Amazing Gifts from Friends!

Check out http://www.etsy.com/shop/kendrahouser! She made me some absolutely amazing baby hats and because she knows me so well, was sweet enough to make most of them out of yarn made from recycled plastic bottles! Plus, they are adorable!

Also, I saw her son in one of the rompers and they are pretty much the cuttest thing ever. Doc even commented on how awesome his outfit was and if/when we have a son we're getting some :)

Thanks Kendra!

Proof

Proof that diet and exercise pay off. Eating healthy and staying active through out this pregnancy has paid off. My daughter is measuring at 6 pounds 10 ounces right now, which is basically ideal weight and all her other measurements are right on. I've had perfect numbers as far as blood pressure, blood levels, weight gain, etc. go. I feel like staying active and healthy has definitely attributed to that. I'm full term now, so baby any day between now and a month from now (a due month is way more accurate than a due date). I might be a little uncomfortable at night and take longer to do things, but I am in pretty good shape.

I caught my reflection in a store window today and thought "it is INCREDIBLE that my body can do this!"

P.S. Saw Evelyn's face today when Doc did an ultrasound (I was the practice dummy for him to learn a machine). It was all smashed up like when you smash your face against a piece of glass...but still adorable.

Staying Healthy - Getting Harder

Motivating myself to go on walks every single day is really difficult. My daughter has settled down low into my pelvis making walking progressively uncomfortable and difficult. Who would have thought walking around the block would challenge my endurance like this? I'm finding quickly that laziness is a slippery slope. I keep telling myself all the excuses to justify not working out, not eating well, not drinking enough water. The truth is, I'm in the home stretch and just need to suck it up! The best trick I have for keeping on task with food is to ask myself "would I feed this to my baby?" Would I give my daughter a king sized reeses? Probably not. So I don't need to eat it right now. Especially without getting all the good foods too. So today I am eating healthy and taking the dog on a walk. Tomorrow will be another fight to convince myself to stay on target.

Homebirth Information - not for the faint

Ok, so as many of you know, Doc and I decided to plan a homebirth for our daughter. This means that I will labor at our home and deliver baby Evelyn here with a CNM (certified nurse midwife) in attendance to make sure that both myself and the baby are safe during the process. I've been asked a lot of questions about this decision, so I thought I'd post and answer a few.

Is that safe?: It can be. Midwifes are normally very selective (ours sure is) in who they will allow to plan for a homebirth. I am in excellent health, with great blood test numbers, appropriate weight gain, and a healthy baby. I'm a good candidate. Homebirth has a more narrow window for when you can deliver at home too. We will be going to a hospital if I go into labor before Thanksgiving OR if Evelyn refuses to come out on time and I need to be induced at a hospital.

What are you doing for pain medication?: I'm going without pain medication. We've taken classes to prepare and my husband is highly supportive of my decision to avoid medications if at all possible. I have been told I'm crazy many times for choosing this path, but I believe it's what is right for my family. It's certainly not right for everyone's.

What if something goes wrong?: We have a backup OBGYN just in case anything goes wrong. The midwife will call the OB and the hospital (less than 1/2 mile away) in the event we need to transfer to a hospital at any point in time. Her transfer rate is under 6% and the majority of those are mothers who decided they were too tired to continue at home or changed their mind about not having pain medication.

What is a CNM?: A certified nurse midwife is an RN with additional education and training in the field of women's health. My midwife can prescribe certain medications and my insurance covers her as my primary care during pregnancy. She IS NOT some old witchdoctor lady who brings a stick for me to bite on and chants alot during labor.

What about the mess?: It's not so old school now that you have a few warm towels and some boiled water and hope for the best. We ordered a birth supplies kit from "In His Hands" online. It includes medical devices (gloves, clamps, etc.) as well as absorbancy pads to control the mess from birth. One of the requirements for homebirth is that we clean our house thoroughly, especially the room we intend to deliver in.

What does your husband think about all this?: This question makes me laugh. Anyone who really knows Doc and I knows that we don't make decisions like this without being completely on the same team. Doc believes in my ability to birth as do I. He knows the risks involved with labor and has seen how well I have taken care of myself so far through-out pregnancy. He's on board. I do not think I could have the strength to do an unmedicated birth at home without his complete support.

Any more questions? Let me know!

Humane Pest Control Worked Better Anyway!

We made the switch to live traps and let me tell you, WAY MORE AFFECTIVE! Not only could we catch 4 mice in each trap, but in about three days, we'd caught all the mice. No signs of them for the last 4 days now. We had kill traps set up still, but the mice didn't go near them. Hurray for not killing the mice AND having it be the most successful form of pest removal!

P.S. Released the mice out of the live trap at a park a small distance from the house. Backyard release = mouse back in house.

I Can't Think of Anything Greener...

Than a Naked Baby!

Just thought I'd post this picture of a cake from one of my showers. The hostess told me that she was talking with the cake lady and said that the parents were very into being green and her response became the title of this entry. So when you think green, think naked baby.