June 23, 2011

  • The Pox hits home

    Jackson woke up Tuesday morning with what looked like a few mosquito bites on his face.  I puzzled over it for a bit but thought very little of it.  But by four pm, he was covered in 'bites'.  It suddenly hit me...this was no pest, this was the chicken pox!!

    rain 230

    He had a small fever the day before, but other than that he seems to be happy and normal.  I am very glad my kids are getting them so young.  We won't have to worry with a vaccine now (whose potency is highly questionable, with many children getting just as bad a case of chicken pox even after being fully vaccinated) If you would like to expose your children to chicken pox, and thus inoculate them forever, please bring them over!  We'd love to have a playdate :)   Caleb doesn't have them yet, so we will have to wait 7-21 days for his outbreak.  Chicken pox is apparently only serious for newborns (!) We checked with our pediatrician (who confirmed that it was chicken pox) and assured us that Miriam was out of danger.  Apparently, she is quite likely to avoid the chicken pox altogether because of the immunity she is getting from nursing.  She will, however, have to get a round of it later on - after she is done nursing and her immunity wears off. 

     

    Meanwhile, I am giving my sweet Jackson lots of hugs and kisses.  He just turned two about a month ago and he is an absolute darling! 

    rain 065 

    rain 090 rain 149

    He is sweet, thoughtful and very gentle. He has an incredible vocabulary and crystal clear annunciation of his words. At 20 months, he started speaking in complete sentences...saying things like "Mommy, Coco is sitting on my towel!" Seven word sentences are huge progress for his age group. He is a very loving big brother and we are privileged to be his parents. What a darling boy! What kissable cheeks, what lovely long eyelashes :) We love our dear Jackson!

June 20, 2011

  • Going Natural - the Shampoo story

    I've often heard that shampoo is a waste of money.  I've also heard that it is actually bad for you because of the chemicals it contains.  But as much as I figured there was some truth to this, I wasn't sure if I wanted to risk trying to go without it...or the lovely fragrance it gives my hair :)    It wasn't until I had a reaction to one of the chemicals in the shampoo/conditioner that I use that I decided it was time for a change.  I broke out with red bumps all over my upper back, shoulders and arms; a reaction to the Sodium Laureth Sulfate (a foaming agent in shampoos)  I looked into some of the expensive 'natural' shampoos and discovered that many of them had Sodium Laureth sulfate as well (so what's the point of paying $10 a bottle for the same chemically laden products??!!) 

    Finally, I decided to try the no 'poo method which my friend had recommended to me.  Basically, it means you don't use shampoo at all.  A little bit jarring to someone who typically has dry frizzy hair. All the curls make for a tangly mess too, without the use of conditioner.  I have felt that the only way to keep it from being dry and frizzy is to load on the heavy products.  However, it turns out that these fancy fragrant shampoos may actually be causing dry hair because the harsh chemicals strip the hair of it's natural oils and damage it.  After reading up on the no poo method, I mixed up the simple concoction they recommended and tried it out.  Here's the mixture I used:

    Shampoo: Roughly 1 Tablespoon of Baking Soda to 1 cup of warm water; store in a squirt bottle.  Shake well before using.  Squirt along scalp and massage throughout hair and scalp.

    Conditioner: Mix in a spray bottle, 1Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar to 1 cup of warm water.  I also added honey, because my hair is dry. I added a little Lavendar oil, for fragrance and because it helps you relax. (and I always take my showers at night, so relaxing is a good thing :) If you have oily hair, you should avoid the honey; in fact, you may be able to skip the conditioner altogether since the baking soda shampoo is so much gentler on your hair.  Shake the bottle and spray throughout hair.  Let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing.

    I've only used it twice so far, but I must say I am VERY impressed!  My hair is not dry at all!  It is soft, pliable, and cooperative.  And no tangling!  Hopefully the bumps on my back and arms will clear up shortly, now that I have rid myself of Sodium Laureth Sulfate :)  

    The only other product I use on my hair is a spray gel, to help the curls hold their shape throughout the day.  It's a little pricy, especially considering the amount I have to use on my long, thick hair.  I'm considering trying something more natural...I wonder if I could use aloe vera gel?  I'll give it a try someday when I'm staying home :)   I hope you give this natural shampoo a try...it will save you loads of money and it's much better for you!

June 15, 2011

  • The 'haves'...and the 'have nots'

    These days, the term above refers to grass...those who have it, and those who 'have not'.  We are decidedly the latter :)   This drought comes at a terribly inconvenient time for us; with a newborn, I can't seem to remember to go out and water the grass.  Which means we have none left to water!  I guess we're in the market for some grass, as it were.  But,  we will probably wait until the drought is over, as I have no grand illusions of my watering the grass once we purchase it. 

June 7, 2011

June 2, 2011

  • Family Fun Friday

    We stole this idea from another family, dear friends of ours.  We celebrate the end of the week by having Family Fun Fridays.  We start out the morning with a special breakfast; Chocolate Chip Pancakes. (the pancakes are from a weight watchers recipe and are whole wheat...we just add the chocolate chips to make it extra special!)  For lunch, the boys and I try to do something special, like chicken nuggets from Wendy's or homemade fruit and yogurt smoothies. We go to the park or library or have a playdate with friends.  Then, when Daddy gets home, we pop open a bottle of wine (We like the Dr Pauly Noble House Riesling -exceptionally good and only $10 bottle at Specs - look under German wines)  The boys get chocolate milk as their special drink :) Sometimes we do pizza, but more often we do Spaghetti and meatballs, a favorite with the boys.  This is also our once a week time to splurge and have dessert. Sometimes cookies.  Sometimes baked apples of some sort.  Try this delicious recipe for a Family Fun Friday of your own :)   Happy cooking!

    Apple Crumb Pudding
    3 c peeled and sliced apples  -place them in 13x9 pan and toss with 1 c sugar 1T flour and 1t cinnamon and pinch of salt
    Mix:
    3/4 c oatmeal
    3/4 c flour (we use whole wheat)
    3/4 c brown sugar
    1/4 t baking soda
    1/4 t baking powder
    Add:
    1/3 c melted butter
    Spread over the apples. Bake at 350 until the apples are done -about 25 minutes.  Very good!  I should note that we never use anywhere near as much sugar as it calls for...usually half and it turns out really good.  We use organic gala apples and they are very sweet by themselves. If you use more tart apples, you may need the sugar. 

  • We get an 'A' for effort

    The boys had been crazy all day.  Caleb insists on swimming in the dirt.  Jackson insists on wearing socks without shoes (After all, he doesn't want to go barefoot!)  Aaron called and asked if I'd like to meet him at the park for a run after work.  Sounds like a fun idea.  Miriam is just now six weeks old, so this will be our first run postpartum.  Actually, our first run in about 7 months, since I couldn't run when I was pregnant. I knew it would take a lot of prep work to get ready, so I made a mental list of everything I had to do:

    • Load double jogger
    • Load single jogger
    • Find out how to squeeze them both in the car
    • Realized the tires are flat
    • Aired up all 6 tires
    • Replaced inner tube in one tire
    • Had to completely disassemble the single jogger to get it to fit...finally able to close the door on the car!
    • Don't forget Coco!
    • Coco's leash too
    • Bottle for Miriam (we're going out for sandwiches after)
    • Chop fruit for boys snacks
    • Sippie cups for boys
    • Bib for Jackson for dinner after the run
    • Blanket to shade Miriam
    • Clips to hold blanket shade in place
    • Shoes for the boys
    • Water bottles for us
    • Hats and sunglasses for everyone
    • Diapers for Jackson
    • Diaper bag for Miriam
    After I finished loading all of this, I looked around for the boys.  One was shirtless, the other shortless.  No problem; I can pack their omitted articles of clothing in the car.  Jackson was sticking his arm up the tailpipe of the car...a perfect fit, it turns out.  I had to scrub the black muck off of his arm.  I nursed Miriam before we left so that she could make it through the run without growing hungry.  Once we all got loaded in the car, I realized that it was like 110 degrees outside.  Lovely day for a run!  It took another 20 minutes to reassemble everything at the park and load the appropriate sippie cups in their respective joggers.  And to get the right sunglasses, hats, etc. for each kiddo.  Finally, we were off.  I felt like I'd already had a great workout!  Running for the first time in 7 months is hard.  Running with two kids and a dog in the jogger and being only 6 weeks postpartum (with my third) is doubly hard. I am glad we did it, but I'm exhausted!  I'm sore in a way that says I'm 30 now and just had my third baby...things are going to take awhile to recover!  But, we get an A for effort :)

May 19, 2011

  • The first four weeks

     
    It's not that I've forgotten to blog; my hands have been a little full lately!  But it's more than that.  Our first four weeks since Miriam was born have been more difficult than would normally be with a new baby. Here's a brief summary:

    Week one: Chaotic and happy, the first week flew by.  I discovered that Miriam was mixed up about her days and nights!  She slept all day, and woke all night.  But I didn't actually mind...the days were so noisy that I welcomed these quiet nighttime feedings as a way to bond with my darling girl.  Aaron took this week off from work, so we really enjoyed the time together as a family.  Miriam never left my arms the whole week!

    Week two: Recovering from what seemed to be my smoothest delivery yet, I hit a major glitch.  I found myself on the floor in serious pain.  Sharp and painful contractions turned into one 90 minute contraction of unbearable magnitude.  I was overwhelmed and was crying, vomiting and incapable of functioning.  Motrin kicked in and finally lessened the pain. We were about to head to the emergency room, but since the pain seemed to be managed by the motrin, we opted to wait until morning and go to my doctor.  It turns out that I had retained fluid in my uterus.  Since my cervix was already closed, the uterus was contracting in heavy, hour or more long contractions attempting to push it out.  We don't know what the fluid was, how it got there or why.  All day at the doctors office with painful tests and procedures that no woman should have to go through 10 days postpartum.  They had to open my cervix again to allow the fluid to come out.  Aaron's parents took the boys for a few days and this helped us get through the week.

    Week three:  The boys came back and promptly came down with strep throat.  They were generous enough to share it with Aaron and I.  By the end of the week, we were in the doctor's office again getting shots for the most awful case of strep ever.  Plagued by a monumental sore throat and fever, I spent most of the day in bed and had strange dreams ( I dreamed that Mr Potato head and Ham visited the planet of the silver surfer-of Fantastic four - yes...I told you it was strange!  I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried!) My throat was so swollen, they couldn't even get a cotton swab in it...fortunately, they were able to successfully swab Aaron's throat and gave us both a shot of antibiotics. Aaron lost seven pounds...I lost weight too and lost my milk supply.  Spent the rest of the week trying to get it back up, hoping , praying it would come back.  Whew...glad that's over!

    Week Four: Relapsed into strep throat again, after only two days of feeling normal.  What a nightmare!  By the end of the week, I finally felt better and we packed up for a first family 'vacation' - a trip to a (almost) flooded New Orleans for Aaron's cousin's wedding.  Miriam was not quite four weeks old, but she and the boys were real troopers and traveled like pros.  We enjoyed walking around New Orleans and seeing the flooded Mississippi river.

    Week Four and a half: Realized that I'd been to the doctor once or twice every week since Miriam was born.  This week was no exception.  Caleb had been complaining of an ear ache for awhile now.  I'd had the doctor look at it (when we were there for something else)  He said it was a mild ear infection - Caleb's first one ever - and that we could let it run it's course.  If it gets too bad, we could come back and get something for it.  It got a little worse and I thought about taking him in, but then he suddenly declared he felt much better and began playing like normal.  The only problem was, he couldn't hear us.  Alarmed, I decided to take him in first thing Monday morning.  But by then, a strange puss had started coming from his ear (I know, TMI) I thought it was a sign he was healing up.  The doctor disagreed.  Turns out Caleb's ear drum had burst!  This relieved some of the pressure and helped his ear to feel better, but the infection was still running rampant.  Another round of antibiotics. (when you take one round of antibiotics it weakens your immune system and opens you up to other illnesses...a vicious cycle!) 

    We are resting at home now, hoping the storm has passed and that we can just enjoy life with our new baby now.  I would love to feel normal and well again for more than just a few days!  But with all of this, I must admit it is not as difficult with three as I had imagined it to be.  You just do what you have to do and get through and it's really not all that bad.  (only four and a half weeks into this, so it's subject to change!)   Miriam is sleeping in three to four hour spurts and I am sleeping SOOO much better than I did when I was pregnant.  I don't mind waking up to feed her because the sleep in between is so much better than it was before I had her.  Plus, I have my baby to enjoy :)   I am enjoying every minute of our time...can't believe she's already a month old!  She had her first haircut, a trim really (she had a mohawk!) Aaron and I sit here in the evenings and look at each other and just grin.  "I feel like we are starting to have a full quiver" he says.  I agree.  It feels so much more like family to me!  Though I still feel like there's someone missing and we will definitely add more to our quiver, if the Lord allows :)

April 22, 2011

  • A birth story

    After weeks of contractions, I was worried that I would not recognize the onset of real labor.  I began to have dreams, nightmares really, that I had the baby at home on the living room floor because I failed to make it to the hospital in time.  On Thursday, the day after the baby's due date, I had contractions 2-5 minutes apart for several hours in the early morning.  Aaron voted to stay home, betting we would have the baby that day.  But alas, the day came and went and my 'labor' never progressed into something real.  Strange how much anxiety I had leading up to my due date, wondering when I would deliver, and how much longer I would have to wait.  But the moment my due date passed, I had complete peace about it. Any day now, we would have a baby.

    We made it to the weekend.  I had a theory about why I hadn't delivered yet.  My nausea has been so terrible in this pregnancy that I had been forced to take my anti nausea pills every day of the pregnancy.  Since one of the pills acts as a sedative, I reasoned that perhaps it could be delaying the onset of active labor.  After all, I had tons of contractions, even consistent ones, but was never able to go into active labor.  I decided Friday night to skip the sedative pill.  Woke up Saturday morning with terrible morning sickness and an awful headache!  Went for a three mile walk and had lots of exciting contractions, but no labor.  Came home and took a nap.  We all went to the mall together and I walked laps at the mall, pushing Jackson in his stroller.  Enjoyed it, but felt really crampy and cranky.  Didn't feel like eating much for dinner.  We came home and watched a movie and got to bed really late (10:30)  I was feeling pretty miserable, but had learned to ignore it with all the false labor I'd been having.  One thing for sure, I was thinking maybe it worked to not take that sedative pill!  I opted not to take it again tonight ( I'm glad I did :)

    I tossed and turned all night...Aaron ended up sleeping on the couch.  I kept dreaming I was in labor and kept waking up with contractions.  But I tried to sleep through them.  Finally, at 3:30am, I couldn't sleep anymore.  I decided I should time the contractions for 15 minutes and see how many I had.  In just six minutes, I had three!  So, I got up and started getting dressed, just in case.  The contractions continued.  At 4am I tiptoed downstairs and woke Aaron.  "It's time" I said.  "Huh what?" He responded.  "I'm in labor honey".  "Oh..." I guess he was hoping it could wait until morning.   It couln't.  I called my Mom to tell her I was in labor.  I called the midwife...she asked if I felt it was time to come in.  I told her I guessed it was (still not sure myself)  Then, we finally called our neighbors.  They were excited for us and he came over to stay with our (sleeping) boys.  It was 4:30am by now.  Caleb woke up and came downstairs...no use trying to get him to go back to sleep!  We fed him breakfast, made oatmeal for Jackson's breakfast and laid out their clothes for the morning.  By 5am, we were on our way to the hospital.  We mad the call to Aaron's parents telling them I was in labor.  They said they could leave at 6am and head over to relieve the neighbor of babysitting duty.  They live three hours away, so they could be here by 9am.  Perfect.  I felt relieved that things were going so smoothly!

    We arrived at the hospital at 5:30 and voted to park the car and walk, rather than valet.  I figured it would help things progress faster :)   They had me weigh in, check in and change into a gown.  Theodorah was the midwife on call (hooray!)She is my favorite...she also delivered Jackson.  I was so excited to have her with me for this delivery as well.  She checked me and declared that I was 5cm and the baby was still a -2 station.  My mom arrived at 6am and I settled in for a long labor.  We chatted, talked and laughed for an hour and a half.  As the sun began to rise, I hit transition.  I got shaky and began to have to really work through the contractions.  I got giddy, excited that we would soon get to meet our baby girl.  Each contraction brought me closer to her and I felt like weeping, all those pregnancy hormones :)   Theodorah checked me again at 8:30...she declared I was only 6 or 7cm.  This was a bit of a surprise and disappointment to me.  I was having serious contractions and couldn't believe I hadn't made more progress in the three hours we'd been here.  As she checked me, she felt the baby's hand in the way.  Not a good sign...it would make for a long and difficult labor and usually leads to excessive tearing.  But as she pushed on that little hand, Miriam moved it out of the way.  What a relief! 

    I was discouraged that I hadn't progressed very far and felt my energy waning, after being up all night with labor.  I hopped in the Jacuzzi and had Aaron read scripture to me...what a comfort it was to hear the power of God's word being spoken here in the delivery room. Had four VERY painful contractions in the jacuzzi and promptly decided to get out.  Hopped on the birthing ball instead.  I felt enormous pressure in my lower back and began leaning back into the contractions.  Aaron sat behind me on a stool, holding my hands and comforting me with each contraction.  I began to feel a bit overwhelmed with fatigue.  I had my mom come and pray for me.  I wasn't sure how much more I could take of this labor business...I was getting pretty uncomfortable!  As she finished the prayer, a really strong contraction came on and broke my water. 

    Even though it had only been 45 minutes since she checked me, Theodorah decided to have me move to the bed so she could check me again.  I could hardly move at this point, the contractions were so strong and close.  As I sat down in the bed, I felt a strong contraction and pushed with it.  I felt a familiar burn as I pushed and was startled...surely it couldn't be time for that yet!  Another contraction seized me and I pushed again...and the pain grew stronger. I was so shocked and felt like weeping...and I was scared.  Another contraction.  I pushed again, and this time I screamed.  Out came Miriam, head, body and all.  WOW!  I couldn't believe it! Aaron and I both started crying.  They laid her gently on my chest, warm and wet.  She's a girl! And she has hair.  And she's safe...and finally here.  She was crying softly and I held her close to comfort her.  How long I have waited to snuggle with that soft fuzzy baby head on my cheek!  We wept and snuggled for a few minutes.   Then she pooped on me.  A LOT of poop.  Everybody laughed.  She could already hold her head up!  I started nursing her and she did so well.  My darling girl...I am so in love with her! 

    Looking back, I think it couldn't have gone better.  God answered our prayers for a smooth and safe delivery.  I was only at the hospital for four hours before she came.  I couldn't believe I jumped from 6or 7 cm to holding my newborn in less than one hour.  I can't believe that I didn't have any tearing at all!  I didn't think that was possible after my horrible tearing and surgery with Caleb.  I had very minimal blood loss because it was such a smooth delivery.  This meant I would not need a blood transfusion (praise God!) Even Theodorah was amazed at how well it went.  (by the way, I reminded Theodorah that she had delivered my second born as well - "You probably don't remember...since it was two years ago" I said.  "Oh, I remember that one!" She said "How often does something like that happen?" I asked, referring to the long labor, and the way he was born with his placenta - a dangerous birth.  "Almost never" she said.  Nice to know that I had a memorable 'once in a lifetime' kind of labor :)   We are so grateful that this labor went so much smoother.  Praise God for all his wonderful works and for a beautiful delivery! 

    "And Miriam sang to them: 'Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously" Exodus 15:21

April 20, 2011

  • Miriam Claire

    April 17, 2011
    9:30 am
    7pds 8 oz
    19 in

    A smooth and safe delivery.  Here we are, seconds after she was born, tears in both our eyes.

    Patiently being 'tortured' by the nurses

    What a beautiful complexion she has!

    I've been waiting a long time to put this pink gown on her :)

    Jackson was asleep when we left to go to the hospital.  He was a little surprised to wake up and find us gone.  The shock of all that was happening was overwhelming.  He was very clingy and cuddly when he came to see us at the hospital.  My poor little Jackson!  This may be a difficult transition for him.  We will have to love him through it.

    Miriam - wide awake and very alert!  She scored 9s on her apgar test :)   Healthy girl!

    Our beautiful view from the hospital.  It was really cool all lit up at night too.  We slept with the windows open and enjoyed watching sunset and sunrise.

    When we got home, we celebrated Miriam's birthday with a cookie cake that we had made and frozen.  Then the boys gave her a gift - her pink camoflauge blanket (Caleb's idea :)


    And we gave each of the boys a gift too :) Caleb got a velcro ball set

    Jackson got a fireman rubber duckie for the tub

    Caleb wants to hold her all the time! He plays "pat a caker's man" with her and tickles her...she is very patient with both of the boys and they both are very excited about her.

April 15, 2011

  • out of the mouth of babes

    Today, after a particularly strong contraction, I sighed deeply and said "Miriam...WHEN are you going to come??" Caleb looked up from his lunch and looking very serious and wise said: "Mommy, only God knows when Miriam is going to come.  He's not done making her yet!"