FFF: Mimicking Mama & Daddy

Just this week Enoch has started mimicking little things that Hugh and I do.  It's so cute and hilarious to see him imitate us (and also very sobering because I know that soon he'll also be mimicking what we say as well!!).  Here are some examples-

• If I drop a cheerio on the ground, pick it up, blow it off, and then eat it, Enoch will blow on every piece of food he touches before eating it.  
• This morning I covered my mouth while coughing a few times, and Enoch preceded to cover his mouth and fake cough over and over (and then laugh at how funny he was).
• When I grab the broom to sweep, he tries taking it out of my hands because he wants to sweep too.
• This morning I used a measuring tape to see how big our side door is (we're replacing it soon), and when I sat the tape down, Enoch grabbed it and started trying to measure the door, just like I had done.  

 

measuring the door (sorry it's hard to see the tape measure)

And since the tape measure was the "toy" of choice this morning, I went ahead and got a video of Enoch using the measuring tape in the closet.  I hope you enjoy watching him play with it.  :)

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The Meaning behind Maundy Thursday

Tony Reinke wrote a very helpful post yesterday about the significance behind Maundy Thursday (which happens to be today).   I learned a few things from it, and I really appreciated the link he drew between Jesus washing the disciples' feet and His crucifixion.  I hope you'll take time to check it out; it's truly a good read!

The Creator on His Knees (Preparing for Maundy Thursday) By: Tony Reinke (3/27/2013)

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A Fun Easter Recipe

For any of you looking for a fun Easter recipe, try this one for Resurrection Rolls.  I have a friend who just recommended them to me a week ago and said they're a great family tradition to start.  We aren't going to be able to make them this year, but they'll for sure be on my list next year.  :)

You can follow the link above to find the recipe as well as how to explain the rolls to your children.

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My Take on Cloth Diapers - 1.5 years in

diaper laundry - ready to be folded

I just wanted to do a quick update on my experience with cloth diapers now that we're 1.5 years in.

First, I am so thankful for cloth diapers because they have saved us a ton of money!   We started out using prefolds and covers predominantly (that's the cheapest cloth diaper set-up you can invest in), and they will definitely last through baby #2.  :)  I've also recently invested in some pocket diapers (pictured below) which are much more daddy-friendly because they work almost exactly like a disposable (after I stuff them).   Let's just be honest, I enjoy having a quick diaper solution too!

Unfortunately, Enoch is about to outgrow the biggest size of prefold available (if I want to continue using a snappi with them), so I'm considering altering a few with my trusty sewing machine.  Ideally, I'll be able to add some tabs onto the sides (for added width) without sacrificing the length.  I'm a huge snappi fan because it keeps the prefold in place and minimizes the clean up that comes along with poop, so let's just say that if altering them doesn't work I'll be scraping together a Plan B quickly (because he's also about to outgrow the pocket diapers too)!

pocket diapers - folded & ready to go!

Regarding a washing schedule, I've just recently become super organized about this in the past month and have started a washing routine: every Wednesday and Saturday I do diaper laundry.  I don't use cloth on Sundays since we're out of the house so much, so that means that I wash Mon-Wed diapers on Wednesday night and Thurs-Sat diapers on Saturday night.  This works great for me, and my diaper pail can hold just that many diapers.  Once Karis comes, I may end up investing in another pail since my washer could easily wash more each time.

If you're considering trying cloth, I'd highly recommend it IF you can afford the initial investment, are willing to wash a few extra loads of laundry weekly, and have a supportive husband.  I would say that 100% cotton is the best way to go, and that having some diversity is helpful (like a few pocket diapers for when you're lazy).  We also love using flushable liners (Imse Vimse is our preferred brand) because cleaning up poop is so much easier!  If you're wondering how many cloth diapers you'll need, try using this calculation:

(# of diapers you change per day) * (# of days between washing) = # of diapers needed

Currently, I use about 15-18 every 3 days, not including night time, but we went through a lot more when Enoch was smaller, like 18-22 every 2-3 days.  (If you go with prefolds and covers, you'll need 1 cover for every 3-5 prefolds because you can re-use the covers.)  We have also had good success with the "one-size" adjustable type of cloth diapers (they use snaps to adjust for a range of weights).  I also recommend going into a cloth diaper store (preferably with your baby) because the women in *most* stores are so helpful, and you can see how each type of diaper fits on your little one before buying.  I really miss the store in NWA (Terra Tots)!!

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Enoch Live: learning to color

Enoch has been officially learning to color for the past week or so!  It's been a slow process, and he is really only entertained by it for around 10 minutes at this point, but I think he's figuring it out the more we practice.  And since it's one of those cute developmental mile-markers, I thought I'd post a few pictures and a video for all of the grandparents who I wish could be here to see it and help him learn.  :)

Concentrating real hard

Crayon hog 

(he will hold up to 3 crayons in each hand, haha!)

Done!

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Tips for: How To Find a Good OB or Midwife...

This is an important topic to me and one that we just waded through ourselves, so I thought I'd write about it just a bit on here.  I should definitely qualify this post though by saying that we have become only moderately educated about childbirth (through a Bradley Method class and our own experiences).. we are certainly not professionals!   As a result of really looking into birth and all of its complexities and options, we have decided to pursue natural, un-medicated childbirth because we feel like it is the safest route and has the best chance of leading to healthy mama + healthy baby (which is our #1 goal).  No matter what kind of birth you're hoping for though, I hope this post helps you select a good care-provider for you.

Finding the right doctor or midwife is very important!  Just like you don't buy the first pair of shoes you pick up in the shoe store without noting size, style, and comfort, you don't want to just "go with" the first care provider you meet (or the one closest to your doorstep or the one all of your friends rave about).. You first need to decide what you're looking for (no chaco sandals in the winter time for this girl!) and then you want to determine which care providers in your area best meet your needs.

Here are some questions that I recently asked our care providers:  

• Walk me through a typical, natural birth with you as the care-provider…
• How much of the actual labor & delivery do you attend?
• What are the chances that you will be there for my labor/delivery?
• How often do you like to check dilation?
• Do you recommend routine 3rd trimester ultrasounds?  Why?
• Is eating/drinking allowed during labor?
• Will I have the ability to labor in different positions, with birth ball, and freedom to walk?
• Is intermittent monitoring okay?  How many minutes per hour (and how does it change as labor progresses)?
• Is a heplock okay instead of an IV?
• What are delivery positions are you comfortable with? (squatting, side lying, hands and knees, etc.)
• Do you or the nurses do perineal massage? 
• What would cause you to use an episiotomy?
• How do you handle decels in baby's heart rate and how do you tell the difference between true  fetal distress and normal decels?  
• How do you handle a cord around the baby's neck?  
• Are you willing to delay cord clamping?
• What is your process for placenta delivery?
• What is your process for clamping the uterus down after placenta is delivered?  Are you okay with avoiding pitocin, unless medically necessary?
• What is your policy on induction?  When and how would you induce?
• What is your policy on premature rupture of membranes (before labor begins) and how long would I have to deliver the baby before you suggested a C-section assuming no signs of infection were present?
• After my water breaks, how much time do I have to deliver and am I limited to bed?
• Does the hospital provide labor tubs in room?  Can I labor AND deliver in the water?
• Does the hospital provide in-room care for newborns?  If not, when will baby need to go to the nursery and for how long?
• Does the hospital provide family centered c-sections (daddy keeps baby skin to skin until mom is in recovery, nursing asap, private transition)?
• Where is the closest NICU?
• What is the hospital’s C-section rate?  What about yours?
• Do you encourage VBACs (vaginal birth after cesarean)?

It would be wise for you and your husband to discuss these questions together and decide which ones are important for you both. You might even add to the list of questions as you think through other important issues based on your personal history, your current medical conditions, and your knowledge of the doctor/midwife/hospital you're looking into.  There are certainly many other issues to be considered than the ones I brought up here.  You should also think through the type of answer you're looking for on each question as well as possible follow-up questions before interviewing your care provider.

Remember, it's unlikely that you'll find any one person (whether doc or midwife) who will perfectly fit all of your needs/desires to a "T"... that's why it's important to decide which of these issues are most important to you and why.  Having an ultimate goal is helpful in this... our ultimate goal (again) is to choose the best option for a healthy mama + a healthy baby.  That's #1 for us.

Hope this helps!  If you have any questions about what types of answers we were looking for on any of these questions, feel free to comment below or email me, and I'll try to get back with you ASAP.   I'd also love to hear some of your own concerns/questions you asked/will ask your care provider!

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FFF: Sweeping & the Deck {videos}

Enoch discovered the broom & dustpan while I was sweeping last week and decided to help me get those floors a little bit cleaner.  ;)  There's also an "uh-oh" in this one, which is one of his newest words.



This is some footage that Hugh shot of Enoch enjoying the freedom of the deck (I say 'freedom' because there aren't too many rules to obey out there, unlike certain other rooms in our house).  This video definitely attests to how much he's improved in walking in the past few weeks... looking back at previous videos, I'm blown away!  There's also lots of grunting in this one, which is possibly one of the most common sounds out of Enoch's mouth these days.

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Tips for: When to buy organic

This question stumped me for the longest time, especially knowing that pesticides are becoming more prevalent and potent in produce.  Thankfully, around a year or two ago, one of my sweet friends shared a tip with me that has helped me make wise decisions about which produce to buy organic and which to buy "regular" (aka: cheap).   Some of you may already know about this tip, but I thought I'd share it anyway, in case there are some out there reading who don't yet...

So, without further ado, meet the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen!  These two lists are put out each year by the Environmental Working Group after they've tested to see which produce contains the most and the least chemical residue.

Source: Environmental Working Group
(from: http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/2012-shoppers-guide-to-pesticides-the-dirty-dozen-clean-15)

Here's how it works: any produce you see on the Dirty Dozen List should be bought organic because they have the highest amounts of residual pesticides and other nasty chemicals.  Any produce you see on the Clean Fifteen List can be bought regular (non-organic) because they have the lowest residual chemicals.

When I was first introduced to these lists, I have to admit that even though I was excited to be informed, I was slightly overwhelmed... I mean, I regularly buy things on the dirty dozen list, like weekly!  And let's just be honest, not every grocer carries organic grapes (and if they did, I probably couldn't afford them anyway!)..  So, to get past my overwhelmed state, I decided to set a few simple goals, and that's what I'd recommend for you to do as well if you're interested in using these lists to your advantage.  :)

Last year, my goal was to buy only organic apples (they're one of the dirty dozen that I do buy every week without fail because they're a staple in this house).  And about halfway through the year, I added potatoes to my "only buy organic" list.  Those two were pretty easy for me because our local WalMart carries 3-4 lb bags of organic apples and potatoes.

This year, I've been working on adding spinach to my organic list as well as substituting grapefruits and kiwis for peaches/nectarines when possible (this will be harder in the summer when all of those peaches and nectarines come into season).   I'm also hoping to have some type of small garden this year (just trying to figure out where in my yard and what kind of containers), and if that happens, I hope to grow cucumbers and bell peppers, two of our other staples on the dirty dozen list.  :)

Now I realize that it's possible that some of you are ready to jump into the deep end and stick to these lists fully... if so, you can click the link below the picture to find a free pdf that you can print to carry in your purse, in case you don't want to memorize the lists (which is harder than I first thought!).  If you really want to go hard core on these lists (and if you're on a budget like we are), you might consider making the clean fifteen your list of weekly staples and buying one organic from the dirty dozen list per week (or month) as a special treat.  :)

HAPPY SHOPPING AND/OR GARDENING!!

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30 weeks w/ Karis Grace

Somehow the clock keeps ticking, and as a result we have reached 30 weeks with sweet Karis!  By God's grace, I am still feeling good overall, and Karis is becoming more active the larger she grows.  Speaking of growth, baby girl is most likely around 15-16" long now and weighs roughly 3 pounds... just think about holding the 3 lb roast at the grocery store!  :)   Hugh and I both just love feeling her squirm in there and talking to her.  :)

Just like Karis, my midsection continues to grow, and I'm daily laying aside shirts that are no longer long enough to cover my baby bump.  It's funny because I think that when I first found out I was pregnant with Karis I underestimated how large I would grow (my memory must have faded since I got huge with Enoch).  Anyway, I stocked up on a few new maternity shirts, a few of which I called "third trimester" shirts because they were so big and long.. but secretly in my head I thought "there's no way I'm going to need shirts that big!"  Wrong!  I'm so glad I kept the bigger ones because now I look at the shorter, smaller ones and think... "there's no way I'd wear that out of the house... it wouldn't even cover my belly button!"  haha!  

Although it doesn't look like she has dropped when comparing pictures of my belly, for some reason I don't feel like she's pushing up into my ribs/lungs anymore *usually* which is so nice!  I do have to be careful about working too hard or too much though because these pregnant hips are so loose that they can easily become sore with too much up and down and all around motions (like when I'm helping Hugh work on the deck).  The ice pack works wonders though, and it has been in frequent use lately.  ;)

The Braxton Hicks contractions are pretty regular these days, but they are usually only short-lived.  Every once in a while I have to lie down and rest for 20 min or so to make them go away, but they always stop, so no complaints!  When I go for walks they sometimes become more intense and even painful... I've just been reminding myself though that this is just practice for the real deal.  :)

And my last pregnancy update is that I'm loving being able to sip some warm red raspberry tea every night (it's supposed to tone my uterus and prepare me for birth), but whether it does the job or not, it is so delicious, and I enjoy every last sip!

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Around Our House: the deck

The back deck was one of the first projects on our list for two reasons: safety & insurance requirements.  Let me show you why... 

First, it's HIGH up off the ground and the rails were too far apart (a little baby could easily roll right through them!!  eek!!)

... and the steps/landing platform had absolutely NO railing before we moved in!

So this has been a high priority since we bought the house.  Thankfully, the steps/platform issue was solved when my mom and stepdad visited us to help us prep the house for move-in day.  They stayed around a week, and adding railing to the steps and platform was one of Craig's first projects.  You can see his handy work below...

SO much safer!!

Then Hugh and a friend added all of the 2"x2" horizontal boards to fill in the gaps between the 2x4s (They technically did this in the photo above as well since my stepdad only added the 2x4s to make it the step/platform railing look like the other because we weren't sure yet how we would address the large gaps.)

Here's one to scale so you can see how much safer it is for little ones:

I absolutely love the way this project turned out!  The narrow 2x2s add safety yet didn't sacrifice the "open" feel of being able to see through the deck railing (something I did not want to happen!!). 

---

The other deck project that we just completed this weekend was fixing 3 holes in the deck floor.  The holes were there because of burns.. probably from a charcoal grill.  They weren't large enough to be a concern for adults, but they were certainly big enough to catch a small foot and cause trouble (see below).

So we decided to cut out the area around the hole and patch it.  Ideally, we would have used some aged wood (to blend better with the existing wood), but we didn't have any, so we bought some treated lumber and made due.  Hugh did all of the cutting and most of the drilling (he's becoming so handy!!) while I helped here and there.  We put a 2x4 under the deck for support beneath each side of the patch that didn't already have an existing support running below it.  

After screwing the patches in place, it feels so sturdy and much safer!  

And now Enoch can run and play out on the deck as much as he wants!!  I'm so thankful because it'll probably be one of our new favorite ways to spend the afternoon (since it's shady in the afternoon back there).  :)  

The only other thing we have left on our project list with the deck is to add a gate at the top of the stairs, so for now I just position myself there in a chair with some sweet tea and enjoy watching my little man play.  :)

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FFF: Our Spring Break Picnic

We celebrated Spring Break last week with a picnic.  We went to our favorite Starkville spot - a cute little pond on campus - and enjoyed the beautiful 70 degree weather!  I picked up some amazingly juicy burgers from a burger shack (which was totally a pregnant craving, but Hugh didn't complain at all!!), and we ate them in the sunshine with our sweet tea.  Afterward, the boys decided to play a little and I grabbed a few photos.  It was such a fun lunchtime treat!

*In case you were wondering, Hugh worked through Spring Break since he is a 9 month faculty.  From what I understand, they pretty much work like an administrator would during 9 months of the year (Spring & Fall semesters), meaning that when the university is closed and the administrators are all gone, he is also "off" (but he doesn't get off just because the students do).  And then during summer, he is "off" unless he has research projects he needs to work on (which is ideal for part of the summer) or unless he teaches a summer class as "extra" work. 

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Around Our House: progress

We have been busy little beavers trying to get our house ready for a certain little girl's arrival this spring.  I haven't been blogging about our progress much because it has been incremental, and I feel like every "goal" we set ends up becoming 5 separate projects..  haha!  Such are the joys of owning an older home.  But the good news is that we can both see progress being made, and we have been staying under budget on most of these projects by doing some to all of the work ourselves.

One thing that has really helped us (especially me!) stay focused on the most important projects (as opposed to the fun or crafty ones that I'm so drawn to) was a little meeting we had around a month ago.  We sat down with a budget and a list of projects that we wanted to accomplish and worked through which should be given priority.  This made our decisions about what to tackle first so easy!  Some of our high priorities were necessities (thanks to our home owners' insurance requirements).  A few of our projects became priorities because of health-related reasons (for instance mold), and a few became priorities because of our family's goals (like having an international student live with us).

Anyway, now that we've had a month of concentrated efforts toward these priorities, I thought it was about time to begin posting about our progress.  We are certainly not professional DIYers, but I am so proud of how far we've come thus far!  Hugh has especially stepped up and learned a thing or two about the art of being a handyman, which has saved us many pretty pennies already.  Of course, I've been slightly limited in what I can do because of pregnancy, but even just organizing projects and gathering tools and supplies keeps me busy enough... not to mention cleaning up after said projects and keeping the house running.  ;)

I've been trying to take photos as we go (trying being the key word..), so I hope to start posting about the progress around our house soon... stay tuned!

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On Adoption

If you have considered adoption or know friends/family members who have adopted or are in the process, I'd recommend checking out this post by Justin Taylor.  In it, he has included a video about international adoption which brought tears to my eyes.  The need is immense, and as the video points out, the system is more and more difficult to wade through... hence the name of the film: STUCK -- because so many children are stuck within the system and cannot make it out to their parents.

Also, one book that I would highly recommend on adoption is Adopted for Life by Russell Moore.  Hugh and I were able to hear him speak while we were in AR, and so we bought his book since we were interested in adoption.  Having read through most of it now, I can say that it is a very helpful resource in thinking through the connection between Christian gospel and adoption; practical tips to guide you through the adoption process; and, many personal stories about adoption.  It was very encouraging to me and definitely reaffirmed our desire to adopt in the near future.


The Joy and Heartache of International Adoption  (By Justin Taylor, 3.11.13)

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Tips for: traveling (by car) with a little one

Here are a few tips that we've discovered to make traveling (by car) with a little one less burdensome.

Our king suite w/ divider for Enoch's pack n play

• Try to drive around their sleep schedule when possible (meaning, plan to drive your long stretches when they should be sleeping)
• Pack a few "favorite" toys and save the best ones for the inevitable meltdown that happens when you aren't able to stop (keep them where you can grab them easily and pass them back).
• Book your hotel strategically.  For us, this means looking for a king suite that has a divider between the bed & living area (see photo) so that we can set up Enoch's pack and play in the living area without him being able to see us (he really does best at falling asleep when he can't see anyone and it's darkish).  Depending on how you've trained your little one to fall asleep though, your preferred hotel arrangements might differ from ours.  I've found TripAdvisor to be a fairly reliable tool for finding just the right hotel (at the right price).  
• Bring plenty of healthy snacks because let's just be honest, eating on the road is less than healthy... (We really like fruit cups and/or apples & oranges because they travel well... bananas, not so much...  And Cheerios are always a good staple to have with you as well because they're not too messy for the carseat.)
• Remember that your little one is more important than your schedule.  Stopping to work through a meltdown (or two... or three...) is okay, even if it makes you late (I have to remind myself of this whenever I end up making more stops than expected with Enoch!).  

Any tips that you want to share about traveling (by car) with your little ones?

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FFF: Enoch's First Trip to the Beach

Here are some fun photos to chronicle Enoch's first trip to the beach.  We took an afternoon off to enjoy the warm weather, sand, and waves while we were in Gulfport interviewing midwives.

 

Little Man did a tremendous amount of pointing while we were there.  He was especially fascinated by the waves and the seagulls. 

 

Mama and her big boy

This was just to prove that Karis was there as well.  ;)

Here are a few sweet ones of Enoch and the beach:

Enoch just loved walking on the sand, but {interestingly enough} he did NOT like touching it!  Anytime he fell down and it got on his hands, he would act pitiful and need help brushing it off...  Maybe it was a texture issue?  Or maybe I've just been keeping this boy too clean all of his life?  Who knows!  

After we'd walked around quite a bit and taken all of our photos, I could really tell that Little Guy was still intrigued by the waves... in fact, it seemed like he wanted to touch them.  So I thought he'd really enjoy taking off his shoes/socks, rolling up his pants, and getting his feet wet.  Let's just say he didn't think it was a good idea at all.  haha!  As soon as his bare feet touched the wet sand down by the waves (I carried him to that point since there was so much debris a little higher up) he freaked out.  I tried to persuade him to step into the waves, but he just couldn't get over his feet getting sandy.  So, we retreated back to the stroller and then to the car where we had to have a snack break on the sidewalk in order to fully recover (see below).  Prime example of why this mama always has some Cheerios on hand.  ;)

And I can't leave this post without mentioning the gorgeous trees near the beach that I so enjoyed seeing.  I believe they are called "Live Oaks."  Having been to New Orleans a few times to help with Katrina rebuilding efforts, these trees became one of the things I loved most about the South.  In the areas nearest the gulf, these trees really stand out because they are sitting on vacant lots where storms of the past have swept away everything else except them.  What an image of strength and resilience!  And the landscape architect background within me just loves how architecturally fascinating each tree is because of its shape and size.  I especially love it when they are planted along the road and form a canopy over you as you drive...   If you haven't ever seen these beauties in person, let me just say that this picture doesn't do them justice!  

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Our Search for an OB Doctor or Midwife in Mississippi

As some of you may know from conversations with either Hugh or I, we have been trying to find a good, trustworthy OB Doctor or Midwife to deliver our sweet Karis in May.  This search has been an on-going one for months now due several factors, but in early February, we realized that we needed to get even more serious because our due date was fast approaching.

I should also say (as a partial preface) that doing a homebirth in our region of Mississippi is not something that Hugh and I feel comfortable with, mainly because we feel most confident using a CPM (Certified Professional Midwife) as opposed to a lay midwife, and the closest CPMs are at least 2-4 hours away.  We also feel most confident having a CPM who is a Christian, and those are even harder to come by (there is one we may consider using next time, but she was already booked near our due date by the time we contacted her).  And the reason that choosing an OB carefully is that Mississippi has HORRENDOUS c-section rates (see the map above)!!   And in my opinion, having a natural, intervention-free birth in the hospital (with a supportive OB) is the best way to avoid an unnecessary c-section.

So, when we first found out that we were pregnant, I had heard that there were 2 OBs in our town (out of maybe 6 or 7 within Starkville's only OB practice) who were open to natural childbirth.  I started seeing one of them who I'd specifically heard good things about from some women in town who had delivered with her.  Looking back now, I wish that I would've taken our birth plan (a one page paper stating the most important things for us about how labor/delivery/post-partum care should go) to our first meeting with her just to see where she stood.  But I didn't because usually doctors don't want to see those until you're closer to delivering... not to mention that I didn't have ours ready yet..  lesson #1 learned - the hard way!!  

This was our OB in AR, Dr. Chris Johnson.

Since you only go in 1x per month for the first 30 weeks of pregnancy, I wasn't able to show her our birth plan until week 24 (I tried at the 20 week appt, but she was too busy and frazzled from a long night of being on-call that she wasn't able to go over it, which is understandable.).  Anyway, at my 24 week appointment, several issues from our birth plan came up that she was unwilling and/or unable to compromise on,  as well as a handful of things that she would be okay with but not many of the other OBs in her practice would do for us. (In this practice, when you go into labor, you get whoever is on-call unless it's Tues-Fri, 7am-5pm.   This is not how our OB in Arkansas worked (we saw him until we were eligible for home birth at 37 weeks)... He delivered all of his patients' babies unless he was out of town.)  Anyway, some of the things that she was unable to compromise on or guarantee were: delayed cord clamping, in-room post-partum care for baby, having a doula in the room to help us labor, and natural delivery of the placenta (just to name a few).  After talking through many of these topics with her, I realized that she was not on the same page as me with what a "natural" labor/delivery meant.  Even though she was more open to some of the things we wanted, she seemed more medical-minded than I was hoping for, and I was unsure of how much trust I could put in her to follow through with specific parts of our birth plan that she wasn't as accustomed to.  So, we decided to put that OB practice on the back-burner as a satisfactory back-up plan while we searched for a care-provider that would fit our preferences more.

Unfortunately, by this point I was 24 weeks along!  I tried to make an appointment with an OB in a town 30 minutes away who I'd heard good things about, but she refused to see me, I think because I was considered a "transfer" patient rather than a new OB patient due to how far along I was.  At this point, our options were slimming down because the only other hospital within an hour of us has a c-section rate of 85% (stat found here from 2011 data, just search for "west point" and you'll find it on page 70)!!  So, we started looking at options a little further away from Starkville.

Thankfully, we had some friends recommend a few good options.  First was a hospital about 1.5 hours away in Meridian, MS where they have 6 midwives delivering babies alongside the OBs.  The other options were around 4 hours south in Gulfport or around 5 hours west in Baton Rouge.  So, I started making appointments with each, and thankfully through God's provision I was able to schedule them in such a way that I could make it a road trip and visit each one w/in a 3 day window.  :)  This was such a blessing for us because by this point I was 28 weeks pregnant and feeling more and more anxious about finding someone we trusted.

This was the hospital in Gulfport we
visited.. don't you love the palm tree?

So, Enoch and I loaded up this past Monday morning and headed south.  Our first stop was in Meridian, and we really liked the midwife that we met with there.  She answered all of our questions and "what-if" scenerios (which I hope to post about later) and reviewed our birth plan with me.  She was super friendly and helpful, and I feel like she's much less medically-minded (meaning that she wants to assist a woman's body to naturally deliver the baby while closely watching for any signs that the woman or baby needs help... because not every delivery goes smoothly).  I drove away feeling good about that option.

Next, Enoch and I met with a midwife in Gulfport who also delivers alongside OBs in a hospital (though there are only 3 midwives in this practice).  She was nice and willing to answer many of my questions, but she was a newer midwife (only 1 year of licensure under her belt) and seemed to be more medical-minded than the one in Meridian.  And, she was pretty concerned about the 4 hour drive to get to her since Karis is baby #2 (labor can shorten immensely with #2).  So she actually advised us to use the midwife in Meridian.  ;)

We met the homebirth midwife at Panera,
which was such a treat since I haven't even
seen a Panera since we left AR!!

Then, on Tuesday, Enoch and I met with a home birth midwife in Gulfport.  We have a few friends who've delivered with her, and she is the one who actually comes to Starkville for delivery if she doesn't have anyone else with a due date close to yours.  I really loved talking with her, and I feel like she might be a good option for one of our future babies.  Unfortunately, she already has someone with a due date close to ours this time.  And, I think Hugh and I don't want to chance the 4 hour drive since there's only one hospital on the way.  :)

 After talking with Hugh about the midwives I'd met with, we decided to move forward with the midwife in Meridian.  So I canceled the appointment in Baton Rouge (since it was also a long drive from Starkville and wouldn't have been a good idea w/ baby #2).  This worked out well because Little Guy and I were able to enjoy a free afternoon in Gulfport (pictures coming soon!) and then make our way home leisurely on Wednesday.

Overall,  I'd say the trip went well, and we are both so thankful to feel comfortable with the midwife in Meridian.  I still have my next appointment in Starkville that I plan to keep since I need to get a Rhogam shot.  I scheduled it with a different OB this time though so that I can meet her just in case we end up delivering there in an emergency (this hospital actually has one of the lowest c-section rates in our state).  And then, I plan to transfer my care to Meridian.

Sorry this ended up being such a long post!  If you read through all of it, I hope you feel updated about where we are in this decision.  Hugh and I loved our home birth with Enoch, and I feel like the Lord perfectly blessed and protected that birth with those women (including my mom).  However, Hugh and I have always said that using a midwife at a birth center or hospital would be our ideal option.  The closer we move toward using the midwife in Meridian, the more confident and comfortable I feel about this decision for this birth (no guarantees about future babies), and that's a good place to be patiently waiting for Karis' arrival.  :)


**I have tried to leave most of these care providers' names off of this post, but if you are in our area and interested in more details about any of the providers I mentioned, please just contact me via email, and I can give you more details.**

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On Being Mentored

One of my sweet mentors back in AR and her kiddos

I thoroughly appreciated this blog post by Jodi Ware over at The Gospel Coalition a few days ago, so I thought I'd share it here.  The post is about being mentored (also known as being discipled), which is so near and dear to my heart because I can say without a doubt that being mentored by older, godly women (and mentoring other believers as well) has been one of the most fertile seedbeds of spiritual growth in my own personal life.  

Having just moved to a new town (and state for that matter) around 8 months ago, I can also say without a doubt that lacking these mentoring relationships has been one of the biggest holes that I have felt (and still feel) about our move (I think this is the case simply because relationships take time to develop, not because there aren't qualified women here to disciple younger women like myself...).  Anyway, let's just say that I've been praying more and more that the Lord would bring faithful, older women into my life to disciple me and fill this hole that I notice so regularly... as well as younger women whom I can mentor.

Another sweet, sweet lady who has mentored me
mainly by sharing her life with me (again, back in AR).

Back to Jodi's post though... She keenly points out that being mentored can happen in multiple ways, even without a formal weekly one-to-one or small group meeting.  This was such a good reminder to me!  I've certainly been mentored in one-to-one settings as well as by simply being around specific women and watching them live life in light of the gospel.  Both are good.  Jodi also pointed out a few other important ways that we should be seeking to grow spiritually whether we have these deep relationships with other women or not.  I'm hoping to heed some of her advice during this dry season of mentorship as I continue praying for God's provision of godly mentors in this new place.

I'd encourage you to go over and check out her ideas on being mentored as well as her own examples of how she strives to be faithful in mentoring other women... I think you'll be encouraged and challenged, no matter where you fall right now in regard to being mentored/mentoring.

How to Be Mentored Without a Mentor (2.28.2013)

  

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Preparing for Birth

This is one of those posts intended to mainly help me keep some goals but also to share with other expecting mommies who want to prepare for their own labor and delivery.  If you're a guy, this is probably not the blog post for you.  ;)

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So, like I mentioned in a previous post,  I'm attempting to intensify my labor preparation for the rest of pregnancy (all of third trimester).  Here is a list of the things that I think are important (especially for achieving a natural, un-medicated childbirth), and how I'm preparing for them (most of these are straight from our Bradley Method class that we took to prepare for birth with Enoch, which we would highly recommend to expecting parents):

• stamina - walking or exercising 4-5 times a week.
• strength & flexibility - stretching and doing pregnant exercises everyday (squats, kegels, tailor sitting, pelvic rocks, butterflies).
• increased blood volume {this is very important since blood loss during/after delivery is common and can lead to complications for many women} - drinking ChlorOxygen (from a tincture) in my water & tea, eating iron-rich foods, and eating vitamin C-rich foods to help with iron absorption.  I will also probably begin taking an iron supplement soon, but I need to ask my doc how much per day is best for me...  ALWAYS ask your doc before beginning to take any supplement while you're pregnant, especially since many prenatals have at least some iron in them!
• healthy baby - eating a healthy diet rich in protein and fresh fruits/veggies.  

Although I've been doing most of these to some degree throughout pregnancy, I feel like the last 12 weeks are a good time to focus and work hard at preparing for birth.  I'm sure I won't keep these goals perfectly, but writing them down sure does help to see that they're manageable!  :)

For those of you who are going to be first time mamas (or who are considering trying for a natural, un-medicated birth), here are some other recommendations:

• Write up a birth plan that outlines what is important for you during labor/delivery/post-partum and talk it over with your doctor/midwife.  You'll want them to approve and sign it before you're 37 weeks along.  
• Hire a doula (labor assistant) to help you labor; they are a tremendous help in achieving natural childbirth whether you're at home or in the hospital... In fact, I wouldn't want to be delivering at a hospital without one, personally!!  We loved having 2 doulas last time (one was an old pro, the other was training under her), and they were both amazingly helpful.
• Take a birth class with your husband... preferably one not offered from the hospital (because you will want more than 4-8 hrs of class time to absorb everything about birth AND getting an outside perspective is always incredibly helpful!!).  We recommend the Bradley Method of childbirth, like I mentioned above, but there are probably other good class options as well.  
• Take a breastfeeding class (one from the hospital is probably good if your hospital has a certified lactation consultant teaching it).  You could also go to some La Leche League meetings to learn and ask questions about nursing (and to meet some helpful ladies who will gladly walk with you through any complications you might have later).

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FFF: The Nightly Game of Ball at our House

Just a quick video for your For the Family Friday post this week...

This game of ball is a regular occurrence once Hugh gets home in the evening while I get dinner ready... And I just love to hear my boys in there laughing together so much!   :)

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