Tag! I'm It!

http://www.mamadweeb.com/ just tagged me in a super fun Q&A about Love and Marriage!
So without further ado, the fun little answers!

♥What are your middle names?
Marie and Gaylon

♥How long have you been together?
Since June 2001 when he FINALLY asked me out. ;)

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
I met him when I was 13 and he'd just turned 15. He didn't ask me out until we were 18 and 19. I met him at the county fair. My friend's friend introduced me to a group of kids from her Church and he was among them. He doesn't remember this. ;) I later met him again in Sunday School. We'd been going to one Church for a year, since we'd moved to town, but we switched Churches and started going to the one my now-hubby attended. I admired alot of his qualities but didn't really think of him like THAT. He was just some guy. Then one wintery night when I was about 14 I brought a newborn cashmere goat to youth group to show it off. There was one guy I'd been watching and praying about because he had alot of the qualities I was looking for in a husband, but when I offered to let him hold the goat he got grossed out, said animals grossed him out, and he was acting like a showoff refusing to touch the kid like it was diseased or something. So that crossed him off my list loud and clear. There was only one other guy in whom I'd noticed the qualities that I was looking for... my now-hubby. I didn't have any *special* attraction to anyone there though before this point, just an observant interest in seeing if anyone matched up with my Perfect Man list. Like I said, only 2 guys seemed to have enough of those qualities to attract my notice and the one just snubbed my favorite animal in a most rude manner and therefore was transferred to my Perfect Jerk list. Lol! So I was walking around letting everyone hold the goat and there was shy future-hubby on the edge of the crowd watching the goat intently. I walked up to him and offered to let him hold it and his eyes lit up! He was I think 16 at the time. He took the goat and I showed him how to hold it. The goat was just a day old and only about 6 pounds. A tiny little baby goat it was. Well someone asked me a question and I got to chatting and then realized Mom was waiting in the car for me to bring back the goat so she could take it home to it's mother! Whoops! So I looked around to see who had the goat, and I didn't see it anywhere! I was like, "Where's my goat?!" and the youth leader pointed to the other end of the basement where future-hubby was standing and rocking the goat with an adoring look on his face, his cheek on the top of it's head, and the newborn kid was sound asleep in his arms!!!! Yeah I know, total Awwwww, right? And I fell head over heels crazy in love with him in that instant. I said to myself, "I'm gonna marry him!"

♥ Who made the first move?
I made him. Haha. I knew he was THE ONE when I saw him cuddling my goat but it was over 3 more years before he came to the same conclusion! :p It was the longest 3 years of my life, waiting and praying and lots more happened but if I got into all that, this post would take a week to write.

♥ Who asked who out?
He asked me. Lots more to this story but I could fill a book...

♥ How old are each of you?
I'm 26. He's a year and a half older than me.

♥ Did you go to the same school?
I was homeschooled and he was not. So no.

♥ Are you from the same home town?
I moved to his town just before my 13th birthday.

♥ Who is the smartest?
We are both smart in different ways.

♥ Who majored in what?
Neither of us went to college. He joined the Navy at 17 and I got a job while I waited for him to realize I was the one. Lol!

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
Sensitive could have alot of meanings. He's super sweet and compassionate for a guy! :) And me... I'm sensitive in the extreme. Like in both the good way and the bad way. I'm compassionate but I'm also easily hurt.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Ummmm... We only go out on our anniversary really now that we have kids. We like Olive Garden and Outback Steakhouse for special occasions. With the kids though we go to McDonald's sometimes and occasionally IHOP.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
We lived in Hawaii for the first 3 years of marriage, but were only actually there and together for less than half that. Due to deployments. :p One deployment his ship was in Florida so I flew out there to see him. I've never been out of the country.

♥ Who has the worst temper?
Both of us about different things.

♥ How many children do you want?
*I* want as many as God gives me. He however is more than content with the 2 we have. We shall see what the future holds.

♥ Who does the cooking?
I do. Except on rare occasion when he makes a concoction of Mac & Cheese and hotdogs when I'm sick or gone. Icky.

♥ Who is more social?
He would be content to live out life as a hermit in the woods speaking only with me and the kids. I am SUPER SHY in person but I love to interact on the internet and am quite social online, so I would have to say me. I would be so sad without online interaction.

♥ Who is the neat-freak?
I used to be. I would have to say each of us has our things we're obsessive about.

♥ Who is the most stubborn?
Oh man both of us have a stubborn streak a mile wide! But I'd say probably him... ;)

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Him.

♥ Where was your first date?
The phone. He was home on leave when he asked me out. He was only home on leave 1 time that I recall between asking me out and marrying me. ;)

♥ Who has the bigger family?
Oddly enough they are the same. He has 2 siblings and I have a have 2 siblings.

♥ Do you get flowers often?
Yes. :) About once a month, sometimes more or less. But he brings me something chocolate every week and that's at least as good as flowers!

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
His fam has a reunion every Thanksgiving so we spend Thanksgiving with his family.
Christmas is a big deal with my fam so we spend it with them. Both our families live 6 hours drive from here.

♥ Who is more jealous?
Neither of us? He used to get jealous of time I spent with my internet friends and I get jealous of time he spends with his work friends.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
Welll... He asked me out one night and I told him I'd think about it! Lol! Like I said, alot of story is missing but it's long. ;) Anyway, the next night I said yes, he asked if he could kiss me. I said yes to that too. I'd had guys try to kiss me before and I freaked out. It wasn't right. I couldn't give my first kiss away to someone I was not going to marry. When now-hubby asked me if he could kiss me, I'd been praying about him for 3 years and knew 100% without a doubt he was the one. So I said yes. And when we kissed I could have sworn I heard angels singing. It was perfect. It was serious from the get-go. It had been serious through the preceeding 3 years of fervent prayers. And 3 months later, September 11th, when we realized the country would be going to war and things could be shattered in an instant, he finally told me he loved me. I waited for him to tell me first but I loved him too. And after that, I have no idea how it happened but when we would talk on the phone we would always just talk like we were getting married. Then in February he called me up and said that he could get leave in May if I thought that would be a good time to tie the knot. Which I did of course. So my family went wild preparing a dream wedding in 3 months and I had my fairy-tale wedding. We went ring shopping together one day, he officially proposed, and the following day was the wedding. :D

♥ Who eats more?
We both eat alot. We like food. Food tastes yummy. Plus I'm a good cook, so that helps.

♥ What do you do for a living?
I chase my kids around all day. Hubby works in HVAC control systems now that he's out of the military.

♥ Who does the laundry?
ME. He's not allowed to touch it. He would dry in stains or wash socks with towels and jeans or something. *shudders* Yes I do have laundry OCD. Haha!

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
Him. I know a little bit about a few things that he doesn't know, but overall he knows more than I do.

♥ Who drives when you are together?
Him. I think it's kind of symbolic. Then there's the fact that I am intimidated by driving. ;)

♥ What is "your" song?
It being 3am right now I can't think of the name of it. It's the one by Brian Adams that is on the Kevin Costner Robin Hood movie.


Now to tag some people. Hmmm who shall my victims be? ;)
I pick.... Georgiann, Amy, and Cat!

It's finally happened: Toddler Tales Tuesday

Wednesday September 30th it finally happened. What I've been waiting for. Bug (13.5 months old) started WALKING!!! He just stood up about 2 feet in front of me and wobbled two steps toward me before falling into my arms giggling. He was so proud of himself! Hooray for my sweet Buggie walking! I'm just so proud of my sweet boy! :) He's been practicing ever since.

-+-+-


If you have a sweet, cute, or funny Toddler (or kid) story, I'd love it if you'd share it here in the comments! :)

If you would like to post a Toddler Tales Tuesday on your blog, please just leave a link back to my blog in your post so people can see where you got the idea. You may leave a link to your post in my comments on the condition that you also post a comment! No link-and-runs please! ;) (I am still figuring out basic blogging so this will have to do until I am experienced enough to attempt a Mr. Linky or something.)

Halloween - Part 1: Jack-O-Lantern, Jack the Smith, Stingy Jack

Today in Halloween history we will be studying the origins of the Jack-O-Lantern.

The Jack-O-Lantern began with an Irish legend. So goes the legend there was a man named Jack who was a blacksmith. He was a stingy drunkard and a con-artist. Smooth and silver-tongued it was said he could talk anyone into anything. (For more information, Wikipedia "Stingy Jack".) The Devil heard about Jack and was curious and jealous of his reputation so the Devil went to find him. Some versions say the Devil came to Jack in a bar. Some say Jack met the Devil along a deserted road, and some say Jack came across a body with an evil grin in the path at night on his way home and from there took Jack to the bar to get him drunk enough to kill him. All agree that they were at one point in the pub. Jack requested to have one more drink, or several, or the Devil convinced him to drink more. Jack asked the Devil to pay his tab in exchange for his soul and the devil turned himself into a coin to pay the tab, assuming once it was paid he would turn back into himself and walk out of the bar, but instead of paying with the coin, Jack put it in his pocket with a crucifix to prevent the Devil from returning to his natural form. Jack made a bargain with the Devil to release him if he promised not to come for Jack's soul for another ten years.
Ten years after that the Devil found Jack out walking and informed him it had been 10 years and it was now time to relinquish his soul. Jack was like, 'Oh okay. But could I have an apple first? I'm starving and since I'll be starving through eternity in Hell, at least let me have one last apple before I go!' So the devil climbed up a tree by the road to get Jack his last apple and Jack carved a cross in the tree trunk or laid crosses around the tree so that the Devil would be trapped in the tree. He made the Devil promise never to take his soul to hell.
Jack's lifestyle caught up with him and Jack found himself dead at the Pearly Gates where he was refused entrance to Heaven due to his wicked life. So Jack's soul wandered down to Hell where the Devil reminded him he cannot enter there either. Jack asked, "Then where am I to go?" and the Devil replied, "Back where you came from!" The Devil sent him on his way with a coal from Hell to light his way, which Jack held in a hollowed out turnip. Jack's homeless soul wanders the earth with his coal-in-a-turnip lantern, looking for a home.

Due to this legend, Jack's Lantern or Jack O' Lantern came to be used to describe a strange light flickering over the marshes of Ireland. If approached, the light was always just out of reach. The mysterious occurrence is also known as will o' the wisp and ignis fatuus, Gaelic for 'foolish fire.' It was said that it was Jack's soul wandering, looking for a home.


READ MORE...
Part 2: Origins - All Hallows Eve, All Saints Day
Part 3: How it all ties in, Christian response
Part 4: My Personal Beliefs

"FryDay" recipe: Salted Pumpkin Seeds and Pumpkin Walnut Bread!

Before I get to the good stuff, I wanted to let you know why this is 2 days early. Well you see, my Nana is in the hospital and rumor has it she's not doing so well so I'll be leaving for the weekend to go see her. So here's Friday's post early and I will probably not get to post again until Monday as I will be gone. I hope you all have a terrific weekend! See you on Monday...

Pumpkin Walnut Bread & Salted Pumpkin Seeds
DAY 1 OF SEEDS, PUMPKIN PREP:
You will need 1 pie pumpkin, a couple of helpers, a sharp knife, trash can, bowls, a cheese grater, a strainer, and some salt.
Cut the pumpkin into 6ths or 8ths so it's easy to handle. Have your helpers clean the seeds and goo out. Throw the stringy goo away and put the larger of the seeds in a pile or a strainer basket. If you have a 3 year old they will probably try to eat the seeds whole and slimy. This will not hurt them, but may gross you out. Or maybe this is only MY 3 year old? Peel the dark orange shell off the outsides of the pumpkin chunks with the knife. Only go about a milimeter deep. You just want to get the outside off and not waste alot of the meat. Hand the peeled chunks to another helper to rinse off and grate with the cheese grater.
Have another helper gently rinse the seeds in the strainer so they don't go down the drain, and then put the rinsed seeds in a clean bowl. Pour in a LOT of salt on the seeds, about half as much salt as there are seeds. Run the tap until the water is hot and fill the salt/seeds bowl to where the water covers the seeds. Set this bowl in a warm safe place to soak overnight.
If you are baking your bread at a later date, put the grated pumpkin in a freezer bag and freeze. Will stay good in the freezer for a month or two. Thaw an hour before baking - also a good time to take the butter out to soften too. If you are baking it right away, proceed to bread recipe.

DAYS 2 & 3 OF SEEDS:
After soaking them in saltwater overnight, drain the seeds through a strainer and then spread on a paper towel for a bit to drain some more.
RAW- Change to a fresh dry paper towel after about an hour and leave on the paper towel to dry again overnight in a warm dry place. Leave them drying for about a week.
ROASTED- Spread drained seeds evenly on a lightly oiled baking sheet that has sides. Bake in the oven at 250 degrees for about an hour until they start to brown, stirring them with a pancake turner every 10-15 minutes. Remove and cool. Enjoy. Store in a dry place.



Pumpkin Walnut Bread Recipe
2 2/3 C. Sugar
2/3 C.  Butter (softened)
3 C. grated Pumpkin (can substitute all or part grated zucchini if you don't have enough pumpkin)
2/3 C. Water
4 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
3 1/3 C all-purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. ground Cloves
1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1+ C. chopped Walnuts (or Pecans)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line with aluminum foil and/or grease & sugar bottoms and sides of 2 large or 3 medium loaf pans.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Stir in pumpkin, water, eggs and vanilla.
In seprate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and baking powder. Mix well. Add to wet ingredients and mix well. Mix in nuts.
Pour into pans. Bake until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean- about an hour and 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pans. Cool almost completely before attempting to slice. If bread is still hot it will not slice pretty. Lukewarm is okay.
Will store in refrigerator in a ziplock or saran wrap for up to 10 days. Will store in freezer for a month or two- wrap in foil and then put into a gallon ziplock bag and then in freezer. If you baked it in foil lined pans, just wrap the existing foil up and over the top and stick the whole thing in a ziplock in the freezer.
Althoug seriously you're gonna smell it baking and that will be the end of your thoughts of freezing some for later. Seriously. It will be gobbled up faster than you can say "Pumpkin Walnut Bread!" ;)

Happy Birthday Chicklet! (Pics and Birth Story!)

My sweet sweet girl is 3 years old! Oh how time flies! I remember the day she was born...

I was due September 29th 2006.
August 9th was a full moon and it threw me into false labor for a week.

Then September 7th was a full moon and it again threw me into labor starting on the 8th which was a Friday. I had contractions 4-13 minutes apart for about 20 hours a day for over a week they would die down between midnight and 5:00am and be calm for a few hours until I got up in the morning at which point they'd start again. Sometimes that's how I'd wake up in the morning. The would be barely painful for most of the day and then toward evening they would get really painful to where I'd stop what I was doing and grit my teeth through them.

Saturday, September 16th:

Finally after over a week of this, on Saturday the 16th I was awakened as usual with contractions that were pretty painful. Not as bad as they got later in labor of course, but at the time they were enough to make me cry. I have the lowest pain tolerence level of anyone I've ever heard of though. I'm a world-class WIMP. It was like 4am. I tried to go back to sleep but I was restless. Around 7:00am I went to the bathroom and there was my bloody show. I was so excited! Finally this baby was coming out and I would get to meet her! I was so so so tired of carrying her around inside me 24-7. I wanted to be able to SEE her and touch her and be able to put her down once in a while for a change! Lol! I called my midwife to let her know and she said that I would probably have a baby within 24 hours now that I've had my bloody show. She said to call when the contractions got regular and lasted a minute long. I think she was surprised since it was 13 days before my due date. I called my family to let them know it would be within the next couple days and to ask my sis how long it was from when she got her bloody show until she gave birth. About 24 hours: bloody show one night and baby the next night she said. Who knew I'd have her nearly 2 weeks early? First timers usually go overdue not under, or so I've heard. Not that I was complaining! Lol!

I shaved, got my last minute items like my postpartum supplies from Earth Mama Angel Baby and chapstick that I used every day packed in my bags, made sure I had sweats to come home in that wouldn't hurt my newly-empty tummy, readied a pile of blankets to sit on in the car in case my water broke in the car or if for reason something happened and we didn't make it and I had the baby in the car. I didn't really think it would happen but better safe than sorry, right? I made sure there were diapers and sleepers in the diaper bag and the carseat was full of soft little blankies and snapped into the car. My husband made sure the pets' food and water was full in case we were gone long. I pulled out some last minute things in the nursery, like desitin and swaddling blankets, so everything would be ready for baby. Then I laid out a comfy outfit to labor in that I could bring or put on in advance depending on how I felt. I was totally in nesting mode and cleaned up the house while I was at it, stopping to breathe through the contractions.

My sweet Kady-dog (a pit bull- no the things they say about pit bulls are NOT true! She was the best dog ever, so gentle and sweet!) must have known I was in labor or something. Ever since she woke up that morning she'd been practically glued to my side. I'd go to the kitchen to eat, she would follow and lay on the kitchen rug while I made food. I'd go use the bathroom, she would lay outside the door until I came out and then follow me back to wherever. I tried to take a nap several times, and each time she followed me and layed right beside the bed until I got up. My husband kept calling her trying to get her to play fetch or something and she would go sniff him for two seconds and then come running back to lay on my feet! I couldn't take a step without tripping on her!


She was just acting too weird. She MUST have known I was in labor and that's why she was being all concerned and clingy! It was actually sweet I think, and kind of cute!
 

All day and all night I was plagued by contractions 4-13 minutes apart lasting anywhere from 20 seconds to a minute and a half. I was in that state of "sleep" where you really aren't asleep all night. Where you know what's going on around you but you aren't really a part of it. I was in too much pain to fall all the way to sleep and too tired to wake all the way up. Until around 4:00am on Sunday when the contractions were unbearable.

Sunday, September 17th:
I would flail around in bed holding my breath and making dying animal sounds during the contractions. I thought someone was sawing through my spine. Stupid back labor. My husband started pushing on my spine, the counter-pressure on my back helped the pain immensely. We kept timing the contractions.

5:10am- A particularly strong contraction hit. It squeezed so hard that the counter-pressure did nothing for it. I moaned and saw stars, thrashing around in the bed in agony and inside me, Baby Chicklet didn't like being squeezed that hard and started thrashing around too. When she jumped inside me it broke my water. I felt this POP and instantly the contraction started to fade and I said to my husband that my water broke and I needed to make a run for the bathroom because when I stood up it was going to gush out. So I rolled to the edge and ran to the bathroom. Surprisingly I made it all the way to the tile floor before amniotic fluid started running down my legs.

5:30am- Contractions were still 4-13 minutes apart. I was miserable but excited to see my baby. I decided that the contractions had been 4-13 minutes apart lasting anywhere from 20 seconds to a minute and a half for the last 10 days straight and I was just not a regularly timed contraction type of girl.

 
Just before 6:00am- I called "midwife M" and told her I'm not going to have regular contractions, and that my water had broke. She said to meet her at the birth center in 1 1/2 hours and in the mean time I should take a bath to ease the pain. Ugh!

The bath didn't help. I still had to holler for hubby to put pressure on my back during contractions even in the warm bath water. Counter pressure didn't help anymore. It felt like a giant shark was biting me in half with every contraction. I wouldn't wish back labor on my worst enemy.

I think my water breaking sent me into more painful contractions super fast; it went from me thinking it was unbearable pain even in the bathtub to getting out of the tub to get dressed and throwing up from the pain. The water breaking didn't make the contractions regular, it just made them hurt more. Nearing time to leave for the 45 minute drive to the birthing center I started pacing the living room at warp speed. I must have done a hundred laps. Meanwhile my husband had put everything I needed in the car except me, and I was refusing to go. It hurt too bad when I was still. I was throwing up from the pain. (See, I told you I was a world-class wimp!) No way was I sitting in the car where I would be strapped in unable to pace. I was TERRIFIED. My poor husband was following me around and around the living room begging me to get in the car now so we could leave. Finally he got me into the car, complete with a bucket to puke in. Which I did need to make use of a couple minutes into the trip, unfortunately. Surprisingly the car was so relaxing and by the time we got there I didn't want to get OUT of the car! I asked hubby if he'd just drive around for a while until I had the baby. Lol!

About 7:50am?- Finally got out of the car and into the birthing center. Midwife M checked me and I was dialated to a 4. So I paced around for a while. Midwife M kept trying to get me to sit on the exercise ball and lean my head on a pile of pillows, but I really could not stay still during contractions. They just hurt too bad. So I'd be on the ball until the contraction got bad and I would jump up off the ball and start pacing again. I was reciting The Lord's Prayer during contractions as I paced because I needed something to focus on and I knew the only One who could get me through this much pain was God! Plus my brain was too fogged with agony to think of my own prayer. I just knew I needed help so I recited the only prayer I could think of.

Almost 9am?- Pacing. Lord's Prayer. So much pain. My dear husband had stopped trying to help me with counter pressure because it just didn't help anymore. There's nothing short of getting run over by a MAC truck that would have pushed hard enough for me to notice by this point. I paused my pacing to look at my poor husband who was watching me worriedly, and I asked 'where's my epidural?!" His eyes got huge like he wondered if I was going to run across the room and attack him, so I smiled and said, "I'm just joking silly, it was just a joke!" At whick he gave me a sort of half-smile, eyes still huge, maybe still waiting for me to snap. Yeah he'd heard the stories of women in labor trying to murder the man who helped get them that way so I think he was expecting me to try to cut something off. Then the contraction was too unbearable to stay still anymore so I resumed pacing.

Around 9:30am?- Midwife M checked me again. I started freaking out because it HURT when she was in there during a contraction, and by now the contractions were almost on top of each other. She said I would be a 6 if I could relax but my freaking out contracted my cervix back down to a 4. I'm thinking Relax?! What is this woman thinking?! She said as soon as I am a 7 or so She will let me get in the jacuzzi to help with the pain but tht it's too soon now or it might stall my labor. I tried to relax and something must have worked because around 10am I was feeling a pushing urge. My body was literally pushing by itself. I was trying to stop it but it would not stop. It hurt really bad too! So I wandered out to the reception area and asked midwife M why my body was doing this jerking thing like it was trying to push and how to stop it because it HURT! She seemed very surprised and said, "well if you're feeling a pushing urge I'd better check you again!" So she did and we were all very surprised. In half an hour I'd gone from a 4-6 to a 9!! She said I'm so close, almost there and I guess it was too late for me to be in the jacuzzi for a bit because she started setting up the birthing stool at warp speed! I was in so much pain I forgot the words to the prayer I'd been saying nonstop for hours. I was hanging off the bathroom doorjamb staring unseeing in agony saying the first line of the Lords Prayer and then stopping and starting to cry because I was so tired and in so much pain I couldn't remember the words. Then midwife M came over to me and took my hands and said it with me, helping me to remember the words. She told me my breathing was great, that I was getting lots of oxygen to the baby and to keep breathing, it's almost time. Then I couldn't stop myself from pushing anymore. I just couldn't stop. I told midwife M that I couldn't stop it anymore I can't do it and I can't stay standing anymore I'm too tired. Her and my husband helped me onto the birthing stool and midwife M told me that during the next contraction I could begin to push. I didn't really want to that first time because I thought it would surely hurt worse than anything. I'd heard stories where they say that's the worst part. And as bad as it hurt when my body was pushing of it's own accord, how much mroe must it hurt if I TRY to push? But once I started pushing I was surprised at how much the pain lessened. Or would have been surprised if I was capable at that point. By this time I'd been in so much pain for so long I was having an out of body experience. I was not grounded at all. I fell like I was floating around the vicinity of my body but not in it. A few pushes later the head began to come through the cervix, and then the door opened and in came two young giggling midwives. I was upset. They had disrupted my concentration and peace. They were strangers to me. I'd had like 1 or 2 appointments with each of them so I barely knew them and I started hollering and freaking out to get them out of here. But midwife M scolded me and I retreated back into my hazy out of body experience, pushing. They tried listening to the baby's heart with the doppler and I freaked out again. Not because they were trying to listen for the baby, but because they were trying to push me backwards, leaning back, to be able to reach the baby's heart, and it was all I could do to stay upright at all by this point, let alone try to keep my balance while leaning back. Not to mention it hurt to get out of position with the baby coming down the birth canal. And I instinctually knew the baby was fine. I wanted to scream at them that she is fine and to stop hurting me and wasting time, but I didn't have the energy. So I pushed like mad. I pushed so hard that it was all of 3 or 4 pushes before she was crowning. I had my eyes closed most of the pushing time but opened them as three excited midwives were telling me to reach down and feel my baby's head as she comes out, and I angrily snapped that TRUST ME I feel every inch and not with my hand! I glanced at my husband who was perched in front of me on the edge of the jacuzzi with his eyes fixed on the emerging head of his first child, and he was wiping away tears with a smile of awe. I closed my eyes and went back to work. One more good puswh was all it took. Once her head was out the rest of her just slid out with no effort on my part. 10:27am on September 17th, 2006

I looked down and there on a pile of towels beneath me was a tiny baby girl. A beautiful tiny baby girl. She looked up at me and let out an indignant squawk! And there was a waterfall of blood. So much blood. I heard the distant echoes of three midwives, the hint of panick in one voice. One voice giving orders. I didn't understand the words. Midwife M tried to hand me my baby but the cord was so short I was holding her against my pubic bone - that was all the farther the cord would reach. So the midwife cut the cord and then handed her back to me. I stared down with no emotion at the child whose wide open eyes had not left mine from the moment of her birth, and felt nothing except a dull dissappointment that apparently I was dying and would not get to know her, to see her grow up. I thought, "Ohhh I had to go through all that hard work and don't even get to feel a bond with her?" I felt a needle stab in my left hip and then everyone sat back and held their breath. And the bleeding slowed. The voices were relieved and happy now. My hands were shaking so bad from exhaustion I hoped I would not drop the baby.

The midwives and my husband got a giant silly diaper on me quick as a wink and then carried me to the bed a few feet away. I was only in bed for like 5 minutes before the diaper was overflowing with blood so they helped me to the bathroom to change it the first of many times before I went home. (I didn't know a person could loose so much sleep, sanity, and blood all in 24 hours and then look into the tiny face of a child and be totally refreshed.) I was only in there for a minute. When I sat on the toilet more blood started gushing out and it scared me, so I peed and they gave me a new diaper and I dragged myself back to bed ASAP. In bed I held my tiny baby and finally realized I was back to earth. I finally saw her. Really SAW her! She was so pink and healthy! But her and the blanket she was wrapped in were sploched with my blood. Her hair was sticky with amniotic fluid. I have to tell you as soon as her tiny mouth latched onto my nipple all that love and motherly feelings that I thought would be there the instant I saw her, finally came rushing in. She was the most adorable thing in the world all naked and slimy and wet looking up at me with her tiny trusting baby eyes! Her fist clenched and unclenched against my breast and she would stop sucking and then root around looking for the nipple again all floppy-headed and weak, never taking her eyes off mine. So adorable! I almost didn't want my midwife to wash her off because she was just so perfectly adorable all slimy! Lol! I was half-sitting in bed with her on my tummy wrapped in a receiving blanket, and the bed blankets over us both. Then she peed on me. LOL! Thank you dear Chicklet!

We went home 5 hours after her exodus from Wombville. I was so exhausted but could not sleep there in that big soft bed. Oh no I have to sleep in my own bed. I am not the kind of person that can sleep anywhere. I have to have my own bed. So as soon as baby and I were declared healthy, we left. We stopped by my husband's grandma's house on the way home. It's like 2 blocks from the birthing center. They reached in the car window and petted her tiny hands and then we went home and I had a nice long nap with my sweet little baby.

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February '07 - 5 months old:

April 2007 - 7 months old:

June & July '07 - 9 & 10 months old:

August 2007 - 11 months old:

January 2008 - 15 months old:

April to July 2008 - 18 to 20 months old:

August 2008 - 23 months old:

Here it is 3 whole years later! Oh my! How is it possible for 3 years to go by so fast?

Cheating on Dinner

Okay so last night I was tired and didn't feel like cooking anything amazing so I cheated.

Mac & Cheat Dinner... Lol! (I'm a dork, yeah I know.)

Brown up 1 to 1.5 pounds of ground beef (whatever amnt. you usually use for a meal) and set aside to drain.
Make up 1 or 2 (depending on size of your family We use 1 box for our family of 4 but if we had bigger little eaters we'd have to use 2 because I like leftovers for next-day lunch) boxes of Mac & Cheese according to the box directions.
Add the beef to the mac & Cheese.
Add 1 can of condensed tomato soup - do not dilute. Add a sprinkle of Oregano and a sprinkle of Basil. Don't add salt- tomato soup is mega salty tasting already.
Heat until it bubbles, mixing all the while. If there doesn't appear to be enough tomato soup to spread through all the noodles, add a dash of milk.
Serve. Tastes kinda like cheesy spaghetti. :)

If you have solid-eating babies, I give them some of the plain cooked noodles and beef before I add the cheese sauce and soup. This meal is good served with toast and some sort of steamed veggie. If you add parmesan with the tomato soup or sprinkle it on after serving it makes it even more delicious! It takes a whopping 10 minutes to make and everyone loves it.