Our First Home Birth Experience

Hello there!

So. Grab something to snack on while you read this. It's a long one :) 

I wanted to share how it was to have a home birth! This was our first go around with a midwife and home birth. My first two babies were delivered at the hospital with an OBGYN doctor. Which, all experiences were good, but if I had to choose again, I would choose to be at home :)

I had an OBGYN that I was seeing, but by 27 weeks I kept feeling like I needed to look into a home birth. Then my amazing neighbor also inspired me when she had her 5th child at home. I picked up her kids hours after the delivery and her home was peaceful and the midwives were doing her laundry and dishes! This could be nice I thought :) so I have a few interviews with different midwives and decided on Melody. :)

Firstly, I was 5 days overdue and SO ready for baby to be here. Don't believe me? Read this post! Www.jamiesloveathome.blogspot.com/i-guess-baby-is-a-late-sleeper

Secondly, I had had a false alarm labor almost 3 weeks prior. So we thought it could have been ANY DAY. Not so, not so. But I feel that false alarm was a tender mercy from Heavenly Father. To give me a trail run since I was nervous about the home birth- but that's a post for another day :)

So I'll give a play-by-play as if you were there, excited with us!

5:30- I wake up with intense contractions that won't let me sleep

6:00- Tyler and I decide to call melody (midwife) and tell her what's up. She is anxious to come right then since my last labor was only 3 hours! I tell her to wait since I wanted to make sure it was for real this time.

7:00- OW! "ok, you can come now!"

7:30- Melody arrives! And instantly makes the contractions easier by pushing on my back. Who knew?? 

Tyler and I continue to work through contractions together- he is amazing and would calm me down whenever I got a little scared :) he is so good at making me laugh.

10:00- I am ready to push! And push, and push. But the baby isn't coming! He is stuck posterior (facing sideways instead of facing my back). 

10:45- I am tired! And hungry! We brainstorm ideas to get baby turned. There is manually turning baby by reaching inside, or staying on my hands and knees for a half hour to encourage baby or turn. No th aks to manually turning him! It sounded painful and intrusive. 

Ah-ha! Melody suddenly remembers a trick told her by an old Mexican midwife. She has delivered some 200 babies, but has never done the trick before. "Let's try that" I say.... "Right after a nap..."

11:15- nap taken, food eaten, it's go time. :) labor slowly intensifies again. Contractions had stopped while I took my nap- thank you!

12:30- it's time to try to turn him. I laid on my back while she put a scarf underneath me. Tyler held one side while Melody held the other. They both would jerk their side one after the other. This caused my tummy to jerk around good! The goal was to shake me like a jar full of pickles, turning the baby inside. I sure felt it! Melody checked baby using her stethoscope and sure enough, he turned the right way!

12:35- I stood up and WOAH! This baby is coming :)

12:57- baby Todd is here :) crying and a boy!! 

It was a wonderful experience to have him at home :) I was really nervous at first because what if something goes wrong??. But I felt within my heart that everything would be okay, and this is the best for me and this baby. And it was!!

One of the biggest things that Tyler and I wanted, was to not be 'checked' so many times. If you've had a baby, you know what I mean. If not- let me explain. The nurses, doctors, and everyone in between, want to 'check' to see how labor is progressing by how far you're dilated. That means intrusively going inside, like every half hour. With my first delivery I was checked at least 15-20 times. It is not pleasant!  And takes away the sacredness, we felt. 

Yet with Melody, she was much more relaxed and confident in my body's own ability. She didn't have to check me once the whole delivery! 

Because really, checking is just so that they can track that labor is progressing. But to me, you can tell that by a baby coming out! Haha

Another big difference I noticed is that at home everything was much more relaxed and calm. It was easy to just sit when I wanted to, move when I wanted to, and go grab a cup of water out of my own sink when I wanted to. I was home :)

I could take my time with labor. Like after my nap, my contractions and slowed down in frequency and intensity. I could easily see the hospital staff saying, "time for pitosin! Let's break your water! We need to speed things up again." Yet at home we just waited :).  And my body did it's job! My water broke on its own right before he was born. Which I think is the best because the water acts  as a cushion and the contractions don't hurt as much. So anything that helps pain, I think should stay as long as possible! :)

And here is the outcome of all that hard work!

What would a post about a birth be without a bunch of pictures of the baby?? :)

Feel free to ask me any questions and I can answer them.

In the end it is up to you, your spouse and Heavenly Father what course is best take.

Love, jamie :)

Sally sells seashells down by the seashore

We made an impromptu craft yesterday! 

I have been dying for some seashell jewelry ever since my sea shell necklace broke and got lost! 

My parents went on vacation to Oregon and I thought, perfect! Bring me back some seashells, mom!

And she did!

Super cute, only .25 cents, and I love it! ...just not quite what I was thinking :)

Then as I was feeding baby ( who is super gushable and doing great, by the way) I noticed this mobile my friend got for me from New Jersey.

Perfect!! Why didn't I think of it before?? So I removed one of the shells, tied it to some embroidery floss, and made a necklace! I don't know why, but it felt so good to wear it. Maybe it's like wearing yr favorite shirt/dress that makes you feel like a million bucks. I think this necklace is like that :) 

Maybelline must have noticed because when she saw it she said, oh! It's beautiful! Can you make one for me?

Well, of course I can :)

She picked her seashell from off the mobile, and I realized that we can't leave out Rosie! So I got a shell for her too. It really just took a minute to make both, and it has been so fun to be matching! Rosie's necklace comes on and off constantly, haha. So it alternates between my neck and hers when she wants it again :)

I think more crafting is in order! Next on the list- a sparkly, heart coloring book for Daddy for Fathers Day. (Since he didn't have the best Father's Day because I had just had baby Todd) but we will make up for it! Just don't tell him and ruin the surprise :)

Sparkly heart coloring book, here we come!

Jamie :)

While all the other plants in my house are dying....

This plant is thriving!

Only one issue.......

..it's growing out of my wall..... Not exactly the place I would have picked, haha :)

This plant has grown through this wall before, and I thought I had taken care of it- it just won't stop growing!

And yet, while my efforts to stop this plant aren't working- my efforts to grow plants aren't working either :) 

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

There is a growing plant in this picture, but it is actually a HUGE weed that is taking over the side of my porch. 

So, I thought someone might benefit from my what-not-to-do's that I have learned so well :)

Tip 1- don't follow the watering schedule of whenever-I-remember..... I've been doing that for years, and it hasn't worked very well, haha :)

Tip 2- don't keep moving poor plant from one pretty pot to the next and one spot in the house to the next. It starts to be too much for said plant.

Tip 3- no matter how pretty the plant will look in that spot without any sunlight, don't put it there. Really. It won't look pretty anymore when it's all withered. :)

So there are my tips! They're pretty much no- brainers for anyone with a green thumb, but these were hard earned lessons for me! 

And here are a few things that have worked!

Tip 4- get really sturdy plants. I have one in my bathroom that has survived freezing cold wind, neglect from water and sunshine, yet it still grows! And even blooms flowers in November! I've had it for over 5 years, now THAT is a record, people!

Tip 5- refill with extra potting soil once in a while. The soil in the pot will lessen over time- I have no idea why.... 

See the green pot in the back? That one needs some more soil (aka DIRT) :) I used a previously lost plant's soil. These are the three living plants I own :) see the pink flowers?!? That was a happy day :) the two plants in the front have already been filled. Then I gave each plant a good watering.

And yes.... I used a kitchen spoon.... Potting soil seems less dirty to me than actual dirt, so it didn't bother me.

Plus, the gardening shovel is in the backyard. That means I would have had to get my shoes on, open the door and walk around the house to get it..... Ain't nobody got time for that ;)

Tip 6- talk to your plants :) there are some cool studies done that show how plants grow really well when played classical music, yet wither and suffer when played heavy metal. I believe it's the same with speaking to plants! If you tell the plant that it's growing so well, then it will grow better! I'm convinced that is why the one plant I've had for five years has lasted so long. :)

Tip 7- get a fake plant.

See? Beautiful flowers, no water needed :) but the trick is to get real looking fake plants. Oxymoron, I know, but nevertheless, it's important :)

There you go! Now you can start your plant-loving adventure with these tips, or just carry on with your merry day and laugh at my craziness :)

Love, jamie 

Tiny Little Super Guy

He came!! And only 6 days late :) as I look back on it, I wonder why each day after my due date felt like a whole month! But he is here....

And super cute too. :) I love holding, gushing, kissing, hugging, rocking, and awe-ing him. 

Per Tyler's request, we didn't find out the gender during pregnancy. And my guess was a girl. I was so sure of it! But we can all see now how sure-of-it wrong I was, haha.

He was born on 6-6-14 (that will be easy to remember!) weighing 8 lbs 6 oz. my biggest baby yet! 

And here is our super guy today! His cute face has changed so much already.

Maybelline and Rosie LOOOOOVE him. ...seriously.... It's almost an issue..... :)

Rosie will come up to him in his bouncer, greets him with a."babee!!," readjusts his blanket, gives him tons of cute smiles then walks away. 

Then here comes maybelline.... She has been watching Rosie and decides that the blanket is not situated the best for baby Todd, so she comes up and readjusts it until it is just right. Then maybelline proceeds to give him many gentle strokes and barely hugs, then walks away.

Rosie turns..... Sees the blanket has been moved.... Oh. No. 

Then comes the squeeling and pulling and baby blanket tug-of-war.....

Haha, I love it :) they are so funny. Needless to say the same thing happens over his stuffed doggie. 

I am so glad they love him so much. It really makes my heart soar and my spirit smile when I see those I love loving each other. Then I think, this is what life is all about.

Gushing and loving all these sweeties are really what life is about, huh?

Not the dishes or laundry or all the neighbor kids that knock on the door asking to see our baby goats. All those things can wait. At least that's what I'm learning :) and proof that I'm actually learning it the mountain of laundry. It really is piled up the wall at this point, haha! And I'm not going to do it. Instead, I'm going to finish this post and take a nap :) then when my girls and baby wake up, I still won't do it! We will color instead! Take that, laundry! Ke-ah! 

:)

Can you let something go today that isn't a true priority, and instead do something that is?

(Try laundry, it's liberating!)

We Got Twins!!

Just to clarify, it wasn't me who had the twins.... :)

No, our baby is still tucked inside, growing, kicking, and hiccuping. .....and 4 days overdue. But I have faith that cute baby will come exactly when he/she is supposed to :)

It was our goat that had twins! She had her babies on Monday. I knew Patience (the goat) and I were due at a similar time and I was convinced that we would deliver the same day! Alas, it was not so- but I am sure loving these cute baby goats!!

I am sure you want to just imagine how cute they are. No pictures needed, right??

Haha, no worries here are the goods!

Here is Patience with the little boy goat :) she has become such a good mommy!

The little brown one is the girl and she is so cute. She cries whenever our little Rosie (almost 2 now) leaves her, haha! 

I have a really cute video, but I can't figure out how to attach it! Man, you'd think since I'm 24 I would know the ins and out of technology.... But I guess my lack of knowledge of 'apps' and 'smartphones' will have to be vented another time ;) 

(Seriously though! who else wants to break their mobile device and just grab paper?!?)

Back to the goats......

So cute.

So tiny.

You want one now

:)

I guess I have rightfully earned the term 'goat lady' among the neighbor kids. We now have 4 goats, and 3 chickens! In the middle of Provo! Who would have thought :)

Jamie

What to do with broken Christmas Lights

I'm so excited!! I finally am sharing a project! 

Super cute, right?!

Since I am pretty much confined to the couch and going crazy, I have been doing some little jewelry projects! I have realized that to keep from becoming the crazy cat lady (or in my case, goat lady, since that's what the neighbor kids call me)  I need to create and serve! Because when you create something, you feel accomplished. And when you serve others you feel good inside and your own burden seems less. 

So I have made a necklace for my sister out of an old earring. She had lost one of her favorite earrings when she was about 17 and I had told her to give me the one left and I'd make something out of it. Well.... 8 years later, here we are and I made something out of it! Better late than never, right? I'm WAY excited to give it to her :)

I have also made some pretty cool bracelets. As you might have gathered from the title, they are made almost completely from a string of old Christmas lights! Have any lying around?? 

Perfect!! Let's put them to use. 

I started out by taking apart the lights.

1- make sure it's not plugged in. ......for obvious reasons...

2- pull the lightbulb out, like so...

It comes out just fine with a medium to hard tug. Sometimes a full on "urgggh!!!" Is needed :)

3- seperate the lightbulb from the green plastic casing.

You do this by bending the 2 little wires up and just sliding the casing off.

4- next take apart the wire on the Christmas lights itself. Cut a little bit of the green plastic to expose the pretty copper wire. Then tug and pull like CRAZY to get the wire and plastic seperate.

Now, you don't have to do this step, and instead use any wire or string. But I just really loved the copper wire color, and had some extra time on my hands. You know, with being confined to a couch by order of my husband :)

5- assemble your bracelet! 

Now that your Christmas lights are fully dissected, you should have the remnants that look like so: (and maybe some flashbacks to 9th grade biology with Mr. Willis)

So this post is super long!! I will finish the rest of the instructions tomorrow (unless this baby finally comes!)

Have fun dissecting Christmas lights!

Jamie

I guess Baby is a late sleeper...

Sooo..... The baby's due date was yesterday.....

And there is still no baby in my arms. It hurts! I just want to hold little baby, have some energy back so I can hold my other little babys, and be able to somewhat sleep at night! Is that too much to ask?? Haha

I guess Heavenly Father knows I will be getting something better by just waiting a little longer. I have seen some amazing service come my way. I have been so humbled and blown away by the people that are praying for me. I have felt those prayers! Man, the power of prayer really is something amazing.

I have seen miracles happen because of prayer and I lately I have felt the effect of prayers in my behalf. 

          “Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions. …

           “… Lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love.” (Book of Mormon, Jacob 3:1-2)

On Friday I was especially sad because of a combo of things. I was overcome with sadness when I started to feel lifted. I could feel the support of those who loved me and those prayers said in my behalf. I felt comforted. It was so amazing. I was not 100%, but I had hope again. 

I then prayed myself. Asking my dear Heavenly Father to help me. I then felt inspired to lean on my husband. Instead of trying to overcome it on my own. 

It took some courage (especially since Tyler wasn't in the best mood) for me to approach him and tell him that I just felt so sad. That I needed him to tell me everything was going to be ok, and to remind me how to laugh.

When I did, his 'bad mood' (which is really just him sitting quietly on the couch with furrowed eyebrows) melted away and he helped me feel so much better. Sometimes you just need your best friend :) 

I really love prayer. How else could I have been so lifted and guided on how to feel better? 

Just to be clear, I am usually a really happy-go-lucky person, who is super easy to smile and laugh! We just all have ups and downs :) 

In conclusion to this here, there, and everywhere post: the baby has to come within the next two weeks- one way or another! Prayer is powerful and real. And I promise if you (and I) sincerely pray, you will be able to see and feel God's love for you. :) 

Happy Sunday :)