Moving My Blog

If you are one of the lovely folks who reads my blog, you will need to go here from now on. I've decided to blog in a new location!

Weeds

At our house a flower is a flower. Even if the plant that is producing a flower happens to be a weed, we still enjoy the flower and let it live. Jackson enjoys picking them and bringing them in for his Mama, and I enjoy the pleasant surprise of a flower being given to me from my son.

Today, my nephews came over for the day. While they and Jackson were playing Batman in the back yard, my weeds with flowers were subjected to many vicious slashes and chops with their swords. Bummer.

From inside I heard a very upset Jackson telling his cousins to 'stop killing his Mommy's flowers!'

What a sweet boy.

High Five to Single Parents!

Seriously, how do they do it? I've only been without my husband for 4 days, and I am soooo ready to get John back home! I didn't even go one day without visiting family. I knew that while John was on this trip I would have a new found appreciation for single parents. I had a moment at dinner that surely arises in every household; a child refusing to eat dinner. After a near meltdown--for Jackson and me--the thought crossed my mind to just let him get his way so that I could have a peaceful meal and put an end to the madness. But, that was a quickly passing thought. Instead, I decided to persevere through this tantrum and convince Jackson that he does like the meal I made. He ended up eating it with some bribery involving chocolate chip cookies.

Bribery is ok, right?

The Ripe Old Age of 5 Months

Over the course of just 4 days, Archer has grown so much. He started taking naps longer than 20 minutes! He actually let me lay him down for an hour or more! This was amazing. Arch also dozed off a few times with my Aunts. He has hardly ever fallen asleep without me.

And now for the food news. Archer LOVES food. I let him try green beans, spinach, banana, apple, and watermelon. He loved all of it. I was so excited for him.

My Archer is growing so fast, in 3 days he will be 5 months!

My Hiatus

I just got back from a 4 day reunion with my extended family that came from Louisiana and other parts of Indiana. We all stayed at my mom's house, which has been the tradition since my grandmother was the matriarch of the house. The house is on the lake, and is large enough to cram a few families in to stay for a few days. Playing on the lake with my crazy family is one of my fondest memories and most favorite things to do. We ski, we swim, we throw each other off of wave runners ... fun is had by all.

Another activity that my family enjoys is a good debate. I sometimes participate, but it's usually a discussion that involves my Uncle Irwin, Uncle Bill, Aunt Peggy, and my cousin Kevin. You would think that after all these years they have already said all there is to say about their opinion on abortion or war or WHATEVER, but they have not. These debates will go on until the end of time! Sitting down to listen to them is another one of my favorite things.

This year was a little more hectic than prior reunions; we had a FULL house! To give you an idea of the insanity I just endured, I will list off who stayed in the house and where. My mom and her husband stayed in her bedroom, my brother slept on a blow up mattress in the sun room by the deck, an Aunt and Uncle stayed in my brother's old room, my cousin and his girlfriend stayed in the living room, John, Jackson, Archer, and I stayed in the front porch area on another blow up mattress, and upstairs in my old room were my cousin and his wife with 2 little ones, and my other Aunt and Uncle. Oh my GOD was it crazy! But, it was fun and wonderful to see how the family has grown.

Now, I am back home getting our lives back to normal. John is on a business trip and won't be home until Friday. So, I'm trying to keep busy and sane with my boys before he returns. I am going to attempt to get groceries soon. That should be a good time ... or really stressful! I could wait for other family members nearby to get off of work to watch Jackson while I shop, but we are out of so many necessities, that I can't wait.

For Your Enjoyment

I haven't posted in a while. Not really sure why, I've had lots of totally fun stuff happening. I just haven't felt like pausing to document them, I guess. So here are photos I have saved from the past few weeks. I don't plan on doing a whole lot of blogging in the next month because I will be having way too much fun, so I will be posting pictures periodically for your enjoyment!

The 3 amigos, Archer, Jackson, and Lionel Richie.

My boys.

Contemplating ...

Mr. I Only Lick the Salt From the Shells of the Peanuts.

Pure Jackson, no sugar or artificial sweeteners added.

It looks like a "no no", but actually this girl initiated the boxing, and my sweet Jackson held back his rough side for this lovely lady. What a guy!

Archer's favorite thing to do with Daddy, DANCE!

Sleepy Cottage Cheese Butt.

Happy 4 (oh my goodness gracious I can't believe it) Months

I'm a bit late on this post. We have had quite a bit going on lately, and I totally missed out on posting on the day of this amazing milestone.

Anyway, hooray for 'The Arch'--as he's known around here--you are a big boy! It's been in the last 2 weeks that he has surprised me everyday with how much he changes. He's not my little newborn anymore. It's awesome to see him grow, but a little sad to see his baby days race by so quickly.

Craft Show Was a Success!

Thank you to everyone that came to the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange! This event was wonderful. We met a lot of great patrons as well as vendors. Thank you to those that gave us compliments on our products, that was much appreciated!

You can get to my Etsy shop with the link on the right side margin or by the link below. Make sure to bookmark us and check back periodically--new inventory is on the way!!

www.mamakates.etsy.com

Dress Up!

Well, I am pulling things together at the last minute, once again. John's cousin Danny and his lovely lady are due to have a new baby girl in August (I think), so I made a dress for the baby shower gift. The baby shower is Saturday, so this gift may be a bit late, but I'm not too worried about it. Here are the results from a "hard" day of work and not changing out of my pajama pants! (You might notice a certain someone we all know modeling this beautiful dress for me!)

May I Just Say?

As my foot is pretty well into the doorway of stay-at-home mommery, I can say with certainty backed up by 4 months experience that I love my life. Today I successfully took care of my boys + 2 of my nephews. While it was great--we played out in the back yard in the morning, took a walk with the neighbor and her 2 wonderful sons, and played in the sprinkler in the afternoon--I am exhausted! So, while laying with "I don't sleep without my mama 2 inches away" Archer, I had a chance to reflect on the day. Yeah, I'm tired, but really, WHO CARES? I don't have some difficult job to get up early for in the morning. And I must say I also don't have the stressful things that weigh upon your mind when you have a job that isn't so great--this is a major plus. And while taking care of 2 boys all day is work, I absolutely love it. I am truly blessed.

P.S. Have you seen anything cuter?

Very Cool Things

Today has been one of those more memorable/eventful days. Archer is rolling over like a champion all of the sudden. Yesterday he started attempting rolling from his back to his belly, and today he conquered that feat! He has made diaper changing almost impossible, and he loves it. He also has learned to roll the other way--from belly to back. All this within 24 hours. Amazing!

Another totally wonderful thing was the fact that both of my boys allowed me to get some weeding in the garden done today. I've been over a few times to get some gardening done, but it usually ends up with me taking care of the boys instead. Not today! Archer fell asleep and Jackson amused himself with bubbles and digging for snail shells in part of the garden for a good half hour.

More good news! I got my tags in the mail today! So, I will be adding those to the pieces I will be taking to the craft show.

Yay for productive days!

Time is flying

So, I've been busting my behind to get stuff ready for the upcoming craft show, and just remembered I will also be vending at a local baby fair. So, hopefully I will be ready for this baby fair. (Actually, it would be lovely if I weren't ready for it because that would mean I sold out of my stuff at the craft show! Good problems to have.)

Anyway, this is my first effort to get the info out about the baby fair. It will be awesome! If you don't believe me, check out the events and vendors in the day's agenda.

If you are a parent, you should go!

From my new phone!

Tag

I have decided to order tags for the stuff I'm sewing for the craft show. I received the proof to approve today, and I am in love with the results. The tags will be cream color satin with brown ink. Check these out!

Addicted

Ever since my sister-in-law so graciously let me borrow her sewing machine, I have been using it daily. You could say I have become slightly addicted to sewing. It's a safe and rewarding addiction to have, though. Here are a few of the things I have been working on. There are quite a few imperfections in these projects, but overall, I am totally excited about these pieces. Check them out! The first three are clutch purses, and the last is a simple tote. (I haven't finished adding buttons to 2 of the purses.)

Someone has been left out

I really need to apologize to my first born baby Jackson. He has not made it into my posts recently as much as his little brother. Well, Jackson, those days of uneven offspring posts are over. Blog readers need just as many updates about you as they do your brother!

So, today we visited Horticultural Park. John and I love this park for a few reasons. I have fond memories with friends from this park and both John and I share the bittersweet memories of playing fetch with Rockie there. To add to this, the park is just gorgeous with zillions of trees and beautiful plants. It has taken quite a few visits to this park to convince Jackson that it's a cool place to be. He sees no play equipment and wonders why we are there, and why are we referring to this boring place as a park? Well, today he had a wonderful time at this so-called "park". We took a walk through the woods. This was Jackson's chance to take his family on an adventure of monster fighting. He had magic sticks for us to combat these monsters, as well as secret paths to either sneak up on or avoid these monsters. He had such a good time. I love that his imagination is growing. I've always thought it to be very important to have a large imagination. It's like exercise for the brain. My Jackson is a smart little boy. He's amazing.

12 weeks, 1 day, 11 hours, and 25 minutes

This is how old Archer is as I begin this post. I can't believe he is (or almost is) 3 months old already! (Not sure whether to count weeks or go by dates) Archer is such a sweet baby. He has recently discovered his amazing hands. He has found that they are VERY fun to suck and chew on, and has also used them for batting at toys. Another discovery is conversation. He usually has quite a bit to say, and is extremely excited to tell me his stories. Archer really is growing so fast.

Craft Show Awesomeness

check it

Crafty McCrafterton

Tonight I will go out to my sister-in-law's farm to get her sewing machine. She is letting me borrow it for a month to get some of my projects ready for the craft show I will be at in June. I am pumped!

I am ready to create! My ideas are:

-adding funky fabric to cloth diapers for either diaper or burp cloth use
-adding elbow and knee patches to baby pants and shirts
-large purses/diaper bags

Bleach Baths Relieve Eczema

Apparently taking a series of diluted bleach water baths will relieve Eczema for children. A recent study was done on children ranging in age from 6 months to 17 years showing

"such rapid improvement in eczema and infection symptoms that the researchers stopped the study early, so that children in the placebo group could get the same amount of relief."

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I'm never a big fan of using chemicals on skin, especially my child's. While it's great these kids are getting some relief, I wonder what side effects or problems down the road will sprout from these chemical baths.

You definitely won't catch my kids in a study like this.

tumblr.

I'm trying out tumblr., bookmark me.

Best Saturday Ever

Yesterday was an awesome start to our weekend. Jackson, Archer, and I spent most of the day outside enjoying the breezy 80 degree weather. I got some yard work done, hung blankets out to dry (one of my favorite things), and brought all the plants crowding my kitchen counters out for some well deserved sun and rain. The evening was also wonderful with the breeze picking up and coming through our OPEN windows. Archer and I made a late run to the grocers to grab the essentials:

strawberries (for my first attempt at making a pie: strawberry rhubarb)
eggs
juice
bread
cornstarch

and ... !!!

fudge pops!

When we got home John was grilling chicken legs. So, with my appetite that so closely resembles that of a pregnant woman, I went ahead and gave in to my cravings and thoroughly enjoyed a fudge pop, 3 chicken legs, and another fudge pop for good measure.

Today, is said to be (by me) the best Saturday ever. We have plans to finish prettying our yard, clean house, and then go over to some friends' house for gardening and probably some wine.

Yay for warm weather!

Spitting Crickets

Last Saturday we woke up WAY too early for my taste, and went to an Easter celebration at John's place of work. It was really nice. There was a catered breakfast, games, an egg hunt, an art station, and time to spend with the Easter bunny. Fun was had by all. *smirk*

After that we came home to get ready for the bug bowl at Purdue. Archer took his first stroller ride and Jackson spit his first cricket! Of course I didn't get a picture of the actual spitting of the cricket; only pictures of before and after--thanks to slow cameras. Jackson also had the chance to try out fencing with his daddy. It was a fun Saturday.

EC

Today I went to a seminar about elimination communication at the local natural food market. I had been planning to start 'EC' with Archer after doing some reading and seeing a friend successfully go diaper free with her little girl. For us, it seems like a natural option. After the talk today, I decided that we are ready to start. Hearing this mother's experience about going diaper free with her 3 children, helped me to realize that Archer and I have already been on our way to being diaper free. I've been picking up on his cues, and have now found other signs that I didn't see as cues before, but now am aware. I have had the 'phantom pee' sensation, I have experienced him being fussy in the evenings and not becoming satisfied with eating, sleeping, rocking, walking, or anything, and I have also been experiencing a sort of 'disturbed nursing' where he nurses, stops, nurses some more, but never really settles down to enjoy his meal. All these signs have been Archer trying to tell me he needs to potty. So, tonight I successfully picked up on a few cues, and have pottied him 3 times already!

One thing that encouraged me today was when the speaker was talking about the 3 things that young babies do--eat, sleep, poop. So, if they aren't satisfied with eating or sleeping, your next option is the potty. Babies are born with the ability to voluntarily eliminate, and they naturally do not enjoy sitting in their own pee and poop. What we do is train babies to get used to sitting in their pee, and then at the age society has chosen to be the time to start using the potty, we are essentially telling them to un-learn what we have been teaching them since they were born. I think it will be easier using EC than potty training my 2 year old. And, after becoming aware of the fact that babies can control their bowels and would prefer to not sit in them, I don't feel right about letting Archer sit in his wet diaper. I would much rather respond to his needs by letting him potty somewhere other than in his pants.

In other cultures using EC is the norm. Our 3 and 4 year olds running around in pull-ups is ridiculous to mothers in many other counties. Of course, in third world countries this is what they do and have always done. They wear their babies and are close enough with them to pick up on their cues for when they need to eat or potty. Fortunately, I am able to stay at home with Archer. I'll have the time to bond with him and respond to his elimination needs.

To me, this is just another way to give my son everything he needs to be happy and healthy.

farmer's market

I turned in the contract to be a temporary vendor at the downtown market this year! I couldn't imagine not vending a few times. I had such a fun time last year.

Cool Cat

This was Jackson's Easter attire this year. The jacket was his daddy's when he was little.

Have you ever seen such a cool cat?

Blessing Way

I was recently invited to my midwife's Blessing Way. I had never heard of this, so I looked it up. It's an alternative to a baby shower that was originally a Navajo ceremony for women's rite of passage into motherhood. The modern version is a celebration of the the upcoming birth, a new mother, and/or a mother having another child. I am so excited to be a part of this. At this particular Blessing Way, there will be a belly dancer teaching about the long time tradition of using belly dancing during labor. How cool! Another activity that you might see at a Blessing Way is this:

Prayer Flags: Inspired by Tibetan prayer flags, these are strips of cloth that are cut about 3" X 18" (or any other size you choose). They are handed to each guest to write a birth blessing or positive message on it. When the guests are through the mother is given the flags to read and take with her to her place of birth. Messages can be anything. Some examples include: "You are a strong woman." "You can do all things through God." "Your baby will be born at the right time."

I love it!

An aside:

When John and I were talking about this, we could not resist referring to it as 'A blessing, wey!' As if we were Mexicans casually discussing a blessing. We are silly.

Rainy Day

Have you ever had one of those days when you are at work, it's raining, and all you want to do is go home and crawl under the covers? Well, guess where I am right now? ... In my bed under the covers! We are having a lazy day at home.

Pepper

This will make you pee a little...

Happy 8 Weeks!

Archer is now 8 weeks or 2 months old today! He is smiling like a champ these days. He has made it to the 10 pound mark and is getting cuter every time I look at him. Check this guy out!

Discovery at 2 a.m.

During one of the many nightly feedings for Archer I saw this. Beautiful song.

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Feeding from the Breast

Every morning I wake up to feed Archer. So, while I'm waking up I watch TV for a bit before I start the day. I've been stuck on watching a couple of shows on TLC--Bringing Home Baby and A Baby Story. My Bradley Method teacher always told me to stay away from these shows, but I can't help watching. The shows are getting better. I'm seeing less of the births with interventions and more natural drug free births. Hopefully this is a sign that American women are waking up.

One thing that drives me crazy in these shows is the mothers' efforts to breastfeed and the insane amount of misinformation they are all getting about it. Most of the moms desire to breastfeed, but the first few days they are feeding the babies formula because they think either they should wait for their own milk to come in or that they don't have enough milk for the baby. Each show is then concluded with mothers of 10 week old babies being fed with formula and mothers who are disappointed they couldn't breastfeed due to lack of milk. I am one of these moms that was misinformed as well. With my first son the lactation nurse never told me actually how big the baby's stomach is the first few days and that the baby will get what he needs with persistent feeding. I was never told that the first 6 weeks you will be breastfeeding ALL THE TIME. I was told the baby will eat every 2-3 hours for about half an hour per feeding. This was way off! I think that moms assume they don't have a sufficient milk supply because the babies aren't as quickly satisfied as with feeding with a bottle. Nursing takes much longer. And also, a newborn is used to being fed constantly in the womb; a switch to only eating every 2-3 hours is quite drastic.

Women need better information and truth about breastfeeding. It usually will start out with struggles. We need to get the message out that we as mothers really do have EVERYTHING our babies need, including enough breast milk. We need not get so discouraged. While breastfeeding is natural, it may not come to the moms and babies naturally. It takes some work, but after the feeding has been established, it is more than rewarding and very easy.

PostSecret

After doing my normal internet 'rounds', I looked at John's bookmark folder and found a really cool blog.

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people
mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard.

I loved this particular confession:

I work in a college admissions office at a preppy private college as a student worker. Whenever I stuff the rejection letter envelopes, I slip in a piece of paper while my co-workers aren't looking that says, "you will be amazing wherever you go. I believe in you." I hope that the people who get them know I mean it.

Awesome.

Guilt Free Clothing

I recently sent an e-mail to the organizer of the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange to make sure it was alright to add a few items to what I plan to sell at the show. She suggested that if it would be clothing, to make sure the clothing I am altering was not made in a sweatshop. So, I found that the brand that the cute little shirts I got are Carter's. I searched through the internet for a bit to see if I could find this company on any list of 'offenders' for having their products made in a sweatshop and/or by children. I couldn't find anything, so I went straight to the source. I sent Carter's an e-mail asking where their clothing is made, and could they assure me that the clothes aren't made in sweatshops. Their response:

Dear Katie,


Thank you for emailing us. Carter's has an active social compliance function that regularly audits the factories we contract with. We do not own any of these factories, but we do review the audit results of all factories we contract with. We also ask that these factories comply with the legal requirements set by their governments.


Thank you,

Mary

Consumer Affairs

Carter's / Oshkosh B'Gosh

Nice. Not only did they avoid telling me where the clothes are made, the only regulations they have for the production of these clothes are made by these mystery countries. Sounds a little fishy to me. And if a company did have clothing made fairly, I think they would take pride in this and give a much less vague response.

Domestic Engineer

Yesterday was a great day. I woke up earlier than usual...it was around 8 am. I started my daily routine--feed Archer, change Archer, chat with Jackson, bath either both kids or just one (babies don't need to bath every day), dress everyone, make breakfast, and then start laundry or picking up. Sounds very dull, but I actually enjoy it. After these things are done, we usually leave the house to run an errand or visit the park; whatever we feel like doing. After the outing we sit down for reading time and Jackson gets his nap. I haven't been able to get Archer to nap with Jackson yet, but that day will come soon. For now, Archer naps in our sling. I plan to use this bit of time to work on my many "projects". Recently, I've decided to learn how to cross stitch. Today was my first attempt to "artsy fartsy up" a onsie. The project has not turned out to be as easy as I wanted, but I will figure it out. My plan is to have onsies and baby shirts for sale at my booth at the INDIEana Handicraft Exchange. I'll have my Mama Kate's body care and some handmade knit and cross stitched items.

Anyway, yesterday was the day I truly fell in love with being a stay at home mom. I've got what seems like endless quality time with my kids, time to pursue my many creative ideas, time to get the house work done, time to garden, time to grow my business, time to get done whatever it is that I'd like to get done. I am very lucky to be able to do this.

I'm just sayin'

I really do have some good lookin' kids.

Ode to the blanket

Archer was given a beautiful blanket that was hand-made by my wonderful friend Annie. Now that Archer has been around for 5 weeks, (wow) this time has allowed me to fall in love not only with my new son, but this blanket! First of all she could not have picked better colors. And I need to remember to ask her if she was even aware of the sex of our babe when she started this project. Second, the size is perfect. It's pretty big for a baby blanket, but now that I've used it, all the others we have seem too small. Thirdly, it's soft. I've become so fond of this blanket, that I really don't use any others. (This may change as the weather gets warmer) I wait until it's had one too many spit ups on it, wash it, and return it to it's rightful owner--Archer.

Thank you Annie!

adjusting

Archer is officially 1 month old as of yesterday. Yay! He and I are doing well, and finally adjusting. I've had some ups and downs getting used to being a mother of 2. Things are slowly becoming normal and routine for all of us now, though.

Breastfeeding was an issue to begin with, of course. I told myself not to get frustrated if there happens to be a difficulty with breastfeeding before Archer arrived. Inevitably, we did have a tiny issue, and I got a bit frustrated. But, now we have both learned how to "master" this nursing thing, and I couldn't be happier that it's becoming so easy. And, like all the breastfeeding advocates say, it really is rewarding and brings a special bond to you and your baby.

Jackson has had a hard time as well. He's not getting the attention he deserves, so we have decided that we will make it our mission to be more conscious of the attention we give him. Negative attention is one thing he's been getting a lot of--we need to change that. Otherwise, Jackson is being a wonderful son and big brother. He loves his little brother, and he is the best helper his mama could ask for.

John, of course, has had no trouble at all adjusting. He's been there to encourage me when I'm feeling down. He's was there for me when I called him to come home on his first week back to work. He's there for Jackson when I've got Archer to feed. He is wonderful.

My new family is wonderful!

Story of the day that brought Archer…

I woke up earlier and perkier than normal on Wednesday February 10, 2009. I was having contractions much lower than normal, and it seemed that they were coming regularly. So, I lay in bed for the next hour waiting to see if they would subside. They didn’t, so I got out of bed to watch the news, check my e-mail, and clean up the kitchen. Still, the contractions were regular! I was so excited. I assumed that I would be way overdue as I was with my first baby. This time I was early! I also never had the chance to experience normal natural labor with my first. I was induced with Pitocin. Yuck. Anyway, I took a shower, ate some breakfast, and called my husband. The contractions were strong enough that I really didn’t want to stay at home alone with my 3 year old all day. I was afraid I wouldn’t be as available to get him what he needed, so John agreed to come home. I also wanted John to be with me during the whole thing.

John came home and we decided to go out to eat and to the park. The weather was abnormally warm for February. And also there had been a full moon. Anyway, we went to Route 66 and I ordered a Double Steak with Cheese and fried potatoes. Yum. After this, we went to Happy Hollow Park. I had to stop every 6 minutes or so for a contraction. We met a couple friends there, and had a nice time. I was tired, so we went home so I could try to get a nap in. After getting home I took another shower to try to calm down for a nap. After trying to nap for an hour, I decided it wasn’t going to happen. So, I gathered John and Jackson to go on a walk with me. By this time the contractions were pretty painful. We only made it for about 15 minutes on the walk and then came home.

After being home for only an hour, I decided that my 3 year old needed to go. I was having a hard time getting through a contraction with him running around yelling. So, Grandpa came to pick him up. After he was gone, John went around the house lighting candles and turning down the lights. At this point I called our Midwife. When I got on the phone with her I started crying because I wasn’t sure how far I was into the labor, and I wasn’t sure if maybe it would be possible to stall out the labor with a bath so I could get some rest. Our plan prior to my going into labor was to stop the labor (if possible) if I labored all day. We wanted to avoid exhaustion. When the Midwife arrived we started filling the birth pool. It was taking much longer than I preferred to get that thing filled! Our hot water heater is miniscule, so we had to boil tons of water to get warm water in the pool. The warm water was supposed to either stall out the labor, or speed it up. After getting in, my labor slowed down.

When my contractions stayed at the slower pace for a while, my Midwife and the attendants decided to go out for some dinner. They thought that maybe I would get some rest while they were gone, or speed labor up due to not being the center of 5 people’s attention. When they left things definitely got going. I was yelling for HELP and telling John that I needed to go to the hospital so I could get an epidural and go to sleep. He stayed strong and told me no. He knew that wasn’t really what I wanted. I would have been very disappointed if we would have gone to the hospital. After yelling so loud that the neighbors were probably wondering, ‘who the hell is being tortured next door?’, I told John to call our Midwife. I was definitely in hard labor. I got back in the birth pool and stayed there until Archer arrived. John laid behind me to support me while I moaned and yelled some more. I was very attached to one of the attendants. Later I found out she has been a doula and has been attending home births since I was born. She just gave me a lot of comfort and encouragement. Every time she would leave the room I would yell HELP!

By this point there was no conversation and the only thing you heard was me moaning. This lasted for only an hour and a half and all of the sudden I felt a snap, and I assumed it was just my water breaking. Then came the urge to push. So, I yelled, ‘I gotta push’! And I did. I pushed maybe 2 times through that one contraction and Archer was out! He came out in the water sac with it perfectly intact. He surprised everyone with how quickly he came. We all were in a bit of shock. He went right on my chest and it was all over! He was beautiful! He cried shortly after laying with me and stayed with me for the next few hours. He was born at 1:09 am on February 11, 2009, also my birthday! He is by far the best gift I have ever gotten on my birthday!

Our experience with having a home birth was wonderful. It was better than we expected, and even though it was rough for a little while, I am so glad we did it. This was much more of a natural way to welcome our new baby to our family. It seems that at the hospital the doctors and nurses take control of the labor and birth. For us, we were in charge, and we made the experience what it was—absolutely wonderful.

Archer

Archer has finally arrived! He was born in water at home on February 11 (also my birthday) at 1:09 a.m. He weighed 7 lbs. 12 oz. and measured 21.5 inches long. I am in love! Details of the labor are coming soon.

I'm in labor

I've been in labor all day, and now it's starting to pick up on intensity, and it sucks..

Ready for Labor!

If you were wondering what a 38 weeks and 3 days pregnant girl does at home while her family is at a super bowl party down the road at her in-laws house, you've come to the right place for that answer. She is probably spending a good amount of time on her laptop surfing the internet. When surfing gets old, she'll resort to watching an episode of Arrested Development for the first time. While watching the show she decides that the time could be better spent if she were actively trying to go into labor. So, she places the laptop at the end of her bed to watch the show while marching around her room, doing squats, and swaying her hips. After this workout she goes to the kitchen to make a delicious strawberry, banana, blueberry smoothie. And while she is enjoying this wonderful snack, she decides to post a blog about her evening. Let the laboring begin!!

Docs vs. Midwives

We just recently had a hiccup in our home birth plans. I tested positive for Group B Strep. This is no big deal for me, but if this bacteria stays present for the birth of our new babe, it could be a bad situation. The chances of passing the bacteria are pretty low, but they are even lower if the mother is given antibiotics intravenously during labor. So, since the state of Indiana did so well in setting up laws and regulations for Certified Nurse Midwives, I had to go seek out a prescription for antibiotics. Certified Midwives can have their own private practice just as a family doctor would, but they do not have prescription privileges. So, in the event that a client would need a prescription, the client is responsible for finding a doc to write it. I don't think all the bases were covered concerning the laws surrounding the practice of Midwives.

So, we first went to our family doctor to ask for this prescription. You would think this would be easy considering that fact that if I don't have this antibiotic there is a chance of death to the baby. No, not so easy. Doctors today are more concerned with politics and protecting their selves before putting the health of a human being first. Once a patient transfers care to Midwifery, they are usually on their own. Docs want nothing to do with them. (At least in our area, this has proven to be true)

Our next stop was our prior OB. He was wonderful and very supportive of our choice for home birth. I am healthy, my Midwife is very experienced, and we have done our homework on all that goes into creating a safe and healthy birth at home. He actually made a few comments that discouraged us even more from delivering at the hospital. That was VERY unexpected. But very re-assuring to have a doc back us up. But with all is support, he could not write the prescription. Something to do with who he works for.

After freaking out and considering a delivery at the dreaded hospital our Pediatrician returned my phone call. I told him the situation and he immediately agreed to write the prescription. 'This is for safety and health of the baby, so of course' is what he said. I thought 'No shit, that's what any doc should have said!' We are talking about a precious new life here! Anyway, this wonderful man also gave us prescriptions for the drugs the babe will need following delivery and any precautionary drugs I or baby would need should something go wrong. I want to kiss my Pediatrician! More docs should be like him. I'm sure they all started out this way, but so many have lost touch with what is really important; caring for the human life.

3 weeks!

3 weeks exactly until my due date! (translates to 4 or 5 weeks til the baby is here) :) Yay!

Homeopathy

I am amazed! I just started my introductory class to Homeopathy, and I am in love with it! I'm only 10 pages into the book, Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines, and already I feel like I've learned a lot.

The basic principle of Homeopathy is based on the Law of Similars. This means that any symptoms that the body is showing is an indication of what kind of treatment the body needs to utilize its immune defense to heal. So, the body is telling us exactly what it needs. If you have fever and chills, you need a medicine that would have those affects on the body.

This might be a very simple idea to most, but I am totally amazed. I love finding all these little clues that we can use to stay happy healthy people. Just another point that we really should listen to ourselves.

Centering Your Pregnancy

Throughout my pregnancy I have been listening to a podcast called Pregtastic. It's a podcast out of San Diego, California with a panel of pregnant women sharing their journey through pregnancy and motherhood. Also, each week has a topic related to either pregnancy or parenting. The guest speakers range from doctors, nurses, midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, birth educators, yoga instructors, and many more. It has been a wonderful source for information for me. I would have never come across this information had it not been for this podcast.

This point leads to one show in particular I was very intrigued by. The topic was 'Centering Your Pregnancy'. Dr. Peter Bernstein, Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology and Women’s Health was the guest speaker. Centering Pregnancy is a new model of prenatal care that was developed by a midwife. The model of care is rapidly becoming popular among midwives as well as OBs. The way it works is a provider, whether it be a doctor or midwife, forms a group out of the clients he or she has that are about the same length into their pregnancy. So, after your second individual prenatal visit, you would meet with your provider and the rest of the group for your monthly visits. Each visit will have a different topic--breastfeeding, nutrition, etc. And each topic is catered to the stage in pregnancy that the group is at. The meetings are also slightly free form. If a few women have something they are concerned about, they can bring up that topic for discussion. So, in a way the group leads the class. In this way topics that one mother may have never thought about get introduced. Another plus is the advice is not only given from the provider, but from other experienced mothers in the group.

This has got to be better than your typical visit to your OB. I know from experience that I never learned a thing from my doctor. My midwife, on the other hand is wonderful. Our visits are longer than 5 minutes, and we actually talk and I learn things.

So, check out this podcast!!

Fabulous News!!

We has an ultrasound today and baby was head down to begin with, but then he moved into a transverse position. I am thrilled! Being transverse isn't great, but he is most definitely on his way to being head down. I feel so relieved!

breech

So, my baby is breech...or at least he was a few days ago when my Midwife checked. So, tonight we have our first home visit with her, and she will check me once more. If he is still head up, then we look into the External Cephalic Version option. It seems like something worth trying. I've also been doing lots of crazy stand-on-your-head stuff at home to coax my little one to turn. Basically, you want your pelvis elevated above your head to use gravity to your advantage. So, I either lay in bed with 3 pillows under my toosh, or when I'm feeling super hard-core, I lay on an ironing board that is propped up on the couch. It's lovely. Actually, it takes your breath away, and it's not comfortable at all. But, if all this means we can birth at home, so be it. I've also tried moxibustion and a Homeopathic remedy, Pulsatilla. So, at some point ONE of these things should convince him to turn. Or not...whatever. At this point I am just ready to hold him. So however he arrives into this wonderful world, it's cool with me.

And here is a picture of enormous me at almost 36 weeks!

My Shop

I just got items up in my shop over the break. Check them out! All handmade, all natural, wonderful for everyone in the family!!

oops

and right after my previous post was up, I noticed the lovely shot of me in the background sleeping. totally unintentional, and totally awesome

staying home

Well, it's official. As of January 16th I will be a stay-at-home mom. I submitted my 2 week notice at work today, and notified the daycare that J would be leaving soon. I can't believe how things are finally happening. I'm FINALLY leaving the job I have stressed about for the past two years. And most importantly, I am now only 5 weeks away from the due date of our next baby! It seemed like this time would never get here, and now it's here.

So now, I wait. I wait for the new babe. And after he's here, I have to get together a game plan. I want to make lesson plans for J and somehow balance the time so the new babe is getting all that he needs as well. And then there's me. I've got school and our business to focus on when I have time. It sounds a little overwhelming, but knocking this 8 hours a day at the job thing out of the way has got to make room for me have time to be productive.

On to a new things!

Herbs

I finally finished my Introduction to Herbology course!! I started it at the beginning of the summer, took a long break to focus on working at the farmer's market, and just now sent in my final exam and project. Yay! I am studying Natural Health at Clayton College of Natural Health. I started 2 years ago, and I have been moving pretty slowly through each class. With the new change in my life from full-time employee to stay at home mom, I plan to give more focus to my studies than I have in the past.

I learned quite a bit from this class about herbs and ways to use them. There is so much to remember and learn about each individual herb, I am glad I have these two wonderful books to reference in time of need. The books for the course are The Way of the Herbs and New Age Herbalist.

I just ordered my books and study guide for my next class, Introduction to Homeopathy. I have a vague idea of what homeopathy is, so this class should be pretty interesting.

Not sure what I will do with this degree when I finish, but I will at least learn how to keep my family naturally healthy. Hopefully I will gain enough knowledge to teach others.