Emery's Birth Story

My eyes popped open and I looked at the clock, 3:12 am.  My back was hurting and my abdomen was tight.  I told myself, "It's too early to be in labor, I'm tired and going back to sleep".  I fell asleep with the song, In Christ Alone in my head.

I had prayed my way out of labor earlier in the emergency room.  I wasn't there for myself, but for my little Myra.  She was the sickest I've ever seen her.  I rushed her to the e.r. with a temperature of 104.5 and rapid breathing.  The doctor told us she had RSV.  I was 41 weeks pregnant and very thankful that God kept Emery in there a little longer.  Contractions started while I was holding Myra during a breathing treatment.  I prayed that God would hold them off a little longer, Myra needed me right now.  We left the hospital around 9:00 that night, stopped, and got a bite to eat.  Dax had already taken Alayna home and put her to bed.  He and I talked for a couple hours or so; about how crazy the day was, how thankful we were that Myra was okay, and how we couldn't wait to meet our sweet baby.  Little did we know we wouldn't be waiting very long....

Sleep finally found me around midnight.  When I woke up, I knew, that less then three and a half hours of sleep would not get me through labor.  Myra's labor was long and hard, 48 hours.  Contractions came again ten minutes later.  I moved onto my hands and knees, attempting to flip her over.  My midwife told me that she was posterior.  No surprise, posterior babies and back labor runs in my family.  The contractions weren't so bad, I decided to just stay laying down on the next one in an attempt to rest through it.  I paid for my arrogance!  It was then that I knew, this was real labor.  Go Time.

Immediately, I prayed, "It's just us, Father.  You are all I need and I'm complete in you.  Thank you for Dax and my midwives.  But right now I just want to be here with you".  I learned many things from the labor and delivery of Myra.  The biggest lesson, I was not in control.  I had to depend on Jesus to sustain me and help me.  Natural labor will teach you that!

Psalms 54:4 Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me. 

Eventually Dax woke up from all the movement in bed.  I didn't want to disturb him, he was in for a long day as well.  Together, we prayed and worked through the contractions as they came.  He is an amazing husband and birth partner.  After every contraction he would encourage me, "You are the strongest woman I know.  You're doing great! You are absolutely beautiful right now!  Keep going, I'm proud of you".  He has always been my greatest supporter.  The way he loves and encourages during labor is amazing.  He is the best man I've ever known.  Not just because because of this day, but because of everyday.

We called my doula, Terri, to tell her that I was in labor and handling the contractions well.  No rush, we said, just whenever.  This was around 6:30 am.  Until the end, there's not much to tell.  In between contractions, I talked, drank lots of water, and played fetch with my dog.  The last thirty minutes, however, went by very quickly.  

When Emery did flip over, all the pain went from my back into the front.  That's when I realized that we were farther along then I thought.  I asked Dax to turn on Kings Kaleidoscope, a band I love.  The next three contractions were painful.  God is good, and when I couldn't say it myself, He sang the song that had He sang to me in the beginning.  In Christ Alone was playing.  Two more contractions.  I told Dax to call Terri, I was going and getting into the shower to help with the pain.  Once in the bathroom, though, I went into transition.  The contractions were so strong that I was forced onto the tips of my toes and was hunching over.  I knew that it was almost over and we were having this baby in our home.  My shaky voice Dax to tell him, then my water broke.  He came in and I yelled for him to go, get our neighbor (she's a nurse).  Before he was out of our house my body started pushing.  They both came back quickly.  She called 911.  

And then just a few feet from where she was created, she was born, into her daddy's arms.

Looking back I hear that song in my head and I can't help but think how good and loving God is.  He is Abba, Father.  My hope was in Christ alone, not doctors, midwives, or a husband (although those things are good, thank God we have them).  He alone is firm and solid when I wasn't.  I wanted to give up, but in Him I was strong.  My prayer over and over was, "Please save my baby.  Protect her, let her breathe, let her be okay!".  But even in the chaos, there was peace.  In fact, it was an extremely peaceful birth.  I was afraid for my child.  But I had overwhelming peace, knowing that God's will is perfect.  Even when things go bad, He is still good.  Here is the song that God sang to me over and over, to give me strength and to teach me.

In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm
What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

Some weird things that happened (besides the obvious) :
I separated all of my towels (something I never do) and washed them. They were all in the dryer ready to go.

I begged my husband for a home birth but he said no! 2 weeks before she was born he told me he wished we were doing a home birth.  Neither one of us wanted to go to the hospital.  But this was unplanned, promise! 

The 911 operator kept telling my neighbor to make me lie down and breathe through the contractions.  I don't think she ever understood that the baby was born before we called, haha!

She was walking out the door when Dax told her to run to our house. 30 seconds later and we would have missed her.

None of the kids woke up during the whole thing, even while the ambulance was picking me up.

I yelled at the paramedic that I WAS going to take a shower.  He wasn't happy.
My cousin had a planned c section scheduled that day.  Our babies were born 20 minutes apart on the same day and we had hospital rooms right next to each other.
My sister and my aunt both had babies in the car because their labor was so short!
I told my grandmother several times that I felt like this was going to be a very different birth than Myra's.  And joked around that I wasn't having my baby in a car, I'd rather just push her out in the bathroom.


**I want to say, that while we're thankful for the beauty of this story, it was risky.  There are many things that could have gone very, very wrong.  A planned unassisted home birth is dangerous and irresponsible.  Please, take care of yourself and your baby. **

Green Smoothies

Green Smoothies

I've seen a lot about green smoothies over the last couple months.  I'm so glad!  It's a fantastic way to add raw, dark leafy greens to your diet (perfect if you're pregnant or nursing!).  It's completely raw and dairy free too! 

I know you're thinking, "why on earth would I add spinach or kale to a perfectly good smoothie?".  Trust me, it's amazing!  My 5 and 1 year old LOVE them and so does my picky husband.  :)  You actually can't taste the greens at all!  Your body will thank you for it too!

So here's how I make green smoothies.

What you'll need:

Frozen Fruit Medley 

Spinach or Kale (or both)

Coconut Milk

Banana

 2 handfuls of greens (this equals about 3-4 cups)

1 banana cup up.  The riper, the better!

2 cups of frozen fruit

1 cup of coconut milk.  

Put in blender in that order.  Greens, fresh fruit, frozen fruit, liquid.  

This makes sure the greens are well blended and the frozen fruit doesn't all freeze together in the liquid.  It takes longer to blend and you have to stop and break it up.  I have a cheap blender so that may not be a problem if you have a nicer one.

No need for ice because of the frozen fruit.

**A Tip**

If you don't like the taste of greens or this is your first time experimenting with them, go with spinach.  Kale is so good for you but it is harder to cover up the taste.  Usually a good ripe banana will cover the taste of it.  My husband isn't a huge fan of the kale and would rather have spinach only.  Or you could add a little honey and an extra banana too!  I bet that would take care of it!  After drinking them for a while though you can start to add more greens.  

Experiment with your favorite fruits!  I feel as though it's the banana that covers up the "green" taste. As long as that banana is in there you can't go wrong!

Now you know how, but here's why!

Spinach:

fiber in spinach helps curve overeating, prevents constipation, aids in digestion, and keeps blood sugar low

fights against cancer and heart disease

packed with antioxidants

can lower blood pressure

contributes to glowing skin

boost immune system

Kale:

aids in digestion

helpful for your immune system, metabolism, and hydration

high in calcium, has more per calorie than milk

has more iron than beef

helps protect against cancer

great cardiovascular support and can help lower cholesterol

Hope you enjoy!  How do you make your smoothies? 

happy homemaking, 

April

Cloth Diapering: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I've had people ask me to do a blog post on cloth diapers.  I've waited, a year and a half, to do so.  I feel like most of the posts I read while researching were very biased.  Cloth diapers were either the best thing ever or the worst.  I didn't want to do that.  If someone is to stumble across my blog, I want them to get a real picture of what to expect.  I'm in a good position to do so because:

I have a child in cloth diapers

I'm expecting another in a month

So I'm going to go through a couple of the myths that I encountered while looking, plus give some insight that I've learned through trial and error.

So here we go!

The Good:

Q: Do cloth diapers save money?
A: Yes!!  They do!
 But I feel like the amount of money people say they save is a little exaggerated.
For Example:  Most websites say that the average family spends 1,600 to 2,500 dollars in diapering a child.  That seemed a little high to me, so I did some math.  In our family, Myra (16 months) averages about 5 diapers a day.  Alayna was the same.  I asked my friends on Facebook, their average was 6.

6 (diapers per day) x 31 (days in a month) = 186 diapers
At BJ's you can buy a box of Luvs with 204 diapers (size 3) for $29.99
$30 x 12 (months) = $360.
Most kids are potty trained around the age of 2 1/2
so we'll say $30 for 30 months.  That brings our total up to.....
$900.00

That's less than $1,600.  A lot less.  It's no where close to $2,500.
I'm guessing that when they made these crazy numbers, they took a newborn's poop schedule and used pampers swaddlers prices.  Then I can see those price tags.  But that's not why we're here.  What about cloth diapers?  We spent $400 on our diapers.  We bought the Bum Genius brand and we bought 24 of them. (see below)  It doesn't take a brain surgeon to see that $400 is much less than $900.  So yes, cloth diapers are much, much cheaper than disposable diapers.  However, you don't just spend 400 bucks and that's it.

This isn't a deal breaker!  This is just something I wish someone had told me.  You need to use cloth diaper detergent.  You don't have to, but its best.  It will help with the smell, the rash, and maintain the quality of your diapers.
Rockin' Green is the best.
To help keep expenses down, here's another tip.  Don't rush out and buy the most expensive cloth diapers you can (like we did!!)  Let me recommend a company for you.
www.justsimplybaby.com
**I have not used them**
All of my friends have and I wish that we did too.
It's run by moms and it's a Christian company.
(I wish I could work there)
You're going to pay half as much per diaper.  There is no difference in the quality of these diapers!!  If we need to buy more once Emery gets here, this is who we're going to use.
Another thing I want to clear up.  Many websites say that you need 24 diapers per child.  YOU DON'T!  You need around 12-15.  I would learn towards 15.  You have to wash them every other day anyways so it makes no sense to have 24 of them!!  That's 3-4 days of diapers.  Do you see what I'm saying?
15 diapers at just simply baby will run you about $180.  Even with the extra expense of the detergent, we're still saving lots of money.

The cost of the diapers and the detergent will run you about $400 for the 30 months.

(using just simply baby)

It breaks down to save you about $16 a month with the first child.  Using them with the second is when you really see the savings though.

Q:  Are cloth diapers better for the environment?
A: Yes, yes, yes
I've read that some diapers never biodegrade; I've read that it takes 10-20 years.  However, I can't prove this and I'm sure that it's exaggerated just like the price of disposable ones are.  Just looking at a diaper though, you can see that it would probably last a long time if you just waited for it to decompose.  Some people bring up the usage of water as a argument against cloth diapers, saying it makes them just a bad.  Whatever, that's absurd.  I think everyone can agree that cloth diapers are better for the environment.

The Bad

Q:  Are cloth diapers hard to care for?
A:  Yes and no.
They're not as easy as you think or as hard.  Here's the thing, they are restrictive.  You can't use any detergent; you have to use certain kinds.  You can't use diaper rash cream.  You need a sprayer attached to the toilet.  Ect. ect.

However, it's not that much extra laundry.  It's an extra load every other day, it's not that bad.  You do have to spend some time each month bleaching them (at least you do with bum genius).  Over all however, it isn't that much extra work.  With the all in one diapers, there is no pinning.  They work exactly like a disposable.  You can buy either snaps or velcro.

Let me make a suggestion, buy the snaps.  The velcro wears out quickly from all the washing and drying.  Plus the snaps are hard for babies to take off (in case you have a streaker like I do!).  

Q: Babies who use cloth diapers never get diaper rash right?
A:  This is not true.
In fact, Myra has worse diaper rash in cloth diapers then in disposables.  I'm not the only one either.  Every baby I know that is in cloth diapers has had diaper rashes.  I'm told that the issue is yeast.  That makes perfect sense, Georgia is a humid hell hole in the summer.  But this was an issue for us.  What difference does the money you've saved make when your child is in constant pain because of the diapers you're using?  We learned that if we use the CD for a couple days and DD for a couple days, it all evens out.  And of course, this is only a big issue in the summer.

The Ugly:

Q:  What about the poop, isn't it gross?
A:  Yes.
Is it disgusting and smelly to deal with all the poop and pee?  Absolutely.  Unfortunately having a baby is not for the faint of heart.  You are going to get poop on you no matter what kind of diaper you use because babies are gross at times.  You just will!  If you keep up with your laundry and take care of them properly, then you won't notice a difference.  That's the honest truth.  

Q:  If you had to do it all over again, would you?

A:  Yep!  Differently though

I went into newborn motherhood with a sword, a shield, and a fierce attitude!  I came out bruised, despite my best efforts.  I mean don't get wrong, I'm still a beast of a mom.  But I've learned something amazing. Roll with the punches.  You learn by trial and error. 

 Ahem, you DON'T need an iPhone app to tell you when and what boob to breastfeed with.  Your baby will let you know and you're boobs will too.

I've learned that cloth diapering is just like everything else in motherhood.  Sometime it works how you thought, sometimes it doesn't.  Don't say, "I'm only going to cloth diaper and nothing else. PERIOD." (like I did)  Accept that you may have to do DD sometimes, like we do. 

Most of all, know that God made you to be a mother.  He made you and your baby to fit together perfectly.  No one can be your child's mother like you are.  Be confident in who you are as a mother in Christ.  

A little spray paint goes a long way...

How you can turn this:

Into this!:

As my best friend would say....

BAM!!

I bought this light fixture at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store near my house for $4.  I mean it's pretty bad.... Dax saw it and said, "that's the ugliest thing I've ever seen..... why did you buy that?"  But I see potential!

The Re-Store is awesome.  It's like a thrift store for building supplies!

http://www.habitat.org/cd/env/restore.aspx

I've been wanting new lights in our bathroom for a while now.  The cheapest light fixtures that we're willing to put in would run us about $60 for both bathrooms.  That isn't expensive, but there are other places I'd rather spend the money.  That's where spray paint comes in....

I removed the glass and stuffed newspaper where the light bulb goes in.

I used Krylon Brushed Nickel spray paint.

After the 1st coat

And the 2nd coat

I bought new glass for the light fixture at the restore as well for $2.50 a piece.

As new light fixture for $11.50 and an hour of my time.  Not bad!

Here it is again, just because.

BAM!!

Happy Homemaking :)

How do you like them apples? (peas, carrots, & pears)

How to make home made baby food

First I must say, this was so easy!!  And cheap too!!  

I started out with: 

1 bag of frozen peas

2 lbs of apples

2 lbs of carrots

2 lbs of pears   

    

Your first step is washing, peeling, and chopping

 

 This is the size that you want it to be.  Not too big. 

(Don't be jealous of my manicure either)

Next you want to steam it.  Not to long, keep all the nutrients you can!!  It's done when you can easily mash it with a fork.  Mine took about 20-25 minutes. 

After your food is done steaming, dump it into a big bowl, and blend.  I use a hand blender because I feel as though I have better control of the consistency.  If you need to thin out the food, use the reserve water from the steamer.  Some food will require more of the water then others...aka peas.

Blend, blend, blend until your baby food making heart is content.  I didn't take a picture of this, my bad.

Here is how my apples looked after blending

You see this chunk?  You may or may not want that, depending of your baby.

Let the food cool.  Stir really well and dump into these containers.  Don't fill it up to the top, like I did.  You're about to freeze these jokers.  They will bust, it's science.  Just don't do it.

Each of these containers are 1/2 cup servings.  It's a little bit more then a store bought jar of baby food.

Pop it into the freezer and you're done!  

Is it cheaper?

Here's the price breakdown:

1 bag of frozen peas      2.00

2 lbs of apples              2.00

2 lbs of carrots              2.00

2 lbs of pears                2.00

Total:                           8.00

 This makes about 32 "jars" of baby food

(all of mine isn't shown & I only used half a bag of peas)

This equals out to about 25 cents a jar!!

and most of it was organic

Your baby food is good for a month and a half in the freezer and three days in the refrigerator 

Bananas and avocados don't need to be cooked, just blended

Enjoy and Happy Homemaking!! 

Weight Loss: Who does it glorify?

Your approach to weight loss is either sinful or fruitful. It can be sinful in obvious ways, such as pride, lust, and jealousy.  The sin that is the easiest to fall into, however, is one most overlooked.  For example, if I were to lose weight because I'm gorgeous and when I lose weight then John will think I'm hot and that will make Jane jealous.  Well that's obviously pride, lust, and jealousy!!  But I also have to evaluate if I'm looking at my weight loss as the key to my happiness.  Am I making an idol out of losing weight?  Is my self worth found in a number on the scale?  Of course not, my worth is found in the fact that I am a child of God!  No number is greater than that.  However, if we are being honest and realistic, we want that number on the scale to go down.  If it doesn't go down, we would be upset.  Does that mean that being upset about weight gain is sinful?  I don't think so.  Weight loss is hard work, time consuming, and expensive.  When you put your heart into something, you expect results.  So how can weight loss be fruitful?  

It's our hearts that matter.  

Take the earlier example.  If I want to lose weight because I want to glorify God with my body and I want to be visually appealing to my husband and I can help and encourage Jane along the way.  My heart is turned towards God and not towards myself.  I have to be sure that I'm glorifying God and ministering to Dax and to Jane.  Because my heart has changed, my motives are different.  I love The Biggest Loser.  Every contestant has a motivating factor; children, spouse, family, health, and so on.  There is always a point in the show where the contestant will say "I was here just for my daughter, but now I'm really here for me too".  This is always the "turning point" for them.  I want to just scream, DO THIS FOR CHRIST!!!  

O God, we give glory to you all day long and constantly praise your name.

Psalms 44:8

Is it glorifying God to be a mother who doesn't sit around on the couch all day?  Yes.  Does that mean that you should spend hours in the gym?  No.  Is working out to remain attractive to your husband a ministry?  Yes.  Does that mean being a size 6?  No!  Is it a ministry to cook healthy food for your family?  Of course.  Does that mean it has to be all organic and made from scratch?  Of course not!  I would even raise this question; is enjoying your favorite foods glorifying God?  I say, yes, why not!  But there is a difference between enjoying and worshiping.

It is so easy to make an idol out of food.  I have dealt with this my entire life and it has been a hard struggle.  I have suffered from every eating disorder there is.  The hardest to let go of is over eating.  I made a god out of it.  Sad, eat.  Happy, eat.  Mad, eat.  Feeling out of control, eat.(this usually proved how out of control I was)  Food was my comfort and my peace.  I worshiped food and my pants size showed it.  Worship of food can go both ways though.  I can put so much pride and emphasis on preparing only this (organic) or that (whole foods) kind of meals.  That too can be sinful!  

I have to pray and repent about this daily.  Now I pray while making my grocery list.  I pray at the grocery store to make good purchases, both our health and finances.  God has convicted me while writing this to pray while cooking, for the people that will be eating it.  If we seek God in our weight loss and pray for guidance, He will never let us down.  

-April 

6 1/2 months already!

We've reached the 6 1/2 month mark this week!  Pregnancy has been such a beautiful journey.  I can't believe I'm almost into my third trimester.  We are having a little girl named Adah Grace, and we can not wait to meet her!  Here I am!

I love feeling her move around.  To be completely honest, feeling her kick and explore, was strange at first.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it!  But it was strange, ha ha.  She actually has the hiccups right now!


Alayna (our 3 year old) is getting more and more excited everyday!  This has not been an easy transition for her. She's had a lot of insecurity and questions.  To see her excited about her new sister on the way is a double blessing.  Not only is she happy instead jealous, but her excitement is evidence of a secure and content heart. 


Next week I'm going to start working on the girl's room.  The girls are going to share a room for a while.  Our home office is upstairs until we can finish our basement.  Most everything in their room is second hand, so get ready for several tutorials! 


My Project List:

• refinish girl's dresser
• sew quilts
• paint baskets
• put up decals
• make the mobile 
• refinish Alayna's bed
• make Alayna's headboard
• complete accessories 
• paint baseboards

Dax's Project List

• put in hardwoods
• touch up paint

That's a lot to do in three months!!  I work in a 911 call center and we are working through a huge transition.  Long story short, our call center is transferring from the city to the county.  Since I'm staying at home after Adah is born, I'm not transferring.  I'm going to keep working for city until I go out for maternity leave, just doing whatever needs to be done.  The transfer has been pushed back already, so I'm praying that everything goes through.  The last meeting is today.  We have been working twelve hour shifts for a couple months now.  Surprisingly enough, it's physically difficult on my body.  If all goes well I'll only have one more day of dispatching and a vacation!  I can get many of these projects knocked out then :)