40+5

5 days past my due date now, just in case you haven't been keeping track. ... I have.

We headed off to the midwife's office this morning to have a quick check-up and mostly a Non-Stress Test. Everything's looking good. The Non-Stress Test looked beautiful - it even measured a few contractions, and baby's heartbeat always escalated normally with each movement and/or contraction. (speaking of which, there's one happening right now....)

I shared my worries about meconium as we go further past my due date, and my midwife was more than reassuring. She says that in the 4 years she run this practice, they've only had one birth with a large amount of meconium, and even the women who go as far as 42 weeks generally have clear amniotic fluid. I guess meconium staining is much more related to the stress of the mother than the dates of the pregnancy. She admitted that there hasn't been a study showing that, to her knowledge, but it's what she has witnessed over the years (including hospital work, working under a physician, and all that). And if there is meconium, they know how to deal with it. So I am feeling very much more at peace with that particular concern.

Unfortunately we were at the office for a whopping 1.5 hours today, because they got a little behind, and I had to wait for the machine, and all that jazz. The kids were bored out of their minds by the time we were finally out the door, and hungry, too. But wouldn't you know it, as soon as we got to the main road to get back on the freeway, a police car had zoomed past us, and suddenly the road ahead was blocked off. Drats. I was not familiar enough with the area to know an alternate route, but a whole lot of cars were heading for the mall just next to us, so I decided to follow them. It turned out to be fruitless, and I ended up back where I was when I started, after a good 15 minutes of gridlock traffic. I finally spied a McDonalds, and figured that maybe today might be a good day to break the non-McDonalds pattern I've been in for years, just so the kids and I could eat, and maybe the police would have the road cleared by the time we were done. I gave them my order and everything before I realized I had forgotten my wallet at home, for the first time in ages. No wallet = no way to pay for food. But I have my credit card number memorized, so I asked if they could take that. Big fat nope. I sheepishly told them I'd have to cancel, cause I'm a crazy forgetful overdue pregnant lady. Well, I left that part out, but I definitely felt sheepish. So I pulled into a parking spot and thought maybe we could just sit there until they cleared the road. But I was hungry. Melinda was hungry. Jacob had fallen asleep. My bladder was starting to feel strained. I just wanted to get home, you know?

But of course, if I didn't have my wallet, I obviously didn't have my cell phone either (which belongs in the outside pocket of my wallet when we leave the house). So I couldn't call Jesse and ask him to use Google Maps to help me get to the freeway, like I usually do when I get lost. But I couldn't stand just sitting there for who-knows-how-long, anymore, so I decided to bite the bullet and just start driving, hoping we could find a way to loop back to the freeway.

LUCKY ME, I was successful. Followed a couple roads for a mile or two, and eventually looped back to the main road on the right side of the traffic accident, and we were able to get on the freeway unobstructed! WOOHOO!!

Halfway home, Melinda fell asleep, too. And I started getting the most uncomfortable back ache ever. And my bladder felt like exploding. Thank goodness there wasn't any traffic on the freeway, I might have started crying! I finally pulled into our parking lot at home, an entire hour after leaving the midwife's office, left the sleeping kids locked in the van (which I was absolutely paranoid about), and walked as fast as I could manage (there was no way running was going to happen, no matter how badly I wanted to) inside to use the bathroom. And then grab my wallet and run back outside. Both kids still asleep, still safe in the van. Phew. Then we did go grab some fast food, because dangit, it was 2pm and I was starving.

So there's my adventure for the day. Hopefully mommy has learned her lesson about forgetting the wallet. Of course. On the one day I really could have used it!!! Could have used a phone to call Jesse. Could have used money to grab some lunch. Really could have used my license so I wouldn't feel paranoid in case of getting pulled over or into an accident or something. But it all worked out in the end.

And I'm still pregnant. ;)
Wanna put bets on an April Fool's baby, anyone??

A survey for LDS mothers

An LDS mom is doing a dissertation comparing breastfeeding rates among LDS
women to those of the national US public. If you're an LDS mother, will you please take just a couple minutes to go complete her survey? It's multiple choice, and even with entering several comments where optional, it really took less than 5 minutes for me to complete.

Short breastfeeding survey HERE.

I feel so uncomfortable...

... and this large belly just might be the reason why.


For an equally shocking picture, here's the bare belly:

False labor

Just a quick note to say that I had contractions 10 minutes apart for a good 3 hours last night. Then they went away slowly.

I was *thisclose*, several times, to calling my midwife and childcare help, but they never felt strong enough to convince me it was "it". They finally ebbed away while we watched a movie. And I haven't had any with regularity this morning.

Sigh.

At least my house is nice and super clean now. If only I could convince myself to make a shopping list and go to the grocery store.

I don't think we'll be going for another long walk in the park today. It's one of those blah drizzly rainy days that I can't stand. Heck, I can't even convince myself to take the kids to the mall right now, even though they could both stand a new pair of shoes for their quickly growing feet. I've never had any sort of false labor before, and after 3 hours of debating myself about whether I was actually in labor or not, and then waking up to nothing new, and a yucky day outside, I'm just feeling a bit grumpy.

Birth as a sacred event

Several months ago, some LDS mothers and I were having a discussion of birth, online. (Big surprise - get any group of LDS mothers together, and I guarantee you that the main topic will be birth!)

I felt that there were some very profound things said in that conversation, and I was thinking about them again. I guess I'd just like to process the thoughts here as I think about them, to put them down more concretely. I will use some of the thoughts word for word (with credit to Bronwyn, who I thank for her insight!), because I can't think of a better way to restate them in my own words.

Birth is an essential step in the Plan of Salvation, because it is a necessary step from the premortal existence to our earthly existence. In the same way, death is also a necessary step in our eternal progression. We simply can't progress as spirit children of our Heavenly Father without gaining an earthly life (and that earthly life also ending). And what are the purposes of that earthly life? To gain a body, and to be tested. Obviously, gaining a body is a pretty important step, then (and we know how much Heavenly Father wants us to view procreation as a very sacred thing). We don't know for sure what happens to stillborn and miscarried babies, but birth is how we enter our earthly existence, how we gain our bodies and become ready to be tested. And since this step of gaining a body is an essential step in our salvation, you can therefore view it as equivalent to any other essential ordinance (like baptism, for instance). One step further, when children are born to temple-sealed parents, they are born in the covenant, therefore bypassing the need to use the Priesthood and being sealed to their parents.

All of this really makes me feel that birth should be treated as a sacred event. I have never really had a "spiritual" experience with my two hospital births. They went fine, fairly smoothly, with not much to complain about- but they weren't spiritual in nature. I hope that this birth will be different. That by being in my own comfortable surroundings, having my wishes be honored instead of fought against, and having a more quiet, private environment, maybe things will be feel more tender and spiritual than they have in the past. And you know, I always have Jesse give me a blessing as labor is started... it seems like that act should be a very easy beginning to a peaceful, spiritual event as our newest family member prepares to receive his body, and as we witness and participate in such a beautiful, miraculous process.

Ding! There goes the timer...

This is it. I'm officially 40 weeks. The cooking is DONE. Baby come OUT!!!

(I don't think he's listening.)

Melinda says we have to get the baby out today, because that's where the icon is on her calendar (aka "chart"). Maybe I made a mistake of putting a due date on her calendar.

My 40 week appointment was fine, even if I was disappointed that I had to go in this morning. Last night I had one heck of a back ache... could have been contractions, if there had been any fading in and out along with it, you know? But there wasn't. I was also having Braxton Hicks contractions every 20-40 minutes for several hours last night. But everything stopped when I went to bed, unfortunately. I was really hoping I'd wake up in the middle of the night in labor, you know?

Anyway, I only gained one pound this week (hooray!). I'm measuring a whopping 42 weeks, and midwife says this is definitely a 9-pounder baby. Heartbeat sounded good. My blood pressure was actually lower than my normal, at 98/65 or something like that. My midwife also told me that they have 4 women due right about now. Not a SINGLE ONE OF THEM went into labor with the full moon this past weekend. What a rip-off!! I'm sure they'll be busy with lots of births over the next week!

I had to schedule two appointments for next week, since we start doing Non-Stress Tests at 41 weeks. I also had to take home a referral to set up an ultrasound during week 41 to check the health of the placenta and amniotic fluid levels. I absolutely, 100% definitely do NOT want to make a single one of those appointments.

So today, I'm going out to grab some Evening Primrose Oil (I really should have done it last week, I guess!). And then I'm taking the kids for a long walk at the park. Maybe now that I'm having some decent BH contractions, a walk will actually do something. I **HOPE**.

Send me all the labor vibes you've got!!! :)

Husband Meme

Here's a Husband Meme. Feel free to play along if you have a blog! :)

1. What is his name?
Jesse
2. How long have you been married?
7 years and 11 months
3. How long did you date?
About 2 months before we were engaged, and a few months long distance.
4. How old is he?
30, and not far from 31!
5. Who eats more sweets?
Me....definitely me. A major weakness of mine.
6. Who said I love you first?
Me again. ;)
7. Who is taller?
Jesse is, but only by a few inches.
8. Who can sing better?
He does pretty well, and was even in a choir in high school, but I think I sing a bit better.
9. Who is smarter?
Jesse definitely has the technical brains of the family. He is an engineer, after all!
10. Who does the laundry?
I do, but Jesse's not against helping out when I ask for it.
11. Who pays the bills?
I do. Not that I love it at all. I'm just the one who carries the checkbook around, and I have time. And my handwriting is more legible (I get nervous when he does write checks, wondering if people will actually be able to get it right). But I'm a bit forgetful at times, as well, and have paid a few bills late in my time.
12. Who sleeps on the right side?
Jesse does.
13. Who mows the lawn?
Apartment management. Although when we get our own lawn, I'd love to take turns mowing the lawn. I *love* making nice neat lines on the lawn (thanks to my landscaping summer job, back in the college days). It annoys me when I drive past lawns that are poorly mowed.
14. Who cooks dinner?
Mostly me. But Jesse always cooks the waffles when we do waffles. And he helps chop things when I need him to, too. :) He used to have responsibility for steaks, as well, but I've since figured it out and now do it myself.
15. Who drives?
When it's the whole family, it's Jesse. Unless I'm dropping him off at work, then I'll drive to save the step of switching seats.
16. Who kissed who first?
You know, I honestly don't remember. I'll have to dig out my journal sometime in the near future and figure out if I made note of that.
17. Who asked who out first?
Jesse did, to a homecoming dance.
18. Who proposed?
Technically, me. Out of the blue, "So ... are you going to marry me?". But Jesse did the formal proposal a few months later, after we had gone ring shopping and everything.
19. Who has more siblings?
We both have 5 siblings. But I'm #2 while he's #4.
20. Who wears the pants?
Jesse pretty much goes along with my lead, I guess. There are times he makes a firm decision for all of us, but it's never without my input.

Happy Easter

No, no Easter baby in our house, unfortunately. But we did have a nice Easter, all the same.

In Primary all the lessons and sharing time were focused on the Easter story, which was nice. I was surprised at how well our 5-year-old class understood the concept of the resurrection being the focus of Easter. Kudos to their parents!!

The choir sang some beautiful songs during Sacrament meeting, and we also enjoyed a couple talks. The Primary kids sang "Hosanna", complete with chimes by the older kids. Melinda looked so cute, standing up there and barely moving her mouth (even though she would practically shout the song during practices!), but grinning the whole while.

During sharing time, I sent Jesse home to quickly hide Easter eggs so the kids would find them as we walked in after church. It worked! Melinda never once mentioned anything about Mommy or Daddy hiding eggs, just the "Easter bunny"- woohoo!

Here are some pictures from egg dying on Saturday:

Jacob shows off his "Incredible Hulk" green hands. This kid would not stop touching the green dye!!
Jacob's still showing off his green hands, Melinda's putting a freshly dyed egg onto the rack, and I am trying my best not to look the size of a beached whale:By the way, we also went for a nice brisk mile-long walk on Saturday, but it didn't start labor. I have, however, been having about 10 contractions per day for a few days. Nothing to really write home about - just strong enough that I'm actually feeling and noticing them, instead of thinking my body is doing absolutely nothing to get ready to birth this baby.

Here are some pics and a video from the Easter egg hunt.
Just discovering their baskets, which were sitting on the couches when they walked in:
Melinda holds her new little felted wool bunny and carrot (from Etsy.com). These were an absolute hit, by the way! The kids played with them all afternoon.
And if Melinda's dress looks familiar, it is! It's the same dress we got for her last year, and it still fits, yay! Jacob didn't have any new Easter clothes this year, though, although his green and blue and tie fits the season fairly well.

Here's a video of the hunting:

Beware of the Spider Bombs

While I was in the kitchen this morning, Melinda asked me, "Mom, how do spider bombs get into our house?"

"What?? What are spider bombs?" I ask, totally confused.
"You know, spiders that get on arms."
"Spiders that get on arms? What kind?" thinking, maybe she's talking about those creepy little jumping spiders that always seem to be near our windows.
"They crawl on your arm and then blow you up."

....big pause, trying to process what she's saying...
"Spiders that crawl on your arm and then blow up?"
"Yeah. I had a dream that spider bombs crawled on Daddy's arm and blowed him up. I dont' want them to blow me up! How do they get into our house, Mommy?"

Where on earth did she get that idea?? Oh yeah... we watched Swiss Family Robinson yesterday, they had coconut bombs there...

"Well you know, Melinda, dreams aren't real. There's no such thing as spider bombs. Sometimes, brains remember things while we sleep, and try to make sense of them. Sometimes, they think of two things at once, like spiders and bombs, and then silly things like Spider Bombs are in our dreams. But they're not real, it's just your brain trying to think about those things some more. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah."

Okay. Hope it really did make sense. It sure threw me for a loop! And it's kind of hard to explain dreaming to a 4.5 year old, isn't it??

I love my husband

Thank goodness for a man with a strong stomach!

If you remember, last week, Tuesday morning to be exact, I had a dermatologist remove a growth on my finger related to the pregnancy. It was a big, ugly gaping hole, but it started scabbing over before long.

Unfortunately, by Thursday evening it was starting to feel extra tender. And by Friday morning, I was fairly sure it was infected. Painful, swollen, and warm to the touch. I had never dealt with any infected wound before (at least, not within my own memory), so I wasn't positive. But between showing it to Jesse and looking up symptoms online, I decided it was infected. At that point in time, the only way I knew to deal with infected wounds was to go to the doctor for antibiotics, but I just absolutely groaned at the idea. A 10-day course of antibiotics so close to the birth of a baby would absolutely increase my chances of dealing with thrush with a nursing baby, and I didn't want to have to deal with something like that at the same time as trying to establish a breastfeeding relationship. The first couple weeks of breastfeeding is hard enough, without complications like thrush. So I looked for other options, and found recommendations
for cleansing the wound several times a day with hydrogen peroxide, and using an antibiotic cream after that. So I decided to give it a shot. But late Friday night, I wasn't feeling so sure it would work, and was really feeling ready to call the doctor first thing in the morning and get an appointment.

Please be warned of some upcoming grossness if you have an easily upset stomach!
I still wasn't sure what I was going to do in the morning, but at the end of my nice long shower, I noticed a spot near the edge of the wound that looked like some liquid. I put a bit of pressure near it, and suddenly massive amounts of pus came pouring out from underneath the scab.
Once I was out of the shower and dressed, I showed it to Jesse and told him what happened. And we decided to remove the scab and some surrounding dead skin.

And this is where I just have to say how much I love my husband. He sat down with some freshly sterilized fingernail clippers, and went to work on the thing, removing the scab and the dead skin and exposing all the yuckiness underneath. It was truly disgusting. I could hardly watch half the time. Yes, I can totally handle the images of childbirth, and the associated pain, but an exposed crater in the tissue of my finger is enough to make feel a bit queasy. But Jesse handled it without a single complaint, and was extra gentle to make sure he didn't hurt me in the process.

And once it was all done, I went back to work with the hydrogen peroxide and antibiotic cream. Within a day it was feeling so much better. Today it looks and feels like it's healing normally, finally, and I've stopped using the hydrogen peroxide.

I'm so grateful we could avoid the antibiotics and take care of this at home...and for a wonderful husband who has a strong stomach for gross things. :)

Where's that nesting energy when you need it?

I could really stand to do a few loads of laundry. And put away some of the clean laundry that has been hanging around in baskets for the better part of a week. And wash some bigger pots and pans that don't fit/belong in a dishwasher. And deep-clean the bathrooms again. And wash the kitchen floor. And vacuum the rest of the floors. And clear off my dresser top for the umpteenth time.

Especially since I'm really hoping to go into labor today or tomorrow (especially since the last time I posted, I've had many noticeable Braxton Hicks contractions...seems like things are gearing up finally).

But I can't convince myself to stand up and move around long enough to do any of that. Even though I have plenty of time, and the kids are completely zoned out in front of the television. I just feel extremely lazy right now.

On the one hand, I feel like going for a brisk walk to see if that will start up some contractions. On the other hand, if it works, I have a house that is less clean than I want it to be when we have midwives and other company over. And maybe the housework would also put me into labor.

But darnit, I just don't want to do it. Not any of it.

Sigh.

Pregnancy report

The week is chugging right along!

Yesterday I had a chiropractor appointment. I think she managed to pop every joint in my spine!! It's been years since I've seen a chiropractor, and I've always been one who wishes that I could spontaneously adjust my own bones, when I start feeling achy. She did get quite a bit of movement out of the right side of my hip, she said. I don't notice any immediate changes in pain, but they became pretty minimal anyway. I go in for a follow-up on Thursday.

My clever volunteer-to-bring-soup-to-Relief-Society idea didn't bring on a baby. I went and enjoyed the evening out. And endured yet a million more questions on whether I'm ready to have this baby yet, and why is it that I want a homebirth, anyway? I feel absolutely silly when I say, "Actually, no, I'd rather wait to have the baby until the weekend, there's too much going on that I'd have to cancel this week if I had the baby any earlier than that! And let's not forget getting those other kids healthy before we add a 3rd to the mix!" And so I've taken to just smiling and saying, "Sure, any day now!" And why do I want a homebirth? I could probably spend half an hour telling you why, and it's hard to find a short answer that satisfies people. So that question really has been annoying me. Oh, and the best - "How are you feeling?" Um....PREGNANT. Very very pregnant. At least that one is both honest and makes people laugh. ;) Okay, but the night, aside from all the questions, really was nice. Except for the fact that the kids were still awake when I got home. Sigh.

By the way, Jacob came down with a fever yesterday. I thought he felt a little warm in the morning, but didn't think much of it. However, after spending a while on the couch watching a show, he got up and his cheeks were just absolutely flushed. I did my best to take his temperature, and it came out 101.2, despite not being under his tongue the entire time because he didn't like it and wouldn't cooperate. He was still very hot when he went to sleep last night. He's acting much better this morning, and his appetite is back. Hopefully, the fever won't resurface later in the day....

I also had a dermatologist appointment to take care of that blood-blister-like thing on my finger. I was reminded that the technical name for it is a Pyogenic Granuloma. Commonly called a "pregnancy tumor", and can occur in about 5% of pregnancies, usually on the hands or in the mouth (ugh!??). It was a quick appointment, just as I had expected, since I've done this before (but apparently he didn't have it in my records...how odd...). He first numbed it, which hurt like CRAZY!!!!!, and then dug it out with a sharp instrument, and cauterized the feeding blood vessel. Nothing like hearing and smelling the burning of your own flesh. Ew. Melinda wanted to see it when I got back home. I told her it was very ugly (it is a large burnt pit in my finger, after all), but she still wanted to see it. As soon as I took off the band aid to show it to her, she gets a horrified look on her face, and practically yells "Put it back on!!!!" Interestingly, I found out just now that often times, these granulomas will spontaneously heal after the delivery. Maybe I should have waited it out instead of getting an ugly volcano crater burnt into my finger. But it was getting freakishly annoying and bled really easily.

And of course, my 39 week prenatal visit. Over the past few days, I've had a slight increase of swelling. I noticed my ring starting to get pretty tight, so I took it off and put it away last night. And my socks are definitely leaving lines in my skin after I take them off. Near my toes is the slightest bit puffy. Ankles are still perfectly visible as of right now! But the increased swelling combined with my blood pressure caused some initial concern at today's appointment. The first reading was 138/98 or something like that (I can never remember blood pressure numbers very well). My normal has been closer to 110/70's. They had me lay on my left side for a while, then took my blood pressure while laying down. That reading was 94/48, ridiculously low compared to the other reading. When I made a comment, Evelyn did say that they've never taken my blood pressure while laying down before, and it does make a pretty big difference when you're pregnant, I guess. We also took one more blood pressure reading at the end of the appointment, and it was much closer to normal - 118/78 or something. So I don't know why the first reading was so high, but I'm glad they took the time to keep checking. However, I am supposed to keep an eye on my swelling and report if it gets noticeably worse, or if I start having headaches, etc.

I'm also supposed to be eating more protein and making sure I get lots of water. I've been a bit bad on both counts over the last couple weeks.

I asked Evelyn to guess the baby's weight just for fun. She said, "And that won't put you off?" (assuming she meant, if the baby seems big...) No, I assured her, I'd be fine with a big baby. She guessed that the baby is very very close to 9 pounds right now. And honestly, that's what I've guessed myself. She easily identified the location of the head, back and feet. She said that the baby's head is very low, basically "right there". Also, I apparently had a contraction while she was feeling the baby from my stomach. I had absolutely NO sensation of tightening or anything. So who knows, maybe I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions, and I just haven't been noticing them at all. Baby also kicked quite a few times while we were listening to the heartbeat.

She said that if I want to, I can take some Evening Primrose Oil (an herbal supplement that basically ripens the cervix) on a daily basis. I may pick some up after my chiro appointment tomorrow if it still seems like nothing is happening.

But between the baby's head being so low, the full moon being on Friday, and me being very close to my due date now, and the fact that Melinda was only 4 days over, and Jacob was 4 days under my due date .... I think I'd be quite surprised (and very annoyed) if the baby didn't come within the next week. Still rooting for an Easter baby - BUT I wouldn't mind going into labor anytime after tomorrow's chiro appointment. ;)

What's for dinner

Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Manicotti

• 14 pieces (8 oz.) manicotti, uncooked
• 1 ¼ cups (10 oz. pkg.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
• 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 ¾ cups (15 oz.) ricotta or low fat cottage cheese
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
• 3 cups (about 26 oz. jar) spaghetti sauce, divided

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Cool in single layer on foil. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together spinach, 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese, ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic powder and pepper. Spoon about 3 T. filling into each pasta tube. Heat oven to 375º. In a 13x9 in. baking dish, spread ½ cup spaghetti sauce. Arrange filled past tubes in single layer in pan. Pour remaining sauce over top; cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining ½ cup mozzarella cheese. Bake 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is hot and bubbly.

Becky's notes:
I love the flavor of this recipe, but I have found the time it takes to spoon-fill each manicotti tube to be unreasonably long (as much as I love serving the individual tubes!), and also difficult to not break the tubes in the process. So I have adapted the recipe somewhat, and turned it into lasagna. I buy lasagna noodles instead of manicotti, and make a layered dish. I usually end up using 9 lasagna noodles: 1 layer of spaghetti sauce on bottom, 3 noodles, a thin layer of cheesy spinach filling; 3 noodles, more filling, 3 more noodles, more sauce on top. I also use more spaghetti sauce than the 26 oz. jar this way, but Jesse, at least, likes it better with more sauce. One thing we haven't tried yet, but probably will soon, is some browned/crumbled italian sausage in with the filling.

African Drumming

What a morning!

We attended an open house of the Great Soul Wellness Studio down in Baltimore city today. We heard about it through word of mouth - one of the families attended an African Drumming class there recently, and just loved it. I was all set to go, and pay for attendance, but lucky us got a free class with the open house!


African Dance and Drum Circle for Families

Description:
African Dance and Drumming for Families: Students will learn freedom of expression through dance without limit or restriction. Participants will be challenged to open their minds and bodies to new experiences of dance and rhythm. Basic stretches and warm-ups use sequences found in the various African dances. Sit-ups and push-ups are used for strengthening. Stories, songs, and drumming will also be explored in the class. Freedom of expression is stressed by allowing students to freestyle as they are gathered in a circle with their fellow dancers cheering them on as they escape themselves and any inhibitions through movement, “just letting go”. Dancers are not confined to the rigors of classical training. Students will learn how to move in new ways and to listen to the drum with sensitivity and readiness. Balance will take on a new meaning as students find joy in dance. Also, students will learn basic African melody and rhythm through the various drumming techniques but also through chants and singing. All ages and family members welcome.

It really wasn't terribly involved, as far as teaching goes, but it was an amazing experience. Our teacher was born in Cote D'Ivoire in West Africa, grew up and studied there before coming to the United States, so it was definitely an authentic class.

We started out on yoga mats, doing exercises like sit ups and push ups, etc. Melinda has been practically begging Jesse to exercise with her like that at home, but she absolutely refused to try it at the class. Jacob tried a little bit, and giggled. I pretended to use my abs as much as I could fake it, lol. My balance and large belly combined just doesn't make for functional sit ups. Eventually we put away the yoga mats and moved onto some African dancing, or drills, not sure exactly what to call them. They were different stomping rhythms, jumps, arm and head movements, and so on. All while chanting phrases I'm not even sure I got close to right! They sounded so foreign on my tongue. Again, I faked the dancing and chanting as best I could, and tried (in vain) to get the kids to participate. There were some younger African American girls a couple rows ahead of me, and it was amazing how much their movements looked straight out of a documentary. I can't move like they did! Not even when I'm not pregnant! ;)

I should note that before we decided to make the drive to attend this, I checked and triple-checked with Melinda to make sure she actually wanted to go. She tends to be afraid of loud noises (toilets flushing, upstairs neighbors stomping, drums banging...), but she insisted she wanted to go, it would be fun, and no, she wouldn't be afraid! The fact that she already wasn't participating before the drums even came out was really frustrating me. And Jacob had an extremely grumpy morning, from the instant of waking up, and once we started doing the dancing, he only wanted me to pick him up and hold him. Of course.

And where was Jesse during all of this? He had to run errands for Scouts. He needed to turn in Day Camp paperwork at 9am this morning, but had only gotten paperwork from one family. So he had to get up bright and early to drive to each of the other boys' homes, get their paperwork, and then drive down to the location to turn it in. (This did not make for starting his day off well, either....) Anyway, we were lucky enough that he was able to wrap things up just as we arrived at the Studio, and he made his way over and joined us about 10-15 minutes into the class, just in time for dancing in circle formations, and then tug-of-war lineups. Thank goodness he got there! I couldn't take much more of appeasing Jacob, as well as trying to keep Melinda unglued from my leg.

After some more dancing and chanting, we finally got to drum. And THAT was the amazing part! Everybody got to hold an African drum - either tilted between their legs, or actually sitting on it while it is laid on its side (big ol' preggo ladies or people with back/knee problems sat on a chair...) - and we all learned some basic rhythms and slaps. It definitely got loud in there! But it was so incredible. Once we got the hang of it, the teacher sang some African songs (I could really barely hear him, over all the drums!), and it was beautiful. After a while, Jesse and I later agreed, it just felt like your body became attuned to the rhythms. It actually felt very spiritual, on some level. Sitting there, slapping out the same simple rhythm over and over again (BASE one BASE one-two, Base one BASE one-two), you just end up feeling transported to a different place and time, worries and concerns being no part of the present... just you, and the drums, and your hands keeping rhythm, the vibrations running through your hands and arms, and the thumps permeating your entire being.

I would love to do it again, and so would Jesse. Unfortunately we had to leave a few minutes early because the kids just didn't want to do it anymore (neither of them even tried to hit a drum! Even after Jacob was trying to get at them the entire class up till then!).... so I doubt we'd be going to another family session, if we ever do go again. All the same, it was really enjoyable, and a much welcomed break from being stuck at home all week. And I have to admit, living in Maryland does afford some very interesting culture experiences!

I tried to take it as easy as possible (physically) during the class. But between the little I did, and the bending over to talk to the kids, and yeah, picking up Jacob so much, I did work up a little bit of a sweat. But all I kept thinking was how each of my prior labors have started after some vigorous activity, followed by a rest. And I have so much planned for next week that I really didn't want to go into labor today! I'd hate to have to cancel all my appointments - Visiting Teaching, Chiropractor, Dermatologist, Relief Society dinner, friends visiting, playgroups, and more... too much to miss! I saw a friend there at the class, and she joked (not knowing my history, even!), "Trying to induce labor, Becky?" I laughed, but felt a bit afraid, too, lol! I'd love to go into labor next Friday or Saturday night, but not today! And none of the days until at least Thursday!

But is it just coincidence that this afternoon, I not only had a Braxton Hicks contraction (they've been amazingly infrequent during this pregnancy), but that it was the first strong Braxton Hicks contraction of my entire pregnancy??

38 week appointment

I had my 38 week appointment with my midwife today. Jacob still has pinkeye, and I didn't want to drag him along to infect the entire office, so I convinced Jesse to take a very early lunch and watch the kids for me while I went. (And what a relief it was to get out of the house and away from the kids for even just a little while! My tooth is sore today, I was clenching my jaw so much yesterday.... we're all very ready to get out of the house and do something, and the kids have been driving me quite crazy!)

Everything is still normal. My blood pressure looked like it had jumped a bit, until we switched to a slightly bigger cuff, and then it was back to normal. Baby is still head down, heartbeat still sounding like a solid 150bpm. It looks like maybe his back is leaning towards my spine, instead of away from it, but it's nothing too concerning... just makes for a possibility of back labor because of posterior position. But Jacob was supposedly posterior, and he managed to flip while I was in labor just fine. My GBS test came back negative - yay for being in the clear for that! Definitely one less worry.

I told them about the pain I had last week, and how it's barely there now. I was very gently chastised for not calling them right away when I was in such pain. ("We really want to be able to help you, but you have to let us know when you have a problem, first!") They gave me a referral to a chiropractor mere minutes from me, and asked me to set up an appointment to at very least make sure my pelvis isn't terribly misaligned so labor can be smoother.

When I was in my late pregnancy with Jacob, I developed a little blood blister-looking thing on my thumb. We all thought it was a wart for a long time, but I finally ended up at a dermatologist, who explained it was (in my words) a crazy grouping of blood vessels that basically couldn't function normally because of hormones causing them to mutate or something, most likely after I had injured that particular spot. They just kept growing bigger and bigger, and couldn't tell when it was necessary to clot. So if I poked it, it would bleed like crazy. We took care of it by cutting it out and cauterizing it. It healed quickly and left a small scar.

So what decided to pop up on my middle finger a few weeks ago? Same kind of thing. I've got a new blister-like thing on my middle finger. I was thinking I would wait till after the baby to have it taken care of, but it's gotten bigger and more tender and more annoying since then, so that I basically have to have a band aid on it all the time to keep myself from breaking it open on accident. So I made an appointment to have it taken care of. It's for next Wednesday morning, so hopefully I'll be able to make it. ;)

Agh, well, Jacob is crying at me for no sensible reason, so I better stop there. (Anyone want a couple bored-out-of-their-minds kids for a week or two??)

Two diapers down...

I finally started diaper sewing last night. Busted out the pattern, made a template with some cardboard, and started cutting out some pieces.

The pattern itself makes an "All-In-One" type of diaper, which is the closest you can get to the function of a disposable diaper: it has a waterproof outer layer, and quite a few inner absorbent layers, and the layer closest to baby's skin is typically soft and helps to keep them feeling dry. All the layers are sewn together, nothing comes apart, etc. These types of diapers typically cost around $18-25 each, if you buy them pre-made.

I didn't want to deal with the extra cost and everything associated with sewing with the waterproof layer, so I used an online tutorial to adapt the pattern to making a "Fitted" diaper, instead. Fitted diapers are very similar to All-In-Ones, only lacking the waterproof outer layer. So they require a cover over the top of them (although many people skip the cover when they're just at home).

When I have cloth diapered Jacob, I used a type of diaper called "Pocket" diapers. They have a waterproof outer layer, and one inner "wicking" layer, that lets the moisture through but keeps baby feeling dry. You then stuff the soaking layers into the diaper through an opening in the back. I liked these diapers a lot - they were trim instead of bulky, they came in fun colors, and I could adjust how much absorbency I needed by stuffing them with extra layers if I needed to. But I've had problems with their durability, so that's why I'm trying something new this time around. I'll probably buy a few Pocket diapers for nighttime diapering, though, since that was so handy.

Anyway, the store where I got the pattern, and many of my materials, is called Very Baby. Their pattern and products have come very highly recommended among the online cloth diapering circles, but I was interested to discover that their little home-run business is out of Rigby, Idaho, and is run by an LDS couple there. So that feels cool, to be not only sewing my own diapers, but to be supporting a business run by work-at-home LDS parents!

The way I'm making these diapers is with 3 layers of flannel - a decorative one on the outside, and two filler layers in the middle. Attached to one of those inner flannel layers is a "soaker pad" that I've made from 6 layers of hemp jersey. It's supposed to be more absorbent than cotton, and have some anti-microbial properties as well. And then the inner-most layer is suedecloth, which is the "wicking" layer.

I mostly finished the first diaper last night - all I had left was to add the velcro. I finished up the velcro today, and started and completed a second diaper, as well. I did some reading online and picked up a few tips about sewing the elastic into the diapers, which was helpful. But I'm still not sure if the leg openings are tight/"elasticky" enough to work with a small baby. (I'm not sewing diapers for the newborn phase, but I'm sewing size "Small" which typically fits somewhere around 10-18 pounds or something like that). It all seems nice and stretchy, until I turn the diaper right side out. I'll have to experiment some more, probably. But I'm very happy with how they look. I put away my machine and sewing box, and went to take a picture of them to post here, and Melinda insisted on putting one of the diapers onto a doll. The teddy bear worked quite nicely. Aside from its large waist, I think it's close to the size of a baby a few months old. Maybe. :)

Alright, enough babbling, right? You want pictures?
(This is the same striped flannel I used on the baby shoes, yay for matching sets!!)

Melissa, this is for you

Don't think I haven't noticed your comments, saying repeatedly that I should sit down and make those baby shoes! ;)

Since Jesse was home from work today, I went ahead and decided to do some sewing. I could have started my diapers, finally, but opted for the shorter project you've been bugging me about!

So here are the completed baby shoes, made from blue suedecloth on the upper surfaces, brown suedecloth on the sole, and lined on the inside with striped flannel. Not too shabby, huh?
And for good measure, I'm also showing off a different quickie project I did recently. I had some scraps left over from cutting strips and squares for the barnyard baby blanket that I did last week. When I told Melinda that I was making a baby blanket, she first thought I meant baby dolls. And she kept stealing scraps to cover her dolls with. So I decided to take the leftovers and turn it into a quick doll-sized blanket:

What's for dinner

Tonight we had ...

Tuscan Bean & Sausage Soup

• 3/4 lbs Italian sausage links, removed from casing and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 yellow squash or zucchini, sliced
• 3 cans navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can Italian tomatoes, undrained
• 2 cans chicken broth
• 2 cups fresh spinach, shredded
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

In a soup pot over medium heat, brown sausage and fully cook. Drain grease. Add onion and garlic and cook till translucent. Add squash and sauté about one minute. Add remaining ingredients and simmer till heated through, about 10 minutes.

Freezes and reheats wonderfully.

Becky's notes:
This soup makes about twice as much as what our family of four will typically eat for a single meal. That's great if you want to freeze some for leftovers, but if you don't want to worry about it, think about halving the ingredients for a single meal.

We like to use the mild/sweet variety of Italian sausage, so that the kids will actually eat it. They don't like spicy things.

The recipe, as is, calls for 1 squash. It should be one large squash, or two smaller, if you're going to make the full recipe. If you're going to half it, the smaller kind are fine.

Navy beans? They're small white beans. I've ended up substituting Great Northern Beans, which are also white - I can't taste a difference, and they're cheaper.

Bottom line, this is a quick soup to throw together, and the cooking time is minimal. It comes out very tasty when you're done, and freezes well for future meals, too! Woohoo!

March comes in like a lion...

We're all familiar with the phrase, "March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb", right? I have to say, I've only ever thought of it in terms of weather.

But this year is definitely different.

We managed to go pretty much all of winter without anyone being sick. Just one time recently with very short stomach bugs being the exception.

But suddenly, since it turned March, it seems like everyone in the house has been sick, one thing after another.

Right after I started having pain last week, I noticed Melinda's eye looked pink. We had been to the park earlier that day, and she had run quite far from me with her friend. Since she had been out of close watch, I asked her if she bumped her eye on something. She told me that yeah, she bumped her eye on the bleachers next to the field. Okay, makes sense enough, so I brushed it off. But no, the next day, both eyes are pink. And not just a little bit. The kind of pink that makes you think someone's been crying hysterically for hours, you know? Not to mention, all around her eyes sockets were puffy and swollen looking. So, pinkeye it is.

Thankfully, it cleared up by this morning, and never had a lot of eye goopiness/crustiness associated with it. So my guess is just a mild viral pinkeye. But we had to skip playgroup, much to everyone's sadness, and also had to keep Melinda home from church. It was a very boring weekend for her. But pinkeye being contagious as it is, Jacob came down with it as well. I was all set to take him to church with me, and leave Melinda home with Jesse, but Jacob still hadn't woken up by the time I was already late heading out the door (I guess we can blame that on Daylight Saving Time changes, bleh). When I got home, Jacob wanted to snuggle, and I noticed his eye looked pink. Sure enough, closer inspection showed that it was.

Of course, Jacob just thinks it's the coolest thing ever. We said "pink eye" so much over the past few days, while talking about Melinda, that when we said Jacob had pinkeye, he got totally excited. "Pinky eye? Pinky eye?! OH!!! Go look in da mirror!" [runs off down the hall to get to the full-length mirror, where he inspects his eyes by pulling down each lower eye lid with a finger.] And suddenly Jacob is dancing down the hall, triumphantly declaring "PINKY EYE!!!"

It doesn't seem to actually bother either of them, aside from making them rub their eyes every now and then, but we still would never expose other people to it, so we have to once again limit our activities until Jacob's eyes have cleared up. So a few more days of being house-bound. Sigh. And so close to when the baby is due, when I really wanted to squeeze as many fun activities in for the kids as possible, to make up for the boredom they'll have once the baby is here and we don't do much at all for the following month, you know?

Jacob also started having some diarrhea yesterday. Looks like he passed it to me, unfortunately. :(

And Jesse is home from work, again, because he somehow came down with a respiratory thing for the second time within a couple weeks. He just sounds awful, with the really low raspy voice and the hacking cough.

And I'm sitting here cringing through every single one of them getting sick, because I sure don't want to get sick. And I don't want this baby to come while everyone is sick, no way!!

So March has come in like a lion, making everyone sick and all that jazz. Here's to hoping that March goes out like a lamb...peacefully, with no illness in sight when the baby is born.

It has a name

Pubic Symphysis Dysfunction.

This is a follow-up to yesterday's post.

I love it when I can place a name to a symptom. Once I do, a whole world of reading is available on the internet. And yeah...this is definitely what I have.

The symptoms vary from person to person, but almost all women who have it experience substantial pubic pain. Tenderness and pain down low in the front is common, but often this pain feels as if it's inside. The pubic area is generally very tender to the touch; many moms find it painful when the doctor or midwife pushes down on the pubic bone while measuring the uterus (fundal height).

Any activity that involves lifting one leg at a time or parting the legs tends to be particularly painful. Lifting the leg to put on clothes, getting out of a car, bending over, sitting down or getting up, walking up stairs, standing on one leg, lifting heavy objects, and walking in general tend to be difficult at times. Many women report that moving or turning over in bed is especially excruciating.

Does that last paragraph sound exactly like my previous post, or what?!?

Looks like chiropractic care may or may not help. I'm asking around for a good prenatal chiro right now, and if I get a good recommendation, I'll try out at least one adjustment. Otherwise, here are suggestions from the same resource:

Use a pillow between your legs when sleeping; body pillows are a great investment! (already do this one)
Use a pillow under your 'bump' (pregnancy tummy) when sleeping (yup, this one too)
Keep your legs and hips as parallel/symmetrical as possible when moving or turning in bed (hard hard hard to do, but a little easier if you don't remove the pillow first)
Some women also find it helpful to have their partners stabilize their hips and hold them 'together' when rolling over in bed or otherwise adjusting position
Some women report a waterbed mattress to be helpful
Swimming may help relieve pressure on the joint (too bad the pool is closed till summer!)
Deep water aerobics or deep water running may be helpful as well
Keep your legs close together and move symmetrically
When standing, stand symmetrically, with your weight evenly distributed through both legs
Sit down to get dressed, especially when putting on underwear or pants (it may help, but you still have to lift a leg to get clothes on, you know?)
Avoid 'straddle' movements
Swing your legs together as a unit when getting in and out of cars; use plastics or something smooth and slippery (like a garbage bag) on the car seat to help you enter car backwards and then turn your legs as a unit
An ice pack may feel soothing and help reduce inflammation in the pubic area
Move slowly and without sudden movements
If bending over to pick up objects is difficult, there are devices available that can help with this
Some women report that pelvic binders/maternity support belts are helpful for pelvic pain; brands in the U.S. include Prenatal Cradle or BabyHugger or the Reenie Belt. However, if the pelvic bones are really misaligned, some women report more pain with these. Listen to your body on whether to use these.

I've been sitting on my exercise ball on rocking my hips since yesterday evening, and it seems to have helped. I don't hurt quite so much today. Although last night I absolutely could not get comfortable in a side-lying position. I ended up piling up what seemed like 20 pillows behind me, so that I could sleep in a semi-reclining position. Not the most comfortable thing in the world, and I woke up more frequently than I would have liked, but at least my pelvis wasn't bothering me.

Other information on pubic symphysis I found helpful:

Be extremely careful of birth positioning. Certain positions are better than others. Avoid stirrups!

• Don't give birth on your back - Many cases of pubic symphysis injury occur in this position
• Don't give birth semi-sitting - This tends to force the baby's head against the pubic symphysis, putting pressure on it to 'give' more. It also prevents the coccyx/tailbone and sacrum from moving out of the way during birth, and thus the only joint available with any 'give' to it would be the pubic symphysis, which puts it at greater risk for damage
• Don't use stirrups - This widens the gap between the legs and strains the pubic symphysis
• Use 'alternative' birth positions - These include standing, kneeling, and all fours in particular. You may have to search for a provider that is comfortable using these positions throughout labor. Some doctors will 'permit' women to use alternative positions until just before baby's head crowns, but often want the woman back in the traditional stirrups or semi-sitting position for crowning of the head and delivery of the shoulders. However, crowning and birth of the shoulders is the most critical time for prevent pubic symphysis damage, so really look for a doctor or midwife that is willing to 'let' a woman be in whatever position feels best to her for birth. If you must be in a more 'traditional' position because of other concerns, try side-lying as this takes the pressure off of the pubic symphysis and allows the coccyx and sacrum to move somewhat. Otherwise, all-fours or leaning back over a birth ball may be best
• Listen to your body - Your body usually will tell you what position you need to take in order to help baby out while avoiding damage to your joint. This may be contrary to what your nurses or provider are telling you, but give preference to the positions that feel best to you. For example, sitting forward in a "C" is the position promoted in most hospitals, but Kmom found arching the back to be most helpful. This helped her baby move under the pubic arch and be born rapidly, while in the traditional "C" semi-sitting position, there was no descent of the baby and great pain instead. Other women with pubic pain have reported that arching the back during pushing was helpful too. Use the position your body tells you to!

Isn't it nice that I'm planning a homebirth? :) Everything important for protecting my pelvis from damage is basically a given in a homebirth setting.

Housekeeping Meme

Ms. Brightonwoman started a Housekeeping Meme at her blog. I feel obligated to play along! :)

What three kitchen items do you use the most often?
Medium-sized pot, Tupperware peeler (for both veggies and cheese slicing), and the Toaster Oven.

What kitchen gadget do you wish you had?
If it weren't so freakishly dangerous, I'd love a mandolin slicer.

What kitchen gadget do you never use/wish you hadn't spent the money for?
The sandwich maker (like a waffle maker). I use it much, much too rarely to be worth the space it takes up.

What is your favorite cookbook? (Link if you can!)
I tend not to use cookbooks, instead favoring large, unorganized piles of typed and even sloppy hand-written recipes I've gathered from friends, family magazines, websites, and web searches. Someday I'll organize it!

Who is your cooking inspiration?
Probably my mother-in-law is my biggest influence. She has a knack for being able to throw things together easily, that turn out delicious. I learned chicken noodle soup from her, and our favorite quick/cheap standby "skillet dinner" of rice, ground beef, celery and onions.

What are the three most important items on your spice rack?
Basil, Italian Seasoning, and Thyme

What are three recipes that you use all the time?
The above-mentioned "skillet dinner", Potato Soup, and macaroni salad (which my kids LOVE and is chock-full of veggies).

Can you share a cooking secret?
Not really, but a great kitchen trick for opening stubborn jar lids is to stick a (sturdy) metal spoon under the lip of the lid and use leverage to break the seal. Then it will twist off easily. :) If you can't manage to break the seal that way, use a heavy edge like the handle of a butter knife to pound the top edge of the lid (it will dent, maybe a lot), it usually accomplishes the same thing.

What is your greatest cleaning secret?
I am so *not* a cleaning master. I'm not even going to try to answer this one.

What is your favorite thing to clean?
Trick question, right? Can there be such a thing as a "favorite" thing to clean? If I have to pick something, I'll go with mirrors, I guess. It's nice to see a perfect reflection when I'm done.

What is your least favorite thing to clean?
Everything. But mostly floors.

What is your most embarrassing housekeeping moment?
I can't think of anything truly singular. But I have been thoroughly defeated by crayon on our apartment walls. The kids have taken a blue crayon to every single wall in their bedroom, and I cannot for the life of me find an easy way to get it off. Everything I've tried might work, but not without a lot of elbow grease. So I've given up. It shall remain scribbled upon until such a time as I see fit to attempt to re-paint the room.

Oh, and once, I tried quick-cleaning my blender by adding dishsoap to water, and then turning the blender on. It quickly overflowed a big mass of frothy bubbles all over my counter. I decided to just clean it the long way from then on. ;)

Who do you tag to do this next?
Summer, Melissa, and Magirk, you wanna take a shot? :)

Ow ow ow ow Ow OW!!!!

It's amazing what can change in one day. Especially when you're pregnant.

And no, I don't mean amazing in a good way, not at all!

A few days ago I noticed a new oddity of my pregnancy - every time I tried to lift my leg far enough to, say...put a sock on, or a pair of pants, or to kick my sheets into place, I would get a really big pain in my groin. Enough to make me vocalize my discomfort, and complain about it. I've never had this happen in my previous pregnancies, at least not enough for a memory to stick in my head, so I did bring it up with my midwife yesterday. As I expected, it's totally normal, and, in my midwife's words, just my pelvic bones saying, "HEY, I remember all this pressure!" and reacting to it. Not in a fun way. But, at least it wasn't persistent pain, just made getting dressed and stuff like that even more difficult than it already was.

But it couldn't stay that way, could it? Nope. Today, from the moment I woke up this morning, until now, at 3:45pm, I've basically been in constant pain down there. I can't take a step without it hurting. I can't go from standing to sitting, or sitting to standing, without it hurting. I can't lift my leg even a centimeter without it hurting. I can't push the brake pedal in my car without it hurting. I think you're starting to get the picture, right? About the only time it doesn't hurt is when I'm sitting perfectly still. I seriously feel like I need a walker (you know, the kind geriatrics push around, with wheels on two of the legs...).

And worst of all, Melinda wanted me to wait outside the bathroom for her while she did her business, and told me I could lay down on my bed. I thought that sounded like a lovely idea, so I did. But just a couple minutes later, when she was ready for some help, it took MONUMENTAL effort to get myself off of that bed. I could hardly turn over, because, *gasp*, I would actually have to put distance between my legs in order to get to my other side, which I needed to do so I could get off the bed. I was starting to think I might actually seriously injure myself by trying to do something as simple as turn over, on my own bed. I'm guessing the problem was probably that I didn't shove a pillow between my knees before I laid down. But STILL!! I mean, it shouldn't feel like I'm murdering myself just to turn over!!!

Please please please let this not continue for the next three weeks! I might relegate myself to become a useless lump on the couch if it does!!

Now, to depart from the whining: I meant to do pictures yesterday to add to my 37 weeks pregnant post. And I could go add them in there, after the fact, but then I doubt anyone would look. So I'll just add them here.

Melinda took the pictures for me, which means you can't see my face. She can't manage to take a decent picture if she holds the camera sideways (cuts off my belly, every single time, or aims to high, etc.). Anyway, here I am in all my 37 weeks of belly:

And here, you can see all my lovely stretch marks, and cute little Jacob joining in on the belly show-off. :)

Melinda's got me pegged

(And because two posts in one day just isn't enough, obviously....)

Easter is coming up. It's obvious, the candy and decorations are everywhere, and unavoidable! On the way home from the grocery store today, Melinda suddenly says, "Mommy, you're the Easter Bunny!"

Wow. This girl's 4 years old.... "What? What makes you think that?"

"Because we stayed in the bedroom and blew bubbles with Daddy and you hid candy!"

"Why do you think I hid the candy?"

"Well, I saw that Easter Egg on the doorknob, you put it there."

"How do you know I wasn't just watching the Easter Bunny hide the candy? Bunnies are pretty quiet, you know...they don't make very much noise! Maybe you just didn't hear the Easter Bunny."

"But Mom, we don't have any pets!"

Huh? Oh...bunnies are pets, I guess. "Well the Easter Bunny isn't a pet just like Santa Claus isn't a pet."

Conversation ended, as we pulled up to our house, and Melinda started querying about which parking spot we had last time compared to this time.

And I was completely exasperated. Either Melinda is incredibly smart, or I'm incredibly bad at pulling off mythical holiday creatures.

It probably doesn't help that there's no time to do Easter hunts until after church, and therefore no time to hide the candy without the kids around. But come on, she remembered all of this, and figured it out, based on something that happened when she was 3.5 years old? Where's the magic in that?

Cute little bunnies!

I found something so cute I couldn't resist buying it.

http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=7649170


They came in the mail today, and are so teeny tiny. And fluffy and so soft, made of wool! Each with their own minuscule carrot, too! Jacob and Melinda will each get one in their Easter basket. I hope they think they're as cute as I think they are! :)

37 weeks pregnant

This morning was my 37 week prenatal appointment.

And it brings practically no news.

I am sitting at 203 pounds now (yay....), I'm measuring right on track, my blood pressure is holding very steady, I have the slightest of swelling, and braxton hicks contractions have become virtually non-existent. I was having 2-3 a day for a while there (not painful at all, though), but over the last couple weeks, they've just dwindled off. So, as far as I can tell, I'll be pregnant for a while yet.

It's all good, though. I don't think I'd be thrilled to have a baby this week, or even next. Nearer to my due date, the better, I'm thinking.

I still love the idea of an Easter baby, too. Because this was a surprise pregnancy, I've done a lot of thinking about what this baby means to our family. Initially, it made Jesse eager to start looking for a new job, so our growing family could be closer to relatives. Not to mention being back out west, which we really love so much more than living on the east coast. We only planned to be here 3-4 years when we moved out, anyway, and we've now lived here about 4.5 years. Well, he got started on his resume quickly enough, but never got to the point of sending them out anywhere. Although once the baby is born I'm sure he'll get right back on track.

But bottom line is that since the very beginning, once I accepted the reality of it all, anyway, I've considered this baby to be Heavenly Father's way of getting us to think more seriously about our future as a family, instead of just living day-to-day life right where we are, with a rather inert attitude. So the pregnancy, this baby, has really caused us to attempt to reinvent our life. Even if we haven't gotten as far as we wanted to originally, we're on the right path, I think, to change things up and work towards what we really want.

And then I think about how this baby is due just after spring officially begins. He's due so close to Easter this year, when we celebrate the resurrection of Christ. A new life in our home, a new and renewed life in nature, and a renewal of life through Christ, and an intention and plan for a new life for our whole family in a new location (eventually...). So while this pregnancy may not have been my idea for this point in our lives, it really does feel like Heavenly Father decided to hit me over the head with the full force of the symbolism of this quickly approaching season.

I just wish I had thought to plant some daffodil bulbs in the fall, so I could enjoy them as well!

But all the symbolism really made me want to find a special name for this baby boy. Jesse crossed off most of the good meaningful ones for the first name group, but he's letting me get my way with the middle name. Even if we decide to change Alexander to something else, I'm fairly certain we're keeping Boden for the middle name. Boden means "messenger" or "herald". And according to some sources, "shelter". It seems fitting, to me. This baby does feel like a herald for new times, along with the spring and Easter season, as well as being a messenger from Heavenly Father to tell us that we need to look forward to our family's future.

Gah, what a waste of time!

Every now and then, the Johns Hopkins Child Development Lab calls us up to ask us to participate in a quick study. They're usually fun studies for the kids to do, they have nice toys to play with in their waiting room, and they get a free prize in the end, so I've never said no. Today we were scheduled to go down again. I was told Melinda and Jacob were both the right age for different studies. Great!

Well, it wasn't so great. They changed parking locations since the last time we went, and I got lost on the way there. Well, not lost lost, but I did miss a turn and have to go a number of blocks before I found a non one-way street to turn around on, and then had to adjust the directions in my head to accommodate the different way I was coming in. I ended up being 10 minutes late, and they have someone waiting there for you 5 minutes early. So I kept the poor girl standing and waiting for 15 minutes. I felt so bad about that. :(

And then we had to walk a sizable distance from the parking spots to their lab. Which would have normally been fine, because it is an absolutely gorgeous day outside today - 63 degrees (and sunny!!) by the time we got home! But Jacob absolutely did not want to walk - I had to carry him. Which, you can probably imagine, is incredible difficult and straining to do when you're nearly 37 weeks pregnant. So I started getting grumpy. Even though he was going on and on about exciting things like the wind blowing a leaf across the sidewalk, or the "circles" (manhole covers) that he could see, or the pockets in his jacket. Normally all that would be cute. But not when I'm struggling to walk with my big ol' self (I broke 200 pounds, people!), and having to carry a heavy 2.5 year old on top of it all.

When we finally get in, the kids played with the toys eagerly while I filled out a couple pieces of paperwork. And they informed me that the person who called me thought that Melinda was eligible for a study, but she had actually done that particular one over the summer. So she didn't have a "game" to play, which was a bit sad. After the paperwork was done, they were ready to have Jacob do his study. Just a simple one we've done before with Melinda, and a younger variation with Jacob, too. They have 2 computer screens set up, each with a single object pictured on the screen. They ask the child to point to the motorcycle, for instance, when a motorcycle is pictured on one side, with a paperclip on the other, etc. Eventually they introduce really odd looking objects along with a normal object, and ask the child to point to the "glark", or other strange name. The idea is, at the end, they show all the strange objects together, and try to see if the child can remember any of the object names that they hopefully learned by deduction. Jacob sat in the little green chair at the little table, grinning, and happily pointed to the correct pictures during the very short practice session.

Then the real thing started, and the girl running the study went behind a curtain to begin the program. That was a really bad idea. As soon as Jacob saw that she went behind a curtain, he absolutely had to discover what was on the other side. The study started, pictures started appearing, and Jacob had absolutely zero interest in looking at the computer screens, let alone pointing to the pictures when prompted. All he wanted to do was run behind that curtain. And the girl stayed back there, the study continued on relentlessly, and I found myself on the floor trying desperately, and vainly, to keep him interested enough that they would be able to gain some usable data from the study. He was locked in my arms, straining against me to get to those curtains, not even looking at the screens.

You would think, when working with kids in the 2 year old range, study developers would take into account this very keen curiosity that the children develop. And they already have the mobility and the absolutely unshakable willpower factors down pat, so they turn pretty unstoppable without something more interesting to take over. You would think they would be able to do something as simple as have an extra person already behind the curtain, ready to run the program, so that a child wouldn't have to actually see someone go behind them.

At any rate, it was all over quickly. We spent maybe 10-15 minutes inside, after a 20 minute drive. Then we collected a prize, a couple certificates, and had to return to our car. Of course, neither of the kids actually wanted to leave the room full of interesting toys. But we needed to free up the lab workers, and get home and have lunch, as well. After I finally convinced them to leave, I had to repeat the process of the walk in - Jacob absolutely insisted on being carried. I tried putting him off, which only resulted in him dropping to his knees in the middle of a courtyard, sulking with all his energy, refusing to move until I picked him up. I was beyond annoyed at this point. He had already managed to waste a whole trip down (I'm sure they won't be able to learn anything from Jacob's study today), and I really just wanted to get to the car without killing myself. But I couldn't think of anything to get him to move, so I ended up picking him up again.

And we finally made it to the car, and finally back home. An outing totaling almost 2 hours, for pretty much nothing. On a beautiful day where that time could have been spent in much nicer ways.

Oh, and did I mention that Melinda and Jacob have been staying awake until almost 10:30pm lately? I think I'm going to have to start cutting back on Jacob's naptimes - every time he naps several days in a row, he suddenly won't fall asleep easily at night. And no quiet time at night makes mommy very easily lose her temper. Sad, isn't it? But when you go to bed annoyed that you lost your evening quiet time, and then follow it up with a morning like this one, you find yourself wishing you could just throw your kids in a box and send them to the grandparents for a couple months, just so you can enjoy some peace and quiet.

Maybe I'll get some peace and quiet in another 20 years or so. If I can manage to hold out that long!

Baby blanket

Phew! After a few nights and afternoons, I've knocked another item off of my to-do list. Baby blanket #2 is finished! This was the tougher of the two. The first blanket I did was just a simple piece of fleece with a satin binding sewn on. Blanket #2 is a patchwork quilt.

Naturally, I had to first decide on a pattern. So I spent a few hours browsing some free quilt pattern websites before I found one that would be easy and work well with the fabrics I already had. Then, the cutting began. Thank goodness for the rotary cutter, board and ruler that Jesse gave me for Christmas! This job took a couple hours, with breaks, compared to the couple days it would have taken to mark out lines with measuring tape, and then cut each line with scissors. Here's my progress at the end of the evening: The barnyard print, cut into 32 6x6 squares, and 3 coordinating colors sewed into 31 6x6 squares.














The next afternoon, I ironed all the seams on the color-coordinating blocks. And after the kids were in bed, I sewed all the blocks into their appropriate rows.
That part was a little unpleasant. The pattern assumed a multi- directional print (which mine is not - everything has a "right side up"), and I didn't pay close enough attention - which resulted in me having to unpick 2 rows and reverse the barnyard print so that the whole quilt would have the prints facing the same direction. It wasn't awful, just annoying.

The next day was Saturday, so I went ahead and worked some more while Jesse was home. I sewed the rows together to make the quilt top. This is the nicest it looks, here. Everything all nice and flat and perfectly pressed. Once you wash it, since my fabrics were flannel, things get all pilly and a bit puckered, which is endearing, and how a loved flannel blanket should end up looking.... but it just doesn't look as crisp.

After I had finished the top, my plans changed a little. I had been thinking, up till then, that I would just sew the top and a backing together, and skip the batting for a lighter blanket. But, I ended up deciding it didn't look "puffy" enough, and wanted to do some backing. It was already 10:30 pm, though, and I had no batting. I called JoAnn's to see if they were still open so I could run over, but nobody ever answered. And I really hated the idea of leaving the project untouched until Monday when I could go shopping, so I compromised. I dug around in my closet, and came up with a piece of (leftover) white polar fleece big enough to serve as batting. And since polar fleece is also fluffy and very warm, I decided it would work perfectly. So the rest of my Saturday evening was spent cutting the fleece and pinning all the 3 layers together.

Sunday afternoon I treated myself to finishing the blanket. (I do love a good completed project!!!) I ironed and pinned the backing to form the binding, sewed it up, and bam! Things looked complete, and very nice to my eye. But, of course, I needed to quilt all three layers together. This is where I still need a lot more practice. My three layers were just uneven enough to make for a bit more puckering issues, which I kind of expected. So I skipped the pattern suggestion of quilting diagonally across the quilt (ultimately, criss-crossed like x's), and decided to quilt in squares around the "outlined" looking barnyard blocks. The spacing would end up right, that way, and the shape of a square would leave more room for error than trying to do a straight line all the way across a somewhat loose layer of flannel (which I've tried in the past, and only ended up creating huge folds and puckers in several different spots, yuck!). Anyway, I think it ended up working out pretty well. When it was all finished, I threw it in the washer and dryer so I could see the real finished blanket. And here it is:
























The quilted squares on back (poor picture taking on my part, sorry):














And, just because, here's a picture of my hand next to the barnyard print, for an idea of scale. It's a standard "crib" sized quilt.















So my to-do list is now down to these items:

1. Wash Ergo carrier and Ring Sling.
2. Wash car seat cover.
3. Clean out the fridge/freezer. (We were supposed to that yesterday, but ran out of time - next week, I guess!)
4. Sew Boppy slip cover.
5. Sew DIAPERS!!
6. Sew at least 1 pair of baby moc's (est time: 2 hours tops).
7. Review Bradley Method techniques with Jesse. (Not to mention- put myself back into a mental and emotional state of being prepared to go through labor again without panicking!)
   
8. Pull out the co-sleeper set it up next to the bed. (Heck, I could wait till I'm in labor to do that part!)
   

All in all, very doable at this point. Well, the diaper sewing might end up being a bit overwhelming, just for the amount of time involved, but again, it's not something that absolutely has to be done.

And if you read everything this far (hope I didn't bore you to death!), I'll share a bit more: Today, in Primary, the Relief Society folder was passed around, and it included a sign-up sheet for Enrichment night this month, which is, of course, the Relief Society dinner and birthday celebration. It's on the 18th- just about a week before my due date. I went ahead and signed up to bring my Potato Soup. I grinned inwardly, thinking how clever I am: Either I will have one of my most favorite soups to enjoy that night, or I just jinxed myself by signing up for something so close to my due date, and end up having a baby instead. A win-win situation, no matter how you look at it. :)

Fabrics I want

This is totally random. For a blog post, I mean.

But there are some super cute fabrics out there, and I want them! I don't even know what I would do with them. I only know that I love them!

Take for instance, the utter cuteness of these Japanese owl prints:

Or, maybe hedgehogs might be your thing!

Cute little woodland animals:

Lovely blossoms, on pink! So vibrant, it makes me eager for spring!
Awww, the cute wittle pandas!!
What do they all have in common? Only that they're Japanese fabrics. And that they're totally cute. And of course, that I want them for no rational reason. *shrug* But I felt like sharing, so there you have it!