Pregnancy: week 9ish

This post was written previously.

I'm thankful to report from week 9 of pregnancy that there has been much less nausea this time than with Owen.

But when it strikes, boy does it ever.

For the majority of the day I'm feeling really good.  Perhaps I'm better at preparing myself with small snacks or eating proper meals this time, but all I know is that I'm not suffering like I was with Owen.  (Yet?)  This obviously makes me hopeful that it's a girl since this is such a different experience.  We'll find out in June!

That's right- we're finding out the gender sex this time.  Since this is more than likely our last, I need to be prepared!  I'll be knitting and sewing up some cute ruffly girly stuff if that's the case.  Otherwise, we'll know we're all set with everything we need.

Overall, though, I'm feeling good and we're getting excited to be near the 1/4 mark.  It's going by quickly- much quicker than last time- and it's often easy to forget that I'm pregnant.  Surely that has to do with the 2.75 foot blonde-haired focus of my attention these days.

I'm pretty tired, though, and am thankful that I get to work here at home.  I can't believe I was working on my feet right up until the end with my last pregnancy.  Working moms: you are superheroes.  I am hoping to get more active now that the weather is nicer.  Bike rides and afternoon walks, here I come!  For now, the mid-morning nap with Owen is key.  Love me some naps.

Today I scheduled our first prenatal appointment at Alma birth center.  We've met our midwife already at a consultation and are excited to move forward with Alma.  We still haven't decided on a home birth vs. birth center birth but we've got time to figure that out.  There's really no difference in care but there's the obvious difference of being at home vs. "somewhere else" and then the move that needs to happen post-partum from BC to home.  It sure would be nice to just stay here post-partum, though there are also benefits to being at the center (hello doulas and chefs and post-partum massage!)  We'll see.  It's a lot to think about, especially with an older sibling in tow.

Pregnancy: 8 weeks down...

This was written previously.


Wow.  My belly is POPPING.  I have felt a little thicker around the abs since I found out I was pregnant (before I knew, actually..... stupid water retention) and I knew to expect an obvious belly earlier this time.  But, wow.  Looking back at photos from my first pregnancy, I already compare to my 4-month photos.  Insane.

Luckily I'm still in pre-maternity clothing.  I think I can hold off for a couple more weeks in that department.  We'll see.  Elastic waistbands certainly sound marvelous right now!

Pregnancy: ultrasound and week 7ish

This was written previously.

So, we had our early ultrasound!  We were pretty excited, I have to say.  I had some reservations about getting it done to begin with but we felt it was worth it to be able to narrow down the due date.

We kind of didn't know what we'd see... Baby could have been bigger or smaller than we had expected, there could have been twins (thank you, Lord, there are not.  No offense, Jen, I'm just not cut out for twins let alone in this little house of ours!), heck, there could have been no baby and this was all a dream.

We were very happy to see a baby due at the approximate time we had anticipated- just a few days later, so I'm glad we had the u/s because that gives us a bit more time before induction and hospital transfer would be necessary.  We also saw a very strong, very fast heartbeat.  The average heart rate for our baby's gestational age is between 90-120 beats per minute (bpm).  Baby Tiny had a HR of 157 bpm!  Go, baby, go!  Thankfully, a higher HR is not a cause for concern so we were very pleased to see that our little peanut had such a strong heart :)  It obviously gives us peace that s/he is healthy so far!

Obviously, it was very exciting for Kraig and I to see Baby Tiny.  What was so amazing, though, was Owen's reaction.  He was very well-behaved and almost entranced by the image on the screen.  I, of course, think my kid is pretty smart for his age, but even I have been shocked at how much he seems to "get it".  As soon as baby popped up on the monitor he said "Baby Tiny!"  Folks, let me tell you that Baby Tiny did NOT look like a baby on that monitor.  More like a little fluttery blob.  But Owen knew, which is so cool.

It's been a fun week, and one that has had quite a few "good" days as far as morning sickness goes.  I don't know if I'm just getting lucky, or if I am getting better at warding off the nausea with water, food, and rest.  Who knows.  This sinus infection and my consequent inability to smell anything might be helping as well.  I'm just really excited to get out of the first trimester.  Not only will I hopefully feel better, but then it won't have to be such a secret.  We've let some of our closest friends and some strangers - hey, we'll never see them again- know about the pregnancy, but haven't made a public announcement yet (at time this was written).

And no, I'm not going to tell you the due date.

Pregnancy: nausea. woof.

This post was written previously.


Do you know what's the worst?

Pregnancy cravings + nausea + food aversions.

Seriously, I am repulsed at the sight or smell of vegetables.  Even kale, my one true love...  I can't even look at it in the refrigerator, bleck!

I'm not about to become an omnivore during this pregnancy, but it is certainly rough being veg (hey, pregnancy is rough no matter what your diet or lifestyle).  I was vegetarian during my pregnancy with Owen and I craved really fatty, spicy meat (I still have not eaten meat in 4 years).  Certainly what I was craving was comfort food, not the meat itself since my diet is plenty rich in protein and necessary vitamins (no deficiencies here!)  Now that I am vegan I am craving cheese.  I used to eat cheese all the time so, again, it's a comfort thing.

Here's the problem with cravings during the first trimester.  I'd love to whip up some mac-no-cheese or a soy cheese pizza, maybe some tofu bacon, but there are a few obstacles.
#1- the smell makes me want to be sick.
#2- I am already nauseous, tired, and unmotivated so getting in the kitchen to make a meal is not high on my list of priorities.
#3- Given what I have experienced so far, there is a high likelihood that once I make something that I *think* I want SO bad, something that sounds SO delicious, I will get it within 8 inches of my face and want to throw it in the garbage.

I know, you guys.  It sounds crazy.  I can't fully explain the intricacies of aversions, cravings, and the nausea of pregnancy but I'm just telling you my experience.

Hopefully I can find something I want to eat besides white flour biscuits.

Pregnancy: 6 weeks

This was written previously and published after announcing the news.  Enjoy!

Ooof.

We're somewhere around 6 weeks pregnant now, and boy they aren't kidding when they say that's usually when morning sickness begins for a lot of women.  I guess I wasn't this "lucky" the first time- I was nauseous the day I took the pregnancy test with Owen (4weeks 5days).  Gosh, I didn't know how good I had it the past ten days of no sickness.....

The only other new development is that we are having an early ultrasound!  I hate saying this because I have always been so sure of my cycles (sorry, TMI) but we are not exactly sure how far along I am.  So, early u/s to check the dates is scheduled for March 31.

I am not a proponent of extra or unnecessary testing during pregnancy, and that includes early ultrasounds, but in this case it is best for us to be able to see the baby as early as possible to get an accurate "due date".  (Age approximation is more accurate the earlier it is, before genetics take over). I also hate due dates, though, so let me explain further.  Since we are having an out-of-hospital midwife we need the due date to be as close to exact as possible.  This is because midwives are only allowed to attend births within a certain range.  So, if we thought we were due a week before (or after) we actually are, I think you can see the problems....

I am going to try my best to keep the mindset that I am due "mid-November" or even "sometime in November, hopefully before Thanksgiving".  One of the midwives we interviewed said it best when she told us that since only 5% of women deliver on their due date, once you have that date in mind you can basically be sure that is NOT the day you are going to have a baby.  Good point.

So, back to the nausea.  It's not as bad as I remember it being last time, yet I know it's still early and it "peaks" around 9 weeks for a lot of women.  (This obviously excludes the poor dears who are sick throughout pregnancy.  I feel for you.)  However, knowing how bad it was and remember writhing around in bed feeling wretched doesn't make me excited for the next few weeks.  Second trimester: come quickly.

Other than that, I've been sleeping like a champ lately.  Like, sometimes I'm in bed 10-12 hours a night.  It's awesome!  Owen has been sleeping through the night, so I feel very spoiled.

Speaking of Owen, he is such a sweet big brother already!  He rubs and kisses my belly without prompting, and always asks where Baby Tiny is.  He tells us how he wants to read to the baby and play toys with the baby.  He's also demanded that Baby Tiny "come out now".  That one takes a little explaining.

So, a little nausea and definitely tired, but so far, so good!

Pregnancy: Week 5ish

Written approximately 7 weeks before the news was public.  I know pregnancy updates can get long, boring, and contain a bit TMI so I will try to keep it brief but note some more details (mostly for my own memory) at the end.  Read neither, either, or both.  Totally your call.


Yes, we're having a(nother) baby.  We're really excited about it, and by "we" I mean all three of us- Owen is likely the most thrilled.  I'll be documenting everything, as usual, and I'll note the "pregnancy posts" so you can choose to read all the mundane updates or just check back when there's something more exciting.  You know, something with photos.

Anyway, we found out at the beginning of March after suspecting it for a couple of weeks.  We're thrilled, of course, though we can already tell a difference between having a first child and adding subsequent children to the family.  Examples: we're more confident in our ability to parent and we already have (almost) everything we need!

Right now it's just tough to keep it a secret.


More details:


Kraig and I took a pregnancy test (well, really it was just me) on March 4th- my birthday.  I was 6 days late, and while I thought it might just be because of wonky hormones post-weaning, we thought there could be a chance that we were pregnant.  We talked about it for a few days before my birthday and decided that we could start my birthday off with a pregnancy test.

Well, we were both a little disappointed after the test came up negative.

Ah well, we went on to have a wonderful day and we didn't think much about it.

I took another test 9 days later at 5:46am and by 5:48am I could see the two lines indicating POSITIVE!  I kind of ran around in circles with a smile on my face as I tried to decide whether I should go in and wake up Kraig- possibly annoying him- or if I should wait impatiently in bed until he stirred.

I chose the former.

Luckily he stirred when I went back to our room and wasn't upset that he was awake so early.  We talked for a while about our thoughts- exciting stuff, stressful stuff, joys and fears.  It was a wonderful morning.  Once Owen woke up we excitedly told him about the baby.  He was thrilled, and over the last few days he's really caught on to what we're saying.  We've shared little stories about when he was a tiny baby, and now he's taken to calling the baby "tiny" and asking if it can come along whenever we go somewhere.  Cute.

I'm not sure how far along I am.  Somewhere around 5 weeks I think.  I'm just going to go with a "due date" (hate those) of mid-November.  It's better for my psyche if there is no exact date attached after being ten days "late" with Owen.

With the benefit of our midwestern friends and family not being able to see my little paunch (seriously, already, yes) or notice my nausea and lack of energy, we're unsure of when we'll tell everyone.

So far I'm fairly symptomless.  I am sort of tired, but I think it is a combination of pregnancy, lack of caffeine, and Daylight Savings Time.  I sense a heavy rock-like feeling in my lower abdomen, but I think that's just growing pains and I'm extra sensitive because those muscles are more lax this time around.

We've been busy researching birth centers, home births, and midwives.  We know we want a natural birth (call me crazy) and we feel like the hospital setting was not at all conducive to that the last time.  I could go into a hospital again or even a hospital birth center (I've heard great things about them here) but the minute I walk through those doors and have to work with people in scrubs I feel as though I'll lose my willpower.  I felt very much stripped of my options with Owen's birth, as though they didn't respect my wishes or my plans that I had worked so hard at formulating.  (Let's be honest, they didn't respect them.  Hospital births are at the mercy of various policies and protocols.)

(I want to mention here that these are all my thoughts and opinions and while they are based on lots and lots and lots of research, they are also based on my personal wishes and experience.  I realize that many women don't want the same birth experience that I do, and I am just happy if a woman gets what she wanted, as childbirth is a very defining time in a woman's life.  As much as I respect everyone else's right to choose the birth they want, I want to be respected for my choice as well.  I don't think my experience is "better" than anyone else's, but I do think it is better for me.)

There are three awesome places that we have appointments with over the next 8 days, and hopefully we will straighten out our insurance coverage and meet a midwife that we feel is a good fit.  I had done a lot of research pre-pregnancy about the birthing centers here, so I was fairly familiar with their practices already.

I'm really excited about our options!   They are gorgeous facilities (if we choose a birth center rather than home birth), ultra-crunchy (like, total hippies) midwives who are super-empowering of women and their ability to birth naturally, and there are awesome amenities as well- doula, postpartum massage, childcare, meal service.  Yes, please!  All that for a FRACTION of the cost of a hospital stay where we'd likely experience another "cascade of interventions" (look it up) and feel like our experience was sub-par.

Anyway, I think the thing I am most excited for is sporting a cute little baby belly during the summer.  I was pregnant ALL. WINTER. LONG. with Owen, so I was always bundled up in layers and super uncomfortable.  This time?  Tank tops! Bathing suits! Skirts (instead of maternity pants!)!  I'm really excited. Also, our little Baby Tiny will be teeny-tiny at the holidays, which will be so fun.

All that to say that we're thrilled and have been able to do a lot of planning and research in the two days since we found out we are pregnant.  Exciting!

Easter Weekend

We got a special delivery on Friday night to start out our weekend.  

On Saturday afternoon we had a few planned activities.  Our next-door neighbors, Donna and Gordon, had the neighboring families over for an easter egg hunt/ egg-dying party for the kiddos.  This being Owen's first Easter where he was old enough to participate, I was curious if he'd understand the concepts.

Oh, he understood.

And he knew just what to do with the chocolate.

This is a bald eagle, no joke.

The sweet girl across the street is Owen's favorite.  She's almost 3, so they are sort of close in age.  Here he is bedazzling her with stickers.  True love.

On Sunday morning, we opted to attend Donna and Gordon's church service.  They had a breakfast and egg hunt before the service, so we got there early to participate.  Owen was thrilled!

 Owen was excited to show Papa Gordon his treats!

We were relieved that Owen was very well-behaved during the service.  He loves D & G, so he would move contentedly from our laps to theirs as Gordon drew pictures for him and Donna played peekaboo.

We took a long Easter's nap that afternoon (seriously, Owen napped for nearly 4 hours.  Ridic!) then we tore into our Easter treats.

Since our lunch was so late post-nap, we had a later dinner as well.  I prepared savory mushroom crepes and rosemary-roasted red potatoes, carrots, and fennel.  For dessert I had strawberry crepes- Owen and Kraig chose not to partake.  More for me!

They waited patiently for me to finish the last few crepes...

It was a relaxing, wonderful Easter weekend and we hope yours was, too!

homemade body care

My dear friend Emily prompted me to do a post on all the personal care products that I make at home.  This was a pretty big undertaking to list them all, complete with comparisons to conventional products, reasons why we don't use the conventionals, as well as price comparisons.

I hope I covered everything.

Here goes:

Lip balm- this is my favorite thing to make at home.  It only takes 3 ingredients, a couple of regular household tools, and some old lip balm containers (I use our tubes of Burt's Bees.  Empty, of course.)  I use this recipe, but have also added more coconut oil instead of jojoba oil/grapeseed oil.  I use what I have on hand basically.

Shampoo and conditioner-

hand soap-

face wash (and moisturizer all in one!)-

deodorant- Oh, my... I love, love, love, love, LOVE our deodorant.  We've been using it for two years and it is AMAZING.

body moisturizer

face scrub

deep conditioning treatment

hair lighteners

facial toner

bath salts

For baby:

Wipes solution

Antiseptic for wounds

Lotions

Some not-homemade but highly recommended products:
toothpaste
body soap
hand wash
contact solution
makeup
baby wash


It's so easy to make these things at home.  I literally have a handful of ingredients around for ALL of them, so here is your shopping list:

coconut oil
grapeseed/avocado/jojoba/sunflower seed/olive oil (any one will do, and you can use the ones in the grocery oil aisle, not pay extra for the beauty care ones.  They are all food grade anyway!)
castor oil
castille soap
tea tree oil
other essential oils (lavendar, eucalyptus, etc)
vitamin E oil
epsom salts
chamomile tea

pantry staples: oatmeal, lemon juice, honey, cornstarch, vinegar (white and apple cider), baking soda.

Another Zoo Day

Ode to our 'hood

I've mentioned our neighbors once or twice, haven't I?

Trust me when I say that I know our relationship with them is not the norm.

We are lucky.  Very, very lucky.

From the moment we arrived in Portland we have felt completely welcomed by everyone we've met.  It was almost as if we were long lost friends and they had been anticipating our arrival.  Seriously- excitement, hospitality, welcoming.  It was a bit shocking yet completely marvelous.  Multiple neighbors rang our doorbell on the very first day we were here, offering assistance and kind words.

Their care for us has only grown, of course.  They (4 households besides ourselves) get together quite often to eat dinner together, potluck-style.  We celebrate birthdays, holidays, and achievements together.  We also spend "one-on-one" time together with many of them multiple times a week.  We watch sports on TV, they welcome us in so Owen can play with their toys, we swap kids, we go to coffee, or we just go over to say "hi" and end up being invited in for hours.

They have cared for us when we were sick or grieving, and vice versa.

I can't even begin to count the boxes and boxes of free stuff (clothes for Owen, televisions (yes, TVs), books, toys, furniture, etc) that they have given us.  We try to return the favors, though we don't feel pressure for anything but a "thank you".

We're honored to have been welcomed into this close-knit community.  I can see why some people would shy away from an arrangement like this- some people like privacy more than we do.  I have to admit that there are days when I hope nobody comes and knocks on my door because I'm too tired, too frazzled, or too busy... but most of the time we don't mind at all.

We've thought often of moving to a more spacious place (sometimes our little two-bedroom seems like it doesn't have anymore growing room) but we immediately become aware of what we'd be giving up.  Suffice it to say, we're staying here just as long as everyone else does.  We just cannot leave our neighbors- what we have is too rare and too special.  Simply, we would miss them too much.  So we'll stay here no matter how much stuff or how many people/pets we have to cram into it.  No joke.

I think it goes without saying that we feel very lucky to have this family dynamic since we are so far from our biological families.  When we moved we talked a lot about wanting to give Owen those types of close, familial relationships- especially cross-generational ones.  Ask and you shall receive, right?

I want to note that we don't feel like these relationships have replaced any biological ones, but rather supplement them quite nicely.  We feel loved, cared for, and supported though we are 2700 miles from where we grew up.  Kraig and I especially appreciate that Owen gets to experience all of this love and support.  Family is what you make it, after all, so we are intentional about letting Owen call our close friends his "aunts" and "uncles".  Sure, we'll have to tell him that most of those people aren't related to us, but I don't think he'll mind.  The more people that love him, the better.

As we are approaching our 9-month anniversary of being in Portland (can you believe it?!), I'd have to say the thing we are most thankful for is our neighbors who act as our family.  We are so blessed.

Apple Products

.... are great for toddler entertainment.

Uncle Jason's Visit

We had our very first friend from the midwest come to visit us!  In true "uncle" form, Jason came bearing birthday gifts for the little man.  

Not just any gifts.  The best gifts ever.  

I have never, in the 2 years that I have known Owen, seen him play with a set of toys for such a lengthy period of time and so frequently.  Seriously, he cannot put these toys down.  He still gets excited about them nearly two weeks later! (this is shocking in kid-world)

Jason got him some stackable trucks and a boat made out of recycled materials complete with dolphins, a captain, and all the accessories.  

(Now don't everyone go out and buy him stackable toys, or trucks (he has lots!) or boats.  Find your own ideas :-))

You already know that we took a wonderful trip to the coast.

We ate at many restaurants... many.  Very many.

And we went to a Timbers Game!  This is the inaugural MLS season, and it was SO exciting.  The season is nearly sold out already, so we were glad to have nabbed these (second row-!!!!!) tickets when we did.

Jason got Owen a Timbers axe.  He loves it, of course!

  We also got necessary Timbers scarves :)

Timber Joey and his chainsaw... seriously.

Owen thought it was so awesome to watch real live soccer players.  He knew when we stood up he needed to scream.  What a good fan!

It got a little nerve-wracking at the end, but we won 3-1.  No Pity in Soccer City!

When we got home the boys kept the momentum alive by playing a little one-on-one in the front yard.

Thanks for the soccer ball, Uncle Jason!  It's getting lots of good use.

It was really fun having a familiar friend in town and getting to show him around.  Come back soon!

The Coast

I've visited the beach before.  Heck, I even lived at VA Beach for 2.5 months one summer.  We vacationed often in Daytona Beach and off the coast of NC.  I'm admittedly not a huge fan... The sand, the salty water, the sea creatures.  I'm an indoor gal for sure.

I enjoy the beauty of the beach, though.  As far as that goes, I am totally impressed by the West Coast.  This is just my humble opinion after one short trip to the coast but, WOW.

I'll stop talking and just let you see for yourself.

Hello, Pacific Ocean.  It's nice to meet you.

 Those hazy hills really add something special, don't you think?

 Haystack Rock

Exploring the tidal pools- good thing we got there during low tide!

Do you see what I see?

What about here?

Closeup!