Doula

Hi Ladies,

I have a question for you all, I guess guys could answer this too if they read this blog and have input, but it is mostly geared toward women...

Did you use a Doula when you gave birth?

What was your reasoning behind using or not using a Doula?

This is something that I have been pondering lately, and even more recently because I just found out that my sister in law's boyfriend's mom is a doula and in training to become a midwife (but not for another couple years)... So if I had someone that I could easily pick, rather than having to research Doula's in the area, it would be easier, but I really don't know if we need or want one.

So again, the questions are:
Did you use a Doula when you gave birth?
and
What was your reasoning behind using or not using a Doula?


I have lots of other baby related questions too (mostly surrounding labor and what needs to be done) but those can wait for another day...

It is...

...no longer ambiguous.

It has pronouns!
It has a gender!

And It is a GIRL!
The little cross in the middle of the picture, if you go to the right of that, those are HER feet, and to the left is HER bum, with nothing in between, we are having a GIRL!

SO so so sooooo excited for the little dresses and bows! Kyle is too! Maybe not for the dresses and bows, but for the fact that we are going to have a sweet little girl!


oh, and just because it is almost Halloween, our little princess decided to get dressed up too...

A little creepy... That's her head to the right if you can't tell... sort of looks like an alien or something.

Pumpkin time!

When going to the Pumpkin patch it is always best to take the back roads...

...because then you see things like old water towers against a gorgeous blue sky!

Not yet... But I will soon!

Love pumpkin patches! It was actually pretty warm today! I was surprised!

At the Pumpkin Patch you can find lots of corn stalks!

and dried Indian corn...

And baskets of little pumpkins!

and bins of multi colored squashes!

and Mini pumpkins with cute names like We-B-Little!

and HUGE piles of pumpkins!

My Pumpkin chariot driver!

Picking the perfect Sugar Pie pumpkins...

Almost done...

Our bounty! Not the white ones, just the ones in the wheelbarrow... ^_^
Did you know that if you go to the Pumpkin patch the week before Halloween that they put the pumpkins on sale for buy one get one? I got more than twice as many pumpkins than I was planning on! Yay for sales!!!

If you look really closely at the woman in white, you will see that in her Baby Bjorn she has a pumpkin instead of a baby...

A Letter

Dear Blankety-blank Squirrels,
Just because I fill in the holes that you dig up in my yard, does not mean that I am trying to help you bury whatever it is you are digging for, I am trying to protect my just barely starting to grow lawn! It's a hint... Take it!

PS. Any one have a BB gun I can borrow? I am about ready to start sitting out there in my lawn chair with my gun across my knees waiting for any furry little trespassers!



Dang squirrels....

SLO bound!!!

Hey all you SLO-ites (-ians?) ....erm... people! ^_^

Kyle and I are going to be in SLO this weekend! I can't tell you how excited I am to come back and visit and see everyone and go everywhere (well, almost everywhere, we can't go to all the places I have on my list, it is very extensive! Splash, Firestone's, Montana De Oro...)

Kyle is working the Job Fair at Cal Poly for Apple on Thursday, so we come down Wednesday night, and after he is done just after lunch we are free to do what we want! yay! We will be there until Sunday, so excited to worship at Grace again! I have missed the fellowship there, although we are getting some great fellowship at our new church now!

Hey Penny! Want to try your Baby Gender Ring Trick thingy on me?? I am up for it if you are! and the cool thing is that we get the Gender ultrasound about a week later, so we will find out really quick if you are right or not... Kyle is a skeptic, but I think it sounds fun!

We might be going to the CP homecoming game (Saturday night?) so if anyone wants to come along, that could be fun! I want to go to Pismo or Avila too, even if it is super chilly! I miss those beaches!

I would love to see all of you! But I know that it just isn't feasible, and I will probably have to settle to seeing most of you at church on Sunday but if any of you are available and want to get together we would love it! *coughcoughBadgerscoughcough*

I will be antsy until we pull into SLO... See you Soon!!!

smokey

Good news first...
I found and bought a glider rocker and ottoman for only $75 on Craigslist!!!!! This was the only thing on my **Must have for the nursery** list, the ottoman was key, I can fall asleep in one of those rocking a baby to sleep so easy!!!

Bad news...
I forgot to ask if it came from a smoking home... it did... so now I am trying to get out all the smoky icky cigarette smell. I have already doused it with Febreze,
but in case that doesn't work...

Do you have any idea's/tips for getting cigarette smells out of the cushions? They are removable (if that makes any difference) except for the one on the ottoman.

Also, this is the first piece of baby furniture we bought! wheee!!!

Win a $30 gc to Jewelry by Artwark

Go here
http://www.sandierpastures.com/giveaway/fall-into-fashion-a-jewelry-by-artwark-giveaway.html
to find out more about this jewelry give-away.

This jewelry is soooo beautiful!

You really need to go here and look at all of her things, beautiful, trendy, and kind of vintage too...
Etsy site is here http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5762558

Here are some of my favorites....

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24980354

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30740928

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30579933


Good luck to you if you enter... I hope I win one!!!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30416300

Guess what???

We are going to be parents!

I am about 12 weeks along right now (according to baby's size) and due March 17th, although I am a bit skeptical about that since they tell me something different every time we go see the doctor...

We wanted to wait until the first ultrasound to tell people (other than immediate family) just to make sure the baby was okay... so that is why we are only telling now... Personally I think the due date is the first week of April, but size wise, the doctor says earlier (never mind the fact that we are pretty dang sure on conception date because we track my temperature). So for now we go with what the doctor says and we will see who's right!

We are beyond excited!

Got to see the baby for the first time today at the 1st trimester ultrasound (that's the picture above). I was so excited that we got a really clear picture right off the bat, as soon as the doctor turned on the ultrasound I knew exactly where the head was and could make out the little feet and hands!!!! It was so amazing when they switched it over to the 3D picture, so clear! Baby is already camera shy, turned it's back to us real quick when we switched to 3D! Baby also was moving, a lot! Not even 3 months and they are going to be a kicker (I am wondering if they will want to take Tae Kwon Do like Daddy did)!

I haven't had too much pregnancy symptoms, some nausea, no throwing up though (a blessing and a curse), tiredness, highly hormonal... you know, the usual. But so far I have felt really good! I hope it continues!

Sew sew

I really really need want a new sewing machine. I can't really spend more than $200. I am looking for something that is simple to operate and adjust. I know how to sew and can do complicated things, but don't really do anything more complicated than simple garments and hemming and a little bit of quilt piecing. I want it to sew well and smooth (which probably just about any new machine will) and not need a lot of attention. Something that will last me for quite a few years... currently I have a hand-me-down Brother that's okay, but I have never learned really how to adjust it right... I am thinking of switching to a Singer, but really have no clue how to tell what is good or not. Any help is appreciated!

Still Alive

Hi my bloggy friends!

I know, I know, it has been entirely too long since my last post, yikes! I just checked, over a month! oops! In my defense, I was in the midst of packing, and then moving, and then unpacking (which is still in progress by the way...blech)

Anyway, we are settled here in the Bay Area, family comes over all the time! I love it!!! I have missed my sister, who is also my Best Friend, my bigger than me little brother who is working on hauling over the back yard (landlords said we could do whatever we wanted!!). I am getting even closer to my sisters in law because I actually get to see them on a regular basis! I have seen multiple old friends who I haven't seen in entirely too long.

Our little duplex is almost put together, I wish I could show you pictures, but the camera cable is still MIA. I have painted a couple (big) pieces of furniture and they turned out sooooooo pretty! I really like the colors, which is good, because I really didn't want to have to repaint them just yet!

Since I am home all day I hope that I will start being able to get crafty again, Kyle takes the car to work, so I am stranded (sort of) here all day. I have quilt squares that I have been cutting out, just to cut them out, a dress pattern that Kristen posted that I want to make because apparently it looks good on everybody and I really want a cute summer dress!

I will try to get on and post pictures sooner than another month from now. Hey! Maybe since I am home all day I will blog more... although, if all I do is stay at home, I won't have much to blog about... unless I do some back blogging... that could work! we will see... stay tuned!




PS. so it looks like I am a big fan of parentheses and ellipses today.