Quilting with mom

My mom came out for the day Saturday to do some quilting and pinterest inspired meal prep.

When we quilt together, we like to be each others "sous chef".  One of us does the sewing, and the other does the piddly stuff (pressing, cutting, threading bobbins...) so here she is being the assistant for the day. 

Mom cutting away as the Sous Chef

Me sewing the fourth strip onto the log cabins

Log cabins with 1 layer

Daughter's quilt is officially under way! 

We decided to make some Pinterest recipes from Over The Big Moon .  Our thinking is that in the third trimester and especially once Daughter is born, I won't feel much up to cooking.  Plus, it's just awesome to just take a bag out of the freezer, dump it in the crock pot in the morning, and only concern yourself with a side. 

Thanks, mom!  I had a wonderful time :)

Sweetest husband ever

Last night was date night for us.  We try to have one once a week.  Generally we just watch a movie or play a game- something cheap.  Last night when Mat got home he had a vase full of flowers.  So sweet! 

This preggo lady was in need of just such a thing.  And my hubby knew it!

My husband was made for me :)  Love you, Mat!

I love my midwife!

I only met one from the practice, but she was thoroughly awesome!  She actually seemed like she wanted to answer all of my questions... like it was not only her job, but her pleasure to make me as comfortable as possible.  And her nurse was amazing... there are two nurses in the practice, and I got to meet both.

So glad I switched!  In three weeks I see another from the practice.  The man... I'll have my glucose test at that time.  Midwife #1 (so called because I saw her at my first appointment) said that they usually do the Glucose test around week 28, which I'll be on my next visit.  She thought that the second OB must have just calculated wrong... but anyway, she thinks I most likely am not at risk since I have no history of gestational diabetes and I'm also measuring small (still within normal range, measuring 24 weeks).

What's that, you say?  Measuring small?  But I look so BIG!  Yes, well, I started out rather small, so I'm expected to gain more. Plus, I'm pretty sure that my body has been wanting to be pregnant for so long that the brain just told my cells from the get-go We're pregnant!  Cells, start on the maternal stores, now!  (I'm picturing an army captain voice for my brain) because my belly really isn't the only place that's gaining and/or swelling. 

All the professionals who I've seen say my weight gain is healthy, even though I've already gained 30 lbs... yes, that's right, I've already gained the "healthy" amount for a full term pregnancy and I'm only 26 weeks.  I'm listing that here not because I want to keep everyone up to date on my weight gain, but because I want to make other pregnant women who've gained that much (or will gain, or gain more) feel more comfortable about it.  Everything online just seems to have 25-35 listed for an entire pregnancy.  A bit more if you start small, a bit less if you start big.  Every pregnancy is different!  Every body is different! 

Daughter's HB was 140 something... I didn't write it down, though.

We found out that Mat can probably catch Daughter, which is pretty cool.  Unless some complications arise, once the head and shoulders are out he should be able to "take over".

We found out the name of the person to speak with about a water birth if we supply the tub.  Midwife #1 used to work at a clinic where water births were the norm, and she seemed to think supplying our own birthing tub may work with the hospital/birthing center.  So It's definitely something to look into!  It would be an added expense, but I think it may be worth it.

Daughter's dance recital for daddy

Last night while we were watching our birthing class DVD, Daughter started kicking.  I placed Mat's hand on my tummy.  She was just dancing and wiggling away for daddy!  Usually when I or Mat put a hand on my tummy she slows her movement and rather quickly just snuggles up.  But not last night!  She really wanted to show off her new moves :)

The DVD last night was about Baby's awareness in the womb to mama's feelings and the surroundings.  So maybe she new we were watching a DVD to prepare for her birth!

I joke that she does Morse Code in my tummy by tap dancing.  So she sends messages like "I love my daddy!" or "My grandparents are awesome!" stuff like that.  She really does tap dance in there...

25 week pics, the official midwife switch, and Mat avenged Mookie

I was 25 weeks on Sunday!  My tummy sure is growing and I'm feeling daughter and seeing her more and more.  Now I think I might have a good sense of her positioning based on where the kicks are. 

25 weeks!

25 weeks with Mookie

My arms have been swelling along with the rest of me.  Now my watch is getting tight and it's harder to get the dishwashing glove off.  Not complaining, just saying!  If my arms need to swell to Michellin man size for Daughter, I'd gladly go through it for our little miracle :)

The midwife office called me back yesterday afternoon.  I'm all set for the switch!  Mat is able to come with to the next appointment, so that will be nice.  I'm only going to meet one of the five midwives in the practice, but I was told my future appointments will have me meeting the others.

In other news, Mookie heard daddy say meat!

 

 Mookie is doing pretty well since the skunk attack.  Especially since Daddy avenged him!

Dead skunk shot by my sharp shooter hubby at 325 yards

Mat with his rifle standing on the walk.  Happy as can be!  You can still see some of the tomato sauce on the cement.

Switching to a midwife at 25-26 weeks?!?

We're strongly considering it... so strongly, in fact, that we have a call in to a midwife clinic in Fargo (the nearest midwives who birth at a hospital) and we're trying to get in with them on Friday for my glucose test, rather than the OB that I had seen about 30 minutes away.

As I wrote before, I just wasn't "warmed" by the new OB I was transferred to after my original OB had her due date bumped up.  She just isn't as personable and I'm really not comfortable with her.  I really think my comfort level during my delivery is very important to a healthy delivery.  She's the only other OB in the practice... except up in Fargo.  If I go that far anyway, I'm going with a midwife.

I spoke with some friends around here.  One of them, my cousin, had given birth in the hospital I was supposed to, and she said that she had planned a natural birth and her OB knew that.  He stuck clipboard after clipboard into her laboring face and got her signed approval for meds... first to speed contractions, then slow them, then speed them... everything!  I was getting really scared... and she told me that her mom, my aunt, had used both midwives and OB on her different pregnancies, and she had tried to convince my cousin to go with a midwife.

It was an eye opening conversation and just the kick I needed to make the switch. 

The other friend I spoke with had used a midwife out of Fargo but she lives in the nearby town, about an hour away from Fargo.  She answered all my questions and was so helpful. She actually used the same midwife practice that my insurance covers and I already had a call into. 

The midwives I would see are in a practice together, and I would be delivered by whoever is oncall.  But there are only 5 CNMs in the practice, and I would meet them all before my labor. 

I'm anxiously awaiting my call back from the midwife clinic.  They're supposed to call Monday to let me know about getting in...

Here's hoping! :)

Birth Free DVD #2

Last night we watched the second DVD from the Labor For Love birth series.  It was about nutrition and, while some of it was pretty redundant, much of it was very educational.

We also got to see a family using a Fetalscope.  With the husband and Jennifer (the woman who teaches the classes) leading in finding the HB... but then the toddler daughter on Daddy's lap got down to listen.  It was so cute!  I said to Mat, "One day Daughter is going to listen to our next child's HB." and we were both grinning from ear to ear :D

At the end of the DVD it had a birth.  Both Mat and I had thought that he might get a bit queezy, but he handled it really well.  It was about 20 minutes of video from a labor of many hours- just showing highlights and the actual birth.  The mother crowned for a full 2 minutes- then another contraction and out the baby came!  It was so miraculous!  I cried... I can't wait to have such a miracle happen to us :)

This mother did an at home water birth.  Water birth seems like something I want to look into...  I have it on my list of ?'s for my OB at my next visit.  The hospital I'm giving birth at is relatively new, so they just may have birthing tubs!

In other pregnancy news, my hands have been falling asleep at night.  Usually its my left hand if I'm on my left side and vice versa.  I'd wake up about 1/2 dozen times just from the sleeping hands.  For the past two nights, Mat has rubbed my arms before bed to get the blood flow going and I only woke from sleeping hands once each night!  Awesome!  There's still Daughter's wiggles, hunger, and bathroom breaks to wake me, but now I wake up less.

Skunk 1: Mookie 0

Yesterday Mookie was running around outside and I looked out the window.  I noticed what appeared to be a very large very slow squirrel about 75 yards out.  After about 10 seconds I realized that it was a skunk!  I immediately rushed to the door to call Mookie.  I saw him about 20 yards away from the skunk just watching.  I thought to myself "whew, he was smart enough not to chase the skunk!", called him, noticed his eyes were watery as he came past, and immediately smelled it all with my pregnant nose.  By this point Mat was outside trying to get the skunk in his sights.  He helped me to get Mookie back outside while I was gagging.

Anyway, everyone has heard the old "tomato juice" remedy for skunk sprays, right?  So what did we do?  Thanked our lucky stars that we shop at Costco so we had 6 cans of tomato sauce (not juice, but close enough, right?) on hand...

And Mat covered Mookie in it before bringing him in for a bath.

While Mat was beginning to rinse out the tomato sauce...

  I googled "getting rid of skunk spray on dogs" and came up with this youtube video.  So I mixed up  a bottle of hydrogen peroxide, 1/2 tbsp dish soap, and 2 tbsp baking soda.  Worked like a charm!

He actually smells pretty good.  Mat was amazing and handled most of it while pregnant me was gagging and mixing up hydrogen peroxide stuff for him.  The tomato sauce really didn't do much but make the smell more bearable to bring him inside for a bath. 

I've heard that skunks have been hibernating for so long that they're very hungry and searching for food during the days now.  Maybe Mookie learned his lesson and will steer clear of skunks in the future... that would be nice!

24 weeks and starting some seeds!

Yesterday I hit 24 weeks!  As per our biweekly routine, no bump pics standing.  But there will be one of me sitting later.

24 weeks is a small milestone.  1/2 to 3/4 of babies born at 24 weeks survive!  We want Daughter to stay in there for as long as possible, but it's good to know that she would have a good chance if something were to happen :)

This is our first year starting our own seeds.  I'd been collecting toilet paper rolls for a few months to make seed starters... but I didn't have enough (next year I'll start earlier).  So we bought a Burpee Self Watering Seed Starting System, a Jiffy Greenhouse, and one pack of Jiffy Pots from Fleet Farm so we can compare how the different ones work.  

Me making TP seed starters

A TP seed starter bottom view

 

The Burpee seed starter kit on the left, a tray of our TP starters on the right.

 

 We didn't start the Jiffy one yet, because our carrots and zuchini are only supposed to be started about 3 weeks before last frost.  Considering there is still tons of snow and there was a blizzard Sunday into Monday, I'm thinking it'll probably be May before we are able to start those seeds.

Mookie doesn't like that we separated the sectional to give the seeds optimal sun, but he's still cute :)

Most of our seeds came from Seedsavers.  We planted huckleberries, calibrese broccoli, bloody butcher tomato, amish paste tomato, sunberry (a freebie that was thrown in with our order) and red westerfield onion.  We have other seeds that will be planted after the last frost. 

I'm very excited to have a large garden!  We only had a 1/5 acre lot that was very shaded before in the city.  I gardened about as much as I could, but now I can do so much more!

I know that with my pregnancy, the garden may fall to the wayside.  But I'm ok with that.  It'll be fun while it lasts!  And I'm already picturing myself canning with Daughter wrapped on my tummy :)

Birth Free DVD classes

We got our 12 week course of Birth Free DVDs on Wednesday and excitedly watched the first on Wednesday night.  Very educational!

We had decided to do the Bradley Method courses with our last pregnancy.  We signed up for a course but then miscarried before it began.  Now that we've moved to rural ND, we couldn't find any Bradley instructors (or anything similar) near here.  So I emailed the instructor that we had been signed up with before in the Twin Cities, and she sent me this link. 

So we ordered!  The woman who does the DVDs is very friendly-she emailed me when I ordered.

So 11 weeks of DVDs left!  Hopefully by the end, we'll be ready :)

23 weeks pics and more!

I was 23 weeks yesterday!  I wore a pretty cute outfit (by my thrift store and hand-me-down standards) to church.  But I had changed by the time we remembered to take pictures. Oh well, still good bump pics!

23 weeks!

23 weeks!

the style of quilt I'm going to make for daughter.  I saw this at my favorite quilt shop, Millie P's, ages ago and fell in love with it.  So over Easter weekend my mom and I went fabric shopping and chose the fabric :)  It's just a log cabin with smaller blocks.  Perfect baby quilt!

This is the fabric that we chose.  I'm so excited!  The red, green, and blue of the same print are the fabrics that Mat and I picked out in TN for the three embryos.  One of them, Daughter, is still alive so she'll have a nice memorial in her quilt to the two embryos who went to meet God.

Mat and I (with Daughter!) at the bowling alley to celebrate a some birthdays.

This is the doll bed that I made (with my mom's and Mat's help, thanks!  cutting, ironing, and elastic are the tedious parts that they helped with) for the birthday girl.  There was also a birthday boy, but I didn't make his gift.  Anyway, I had made one in February for our Goddaughter (birthday girls sister) and current birthday girl really liked it.  It's on a large tupperware storage thing, complete with a bed skirt velcroed on, so you can store doll accessories under it.  My cousin (birthday girl and Goddaughters mom) said I should start selling them on Etsy... also the bowling alley lady took my name and number so that she could call me to see how much I would charge to make one for her granddaughter.  So... that was weird.  I guess there really is a market!

For now, I don't plan on making another until Daughter's first or second birthday.  I'd much rather quilt or sew something without elastic.  But, we'll see if bowling alley lady calls....

This Means War!

Seems like somebody left herself logged into her Adoption Homestead Blog!

This is Malia's husband!  You see, somebody has been taking grievous advantage of her gracious, most accommodating dear husband during this pregnancy!

"Honey, can you let the dog out?  It's cold out, and baby needs to stay warm..."
"Honey, can you bend over to pick ______ up off the floor?  It's hard for baby to bend over and pick things up!"
"Honey can you _____?  Baby _____..."  Rinse - Repeat.

ONCE was hard enough, but THIS MANY TIMES???  It has been a number of times that I've come home from a hard day at work, and I seek to relax in the steamy hot warmth of the shower...  Scrubbing the axel grease, dirt, grime, and anti-seize grease off my arms, neck, and face with an exfoliating stone so I look more 'presentable' (and less calloused) for you...  Only to be SHOCKED into a state of dumbfoundedness as you pour a half-gallon of ICE COLD WATER over the shower door onto my soap-covered head...  Screaming like a blithering idiot...  Blinded by soap & shampoo in my eyes, and shivering from the ice-cold water!

THIS MEANS WAR!  Normally I do not pre-emptively WARN people of the severe retribution they will soon receive at my hands - but rest assured - it will come!

I will take into consideration that our Baby didn't have anything to do with your nefaroius attacks, so I will try to limit the suffering to you alone.  Since I know you HATE surprises, and LOATHE anticipation of an upcoming surprise (both pleasant or unpleasant) - so this warning will partially provide that antagonizing anticipation.

Will I retaliate with a series of wet willies in your sleep?
Will it be the sudden disappearance of your bra's and panties?
Will all bathrooms in the house suddenly be LOCKED in the middle of the night when all you desperately need is a toilet?
What will it be?
WHEN will it happen?

The suspense will drive you crazy this week!

Consider yourself warned, My Love!  It. Is. Coming.

New OB doctor first appointment

Daughters HB today was 146, which was good :)

I didn't like the new Dr as much as I had liked the first... she was a bit less personable, but every bit as knowledgeable.  I am still going to deliver with her, and it's important to me to know the delivery Dr.  

Got some questions answered...

There is no "lactation consultant" by title at the hospital I will be delivering in.  There are nurses trained in helping, but nobody with that actual title.

Labor classes: she  said there should be a list in the folder that I had received during my OB intake... I checked- there's not.  We're going to go ahead and order the Birth Free method DVDs.

I asked if she was on the same page as First Doctor... and she said she wasn't positive so I asked her a few of the questions again and, from the past questions of First Doctor that I could remember, she seemed on the same page.

I notice more Daughter kicks low- I asked if that was due to the anterior placenta absorbing more of the movement toward the top.  She said that the placenta grows with Daughter... but the only time an anterior placenta could be a problem is during a C Section.  So... didn't really answer my ?, but got some good information.

***TMI alert... female body parts, and what not.  Men (and squeamish women) can skip this paragraph.***
I'm having a lot of breast pain.  I didn't have much at all last week, but I had pretty bad breast pain consistently before that.  I had hoped that the decrease in pain was indicative of stopping growth... but Second Doctor said that it was normal, and about 1/3 of women have relatively consistent breast pain during pregnancy.  I asked if or when they would stop growing, she said that there was no way to tell, and that many women continue growing through breast feeding. 

I had some mild cramping last night.  She said it was probably the growing uterus or shifting baby.  But when I cramp I'm supposed to rest and relax.  I can call if the cramping lasts more than a couple hours, is worse, or is accompanied by anything else.

I asked about staying cool in the summer.  She said that shade, hats, drinking lots of fluids, and taking breaks in front of a fan or in AC are all good.  And Swimming is fine (I need a maternity suit!)

At my next appointment, Mat and I will get our Tetanus and Pertussis shots and I'll have my glucose test (for gestational diabetes).  That will be in 3 weeks, then I'll switch to being seen every two weeks.  Mat was nervous when I told him that, but every pregnancy they switch you to biweekly visits at around 28 weeks.

He is Risen!

We had a wonderful Easter weekend.  It was Daughter's first Easter!  I kept telling her about the resurrection and how what that means for us, and she certainly heard some of the Word at church, but I'm really excited about next Easter.  When, not only will we be able to watch her face as we tell her these things, but we'll be able to pick out an Easter dress (or maybe make?  I love to sew but have never made a dress).  Even Mat was oohing and awing at the adorable little girls in their Easter dresses :)

I got her "Easter Basket" stuff... but I just forgot to put it into an Easter basket... my mom did an Easter basket for each of the grandkids and included Daughter :)

Back up a bit... we went down to the cities on Thursday.  On Friday, we got to go see "The Croods" with my parents and my nephews.  It was so much fun!  I really miss them, but I'm sure they'll love and value their time with us up here more. 

On Friday night I got to go out to eat with some other ladies I met online from NEDC.  One of them, Baby On Mind is just starting the process.  The other has twins from NEDC.  It was so amazing to be able to talk with them and share experiences!  Seriously, so great to meet those ladies!  :)

I also went fabric shopping with my mom (the quilters in us need to get started before Daughter gets here!), went out and saw friends, and crazily cleaned our house down there for selling. 

A very busy weekend!