just for now.

So when do you think he’s coming out?

Take a guess and if your day is right, you’ll be entered for a chance to win!
I don’t know what I’m giving as the prize yet. So I’ll announce that when I do.

Just thought it’d be fun to get everyone to guess. You can also leave a comment on my Facebook.

Thanks.

PS: For those who need more details– my due date was September 3. My last pregnancy went 2 weeks late but my first pregnancy ended 3 days early (Zoe and Isaiah, respectively).

I realize this blog is winding into a tighter and tighter circle centering around HAVING A BABY.
I’m ready to write about something else soon, but here I am, my abdomen stretched as far as I think is humanly possible and my back muscles agreeing heartily…and every body part below baby pointing out to me on a fairly regular basis how tired and swollen they are.
Then again, from bust-line up I don’t think I look preggo at all. And that’s kind of sweet, to just remember a little snippet of me that will be the same after our bambino comes.

So anyway, here I am at the end. Fingers crossed.
I wasn’t feeling ready to really settle down and be bedridden these last few weeks but at this point my body is telling me it’s time. I know that physically I can’t go on much longer.
So that’s a good sign.
I’d prefer that over just being emotionally spent. I don’t ever want to get impatient or fussy or depressed.

So there’s still stuff I want to do around the house, but I think I’m content with having my baby anytime now.
It’s kinda walking a fine line because until I go into labor I want to stay happily busy and not constantly thinking about am I going into labor today.
BUT I want to be ready for when labor does come, so I have to kind of stay on that track.

Night.

-Got my hair trimmed.

-Fumed over the stupidity of our food industry. When factory-produced eggs are rotten, do we hear a public out cry over the way this “food” is produced? Not enough.

Maybe we should just buy our food from someone we know, or can at least meet, like a local farmer. Maybe?
And how many recalls have we had over the last few years for peanut butter, spinach, eggs? Too many.
But if someone gets sick off of raw milk, the government treats it like a crime against humanity.
Come on. Seriously?

-Snuggled with Isaiah and Zoyenka. We’re all so snuggly recently. I know my hormones are big right now, and maybe the kids are just warming up for baby, too. Whatever. I love it.

-Wore my *beautiful* new robe for the first time. Thanks to my amazing sister, Katie!! (Link takes you to my Wish List where you’ll see the robe at the bottom)
I am beyond excited to have such a delicate, feminine robe to wear that won’t make me feel baggy. Especially after the baby’s born and I may just have to live in it.

-Dropped Levi off at the airport super early– woke up at 3am and took the kids. I’m glad I did. Zoe took a long nap when we got home so I was able to doze on the couch with Isaiah while he watched his “boy shows.”

-I tweeted yesterday that I was grounding myself today until all the dishes were cleaned. Or maybe that was yesterday and the day before? Anyway. The dishes are now all clean. This always makes me way too happy.

-I’ve been using my tea tree essential oil ALL over the house. I put it in a spray bottle with vinegar/water/grapefruit seed extract for cleaning, like, everything and anything. I also put some inside both diaper pails and in my mop water.

-Tomorrow is my (one day shy of) 39 week check up!! I’m really excited to find out how far along “things” are and debrief with my midwife. I’ve just started walking about a mile in the morning with the kids and plan to until the baby’s born. Yes, the last two weeks…it’s better than nothing. Not that I haven’t ever exercised this pregnancy, but it’s been way more sparse than with the last two.

-That’s all for now as I need to finish watching Monday’s latest “Lie to Me.” I am very much a fan of this show.

Goodnight.

So thirty seven weeks marks the point where one is considered “full term” enough to safely go into labor.

Especially when you’re planning a home birth.
So I’m very happy and proud to be at this point.

Here are some technical updates:
-I’m 80% effaced and 1 or 2cm dilated (that’s actually from last weeks check up).
-Baby boy is head down, low, and moving a lot.
-I’ve gained between 25-30 lbs so far.
-No swollen limbs, cheeks, or toes. Sometimes a few days before labor I think my cheeks or my toes get a bit chubby.
-All essentials are ready for birth. Stacks of blankets, onesies, lots of disposable absorbant paper products and old sheets, towels, washcloths…as well as all the more medical items in the birth kit (cord clamp, aspirator, etc.).

I still want to pick up a few more things like towels, it seems we never have enough of those and I don’t feel like staying on top of the laundry enough until Dday just to be sure they’re on hand and ready.
We’re also supposed to have a small electric heat blanket to keep the baby’s cloths/blankets warm on right before birth, but I don’t know if that will happen.
I’m debating whether or not to buy a metal frame to raise our king size bed on for two reasons:
We could move the bed around the room more (aka over the floor vent) and we barely have any room right now without that option.
Also, we would gain TONS of storage space by being able to put stuff underneath it.
Still, they’re like $100 bucks and that’s just one more expense right now…
Also, we’re buying an air purifier for our bedroom which I’m excited about and know will be nice for new little tiny baby lungs.

So….at this point I’m definitely in the full-blown nesting phase and LOVING it. There is never a dull moment. ..always thinking about what I want to work on next. Making lists. Etc.

And lastly, I’ve been enjoying taking at least one, if not two naps a day.

Oh no actually very last of all, I’ll probably dye my hair back medium red again like you can see on the top layer of my hair in this picture after our babe comes. That’ll be fun.

As I’m sure many of you are aware of due to my making a BIG DEAL out of it– I was left all alone for a weekend when my husband took our toddlers to Grandma & Grandpas for a visit.

I thought it would make me feel extra productive if I listed everything I got done and enjoyed during my extended alone time.

Here’s what I can remember:

Farmers Market — flowers (herbal bouquet) in picture above, and a house plant (Black Swedish Ivy– only need indirect light and light watering. So far so good!)

Coffee with friend who just had her third baby.

Scrubbed bathroom walls/ceiling. Cleaned bathroom.

Organized mine and Levi’s clothes/put away winter/fall things.

Organized our closet (!!!) so we can find everything.

Made a donate-to-Goodwill bag.

Made a bag of maternity clothes for my sister…things I was wearing and were taking up space I don’t have!

Moved nearly all the living room furniture and sprinkled deodorizer on the carpet…vacuumed.

Cleaned the kitchen/fridge. (Threw out old leftovers!)

Organized the kids room just a little.

Changed out old lightbulbs for energy efficient ones. Cleaned out the light fixtures (bugs. ew.)

Napped at random times.

Went to bed super late one night…thinking “I can sleep in!” That was optimistic. I still woke up like I normally would.

…and more!

So it was amazing. And refreshing. And productive.

Another huge bonus: I very realized how much I love and adore being a mother to my babies. And I realized that it’s because of them I am a much more mature, motivated, fulfilled and joyful person. It’s so incredible to me how one little life can totally and transform you and make you willing– even deeply desiring– to change in ways you never even knew you wanted or needed to. Mama love is one of the best gifts ever.

Last night I went through the box titled “Next Baby.”

An assortment of tiny clothes, boys and girls, and a lot of memories…a lot of “What?! He was this small? How did she fit into this??”

Anyway, I came across a few things that I am SO excited about– neither of the kids have worn them because I bought a bit of boy clothes when I was prego with Zoe and of course, she never wore them.

This one says “wingman” and I think it’s perfect.

From a thrifty perspective, I’m super proud of these little Robeez I picked up for $3 back in Charlotte when we didn’t know if Zo-zo was boy or girl. I was pretty sad she never got to wear them.

Now I’m just thankful I hung onto them!

Woohoo baby, you’re coming soon! We are dying to hold you and kiss your sweet, chunky cheeks. You are so very loved.

There is this huge kids/baby/maternity consignment event called Weecycled Wardrobe.

You can probably find one in your area.

Anyway, it’s coming here to Fredburg next month and I am so very excited.

Here are my top baby items, if I find even one at the sale it’ll be worth the hunt:

1. Arm’s Reach Co-Sleeper Mini

2. Ergo Baby Carrier

3. Moby Wrap Carrier

3. Britax car seat

4. Diaper Genie

5. Any and all Ingrid & Isabele maternity wear

6. Quality cloth diaper covers (I have tons of prefolds) (Carrie– which ones would you recommend to cover prefolds?)

About 11 weeks.

I feel like I have a beer gut. I know you look at this picture and think I’m just self-conscious, but no, seriously. If you saw my stomach 3 months ago you’d notice the change too. It’s such an awkward phase because my uterus is growing– pushing things out of it’s way and rearranging my digestive system, but the only thing visibly sticking out is that last stubborn layer of chub that didn’t leave after Zoe’s birth. Okay, actually, it probably isn’t that stubborn. I didn’t try really hard to work it off or anything, and when I’m breastfeeding I never plan to try and get super skinny or muscular. I’d rather keep a little baby fat and feed my babies well.

Speaking of my babies–

Here they are a couple of minutes ago, being cute. Zoe loves this little scooter thing and Isaiah got the genius idea to help push her along from behind. They were giggling and laughing and then they wiped out. Zoe ran to me for hug and then ran right back to take a ride into the kitchen to visit daddy.

I’ve been reminded a lot recently of some of those products/food items/clothes that are absolute gifts from heaven for the 1st trimester pregnant woman.

So why not compile a list? With pictures? It is also one of my favorite things!

>>For the first trimester nausea, I love crackers.

These are like Ritz, only better– as in organic and no trans fat. You should be able to find them at grocery stores like Harris Teeter, Ukrops, and Bloom.

>>This ginger ale is super-gingery and pretty natural. Levi found it for me when I was first sick with Zoyenka’s pregnancy, and I loved it!

>>It is, however, a bit expensive if you’re going to be downing a couple a day. SO here is what I’m doing right now: fresh ginger slices in my coffee cup with hot water. I let it steep just like tea and then drink it…either straight or watered down or mixed with something else. This is just great for digestion, period. So you don’t need to wait till you’re pregnant to try it. And you can get about this much for under $1 at any grocery store. Oh and candied/dried ginger is also supposed to have similar affects (although I wouldn’t think that sucking on sugar-crusted ginger is such a great habit to pick up while growing a baby). Use discretion with herbs and things like this, though, I read that you shouldn’t exceed 3 cups a day (at 3/4 teaspoons ginger per cup).

>>Preggie Pops. They’re little cough-drop-like things each individually wrapped. I just had one of these for the first time at the office where I got my ultrasound. Fantastic. I wouldn’t want this to be my solitary source of anti-nausea but they’re great for when you’re out or on-the-go! Available at Target.

>>Also available at Target or Vitamin Shoppe is this specially-formulated prenatal. It has ginger and probiotics to help prevent the extra nausea some of us experience when we take our prenatals. I have some other prenatal vitamins right now but I struggle to take them regularly because they kind of make my stomach churn…

I don’t think it’s every to early to start conditioning your abdomen for the quick stretch to full-term baby.

>>Coconut oil is an amazing natural oil. So good for you internally, too. I don’t have room to go into it now, but if you research it you’ll be amazed. It’s not as cheap as olive oil, but it will last a good amount of time as straight body lotion. I have always found the best price at Vitamin Shoppe as opposed to other health food stores. They have their own brand, too, which is usually the best price. Note: you want UNREFINED, organic coconut oil. The stuff you may have seen at Wal-Mart is yellowish (refined), not pure white, and it is not the same thing!

>>Your local baby/children/maternity consignment sale. These are usually seasonal Spring/Fall and many YMCA’s and church’s host them. The mom’s I wish I was like descend with their spotless, lightly-used items/clothing/toys and you get to come in a few days later and buy them at drastically reduced (from retail) prices. This is an excellent way to buy designer maternity clothes, quality toys and brand name baby clothes affordably.

>>The Bella Band. (Something to look for at those consignment sales!) Ingrid & Isabel has just a few maternity items but based on the Bella Band I’m guessing they’re all gold. I would highly recommend that if you get one from a brand other than Ingrid & Isabel that you only choose higher-end maternity brands (their bands will cost a similar $20+) in order to get a really high-quality lycra. The stretch-hold is everything with this little wardrobe extender. Picture tells all.

(But just in case you can’t tell, my favorite part about the Bella Band is that you can wear your pre-maternity jeans longer by leaving the top unbuttoned and wearing the band over it to smooth out and hold up. It just looks like you’re wearing a long layer camisole under your shirt. This same principle works postpartum with your pre-pregnancy jeans that don’t fit yet.)

>>Ready-to-go lasagna. Seriously. Everyone is so sweet to bring meals after the baby is born, when it’s impossible for you to cook at all, but the first trimester can be almost as bad. I’ve been exhausted, ready to go to bed as early as 6pm some nights, and the afternoon nausea that is my body’s way keeps me from really wanting to get cooking around dinner time.

Of course, on days when you’re feeling better or maybe even pre-pregnancy, it’s a GREAT idea to make a double amount of one meal and freeze the other half– much cheaper than a frozen lasagna from the grocery store. But either way, I’m a fan of frozen meals (the real food kind! I’m not talking about tv dinners!).

>>Children’s books. Dr. Sears and his wife have a lovely little series of children’s books about “Baby on the Way” and “What Baby Needs” and “I’m a Big Brother.”

I also found this book at my library.

It needs to be bought, though, because it’s meant to be used through the entire pregnancy. Each page is a drawing outline of a belly with a baby inside, developing through each stage (I think it’s month by month). Ingenious, right? You hold it up to your stomach and the kids get a perfect idea of what’s going on inside.

>>Comment if I’ve left anything out, you have a personal favorite, or any thoughts in general…

So I’d tried this brownie before, and by following the recipe exactly I ended up with something kind of like chocolate banana bread. Good, but not a brownie.

Today, out of pure necessity, I had to alter it quite a bit, but I LOVED what I ended up with. A sweet, chocolaty dense brownie-like cake with banana tones interwoven. If you’re not a fan of banana bread then this definitely isn’t for you…but I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love banana bread.

Okay, so here’s the deal. You use honey, or maple syrup, instead of sugar. You use one really brown, smooshy banana for moisture and more sweetness. You use whole wheat flour, and it detracts nothing from the goodness that is this treat. I would even like to try added a few tablespoons of ground flax seed sometime…my bet is you wouldn’t even know it’s there.

The original recipe is as follows:

“Beat well together 2/3 cup honey, 1/2 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 beat eggs, 1 ripe mashed banana, and 3/4 cup water.

In separate bowl combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/3 cup cocoa, 1 cup flour.

Combine them together slowly, making sure to really whip it so there aren’t big chunks of banana anywhere. Stir in 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts at the very end. Pour into greased 8×8 (?) pan (I had to use two bread pans) and bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Best fresh!” (I found it at MoreThanAlive.com)

Now, for the glorious “alterations”.

Today I had no honey and a lot of maple syrup, so I used that, though it’s much more expensive and I’m sure honey is just as good. Then, I replaced the eggs for about 1/3 cup applesauce, which gives you a lot more density. You will have to bake longer if you do this too. Also, I had no baking soda so I put in 3 teaspoons of baking powder (they are not equal in quantity replacement). Lastly, I added about 1/2 cup of peanut butter just because I love peanut butter + chocolate + banana. Oh actually very last of all, I replaced the nuts with dark chocolate chips. This does add some sugar but it’s so minimal and you get the added benefits of dark chocolate.

Okay, so since I had no brownie pan around I used two loaf pans and baked for more like 30-40 minutes at 350F. When I first took it out it seemed a little undercooked but I usually like things like this a little gooey anyway, so I let it cool and it was perfect. Very dense, and very moist. Mmmm. I put a little peanut butter on top and ate with a fork.

The original recipe also says that these brownies are best fresh but I put the leftovers in tupperwear and found that the trapped moisture only added to their texture and I think the flavor intensifies with time. Absolutely delicious! I was so happy to feed these to the kiddos today after last week’s “mommy’s pregnant so we’re eating junk food” streak.