Sheesh! Where did the time go? I've definitely neglected my blog! Perhaps it was the stress of the school year. Yes. That is what it was... ;)
Fast-forward 14 months and here is where I'm at:
35 weeks pregnant with a little boy named Keegan Jeremy
Recently celebrated a 5th wedding anniversary
About to become a stay-at-home mom (former teacher)
New homeowner
Preparing for a natural childbirth at Mountain Midwifery
Since so much has happened in 14 months I will not summarize but rather pick up from here!
Currently just waiting to hit July 25th, which is 37 weeks, when we are allowed to give birth at the midwifery. If Keegan decides to come in the next 9 days I would have to go to a hospital due to state regulations on birthing centers. Once July 25th hits, I'm am more than ready for this little man to make his grand appearance!
I'm reading a lot lately to pass the time more quickly. I just finished Painless Childbirth: An Empowering Journey Through Pregnancy and Childbirth by Guiditta Tornetta. It was very interesting. She is a doula and hypnotherapist and the entire book was a guide basically how to become "right" with yourself and inner-feelings so that you can be the best mother you can be. Also, talked a lot about riding the "wave" of a contraction and taking on the position that pain is something you feel when something is wrong. There is nothing wrong about giving birth so what you feel is not pain, rather it is something else, though it is very intense. This was echoed at our childbirth preparation class at the midwifery. We'll see if I agree with this in a few weeks time!
Currently I'm reading Adventures in Natural Childbirth edited by Janet Schwegel. The first this was the birth stories of women who had midwives. That section was particularly interesting to me because if all goes correctly, that is our situation. The second section, which I have yet to begin, is birthing with physicians, and the third is birthing with doulas. These stories don't all have happy endings which I think makes them more real. Some women have to be transferred for emergency c-sections, other find they can't handle the intensity of labor, etc. All the stories are so powerful and make me wonder more and more about what our birth will be like. I definately want to share our birth story once it is over for anyone who cares to read it.
The other book I'm reading right now is Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding. I'm learning a lot from her book. Though we did take a breastfeeding class at the midwifery, it is just different when you have a chance to read more in depth about what is "normal" and what you can do to increase you chances of having a successful breastfeeding relationship with your baby. I truly believe that breastmilk is what is very best for mom and baby!
In addition to reading I've been doing small projects around the house. We recently got our compost pile going so that is exciting! We have several vegetables/herbs growing including: pole beans, cucumber, zucchini, tomato, basil, parsley, marjoram, mints, sage, winter savory, rosemary, and thyme. One tomato plant has already given us 3 excellent tomatoes! Nothing else like a tomato off the vine. Makes me remember all the tomatoes I had as a pre-teen in Kansas! So warm, so flavorful! The other big gardening project was this 10 foot circle in our front corner which Jeremy and I weeded, covered in weed stopper (biodegradeable made from corn), cut rings in, and planted 6 types of sunflowers and 2 other flowers in from seed. The seeds have all sprouted except for one from what I can tell. We have been tending to "the circle" daily and many are already 4 inches tall which is impressive because we seeded only about 9 days ago. I'll post pics later when they are more mature.
We finally joined the local community recreation center, APEX, which is not too far from our house. Only about a 5 minute drive. The facilities are quite nice (open/airy feel) and include the normal cardio/weight room but it also has a rock climbing wall, running track, ice rink, drop-in fitness classes, and a huge aquatics area. I have been swimming 3 times since we joined last week and it feels so good! I'm supposed to be getting 30 minutes of moderate cardio (swimming/walking) 5 days a week to ensure I have the endurance to get through natural labor. The only downside to swimming is that when I get out of the pool I feel all that weight come right back all at once! Eeek! Hopefully once I have Keegan I will be able to get back to pre-pregnancy weight quickly and hopefully be in even better shape than I was before (which shouldn't be too hard!) It helps too that my mom is with us now so I now that I'll be able to leave the house for an hour and a half and Keegan will be just fine!
As for Jeremy, he is looking for a new rotation (position) at work for his Engineering Leadership Development Program, ELDP. He is hopeful about two possibilities. One is a the local Air Force base, Buckley, and the other is where he is currently at but it would be more a low-level managerial type position. We'll see what happens....
Tomorrow is our 36 Week Class/Appointment at the midwifery from 9:30 to 11:30, so I ought to be off to bed so I can get up! Lately I've been staying up till midnight and not getting up till noon, so tomorrow might be a little tough for me!
I hope we are all caught up for the moment and I promise I'll be better from now on! Thanks for reading!
Fast-forward 14 months and here is where I'm at:
35 weeks pregnant with a little boy named Keegan Jeremy
Recently celebrated a 5th wedding anniversary
About to become a stay-at-home mom (former teacher)
New homeowner
Preparing for a natural childbirth at Mountain Midwifery
Since so much has happened in 14 months I will not summarize but rather pick up from here!
Currently just waiting to hit July 25th, which is 37 weeks, when we are allowed to give birth at the midwifery. If Keegan decides to come in the next 9 days I would have to go to a hospital due to state regulations on birthing centers. Once July 25th hits, I'm am more than ready for this little man to make his grand appearance!
I'm reading a lot lately to pass the time more quickly. I just finished Painless Childbirth: An Empowering Journey Through Pregnancy and Childbirth by Guiditta Tornetta. It was very interesting. She is a doula and hypnotherapist and the entire book was a guide basically how to become "right" with yourself and inner-feelings so that you can be the best mother you can be. Also, talked a lot about riding the "wave" of a contraction and taking on the position that pain is something you feel when something is wrong. There is nothing wrong about giving birth so what you feel is not pain, rather it is something else, though it is very intense. This was echoed at our childbirth preparation class at the midwifery. We'll see if I agree with this in a few weeks time!
Currently I'm reading Adventures in Natural Childbirth edited by Janet Schwegel. The first this was the birth stories of women who had midwives. That section was particularly interesting to me because if all goes correctly, that is our situation. The second section, which I have yet to begin, is birthing with physicians, and the third is birthing with doulas. These stories don't all have happy endings which I think makes them more real. Some women have to be transferred for emergency c-sections, other find they can't handle the intensity of labor, etc. All the stories are so powerful and make me wonder more and more about what our birth will be like. I definately want to share our birth story once it is over for anyone who cares to read it.
The other book I'm reading right now is Ina May's Guide to Breastfeeding. I'm learning a lot from her book. Though we did take a breastfeeding class at the midwifery, it is just different when you have a chance to read more in depth about what is "normal" and what you can do to increase you chances of having a successful breastfeeding relationship with your baby. I truly believe that breastmilk is what is very best for mom and baby!
In addition to reading I've been doing small projects around the house. We recently got our compost pile going so that is exciting! We have several vegetables/herbs growing including: pole beans, cucumber, zucchini, tomato, basil, parsley, marjoram, mints, sage, winter savory, rosemary, and thyme. One tomato plant has already given us 3 excellent tomatoes! Nothing else like a tomato off the vine. Makes me remember all the tomatoes I had as a pre-teen in Kansas! So warm, so flavorful! The other big gardening project was this 10 foot circle in our front corner which Jeremy and I weeded, covered in weed stopper (biodegradeable made from corn), cut rings in, and planted 6 types of sunflowers and 2 other flowers in from seed. The seeds have all sprouted except for one from what I can tell. We have been tending to "the circle" daily and many are already 4 inches tall which is impressive because we seeded only about 9 days ago. I'll post pics later when they are more mature.
We finally joined the local community recreation center, APEX, which is not too far from our house. Only about a 5 minute drive. The facilities are quite nice (open/airy feel) and include the normal cardio/weight room but it also has a rock climbing wall, running track, ice rink, drop-in fitness classes, and a huge aquatics area. I have been swimming 3 times since we joined last week and it feels so good! I'm supposed to be getting 30 minutes of moderate cardio (swimming/walking) 5 days a week to ensure I have the endurance to get through natural labor. The only downside to swimming is that when I get out of the pool I feel all that weight come right back all at once! Eeek! Hopefully once I have Keegan I will be able to get back to pre-pregnancy weight quickly and hopefully be in even better shape than I was before (which shouldn't be too hard!) It helps too that my mom is with us now so I now that I'll be able to leave the house for an hour and a half and Keegan will be just fine!
As for Jeremy, he is looking for a new rotation (position) at work for his Engineering Leadership Development Program, ELDP. He is hopeful about two possibilities. One is a the local Air Force base, Buckley, and the other is where he is currently at but it would be more a low-level managerial type position. We'll see what happens....
Tomorrow is our 36 Week Class/Appointment at the midwifery from 9:30 to 11:30, so I ought to be off to bed so I can get up! Lately I've been staying up till midnight and not getting up till noon, so tomorrow might be a little tough for me!
I hope we are all caught up for the moment and I promise I'll be better from now on! Thanks for reading!
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