Soundtrack: ABCs + Tron

Tobias serenades the Sunday park-goers with an abbreviated version of the ABCs (he does know them all, not sure why he left some out), and Malachi attempts to roll the other way (maybe if I'm lucky I'll catch that on video when it happens).

Roll, Baby, Roll

Cute vs. Cute

I recruited Tobias's help to make Malachi smile. Turned into kind of a friendly attack...

Valentine's Day Peanut Butter Heart Cookies

I saw some cute cookies on Pinterest, but I was either too cheap or didn't plan ahead enough to buy heart-shaped chocolates.

So I used Aunt Janet's peanut butter cookie recipe and added 3 chocolate chips to the top of each. After they baked, I used a toothpick to push the melted chocolate into a heart shape.

Lest you think it was a complete Martha Stewart experience, I did drop some.

I also let Tobias help. He wanted to make owl cookies (2 chocolate chips for eyes) instead of hearts. Then some of the owls ended up with more than 2 eyes, somehow. Then the eyes got poked with a toothpick. I am assuming they will all taste good though.

A Well-Rounded Education

Syllabus:

• Tobias: Construction skills, shapes, numbers, taking turns, apologizing (Tobias apologizes to "baby Mow-ki" for scaring him with the noisy hammer).
• Malachi: how to smile without falling over

Spring Smiles

I employed a film-making technique known as the "flashback" in this movie...the first clip is of Tobias at a little over 2 months old, followed by Malachi at about the same age (now).

Then some toddler vehicle negotiation by Tobias and Jayna.

M: 2 months

• Quick to smile (especially in the morning, but I still haven't gotten very many good smile pictures)
• 12 lbs. 8 oz.
• Tries to be tough when attacked by Tobias but usually gives a big pout
• 25 inches long
• sucks his two middle fingers when he's sleepy
• growing out of clothes and diapers left and right
• thankfully doesn't burp and spit quite as much as he used to
• sits up with help and can hold his head up well
• longest stretch of sleep: 7 hrs.

Bedtime Routine

Most evenings in our house involve a little dancing before bed. It helps everyone get the wiggles out.

Zip Zip!

Tobias reading a Mercer Mayer book with Holly...

Tobias having fun at a friend's birthday party...

Malachi not giving the camera any smiles (we'll keep trying)...

Hammer & Thread

I'm guessing most of your Christmas 2011 shopping is done by now. But if you're looking ahead to Christmas 2012, birthdays coming up, or if you got money at Christmas that you "need" to spend on something nice, check out Hammer & Thread, my parents' new store on Etsy.

They have a variety of unique items for sale, including a Dutch shuffleboard set (Sjoelbak). Shuffleboard is a noisy, fun game that is good for all ages!

We were given one of the growth chart rulers for Christmas for our family and we plan on taking a picture of our kids on their birthdays by the ruler. Here is our 3 ft. tall 2 and a half year old!

We also own a Corian cutting board that we've used for years. It is still in great shape and is one of my favorite to use because it is large, nice-looking, and has a groove around the edge to catch juice.

Have fun looking around their shop! If you live in Northwest Iowa and would like to pick up an item instead of paying to have it shipped to you, they are more than happy to arrange that!

A Midwife Helped Me Out: Birth, Done Right at Home

Previously I wrote about a few of the ways prenatal care with my midwives has been pleasant, personalized, and has contributed to keeping my pregnancy healthy and low-risk. While aiming not to be too graphic, I would like to highlight a few things about giving birth with midwives at home that were healthier, more evidence-based, or more pleasant than my experience giving birth with a doctor in a hospital. Some of these things could be done in a hospital, but were not, and some are specific advantages to giving birth at home.

• No pressure to induce labor. I was "measuring small" again this pregnancy, but it seemed to be that Malachi was up far enough in my ribs that we just couldn't get an accurate measurement, a much more reasonable diagnosis than IUGR (which is what Tobias's records stated, although I didn't know that until I saw Tobias's records during this pregnancy).
• Less exposure to germs such as MRSA or various flu bugs and illnesses during birth and postpartum visits
• Water birth: provides significant pain relief, also lessens tearing and swelling. Laboring in water was encouraged at the Sunnyside Hospital, to their credit, and was beneficial to me, but I had to get out for delivery. And for the curious, babies don't breathe until they feel air on their face. It's pretty cool!

• In the hospital, delivering while laying in a reclined semi-laying position was the default, and I was in no condition to argue. This position contributes to tearing, and also oxygen shortage to the baby, both of which we experienced to some degree with Tobias. Malachi ended up coming out while I was kneeling in the water. I did most of the work, but it doesn't hurt to have gravity on your side too.
• Spontaneous pushing (pushing when/how you feel you need to) instead of directed pushing: again, less risk of tearing and oxygen shortage for the baby. Also, it felt a lot more comfortable and I think was a big factor in how great I felt afterwards (very minimal tearing and no swelling or soreness at all).
• Umbilical cord was allowed to finish pumping important blood and stem cells into the baby. Evidence supports this as the healthiest (reduces risk of anemia and respiratory distress among other things), but my doctor would not allow it even though I asked.
• Comfort/Personalization: we could have Tobias come home and meet Malachi when we were ready (no visiting hours), I got to enjoy hot cider, pumpkin oatmeal muffins, and chicken soup while in labor as opposed to little cans of juice and the food that we snuck into the hospital with us, no riding in the car while in labor, having all the baby clothes and equipment close by instead of having to decide what to pack.
• Home court advantage: being in familiar, safe surroundings and having less distractions (no filling out paperwork or drawing blood during labor) lowers the stress hormones that would otherwise slow labor and make it more painful. Overall, the day was very laid-back (and exciting at the same time!).
• Kristin was very "hands-off" during labor. She did check my blood pressure and listen to Malachi's heartbeat with the doppler, as well as ask me questions about what I was feeling and occasionally listen/watch how I was dealing with the contractions. She stayed in the dining room most of the time. No cervical checks either...it was obvious without them that labor was progressing.
• Choosing which procedures we wanted. For example, we declined the newborn eye ointment because we don't have STDs.
• Thousands of dollars cheaper

As far as disadvantages, some things were more "work": having various supplies, including food on hand for during and after the birth, preparing the birth tub, etc. And those table trays in the hospital that allow you to easily eat in bed...those are kind of nice. Other than that, I can't think of any big disadvantages.

Safety-wise, many large studies show that for low-risk women, home birth is equally safe as hospital birth when you compare the rates of death for mom and baby (one recent Canadian study even reported it to be safer). It is much safer in terms of the incidences of c-sections, infections, etc. that happen in hospitals. Most cases of needing to transfer from home to the hospital are not time-sensitive emergencies. Midwives are thoroughly trained and licensed and carry a lot of equipment/medication with them for more common needs as well as bigger emergencies. Hopefully you all know me well enough that you know I wouldn't do something that is unsafe!

Unfortunately, there are many entire states (including my home state of Iowa) where giving birth at home with a midwife is not even a legal option; CPMs are not allowed to be licensed and there are very few or no CNMs that offer home birth services. Currently about 1% of babies are born at home, but as the number of people choosing and supporting home birth grows, I hope that more states will make this choice available to families.

For those of you who are pregnant or will be in the future: wherever you give birth (home isn't for everyone!), find a caregiver that will listen to and respect you, and insist on evidence-based practices that keep you and your baby as safe as possible!

Please feel free to ask me questions about anything if you're curious or facing some of these same decisions yourself!

Birth Announcement

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Tobias introduces his brother

Little Guy Malachi!

Ooh, I'm behind. Malachi's great-grandma blogged his birthday before I got around to it!

Malachi Reese was born at 5:19 p.m. on Thanksgiving day, November 24. He weighed 7 lbs and 6 ounces and was 21 (and a half? I forget) inches long. We are so excited that he's here and very thankful that he and I are both doing well.

He was born at home and we really appreciated the care that Kristin provided before, during, and after the birth. Unfortunately Lorri could not be there as another family was also having a Thanksgiving baby! There's lots I could say about how it was different (and better for us) than our experience giving birth to Tobias in a hospital with a doctor, but that might be another post. Feel free to ask me about it though! I will say that although I felt fine after giving birth to Tobias, I feel great compared to how I felt 2 or 3 days after having Tobias, even without a single ibuprofen. Midwives really help keep the process as gentle as possible.

Tobias and Malachi were in their carseats next to each other in the car today on the way home from church and Tobias reached out and touched his hand and said "I like him. I like his little hands." So I think it is safe to say that Tobias is adjusting OK!

We know Tobias has already established quite a fan club for his videos, so we'll try to get a video up soon of Malachi so he can share the spotlight.

Thank you everyone for your prayers, congratulations, video chats, and support! Malachi is looking forward to meeting many of you soon!

They really look different!

our eggs are the ones on the top/right

Half a Dozen Eggs

Four and a half months after buying our chickens on Craigslist, we have started getting eggs. I was shopping in Spokane when I got a text message from Nate. We rarely text, and I was only vaguely aware that my Tracfone was capable of receiving a picture in a text message, but I was very excited when I saw the picture of the egg, and the caption "one of two". So far we have found 6 eggs in about 8 days. We suspect that Ginger is the one laying the eggs. I'm looking forward to having the other 3 chickens start laying too! The eggs are small, have very dark yolks (that means they're good for you!) and seem to be very tasty. Tobias talks about the chickens and the chicken coop a lot (even in his sleep), so the educational part of the chicken raising process seems to be working as well as the nutritional.

Our eggs aren't technically "pastured" eggs, but we do try to feed the chickens plenty of fruits, veggies, and green things. I found this chart that shows what "store eggs" are missing compared to eggs from chickens that eat a variety of healthy food. Not shown in the chart is the statistic that "pastured" eggs contain 4 to 6 times as much Vitamin D as regular store eggs. Recently, I heard the phrase "you are what your food eats", meaning that eggs, dairy, and meat from animals on a healthy diet have better nutrition in them. So, adopt a chicken, find a friend with chickens, invite yourself over to our house for an omelet, buy eggs from healthy chickens, or at least make sure you're getting lots of extra Vitamin D, E, and A, Omega 3's, etc. from other foods or your vitamins!

(click on the picture to make it bigger if you can't read the words here)

Uhwunano

We decided we had to get Tobias's unique pronunciation of the word "underwear" on video before we worked on getting him to say it correctly. We though you might enjoy hearing it too, as well as a few other moments.

P.S. "Gebbi sauce" = spaghetti sauce. We need to work on that one too.

Lazy Blender Apple Butter

I'm trying to make a dent in the medium-sized pile of apples I have in my kitchen. I have a peeler-corer-slicer which is great for some things like dried apple slices, but for this batch of apple butter I decided to try something even easier. All the vitamins are in the peels, right?

First I cut up the apples. My "lazy" way of doing this is to cut off one side, avoiding the core. Then cut off 3 more slices, leaving a rectangular core. I took a few bites off each core and then fed the rest to the chickens.

Next I blended up these chunks in the Vitamix blender. I had about 10 cups of the blended mixture.

I added 1/2 c. of sugar, 2 teaspoons of vanilla, 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves. Then I turned the crock pot on high and placed the lid on sideways so steam could escape.

My kitchen smells amazing and I've snooped a few spoonfuls that tasted great. I will update tomorrow with the finished results!

Finished product: I left the crock pot on high for about 4 hours, and then on low for about 4 hours, stirring occasionally. By this time it was about half the volume of when I started. I plan to freeze some and keep some in the fridge. Maybe next time I will try making a larger batch and canning it!

Now to keep at that pile of apples...we are about to eat German Apple Pancake for breakfast!

Turkey, Cake, Chicken, Peach

Here's a hodge podge video of G&G H and Aunt Holly's visit in July, plus some peach picking footage just because!

A Midwife Helped Me Out: Prenatal Care

It will hopefully be another 11 weeks or so until this baby is helped "out" out, but I wanted to write a post to all the things I have appreciated so far about my prenatal care with my midwives, especially compared to my experience last time going to a family doctor.

• Appointments are usually 45+ minutes long and cover a variety of topics including any questions I have. When I say "variety of topics", that includes things like chicken-raising advice, tasty ways to cook with coconut oil (fry your french toast in it!), the logistics of flying with a newborn at Christmas, what's going on in my life, etc. Mostly health or baby related, but not necessarily.
• Appointments start on time and I don't have to sit in a waiting room with annoying cartoons on, and with people who might be sick. Tobias comes along and plays in the toy room or "helps" measure my belly.
• They're directly available by phone or e-mail if needed. When I was pregnant with Tobias I had some unexplained abdominal pain (not during office hours, of course) and my choices were to go in to the ER (the ER or OB department understandably can't give any advice over the phone) or wait it out with some extra-strength Tylenol. I haven't had any medical reason to contact them, but Nate did e-mail Lorri asking for a reminder on which Chinese restaurant in Prosser she had recommended during childbirth class. It's the Golden Horse near exit 80, if you're curious! Nate's there right now meeting someone for lunch.
• Nutrition is really important to them. My blood work showed I was low in Vitamin D and probably iodine, so I'm taking supplements to correct those things as well as some other supplements and vitamins. They also give lots of specific advice on healthy eating and haven't stressed or lectured me about my weight at all. Who knows if these changes are why I haven't experienced any leg cramps, bleeding gums, etc. during this pregnancy!
• Kristin stopped by my house for a prenatal appointment when she was in my area, which was nice. If everything continues to go well they will both be here at my house for the birth too, and postpartum checkups. I'm looking forward to not taking a 1 week old baby in to the doctor's office for a checkup...I remember Tobias screaming with hunger while I tried to fill out a bunch of paperwork. But I'm getting ahead of myself there, this is supposed to be about prenatal!
• With many tests and procedures I am presented with the pros/cons and all the options, and then I can decide. For example, since I am at low risk for gestational diabetes, I chose to test my blood sugar with Holly's meter after a meal rather than spending time and money on an official glucose tolerance screening.
• Thousands of dollars cheaper. I'm guessing the prenatal care and birth will come to $3150. Even if for some reason the baby had to be born in the hospital, I think $3150 is a great deal for such excellent prenatal care.

Doctors' knowledge and experience can be crucial, which is why the Midwives Model of Care includes "identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention". However, since I am currently very healthy and low risk, I can't imagine going back. Why pay more for less?