Jun 28, 2010

Gratitude Monday


What I am loving today....

~A beautiful baby boy born to us on Monday June 21st at 6:34am after less than two hours of labor....

~Resting, nursing, and loving...

~A supportive partner who literally does EVERYTHING...

~A darling newly made 'older brother' who likes to "pet the baby. He's so beautiful!"

~A precious little girl who chose to stay home and watch the baby and me nap instead of running errands with her father and brother.  I woke up and found her just sitting with us.  She said she wanted to be close in case either of us needed anything....

~How crazy hungry and thirsty I am... (I totally forgot about this little random bit of postpartum)

~I love having the time I need to slowly find my ground again...


I am not sure when I will get back into full time blogging... maybe later this week?  I look forward to catching up on all the beautiful blogs I follow, I have missed you all!
Have a great week everyone~

Jun 14, 2010

Gratitude Mondays...

What I love today...

~5 weeks till absolute baby time (37 weeks down)....

~Successful trial runs with the birthing pool, followed by soaking in the birthing pool... 
(I actually fell asleep.  I've never slept in water before!)

~FIVE baby kittens are now here!

~Having a friend show up with a sack of books after I made a desperate facebook update...

~A little girl who is safe, and home....

~A little boy is dresses himself as a beautiful bride for part of the day, and baseball man for another...

~A partner who is really holding himself together even though I know the anticipation of a new baby is about to drive him crazy...

~I love watching the baby move.

Here's to a great week... I may or may not post.  I haven't decided... Somedays I am sooo tired....

Jun 10, 2010

and just like that....

Ava left on a little road trip today.  My little girl is gone for three nights.  She is safe, and happy, I know.  She'll have fun, I know.  Bonfires and barbecues at the ocean, new bathing suits, new party dresses, graduation parties, cousins, lots of love and laughter is in store for her.  Her precious Gramie-gram to protect her.  But she's gone.  She's never been away before.  Never.  A trip to a friends house across the street for a few hours yes, but three nights?  Eh.  I may not feel ready, but she says she is.  Isn't that what matters?  Isn't that the essence of my style of parenting?  Meet her needs, support her choices, listen and respect her.  All so that when she says she really wants to do this I show her that I believe in her.  Eh.

So I packed her little bag.  I sketched out her out fits so she would be clear which were meant for traveling days, and which she had to chose from for the middle two days.  (one is extra, she likes variety)


Her little brother helped to cut, and glue our work onto pretty paper.
They were found at night, off their beds sleeping in a nest of baby blankets and pillows.  Their own way to stay close one last night.
In the morning Gramie came to get her.  Goodbyes and hugs and lots of love all around.


And just like that... She's gone.

Jun 9, 2010

antici......................................................pation.



Its not just one thing.  It seems like its everything.  

The apples are so almost ready that they even taste sweet, but maybe not just right....



Its the grapes.  Plump, sweet, juicy... but not just sweet enough.




Its the tomatoes that are so close to harvest, the corn that might be ready soon.   Matt will find out his annual raise and bonus any day.  We even have a cat who's going to deliver a litter of kittens any minute now...

And let us not forget the biggest thing on my mind.
Me. 


All I know is that any minute, any day, any week, sometime in the next month...  We'll have apples, corn, grapes, and tomatoes to eat.  New financial situations.  Kittens to play with.  A new baby to love. 
 Does anyone have a calender of the future?!?  I don't know how much anticipation I can handle.  

(anyone catch that the title is from Rocky Horror Picture Show?)

Jun 8, 2010

preparations...

I find myself focused on preparations these days.  Time is drawing near.  Its time to have my home ready.  I'll do what I can to make this transition peaceful.  I'll try to cover all my bases.  I'll make lists.  I'll try to stay busy...  

Today I finished my wipes and changing pads.  I used soft flannel receiving blankets to cover some scratchy old changing pads.  With my scraps I whipped up a new set of diaper wipes.  A simple project, and one that doesn't have to be perfect.  It doesn't even have to be pretty.  It just has to be functional, and soft. 




Now that my work is done, I get to fill my basket.  This little basket is something I came up with after I had Cyrus.  A small stash of diapers and necessities. Easy to fill, and easy to move.  A basket to carry to the couch so I don't have search for anything.  A basket to carry with me to bed, easy to reach for late night diaper changes.
My basket has preemie prefolds, newborn covers (in fleece, wool, and PLU) maiden fleece liners for meconium,  wipe solution (olive oil and water),  Weleda calendula cream,  shea butter, lansinoh, emery boards, wipes, and changing pads.
okay... So, what am I missing?  This should cover me, right?


Jun 7, 2010

Gratitude Monday....

What I love today...

~6 weeks till absolute baby time... (36 weeks down)

~All clear from midwife that I can have my homebirth any time....

~Babyshowers...

~Breakfasts (I wish I could fit more of them into my day)....

~Rocking tiny babies to sleep....

~Sewing my own baby wipes, and changing pads...

~A little girl with a VERY loose tooth!  Wow.

~A little boy who hasn't had a single accident since he decided he no longer wears diapers to bed...

~A partner who made fantastic food to take to my baby shower.  And seems to have and unending supply of patience with me, even when I know I am being pretty awful...

~I LOVE having a big long list with most items crossed off!  


Here's to a great week!

Jun 3, 2010

A day with Grandma....











My mother's house seems to hold a certain magic.  A place of rainbows and hidden gems.  A place for laughing.  A place for peace, and a place for love.  I could spend a week with a good camera finding new things to photograph.  Usually I just sit and watch my babies play.

Jun 2, 2010

Who he is....

He falls asleep when you want him awake,
He stays up when you want him asleep,
He picks the teeniest baby carrots because they "don't get stuck in the ground like the big ones do",
He wears the same few outfits almost everyday,
He's my baby boy.



And today he tells me he's not wearing diapers to bed anymore.
Like it or not, babies grow up.

Jun 1, 2010

Morning Sun, and Evening Sun

I went out in the evening and took some pictures of our new sunflowers in all their glory.  I didn't know that Ava had done the very same thing with her father this morning.


Morning Sun...
 Evening Sun....


Thank you to Ava for the opportunity to enjoy this flower in all lights.  It was a lovely surprise, and a nice way to welcome June!

About Me

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East Bay, California, United States
I am a thirty something mother of three. Hoping to raise my little ones to love the the slower things in life.