Sabrina Nicole’s Birth Story

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Pregnancy #4 was no walk in the park, and at 39 weeks pregnant, I was ready to be done. Or so I thought.

I was up all night on this particular Tuesday (leading into Wednesday), for no good reason. I wasn’t tired, but I was certainly enjoying the peaceful, quiet night as everyone else slept. I had just finished watching Knocked Up (ironically) – it was around 3:30 a.m. – and I was laying there on the couch watching TV when my water broke. Out of the clear blue sky, with no warning contractions or anything, I got a weird stabby feeling in my vagina, then felt an odd popping sensation, then out poured the baby’s spa water.

And suddenly I wasn’t at all sure I was ready to be done. I wasn’t mentally prepared for the baby to come a week early, even though I hoped and prayed for an early arrival. I was ‘ready’ to go a week (or more) late!

I got up and high-tailed it to the bathroom, hoping not to besmirch too much of the carpet with the leaking fluid. I always hate to wake Brian up in the middle of the night, but it was hard to conduct a serious internal debate with such damning evidence as gushing womb goo, so I stuffed a towel between my legs, and waddled into the bedroom.

(Stage whisper) “Babe? …… BABE?!”

(Sleepy, but slightly panicked mumbling, because his wife never wakes him up on purpose) “Uh?!”

“My water just broke. I’m getting in the shower.”

I had my priorities straight. First things first: eliminate the lumberjack state of my insanely hairy legs. Get unsmelly. Thankfully, my contractions hadn’t really started yet – just some mildly crampy stuff. However, inexplicably, shaving one’s legs is difficult when one’s water has broken. Go figure.

While I showered, Brian called Penny, our amazing and fantastic midwife, to tell her what was going on. She told us that it was likely the weather that caused my water to break early (big snow/ice storm), and she wanted us to keep her posted when my contractions picked up.

I wandered around a bit, directing Brian if he asked for help while he tried to get everything ready for our impending home birth. He was adorable, a little tense, excited, and just….amped. I attempted to fold some clean laundry to stay busy while waiting for things to happen. I think I might have folded 4 things before I had to abandon ship and lean over a chair to get through my sudden, intense contractions.

I promptly called Penny back, and she said, “It’s time, huh?” I told her, yeah, she better head down. Things were getting increasingly intense really quickly, so I figured it was time to get in the tub. Brian was running around like a crazy man, including vacuuming the stairs. Seriously. I patiently got through a few contractions on my own before telling him to put the vacuum away and sit down by me. I needed quiet (my Pandora station didn’t even make it through 2 songs before I told him to CLOSE. THE. COMPUTER.) and I needed my husband by my side.

We were in our living room in the wee hours of the morning. By that time it was probably about 5:50 a.m. or so. He sat in a chair just outside the tub for a bit, but eventually I needed him in the tub with me. I needed to labor on hands and knees, but to support myself in that position in the tub required my arms to be extended fully down, thus making it really hard to relax and let my body work. When he got in and sat down, I threw my arms around his neck, kept my knees on the bottom of the tub, and buried my face in his neck and chest while I got through my contractions. They were insanely intense and they built up to 100% so quickly.

It wasn’t long before I realized my body was starting to push. I was very grunty and I suspected Penny wasn’t going to make it before the baby came. That scared me a little bit, because somehow I thought I needed more labor support! In the back of my mind, I may have had some concerns about after the baby came, but mainly, I just thought, “What if it gets worse than this? I need help!” I told Brian the baby was coming. I prayed that Penny would get here first.

Then, right in the middle of one of these body shaking contractions, I heard Fiona start crying from her room. Good timing, little girl! I told Brian he could NOT go anywhere, so he’d need to yell as loud as he could for Brianna (everyone was still sleeping). He probably called Bri 3 times before she came stumbling out and realized what was going on. I did surprisingly well at staying focused and letting Brian direct them, when it’s my nature to delegate (read: be bossy). Bri went in and got Fiona, then they all came out for a second to check on me. They went back to their room together to play games on their little tablet while waiting for their new sibling to arrive.

Maybe 2 contractions later, it was time. I realized the baby was on the way. I told Brian, the baby’s coming…the baby’s COMING! Oh my God, the baby’s head is out! The baby’s OUT! It was that fast. It was INSANE and thrilling. I reached down and picked up the baby and lifted its face out of the water. We realized the cord was around its neck so I somersaulted her through it to untangle her and then I looked at her. Brian called for the kids, and they came running out to meet their new sibling.

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She was this calm, not really breathing yet, vernix-covered, perfect little being. I started blowing in her face a bit to perk her up, and rubbing her chest and back. She slowly started to pink up and breathe, more and more. The kids were instantly in love. Fiona kept saying, “New baby!!” and Bri snapped pictures.

Brian called Penny and let her know the baby was here. She stayed on the phone with him and asked some questions about the baby until she arrived. She only missed it by about 5 minutes! While on the phone, the kids started asking if it was a boy or a girl. Baby was still attached to me with the cord and we were still in the spa, so when I first looked, it was an awkward angle and I said, “Oh, it’s a boy!” Eli was so excited for a second, and then I took a better look and said, “Oh wait, no, it’s a girl!!” Eli made a slightly dejected face for a second and then realized he really didn’t care and he was totally in love.

We named her Sabrina Nicole, and she was a perfect 7 pounds, born at 6:15 a.m. on March 6, 2013. We had an delicious time getting to know her after her birth, snuggling in our bed together, nursing, and being in love. She didn’t even cry for the first time until she was 2 days old!

It was, all in all, an amazing, brilliant experience, and I can’t imagine ever having another hospital birth. Of course, Brian can’t imagine having more babies anywhere, but time will tell. :D

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Hippie-Friendly Cold Remedies

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We have a whole clan of sickies on our hands these days, so the other night I whipped up a couple of DIY remedies for the kiddos. Sharing is caring.

Cough Syrup

  • 1 medium onion
  • honey
  • rosemary (I used dried)
  1. Roughly slice up the onion and dump it into a smallish saucepan. 
  2. Cover with honey and sprinkle in some rosemary.
  3. Gently heat on stove until the syrup thins out. I stirred it a few times and let the liquid from the onions work its way into the syrup.
  4. Pour the concoction into a glass jar and store in the fridge.

I give the kids each 1-2 tsp at a time, depending on the size of the kid. Fi always insists on having a few chunks of onions along with her spoonful of syrup. She IS my daughter. You can basically give this as often as needed. It really helps loosen up chest congestion and is soothing on the throat.

Chest Rub

  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 5 drops eucalyptus essential oil
  • 5 drops peppermint essential oil
  1. I used a fork to thoroughly mix these up, then rubbed a dollop on Fi’s chest. You can adjust the oils to achieve the desired strength, but it really helps clear out the sinuses. I dabbed a bit on the outside of her pajamas, too.

Last, I added 5 or so drops of the eucalyptus oil to her humidifier in her room. Just a little bit of extra smelliness to help her breath!

 

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Quick & Easy Sausage, Bean & Pasta Soup

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We’ve been going through a serious food rut lately, getting sick of the meals we tend to eat week in and week out. Tonight as I stood in front of the stove trying to figure out what to cook, I decided soup sounded good. It’s finally gotten colder out (versus the 60-70 degree weather we had over the weekend!), so the thought of something hearty and hot perked me right up.

I quickly took to the Internet to search for “quick easy soup recipes” and found the winner on MarthaStewart.com (of course). I modified it a bit based on what I had, so I’ll share it with you here. It probably took about 30 minutes total and it was soooo yummy!

Quick & Easy Sausage, Bean & Pasta Soup

(modified from Martha’s recipe here)

  • 1 package smoked sausage
  • 1 small onion
  • 20 baby carrots (or so)
  • garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. dried rosemary
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 cup elbow macaroni
  • 2 cans white beans (I used Great Northern Beans), drained and rinsed
  • 2 cans (or 4 cups) chicken stock
  • 4 cups water
  • 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
  1. Heat large pot on medium-high and add the olive oil.
  2. Slice smoked sausage in half lengthwise and then cut into small pieces and add to pot. Cook until sausage is nicely browned, about 8-10 minutes.
  3. Add diced onions and carrots and cook until it starts to smell amazing, about 5 minutes.
  4. Add rosemary and garlic (I only had garlic powder and I didn’t measure it – just kind of sprinkled it to cover everything and then stirred it in). Season with salt & pepper and let it cook for a minute or so.
  5. Add the broth, water, and beans and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
  6. Use a potato masher to smoosh up some of the beans while still in the pot, to help thicken the soup. Add the pasta and cook for about 10 more minutes, until pasta is al dente.
  7. Serve. YUM.
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Um, Hi.

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Well, so, hello. I’m 25 weeks pregnant now, and between the kids, work, and SLEEP, I just don’t blog anymore. Ah, well. Here are some pictures to make you say, “Awww!”

My crazy little voting companions

Her pretty “podies”

Helllloooooo Potty!

Just chillin’

Nakie butt piggyback rides

Sisters love their books <3

Fiones made her babies a lovely bed of diapers

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She Kinda Lives!

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Hey strangers! I didn’t die, though at times over the past few weeks, I’ve been certain I was close. I’m 12 weeks pregs and have been horribly nauseous for most of the past 7 weeks. Pretty awesome! So, I’ve been mostly off my computer, mostly curled up in the fetal position, mostly doing nothing but sleeping. My children have gotten to watch far too much TV, have gotten away with more than they should, have been living in a MESSY house, but hey…we’re all still breathing.

Things seems to be calming down slightly (she says, praying that she’s not jinxing herself horribly), and now I have the mornings and early afternoons with a mostly happy stomach. I’m getting some things done and I’ve resumed schoolin’. In fact, I’ve changed things up a bit, after learning about the Robinson Curriculum, and have adopted a lot of the principles of that plan. Not only do I really want my children to be independent learners, but they kind of need to be at times. Fi is only 2 and quite a handful and there’s another baby  on the way. My oldest 2 aren’t often going to have my undivided attention, so they really need to learn to LEARN on their own.

We started this week, and things are going well. The first day was rough and there may have been some yelling. If I recall correctly, more cleaning-as-punishment happened than did school stuff, but I’m told character training is important, too. :) Attitudes have slowly improved throughout the week, which gives me hope. However, I’ve been so exhausted by Eli’s BOYNESS (ie. the act of being inherently male, constantly distracted, and fond of all things shiny) that I’ve been losing my mind, wondering how to help him concentrate. Copywork (a fairly short paragraph, should take 20-30 minutes, max) was taking upwards of 3 hours. THREE. It went something like this.

He’d write a single word and then say, “I need your help. I can’t remember where I am, oooh birds, hey mom do you remember that one time at King’s Island, oh hey what’s for dinner tonight, I’M NEVER GOING TO GET DONE WITH THIS WOOOOORK!!”

That, times a million. Exhausting. Happily, my hard-working, wonderful husband was home early yesterday and was hanging out on the deck with us, watching some of Eli’s struggle. He gave him a bit of a pep talk and then asked him to see how fast he could go, saying he would time Eli. Eli’s ears perked right up and he got down to business. He finished the second half of his work in roughly TEN minutes.

Lesson: If at all possible, find a way to let your boy compete. Even if it’s just against himself.

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A Few More: Reasons I Love My Husband

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I haven’t done one of these posts in quite some time. Not because I have suddenly stopped loving my husband – quite the contrary. I love him more every day. Oh, how perfectly trite. But I really do. I’m just busy, you see! And I forget to appreciate him via Zee Blog sometimes. So here goes.

  1. He attended my baptism the other day, even though church definitely scares him. (I’m pretty sure he’s always on the lookout for someone waiting to pounce – to corner him, preach to him, and try to convert him. I can relate to this feeling, as I used to share it.)
  2. After the baptism, he asked sweet and earnest questions, like, “So, do you feel different now?”
  3. Tonight, after a long day at a thankless job, he came home and ate dinner with us. After dinner, we all sat around the living room while Eli read a bit to me, and I read some poems to him and to Fi. Then I read from Farmer Boy to everyone. I know he would prefer to just kick back, think about nothing, have to deal with nothing, and watch the news, but he’s a wonderful husband and father.
  4. Eli has broken the sprinkler roughly 49 times, and even though Brian wants to throw the sprinkler directly at Eli, he just shakes his head and has the same conversation with him, over and over again. “What things are you allowed to play with?” My things. “Is the sprinkler yours?” No. “So, let’s not hit the sprinkler with a bat again. K?” Ok, Daddy.
  5. Fiona has a nasty habit of dreaming about soccer, as near as I can tell. This manifests itself with her kicking Brian repeatedly in the face, generally around 3 in the morning. When I wake up to these shenanigans, I just put her back in her bed. If I don’t? He just goes and sleeps on the couch :)
  6. He doesn’t punch me in the head when I see the kids playing sweetly together and vocalize my desire to have 17 children.

He’s a keeper :D

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Homeschooling: My Very Basic Planner

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When we started homeschooling, I was gung ho on everything. I planned things within an inch of my life and it was exhausting. After a few weeks of that, I rebelled by planning nothing ahead of time. That equally stressful time is now coming to a close (finally), and I’m trying to find a happy medium. I didn’t really feel like scouring the Interwebz for something already created, because in all likelihood, it wouldn’t work for me. So, in an unusual change of events, I decided to just create my own.

‘Tis very basic, as advertised, but it’s flexible and can work for anyone. It’s a weekly view, and doesn’t include anything annoying like specific dates or week numbers. That got too tedious for me to change on a previous template I used. B-A-S-I-C. I use the Ambleside Online curriculum, so I’ve created abbreviations that work for that. I’ve got them in a simple legend at the bottom in case I forget what anything stands for (very likely to happen at some point).

Also, FYI – Bible plan comes mostly from Penny Gardner’s plan here; Copywork usually consists of Bible verses put into WorksheetWorks.com; Math worksheets come from the same place when we need to practice math facts….which we always do :)

I’m sharing it here in case any other Mostly But Not Totally Lazy Type Mom can use it. Enjoy and share if you like! Download the Word document here.

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M.I.A.

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I have been, ’tis true. I have a sick tot, overcome by Super Snot and the occasional pflegm-induced hurl attack, who hasn’t been sleeping a whole lot at night. Thus, Mommy hasn’t been sleeping a whole lot at night. Not that I ever did, but I could generally count on a fairly uninterrupted stretch of snoozing from 2 am til 8 or 9. Not so for the past week. It’s been all over the place. This seems to have sapped all my extra resources that are generally allotted for the purpose of Handling Life. So, instead of Handling Life, lately all I’ve been able to do is take naps as often as possible, request that my husband bring dinner home with him, hide from my computer, and assume the fetal position in the nearest corner.

I seem to be coming out of this scary trance-like place, slowly, as Fiona gets less snot-filled and more like her normal self. I’m gradually getting closer to addressing my sad, lonely inbox and neglected projects, and hopefully talking to a friend or two.

What I’m trying to say is….I’m not dead. I’m still here. And I love ya ;)

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My Little Suffragette

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Bri had a bad attitude the other morning (shocking, I know). She was repeatedly playing the role of the Super Tattletale and being a Super Brat about it, so I told her she needed to fold a basket of laundry as punishment. She sat and stubbornly refused, and instead of folding and hanging clothes, she blatantly ignored me. I remained remarkably calm, considering. I told her, ok if that’s how she wanted to play it, when she was done with that, she could pick up the living room, thank you very much. She continued to refuse, just sitting there, picking at the air near her hands.

Needless to say, she got spanked, twice and still continued to refuse. I don’t know where she gets this stubborn streak. She got spanked again, thoroughly, five times, in case she thought this was all some elaborate ruse, and I asked her what she was thinking. She said, “Nothing!!”

Finally, after she dropped the prideful shenanigans and gave up on her stubborn listening strike, she started folding. After a few moments, she admitted that she had been thinking something.

“I thought that if those women who weren’t allowed to vote were stubborn and didn’t listen to the rules, that I could just be stubborn and not listen, too.”

Nice try, little bookworm urchin, but NOT. THE SAME. THING.

I can’t help but think that the next few years are going to last forever.

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Easy Cheesy Pasta with Chicken

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Tonight was one of those nights. You know, the one where it’s suddenly 4:45 and your kitchen is destroyed and just as you get it cleaned up and ready to prepare dinner, your toddler, who is potty training, starts peeing all over the floor, that kind of night? What  I’m saying is that dinner tonight had to be easy and it had to be good, or it was gonna be the expensive, ordering pizza kind of night. So this is what I made.

Easy Cheesy (Alfredo-ish?) Pasta

  • 1 1/4 cups cottage cheese
  • 12-16 oz pasta (I used a generic whole wheat penne)
  • cooked chicken breast, chopped up (I used what I had leftover, probably about 1/2 lb)
  • fresh parmesan cheese
  • about 1/4 cup milk (I used whole)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  1. Cook pasta according to package directions
  2. Puree the cottage cheese and seasonings in a food processor. Add the milk and process until it’s creamy.
  3. Heat cheese sauce, chicken, and a couple handfuls of shaved parmesan pieces over medium-low heat, stirring with a whisk, until the sauce thickens up slightly.
  4. Combine sauce with strained pasta and mix thoroughly. Serve with a veggie :)
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