Summer days

Highlights from the past week...

On a walk with Maggie and she crashed right after under the trees. Such a cutie. I really didn't want to move her but it was hot outside with bugs jumping all around her.


Michael didn't want a special present for Father's Day and because we were busy with our dads that day, I fixed him a nice dinner a couple days after to honor him as a new father. Hoping to make this a tradition with Maggie. Chicken, rice, and green beans with fruit cobbler for dessert. Yum! Often Michael takes Maggie out for a bit and it lets me catch up a little. She's so tiny in her strollers.

Maggie is talking more and more each week so we caught one of her moments last night. We love her squeals and giggles.

One Word

This was sent to me from Sara. Tag to the bloggers :-)

Where is your cell phone? Charger
Your significant other? Outside
Your hair? Wavy
Your mother? Seeking
Your father? Sincere
Your favorite thing? Food
Your dream last night? Anxious
Your favorite drink? Juice
Your dream/goal? Happiness
What room are you in? Office
Your hobby? Knitting
What do you fear? Ivy
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Wiser
Where were you last night? Home
Something that you aren't? Famous
Muffins? Poppyseed
Wish list item? Clothes
Last thing you did? Vacumn
What are you wearing? White
TV? Jeopardy!
Your pets? Lily
Friends? Many
Your life? Content
Your mood? Contemplative
Missing someone? No
Drinking? Water
Smoking? No
Your car? Fun
Something you're not wearing? Pants
Your favorite store? TJ's
Your favorite color? Green
When is the last time you cried? Unsure
Who will resend this? ?
Where do you go over and over? Library
My favorite place to eat? Parents
Favorite place I'd like to be right now? Vacation

Kenly

Our friend Ken had a pretty bad accident last Friday as he was hiking. Thankfully, he is stable now, but he slipped from the trail and fell quite a few feet down, the last 10 feet being sheer cliff. Luckily, he was able to yell to other hikers on the other side of the river and they called 911 for him at a nearby campground. He was eventually rescued by helicopter.

Ken has needed multiple surgeries due to broken bones and fractures. If you know Ken, he is a busy guy and loves being on the go and outdoors, so being in the hospital must be hard for him. However, I think he is enjoying the cute nurses :-) His family has been amazing and are with him every day. They started a blog for him here and he is getting lots of visitors, which are helping keep his spirits up while he is there.

We are hoping for a fast recovery but he will be in a wheelchair for awhile and will need physical therapy. I hope that once he returns home, I can help him out more. He's got quite an appetite, so the least I can do is make him food. For now though, he just likes seeing smiling faces!

We love you Ken!

Busy bees

Lots going on last weekend, involving a couple baby gatherings, one for our friends Erin and Eric at my sister's house. They were visiting from Idaho. Unfortunately that day I was a little under the weather but it was great to see them. Erin is 8 months pregnant and expecting her baby girl Ella in August.

The following nite was my knitting friend Ruth's baby party. Ruth is also due in August but with a boy. The party was hosted by our friends Sara and John. Sara and John are both extremely artsy and together they have created a pretty cool pad (they bought the house less than a year ago). John is building a real train yard in the back with a mini mountain garden...come on, what a cool dad! They also have chickens living in their backyard in a homemade coop, producing fresh eggs daily.

Next stop was Madera. It was a 3 hour drive to and from to attend Jenny and Greg's wedding. Waiting for us at the reception where little treats-homemade jars of jelly!
Maggie did great that day. It was her longest car ride yet and she was a hit at the wedding.

We finished off the weekend with the celebration of Father's Day for three significant men in my life: Michael, my dad, and Marco, my father-in-law. I'm cracking up because Maggie has a hard time being moved around/fussed with, so in both of these pics she's showing off her 'tude! Marco thinks she's a drama queen, but I think she's just sensitive like her mommy :-)We were so busy that day visiting with family that I decided I'd cook Michael his favorite dinner and dessert later.

Now at home, Maggie and I have been enjoying her new curtains. They turned out cute and match her crib bedding, which I had forgotten we had intentionally matched. Her room is a mish-mash of colors and decorations, but I like it and she is enjoying it more and more.

Walking with Maggie

Expanding upon Patria's comments about homeownership, I wanted to share my thoughts. Homeownership for me has been an interesting adventure. I always enjoyed renting and having the freedom to pick up and find someplace new. Not that I did it that often, but I always felt like I had that as an option for change.

But Michael had always talked about buying a home and I was excited to give it a try with him. I really wanted to remain in a certain neighborhood but it wasn't going to pan out-too expensive, too loud and busy (for Michael), and too old and small of houses that we didn't want to have to work on constantly. So we looked elsewhere and ended up outside of town a bit in a house that fit our criteria.

Now having owned our house for over a year, I see that there are many pluses but there are also things you can't get away from and just have to deal with. I really do like our house. We take good care of it and are making it what we want, but we can't control what happens around us. Things are constantly changing, especially with the bad economy right now, and I get frustrated with neighbors when they don't keep up their houses or when I see a house turn into a rental and pride of ownership decreases. Overall though, our family is better off now. We have more space to spread out, especially now that we have Maggie, I have a nice garden, Michael has his garage work space, and we have a comfortable home that can be fixed up as time and money allows. It may not look like it from first glance because the part of town we moved to is by no means flashy, but settling in here has allowed me to enjoy lots of new things I would have never experienced if not for living here. The town meets all of our needs and I am constantly delighted by little things like how close certain stores are, friends that live nearby, the numerous parks, library, etc. This house is a great start as we begin our journey as a family.

Ok, so this next part is not reality...and I'm dreaming :-) But a girl can dream, right? Just up the street from our house is where an old air strip used to be, but in the '90's it was developed into houses. It's called Phoenix Field and it sits between two parks with lots of nice houses in between. When Maggie and I go on walks, we head towards Little Phoenix Park and just beyond the park, this one house always comes into view that puts a smile on my face. It's so pretty, with a nice porch and bright landscaping. Michael has commented how he likes it too. When Michael takes Maggie on walks, he happens by this house, which is his favorite, so I snapped a picture.I'm not saying a big pretty house makes life perfect, but they sure are fun to look and dream about.

Breastfeeding

This is the international symbol for breastfeeding. I've had the pleasure of nursing Maggie since birth and with a few exceptions, it has been a wonderful experience for both mom and baby. I really feel like I am giving her a great start in life and that it is totally worth the sacrifice on my part. For all you breastfeeding mothers out there, good job!

It's hot!

I'm getting over being under the weather not once, but twice in the last couple weeks and am really hoping this is it for awhile. Being sick is so hard when I'm taking care of Maggie and also trying to care for myself. I'm glad to be recovering though because we have a fun weekend ahead of us. Tonight is a friend's baby shower/party and tomorrow we're headed on a roadtrip with Maggie to our friends Jenny and Greg's wedding. Michael and I started dating at REI right around the time Jenny and Greg (also REI employees) started dating. They got engaged a year or two ago and are now tying the knot!

On the Maggie front, I'm excited to show you that she has graduated to sitting up in the bumbo. She was a little wobbly there for awhile but she can pretty much hold her own now. Lily-cat has been pretty uninterested in Maggie since she's been born, except for when she's crying and Lily acts like a worried momma cat. But right after I put her in this chair she came over to inspect by sniffing her toes :-)

Redneck dreams

This is too funny to not post about, especially with the encouragement of our friend Ken. Ken and Michael both love beaters. The older and crappier the car (or motorhome I hear), the better. Don't ask me why, it just is. I have found Michael watching countless you-tube videos where a beater car is flying through a field or in a ditch and he's laughing uncontrollably. Then I find out that Ken often shows him pictures of new beaters he's found when they are at work (I guess this is how they pass some of the time). Here's a choice photo (I'm partial to stationwagons but this one is pretty beat up :-).We joke that we're going to get one. Maybe it's not a joke. The requirements are that it is free or super cheap and we won't get car insurance for it because Michael plans to beat it up so much that we won't have it that long to matter. This seems to contradict though with that fact that he tells me it would be a great family car...Maggie in the back smiling and giggling away, joined by her friends, cousins, or future siblings. We'd take it for joy rides on the weekends, up to Tahoe to haul back the Christmas tree, maybe out to the derby once in awhile. I know Michael wants to shoot at it too.

In high school, some of the guys I hung with drove these cars and I didn't think much of it because they were handed down in the family and we were poor high schoolers, so it was a way to get around. I especially remember our friend Ryan's car, with red velvet interior and it would softly bounce up and down as we drove. Ken has some lovely interior pics of cars he likes and here's a special one that reminds me of this high school car.Pat, if you read this and have a real picture, post it on your blog!

Which ewe are you?

A quiz of the day for knitters, courtesy of Clara Parkes and her new book that is coming out soon. Check it out here.

Gifts and crafts

We have been so blessed to recieve countless gifts for Maggie. Here is one of her most recent handmade gifts, which is her full first name spelled out in little handsewn pillows. These are just a few of the letters.

The fabric is a yellow carebears print and fondly reminds me of my childhood days. They are so cute and I can't wait for Maggie to enjoy them.

This past weekend we celebrated a birthday so a few days before, I got creative and without spending lots, I made my friend Angela Reese's monster cookie mix in a jar. It was my first time making a gift like this and was pleased with how cute it turned out. Can't wait to do more down the road, possibly around the holidays.

Two bigger projects have been in the works. One has been my belly cast. My mom and sister helped me make my belly cast before my due date and it was a special day for the three of us. I chose a sweet pea motif for the design. Here is a picture of my work-in-progress. I have another day or two of painting left and finding that time will be tricky. My plan is to hang it in Maggie's nursery with pink lace ribbon.
My sister and I thought it would be fun and easy to sew drapes for Maggie's room after I had a hard time finding ones I liked, but it has taken us much longer than we thought. We bought fabric, then bought some more after she was born, and finally had help finishing them from a family friend. Shay and I both sew, but now that we have kids, our time to do so is very limited. So, not as easy as we first thought. However, I did find time to made a lampshade to match the drapes. I went off instructions from the book "B is for Baby" by Suzanne Stirling and used a white lampshade I found at my favorite kid's consignment shop. More photos to come soon of the finished belly cast and drapes...

Good daddy

It's been a struggle getting Michael to wear the baby but he recently took to wearing the ergo. Above all slings and carriers, this one is pretty "man-friendly" :-) Maggie has loved being worn since she was born and prefers the upright position. It's an instant baby calmer and usually she sleeps most of the time. It's the best way to nurture and be close to her during the day while also getting stuff done around the house or doing errands. She's not quite comfortable on long walks in the stroller yet, so it comes in handy for that too.

Soaking up the sun

My friend Christy commented to me that I must carry around my camera with me all the time now that I have a blog. I have to admit it's true. I haven't been the big picture taker in the family, as Michael has been known to catch some really great moments with his fancy camera over the years, but he gifted me a cute pink point and shoot at Christmas and it's definitely come in handy.

I took Maggie in the pool for the first time last week. It helped that the pool was in full sun, making the water a comfortable 80 degrees. We got the idea to put her on a boogie board and right after we put her on it she fell asleep. She rocked on the water for a good 45 minutes!

The three R's

This picture cracks me up. I made this onesie over the weekend and I love this outfit. Dressing up babies is so much fun!

Our birth story

This post has been a long time coming. Lots of folks have wanted to hear our birth story and I'm happy to share it. I always envisioned sharing it on a blog at some point. I was just asked by my yoga instructor, who is also a Bradley teacher, to attend her birthing class and share my story. I am really looking forward to this. I have lots to share, so a warning that this might be a long read. Trust me though, it's good stuff.

After we bought our home last year, within a couple months we decided to try for a baby. I had been bugging Michael about it for years, quite unaware of what I was really asking for. He knew what it involved and kept putting me off with good reason. I have to say (and I know Michael would agree) that our niece Eden was the true inspiration. We had spent the previous 6 months falling in love with baby Eden and knew it was time to go for it ourselves and give Eden a little playmate. It didn't help that all of our close friends were having babies too. It just made sense. Funny thing is, when Michael told me he was ready, I looked at him, not expecting that to come out of his mouth, and went into shock, saying I of all people, needed to think on it :-)

I had, for the most part, a wonderful pregnancy. Morning sickness in the beginning but by the 2nd trimester, it was good going. Michael and I planned an attended home waterbirth. Unconventional but the right choice for us. Our midwives were amazing and looking back on everything, it was hands down one of the coolest experiences we've had yet, especially as a couple. Michael was there with me every step of the way through pregnancy and birth. Other homebirthers we knew prior to choosing this for ourselves were the Weston-Lees and the Fishers and both of their birth experiences were inspiring. Since Maggie's birth, we've met so many families that have taken the same path. It's quite an amazing community.

Maggie was born on March 15, 2009 in water at 10:43 am. She was 7 pounds 15 ounces and 20 3/4 inches long. We chose to not find out the gender during pregnancy, so when she came into the world, I was extremely suprised to see a little girl laying on my chest. I had been convinced she was a boy for many months and I even thought she was a boy for the first minute of her life until I checked! On my mom's side, we have not had any boys born into the family and count (at least) 14 women born in a row, 4 generations back. I had thought that in this year of change, I would have a boy but was proved otherwise.

Our birth was amazing. I chose to do it naturally and it was a very empowering experience for me. I had no idea really what giving birth was all about and now that I am on the other side, I can't believe I was that strong. I truly believe every woman has this strength in her and that you find it through these experiences. There aren't many like this in life and with that, I feel blessed to be a woman.

As for our birth details, my water broke first and then mild contractions started but only lasted for a few hours. We got a good night's sleep after that and spent the next day waiting for things to happen. I was 3 days past due at that point and our midwives wanted us to wait until the evening to do anything. By the evening, contractions had not started back up so I took castor oil, and blue and black cohosh to get labor going. We had not planned for any family to be present, but in the waiting period where I was praying for contractions to come on stronger, I asked my mom and sister to join us. My labor went through the night and into the morning and I think it was pretty typical from what I hear, not too long and not too short. It was very intense but by the time Maggie was born, it was over just like that. Everyone in the room was crying when she was born but I just looked at everyone with dry eyes, revelling at what I had just accomplished. Michael and I were both on a high after that, which lasted for a good couple days.

We had post-partum care with our midwives for the first 6 weeks of her life and that was invaluable. I would say the first 6 weeks were the toughest for me, with the sharp learning curve in becoming a parent, learning how to nurse and being on demand 24/7, and getting little blocks of sleep. Everyone told me three months was the magical number and I think they are right. Maggie is just about three months old and she has really come into her own. She is developing such a personality and just looks up at you with those long eyelashes and blinking eyes, making my heart melt every time.

I am treasuring every day I have with her. I'm fond of the baby stage, but Michael is very excited for her to be a year old and beyond. We both love being parents in our own ways.