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Showing posts with label our views. Show all posts
Showing posts with label our views. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Violets Birth Story….

Friday, April 29th, 2011

Friday is jakes day off so I had scheduled a pedicure that morning while Jake watched Piper….i was hoping that maybe If I had not had her by then that the pedi would get things moving (I guess it did ;)…while sitting and enjoying my foot massage I had my first real contraction….like not Braxton hicks….like flash back to Pipers birth…like had to squeeze the chair arm contraction…I couldn’t believe it! That was around 10:30ish….but that was it…no more followed. Jake and Piper picked me up from the salon and we headed straight to downtown OKC for the arts festival! I told Jake about the contraction and told him that I have a feeling that this might be the start of something! We decided that if it was the start of labor that walking around the arts festival would be a good distraction and maybe even help things along…. The three of us shared a steak sandwich and a cinnamon roll (YUM!) while listening to music and of course people watching! We then walked around for a while checking out the amazing art! I had what I thought was maybe a couple of more contractions during this time….but they were so faint and I was so distracted that I’m not really sure. Then it was time to head home for Pipers (and mine;) nap time. We got home and settled in bed to sleep when almost immediately….

2:02pm- laying in bed with pipe I had another “real” contraction….it was still faint….yet strong enough for me to make note of the time….for the next hour I lay in bed, not sleeping, but keeping track of what was all of a sudden “regular” contractions!!!!!! I was not keeping track of how long they lasted …but they were 7 minutes apart.

3:00pm- although piper was still napping….after an hour of contractions, I decided to come out to the living room and tell Jake that I was pretty sure this was “it”….he turned his video games off (that’s what he does during nap time ;) and started keeping track with me….

4:00pm-Piper woke up and then within like 15 minutes Jake got a call from his dad wanting Jake to go TV shopping with him and jakes sister called wanting us to go to dinner and my mom texted wanting to know “how I was feeling today”!!!! We weren’t ready to tell anyone yet…because we felt it was SO early (I mean pipers labor was 27 hours long!)...but we had to tell them something! So we put them all off and I called my midwife….i had a couple of contractions on the phone with Gail and had to stop talking during it….im pretty sure for them that’s a sign that its actually happening ….she told me that she was sending her assistant, Nikki, over….hooooray!!!!!!! For the next hour we watch Oprah (which was on the “royal wedding”) and I labor around the house….still super “easy” labor….feeling great walking around the house and just stopping and leaning over furniture during contractions..

5:00pm- Gail’s assistant, Nikki, gets to our house and she listens to the baby and checks me….I am 3 centimeters and 75% effaced…..she calls it “early labor” and even mentions that it could still fizzle out….I’m a bit disappointed….but she stays to “monitor” things before she decides for sure if Gail should come. We call all of our family to let them know that “something is happening”. Within the hour things really start to pick up…during each contraction I am having to go down to my knees and lean on a chair…each time piper would come up to me and ask if I am “k? k?” so sweet!!!

6:30pm- my in-laws come to pick up piper for dinner and say a quick hello and goodbye… (the Seaton’s and piper meet my mom for dinner)….as soon as Piper leaves, Jake set up the pool in our room and made me dinner (chicken, black beans and cheese in a whole wheat tortilla…I wanted lots of protein ) I ate it one or two bites at a time in between contractions, leaning over a chair! Nikki also decided to make a quick run out to get something to eat(and coffee) herself…..all of a sudden It was quite…just Jake and i….it was nice….i sat and rocked in our rocker and watched re-runs of the Office for about an hour….just closing my eyes and trying to make it though each contraction. By the time Nikki came back I was still rocking….by now I was starting to be VERY vocal….saying just what I did with Pipers labor…”owe owe owe OWE OWE OWE” over and over until the contraction was done.

8:00pm- Nikki encouraged me to get up from the rocker, change positions and try something new….piper wasn’t home yet and I wasn’t ready to fill up the pool (I wanted to wait till piper was home and asleep) so I decided to try the shower…..the shower felt AMAZING!!! I wanted to stay there for hours….i kept saying, ok I’ll get out after this contraction….ok after this one….ok after this one ;) I was probably in there for 20 minutes. When I got out I felt like a new person…so relaxed! So relaxed in fact that for a (short) while it really slowed my contractions down…it kinda worried me…but it was not long before they picked right back up again. Jake started making some bread in the bread maker so that we would all have yummy bread to eat after the birth.

9:00pm- By now the Seaton’s and my mom were done with dinner and headed back our way…my mom got to our house and the two of us went and “hid” in our bedroom so that Piper would not see me….Jake did “bedtime” and piper when right to sleep. I’m sure she was worn out from all the excitement! As soon as piper went to sleep I sent mom back to her hotel and within minutes Gail arrived! Ok Pipes asleep and our midwife is here….it’s time to get down to business!!

9:30pm- I am so ready to be checked and see how I have progressed! So Gail checks me…I am at 7 centimeters and 100% effaced!!! I kept saying to Gail and Nikki “I feel like I should be more miserable!” although I was in pain…I still felt strong and happy…Jake starts to fill up the pool….

10:00pm- I get in the pool….Gail, Nikki, and Jake decided to leave the room and let me “retreat”….i not a fan of being fussed over during labor….so it was nice. The pool felt great in between contractions….but as soon as one would start just could not find a good position! It was frustrating….but I stayed in the pool and gave it about 30 minutes before I started getting uncomfortable and hot!

10:30pm- I call for Jake to help me out….as I’m getting out of the pool I have go down to the floor for a contractions and my water breaks!!! I get dried off and dressed.

10:45pm- Gail checks me again…..I’m at a full 9…and really feeling the urge to push….they encourage me to try little pushes during each contraction.

11:00pm- “transition” is hitting hard! I am completely exhausted….officially feeling the “miserable” that I was looking for earlier ….and ready to be “done!”….i kept telling Gail “I am so tired…its bedtime!” ;). I am not getting any “breaks”, one contraction would start to die down then immediately another one would start! Gail assured me that meant things were getting really close! They encourage me to lay down in bed to try to rest.

11:15pm- ok the urge to push is definitely there!...still laying in bed on my side with my one leg up I start pushing hard during each contraction….i hated this position….but my contractions were back to back with hardly any break in between that I didn’t even have time to think about changing positions….finally I expressed how uncomfortable this position was so Gail encouraged me to get on my hands and knees….much better….i was pushing so hard and being so loud! It is nothing but an answer to prayer that piper slept through it all! I know God was just plugging her little ears. The next 45minutes was a lot of sweating, yelling and pushing...I could feel EVERYTHING!! As painful as it was…it was so beautiful….you have no idea unless you have been though it….you just can’t describe it…I loved being able to feel my baby inside me with every push coming out! Finally her head was out, I reached down and just caressed her gooey head and hair….it was great motivation ;)

April 30th, 2011

12:02am- she’s here!!……awww what an amazing feeling of relief, joy, and love all at once!!! I Love you little Violet June…..I will daily seek Gods guidance to be the best mommy I can be to you!!

eating yummy food at the arts festival



walking around with the future big sister



about 12 hours before Violet was born!



right after nap....early labor



showing "our" tummys :)



leaning over the furniture (the desk, bed and chairs) was pretty much what i would do at each contraction....



after my amazing shower



Gails here and Pipers asleep....thats when things really picked up



in the tub....obviously in between a contraction :)





shes here! first photo!








Nikki and Gail!



apparentlly i had time to go get an updo ;)


goodnight!!!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

4 days till due date! & my midwives!!....

Well...we are 4 days away from my (ultrasound given) due date (april 30th)....we really kinda thought with this being #2 that she might come a bit earlier....and although the week is still young....im thinking my body likes to fully cook our babies....and although im super uncomfortable...and barley feel like i can move....i feel very blessed that my body does its job well ;) I am much less naive this time and know that she is much easier to take care of inside;) that being said...jake and i are so anxious for this experience...even though she is our second...she is going to be our first homebirth and we are both so excited for how things are going to be different this time!! the midwives we are using have just been so amazing and so knowledgeable....i am blown away at every visit! if you are at all interested check them out here....
my mom was able to go to my 38 week appointment with me and got a few photos from her phone...as you can see piper is a huge help!




Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next week or so for a beautiful, safe...and short ;) labor and delivery and a beautiful and healthy little girl!!....we are so excited to add another sweet child of God to our family!!!

Monday, January 10, 2011

18 months & 24 weeks!!!

we had pipers 18 month appointment today....she cried the whole time...like normal....but she is perfectly healthy! 22lb and 31in tall....Dr. Grim and i talked about her "screaming for attention" according her her i have been doing the right thing by ignoring it and keeping a calm tone....she totally encouraged my desire to try to potty train....we might be going to buy a potty tomorrow! and we discussed possibly starting a vaccine schedule at her 2 year appointment....i have never really mentioned it....but we have not done any vacancies yet....but i was never convinced that we would never do them...i just knew i wanted to wait until she was 2ish....so i have the next 6 months to figure out what we should do....time to dust off dr.sears vaccine book :)
here's pipe with her daddy playing their "tars"....LOVE THIS...










little miss beanie is a little over a pound now and is the size of an ear of corn (that is really funny to me;) her heartbeat sounded good at our last appointment and she was laying sideways :) she is finally starting to make her presents known a bit more....i just remember piper moving a lot more then this?? hummm a sign of their different personality's?...who knows!

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

so blessed...

i feel so blessed to have a father-in-law who is such an amazing encourager! he will randomly send me quotes from books he is reading that he feels will encourage me and give me strength and confidence in the work jake and I are doing with Piper...

this one is from Pure Pleasure by Gary Thomas...

“…let me explain the spiritual violence we do to young mothers when we shame them for being overwhelmed with love for their babies in a way they may not feel in that particular moment for God. Neurologists now understand that when a woman nurses her newborn, her brain releases extra doses of oxytocin and prolactin, which are neurochemicals that trigger profound feelings of intimacy and a rush of emotional love. In fact, nursing also triggers the release of oxytocin in the infant. In the God-designed act of nursing, mother and child are all but melding into each other, overcome with intense feelings of adoration, intimacy, and closeness. Their brains ping with positive, pleasurable feedback. Scientists have found this chemical reaction to be so overpowering that mother rats chose their newborns over cocaine!

Our creator designed this interaction, and brilliantly so. In a season of life that calls this young woman to so much work – changing diapers, struggling through sleep-deprived nights, dealing with incessant crying, breathing in unpleasant smells – it’s a mark of God’s genius that he also provides for unusually intense emotional bonding.

I can imagine a young mother’s prayer: “How good and kind you are, my heavenly Father, that you provide such pleasing intimacy between a mother and her baby. What a joy that my child and I can share these moments as gifts from your hand! You’ve designed my brain to truly enjoy regular times of intimacy and to bond so very deeply with a child I might otherwise grow to resent.” (pp.62-63)


I hope this encourages someone else today...

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

must watch!

this is a beautiful advertisement with a beautiful message!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

my snuggle bug...


when jake and i were trying to soak up as much information as possible about how we wanted to handle sleep...

this artical
was one that i found was the most helpful...just thought i would share :)

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

my friends and their thoughs....

i admit it...im not much of a writer...i have so many views, thoughts, feelings that i just am not good at getting them to "paper"....but i have very talented friends that are great writers... so when i read something that i really connect to...i just steal from them... :)

my awesome friend Katie wrote this....

"Judgment~
I've been wanting to blog about this for awhile and have been trying to decide which angle to address it from because let's face it...as soon as I throw out a belief I have or a parenting choice I've made, people reading this have an opinion of me and they will judge me based on that opinion. It's really hard not to, and I get it because I do it too. Usually I don't mind when I feel judged by others because I'm pretty confident in my choices...but still. Mothers judge other mothers. Maybe not out loud, but they do in their head every day. And how can you not? Obviously the choices you make for your family are the ones you feel are right, so if someone else does it differently, it seems wrong.

For the most part I truly believe that you have to do whatever works for you and your family (different strokes for different folks right?) and I try not to give unsolicited advice or opinions UNLESS someone asks me and then I will be more than happy to ramble on. I am blessed to know many moms and babies and we don't all do things the same. In fact, by getting to know them, I have come to respect many of the differences that we have and the choices we have made. I've also learned that you can find solid research to back up whatever choice you want to support, you just have to decide which side to listen to!

I am truly blessed to know people who......
had planned pregnancies, unplanned pregnancies
had natural births, medicated births, c-sections, home births
circumcise their boys, didn't circumcise, vaccinate, don't vaccinate
co-sleep, use a crib, use a floor bed
breastfeed infants, breastfeed toddlers, use formula,
use doctors, use chiropractors, use acupuncturists
cloth diaper, use disposables, use elimination communication (you're googling aren't you)
are working moms, are stay at home moms, etc.

Becoming a mother has made me feel more judged by others and also made me more judgmental. At the same time though being a mom has helped me see that there aren't always black and white decisions...some things are gray...and some things that I think are black and white, I'm learning to shrug and say "agree to disagree"! Some days I can celebrate the differences, but some days I do find myself thinking that I know best.

I don't know if I have a point to this post other than rambling my thoughts (and hey it's something deeper than a cute pic of my kid with a fun title), but I guess I'm wondering do all moms feel this way? What do you do when you start to feel judgmental towards others? What do you do when people say judgmental things to you? Inquiring minds want to know!"

Thursday, February 25, 2010

just at the right time...

man God knows exactly the right moments to show encouragement...Piper and i were having a bit of a rough morning...she was pretty fussy and all she wanted to do was sit on the couch and nurse...and a1thought when she gets in these moods i get nothing done...i really don't mind...but today she was on and off, pulling, getting distracted...so on and it was really getting to me...this sweet time that we were should have been sharing was making me frustrated and hurt! she eventually fell asleep so during her nap i searched out for some encouragement and came across this video! Practically in tears i realized that this selfless gift of not only amazing nutrition but comfort i am giving to my little girl is worth EVERY SECOND!! the dishes will get done later...my nipples will heal...but what i am showing her when i nurse her where ever or whenever she needs it is the love and security she will always have in me and that is priceless!

this video also really makes me wish piper and i had more photos of us nursing..i think we only have 2 or 3 from our early days together...i need to talk to jake about that :)

Friday, January 29, 2010

bananas....yummmmmm

giving piper food had been a big topic among family and friends here lately so i thought that i would tell everyone what we have decided to do :) we obviously wanted to do the best thing for her...we want her to grow up loving yummy healthy foods and not grow up pron to processed foods and we were obviously not ready for her to wean...not even close. i have done a lot of Internet reading, book reading and i have even been to a class on starting solids and we plan on mostly just reading Pipers cues. The best information i have gotten is from a book called "the womanly art of breastfeeding" and the La Leche League. Basically they say that the starting of solids is something that happens in the second half of the baby's first year of life...but once the baby turns 6 months old, not to watch the clock...but watch for "readiness signs" which would be....
-the ability to sit up without support
-absence of the tongue-thrust reflex(meaning baby does not automatically push solids out of her mouth with her tongue)
-mastered the pincer-grasp
-increased nursing
Babies usually hit these milestones between 6 to 8 months. In breast-feed baby's there is no need for the tasteless-processed rice cereal...they can go right to the good stuff :) some of the best first foods to try are ripe mashed banana, ripe mashed avocado and cooked mashed sweet potato. There is also no need for jarred foods (or if your baby is old enough there is even no need to mash or puree!). And of course to always try to nurse before feeding foods as your breast milk is your baby's main source of nuturion the first year...nothing can replace the amazing food that God designed!! :)
All that being said.....we gave piper a taste of banana last Saturday night!!!!!!! I'm not sure if she is completely ready, and she didn't seem to like it too much. But i have been giving her little tastes each day of my morning banana...she will take 2 or 3 bites before she gets completely un-interested and starts to push it away.Last night we even gave her a few (baby)spoon fulls of sweet potato that i had frozen is ice cubes...it all came right back out of her mouth and all over her bumbo and clothes...so to me that means either a)she still has the tongue-thrust and is not quite ready or b)she does not like it :) for now will will continue to just give her banana every once in a while and continue to follow her cues :)
WOW that was a lot of info most people probably don't care about...but that is what we are doing...and of course the video....

Friday, January 8, 2010

benifits of co-sleeping....

you get to wake up to to this...

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Is being an attachment parent worth it?...

*this is an article taken from www.attachmentparenting.org that I wanted to share :)

Is being an attachment parent worth it? Let’s face it, it can be tough.

I co-slept – with kicking kids who woke up repeatedly during the night, all night long. One night my youngest kicked me in the breast so hard that I developed a massive lump and had to get an emergency mammogram to make sure it wasn’t going to explode or fall off.
… Our friends who Ferberized their kids boasted about what great sleepers their kids were. “Little Johnny sleeps through the night and doesn’t wake until 8:00. Sometimes I have to wake him up for breakfast!”

I nursed – when my breasts were so sore. Breastfeeding hurt so bad with my middle child that I would start crying as soon as she woke up hungry, even before she latched on…
… My friends would pull out a little bottle, shake some sticky powder into it, and pop a plastic nipple into Little Suzy’s mouth, who happily gulped it down. I even had a friend who had one of those bottles with the long tube attached to the nipple, since she couldn’t even be bothered with holding her baby to eat.

I carried them — my newborns, my toddlers, and my preschoolers for a thousand miles, sometimes more than one kid at a time (thank goodness they were small!). Sometimes one would be in a backpack, one would be in a sling, and one would be on my hip or holding my hand….
… My friends would be (choose one) dragging their kids along by the hand because they didn’t want to cooperate, lugging immensely heavy carseats, or pushing them apathetically along in a stroller.

I responded with sensitivity — well, that is, pretended to be patient, endlessly giving words of reassurance or encouraging mediation, while my inner voice was screaming behind my ears, “Just stop it, already!”…
… My friends would pull their kids behind a fence and give them a swat or two, or maybe put them in time out. Problem solved.

My friends — wonderful, loving, committed, but decidedly "non-attachment parenting" friends — would look at me with a sorry mixture of pity, confusion, and something bordering embarrassment as I stuck to my guns, refusing to spank my kids, "punish" them or demean them.

Clearly, some of my friends thought that I was coddling my children, perhaps even dooming them to a life of feeling entitled and being unfulfilled.

But I tried my best to treat my kids with the same respect that I would want. They had just as much value and deserved just as much respect as I did. Why would I want to teach them that the world doesn’t respond to their needs (that is, cry-it-out)? What would be the point of saving myself some discomfort now by bottle-feeding when I was perfectly capable of breastfeeding. How could I tell them to stand up for themselves and not let the world take advantage of them if I treated them like “less than” or if I demeaned or humiliated them? And did I really want my kids to think that I was the absolute authority on everything, so much so that they needed to jump to my every command, lest they be punished?

Nope. I wanted my kids to think for themselves; to know that their parents always had their best interests at heart, even when it wasn’t convenient; to be able to count on their parents to be there when they needed us; and to know without a doubt that their thoughts and opinions were just as valid as mine or their dad’s – or any adult’s.

Was it easy? No, not always, especially at the beginning, especially when what I was doing was so different from my "mainstream parenting" friends(and family) strategies.

Now, though, I must say that it’s the easiest and most natural thing imaginable. Today my children know that they’re valued and worthwhile and that they’re the equal of every person on the planet, no matter their age. They’re secure, they enjoy spending time with my husband and me, they enjoy each other, and they’re just plain fun to be around.

And what about my friends’ children? Are they easy? Well adjusted? Self-confident? Still connected to their parents? Some certainly seem to be. But, well … not all of them are. I see many of them turn to their peers for validation. Some put up a good front at being cooperative and “good” while investing a lot of effort in “getting away” with things behind their parents’ backs. And others bow to authority simply because of the authority’s age or position.

That’s not what I want for my kids. I like to think that the “work” I put into being an attachment parent in the early years is paying off now. After the thousands of hours and hours of effort I spent cosleeping, nursing,carrying, playing, talking, listening, comforting,and just being, I’m seeing the rewards.

And those rewards will last a lifetime.

Monday, October 5, 2009

attachment parenting...

I know that I have left people high and dry on what exactly attachment parenting is (unless you already knew :). It is a parenting theory that i started doing research on long before our little Piper arrived. I was immediately drawn to the "motherly instincts" approach as opposed to the "get them on a schedule, cry it out, so on..." approach. There are 7 base ideas to attachment parenting...
the 7 baby B's of attachment parenting...
1. Birth bonding
The way baby and parents get started with one another helps the early attachment unfold. The days and weeks after birth are a sensitive period in which mothers and babies are uniquely primed to want to be close to one another. A close attachment after birth and beyond allows the natural, biological attachment-promoting behaviors of the infant and the intuitive, biological, caregiving qualities of the mother to come together. Both members of this biological pair get off to the right start at a time when the infant is most needy and the mother is most ready to nurture
"What if something happens to prevent our immediate bonding?"
Sometimes medical complications keep you and your baby apart for a while, but then catch-up bonding is what happens, starting as soon as possible. When the concept of bonding was first delivered onto the parenting scene twenty years ago, some people got it out of balance. The concept of human bonding being an absolute "critical period" or a "now-or-never" relationship was never intended. Birth bonding is not like instant glue that cements the mother-child relationship together forever. Bonding is a series of steps in your lifelong growing together with your child. Immediate bonding simply gives the parent- infant relationship a headstart.
2. Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is an exercise in babyreading. Breastfeeding helps you read your baby's cues, her body language, which is the first step in getting to know your baby. Breastfeeding gives baby and mother a smart start in life. Breastmilk contains unique brain-building nutrients that cannot be manufactured or bought. Breastfeeding promotes the right chemistry between mother and baby by stimulating your body to produce prolactin and oxytocin, hormones that give your mothering a boost.
3. Babywearing
A baby learns a lot in the arms of a busy caregiver. Carried babies fuss less and spend more time in the state of quiet alertness, the behavior state in which babies learn most about their environment. Babywearing improves the sensitivity of the parents. Because your baby is so close to you, you get to know baby better. Closeness promotes familiarity.
4. Bedding close to baby
Wherever all family members get the best night's sleep is the right arrangement for your individual family. Co-sleeping adds a nighttime touch that helps busy daytime parents reconnect with their infant at night. Since nighttime is scary time for little people, sleeping within close touching and nursing distance minimizes nighttime separation anxiety and helps baby learn that sleep is a pleasant state to enter and a fearless state to remain in.
5. Belief in the language value of your baby's cry
A baby's cry is a signal designed for the survival of the baby and the development of the parents. Responding sensitively to your baby's cries builds trust. Babies trust that their caregivers will be responsive to their needs. Parents gradually learn to trust in their ability to appropriately meet their baby's needs. This raises the parent-child communication level up a notch. Tiny babies cry to communicate, not to manipulate.
6. Beware of baby trainers
Attachment parenting teaches you how to be discerning of advice, especially those rigid and extreme parenting styles that teach you to watch a clock or a schedule instead of your baby; you know, the cry-it-out crowd. This "convenience" parenting is a short-term gain, but a long-term loss, and is not a wise investment. These more restrained styles of parenting create a distance between you and your baby and keep you from becoming an expert in your child.
7. Balance
In your zeal to give so much to your baby, it's easy to neglect the needs of yourself and your marriage. As you will learn the key to putting balance in your parenting is being appropriately responsive to your baby – knowing when to say "yes" and when to say "no," and having the wisdom to say "yes" to yourself when you need help.

*all of this information was taken directly from Dr.Sears website.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

books i am attempting to read...


I am reading this book for my Monday mornings MOM's group bible study. I have not read much of it yet...but I think it will be a really great study. Now that we have a little one that God has in trusted jake and I to train up ...this study will be really good for me, to beable to put the boundries on our familys lives that will keep our family heathy and happy.

with out getting to personal ;)....jake and I have prayerfully decided to not use birth control (since about our 3 year anniversary). I have serious control issues...so God has really challenged me on this issue. But we believe that God has much better plans for our family then we could ever "plan". I know that someday God will give us a feeling of peace that our family is complete...but who are we to decide at this point that 2 or 3 or 4 or 5...and so on is the "right number". I also trust that God will not give us what we can not handle :) So I am doing all I can to prepare for what God might have in store for us...and this is a great book for it! Everything from fitting a large family in small spaces...to great large family vacations...and much more....its great!

AMAZING!!! I am an attachment parenting advocate. I believe its the best way to parent. I believe its the best way to foster the relationship i want Jake and I to have with our children. I think its the best way to teach them how to treat people with compassion and respect. I LOVE this book... and I think every parent should read this!

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Thanks Lauren!


I always knew i would be a baby wearing momma buti didn't realize i would become obsessed!! I love being so close to her, i love feeling her breath on my chest, i love knowing she can feel me breath, i love that she can smell me and of course being hands free makes doing everyday tasks so convenient. I wear her to Church, at restaurants, grocery shopping, pretty much everywhere...i even wear her around the house when she is fussy...she just loves it! We have two moby wraps and two hotslings but our favorite wrap (pictured here) was hand made by my friend Lauren. Isn't it super cute!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

sorry MTV cribs....

...Piper is totally booked and cant show you her crib on the show...but we can at least publish a photo of her Crib ;)
although Piper has been sleeping with us in our bed since the first day home (I know!!GASP!!!) i thought i would at least take her picture in her cute shabby chic crib :)

Thursday, June 18, 2009

being a lover of all things birth...

and photography, I just could not pass up the oppertunity to show this slidshow of a beautiful homebirth!

Thursday, April 30, 2009

i always thought i was crunchy....

now facebook has proven it....I took the "what is your parenting style" quiz today...and this was the result...

Your Result: Kind Of Crunchy

You lean more toward Attachment Parenting, natural births, homepathic remedies, and living green! You tend to question modern medicine and mainstream parenting. You tend to delay vaccines or use an alternate schedule. You aren't bothered by the fact that people tend to question your parenting style. You feel strongly about the way you're raising your kids. You believe that it's our duty to make the earth a better place for our children by being more eco-friendly. You buy organic foods whenever you can and you use cloth diapers or seriously considered it. You've also considered homeschooling. When people see you with your baby you're usually wearing her in a sling or wrap. You tell new moms who complain about lack of sleep to try co-sleeping with baby and let them know how much you loved co-sleeping. You believe in breastfeeding and baby led weaning, but to a point. And you'll nurse in public but modesty is important to you. You aren't afraid to disagree with your Dr about delaying solids or vaccines. You don't like to let your baby cry and cry-it-out methods make you cringe. However, if nothing else is working you are willing to try it once the baby reaches a certain age. You read different books about parenting and take what you feel will work for you and your family. You tend to believe in trusting your instincts when it comes to raising your kids.

what do you think?? sound like me?? :)

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

happy earth day....


what are you doing to love your mother???....

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

The Basics of Biblical Finance...

1)Get out of Debt!
"The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender." Proverbs 22:7

2)Act your Wage!
"A foolish man devours all he has" Proverbs 21:20

3)Get on a Budget!
"For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?" Luke 14:20

4)Save and Invest!
for...
-emergency's
-purchases
-future

"In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil." Proverbs 21:20

5)GIVE!
"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house." Malachi 3:10

by (my boyfriend ;)Dave Ramsey

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

what God designed us for....

yes...i am taking another blog post from the human pacifier, but every once in a while she will write something that just really effects me! this was one of them... i put what i felt was the most beautiful part in bold...

I LOVE breastfeeding. I just have to say it. Gosh, it's just the coolest thing in the whole world. I was putting Levi to bed tonight with our usual routine. I rock him and nurse him, then lay him on his tummy {GASP!} in bed and put his pacifier in his mouth and he goes to sleep. Some nights though he's a little more restless than others and I pick him up a few times and just hold him until he's comfortable enough to go back to sleep. Anyway, tonight he tossed his head back and forth a bit and seemed like he wanted to be held so I picked him up with his pacifier in his mouth and held him cradle style like always. He turned his head toward my face as I was putting him in position and opened his mouth to let the pacifier fall out and with eyes closed, and parted lips started to ever so gently pace his mouth back and forth across my lips, thinking that my lips were my nipples {ooooooh if all men could have their way!}. So I sat back down in the glider and nursed him {again} even though I know for a fact he wasn't hungry, he'd just nurse five minutes before that. I sat there and just relished how good that made me feel; that he wanted me. The latex thingy in his mouth was just that to him. A latex thingy. But he wanted me. The real deal. He knows where comfort lies. He knows where to go for safety and familiarity. He knows that when he calls for me, I come. When he calls to be nursed, I nurse. I provide. I give. I surrender. I let every guard down for him. All for him. And he knows it. I LOVE that.

It's what a mother was meant to do. Give all. No matter how many women take offense to that, it's true. We were born to birth, to nurse, to nurture, completely, in pain and in joy, in loneliness, in comfort, all of it, not just the easy parts but the hard parts especially. It's what we do best when nature is at it's best; unobstructed, untouched, left at it's own, no lights, no machines, no man in a white cloak telling us stick there or push it out or suck it in. Just us all by ourselves. Two people alone in a dark room, telling one another without words how much they love each other. Giving all that one has...receiving the world in return.