Snow day!

Sorry if it got a little preachy in my last post. Totally not intended. Of course, since I am having a great experience so far, I want everyone to experience it too! But really, just like with parenting, what's right for some is not always right for all. It's quite a controversial topic and everyone has their different beliefs and situations.

I firmly believe all women should think and pray about what is right for them and what is best for their family. You should never make a decision based on what someone else says or does. We prayed about this decision and feel good about it so far. Thanks for all your comments!!

Anyway..............

It was a little warmer last week (meaning in the upper 30's, almost 40's) so we decided to spend some time outside. Josie has only really been out in the snow a couple times other than going from car to house or store. She LOVES being outside. It's pretty much been snowing and too cold to go outside much since she has been able to walk, so it's was nice to let her walk around and get some fresh air. I'm really excited for spring and the rest of the year. The winters here can be sometimes a little rough, but boy is the rest of the year beautiful! The spring, summer, and fall are to die for!!

*Note: I am trying to finally learn how to use my camera. I was trying out different settings, but mostly still kinda guessing. I have the Nikon D60 and I know many of you have the same one or have the D40 or D90. Please give me some tips on how the pics could be better. I have the shutter speed at 1600 and I think I used the "A" setting. Are these pics any better? I left them all unedited.






The first thing she always does is tries the snow. Sometimes I'll find an icicle for her to lick as well. Mmmmm........dirty snow......

Of course, then she goes straight for the dirty puddles of melted snow at the end of the driveway.


I had a hard time keeping her away from them. I just knew this was going to happen:

She can't move very well in her snow clothes, so anytime she fell, she would try in vain to roll over and I'd have to help her back up. Picture that part in "A Christmas Story"....."I can't get up!"

When I took her out front to where she could really walk around, she was SO excited! She would laugh as she walked and had a smile the whole time.

I love her cute little shadow.....

This happened a lot.

Then came the most exciting part of the day. She spotted a squirrel!!! Not sure if she's ever really seen one up close. She chased after it and it scurried up a tree. I wish I was in front of her so you could see her beaming, curious face.


"Squirrel, come down and play with me!!!!"


She was very upset that I couldn't get him to come down and see her. She cried as he jumped from tree to tree and out of sight. Just another reminder of how much I need to get a zoo pass in this year.

If you couldn't tell already, Josie had a cold at the time and the freezing weather just made it worse. She was a snot factory! I didn't have anything to wipe it with so sorry about the snotty nose in all the pics. I just had to put this one in, though. It just made me laugh cause it's so gross.

Introducing snot fangs:

Um... yeah.....what Becca said!

I have a had a couple people ask about the whole midwife/ birth center thing. It's weird cause I never thought of having a midwife as being all that different or strange. I thought they were pretty common and accepted. Anyway, I have had several friends who have used them, some with a home birth, some in a hospital. One of my friends from Tampa, Rebecca Robinson (some of you probably know her) used a midwife for her hospital water birth. She is pregnant again and has decided to do a birth center with midwife this time instead. So, of course we thought it was cool that we both have the same plan (though we made the decision separately and I would never make an important birth decision based on someone elses). Anyway, she just posted about her experience thus far. You can read it here. I was planning on doing the same thing but never got around to it. Let me just say this: SO much better than the whole OB group thing I did before where you see 10 different doctors, spend 10 mins. with them once a month and then it's totally up in the air as far as who will deliver you. I never even met the doctor who delivered Josie! I don't know how you can expect the best care from someone who knows nothing about you, your history, etc. except for what is on your chart.
With the midwives, (there are 5, but you will know before hand who will deliver you) they spend quality time with you. Each of my visits, she will ask about my personal interests, health, give wellness tips, discuss mothering topics, answer questions, and takes a genuine interest in my health and needs. One of the things I was really impressed with is she asked me about my religious beliefs and how that might play into our birth plan! They really take your health seriously since if you become high risk, you may be no longer their patient! They discuss with me ways of staying low risk, preparing for childbirth, eating right, and exercising. Most of them are mother's and take sincere pride and joy in what they do. You can feel it.
Anyway, I'm not going to go into specifics about my birthing beliefs or my personal birth plan. (Maybe at a later date.) I just wanted to say, if you have never looked into using a midwife, I highly recommend it! Here are some things about them:

Midwifery provides continuous support to women with uncomplicated pregnancies during pregnancy and labor. Communication between midwife and the pregnant woman is emphasized, and midwives focus on working with the woman to reduce the risk for complications during childbirth. Midwives also focus on the needs of the family, and most encourage family participation in the birth. They pay special attention to the cultural values and personal preferences of the women in their care.

Safety is also a priority in midwifery and studies show that outcomes are the same as physician-attended births. As part of their commitment to nonintervention, midwives do not advocate the use of pain medication or invasive procedures during the normal birthing process. They encourage women to actively participate in the birthing process. Midwives provide health care education and emotional and social support. The continuous presence of a midwife during labor can reduce:

• The length of labor
  
• The need for pain medication
  
• The likelihood of forceps or other operative devices during delivery
  
• The possibility of cesarean delivery

*Courtesy of www.americanpregnancy.org

Though they are usually associated with natural drug-free birth, I know some offer epidural and other pain relief if delivering in the hospital. Really, if you feel you want something, the midwife will help you as long as you are not putting yourself at risk. They will however, try to encourage you and help you to manage the pain in other ways.

Also, some do VBAC's!! No matter what your birth plan, if you have had a c-section or natural birth, with drugs or not, midwives might be a good option for you if you are low risk. As always, do whatever you feel is best for you!

Good deeds.

I was thinking about something this morning. I was remembering for some reason, two experiences I had where I thought to myself, "I really need to teach my children that." Well, I've had lots of those moments, but two of them were very similar and stick out in my mind.

I was about 30 weeks pregnant, on my way to California. Kevin was going to be meeting me there several days later, so I had to go by myself. No big deal, I've done that a lot. I had to fly out of Chicago O' Hare airport which is normally about 2 1/2 to 3 hours away including traffic. Something unexpected (can't remember what) had made me leave way late. I sped the whole way there, endured downtown traffic, and parked in long term parking. The seemingly LAST spot in long term parking. I still needed to cross the vast (and I mean VAST) parking lot, wait for the shuttle, take it to the farthest terminal and then check in. Oh yeah, and it was PORING rain!!! It was quite an ordeal. I had one bag that was as big as me (I was going to be gone a couple weeks) and a couple small ones. As I parked, I noticed another car trying to find a spot who ended up parking close to me at the very back of the lot. He looked like a business man with his rain coat and briefcase as his only luggage. So here I am, this very pregnant lady, running in the rain attempting to tow a bag that I could fit in, and balance 2 other bags in my arms. As I ran, every few meters my bag would catch a bump and overturn or twist awkwardly. I would have to stop and fix it, then run again as fast as I could since I was in serious danger of missing my flight. My running was about as fast as this mans brisk walking. I know he saw me struggling. I was really hoping that he or someone might be able to help me. Nothing. When I finally got to the shuttle area, I was sopping wet, very much out of breath, and quite sore. All you other moms know that in the later weeks, you can get out of breath walking up a few stairs. I just ran at least a 1/4 mile with about 60 lbs of luggage! I got on the packed shuttle to see the business man sitting comfortably with no other seats available. So I stood. Everyone kept staring at me cause, you know, people always stare at pregnant women, but no one offered me a seat.

Now, fast-forward several months. Josie was maybe 7 month old or so and I thought we would take a walk down to the library. We did this often. Josie was in her stroller asleep by the time we got there. The one irritating thing about this library, it that it did not have automatic doors at the time. (It does now.) If you have young kids you know that manual doors are just unacceptable with a stroller. It means you must try to open a door with one hand, while steering the stroller through with the other. It usually takes several attempts depending on the size of your stroller. I came up to the door and realized they were not automatic. I also noticed a young man, probably about 18 or 19 sitting on a bench next to the door. I got in front of the stroller and pushed the door open and attempted to pull the stroller through the wheels kept getting stuck and I soon realized it would not fit through just one door. I needed to have both open. I tried to stretch my arms across to open the other and push the stroller again. By this time, Josie had woken up and was crying. All the while, this young man was just sitting there watching. I finally had to go inside and ask someone just inside the door to help me.

Normally I don't just expect people to do things for me. I think it's nice when they do, but have never seen it as a requirement. I'm not offended when someone doesn't give me or do something for me. Kevin is the opposite. He looks at it as a human obligation. My mind changed a little after these two experiences. Why didn't anyone help me? Were they too shy, didn't think I needed it, or just didn't care? I'm sure that if I had asked either man to help me, they would have. Maybe I should have asked instead of complaining about it. Wouldn't it be nice to not have to, though? All I know, is it will be a requirement for our children to show compassion and give simple service for everyone they see, especially moms and pregnant ladies. I would be ashamed if one of those men were my children.

Belly pic- 16 weeks

As promised, I finally took a pic of the growing belly at 16 weeks. I really don't know how it compares to last time at this point, but I think it must be bigger. I could at least still hide it or suck in a little at 16 weeks. It wasn't until around 20 weeks or so that it was obvious. It is pretty much obvious now. I think I may have gained more weight so far too. I pretty much just let my body do whatever during pregnancy. I am not prone to weight gain normally and have been roughly the same weight since I was 13. I also eat mostly the same in the same amounts (slightly healthier). So, I figure if I gain 50 pounds in pregnancy, my body just needed it. So far, I think I have gained 8 or 9 pounds. My next midwife appt. is next week. Unlike everyone else who seems to find out at 18 or 19 weeks, we are waiting until about 21 weeks to find out the sex. I really have no preference for what it is, so I am not as anxious about it. I can wait. Plus, it is best to do the diagnostic ultrasound between 20-22 weeks because the fetus is more developed, but not too big yet. I would rather be able to see more potential problems, than find out the sex a couple weeks earlier. Since we are having the baby outside the hospital, we are trying to make sure things stay low risk. I'm not sure if I have felt the baby yet. I think so, but am not sure. Last time I started feeling it by around 16 weeks. It's kinda making me paranoid that I am now almost 17 1/2 and no solid movement yet. It will be more assuring when I can feel sure movement and kicks and not just wonder if that was really the baby. Soon, I'm sure!

Josie at 15-16 months

Whenever I lay down, she will lay her head on mine and smother me with kisses. SO CUTE!!

I haven't done an old fashioned monthly update in a while. Here is what Josie is like these days:

Loves:

*Josie is a big snuggler lately. I LOVE IT!!! She loves to snuggle with you, especially when it's naptime. She still has her "Snuggly" which is her little bear/blanket thing. Anytime she see's him (yes, it's a him) she will hold him up to her face with her left hand while sucking on her first two right fingers. Always. It's her way of telling me she's tired. She does that with blankets, socks, or anything even remotely soft. She even snuggled with the soft ties on my snow boots yesterday. When she is tired, she just wants something soft to snuggle with. Plus, she will let me hold her and sing to her when she is like this. Nap time and bed time is usually really easy. Because she associates "Snuggly" with sleep, when it's time for bed, I signal it by giving him to her. She knows it's time to calm down and go to sleep. She will snuggle him, suck on her fingers, and let me place her in bed. No fuss, just cozies up into her blankets and goes to sleep.

*Side note: I started having her hold "Snuggly" when I would nurse her so she would associate him with comfort and sleeptime. It totally worked and made weaning and naptime way easier cause she had a replacement and something that made her feel content. She would hold him instead of needing me to hold her 24/7.

*BOOKS!!! Can read them endlessly and loves to sit on your lap while she's doing it. Still could care less about TV, but loves those books! Seriously, a pile of books can entertain her for an hour. It's all I get her anymore.

*going up AND down the stairs. She finally learned how to hold on to the side and walk down the stairs going forward. I still supervise her but she is super fast at it now.

*singing and dancing. Every morning, first thing she does is ask me to turn on the radio in the kitchen. She insists it stay on most of the day. Classical music, of course! She loves to dance to it too.

*Food, of course. Completely motivated by it. Any time food is around, she will run to her chair, get in, and start putting the tray on, letting me know she is ready to eat. She has become somewhat pickier, but eats pretty healthy most of the time. I am kind of a stickler for that anyway. Also, I can NEVER eat in peace since she will always want my food, even if she doesn't like it and even if daddy has the same thing on his plate. Mommy must never eat in front of me!!

*Talking. She is a huge babbler but can say real words when she wants to. The words she can say very clearly are: Mom, Dad, Baby, Bye-Bye or Bye-Bye Daddy, Jesus, this, that, what is it?, and what's that? We have also heard her say Grandpa, hi, hat and a couple more I can't remember now. She also nods yes and no. She learns the meaning of countless new words each day. She can do almost anything I ask her to do and understands probably more than we know. Sometimes, she will have an entire conversation with me using her unintelligible babble. It goes something like this

Me: "Josie, where did you put your sippy cup? Where is your milk?"
Her: "Wasinana? Is is danama. Abigo zis "there." (walking into the kitchen, pointing to her cup)
Me: "Do you want some more? Are you thirsty?"
Her: "Is! Is! Agago wis?" (while nodding her head yes)

I have no idea if she is really trying to say actual words or if she is just trying to get her point across however she can. She does throw in actual words sometimes and uses the correct inflections when speaking. It's way cute! I love the words she makes up! It ends up being quite effective and I do know what she wants usually.

*She sings or hums herself to sleep sometimes. I will usually rock her and sing a song with her before bed. I started noticing after I leave the room, she will continue singing or humming until she falls asleep. So. dang. cute.

*Every kind of electronic is a phone to her. She will hold remotes, chargers, calculators up to her ear and start talking to it.

* She stopped breastfeeding last week. She has been flirting with weaning for a month or so and I admit I kinda helped her along in the end. She had started to get bored, distracted, or would bite everytime I would nurse her. Also, pregnancy had made it quite painful for me. I figured it was time. She had only been nursing 1-2 times a day anyway. I wasn't really sure how long I had planned on nursing. I wanted to do at least a year and then play it by ear after that. (The American Assoc. of Pediatrics recommends BF as long as possible, ultimately 1-2 years or more, even though it is not popular.) I am SO glad I kept it up. I don't think it is any coincidence that she never got sick her first year of life. Since she has been weaned, she has been sick twice. I'm am sure we saved on doctor bills and we developed a wonderful bond. It's one of the few times she would still snuggle with me since she got mobile and squirmy. I am confident that her immune system is strong enough now without it, and she has pretty much decided on her own so I don't feel bad. She doesn't seem to miss it.

*She is still the happiest girl around, super friendly, and will go with almost anyone. She will climb up on strangers laps (at church it's fine, but I have to watch her when we are out other places.) She laughs a lot and is always assuming people are there to play with her and make her laugh. I am counting down the days until she will be in the nursery at church. Every time I take her in there (I am in the Primary presidency so I go check on the nursery) she doesn't want to leave. I'm sure she's thinking "Mom! There are toys at church?!? And other kids to play with?!?! You never told me that!" Only 2 more months!

Other facts:

* I don't know her stats since her well visit appt. was cancelled and I haven't made a new one. Need to do that! She weighs around 23-24 pounds, though.

*Still has 8 teeth. 4 on bottom, 4 on top. No sign of anymore coming in soon.

*Ever since our California trip, her sleep has been different. She was sleeping from 7ish to 7 or 8ish at night, then taking one nap at noon for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Totaling usually about 14-15 hours a day. Now, she goes to bed at around 8 and sleeps until 8 or 9 if I'm really lucky. She has gone back to TWO naps most days. Sometimes she will sleep from 8 to 8, then go down for a nap as early as 10 and sleep till noon! Then she will have another nap at 3 or 4 for an hour and go to bed again at 8. I don't mind at all!! I liked her going to bed early at 7 since Kev and I had the whole evening together. Now since I'm pregnant and tired, I do like her going to bed a little later and sleeping later. I haven't been able to sleep in past 8 in a long time!

*She had her second trip to the ER a couple weeks ago. Kevin was swinging her around by her arms like we do often and apparently swung her a little awkwardly. She started crying as soon as he put her down. We thought she was just tired since it was past nap time, but when she didn't stop crying after 10 mins., we knew something was up. As we put her in the car, we noticed she was not using her right arm and cried when we touched it to strap her in. We took her to the ER and they said it was probably "Nurse-maid's elbow." Basically, it's like a dislocation of the elbow. It's very common (they said it is one of the most common injuries in toddlers) and not as severe as it sounds. Infant and toddler joints and bones are not completely developed yet and still soft so they can injure easily. They can also heal easy. So, Kevin held her while they simply popped it back into place. It was super simple. They basically just straighten the arm and them bend it up and it pops back in. The pain is supposed to go away pretty immediately. She was still in some pain and cried when you touched that arm, but she was able to move it after that. We think she was just scared we were going to hurt it again. They took an X-ray and gave her some pain meds and sent us home. Later that evening, she was good as new! Arm has been fine ever since! So, be careful about jerking your kids' arms or pulling them too hard. They come apart easily, lol!!

I promise more pics next time! I am currently trying to learn more about my camera. I know posts with out pics are no fun!

I am going to try and actually publish some blogs this weekend, maybe Sunday. I just haven't had a chance or haven't had the energy to blog lately. I have been miserable with a sinus infection this week and am just starting to feel better. I have a big Josie update planned since she is almost 16 months and I haven't done one in a while. Also, I am going to finally take a belly pic!! I am really showing now, much earlier than last time.

Also, at some point I have it in my plans to find the manual for my camera and actually read it. I have owned this camera for a year and still have no idea how to use it. That's why my pictures are so crappy all the time. Many of you probably have the same one. It's the Nikon D60. I just got a zoom lens for it too. Any tips? I really hate spending a lot of time on Photoshop (in fact I HATE over-Photoshoped pictures. They look too fake to me), so I just want the originals to look better. Hopefully, in a few months, my pics will be looking more professional : ) It'll probably help when the sun comes out here and we have some natural light.

Also, I have been thinking a lot about what I really want this blog to be. I blog mostly because we live far from family and want to stay somewhat connected through pictures. I try to keep it all as family updates and not much else. Sometimes though, I feel like posting more of my thoughts and feelings but worry about two things. First of all, I am fully aware that not everyone cares or wants to hear about my opinions on things. I wonder if people would get annoyed or stop reading my blog if I state my opinions or thoughts too frequently. Also, my blog is public. Would I regret stating my feelings to the world? I don't know. Maybe it's no big deal and I am a wimp when it comes public opinion. After all this is MY blog! So in the meantime, I have written countless posts, only to leave them unpublished because they express my opinions/feelings about things. Maybe someday I will post some of them. Also, I don't want this blog to be an opinion blog. I want to keep it our family blog. But, if I wanted to, does anyone care if I share sometimes? Will you get offended if we disagree?

Here's an opinion. Currently watching the Opening Ceremonies. I LOVE the Olympics, even winter ones. I have to say though, so far these ceremonies are pretty boring. It's hard to top Beijing. I think I will go plan my Sharing time lessons now.............