Hands Full

I haven't been posting much lately. I literally have my hands full most the time. Eliza loves to be held and usually wakes up if I put her down to sleep. I am trying to train her though. Sometimes over the space of 2-3 hours, I will put her down several different times until she sleeps for a while. If I can get just one break, I can get a lot done. I actually bought pacifiers the other day. I don't really like them because they are a habit that you have to break, but I need the rest from Eliza sometimes. She has taken to them okay and it is working for me so far. I have also been staying at home more lately. It is just too much of a hassle to get out if i don't have to. I did take the girls to the Creative Discovery Museum last week. I also got all my holiday shopping done, but I don't get much. Today, we are lazing around. We've watched a movie, watched TV, made lunch, had showers, and now me and the girls are making cookies.
Later we will go to Jeremy's moms' and then drive around and look at holiday lights. Tomorrow, we will be leaving to go to Smyrna and then Columbia for the weekend. Nobody out of town has seen Eliza yet, so we get to show her off. She has gotten those newborn "pimples" really bad on her face. They look bad, but I know they will go away soon. I just wished they cleared up before we go see family so they can see how truly beautiful she is.

Check Up

Yesterday, I went to see Debi for my postpartum checkup. Everything is healing fine for me. Eliza is growing well too. She weighed in at about 11lbs and 23 in. That's a gain of 2.5lbs and 1 in. in a month. I'm now calling her my chunck-a-munk. I could tell she has grown, but had no clue that much. She is now in 3-6 month size clothes and size 2 diapers. Why do they have to grow so quickly??

Bad Mother

I feel like such a bad mother lately. It has a little to do with not taking care of Lily and miriam well since I have to hold Eliza most of the time. Mainly this feeling came after I took the girls to the dentist last week. This was just Lily's 2nd cleaning. Miriam went first and they found 3 cavities. She has several fillings and caps already, but has had no cavities the past couple of cleanings. Then it's lily's turn. I thought she would have better teeth than Miriam since her mouth is different. I was wrong and they found 5 cavities. This is probably mainly my fault. While I constantly remind the girls to brush, I am not good and following up and making sure they do. So therefore, they do not brush like they should. I feel so bad, because I don't want them to go through what it takes to fill a cavity. Especially Lily since they have to sedate her. I am worried about how she'll handle it. I feel like I'm the only mother who let's her kids get cavities. It is partially genetic though. I had cavities as a kid and all my back teeth have fillings. I was really down about this last week and will be when it is close to the day to fix their teeth.

More Pictures

A few pictures of the girls over last few weeks.

All I want for Christmas is.........

Eliza in her Thansgiving outfit.

My Girls


Eliza today. I can tell she has already grown!

Lily's Birthday

I just wanted to post of pics of her 3rd birthday. We have not had a party yet, but I did make a cake and we celebrated. She wanted a Halloween party and a Little Mermaid party. We did Halloween at home and will do Little Mermaid for her big party. I got a lot of stuff 50-75% off for her party. Here are a few pics.

Yank It!

Just an update on my tooth. The same day I posted about it, I ended up at the dentist. It was constantly hurting and was worse when I ate so I called and they fit me in that day. I love my dentist. I still hate going, but I got the perfect dentist for me. He is always very understanding and gentle. He has a great staff to who are always nice to me. He said the nerve was dying and I had 2 choices- root canal or pull it. I decided to go ahead and pull it and he numbed me up. once I was numb it took like 2 minutes to get it done. I was there in total a little over an hour. I was glad he got it done quickly since I left the baby with my mom. This dentist office is always very quick and I've never had a wait. And they are always willing to fit you in. If anyone needs a good dentist I recommend Dr. McPherson on Germantown Rd.

Toothache

I have a tooth in the back that had a cavity a couple of years ago which I got fixed. The cavity was very deep though and that tooth has been sensitive since then. It has not really bothered me though because I just won't chew cold things on that side. Well, since Eliza's birth, that tooth has been bothering me. At first it was very mild. Then on Saturday, the whole right side of my face was hurting as well as about 5 teeth in front of the bad one. I couldn't even touch them with my tongue. On Saturday and Sunday both, this pain would just come and go for no reason. it wouldn't hurt when I was eating. Then on Monday and today, it has changed to just an ache in that particular tooth. I don't know what happened to cause it to hurt all the sudden. I know I need to go to the dentist, but I don't know what I want to do about the tooth. He has mentioned a root canal to me before, but I really don't want to do that. I am considering just having it pulled. Getting rid of the tooth and the pain. I've just never had either one done and I am just not sure what is best. Plus both are kinda scary to me. I've heard stories of having to get a root canal redone and the pain not going away. Also, how will it feel to be missing a tooth. I'll probably wait until I am in excruciating pain one day to go in instead of taking care of it now. I have plenty of excuses to do that. So root canal or get it pulled???

Catching Up

I have so much more to write about besides the birth. In the last few weeks Miriam has lost both of her top front teeth. Now she will be able to sing "All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth". It is weird looking! Also my Lily turned three on the 20th. I hate that it has taken me this long to post about that. I did a little party for her here at home. I plan to do something bigger maybe next weekend. She is excited about her second birthday party. I have finally gotten out of the house this week. I even went to Bible class last night. I am really tired of being stuck in the house, but I am still getting used to taking another child with me. For Thanksgiving today, mom and dad are bringing a ham and I am making all the sides. Hopefully, we will have enough left over for dinner tonight since I haven't planned anything. I'm hoping soon to post some more pics of everything that has been going on.

After the Storm

Well, I'm finally going to post about what all happened after the birth. It's been hard lately to find the time to write, because I am doing a lot of things one handed. After Eliza was born, I knew she was fine because they didn't even use the bulb syringe on her. Within 10 minutes though, I could tell they were concerned about my bleeding. They gave me a shot of Pitocin. I was worried myself, but I also have complete trust in the midwife I chose and knew I was in capable hands. It ends up that I tore myself to the 4th degree and she wanted me to go to the hospital to have it fixed. Thankfully, it was not an emergency and I got to take my herb bath with Eliza and watch the newborn exam. About 2 hours after the birth we were heading to the hospital. We left Eliza at home since we did not want her admitted, but that was hard for me to do. Once we got to Labor & Delivery, it took about 2 hours for all the admitting stuff to get done and the dr to get there. Thankfully, we had a great nurse who used to be a CNM who attended homebirths in TX. She was wonderful and arranged for the baby to be able to come to the hospital without being admitted. So finally everything is ready and I have to go to the OR and they wouldn't let anyone come with me. While I was there, Jeremy went to get the baby. Unfortunately I had to have a spinal for the sewing. I hate anything being stuck in back which is one reason I've never had an epidural. I was quite the baby while they were doing it, but the guy did a good job and I did not have any bad side effects. The whole thing took about an hour and then the Dr sent me to a postpartum room. The Dr was nice and did a good job, but I still think I was treated differently because I had a homebirth. He wanted me to stay over night the next night and we were totally against that. I had been up to the bathroom and walked around and ate good. In other words, I was fine and ready to go home. The nurse tried to talk the dr into releasing me, but he still said I had to stay. So finally we checked out against medical advice. I hope that does not affect our insurance! So anyway, my tear is healing fine and has really given me no trouble. The bad part of my recovery is my back hurting where I had the spinal. It is still sore and gets achy if I'm up very long. I have had 3 babies at home now and have ended up at the hospital every time. I made a joke during this pg that something would be wrong with me this time and it came true. This is one reason I am considering having no more children. I want more, but my track record with birth is just not very good. So now you have the rest of the story.

Birth Story

I know it has taken me long enough to post this. I'm even going to abbreviate it quite a bit since it was a 23 hour labor. Everyone knows I had been trying to get things started for a week and nothing. On Sunday evening, I was having some very light contractions and Debi came by about 9:30pm. She checked me and I was 3cm and 70% effaced. She "ruffled my feathers" as they call it and left. About 10 minutes later I was in the shower and I could tell my contractions got closer and a little stronger. I went to bed about 11pm and tried to sleep. Although the contractions were not very hard, they were too close for me to drift off to sleep between them. I got up by myself and let everyone else sleep. After a couple of hours, I called my mom and told her this was it and asked her to come keep me company. She came down to be with me during the night. My contractions stayed pretty much the same all night. I called Christina (my doula)about 5am asking her to come. She came about 6:30 am. I probably called her too early, but it was good to have company. Michelle came by about 9am to see how labor was going and i was progressing. I was still 3cm and 80% effaced. I was disappointed as this had been going on all night, but I could tell I was still in early labor. I decided to go see the chiropractor to see if she could do anything to help speed labor up. While some things she did felt good and I do think they moved me along a little bit, it did not have the affect I had wanted. Another friend of mine, Kathy came over and made us soup for lunch. I was able to eat which is good. My labor did start to progress more at this point although I was still in early labor. I kept waiting for things to speed up. It seemed like my contractions were getting a little stronger, but were not going anywhere. My afternoon is a little blurry to me. I know some more friends came by to be here for the birth and I know my labor got harder. Michelle came back over to check things at some point in the late afternoon. I was 4cm. That was very discouraging as it had been around 16 hours of labor at that point. She had me take some herbs and go walking in my backyard. The walking was very difficult, but it did make my contractions come closer. Michelle stayed after this. I wanted a bath to see if that would help because my contractions were getting very strong. The bath did help some. I stayed in for a while. I know labor was very hard now. I was having trouble dealing with it. mainly because I was tired and this was going on a lot longer than I had thought it would. Debi finally came about 8pm. She checked me and i was 5 cm, but she pulled my cervix to the front and said I was now 6-7cm. I finally felt a little encouraged and knew the end was in sight. This does not mean it was not still very hard and I didn't know how much longer I could make it. Finally I was on the toilet and I was feeling a little pushy. It felt better to be there and I stayed for a while. i went back to the bedroom and one point, but then back to the toilet. Finally, Michelle heard me grunting and came and got me to go to the bed. Debi checked me real quick and said I could push. My pushing contractions still felt like my transition contractions. Normally, they change and you get a little break with them. I did not, so I was pushing very hard to get it over with. It felt like I pushed for a while, but they said I did not. Soon we saw the head and that made me push harder. It was pretty cool, because my water never broke and you could still see the amniotic sac over her head. Finally a strong push or 2 and her head quickly followed by her body came out. I immediately had her and looked and saw it was a girl. She was perfect and healthy so I didn't have to let her go. Soon I knew something wasn't quite right with me, but i will post more about that on another day since this is long enough. I got to nurse her and then get my herb bath with her and watch her newborn exam. All things I did not get with Lily. Over all, a very hard experience and one I may not want again. My labor was 23 hours- 4 hours more than Lily and I had been hoping for shorter than lily's. I can't say I am not thankful though. I had my homebirth, the baby was healthy, the people I wanted were there, etc. Things never go as planned with birth as I always tell my clients. It seems that is still something I really need to learn.

Finally- Pictures

I think these will speak for themselves!

More Info

We have a name. Eliza Leigh Poarch. I also did not post the stats. She weighed 8lbs 7oz and was 22in long. She has been doing wonderfully. She is nursing well and so far is a pretty quiet and content baby. She is sleeping next to me right now. I still don't have the pics uploaded to post or the time to write my birth story, but they are coming!! I can tell you she is gorgeous! She has black hair and huge feet! I can't believe she is here!

A Birth

Well, I wanted to announce that there is a new addition to our family.  Our baby girl was born monday Nov. 17 at 9;41PM.  I was totally shocked that it was a girl.  She is absolutely beautiful.  My labor was long and hard and I ended up at the hospital this time due to a 4th degree tear.  I will post more later.  I am very tired as I have not slept 2 nights in a row now.  Probably tomorrow, there will be a birth story and pics.  Maybe we will decide on a name by then too!

Lessons Learned

As if I didn't already know, my babies are stubborn. They never want to come out on time. If you can't tell, the castor oil did not work. Or shall I say, it did work, just didn't put me into labor. I have done several more things than I did with Lily, plus I started it all earlier and still this baby won't come. So next time, I will definitely not do the castor oil. I may still do some herbs just to soften my cervix. Needless to say, I was again upset to wake up this morning feeling fine. I guess I will have to wait a few days more.
Luckily, my grandmother and uncle came down for the day. This will give me a distraction so I don't think so much about not having this baby. God does answer prayers although not always in the way we want. I've been praying each day that this will be the day and today he sent me a distraction so that I don't think so much about it. I will update as soon as this baby decides to make an appearance.

What I've Resorted To

Castor Oil. I know many of you are probably cringing at the thought. It is really the lesser of two evils to me. Since I tend to go way past my due date, the midwife will soon want to try to get my labor started anyway. While I would choose this over Pitocin in the hospital any day, it is still not pleasant. If you want to know how a homebirth midwife can induce labor, I'd be happy to share with you. So I have decided to try to get something started on my own even if I spend all day in the bathroom. My friend came by last night and checked me and I have made a little more progress. She thought that the castor oil would probably go ahead and put me into labor today so I thought I would try. I have already taken my first dose and will take the next in a couple of hours. Then we will wait and see. So maybe my next post today will be that I'm in labor. Continue to pray for me and baby please!! And thanks for all your encouraging comments on my last post!

Pregnant Forever

I have not been posting much lately. Mainly because all I think about is how to get this baby out and when. Yesterday was not a good day for me. I was down all afternoon and evening. I don't know why I am this way with this baby. With Lily, I went 1.5 weeks late and was perfectly fine with it. My midwife is the one who wanted to start labor. I would have kept going and been happy. This is not because I am not feeling well either. I physically feel fine. Pregnancy never bothers me too much and even now, I am still doing everything I normally would. I am trying to keep busy so that I won't think about it. Last night was a full moon and a weather change (rain). I thought for sure those 2 would help kick in something. Yet, I wake up this morning with nothing going on. My body has never responded to these things in any other pregnancy, but I was hopeful. I have been having plenty of contractions which is good. This is getting my cervix a little further along before labor. I just wish that it would turn into something. I know most women feel this at this point, but I feel like I should know better. Being in the birth business, I know that this baby will come when ready and that I can't do anything (natural) to force it. I also know that this will be soon even though it doesn't feel that way. I think I feel this way because I started herbs earlier this time and I also have legitimate reasons to want to go ahead and have this baby. I am also a planner and it has been hard that this baby is not following my plan. I know this baby will be here probably in the next few days and I will forget how I was feeling now. I'm just having a hard time dealing with this emotionally.

Menu Plan Monday

Thurs.- Sausage & Peppers Pasta w/ Garlic Bread
Fri- Ranch Chicken , potatoes, & bread
Sat.- Turkey Thyme Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, & acorn squash
Sun- Church potluck
Mon.- Ritzy Chicken Casserole
Tues.- Pork Chops, corn, & biscuits
Wed.- Eat Out

For lunch this week- Grilled cheese & tomato, Pillsbury Savorings

Still Pregnant

Just letting everyone know, that yes, I am still pregnant. This is not a surprise at all since I tend to go past the "due date". I see my midwife today and am hoping to do some more things this week to get labor started. I really think it will be this week, but it is possible for me to go into next week. It is so hard when you get to this point and you know that at any moment labor could start, then you wake up the next day and nothing has happened. Especially when you've been having contractions, although they really have not bothered me too much. There have been a couple of times though where I'll have them for a while and I'll think this could be it, but its not. I am just so anxious to meet this baby. I am so curious to know if we are blessed with a boy or girl. What they look like, act like, to nurse again, to actually touch their soft skin. I have been touching the baby through my belly- butt, back, knees, little feet- I can just picture them and can't wait to see them. I wonder if the baby will have blonde hair like my girls or reddish brown like Josiah did.
I am so ready to meet this baby that I am hoping for more and stronger contractions. I'm sure when I'm in the middle of labor I won't feel that way, but right now, I'm willing to endure anything to meet this little one. I was not this anxious with my last 2, although I was of course with Miriam. I don't know why I'm this way this time? I hope soon i will be blogging about the birth!!

Cereal Deal at Target

I thought I would post this since I haven't seen it on any other blog. This week at Target all Kellogg's cereal is on sale, all at different prices. Then there is a $1 off coupon for Kellogg's cereal online. Then if you buy 5 boxes, you get a $5 Target gift card. Here is what I spent:
Kellogg's Frosted mini Wheats $2.99 (got 2)
" Special K with Strawberries $2.75 (got 2)
" Frosted Flakes Gold $2.54 (got 1) = for a Total $14.02
Then I used 5 $1 off coupons and I got a $5 gift card. $14.02- $5 coupons- $5 gift card= $4.02
I can't spend the gift card this time, but I still count it as savings this time. That is $0.80 a box. I usually don't stock up on cereal cause I have no where to put it, but I couldn't pass this up.
Here is a link to the $1 off coupon- http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?tqnm=rjnefah1098550&bt=wi&o=54148&c=KC&p=uU1wzMHO

Our New President

So today we know that Barack Obama will be our next president. We did not actually stay up to find out last night. When I woke up to pee in the middle of the night, I checked then. While I did not vote for Obama, I'm not all doom and gloom as many of my fellow conservatives are. This country has "survived" many democratic presidents before this. Plus, this is why we have the whole "check & balance" system in our government. It is not like Obama can do something crazy and get by with it. I do not expect my life to change much. I understand my tax money may be going for things I don't approve of, but we are to give the government it's due no matter who is running it. In fact, my tax money goes for a lot of things now that I don't approve of. We will be the same people, do the same things, and believe the same things. Some of Obama's tax breaks may even help us. And if my house sells because he is president and the country is now optimistic, great. I have read many people posting about praying for our country, especially now. I believe it is always right to pray for our country and its leaders. I pray that Obama will be a good president and make good decisions. Perhaps what we need is a drastic change in this country. We really won't know what difference he has made until his term is over. No matter what kind of government we have or what decisions they make, I will continue to live the life God wants me to and to trust him completely. I can never go wrong there.

More of the same

I know I'm not posting much. I have slowed down my life so I'm really not doing too much. I really think a lot about when I am going to meet this baby. I don't want to post, because that is all it will be about. We had a good weekend, but time seems to be moving slow. Today, I started a bible study with a couple of women from church. One woman's 15 & 16 yr old daughters watched the kids and we got to have a study in peace. We are studying from a book called "She Hath Done What She Could". Basically it goes through all the scripture about what a Christian woman can and should do- help sick, bereaved, poor, teach, being a mom & wife, etc. I really enjoyed today and hate that I will have to miss a couple of weeks.
As for the baby, I have started some herbs to encourage the baby to come sooner. They are not pleasant to take and until this week, I really didn't think I would take anything. The baby is just so happy and comfy in there. He/she is very active right now. I'm feeling okay too. Night time is the worst. My hips are starting to get very sore and hurting. I also have woken up in the middle of the night the past few days and can't go back to sleep. I know this is all typical of the end of pregnancy. I just don't want to do that too much longer. Any prayers said on my and the babies behalf would be appreciated.

Menu Plan Monday

Thurs- Turkey-Cranberry Strudel
Fri- Pizza
Sat- White Chicken Chili
Sun- hot ham & swiss sandwich
Mon- Chicken Fried Steak
Tues.- Chicken Cordon Blue
Wed.- Eat Out

For lunch this week- Chicken nuggets & veggies & fruit

Come on baby

Today was my grocery shopping today. I go to Publix first and got o Food Lion later. I was very happy with how I did today. I bought $133 worth of food and paid $89 after store specials and coupons. One day I hope to cut my bill down even more. I like to stock up, but just do not have the room here. I still have to get a few more things. My mom kept the girls so I had the morning free of them which they made up for in the afternoon.
I had an appt with Debi this afternoon. The girls fought on the way there, while we were there, on the way back until lily fell asleep, and then have been fighting since we've been home. They come to tell me what the other one has done and I just say "I don't care and go away". I really just can't deal with the bickering right now. Everything is going well with the pregnancy. It is surreal to think that withing the next 2 weeks or so, I will have this baby in my arms. I wasn't going to take herbs this time, but I think I'm going to just to help the baby come sooner. I really want to go no later than Nov. 14. We will see if I can encourage this baby to go ahead and come next week!

7 Things about my kitchen

I was tagged to do this post several days ago and have been lazy about it.

1) My kitchen is a tiny square. The is less than 3 feet between the fridge and stove although they are on opposite walls. We have a separate dining room, but if it was open, my kitchen would seem bigger.

2) Because my kitchen is so small, my husband hates to be in there with anybody else. he will wait until I'm done cooking and have the kids plates and mine made before he will go in to get his food.

3)We have done a lot of work on it since we moved in. One wall had to be replaced because of a roof leak. When my husband fixed this, I also got a dishwasher, bigger sink, and garbage disposal.

4) We just recently "finished" the kitchen although the work was started about 6 years ago. Things were never repainted until recently. I chose a yellow/goldish color for the kitchen wall that no one really likes but me.

5) I usually don't clean the kitchen as often as I should. I try to stay ahead of the game with dishes and wiping up spills, but it doesn't always work. Even though my kitchen may be messy, I am very insistent on my dishes being very clean.

6)There is a cabinet that used to be Miriam's play/hiding place. She would love to get in there so I kept it empty for her for the longest time. Now it is full of appliances and pots.

7) My iron skillet is always on my stove top. I really have no where else to keep it, but I use it almost every day. I'm cooking bacon in it right now. It was really a big step for me to use it, because you are not supposed to wash with soap, just scrape it clean. As I said, I am very anal about my dishes being clean, but I've gotten used to it now.

Menu Plan Monday

Thurs- Italian Chicken
Fri- steak w/ potatoes
Sat.- Chili
Sun- Baked Potatoes
Mon- pork w/ spinach fritters
Tues- chicken piccata

Lunches- hotdogs in crescent rolls & mac & cheese

What was I doing?

The past few days have been so busy. I have had so many things to do and so little time. Add that to my pregnancy brain, which has gotten pretty bad lately, and I feel out of sorts a lot. I saw Debi on Monday and everything is going very well. The reality is that I am 38 weeks and full term and the baby could come at anytime. I really don't expect the baby until after Nov. 7, but ya never know. Jeremy is actually out of town today taking his professional engineering exam. When I went into labor with Josiah, guess where he was?? Taking his engineering intern exam. Wouldn't it be such a coincidence if I went into labor today?? And why does he keep choosing to take these tests so close to my due dates???
Yesterday was crazy too. I did not stop moving all day. I cleaned the house in the morning and homeschooled. Someone was coming to look at the house. Then went to eat lunch, go to Target, and get groceries. I got home just in time to unload before the people were due to come to look. Then I took advantage of that hour and voted early. I wanted to make sure that I got that done before the baby came! Then home to cook dinner and eat real fast. Jeremy left to go to Franklin for his test and me and the girls left because we had tickets to Disney on Ice. The kids really enjoyed the show. We went last year, but Lily was scared everytime a bad guy came out. This show was a little more toned down and Lily is older so she really enjoyed it. It was great to see her clap along and smile and laugh. I even got out with no out of pocket money last night. I told the kids we were getting nothing before hand and I found free parking that was fairly close.
Back to my pg brain. I have been really forgetful and distracted lately. I will get to thinking about the baby or the birth and my brain can't seem to handle anything else. My driving is suffering is the worse thing. I have had several close calls so if you see me on the road, stay back. I left the house without my grocery list yesterday and had to come back and get it. There are many other little examples. I just am not very forgetful normally. If I see you out and forget your name, now you know why!

Cupcakes anyone?

Can you tell what kind of cupcakes these are?? Well, one night I told the girl's we were having cupcakes for dinner. They were so excited, especially when I put their plate in front of them. Then they took a bite and Miriam knew they had been tricked. This is actually meatloaf and the "frosting" is mashed potatoes. I got the idea from a Rachel Ray magazine. You could even make them look better, but I didn't care to. Miriam ate hers and Lily, true to form, licked the icing off.

Menu Plan Monday

Thurs- ate out @ Moe's
Fri- chicken salsa verde bake
Sat- Monte Cristo sandwiches
Sun- Spaghetti
Mon- onion soup ground beef over rice
Tues- Chicken Piccata
Wed.- eat out

Lunch Tues & Wed is home-made french onion soup.

Around the World Day

Our homeschool group held it's annual Around the World Day on Friday. Miriam had chosen to do China. She has had a fascination with China since she first saw "Mulan". Over the past month, we did a little bit each week. I think Miriam enjoyed being able to have a display. Here is a picture of Miriam and Lily with our table.

October 15th

I know I'm a day late on this post, but I was hardly home an hour yesterday. For those of you that don't know, October 15th is the National Day of Remembrance for Pregnancy and infant Loss. For the past 5 years Hospice of Chattanooga has had a candlelighting on this day. I was actually one of the very first perinatal patients with Hospice in Chattanooga. When we knew Josiah would die, Hospice stepped in and took care of our family. I wanted to give back and I heal through action, so when I found out about October 15th, I had to do something. I approached Hospice with the idea of a candlelighting in 2004. Through my plan and their support, an annual tradition was born. It is one I participate in every year although since last night was Wed., I had to leave early for Bible class. I got to catch up with some people and put Josiah's name on the memory table. The girls got to release a balloon early (Miriam asked to do this). I am so glad that there is this beautiful special occasion to remember our babies.

Here is a poem I wrote after Josiah's death. For background, he died 5 days before he was born and despite all the pain/sadness I went through, I would do it all over again just to be able to hold him again!

GRIEF FLOOD

If tears could turn back time,
My son,
I would go back to you alive
And give birth to you five days earlier
So we could look in each other's eyes.

If tears could turn back time,
My son,
I would go back to you in the womb
And memorize every kick,
Mark every move.

If tears could turn back time,
My son,
I would go back to before this pain,
And just to have the chance to hold you once more,
I would do it all over again.

But my tears can not turn back time,
My son,
Instead they fall uselessly down my cheeks.
I have lost my life- my child,
They drown in this flood of grief.

Menu Plan Monday

I do meal plans Thurs to Wed.

Last Thursday: Chicken & Veggie Soup w/ bread

Friday: leftovers- drained the soup and added more meat to make it heartier

Saturday: Hamburgers with Fries and Fried Pickles

Sunday: Meatloaf and mashed potatoes and corn

Monday: Upside down pizza bake

Tuesday: Beef Polenta Pie

Wednesday: May eat out or have Nachos?

For lunch on Mon-Wed: Bagels with cream cheese and fruit

Got Colostrum?

This may be TMI for some, but it excites me enough to share. Yesterday I was fixing to get a shower and look down and see some wetness on my nipple. I then confirm that colostrum is already being produced by my body. Why does this excite me? Well, it makes it all the more real that very soon, I will be meeting my baby. Very soon, I will have another little one to nurse and hold and cuddle. With my first 2 pregnancies, this did not happen, but with Lily, colostrum came in about this time too. It just so happens that I was washing baby clothes that morning so I wonder if that got my hormones started?? I have so many baby clothes, I could barely fit them in the drawer we cleaned out. They are all 0-3 months and all gender neutral colors. Of course, my babies where this size for about a month, so this baby may not even get a chance to wear them all. Miriam had a fun time putting them up with me and oohing over how cute and small all the clothes were. She is getting really excited. She always makes a point that after the baby is born, she wants to be the first (besides me) to hold the baby. I guess she thinks that is the oldest child's right. She also makes a point to Lily that while Lily is the Big Sister, Miriam is the Big, Big Sister. Sometimes Miriam will add on another Big to include Josiah, because this will be the 3rd time she is a big sister. Lily doesn't really understand how soon there will be a baby. And for me, it is so close, yet so far. I've been having more Braxton hicks and know I am gearing up for this labor. It's kinda scary to think I will spend the next month gearing up though. I don't want to feel like I've been having contractions for a month before the real thing. None of the BHs have been bad though. Although I know they can get worse.
BTW, if you read my blog often, you will probably get tired of reading this kinda stuff. I've got baby on the brain and it is dominating more of my time and conversation now. So I apologize now!

Count down

If you look at my ticker, this baby is due in 30 days. In reality, probably a week after that, but still I have to be ready by Nov. 7th. Now I am feeling the crunch. I like to be prepared and am a planner, so I have a list of things I need and I am getting organized. I've gotten all the baby clothes out that are gender neutral and I have gotten a drawer empty for the clothes. I would have washed them already, but in going through these I realized that I don't have any hats and only one blanket. I know I have these things. I just don't know where since a lot of stuff is in storage. So I am just going to buy some. I also have to finish gathering the things for the birth. There is really not too much to get, but I have to budget in the money for all the things I need for birth and baby. There are also a few things I want, but they may have to wait until after. It is kinda surreal when you get to this point and realize how soon the baby is coming. In a couple of weeks, it could be "anytime". This baby has been kinda annoying with all the stretching as if he doesn't have enough room. I really wouldn't mind an earlier baby this time, but not until November. October is too full and I have several things to do that last week of October.

Happy Anniversary

Today is my parent's 34th anniversary. I am so glad that my parent's have stuck it out through thick and thin to stay together. I don't think we always think of how our actions affect the distant future. I am glad also for my children that their grandparent's are still married. My husband's parents divorced when he was young, so they have dealt with that. Also my brother and Jeremy's brother are both divorced. I know my parent's have gone through rough times. I am so glad that they stayed together and hope they realize the far reaching affects of this. I hope they realize how important their marriage is to so many people. So today, we are celebrating. I have made a cake and have them a card. I'm also slipping in some money so they can go on a date. Since they are raising my nephew, it has been far too long since they have had a date.
Mom & dad- I wish you many more years of marriage. Hopefully most of them happy and fulfilling ones. Thanks!

Appreciation

My husband came home last night and came in the kitchen while I was cooking. He said he had thought about stopping and getting me flowers on the way home, but he didn't. I was not hurt, but flattered. Just that he thought about me. Then later in the evening, he told me he appreciated all that I do. He doesn't often do either of those and he made me feel good last night. I know he appreciates all that I do, but he rarely says that. Of course, I don't know if I tell him how much I appreciate what he does often. I do make a point to the girls and often in front of him, how lucky we are that he provides well for our family. I was thinking about the quote " behind every successful man is a good woman." the other night. I was thinking if I was doing the right kind of things to help my husband succeed. I take care of a lot around the house so that he doesn't have to worry about it. I try to listen when he tells me about work (sometimes it is not interesting). I try to make suggestions for changing or doing things better without nagging. Sometimes I end up making him feel like a failure when I do this though. I don't mean to do this. He just does things differently than I would and I think my way is better so this translates into he is wrong. I consider myself fairly organized and I like to plan everything out and he is the opposite of this. I think this is where a lot of his problems come from, but I also think that no matter how much I tell him to plan and prioritize, it is just not his way. Despite all his flaws, I hope he knows that I do truly love him and wouldn't want to live without him. I hope he feels the same about me.

On another note, a friend of mine had her 1st baby yesterday. I don't know all the details yet, but know she ended up with a c-section. This is my soapbox. I saw her about a month ago at her shower (she lives out of town) and spoke with her about her birth plans. She did not take a childbirth class or hire a doula, yet she did wish to have the baby naturally. I offered my services for free if she wanted. I later told my mom that I saw a c-section and that is what happened. As I said, I don't know the details, but I doubt that the section was truly needed as very few are. I could find out I'm wrong. I am glad that both mom and baby came out fine, but I know how important a birth can be and I also know the physical pain of a c-section. I also know that she will probably be condemned to "once a c-section, always a c-section". To some women, this is a small matter, but not to me. This is why I took my births out of the hospital.

Weekend Wrap Up

Some have a weekly wrap up. This is just about the weekend. I am back to my old busy self which is good. I need to stay active. The girls had a big weekend and lots of fun. On Thursday, we went to Buddy Bears with our homeschool group. Miriam had a lot of fun, but Lily for some reason did not enjoy herself much. On Friday, we went to Chuck e Cheese for a birthday party. The girls love to go there and had a blast. On Saturday, we went to Culture Fest at Coolidge Park. The Chinese Association did some things on the stage and had a booth. This was great for Miriam, because we are doing China for our Around the World Day project. Surprisingly, though, the kid's favorite part was the Scottish games. Must go back to our scotch/irish ancestry on both sides! On Sunday we went to worship, looked at houses and helped a friend move. Then we met with some people from church at the park so the kids got to play more. Today, we went to storage and finished getting Miriam's winter hand me downs for Lily and also got the baby stuff. Debi came by for a prenatal visit since she was in town. Everything is still going great with the baby. Then we had our last gymnastics class for this session. Miriam's class gave out ribbons. She received 9 ribbons today. I know in the scheme of things, it really doesn't mean much, but I was so proud I teared up. She doesn't often "earn" recognition like that, especially since we homeschool. I am really so proud of both my girls. I think they are so talented, smart, and beautiful.

A loss

My husband's grandmother, Miriam Poarch Long, died Tuesday and we attended visitation last night and the funeral is today. I did not really know her because she has had Alzheimer's since I met Jeremy, but she does have a special place in our home since Miriam is named after her. When Jeremy and I started dating, he lived in her home, because she had remarried and it was empty (Jeremy's grandfather died long ago). My Miriam only met her once as a baby. At that point her Alzheimer's was so bad that she really didn't even recognize Jeremy. As I said though, I still feel a connection with her. She was constantly a part of Jeremy's childhood- he stayed with her after school and remembers her German Chocolate cake, he attended church with her and remembers getting pinched when he misbehaved (he still does not like even playful pinching). We did not see her much, Jeremy said he did not like seeing her the way she was and I can understand. I always worry about his emotions at times like this. He doesn't seem like it, but he cries rather easily. I was not worried so much about his feelings of lose over his grandmother, but that they would bring up memories of his dad also who died less than a year ago. Of course, he says he is okay!
Onto another part of this story, sometime 20ish years ago, Jeremy's dad and his 2 brother's had a falling out and would not talk to each other. Jeremy grew up not really knowing his uncles or his cousins. Of course, this situation has thrown them all back together and this week I have finally met his uncles and cousins and other family on the Poarch side. I don't know what I expected, but everyone is so nice and took up with us right away. They made a fuss over the girls and the girls took to them also. I really don't understand not wanting to be around your family for 20 years, especially when this thought is passed down to the children (Jeremy and his cousins). One aunt even expressed how excited she had been to finally get to see Jeremy again and meet us. They were taking lots of pictures last night. I know we won't see any of them much, because they live in Atlanta and Nashville, but I do hope they can be a part of our lives from now on.

Wordless Wednesday

Homebody

Lately, I've been feeling like a homebody. If you have read my previous posts, I am not normally like this, but get bored if I have nothing to go do. Now I am not wanting to take the girls to the library or to music class, but would rather stay home. It is really weird to me. I know part of this is from still being a little sick and now getting big pregnant. I also do not even want to take the girls outside to play. I just want to lay around the house. Come October thought I have a lot I need to get done so I hope that this feeling doesn't last too long. I still have to get out the girls winter clothes so I can see what they need still. I know neither one of them need much, but that way I'll know what to look for at the consignment sales. I also need to start getting ready for this baby. I still need to wash 0-3 month clothes (plus find somewhere to put them), get diapers, and finish getting my supplies for the birth. I also want to redesign my doula website. It has been messed up for a while and I'd like to fix it and add a few things. Hopefully I can get all this done.

I am posting a new belly pic. We took this at the park Sunday and I really like it. I'll post more family pics tomorrow.

Sick & Tired

So I've gotten lazier with my posts lately. I've just been posting about once a week. This week I was down with this cold. Normally colds don't affect me that bad, but this one made me just want to lay around. At the first of the week, I only went out to do things I had to do. I am feeling much better, but the congestion is still lingering. Friday, we went to our homeschool group's Not Back to School Party. We had a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed playing at the park. It is great to start doing things with everyone again. I really missed them this summer.
I am so tired of cleaning. We had someone come look at our house Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. While I'm glad they are looking, it is getting harder for me to clean like I need to. My belly was sore Friday from all I did on Thursday and Friday morning. It is amazing how much dirt can accumulate in a day. I will openly admit that I don't normally clean my house very well. I have always picked up and cleaned up messes, but did not do the deep cleaning often enough. It shocked me that it appears that as much dirt accumulated in 1 day as I usually see in my sporadic deep cleanings. I wish someone would buy my house so that I don't have to do this anymore!!!
Today we finally went and took some family pictures at the park. We have been wanting to do this since the spring. I think most of them turned out well. I'll post some soon. I need to post another belly pic too. I really like my belly this time (not that I didn't before). To me, I have a much rounder shape this time. Of course, that can change as the baby is growing greatly at this point. I am not yet at the point of "wanting" the baby out. The only times it bother me really is at night. My hips hurt when I turn from side to side. I'm really comfortable flat on my back, but that is not good for the baby. I hope to write more this week than I have been!

Last Birth

For a while anyway. My client finally had her baby Saturday. By the way, this is long. She had called several times in the days before and was having prelabor. Then on Friday night, she thought she was in labor and called me, but then before I left, called back and said she didn't need me. I did get the call to come a little after 6am Saturday. I did go a little earlier to this labor than I normally do because this was a single mom. I was her only support. I went and sat with her until the kids woke up and then got them breakfast and dressed. I was trying to handle what they needed so the mom could labor. Their great-grandmother came and got them mid-morning. I ran my client a bath and she stayed in there quite a while. She was having contractions, but what a saw was about 10 minutes apart and she was not making noise or seeming to be in too much pain. She said they were hard, but I just didn't think she was very far along. She called the Dr. and the on-call did not think she was ready to go to the hospital yet, but she really wanted to so we got ready. She said she was ready for some pain medication. It still took an hour to get everything ready and in the car. I drover her there and we got there about 2pm. When she got in and they checked her, she was 7 cm. I was shocked. Apparently she was just handling everything very well. We were both very excited and this renewed her wants of going naturally. We got checked into a room and her Dr. came and she was 8cm before too long. I'm thinking this baby will be born within 1-2 hours. Then she gets to 8.5 and stays there.
I'm going to pause here to tell you what she was like in labor. She did not want to be touched and for the most part she wanted it quiet. Also, she wanted to lay down most of the time, so my suggestions of being active were all turned down. All this was fine with me, because I am there for whatever the woman's needs are. I would forget every now and then and touch her and she would shake me off. She wanted and needed me there, but she mostly just wanted to handle the labor by herself. As a doula, the work itself was easy- I did not spend hours massaging her back or holding her up.
Back to the story, so she stays at 8.5 for several hours and the nurses and Dr. come in more often and monitor her more often, both of which starts to bother her, because she just wants to be left alone by everyone. Finally, her dilation goes back to an 8. You may think this is impossible, but I had read about this in books and now I have seen this happen twice this year. When you have people (nurse, Drs) who are coming in often to "interrupt" you and who are giving you discouraging news instead of encouraging you, this can easily happen. Finally, it is getting late 8pm and the Dr says you have to do something. She agrees to an epidural. It is in by 9pm. She cried after it was in, because she had really thought she could go natural and wanted to. I told her she had been very successful and we can't control the labor we are dealt. Within an hour she was complete, so the epi did help her. She pushed the baby out fairly quickly and he was born just after 10pm. He came out with his hand next to his head so I don't know if this helped cause the stall at 8 or not?
He came out healthy and nursed right away and well. I stayed and helped her get settled into recovery. I was with her for 3 hours after the baby was born which I normally don't do, but I didn't want to leave her alone. When her sister came back at 1am (she was there for the last hour of labor), I finally left to go home. I was with her a total of 19 hours. I think that is my longest labor yet, but I knew I signed on for that too. I'm just glad I get a break now.
On Sunday morning, I taught preschool bible class, tried to stay awake during worship, we grabbed a quick bite afterwards. I then went home and slept for a couple of hours. Did I also mention I started getting a cold on Friday? Thankfully, it didn't bother me during the labor except needing a drink when my throat was dry, but it did come in on Sunday. I slept 10 hours last night and finally feel a bit more myself today. I'm glad I attended the labor and I hope it was a positive experience for the mother, but I am so glad to not have to do one for a while. At least not for 8-9 more weeks! :)

Focus

I am ready to focus on me! I know that sound egotistical, but I don't mean it that way. For this whole pregnancy, I have been thinking of other things. Besides the daily family stuff, I'm always waiting for a client to have her baby and I've been looking for a house while worrying about ours selling. I am at that point in me pregnancy where I really want to just think about me and this baby. I want to think about my birth and how I want it to be and to begin to prepare. I want to think about the baby, come up with names, decide if I want to do cloth or disposable diapers, start washing things. I'm not really worried about getting everything done- 60 days is still plenty of time, I'm just ready to make that my focus. I feel as if this baby has been neglected. That is not the case as I try to eat right, take my vitamins, see my midwife, and am planning the best start of life possible for him/her. I just have not gotten to think as much about this one. That also helps the wait though. Time has certainly flown and before I know it, this baby will be in my arms.
On this note, I saw Debi yesterday. Everything is going great still. I always do well with pregnancy and this time is no different. The baby is great and has moved into a head down position. He wasn't last visit, so that is a relief to know. Now in my 3rd trimester, I certainly feel pregnant. I have some trouble at night, but I am still getting enough sleep so that's okay. The Braxton Hicks have started too. Just a few a day that I can feel, but again, nothing that I could complain about. I'm looking forward to this birth and have some fear too. the fear is really just for the unknown part of it all. I just hope this one is a little easier than Lily's. Although I had a long,hard birth once and can make it through another if I have to.

Our Weekend

On Saturday, we went to Touch-a-truck. This is an event where the kids get to climb in and explore all kinds of big service trucks and cars including a police car, city bus, dump truck, etc. They also gave away free food, t-shirts, and lots of other stuff. The girls had a nice time. We then went and ate and then had a lazy afternoon at home. After dinner, we all took a walk down to the park and played for about an hour. That is one thing that I will miss when we move. The girls and I walk to the Library when it is a nice day and being able to walk to a park.
On Sunday we went to worship and then ate lunch with my parents. Then we stopped by to see Jeremy's mom too. It was grandparents day and the girls had made them both cards. My parents drove by the house I was interested in and it was having an open house so they looked and later I took Jeremy to look. No one else liked it as much as I did so back to square 1. I was a little down after that. Also, my new dryer that was free dries my clothes really well, but also will choose a few to leave brown stains on. While I told Jeremy about this after the first load, he still has not looked. So now I refuse to use my dryer until he fixes this or gets me a new one. It may be a while until we have clean clothes! I am still waiting for my client to go into labor. I am ready for that to happen and for us to find a house so that I can start concentrating on me and this baby and the upcoming birth.

Movie Reviews

We've seen 2 movies lately at the $1 theater. I feel rather cheap, because I hate paying so much to go see a regular movie and did not take the girls to see any of the kid's summer movies this year. We did go to the free ones at the Rave though. So I've been watching the theater at Hamilton Place for the movies to come through.
Last week we saw Kung Fu Panda. The kids loved this movie and I really enjoyed it too. It was a really great family movie. It had a positive message and was very funny. This is one I would recommend to everyone and I plan to buy when the movie comes out on DVD.
Yesterday, I took the kids to see the new Indiana Jones. I was looking forward to seeing this since I grew up with the older movies. While the movie did have some interesting parts, to me it was just not the same. Events were sometimes too fantastical. I know that the old movies had some of this too, but the new one took it too far. I really did not like the ending either. It would have been much better if they wrote something simpler. I was also not impressed with Harrison Ford as an actor. He was just not believable as Indiana Jones anymore. It really wasn't his age, but his face just looked tired and like he wasn't enjoying his adventure. The kids ( Miriam & A.J.) enjoyed it, but Lily was too scared to look during some parts. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to waste $6 a person, but I guess $1 was okay.

Giving

Several things have happened lately that have me thinking about giving and God's providence. When I was in college, I attended a congregation that was very giving towards me. By this I mean, that individual members made sure I was taken care of and had plenty of fellowship with them. I was often asked out to eat and rarely paid for my meal. There are a few who were very capable of doing this (financially) and did so often. I always felt guilty, but I remember one man telling me that one day when I was capable I would be doing the same things. Since then, I have matured as a woman and a christian, gotten married, etc. I have always remembered this and I have always tried to be conscious of my giving. I try to give generously to the church, but also to individuals who have a need. In return, I always try to be aware of how God returns this to me by help when I need it. As II Corinthians 9:6 says, "But this [I say], He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." This applies to many things in the spiritual realm, but in the context, Paul is specifically talking about giving. Knowing this, God also does not expect us to give beyond our means and sometimes a little is considered to be a lot in His eyes (for example: the story of the widow's mite in Mark 12).
When Jeremy and I are aware of a need or have something that could help someone else, we have always tried to help fill it. This comes in many forms from money to help moving to a meal. I feel that sometimes we do not help when we should, but we do try. In return, God has many times blessed us and our brethren have come through when we have a need. I would not have made it through the death of Josiah without God to lean on as well as all the support we had from brethren in this area and beyond. More than once when a finacial need has arised, we will get some sort of refund or bonus check we were not expecting. This does not happen every time, but it has happened. We are blessed with my husband's steady job and paycheck and we live within our means so that we are not often in need. This weekend we have 2 unplanned expenses, new tires and shocks for my husbands car and my dryer burned out. Then today, my husband found a free dryer and is picking it up tomorrow. I know that God's hand was in that although in reality it is a minor thing because we could have bought one if we had to. Just yesterday we were helping a christian family unload their moving truck (giving of ourselves) and today I am getting a free dryer. I have gained a new friend also as the family has kids very close to my kid's age and me and the mom have a lot in common. While God never promises that this life will be easy (why would we hope for heaven if it was?), He certainly provides the means for us to get by here. I have NO DOUBT that when I need help, all I have to do is lean on Him and He will provide. That is so comforting!

Today has been a good day and I was busy all day. We homeschooled then went to a PAFT (Parents are First Teachers) group meeting. We got to ride the train at the Tennessee Valley Railroad for free. This was the first time that Lily has ever been on a train. Both girls had a lot of fun. Then we went to look at a house I was interested in. i really love it and I would make an offer on it. we just have to see if everyone else will agree. I plan to take everyone back over to look soon. I also reduced the price on our house so hopefully it will sell soon. After that we went by Target to get a few things. I had to buy Lily another nightgown so we could avoid any more bedtime melt downs. She has one gown she wants to wear every night. She will not wear any of her other pajamas. So now we have 2- one to wear while the other washes. Finally we went by the church so I could get all my stuff ready for bible class on Sunday (I teach the preschool class). Some friends were there cleaning and organizing so we got to chat and play while we worked. Now I'm finally home making a quick dinner and I still have to go get groceries tonight. I normally do my grocery shopping on Thurs morning, but was unable today. I think Miriam will go with me and we will have some girl time.

First Grade

Today is our 20th day of homeschooling this year. So far everything has been going pretty well. Miriam is certainly capable of doing everything easily so far and it has mostly been review anyway. I'm questioning my choice to use more workbooks this year. She has always seemed to like workbooks, but I can also see that some days she is bored with them. I have decided to do a project every few weeks that will get us out of the books and more into hands on things. She is reading really well which is a relief. I was worried she might have a hard time since we didn't practice enough this summer and we are using the Abeka readers this year. When she is concentrating, she will fly through a story. When she really doesn't want to read, it can take forever. I can always tell when she is bored or doesn't want to do the work, because she becomes a contortionist. Miriam can get into so many positions and move around so much, it drives me crazy. It doesn't matter if we are at the table, the couch, or in bed. She also likes to stand beside her chair a lot. I just don't know why she won't be still. In school she would be expected to sit at her desk, so I expect the same at home. I'm trying to think of some way to tie her down!
One thing that I really love about homeschooling is that it is easy to see where they need more help or review. We were doing a calendar yesterday and she couldn't tell me the months of the year. While we did this in Kindergarten, it is just something she has forgotten. So that is easily remedied and I am going to start going over the calendar every day and we will review the months of the year until she knows them again. It is great to be able to adjust your lesson plan to fit in something that is needed. This year is going good so far- only 160 more days to go!

Sweet Dreams

This is something that I just had to post about. I think Lily only dreams about candy and sweets. There are certainly worse things to dream about, but it gives new meaning to "sweet dreams". This morning and yesterday morning, she tossed and turned a little and was whining that "She did want some ice cream". Someone in her dream either wouldn't share or ate it all before she got some. She has done this in the recent past also with gummy bears and chocolate. I have to hold her close and comfort her until she goes back to deep sleep. After we get up I will ask her who wouldn't give her the ice cream and she doesn't know what I'm talking about. She has let me know that she wants me to buy some ice cream at the grocery store this week. I think I am taking the girls to $1 scoop night at Baskin Robbins today. I have to get that poor baby some ice cream!

Pregnancy Brain

I've got it! Yesterday I told someone at worship I would come by their house after we ate lunch. After we ate, I just wanted to go home and forgot all about going by. I in fact did not remember until I saw them again that night. I felt guilty for not showing up, but also shocked that I forgot. I am normally not forgetful. I have done this more often lately. I am also starting to feel lazier. Not that I still don't get things done, but I don't want to. I am not staying on top of things quite like I should, but they are not horrible either. I am getting tired by mid afternoon. I guess I must really be pregnant! Now that I'm in my last trimester I am starting to feel it. I still am not getting prepared and probably won't until October.
I am actually already getting prepared for our trip to Disney world next year and that is 6 months away. I guess to me, there is much more planning involved in our vacation than in having this baby. I have been saving my money and now am already deciding what rides to ride and where to eat. I guess I want this vacation to go really well since this is the biggest (longest, most expensive) vacation we've been on and we won't get to go back soon. I'm really ready to go now!

I'm a Big Kid Now

Lily is potty trained. We have worked on it for over a week now and although she has had a few accidents here and there, she is in underwear only. She even sleeps in underwear with no accidents. We celebrated last night with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese. The girls had a blast. Jeremy and I even had some fun too. My little one has really grown up. I'm glad I'm having a baby soon, because Lily is definitely not my baby anymore. She will tell you that if you ask her too. You can't even call her baby doll. So here is a picture of Lily in her underwear. I also have a picture of Lily holding the first ripe tomato from what my dad planted. It grew on one of her plants (each child chose some plants to call their own). We ate it Wed. with lunch. She also has the second ripe one.

Belly Pic

For those who haven't seen me in a while. Please don't point out that my butt sticks out as much as my belly!

Country Girls

This weekend my parents and all of us went to Columbia to visit our family. They stayed with my mom's mom and we stayed with my dad's parents on their farm. My dad was raised on a pretty big farm- had to feed and milk the cows before school and everything. We didn't have access to internet and it is just so peaceful to be out int he country. the girls would wake up early and eat breakfast real quick (which my grandmother cooked for us). Then they would have to get dressed and go help my peepaw feed the cows or something. We sat out on the porch and watch the hummingbirds fight over the feeders. They were able to go outside without me worrying if they were okay. They also explored the farm some on Sunday when my cousin was out there. These girls could really be country girls! I could get used to it to if there was somewhere around here that was "country", but didn't take 45 minutes to get into town.
We got to see my brother too, which we don't get to do often. My girls, especially Lily, really love Uncle Adam. We really enjoyed seeing everyone since it has been about 3 months since we've been up there. Mom and I stopped by a friend of our's baby shower in Nashville on the way home. It was nice to see them again too. We had a very tiring weekend and I still feel behind. I'm glad we went though and hope to go 1 more time before the baby is born.

First Field Trip

Today we had our first field trip of the year. Some families from my homeschool group got together and we went to Raccoon Mountain Caverns. The kids seemed to enjoy. Even though both girls thought and kinda acted like they were scared, I really don't think they were. They even got to see a red salamander. Miriam might have even learned something. They got to "pan" for gems after the tour. Here are a few pics of our adventure.

P.T. Duty

Potty Training is still going well. It has been 3 days now and I consider Lily potty trained with some work still needed to be done. She didn't have an accident the first 2 days, but yesterday she had a couple. We were on the go all afternoon though so I think she was just a little distracted. I am giving her candy as a reward and sometimes she will go sit on the potty and try to go but nothing will come. She will look at me with a pitiful face and so " Pee pee and poo poo won't come". I really don't like giving her this much candy, but it seems to be working and it is only one piece at a time. I'm hoping today goes better than yesterday, but I do have to make a trip to Debi's so I don't know how Lily will handle that. We are also going to Columbia to visit family on Friday and that is a longer drive. I know we'll make at least one stop then.
It has been over 5 weeks since I saw Debi. I know everything is going okay, but it is nice to be told that. I am almost 27 weeks now and I will start seeing Debi a little more often now. It is kinda scary how quickly time is going and how soon this baby will be here. Each pregnancy just goes by more quickly. I have been told several times that it looks like a boy so we will see. I'll be happy either way!

Potty Training Take 2

Okay, so we are trying again to potty train Lily. She is actually doing much better this time. Yesterday she wore underwear all day without an accident and no accidents so far today. I am doing things a little different this time. For one, I'm very serious about it. Last time I kinda hoped she would train herself without too much involvement from me. Now I am trying to be very vigilant. I do not want a take 3. Second, I clearly outline and remind her of the rewards she will get (candy each time she goes and a trip to Chuck E. Cheese when complete). I even have the candy on the back of the toilet. I also clearly outlined the punishment for peeing on my floor. I know some wouldn't approve of punishing an accident and I will not punish a true accident, but I will if she pees on the floor just to do it. I really think this made a big different this time. She has to understand that it is not acceptable to me to have to clean the floor all day. So as I said, it is going really well and I hope it sticks this time. I really don't want 2 kids in diapers. I am going to try cloth diapering again with this baby though. Hopefully I will stick to it longer than with Lily. I want to cloth diaper more for the environment than because of the money. Our family has put too many diapers out there as it is.

100 days

So I'm a couple of days late on this, but I now am down into the double digits of days left till baby is here. In reality this baby will not come in 98 days, but at that time it will definitely be imminent. This pregnancy is going by so fast. I really don't dwell too much on actually being pregnant except when the baby is kicking. I'm just kinda wondering when I'm going to go into that "this baby is coming soon" mode. We don't know if it's a boy or girl so I'm not out buying clothes. I'm not stocking up on diapers, wipes, or anything else. I am worried about selling the house and getting a new one and sometimes I actually think about having to go through labor again, but I'm not really preparing for our new little one. I'm hoping that in October I will feel the need to get everything ready.
On another note, we started homeschooling this week. Miriam's workbooks came in and so far she is very excited. I always wonder how long it will take that excitement to turn into "Do I have to?" I hope it lasts a little while, because Miriam has a bit more work to do this year and we will be more structured. It won't be quite as relaxed and eclectic as kindergarten was. I have no doubt she can do everything, just don't want to fight her on it.

Wordless Wednesday

Don't Push!!

I normally don't post twice in a day, but I was privileged enough to attend another birth yesterday. It was really amazing and surprisingly easy (for me anyway). I got woke up at 7am and told my client was in labor. I got a call back at 8am and then finally at 9am asking me to come. My friend Christina attended this birth with me for her childbirth educator certification. We both got there about 9:30am. My client was definitely in labor, but we didn't know how long it would take since her last labor was 36 hours. I really thought I was in for the long haul. Shortly after we got there things got more intense and she was doubting herself. These are signs that her labor was pretty far along, but a lot of my clients reach this point at 5 cm, so I still thought we had a while to go. I suggested a bath after a while and once she got in the water, she was better able to handle her labor and got herself back in control. Shortly, she starts telling me she is feeling pressure. Her husband starts wanting to call the midwife, but my client never said we needed to. After a few more contractions she tells me she feels like she might need to push. So I talk to her to see if this is really it. I finally decide that she is in fact wanting to push and we call the midwife to tell them we are on the way. Her husband is gathering things quickly and Christina and I are getting her dressed. She is definitely starting to push at this point, so we are start going faster. I tell hubby to call back and tell them we're coming and she's already pushing. We rush to the car and I ride with my client while Christina follows. Keep in mind, this is happening just 2 hours after I got there. During the ride I'm telling my client to breathe out and not to push and she has her hand down there like it will stop the baby from coming. She was worried that she really wasn't that far and that we wouldn't make it before the baby was born at the same time. We passed 2 cops who luckily didn't notice us. I knew she was close, but at no time did I feel panicky or that we wouldn't make it. We got to the hospital and pulled up and 5 nurses run out with a stretcher. They put my client on it and pulled her underwear off and her water broke. They rush inside and get her in a room. She is pushing, but they are asking her not to since the midwife is not there yet, then they decide to let her go ahead. The midwife walks in when the head is halfway out and doesn't have time to put a gown on or anything. Another push or two and the baby was out. All this in the 2 and 1/2 hours I was with her. This is the first time I have been with someone who waited this long to go to the hospital and I truly didn't think she was that close until she said she was pushing. In my opinion, it worked out great. She didn't have to be tethered to machines for hours or lay in bed or have an IV, etc. She labored totally at home and got to the hospital just in time for them to catch the baby. It was really exciting too. Rarely do I attend a birth where I get a good night's sleep before, stay with the client for so short a time, and was home with my family that afternoon. So it was really a good birth for me and the client went natural which she was unable to do the first time. Have I ever said I love my job??

Trip to Knoxville

I've been rather lazy in posting this since we got back last Wed. Our trip was good although the girls could have been better for me. On Monday, we went to the zoo and then had dinner with Jeremy and some other conference people. The hotel we stayed in was downtown right next to the World's Fair Park. So on Tuesday we walked around there. We went up in the sunsphere, went to the art museum (which happened to be free that day), and stopped by the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (my favorite part). Later we changed into our swimsuits and went to the fountain in the park to play. That night the conference had a big buffet meal, music, craft booths, and fireworks in the park. Me and the girls did not pay to go, but we went down there and they let us in. It was really neat. As it was getting dark, our girls were playing in the grass with some other kids and this man walks up and asked whose kids were these? Jeremy and I are thinking "what did they do?" The man then said he owned the 6th floor of the sunsphere and would we like to watch the fireworks from there? So we went up with him and another family. You have not seen fireworks until they are exploding right in front of your face. It was really awesome and I told Miriam to remember this because it was a once in a lifetime experience. That was probably the highlight of our trip and I didn't even have my camera with me. On wed., we packed to leave and took the kids to the Discovery Center on our way out of town. It was a pretty good trip. I wish Jeremy could have been with us more, but I wasn't going to pass up a free hotel stay. Here are a few pictures at the zoo, sunsphere, and fountain.