Today's Harvest July 1st

Last Friday, we made our first 'harvest' from our garden.

I was so excited. We had a zucchini, cucumber and some purple potatoes. I grabbed a few blackberries and wild blueberries (the little tiny blue balls) just for fun.

I loved I am growing things that I can eat. We've gardened for years, expanding a little each year. Last year I wasn't very active in the garden because I was preggers and cucumbers and tomatoes, one our successful harvests were yuck triggerering foods for me. Just the thought of them made me want to barf.

So this year, despite having a small baby again, plus one that I sometimes refer to as 'A rabid Octopus' and my 8 year old that makes me want to pull my hair out sometimes, my husband said 'The garden's on you this year.'

Wha? He's not working more than he has in the past, but he's been working on this massive chicken palace. Then he's got a greenhouse to build, and an outdoor shower, but I think I can handle that last one, if I could just find the time..

So I've been so proud of my little garden.

Diamonds & Dirt

I'm getting a farm girl tan. Days spent bent over pulling weeds in the garden in a pair of shorts too short for me to wear comfortably in public, a pair of rubber boots up to my knees and whatever shirt I happen to be wearing. I have a stripe across my lower back, and on the back of my legs that stops abruptly at my knees.

My hands haven't developed calluses yet, but they have seen better days. They're rough and stained. I gave up on nail polish years ago- I use my hands too much, it chips and within a day it just needs to be taken off but I don't have time, so I don't bother. I've given up on having long perfectly shaped nails. They break.

I never was super-girly-girl. Sure I wore make-up, got my nails done, even used to get my hair highlighted and *GASP* laid in a tanning bed once. But it never was me.

So I haven't felt like I've had to give anything up, really.

Before I said good-bye to working full-time, we were nervous about me not working. I was quick to point out that when we first got married, that I worked part-time, he worked a little more than part time and was going to school full-time. But when we made more, we spent more. I remember the entire time I was pregnant with my oldest, I didn't spend a DIME that I didn't absolutely have to spend the entire time.

But we still had our doubts, plus we were adding a new member to the family at the same time. And it's worked. We've been running on less money in the past 2.5 years, but our quality of life is so much better. My schedule was allover the place, and I just never felt like a grown-up with a family because we never got to see each other and do family stuff.

It's all been worth it.

Before we were ever pregnant with #2, and I'd planned on being a stay at home mom to homeschool anyway, my husbands ex-stepmom recommended a book called 'Your Money or Your Life' by Vicki Robin & Joe Dominguez. I did not finish the book, honestly. But the basic idea still rings true. You have to look at things you want and calculate how many hours of your life you have to give up in order to pay for it, whether it's a new pair of shoes, massage, etc.

God has blessed me with 3 beautiful girls and tons more. He didn't give me these girls to pawn off on someone else, my homeschool mantra- 'I didn't have these kids just for someone else to raise them'.

One day, my girls will grow up and go and do things without me. They'll move out of my house. I'll have my me time then.

For now, I enjoy watching my girls each and everyday. They change so much. My littlest grows everyday. My middle does something hilarious everyday. And my oldest is at that make-or-break age where I need to be constant.

So you can keep your designer clothes, your manicures, pedicures, new cellphones. You can keep your trips with no kids. I don't want to be away from my kids anymore than I have to. I'm gonna keep doing what I like. And that's spending time with my kids.

Money Saving Series for Real People- Laundry

Why laundry? Why now? Is there that much to $ to be saved in doing laundry?

Yes.

How much?

That depends on you.

If you read my post from yesterday, then you know how your laundry detergent works. It's the agitation from the washing machine in the water that gets it clean.

I remember when we had an upright washer, on some occasions I would pack it so full, and we used powdered detergent because it was cheaper, there would be white residue all over the clothes. So that load had to be split into 2 loads and re-rinsed. That wasted water, time and $.

• So the idea is to make sure you have a full load, but don't pack it too full or they won't get clean. Like with cars, washing machines come with an owners manual (if you get it new, and if you're getting it used from a reputable looking person at a yardsale (as my mom calls them) then they just might have the owners manual. If they don't have it handy, you can ask if you leave your name & number if they find it, can they call you? Worst thing that can happen is they say no. But you've just bought a washing machine from them- you've done them a favor.) Otherwise in the age of the internet, you can find the manual online. Find out what the recommended wash size is.

• But then your detergent. Just don't use as much, as I already went over in yesterdays post. In an HE machine, that's already very little, but you can still use less. For example, the detergent I'm using now, comes with a cup like most liquids do, and has fill lines on it, one for regular and one for heavily soiled clothes. For our house, heavily soiled is my husbands clothes. When he's home, he's working on something and is getting pretty dirty & smelly in the process. When he's at work, he's not getting as dirty and sweaty, but he's wearing the same clothes all day long, and likely hasn't had a shower in days. And he smokes a pipe, so his clothes REEK! I use less than the recommended amount for a regular wash on his clothes, run a normal cycle (not the heavy duty) and they are pleasantly clean & fresh when they come out of the washer.
• Don't try to skimp and buy the regular detergent for your HE machine either. The HE kind costs more b/c it will not get as sudsy, which is a disaster for your HE. Those very suds can coat the internals of your machine b/c they puff up and get where a regular HE detergent can't. And you just might need to make use of your warranty. So protect it.
  
• Wash in cold. Don't buy the detergents specifically for cold water. If you have something super dirty-oily, then a presoak in your sink in hot water will suffice.
  
• Line dry. The sunlight is free. The UVA rays will bleach out any stains and kill any germs. Also kills the nasty odor causing bacteria that sometimes doesn't get killed in the dryer. You can pop them in the dryer for a couple of minutes with some dryer balls when they're almost dry or dry to soften them.
• If you're saying, I don't have time to line dry b/c I do my laundry at night. Hmm. If you have a front loader, you probably have a delay setting so it can be done when you get up in the AM. For example, I get up at 7 am everyday. I know the regular wash takes about an hour. So at midnight I set it for it's max time which is 6 hrs and it's ready when I get up for me to put it on the line. And it can stay there all day til you're ready to take it off, when you get home from work, or running errands or whatever. So they're also not laying around in a dryer for a long time getting wrinkly.
• Invest in some dryer balls. You can eliminate the need for fabric softeners and your clothes will dry faster with them.
  

• Wash full loads. I have 3 hampers. 1 for cloth diapers. One for lights & delicates and one for darks. They're presorted and I wash those 3 loads.

Good luck!

Money Saving Series for Real People - Things we use

Think about all the things you use. You have to pay for most of them, right? If you use less, then bingo you don't have to buy them as often = saving money.

Lets talk soap. First off, lets understand the way soaps and detergents work. They work by acting as an emulsifier. They have surfactants in them. What is a surfactant? Here's a good explanation. So as it's explained, the detergents bind to the dirt. Extra soap isn't going to get you extra clean.

My husband uses bar soap and when it gets down to a certain size, he deems it no longer useful. I'm not really sure what he did with the slivers before we met, but I have a soap dish full of slivers. They still work! You can grate them up, scoop them in to the bottom of a pump bottle and fill with water and shake it around, let it sit and then you have handsoap.

The fact is, most of us are obsessed with being CLEAN. Don't get me wrong. I like being clean to, but did you know that the recommended amounts listed on laundry and dishwasher detergents are WAY more than you need?

• Dishwasher detergent does not get sudsy, so you never see the remnants of extra detergent in the dishwasher, but try cutting the amount of dishwasher detergent in HALF. I guarantee that your dishes will be just as clean.
• Handsoap is another one. People use gobs and gobs of liquid handsoap. The bar versions are actually cheaper and last much longer, but if you must use liquid, for hands that aren't visibly dirty with mud or grease etc. a pea size amount (just like toothpaste) is all you need. Extra soap isn't going to get your hands any cleaner. It's actually the friction of rubbing your hands under the running water that gets them clean.
  
• Laundry detergent- if you have a front loader, it's very simple- if there are suds in any amount in the ring when the cycle is done, you used too much detergent. In a top loader, your water should be clear. It should all be rinsed away. Not only does it waste money, too much detergent also causes you to STINK more when you start to sweat. When all the detergent doesn't get rinsed out, it dries in your fabric. When you sweat, your sweat reacts with the residue and causes you to stink more. So what do you do? When you do the laundry you use more detergents and softeners, right? Use half the detergent. Trust me.
  
• While we're on the subject of laundry. We've all heard that you should wash things in hot water to kill germs, right? You can save money on electricity if you wash in cold, because you aren't using water out of your water heater. (It will have to pump more in, and get that to temperature, which does use more electricity than keeping it a constant temperature.) Because you're either going to put your clothes into the dryer, which will get hot enough to kill germs, or you're going to line dry them and the UVA rays from the sun will also kill any germs.
• Some people have tactile issues and can't wear crunchy clothes. But for the majority of us, we can. Fabric softeners make our clothes smell good- BUT- again the residue issue. And to me they feel sticky. And smelly. Smells can attract bees, so I find it best to avoid them. But the fabric softeners work by coating the fibers. This actually leads to them breaking down faster. So your clothes, in theory will last longer if you skip the fabric softeners. (Although many people don't wear their clothes til they fall apart.) Clothes dryer dried clothes will still be soft. You can also add white vinegar to your rinse cycle, the smell washes out and it supposedly has softening effects. Really. I use it on my cloth diapers on occasion.

• Lotion. We all like soft moisturized skin right? Lotion does not actually make your skin softer. Lotion forms a coating on the surface of your skin to keep moisture in. The best way to moisturize is to drink water. Lots of it. And it's free most places. Free is good. But if you're going to use lotion, and I do, apply it to damp skin as soon as you get out of the shower. You skin has absorbed moisture in the shower. Lotion will keep it there.

Now I could go on and on and on about all the things we use and how we use way too much. So the next time you're using something non-edible that you have to continually buy, hair stuff, deodorant, etc. Use a little less. Sometimes you get better results. Really.
Know how if you put a thick coat of nail polish on, it takes forever to dry and it chips really easy? And the thinner coats last longer? Same concept.

Money Saving Series for Real People- Lets talk MPG

A couple of weeks ago, I went to the annual homeschool conference. I ended up in an afternoon session by a mom who started out with 'I am an expert at nothing and know a little about alot.' It was on the topic of saving money, and I really went in there to get a break; I had every intention of zoning out while nursing a very wiggly baby and not worrying about having to take notes. But I sat up and paid attention.
I've read 'many a' articles on ways to save. Alot of them are just plain no-brainers for me (as my cousin always says, quoting her late husband- 'Poor people's got poor ways.') And some don't even apply to me. So last night (or the wee hours of this morning) I had the bright idea to do a blog series on saving money for real people. Now, I used to have my best ideas and be my most creative in the middle of the night, but then I had kids. So while hurrying thru a sad excuse for a shower, my head was just full of ideas. I jotted them down as fast as I could until I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer. So here goes.

Lets talk MPG. Gas is all the talk right now. It's so expensive. It's still about the same price as a gallon of milk. At any rate, do you know your MPG? I've asked MANY people this over the years, and I've always been quiet surprised when people JUST DON'T KNOW. I mean smart people just DON'T KNOW!
First thing is you have to figure out the size of your gas tank. You can find that info in your owners manual, but if you don't happen to have your owner's manual handy, then you can always find that information online. Just be careful of your sources. Blogs are getting to be a big source of info on a variety of subjects, and like me, these people may or may not know what they're really talking about. So go with a reputable source. (And while you're at it, go ahead and download a PDF of your owners manual. Cars have them for a reason.)
When you know that your tank, is for example, 16 gallons, you know that filling your car til the (hopefully fully operational) gas nozzle clicks off. Most newer cars and some older ones are equipped with a trip odometer (or 2!) that you can reset each time you fill your tank up. (I repeat, you can reset this. (Imagine my mom's shock when I reset hers- if she'd have taken the time to read her manual she would have known this. If you're lucky enough to have and A & B, use one to track your mileage for your next oil change and one for each tank of gas. Not rocket science people.) You don't have to run your tank all the way out. That's actually frowned upon by most mechanics, but some people apparently still do this hence the 'fuel light' that comes on. Some cars chime at you. My car has a handy 'estimated miles til empty indicator'. )
When you stop to fill your tank up again, for example when it's half empty by the gauge- you fill it up til it clicks on it's own- don't force more gas into the tank (more on that later). Look at the pump and see 'oh it took 7.45 gallons to refill my tank, and my trip odometer said 241 miles'. So you divide the 241 miles by the 7.45 gallons you actually used. That comes up to 32.34. So that's your MPG. Now you may have a fancy computer in your car that does this for you. Still check the numbers yourself. It relies on an electrical gauge in your gas tank so it may or many not be correctly working. You never know til you check it yourself. If your numbers are the same, then maybe check it once a month, depending on how much you drive.
There are many ways to increase one's full economy. The first and foremost is to slow the heck down. My nephew has a Honda Civic, a car notorious for their MPG. He complains that his car sucks up gas, yada yada yada. Well when you accellerate rapidly, and break suddenly that destroys your fuel economy. They have done extensive studies on this.
The science is clear-
SLOW DOWN,
Don't accelerate rapidly,
Don't follow so close that you have to constantly slam or tap on your breaks. (MPG aside, it's NOT SAFE- they teach you this in Drivers Ed!)
They also say to fill your tank up first thing in the AM when the tanks have been cooling all night. I debate that one. The tanks are quite a bit underground. The frost line is at 18 inches below the surface. Anything below that is a constant temperature year/day round.
They also say that you shouldn't let your fuel level fall below half- the air in the tank will cause your gas to evaporate quicker. Again. I debate this one. Your fuel line is airtight. When you fill your tank up, there is very little air. You gas cap should be on tight (my car lets me know when mine isn't!) and when you eventually put more gas in your car, the 'whoosh' like when you open a soft drink? That's the vacuum.
There is debate about whether or not you should run your A/C. For stop and go city traffic where you aren't going over 35 MPH, if you can stand it, turn off your A/C and roll down your windows. For me, most of my driving is rural highway. I run my A/C and I've calculated my MPG with and without the A/C and their isn't a noticeable difference. Nor is there in power. But not all vehicles are created equal so this is going to be model specific.
Also, what I consider no brainers. Keep your tires PROPERLY inflated. Don't over-inflate them- causes them to wear un-evenly and faster, plus it's not safe. Keep your air filter clean. Change your oil.
Use your cruise whenever you can. Take extra weight out of your car. I laugh at this one. I have 3 carseats in my car. They aren't always occupied, but I'm sure as heck not taking them out unless someone throws up on them. Then we have the stroller, my permanent car diaper bag. My purse. My 'day bag'. The mobile diaper bag. The 'stuff I might need in my car bag'. A half gallon of water for emergencies.
Also remember the first mode of transportation is feet! If it's less than a mile, WALK. Ride your bike if you can. Really. It's doable. I rode my bike to work 3x a week until I found out I was pregnant the last time. I can't be away from home for the amount of additional time that it takes for me to ride my bike. Maybe next year.
Last but not least- Don't make trips just to get gas. Leave a few minutes early and get it on your way. :-)

Beer at 7:30 AM

So this morning, despite only getting 5 hrs of sleep, (Yes, despite. I generally get more sleep than this, which is why I cannot get anything accomplished during the day.) I was wide awake getting Aaron off to work, so in my pajamas, put on my tall 'garden boots' and fed the dogs.
I really wanted to go to my garden.
I really wanted to check my beer traps.

This is a lid that I filled with beer and put next to squash plant, to hopefully drown a few stink bugs. The lid is too shallow, so I need some bigger ones. I did use a big plastic lid off of a mayo jar and that seemed to have caught lots more ants. There is a massive ant hill in the middle of this raised bed- it's the one furthest left in the bottom picture, behind the washing machine tub. I haven't figured out how I feel about drowning the ants. I don't think they're either beneficial nor detrimental to my squash. What do you think?

No pictures ....(not that you'd want to see them, if I'd had time to take them)

So Baby Girl has been smiling ALOT for several days now. It's so cute to look down while she's nursing, and she stops and looks back up at me and gives me the biggest grin. So cute. She was in a particularly smiley mood today, but by the time I got my camera, the mood had been replaced by the hiccups and hasn't quite made it back yet. That elusive smile. When she smiles, she looks just like her big sisters.
Even if I'd gotten that picture that I've been trying to get, I wouldn't have gotten it uploaded.
While I was tending the other children today E made some mischief. Mischief is her middle name, but this one was a new one for her. I came into the living room to find her jumping around on the couch naked from the waist down. When she saw me she shrieked hysterically and climbed down from the couch and started her usual 'run away from mom because it's funny'. I found her pants and underwear in a pile in the bathroom. I thought maybe there was a potty-break-thru and she'd taken herself to the potty, and either not bothered to put her pants back on, or that she hadn't made it to the potty, but took off her wet clothes. Well her clothes were wet. And that's not all they were.
Luckily is wasn't the super-messy kind, but by the time I got ahold of her, her hind-quarters were pretty yucky. And I washed all the things in from the couch in the washer that I could, and sprayed the rest with Lysol and she got a semi-bath.
Later in the day, while Baby napped, we went outside to play. I had to come back in for something and it wasn't soon before E came running in the house, with sand allover her, in her eyes, you name it. SO she got another bath. And let me tell you, flushing a screaming 2 year olds eyes with running water is much easier said than done.
So she took another nap. While she was napping, and I was looking forward to getting alot of schoolwork accomplished with my oldest, my sisters dog started going nuts in my front yard. We go outside to find that she'd treed a critter that I first thought was raccoon but turned out to be a cat. And the dog was not letting the cat get away. And her barking attracted the attention of the neighbors dog. So K and I chained up my sisters dog. And 10 minutes later had lured the neighbors dog (no collar) into our dog's kennel. Then K wanted to stand there and watch the cat, who didn't want to move with her pacing under the tree now.
I finally convinced her to leave it alone. So 10 min. later she couldn't stand the suspense and went back to check and the cat was gone by now- she was kinda disapointed she wanted to keep it. So then we let the dogs loose again, and she kept making remarks all afternoon about the dogs 'enjoying the cat as a tasty treat'. Perhaps.
On my original list of things that I really needed to get done today was giving one of our dogs, Shadow a bath before her upcoming vet visit. Ofcourse today was the day that both of our dogs were MIA all day long. So as the sun was setting, they came home, and we managed to get both dogs mostly washed..(We'd had the wading pool out for a few days for the water to warm up).
I'm sure both black dogs will be yellow with pollen by tomorrow again, but at least we tried.
So we finally get in, and we all get cleaned up, and since we've been opening windows, we've seen a few ants, so we've been pretty diligent about vacuuming at least once a day. So while K is vacuuming while I'm still running around like a chicken with my head cut off, she sucks E's 'silky' up the vacuum's hose. ('Silky' is her lovey. It was actually mine a child. My mom butchered a few of her 'silky' gowns for me. I had at least 3 silkys. A pair and a spare, LOL. We're down to one...)
I was able to disconnect the hose, but it was ofcourse lodged just out of my grasp, so I got the meter stick and was able to poke it out, but not before 'Silky' picked up some splinters and a lot of crud. So I picked the splinters out and washed it by hand and thru it in the dryer, where it is now.
I start out with a To Do list and it grows everytime I turn around. But life is what keeps you from getting the To Do list done. I did get both dogs cleaned. And I spent time outside with the kids today. E learned that poop isn't fun to wear and so on. My husband called in the middle of me trying to rescue 'Silky' and wanted me to look up an address on Google Maps for him, which had me sitting down at the computer.
I started brushing me teeth for the first time today, about an hour ago and had to go break up a fight or wipe some tears or something. I can't remember. But I wouldn't have it any other way. My life is crazy and hectic and I never get anything done. I had to read the answer key in the back of K's grammar book the other night at 1 am b/c my poor brain couldn't diagram a sentence.
And I'll get up and do it allover again tomorrow.....

This past Monday morning, I decided that it was time that the girls and I got back on track around the house. Not that we were ever on track.
I made a schedule. A daily schedule. And guess what? Haven't stuck to it once since writing it out. Tuesday morning, when I didn't actually make it out of bed until around 11 am, and probably didn't wash my face, and I know for sure I didn't brush my teeth til I went to bed, I kinda felt bad. But by the time Wednesday morning rolled around and I slept as late as the girls would let me, I didn't care anymore.
I still need to get things done. My carpets are disgusting. There's dust on everything (I never really liked to dust anyway). I've stayed on top of laundry & dishes, but I never let those chores go- if I do, they 'go' really quickly. But babies are only babies one time. I want to watch as much of that as I can, even if it means letting my house go, and eating breakfast after noon and then lunch is a half eaten, discarded granola bar off of the couch or from under the coffee table. Or stale raisins from the diaper bag while you're driving down the road.
So how is it that I'm able to blog this AM? I was up at 6:48 to change a never-ending poopy diaper. As soon as I laid back down, the hubby's alarm went off. He hit the snooze button, but it went off again, and then Kaylor's wind-up alarm went off and it was impossible to go back to sleep then.
Plus I had to get Kaylor up and ready for our homeschool co-op today. My friend picked her up last time, and is picking her up again today for me, but I'm going to go and be there when they get out and run my errands in town today from there.
Considering it took me 1 hour and 40 minutes to get myself and the girls out of the house just to go see my grandparents yesterday, I need to start getting ready now.

Mercedes Birth by Rachel

Another 'guest' post, by my friend Rachel, on her second baby's birth.



With my second baby, I woke up at 12:15am on Monday with a crampy feeling and a desperate need to pee. A trip to the bathroom ended both, so I went back to sleep. Woke up at 12:45 with another cramp and suspected it might be a contraction, but waited for a third and fourth one to come within the next 20 minutes before waking my husband. We both got up, and I called the midwives to let them know I might be coming in. They were about 5-10 min apart, only 30-40 seconds long, from then until about 3am. We finished packing our bags, packed food to take to the birth center, and I painted the Big Brother t-shirt for our son. At 3, my husband gave me a backrub and the contractions eased off, so we went back to bed. I woke up with a contraction every half hour or so for the rest of the night.

At 7am the contractions were back to what they'd been earlier, so we went to the midwives' at 11 to get checked out. They did a non-stress test on the baby and checked my cervix -- at first she said I was still at 2, then she paused and said, "No, I can stretch you -- your cervix is so stretchy and pliable!" Turned out I was at 5, but the head was only at -1. Since I wasn't having strong or long contractions yet, we went home and had lunch while they got a birthing room ready for me.

Things picked up after that, and at 1 we called a friend from church who was standing by and told her it looked like the day had arrived. We went to the birth center at 3, where I walked around out by my husband, our son, and our friend for about 45 minutes, having increasing contractions. Got in the birthing tub for half an hour, where my husband helped get rid of charley horses in my feet. But the tub started to feel too soothing and counter-productive, so I got out. I was between 6 and 7 then, and having some pretty intense back pressure, so my husband gave me counter pressure on my hips with each contraction. I stood up leaning on the bed for a few, then got on a birthing ball where I did my transition.

They got me up on the bed on my back to check me again, and I was at 9+. I had 4 or 5 contractions there before I could manage to turn over and get on my hands & knees -- I hated being on my back and was kinda mad at the time that I had to do it that way. Once I was on all fours on the bed, I got the urge to push, and they said it was okay. The baby crowned soon after. They made me stop pushing for a bit so I could stretch. I had to do some half-pushing, and my water broke. Then with a couple long pushes, she was out -- pushing this time took 11 minutes instead of the hour I did with my first baby.

They passed her between my legs so I could turn over and lie down with her while my husband cut the cord and they cleaned us up -- she pooped all over me while she was lying on my tummy, such a polite girl ;-) I only needed one stitch for a superficial tear -- they said if I didn't have our son to run around after at home they wouldn't have given me even that one, but they wanted to be safe.

We went home at 11 that same night. I don't know her APGARs, just that they were "good," but she was 8 lb 10 oz and 20" -- the same length as her big brother, but 13 oz heavier!

By Rachel- Daniel's Birth

This is from one of my best friends, Rachel. You can check out her blog, here.

I started drinking raspberry leaf tea to ripen my cervix a couple weeks before I was due. Seems to work, because at my midwife appointment the week before I was due, I was dilated a centimeter and starting to efface. So waited around a week, and nothing. Went in for another checkup, I was 3 cm dilated and like 50% effaced. My midwife stripped my membranes and sent me home. Waited around until my next appointment a week later, when I was between 3-4cm dilated and 90% effaced, and the baby was at stage 1. My midwife stripped my membranes again and said that since I was almost a week overdue, I might want to consider trying something like castor oil to get things going, because if I went 2 weeks overdue they would induce me with something like Pitocin. I bought some castor oil on my way home, but waited a couple days before taking any.

My husband and I had been working 3rd shift for four years at the time. I'd quit my job 2 weeks before my due date to have time to just be myself a little bit before the baby arrived, and to take care of some cleaning-out-the-piles-of-junk projects I hadn't finished yet. But I was still living the 3rd-shift lifestyle with my husband, which means we woke up around 5pm and ate breakfast, then had lunch around midnight, supper around 7am, and we went to bed around 9am. Just wanted to explain all that so you'd understand why the times might seem a bit wonky in the next part.

After my husband went to work one evening, I finally took the castor oil mixed with a chocolate malt. I didn't spend nearly as much time in the bathroom as I'd expected, and I started to get Braxton-Hicks contractions sometime after lunch at midnight. They weren't very strong, but I called the hospital anyway, and they said to wait until they were strong and had been 5 mins apart for an hour, yadda yadda yadda. I went ahead and called my husband at work, and walked out to meet him on his way home. We had supper, the contractions subsided, and we decided just to go to bed like usual and see what happened.

By the time we woke up that evening, the contractions were gone, which frustrated me a lot. So I did another chocolate-and-castor-oil malt, and spent very little time at all in the bathroom as I seemed to have cleaned myself out the night before. My husband stayed home from work anyway, just in case. Around 4am, we decided we might as well put our time to the best possible use, and when we were done I got what I thought was a really strong cramp in my lower abdomen. It didn't really hurt, just felt kinda odd. It passed, I got up and took a shower, and had another cramp in the shower. And then another when I was getting dressed. I realized that this was probably Real Labor, so we called the hospital, got the same answer as before, and started timing the contractions. After about an hour, they started to get stronger and pretty regular, about 5-6 minutes apart. I was doing some hand sewing, working on a spare sheet for this little baby travel bed we got,
and for that first hour I'd been able to just keep sewing through the contractions. But they got to where I couldn't, I'd just stop sewing and breathe deeply until they passed. I was very calm, in this zone I get into during any kind of crisis or emergency, where everything is very clear and I get very focused and sensible.

At 6:30am, after an hour of regular, strong, 5-minutes-apart contractions, we called the birth center at the hospital again, and they said, "Oh, you can come in and get checked if you want to, but this is your first baby, so we're probably going to send you home again for a few hours." Got there about 10 minutes later, checked in, and they took me not to a birthing room, but to a regular OB room so they could do the initial fetal monitoring, see how dilated I was, and then send me home without having to get a whole room ready for me. The nurse was pretty nonchalant, and I had I think two contractions there while waiting for my midwife to come in and check me -- I think she had just arrived on duty herself or something. Anyway, the nurses kept reassuring me that I'd be going home again for a few hours.

My midwife came in, checked me, and said, "You're dilated to 9 -- you are having this baby right now -- we need to get you in a room." I was like, "Yeah, I know, I kept trying to tell people that." They took us to a private birthing room, and I kept having contractions while they got the bed made, etc. I tried laboring on a birthing ball, and I did some labor with my arms around either my midwife's or my husband's neck. My husband says I "nearly popped his head off." That wasn't very comfy either. Tried squatting, but didn't like that.

Then about the time I started feeling like I wanted to push, about 8am, my midwife suggested I go on all fours on the bed. Perfect! I started pushing, and I loved that between contractions I could lie on the bed to rest, then rise back onto my hands and knees to push again. My water broke at that point, but my son's head was wedged in like a cork and just a little trickle came out. I pushed for about an hour, with my husband behind me applying blessed counter-pressure on my hips and my midwife encouraging me. I had brought along some CDs I'd burned, and we'd put on one that was just the soundtrack to my favorite movie ("The Man from Snowy River") looped twice. They put it on repeat and it played the whole time. I remember at one point, my midwife told me the head was visible and I could touch it, and she guided my hand down to feel the hair, but I was like, "That's nice, whatever, let's get this done with." Very all-business. I also remember my other
midwife (it was a team) came in shortly before I was done to say good morning and tell me I was doing well, and I managed to smile politely at her.

And then, the head crowned, came out with I think two pushes, all the amniotic fluid he'd been holding back with his cork-head whooshed out, and the nurses told me to stop. One of them had a little consultation with the midwife, saying, "If the head's that big, how wide are the shoulders going to be? Are we going to be able to get them out?" I wanted to tell them that my husband's family members have huge heads and the shoulders would not be a problem, but I was too tired and ready to just get that baby out. Then, suddenly, at 9:11am, there he was, and I could finally lie down and hold my baby. I do believe the first thing I said to him, when they put him up on my tummy, was "Hello, Baby." Very original. He cried. And cried. And cried... for 24 minutes while I delivered the placenta and they cut the cord and gave me 2 or 3 stitches.

Then they cleaned up the room and told me one of them would be back in a minute to help me start nursing him. But my son has ever been a hungry little fellow, and he knew exactly what to do with that nipple, no questions asked. By the time the nurse came back, he was latched on perfectly and was a happy little red baby with a fair amount of hair on top and no eyelashes or eyebrows.

And that's pretty much my birth story for my first baby. Four-and-a-half hours of labor, total. Several of the nurses thanked me later for bringing in my own music, because they were really tired of hearing the new-age stuff the birth center has. I'd actually brought 3 CDs, but only used the one. Bring your own music -- your nurses will thank you! :-D

Finn's Birth

So my 1st and 2nd daughters were very similar. K was born at 38 wks, on a Tuesday the 14th at 9 am, and weighed 6 lbs, 14 oz. E was born at 38 wks, on a Tuesday the 16th at 8:30 and weighed 6 lbs, 13 oz. Finn's due date was March 1st. 38 wks was a Tuesday. It was also the 15th. I knew for sure I would have a baby that day.
At my midwife appointment at 36 wks, I told my favorite midwife all about this. She was quite intrigued with all the similarities. Then she remembered she was going to be out of town. Not only out of town, but out of the country that week.
So now my question was, do I try to wait til she gets back (I really wanted her to have delivered both of my babies, plus she is so entertaining, I couldn't imagine having either of the other midwives there...) or do I try to have a baby on the 15th?
The 15th, came and went, with no baby. We started Friday night prior trying to induce, naturally ofcourse. I ate a whole pineapple. I squatted. At my 38 week appointment, on the 16th, the other midwife told me to have 'good husband and wife relations'. I walked. I walked really fast on a treadmill at the YMCA where I work.
Finally on Friday, the 18th of Feb. I was at our homeschool co-op, and my replacement yoga teacher, who was also covering for me at the YMCA was there, and I sat in on her class. I decided during final relaxation that I was just going to let it all go. I wasn't going to obsess about it. At this point, I was freaking out over the possibility of having to have a c-section, since an induction wouldn't be done on me, since I was a VBAC. (I didn't want an induction anyway, but if push came to shove, I would have had an induction over another c-section).
But I decided to let it all go. Although I was crammed in the corner, sitting against a door with the hinges digging into my back, and I was perched precariously on one butt cheek to stay out of the 'space' for the 2 kids that were next to me, one who was just there b/c his teacher hadn't shown up, it was the best final relaxation I've ever had.
During the next 'class period' I texted my good friend Shakira, who's also a Reiki Master. She's Reikied me a few times during this pregnancy. She could get me in the afternoon. So I got home from the co-op, took a warm bath, listened to some yoga music, and then went to Reiki and relaxed some more.
The next day, I had sporadic contractions like I'd been having for the past 3 months. Sunday morning, I woke up at 6 am. Uncomfortable as all get out. Tossed and turned. Got up to use the potty, laid back down, tried to go back to sleep. I might have snoozed some. At 7 am, I'm laying there trying to go back to sleep and I feel this hard pop.
I thought, 'Surely this isn't her head engaging.' (Her head wasn't engaged the last time I checked.) So I got up, and went back to the bathroom, where I was leaking fluid. It was the 20th. The day my midwife actually came home from out of the country. Tomorrow she'd be back at work. So I called the midwife on call, and I knew it was going to be my 2nd favorite one, b/c my least favorite was on vacation starting that Friday 2 days before. She asked how far apart my contractions were, and I said I wasn't having any. She told me not to wait more than 4-6 hours before coming to the hospital. I thought, 'Great... no contractions, I'm gonna go to the hospital too early in labor, and be confined to that stupid fetal monitor and....."
Aaron woke up when I told him my water broke. He wanted to go back to sleep and I told him to since I wasn't having any contractions, but he was too excited to sleep and went to McDonalds.
Some 30 minutes later, my contractions started. At 3 min. apart. But they weren't very intense. So I called my mom, asked if it was normal and she said it was for me, and she'd start getting ready. So I woke Kaylor up. I called Aaron. By the time everyone got here, and got ready, we set off to the hospital.
I'm still convinced at this point, that it's super early for me to be going to the hospital. Convinced so much of this, I tell my husband that I'm getting an epidural b/c the hospital is going to make me crazy and I'm fine now, but it's going to get worse and I'm going to be stuck there on the fetal monitor, and besides, I've had a c-section, I've done it all natural, why not since this is the last one?
I also tell my husband not to drive with flashers on. Not too drive like maniac and too keep his thoughts about the other drivers to himself. The ride to the hospital wasn't bad. My contractions stayed regular, and I busied myself calling and texting people. Curves & turning were kinda bad if it was at during a contraction.
My mom caught up with us on a 4 lane road, and I thought that my contractions had slowed down. We got to the hospital, and I waited thru a contraction to get out of the car. We started in, and as soon as I got under the cover at the front door, I had another, this time in my low back. I leaned against a pillar. She was faced the wrong way. Is her head engaged yet? I just kept thinking, she's facing the wrong way, my labor is going to be longer. In the meantime, my mom tells me to keep walking. WHAT?
So we get in, I'm still calm. I have a few more contractions. I get into my room, and sit on the toilet, as I was doing that at home too before we left, and thought in that respect, I'd never make it to the hospital.
Contractions picked up, and the back labor intensified. The nurse finally convinces me that if I get on my hands and knees, it'll help my back. So I get on the bed, on my hands and knees. I'm suddenly exhausted. We put the head of the bed up, and I lean against it. I think this made it worse, so the nurse told me to rock side to side. That helped.
Finally the midwife shows up. With her hair down. And a white sweater. She's also chewing gum, which was amusing to me.
She checks me, and says something like 'we're gonna have a baby'. But she continues to sit and chew her gum. I was so exhausted, that I wasn't moving, and my contractions were practically nothing. I was sitting up at this point and they'd already dropped the end of the bed. But the head of the bed wasn't giving me any low back support so I had to move to get more comfy, and as soon as I did, a hard contraction would hit me.
The back labor was like I was being stabbed on both sides of my lower back, and I had sharp shooting pains down the outside of my thighs and it stopped at my knees. I told them this, and they said she's just on a nerve. But it was horrible. And I just wanted to sleep.
I pushed a few times, I was feeling the urge, but again, she's still sitting there chewing her gum. Now I did have in my birth plan that I wanted people to be quiet and let me do my own thing, but it was the same birth plan from the last time and nobody was quiet then! They brought me a bar to lean on, but I hardly had the energy to lean forward on it, and I knew that I would have a contraction as soon as I did. I begged them for an epidural so I could sleep.
Aaron wanted to catch her, and the midwife said let her get the shoulders out and he could. He'd worn a long sleeve shirt, and though he washed his hands, he hadn't rolled his sleeves up, so my mom did that. Kaylor was there and fed me ice chips. My mouth was so dry.
My mom told me I wasn't pushing hard enough. So I pushed and there was a head. I had to wait for the next contraction to push again for the rest of her to come out.
So at 11:16 Finn was born. I had to work to get the placenta out, and had to have 4 stitches. She was 7 lbs and 22" long. The longest baby in either of our families. I had said all along she was going to be a big baby.
After the birth, and everyone left, I got up and took a shower and felt almost..normal.
We went home the next day, but call had switched so my favorite midwife came in. I told her about how she really was a bigger baby, and she still laughed and told me that 7 lbs was not big. She sat and talked to us a while, told us about her trip. It was a good hospital experience. We ended up not really getting out any quicker than we did with E. It was 26 hrs before E had a name, and we couldn't leave til we did the birth certificate. That was done this time. We were just waiting on a chatty midwife to show up and let us go.

Shaunda's Story- Brennan's Birth

I'm posting this, from my friend Shaunda's Blog.

Brennan's Birthday!!!

After going to the doc's on Monday, Feb. 7th, Bobby and I decided we would choose to be induced. At the appt, I was 4-5 centimeters dilated and the doc said I may not make it to the induction date (set for Wed. Feb. 9th at 6:30 am). We called the grandparents and got prepared for our big day!! My mom was coming on Tues night to stay the night and get Tanner up and to school the next day. Bobby's parents were coming down on Wed morning. BUT........Mr. Brennan had a mind of his own! On Tues night around 5 ish I felt a really strong contraction (while I was on FB-go figure). Then another one came about 20 mins later. I was like, OK, this could really be it!!! Then another 8 mins later. I kept having random ones here and there until 5:45 when they started coming 6 mins. apart! I was caught by surprise, I thought they would come at 10 mins apart for a while, then slowly get closer together, but nope, 4-6 mins apart for an hour! So I called the midwife and she asked if I was wanting an epidural. I was like "Oh yeah!!!" She said to come up to the hospital and she would meet us there. Luckily, my mom got to our house at the same time as I was on the phone with the midwife and Bobby and I hauled off to the hospital. Even though he was driving super fast, I was so scared I would not get there in time for the epidural. (The hospital is about 25 mins away). Luckily, I made it in enough time for them to give me the epidural-YAY!!!!! It only took on one side the first time, but they took it out and fixed it. The nurse checked me after I had the epidural (around 9 at night) and said I was 9 centimeters, but that he was still sitting really high. So we decided to just have me chill out, try to take a nap, and let them know when I feel the urge to push. Well, my mom and Bobby both fell asleep, but I just couldn't nap. So at 1 am on Feb. 9th, the nurse said, I guess, I'll just check you. So she did and she said, "I see hair, get ready to push!" Boy, was I surprised. I woke up Bobby and my mom, started pushing at 1:05 and had him at 1:10!! It all happened so fast we didn't even have the cameras ready to take a pic of Bobby cutting the cord! :) There were extra nurses on hand in case I hemorrhaged again, but I did not (thank God) and they layed Brennan on me and I was smitten! He had dark curly hair and was just so cute! He weighed 8 pounds 3 ounces, and was 21.5 inches long. That night I held him all night as he slept on my chest. I couldn't really sleep, I was just so happy that he and I were both healthy! I breastfed him immediately and many times throughout the night! He even pooped 3 times the next day-Whoa!!! Kas, Bobby's parents, my mom, Tanner, and the Montini's came to visit us on Wed. We requested to go home on Thurs. and were released around noon! Then we began our life as a family of four! The next blog will be about our first few weeks as a family, but for now, this is all I have time for!! :)

E's Birth

After we found out we were pregnant, I decided I was going to VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and the hospital where Kaylor had been born, had a strict no VBAC policy unless your Dr. was in the hospital the whole time you were laboring. So on my first Dr.'s appointment, I told my Dr. that I wanted to VBAC, and he said 'That's certainly something we can talk about as your pregnancy progresses." Again, that smile. But that wasn't good enough for me.
So on the way home, I called my mom, who no longer worked for that hospital, and she made a couple of calls and that's how we found out about the VBAC policy. So I got an appointment at a large practice, in a different (closer city) to talk with one of their midwives. My mom went with me, and for my mom, it was love at first site with this midwife, who went on to be the midwife in attendance at E's birth. She was just too chatty for me, but as my pregnancy progressed, and I got to know her more, she really grew on me.
This time I was determined to VBAC, determined to do it naturally. I didn't take any *childbirth* classes this time. I read. I read "Gentle Birth Choices" by Barbara Harper. I read "Ina May's Guide to Giving Birth" by Ina May Gaskin. I talked to Lisa Goldstein. I talked to Pamela Hunt at the Farm.
This time my labor started while I was cleaning. I recognized it, and it was like labor should be, a progression. Progressed all day and into the night. I finally went to bed about 2 am. About 3:30 I woke up and couldn't lay there any more.
I walked. I leaned on the counter in the kitchen. I tried my exercise ball, but that didn't do much for me. I sat on the toilet. I used the toilet (which alleviated some of the fear that I would you know what during the actual birth). For the last few hours I went back and forth between the toilet and the tub.
I paged the midwife on call. It wasn't my favorite. But it was my 2nd favorite. So Aaron slept. And I was just chillin' in the bathtub. When he finally got up, he called my mom. He called his parents, who were going to watch Kaylor for the big event. My mom eventually showed up, (after being up ALL NIGHT and just having gone to bed, as it turned out, is what she did the night before Kaylor was born too) to drop Kaylor off at the in-laws. I remember them standing in the bathroom doorway, talking about getting me to get out of the bathtub. I was fine in the bathtub. I didn't want to move.
But eventually I moved, and got ready and got in the car. Once in the car, I lost my focus. Aaron was driving like a maniac (like normal...) and had the flashers on, and was yelling at the other cars (like normal) and it wasn't helping me regain any focus.
We went in thru the ER sometime after 7 am, and I'd lost it at that point and told the ER desk lady to go ahead and have the anesthesiologist meet us up there. They offered me a wheelchair, but I knew I had to keep moving to keep things going. So I walked. I wanted to take the stairs, but Aaron wouldn't let me. We got in our room, and I was begging for an epidural, waiting on.. guess who, my fave midwife to show up, as the other's call was up and it was her turn. So they start doing bloodwork and IVS and all, and it was a good distraction for me, b/c I wouldn't have been able to concentrate and mellow out like I had been able to do in my own bathtub.
So the midwife shows up, with huge dangley earrings, and pink streak thru her hair, and this bright sweater. I keep looking at her earrings thinking, 'How can she deliver babies with those things smacking her in the face?'
She tells me, 'You really don't want an epidural. It'll take them 20 minutes just to get it placed. You can have this baby in 2 minutes.' I was coherent, but she did say 2 minutes, so 2 minutes meant 2 minutes.
So then we discover that the video camera are dead. And the batteries in my camera are almost dead. Great. So my mom sits over in the corner manning the dying camera. I pushed. After 2 minutes, and no baby, I pushed harder. In total it was thru about 4 contractions maybe. But out came a head, and then the rest of Eowyn at 8:30 in the morning.
I don't know if I did you know what, but I didn't care. I did tear, which was another although not quite as big of a fear. She stitched me up and when I asked how many stitches, she said 'Oh it's just a number..'
I was sore, and I didn't want to move, but I looked good in the pictures, (or so I think) and I was proud of myself. E latched on and nursed until she was 22 months old, and would have nursed longer, but I was pregnant with Finn...

Kaylor's Birth

I started having regular contractions on Monday Jan. 13. I had a check-up scheduled already, so I went and the Dr. confirmed, 'Yeah, you're in early labor. It might be tonight. Tomorrow, it might be next week." One thing I liked about the Dr. was he always smiled.
So Aaron & I went off about our day. I walked up & down our driveway. We went to Target and walked around. My contractions dwindled. So I went to bed.
I woke up about 5ish, and couldn't get comfortable. I was more uncomfortable than ever, but it didn't dawn on me that I was in real labor. I tossed & turned for awhile trying to go back to sleep. I finally decided to get up to use the bathroom, and when my feet hit the floor, my water broke.
When it did, it was like someone had poked a water balloon with a needle. I felt it break, then I felt warmth oozing around, like I was having a nice warm bath in my uterus. Though brief it was a relaxing, calming feeling. Then it gushed out. I was in the bathroom at that point, and called to Aaron that my water had just broke. He was up and out of bed and on the phone with my mom, who lives next door, and was also a labor & delivery nurse at the hospital we were going to since I was 5.
I did *childbirth* classes at the hospital. It didn't teach me anything I didn't already know from all the books & magazines & videos I'd read & watched with my mom growing up. But I was young, and naive and though I didn't think I knew everything, my older sister had had 2 kids at this point, completely natural, so I thought, 'If she can do it, I know I can do it."
I got in the shower, where my contractions came on full force out of nowhere. I don't know if had to do with how Kaylor was positioned, or fear of the unknown of childbirth (even though women have been doing it for thousands of years...) but that was my worst labor. It was also the worst drive to the hospital.
Once I got to an L&D room, I was begging for pain meds. The Dr. hadn't arrived yet, (luckily my Dr. was on call, but my mom had already said that if I asked him, he'd probably come in even if he wasn't on call.) I had a dose of Stadol. I honestly don't remember it doing much for the pain, or anything at all, but my mom & Aaron say that I slept. I knew I was supposed to move around, but I didn't want to get out of the bed.
At some point, my nurse checked me and said something didn't feel right. So the charge nurse came in and checked me. Then my mom checked me. The charge nurse and my mom said she was breech, but they had to wait on the Dr. who was there pretty quick when they called him and said as much. He confirmed, and within 15 min. I was getting wheeled to the OR. On the way past the nurses station, I felt the urge to push, and my mom told me to.
So around 9 am, Kaylor was born via c-section. Kaylor's heartrate had been fine up until they took me off the fetal monitor to do my epidural. When she came out, she was blue and not breathing. She let out one little cry and then they started working on her. She 'pinked up' really fast and was fine, Aaron went off with her to the nursery, while I got stitched up and stapled back together.
It was about an hour til I finally got to hold her, but when I did, she latched right on. We stayed in the hospital 2 nights. The first night, she slept in the bed with me, and the 2nd, she slept on the couch with Aaron.
My mom says that I had did really well after having my c-section, as far as doing stuff, but every morning, I would get up and go to my moms house and sleep on her couch til Aaron came home, for at least 2 weeks. Maybe that's just the norm for a first baby...

Welcome (Back?)

This will be... my 4th attempt at blogging? If you're a previous reader, welcome back, and if you're new, then just welcome. If you were a reader of my old blog, you'll notice that I didn't change the name. I'll be blogging over my breakfast, whether it's at 7 am, or noon or beyond, but it's about the only time I get to myself.
I don't know yet what *kind* of blog this will be. It'll I'm sure be a mish-mash of all kinds of stuff. Happy reading!!