whoo whoo

One of my latest interests is Pinterest. My husband got me into it. I was very reluctant. Ugh, another website I have to learn, I thought. I still struggle with Facebook. But then, after an hour or so, I began to get the hang of it. And then... I was hooked. I've been finding all kinds of inspiration, mostly do-it-yourself type projects. One of the first do-it-yourself projects I saw was these owl ornaments. Then I googled it, and found that lots of people have been making them. I saw these owls made by children.

So we've been saving our TP rolls, and this weekend we made our own owls, which we plan to hang from our tree. They were really fun and easy to make. Next I think we might try this button bracelet that I also saw on Pinterest. I know I've seen a bag of buttons at the thrift store... :-)

♥, Kelly

Ginger Laughing

Zoe practicing Jolly Old St Nicholas

My Home Birth Story

In the last four years since we moved to Colorado I've made some amazing friends. I've become really close to four women in particular. All four have had babies at home. One friend has had two babies at home, and the other three friends have each had three babies at home. Getting to know them and their children has enriched our lives in so many ways. Hearing their homebirth stories has been so inspiring.

That's why when I told Andy I was officially pregnant (nine months ago), one of the first things he said (with a smile as wide as his face) was, "I'm so glad we don't have to have this baby in the hospital." I realized in that moment that we were on the same page. We didn't even need to discuss it. We were in perfect agreement. No fear. No hesitation.

My first trimester was exactly as it had been with my first two babies. Nauseous. I sipped Izze and ate crystalized ginger to keep it at bay. Fortunately, as it was before, the nauseousness ended almost exactly at the beginning of the fourth month. Phew.

In the second trimester I went through cravings. One month I craved red meat. I was eating burgers every other day. Couldn't get enough of them. And that's really weird for me. In my non-preggers life I eat red meat maybe a few times a year. That's it. But after about a month, the craving disappeared. I was relieved. I would gain more weight that month than any other month during my pregnancy.

I walked about two miles almost every day. In the not-so-hot months Zoe and Ashley came with me, but as I entered my third trimester it became too hot. So in June and July I walked before anyone else was awake. I didn't have to set my alarm clock, because in my last few months I had leg cramps that woke me up. I tried everything you can think of to get rid of them. Fish oil, calcium, magnesium, potassium, chiropractic, yoga, exercise. Nothing worked. So when the cramps wouldn't quit around 6 AM, I got up and walked. It was great to walk in the early morning. Quiet, cool, peaceful.

I began having contractions on a Monday evening. It was ten days before my due date, which seemed about right since my first two babies were two and three weeks early, and I was measuring almost 40 centimeters. The contractions lasted all night, but were mild. In the morning they stopped completely.

Tuesday (the next evening) the contractions began again, and they were stronger. I took Zoe and Ashley for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner. We were all getting excited. Could this be the night? After the girls went to bed at 8:30 I realized it would be very hard for me to sleep, because the contractions were so strong. Andy didn't think it would be very long till the baby came anyway. He inflated the birthing tub in our living room, and was ready to fill it with a new hose and kitchen facet attachment. (I was thrilled that the inflatable tub matched the light green color I use in my living room. Haha!)

Andy and I spent the night in the open kitchen and living room. I had contractions every ten minutes. Andy rubbed my back for me during each contraction, which helped so much. The most comfortable position for me during contractions was kneeling on the floor with my head resting on the couch, sort of like being on all fours. Between contractions we talked and snacked on tea and ice cream (homemade dairy-free ice cream of course :-)

At 5 AM our midwife came and checked me. The contractions were strong and close together, but I was only 3 centimeters dilated. She suggested Andy and I try to sleep to save our energy. Sleep? What?! But we listened, and went upstairs to bed. I did sleep for about an hour, and Andy slept for a few hours. When my contractions got really intense at about 8 AM I came back downstairs.

At 8:30 Andy, Zoe and Ashley woke up and came down to the kitchen. My contractions were getting worse very quickly, and coming faster. We ate some food and called our midwife again. When she arrived I was pretty uncomfortable. She checked me and said I was nine centimeters. I bursted into tears of joy. It was time. I was so happy it was time.

Minutes later Amanda, one of my best friends, arrived. She is one of the women I told you about who has had babies at home. Amanda is a doula and in her second year of midwife school. She is going to be such an amazing midwife. I cried tears of joy again when I saw her pretty face.

"Do you want to try to fill the tub?" my midwife asked. Just like that we knew there might not be water in the tub in time for the baby to arrive. "I want to try to fill the tub please." I responded. So they attached the hose to the kitchen facet. Zoe and Ashley filled pots of warm water in the bathroom sink and poured them into the pool to help. In a word, Zoe and Ashley were excited. I've never seen them quite so lit up inside. Not like that.

Meanwhile, Amanda looked surprised that I was so close to giving birth, and yet I wasn't, as she put it, "hitting the ceiling." :-) Later she told me that I was "very zen." I think if I was very zen it was because I wasn't afraid. I wasn't afraid because of these women I know—the women who have each had two or three babies at home. I thought, if they can do it, then so can I. How bad can it be if they have one baby at home, and then they have another at home, and then another?

I was laying on the couch when I had a contraction that felt like the baby was about to come out. "The baby is ready to come out now!" I half shouted. "Okay." said my midwife, calmly. I took off my nightgown and got in the tub. Right away it felt good to be in the water. I was in the middle of my second contraction in the tub when my other midwife arrived. She got ready quickly, and was by my side with the others.

Zoe brought me drinking water in a glass with a straw. Andy rubbed my back. Amanda put a cool towel on my forehead. Everyone was helping. Giving. Loving.

During or just after my next contraction I asked, "Can I push now?" I knew the answer before one of my midwives could even answer. "Listen to your body. Do what it tells you to do." they said. Of course. How funny that I would think I needed to be told what to do. They weren't the ones in labor, I was.

They checked on the baby's heartbeat under the water, and then came another contraction. I closed my eyes and focused on what my body was doing. Like a wave that began near my chest, the contraction rolled down. I could feel the baby moving down with the wave, and I wanted to push, so I did. Although I don't remember it, Zoe said I screamed.

When I opened my eyes one of my midwives softly gave me advice. "I want you to relax." she said. "It's going to hurt either way, and if you relax (she gestured to my legs and pelvis as she said this) it will make it easier for the baby to come out." Relax and push? That was new for me. In the hospital where I had Zoe and Ashley everything was tense. I had been stiff as I pushed in the hospital, tightly clenching every muscle in my body, and pushing when I was told.

I trusted my midwife though, and I knew she was right. So during the next contraction I attempted to relax my body and push at the same time. It took all of my concentration—a challenge that I welcomed. Invited. Relished even.

"One more push and your baby's head will be out." said my other midwife. "Reach down and feel the baby's head." she told me. There it was. I could feel the top of baby's head, ready to emerge.

The next contraction came, but so did a leg cramp. "Ouch! My leg!" I screamed. One of them grabbed the leg and massaged the cramp. Again I focused on relaxing my body and pushing at the same time. I felt the wave moving the baby down. I felt the baby emerging from my body. "The baby's head is out." someone said. I pushed again. I felt the baby's body emerge completely. I shouted. I cried. I opened my eyes.

They lifted the baby onto my chest. I looked in amazement. "I did it!" I said, suddenly a little surprised at what I had done. I looked at my baby in awe. "Is it a boy or a girl?" I asked. But the baby was wrapped in a towel, half in the water with me, and the midwives were tending to his or her breathing. When they were happy with her breathing they looked and saw that it was a girl. "Another girl?!" I was amazed and immediately in love. Again. I looked at my family. They were all beaming, like they were full of light. I've never seen Zoe and Ashley look so happy. Ginger was here with us.

I pushed out the placenta. Then they wrapped Ginger and the placenta, and Andy held them as I got out of the tub. They gave me coconut water (which is full of electrolytes) right away and I laid down on some towels. I had a very minor tear, so they gave me a few stitches. Meanwhile, I began to have more leg cramps. The midwives rubbed my calves and dropped natural remedies under my tongue. Amanda sat by me and held my hand. I felt so taken care of and loved.

Soon the cramps stopped and my midwives helped me to bed, where I took Ginger and nursed for the first time. I was so happy to see her. When the umbilical cord stopped pulsing it was time to cut it. Zoe asked to cut the cord, and so she did. My midwives took the placenta so they could dehydrate it for me. Then they cleaned up downstairs and made us lunch.

After lunch they took Ginger's weight (almost 8 pounds), measurements, and more. They took their time and when they finally left the day was almost over. One of them returned the next morning to check on Ginger and I. She came again when Ginger was three days old, and again when she was seven days old. It was so nice not to leave the house.

During Ginger's second week however, she was crying a lot, and we suspected she was reacting to food in my diet (through my breast milk). So when Ginger was two weeks old, rather than have my midwife come to our house as planned, Ginger and I went to see her (only five minutes away). She muscle tested Ginger and found that she wasn't tolerating grains. Not just gluten, but gluten-free grains as well. She gave me probiotics and fennel drops for Ginger to take.

It's been almost a week now since I eliminated all grains from my diet, and Ginger is doing so much better. The past few days she's also been awake for longer periods and really looking around. Yesterday she was loving her bath. She was actually crying when I took her clothes off, and stopped crying when I held her in the water. Too cute. I can't wait to see if she loves the bath again next time, and how she continues to change.

I'm not going to kid you though—it's been a tough few weeks. Giving birth is easy, breastfeeding is hard. So much focus is put on labor, but if you ask me we should really be talking about breastfeeding instead. But did I read a book about breastfeeding when I was pregnant? No. I read a book about pregnancy and childbirth. I don't even know of a great breastfeeding book. Do you?

To get into a breastfeeding conversation would be a whole new post though. There is so much to say on the matter. But the good news is that with time breastfeeding becomes so easy. I remember how easy it became with Ashley.

Having Ginger at home was, as Zoe says, "awesome." —Ashley sitting down at the counter and snacking on her leftover breakfast while I was a few feet away, in the middle of a contraction—like it was no big deal. —Zoe calling my mom after Ginger was born and screaming, "The baby is out!" with such delight. —My midwives and friend taking care of me and supporting me. —Andy holding Ginger for the first time. —I already treasure these memories. I'm so grateful for the experience of having Ginger at home.

♥, Kelly

Happy Birthday Ashley!

Age today: 7

Favorite color: blue

Favorite animal: horsy

Favorite food: hot dog! (sausage)

Favorite movie: high school musical

P.S. Ashley got into therapeutic horseback riding for the fall! Woohoo!

Happy Birthday Zoe!

Age today: 9

Favorite thing to do: Have tea parties with Fancy Nancy, dress up and read.

Favorite books: Fancy Nancy, Baby Sitter's Club, Rainbow Magic Fairies, Lord of the Rings

Favorite food: spring rolls, tacos, salad

Favorite color: yellow

Favorite animal: cat, dog, hamster, horse

Favorite song or CD: High School Musical, Mama Mia, Enchanted soundtrack

Favorite time of year: summer

Why is it your favorite time of year? Because I get to go through the sprinkler, and my birthday is there.

Best memory so far: Our Florida vacation, Lake George vacation, going to conferences, doing crafts with Abi and Ashley.

What you're going to be when you grow up: Be a chef and work at Zoe B's Restaurant.

early morning walking

The further we get into the summer the earlier I take my morning walk. The past few days (since I wake up with leg cramps anyway) I've been going at 6:30. Today there were hot air balloons.

I think the museum is so pretty.

From here you can see the flatirons . They look close, but they're actually thirty minutes away. Also, that's the back of our house on the right—the red one.

♥, Kelly

Zoe's Hip Hop Class Performance

zoe's fancy nancy tea parties book review

in this book fancy nancy shares all her tips on tea parties. first she talks about ensembles and etiquette like what to say to your hostess and where to put your napkin. nancy even tells you how to make things like food and place mats. for a doll tea party she uses a shoe box for the doll table, shells for bowls, toothpaste caps for cups, and a cookie for a cake. at the end of the book are invitations to tear out for your own tea party. this is the best fancy nancy book!

by zoe

Our homeschooling story, & some great books.

When Zoe was four years old she went to preschool. I don't remember the exact hours, but I know it started early in the morning and got out at least a couple hours after lunch. After school and on weekends Zoe watched TV. Constantly. When I tried to get her to do other things, like you know, play, she would cry or get "bored" or simply not know what to do with herself. Zoe was overstimulated. Only I didn't know it yet. So I perpetuated it.

Being overstimulated also affected Zoe's attitude. When she wasn't being entertained (by school or TV) she was fussy, cranky, and full of sass. To be honest with you, we didn't really like each other. She was constantly flip with me, and I was more than happy to avoid her by using the TV, AKA, they babysitter.

Then we took a family vacation the summer before Zoe began kindergarten. For a week we played at the beach, went for walks, and ate together as a family. Something strange started to happen to Zoe as the week progressed. She became sweeter and less overstimulated. She was calm. We got along. We didn't fight. We didn't have things to do, places to be, TV to watch.

I had a revelation. What if school and TV were wrong for her? What if Zoe could be nice like this all the time? I so badly wanted to have a good relationship with her. I had always fantasized about homeschooling when she was just a tiny baby. Only when problems arose had I dropped the idea. Maybe it was time to go back to it. At least to try.

And that's how we began homeschooling.

Now, I'm not saying we never watch TV anymore. We watch a little. But cutting drastically back on the habit was crucial for us.

It took a full year without school and TV before Zoe learned how to play. We spent most of that year reading together and being outside (and we still spend most of our time that way). I read to her with my finger, and she naturally followed my finger with her eyes, thus learning to read by sight. Well, she didn't learn to read in one year, but after two years of reading together that way she was reading on her own. There's even a book about it that I read back then. It's called, Teach a Child to Read With Children's Books.

From the time I began homeschooling her, Zoe was also very interested in writing. She wanted to write years before she could read. The Charlotte Mason homeschooling philosophy calls this "copywork." And Zoe was really into it. She still is.

Simply by being around her older sister, Ashley has experienced our joys in homeschooling too. The low stress environment. The ability to learn about what interests you most. Field trips. Being outside. Both girls spend most of the day reading (Zoe actually reading, and Ashley looking at books). Ashley often wants to do whatever Zoe is doing. And they both use Time4Learning.com for educational games for an hour or so a day.

One of their favorite times of day is definitely Andy's bedtime reading. They have been obsessed with Burgess books (I think they've read three or four now). Also Andy has been reading them this book, Colonial Living.

This book isn't about war. It's all about daily living in the colonial time.

The illustrations are great.

Zoe was crazy for the hair designs :-)

Here's a list of some of some of the Burgess books too, in case you're wondering:

The Adventures of Sammy Jay

The Adventures of Paddy the Beaver

Old Granny Fox

Old Man Coyote

The Burgess Bird Book for Children

♥, Kelly

Changing Education Paradigms, a great video

Art show this January at Red Frog Coffee!

My show is about to go up! Come on over to Red Frog and see it starting next weekend and all January long :-) The owner, my friend Emily, can make you an Americano (my favorite) and you can eat a gluten-free lemon poppy seed or pumpkin bread.

(click images to see larger version)

"Sanctuary," mixed media. Size: 2' x 2'

"Retro," mixed media. Size: 2' x 2'

Detail.

My mixed media collages are done on birch veneer and include watercolor, acrylic, graphite, paper, found objects, and Caran D'ache.

"Cherry," mixed media. Size: 2' x 2'

Detail.

"Little Bird," mixed media. Size: 2' x 2'

Detail.

"Blue Dress," mixed media. Size: 2' x 2'

Detail.

♥, Kelly