A Lazy Saturday

Today was Saturday. 

   A good day to take it easy. We need more days like that, I think everyone does. Today we made no plans. Usually when we have time, it is quickly filled with lists of things and projects to do, but today was no such day. We did almost nothing all day, lol. We accomplished nothing. 

   The only thing we did was take Patrick to go see the new movie, Monsters vrs. Aliens in 3D. Wow! My first 3D movie, and I have to tell you, it killed my eyes. Patrick was intrigued and curious and utterly fascinated, it was amazing seeing something in 3D like that. The movie was good, I have seen better, but it made us laugh more than once. The theatre was packed, and we almost did not find a seat. The only thing bad about the experience was the fact that they charged extra for the movie because it was 3D. Like  we had an option. Eight dollars for each of us, eight! In any event, Patrick liked it, and had fun, and sat still through the entire thing, and that after all was the goal, to do something that Patrick would enjoy. After that we all hung out on the couch all afternoon and evening  together. This is not productive in anyway, but I think we were all in serious need of a lazy, family, couch potato day, and that's what it was for the most part. I love my couch buddies.

Snow days and baby shopping

   I suppose today is a good day for a blog.

When I woke up this morning there was snow on the ground.

We have had an amazingly warm winter, and no moisture. That is until the last month or so. We got our first snow of the year a couple weeks back, and I was sure that was the last snow I would see for this year as well. I carefully waited, and planned my garden layout for this year. I waited until there was a clear 10 day forecast of above freezing weather, and put everything in the ground this week. Then, the forecast revealed itself, snow, 24 degrees. LOl. Seems only right, but no worries. I have decided not to dwell on it.

   I am a thrift shopper, I love to thrift shop, and take extreme pride in really good deals I find. I have not set foot in such a store in 

some time, because then I want to spend money, lol. Yesterday I took the chance and popped in 2 different places. There's a little thrift shop here in town called the The Kids Closet. You can find good deals there some of the time, but almost always you find way overpriced items in bad

 shape. The thing I hate the most about this little shop is, even with their new advertisement, and cleaning up the shop, the woman who runs the place smokes in the store. This bothers me, because even as an ex smoker, the last thing I want to do is buy baby stuff that reeks of cigarettes, yuck! I did buy some gender neutral baby outfits there, and came home and threw them in the wash, with extra soap, lol. I got them for a good deal, but like I said, I really hate the fact that when you walk into this store it smells of smoke. It also makes me wonder if it is legal? This city has a no smoking ordinance in buildings, no smoking in bars, restaurants, nothing, so can she legally smoke in there even if it is her shop? I don't know, but they are getting really bad business, and I just can help but wonder if others are as turned off as I am, it's gross and tacky. I do have to confess that while at the store, I wanted to, and fought off the urge to but ruffled socks, and bonnets. I really think this baby is a girl, and want to shop for a girl, but have remained safe in yellows and greens, lol. My mom let me know yesterday that she thinks I am a coward, lol, you know its a girl, so shop girl she says. We will see.

Midwife Visit

   Yesterday was the Midwife visit. I am approx. 18 weeks in. She took my blood pressure, great! She commented like three times how great my blood pressure was, so that was nice. She measured my belly, and said that is just right! She felt around to see where my uterus is, and said that it is at about 19 weeks. She was able to determine the positioning of the baby, head up to my left side and butt down at the base of the uterus. How cool is that?!? It was easy to locate a heartbeat since we knew exactly where the baby was, and it is a strong fast heartbeat. The baby tried to evade the Doppler but the midwife was  on top of it, lol. The heart rate was at 153-167 beats per minute. 

   Now the old wives tale says, that if the baby's heart rate is over 140, then it's a girl! I hope this is true, lol, we would love to have our baby girl. I dream of having our daughter already, I am a crazy pregnant lady apparently. Jerry says that if I dream so often that the baby is a girl, that it is, I have already started referring to the baby as "Her". I am reluctant to do this though, because what if in fact he is a he? Lol. Anyway, had to share about the visit, I love our midwife, she is so kind, and patient, and she drives all the way from Amarillo to see us once a month, and times her visit so that Jerry can be home from work and here. I love it that he is able to be here. When I was pregnant with Patrick, we planned our doctor visits around Jerry's work schedule, he never missed one. I love that, and it makes me feel valued, and reaffirms what I already know to be true, that he wants to be an active, and involved daddy. Jerry is in fact, the best daddy ever and I can not wait to see him grow even more with another child.

Boys

For some of you this may be news, for others it won't be.

When I was 17 I got married to a man who had 3 children, whom I loved to death. As we all know things did not work out, and for very good reasons. Those of you who know the story, there is no explanation needed, those of you who don't......well you are going to have to remain in the dark, lol, because I have no interest of telling the story here. Jerry knows my past, and accepts it as just that my past, but he also realizes that I am, who I am because of those things. One of the good things I did acquire from that past relationship was a wealth of knowledge.

When we moved back to NM, I debated long and hard about finding these kids from this past relationship. This last year they were heavy on my heart. I did not know where they were or if they were okay. I found out that once again dad had abandoned them, mom as well and was in jail, and they were living with their grandparents. Jerry and I talked about it, and decided that for Christmas we wanted to buy the boys some things. So we did. We bought them gifts and took them to them, and offered my friendship if they needed it. When my relationship ended with the children's father, the oldest was going on 7, he is now 13. My how time flies. In the months following Christmas, we have seen one another every now and then, and the kids are finally realizing that we have structure, and we are dependable, we do what we say, which sad to say is nothing they know. Last week, I had the opportunity to take the boys for a couple hours, and so I did. We got lunch, and then came to our house to play. They had a blast, and Patrick really likes them. I don't know where this will go, or if anywhere at all, but I felt like writing on it. Jerry is so supportive of us seeing these kids, and looks forward to actually being able to set good examples for them. This is Jeremy 13, Jason 10, and Timmy 8. 

An Occasion for a Midwife

Today is a beautiful day!  

   Today we get to meet with our midwife again. Oh, how I love her. She is an amazing person, woman, and midwife, and I have no fear putting my birth in her hands. This woman has delivered over 2000 babies, and has been doing so for 25 years. Out of her 2000+ deliveries, 3 have ended up in the hospital, 3! Did you know that the Cesarean rate at hospitals nation wide is now 1 in 4? 1 in every 4 women will end up with a c-section. Necessary??? I think not!

   Our midwife is great, and for those of you who do not know how this works, this is how.

At this point I see my midwife once a month. She comes to me. The natural way is not for a mother to move. The midwife comes to us. We hug, and greet one another, Patrick loves her. We may sit and talk for a moment or so and catch up. "How are you feeling?" And then she pulls out her gear. She checks my blood pressure, Patrick loves to squeeze it a few times. She checks my urine, to make sure my levels are where they need to be. She presses on my stomach to feel where my uterus is now, and then the really fun part. She pulls out the lube, lol, and the Doppler.

 Patrick also loves this part as well, because we get to hear the baby's heart beating. Usually the

 midwife will let Patrick move the Doppler around on my belly, he gets so excited. He is able to participate in the whole experience. This visit is so much better than a visit with an OB. She do

es all the same things you would get there, except you also get a friend, and someone who is actually working for you!

   Since January I have been running a non profit group in town, an Attachment Parenting group. So far so good. The goal of the group is to offer support to those who practice aspects of AP, and the other is to educate others on the benefits of AP related topics. These topics are things like; Breastfeeding, holding your baby often, not letting your child cry, gentle discipline, circumcision,

 vaccinations, and natural childbirth. In May, we will be talking about natural childbirth, and home birth, and the facts and myths about both. I have done the research, and have the stats. I found some photos that represent what people think of when they think midwife, and could not help but laugh. I poll taken recently showed that photos like these are still

 the common perception of midwifery, unbelievable that we can be in this day and age, and this is what people think. Do you know why? Lack of education. Thought these were great.

And this last photo my friends is of a modern day midwife. Not an old dirty uneducated woman. No, today's midwife has been through nursing school, today's midwife has been through midwifery school, and training, and an apprenticeship. You can not just one day say, "I want to be one, I am one." You have to be certified in most places, and today's midwife looks like you and me. Young and old, and ever more, they are all over the world. Most country's main percentages of births are still being done by midwifes. Makes one question, if birth being taken out of the home and put into the hospital, really is the best thing for mom and baby.

The Look

So would someone please explain to me, how in the world you can say "no", to a face like this. This is Patrick's wounded dog look, the.... "My arms are broken and I am helpless look." The child makes my heart happy. He is so full of life, and is so sweet most days all day, and is always coming up with new ways to entertain me. This is, his newest approach. Can you believe that? Lol, gosh, kids are awesome. "Can I have some chips?" This question is followed by the puppy dog look, the beggar. "I guess!" I have to give in, lol. It's all in good fun really, and he knows I think the face is adorable so now on command, he will preform for me. Just had to share because he is just too cute!

16 weeks

Another fabulous photo of the baby fat, lol. At 16 weeks I have only gained 6 pounds. Keep in mind that I gained 60 with Patrick total, and at this point, had already gained more, lol. I am not a big fan of taking photos of myself, but you know, it's all for a good cause, lol. I have decided though that skirts are going to be some of my best friends through the pregnancy and the summer, without them, I will be naked, and no one wants to see that, lol. They are loose and comfortable, and secretly I love the flowing of a walking skirt. The belly grows.....I am just waiting to see what else grows this time around, lol.

14 weeks

The next of the baby bumps. At this point I had, thank the heavens above, just got over a whole two weeks of feeling so sick to my stomach. I never had any morning sickness with Patrick, but this time I have. I never even actually got sick, but I felt like it, I felt like it every day all day long, from the time I woke up, to the time I went to bed. I did not even cook for two weeks, and the thought of tomato's was enough to send me to the bathroom. Like I said though, I never got sick, although I wished for it many times, I wanted relief, lol. It did only last a short time though, and then went away. Jerry and Patrick were happy cause I was cooking again, and I could do more than I had. These were taken at 14 weeks.

Baby Bump

So lets catch up a little. When I was pregnant with Patrick we took photos, but not in any order. This time around I wanted to document the process a little more, so I would have photos of my belly growing. I plan on taking one very week, but I might skip weeks so there might be more of a noticeable change. I don't know, what do you think? Does anyone really care, or just me? I'm gonna go with the just me for now, lol. But I thought this would also be neat to post for those of you who are far away would be able to see the baby Druba growing belly. Here is the first of the baby bump!

A breakfast for baby

A healthy breakfast for a pregnant chick! I do a lot of cooking, we don't like to eat out, and can't very often due to Patrick's milk allergy, everything has milk in it. Anyway, I take pride in feeding myself well, especially right now. This photo here is of oatmeal cooked in coconut milk, topped with fruit, some apple butter banana bread, (homemade) and a cup of green tea. Yummmm!

My Baby

  Patrick is so excited there is a baby in mommy's tummy! I signed up online to a forum that sends you emails each week, and tells you how big your baby is this week, compared to food. Patrick loves this, and can not wait to find out how big the baby is now. And he tells everyone he meets, "My mommy has a baby in her belly and it's the size of a lemon!" He has really been excited about this and has been asking a lot of questions. "Where will the baby sleep?" and "Will the baby nurse?" He wants to be as involved as possible, and we have made sure that he is. He tries to talk to the baby already, and blows raspberries on my belly, which of course tickles me, and then before you know it I am laughing so hard, Patrick thinks it is an invitation for more. I love my child so much, and he is such a sweet child. I don't want him to disappear in the shadow of the new baby, so Jerry and I have made a deal, that we will divide our attention equally, and not stunt the emotional growth of our beloved baby boy.

  We have some set plans of things to do with the new baby, one of those things is to use a sling. I never knew of them when we had Patrick, and my goodness, how much easier my life could have been with one, lol. The next baby will be a sling baby. Patrick loves the idea, and compares the sling to a Kangaroos pouch, which it very much is. Ever since we have been pregnant, Patrick has taken extra special care of his baby dolls. Yes he has 2 baby dolls, he needs them too. He walks around, and mimics his father, which is the most incredible thing I have ever seen. He will carry that baby on his shoulder, and say, "Ssshhhhh! Daddy's got you, it's okay." Amazing! The things you teach your child by being loving and attentive to them, I think he already has the makings of a great father. Jerry is the best father ever too, and sets the best example ever to our son of what a father is, and should be. Patrick's attention to his baby doll has been amazing, he feeds the baby, and changes the baby's diaper, and loves the baby, and makes mommy hold the baby often, lol. I snapped a photo a little while back of Patrick walking around the house with his baby in his sling. 

   It amazes me how fast this baby, my baby has grown, and how big he is now. When the new baby does get here, Patrick will be 4. Time flies by way to fast.

Pregnant?

  This all started shortly after we moved to New Mexico. Patrick was 2, and I started getting the baby bug! For the next year, Jerry and I talked about it. Should we? Can we afford it? Do we have the room? Every time I went to Wal-mart and saw a pregnant woman, I wanted it, lol. Every time I came face to face with a baby, I wanted it. Jerry saw that this was a growing desire of mine, and for him it had become the same. Jerry wants a daughter! We came to the point one day where Jerry sat me down and said, let really talk about the baby business, so we did. We sat for probably 2 hours talking of the changes, added responsibilities, money, time, and so on that adding a new member to our family would take. We weighed the pros and cons, lol. Are you laughing? When I write this it makes me giggle, because we did spend so much time on it. Anyone who knows Jerry, knows that he is a planner, and he does not do anything without thinking it through heavily first. I trust his decisions. By the end of this conversation, Jerry said this, "There will never be the perfect time, there will never be enough money, if we want it, we need to do it!" I love my husband. We also agreed to pray on it, so we did for about a month, and then, we decided we needed to go for it.

   For me this was a little scary. Patrick's birth did not go the way I had wanted it to, so for a long time I thought Patrick was going to be an only child. There was no way I was going to do all of that again, and had no interest in having another baby. Which for me was a strange place to be in, I was the oldest of 5, was always around siblings, and had decided that when I became an adult I wanted several children. Ha!

    So, we started to try for a baby. This proved a little difficult, and I even bought an ovulation kit so we could get the timing right. Because of the fact that I was still nursing Patrick at this time, I still had hormonal imbalances and not everything worked all the time, at the same time every month, lol. Finally in October we found out we were pregnant!

  As some of you know in October of 2008 Jerry and I had announced we were expecting, unfortunately, we lost that baby and I was devastated. We were trying, we had prayed on it, we were ready. Jerry was great as far as support goes, and helped me deal with the situation. I will never forget the miscarriage and how it made me feel, and all of the questions that come with something like that, but we moved on in a positive way.

   In December we learned we were pregnant again, oh my gosh, I was so nervous. What was going to happen this time? At first I was driving myself nuts with every little cramp, or pull. I am happy to announce that in spite of my fear, which I had to overcome, we are now reaching 18 weeks, nearly half way through. This for me is exciting, and I am sure everyone that talks to me is ready for me to shut up about it, lol, but I am so excited. 

   

So here we are

So I started this a little late, but I figure it is the best way for family and Friends to know what we are up to, instead of getting an email every 2 months titled, "Family Update", lol.

I decided this is the perfect outlet for me to vent daily, to keep an online journal of sorts of our 2nd baby on the way, and offer all of you the opportunity to have a peek in our lives even though you may be very far away. I feel so disconected sometimes from everyone else...so here we are. The window into our family has been opened and you may peek in whenever you would like! 

Michelle