Choosing Home Birth

While choosing home birth is becoming more and more common, I still definitely get blank stares when it's my answer after being asked, "So where are you delivering?"  Then once the person snaps out of the shock the crickets are typically followed by, "Wow, you are brave..." or something like that.  I'm okay with all of this for a lot of reasons.  First and foremost, I live very intentionally.  When I make a decision, I have done my research and soul searching and once that decision is made, I know it is the right one for me.  Do I think home birth is for everyone?  Not at all.  I think a mother needs to have mental peace and a sense of comfort while she births, especially if she is planning on forgoing medicated pain relief. I understand what comforts a hospital can offer in regard to safety in an emergency situation.  The option to have Baby constantly monitored also brings a lot of ladies comfort.  I respect all of that but those aren't what bring me comfort.  I am fine with intermittent monitoring and Ayden's birth is a perfect example of how I can (and totally will) go to the hospital for medical interventions if they are needed.  And that is what brings me to the most important reason for choosing home birth for myself and my baby:

I want to avoid unnecessary interventions and to protect my right to allow my body to "perform" on nobody's timeline but its own.  Yes, Ayden's labor was LONG but there was never any emergency.  Even once we transported after 33 hours of laboring at home, his heart rate was stellar, there were no signs of him being in any sort of distress and I had no signs of infection (which I am positive was due to my not having any internal exams during my pregnancy or labor). My water broke first thing with Ayden and hospital policy would not have allowed me to labor for that long with my waters broken. In the hospitals around here, I would have been pressured (and probably even tempted) to move things along with interventions which would have probably lead to Ayden going into distress which would have probably lead to an emergency C-section.  Laboring for so long without interventions and then going to get them when they were needed is in the end what kept me from having major abdominal surgery.  I also HATE the idea/chance of showing up to labor and delivery only to get an on call doctor who did not understand/respect my birth plan.  This happened to my sister with her first born and it was a frustrating situation for everyone. I am so grateful that we have medical interventions such as epidurals, pitocin and C-sections when they are used properly but right now, where I live, they are still largely overused and I feel the need to protect myself and my baby from that.  

I should add that unnecessary intervations don't always come from a hospital.  I also don't believe that any "natural" induction methods are a natural thing to do at all.  With my sister's visit coming to a close, there has been some talk about caster oil and such.  Just because something isn't medicine doesn't make it natural.  As much as I want her to be here to meet Logan with the rest of the family (she's never been able to be with us for any of our births and vise versa), I just won't mess with the natural process of labor unless it is medically necessary.

Logan will signal my body when he is ready!

If I am 42+ weeks pregnant and tests show that Logan is in danger of some sort, then I would try "natural induction" techniques in an effort to avoid medical interventions.  I also LOVE pregnancy and this is possibly my last one. I am ready to embrace the changes that Logan will bring with him and I'm ready for the work involved with finding a new normal as a family of 4 but I am not about to rush into it.  I am savoring every last moment that I have been given with this pregnancy and with the normalcy and predictability that we have right now. 

The past few days have been a little entertaining as folks ask me when I'm due and I reply, "____ days ago."  The response is always, "Oh you poor thing, you must be SOOO ready to have it over with" but that could not be further from the truth for me. I suppose right now I am following that old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  A "due date" means nothing to me.  Logan will let us know when he's done cooking and until then, I'm going to continue to enjoy my pregnancy and the normalcy that having him on the inside continues to provide for my family.  Patience is a virtue.

I would also like to document that I have been having a bit of prodromal labor.  There have been two nights, the 27th and the 29th, where I had mild but consistent contractions for hours at a time.  They were 1 minute long and 4-5 minutes apart both times and made me wonder if it was time but they eventually spread out and stopped.  There are a lot of probable causes for prodromal labor but the bottom line is that the contractions are still productive as far as the cervix is concerned.  I am totally fine if my body wants to do this labor thing in installments.  I'm not having internal exams, and don't even believe that how far dilated you are at any given time before active labor has much significance at all, but if my body wants to go ahead and be 4 or 5 cm dilated before I even go into active labor that is fine with me! Haha.

Side note: I am up at 4am writing this post.  I got up to pee and could not go back to sleep because all of this was on my mind.  I am hoping that journaling through my thoughts will quiet my mind and allow me to get another hour or two of sleep.  I'm so glad that tomorrow (or today I suppose...) is going to be a rainy Sunday. I'm bummed that he won't be able to put in a full day at the house but at least David will be home to hang out with Ayden in case I need some extra rest to offset this silly insomnia.  Oh, and he has Monday off too.  Yay for holidays!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Sweet Rewards"

And two years ago today: "The Power Of Play"

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Girly Time

40 Weeks, 3 Days

We had some pampering today!  My mom, sisters and niece joined me for mani/pedis and lunch. We had a great time. 

It's been a while since I've indulged in a good trashy magazine and I had forgotten how many ads and such are in them...

It was interesting reading Cosmo at 40+ weeks pregnant. 

Ahhhh

I had to change my shirt because of an unfortunate grease stain that made it look like I was already lactating...  Glad I caught it BEFORE I left the house!

Hot pink nails are appropriate for a little boy's delivery, right?
He's just going to make me even more of a princess at our house!

It was nice to have some time to focus on myself since I won't have much time to do that once we re-enter newborn land.

David and his dad got the rafters done on one of our dormers today.  Yay for a break in the rain and a full day's work!

We are still feeling patient while waiting for Logan's arrival.  We are ready to embrace the change when it comes but we are in no hurry.  

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Full Toddler Swing"

And two years ago today: "Errand Day"

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Weightless

There is a silver lining to Autumn bringing the shorter days.  At least until the time change, the sun is rising later and we are able to talk Ayden into sleeping in a bit.  I had a little trouble sleeping last night so I was so glad that when Ayden woke at his usual 6:30 and I told him to lay back down he just asked, "It's still dark outside?" and I was honestly able to tell him that it was.  He lay back down and we both slept for another hour.  Win!

When we got up, I asked him what he wanted for breakfast and he said bacon and pancakes.  So, I made my baby bacon and pancakes (usually a weekend treat but if Logan comes before then we probably won't be having them then...). 

We like this grain free recipe.
Picture them covered with bananas and maple syrup.
I guess I took the pic a little early...

My sister called to check in on me and since I was caught up in our conversation, I totally burnt the bacon.  Hey, no sugar coating here.  This is real life and sometimes in real life you burn the bacon.  

I had a chiropractor appointment this morning and then we went to my parents house to have lunch and a swim.

That's Ayden in the background in his puddle jumper.
He even got brave enough to blow bubbles with his face in the water today!

The water felt SOOO good.  A benefit to this little heat wave we are having is how warm it has made the pool.  It was a perfect 80* in there and made me feel weightless.  We stayed way longer than originally planned and when we got home, Ayden ate a whole plate of food and went right to sleep.  He swam up an appetite and was so tuckered out!  My mom wants to treat me to a mani/pedi tomorrow, so we are going to see if we can make that happen.  I think a little pampering sounds just fine.

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Hammer Time"

And two years ago today: "We Share Everything!"

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While We Wait

He drew a lamp with a "fan all around."

What a lucky mama I was today. Since Ayden went to bed late last night he fell back to sleep with me in our bed this morning and then fell back to sleep on me AGAIN when I got him up from his nap. 

So big yet still so little.  Just LOVE him!

I savored very moment and of course had to freeze the moment in time with a few photos. Perhaps he senses the changes that are coming our way?  Whatever it was, this mama was very grateful to get these extra quiet, sweet, snuggly times with my first born while we await the arrival of our second. It is also yet another opportunity to be grateful of my choice and ability to be a stay at home mom. It's not always easy or fun but these moments far outweigh all others.

 I truly love my job. 

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Broken Window Theory"

And two years ago today: "A Doting Nurse"

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40 Weeks Pregnant With Logan

Well, we've made it!

40 weeks today

To date I have gained about 31 pounds and just have a couple of small stretch marks on my left hip (the same place I got one during Ayden's pregnancy.  My right hip must be stretchier than the left.  Haha).  

Excited big bro!

I am happy to have enjoyed another beautiful pregnancy and everyday I am getting more and more excited to meet this little person that has been growing inside of me since December.  It's hard to wrap my mind around loving another little one the way we do Ayden and I'm looking forward to experiencing it.  

Everything looked great at our 40 week appointment today.  My blood pressure was a little high for me and I was dehydrated but my midwife said that both of those things are typical for a pregnant woman in this kind of heat (the high was 90* today with 55% humidity, heat index of 95*).     She told me to take it easy and drink lots of water.  

My sisters and I had a sister date this evening.  

My parents had their kids and David's mom watched Ayden (he was beyond stoked) and the three of us got to go out and be the silly sisters we always are when we are together without our kids.  We tried to think back and are pretty sure that the last time that we were alone for quality time like that together may have been more than 10 years ago.  My oldest sister's oldest son is 7 so it's been at least that long.  We all nurse our babies for a long time so once we started having kids and always had nurslings around, we've always been visiting amidst the chaos.  It was nice to have a little quiet time together before I start the next wave of babies with Mr. Logan.  We ate good food, laughed, talked and connected in a way that was much needed.  

Other than breaking a sweat the moment I step out into the heat, I am feeling really good.  I have mentally gotten to a place where I am ready to birth and ready to meet our sweet new little man but I'm also comfortable and content to stay pregnant for a while longer.  It's a good place to be in.

How do you stay connected with your siblings when you all start having kiddos?

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Toddler Tuesday: Stick Puzzles"

And two years ago today: "Quite The Predicament"

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Lola Bug

Here is our CSA haul this week:

I gave grilling corn on the cob in the husk a try tonight and it turned out really good.  I learned that the trick is to soak them in water before hand so they don't burn (like wooden kabob skewers).  It took about 20 minutes and the corn was tender and sweet.  It was really simple and each person husks their own cob so this method is a big time saver for the cook as well. I plan to make baba ganoush with the egg plant and some potato salad with the potatoes.  The greens didn't look so hot so those are unfortunately going straight to the chickens.  I'm going to cut the peppers into strips and use those to dip in the baba ganoush.  Everything else will just get cooked up with dinner somehow.  There were also ground cherries but those don't last long in this house.  Ayden and I took them as our snack to play group and they were gone in minutes.  It was actually really nice of our CSA folks.  I have told them that they introduced me to my new love for ground cherries and they said they put all the ground cherries they could find this week in our box.  It made me feel special.  I guess it really pays to take the time to talk to and build relationships with people.

My mom and sister took all of Ayden's cousins to an aquarium an hour away today.  It was a slow-paced and quiet day for us.  I got A LOT of house work done.  It was MUCH needed since I've been spending the time I typically spend doing things like folding laundry and such over at my parents house visiting.  They felt bad leaving me behind but I assured them that I needed a day just like today.  They also offered to take Ayden with them but I declined.  I want to maximize my one on one time with him before everything changes.  Ayden took a long bath and I just sat by the tub and played with and talked to him the whole time.  It was really nice quality time for sure.

We did leave the house to run a few local errands and we stopped by to see my dad and mom's new puppy.

She is a funny and sweet little dog and is fitting in really well with the family.  Ayden LOVES her and is so gentle when he is around her.  We call her "Lola Bug" and she is very entertaining to say the least.  

We got Ayden to bed before 8:00 which was a first in a while and I enjoyed the extra time it added to my evening.  Today really was what I was needing.  My spirits feel lifted, I feel refreshed, and I'm ready to take on the rest of the week!  

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Busted"
And two years ago today: "Mountain Bikes = Baby?"

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Ticking

This time of pregnancy is a little hard for me.  I have a hard time with how anxious everyone around me gets about when the baby is going to come.  I know it is only because everyone is so excited to meet our baby, which is a beautiful thing, but it kind of makes me feel like a ticking time bomb. Especially since we haven't even hit our due date yet... It all comes with the territory I suppose but I just wish everyone could relax with me and let him come when he is ready.  There's no rush and honestly, the longer he's on the inside, the more ready he'll be for the outside.  He can stay in for as long as he wants.  

Until he does come we are keeping up with our usual schedule (with a bunch of extended family time mixed in as well).  We had play group this morning:

 

We went and had lunch and a swim at my parents house right afterward then went home for nap.  I had a chiropractic appointment at 3:30 and Ayden was still snoozing away when it was time to leave.  He luckily finished his nap in the car on the way there and was still half asleep when we went in.  I got some extra snuggles which are always awesome.

We met David at the cottage when he got off work and then headed back over to my parents house for dinner once he left to go build.

He got two rafters up on the dormer on the right in the photo above.
He measured and cut 10 more which he'll put up tomorrow.
His dad is out of town for work again so he'll be flying solo again this week.

We didn't get home from my parents until almost 10:00.  I'm afraid we are going to have to start sitting these family dinners out if we can't get them shifted a little earlier.  It's hard to choose between being with everyone and getting lots of rest but with an unmedicated home birth on tap I need to keep my eye on the ball.  I feel like I keep saying that... I just need to buckle down and make it happen.  It's just all so surreal that it's hard to remember in the moments when we are having such a good time.

Overall physically I feel pretty good.  I've been having some indigestion and some slight cramping off and on but nothing crazy or consistent.  The indigestion and the fact that my pelvis doesn't feel sore at all makes me think he's not dropped super low yet. I think he's still pretty cozy in there.  I do get tired quickly and I'm not handling this little heat wave we are having very well.  I get super hot super fast and it's hard for me to get cooled back down again.  I'm just happy to still be sleeping pretty well and that I am still comfortable most of the time.  We are ready for him to come whenever HE is ready.

Are there any other mamas who have a hard time once you enter the ticking time bomb territory at the end of a pregnancy?  How do you maintain peace when everyone around you seems so anxious? 

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "A-ma"

And two years ago today: "Fashion Statement"

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Happy Place

I got to spend some time in my happy place today!

Crafting and sewing are some of my favorite ways to spend my time!

We went to the farmer's market to pick up our CSA box today since my sprinkle was yesterday. We are fortunate to have farmer's market locations every day of the week during the peak of the season so I emailed our CSA folks on Friday night to give them a heads up that we'd be coming today instead. Just during the short time we were there I got SO hot. 

I've been really lucky with a pretty mild Summer but this coming week is going to be brutal.  We had plans to go a charity event where kids can touch all kinds of service, emergency, and construction vehicles.  I was worried about being out in the heat for that long so David thought it would be fun to have some father/son time and took Ayden on his own.  While they were gone I sat down at my sewing machine, had some quiet time and worked on my niece's birthday present.  Her birthday is in late September but since I'm pretty sure my crafting will get put on hold for a bit, I figured I should go ahead and get it done now. I spent last week making a birthday present for my nephew who turned 3 this month.  I made him a "Stomp and Catch" game from this tutorial and it was a big hit.  I am making my niece a baby doll carrier and am pretty excited to give it to her!  Hopefully I can wait a month.

I seriously enjoy every step of a sewing project.  From browsing at the fabric store to seeing the finished project.  There is something about taking raw materials and turning them into something that someone can use and enjoy that is so enjoyable and satisfying to me. It also helps that many of the DIY gifts that I can make typically cost $10 or less.  It really helps us stretch our gift budget category!

When the boys got home Ayden was so excited to tell me about the experience.  He told me how they got to watch a helicopter take off and when it did it blew his hat off of his head.  He told me about how loud some of the trucks were and said that he had a good time with Daddy.  They don't have many outings alone together so I'm glad they got that quality time today.  We finished the evening at my parents house with a cookout and lots of cousin play.  My mom bought a new little puppy today, a chorkie (yorkie/chihuahua mix) named Lola, who I will have to introduce to the blog tomorrow.  She's pretty adorable and kept the kids pretty busy all evening.  We got home a little late but had a lot of fun!

What is your creative outlet?  What was your latest project? I'm always looking for fun things to make!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Lazy Days"
And two years ago today: "A Bust"

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Sprinkling Logan With Love

Today was the day of Logan's baby sprinkle!

39 weeks 3 days.

My sisters, mom and mother-in-law hosted and it was just perfect.

Picture that big gap under the time filled with personal info and names of the hostesses with the mostesses.

We moved it to the dance studio because the forecast was hot, humid and called for possible rain.

Though the hot and humid part came true, the rain held off so David and his dad were busy building.  Ayden came with me and had so much fun running around with all the other kids who came.  The studio ended up being perfect for that reason alone.  Nothing is more important than giving kids room to run their crazies out during a boring adult gathering...

We didn't get home until after 3 and he napped HARD!

They made some great building progress on the dormers today!

Now just picture their gable roofs and a full length porch and you can really see this house taking the shape of a home.

We ended the evening with our last pre-Logan date night!  

We had a great time and Ayden had a trial "sleepover" at David's parent's house.  We are going to play it by ear on birthing day but there's a chance he'll need to spend the night over there so instead of keeping him up until we got back like in the past, they got out their pack'n'play and put him to bed.  He's never spent the night anywhere without us before but he loves it so much over there that we knew it wouldn't be a problem.  We still thought a little practice run might be good, though, just in case.  He didn't stay the whole night this time but he went to sleep easily so at least we know he'll be just fine if the need for a sleepover does arise.  Everyday we accomplish a little more that makes us feel that much more ready for Logan!  

Getting together with friends and family to celebrate and focus on him felt good.  We are getting so excited about meeting him!  Any guesses on his birth stats or looks?  We feel like he will be similar to Ayden in size (7lb 2oz, 20" long) but we think he'll have dark hair and eyes like us.  List your guesses below!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Cutting Room Floor"

And two years ago today: "Reminiscing"

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Errand Day Snuggles

Ayden and I had a great day together.  We just ran a bunch of errands but I have always liked days where we are face to face with him in carts all day.  

He gets to get out and stretch his legs a few times too!

By the time we were going in for our last stop he was getting sleepy and snuggly.

Love having his little arms around my neck.

He fell asleep on the way home and slept for another hour once we got there and he was cozied up in his crib.

I got to get a nap in myself and we had a low key evening.  It was rainy again so David was home and I let my family know that we were staying in for a quiet family night.  I also got to do some sewing/crafting tonight on some DIY gifts for upcoming events which always makes me feel good!

Tomorrow is my baby sprinkle and I am excited to celebrate and focus on this little man that we'll be meeting so soon!

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Ayden's Favorite Things {19 Month edition}"

And two years ago today: "The Next Step"

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Broken

We got Ayden a Dusty backpack and he's kind of in love.

He packed it himself with all kinds of goodies.

Everyone needs a backpack to do chicken chores.  Right??

We had kind of a full day today.  Story time at 10, Chiropractor at 11:15,

a lunch date,

and a midwife appointment at 1:30 (everything still looks great!).  After all that Ayden and I both took nice, long naps and then got on with the rest of our days.  Maverick is still shedding like a mad man even though we got him groomed recently.  This crazy KY summer weather is confusing his undercoat and making him shed more than normal.  I am vacuuming every other day and we are still living in fur tumbleweeds which is torture for this nesting mama.  It might be worth the money to have him groomed AGAIN before Logan gets here in hopes that we won't have to live in a furry mess during the early newborn days when no one will have time or energy to vacuum.  I did the dishes and got the place vacuumed and instantly felt so much weight lifted off of my shoulders.  I then got Ayden set up with some watercolors while I got dinner going.  

I had chicken tortillia soup on the menu and when I went to get a few ingredients I came across this magic:

It turned out really good!  I highly recommend it.  I added corn, potatoes, bell peppers and cabbage from our CSA and some shredded mexican chicken that I cooked in the crock pot yesterday.  

After dinner, David went to build and was SO excited about a full afternoon to do so.  His dad is here and there was no rain in the forecast.  Ayden and I headed over to my parents house so Ayden could play with the boys and I could visit with my parents and sister. 

David gets there to find this:

Someone had broken into our building site (cut the chain and everything) and stole some of our building equipment.  They got away with David's air compressor, his circular saw, his dad's shop vac, a radio, my dad's concrete drill and a tool kit (ratchet wrenches and such).  Ugh.  We have so many feelings going through us from feeling violated that strangers were on our private property and in the basement of our future home to "how can there be people in the world, living amongst us, who would do such a thing?"  The creepiest part is that these folks knew that we had a lock on our gate and seemed to come prepared with bolt cutters.  They've had their eye on us for a while.  We are just hoping they got what they were looking for and that they don't come back.

Though they lost some time taking inventory of missing items and filing a report with the police, they still managed to get a wall up on the first dormer! 

Nothing can stop my man!

The truth of the matter is that sometimes bad things can happen to good people but in the end, this was just stuff.  Replaceable stuff.  So small in the grand scheme of life and even though right now it feels kind of big when we think about how our insurance has a $1,000 deductible, how we will be paying to replace the stolen items,  and how there is a chance they'll just come back in a couple of months and do it again.  But we know that in the grand scheme of life it means nothing when we are all still here, healthy and together.  It's all about perspective.

Any tips on how we can protect our building site while we are away??   

~Sarah

Flashback!  Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "Old Pros"

And two years ago today: "7 Months Old"

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