Having a new baby is wonderful. I could easily stare at her all day long. She reminds me so much of when Rylee and Nathan were newborns. She is so sweet.
However, sleep is something of the past... I feel very tired (not complaining). I am happy to give up the sleep. I have noticed that I haven't had the energy to play with Rylee and Nathan very much.
Tim and I decided that we will start putting our kids to bed one hour early. During the first half hour I go and play with Nathan in his room while Tim plays with Rylee in her room and then we switch for the second half hour. We play games, do puzzles, read stories, cuddle, whatever they want. They seem to be really enjoying it. They don't even fight us about going to bed anymore.
I feel really good about this change but I want to do more with them during the day too. So for accountability I have decided to do a weekly post about our unstructured playtime. This will be time that we all play together. Singing, dancing, puzzles, games, etc.
I am also starting a few things with my kids to give them more individual time with me.
Rylee's Individual Time Projects:
Dollhouse: For her birthday she will be receiving a dollhouse. I plan to spend time playing with her each week. We can build our own furniture and things. I think she will really like it.
Paper Dolls: We will be making our own paper dolls and playing with them together.
Writing Stories: Rylee loves to narrate stories and have me write them down for her and then she illustrates them. I am planning to do this once a week.
Nathan's Individual Time Projects:
Chess: I am going to start playing Chess with Nathan. At first we will just practice setting up the board and moving the pieces in the appropriate way and go from there.
Collection: I am still trying to figure out what kind of collection he would like to collect. Once I do, I will help him. Should be fun for him.
I am working on more ideas... Suggestions??
What are your favorite games/activities to play with your kids?
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
June 2011 Blog Stats Recap...
June 2011 Top Ten Blog Post...
1. Having a baby!! FINALLY 40 weeks 6 days...
2. Rylee took care of it herself...
3. 39 Weeks tomorrow...
4. Vitamin K for baby...
5. 40 Weeks...
6. Nathan's Latest Lego Creations...
7. I need to get birth supplies???
8. Language Arts this summer...
9. Rylee's Birth Story: Part 2
10. 38 Weeks...
1. Having a baby!! FINALLY 40 weeks 6 days...
2. Rylee took care of it herself...
3. 39 Weeks tomorrow...
4. Vitamin K for baby...
5. 40 Weeks...
6. Nathan's Latest Lego Creations...
7. I need to get birth supplies???
8. Language Arts this summer...
9. Rylee's Birth Story: Part 2
10. 38 Weeks...
Monday, July 11, 2011
Eating completely Raw...
I used Progesterone Cream to get pregnant with both Rylee and Nathan. When Nathan turned three and I was still not pregnant, I began to wonder if I would be able to have another child. I could feel that there was something wrong with my body.
I met a friend that was eating all raw foods and it started me on a research path. I read everything I could find on the subject. I decided to give it a try. After a few weeks of eating this way I found out I was pregnant. I feel like I reset something that had short circuited. I did not gain any weight during my pregnancy. I had plenty of fat to use up (I was eating plenty of food and my baby was growing normally).
Since then I have went back to my normal diet with the exception of no soda. I almost drink all water. I am thinking of trying out raw food again. My kids have been begging to go back to raw food. You know how they love fruits and vegetables...
So I thought I would share how I did it last time and will probably do it the same way this time. Tim might even join in this time- he has shown interest- we will see if he can go without his steak. :)
During my research I read that you need to eat tons of fruit if you are eating raw because that is where you will get your calories. Vegetables are important but they will not give you very many calories. I also read that you shouldn't eat anything for at least 30 minutes after eating fruit. It digests really fast and if you eat other foods, they can prevent the fruit from digesting and they can become rancid in your stomach. I read that fruit would not hurt your blood sugar level. It isn't the same as regular sugar. I was not sure I believed this but decided to try it. After several weeks on massive amounts of fruits I can say that my experience was that I never felt better. I never experienced the feelings that regular sugar gives me. So for me it seems to be true. My children did this with me. I never required it. They were always aloud to have other things but they very rarely wanted anything else. They loved eating this way and often ask to go back to eating this way.
How I did it...
I started with just breakfast for a week. I made a smoothie with my vita-mix. The fruit varied but usually included: berries, melons, peaches and pineapple. Dates: the only sweetener you will need. I also put in spinach and wheat grass as well as freshly ground flax seeds, bee pollen and a scoop of Nu Plus. My kids and I would drink this while munching on as many apples, oranges and other cut up fruit as we wanted. To give an idea of how much fruit I was eating for my breakfast. It was the equivalent of about ten bananas. I never felt hungry.
A few days later, we added morning snack to our raw food movement. We basically just kept munching on cut up fruit all morning. As much as we could.
A few days later, we added lunch to our new diet. I would cut up an entire watermelon, apples, pears, oranges, and whatever else we had.
A few days later and we added afternoon snack- same as morning snack.
About a week later we started changing our dinner by eating a bunch of fruit 45 minutes before dinner.
A few days later I replaced dinner with a huge salad. One serving was a head of lettuce, then every vegetable I had available piled on top including avocado for fat. I then topped it with a raw Pesto dressing consisting of basil, pinenuts, olive oil and sea salt blended up.
I would also have an evening snack of Almonds, Sunflower seeds and Pumpkin seeds. This time around I am going to add sprouted seeds, nuts and beans to the equation.
My children usually ate the fruit and salad with me for dinner but would then choose to eat some of Tim's dinner too.
In case your curious, I get produce from Klesick Family Farms and some from Costco. I am also going to start placing orders with Azure Standard. There prices and quality are outstanding.
I met a friend that was eating all raw foods and it started me on a research path. I read everything I could find on the subject. I decided to give it a try. After a few weeks of eating this way I found out I was pregnant. I feel like I reset something that had short circuited. I did not gain any weight during my pregnancy. I had plenty of fat to use up (I was eating plenty of food and my baby was growing normally).
Since then I have went back to my normal diet with the exception of no soda. I almost drink all water. I am thinking of trying out raw food again. My kids have been begging to go back to raw food. You know how they love fruits and vegetables...
So I thought I would share how I did it last time and will probably do it the same way this time. Tim might even join in this time- he has shown interest- we will see if he can go without his steak. :)
During my research I read that you need to eat tons of fruit if you are eating raw because that is where you will get your calories. Vegetables are important but they will not give you very many calories. I also read that you shouldn't eat anything for at least 30 minutes after eating fruit. It digests really fast and if you eat other foods, they can prevent the fruit from digesting and they can become rancid in your stomach. I read that fruit would not hurt your blood sugar level. It isn't the same as regular sugar. I was not sure I believed this but decided to try it. After several weeks on massive amounts of fruits I can say that my experience was that I never felt better. I never experienced the feelings that regular sugar gives me. So for me it seems to be true. My children did this with me. I never required it. They were always aloud to have other things but they very rarely wanted anything else. They loved eating this way and often ask to go back to eating this way.
How I did it...
I started with just breakfast for a week. I made a smoothie with my vita-mix. The fruit varied but usually included: berries, melons, peaches and pineapple. Dates: the only sweetener you will need. I also put in spinach and wheat grass as well as freshly ground flax seeds, bee pollen and a scoop of Nu Plus. My kids and I would drink this while munching on as many apples, oranges and other cut up fruit as we wanted. To give an idea of how much fruit I was eating for my breakfast. It was the equivalent of about ten bananas. I never felt hungry.
A few days later, we added morning snack to our raw food movement. We basically just kept munching on cut up fruit all morning. As much as we could.
A few days later, we added lunch to our new diet. I would cut up an entire watermelon, apples, pears, oranges, and whatever else we had.
A few days later and we added afternoon snack- same as morning snack.
About a week later we started changing our dinner by eating a bunch of fruit 45 minutes before dinner.
A few days later I replaced dinner with a huge salad. One serving was a head of lettuce, then every vegetable I had available piled on top including avocado for fat. I then topped it with a raw Pesto dressing consisting of basil, pinenuts, olive oil and sea salt blended up.
I would also have an evening snack of Almonds, Sunflower seeds and Pumpkin seeds. This time around I am going to add sprouted seeds, nuts and beans to the equation.
My children usually ate the fruit and salad with me for dinner but would then choose to eat some of Tim's dinner too.
In case your curious, I get produce from Klesick Family Farms and some from Costco. I am also going to start placing orders with Azure Standard. There prices and quality are outstanding.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
I think I will go for a run...
Not today! I don't think I am ready yet. I haven't run since I became pregnant with Nathan... he is four.
I have found myself missing it recently. I am going to walk with my family everyday until I get the go ahead to start running. I am not talking miles at first. Probably more like two minutes of running followed by thirty minutes of walking. :) Hopefully by the end of the summer I will be able to do five miles a couple of times a week.
I am writing this here so that I will actually do it. :)
I have found myself missing it recently. I am going to walk with my family everyday until I get the go ahead to start running. I am not talking miles at first. Probably more like two minutes of running followed by thirty minutes of walking. :) Hopefully by the end of the summer I will be able to do five miles a couple of times a week.
I am writing this here so that I will actually do it. :)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Birth Story: Part two
Part 1
Warning: This may contain things that some people would rather not hear about. :) And sorry about any typos...
Warning: This may contain things that some people would rather not hear about. :) And sorry about any typos...
Edit: My water broke at about 12:30. :)
Tim went to sleep so that he would be rested when I really started to need him.
After I straightened my hair I went and laid down and tried to sleep. Laying down, my contractions became much more painful. They were between 3 minutes and 8 minutes apart lasting about a minute. I laid there for an hour or two. At 4:30 am I called my midwife Charlene again. She said she would be there at around 6:00 am. When she showed up they suddenly slowed down to about 8 minutes apart. They slowly became more and more intense. Walking helped with the pain. So every time I started having a contraction I would jump up and start speed walking through my house and then I would sit down and start chatting with Charlene again.
Tim's mom and sister came over around 7:30 got the kids ready to go with them for all kinds of fun. Tim woke up when they were getting ready to leave. My contractions were more intense. Walking was still helping. Getting up on my tiptoes helped too. Tim brought me sliced apples and grapes. They tasted really good.
Around 8:30, I mentioned what a beautiful day it was and that I wished we could go outside. Charlene asked "why can't we". I then remembered I didn't have to follow hospital rules!! They put some water in the birthing tub. Tim, Charlene and I went for a long walk through my neighborhood. We walked for about an hour. My contractions were about 5 minutes apart. They were pretty strong by this point. Each time I had a contraction I would wrap my arms around Tim's neck and lean on him and wait it out. The walk was wonderful. The sunshine made me feel better.
When we came back home, They filled the birthing tub up the rest of the way. My contractions were now very painful. Tim helped me move around in all kinds of positions. Nothing was helping. I decided to get into the birthing tub. While I was getting in the tub, Tim made me a smoothie with berries, plain yogurt and Nu Plus. So yummy!
I finished the smoothie in between contractions. The contractions at this point were so painful and kept moving my body all over a little out of control. I joked that I was ready for my epidural (I really was just kidding). :) Charlene helped me to hold still and relax my body. Tim helped me to breath correctly. They worked really well together. It kind of seemed as though they had had a rehearsal. I started feeling really hot. They gave me ice cold wash cloths to put over my face. I had several more extremely painful contractions and then I had one that just went on and on. It wouldn't stop.
I started feeling really dizzy and asked Tim to get me out of the pool. I thought I was going to pass out. I put my arms around his neck and he pulled me out of the pool. Charlene recieved a phone call from my other midwife Charlotte. She was calling to say she was almost there. I felt a buzzing feeling all throughout my body and I didn't understand what I was feeling. I started to feel panicky. I thought I was going to pass out from the pain. The contraction would not stop.
All of a sudden I let out this loud moan and dropped onto the floor. I kind of freaked Tim out because he was trying to hold me up but I wanted him to let me go. Charlene asked me if I felt like I needed to push. I said no. Then I thought about it and said "I need to poop". She calmly told me to go ahead and push. (Apparently, it feels like you have to poop when it is time to push.) :)
Once I tried pushing I knew that was what my body had been waiting for. The contraction felt different immediately. I had my eyes open but all I saw was stars. I could here them telling me to breath and wait to push and stuff but I was past the point of following directions. My body took over and I pushed and pushed, I couldn't stop. At one point I remember Charlene saying "your okay" and said " I am not okay, I am not okay." I was crying and I was thinking it hurt. :) All of this pushing took about 8 minutes! I finally I felt the baby come out and I just started crying more and I couldn't believe how amazing it felt. I went from feeling so much pain to feeling like they had just given me happy drugs in seconds.
I was lying there on the living room floor propped up against the couch. Not the most comfortable place to have a baby. :) Charlene put the baby on my chest and I saw that we had a baby GIRL!!! She was blue and I felt panicky again. She wasn't crying or anything and she didn't look good to me. Charlene kept saying that she was okay. She was fine. She told us to touch her and talk to her. She had us feel the umbilical cord so that we could feel the pulsing so that we would know she was getting oxygen. It felt like forever but she finally let out a cry.
After I straightened my hair I went and laid down and tried to sleep. Laying down, my contractions became much more painful. They were between 3 minutes and 8 minutes apart lasting about a minute. I laid there for an hour or two. At 4:30 am I called my midwife Charlene again. She said she would be there at around 6:00 am. When she showed up they suddenly slowed down to about 8 minutes apart. They slowly became more and more intense. Walking helped with the pain. So every time I started having a contraction I would jump up and start speed walking through my house and then I would sit down and start chatting with Charlene again.
Tim's mom and sister came over around 7:30 got the kids ready to go with them for all kinds of fun. Tim woke up when they were getting ready to leave. My contractions were more intense. Walking was still helping. Getting up on my tiptoes helped too. Tim brought me sliced apples and grapes. They tasted really good.
Around 8:30, I mentioned what a beautiful day it was and that I wished we could go outside. Charlene asked "why can't we". I then remembered I didn't have to follow hospital rules!! They put some water in the birthing tub. Tim, Charlene and I went for a long walk through my neighborhood. We walked for about an hour. My contractions were about 5 minutes apart. They were pretty strong by this point. Each time I had a contraction I would wrap my arms around Tim's neck and lean on him and wait it out. The walk was wonderful. The sunshine made me feel better.
When we came back home, They filled the birthing tub up the rest of the way. My contractions were now very painful. Tim helped me move around in all kinds of positions. Nothing was helping. I decided to get into the birthing tub. While I was getting in the tub, Tim made me a smoothie with berries, plain yogurt and Nu Plus. So yummy!
I finished the smoothie in between contractions. The contractions at this point were so painful and kept moving my body all over a little out of control. I joked that I was ready for my epidural (I really was just kidding). :) Charlene helped me to hold still and relax my body. Tim helped me to breath correctly. They worked really well together. It kind of seemed as though they had had a rehearsal. I started feeling really hot. They gave me ice cold wash cloths to put over my face. I had several more extremely painful contractions and then I had one that just went on and on. It wouldn't stop.
I started feeling really dizzy and asked Tim to get me out of the pool. I thought I was going to pass out. I put my arms around his neck and he pulled me out of the pool. Charlene recieved a phone call from my other midwife Charlotte. She was calling to say she was almost there. I felt a buzzing feeling all throughout my body and I didn't understand what I was feeling. I started to feel panicky. I thought I was going to pass out from the pain. The contraction would not stop.
All of a sudden I let out this loud moan and dropped onto the floor. I kind of freaked Tim out because he was trying to hold me up but I wanted him to let me go. Charlene asked me if I felt like I needed to push. I said no. Then I thought about it and said "I need to poop". She calmly told me to go ahead and push. (Apparently, it feels like you have to poop when it is time to push.) :)
Once I tried pushing I knew that was what my body had been waiting for. The contraction felt different immediately. I had my eyes open but all I saw was stars. I could here them telling me to breath and wait to push and stuff but I was past the point of following directions. My body took over and I pushed and pushed, I couldn't stop. At one point I remember Charlene saying "your okay" and said " I am not okay, I am not okay." I was crying and I was thinking it hurt. :) All of this pushing took about 8 minutes! I finally I felt the baby come out and I just started crying more and I couldn't believe how amazing it felt. I went from feeling so much pain to feeling like they had just given me happy drugs in seconds.
I was lying there on the living room floor propped up against the couch. Not the most comfortable place to have a baby. :) Charlene put the baby on my chest and I saw that we had a baby GIRL!!! She was blue and I felt panicky again. She wasn't crying or anything and she didn't look good to me. Charlene kept saying that she was okay. She was fine. She told us to touch her and talk to her. She had us feel the umbilical cord so that we could feel the pulsing so that we would know she was getting oxygen. It felt like forever but she finally let out a cry.
After a short while I asked if I could move to my bed. Tim took the baby in one arm and carried the bowl with the placenta in it that was still attached to the baby in his other hand. (never thought he would do something like that). They carefully helped me move to the bed. They gave me back the baby.
The kids came home and they waited in the living room while Tim cut the cord.
They came in to meet their new sister and it was so wonderful to see them. I was so overwhelmed with emotion. Nathan was a little reserved. Rylee was thrilled to meet her. I nursed the baby and she figured it out right away.
What an amazing experience. I cannot even put into words how wonderful it was. Tim loved the home birth experience as well. As soon as I was done I knew that I would do it this way again if given the chance. I am so thankful for my midwives and for Tim. He was so amazing through the whole thing. I love my little family and I am so grateful to be a mom.
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