Smiths become 4 (6 with kitties!!)

Well as you know, blog of mine, my estimated due date with this second pregnancy was December the 5th, and as you further know, estimated due dates are nuts and I don't care for them much at all! So Thursday December 19th marked 42 weeks gestation for us and it meant time to get to the hospital and get this baby born. I really didn't want to do that. I feel babies will come when they are ready and we had gotten 2 ultrasounds that measured the fluid levels, placenta quality, babe movement, heartbeat, etc and we got perfect scores both times. But the problem for the wonderful women at Blossom birth center was that starting at 39 weeks my blood pressure had been slightly high and had been climbing little by little. They had done preeclampsia tests, which came back negative and I felt like a million bucks, so I thought it was all kind of dramatic. They asked I be on bed rest till the babe was born. But by Wednesday the 18th, they asked us to eat a good dinner and go in to try some natural induction methods and have a baby.

Well that all got put on hold when I got there and my blood pressure was 160. I rested, they took it again; 130. But when if got up and did anything at all it would raise again. Meanwhile I was dialated to about a 6, super soft cervix, but the surges were just tightenings, hardly noticeable. I had not experienced anything with much feeling in general in the past 2 weeks so hopes of giving birth that night were low for me. Diane came in and gave me a pelvic massage, loosening up lots of muscles and tight spots. Finally, I took a bath to relax and they had me bear down a little to see if it would progress anything at all...but they took my BP and it was 180. 

"Time to go to the hospital." 

Birthing playlist

Here are links to each song on my birthing playlist. I listen to them and all anxieties float away and I'm left happy, comforted, confident.

You are My Sister, Antony and the Johnsons

Spiralling, Antony and the Johnsons

Beautiful Things Can Come from the Dark, Azure Ray

In My Life, The Beatles

Puet-etre que je t'aime, Francoise Hardy

I Can't Help Falling in Love with You, Elvis Presley

Birthing affirmations, Marie Mongan

^^buddies already 

^^^Above was this morning, at Collin's work. They had a sweet little Happy Baby Smith party and breakfast and invited Frederick and me!! It was so nice to meet Collin's new co workers and see the office. It's so beautifully decorated for Christmas, which warmed my heart even more. 

Plans!

Perineal toning/massage- when perineal rim is adequately softened and toned w massage, becomes numb w pressure of baby's head. As baby naturally is expelled, perineum unfolds and baby passes easily down and out.

When pre-Surges come: slow breathing And listen to birth affirmations. Get in tub.

When Waters release: listen to birth affirmations, eat, breathe, yoga, Collin-script, practice positions, shower

Baby expulsion stage: lay or squat in tub, Collin-touch, script, breathe, affirmations

Ideal birth experience:

Bugs and babies

Worst thing in my life. It's the time of year for bugs. I can't kill em or squish them or anything and Collin wasn't home so I drowned it with scalding hot water till its body ripped in half. Poor jerk. These two were fascinated. Monte just played then left. Great job, hunter. 

Children's museum with three of my favorite people. Look how big Freddie is!

Bus ride to our appointment at blossom yesterday. It was a strange hot one. We hasn't taken the train or bus in a while and Fred loved it. It's always fun on the way there but horrible, miserable, hot forever on the way back. 

"Rock a bye baby on the tree tops." So sweet, big brother Fred, till the bough breaks and he throws the baby overhand back into the cradle. 

The appointment was good. I took my sugar test, I'm measuring right on (so there all you idiots who keep telling me, WOW, you're huge!!!), I have to practice having Fred climb up to me instead of me picking him up from now on, and we discussed Fred coming to the birth. Collin and I want him there but we will be flexible, like if its in the middle of the night and he's asleep, or if anything else happens and it's not comfortable to have him in there. But I'm a very calm and quiet labor & birther and he's a pretty even tempered guy. Plus I know everything will be even more smooth this time. It would ve a great experience to have him a part of this miracle. We will go with the flow and I think it will all work out great. We have been watching animal and human births and talking lots to prepare for this great event and all the big changes to follow. 

Hey didi dot. 

It's about time!

I'm outed on Facebook: we are having our second child sometime in early to mid December. Frederick is going through a very strong "MINE!" stage and its hard to see him having a very easy time with another family member in the picture... And taking so much of me up...but I know 6 months is a long time and he will do a lot of growing and learning and developing during that time. I'm sure it will be a challenging and wonderful transition for us all! 

Yes, we will be going back to Blossom Birth and Wellness Center in phx; we had such an incredible beautiful experience there, I couldn't imagine it any other way. 

And no, we do not plan to find out the sex. I actually dislike driving people crazy with that but we loved waiting to be surprised :) :) :) :) 

As my belly is starting to grow outward (much more quickly than I remembered last time) it's becoming more real. It's strange though because w Fred's pregnancy I focused soley on him and myself. And now it's mainly JUST Freddie! But I've been reminded by wonderful Nichelle (my doctor-one of three women who help deliver babies at Blossom) to take time to send this new little one plenty of love and having peace by taking care of myself. I'm learning to slow down a little, prioritize more, and gain lots lots lots more patience with Frederick, Collin and myself. 

I'm much more tired, sick, cold, emotional but less drooly!! And much more excited to give birth because I know how intense, insane, emotional, vulnerable, empowering, strengthening, and..really amazing it will be for me, our new little one, our family. 

Here are some super cute photos of Freddie, my one and only first born. 

Halloween Night

Alright...last post of Halloween pictures for the year....

My heart just about melted time and time again as I
saw that my little Frederick is growing up so fast.
I love him so much! He makes all these thing in life a
thousand times more fun and exciting. We live for him!
We are reading to really get our family started. There's
no greater joy I've ever experienced. Families can be
together FOREVER!

Now on to the spooky stuff!

Getting a gigantic pumpkin from Frys
almost busted our stroller!

One

Frederick Ian Smith, you're one! One year ago we were holding you in bed, discovering tar poop and breastfeeding. We were shocked and delighted at the miracle just born into our lives. Your birth had been a beautiful peaceful experience, and set the tone for the joy your life would bring us. I love you. Happy Birthday!

If its not broken don't fix it.

We have co-slept since Frederick's birth and for me and all of us that has been how we have gotten the most sleep and have felt the safest. Just recently we have really made up the nursery and I started thinking that maybe it was time to have him sleep in his own bed. He naps in there but not through the night. It would be hard but we would try to have him sleep there. We'd (I'd) be consistent and after a while it (im not sure what exactly) would work. The problem: he still eats at night (and neither of us are interested in weaning any time soon). So he has to wake fully and cry hard to wake me (I would wake in seconds), completely out of it, stumble into his room and either nurse him there and fall asleep resulting in a hurt back and me not in my bed, which defeats the purpose, or I brought him in our bed. Either way he and I got very little sleep. And Collin too because I'd complain to him. A week and a half of no sleep and we both have gotten really cranky and I've been feeling some depression. I felt all wrong. I started over thinking everything and feeling very alone in every way. Then last night I went to a la leche league meeting and got some good advice. Nichelle, my doctor who delivered him, the lll leader, and several experienced moms asked, if it isn't broken why was i trying to fix it? If we all got plenty of sleep before, I had lots of energy, Fred was confident, growing and happy, i got along better with Collin because I wasn't passive-aggressively mad at him for being able to sleep through most anything, why was I trying to change things??? I realized I wasn't ready to stop co sleeping yet. And he definitely isn't. He is going through major separation anxiety right now. Only wants me. And instead of trying to get away from it I want to embrace it! Soon enough he will be older and excited about his own room and independence. He is majorly teething and growing like crazy. And he is eating all the time-not because he isn't getting enough but because he is working on major motor skills (he walked 3 steps in a row yesterday) and using every muscle all the time and is trying to get my milk supply up!
It is amazing to get some clarity and remember that I'm doing these things because they work for me and my family. I love support groups!

Blossoming moms

I love our blossoming mothers group. I'm surrounded by beautiful moms and their beautiful babes: breastfeeding, baby wearing, playing. We moms share stories and advice, ask questions, support each other, compliment each other. I don't feel odd or overweight or ugly. I feel important because I should. I'm doing something important. I feel empowered. It's fun for Frederick and me. Plus it's wonderful to be at Blossom Birth Center, where Freddie was born.

Its Wednesdays (except first Wed of the month) 11am-2pm @Blossom Birth Center. All moms (or expecting moms) welcome!