Smile...

"where are your teeth?"

Weren't you pregnant? Cont... #2

My mom is called to come on over, it must be getting close now *crossing fingers* Wonderful, awesome, amazing midwife, Susanne Scott and her assistant show up after labor has gotten intense again, even with the help of the tub I'm ready for this to be over and to hold my little one.  I figure it can't be long now and I'm done.... really, all I want to do is sleep. 

It's morning, maybe 7:00-ish? The sun is up and there are beautiful rainbows bouncing all over the walls, and even on my skin.  *This is something really cool about our new house... the sky lights cast rainbows around the living room all morning.* The sun helps a little for some reason, I feel a bit of renewed strength and determination.  This is the day my little love will be born! 

I'm being encouraged to move around a little, maybe get out of the water... what?!?!  I do stand up for a second, but that's as far as I get... no, the water is were I belong, it's saving my sanity.  I end up trying a few different laboring positions, but since it seems I'm having crazy back labor again, leaning forward is the most comfortable position by far.  I labor a bit more, the midwife checks me, I'm at 9cm she gives me some homeopathic something or other to reduce the swelling and a bit of honey for energy and I'm ready to rock-n-roll.

One push.... 

-Born sunny side up, in the caul, all natural, purple as all get out, in the water is my beautiful, over cooked, baby boy!!! 

What an awesome way to enter the world!

Weren't you pregnant? Cont...

I woke Danny up around midnight I think... grunting, "hey you, come and do your effin part... love of my life".  Apparently he got the message... cause he was a-freaking-mazing! With a little guidance from his sister *amazing birth partner, sister* he was providing counter pressure, helping me into the shower, and comforting me perfectly.  Seriously, people, he was awesome!

And then... everything stopped being amazing.  Contractions were coming back to back and my mind and body were taking bets on who would go first... not cool anymore! not fun anymore! and who's dumb idea was it to give birth in a house that we'd only lived in for three days? (I'm actually not sure that I thought about the house at all, but looking at those pictures sure makes me wonder aloud, now... more adventure anyone...?)

More people showed up... Michelle's (Danny's sister) husband, Neal (he was officially coming to take Michelle home since she had been puking her guts out... yeah, she's hard core) and the lovely Katie B.  Was this before or after I started loosing my mind... no idea.  Does any one remember? Was I foaming at the mouth?

So now we have 5 people in our living room where we are living out of boxes and half the outlets don't work... what the freak was I thinking?  Doesn't matter now, go with it...

Enter AQUA-DURAL (lovingly nicknamed by my midwife)... the birthing tub.  I climbed over the side in between contractions and actually started to giggle.  Nothing had felt this good in all of my life (well, that's what I was thinking at the time... I've taken a bath since and It was no big whoop).  I could not help but smile, it felt so good!  "*giggle**giggle* I AM A GODDESS *snort**giggle**giggle*", even had Michelle fanning me so I didn't get over warm.  I really was a goddess, and treated like one, too.

Does this look like active labor to you?

To Be Continued...

Winter Finally Hit

 From This:

To This:

In a Week.

60 degree weather and then BAM, snow. It finally stopped falling after around 3 feet.  It's turned to winter all right....

Hiking, Camping, & Sailing... oh my!

Hiking

went on a 7 mile hike 1/2 was straight uphill (seriously, with steps and all.... could barely walk for the next few days) with Dan and the girlies.  They loved all the water!

[photo by Danny]

And this little girl hiked for almost 2 miles of it... all up hill! Dude, I'm so impressed.

Camping

[photo by Danny]

[photo by Danny]

Haven't been sense we started procreating (minus the one time some weeks ago in Mexico, but I'm not sure it counts because they had showers and a water park)... so glad it's back in our lives.  My favorite thing to do is watch those girls covered in soot, sap, bug bites, and scratches enjoy themselves, just as I did as a youngling, in the great outdoors.  This is the part of child raising that I had dreamed of all of my adult life... this is what I have longed to give my children.  I'm so happy that it was a success! Sati even cried when we left and said as we arrived at our front door, "I don't want to go in my house".  Oh what I've give to really be able to raise them outside all year long.

Sailing

We were a little nervous about taking our camera aboard so this is the only picture that we got of the boat.  I wasn't sure what I would think.  We've been planning to buy a boat and live life traveling around the World, loving on people as we go, for some time now. But would you believe it, this was our first time to actually go sailing.  It wasn't a big boat but it totally solidified our desire to leave the green and jump into the blue... it was so amazing!!!

[photo by Danny]

{I have no idea why there is that huge gap between the title and the rest of the post, too tired to mess with it anymore tonight... hope you're still able to enjoy}

Summer Feet

Seeing Beauty

Appreciating where we are in life. 

Adventures in Chaos

This little one is now signing like crazy.  Does it seem crazy to anyone else that my 10 month old is asking me to turn on the music?

Little Toes

The Babe

Afternoon Adventures