Wordless {ish} Wednesday

I looked at the giraffe, and he looked at me...

 until it became awkward, and then I looked away...


(Guess who is THREE MONTHS already?!  How is that possible?)

I'm Still in Love With Turquoise

I may have run out of turquoise spray paint, but I'm still in love with turquoise, as is evidenced by the following...

Source: polyvore.com via Natalie on Pinterest

(Except I'd wear grey Toms instead of sandals, and I probably wouldn't have the courage to wear polka dots.  So not the sweater.  Especially since it has a bow, which isn't really "me".)

.
.

Beth at Babyette is gorgeous, as is this lovely sling!

Source: thediydish.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: nattybydesign.blogspot.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Ok, maybe this (and the next one?) is blue.  Whatever.  I love it anyway.

Source: etsy.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: insidetheloop.tumblr.com via Natalie on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Natalie on Pinterest

I have a necklace by this etsy seller with dark brown beads, and I love it.  It's really sturdy, AND when a bead broke (our fault all the way)  the seller was a total dream to work with and fixed it at no extra charge.

So... turquoise.  Just seems like summer to me!  :)  What colors are you loving right now?  Gray seems to be making a big splash right now, especially with yellow...

Summer = Smoothies

Hearty Corn Muffins

Basic Corn Bread recipe (my version of the Joy of Cooking's recipe):
Grease pan, preheat oven to 425*, and combine:
1 c. flour
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
3 c. corn meal

Combine in separate bowl:
2 eggs (beaten), then beat in
6 T melted butter
2 1/4 c. milk
2 T honey

Pour liquid into the dry ingredients, combine with a few rapid strokes.  Bake about 25 minutes. (Muffins take less... I can't remember so maybe start checking them at 10 minutes?)

I took this cornbread batter and added browned ground beef, diced onions, corn, & cheese.  It was really good!  Next time I'll add more of all of them, and maybe some sour cream, to boost the protein so it can stand alone.

Also, I'll try not to leave them in the oven so long after the timer goes ("just finish changing this diaper, and then... oh, yes, wipe that kiddo's bottom too...") because some of them were a little dry (made three pans, so half a dozen are in the freezer now!). :)

Pinterest-ing

Home inspiration board...

Style inspiration board...

I've been enjoying Pinterest... such a fun way to collect inspiration pictures and ideas!  :)  You can see my boards here.  I can't decide whether I need to have lots of specific boards - individual rooms of the house, for example - or just big boards of broader things, but either way it's working and I've found some really fun ideas to inspire future projects.  If anyone needs an invite you can email me or leave your email in a comment!

Also, Micah says I can paint our piano. Yesssssss.  But what color? 

life with three

In short - never a dull moment (at least not very many, as you can tell by my lack of posting!)

Levi sleeping through bathtime.

Miriam loves 'holding' him.  She'll sit down and hold out her arms, "Have him?"

Somehow, no matter how crazy things get, Levi manages to sleep through a good portion of every 24 hours.

p.s. Loving 'Organized Simplicity' by Tsh Oxenreider!

Introducing... Levi!

Levi arrived, healthy and happy, at 1.15AM Saturday morning! He weighed in at 8lbs8oz, and was 21.5in long, with a head circumference of 14in. We are all doing well and are enjoying getting to know this new little person!

41 Weeks

Accessories are vital to balance the belly! ;)

Well, I've done it again.  Our estimated due date has come and gone and I'm still gestating away over here.  Last pregnancy I went a full two weeks past our estimated due date (which apparently was wrong, based on Miriam's newborn assessment, she looked closer to 39 weeks than 42), and although I'm hoping not to do the same or further this time I'm getting pretty close.  Sunday will mark 42 weeks!

A few people have asked "How long will 'they' let you go?" or "When will you need to induce?"  Happily, in our case those kinds of decisions can be based solely on how baby and I are doing, not our due date or official policies.  In some states midwives' licensing requirements do not allow them to attend births past 42 weeks.  If that were the case I would be more concerned about going to 42 weeks, but thankfully we don't need to worry about that, only about how well mama and baby are doing.

Going by what last time looked like, I'm guessing that at 42 weeks we'll set up an appointment for an ultrasound, have some tests done, and evaluate any concerns that come up.  Last time we went into labor the day before setting up the appointment, so I am not entirely sure what all would be entailed if we did make it to that point.

So, barring any complications, I'll just continue daily life, and keep bouncing on the exercise ball, nursing the toddler, and drinking red raspberry leaf tea. (I may also eat pineapple in ridiculous quantities, take evening primrose capsules daily, start making spicy meals, scrub my floors on hands and knees, take daily long walks, and resign myself to being pregnant forever.)

I was reading this tonight, though, and feeling encouraged about the value of waiting for labor to start on it's own...

"In the last weeks of pregnancy, maternal antibodies are passed to the baby—antibodies that will help fight infections in the first days and weeks of life. The baby gains weight and strength, stores iron, and develops more coordinated sucking and swallowing abilities. His lungs mature, and he stores brown fat that will help him maintain body temperature in the first days and weeks following birth. The maturing baby and the aging placenta trigger a prostaglandin increase that softens the cervix in readiness for effacement and dilatation. A rise in estrogen and a decrease in progesterone increase the uterine sensitivity to oxytocin. The baby moves down into the pelvis. Contractions in the last weeks may start the effacement and dilation of the cervix. A burst of energy helps pregnant women make final preparations, and insomnia prepares them for the start of round-the-clock parenting.

The watchful waiting and the intense wanting of the big day to arrive are all part of nature's plan. When the baby, uterus, placenta, and hormones are ready, labor will start. Additionally, all that preparation sets the stage for an easier labor and a fully mature baby who is physiologically stable and able to breastfeed well right from the start." - from 'Saying “No” to Induction', by Judith A. Lothian

 

On the plus side, I've been finishing up some loose ends in the last few weeks... like this half completed maternity skirt that has been sitting in a box of projects, forgotten, for months.  Oops.  It was very simple to make once I sat down and did it... I took the waistband from a worn out pair of favorite maternity pants, then cut out a simple skirt and stitched them together and hemmed.  Very easy!  And pretty nice to have something "new" to wear at this point. ;) 

Also, I'm enjoying some lovely maternity photos that my awesome sister in law took.  That is a first this pregnancy and I'm so glad that it worked out to have them done!

I think this one is my favorite.  :) 

Now, I'd better get to bed.  Just in case I (hopefully!) go into labor in the middle of the night.

Our Crazy "Not a Birth" Story

Today is my "due date" so to celebrate I'm posting this story from a few weeks ago that I finally got written up.  Hopefully I'll have an actual birth story eventually... ;)

So, a week ago last Wednesday morning, Nathan woke up at midnight throwing up and Micah went to check on him while I got up to grab towels.  Only, I got up & had a big gush of water... Micah heard it from Nathan's bedside and said, "What was that?"  Half awake and in shock, I informed him my water had broken.  I think his response was something like, "Are you serious?!"  ;)  At 38 weeks, we had been assuming we had at the very least another week!


After our midwife came, we found that baby was transverse.  We weren't able to get a positive reading on the amnio swab at first, but we did end up getting a positive reading from the puddle, so with the risk of cord prolapse, and with water broken so that obviously baby couldn't turn, we transferred for a c-section. 


It took us a short while to coordinate child care, grab the infant carseat out of storage, and pack a few essentials (as I supervised from lying on the couch), then we were on the road for the hospital.  It felt totally surreal... up in the middle of the night, leaving my poor sick kiddo in the capable hands of his aunts, and suddenly having a totally different birth before us.  As we drove we talked about what we'd ask for as far as c-section preferences... I knew that I wanted double layer suturing, skin to skin in the OR (ideally, on my chest right away, if not, skin to skin with daddy), no immediate swaddling or avoidable mama baby separation.  It was all surreal to think about and talk about.

We're about the same distance from three different hospitals, and I assumed initially we'd transfer to one of the two bigger ones, but we ended up heading to the small town hospital instead. They have a ridiculously high c/s rate (usually that would be a red flag, but it was what we were transferring for!), are a small hospital (nurses and doctors more laid back and likely to go along with our requests) and they handle a lot of the local Mennonite's hospital births so they're a little more used to natural birth moms and how they think and what they'll prefer.  

Since our midwife knew many of the staff, she called ahead and let them know we were coming in, so we skipped the ER & went directly up to L&D.  The nurse we had was nice and was even sympathetic about us possibly winding up with a csection instead of our planned homebirth. She got us settled into our room, directed me to put on the hospital gown, then strapped me into bed on the monitors.  This was all completely new to me, since I'd only even been in a L&D ward once, when visiting friends who had just had a baby.  (And can I just say that bed was the least comfortable bed EVER?)


This is when we got our first inkling that we weren't going to have a c-section.  The nurse palpated and frowned thoughtfully and said it certainly felt like a head down baby to her.  We all gaped at her, because both our experienced midwife and Micah and I (who, while not exactly trained in the art of midwifery, are on our third baby and can tell the difference between a baby that is up and down and one who is sideways!) knew that baby had without a doubt been transverse before transporting.  The nurse got amnio strips to test for broken water, and both of them came up negative.  She suggested that I'd had a "fore-bag" break and that although we'd have to wait for the ultrasound and the doctor to see us, we could probably go home if we wanted to and if baby was head down.


The ultrasound tech wouldn't be there for a few hours, so we tried to relax and process everything.  Mostly I played Words With Friends on my phone and distracted myself.  Our main concern at that point was that baby would actually be breech and that they would not discharge us or allow a trial of labor.  I was hopeful, though that even with a breech baby if I did not appear to actually be in labor or have ruptured membranes that they would let us go home.


Finally, the ultrasound technician wheeled in her cart and we got our first peek at our third little one... head down just like we were hoping!  Chubby cheeks, tiny fingers and toes, and measurements matching right up with our dates!  Although we had an overall good experience at the hospital, that was really the bright spot of the whole thing.


We waited a while longer to see the doctor on call.  She agreed with the nurses guess about it merely being a fore-bag break, and said that they really didn't consider that my membranes were ruptured, so we shouldn't consider ourselves "on the clock" as far as labor went.  She was fantastic and basically told us to go home and have a nice birth!


Still reeling, we checked out and headed to Walmart to grab an exercise ball (if labor did start, I knew I'd want it, but even if not I wanted it for good baby positioning) and other necessities, like fudge cookies and a mocha protein shake.  Our midwife went to take a nap, since we'd kept her up most of the night, telling us to let her know if anything happened labor wise.  We headed home and cuddled sick toddlers.  It was all very anticlimactic!  We were relieved and in shock and going home with an empty carseat and right back to wondering if we'd have a baby in a day or a week or two.  I'm so glad that we didn't end up with a c-section, but it’s hard going from thinking you're going to have a baby in your arms that day to going back to patiently waiting again!

On the plus side, you wouldn't believe how much of the "to do before baby" list we got knocked out that day! ;)

Lasagna PSA...

If you discover right before popping dinner in the oven that you have no aluminum foil, and you happen to have made lasagna...

... you may find yourself thinking the top layer is like a cheese marshmallow that has been just a tiny bit overexposed to the fire!  On the other hand, I did actually like the crispy crunch, even if it was a bit too much.  Next time hopefully I'll have some foil on hand... but maybe take it off for longer at the end to get a little bit of this same effect.

Lovely Lemon Pound Cake

I started with what I consider the perfect pound cake recipe - moist and dense with crunchy edges, and perfect with a glass of milk or cup of coffee.  The original suggested 1tsp of almond extract, but although yummy I decided to experiment with alternatives.

 I think it is important to note that substituting lemon juice for lemon here will not get the same results.  I tried lemon juice first, and although I'm sure you could add more than I did and get a stronger lemon flavor, I don't think that you can reproduce the well rounded, strong-but-not-overwhelming lemon taste with lemon juice alone. You need one entire well scrubbed lemon, minus of course the seeds.  Oh, and I use my KitchenAid and my food processor.  I'm sure you can do it without those, but I'm just going to write it like I make it! :)

 Lovely Lemon Pound Cake
1 lb butter, softened
3 cups sugar
6 eggs
4 cups flour
3/4 cup milk
1 lemon, scrubbed well, sliced and de-seeded

Cream butter, gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Transfer butter/sugar mixture to food processor, process with lemon slices.  Scrape down with spatula and continue until lemon and peel are completely mixed and no pieces are larger than would be if you had finely grated "zest" instead.  Add eggs, beating after each.  Add flour, alternating with milk, ending with flour.  Pour batter into a greased and floured bundt pan and smooth with spatula.  Bake at 300* for 1 hour and 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.  Cool in pan 10 - 15 minutes at least (sometimes I don't get to it right away), remove to plate or wire rack.  Let cool.

cute face-making helpers optional

the key is real lemon!

pan ready to go!

And there you have it! Lovely Lemon Pound Cake.  No guarantees, but my husband took a bite and said "Wow!", and made sure that the leftover slices made it into his lunch! ;)  Let me know if you make it!

Now, all done except for the dishes...

Ah well.

"Loving the Little Years"

If you have small children and need encouragement, you need this book!  I read it cover to cover Christmas day after unwrapping it and I am sure it will become the kind of book that I'm regularly picking up for good reminders, wise words, and good encouragement.

This is not some abstract tome on how important little ones are... or some nostalgic musings of a grandmother looking back at her precious little ones (and forgetting all the rough days.)  No - Rachel Jankovic has 5 kids, 5 and under, including 2 year old twins.  She's not looking back to when she had lots of littles, she does right now, and is in the trenches... and giving encouragement to others.


She is one of the co-bloggers over at Femina, as well, if you aren't already a reader over there.  :)



(Full disclosure: Amazon link is an affiliate link. But I'm telling you about the book because I genuinely love it.)