Our Babe: 3 Months

This month, Camille:

• is pushing up her chest during tummy time.
• rolls over from her tummy to her back.
• found her feet (and toes).
• pulls herself up to sitting position while holding onto hands.
• pulls herself up to standing position, too.
• is making lots of dinosaur noises.
• loves assisted jumping.
• loves the song "She'll be coming 'round the mountain".

Princess Diana the fish.

While I was earning my Masters in Education, I worked as a nanny for a few families in the Madison area.  This past Thursday, I packed up Camille and we spent the day with some of the little ones I cared for.  Now, the kids are 5, 2, and 1 (when I started caring for them they were just 3 and 5 months, and their youngest wasn't even on the way yet!), and they are fully of personality.

The two oldest little ladies just got fish as their first pets.  Earlier on in the day, I asked the 2 year old what she named her fish.  Like most two year olds, she said their names of her three fish were Nemo, Dori, and Nemo.  "Two Nemo's?" I said.  "Yeah, two Nemo's!" she replied.

Later on in the day I asked the five year old what the names of the fish were.  She said their names were Nemo, Dori, and Princess Diana.

I don't know how they know of Princess Diana, but it cracked me up.

Our babe: 2 months

This month, Camille:

• is holding her head up like a champ.
• She is realizing where sounds are coming from.
• During tummy time, she will lift her head, shoulders, and chest!  She is a freaking beast.  Is it normal for babies to do The Cobra during the second month? It must have been all the prenatal yoga.
• is baring weight on her legs for longer periods of time.
• is cooing, and taking turns cooing with us.  (mostly with Jason.)
• has regular yellow poop again.  (Last month we had a problem with an over-supply of breastmilk, and therefore a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance.  TMI?  oops.)

This month, Jason and yours truly:

• have been sleeping a lot more.  (As in, we wake up once to twice a night, depending on how much baby eats at each feeding.)
• get to shower sometimes.
• have found some time for each other (ie. watched Jurassic Park while Camille was sleeping.)

Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin & The Farm Midwives

There is a new documentary about Ina May Gaskin coming out called "Birth Story: Ina May Gaskin & The Farm Midwives."  For those of you that might not be familiar with Ina May, she is one of the leaders of the midwifery movement today. 
This documentary looks enchanting, and I know Jason and I cannot wait to see it.  Although she has been interviewed and featured in many documentaries on natural and home birth, I'm honestly surprised that there hasn't been a documentary made about her before.  I don't know if my husband, child, and I would have had our beautiful home birth if it hadn't been for Ina May and her knowledge and trust in laboring mothers and the strength their bodies have.

Our babe.

After laboring for 23 hours, Jason and I welcomed our daughter to the world on Monday, July 9th.  Her name is Camille, and I'm fairly certain that she's the most lovely baby I've ever seen.  8 lbs 7 oz, 21 1/4 inches, and perfectly healthy.

With the help of our midwives Debbie and Nichole, we had the natural water birth at home like we had been planning for nine months +.  I'm so happy Camille got to pick her birthday, and come when she was ready.

Still waiting...

This is what almost 42 weeks of pregnancy looks like...in a heatwave.  The worst part of being almost two weeks late in summer, besides sweating all the time, is the swelling of my feet and ankles.  My feet hurt so badly, and my poor toes look like breakfast sausages!

Jason and I have an ultrasound on Friday to make sure the baby isn't under any stress and that she has enough fluid to keep swimming in.  Basically, just to make sure she is healthy.  If we don't have the baby over the weekend, we'll have to go in for another ultrasound on Monday, too.  It will be exciting to see her, but we would rather see her face to face!  Everything looked great at our appointment with our midwife yesterday, but we are still crossing our fingers that she will arrive ASAP!

Crafty Pregtastic.

Have I mentioned that we are still pregnant?  We are.  This baby is so happy in this belly of mine, I'm starting to think she might never want to leave!  But Jason and I both feel that we want her to choose when she is ready as long as everyone is still healthy.  We are planning a homebirth still, but we have a back-up plan in case of an emergency.

I have been listening to the podcast, Pregtastic, to help me throughout my pregnancy.  I've often felt alone since I'm the only pregnant person I know in Madison (let alone the only pregnant person I know in Madison planning a home birth), and although I don't know any of the women on the podcasts, I felt a little like a part of a community.  There is always something interesting discussed, from birth stories and breastfeeding, to prenatal exercise and cloth diapering. 
I love that there are always mom's from different backgrounds and life experiences, and never judgement when discussing any of the topics of the weekly podcasts.  It's so refreshing to get unbiased information to make safe decisions that feel right for my family.
As I've been waiting for baby, I've been listening to a few of the podcast episodes a day as I have been learning to crochet.


Oh yes, you've heard correctly, I'm learning to crochet.  I have always seen myself as being a knitter only.  I used to see crocheting as knitting-lite, and I always saw the rare people who both knit and crochet as unicorns, like they're mythical or something.  Now that I look back on it, maybe I was just afraid that I would not feel comfortable with crocheting.  The challenge of learning a new craft has become the perfect distraction from waiting around for an 11 day late baby!  Now Baby Lamb has more baby booties and hats than she will ever need in her lifetime, but it has sure been keeping me busy, and she will certainly be warm.
While I've been waiting, I've also completed Baby Lamb's quilt.  It's my first completely hand-stitched quilt, and I started it back in February!

J's first father's day.

Baby isn't here yet, but we are only days away from our due date/guess date.  (Less than a week, I can't believe it.)  This point of pregnancy is really eerie to think about because I have a babe inside of me that would live and thrive out in the real world now.  It's very much like being sandwiched between two worlds at the moment.
Since Jason has been so supportive and caring throughout my whole pregnancy, I wanted to do something especially nice for him for Father's Day.   In the afternoon we went to see Moonrise Kingdom, but before our day officially began, I surprised him with breakfast.

Nutella and banana crepes, that is.  They were a big hit, and I was even able to sit while I made them.  (Heavenly.)

Recipe!

**The crepes themselves look a bit darker than they normally would because I used whole wheat flour.**

Pierogies

Jason and I have been hard at work making freezer meals for after the baby has arrived.  We're making lots of lasagna and quiche, and today I made a Polish specialty that's very popular in North-East Pennsylvania;  Pierogies!  I've never made Pierogies from scratch before, but after seeing a recipe I thought, how hard could it possibly be?  It was very easy, but fairly time consuming.  The ooey-gooey European dumplings of joy will be well worth the work now though.  Don't I know it.

I used the recipe from momofukufor2, and it worked perfectly.  After making the dough and the potato and green onion filling, I formed the pierogies and put them right into a freezer bag.  Once I'm ready to make the pierogies for dinner, all I will have to do is quickly boil them until they float and bake them with some onion and olive oil.  Yum!

** This recipe could easily be made vegan if you don't use egg in the dough or add cheese to the filling.   Also, I added two minced cloves of garlic in the potato filling, making it ultra delectable, FYI.

Getting ready for baby.

Since my last update, I completed my Masters in Education!  That took a whole lot of time from blogging, but it was all worth it.  I finished my higher education career (so far) with a 3.7 GPA.  So close to my 4.0 goal, but hey, I'll take it.  It feels good to know that I'm one step closer to a career that I love and excel in, so much so that the grade I get is just the icing on the cake.  Actually learning about what I love doing is far more important to me.

I decided not to walk at my graduation because I would have been at the end of my eighth month of pregnancy, and there is no way that I would want to sit in a cap and gown for hours in the sun, sweating my butt off.  No waddling across stage for me, thanks.  I didn't walk at my undergraduate commencement either, and I never regretted it.  Instead I left straight for my third tour, then moved to Madison to be with Jason, and became closer to the life that I'm living today.  I'd say it was a good decision looking back, otherwise I might not have the life that I have today.

Now that I'm done with school, I'm busy getting ready for baby!  I'm now only two weeks from my due date, and nesting time is starting to dwindle down.  I've been doing a lot of quilting, knitting, and general sewing to finish preparing for my sweet babe.  Jason and I are so excited to meet her and those little feet that have been poking my sides all day long!

If I couldn't be with J.

 If I couldn't have married Jason, I probably would have listened to a lot of Paul Baribeau, and watched lots of PBS specials by Henry Louis Gates Jr., or married my cat, Humphrey Bogart.  They're basically my favorite gentlemen, next to el-tin.  And even though they're super sweet, they're just not as dreamy.
...Because Jason has a mustache now, and when he sleeps he looks like a Civil War veteran.  You needed to know.

 Special thanks to Paul, Henry, and Humphrey.

 via

 via

 ^  Humphrey Bogart

"It's my mommy badge."

Sorry I've been away for a bit.  I just arrived home from visiting family in Florida.

I just wanted to share this video with everyone.  I've recently noticed that I've started to get some stretch marks, and I didn't really know how I was feeling about them for a while.  As I've progressed with my first pregnancy, I've struggled with not being in control of what happens to my body anymore.  Now I'm at a place where I'm able to relax a little and let the small stuff fade.  I know I'm not going to look like I did before I got pregnant ever again, but I'm kind of anxious to know what I will look like after the baby.  I'm curious about what my stretch marks and skin will look like after my belly isn't round anymore.  However I look after birth, I know that I want to be positive about how my body recovers.  I know that my body is strong and healthy and I have to trust it.



How do you feel about your body after baby?

I now pronounce you Smoothie and Popsicle.

Next to barbeque sauce on everything, the only other thing I have been craving has been sweets.  The way I have been getting around eating ice cream every single moment of the day has been popsicles.  Tart popsicles, sweet popsicles, I don't care.  Let me tell you, it does the trick, and I end up getting a good serving of fruit in the process.  Can't go wrong.
Jason has been really into smoothies lately, so we have been combining our current favorite treats to make a sweet treat wonderland.

Pink Peach Mango Smoothie

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup Orange juice
• 1/3 cup Whole milk (feel free to use any kind of milk you want, I have to drink whole milk, so I sneak it in where I can.)
• Frozen strawberries
• Frozen raspberries
• Frozen mango
• Frozen peaches

Directions

1. Throw an individual handfull of frozen strawberries, raspberries, mango, and peaches into the blender.
2. Add orange juice and whole milk.  Securely top blender and proceed to blend.  If you want your smoothie to be more thick, add more fruit.  If you would like your smoothie to be more liquidy, add more orange juice and milk.

Pink Peach Mango Popsicle

1. Make Pink Peach Mango Smoothie, then pour smoothie mixture into a Popsicle mold  (I got my set from a thrift store for 90 cents!)  You can also use paper cups with popsicle sticks if you do not have a popsicle mold.
2. Let freeze over night.
3. Run mold under warm water until you can remove the popsicle with ease.  Enjoy!

Favorite Baking Blogs

I love to get my bake on.  I love watching butter and sugar get all creamy and fantastical, but mostly I love eating the treats once they are done.
Like most people, the muse isn't always upon me.  Creativity comes in waves, and sometimes we could all use a little inspiration to encourage blossoms to bloom.  So I thought I would quickly share my favorite baking blogs with you, just in case you could use a little miracle grow for your creative juices today.

Joy the Baker

Witty writing, yummy treats!

Sweetapolita

Lovely cakes and recipes.  Always, always.

Smitten Kitchen

A wide variety of everything sweet and savory.

Dreamy Wedding Bands

I'm on the search for a new inexpensive wedding band because my fingers are becoming so swollen that my wedding band and engagement ring are becoming uncomfortable.

Here are some that I'm really loving.

 Libra Minimalist Ring -- $26

 Modern Tab Ring -- $20

Hammered Stacking Ring -- #13

Fairy Pearls Ring  -- $20

Little Needles

Based on my love for vintage kitting and sewing patterns, it's quite evident to me that:
a.)  The people were tiny. 

• Side note:  Did you know that today's size 6 is actually a vintage size 14?  Yeah..  So when people say that Marilyn Monroe was a size 14, please understand that she was actually a size 6 based on today's varied measurements.

b.)  These tiny people loved their tiny knitting needles.


I on the other hand, am not such a fan of tiny knitting needles.  I like the big chucka-munka's.  Yeah, you know the kind.  I will openly admit that I am the kind of knitter who would gladly knit with a baby's thigh if I could. 
I also love chunky wool.  I love how you can see every dyed fiber in all it's glory.  There is nothing like seeing one vibrant color spun beautifully in with another.  Nothing. 
Our great grannies didn't care so much for chunky knitting needles or chunky wool.  They might call me lazy today for cursing the little jerky needles.  Don't get me wrong, triple great grandma, I love the way dainty projects look.  My first summer in Madison I started my first tiny needle knitting project.  It was a tiny cardigan, and I was madly in love with how demure it looked.  It took me the rest of the summer to finish the left front of the cardigan, the whole fall to knit the right front, and the whole winter to knit half of the back.  By the spring I was so sick of this cardigan, I set it aside and didn't pick it up again until it had been bleached by the sun.  I kid you not!  I had to take that long of a break from knitting, because it burnt me out.


So my fellow knitters, what do you do when a tiny needle knitting project burns you out?  What do you do to keep going?  How do you keep yourself inspired to continue?

 

P.S.  Both of these pictures are from Vintage Purls.  It's an online directory of downloadable free vintage knitting patterns!  So if you are unlike me, and you have the patience for reliance, please feel free to visit such a great resource!

Nursery Design: What has been helping me.

Since Jason and I found out we were pregnant, I have been thinking of what we would like to do for a nursery.  We have a small budget, but I am confident that we can still pull off a great room that will be comforting for our little girl.  I knew I wanted to produce a gender nuetral environment from the start.  At this point in time, I cannot imagine having another child, but I also don't want my child to feel forced to like something that just doesn't feel right. 
Even though we are no where near the end of our journey, here is a look at what has been helping us so far.



What has been helping me:

1.)  I started off with concentrating on what I would like on Pinterest.  I know pretty much everyone is using Pinterest now, but for those of you who have yet to know the wonder:  Pinterest helps members find inspiration and find patterns from their inspiration to understand what direction to move into next.  I use Pinterest for everything from DIY idea's to classroom tools.
Using Pinterest reminded me that I love robin's egg blue, yellow, and grey as a neutral (with hints of pink and orange.)

2.)  Starting our baby registry was also helpful.  We are registered on MyRegistry.com, which is a universal registry.  It has been so easy to use.

3.)  Apartment Therapy.  It never hurts to see a fabulous room completed.  That's where I found this rug made out of carpet tiles.  You probably could use just about any rug, but carpet tiles would be easiest to work with.

 Check out the whole room here!

4.)  Chic & Cheap Nursery is a blog that has been an excellent source for ideas and inspiration.  It's more than just baby stuff, too!  It's also a great place to find ideas for your big kid, too.

 Click here for the DIY tutorial!

5.)  Color Splash!  I love this HGTV show.  It's hosted by David Bromstad, who won the first HGTV Design Star, and his prize was having his own design program on HGTV.  He's so talented, and not to mention a total sweetie pie.  It's a great place to find inspiration for the whole home, including a nursery.  You can visit the HGTV website to find full episodes for free.

Baby Swimsuits

Baby swimsuits are so freaking cute.  Can we just look at some right now?  Okay, good.  I thought you would say yes.

 Ruffled One Piece -- $25.95

 Eyelet Ruffled One Piece -- $24.95

Striped One Piece -- $16.80

fill in the blank Friday (2/10/2012)

Fill in the blank Friday! 

 

 

 

1.  I started my blog because   I wanted to use my blog to share and organize the things that inspire me.

2.   One thing I love seeing on other blogs   would be the glimpse into how others live their lives.  I love to see others being creative in a number of different ways.  I could do without people taking picture of their favorite outfits though.

3.  Something I love about blogging   would have to be how it allows me to organize myself.  I'm not naturally good at organizing, so I have to seek different ways to help myself to organize.  Blogging not only organizes my thoughts, but it serves as almost a bit of a pin-board of inspiration.

4. A favorite blog post of mine is probably  my most recent posts about the babe!  Jason and I are so excited to be parents, it's such a NEW journey for us.  I have a feeling that the next few months are going to be very special in our lives together.

5. Something my friends in real life know about me that I've never before mentioned on my blog  is that I've started eating meat again.  Before getting pregnant, I was a vegetarian for about eight years.  During my first trimester, I had to start eating meat again because it was one of the only foods that kept me from getting sick 24/7.  I'm planning on going back to the veg lifestyle after the baby is born, but for right now, I feel it is something that is aiding me through my pregnancy.

6.  My new favorite blogs to read are  a huge mixture of things I've been finding inspiring lately.  Father Figurine is a snarky parent blog from the dad's point of view, which my husband and I have been loving lately.  I also love tipatipa.

7.  Some things I tend to avoid doing on my blog are   being too critical of my writing.  If I concentrated on "Is this good enough to go on my blog?" all the time, I would probably have nothing on my blog.  I write for myself anyway, so what?  Who cares?

TRY the DIY.

Here's a collections of some great DIY projects that I'm itching to try!  I knew you would all be pretty interested too, so I thought I would share.

1.)  I've been seeing these knitted pouf stools everywhere lately.  And they are always extremely expensive.So if you're like me, and you're asking yourself "how the heck can I get this look for less?":  look no further!
Click here for a knitted floor pouf tutorial from Norwegian Knitting Website, Pickles!
Wouldn't this pattern work great with a stretched jersey fabric instead of yarn?

2.)  DIY sprinkles!  I know, right?  Can we just talk about how many times I have gone to the grocery store to buy just plain white sprinkles and all I can find is a rainbow funfetti vomit fest?  Now I never have to worry about it again.  This tutorial makes so much sense, and I am POed that I never thought of it before.
Click here to learn how to make your own sprinkles!

3.)  Spumoni Bombe!  Think Neapolitan ice cream and Baked Alaska had a chunky Italian baby.
Click here for a step by step Spumoni Bombe recipe!