Greetings!

>> Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Every time I have sat down to write a post, I instantly erase it and carry on with other things... like laundry or washing my hair. I swear everything I type seems insignificant. I assume this is because I'm a little "type shy". Well, I'm done with all that nonsense. Read on if you wish to know about a fantastic Christmas get-a-way. It was out of this world.

Picture this: two brothers, their wives, and their two baby girls in a cabin, on the coast, for Christmas weekend.  It was amazing in every way... minus Emily being a bit of a baby about not having her crib. Apparently she is as much of a home body as her parents. Thankfully, our sweet little niece was able to sleep through most of Emily's crying at bed time and random times in the middle of the night.

We ate, lounged, walked on the beach, took pictures, and even played board games. It was seriously rad. I can't wait until we do it again next year!

Maybe with four babies...

Our view from the living room and kitchen:




My favorite view of all:

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Dear Abby

>> Monday, October 24, 2011

I love my job for so many reasons. I feel seriously blessed to have found a profession that fits me like my favorite jeans. The students are the best part. This past week I was able to assign a great little task courtesy of Abby. Abby sent me an email last Sunday with the following question included:

Shouldn't your best friends, BFF, be someone you admire at least enough to want to be like? Not in the sense that you copy everything they do, but in that you look at who they are and say to yourself, "that's really cool. I want to try and implement that in my life."? Just a thought.
The 9th graders had just finished reading The Chosen. One topic covered in this little jem of a book is friendship. I presented the above question to the students, all 82 of them, and asked them to write Abby back in the form of a letter. They were to answer her question based on their reading and life experience. The responses amazed me. They were so thoughtful and kind. I promptly mailed all 82 letters to Abby that afternoon. I knew that I couldn't talk to Abby for the next three days for fear of spilling the beans! I love using the good old post office.

Abby received the letters and called right away... of course. It was a super writing prompt, but more importantly, it was a reminder to the students, and myself, that one never stops seeking for what it means to be a true friend and to have a true friendship. Thank you, Dear Abby.

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Whom isn't...

I love it when I hear people say, "There's nothing to do". Seriously? Nothing? Especially in the great Northwest, there is always something to do. That being said, we're all busy, however, I was reminded of how great it can be to do nothing- plan nothing. This summer was super busy with numerous weddings, a funeral, and a few out of town guests. We had a great time, but I always love when Fall rolls around and I can do what I love to do without feeling guilty: read, cook cozy meals, and kick it with the family while it rains outside. This Fall is extra amazing due to you know who! She makes everything better. 

I will have another pass time this Fall too- talking on the phone. I usually HATE the phone, however, with my BFF in New York, I have found it's not too bad. I would rather have her here, but at the end of the day, I still get to glean from her wisdom, laugh with her, and have the comfort of knowing there is someone who knows so much about me that I need not explain half of what I'm feeling. It's great to have a good friend whom knows you... really knows you. We had a great 2-hour convo on Saturday that produced many thoughts regarding who you let into your life and how far. I have always kept my little circle small, but with the addition of a little one, it seems I'm even more cautious. This is a blessing and a curse.

I have taken up sewing this year as well. I will reveal my first ever sewing project this week. I gifted the project to my brother and his new wifey on their wedding day. I can't wait to share! 




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Yes Please!

>> Saturday, August 6, 2011

I was recently grocery shopping when I dropped a very large glass bottle of olive oil. Boo hiss. It broke when it hit the concrete floor. Oil and glass shards went everywhere including all over my killer bronze wedge sandals and favorite jeans. I was able to salvage the jeans, but not my standby shoes.

While reading up on one of my favorite blogs, I found these. Do I dare?

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Our little fishy

>> Thursday, July 28, 2011

Ryan and I met while SCUBA diving. Well, not literally. It is still a hobby we share. I can't get enough of the water. I had my first swim at 4 months old. Emily had her's at three months old. We are so proud of her!

Ryan's dad and his wife have a pool that was open and ready to go on the 4th. We swam, laughed, ate, and had an all around great time. We then went to my ma's for a fantastic fireworks show hosted by Mitch. Emily was a tired girl by the time we got home. It was fabulous!

Getting reading to go under...

OK, here we go!


She is so fun

and brave.


Our little family.

Emily laughing at Grandpa Joe. This may be an all time favorite of mine.

I go a little overboard with the sunscreen.

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A Follow-Up

>> Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The post titled "Choices" below has generated the most comments and conversation ever on this blog. 28 people opted to have their comments not posted, rather, sent straight to my personal email or my Facebook email. All but one of those comments were from people my age with divorced parents. I was overcome with the responses of people my age trying to navigate their way through adult life with children, spouses, in-laws, holidays, and all the other aspects that make up life while also adding in the difficult piece of having divorced parents.

The post was simply commentary based on my experience with divorce. A lot has happened since my parents divorced almost ten years ago. Shockingly, some things have become easier while other things have not. My dad remarried and has an almost three year old daughter with his wife. My mom is with a wonderful man and they will be married soon as well. To say my life turned out different than I thought it would is an understatement. To say that I'm not happy with how it turned out is a misinterpretation of my words. As with most things in life, the key is to adapt. In my case, it may take a while. However, when I do accept and understand why something has changed or is different than what I expected, I do so with a full heart and no strings attached.

The Choices post started a meaningful conversation. One person wrote " it's a conversation our society desperately needs to have". I did not write the post in haste. For the first time I asked Ryan if he was OK with me posting it since the post referred to his experience as well. My heart if heavy with one response. I deleted the post for an evening, but I felt that it needed to be re-posted with one correction. Holidays are not "the worst". Holidays are difficult. We all work hard to make the holidays special and pleasant. That does not go unnoticed or unappreciated. I believe family dynamics are hard when people do not know exactly where one is coming from. The post Choices comes from a place of trying to understand, deal, and discuss as well as a place of love for my old, new, and growing family.

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Choices

Ryan's parents divorced when he was in 9th grade. Mine separated when I was a Junior in high school. They divorced sometime later... I'm not sure exactly when. Either way, it profoundly changed both of us. It continues to shape our lives everyday. I didn't realize that having divorced parents would be such an issue when we had Emily. Divorce is ugly, sad, and it devastates families. I don't care how people try to sugarcoat it. It sucks. It will suck forever; there is no way around it.  

 

I showed a documentary to my Juniors this last year called: Operation Homecoming; Writing the Wartime Experience.  It's great and available on instant Netflix. A veteran said: "There are some things one should not heal from: a broken home and war." This hit me hard. It hit the students hard as well. Many students wrote about their experience with divorce. It broke my heart. I wonder if parents know/truly understand the impact they are having on their children when they decide to divorce. When they decide to leave. It isn't just an issue of being "happy". It's an issue of stability. The family unit provides stability. That is what children need: stability, love, and consistency. 

 

So, Emily has four sets of grandparents. People say, "More people to love her!". I don't agree. Of course it means more people to love her, but it also means a life that is different for her due to the choices of others. She is lucky to have eight people in the role of grandparent, but it's hard being that Ryan and I grew up with our parents married. It's not as though we had to travel between houses- we each had the traditional family experience for most of our lives. Three of our four parents re-married later.  We don't think of their spouses as "step-parents". It's different. It's a reality I didn't think I would live. I didn't want divorced parents (who does?). I don't want Emily to be afraid that Ryan and I will divorce. I don't want Emily to think that divorce is the norm. I want her to know that we are a family unit. Always. Period.

I'm writing this because I know a lot of people my age are dealing with the same issues we are. Holidays are difficult. How does one decide where to spend Christmas without traveling to four different homes, eating four different Christmas dinners, opening too many gifts, and not hurting anyone's feelings? How does one explain the reality of divorce to a child?

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A very lovely post. Enjoy!

>> Thursday, July 7, 2011

http://www.thelittlestblog.com/2011/07/mama-kanga-baby-roo.html

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Trip of a lifetime

>> Sunday, July 3, 2011

First meeting of Emily and her great-great-grandmother Cline.
Emily is blessed enough to have TWO great-great grandmothers. Last weekend we made the trip to visit my great-grandmother Cline. My mom, Mitch, Ryan,  Emily, and Lucy joined me on a trip I will never forget. We left at 2:30 AM. Emily fell right back asleep, and so did I. We woke up at 4:45 in The Gorge. It was breathtaking. Ryan parked the truck at a spot that overlooked The Gorge with us facing the sun that was rising. I nursed Emily while Ryan and Lucy went for a little walk. Emily went right back to sleep and we were once again on our way.


We arrived just in time for a shower my mom's friends put on for us. It was intimate and lovely. Later that day we went to see my great-grandma Cline. She is 97, witty, and just as lovely as I remembered her to be. She was so excited to meet Emily. My great-grandma Cline is the mother of my mom's mom. Five generations between her and I. My grandma died in a car accident in 2001. I wish she could have met Emily.
Five Generations

We visited for a couple hours and then went to visit my grandpa. It was a lot of visiting, but Emily did wonderful. We finally got to bed at 11:30 that night. We left at 9 the next morning to come home. The drive home was just as positive as the ride there. Emily successfully completed her first road trip!

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It was the best of times

Emily and Grandma Sue at our Father's day bbq.



Emily all ready for a day of shopping with the girls!
With our home on the upward swing, Ryan and I felt comfortable enough to have his brother, his brother's wife, and their 5.5 month old baby stay with us for a week.  I was beyond excited. I was up til midnight every night for a week prepping for their arrival. We still hadn't moved everything in from the remodel, so we had some work to do. Thankfully, I had the help of my mom and mother-in-law. I was also finishing up work the week they were to visit. I was busy. But hey, everyone is busy.



Emily and Grandpa Joe
Emily, Ryan, and Darin
The week was wonderful. I had to work only two days and then I was off on summer break. Chelsea, my sister in law, watched Emily while Ryan and I were working. She also made some killer snicker doodles and banana bread. They had a blast. We had dinners, a date night, a girls only shopping day, and just good old fashioned hang out time with family. It was the first time we had company stay, and it felt great. Emily and her cousin, Aubrey, had a great time as well. They were so cute exploring each other. Aubrey is just amazing and adorable. Emily is growing everyday. We are so in love with both girls. Every night I went to bed feeling so blessed to have a wonderful nuclear family, but also a wonderful extended family. I have had some seriously tough family issues this year. It was nice to enjoy the simple and loving company of Darin, Chelsea, and little Aubrey.

I was honestly sad to have the week end. It flew by. I hope they can move up here soon, however, I just know Aubrey and Emily are going to be BFF no matter how far apart they are:-). 

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You're not a jerk; you're a mama.

>> Sunday, June 5, 2011

Last night was a bit of an earth shaker for me. My good friend, Cinamon, was having a killer birthday celebration. She brought it back old school with roller skating and actual invites delivered by the good old post office. I was set to go with the family. Emily had a sweet outfit fit for a roller rink, my hair was curled, and Ryan had the camera locked and loaded. Emily, however, had different plans.


Sleep was not on Emily's agenda yesterday. So, when she needed to go down at 5:00 PM,  I thought we were golden for leaving at 7. Well, she kept on sleeping. 7:30 rolled around. Still sleeping. I decided that if she was still sleeping at 9 I would just go the party by myself. Ryan was bummed, but he knew how much I wanted to go celebrate Cinamon's birthday. Cinamon is one of those super selfless people who really knows how to make people feel special. I wanted to make sure she knew how special I think she is. But guess who wakes up at 9 on the dot? Yes, Emily! Super. So, I nurse her and am eager to get on with the evening. I decide to wait to see where the after party is because the skating rink is a bit of a drive and would be over by the time I got there at 10. Skating lasted until 10:30. At this time I know Emily will need to eat again at 11. I go the the freezer. No milk. Really. I need to pump so Ryan can feed her. I find out the after party is 45 minutes from our house. Bummer. I can't be gone for more than 2.5 hours, because there isn't any milk stored and Emily will need to eat. This means I would have a whole 30 minutes to show my friend how much she means to me. Lame.

I decide that I should stay home (it's now 11:15 PM). I call Cinamon. I feel like a jerk. Our other friend, Sarahanne, who is there like a good friend, reassures me that all is good. It's late. Ryan grabs a cigar, and I grab a dark brew. I tell Ryan how lame I feel. He reminds me it's 11:30 PM and that we have a two month old baby. He also reminds me that my friends understand that and that I am indeed not a jerk, but a mama. Emily cries. She eats. We sleep. I am slowly embracing this wonderful new life.

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Our 8 Week Little Sleeper

>> Friday, May 27, 2011

She melts my heart.
 More pictures of her super cute nursery to come. I have a few more things to tackle.
Emi has three choices of where to sleep in our house. Of course she could care less where I put her. She has started napping in her crib (such a big girl), but she is still sleeping in her cradle at night. This is mostly for my convenience. The cradle was build by Ryan's dad, Joe, when Ryan was born. So sweet. 

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Time Flies!

It has been an emotional week at my work. It will continue to be next week when I return for the last three weeks before summer break. I can't believe I'm going back to work, but I love my job so much that I couldn't stay away. Emily is getting so big and strong. She is alert and having so much fun learning about her new environment. I'll miss her like crazy for those four hours I'll be teaching.

Good news: She's in very good hands with her two grandmas. What a lucky girl. It's only for 17 days. How lucky are we?

Bad news: I'll probably be a basket case the first few days. Good thing my students rock.

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Word Up, Natalie Portman

>> Tuesday, May 17, 2011

"I’m tough on myself in terms of the standards I want to live up to, but that’s also part of my pleasure: knowing you are being your fullest self. 

Being your fullest self is a lot of work.”

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6 Weeks of Pure Goodness

>> Wednesday, May 11, 2011






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My First




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The Best Thing Since Sliced Bread

>> Thursday, April 28, 2011

I didn't know I was going to turn into a cloth diaper lover. I wasn't sure about the poop situation, however, I also didn't know about Bum Genius cloth diapers. I'm in love with Cotton Babies. We are lucky enough to have a store in our great town, and I visit there about once a week. We took our "baby class" at Cotton Babies, a cloth diapering class, they made our car seat safe, and they hooked me up with the perfect (almost) nursing bra. Needless to say, they are amazing.

Back to cloth diapering. I received a lot of crap, pun intended, about Ryan and I using cloth diapers. We heard it all: "It's going to stink in your house", "You won't be able to keep up with it", and "Why would you even bother?". I may have listened to those Negative Nancys if I hadn't been educated about all the options out there for people who decide to use cloth.

Cloth diapers have come a long way. No more plastic pants and dangerous pins. They are actually super cute, easy to use, and easy to clean (especially if you breastfeed). We decided to use Bum Genius All-In-One (AIO) diapers. AIO diapers are similar to disposable diapers in the way they fit and are designed. They fit great and are secured using Velcro.



I love that these diapers can be adjusted to fit your baby so easily. Also, you can add inserts to make the diaper more absorbent at night. We bought 10 of the XS size for Emily to use first. I also bought two hemp inserts for night time use. We will switch over to the Flip System with Indian pre folds when she is big enough. We may actually buy the small size Bum Genius AIOs for Emily before beginning with the Flip System. We'll see. 

With ten AIOs, I do one load of diapers a day. I just start a load with six or seven diapers so we don't run out. I can't express how easy it is to use these cloth diapers. I also can't express how great it is to not waste time and money on disposables (not to mention the environmental issues).

I would also suggest using cloth wipes if you are using cloth diapers. It just makes sense and is also super easy. I plan on making my own wipes this month. Flannel is a great fabric to consider when making baby wipes.

Please don't be afraid of cloth diapers. They are seriously awesome.

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To Grandmother's House We Go

>> Tuesday, April 26, 2011

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Bath Time!

Teeny tiny Emily has to take baths in the sink. She is not a fan.

It's a team effort to get the water temperature just right, scrub her up, have a towel ready, and try to console her through the process. I have no doubt our little sweetie will love water, how could she not, but it may take some getting used to.
























This is the kind of picture that reminds me how lucky I am.











Finally, all snuggled in and content.

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Emily's Birth Story (the short version)

>> Wednesday, April 20, 2011

I figure I had better get Emily's birth story written before she is 21. First of all, it was amazing. Her birth was amazing due to all the wonderful support we have in our lives... I'll get to all that.

After several, four, horrible experiences at The Woman's Clinic of __________, Ryan and I decided to seek out a midwife and have a home birth. We were already 21 weeks into the pregnancy and a little worried. Abby's sister had two home births with the same midwife team that delivered her, Abby, and two of her brothers. I quickly got her info, and Ryan and I met with her at Starbucks. We fell in love. Mary and Pita are a mother and daughter midwife team. Mary has delivered over 3,000 babies, and she has been doing this gig for over 30 years. We could not have felt more confident. Mary came to our home for all prenatal appointments. How cool is that?!? She has a holistic approach to health and is a firm believer that pregnancy is not an illness. Our thoughts exactly.

I will say that my pregnancy was wonderful. I loved every minute of it. Ryan and I feel lucky to have had such a great experience while I was carrying Emily. For me, enjoying the pregnancy was half mental. If you have the mentality that your body is made to create this life, you are more apt to not think of the changes in your body as an illness. I also think that getting up early, moving, working, eating well, and living life as normal as possible is so important. Our birthing classes reinforced the idea that pregnancy is natural. Our midwife, Pita, and her friend, Amber, taught our Bradley birthing class. It was a ten week series that set us up for the successful birth of Emily. (Off soapbox)

We wanted to have a non-medicated birth at home. I knew I would not be relaxed and/or comfortable in any other setting besides our house. I wanted to be free to move and labor however I felt most comfortable. I didn't want anyone checking my progress or filling my head with fear/doubts about my body's ability to give birth. Our birth team was behind us 100%. Not only that, but they love births. Everything about them.

OK, so our story. It was 6:15AM on March 29th. Ryan and I were slow to get out of bed that morning. We had been going full speed on the remodel. Our drywall guy was showing up at 6:30AM to finish up. Our house was, and still is,  EMPTY except our new room, new bathroom, and laundry room. I will refer to this area as our little "studio". My water broke on the way to the bathroom. I don't think anyone was more surprised than I was. I said to Ryan, "What do I do?". He replied, "Go to the bathroom." He is so logical like that. I called my team teacher, Jois, to let her know what was up. I then arranged for another teacher to cover my first period. The 3rd person I called was our midwife. Silly. She should have been the first, but I was in denial. I was actually in denial until after the birth of Emily. I'm just saying, I had a lot to do before Emily came into this world. Funny how quickly things change.

Once our midwife, Mary, confirmed that my water had broke and that our baby was coming very soon, Ryan went to work to tie up some loose ends. The drywall guy and I hung out until 11 when Ryan got home. I showered, checked email, and made a list of the things we needed to pick up. We had zero baby items. Due to the remodel that was to be finished in three weeks, all of the baby stuff was at my mom's house. When Ryan got home, we took off to: Costco, Cotton Babies, and my mom's house. My contractions had started around 10:30. They were 7-10 minutes apart and mild. I wasn't convinced that the sensations I was feeling were contractions. They were so mild. We just kept shopping, planning, and timing. Ryan was way more diligent than I was at keeping track of the contractions. Once again, he's so logical like that.

Pita, Mary's daughter and our other midwife, met me at my ma's to see how things were progressing and to check Emily's position. Emily's heartbeat was strong, she was head down, and anterior. AKA: Emily was in the perfect position to enter this world. Pita determined Emily's position by feeling her in my belly. It is so powerful. My OBGYN at the Woman's Clinic had not touched me at all in the 20-something weeks we had seen her. She didn't even measure me. Pita and Mary have such a gentle and healing touch. I cried, in the car, the first time Pita checked our baby's position after one of our classes. I cried because I felt so connected to our baby through her touch. I also felt an enormous amount of confidence and care from Pita. The passion these ladies have for birth is amazing. OK, OK. Back to the story.

Ryan cleaned up the living room and dining room after the drywall guys left. Joe, Ryan's dad, came over to help Ryan move in our couch, a rug, a chair, and some lamps for our birthing team. Thankfully, most of our furniture was next door in Joe's shop. I decided to make a fruit salad and get some drinks made for after the birth. My contractions were about 7 minutes apart and still mild. TJ, Ryan's good friend, came over with cigars and beer. I decided to call it a night at 9. The boys hung out on the front porch. I have to say that I still didn't think we were having our baby yet. I didn't want to be one of those people who jump the gun. Truth be told, I was planning on going to work the following day.

Ryan came inside to shower and snuggle into bed around 11. He woke me up after he washed off the stanky cigar to see how the contractions were coming along. We were to call Mary when the contractions were five minutes apart. Ryan got he iPhone out to time everything accurately. The contractions were between 4 and 5 minutes apart and much stronger. Ryan wanted to call Mary right away. I, however, wanted to establish a pattern before making any calls. Ryan called Mary. He's logical that way.

Nancy, Mary's intern, arrived first. She checked things out, got set up, made sure all the supplies were available, and waited for Mary and Pita to arrive. Pita brought twins who are 15 months old. They are adorable. Our midwife team knew Ryan and I wanted to labor alone. They hung out in our living room for the four hours I was in "hard labor". Pita came down to help me through two contractions while Ryan was filling up the birthing tub. The contractions were very manageable if I was standing and walking around. Lying down was a whole different situation. Ladies, DON'T LIE DOWN WHILE IN LABOR! Mary checked my progress once. It was the worst. It was the worst because I lost it mentally. By "lost it" I mean I mentally freaked a little when Mary said, "I can't tell how many centimeters you are, because the baby's head is right there."  Remember, I was in denial about the whole having a baby thing that night. The fact that the head was right there was a little startling. I also started to have a contraction... lying down. Once the contraction passed, I jumped in the pool. Ahhhh, sweet water relief.

I hung out for about twenty minutes in the pool. The contractions were getting more intense. I went through the transition part of labor quickly (thankfully). Ryan was with me the whole time. I can't express what a great birthing partner he was. I knew he would be great, but I didn't realize how much I would need him. I needed him to just be right in front of me, and I needed him to allow me to just hang on to him and look at him. He was an equal participant in Emily's birth. I couldn't have done it without him.

After about 20 minutes in the pool, I needed to go potty. Just potty. Much to my chagrin, Ryan went with me. I did my business, had a contraction, and then decided that I needed to really go to bathroom. I asked Ryan to give me some privacy, but Mary was in the bathroom before I knew it and checking things out. She asked where I wanted to have the baby. I suddenly had no idea where I wanted to be. Ryan stepped in and reminded me of our plan for a water birth. So, back to the pool we went. We were going to have a baby.

Now, this whole labor thing, for me, was totally mental. Ryan and I were so well prepared that we knew exactly what my body was doing and why. This is why I was able to keep it together. I also strive to be connected with my body and to listen to my body. I truly believe that a woman's body is made to give birth. I trusted that. While in the pushing stage, I could feel Emily coming down the birth canal. During the first contraction while pushing, I felt her come down and then go back up a little once the contraction had passed. I decided that wasn't happening again. On the next contraction, I pushed three times and then held her there using my kegal muscles. (Yeah for the birthing exercises we learned about in class.) On the next contraction I pushed three times and out came her head. The "ring of fire" was short lived and not at all what I was expecting. Instead of painful and horrible, it was reassuring and exciting: it meant our baby was seconds from being born. Her body came out right after and she was brought to my chest. It was 3:10AM, and we suddenly became a family of three. Ryan and I were in awe. She was amazing and perfect. Emily and I stayed in the tub for about 15 minutes. Our team let us have those first 15 minutes in private as a family. We could not have been happier.

Pictures were then taken, Ryan cut the umbilical cord, Mary took Emily to check her out and get all her vitals. Pita and Nancy walked me to the shower. I then got into my own lovely bed and watched as Ryan dressed Emily to keep her warm. Our team started the one load of laundry, packed up their belongings, and took off. Ryan, Emily, and I spent the next hour as a new family in our bed. Ryan called the grandparents. The four of them came over at 6 AM. They were all so amazed and in love with her. They were also relieved that the home birth went well. I guess parents never stop worrying.

Our midwife team came back to our home five times over the week following Emily's birth. Our Bradley instructor came to our home to give us a class on breastfeeding because we missed our last class due to Emily's early arrival. We were, and still are, impressed by the level of care we were given by our birthing team and our birth instructor. I can't wait to have another baby!

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Sweet Baby Emily

>> Sunday, April 10, 2011

Photo by Cheyla of Breedlove 
I call her Emi. Ryan calls her Sweetheart. My mom calls her Emers. We are all in awe. I'm working on a post all about her birth and how wonderful it was. In the meantime, I wanted to officially introduce her after eight days of her not having a name. We have been crazy busy with baby stuff and getting our house put back together all the while trying to enjoy the family we have visiting. We still can't believe she was almost a month early. We had so much to get done before she came, but it always works out. She was ready to get here. We are so happy she is healthy and happy.

It has been such a joyful time for us. We can't believe how long we can just stare at her. More to come. Ryan has taken over 1,000 pictures. The hardest part will be to chose which pictures to share.

We are off to nap. Happy Sunday!

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It's Official!

>> Sunday, February 20, 2011

I'm in love with the fabric Terry and I found for the nursery. I decided to go with the orange and green color scheme from Kate Spain's Central Park line. Terry, Ryan's mom, is making the: bumpers, sheets, crib skirt, and a pillow for The Baby. I couldn't be more excited. I'll post pictures as soon as I have the finished product.

Below is a similar set-up of the crib bedding. The crib skirt will be the image right below the word "Spain" on the above collage. I love the trees!



Below is the crib we have chosen.

Babi Italia Eastside Crib in Cinnamon

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The Little Things

>> Friday, February 11, 2011


Working with an amazing group of women

Teaching and learning from an amazing group of teenagers

Learning a nap is a blessing

The perfect pair of curtains

A full fridge

A full heart  

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I'm in Good Hands

>> Monday, February 7, 2011

Students: When is The Baby coming?

Me: Ten weeks! (cough)

Students: Are you OK, Silby?

Me: Yes. Thanks for asking. Let's get started on that vocab.

Student #1: Are you having contractions? Did your water break? Are you sure you're OK?

Me: It was just a little cough. I'm fine.

Student #2: OK. (pause) Well, if you do go into labor I know how to deliver a baby. I watched Knocked Up.

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The Nursery

>> Sunday, February 6, 2011

I'm feeling the pressure of picking a theme for the nursery. I can't believe The Baby comes in ten weeks (give or take), and we have only three baby items in our possession. Ryan and I have been so great about sticking to the remodel. Oh, we move in today!!! I will post pictures this week.

Back to the nursery. Yesterday, Jois and I went to the fabric store to get some ideas for the bumpers curtains, and such. I just can't stand the idea of our baby having some generic pattern from Babies R Us. Here is my favorite so far.

This picture doesn't show the exact coloring of the fabric, but it is so sweet and it is flannel. Super cozy!

Since we don't know the gender, putting together a nursery is proving to be a little more difficult than I had first anticipated. I want to stay away from a "theme", but I also want the room to feel put together and made specifically for The Baby.

I will head over to Fabric Depot to check out their selection before making any commitments:-). The good news is that we have time. We bust into the main bathroom remodel in two weeks. After the bathroom is complete we will have the wood floors refinished and the walls/ceilings in the whole house textured and painted. We will then put away our tools and focus on the nursery and starting this new adventure into babyland. Our "rule" is that we will finish all projects by April 1st (besides the nursery).  I have a feeling it will all work out just great.

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A great blend of Us

>> Monday, January 24, 2011

Kari Herer

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Absolutly doing this come summer

Love and Lavender
A "Thankful for Friends Party"?!? What could be more fun and appropriate on a warm summer day? Check out the party and all the details here and here.

I'm working on being a better friend this year. I'm known as a person with few, albeit, close friends. However, I tend to keep to myself most of the time. Ever since I can remember the thought of staying the night at a friend's house felt foreign and not appealing. Yet I love getting together with a bunch of creative, inspiring, and strong women.

"Being a better friend" is hard to define, but I'm working on it. I'm trying to call more often, plan outings that don't revolve around coffee or lunch, and just being more open to hanging out. I'm not sure why it's hard for me to just "hang out" with friends. (Ryan and I are so alike in this way.)

So, this is my goal: I will have a "Thankful for Friends Party" this summer celebrating my dear friends who keep me grounded, sane, inspired, and laughing.

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So many opinions

>> Saturday, January 22, 2011

@22 Weeks
Ryan and I have learned that babies bring all sorts of unsolicited advice and warnings. However, the most annoying interesting are the nay-sayers. You know, those people who like to squash your ideas about your birthing plan, cloth diapers, and the hopes of a toy free living room. I realize Ryan and I don't have children. I realize that we are being idealistic. I want others to realize that we can be.

On a lighter note, our new bathroom and bedroom are so close to being finished. We should be moving in on Monday. We had our first Bradley Birthing class this last week; I'm so excited we found a space that values our commitment to a non medicated birth. So, here's to another great weekend of home improvement and reading my new Sun magazine that arrived yesterday. Yeah.

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My Bookshelf

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

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