Finally Introducing...

"Lion Cub"

June 9, 2009 11:04 am
7.6 lbs, 20.5" long

After 42+ weeks (15 days late) our little boy has finally arrived!

Last Tuesday morning around 4:45 am R-man came and hopped into bed with us. As I peered at the clock and saw that it was almost 5:00 am I thought that for sure I was going to have to endure yet another day of being pregnant! I had one contraction around 6:15 that I was able to pretty much ignore and fell back asleep. However, at 6:45 another one came that was fairly intense. I got up and went to the bathroom then went back to bed, figuring it was nothing.

Oh boy, was I wrong!! Just eight minutes later another one came... then another eight minutes... and another eight minutes. I semi-woke up Jer, letting him know that something was going on, and I headed upstairs to make my protein shake. After a few more contractions I knew my body wasn't messing around and I called my mom to tell her that I thought today would be the lucky day! A few more contractions after that and I thought that it would be a good idea for Jer to get up and start getting things ready- after all, the plastic sheet and dingy (clean, but old!) top sheet needed to be put on the bed and the birth tub needed to be filled with a little more air, among other things... if this indeed was labor.

We decided I should try to take a bath to see if the contractions would slow, but after one contraction sitting in the tub I knew that the bath was pointless (and sitting down was excruciating), so I passed on filling up the bath the rest of the way and opted for a shower. By this time I knew this was the real thing... my husband however (I am sure remembering the numerous times I had experienced intense prelabor this pregnancy) decided to ask me the question, "Do you really think this is going to last?" To which I believe me response (as I was squatting and moaning on the floor of the shower) was, "Shut up!" He got the hint and insisted I leave the shower so there would be enough water to fill the birth tub pretty much right away!

As soon as I got out of the shower I called our midwife (Dana- who lives an hour and a half north of us) and told her she might want to think about coming down- "No hurry," I told her- after all, my first labor had been 21 hours (granted- he was posterior), but I didn't think the baby was going to come flying out or anything! She told me that she would go feed her animals and then be on her way into town, just in case.

By this time R-man was up and needed to have some breakfast, so I went up stairs and poured him a bowl of cereal between very intense contractions, put on PBS morning cartoons and called both my doulas (Jen and Sharon) and my good friend (Christa) who was coming to help with R-man- they all said they would come as soon as they could. In the mean time Jer finished getting things ready while I kind of had to go it alone for a while.

In between contractions right after Jen arrived (10:00ish)

Pretty soon labor was much too intense for me to handle by myself, but luckily that was about the time that Jer was finished with everything as well, so he could hold me and rub my back as we "danced" through contractions. This was also about the time (10:00ish) that Jen and Christa showed up- so, at least I knew that R-man was taken care of and I also had the support of a woman. Jen was invaluable in helping me keep my tones low as I was moaning, and also keep my face and arms relaxed. At this point I was moving around a lot, trying to find the most comforatble possition to labor in, and hands and knees seemed to be best. Jen suggested I lean over our birth ball to take the pressure off my arms and it helped so much!


During one of these contractions I felt like I needed to stand up and as I did I could feel the baby's head decend into the birth canal (but didn't recognize that that was what was happening at the time) and proceeded to have the longest contraction EVER! Seriously- it had to be 3-4 minutes of an unrelenting contraction! I then went back onto hands and knees and was experiencing so much pressure during contraction I just couldn't believe it! I had never experienced this feeling with R-man because he had been posterior and didn't decend the same way at all!

I asked Jen if she would go and make me some peanut butter toast as I was beginning to feel shaky and thought I could use a boost. As soon as she headed up stairs I stood back up and started having a contractions that I didn't think I could handle! I told Jer that I just couldn't do it any more- it was too intense and there was so stinkin' much pressure! He told me that I could do it and that I was almost done (which made me angry because I thought I was nowhere near delivery and that he was just being cruel to tease me like that!). I got into the tub before the next contraction (which I should have done a LOT earlier because it so completely altered the intensity of the contractions!) and with the next contraction I involuntarily started pushing (and screeming) and felt the gush of my water breaking.

I guess a few minutes before this happened my midwife had arrived and was upstairs talking with Jen while she was making my toast. She asked Jen if she thought she had enough time to come down and say hello before she went out to get her birth kit. Jen said she thought that would be fine but as they were on their way down the stairs they heard my scream/grunt/push and realized that things were happening faster than any of us had anticipated (well, okay- maybe I was the only one who didn't expect to have quite this fast of a labor- all the women had thought it would probably be quick, just maybe not this quick!)! Dana ran out to her car to get her things and Jen ran downstairs to help me.


The pressure and feeling of my pelvic floor and perineum expanding were so intense and so different from what I had experienced with R-man (my perineum had been numb as he decended because I was given an episiotomy) that I didn't think I could handle it. It seemed the only way I could cope with the feeling was with a lot of screeming! Dana, however, helped me focus and told me to direct that energy downward, which really helped me get a grip and make some progress. They helped me move over to the seat at one end of the tub and I pushed with my body's natural urge during each of the contractions that followed. At last Sharon showed up as well (she had had a babysitter disaster and had to drive way out of town to have her kids looked after- bummer!) and brought her calming presence into the room!

They all encouraged me to reach down and feel the baby's head so that I could control how I was pushing and avoid tearing as much as possible. Jer helped to hold me up and I reached down and felt a head full of hair emerging! It was so amazing- I could feel him moving all around before the next contraction, rotating for his shoulders to come out! With the next contraction he was born (at 11:04- just over 4 hours of labor!)! He floated out into the water and Jer scooped him up and brought him to my chest! I looked right away to see what he was- a boy! A beautiful baby boy -even though my pregnancy had been so different, he was, indeed, a boy!!

Jer scooping Lion Cub out of the water

Right after Lion Cub was born

Jer held us both up and I stuttered in amazement that my labor was over so quickly and that I had actually done it! R-man and Christa ran into the room and R-man was saying "My baby brother or sister is here! Mama needs to nurse him!" (he still gets confused sometimes that we can just call the baby his "brother" and not "brother or sister" anymore!) R-man also wanted to get in the tub pretty badly, but we told him I would be getting out very soon!

R-man- upset that he could't get in the tub!

I delivered the placenta after 13 minutes. Jer then cut the cord and took off his shirt so he could hold Lion Cub skin to skin while I moved to the bed. All the women helped me out of the tub and onto the bed where I was shaking like crazy- partially from shock and cold, and partially from not having had a chance to eat my peanut butter toast yet! I finally was able to eat it and get a little recharged before I took Lion Cub back and nursed him for the first time. It was so wonderful and sweet to have our whole familiy there in our bed, treasuring these first minutes together!


Lion Cub checked out absolutely perfectly, weighing in at 7.6 lbs- just 4 more ounces than his big brother, but 2 1/2" longer! He had long nails (which quickly got cut!) and a cute little hairy back and ears (definitely comes from our family with all that hair!)! He is a very content baby (so different from R-man) and really only cries during a bath or diaper change! By six days old he is mimicking faces we make (try it with your newborn- it is the coolest thing!) and even laughing in his sleep! He is the perfect little addition to our family and we couldn't be more thrilled!


I came out of the birth in pretty good shape, all things considered! I had thought that I would probably tear badly since I had had an episiotomy previously, however I ended up only getting two small tears that are much more bearable to deal with than a surgical cut! My tail bone is still pretty sore but the back pain and rib problems I was having during pregnancy are almost gone completely! It is nice to finally feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel for my body to feel normal again!


Our overall transition is going better than I thought it would as well. R-man really loves his new little brother and is even very supportive of me nursing him (something I had been worried about)! For the most part he has been very patient and understanding, and I think he would be even more so if he hadn't come down with a cold two days ago (poor guy!). I am sure it is hard for him to not have quite as much one-on-one attention from mama while he is sick! Jer has been such a huge help to me in this first week- he is a great husband and daddy and I am so glad that he was here for the birth (he definitely wouldn't have made it if he had still been working out of town!).


Our whole experience has been so completely opposite of my first birth. Our family was able to feel so nurtured and cared for by those we know and love during the process and we never want to do it any other way! It was also so crazy to have everything go so quickly! In the end, Jen was there for just over and hour, Dana for about 15 minutes, and Sharon for about 5! I never DREAMED everything would go so fast! The ease and normalness that all of my birth attendants brought to the birth was so wonderful and their complete trust in what my body was capable of was invaluable to my success! I really can't ever thank them enough!

Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement over the last few weeks. It has been a difficult (and painful) wait but at last we have our prize!

41 weeks! Ugh!

Alright, I never dreamed this was going to be a June baby! At this rate it feels like it will be July before this kid is out! I am so beyond ready to be done with this pregnancy! I feel like a horrible doula- a very bad example- but I am miserable and really don't want to be pregnant any more! I am having terrible pain from the muscle on my lower right ribs that is badly pulled, plus the pain from my back due to scoliosis. In addition, the baby is totally out of room in there and seems to only have mind to directly kick my pulled rib muscle!!! I had two nights of intense pre-labor last week that (obviously) ended up fizzling out, and today my husband left town for three days to work on a job! It feels like everything is working against me having this baby!

I wish I had something more positive and inspiring to share with you all, but this is the honest truth. I am praying a lot and trying to surrender the situation to the Lord, but it is incredibly difficult to get past the pain! So, I am sorry if my posts are short and sporatic this week- I am just not up for much of anything right now! However, the Chic Cheeks Meme will be up on Wednesday, so you can be watching for that!

Thanks for everyone's support and prayers!

40 Weeks... no baby in sight

So today is the fateful "due date", as well as my midwife's birthday, so you can be very near sure that NOTHING will happen today! Bummer! So much for hoping on an early birth! My parents are feeling Wednesday (which is also my brother-in-law's birthday) and my grandma is pulling for Friday (which also happens to be her 70th birthday). Personally, May 28th (Thursday) has always stood out in my head for some reason, though I have no idea why, and I am more than willing to get this baby out before then!

I have found myself to be very bored in recent days! Other than working on blogging stuff, I don't feel like doing much of anything, and honestly, I don't want to do anything that could potentially make a mess because my house is all set for labor (and has been for days)! I feel like I keep following Roman around making sure there aren't toys out all over the floor and things are neat and tidy. Before we go anywhere I go into frantic-cleaning-mode, making sure the dishes and laundry are done and everything is just right! It's ridiculous and I am sure I am driving my family crazy! But I can't help it! It's instinctual!

So, to escape the madness of keeping my house "perfect" I decided to retreat to my garden today, which desperately needed (and still needs) to be weeded. However, when I got out there I discovered that it has been taken over not by normal, big weeds, but by thousands of microscopic weeds that you practically need tweezers to extract! Of course that would have to be the case! So, I got nearly one row of my spinach weeded before the heat got the best of me and I decided to head back inside.

Oh well! At this point, I don't really care! In fact, since I am writing this during nap time, I think a Snickers Ice-cream Bar and a chick flick are calling my name! Yes- I'm going to kick up my feet, try to get semi-comfortable and enjoy treats and a show! Have a wonderful Memorial Day everyone!

Don't I look thrilled?!

Do I sound put together? 'Cause I'm not!

I find it funny how many of my lovely readers have commented on my patience and seeming "put-togetherness" as I enter the end of my pregnancy! Organized... maybe, but calm and happy to wait... not so much! Forgive me if I have given the wrong impression!

In all honesty, these last couple of weeks have been very difficult for me! Between my husband being in and out of town with work, my in-laws being in and out of town with a variety of adventures, and my parents being incredibly busy with a move (among other crazy, life-altering time-consumers), I have felt very much alone and on other people's time agendas! I have gotten to the point of down right panic at times, feeling like everyone's lives are so busy I will just end up birthing this baby by myself (funny how many of my pregnancy dreams have featured that topic for months- before I even knew of the craziness that was about to ensue)!

Yesterday, it came to a head. A mixture of off-hand comments about scheduling from those I am close to and the distinct feeling that my baby had changed position (and the fear that the new position was posterior- which, by the way, it's luckily not) were simply more than I could handle! I broke down! Then I spilled my fears to my husband (pour guy- most of the time he just gives me a hug and stares in bewilderment, not knowing quite what to do for me) and one of my doulas who is also a good friend (who, naturally, was filled with many wonderful, spirit-filled things for me to hear).

My doula has known for a while the stresses I have been facing and has been such a constant source of prayer and support I feel like I can never repay her! She talked through all the physical dilemmas I have been worrying over, along with the emotional stresses I have been carrying. But most importantly, she expressed her concern that I have been dealing with something more spiritual that overrides any of those other issues, and perhaps that was the most important thing I needed to be grappling with.

She was right. I have felt in recent months that I have made lots of half-hearted attempts to draw close to the Lord. Sometimes I feel that my lack of ferver for Him will simply make Him not want me to try to reach Him anymore- even tough I know that is just Satan talking. Sometimes it is hard to hear clearly through the hormones, emotions and other general garble.

Last night, however, the Lord spoke very clearly to me. I just flipped open my Bible and started reading (not a practice I rely on or deam as espcially God-filled, but last night it was what I needed to do), and ya know what? The Lord met me there. The passage was Psalm 139- all about Him knowing every part of me (and my baby), knowing all my anxious thoughts, and making it clear that I cannot escape Him- He is with me wherever I go (even just where I go emotionally). It was exaclty what I need to hear. I clung to those words for the rest of night and am still holding them close today.

Although I am still very ready for this child to make it's grand entrance I feel a peace today that I have not felt for some time. God know's my days, and this baby's days. As hard as it is, I just need to wait. The right time will come. The right people will be here. He promises, so I need to trust.

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

¹ O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.

² You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.

⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
you have laid your hand upon me.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?

⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast.

¹¹ If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,"

¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother's womb.

¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.

¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place.
When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
All the days ordained for me
were written in your book
before one of them came to be.

¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!

¹⁸ Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with you.

¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
your adversaries misuse your name.

²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
and abhor those who rise up against you?

²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
I count them my enemies.

²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.

www.biblegateway.com

39 Weeks- Preparing for the Birth!!

Okay, honestly I have been very torn this last week or so- as a doula I know that this babe will come out when it is good and ready and I just need to wait patiently for that fateful day, however as a pregnant mama I just want this kid out!!! I am uncomfortable, not sleeping well, in terrible pain from my ribs and upper back (scoliosis) and just feel like I am done being pregnant! I even went so far as to rub my ankles for an hour the other night... to no avail (obviously!).


I have felt added pressure to have this child within certain time frames as well because people who are supposed to be attending my birth (such as my husband!!!) have been in and out of town for work and will continue to be over the next couple of weeks- talk about stress! My dear doulas have been kindly reminding me though, that the Lord has a set date and time for this babe to enter our lives on the outside and I am trying (and praying earnestly) to rest in that knowledge, as hard as it is!

Everything set up for the birth on the dresser in our room.

I have already come to that point where I feel "ready enough" for the baby to come. By that, I mean that I have finished enough (not all) of the pre-birth tasks I intended to complete, and figure that whatever isn't done by now can wait until another time. With that said, each day that passes does allow me to get a few more things done and checked off that no longer so important list, including some things that probably don't really need to be done at all! But hey- I just chalk it all up to nesting!


For instance, (and if you are one of the lovely women attending my birth this is where you should quit reading so your surprise isn't ruined!) I have tried to put together a few small things to make this birth feel more like an event than just another birth (as silly as that sounds- I know!). But basically I have a tray that I am going to put out with an assortment of teas (including some awesome pregnancy teas sent to me by Earth Mama Angel Baby to try out- yum!), little gift bags with the bath salts and such that I also made for Mother's Day, and a little "make yourself at home" note.


I have also put together detailed lists for the couple of friends I have coming who are in charge of R-man and the atmosphere of the birth- their main job is to insure that he is fed and entertained and that my primary birth attendants (doulas, midwife and husband) are taken care of with water & food and such. I also have things listed out for them to do such as make sure my birth playlist is running at all times, that candles are lit (and not burning down the house) and that everything around the house (dishes, toys, etc...) is picked up and neat when everything is said and done. I am so thankful to have these women coming and feel truely blessed by their willingness to help!

Beyond the discomfort and lack of sleep, there is also an overriding feeling of excitement and anticipation rolling through our home. I am so curious to find out just who it is I have been carrying around all these months! Will R-man have a little brother or a little sister? Will I be buying little pink and purple summer dresses in the coming months or pulling out all the hand-me-downs? How big will he or she be? What will this birth really end up being like? Will this babe be crazy and colicky like R-man, or calm and relaxed? Overall, how will we adjust to becoming a family of four? It is all so close, and yet still very sureal at this point. Soon though, very soon, my questions will be answered and I will get to introduce our newest addition to all of you! I can't wait... or can I?

38 Weeks- and the diaper bag is done!

Alright- less than two weeks to go (hopefully a lot less- but I'm not counting on it!). I am finally feeling ready too- as amazing as that is (I never thought I would). I finished my cleaning this morning (baseboards, light switches, door handles and all- can you say nesting?) and all my big projects are complete- including the diaper bag I have been talking about for months! So here it is!

Two Pockets in front that snap shut:

A zippered pocket on the back for my wallet, cell phone and such:
A pocket on one side (for keys or whatever):
A large, waterproof main pocket, split into 3 sections- one for diapers/wetbag/changing mat, one for water bottles/snacks/toys, and the other for changes of clothes (for me and babe), receiving blankets and whatever else.
An adjustable strap that allows me to wear the bag long across myself while babywearing, or shorter over one shoulder.
I also made a coordinating set of burp rags; extra-large, comfy changing mats; and a nursing cover with adjustable neck strap.

I am particularly excited about the changing mats I made! They are about 24" x 28" so there is plenty of room for baby to move around and when I am out in public I don't have to worry about him or her accidentally touching the nasty public changing tables! I also made them in 4 layers- microfleece next to babe (to wick away any stray sprays during a change!), flannel to absorb any sprays, PUL to make it waterproof, and then the decorative fabric on the back. Here you can see all the layers:

I liked this changing mat idea so much that I made two for at home too (along with matching burp rags)! These ones have a layer of minky for next to baby and flannel on the back as the decorative fabric as well as on the inside:
It feels so good to just have little projects that aren't total necessities left! I am just going to take the rest of my time til baby comes to work on some of my certified lactation educator training, bloggy stuff, reading and keeping the house clean (now that it is). All of my birth supplies are organized on our new dresser and my midwife delivered the tub to us at my appointment last week. It was bigger than I anticipated, but she may be able to get a little bit smaller one to us if one of her other clients as her baby soon. R-man, however, LOVED it!We blew it up just to check the sizing (as you can see, it takes up most of the room- toughing our bed and our dresser!).After checking it we then deflated it, but R-man keeps asking if we can blow it back up! He really wants to "share it with me" at the birth and I have to keep explaining to him that it will just be for mama! Haha- he is cute and excited! He has also been asking a lot lately about what the baby is doing throughout the day, if it is sleeping or moving, and when it is going to come out! Soon, buddy, very soon!

37 Weeks! Is it possible?

So, technically speaking, if this babe came right now he or she would be considered full term! I just can't believe I will actually have a babe in my arms sometime in the next few weeks! It really couldn't come at a crazier time- my husband has a crazy job schedule right now, my in-laws are in Mexico (of all places! Let's hope for no swine flu!), and my parents are moving and working 'round the clock! It is just nuts! I feel so isolated, but in some ways that is good because I still have a fair amount to get done before this babe comes!


Speaking of which- I had another nesting surge last Thursday (the day my husband was coming home from out of town), I just felt like I needed to have everything in the house at least decent so that I wouldn't be going cleaning crazy in early labor (if I were to go into labor over the weekend- which obviously I didn't!)! For the most part I have been able to maintain the progress I made that day, but I am planning on doing another deep cleaning this next Monday just to make sure everything is in it's place.


Right now the things I still have left on my list to complete include:
-Sewing my diaper bag (which most of the pieces are cut for- I want to get this one done today)
-Making my labor/birth playlist
-Finish and send out our babyshower and birthday thank you cards
-Figure out our baby announcements
-Replace the elastic in our diaper pail liners
-Prepare some meals for the freezer
-Get our front room ready for postpartum (including making the futon into a bed)
-Finish some of my CAPPA Certified Lactation Educator work
-Wrap up some blog prep for the Summer of Baby Love and the new memes I will be introducing this summer!

Hmmm.... that is more than I thought- I better get on it! At least I got my garden mostly in this last weekend and I am feeling more mentally ready for birth. I have been having many more braxton hicks this last week or so- especially if I am very active (Monday night every time I stood up I had one!) and although I don't feel like I will be giving birth this week, the thought does cross my mind that this babe could show up earlier than planned (my doulas, midwife and chiropractor also consider this to be a distinct possibility). I'm sure we will soon see! Roman definitely is ready for this babe to come (or so he thinks!)- he keeps asking for the baby to come out and wonders what the baby is doing throughout the day- very sweet and cute!

Oh, and on a funny little note, I had another crazy pregnancy dream a nights ago. I have had quite a few of them this pregnancy (mostly being about birth, which seems to always include being in a hospital for some reason and having the staff treat me horribly- to the point where I end up giving birth by myself- fighting the power- haha!), but last night in my dream I just started going into labor (all the early signs were there) and I was at Disneyland!!! I just kept telling my family that I needed to get home because I was going to give birth soon- crazy!

On a final little pregnancy note- these are my current addiction:


Mmmmmm, yes! Pretzels with melted Rollos on top, smashed down with a pecan! Heaven in a bite- let me tell you!! Pop them in the fridge after they are done and they are simply the best thing EVER!!! The perfect combination of salty and sweet- you must try some! I think I have probably polished off... well, I shouldn't reveal the number, but just know it's a LOT! Oh well- 37 weeks, I can get away with it!

Just 32 days left... or so!

Wow- where did a week go?! Sheesh! Well, between being excessively tired and going a little nesting-crazy, I guess time just slipped away from me! My apologies!

So, since I last wrote about The Belly, I had my baby shower! It was small this time- my first was very large, so we just decided to have good friends and family this time around- more of a blessing for the baby and birth than anything. Along with all of the well-wishes and much appreciated prayers, we received many lovely gifts. One of my personal favorites (and trust me, it's hard to choose), were these small wool longies that a friend custom knit for us! There are simply BEAUTIFUL!! I am sure I will be posting lots of action shots once baby is born and using these all the time!
I also am in love with our new dresser/changing table from my in-laws! I have been wanting a dresser in our bedroom for quite some time now, along with a nice place to change baby downstairs and lay everything out for the birth on- well, now we have one! Yeah!!! Slowly our room (that my husband finished in our basement a year ago) is getting furnished and decorated! Little by little it is feeling more homey!


Another gift I LOVE is this 100% natural rubber giraffe named Sophie by Vulli toys! They use only food grade dyes to make her and she even gives a little squeak! Most of the toys we had for Roman when he was little were plastic, since I didn't know any better, so I really wanted to give this babe some better options to play with! This giraffe fits the bill- I am so glad and thankful that my trusty, natural mama friend (and doula) got it for us!


Here are a few more pics from the day:

Me- scarffing chocolate chip icecream cake from Baskin Robbins- my FAVORITE! The top of it said "Here comes Trouble!"- oh so true!

Here I am with my grandma (dad's mom) and my mom (who was the main shower-thrower, along with my grandma on her side and my aunt). The grandma is this picture adamately states that I am having a girl this time because of the way I am carrying! She was just as adamate that Roman was a boy, so I am hoping she is right!

In addition, I am happy to report that the Summer of Baby Love review/giveaway lineup is almost full!! It is going to be a great summer with so many great natural and attachment parenting products to feature, including a lovely selection of diapers, mama cloth, baby carriers, nursing pads and more! I am so excited to share all these wonderful products, and their creators with all of you- you are going to love them!

In fact, I have had such a great response so far to the Summer of Baby Love Party, it looks like we will probably be continuing into the Fall, so be sure that if you know of a product you would like to see featured or have/make a product yourself that you would like to get in on some blog party lovin'- let me know! The fall is currently completely open and I still have a couple of spots for summer, so get your info into me while there is still time!

The baby sets are finally complete!

Alright, much later than I had originally intended, but completed none-the-less, here are the sets I have put together for the babe on the way:

Just-in-case-it's-a-Boy Set
Just-in-case-it's-a-Girl Set

Both sets include a pair of perfection pants longies I knit, a hat I knit, a Nanipoos newborn diaper, socks, and two shirt options. I figure this should covers us for the first day or night (whatever time this babe is born), and of course after we actually decide to put clothes on (which could be a while since I plan on taking an herbal bath with the babe and getting as much skin-to-skin time as possible!).

It feels really nice to have one more thing checked off my long list of things to do before this babe gets here! Both sets are packed into a paper bag and tucked away, patiently awaiting the day that one of them will be put into use! I can rest easy knowing that at least, if nothing else gets done, my child will be clothed!

So, do have a fun little item you have knit recently (or not so recently) for a babe in your life? If so, join the meme by leaving a comment with a link to a post about your project! Make sure to include the button in your post so people know this is the meme you are participating in!

Also, for all of you baby-knit-lovers out there, be sure to check back this summer during the Summer of Baby Love party on my blog- I will have lots of contests for knit & crocheted stuff, including some VERY cute longies and soakers! Until next time!

Out of Commision? I think not!

So, a couple of weeks ago I bought myself a new maternity T-shirt. Considering I only had one other rather unflattering T (the rest of my maternity tops are sweaters and long-sleeved shirts), and spring is slowly making it's appearance around these parts, I thought that it was time I spent the money- even for just one! I chose a nice, springy shade of blue with rouging down the sides to form around my belly and make me feel a little less like I was wearing a mumu! I was happy and satisfied.


That is, until I wore the shirt for the first time and managed to drip chocolate on my belly! No problem- just quickly throw it in the wash, right? Nope- still there. Okay, so use a little stronger stain remover and try it again! Even worse- this time whatever else I had in that load of wash managed to bleed out onto the shirt creating not only a stain, but a "lovely" tie-dye effect as well!

How Pretty! Not!

At that point I was just thinking, "You have got to be kidding me!! My ONE decent maternity T- RUINED! And I don't have the money to buy another one! What the heck am I going to wear the next two months?!"

Aww, well, mama just had to put a little ingenuity to work! I dyed the sucker! Yup, my springy blue T is now my royal purple T! A little Dylon, an hour out of my morning and VOILA, beauty!
The stitching did stay blue (must have been some sort of polyester), but at this point I figure it just adds to the over-all spunk of this already character-enhanced piece of my meager wardrobe!


So next time you think your new, or favorite, or most loved garment is ruined in the wash- head to the craft store, spend $2 and make a fresh masterpiece for your closet! Take that, you evil washing machine!