Rebound

I feel like I'm just now rebounding from having my facebook and e-mail address hacked into and taken over. Word to the wise, if you haven't set up recovery e-mail addresses and a phone number in your account, do so. I'd have my g-mail back by now if I'd done that.

Having my privacy invaded in this way sent me into a little tailspin of sadness and gloominess. Pair that with Dan going back to work, and you have an unhappy wife and mom. Yesterday was not a good day. Today was much better. Dan sacrificed some sleep this morning to help with the kids and gave me a chance to get out of the house and run an errand. Who knew that a trip to the store to buy another nursing bra could be so exhilarating?

A friend requested more baby pictures. Let me see if I can help you get your fix!

Elena at the birth center

Relaxing at home, soon after her arrival

Half a week old

This pictures are already old. I've realized I don't have many of this little lady (my mom, on the other hand, has lots and lots!). I guess I know what I'll be doing tomorrow...

Hacked

For anyone concerned, we aren't in Madrid and we aren't hurt. Some mean people hacked into my facebook account and then my e-mail.

Make sure your own passwords are crazy difficult to crack. Mine weren't. Lesson learned.

Thanks to my mom for the early morning phone call alerting me to the strange message e-mailed. And thanks to my techie husband for knowing just what to do.

Week One Musings

It's been a week since Elena was born. Yesterday at about 8:20 I looked at the clock and remember thinking "last week at this time I was in labor." Already labor and delivery are a thing of the past. It's kind of amazing how so much time can be spent thinking about it, and now suddenly, it's over.

We've had a lot of help this past week, which has been wonderful. My mom came and stayed overnight two different times (once when I was in labor and for the first day here at home) and then just earlier this week. Dan's mom and dad also came and spent a some time here with us.

Dan had a number of days off after Elena's birth and will have some more time off beginning tomorrow.

Overall the adjustment is going well. I'd forgotten how tough nursing can be in the beginning and I kind of thought it'd go more smoothly since I'd gone through it one time before. I didn't waste any time, however, in getting some help from the lactation consultant at The Birth Center. I went to an appointment with her on Tuesday and came away from it feeling so much better. (I also think the support of friends through facebook comments really helped - what would we do w/o social media??)

Edwin enjoys having "Baby" around and usually asks for her first thing in the morning. He definitely wasn't quite himself this week, but I know it was a combination of having a cold, having lots of people come and go and suddenly having our routine interrupted by Elena's arrival. I'm looking forward to creating a new routine over the next couple of weeks.

For now, I'm dealing with night sweats, interrupted sleep, breastfeeding ups and downs, lots of diapers, afternoon naps, wonderful newborn snuggles and the peace that comes with finally having the baby on the outside. (There were two times this past week when I had the thought: "I haven't felt the baby move in a while" only to realize that's because she's not inside of me anymore! Kind of weird, I know.)

Drive-Through Delivery

This is what my uncle called my labor and delivery after hearing the story from my mom. I think it's pretty adequate. This labor and delivery was very different from my first, and I have to say, I much prefer the second version (although the first was a good experience too)! I wanted to give a few details for those of you who are avidly checking the blog for our birth story. I figured the best way at this point is to give you a timeline of what happened. Buckle your seat belts!

Tuesday, December 13:
Loose mucous plug in the morning.

Wednesday, December 14:

4 a.m: Notice watery mucousy discharge when using the bathroom.

7:30 a.m: More watery mucousy discharge. Don't think it's amniotic fluid but not sure.

10 a.m: Call the Birth Center after talking to Dan because of continual wetness. Could my water have broken?

1 pm: Appointment at the Birth Center. Upon initial exam, the midwife doesn't think it's amniotic fluid. Upon official view of fluid under a microscope, the midwife confirms that my water did indeed break!! We're going to have a baby.

(The Birth Center requires that you be in "active labor" within 24 hours of your water breaking. That meant I'd need to be in active labor by 4 a.m. on Thursday morning. So far, at 2 pm, I'm only having infrequent, slight contractions. And my blood pressure readings are high. Will I get to deliver at The Birth Center???)

1:30 p.m: Hooked up to a fetal monitor for a non-stress test. Baby looks great! Antibiotics are started since I'm GBS positive and we want them to be in my system for a minimum of 4 hours before delivery. Doesn't look like that will be an issue! I'm 2 cm and 80% effaced at this point.

3:30 pm: Back home with a 2 oz. dose of castor oil. The midwife suggested I take it at 4:30 to help kick start some contractions.

4:30 pm: I lay down to rest. I'm all emotional and weepy. Worried about my blood pressure. Worried because Edwin hasn't napped and here I need to be thinking about having a baby and I have no idea how it's going to play out! Lay on my bed and cry and pray and really try to give it all over to God. After all, I'm not in control - so why try to be?

5:30 pm: Chase down 3/4 of the castor oil with peanut butter swirl ice cream. I can't finish it all because I'm starting to feel myself gag with each successive swallow.

5:45 pm: Eat supper with Edwin, Dan and my mom.

6 pm: Feeling stronger contractions. The castor has already kicked in and the toilet is becoming my dear friend.

6:20 pm: Say goodby to a crying Edwin and go the birth center for a second dose of antibiotics.

7 pm: Antibiotics are finished. Contractions are definitely getting stronger and regular. The midwife doesn't think I'm at a point where I need to stay there, so we drive back home (it's only 10 minutes away).

7:45 pm: We put Edwin to bed while I'm breathing through strong, regular, close contractions and the castor oil is continuing to work its magic.

8 pm: Edwin is peacefully in bed (so thankful I was able to put him to bed because he doesn't do well with others!) and I'm sitting on our bed feeling a lot of pelvic pressure, breathing through contractions that are 2-3 minutes apart and very strong. We call the midwife and tell her we're coming back in.

8:10 pm: Arrive at the Birth Center and get to the birth suite we'd selected. We're the only laboring couple there. I'm at 6 cm, 100% effaced and the baby's head is right there. The midwife smiles and says: "You're going to have a baby right quick."

8:45 pm: Lying on the bed I feel my body begin to bear down during a contraction. I sit up for the next one and bear down then as well. There's a burst of amniotic fluid! My body has completely taken over, and I'm along for the ride. The midwife suggests squatting so she and the nurse bring over the birthing stool. It's perfect. I place my hands on the midwife's shoulders for the next contraction, bear down and the baby's head starts to emerge.

8:51 pm: After being coached to go slowly and give small grunts and pushes through the contractions and to breath calmly in between (yes, there's burning, but we want to take it slowly!), the baby is born, crying lustily. (The midwife gets drenched with more amniotic fluid.) The baby is handed directly to me, and I see we have a little girl!!

8:55 pm: The placenta is out. Labor and delivery are over and we haven't even been at The Birth Center for an hour. Wow.

Thursday, December 15

1:00 a.m: We're discharged from the birth center after the 4 hour minimum stay. We drive home and get to introduce our little girl to my mom. We get some sleep.

7:30 a.m: When we wake up in the morning, in our own bed, we look at each other and say: "What just happened last night?!"

We've been adjusting well. I've been able to relax and take it easy. Dan is off work until Monday. My mom has been here helping out, and recovery is going well. Elena was over a pound smaller than Edwin (although almost just as long) and her head is definitely smaller, so delivery was much, much easier. I really think the size of the head makes a huge difference!

Cookie Baking

We took part in a Christmas cookie exchange last week and Edwin helped with some of the cookie prep.

He helped me open the butter

and was very, very proud of himself.

He was introduced to the joy of licking the beaters

(yes, I let him eat straight sugary icing!)

and got to add some sprinkles to the cookies.

While I finished up decorating the cookies, he got really quite at one point and this is what I saw when checking on him in the next room:

Flushed

During my first semester in college, I had to give a speech in my English class. I never really had any trouble giving speeches in front of my classmates, so this didn't seem like any big deal. I do tend to get nervous before giving speeches, and so my standard coping mechanism was to volunteer to go first. Then I could sit back and relax while everyone else gave their speeches, and there wasn't anyone before me that I had to compare myself to.

All was rolling along smoothly while giving my speech in this freshman English class. The instructor was sitting in the front, and when I had 5 minutes left in which to wrap up my speech, he indicated this by slightly holding up his hand in front of him. I remember noticing it but continuing on with my speech. Later when in a conference with him about the speech, he mentioned that after he gave me the time warning, my face flushed red and he wondered if I was embarrassed. I think he was hoping that he hadn't thrown me off at all. I didn't feel embarrassed and I also didn't realize that my face had flushed.

Since that point, I have come to notice that face-flushing (and ears, neck and chest flushing) are not uncommon for me if I feel I am in the spotlight. It would happen to me when being formally observed while teaching (I can't tell you how many times my students would say: "Mrs. Hess, your face is all red." and I would tell them it was because I was being observed and that they shouldn't mention it b/c it would make it even worse.) It never happened on a regular classroom day. I learned to wear my hair down on those observation days and wear a shirt with a high collar if possible. The less skin showing, the less flushing observed.

It even happens sometimes when I'm hanging out with friends and I find myself in the spotlight and feeling uncomfortable for some reason. Most recently, it started happening at my prenatal appointments. I've been going in more often since it's the end of pregnancy, and I feel my cheeks flush, my ears burn, and if I touch my face, it's very warm. So I've been wearing my hair down and today I wrapped a light scarf around my neck so you couldn't see all the bright pink skin.

I laughingly acknowledge my flaming face when I'm with the midwife and kind of explain why I think I'm all flushed. That helps me feel a little better although it doesn't necessarily make the pinkness go away.

I just realized that I didn't experience any of this crazy face-flushing during our wedding. I'm so thankful. Otherwise, I'd be looking like I was sunburned in all our photos! And I would've been a lot less comfortable.

(And just a side note, things are going well as far as prenatal visits are concerned. The baby seems fine, I'm fine and all is on track for a birth center delivery. Dan takes my blood pressure here at home and those numbers have been fine. I can't tell you what they are b/c I don't look at them and he doesn't tell me. I just take them to the midwives, and they keep reassuring me that they're fine. They take my blood pressure at the office and have said all is well so far. Even though I still get nervous, this prenatal experience has been much more peaceful for me than the last. I'm very thankful.)

Edwin's finally awake. Off I go.

For Baby

I recently finished two projects I had on my "to-d0-before-baby-gets-here" list. One included making a hat and the other was finishing a baby blanket. Here you can see the hat:

Here is the hat with the blanket:

Notice the two-toned blanket. The white inside of the cream yarn was crocheted by Dan's grandmother Susie (she's no longer living) a number of years ago. Dan's mom recently gave it to me since I crochet, and she thought I might want to make it larger. So I added a few rounds of cream-colored yarn and then a few rounds of more white yarn. I didn't do any fancy stitches and I like the way it turned out.

And a close up of the hat and blanket:

Tablecloth

I find myself hesitant to post what projects I've completed recently because I don't want this to become a "brag blog." I enjoy seeing the projects others complete (and the inspiration I get from them), and I'm proud of what I make and I like hearing positive comments from friends. But I've also noticed that sometimes when I read certain blogs, I can easily think I'm not crafty enough or

doing enough in some area or other of my life - and it's all because I'm comparing myself to someone else in an unhealthy way. All that to say, I hope these posts don't cause that in anyone else.

A friend of mine (that's you, LJL!) recently complimented me on my time management skills that allow me to get these projects done while also taking care of a household. I have to add a disclaimer: for every project I complete, there are mornings, afternoons and nights when I leave dirty dishes in the sink, or the laundry is piled on the futon waiting for me to fold it and put it away, or the bathroom is crying out to be cleaned, etc.. I don't get these projects done AND have a sparkling house. I find it's one or the other. Just had to be clear on that.

I accepted a job this summer to make a custom-designed tablecloth for the client of a friend of mine. Let me tell you, this was one of the most challenging sewing projects I've faced. It involved some online research (what would I do without online tutorials??), multiple measurement calculations, pattern-making and lots of ironing and sewing (and a lot of breath-holding and prayer, I might add). I was definitely stretched by this project, and at times I questioned my sanity in taking it on. All that to say, the tablecloth was finally and completely finished (with some altering involved) just this past month. I got good feedback from my friend and her client, and I cannot tell you how relieved I was, even though I know I did my best to make it according to specifications and the hoped-for design.

It's a bit large on our table, but you can get a general idea of what it looks like. The design on the top is an onlay (stitched on top) while the band near the bottom is an inlay.

Sewing Project: The Coat

A few months ago I mentioned that I sewed a coat for myself. I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures. I don't think the pictures do it justice, because it is a cute style and the colors are a little off (I'm still not 100% sure I actually like the color combination, although I did when I first bought the fabrics - oh well.).

This is the first time I've sewn something this tailored and involved. It was easier than I thought. I'm not ready to jump into sewing tailored shirts, but this gave me a little more confidence in my ability to make something more involved than what I've normally made. I also have to say that I hesitate to sew very involved articles of clothing because I've had too many experiences where I've excitedly sewn something only to realize that it really doesn't look the greatest or fit me that well. However, part of the reason I chose this pattern was because I had tried on a coat some one else had sewn, I liked the fit and knew it would work for me.

This was my first attempt at sewing many button holes and making sure the button holes and buttons fit. You can't see it, but the two bottom buttonholes (I figured it was wise to start at the bottom of the coat and work my way up) are a bit crooked. The buttons are a snug fit, and if it gets tedious trying to button them, I figure I can always get smaller buttons.

You might have noticed the tag on the coat. I found a stash of these in my grandmother's sewing machine. I thought I just had to put one in even though my mother didn't make it for me. I figure it works since I'm the mother in this household.

I didn't take any pictures of me wearing it because it was made according to my pre-pregnancy, almost-done-nursing measurements. And that means all of my measurements have since changed. When I began the project, I wasn't thinking that I'd be pregnant this fall and nursing this winter. So although I'll still wear it post-pregnancy, I'm not sure how well it will close since it's meant to be snug fitting. We'll see. There's always another year.

After making this one, I felt the desire to make another one, just a bit larger and in another fun fabric combination (maybe something with red this time??). But I can't really justify making a second coat. This one was made because I didn't have a nice, casual warm coat. Do I really need two? Sadly, no.

35th Week Tiredness

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I'm feeling pretty tired these days. I wake up in the morning and have a bunch of things I hope to do each day. There are things that I can do easily while Edwin is awake, but there are always things that are much easier to do during his nap time. Unfortunately, I'm finding that by the time nap time rolls around, I'm feeling the need for a nap myself.

So I've been trying to listen to my body and rest during nap time (and have my own nap time) instead of pushing through the tiredness and then being exhausted by the time supper and the evening routine rolls around.

We recently attended a two -part "Childbirth Refresher" course at The Birth Center, and it was reassuring to be reminded that yes, I will get out of breath much more easily since Baby is taking up most of the room in my abdomen. Otherwise, I think I'd make the mistake of thinking: "What in the world is wrong with me?! Why am I so out of shape?!" I did learn that it's possible the baby won't drop as early as it did the first time around. Did you know that with subsequent pregnancies the baby tends to stay higher longer - even up until right before labor?

I'm feeling the urge to get things ready even though we're still more than a month away from the due date. So this week I'll be stocking up on disposable diapers in two sizes (yes, I'll take a break from cloth while we adjust to being a 2 child family), wipes and my own personal, post-birth needs.

I've got some freezer meals planned and will be making a bunch of those over the next couple of weeks as well.

Edwin is moved into his new room, and he's over the initial rough transition. He cried the whole time we were moving the crib over. The poor kid probably thought we were getting rid of it.

Funny comment related to my belly this week: "You look more like an olive on a stick than anyone I've ever seen!" This was stated by a jolly middle-aged man we go to Meeting with, and I reassured him that I took it as a compliment when he later commented that maybe he should've said something a little more normal.

A question for you mom's out there: Did you ever have any intuition about when you'd go into labor and were you correct?

Flour VS. Sand

While I did this:

Edwin did this:

I guess we both like to make messes. Mine will be sweet and tasty, and his was the result of pretending to be a "digger" (back hoe, excavator, etc.) and a dump truck, complete with sound effects.

Unnecessary Fun

I've decided to use a bassinet for this baby until Edwin is closer to being ready to move to a bigger bed. I debated whether to get another crib (didn't really want to do this), get a toddler bed (didn't really want to do this either) or try to move Edwin to a twin bed-sized mattress on the floor. I don't think he's really ready for the freedom this would give him, and I know I'm not ready for it. So we decided we'd use a bassinet for Baby 2 until Edwin's closer to 2 years old and we're past the newborn stage.

I found this wicker bassinet on craigslist, and although it's in good shape, I wanted to embellish it - just for fun. I used a linen tablecloth along with a white cotton sheet and some sheer, textured white curtain fabric (thrift stores are wonderful!). I also used some of the fabric from the curtains in the nursery because this will sit in there after we move the crib to Edwin's soon-to-be new room.

I had fun custom making this cover and it didn't turn out to be as difficult as I first thought, although I kept it pretty simple. I'd kind of like to cover the removable top piece, but that doesn't seem so simple, so I doubt I'll make it a priority. Plus, I might not even use it.

Heavy Heart

For those of you who read this blog, I'd like to ask you to pray for a family I'm related to.

On Friday I got an e-mail telling me that one of my second cousins (the son of one of my Dad's cousin) had died in an accident while putting a new roof on a building. It appears he was electrocuted because of a low-hanging wire.

I grew up around this second cousin of mine and spent a lot of time with this extended family on my Dad's side. Although I wasn't close to him at all and I haven't seen him in years, I cannot stop thinking about his family.

He was married, and he and his wife have 3 young children: 6, 4 and 1. I never met his wife or children, but all I can think about is what she must be feeling and experiencing. She now has 3 small children to care for, she has to be the one to explain to them that Daddy isn't coming home and help them grieve, she has to go to bed alone at night, when just last week at this time, life was normal.

I am just so sad for her. For their children. If you think of them, please pray for them.

From Velcro to Snaps

One of my recent projects has been to replace the velcro from my bum Genius diapers with snaps. I bought a snap pliers months ago because I decided to use snaps when making any future diapers. I am done with any kind of velcro/aplix/hookandloop kind of closure. For whatever reason, a lot of the velcro on my bg diapers was coming unstitched and less sticky. So I took matters into my own hands. I'd heard of others converting hookandloop diapers into snap diapers and after examining the diapers, realized it really wasn't going to be difficult.

Here's what I did:

1. Examined the construction of the diaper.

2. Took off all the velcro with my trusty seam ripper - a sewer's best friend!

(See that part of the velcro on the front that is pulling off?! Grr.)

3. Discovered that this seam could easily be removed, giving me access to the part of the diaper where I needed to apply snaps.

4. Applied the snaps with the pliers after marking the spaces for the snaps using a printed grid from some kind person online who had done the same thing (sorry, no pics of this).

And here's the finished product from the front.

Another view.

I went with white snaps because I got a bunch when I bought the snap pliers, and I have too many different colors to order all of them. I have about 4 more diapers to convert. One diaper will not be converted b/c the PUL is wearing out and they've actually been leaking through the fabric. Sad, but true. I guess that one won't make it much longer.

I put the rest of the velcro-to-snaps conversion on hold recently to focus on other projects. Enough of the 16 bg diapers are converted to satisfy me for now.

It's Done, It's Done!

It's late, I should've been in bed an hour ago, but I was motivated to finally get my coat finished, and I had the energy. So that's what I did instead. It's finished - buttonholes and hand-stitched belt loops and all. The buttonholes were an adventure, let me tell you. I may have to get smaller buttons. We'll see.

I didn't take pictures yet. I'll save that for natural lighting. Until then, enjoy these 29 weeks belly shots!

Priorities

I am always excited when I check a friend's blog and there's a new post. ("Oh, goody, I get to read more about what so-and-so is doing/feeling/thinking.") Then I feel just a bit guilty that I haven't posted lately, and I imagine your disappointment when you click on my blog and see the same post you saw the last 5 times you checked.

For whatever reason, nesting has taken the form of sewing projects lately. I'm going to chalk it up to nesting anyway. I've had a list for a while, and now that the weather is cooler, I've got more motivation to get these things done. (And although I want to post about these things at some point, that part hasn't really taken a priority b/c it means I need to take time to take a picture and then load that picture onto the computer.)

My problem seems to be in prioritizing my projects. I have about 4 projects going simultaneously (no, make that 5 - I just remembered another), and they vary in length of time needed in one sitting to accomplish something. So I choose my project based on how much time I have. But sometimes I don't choose the project that would best fit the time I have. Instead, I just go to whatever I feel like working on. That's partly how I have 5 simultaneous projects. And this leads to the current rush, rush, rush feeling I've had the past few days. I know it's not healthy.

I don't think I have much time today to work on any today. Cleaning the house and cooking supper for some guests have taken over most of the day.

I have to slow down a bit, breath, relax a little more during Edwin's naptime and realize that I will get the things done that need to be done.

Happy weekend, friends!

Coming Soon

I have, as always, a list of sewing projects. This time it's a coat. I'm actually making something tailored and semi-complicated! (Although it's actually not been as complicated as I thought it would be.) I'm excited to finish it and show it to you. For a sneak peek you can check out the pattern I'm using here.

I told Dan tonight that now I want to make more coats. It's so fun to see this take shape.

Stay tuned!

What We've Been Up To

Aside from tackling that list I posted a few weeks ago, here's a glimpse of some of the things we (or Edwin) have been up to.

Mastering the steps

(until this week he never fell down them -

thankfully he fell onto a bunch of sheets and wasn't hurt)

"Washing" Dishes

Truck rides from Dad

Trying on Glasses

Playing in the flooded sandbox

(the lid was on all through the rain, but I guess there's a hole somewhere???)

Learning to crack eggs

Playing with Friends

Experimenting with paper towel roles

Getting snacks independently if Mom is too slow.

Why, Thank You Irene

Just wanted to say thanks to hurricane Irene. She has motivated me to get those tomatoes canned before her blustery arrival. I have one more batch to go, but I think I can finish them up tomorrow morning.

And thanks to Mrs. Wages for the salsa mix. You have made making salsa much, much easier this year, and I am forever grateful. (And thanks, Steph, for introducing me to it!)

I'm finishing off my full day of salsa canning, grocery shopping and chopped tomato canning with a bit of pudding and whipped cream. Baby just kicked twice so s/he must agree it's a fitting reward for a hard day's work.

Hiatus

This month has been a busy one and there's more to go. I've got a list of projects spinning around in my head so any given day they parade through my mind, reminding me they still exist, and I try to figure out when to get them all done. What's on this to-do list of mine?

can salsa

can chopped tomatoes

can tomato juice

finish the tablecloth (a custom tablecloth for a friend's client)

finish my winter coat (I am endeavoring to make myself a wool coat - I haven't worked on it since I've been pregnant and hot, humid weather isn't a great time to work with wool)

finish sewing two more cloth diapers

maybe convert my bumgenius velcro diapers to snaps

embellish the bassinet (just bought an old wicker bassinet and I want to add to it just for fun)

I've got the tomatoes sitting in my kitchen so at least I know I will have them taken care of in the next couple of days!

Off to tackle something from the list!

Halfway Point

Today was ultrasound day.

Dan was able to be there, we hired a baby-sitter to stay with Edwin and off we went to watch this little one squirm around. I was incredibly nervous beforehand - really worried that something would be wrong. I'm not sure why I was so anxious, I just was. Then I saw that little heart beating away, and all seemed fine. I'm so thankful. And just now I felt a little kick or punch or something.

We decided to not find out the sex this time around. The ultrasound tech made sure to tell Dan when to not look at the screen because there's a good chance he could've identified the telltale parts if he'd seem them. I looked away too, just in case.

So now we get to decide on a boy name and a girl name. I have no hunch about what we might be having. Guesses?

New

So far I've had 3 prenatal appointments at The Birth Center, and I can't tell you how much I like it and feel that it really is the place I want to be for prenatal care, labor and delivery.

I posted recently about my blood pressure readings being much better there in comparison with the large OB/GYN practice I went to for Edwin's pregnancy.

The first visit to the Birth Center, my b.p. was so high the midwife just smiled and said "I'm not even going to tell you what it was." She left it at that, with no worries, and we moved on to the next thing. My 2nd visit, after chatting with the midwife (a different one) about my previous pregnancy experience, she took my b.p. while letting me know that they don't worry about "white coat syndrome". They just make sure everything else checks out healthy. Can I explain how relieved that made me feel? The last thing I want is drama over something that isn't clearly a medical problem. My b.p. was wonderfully normal.

At my last visit, I saw the same midwife and when she took my b.p., I remember feeling nervous because I was hoping it would be normal. AND IT WAS. I honestly expected it to be higher due to my nervousness, so I feel like it was a miracle. I haven't been able to control my nervousness, and we saw a pattern while pregnant with Edwin and even after pregnancy that the more nervous I am, the higher my b.p. is. But this time, my nervousness didn't seem to affect it. That feels like a miracle to me.

Before deciding to switch prenatal care to The Birth Center, I spent a number of weeks really worrying about what this pregnancy would be like if my nervousness/white coat syndrome issues continued. I was really fearful. I would feel tense and nervous just thinking about going to a prenatal visit.

While in Meeting (Friends/Quaker Meeting) one morning, remnants of a song came to mind that seemed to specifically be for this situation. I clearly felt that God was bringing this song to

my mind. I don't remember all the exact words and order but these are the phrases I recall:

Behold I will do something new among you

I will make a way where there seems to be no way

Rivers in the dessert, I will do something new

Favorite Activities

Signing "helicopter" because he hears an airplane or helicopter outside.

Edwin is at a really fun stage. Getting into lots of things (not always fun for me!) and enjoying a lot of different activities. Here are some things that seem to be his favorites lately.

Holding his little blanket/bear lovey.

Picking (and eating) raspberries or any other garden produce. I have to watch him to make sure he's not picking stuff before it's ripe.

Dogs, dogs, dogs!

Helping me anytime I'm working at the sink. So far he "helps" wash the dishes and has helped wash sour cherries and blueberries.

Anything that lets him play in the dirt. Here he's helping Dan plant squash seeds (that he later dumped out. Whoops.)