Ever since a not so positive birth experience when Luke was born I have been reading and contemplating and conversing about medical intervention during labor and birth. Although I do see it as positive in very obvious circumstances (ie: when mother recieves a c-section when the baby or mother's health or life is threatened) I do not support the "run of the mill" interventions that are often given to laboring women to help "speed things along". I think one of my new pet peeves has actually become women who induce early simply due to physical discomfort (hey we are ALL uncomfortable when we are pregnant it doesn't last forever!) or because they seem to think the baby is getting "too big" or my favorite that I recently heard (and kills me because it is someone I am related to) "the ultrasound shows the baby is fully developed so the baby must be ready to be born". Baby's know when they are ready! as do our bodies!
But I am already off on a tangent.
Personally in my first birth experience I was very uninformed (but actually a run of the mill woman expecting her first child - I think we are all in a different place "then" before we know what we know now if you know what I mean). I was in some la-ta-de-da world thinking that because I had given my OB/midwife team a list of requests (such as I wanted to avoid an episiotomy if at all possible and did not want any pain meds but would consider an epidural when the time came - and you know my midwife was actually the one talking me into the epidural praising it like it was free gold) that all my expectations would be met. HA was I wrong. I was given Pitocin at some point right around my water breaking and I only know this because my husband recalls this, not me. I was also given an episiotomy and I only know this because of all the damage that they were repairing from the extra tearing after the baby was deliverd, because nobody told me I was getting one and at this point I was very alert and remember the entire pushing and actual birth of Luke. Unfortunately I cannot go back and change what is done but I am glad I have educated myself and am preparing for what I think will be a positive birth experience next time around simply for the fact that although I may not be in control of the labor and birth itself (specifically how long I will labor, where I may end up actually giving birth, etc etc) I am in control of the experience because I have armed myself with knowledge, positive support, and people I trust to guide my through it.
Here is an interesting article about the long term negative effects of Pitocin from a blog I enjoy reading I hope you enjoy it...
Long Term Effects of Pitocin.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
YAY LLL Parenting Conference Here We Come!
I am SO SUPER excited! I finally convinced Dave tonight to go to the LLL Conference in Daytona at the end of October! I am very excited needless to say! I had been thinking about it for a while and when I first brought it up I offered that just Luke and I would go and possibly share a room with someone else from our local chapter but he doesn't like to be away from Luke for one night let along two so he wasn't too warmed up to the idea.
But when I brought it up to him again tonight and said maybe he would like to go to because some of the seminars will be helpful for both of us and it will be a nice little get away for our little family before 3 becomes 4 he pretty much said ok! YAY!
So I am not waiting another second and I will be booking all our arrangements this weekend! This will work out great because not only will we be able to enjoy the convention as a family but I may be able to sit in one or two seminars without my curious toddler getting into everything while Dave can entertain him elsewhere.
So if you aren't yet planning on attending check out the details! and if you are see you there!
Yippee!
But when I brought it up to him again tonight and said maybe he would like to go to because some of the seminars will be helpful for both of us and it will be a nice little get away for our little family before 3 becomes 4 he pretty much said ok! YAY!
So I am not waiting another second and I will be booking all our arrangements this weekend! This will work out great because not only will we be able to enjoy the convention as a family but I may be able to sit in one or two seminars without my curious toddler getting into everything while Dave can entertain him elsewhere.
So if you aren't yet planning on attending check out the details! and if you are see you there!
Yippee!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Loving my Ergo
Well I fell in love with my Ergo all over again today. I finally had the chance to use the head support that you can button up if the baby falls asleep and I was excited!
Today after leaving mommy day at Leanna's I stopped by the grocery store to buy a few things knowing I was racing against naptime because Luke was definitely looking pretty tired. But I was able to get to the store before he fell asleep. So I loaded him into the Ergo. When he is tired or cranky he generally does much better in the Ergo than if he is in the shopping cart or a stroller. And as I thought would happen he fell asleep while I was still shopping. So I just buttoned up the head rest to give his head some support and he was good to go. It was great!
I really loved my Mei Tai but I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Ergo. I even added the newborn insert on my baby registry at Montana Diaper Store. I am not sure if I will use it as much as the sling or the Moby wrap (which i also registered for) but we will see. My only concern is that it may be too hot for the baby. Or then again maybe not since the baby should be coming as the cold weather does.
That reminds me, my friend Trish forwarded me the website Montana Diaper Store. It is a great website with lots of great cloth diapering items amongst other things. It pretty much had everything I could think I will need for the new baby (which really just consists of cloth diapering products, a teething necklace just in case this baby struggles as much as Luke did, a Moby wrap because i don't have one yet, and maybe a few other odds and ends) and lucky for me you can create a baby registry there! So I went ahead and did this and plan to forward this to my family so that rather than getting a bunch of stuff we probably won't use they will be able to help us with what we do need. If you are expecting or plan on expecting check this site out!
Today after leaving mommy day at Leanna's I stopped by the grocery store to buy a few things knowing I was racing against naptime because Luke was definitely looking pretty tired. But I was able to get to the store before he fell asleep. So I loaded him into the Ergo. When he is tired or cranky he generally does much better in the Ergo than if he is in the shopping cart or a stroller. And as I thought would happen he fell asleep while I was still shopping. So I just buttoned up the head rest to give his head some support and he was good to go. It was great!
I really loved my Mei Tai but I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Ergo. I even added the newborn insert on my baby registry at Montana Diaper Store. I am not sure if I will use it as much as the sling or the Moby wrap (which i also registered for) but we will see. My only concern is that it may be too hot for the baby. Or then again maybe not since the baby should be coming as the cold weather does.
That reminds me, my friend Trish forwarded me the website Montana Diaper Store. It is a great website with lots of great cloth diapering items amongst other things. It pretty much had everything I could think I will need for the new baby (which really just consists of cloth diapering products, a teething necklace just in case this baby struggles as much as Luke did, a Moby wrap because i don't have one yet, and maybe a few other odds and ends) and lucky for me you can create a baby registry there! So I went ahead and did this and plan to forward this to my family so that rather than getting a bunch of stuff we probably won't use they will be able to help us with what we do need. If you are expecting or plan on expecting check this site out!
Getting In The Swing of This Pregnancy Thing
Well I feel like maybe I am finally getting into the swing of this whole pregnancy thing. I have had a few visits with my midwife, Alanna Rubin and feel very comfortable and established with her. My belly is very obviously pregnant by now (I really need to get out the camera) much more so than at this point last pregnancy. I have been feeling the baby move around a lot over the last two or three weeks and over the weekend as we were sitting on the couch watching a movie Dave was even able to feel the baby kick! Pretty exciting considering I couldn't even feel Luke moving around until I think something more like 23 weeks. But I guess what they say is true: you feel and look pregnant much sooner after your body has already been through pregnancy once before.
Now my big kick is to start doing some pregnancy fitness stuff. Like I said before I was good at walking and doing some workout stuff at home before I got pregnant but since the whole first trimester "I feel like dying" phase I have fallen off the bandwagon. But I am ready to climb back on. Luckily I found a local fitness center that offers yoga and fitness classes for pregnant women as well as new moms. I am just waiting for my registration process to go through (they have to get a form from Dr. Punger to confirm I am "allowed" to participate) and then I am going to start taking the yoga classes. Thankfully they are in the evenings so Dave will be home to watch Luke so I can get away for an hour. I would love to take both the yoga and the fitness class but the classes are a little expensive for our budgeted family so for now I think I will stick to plan A which is take yoga in a class setting and do my prenatal excercising via home video. I would do both from home but I am not good at doing yoga alone and I never feel as relaxed and rejuvenated after a video yoga session as I do after an actual class. I think this is well worth the money.
I have also found someone to give Dave and I a hypnobirthing class. This is something I first heard about through Alanna, my midwife and after reading more and more about it and stories from other mom's who used this technique in their births I knew this is something I wanted to pursue. The only problem was the closest class I could find was all the way in Boca! But I had told Dave about it and was prepared to make this trip for the once a week - five week course. Then luck struck and I found a midwife in Jupiter who is certified in teaching hypnobirthing. Even better - she comes to you! So for two Saturday mornings in October Dave and I will be learning about the technique of hypnobirthing right here in our home. I am very excited about this. Again, for our family on a budget it will be hard to swing financially but I feel very confident it will be well worth it. When I was first considering a home birth I had always planned on having a doula and then when I read about hypnobirthing I decided I would make the choice between a doula and hypnobirthing and obviously I chose the latter. I feel confident I will have plenty of support available to me in my birth and the hypnobirthing technique is irreplaceable (and cheaper which makes my husband happy).
So that's where I am at. Oh wait I almost forgot! I got an ultrasound a week ago. We were going to get one ultrasound because Dave was so adamant about making sure the baby is healthy and okay. In fact if it was up to him we would have one every week. He is very paranoid about the health of the baby (I think I mentioned before he is still worried about Luke and SIDS!). Anyway, we got the ultrasound at the last minute because I had some bleeding the day before (a pretty scary instance!) and we wanted to check my placenta and the baby. Everything looked great! other than my partial placenta previa, which really isn't too big of a deal and should resolve itself soon. It was exciting to see the baby. At one point the baby even did a nice stretch for us which was really cool to see. Up until then I think I was in denial about feeling the baby move around and all but once I saw that I knew all that I had been feeling was definitely the baby and not just gas! No sneak peeks at the gender though! We really want to be surprised when the baby is born.
Now my big kick is to start doing some pregnancy fitness stuff. Like I said before I was good at walking and doing some workout stuff at home before I got pregnant but since the whole first trimester "I feel like dying" phase I have fallen off the bandwagon. But I am ready to climb back on. Luckily I found a local fitness center that offers yoga and fitness classes for pregnant women as well as new moms. I am just waiting for my registration process to go through (they have to get a form from Dr. Punger to confirm I am "allowed" to participate) and then I am going to start taking the yoga classes. Thankfully they are in the evenings so Dave will be home to watch Luke so I can get away for an hour. I would love to take both the yoga and the fitness class but the classes are a little expensive for our budgeted family so for now I think I will stick to plan A which is take yoga in a class setting and do my prenatal excercising via home video. I would do both from home but I am not good at doing yoga alone and I never feel as relaxed and rejuvenated after a video yoga session as I do after an actual class. I think this is well worth the money.
I have also found someone to give Dave and I a hypnobirthing class. This is something I first heard about through Alanna, my midwife and after reading more and more about it and stories from other mom's who used this technique in their births I knew this is something I wanted to pursue. The only problem was the closest class I could find was all the way in Boca! But I had told Dave about it and was prepared to make this trip for the once a week - five week course. Then luck struck and I found a midwife in Jupiter who is certified in teaching hypnobirthing. Even better - she comes to you! So for two Saturday mornings in October Dave and I will be learning about the technique of hypnobirthing right here in our home. I am very excited about this. Again, for our family on a budget it will be hard to swing financially but I feel very confident it will be well worth it. When I was first considering a home birth I had always planned on having a doula and then when I read about hypnobirthing I decided I would make the choice between a doula and hypnobirthing and obviously I chose the latter. I feel confident I will have plenty of support available to me in my birth and the hypnobirthing technique is irreplaceable (and cheaper which makes my husband happy).
So that's where I am at. Oh wait I almost forgot! I got an ultrasound a week ago. We were going to get one ultrasound because Dave was so adamant about making sure the baby is healthy and okay. In fact if it was up to him we would have one every week. He is very paranoid about the health of the baby (I think I mentioned before he is still worried about Luke and SIDS!). Anyway, we got the ultrasound at the last minute because I had some bleeding the day before (a pretty scary instance!) and we wanted to check my placenta and the baby. Everything looked great! other than my partial placenta previa, which really isn't too big of a deal and should resolve itself soon. It was exciting to see the baby. At one point the baby even did a nice stretch for us which was really cool to see. Up until then I think I was in denial about feeling the baby move around and all but once I saw that I knew all that I had been feeling was definitely the baby and not just gas! No sneak peeks at the gender though! We really want to be surprised when the baby is born.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
My Produce
Per request I am listing all the produce I got in my pickup this past Thursday and what I have done or am planning on doing with it.
Just in case you happen to be reading this and are not yet aware I joined a local organic produce buying club earlier this year. Here is an idea of what we get (pickup is every two weeks) and how we consume it:
Romaine Lettuce - We eat in salad generally at every dinner meal. Other than the fruit this is one of the fastest things we go through (at least lately with my in-laws here and five of us eating dinner every night. When it is just me and Dave I usually don't have to buy more lettuce before next pickup)
Swiss Chard- I use like I would spinach: saute with garlic and olive oil, add into smoothies, add to sauce for sphagetti or lasagna, steam and then sneak into things like soup and casserole (I like to "hide" veggies in meals to get Dave and Luke to eat without complaint).
Zucchini- Dave's mom makes a yummy zucchini soup so we will use our zucc's for this (includes zucc's, potatoes, laughing cow cheese..), also a veggie I steam, puree, and add to sauce, or good sliced and sauteed in oil with some Italian herbs.
Carrots- Luke and I eat raw with hummus or Gerrie's dip recipe, also steam and serve, add to soups or casseroles, or another veggie I hide in my sauce.
Plum Tomatoes- Add to salads or eat with dip or hummus
Cremini Mushrooms- Dave loves these sauteed and many times we will prepare and serve over chicken or steak. I also add these to casseroles or chop and add to sauce. Also great in salad.
Alfalfa Sprouts- Used in salads and sandwiches
Celery- Yummy snack with omega peanut butter, in veggie dip, use in veggie based soups, saute or steam and add to casseroles, add into tuna or egg salad which we eat on sandwiches.
Green Beans- One of the few veggies Dave's mom will eat so I will save these for when they are here for dinner and steam with some butter and herbs to serve with dinner.
Sugar Peas- I eat these raw good with hummus! I might try something different and look up a recipe for them.
Cantaloupe- One of Luke's favorites this will go quickly
Oranges- I will either juice in the morning or eat whole as snack.
Plums- a yummy snack one of my favs
Bananas- These go super fast. Luke eats a banana a day plus I often make smoothies with these (see my favorite smoothie recipe below).
Starting next pickup we will also be having the option of purchasing things like eggs, olive oil, and free range beef. I am very excited about this because these are all organic products that we consume already (other than the beef which I would like to include but have a hard time finding sometimes). Even bigger bonus is that the eggs, for instance, are $.50 cheaper per dozen than what I pay now in the grocery store!
Just in case you happen to be reading this and are not yet aware I joined a local organic produce buying club earlier this year. Here is an idea of what we get (pickup is every two weeks) and how we consume it:
Romaine Lettuce - We eat in salad generally at every dinner meal. Other than the fruit this is one of the fastest things we go through (at least lately with my in-laws here and five of us eating dinner every night. When it is just me and Dave I usually don't have to buy more lettuce before next pickup)
Swiss Chard- I use like I would spinach: saute with garlic and olive oil, add into smoothies, add to sauce for sphagetti or lasagna, steam and then sneak into things like soup and casserole (I like to "hide" veggies in meals to get Dave and Luke to eat without complaint).
Zucchini- Dave's mom makes a yummy zucchini soup so we will use our zucc's for this (includes zucc's, potatoes, laughing cow cheese..), also a veggie I steam, puree, and add to sauce, or good sliced and sauteed in oil with some Italian herbs.
Carrots- Luke and I eat raw with hummus or Gerrie's dip recipe, also steam and serve, add to soups or casseroles, or another veggie I hide in my sauce.
Plum Tomatoes- Add to salads or eat with dip or hummus
Cremini Mushrooms- Dave loves these sauteed and many times we will prepare and serve over chicken or steak. I also add these to casseroles or chop and add to sauce. Also great in salad.
Alfalfa Sprouts- Used in salads and sandwiches
Celery- Yummy snack with omega peanut butter, in veggie dip, use in veggie based soups, saute or steam and add to casseroles, add into tuna or egg salad which we eat on sandwiches.
Green Beans- One of the few veggies Dave's mom will eat so I will save these for when they are here for dinner and steam with some butter and herbs to serve with dinner.
Sugar Peas- I eat these raw good with hummus! I might try something different and look up a recipe for them.
Cantaloupe- One of Luke's favorites this will go quickly
Oranges- I will either juice in the morning or eat whole as snack.
Plums- a yummy snack one of my favs
Bananas- These go super fast. Luke eats a banana a day plus I often make smoothies with these (see my favorite smoothie recipe below).
Starting next pickup we will also be having the option of purchasing things like eggs, olive oil, and free range beef. I am very excited about this because these are all organic products that we consume already (other than the beef which I would like to include but have a hard time finding sometimes). Even bigger bonus is that the eggs, for instance, are $.50 cheaper per dozen than what I pay now in the grocery store!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
My New Favorite Smoothie
Well it seems I either don't blog ever or I just can't stop blogging. One extreme or the other story of my life.
So I am sipping on my new favorite smoothie. I love making smoothies and they are an easy way to get some good nutrition in the mornings when I have to get somewhere and don't have time to sit down and eat some granola and fruit (my other breakfast I enjoy). So I decided to share my favorite smoothie because I know some of you are also smoothie fans...
1. four or five ice cubes
2. about 1/2 cup (I just eyeball it might be more like 1 cup) organic lowfat vanilla yogurt
3. 1 banana (I guess you could use frozen banana and then skip the ice cubes but I like fresh)
4. 2 tblsp Smart Balance Omega peanut butter (good source of omega's good for pregos and fills you up to make it a real meal)
5. 1 packet Flax Paks (Organic Milled Flax Seeds made by Carrington Farms I bought in grocery store and I buy the boxes of individual packets - one packet has 12g of Omega Flax.. these things are a great addition to lots of things I also put in my cereal and granola and just gives a nutty kind of flavor)
6. Agave Nectar to taste (some may prefer none but I like it a little sweet so I just squeeze some in while blending)
Blend it all together and your good to go. You can probably add some greens in there if you wanted. I haven't yet I only have done greens in my berry smoothies but I might try some spinach next time.
Bon Appetite!
So I am sipping on my new favorite smoothie. I love making smoothies and they are an easy way to get some good nutrition in the mornings when I have to get somewhere and don't have time to sit down and eat some granola and fruit (my other breakfast I enjoy). So I decided to share my favorite smoothie because I know some of you are also smoothie fans...
1. four or five ice cubes
2. about 1/2 cup (I just eyeball it might be more like 1 cup) organic lowfat vanilla yogurt
3. 1 banana (I guess you could use frozen banana and then skip the ice cubes but I like fresh)
4. 2 tblsp Smart Balance Omega peanut butter (good source of omega's good for pregos and fills you up to make it a real meal)
5. 1 packet Flax Paks (Organic Milled Flax Seeds made by Carrington Farms I bought in grocery store and I buy the boxes of individual packets - one packet has 12g of Omega Flax.. these things are a great addition to lots of things I also put in my cereal and granola and just gives a nutty kind of flavor)
6. Agave Nectar to taste (some may prefer none but I like it a little sweet so I just squeeze some in while blending)
Blend it all together and your good to go. You can probably add some greens in there if you wanted. I haven't yet I only have done greens in my berry smoothies but I might try some spinach next time.
Bon Appetite!
a healthy prego = a happy prego
So far I have had a pretty great pregnancy. I feel much better than I did during my first pregnancy which I am sure has something to do with a much better diet and schedule. While pregnant with Luke I was working nights at the bar on my feet for most of 10 hours or more at a time. By the time I got off of work which was usually around 3am I was always starving and Dave (who was also on night shift) would be ready for his "lunch" and we would go eat at Denny's before I would go home to shower and watch tv while I waited for him to get home around 6am to call it a night. Then up again at 3 in the afternoon to shower and head back to the bar where I would usually eat my daily meal other than my Denny's grill cheese and tomatoe meal. I also did not cook at the time and on our days off we would usually go out to eat and go to the movies (the only thing to do since we were on night schedules and weren't ready for our day to begin until 6 at night). It was a fun time but not so healthy for the body. All the running around at the bar sure kept me in shape though but it all fell apart when I quite the bar once I was almost 8 months along and then wanted to do nothing but sit on my couch or relax in my bed to make up for all my hard work up until then.
So anyway the point to the whole story: we are leading a much more normal and healthy lifestyle now. Joining a local organic produce co-op earlier this year has also helped a lot because for the most part I plan and prepare our meals around the fresh fruits and veggies we get rather than just throwing together whatever sounds good at the last minute. I also find that I am much more able to control my sweet tooth and cravings than in my first pregnancy. I am much more motivated to stay at a healthy weight this time because I had such a hard time getting any weight off after Luke was born (in fact I am still carrying at least 10 pounds leftover from that pregnancy). So far at my 20 week mark I have only gained about 6 or 7 pounds as opposed to the 20 or more I had probably gained by now in my last pregnancy.
Now my only goal is to get into a good excercise regiment. Before I was pregnant I was pretty good at walking with Luke for an hour a day. I would either walk in the neighorhood or go walk the new bridge around the corner from the house. Then I fell off the wagon when all the naseau and exhaustion set in during my first trimester. And ever since that has subsided I just can't stand the heat outside even for a minute. I ordered some prenantal excercise videos that I wanted to start doing but I had a bleeding episode over the weekend and I am nervous about doing too much right now. I am sure it would be fine but I think I will wait until next week. I am very much looking forward to the weather cooling off so I can resume my outdoor walks and workouts that I much prefer and hope my back doesn't bother me too much to kill my motivation. For now chasing Luke around and sticking as much to my normal activities as possible has helped but I know I am still out of shape and want to feel as best I can in the end for the healthiest labor possible. I am actually trying to find a local prenatal yoga class as we speak. I think this will help me feel much better. I am also hoping it will help me with all the back trouble I tend to have while pregnant. I am already having back pain and I have a ways to go and a ways to grow.
So anyway the point to the whole story: we are leading a much more normal and healthy lifestyle now. Joining a local organic produce co-op earlier this year has also helped a lot because for the most part I plan and prepare our meals around the fresh fruits and veggies we get rather than just throwing together whatever sounds good at the last minute. I also find that I am much more able to control my sweet tooth and cravings than in my first pregnancy. I am much more motivated to stay at a healthy weight this time because I had such a hard time getting any weight off after Luke was born (in fact I am still carrying at least 10 pounds leftover from that pregnancy). So far at my 20 week mark I have only gained about 6 or 7 pounds as opposed to the 20 or more I had probably gained by now in my last pregnancy.
Now my only goal is to get into a good excercise regiment. Before I was pregnant I was pretty good at walking with Luke for an hour a day. I would either walk in the neighorhood or go walk the new bridge around the corner from the house. Then I fell off the wagon when all the naseau and exhaustion set in during my first trimester. And ever since that has subsided I just can't stand the heat outside even for a minute. I ordered some prenantal excercise videos that I wanted to start doing but I had a bleeding episode over the weekend and I am nervous about doing too much right now. I am sure it would be fine but I think I will wait until next week. I am very much looking forward to the weather cooling off so I can resume my outdoor walks and workouts that I much prefer and hope my back doesn't bother me too much to kill my motivation. For now chasing Luke around and sticking as much to my normal activities as possible has helped but I know I am still out of shape and want to feel as best I can in the end for the healthiest labor possible. I am actually trying to find a local prenatal yoga class as we speak. I think this will help me feel much better. I am also hoping it will help me with all the back trouble I tend to have while pregnant. I am already having back pain and I have a ways to go and a ways to grow.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Locked Out!
Well I learned the hard way today that Luke is able to lock the handle on the door leading out to the garage.
He was pretty focused on his building blocks so I thought I would sneak out to the garage for a minute to hang his diapers to dry. He noticed I snuck out just about immediately because I heard him knocking on the door and calling my name before I got the first diaper out of the washing machine.
I was on the phone with Dave and I asked him to talk to Luke to keep him occupied for a few minutes while I got this done. Luke LOVE LOVE LOVES to talk on the phone; especially to his Dada.
BUT when I went to open the door to go back inside and hand over the phone it was locked!!! I couldn't believe it he had locked me out. He was on the other side of the door trying to open it and getting pretty frustrated that I was outside and he wasn't but he didn't realize he had locked the door and had to turn the button back the other way so we could be reunited.
I opened the garage door and walked around to the front door. Just so you have a visual when you walk in the front door to the house the door leading to the garage is immediately behind it to the left. In fact, you have to close the front door in order to open the door to the garage. Also our front door is mostly glass and this was the only time I appreciated this feature because i was able to look and and keep checking on Luke as I tried to pick the door in the garage open.
Now it didn't occur to me what I would have done had I not been on the phone and had my phone out in the garage with me. Luckily this was the case and as soon as I told Dave what was going on he made arrangements to head home and unlock the door. In fact, he was ready to go lights and sirens because of course he is picturing Luke locked in the house and in a life threatening situation (he is very paranoid - did I ever mention he is still convinced Luke is still at risk for SIDS!?! gotta love him).
In the meantime he called our friend who is also a FPPO and happens to live right down the street to come down and try to help me sooner.
So about five minutes later Woody arrives and in less than two seconds he is able to pop the lock (or whatever he did) with his knife. WHOO HOO our hero!
I don't know what i would have done without a phone! So as soon as Dave gets home tonight we are going to figure out a way to get back in the house in the event we ever get locked out again. In the meantime I am still laughing that I got locked out of the house by my 1 year old!
He was pretty focused on his building blocks so I thought I would sneak out to the garage for a minute to hang his diapers to dry. He noticed I snuck out just about immediately because I heard him knocking on the door and calling my name before I got the first diaper out of the washing machine.
I was on the phone with Dave and I asked him to talk to Luke to keep him occupied for a few minutes while I got this done. Luke LOVE LOVE LOVES to talk on the phone; especially to his Dada.
BUT when I went to open the door to go back inside and hand over the phone it was locked!!! I couldn't believe it he had locked me out. He was on the other side of the door trying to open it and getting pretty frustrated that I was outside and he wasn't but he didn't realize he had locked the door and had to turn the button back the other way so we could be reunited.
I opened the garage door and walked around to the front door. Just so you have a visual when you walk in the front door to the house the door leading to the garage is immediately behind it to the left. In fact, you have to close the front door in order to open the door to the garage. Also our front door is mostly glass and this was the only time I appreciated this feature because i was able to look and and keep checking on Luke as I tried to pick the door in the garage open.
Now it didn't occur to me what I would have done had I not been on the phone and had my phone out in the garage with me. Luckily this was the case and as soon as I told Dave what was going on he made arrangements to head home and unlock the door. In fact, he was ready to go lights and sirens because of course he is picturing Luke locked in the house and in a life threatening situation (he is very paranoid - did I ever mention he is still convinced Luke is still at risk for SIDS!?! gotta love him).
In the meantime he called our friend who is also a FPPO and happens to live right down the street to come down and try to help me sooner.
So about five minutes later Woody arrives and in less than two seconds he is able to pop the lock (or whatever he did) with his knife. WHOO HOO our hero!
I don't know what i would have done without a phone! So as soon as Dave gets home tonight we are going to figure out a way to get back in the house in the event we ever get locked out again. In the meantime I am still laughing that I got locked out of the house by my 1 year old!
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
pregnant update entry #2
Well I started blogging about my pregnancy (finally) earlier today and since Luke is sleeping and I am enjoying the weather outside too much to sleep (I love stormy weather!) I will continue with entry #2 on my pregnancy. Hopefully soon I can include some photos. Dave still hasn't shown me how to upload photos onto my laptop but I am going to make him show me when he gets home because I feel like my blog is so naked lately with no new photos. Plus my belly is really starting to pop and my aunt has been asking for some visual updates.
So let's see I think all I've really covered is discussion on pinpointing my due date. What next. Well once I found out I was pregnant I was eager to find a midwife. I had already decided long ago that I would prepare for a homebirth with a midwife with my next pregnancy. There aren't an abundant number of homebirth midwives locally but the decision was still very difficult because the few that are practicing locally are all amazing women! After narrowing it down to two midwives and meeting with each I followed my husband's amazing instincts and hesitantly chose one, Alanna Rubin. Had it not been for him I don't know that I could have made the decision because I felt so comfortable and relaxed with each but my husband has this sixth sense about people and he felt I would really connect with Alanna; which I have and I am very happy I decided to go with her.
So what are we up to now let's re-cap...
entry#1 I covered my due date
entry #2 midwife and beginning my thoughts on a birth plan
When I get back from the grocery store I will try to blog to bring my pregnancy up to date. I had an ultrasound on Monday and I wanted to blog about that so I need to hurry and fast forward through all the other stuff ;) Stay tuned.
So let's see I think all I've really covered is discussion on pinpointing my due date. What next. Well once I found out I was pregnant I was eager to find a midwife. I had already decided long ago that I would prepare for a homebirth with a midwife with my next pregnancy. There aren't an abundant number of homebirth midwives locally but the decision was still very difficult because the few that are practicing locally are all amazing women! After narrowing it down to two midwives and meeting with each I followed my husband's amazing instincts and hesitantly chose one, Alanna Rubin. Had it not been for him I don't know that I could have made the decision because I felt so comfortable and relaxed with each but my husband has this sixth sense about people and he felt I would really connect with Alanna; which I have and I am very happy I decided to go with her.
Once I found a midwife and started making visits to her I started thinking alot about a birth plan. I had actually been reading a lot about homebirth and natural birth and a few other topics when I got pregnant (never too early to plan ahead) and the one thing I knew was that I didn't want a specific birth plan about each step of labor and where i wanted to be etc.etc. With my first birth things did not go the way I had envisioned and I was left very disappointed in the end so I do not want to get to caught up in details this time. But i do want to make plans enough so that I have a lot of options during my labor and birth and anything that may help me will be ready and available to me. The one thing I am certain of is I will have a birth pool of some sort set up for use. I am not going to get too attached to the idea of laboring or birthing in it but I have heard great things about how relaxing and helpful the water can be for a laboring mom and I want to be sure I have something here if I feel like I need to use it. I do have one small tub in the house but the tub is tiny and even tinier is the bathroom it is in. My hope is that I can find something that will fit in the extra space I have in my bedroom.
One of the questions Alanna asked when I first met with her was whether or not I planned on Luke being with us for the birth. At first I was hesitant about having him there because I don't want him to be scared. When I had the horrible flu earlier this year he was very frightened when I was getting sick and I don't want him to feel like that again. But after really contemplating it over the next few months I realized I really wanted him here with us. Hopefully my mother will be agreeable to being here to help take care of Luke because he is so good with her and she will be able to keep him entertained and distracted if need be for us. The other option was having my mom take him to her house but whenever I am separated from him I find I am very preoccupied thinking about him and what he's doing, if he's ok, etc. so I think in order to completely relax and focus on my labor I want him here at home with us. Not to mention it just seems much more natural to keep our house and home as normal as possible.So what are we up to now let's re-cap...
entry#1 I covered my due date
entry #2 midwife and beginning my thoughts on a birth plan
When I get back from the grocery store I will try to blog to bring my pregnancy up to date. I had an ultrasound on Monday and I wanted to blog about that so I need to hurry and fast forward through all the other stuff ;) Stay tuned.
pregnant updates
Well I realized I haven't blogged much about being pregnant and as of this week I am halfway through (as long as the baby thinks so in the end at least!). The time has gone by quickly. It seems like just the other day we were jokingly buying a pregnancy test thinking there is no way I could be pregnant and finding out on the exact same date as I found out I was pregnant with Luke (Mother's Day of all ironic days). Once I realized I was pregnant (when the lines showed up on the stick loud and clear) I also realized I knew exactly the day of conception and was able to figure out that things were about to get even more ironic because my due date was looking to be about the same exact due date I was given with Luke (January 7). I figured it all because my in-laws were here (they are here more than not have you noticed?!?) and had just left on a Sunday (April 13) so Monday I decided to celebrate having our house back to ourselves with a little suggly wuggly after Luke had gone to bed. I was pretty sure I was ovulating because I found I was much more excited about snuggly time during the day or two I was ovulating than any other time of the month, but we threw chance to the wind and decided to snuggle without a cover if you know what I mean. Before going to bed I made a joke or two that we may have just made a baby but I really was more joking than thinking it could have really happened. I remember specifically the day (monday) because the next was Mommy Day which is always on Tuesday and I recall telling the girls there that we decided to stop trying not to try to get pregnant, meaning we weren't anxiously trying to get pregnant or anything and really were planning for it to happen more like in another 6 months to a year or so, but we weren't going to go out of our way to try to prevent it either. Little did I know I was already pregnant. We work fast what can I say. So this is how I was able to figure a due date with my midwife because I have never been good at tracking my periods. In fact this is why I didnt' realize I had missed a period until almost the middle of May (Mother's Day is on the 12th I think) and it wasn't even that I had missed that made me think as much as the fact that I was physically feeling "not normal" with some naseau and dizzy spells. I think I am going to start playing the lottery during the first few weeks of April every year because it seems as though the moons sure do line up in our favor during that time.
Well I think I am going to pause here. Somehow I have been able to type an entire blog entry just on pinpointing my due date etc. So I will pick up again and talk about what else has been going on in my pregnancy. Check back because it has gotten eventful lately...
Well I think I am going to pause here. Somehow I have been able to type an entire blog entry just on pinpointing my due date etc. So I will pick up again and talk about what else has been going on in my pregnancy. Check back because it has gotten eventful lately...
Monday, August 11, 2008
Bad News
Well I was about to sit down to blog a little about our family bed situation and the concerns I've had lately about incorporating a new baby into the picture.
But I will have to blog about that another time.
Instead I will make it a quick blog with some bummer news. My folks are on the road on a month long motorcycle trip and called me today leaving me a strange message so I knew something was up. When I finally got in touch with them (they are off in Wisconsin somewhere and since they are on the bike most of the day it is hard to be in touch with them on the phone) it was nearly 10pm at night. I was pretty anxious to hear what they had to say.
I have told many of you that my sister just found out she was pregnant. This was exciting news because it meant we would be pregnant together at the holidays (one of the few times we see each other during the year). I was excited to give her whatever advice I could and help her with questions as they came along. My sister is a career woman and she and my brother-in-law enjoy their carefree life so I wasn't sure whether kids would be in their future but when she called to tell me she was going to have a baby she sounded very excited and I of course was so excited for her.
Sadly the bad news is that she miscarried the baby at the end of last week. Apparently she started bleeding on Thursday and when she went to the doctor on Friday they told her she had miscarried. Not that it makes it any better but she was still very newly pregnant. I don't think she was any further along than 8 weeks. My mom said the baby was not yet a fetus which I think happens around 12 weeks and was trying to comfort her with this. I don't think anything can really be comforting in her time of pain though. She is distraught. My mother said she can barely speak on the phone and she doesn't want to talk to anybody. I guess this is why I am just finding out about it. I spoke with her last week and she was really just starting to get her mind wrapped around the idea of becomming a Mom. She was talking to some neighbors about possible childcare for when she was ready to return to work and things like that. I can't imagine what she must be feeling.
I hope you will say a little prayer for her that she will work through this quickly and have a healthy pregnancy again as soon as she is ready.
But I will have to blog about that another time.
Instead I will make it a quick blog with some bummer news. My folks are on the road on a month long motorcycle trip and called me today leaving me a strange message so I knew something was up. When I finally got in touch with them (they are off in Wisconsin somewhere and since they are on the bike most of the day it is hard to be in touch with them on the phone) it was nearly 10pm at night. I was pretty anxious to hear what they had to say.
I have told many of you that my sister just found out she was pregnant. This was exciting news because it meant we would be pregnant together at the holidays (one of the few times we see each other during the year). I was excited to give her whatever advice I could and help her with questions as they came along. My sister is a career woman and she and my brother-in-law enjoy their carefree life so I wasn't sure whether kids would be in their future but when she called to tell me she was going to have a baby she sounded very excited and I of course was so excited for her.
Sadly the bad news is that she miscarried the baby at the end of last week. Apparently she started bleeding on Thursday and when she went to the doctor on Friday they told her she had miscarried. Not that it makes it any better but she was still very newly pregnant. I don't think she was any further along than 8 weeks. My mom said the baby was not yet a fetus which I think happens around 12 weeks and was trying to comfort her with this. I don't think anything can really be comforting in her time of pain though. She is distraught. My mother said she can barely speak on the phone and she doesn't want to talk to anybody. I guess this is why I am just finding out about it. I spoke with her last week and she was really just starting to get her mind wrapped around the idea of becomming a Mom. She was talking to some neighbors about possible childcare for when she was ready to return to work and things like that. I can't imagine what she must be feeling.
I hope you will say a little prayer for her that she will work through this quickly and have a healthy pregnancy again as soon as she is ready.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Sick Again
Well I am ready to find a lifesized bubble for Luke and I to live in. Kinda like that movie "Boy in the Bubble" with John Travolta (old school!).
I just can't believe how often we are getting sick these days! In just one month Luke had bronchitis, then I got bronchitis (both of us horribly I might add), then just two weeks ago Luke came down with the flu and was vomiting with diarrhea for something like four or five days. Thank goodness I did not get this bug as badly as him. My was just some stomach issues for a weekend and body aches. I don't think I could have handled being that sick right now. I had the flu worse than I ever had earlier in the year (which I got right after Luke) to the point my husband was ready to call an ambulance for me. Being pregnant with another flu bug right now would be bad bad bad.
I woke up yesterday morning in the wee hours and could feel the sick coming on yet again; you know the whole throat on fire body aches kind of thing. Today I woke up feeling even worse. But generally in the beginning I feel a little better as the day goes on so both days I went about our normal business running errands yesterday and attending a birthday party today. I figured it would be good for Luke since he spent all week last week sick. Well of course while we are at the birthday party I start noticing that Luke is acting like he doesn't feel well. Then I see the runny nose setting in and before I know it he is burning up. Time to head home.
I gave him some Tylenol and he has been sleeping for the past three hours. He is definitely not well. And now I am feeling worse too.
I just can't ever seem to get on top of the sick thing. It seems like as soon as he is well we are back out playing with Luke's friends and doing our normal activities and before you know it boom he is sick again. I can always link it back to some of the other kids also being sick. So what do I do, not ever let Luke play with his friends and not get the exposure he really needs at this age? Or constantly put the poor kid (and myself) through the ringer with getting sick all the time. I am cautious making sure to wash his hands and wiping down the shopping carts if I put him in one etc. etc. but one can only do so much.
I wish I knew why we are always sick. We eat healthy, take vitamins, I even take probiotics. I have always had a horrible immune system and was frequently sick as a kid in school. Is this something genetic I have passed on to my poor son? I sure hope not.
Right now I am just frustrated and unsure. I hate to have to constantly ask if kids are sick and then do what? pick up my kid and leave if someone is like an obsessed parent? I don't want to be that guy but I feel like that is what it is coming to! Being sick is just taking too much of a toll on my little buddy and on myself (and my poor hubby who has to put up with us when we're sick!). ARGH! Sick again!
I just can't believe how often we are getting sick these days! In just one month Luke had bronchitis, then I got bronchitis (both of us horribly I might add), then just two weeks ago Luke came down with the flu and was vomiting with diarrhea for something like four or five days. Thank goodness I did not get this bug as badly as him. My was just some stomach issues for a weekend and body aches. I don't think I could have handled being that sick right now. I had the flu worse than I ever had earlier in the year (which I got right after Luke) to the point my husband was ready to call an ambulance for me. Being pregnant with another flu bug right now would be bad bad bad.
I woke up yesterday morning in the wee hours and could feel the sick coming on yet again; you know the whole throat on fire body aches kind of thing. Today I woke up feeling even worse. But generally in the beginning I feel a little better as the day goes on so both days I went about our normal business running errands yesterday and attending a birthday party today. I figured it would be good for Luke since he spent all week last week sick. Well of course while we are at the birthday party I start noticing that Luke is acting like he doesn't feel well. Then I see the runny nose setting in and before I know it he is burning up. Time to head home.
I gave him some Tylenol and he has been sleeping for the past three hours. He is definitely not well. And now I am feeling worse too.
I just can't ever seem to get on top of the sick thing. It seems like as soon as he is well we are back out playing with Luke's friends and doing our normal activities and before you know it boom he is sick again. I can always link it back to some of the other kids also being sick. So what do I do, not ever let Luke play with his friends and not get the exposure he really needs at this age? Or constantly put the poor kid (and myself) through the ringer with getting sick all the time. I am cautious making sure to wash his hands and wiping down the shopping carts if I put him in one etc. etc. but one can only do so much.
I wish I knew why we are always sick. We eat healthy, take vitamins, I even take probiotics. I have always had a horrible immune system and was frequently sick as a kid in school. Is this something genetic I have passed on to my poor son? I sure hope not.
Right now I am just frustrated and unsure. I hate to have to constantly ask if kids are sick and then do what? pick up my kid and leave if someone is like an obsessed parent? I don't want to be that guy but I feel like that is what it is coming to! Being sick is just taking too much of a toll on my little buddy and on myself (and my poor hubby who has to put up with us when we're sick!). ARGH! Sick again!
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