Oz has a great but very simply philosophy - that everybody had a heart, that everybody had a brain, that everybody had courage. These were the gifts that were given to people on this earth, and if you used them properly, you reached the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. And that pot of gold was a home. And a home isn't just a house or an abode..., Its people. People who love you and that you love. That's home. - Ray Bolger aka the Scarecrow
Looks like there will be a little rain tomorrow and it will be nice on Friday. The dutch oven has been re-seasoned. Were are going to do a lot of nothing - relaxing, walking, reading, campfir'n, cooking, board games, and maybe even fireworks to celebrate the new year. The focus will be on avoiding anything with an on/off button as I tell my kids.
My homebirth has been featured at Well Rounded Mama. - the creator of that blog has had a website Plus sized and Pregnant that has been a resource for me for many years - I think since Ella's birth?
Although I did not have the courage until this birth to really fight for what I wanted. I partly have to thank Ricki Lake for that :)
I am so pleased that she has put up my birth - I hope it gives other plus sized moms the courage to fight for the birth experience they want.
And while I am on the subject I wanted to write a post that included all my birth resources so anyone doing their own research could have access to what I think are the best links around.
I found it very interesting that the top three sites that I frequent all turned out to be LDS women. This was purely coincidence. I was reading them all for a while before I even realized they were all LDS. I find this interesting because despite 'us' LDS ladies being pretty competent procreators we are not a natural birthing clan. More often than not I hear about I just want a c-section and meet me in the parking lot with my epidural and when can I get induced stories. I try not to judge harshly because I fell firmly in that camp myself at one point. In fact I would have been ruffled by one of my favorite blogger's heading http://banned-from-baby-showers.blogspot.com/:
but now that I have done so much reading and research I would have to agree with her. I especially love her post: Religious Faith and Choosing Natural Birth - I will post two paragraphs for folks that aren't into links :
To believe that medicine can improve upon the natural process, I believe, is to laugh in the face of our Creator, who designed this process so perfectly. Unless there is medical indication for induction or medication (and these do occasionally occur), we, as Latter-day Saint women, should learn from our other Christian counterparts, about trusting in and having faith in Christ and faith in our bodies.
I have seen the strongest women in the Church and in their faith in Christ, and that is why this baffles me to no end, about the nonchalant attitude about being induced and having epidurals. Sisters! Think about our pioneer heritage! Heavenly Father wants you to have this wonderful experience. It is a gift. You can do it! Don't be afraid.
I wish someone had said these things to me 10 years ago!
I love Mrs. Rixa Freeze who blogs at Stand and Deliver, she is a very intellectual woman who's doctorate degree and intensely researched dissertation focused on Unassisted Childbirth. While I don't support unassisted childbirthing per se. Her blog is a cornacopia of natural birthing information. I like her post - What does giving birth feel like? I also love her post about breastfeeding in sacrament meeting - It was happening in 1871 - why not now? click on that link - there are pictures :)
I also love Birth Faith and I credit her with immense research that she does on her posts. Because of her Magnesium Manifesto I took regular Epsom Salt baths in my recent pregnancy and my blood pressure was never above normal. I tell every woman I meet who talks about high BP during pregnancy - TAKE EPSOM SALT BATHS!!! Epsom salt is Magnesium Sulfate, what they give you in the hospital via IV to lower your blood pressure - Epsom salt does the same thing when gently soaked into your skin while enjoying a nice bath. Birth Faith is now writing here: http://birthfaith.org/
Think you can't birth naturally? - have an underlying condition but still want to? want a VBAC? Trust me - research these blogs, email them with your concerns! These sisters have such a wealth of knowledge I know they could help find answers.
Plus size and scared to enter the crunchy, sometimes judgemental world of natural childbirth - ask me any question, really any question and I'll tell you my story again and again...
I admit it - I want an iphone. But it is not part of our debt snowball to add another contract/bill to our finances. But I did get up at 3 am the day after turkey day and wait in line for an ipod touch.
It makes me want an iphone even more. I am LOOOOVVVING my YNAB app on it and igrocery and it keeps Cora entertained when I am at the eye doctor (she never got up once) and on my jogging attempts (I listen to the podrunner series on an ipod shuffle).
My endless notes everywhere are now all on the ipod, I can check my calendar while out and about - which is nice since I now exclusively use google calendar.
even my christmas list is on it.
and I take lots of pictures with it and I can upload said pictures and videos to facebook on a sunday morning without leaving my bed. And grandma can watch them many, many miles away.
and we can facetime chat Aunt Meg. Good quality video calling - that technology took longer than it should have.
so in short I love our ipod touch - merry christmas to us.
ps all of the "artsy" pics below were taken by Ella - I think she has a good eye
one more plug for the best, best, bestest budgeting software I have ever used.. I mean split transactions - instant catergory balances on the go.. be still my heart...
“Every member of the church of Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name” (D&C 20:70)
PJ will receive a name and a blessing from his father on Sunday, January 2, 2011
meg - put it on your calendar
4th ward peeps - skip sunday school and sneak into the Prosper Ward Sacrament meeting:)
and my daughter who was a soaring eagle at school. hey is that kid picking his nose?
my other daughter the athlete at the FUN RUN
until an injury occurred - double scraped knees
then she walked the rest
someone is dressed up for church and not happy about it
maybe he was just tired
someone lost her first tooth. and bigger news is mommy handled this one without daddy. motherhood makes you face your heebie jeebies.
I didn't' think it was really ready but to cheer her on I promised she could have ice cream for dinner if she pulled it out - she had that bad boy out of there in record time. Later she sat at the dinner table BEAMING with her bowl of ice cream.
Frugal foodie - the girls and I made 150+ biscuits for the freezer from this recipe
we put them on cookie sheets and froze them
after we made one batch - now we have biscuits ready for freezer jam
the girls got a little jealous of PJ so I swaddled them too - Maiya fell asleep and slept swaddled for over an hour - maybe I should still be swaddling her??
Sock hop day!!!
my little shorty :)
bubble gum blowing contest
lego rock band anyone?? I was enjoying the background music as I cooked dinner so I snuck up with the camera - it was fun to see Cora in on the action.
