had me gulp a bunch of my tea. They also thought I needed some quick energy so Donnellyn spoon-fed me some honey. Yuck! I normally like honey but that was not something I enjoyed at that particular moment. However, instantly the baby’s heart rate came down and I just kept drinking as much as I could to keep it that way. I don’t recall how or why the issue was brought up, but we had a brief discussion concerning breaking my water. I immediately said I was not interested since in doula work, artificially rupturing the membranes is often the start of things going down hill fast.
Tuesday, September 1st At one point when I was really at my emotional limit, I heard Sarah, who was sitting in front of me, start to pray and then behind me Charlotte started to pray too. I loved the prayers but I couldn’t help but think, “Oh my, I must be really bad off if they have just given up on anything helping except prayer.” Donnellyn was praying too, but she also started doing some fabulous hip squeezes. They really made a big difference. I kept thinking that I must be almost complete and hoped to feel an urge to push with each contraction, but alas contraction after contraction came and no pushing urge. It had been 3 hours since I had been found to be at 6cm. Now I asked Donnellyn if breaking my water would be helpful because I was DONE. I still was not quite ready to try this option, but I was ready to talk about it. Donnellyn definitely did not push me and I think since I was still reluctant she changed the subject. Sometime in this phase Donnellyn gave me the homeopathic Rescue Remedy. I was a skeptic, but that stuff really works. Of course contractions were just as painful, but I felt pure peace for the few moments in between. I know I was really loud during this time, moaning (or singing as someone kindly put it) during each contraction. It was about this time that I started to consider giving myself a c-section right there in my room. My level of pain level was higher than with my other natural births and knowing I was reaching my breaking point, I decided it was time to pop my bag and see what might happen.
At first, Donnellyn thought she would do an exam and hope my water broke during the exam. It didn’t, and she said I was only an 8 plus cm. She tried a little finger amnio breaker, which also failed to break my water. Finally she used the big ‘ole amnio hook and it STILL could not break my water. Lying on the bed having this done during major contractions was the exact opposite of fun. Sarah then took a turn with the amnio hook and she said I was now 9 or even 10 with just a lip. That was good news! Finally Sara managed to rupture my water. She just started reminding me that I might feel a change in the next few contractions but she didn’t even get to finish that thought. Suddenly the baby was in the birth canal and on my perineum. I must have made some guttural sound, because Brian, who was sleeping in the den, came running in. I knew the baby was seconds away from being born and I wanted two things…I told Brian to wake up the kids and for someone put me in the tub. I wanted my waterbirth! Donnellyn and Sarah basically ignored me because they were now busy catching a baby and I wasn’t going anywhere. If Brain had gone to get the kids, he would have missed the birth.
So, less than 30 seconds after my water was broken, Dalton made his appearance. It happened so fast that Donnellyn didn’t even have time to put on gloves. He had a nuchal cord that needed to be reduced but otherwise I received Dalton on my chest and that is where he happily hung out for a nice visit until the cord stopped pulsing and we were ready to move to the herbal bath. I don’t recall who announced the gender, but someone told me that I had new son. I don’t even think I looked to verify until later though. Dalton’s apgars were 9 and 9, and he nursed well as we lay in bed together getting to know each other.
Sunday, August 30th During the afternoon, I started to feel what I thought were early labor contractions. They were not painful, just a whisper of the sensations I knew would come. All day they came but I kept this to myself and continued on with life. I went to bed early thinking that sleep might be elusive. Fortunately I did sleep for a few hours, unfortunately I woke up around midnight for a nightly potty run and I could not go back to sleep.
Monday, August 31st The contractions were no longer whispers, but the definite tightening that signals real business. Further more, with each one I needed to go the bathroom, so for several hours I played the back and forth game between the potty and the bed. Finally around 4am I fell into a weird twilight sleep where I dreamed odd dreams that incorporated the contractions in crazy ways and I knew that today was the day we would meet our little one. I was wrong.
Once the big kids were out the door to school I went for walk. It was slow going stopping for contractions every 6 minutes or so. However, it was a beautiful morning and walking around made me feel like I was doing my part to encourage baby’s exit. Though I did worry a little about freaking out the neighbors if they happened to glance outside while I was breathing through my contractions. I would like to say Wes and I did exciting things all day to pass the time, however we mostly just hung out cleaning the house, reading books, eating and talking on the phone to family and friends. Contractions were still coming every 6-10 mins with no pattern, though the intensity picked up through the morning and afternoon. I decided to get in the tub to see what happened, especially as I needed to do my pre-birth leg shaving anyway. I figured things might slow down or things would keep moving along. Of course since I was in the tub, Wes felt the need to join me. I can’t say that having a 3 year old ram toy boats into my thighs was really all that relaxing, but we both got clean, my legs got smooth and I established that my contractions were definitely not going away.
We walked down to pick the older kids up from school and once again walking felt productive. When we got home, I sat on my birthball for a while and had Ashby rub my back. I started to feel like contractions were getting closer together so I texted Donnellyn (my midwife). She thought I should time some to see how long they were lasting. Timing contractions is actually quite a challenge when one is alone in labor and can’t find one’s watch with a second hand, so I went to contractionmaster.com. According to the site my contractions were coming every 4-6 mins and lasting about a minute.
I have to admit; I was getting a little frustrated dealing with contractions and not having any one around to help the kids or me. I was also frustrated that my labor didn’t seem to be progressing as fast as I hoped. I was too uncomfortable to do much but not uncomfortable enough to be ready to push out a baby. Super B did come home around 6:30 and he watched me have about two contractions before he phoned Donnellyn and Charlotte (my doula) and told them it was time for everyone to come over. I was not sure it was really time, but B saw a panting wife and figured he needed to bring in the troops, if not for me then for him. Charlotte arrived first and we immediately went to walk. Donnellyn arrived about half hour later (8pm) and Lynsey (the photographer) a bit after that. After Donnellyn arrived she asked if she could check me, but honestly I was too worried to find out that I might be completely undilated to let her.
Maybe having B home and made me feel I could stop being mom and start being labor woman because contractions hit a regular pattern and intensity picked up. I was somewhat concerned that the baby was in an asynclitic position due to my labor’s slow start. We used some rotational positioning to see if that would encourage baby into a more ideal position if that was indeed an issue. The positioning slowed labor a bit, but eventually I made it through the whole rotation and it was obvious that afterwards my contractions were now stronger. Donnellyn again suggested doing a vaginal exam so that she would have a better idea about when to call the second midwife. I was still very apprehensive about having an exam for the same previous reason, but I did consent. I was thrilled to find out after a quick exam, that I was 100% effaced and 6cm. With this good news I had a sudden burst of energy and walked around the house with a big smile on my face. It was probably around 10pm at this point.
That happy energy didn’t last long because I quickly entered the fun of transition phase. At first I was doing great, breathing slowly to relax through contractions and laboring on the toilet, against the kitchen bar, and at the end of my bed. However, within a short period of time my labor seemed to overwhelm me. Sarah, the second midwife, arrived at some point and Donnellyn suggested it was time to get in the tub, which I happily did. Once in the tub I relaxed well in between contractions, but it was hard getting comfortable during contractions. I don’t know how long I was in the tub, but the water had gotten cold and I needed to go the bathroom, so I got out. I honestly don’t know why I never made it back in, but at that point I started to come a little unhinged. I was laboring holding on the footboard of my bed and leaning over into each contraction but I no longer had any control of my breathing. With each contraction it felt like the baby might be coming out of my thighs and hips there was so much pressure there. I also had the shakes and felt like vomiting with each contraction. During this time the baby’s heart tones were getting a bit high, so Donnellyn and Sarah had me gulp a bunch of my tea. They also thought I needed some quick energy so Donnellyn spoon-fed me some honey. Yuck! I normally like honey but that was not something I enjoyed at that particular moment. However, instantly the baby’s heart rate came down and I just kept drinking as much as I could to keep it that way. I don’t recall how or why the issue was brought up, but we had a brief discussion concerning breaking my water. I immediately said I was not interested since in doula work, artificially rupturing the membranes is often the start of things going down hill fast.
Tuesday, September 1st At one point when I was really at my emotional limit, I heard Sarah, who was sitting in front of me, start to pray and then behind me Charlotte started to pray too. I loved the prayers but I couldn’t help but think, “Oh my, I must be really bad off if they have just given up on anything helping except prayer.” Donnellyn was praying too, but she also started doing some fabulous hip squeezes. They really made a big difference. I kept thinking that I must be almost complete and hoped to feel an urge to push with each contraction, but alas contraction after contraction came and no pushing urge. It had been 3 hours since I had been found to be at 6cm. Now I asked Donnellyn if breaking my water would be helpful because I was DONE. I still was not quite ready to try this option, but I was ready to talk about it. Donnellyn definitely did not push me and I think since I was still reluctant she changed the subject. Sometime in this phase Donnellyn gave me the homeopathic Rescue Remedy. I was a skeptic, but that stuff really works. Of course contractions were just as painful, but I felt pure peace for the few moments in between. I know I was really loud during this time, moaning (or singing as someone kindly put it) during each contraction. It was about this time that I started to consider giving myself a c-section right there in my room. My level of pain level was higher than with my other natural births and knowing I was reaching my breaking point, I decided it was time to pop my bag and see what might happen.
At first, Donnellyn thought she would do an exam and hope my water broke during the exam. It didn’t, and she said I was only an 8 plus cm. She tried a little finger amnio breaker, which also failed to break my water. Finally she used the big ‘ole amnio hook and it STILL could not break my water. Lying on the bed having this done during major contractions was the exact opposite of fun. Sarah then took a turn with the amnio hook and she said I was now 9 or even 10 with just a lip. That was good news! Finally Sara managed to rupture my water. She just started reminding me that I might feel a change in the next few contractions but she didn’t even get to finish that thought. Suddenly the baby was in the birth canal and on my perineum. I must have made some guttural sound, because Brian, who was sleeping in the den, came running in. I knew the baby was seconds away from being born and I wanted two things…I told Brian to wake up the kids and for someone put me in the tub. I wanted my waterbirth! Donnellyn and Sarah basically ignored me because they were now busy catching a baby and I wasn’t going anywhere. If Brain had gone to get the kids, he would have missed the birth.
So, less than 30 seconds after my water was broken, Dalton made his appearance. It happened so fast that Donnellyn didn’t even have time to put on gloves. He had a nuchal cord that needed to be reduced but otherwise I received Dalton on my chest and that is where he happily hung out for a nice visit until the cord stopped pulsing and we were ready to move to the herbal bath. I don’t recall who announced the gender, but someone told me that I had new son. I don’t even think I looked to verify until later though. Dalton’s apgars were 9 and 9, and he nursed well as we lay in bed together getting to know each other.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Labor Prayer
I sent this out at the start of my labor. (Yes, baby Dalton is here safe and sound). I have not finished typing up my birth story yet but I will have it done soon and I guess I can see how God answered my prayer. I can give you a hint, he DID NOT grant me the short and easy labor I had hoped for but I did indeed have a wonderful homebirth. And of course now that it is sucessfully over and I am holding my little one in my lap, the pain already seems like a distant memory. Though maybe not too distant...
My Labor Prayer
Lord, thank you for giving this new life to B and Me
As I work to bring this child into our arms I ask the following:
Let my labor be uncomplicated, and help to me to put my trust in your design of my body to deliver this baby.
Give discernment to those who are attending me.
Give me energy and peace. Give me comfort when it hurts.
Help me to allow your presence at the birth by reminding me that this process of labor is a form of prayer and worship and designed by you, it is not just pain with no purpose.
And since I am asking for things Lord, here are a few more bonus requests:
I ask for a short and easy labor.
I ask everyone will get here in time.
I pray that B will be at peace.
I ask that I won’t have any need to transfer and can have the homebirth I desire.
I ask that my older children will adjust and love their new sibling.
Most of all I ask that our baby will be healthy and that we are prepared to raise another child to grow to love You, no matter what happens at this child’s birth.
Amen.
My Labor Prayer
Lord, thank you for giving this new life to B and Me
As I work to bring this child into our arms I ask the following:
Let my labor be uncomplicated, and help to me to put my trust in your design of my body to deliver this baby.
Give discernment to those who are attending me.
Give me energy and peace. Give me comfort when it hurts.
Help me to allow your presence at the birth by reminding me that this process of labor is a form of prayer and worship and designed by you, it is not just pain with no purpose.
And since I am asking for things Lord, here are a few more bonus requests:
I ask for a short and easy labor.
I ask everyone will get here in time.
I pray that B will be at peace.
I ask that I won’t have any need to transfer and can have the homebirth I desire.
I ask that my older children will adjust and love their new sibling.
Most of all I ask that our baby will be healthy and that we are prepared to raise another child to grow to love You, no matter what happens at this child’s birth.
Amen.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Still Preggers
So this week I will be 40 weeks pregnant. I cannot believe it. All other pregnancies of mine have ended in spontaneous labors around 38 weeks, so this is definitely the longest I have been pregnant. I honestly can't decide if I am happy or sad about this either. On the one hand, being pregnant is gobs easier than dealing with a newborn and generally speaking I like being pregnant. On the other hand, it would be nice to have labor under my belt and I admit that am not the most comfortable I have ever been in my own skin at the moment. Plus I wonder what on earth is the deal with this child being already so different than the others and what other different things do I have to look forward to???
I really want to savor each precious moment of the end of this pregnancy since barring a true miracle bolt of lightening from God, this is it. I will never feel the rumble and tumble of a baby in my belly again. I will never feel the tugging and tightening of a contraction and I won't ever rub the swell of my belly again. I mourn those sensations with a passion I am almost afraid to say out loud for fear of sounding plum crazy. The last week I have enjoyed lots of one on one time with Woo and just relaxed and enjoyed each second of life. I don't do this enough and I am so thankful I have had these "extra" weeks to be lazy and just be in the moment. I have been lazy, indulgent, hungry, napped, and read etc to my heart's desire. I have even tried to keep the house clean and enjoyed the calm a well managed nest brings.
But of course there is a but....But I am nervous about labor. Not scared and not worried about the baby or me. Just the pain. I know, I know, I am a doula and we are supposed to call it rushes and waves blah, blah, blah. Certainly I will use all those types of tools to work through the completely anticipated and purposeful pain of labor, and I do believe that they will work and I won't freak out. But I have all the what ifs in my head as well. What if baby is OP and it takes forever? Will I be OK with a hot compress for days at a time? What if I make a fool out of myself during transition? What if transition lasts forever??? I think some of this fear is based on having seen lots of births and knowing that birth doesn't always follow the route one expects it to take. Which is OK. Birth is normal and my body knows what to do because God designed it for this very task and God has chosen my baby's birth date. But still. So many buts.
So all those buts aside, here are the stats from my last midwife appointment:
weight gain: 27 pounds
tummy measuring- 38.5 weeks
BP- super low as usual
Baby is still ROA
hemoglobin on the low side so I got some bloodwork done Friday, no word back from Donnellyn yet though
Baby's HB- 136
Perhaps this will be my last post until labor (or after baby arrives depending on how things go down). Or maybe I will post again this week about pregnancy. I do love the whole "when is it going to happen" thing!
I really want to savor each precious moment of the end of this pregnancy since barring a true miracle bolt of lightening from God, this is it. I will never feel the rumble and tumble of a baby in my belly again. I will never feel the tugging and tightening of a contraction and I won't ever rub the swell of my belly again. I mourn those sensations with a passion I am almost afraid to say out loud for fear of sounding plum crazy. The last week I have enjoyed lots of one on one time with Woo and just relaxed and enjoyed each second of life. I don't do this enough and I am so thankful I have had these "extra" weeks to be lazy and just be in the moment. I have been lazy, indulgent, hungry, napped, and read etc to my heart's desire. I have even tried to keep the house clean and enjoyed the calm a well managed nest brings.
But of course there is a but....But I am nervous about labor. Not scared and not worried about the baby or me. Just the pain. I know, I know, I am a doula and we are supposed to call it rushes and waves blah, blah, blah. Certainly I will use all those types of tools to work through the completely anticipated and purposeful pain of labor, and I do believe that they will work and I won't freak out. But I have all the what ifs in my head as well. What if baby is OP and it takes forever? Will I be OK with a hot compress for days at a time? What if I make a fool out of myself during transition? What if transition lasts forever??? I think some of this fear is based on having seen lots of births and knowing that birth doesn't always follow the route one expects it to take. Which is OK. Birth is normal and my body knows what to do because God designed it for this very task and God has chosen my baby's birth date. But still. So many buts.
So all those buts aside, here are the stats from my last midwife appointment:
weight gain: 27 pounds
tummy measuring- 38.5 weeks
BP- super low as usual
Baby is still ROA
hemoglobin on the low side so I got some bloodwork done Friday, no word back from Donnellyn yet though
Baby's HB- 136
Perhaps this will be my last post until labor (or after baby arrives depending on how things go down). Or maybe I will post again this week about pregnancy. I do love the whole "when is it going to happen" thing!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Summer is Over
Summer is over. Of course Fall isn't here yet and it is still hot as blazes, but still, Summer is definitely over. Bean and Roo started school today which was a bit sad, but a bit happy. The passing of time marked by back to schools and other marker type days is sad, and the house sure seems mighty quiet (yet already much cleaner). However both kids were really excited about starting up again and seeing their excitement made me excited for them as well. I only pray that this year goes as well as the last year. Not that I wouldn't mind a good reason to homeschool if it came to that, but starting with a positive attitude is probably the way to go here!
And yes, I am still pregnant. I have to admit I am surprised about that, I really thought I would be lugging a baby up to the school today. But this looks like it will be my longest pregnancy yet. It has already surpassed both Woo's and Beans and in just a few days will be longer than Roo's. So much for going earlier with each child! If I have time I will probably post just about the pregnancy...right now that seems so separate from the rest of my life. (is denial a sign of impending labor???)
Since I have these bonus days with just me and Woo I plan to really enjoy this week and do some fun stuff with him. Some of that fun stuff will definitely include eating some yummy food together and taking naps together in the afternoons. I feel like a princess right about now! Or maybe just a pampered housewife. Either way, what a treat.
Just to share one lovely story from the weekend before the start of school, Roo had to get 6 staples in the back of head Friday night. Apparently my crazy boy child thought it would be fun to slide backwards down a banister at an outdoor concert we attended that night. With all that long hair of his, there was blood everywhere and we couldn't tell what was bleeding and how bad the injury actually was. After some deliberation (mostly me thinking we could handle things our self) Super B talked me into an Urgent Care Center run. I was defiantly wrong b/c they very quickly saw that he had a gaping wound in the back of head and then just as quickly stapled it back together. In fact they just stapled through his long hair and all. We hope Roo learned something about crazy playing, but honestly doubt this will be our last trip for stitches or staples.
And yes, I am still pregnant. I have to admit I am surprised about that, I really thought I would be lugging a baby up to the school today. But this looks like it will be my longest pregnancy yet. It has already surpassed both Woo's and Beans and in just a few days will be longer than Roo's. So much for going earlier with each child! If I have time I will probably post just about the pregnancy...right now that seems so separate from the rest of my life. (is denial a sign of impending labor???)
Since I have these bonus days with just me and Woo I plan to really enjoy this week and do some fun stuff with him. Some of that fun stuff will definitely include eating some yummy food together and taking naps together in the afternoons. I feel like a princess right about now! Or maybe just a pampered housewife. Either way, what a treat.
Just to share one lovely story from the weekend before the start of school, Roo had to get 6 staples in the back of head Friday night. Apparently my crazy boy child thought it would be fun to slide backwards down a banister at an outdoor concert we attended that night. With all that long hair of his, there was blood everywhere and we couldn't tell what was bleeding and how bad the injury actually was. After some deliberation (mostly me thinking we could handle things our self) Super B talked me into an Urgent Care Center run. I was defiantly wrong b/c they very quickly saw that he had a gaping wound in the back of head and then just as quickly stapled it back together. In fact they just stapled through his long hair and all. We hope Roo learned something about crazy playing, but honestly doubt this will be our last trip for stitches or staples.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Professional belly shots
Here are my sneak peak belly shots:
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=222371515653&h=lBEwi&u=J1Y22&ref=mf
Basically what that means is that there is more to come! I would love to post more, but I don't have the A/C on up here and I think I am about to have a heat stroke...
http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=222371515653&h=lBEwi&u=J1Y22&ref=mf
Basically what that means is that there is more to come! I would love to post more, but I don't have the A/C on up here and I think I am about to have a heat stroke...
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Now About the Belly
I am still gestating so let me update that too. I am 32 ish weeks and very hot. Not HAWT, just hot, as in Texas in the summer and it is 400 degrees everyday kind of hot. Overall I still feel really great and this pregnancy is just flying by. I am trying to walk a mile each morning to help avoid any bad stuff and so far that seems to be working. Except for a few leg cramps here and there it has been very smooth sailing....and when I can remember to take those dang prenatal pills I don't even have to worry about the leg cramps. My midwife-recommended prenatals need to be taken SIX times a day though so remembering really is a bit of strain on my brain.
At my last prenatal I had gained 21 lbs, baby's heartbeat was in the 140's and 150's and I was measuring exactly on target. My blood pressure was almost non-existant. Now I just want to make sure I make it to 36 weeks so I can have the homebirth. I started gathering my supplies because I am just so dadgum excited about my labor! Seriously, most people seem to dread labor...I just can't wait.... most of the time anyway. Though I am not anxious for it to happen any time soon as I am still loving being preggo too much to actually "ruin" things by having a baby!
Belly shot is me at 30ish weeks.
Quick Catch Up
Reese in the kayak at the rivah
Us at Mt. Everest at Animal Kingdom...I did NOT ride this ride.
random family pic while waiting for a bus. Super B said I was crushing him when the pic was made b/c I was so big. Whatever!
I guess June was a busy month since I only managed to post once. So let me recap! We went to Disney World for a week, hung out with friends while there. Flew to Atlanta for a week to see my cousin and enjoyed seeing the teen drama that seems to be a part of having a teen in the household and also had a surprise visit from my brother and his fam. We all went to VBS at our church where I learned not much about God but more about crocodiles than I ever wanted to know. The whole family flew out to Virginia and then drove to the Chesapeake Bay for a long weekend at my family's river house and had a blast boating, crabbing, and getting cancer, I mean a tan. In the process we got stuck in multiple airports, had a lot of really good food (not at the airports though), I taught several childbirth classes, I took a childbirth course myself, the nursery cleaning was started and lots of family fun was had all around. Whew. Then came the 4th of July activities which included mostly a lot of sweat but good times as well and the requisite backyard cookout.
I can't even begin to post pics of everything but a few are at the top.
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