Tuesday, December 31, 2013

2014: Embrace

I had forgotten until this last morning of 2013 that the trendy resolution these days is to pick a word to define your year.  Did I claim one for 2013?  Maybe it was "intentional."  Well obviously I wasn't very intentional in remembering my word.

But this morning as I looked into my baby girl's big blue eyes, I was inspired. EMBRACE.

Embrace my family and friends with hugs and kisses...

Embrace the season of life I am in as a parent and the seasons of life my children are in...

Embrace the call the Holy Spirit puts on my life...

Embrace

~Carla

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Cookies!!

Today seemed like the perfect "Christmas cookie baking" day, despite that it's 60 degrees on the first day of winter.  Levi and I made the dough and cut out the cookies.  Then, we invited Katie to come help us decorate.  Impromptu cookie decorating is easy when you're only a minute away!  Levi was so excited to see Katie!  He loves her and mocks everything she does.






Here is the cookie recipe I used.  It was a simple mix of whole wheat flour, baking powder, butter, honey, and vanilla.  The difficult part was finding natural food dyes to color our cookies.  I made the icing with a bit of powdered sugar and whole milk, and we dyed the icing with strawberries and spinach.  A few bits of spinach made its way into the icing, but the kids didn't mind.  The icing may not be as bright as if it were made with  food coloring, but the fact that is natural and not made from petroleum matters more to me!  Find out more about why we don't eat artificial food dyes here. We used dried fruit to decorate the cookies.  Levi kept picking the "buttons" off the cookies to eat them as soon as I would put them on!

They were so cute and had such a fun time making them.

~Trina

Monday, November 4, 2013

Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be (Part 3 of 3)

Part 1 - inner simplicity
Part 2 - first 5 suggestions for a simple life 

6. Develop a deeper appreciation for the creation.

One of my favorite places to be is in the woods on a cool autumn morning.  There have only been a few times in my life when I've gotten to experience such a wonderful solitude.  The beautiful colors of the foliage, the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet, the smell of a distant smoldering campfire... a sensory explosion.  Who could deny a Creator in such surroundings?!

When I'm truly enjoying nature, whether in the mountains, on the beach, at an aquarium or zoo, I can feel the weight of the world lift off my shoulders.  I usually leave such places refreshed and renewed.  I should remember these feelings when I'm planning vacations and activities.  Take time to include a creation experience on a more regular basis. 

7. Look with a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes.

Steve and I were lucky enough to be exposed to Dave Ramsey during our engagement.  I know Dave's principles and demeanor are not everyone's style, but we learned so many important lessons that gave us a strong foundation for money matters in our marriage.  A huge lesson we took to heart was to save cash for items we want to buy.  It's very easy to get in over your head in credit card and miscellaneous debt.  Do we really need fancy furniture NOW or can we practice some self discipline and save up to pay cash for it?  Our money almost certainly has a more kingdom-worthy use than paying interest.

8.  Use plain, honest speech.

Have you ever committed to something and then a more interesting opportunity came up that made you back out on your original commitment?  I sure have!  Living a simple life means we are dependable and trustworthy.  We mean what we say.  

9. Reject anything that will breed the oppression of others.

This is a hard one!  Most of the clothes and much of the food we purchase are produced in a country where labor practices are unfair.  There are several ways we can reduce the role we play in these immoral cycles.

Steve and I have decided that we are going to purchase our clothing through either thrift stores, American-made brands, or fair trade resources.  Thrift store clothing may have been made in a sweat shop, but giving them a second life prevents one more shirt or pair of pants from needing to be produced.  Purchasing clothing that is American-made might not be as cheap as clothing made in Indonesia which is a change in mindset for me.  I'm always looking to spend the least amount of money possible on clothing.  But I can't justify the abuse of others to save myself a few bucks.

Where is your coffee grown? Your electronics produced?  Do you ask others to do a task you find beneath you?  Taking baby steps to improve the lives of those who work to provide for you in one way or another is at least a step in the right direction.

10. Shun whatever would distract you from your main goal.

Back to the issue of the iPhone... I read A LOT online about gentle parenting, being a woman of God, healthy cooking, and minimalism.  I try as much as possible to follow Christian bloggers or those that express Christ-like ideas.

I acknowledge, however, that I struggle with being WAY too distracted by these wonderful blogs.  I don't feel the need to shun my phone, per se, because I find such encouragement from what I read.  It's a support system for me in way to know there are others out there seeking to live out their faith in the same ways to which I'm feeling called.  But I am going to challenge myself to limit my time on my phone to certain times a day and for limited amounts of time.  It's more important to me to focus my energy on my family and friends.

Some things we might need to shun, depending on our distractions, include certain TV shows or TV altogether, shopping for leisure, buffets, or secular music.


With all of these 10 suggestions for expressing simplicity in your life, you need to spend some time in reflection.  No two people will have all of the exact same convictions when it comes to living a simple life.  A struggle for one person may not be an issue at all for another.  Above all, spend time in prayer to seek out how God desires for you to live.

Foster eloquently closes out the chapter with a prayer:

"God give us the courage, wisdom and strength always to hold as the number-one priority of our lives to 'seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,' understanding all that that implies.  To do so is to live in simplicity."

Friday, November 1, 2013

Tis a gift to be free (Part 2 of 3)

In my last post, I discussed focusing our inner attitudes about simplicity on worshiping The Lord.  But as Foster says, "the inner reality [of simplicity] is not a reality until there is an outward expression."  When our spirits are truly focused on Him, we can't help but live it out in our everyday lives.

Foster then gives 10 "suggestions" on how to live simply.  He cautions that these shouldn't be viewed as law lest the actions no longer be genuine acts of worship.  Here's the first 5 suggestions and how I'm hoping to implement them in my life.

1. Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status.

I feel like I have a handle on this for the most part.  When I was a teenager, I did worry about clothing brands.  This is not a concern for me anymore, even for the clothes that the girls wear.  Obviously I want to look nice, but who's really going to pull the tag out of my shirt or pants and judge me if it says Faded Glory instead of Gap?

Other areas of life we might struggle with this as adults is what neighborhood we live in or what kind of car we drive.  It's not inherently wrong to live in a nice house or drive a nice car, but do so because it's the house or car that meets your needs.

2.  Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you.

I hate forming habits.  Occasionally I'll commit to stop checking Facebook or turning on the tv, etc because I realize I'm not being intentional.  I'm doing things out of habit and distraction.

Where do you see addiction in your life? Sodas, coffee, tv, games, food, money? Free yourself from things that stand between you and a simple life.

3.  Develop a habit of giving things away.

This especially applies to anything you are attached to.  I seriously have clothes in my closet from high school that I hang on to for that one time I might need it.  Ridiculous.  This is an area where I'm challenging myself.

I wouldn't consider myself a hoarder by any means, but I still finds rooms and closets that need decluttering.  If I'm feeling stressed by the amount of toys scattered on the floor or the mountain of laundry needing tending to, I know that's my cue that it's time to let go.

4.  Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry.

Hello, iPhone!! I REALLY struggle with what I'm supposed to feel about mobile devices.  I LOVE my phone, I LOVE the iPad.  Does that mean I HAVE to give them away?  Not necessarily I'm hoping. ;) (can you tell this is a touchy point for me?)

I got my iPhone when I dropped our iPod Touch in the toilet.  I used the iPod Touch along with my $10 go phone to do all the same things I do now with my iPhone.  So while I was "simplyfying" the number of gadgets I carried around, I opened the door (or toilet lid as the case may be) for buying a gadget the world convinced me I needed.

Do you need the newest upgrade of a mobile device or other item just because it's available?  Consider using something until it wears out.  

5.  Learn to enjoy things without owning them.

This can apply to large purchases such as time shares as well as small purchases such as books and movies.  In our younger days, early in our marriage before expenses like babies came along, we dreamed of someday joining the Disney Vacation Club.  We were suckers for that Disney spirit. :)  We now have other financial priorities and desire to see much more of the world than we would be committed to with the Vacation Club offers.

On the smaller scale, the library is an amazing resource for being able to enjoy books and movies without actually spending any money.  (Unless you're like me and forget to renew 3 DVDs for a few days.)  Katie is obsessed with a Toy Story Collection book we checked out from the library.  We can check the book out for 3 months as long as no one else puts a hold on it.  And if she decides a couple weeks later she wants the book again, we can check it out for another 3 months.  Surely by then she or I would get tired enough of the book that we'll be glad we didn't fork out $15-20 for the book just to sit on the bookshelf.  Don't get me wrong, I think books are one of the best investments you can make for a child.  But the extensive selection available at the library guarantees exposure to a plethora of writing styles, illustration styles, and topics.

Don't underestimate the value of friends with resources either.  If you're considering purchasing an appliance that you would use on a very rare occasion, check with friends to see if they already own a similar appliance.  Chances are, they're only using the appliance on a rare basis and would love to have an excuse to blow the dust off of it.  Borrowing appliances such as ice cream makers, bread makers, sewing machines, etc. can save you a lot of money.  You might find you don't care for a particular brand or don't have time to use the appliance as often as you thought.

So that's suggestions #1-5 of living a simple life.  Part 3, we'll explore #6-10.

~Carla 

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Tis a gift to be simple

One of the original objectives of this blog was "a journey toward a SIMPLER... lifestyle."  A discussion about simplicity can go so many different directions.  What renewed my spirit about simplicity, though, was a chapter from Richard Foster's classic Christian book, "Celebration of Discipline," entitled "The Discipline of Simplicity.  This chapter discusses both the inner and outer attitudes toward simplicity as it relates to God's Kingdom and spiritual growth.

Side note: Foster identifies himself as a Quaker.  I think I could get along very well with the Quakers. :) I've been calling Steve "Friend" for many years (and yes he answers to that as if it's his name).  Plus I love oats. ;) Seriously, though, I can respect many of the ideals of the Quaker denomination.

I tend to teeter between having a materialistic mindset and having what Foster calls an "ascetic" mindset.  Ascetics renounce possessions and generally feel the need to deny themselves any level of joy from what they would consider the "trappings" of this world.  Example: I once deliberated for a ridiculous amount of time over a $25 pillow from Target that perfectly matched my bedroom and I thought was beautiful.  I even brought the decision up in small group.  When there are people starving in this town, why do I need such an overpriced luxury item?  Ultimately I bought the pillow to teach myself a lesson. :)

Probably the best lesson I learned from the chapter was keeping the Kingdom of God the central purpose for simplicity.  "When the kingdom of God is genuinely placed first, ecological concerns, the poor, the equitable distribution of wealth and many other things will be given their proper attention."  Wow.  If I'm pursuing prairie as an act of gratefulness to God and not so much as a hobby, then He will guide me in what decisions to make.  Yes recycling, reducing, and reusing have many worldly benefits, but the point of doing any of those is supposed in worship of The Lord.  He desires for us to enjoy His creation, the milk, and the honey.  I am free to live and free to give.

So now that I'm focusing on the inner purpose of simplicity, how can I apply that to everyday life?  In the next part of this series, I'll cover Foster's first 5 of 10 "outward expressions of simplicity" and discuss what they mean for me.

~Carla

Sunday, October 13, 2013

Karis' Birth Story - Unabridged :)

To begin the journey of Karis' birth story is to take a step back 3.5 years to March 31, 2010.  That's when our lives were forever changed with the arrival of our precious Katie.  Katie was delivered via cesarean section due to breech presentation.  Circumstances surrounding her delivery, our subsequent hospital stay, and the first weeks at home prompted me to start doing extensive research into the realm of vaginal birth after c-section (VBAC for the birth nerd world).

In December of 2012, we found out we were expecting our 2nd miracle.  I began purchasing classic natural birth books like Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth and Dr. Robert Bradley's Husband-Coached Childbirth.  Ina May's book was especially inspiring that my body was designed, capable, and extremely competent to deliver vaginally.  Other ways I prepared for VBAC included switching care providers to an amazing midwife, focusing on optimal fetal positioning to avoid another breech baby, and monitoring my diet which involved daily protein boosts of pb and chocolate. ;)

On Saturday, August 10th, at nearly 38 weeks, I was feeling joyous for being full term.  I harnessed what little energy I had to scrub the house from top to bottom, corner to corner.  That afternoon, I spent about 5 hours in prodromal "false" labor.  I was excited, but exhausted by the irregular back contractions.  This was a sign that my body was gearing up for the main event!

After a good night's rest, we went to church the next morning and I felt fairly normal.  Around 1:30 Sunday afternoon, on our way out the door to my aunt's retirement party, I decided to make one last bathroom break.  I was surprised to find signs that labor was on the horizon - granted that horizon could have been 2 days to a week away.  I felt a little uncomfortable the rest of the day and into the night so Steve decided to at least take Monday morning off school.

Monday around lunch time, Steve headed off to school.  I was very grateful when Michelle volunteered to pick up Katie and take her back to her house to play so I could rest alone.  She brought over chocolate and some magazines and warned me that things may start to get a little exciting now that I could rest and focus on what my body was telling me.  Boy was she right! Not long after she left, I started having timeable, regular, slightly uncomfortable contractions.  I was finally convinced that this was the main event! 

My mom came over after work to play with Katie so Steve and I could get our act together.  Trina also came over after work to provide support.  I needed the spirit of my sister by choice present and to draw on her natural birth mojo. :)  Around 7 pm, I suddenly had this urge to go to the hospital.  Up to this point, I had been coping through some strong contractions, but was definitely still in the early stages of active labor.  My brain questioned whether it made sense to go to the hospital, but my gut said go!  Cristin, the master doula, was just finishing up teaching childbirth class and met us at the hospital.
Katie, junior doula, applying counterpressure

Daddy, Mommy, and Aunt NeeNee deciding whether to check in.  Still all smiles!

Once we arrived, I still hesitated to check in.  My worst fear was to check in at 2 cm and be subjected to all kinds of interventions.  Our labor troupe wandered around the new hospital killing time until I was ready to move on.  Finally around 8:15, my midwife requested that I go ahead and check in.  I was relieved to find that I was 4 cm dilated.  Everyone estimated a 3-4 am birth.  We spent the next hour and a half settling into the delivery room and getting registered. I changed into my birthing outfit of a nursing sports bra and skirt.  I wanted to be able to move freely and have easy access to the fetal monitoring belts.

I was very happy to be able to get back on my feet and move labor along.  I felt that I needed to make up for lost time.  The mood was still light.  For some reason we go on the topic of pop tarts.  We also started watching an episode of Golden Girls on Trina's iPad.  Random, I know, but I remembered that Ina May said one of the most effective ways to open up your sphincters is with laughter.  Pretty much nothing else makes me laugh as hard as good ole' GG.

Cristin suggested swinging my hips like a hula hoop and in the figure 8.  At 11:15 pm I felt a familiar and strange pop (my water broke with Katie as well).  Suddenly I was thrown into transition!!  It was all I could do to hop back into bed and land on my right side grasping the bed.  I couldn't believe the words, "I can't do this" were leaving my mouth.  I couldn't imagine feeling that level of intense discomfort for the next 4 hours.  Everyone replied, "yes you can" but basically realizing "you have no choice!"

The next 45 minutes were a blur of lights, sounds, pain, hormonal rollercoasters.  One minute I was yelling "damn ya'll, damn ya'll", the next "I love all of you guys."  Before I knew it, I felt the urge to push.  My birth plan stated that I wanted to push with my own urges and not be told when to do so.  Everyone was very patient with this process.  My sweet midwife sat on the edge of the bed encouraging me along the way.  Steve was by my side, letting me squeeze the heck out of his hand.  Trina was documenting the process with pictures that I will treasure forever, but will spare anyone reading this from viewing.  Cristin, bless her heart, was holding my left leg up in the air.  Pushing was quick and actually not very painful at all!  The worst pain I felt was from my backside.  In hindsight, I would have requested compression if I could've gotten the words out.

At 12:05 am on August 13th, beautiful Karis Lynn left her warm cocoon and joined us earth side.  She was placed on my chest and I immediately felt a bond - something I was cheated out of with Katie's birth.  A few short minutes later, we were nursing and snuggling. Daddy cut the cord after delayed cord clamping.

Skin to skin with Mommy
Proud Daddy

Cristin: doula, BFF, soul sista

The most amazing midwife, Brende!

"Big sister, little sister, best forever friends"

Karis Lynn, Greek for grace

People have asked in the days and weeks since if I would have natural birth again or if I would change anything about our experience.  My answer is a wholehearted NO!  I encourage every woman to educate themselves on natural birth and to believe in God's divine design.  Everything about my pregnancy and her birth was a redemptive experience by the Grace of God! 

~Carla

Sunday, June 30, 2013

There's no such thing as a free lunch

We are so blessed to be spending our 3rd summer as part of the Governor’s Scholars Program.  There are so many benefits to being involved in this community, not the least of which is not having to cook for weeks!!

At lunch and supper every day, we choose between two fast food chains, an asian station, a pizza station, a grill (hamburger/hotdog), a hot line with rotating entrees, a sandwich station, and a salad station.  While Steve and I are attempting to eat as healthy as our will power allows, we’ve had a little more trouble convincing Katie to eat a variety of foods.  Bless her heart, she is drawn to the apple & orange case every time we go to the cafeteria. So at least there’s that and a few random fruits and vegetables she’ll eat from the salad bar.

In college, one of my professors shared the economic idea that there is “no such thing as a free lunch.” At the risk of sounding completely ungrateful, I’d have to say the same applies for our family this summer.  No I don’t have to cook, or clean up the dishes, or plan the menu, or even pay for the food!  BUT, I miss cooking, and planning the menu, and purchasing the types of foods I want to eat. (notice that I still don’t miss washing dishes. J ).  So the “cost” of our luxury is not measured in dollars and cents per se.  It’s the compromising of many of our views on food.

I definitely do NOT want to come across as a food snob whatsoever.  However, Steve and I have been making changes through the years, and even moreso in the past few months, to eat what some online foodies classify as “real food.”  The definition of “real food” can mean different things to different people.  For us, it means eating foods with the least amount of ingredients (especially those we can’t pronounce), and as close to how God intended.  We often buy certified organic products because we feel that the price difference is justified by reduced health bills now and in the future.  And frankly, most organic foods taste better!

It saddens me how much American society has normalized unhealthy food choices.  Yesterday I overheard some women at a museum talking about how you shouldn’t eat bananas if you want to lose weight because bananas do not contain as much water as other fruits.  To be fair, I didn’t eaves drop on the rest of the conversation, but I couldn’t help but wonder, what do they feel is an acceptable substitute?  We are bombarded with images of low calorie, low fat, low whatever else products that contain ingredient lists longer than the Los Angeles phone book!  And we’re exposed to these ideas at such a young age, that it’s definitely an uphill battle to unlearn these habits.  From experience I can say that your body craves whatever you eat.  When I ate overprocessed foods, I craved and overindulged in overprocessed foods.  When I ate “diet” foods, I craved and overindulged in diet foods.  Now that I’m attempting to eat more whole foods, I truly do crave fresh foods.  In my opinion you cannot overindulge in fruits and vegetables when they are prepared in a healthy way.

I’m also saddened by how hard it can be at times to raise a family on real food.  At least twice in the past few weeks, complete strangers have offered Katie ice cream and cookies when she was upset about something.  Thankfully the offers have been made directly to Steve and I, and by some miracle of God, Katie either didn’t hear or decided not to protest our gracious decline.  We want our girls to have a healthy view of all food.  Ice cream, cookies, fast food, etc. can be tasty and perfectly fine to partake in on occasion (ideally less than once a week in my book).  We don’t want them to have any sort of eating disorders because we were so strict on food that they either feel ashamed to join in celebrations or go off the deep end when they are old enough to buy their own foods.  We want them to have control over their own bodies and decide which foods make their bodies feel the best.  But I am so done with the belief that we should let “kids be kids” and let them eat all kinds of junk. 

This is by no means a knock on the amazing service we are receiving in the cafeteria.  I feel that many of my complaints are merely a small example of the huge problem we have in this country with nutrition.  I could probably ramble on about this subject for days.  In fact, many people do as there are entire blogs dedicated to this topic.  And I don’t really have the energy to turn this into an activism post.  I just hope we can stay focused on our family’s goals while at home or away. 

One of my favorite blogs on real food that includes an extensive recipe index.  I also follow her on Pinterest and Facebook:  http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/

Our breakfast every morning is a variation of Dr. Sears’ smoothie recipe.  Gives us so much energy and is such a tasty way to start the day: http://www.drsearslean.com/resources/recipes/#breakfasts

~Carla

Sunday, June 16, 2013

Dumping the Disposables (diapers, that is)

Carla and I have both cloth diapered out children. In fact, Carla has probably CD my child more than I have ;). While we both love the environmental and financial aspects of it, there are times when I am so thankful to have a disposable on hand.  More on that later.
4 months old with Carla "lala"
Pocket diaper with insert at his 1st birthday! See how cute!

We have both used pocket diapers. These have an outer shell with a pocket, and an insert (typically made of microfiber) that fits into the pocket. Carla has also used pre-folds with a cover.  We've used a variety of brands, and in my opinion, they are all similarly made.

I have certainly had a love/hate relationship with cloth diapering.  We didn't start until L was about 3-4 months or about 10 pounds.  I knew I wanted to cloth diaper and a friend of mine helped me start the journey by selling me her used diapers.  Stop.  I know what you're thinking, USED diapers?!  Really though--it's no big deal (mine are washed on hot and rinsed a gazillion times-more on that in a minute).  So I bought Fuzzibunz pocket diapers from her for $5 each.  This was incredibly cheap.  New pockets are at least $20 each.

CD is simple when/if your baby is exclusively breast fed (EBF).  EBF babies' poo is water soluble so you just throw them into the washing machine.  I did a load of diapers every 2 days or so.  With a 4 month old, you change a LOT of diapers, so I did supplement with disposable at times.

Here is my typical wash routine:
I use Rockin Green soap, but am in the process of switching to Carla's recipe which you can find here: Laundry Day the Natural Way 

I first remove all inserts from the outer shells of the diapers, and throw them all into the washer (I have a front loader HE), along with the washable trash can liner I use.  I run a cold water rinse first.  Then, run a hot wash with detergent, then 2 more cold rinse cycles.  And voila=clean diapers!  I dry the diapers on this fabulous drying rack at Ikea per Carla's advice.

At first, I was worried about staining, but Carla came through again with advice to put the drying rack outside and leave the sun to the stain fighting!  Amazingly, the sun does have the power to bleach my white inserts white again!

When L started solids, I had a hard time CD.  So, there for a period we did use mostly disposables.  Also, he went through a weird phase where they didn't fit him that great.  Poor Carla, who was watching him during the day for me, was having to constantly change his clothes due to leaks.  For the poo, I researched and found that many people use a diaper sprayer that hooks onto the toilet.  I read both positive and negative reviews, but ultimately decided that I didn't want to spend $50 on something that I wouldn't be satisfied with.  Enter the economical but vomit inducing metal spatula.  This little dear was used to scrape L's breast milk/sticky solid (mostly bananas and avocado then) poo into the toilet.  And, it wasn't pretty.  I just couldn't handle gagging every time I changed a poo diaper and I knew that if we continued down this road, mama was quittin' the cloth.   So, I found flushable liners and they changed my life!  :)

Source: Amazon

Now, I simply pick up the liner and throw it into the toilet!  Much better.  We are back to CD almost full-time now, due to the fact that  L no longer leaks and my husband (aka babysitter during the summer since he's a teacher) is a hardcore CDer.  I love that it doesn't bother him at all!

During the school year, L is at a sitter's house 4 days/week, so we do use disposables during the day.  We have always used disposables at night too.  The few times we've tried cloth at night (even recently) he leaked.  We also use disposables when traveling for convenience.  


Since several of my friends have inquired about CD, here are several factors I would use to convince you to cloth diaper (ahem, Jamie/Carrie/Macyn/Jennifer...)


  • Cost- I have maybe bought 3-4 boxes of diapers and my son will be 15 months in a few weeks.  There is a statistic that people spend $2500 on disposable diapers until a child is potty-trained.  At least when you buy cloth- you can also use them for your next child, and so on.  


  • One-size- with snaps and elastic on the FuzziBinz they truly are tailor made to fit your baby. I have a skinny mini and although we occasionally had leaks, I can tighten the elastic around the legs.  I love knowing that I can use the same diapers from newborn until L is potty-trained. 


  • Washing- it's not that bad. See above. 
  • There are many cute colors and patterns to choose from!  
    Rockin the argyle print!  And no, I can't figure out how to flip it!


So if you're having a baby, if you've had a baby, or even if you have a diapered toddler- consider cloth diapers.  

And---check out my friend's informative post on specifics: All You Ever Wanted to Know (and more) About Cloth Diapers


~Trina

Friday, March 29, 2013

My name is Katie. I am three! I would really like to see a tree...

A few months ago, I started asking Katie what theme she might like for her third birthday party.  I love to get all crafty and plan ahead.  She had become obsessed with the Lorax movie around that time and decided she wanted a "Lorlax birthday."
 
The main premise behind the Dr. Seuss book and movie is that the Lorax character is the guardian of the trees.  When the Onceler starts chopping down the Truffula trees to makes Thneeds (a fine thing that all people need), the Lorax sets out to warn him about the dangers of cutting down the forest.  Can I just stop here and say how warm it makes my heart that my daughter is a tree hugger at her core? No brain washing needed. :)

Keeping with the environmental awareness theme of the story, we used no disposable kitchen products other than the flexible straws that we decorated with Lorax mustaches for the kiddos to use.  I really appreciate our family and friends going along with keeping up with their plates, napkins, cups, forks.  Next year I'll try to remember that it would be nice to have separate plates for dessert.  To me, the clean up was really not much more work since we just put everything in the dishwasher.

Here are some shots from the festivities:

Truffula tree light fixture


Katie's artwork for the party.  The Lorax on the left and the Onceler on the right.  I am extremely biased, but I see a little bit of a future Picasso in her collages here. ;)
 
Trina and Levi playing pin the mustache on the Lorax.  He was a little dizzy from spinning in circles before making his move. ;)

Cake! Made with almost all natural or organic ingredients.  Used spinach for the green icing color.  Truffula tree tooth picks from Target and Barbaloots made out of Teddy Graham crackers.

Happy Birthday to you!

A few of Katie's friends enjoying cake.


I am the Boo.  I speak for the trees.


Since her birthday actually falls on Easter this year, we thought a "small" party with her little church buddies and a couple of cousins would be easier than planning a big shindig right before Easter.  By the time we added in parents and siblings, we had a house full.  And the kids partied hardy!

A huge thank you to all our friends and family that helped us get ready for the party and celebrate!  We are so blessed to be surrounded with love!

~Carla

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Levi's Birth Day

I've been meaning to write this for a while.  Like for a year.  I kept thinking I would get around to it.  Well, what a great day to write the story of Levi's birth, on his birthday.  Seriously, where does a year go?  I thought time went fast before I had kids, I had no idea.

Tuesday March 27, 2012

7:00 am-  I woke up that morning expecting to go to work.  I got out of bed, and was about to get in the shower when my water broke.  It was exactly how people describe it: a gush!  I was 39 weeks and 2 days pregnant.  My due date was April 1.  Adam was already downstairs getting ready to leave for work.  I yelled down the steps, "I'm pretty sure my water just broke."  He replied, "Really?"  He called work and made arrangements for a sub and ran around the house like a chicken with his head cut off.  I immediately called my mom and my friend/doula/nurse extraordinaire Cristin.  Cristin said I could get into the shower, but to come to the hospital as soon as I could.



My mom got to the hospital around 8:00.  In fact, she beat us to the hospital.  When we walked up to the doors, there she was filming.  We walked into L&D and casually told them we were there to have a baby.  We were checked into Triage where the nurse confirmed that my water had broken.  They put an external heart rate monitor on my belly.  The nurse went to call Dr. Moore, but came back to inform me that she was off on Tuesdays.  I was BEYOND upset.  I had spoken with Dr. Moore about my birth plan and she agreed to no interventions unless absolutely necessary etc.  The nurse told me that the on-call doctor wanted to start Pitocin immediately.  I was devastated.  I wanted to attempt a natural birth, but I knew that it would be more difficult with Pitocin contractions.  Cristin convinced the nurse to call back and explain my situation.  The nurse came back with good news that Dr. Moore had agreed to deliver my baby on her day off!

Before the contractions: eating a popsicle. 
Dr. Moore agreed to let my body start contracting without Pitocin.  Cristin, Adam, mom, and I moved to labor and delivery from Triage.  They were able to put a portable heart rate monitor on me so I could move around and attempt to start contracting on my own.  Cristin, Adam, and I walked the halls constantly.  I bounced on a stability ball.  Still, nothing.

Around 12:30 Dr. Moore came in to say they wanted to start Pitocin.  I conceded.  She explained they would start it on a low dose and increase it every 30 minutes.  I still wasn't sure what to expect.  I hadn't really felt any pain yet.  I knew I had the option of an epidural if I decided I needed one.  I really just wanted to see how far I could get without one.  I was determined to at least attempt a natural birth.  I had read up on natural births and knew my body was meant to do this.  It helped me to think that women birthed babies for thousands of years before the "epidural."

My contractions pretty much started immediately.  They became intense pretty quickly.  They were every 2-3 minutes at first, but I was breathing through them.  Honestly, I found that as long as I focused on something (which happened to be one of the diamonds in a pattern on my hospital gown) the contractions were over before I realized it.  It's almost as if your mind blocks everything else out during the contraction.  It was a very spiritual experience for me.  I loved knowing that my body was meant for this and I found comfort in that.  After a contraction, everything went back to normal and I was allowed a few minutes to rest.  My contractions weren't lasting too long at this point.

After laboring 2-3 hours, they checked my cervix and I was at 3 1/2 centimeters.  I was so disappointed.  I had worked through a lot of contractions to gain a couple of centimeters!  At this point, my contractions were picking up as they were continuing to increase my level of Pitocin.  I remember saying, "I don't know," trying to get someone to acknowledge me.  I think Cristin had spoken with the nurses and told them my plan was to go natural.  Not one nurse ever said, "It's okay honey, you can have an epidural whenever you're ready."  I think that was a huge part of my success.  No one ever mentioned the word "epidural."  I think if someone had, I would've said, "Yeah, okay, I'll have one."  I could have easily convinced myself at this stage that I needed one.  I couldn't imagine how much worse my contractions would get.

I just kept thinking "If I can get through the next one."  That was how I did it.  The contractions continued to get closer together.  My breaks between were becoming much shorter.  They became so intense that I felt like I couldn't move at all during one.  During my breaks I would just melt, almost fall asleep instantly.  This was my body recovering.  When Cristin left to teach her childbirth class, Adam, mom, Carla, and my mother-in-law provided my support (literally and figuratively).  Mom and Carla would provide "counter pressure" on my hips, while my mother-in-law would massage my feet.  During what I guess would have been "transition" my tone completely changed.  It was almost as if I was alone.  I zoned everyone and everything else out.  I really couldn't hear conversations around me.

7:43 pm- coming into Transition
8:00 pm-  I started to feel the need to push.  It was a strong feeling and one that was hard to ignore.  This was by far the worst part of the whole experience.  The nurse told me not to push so I didn't stretch my cervix before it was fully dilated.  Somehow, I made it through another 45 minutes of contractions.

8:45 pm-  The nurse came in and told everyone except mom and Adam to leave.  The lights came down above my bed.  It was a bit of a show.  Everyone was in the room getting ready.  They wheeled in the cart they would put him in.  Dr. Moore arrived at this point.  I was so ready to push!!

Dr. Moore instructed me to push when my next contraction started.  When the contraction started the nurse/doctor counted from 1-10.  It felt so amazing to push.  After the first round, I felt what they call the "ring of fire."  It felt like his head was there!  It hurt, but it was more of a relief to push.  They turned off my Pitocin (it was on the highest possible level) to give me a longer break between contractions/pushing.  I remember Dr. Moore looking at the monitor and saying "He's not liking being down there," referring to him in the birth canal.  When I heard that, I was committed to getting him out with the next push!  They put an O2 mask on me and that freaked me out.  I think I pushed 1-2 more times and I heard the cry!  Oh what a wonderful sound!  I was so relieved.  He was born at 9:15 and weighed 7 lbs. 1 oz, and 19 in. long. 

I had communicated to the staff and my family that Kangaroo care was very important to me.  As soon as he was out, they gave him to me for skin to skin.  I laid with him on my chest for about an hour.   He breastfed almost instantly.  It was so beautiful.

It seems like it was only yesterday.  We've made so many memories over the last year!  Mommy loves you Levi Joel!  Happy birthday baby!

Monday, March 11, 2013

Katie's Weaning

To say that the first few months of breastfeeding were HARD is an understatement.  Well, let me back up a bit.  Actually the first few days of breastfeeding far exceeded my expectations.  We started off amazingly well considering the initial obstacles we faced.  Katie was born via c-section at 12:51 pm on March 31, 2010.  My first record of being able to latch her was 4:38 pm.  According to askdrsears.com, "Studies show that newborns who have early contact with their mothers learn to latch on more efficiently than babies who are separated from their mothers in the hour or two following birth." Because we had been separated for nearly 4 hours, I made it a priority to put Katie to the breast every time she smacked her little lips.  I was thrilled and encouraged when less than 48 hours after her birth, my milk came in (breastmilk usually changes over from colostrum to mature milk between 2 and 5 days after birth).

Within a week or two, though, something just didn't seem right.  Katie was extremely fussy (partly her temperament) and I experienced intense pain.  My original goal of making it to 6 months seemed nearly impossible.  After several consultations and a couple of doctor visits, we were both diagnosed with thrush.  Even then, it took several more weeks of pain and various remedies to eliminate the infection in both of us.  Interestingly, the best solutions were the most "natural" ones: gentian violet, homeopathic drops, and diligent cleaning with vinegar.

Another element to our breastfeeding relationship early on was pumping.  I went back to work when Katie was 8 weeks old (America, get with the program on reasonable maternity leaves!).  I pumped at work twice a day and was blessed to be able to take my lunch break every single day to go nurse her at the babysitters.  Thankfully Katie took to bottles very well.  It was difficult at times to not be able to enjoy lunch dates with friends or to be able to run errands.  But I treasured breaking up my day to go cuddle with my boo.  Also, I was never able to "build a stash" of frozen expressed milk during my maternity leave because all of the milk could have been infected with thrush.  However, with a little bit of planning and a flexible work schedule, Katie was never short for milk.

Somewhere along the line, days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and suddenly Katie was a year old.  In the US, the AAP recommends breastfeeding infants until at least a year (the World Health Organization says at least two years).  We had arrived at that wonderful one year mark, and if anything, Katie showed MORE interest in nursing than less.  We had entered into the realm of "extended breastfeeding."

I poured over books and articles to educate myself on the benefits of extended breastfeeding (see some links below).  I also felt the need to arm myself with facts if I ever needed to defend what we were doing.  Admittedly, I was self-conscious about breastfeeding a toddler.  Looking back she was still so much a baby, but it didn't feel that way at the time.

I eventually resigned to not worry about what others thought and follow my daughter's lead in the weaning process.  Breastfeeding was for her afterall, so why should it matter what other opinions were?  Breastfeeding is a relationship, though; a two-way street.  Any time I was starting to feel "tied down" or antsy for forward progress, we made changes.  Katie wasn't always ready for these changes, so I occasionally had to back off until she obliged.

As of 6 months ago, Katie still nursed about once during the day and once at night.  The nighttime part was especially frustrating and exhausting for me.  Over fall break, with Daddy's support of stepping in if needed, we nightweaned.  Katie and I talked about what that would look like for about a week before we even attempted it.  She didn't put up much of a fuss, which was our indication that she was ready.

In December, we found out we are expecting our second child.  I knew that the days of nursing Katie were likely coming to an end.  Breastmilk changes over the course of pregnancy.  Some nurslings wean quickly, others don't seem to notice or care.  Katie noticed, but didn't care.  Mommy did though.  I was becoming more uncomfortable and anxious to move on from this chapter of our relationship.  With a little bit of nudging and A LOT of negotiation, we started spreading out sessions to every other day, every few days, once a week...

The last time I noted that we nursed was February 7, 2013.  Katie was 2 years, 10 months, and 1 week when she was officially "weaned."  It feels very bittersweet to say that I don't remember anything about those last few moments of such an important aspect of our relationship as mother and daughter.  On the other hand, life with Katie has continued to flow in the same way it always has.  Her cuddles are just as sweet and we are just as connected.

We would not have made it as long as we did without the support of family and friends.  You know who you are.  Thank you for not treating us like freaks (at least to our faces).  Thank you for believing that although we weren't considered "normal" for this area of the world, we were doing what was "normal" for us.  And last, thank you Katie-boo for continuing to teach me every day what it is to be your mommy.

~Carla

Helpful links for those considering breastfeeding/extended breastfeeding: 

Breastfeeding your newborn — what to expect in the early weeks

Breastfeeding Past Infancy: Fact Sheet

Weaning

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Prairie Unplugged

I watched a lot of Norm Abram and melodramatic after school specials growing up.  Sure I felt a little deprived not getting to watch Nickelodeon or Real World marathons.  But I truly didn't know what I was missing out on until my parents finally got cable when I was 17.  We were "movin on up!"  I then had access to seemingly hundreds of channels.  And you know what?  I still complained that there was nothing on sometimes (ridiculous really).

Neither Steve nor I had consistent access to TV for most of college.  I never missed it!  However, we have had either cable or satellite for the last 6.5 years of our 7.5 year marriage.  We became experts at DVRing two shows at once while watching a show we had previously recorded.  Prior to becoming parents, we watched A LOT of TV.  What else was there to do?

Parenthood has changed our lives completely.  I am home with Katie during the day and try to keep the television off as much as possible.  I want her to play and be creative.  When we do watch TV, she really likes the shows on PBS.  In the evenings, Steve and I typically wait until Katie is in bed to watch anything because we don't want to expose her to some of the language and subject matter of prime time.

We have debated cutting the perverbial cord several times in the past.  But a few months back we were started looking ahead at our looming satellite introductory rate expiration.  I already felt like we were paying more than I was comfortable with and couldn't stomach jumping up a significant amount more (you know I'm a major tightwad).  We finally decided we were done... at least for now.  Steve mourned the loss of convenient access to sports, especially UK games.  I binged on Sister Wives and David Tutera's My Fair Wedding.  On the morning of December 31, we turned on the TV to find our service had been cut off.  It was an end to an era.

Here's what we're doing to "cope"

  • UHF/VHF HD compatible antenna - not pleasing to the eye, but gets us 9 local and public broadcast channels
  • Netflix membership - this is very handy for filling the void when "nothing is on"
  • Watching some of our favorite shows online
  • Listening to UK games on the radio
  • Exercising
  • Reading
  • Getting stuff done!
We have also considered a membership to HULU Plus, but have decided to forgo that for now.  We plan to hook up our old VCR to record shows when we either can't watch a show in real time, or catch it later online.  

We know how difficult this decision was for us, so we know it's not a decision that's right for everyone.  It's just a fun exercise for me, though, to challenge myself to break habits and find what my bottom line comfort level is.  I'm not ready to completely throw out the TV.  I've had friends in the past that did and I admired what other activities filled their time.  Baby steps...

~Carla