20 weeks Pregnant

My belly has "popped out" a lot in the past week.  This is a pic of me at 20 weeks.  I'm nervous about how big I will get!

"The Perils of Midwifery"

On September 11, 2009, The Today Show had a segment called "The Perils of Midwifery."  This segment showed a FEW possible problems that can go wrong (focusing on the fact that they were at home... not discussing the fact that these issues happen more in hospitals!), and had a few doctors comment on it.  I wasn't able to see it because they took it off of their website pretty quickly as they received letters and email from many angry women.  But, from what I hear, it was awful.  I was so excited to read a letter, written by the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services.  It was amazing, and I hope and pray people will start to truly understand that homebirth is actually statistically SAFER than hospital birth!

Had an ultrasound and found out it's a...

BOY!!  It was VERY obvious.  The ultrasound tech pointed to the two hipbones and said, do you see what's in the middle?  It was definitely hard to miss.  I think anyone could have been able to tell. 
I was pretty surprised because I really thought it was another girl.  I had a girl name picked out, but I CANNOT come up with a boy name that sticks out.  We want it to be a Biblical name, and we like lots of names, but nothing just stands out... if that makes sense.  With Karis and Ethan, we KNEW those were their names... not with this one!!  Some names that we like so far are Asher, Levi, Eli, Asa, and Isaac.  We want a biblical first name, and our goal was to try to have a middle name from my side of the family... but not sure anything will go with the biblical names that we like :).  We'll  figure something out.  What Biblical names do you like?
A benefit of having another boy is that Ethan and the new baby will be really close in age (20 months).  If we were to have another girl, Karis and the girl would be 4 years apart.  Plus, I think it would be REAL hard for Karis to share her room with another girl.  I think it'll be easier for Ethan to share his room. 

The ultrasound was done at a place called Bluebonnet Diagnostic Imaging, and I recommend it to anyone that is in this area.  It is definitely for someone who is having a homebirth or birth center birth :).  The room where the ultrasound takes place looks like a little living room.  It has a play area for the kids, it's real warm and inviting, the only lighting is from a lamp, and it smelled real good :).  You can watch the ultrasound take place on a t.v. that is in an armoire.  It was wonderful.  The best part of it all is that they have a special for clients of midwives... it was only $99!!!!  That is CHEAP for an ultrasound (usually they are several hundred).  And, they send the results to a radiologist to look over... so it's completely legitimate.  This price didn't cover printed pictures, but that's okay.  We also got to see the baby in 3D, although at this stage, it's hard to see much because he didn't have much fat on his face.  You can also go there JUST to get gender determination and pictures/CD's/DVD's if you want.  But, I just wanted the diagnostic ultrasound to make sure all was well, and to see the gender.  I'm good with one ultrasound, but multiple ultrasounds aren't good for the baby.

I also found out that I have an anterior placenta, which means that it's in the front.   It doesn't hurt anything, but it just means that I won't ever be able to feel the baby like I did the last two.  When I feel movement, it's all down low.  I sometimes feel pressure up high, too, because the baby is currently breech (which is pretty normal for being 19 weeks pregnant), and I can feel his head pushing up.  Oh well...... there's not much I can do. 

I have recently felt like I need to up my protein intake, and make sure that I'm getting enough of what I need.  I have created my own food journal based on the one on the Bradley Birth website.  Check it out!  Use it if you want!  My biggest goal is to completely avoid sodas and sweet tea.  This is going to be hard, but I know that it will be so much better in the long run.  They are totally just empty, horrible calories, and caffeine.  But I enjoy them.  So, it's going to be tough!!!

I started recently taking Twinlab prenatals because I was having problems with the Nature's Plus Source of Life prenatals giving me tummy trouble.  I took Twinlab prenatals with Ethan, and remembered having NO issues with them.  So far so good.  These are also the second most recommended vitamins from my midwife.  I also take Solaray Mega multi minerals that I had when I was pregnant with Ethan because most prenatals don't have near the amount of minerals that a pregnant women needs.  I want to take the Super Nutrition Prenatals because I won't have to take a separate multi mineral (they are GREAT), but just haven't been able to afford them.  I wish that Vitacost sold them because that's where I buy everything else for the most part... I should be able to buy them next month.  I did order my new fish oil, Coromega, a few days ago and should receive them soon.  The fish oil that I currently take is GROSS.  I taste the fish all day.  I can't even bring myself to take them everyday, and when I do, I only take one.  The only thing I like about them is that the source is cod liver, which is really the best source.  But, any kind of fish oil is GREAT for anyone to take.  Karis takes Nordic Naturals Children's DHA and LOVES them.  She asks for her "gummies" several times a day, and I can only give them to her once (because she wants the full serving all at once).

The Cesarean Epidemic

I found a few wonderful websites giving information about the cesarean epidemic in the United States.  The World Health Organization says that the c-section rate should be no higher than 15%.  It is 31.8% in the United States (some states with almost 40%), causing many medical problems for mother and baby.  Many women have elective c-sections not even knowing the risks.  These sites give a LOT of information with the risks involved.

Cesarean Epidemic Website
Cesarean Epidemic Blog

Goals to Simplify

As I've said before, since I got pregnant, I have NOT been myself. I've been struggling to stay organized, my house is a mess most of the time (although Robert would say that it's in my head!), meal planning, etc has gone out the window, and I feel like I'm always one step behind. I don't know what it is about this pregnancy, but I feel very scattered and exhausted all the time.
Also, my "part time" job has been taking a LOT of my time. I enjoy it a lot (it's the perfect job for me!), but I look forward to being more organized so it doesn't feel like I'm working all the time (a lot of it is my fault).
Most of my goals are things that I used to always do... and I've gotten away from it.

Here is my list of goals to begin/do within the next 2 weeks or so:
~ Go through all of our clothes (and other junk!), organize and get rid of things that we don't wear or need.
~ Organize my desk area so that I can actually use it :). Begin doing all of my school work there, and don't take it out of that area. Try to get a week ahead!
~ Get caught up on laundry and do one load a day to keep caught up. Wash diapers every other day.
~ Begin working on the budget together as a couple so that it is kept up with. Stop spending money when we don't have it to spend! (this is an organization issue!)
~ Begin meal planning for two weeks again, and stick to it.
~ Organize grocery shopping. Keep it as low as possible, but still buy the foods that I think are best for our family.
~ Stop eating out so much!!!!!!! (this is what happens when you get unorganized...). The goal is to only eat out on special occasions (date night, with friends, etc), and not often.
~ Make more things from scratch again (breads, crackers, muffins, all meals, peanut butter, etc).
~ Make cleaners again.
~ Keep the house (at least) picked up daily. Clean whole house once a week (the day will vary based on my husband's day off). 
~ Give myself grace when I have an off day :).

God’s Plan is So Much Bigger Than Mine

It's so easy to get caught up in my life… what's going right… what's going wrong… the hard times… the good times…

In the book, Crazy Love, Francis Chan is talking about how life is like a movie, and our lives are like a 2/5's of a second "extra" in the movie. Here is what he says about that:

"We have only our two-fifths-of-a-second-long scene to live. I don't know about you, but I want my two-fifths of a second to by about my making much of God. First Corinthians 10:31 says, 'So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.' That is what each of our two-fifths of a second is about.
So what does that mean for you?
Frankly, you need to get over yourself. It might sound harsh, but that's seriously what it means.
Maybe life's pretty good for you right now. God has given you this good stuff so that you can show the world a person who enjoys blessings, but who is still totally obsessed with God.
Or maybe life is tough right now, and everything feels like a struggle. God has allowed hard things in your life so you can show the world that your God is great and that knowing Him brings peace and joy, even when life is hard…"

This is hard for anyone… all we see much of the time is what we're going through. And, when life is hard, sometimes we get so caught up in that hard time and don't give glory to God. My desire is to give glory to God in all things, but I personally don't always. In fact, most of the time, I get all stressed and worried, and I forget that God is bigger than all of that and He has a plan.

I'm in a place right now that I'm just resting in His plan and I have peace that He is in control. I have to rely heavily upon Him to continue that, and it's wonderful.

Baby Belly Picture- Almost 17 Weeks

Okay... I have FINALLY taken a picture of myself :). I took it today; I will be 17 weeks in 2 days.

The Kids

I just realized that it's been a while since I've blogged about the kids. They are growing up so fast!! Karis is 3 1/2 now (going on 13), and she is a little drama queen. She is very smart, and I love to hear the things that come out of her mouth. You just never know what to expect with her :). She still throws quite a few fits, but I think for the most part we have learned how to deal with them. She is just in a very independent stage, and when she doesn't get her way, watch out!

Ethan is almost 15 months old now, and is FINALLY about to start walking. He's been taking a few steps here, a few steps there. Karis was a late walker too, and I'm pretty thankful about that :). I can't imagine having an 11 month old walking. Although, he is very heavy, so it'll be nice to not have to hold him all the time! He doesn't have much to say, except "uh oh!" and "daaayyy" (daddy). He grunts and growls at things, and he has a beautiful smile and laugh. He has recently gotten into a phase in which he's starting to throw fits. Karis was easy at 2, but I'm thinking that Ethan will not be as easy. We'll see! He's currently cutting his first molars and he is a HARD teether, so some of his fits lately could be because of that. We'll see when they come in completely.

Here are some pics of the kids from this summer:
I had taken the kids with me to the school for 2 full days in a row... they didn't get naps those 2 days... so the next day, Ethan fell asleep while he was chewing his lunch! :)

I was watering the garden, and Karis decided that she wanted to "help" me. She enjoyed being sprayed by the water hose instead.

Here's Karis enjoying the playground at the beach in Rockport.

Ethan LOVED the beach. He crawled all over the place, and even in the shallow part of the water. He was covered in sand! He left crawling tracks every where.



Here's Karis "fishing" from the dock at my grandparents' house in Rockport.

Mommy and Ethan at the end of summer banquet here at camp.

Karis about to jump into someone's arms at the pool.

The kids playing in a little pool in our backyard. This pool didn't last long... it leaked badly!

Ethan about to get in the pool. He loved it :).

Karis about to get into the pool.

Karis decided that Jake needed to be read to :).





Karis decided last week that she wanted to "hold" Ethan... well, since he doesn't weight much less than her, that was difficult. But, she made it work the way she wanted to :).

Sprouts Farmer's Market

Today we planned to go to the Sunset Valley Farmer's Market, but didn't make it because I wasn't feeling good (I came down sick yesterday and was still not feeling 100%). Well, I took a nap this morning and woke up feeling much better so we decided to go check out a new store in Austin. It's called Sprouts Farmer's Market. I was very impressed. Their "regular" prices on things like canned items, bagged items, boxed items, and even dairy weren't that great, but most everything else was great. Their produce and meat prices were awesome. I bought a whole natural chicken for $1.39 a pound, and their organic chicken is $2.79 a pound (which is GREAT for organic chicken). I would have bought an organic chicken, but they were all over 5 lbs and wasn't planning to buy one that big. Their beef prices are also great (natural ground beef for like $2.79 a pound). Their produce is beautiful, some of it local, and cheap. I bought some clementine oranges for $2 for 3lbs. I bought a seedless watermelon for 99 cents! I bought Tillamook cheese (great cheese that is hormone free) for $2.97 a pound (it's usually at least $3.99 a pound or more).
Mostly, I would go there for their meat, cheese, produce, and great sales. The beautiful thing is that it's also much closer than whole foods.
They also have a huge bulk section, but I didn't get to really check it out because it was REALLY busy (since they just opened yesterday), and my in-laws were with me. I didn't want to drag them around the WHOLE store just to check out prices :). I saw a few prices, and they looked great. Whole raw almonds are $6.99 a pound, which is $1-2 less a pound than most stores. I love raw almonds :). So, I'm assuming that their bulk prices are great.
Anyway, just thought I would share my excitement :). It's a bit further than HEB, but I think for a twice a month place to shop, it's definitely worth the drive.

16 Weeks

I had my 16 week midwife appointment yesterday, and as usual, it was great :). Heard the baby's heartbeat almost immediately, and we found out that it seems like the baby just likes to hang out on one side. I was feeling quite a bit of movement just on one side, and when they felt for the baby, he/she was on that side. That's where the heartbeat was found too. That's where the baby was at the last appointment too. Kind of weird!
The top of my uterus seems to be high for how far along I am, but she measured me and I'm measuring right at 16 weeks. She just thinks I have a low belly button... never heard that before, but it makes sense. The top of the uterus has always been higher than "books" say it should be. She also said that's probably why I show so early. It all makes sense.
My midwife thinks I'm having a boy... in fact, she always says he/him when she's talking about the baby. It just seems to come out. Robert has never had a preference before with the last two, but he actually told me the other day that he would prefer another boy this time. It really surprised me. Ultimately, we don't care... we just want a healthy baby :). There are positives/negatives to either. We just want the person that God has allowed us to raise :).

We won't find out for another 4-5 weeks. We will be making an appointment for an ultrasound at 20-21 weeks. It'll be here before we know it!!

Anyway, we talked more about breastfeeding and all the issues that I've had. She bought a book for me to borrow, but she forgot to bring it :). It's put out by the La Leche League and it's called The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk. She always mentions different things to try that I have never heard, or weren't told to me in a way in which I thought would really make a difference (if that makes sense). I'm looking forward to trying to breastfeed again instead of feeling defeated from the start.

New Study on the Safety of Homebirth

With-in the past few years, there have been many statements from the medical community against homebirth. One thing that I find ironic is that they never have facts/statistics to back up their opinion. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists came out with a statement last year saying that they are against homebirths. At the time it made me a little shook up, but after I got to thinking about it, I moved past it. One, they want people to think that homebirth is unsafe because it takes business away from them. Two, the statement had NO facts, but only opinion. The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists in the United Kingdom states that they believe that homebirth is a viable choice for uncomplicated pregnancies. Canada doesn't have a statement for either, saying that they encourage research into the safety of all possibilities.

A new study came out (just yesterday), completed by doctors (believe it or not!), showing again that homebirth is as safe or more safe than hospital birth. The thing that I like the most about this study is that it shows the results for PLANNED homebirths. Most studies show information on homebirth, whether or not it was planned.

Check out the study: http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/rapidpdf/cmaj.081869.