One of my favorite things

Ok, so it's hard to list the favorite things about my little G-Man. But one of the tops is my snuggle and nap time with him. Before anyone gets too upset, we do have a side car co-sleeper on the side of the bed that I am on so, God forbid, should he fall, he will fall 6" into his co-sleeper. But, we have done lots of reading and sleeping with your baby is safe and healthy (as long as everyone is sober) and lets all admit it, so wonderfully snuggly lovey and warm! Everyone who is a mom has done this for sure and we all relish it more than the best ice cream in the world! I love these quiet times we share, I am trying to burn them into my memory, heart and soul. I know they will not last long enough! Good bye for now, I have a little guy who fits perfectly into these arms!

Mommy for 9 Days!

Above, me holding G-Man and Dr. Pam Hadler

And seriously, this mommy stuff *really* is awesome! Little G-man is a wonderful baby and like my predictions (here) he is calm and even tempered like his Daddy. Today G-Man went with Daddy and I to my chiropractor, Dr. Pam Hadler in Farmington, Minnesota. She was here for the early part of my labor and adjusted me so that I was in a great place sketally (is that a word?), you know, bones were all in the right place, to optimally have a baby. Then she stayed until K got home from South Dakota (yes, she is an angel!). Anyway, I got a wonderful adjustment today and so did little G-Man. No, don't get your undies in a bunch, chiropractic care for infants and kids is INCREDIBLY GENTLE! There is not snapping, cracking or twisting at all. Just a little pressure for cranial work, the same amount of pressure you would use to check if a tomato is ripe. Just a very gentle touch. There was a little flat spot on the front of his forehead on one side, and before we left it was popping back out where it was supposed to be. G-Man loved meeting Dr. Pam and she him.



On a separate note several folks keep asking how I am. Seriously, with a wonderful baby and incredible hubby how could I not be spectacular? I am feeling remarkably well. On G-man's one week birthday I got on the scale, and I was back down to my pre-pregnancy weight and I was wearing my pre-pregnancy jeans! Woohooo!!!! Oh sure, there is still lots of toning to do and I wanted to lose 20 pound before I got pregnant, but still...I am back where I started 9 months ago. That feels wonderful! My focus now though is not weight loss, but continuing to eat super healthy and drink my 5 liters of water a day so I can continue to breastfeed this little guy and give him the very best nutrition. I figure I can start exercising slowly after I hit the 2 week mark, but diet, count calories? NO WAY!

Even *more* in love!

If you would have told me that it would be possible to fall more in love with my husband I would have told you how wrong you were. I love him so much that I can't describe it. I cannot put into words how much a part of me he is. But the last 7 days have proven me wrong. I did fall more in love with him, a depth I never knew existed, a wholeness that is beyond complete, a love that moves me to tears as I type this...

Watching him become a Daddy is intoxicating. He was reading a woodworking magazine to G-Man today and making compressor sounds. K holds him on his lap while he is working at the computer. K makes sure his diapers are clean, washes and folds his tiny baby clothes and reads books to him...My incredible husband is an incredible Daddy.

Truly I am blessed beyond measure!

Labor and Delivery ~ the short version (really)

I woke up on Wednesday, January 21 and I knew I was in early labor. I didn't know how long it would last, but I knew it had started. I had a hint on Monday that I was going to have this baby soon because my mood dramatically changed and I just felt "off" like something was changing. I have been so in tune with my body that I knew this feeling meant something. K left for work super super early since he and some folks he works with had to drive 4 hours to a vendor in South Dakota. I told him to leave his phone on but didn't say much else. I did call him around 8 and told him that something was up and that I was maybe in labor but to keep his phone on so I could call him if things changed. He was going to be home that nite anyway so I wasn't too concerned. I also called our midwife to let her know what was up. Now, since this is my first pregnancy I had nothing to base all these feelings on but my instinct. (turns out my instincts are good!) I worked all morning and left around noon telling my boss I wasn't sure how I was feeling...I tried calling K again, because I *knew* that I was in labor now. I was not able to get thru to K, it took an hour and some help from his friend and co-worker Rob in tracking down other colleagues he was with and the facility they were touring. It was close to 1 and I told him to fast track it home, this was labor and it was REAL and progressing. I also called our dear friend Val in Iowa because we had planned on her coming up for the birth to assist. I had thought I would go to my chiropractor to get adjusted to be sure my body was in the right alignment to have the most optimal labor possible. I just couldn't drive there by this point, too much labor discomfort to focus on driving. I called my chiropractor, Dr. Pam and told her what was up and about K. She ended up calling me back saying she had found a colleague to cover her clinic for the afternoon and she CAME TO MY HOUSE!!!!!! During this time our midwife's hubby delivered and was setting up the birthing pool at our house. I was making the bed with drop cloths and put a roast in the crockpot so our labor team and Kyle could eat. It's 2pm and things were picking up. I was fighting labor because I knew it would go fast and I wanted K HERE! Dr. Pam was timing my contractions, I was in the labor pool by 3pm and our midwife had been in contact with us. I was still missing my hubby and fighting this labor. By 5:30 pm K was home and I was still in the birthing pool. He changed into swim trunks and hopped in the pool to rub my back. Now I could relax and get into labor. Ahhhh...now I lost track of time, who was in my house and who was not and all the details. I ended up moving around the house a little, was in the "zone" but never felt like I was going to die or wanting drugs, sure parts hurt, but it wasn't unbearable. I just focused on relaxing and visualizing opening up to have this little one. My water wouldn't break so I asked our midwife to do it. She did, I got back in the pool and with 45-50 minutes of pushing (which went really fast! I thought it was more like 10 minutes) little G-Man was born in the water. I held him to my chest and just beamed! Finally someone asked if it was a boy or a girl! I looked and announced to the room that it was a boy! It was the most beautiful labor, in a peaceful loving setting and as our midwife left in the dark of the early morning, I told her that I loved my labor and that I would "so do this again!" Ya, that's the short version!

Our Little Man

To say that we are in love is an understatement! I can't tell you how wonderful our homebirth was. If I could script a perfect homebirth, it would have been ours. Truly, this was an event of wonder, strength, peace and happiness. I am not kidding when I say that I enjoyed labor and birth...for real! Here are some 3 day old pics with mommy and daddy.

It's A Boy!

If I could have scripted a perfect planned homebirth without any interventions, drugs and full of love, peace, quite and support it would have been exactly what played out at our home on Wednesday, January 21! We are pretty tired and still learning lots about nursing so this post is short...but I wanted to let everyone know that our perfect little boy is here! He came into this world at 11:40pm weighing 6 pounds, 0 ounces and is 19.25 inches long. He is a vision and just a little bug. K and I are madly in love with our little G-Man!

p.s. not even close to being as good a news, but my cankles are gone now too! :-)

This post will *so* NOT have a picture!

cankles

n. 1) An aesthetically unfortunate physiological condition which leaves its victims with no discernible narrowing of the ankle between the calf and the foot. 2) An ankle which has no discernible narrowing from the calf to the foot. History: The word is derived a combination of the words calf and ankle. Victims of this condition are advised to avoid the following: ankle boots, ankle-strap shoes, anklets, ankle socks, ankle tattoos, high-top shoes, and any other footwear or legwear that might draw attention to the cankle region.


It took 37 weeks, but I am having a not so fun week of being pregnant. Don't get me wrong, I am not wishing away this pregnancy, there are still lots of wonderful things about the miracle of growing a new life inside of me and feeling this child move and all...BUT...

I have cankles now and they are sooooooooooooooo gross! I used to like my ankles and they way my feet looked in cute sandals...not so much now! Thank goodness it's not summer time! Also, I think I am getting my first pregnancy stretch mark and I am NOT happy about that at all...ick! I know, they are a "badge" of pregnancy honor, but I was really really really hoping not to get any...it's on my tummy above my belly button, at least it looks like it might be...ICK!

I am sleeping less and less (part of the new Mommy training program) and so I am more tired despite taking naps nearly every day. I start the night sleeping in bed with my awesome hubby, then get up for the first of 4 potty breaks and head to the couch. Tonite the recliner is going to be a part of the mix too...it's just hard to get comfy with this big 'ol belly hanging off the front! I just hope I can shake this feeling of ickyness. I don't want the last weeks of my pregnancy to be negative. Prayers for calm, rest and positive thoughts are more than welcome!

Almost ready for Baby!

On Wednesday I will be ready to have Baby. That doesn't mean that Baby is ready to be born or anything exciting like that...but on Wednesday I will be 37 weeks pregnant and then it's legal to have a planned homebirth. The nursery is set up, we have all our cloth diapers, blankets and baby clothes washed and put away. We have our homebirthing kit of supplies and our midwife has been to our home and knows how to get here! (a small but important detail)...there is just one little piece of baby gear I still want to pick up to make those night time breastfeedings soooo much easier. I will have to check craigslist to see if there is a gently used one out there. Other than that, see for yourself...what do you think of the nursery?

Last Ultrasound

Friday we had our last ultrasound to check on the fibroid. It (the ultrasound) was pretty cool. With Baby being so big it was really the hardest of all the ultrasounds for us to see anything. Baby is head down and engaged in my pelvis and had it's face toward my back so we couldn't even see a profile or the cute little face! (However, that is a perfect birth position so I am not disappointed!) It's hands were curled around the face and then later down by the knees. The legs were all curled up and Baby was nice and modest. We did look away though when told to since the ultrasound tech knew that we didn't want to know if this is a boy or a girl! Baby's heart was remarkably cool and we did get to see all 4 chambers working perfectly. It was funny listening to the ultrasound tech because she was very excited about how perfect the heart is. All of Baby's organs look wonderful and Baby is measuring small, (AMEN!) but not scary small. Speaking of small...the fibroid tumor has shrunk some more (or is that shrank or shrinked??)...at any rate it's about 1/2 the size it was in September! I am sooo thrilled! Prayer, good diet and supplements are amazing in what it can help the body accomplish! Thank you all again for your prayers. Certainly they have been working since we first found out about this tumor 27 weeks ago.

Baby Predictions

We have a chalk board stripe that I painted on the wall in our living room and it's been the source of great entertainment for the past 4 years. When ever we have a gathering or a party people love to create new artwork for us. So, at the baby shower on Saturday (which was held here) everyone put their predictions for gender, birthdate and weight on the wall.

Here are some things K and I are predicting for/about our Baby...

I think (but not overwhelmingly, just 51%) that this is a boy. I don't think he'll have much hair at all. I think he will be a calm baby, very even keeled like his Daddy. I think he will be born without much crying and will look around with big eyes. I think (maybe it's more hope & pray) that he weighs less than 9 pounds!

My incredibly Hubby, aka Daddy thinks:

This baby is a boy, he will have hair, but it will not last long. He will set records in rock climbing by the age of 1 year. He will weigh 7 pounds 9 ounces.

p.s. if you are looking for chalkboard paint visit your local Ace Hardware store, they sell it by the quart and in spray cans and I absolutely LOVE it!

Our 36 week midwife appointment

We had our 36 week midwife appointment today and it was at our house! She and her assistant came to our place so they could 1) make sure the map I gave them was correct 2) make sure they knew exactly how to get here 3) could see how our home was laid out and start to imagine my birth here and be prepared for the setting 4) to check to make sure we had all our birthing supplies and that we were ready.

Turns out we had all bases covered. We had a nice visit by the fireplace, which I am sure will be a favorite during labor! (seeing as how it's -18 F without the wind chill right now!) It was a great visit and they gave me a list of a few of their favorite breastfeeding "helping" products as well as some pediatrician recommendations. We really needed the advise on both! We already know that we will not be doing all the recommended vaccinations on the recommended schedule by the CDC. What I didn't know was how to find a pediatrician who won't crucify, but help us make good decisions regarding our child and their health and wellness. I have the name of one now that I am going to call tomorrow to see if we can "interview" her (aka do a meet and greet) to make sure we all connect ok. It would be nice to have a pediatrician picked out before baby is born even though I don't envision Baby getting any vaccinations until after they are 1 year old. I also plan on continuing to use our midwife who is also a Naturopath Physician for many of the ailments that are day to day that may affect our child and chiropractic care too. Health and wellness are not manufactured by *any* drug company in the world. It's up to each one of us to feed, nurture, supplement, exercise and use natural remedies when we can, to set our bodies up for success, then the occasional use of pharmaceuticals can play a role if necessary, not the other way around.

Ok, off the soapbox now, if you're still with me you are probably wondering what else happened at our appointment today! Baby is still head down and is now engaged in my pelvis. I was guessing that since I can feel that my gait is different and I cannot walk as fast as I am used to. It's kinda funny too feeling my hip bones and pelvic bones move! BTW- did you realize that the female pelvis is actually made up of 4 separate bones that are connected by cartilage? Yep, and they move apart as baby descents and open up even more during labor. Pretty cool design the Creator gave us! Baby's heart rate was in the 120s-130s and sounding wonderful! Um, I think that's about it. Have a great day, and if you're in the Central United States, stay warm! We're freezing (actually wayyyyy below freezing here!)!!!

A shift in my reading materials

Above, my niece reading a book I received at the Shower to Baby and I. As you can tell, I was exhaused! She nearly read me to sleep. It was so precious!

So, I have read everything I feel that I need to or want to about birthing and all the wonderful things surrounding it and feel as prepared as a first timer can be. I am excited and calm about everything and am just loving every single day as my pregnancy winds down and the welcoming of Baby gets near. However, I just realized that I have read NOTHING about parenting stuff. Sure, I babysat kids from the time I was 10 years old and was a lifeguard and swim instructor for YEARS and I am very confident about day-to-day care. I know what tummy time is, but when do you start that and for how long each day? What kinds of learning/development milestones should I be watching for and when to introduce new toys or types of play...etc....Does anyone have books they loved that tend towards more natural parenting or Attachment Parenting styles? Of course, I also know to take it all as a guideline because every single person and baby develops at their own rate and with their own style. I'd just like some sort of guidelines...Thanks everyone!

Almost time...

Ya, kinda sorta, but not quite. I still don't feel like Baby's birth is imminent. According to one of our due dates, I am officially at 36 weeks today, so anytime after next Wednesday we are set for Baby to be born. In Minnesota it's illegal to have a planned homebirth before 37 weeks. Which I guess makes sense since Baby's lungs are more likely to need help before that magical 37 week mark. While I am having issues sleeping and feeling rested, I don't feel like this baby is going to pop out in the next week or 2 or even 3...at least I don't feel like it today. I am not waddling yet and Baby has not dropped, at least not as far as I can tell! The poor little thing is getting crowded in there though and the movements have certainly changed in intensity. Of course, the bladder gets most of the punching now so that makes for some interesting sensations and jolts for the bathroom! I am still loving being pregnant and am enjoying every day, exhaustion and all!

Some Shower Pictures

Above, my Sister, me and Mom

One of the fun things I did over the weekend was attend a shower thrown for me and Baby by my mom and sister. I was so everwhelmed at the outpouring of love and excitement! It was really quite overwhelming. There were family members of mine and the Hubby's there so it was fun for folks to meet and chat. We received so many wonderful, fun, useful gifts! Now, I am happy to be putting all of the thank you notes in the mail today. And tonite, I continue with more Baby laundry and closet organizing...among some other household chores. I figure if I get exhaused enough, I might actually sleep for more than a 1.5 hour stretch at a time. It's getting to the point where I am just peeing all the time and not able to get or stay comfortable. But, hey, it's just training for all the sleepless nites ahead of us with breastfeeding every 2-3 hours. I am actually amazed at how I am getting used to functioning on so little sleep. I never would have guessed it possible.

My dear friend Val

Insane, antic-filled, busy, FUN, full, exhausting weekend!

I don't think K and I could have fit much more into one weekend. Our dear friends from Iowa were up to stay with us from Thursday until Sunday. It was wonderful to see them and our Godson again! I had a chiropractor appointment, we had baptism class, I had a *huge* baby shower thrown for me, went out to dinner, went to the spa, ran errands and to the Mall of America and Ikea (love Ikea!), cleaned, started writing thank you notes, did 3 loads of laundry, and laughed so hard I nearly peed in my pants at a joke that was played on my hubby! And I think that's all. So, once I catch my breath, I will do another post and get some pictures up of all the fun that was had! Happy Monday everyone!

by request...a belly shot

Crystal, who shall forever be "Sneaky Crystal" (see here, and here, and here) requested a baby/belly shot. Her exact wording was, "Do you look like you enjoyed Thanksgiving AND Christmas a little too much now?" Of course, if you followed the blog about our December scrapbooking crop, you know where that quote originated from. (Go here to read all the gory details!)

Just as a refresher, here are some pictures, same shirt and jeans from October when I was 24 weeks pregnant (to read the whole blog, go here).

Above, 24 weeks pregnant...

Below, now, 35 weeks pregnant...

So, there ya go. That's what the belly is lookin' like. BIG!!! It's hard to bend at the waist and pick stuff up, I have to remember to bend the knees to go down and get stuff off the floor. Also, I don't think I'll be able to paint my toes until after the baby is born! But, I am still *loving* being pregnant! This is just so much fun and so amazing. It really is a blessing and I cherish every day that I have left of this. Sure, I am excited to meet our child and to hold it and kiss and be Mommy. I am looking forward to finding out if this is a boy or a girl...but, I don't want to wish away any of the few days I have left of this pregnancy. I am just loving every single day of this gift!

a short video

I am trying to come up with the words to explain why K and I are hoping for a home birth of our child in the coming weeks. Bear with me, as it may take a week or more to try to organize our thought process and emotions related to this...in the meanwhile, this short video of a midwife in Ohio is beautiful. Watch it, see how gentle the who birth process/philosophy can be, this is but a snippet of what we value... One last note, in Minnesota midwives *can* provide prenatal care. We have received all of our prenatal care thru or midwife and her assistant, who is a midwifery student (in her 2nd of 3 years of midwifery school). Please take a minute to watch this video. It's beautiful (and *not* graphic)!
http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~tm322203/Midwife/

Why we named her ChewToy

This is our cute little dog, the Monster and his kitty, ChewToy. Just as a disclaimer...Chewy is *not* declawed, so even though it's 7 pounds vs 100 pounds, the claws help even out the odds! This is the kind of playing they do every single day. Usually ChewToy is the instigator!

I am a delinquent

Sorry for the big gap in my blogging. I don't have any excuses, I have just been lazy. We spent the New Years holiday in Iowa with our dear friends. It was wonderfully relaxing and a great way to be sure I slowed down and relaxed! I have been keeping tabs on my BP and it's looking a little better. :-)

This week, my evenings are being spent cleaning the house (which I actually am not minding!) painting furniture for the Baby room (it's almost done!) and wondering what else I am forgetting to do around here!

Have a wonderful week everyone. I promise I will try to get some pics up here and some more interesting posts!