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Hawaiian Heldts

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Saturday, 26 December 2009

Watcha got cooking????

I was going to try and be clever but really I am too exhausted to be creative.

We had an ultrasound today to find out the gender of our little bundle and it was very obvious we are going to be blessed with another little beautiful girl!!! We made the tech really work to get all the photos we needed, but we got them eventually, she even made me turn on my side!!!! That was and interesting first! She is such a wiggle worm! And a shy one, she kept covering her little face!

I've seen a few ultrasound photos in my time and let me say she looks so beautiful in black and white! Really she does, my other girls of course looked cute as well but there was something special about this one.

We were hoping for a little brother for Jonah but honestly it's hard to be too upset about a precious little girl, about a perfectly miraculously made little blessing, healthy and growing and placed in our family but the God who already knows what is the best fit for us. It's nice to know even when we have hopes for one thing, God knows what is best for us!

So girl names are a little hard for us....we've got a few ideas to start us off......and if we have home birth we don't have to worry about circumcision! And honestly the girls room is already set up for 3 little girls with a bunk bed and a crib already in there, we just need to move Gracia into the big girls bed in the next few months!!!

Monday, 21 December 2009

Midwife appointment

My very first appointment with the midwife today went fabulously! I loved the location of course...overlooking the huge waves were amazing and so calm and peaceful. But even more calm and peaceful was the midwife and her assistant. She answered all my questions I had been saving up after reading 2 Ina May Gaskin books, even about the shoulder dystocias with the girls (though she said from the sound of it they weren't true shoulder dystocias). She told me everything she has and does and is prepared for. All of her experience, being at this for 34 years, being both an RN and a Nurse Practitioner eases any fears I have of her ability to care for me and the baby being so far away from the hospital as it is. Dave and I brought all the kids with us so she could meet everyone, the kids just ran around the house and the grounds playing and exploring and they were so wonderful about all of that. We talked about a waterbirth and she said she was a professional heated tub we can use! That sounds great! And basically we just talked and got to know each other! Dave really liked her which I was relieved about, it's extremely important we are a team on this one. We also talked about how I go through transition and get stressed out, deliver the head to quickly...etc, things like that. I love the way she really just listened and reassured me. I've been doing so much reading and research. I really want this birth to be wonderful. Every birth no matter what has been wonderful, bringing my children into this world. But I would like this birth NOT to be stressful if at all possible! It's exciting and stresslifting just thinking about NOT leaving the house and worrying if I will have to deliver a baby on the side of the road! That alone has lifted an immense amount of stress off of me!

After the appointment we went down to Lanikai Beach and got to swim with lots of Turtles! The are so neat to watch I don't know why! I suppose because you don't see a whole lot of Ocean Life up close. It was really fun, sometimes the beach is a little stressful for me with all these little ones but it was relaxing. It was funny to see the looks we got with 4 little ones (Bella was with us) Jon (who's 14) and another one on the way....I laugh at what others were thinking that I couldn't actually hear.

At one point Dave turned to me and said, "See 4 little ones isn't very many kids at all!" He's right.....I know it's all the hormones swirling around....but I love my babies. Life is extremely overwhelming sometimes but then there are times like today that for a little bit, all is calm and peaceful within watching those little toes dance and run in the shore break, those are the times you really feel the blessing of God's hand upon your family. I know people think we are a little off for having all these babes especially so close together and truthfully sometimes I am roaming around looking for my marbles myself. But THESE little moments are when I find my answer. When I know what God has given us in these little souls is so much richer than any worldy treasure.
Midwife appointment

My very first appointment with the midwife today went fabulously! I loved the location of course...overlooking the huge waves were amazing and so calm and peaceful. But even more calm and peaceful was the midwife and her assistant. She answered all my questions I had been saving up after reading 2 Ina May Gaskin books, even about the shoulder dystocias with the girls (though she said from the sound of it they weren't true shoulder dystocias). She told me everything she has and does and is prepared for. All of her experience, being at this for 34 years, being both an RN and a Nurse Practitioner eases any fears I have of her ability to care for me and the baby being so far away from the hospital as it is. Dave and I brought all the kids with us so she could meet everyone, the kids just ran around the house and the grounds playing and exploring and they were so wonderful about all of that. We talked about a waterbirth and she said she was a professional heated tub we can use! That sounds great! And basically we just talked and got to know each other! Dave really liked her which I was relieved about, it's extremely important we are a team on this one. We also talked about how I go through transition and get stressed out, deliver the head to quickly...etc, things like that. I love the way she really just listened and reassured me. I've been doing so much reading and research. I really want this birth to be wonderful. Every birth no matter what has been wonderful, bringing my children into this world. But I would like this birth NOT to be stressful if at all possible! It's exciting and stresslifting just thinking about NOT leaving the house and worrying if I will have to deliver a baby on the side of the road! That alone has lifted an immense amount of stress off of me!

After the appointment we went down to Lanikai Beach and got to swim with lots of Turtles! The are so neat to watch I don't know why! I suppose because you don't see a whole lot of Ocean Life up close. It was really fun, sometimes the beach is a little stressful for me with all these little ones but it was relaxing. It was funny to see the looks we got with 4 little ones (Bella was with us) Jon (who's 14) and another one on the way....I laugh at what others were thinking that I couldn't actually hear.

At one point Dave turned to me and said, "See 4 little ones isn't very many kids at all!" He's right.....I know it's all the hormones swirling around....but I love my babies. Life is extremely overwhelming sometimes but then there are times like today that for a little bit, all is calm and peaceful within watching those little toes dance and run in the shore break, those are the times you really feel the blessing of God's hand upon your family. I know people think we are a little off for having all these babes especially so close together and truthfully sometimes I am roaming around looking for my marbles myself. But THESE little moments are when I find my answer. When I know what God has given us in these little souls is so much richer than any worldy treasure.

Thursday, 17 December 2009

What do YOU do when you are behind?

So I am really stressing out about Home schooling this week......since I started this school year doing my own curriculum, and then jumped on board in October with the Sonlight curriculum, we are a little behind to say the least. We have to give all the curriculum back by the beginning of June and of course we have a baby coming in May so I'd really like to be done by the time the baby got here. But we are behind! I don't really want to cut corners, I don't really want to cut out History and Science (which we do everyday)....so I'm not sure what to do.

If we have school everyweek day, including holidays (yuck) we can catch up. But is that fair to the kids? Don't we all need a little break sometimes?

Or do I cut out the Histoy and Science that is "extra" and concentrate on the Reading and Math (essential) and just plug on through.

I'm also not sure if we can hold onto the curriculum for a little bit in the summer to catch up but I don't know how that will work with a newborn......

What would you do?

Saturday, 12 December 2009

{Step one to accomplishing a dream}

First prayer.

It's been a {not so} secret desire of mine to have a homebirth. I've labored and birthed in 2 different hospitals and though it hasn't been horrible, it hasn't been exactly what I've wanted either. So this was something I have committed to prayer.

First and foremost the health and safety of me and my baby are very important. I've had 2 babies born with shoulder dystocia. After asking the doctors, they could not tell me why it was happening nor if it would happen again. After some simple research my thoughts about what I had experienced were confirmed through research. It seems my two daughters crowned so quickly (I think due to my stress level) and didn't have enough time to fully rotate before I was trying to deliver the rest of them. Ater a very short time had past, (30 seconds or so) another contraction would hit, the baby would rotate and deliver without problem.

I've been doing lots and lots of reading on natural birth again, and reading other woman's birth stories and just really wanting the birth I've tried for and dreamed of. At least the CHANCE to have a calm, peaceful birth! I finally found some information stating that our insurance covers up to 80% of a Nurse Midwife!!! The same as is covered by a Doctor! So I emailed one that is an RN and Midwife and Nurse Practitioner. She does homebirths and waterbirths and has been practicing for 30 years. She even worked with my current Doctor (who by the way is amazing....very pro woman and pro natural birth). Anyway after talking to her for a little while I am thrilled. She said she doesn't even care about the insurance companies, she will accept being paid the 20% if that's all we can afford! Seriously! (I will still fight for her to get paid fully~but am thrilled at how she views the importance of hat she does verses that of being paid!)

We set up an appointment for Dec 21, she asked if I minded being scene at a beach house on the North Shore...uh no......she asked if I minded sitting on a bench overlooking the beach and laying with a pillow under my head while she measured and listened.....I like this woman already. Really I do. So Dave will come with me and we'll talk about what we have in mind and see where it goes from there.

I just can't believe that this could actually be a reality for us......it's something to explore for sure!

PS.....made a green smoothie this morning...it was really really good....pineapple,mango,papaya.strawberries,banana and spinach...you gotta try it! It's delicious! You don't taste the spinach just all the fruity goodness! Only Jon would try it with me, but that kid will try anything! For Jonah...he'd rather eat a bowl of spinach!