[ Posted by Maggie
Tue, 04 Dec 2007 17:07:08 GMT ]
So I’ve done my morning routine and am now ready to start thinking about day #2’s planning task. Crystal wants us to make a to do list of no more than 10 items and work 10 minutes in our living rooms. So here’s my list:
Finish the girls’ laundry, including diapersOrder more cloth diapers This took a long time, it took me a while to find a supplier that had all the diapers I wanted in stock, oh well it’s done, and in a week or so we’ll be able to use cloth diapers all the time.- Clean entry way (yesterday’s challenge)
- Clean living room (today’s challenge)
- Nap when/if both girls are sleeping at same time, at least rest when Hannah naps
Work in pantry/fridge- Plan meals
- Grocery
- Take girls outside
- Make list for thank yous, write them
Drink lots of water (I haven’t been doing great at this and know it effects my energy levels) I didn’t start out well with this, but did do better in the afternoon
I’ll be crossing the items off as I do them, so check back to see how far I get, I’m not counting on getting to all of it, but if I have the time and energy, I’ll need a plan.
Posted in Homemaking | 3 comments
[ Posted by Maggie
Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:14:16 GMT ]
Over at Biblical Womanhood, Crystal is having a challenge for us to make our home a haven for our families. This is perfect timing for me as this is my first week of just me and the girls and I really desire to make our home a haven for John to come home to and for the girls and I to enjoy during the day. I’m one day behind, so I’m going to do yesterday’s challenge and today’s challenge today. Check back to see how I’m doing. Yesterday’s challenge was to write out a morning routine and to clean our entry ways. So here’s my morning routine:
- Wake up, make bed, go potty
- Start a load of laundry while John starts tea/coffee
- Get Princess Peach up and nurse her while I do my morning devotion
- Put Princess Peach back to bed, get dressed
- Start breakfast
- Family breakfast and morning devotions
Please comment if you’d like to join me, you can either post your progress on your blog, or in my comments.
I haven’t finished my morning routine yet, so I’m off to go do that and then I’ll post the planning stage of today’s challenge later.
Posted in Homemaking | 1 comment
[ Posted by Maggie
Mon, 19 Nov 2007 19:59:06 GMT ]
For those interested here is the story of Princess Peach’s entrance into the world. If you do not care to know all the little details you may skip this post.
A few weeks before birth day I started having pre labor contractions every night. These were regular contractions, not Braxton Hicks, but they would disappear by morning. It was getting very discouraging. A little less than a week before the big day I lost my plug, but my midwife said it could still be a week away. At least my mom was here now. Mom took me to my appointment that was after my due date to check my progress. I was still only fingertip dilated, but I was now 80% effaced and the baby moved down a station, to -3. Again the midwife said it could be a ways away still. Mom and I started to figure out what we would do if the baby came after she had to go back. I knew that God was in control of the timing and knew all of the circumstances, but it was still discouraging, and hard to wait on something we could do nothing about. Well, Mom did threaten sneaking Castor oil into my juice, but she never did. ;)
That night I had contractions all night long, I couldn’t even sleep through part of the night, so Mom and I stayed up and talked, I was pretty excited and thought that it was time. But by morning they had worn off and John went to work. I was beginning to question if I would be pregnant forever. I, of course, knew that it wasn’t true, but it felt like it and I wasn’t going to trust contractions as an indication. I took a couple of naps that day, and just rested, it was good having Mom there to take care of Princess Olive. That night I took a bath and went to bed early, Mom decided to go to the grocery store so she could do some cooking for us. She joked that she would start cooking and then labor would start. Well she wasn’t too far from the truth, my water broke while she was at the store, at 8:52 pm! I was very excited. I called the midwife (Marianne), our photographer friend (Cristina), who was going to take pictures for us, our parents and one good friend, who shall remain nameless at this point. I also called Aunt Debbie to come take Princess Olive.
After Princess Olive left, I tried to go to sleep, but couldn’t, I was too excited. So we decided to watch Stargate. This was fitting as we watched Stargate in the hospital while we were waiting for the Cervidil to kick in, when I was pregnant with Princess Olive. After Stargate, we put in another movie and Mom went to lie down. We didn’t get very far into the movie when the contractions started getting closer together and I moved to my bed so I could lie down and relax a bit. After about an hour or so of contractions less than 5 minutes apart we called Marianne to come. She and her assistant (Cheryl) came and started getting things set up. She then checked me and I was almost 5 cm, 100% effaced and the baby was now at -1. Yippy! We then called Cristina to have her come. I don’t remember the times of any of this, but it was the middle of the night. Things were going good. I changed my t-shirt to my swim suit top and labored in the bathtub for a while, then back to the bed, then to the toilet. John was doing a great job of helping me relax, and while it was hard work, I felt things were going well.
Around 5am I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom, so I went to sit on the toilet. I sat there through a few contractions and nothing. I didn’t know why I couldn’t go poo! Mom suggested that maybe I didn’t need to and that it was just the baby. My contractions were getting stronger and closer together and they were getting harder to handle, so we had Marianne check me. She did and I was still only 5 cm, and she thought that the baby might be posterior. She also still felt a bag of water, which was strange, since I thought it already broke. She asked me if I wanted her to break the water and see if that would get things going. I told her I wanted to wait and then had a good cry.
I remember this point with Princess Olive, only I was at 3 cm with her and the doctor had broken my water. Contractions were getting harder to handle, my back was killing me, and it seemed like I had forever to go. This is when I got an epidural with Princess Olive, but I didn’t have that option this time around. I just wanted to stop everything. I didn’t want her to break my water because I knew that would make the contractions harder and I didn’t know if I could handle it. I desperately wanted something that would just let me catch my breath, calm down and relax for about 1/2 an hour or so and then she could break my water and we could have the baby, but I didn’t want to do it right then. Relaxing became next to impossible and I started being much more vocal. It was good thing I had so many people there to remind me to breathe, and relax whatever muscles were tense, and to give me massages. I think at this point Cristina put down her camera for a while and became additional labor support. Everyone was praying for me and reciting scripture. Although I was absolutely miserable, I felt very loved and supported.
I tried the bath again and that helped for a little while. Marianne then told me about something she could do that might help with the back labor, up until then whoever was closest just pushed as hard as they possibly could on my back whenever a contraction came. I forget what it was called, but she likened it to a TB test, and said she would inject little bubbles of water right under my skin at key points and it should detract the pain. I figured it was worth a try, so I climbed out of the bath and onto the bed. The contractions were pretty close together so she had to work fast. The first one she did made me scream, I hate needles and needles going into a very painful back hurt like crazy. I let her finish, but wasn’t sure why I was letting this lady do this to me! I screamed a lot more and had a hard time recovering after she was done, but eventually I just felt pain at the surface of my skin, and the deep back contractions weren’t quite as strong. I’m still wondering if it was worth. But I’m sure it works great for some, and was worth a try though. I then labored in bed for a while, then on the birth stool and then back to the toilet.
I’m not sure of the timing of anything or even the order. But I know I was sitting on the toilet when I kept feeling the urge to push. Marianne said I could do little pushes, but nothing too hard. I was able to do that but I remember one contraction I couldn’t resist and I actually saw my tummy contract and push, it was very strange. Then I felt the baby start to come. Marianne asked me where I wanted to have the baby, I don’t think I answered, I would’ve had the baby on the toilet if it was possible. I think they quickly figured that out and brought the birth stool to the bathroom and set it in front of me so I didn’t have to do much. For those of you who have been to our home and actually have seen our master bathroom, it’s not very big, but we made do. John was sitting on the toilet, supporting me from behind. Marianne was in the door way, ready to catch the baby, Mom and Cristina were filling in wherever they could, and I think Cheryl just stayed behind.
I screamed a lot, but my baby was coming soon. Then the unthinkable happened, my friend that I called to let her know I was in labor actually called me! I don’t know why we didn’t turn off the phone earlier, but we didn’t and the phone rang, and then she called again right after and left a message! I yelled at the phone calling this dear friend of mine a few names. I guess I needed someone to yell at. :) Then Marianne told me to push whenever I wanted and soon after, at 8:29 am, my baby shot out. Literally, shot out. I thought she hit the floor, but for some reason wasn’t worried about it. Marianne did catch her, but later told me that it was a tough catch and the closest she’s ever come to dropping a baby, she had to hold on tight. She had a cord wrapped around her shoulders that Marianne undid and then set the baby on my lap. It was a girl! She was blue, I was a bit worried, but as they wiped her off and cleaned her up a bit she pinked up quickly. John then cut the cord, I finished the 3rd stage (which was huge), and I was done…well almost. I had to get back on the bed for Marianne to stitch me up, but my baby was here, Princess Olive was on her way home and I had the rest of the day to sleep… in my own bed and hold my new baby girl!
Now that it’s been a while since the whole thing I would definitely do it at home again. If you asked me during the last 3 hours I would’ve told you we weren’t going to have any more children, nothing could make me do that again. But then my baby was in my arms and maybe I could handle it again, but not for a while, and I would question the drug free route. But now looking back on it all, I would do it at home, without drugs. She nursed immediately and I was alert and coherent (well mostly, I did call her by her sister’s name less than an hour after she was born). I was very sore for a few days afterward, but I gave birth to a 9 lb baby! Yes, 9 lbs! She was over a pound and a half bigger than her sister was when she was born. I’m now feeling much better, I’m able to be up and doing things, and I’m happy. The Lord is so good. I remember yelling “I can’t!” many times during those last hours, but He can, He did, He made our bodies to do this, and He brought me through.
Posted in Pregnancy Issues/Back | 4 comments
[ Posted by John
Thu, 22 Nov 2007 02:52:25 GMT ]
Da here, just wanted to let everyone know that there are pictures up of the new baby. If you need the password just ask and I will send it to you.
Posted in Family | no comments
[ Posted by Maggie
Sun, 18 Nov 2007 16:02:13 GMT ]
This is the abbreviated birth story, I will post a more detailed one later, for those interested.
As you know, I’ve had pre labor for quite some time. Then it started getting worse, I actually had strong contractions for a whole night! I was very excited, but when morning came they were gone. I was then getting discouraged and thinking I would be pregnant forever, I certainly wasn’t going to believe contractions to indicate labor. But then the following night my water broke! I was sooo excited, I knew I was going to have a baby within 24 hours! I tried to go to bed, but was too excited, so we watched some TV until the contractions got to where I needed to concentrate. We then called the midwife to come. Things were going quite well, until I thought it was time to push and it wasn’t. I broke down several times after that, but the Lord was good and helped me through,not too long after that I was holding our brand new, 9 lb, 20”, baby girl (we’ll be calling her Princess Peach here)! Almost everyone had guessed she would be a boy, and no one thought she would be so big!
It was great having her at home, even if I did question it more than a few times during the last couple hours. John was great support and it was great having Mom there too. On more than one occasion I had John whispering to me and stroking my hair, someone else putting counter pressure on my back and a third rubbing my feet! What a blessing having so much support.
Princess Olive is very excited about her baby sister, the night after she was born, Princess Olive was up every time she cried and just wanted to be in bed with us and look at her. When she came back home to meet her little sister, she brought Mommy roses and baby a little toy. It’ll be fun to see them get to know each other more.
Posted in Family, Pregnancy Issues/Back | 6 comments
[ Posted by Maggie
Sat, 10 Nov 2007 15:55:55 GMT ]
I got sleep last night, 6 hours without even needing to get up and go potty!!! I almost woke John up to tell him, but decided he should get some sleep too. :) When I told him after he woke up he asked if I wet my panties. LOL
Poor Princess Olive, John left the house to strap in the car seat and she thought he was going to get the baby. I told her the baby was still in Mommy’s tummy and we have to wait until it was ready for it to come out. I told her that we had to wait a long time for her to come out when she was in my tummy, and we might have to wait a while for this one. She almost started to cry. :( I’m so glad she’s excited about the baby coming though!
Posted in The Princesses, Pregnancy Issues/Back | no comments
[ Posted by Maggie
Fri, 09 Nov 2007 08:30:17 GMT ]
So I’ve been having contractions off and on for over a week. The first time I had them for about an hour I got very excited, I thought it was it. Well I’ve learned not to get so excited, apparently these are just “kick start contractions,” as my midwife calls them and they can last for a weeks before someone actually has their baby. At my appointment last Tuesday she did an exam and I’m only 50% effaced and fingertip dilated, I’m hoping I’m a little more by now. A good thing about it apparently taking a while is that my mom will most likely make it. She’s planning on driving down on Saturday and will stay for at least a week and if the baby isn’t here by then, then she’ll stay for longer. This pre-labor business is all new to me, since I didn’t have any contractions with Hannah until they induced me, I guess it’s a good sign, my body is doing something right this time around. I just didn’t know you could have pre-labor for so long.
On top of the pre-labor I’m also suffering from insomnia, hence the post past midnight. I’m exhausted, but can’t sleep. Last night I was up every hour to go potty and then up from 3-5 am for no apparent reason. On top of my sleepless nights, Hannah is outgrowing her naps, so my days don’t get much rest time either. Although she does play well in the living room while I just rest on the couch, usually reading a childbirth book. I’ve already finished “The Birth Book” by Dr. Sears and I’m working on “Childbirth Without Fear.” Both are good. I only have one more day and then Mom will be here, so at least I won’t feel bad for being a zombie mommy, Hannah will have someone to care for her properly. I think I may actually get more sleep once the baby comes. I remember the round the clock feedings, but they were about every 3 hours and I could even nurse in my sleep, the baby at least won’t be laying on my bladder making it so I need to go potty every hour.
Ok I’m done complaining. I’m really very thankful that my body is working, and that I will soon be holding a little baby in my arms. Besides, the house still isn’t quite how I would like it before the birth, so if Mom can make it and we can do all of that before the baby comes, maybe my birth experience will benefit from that. :) Have a great day everyone, if you’ve read this far you may be suffering from insomnia as well.
Posted in Pregnancy Issues/Back | 1 comment
[ Posted by Maggie
Fri, 02 Nov 2007 14:38:17 GMT ]
Our computer monitor is quiting on us, so I’m using John’s lap top before he goes to work, I didn’t have many e-mails today so I thought a blog post would be a good idea.
It is less than 2 weeks before baby is due! I’ve been having regular contractions for an hour or so the past couple of days. These seem different than Braxton Hicks, but not very strong either. Occasionally I’ll get one that I consciously have to relax, but the majority of the time I can just go on doing what I’m doing. My midwife says I could have these “kick start contractions” for weeks before the baby actually comes. Regardless, I didn’t have any contractions with Hannah before they induced so I’m getting anxious.
I feel like I need to clean the whole house and last night I stayed up past midnight reading a childbirth book, “Christ Centered Childbirth”. I read the whole thing in one sitting, because I felt like I had to finish it right then! If anyone wants to borrow it they’re welcome to. It had some good things, and then some things that I just skipped over. One of the things it did talk about was fear and how fear creates pain. It also talked about how we don’t have to rely on our own strength to combat this fear or the pain, we can rely on our precious Jesus. It helped me be less anxious about getting ready too. The book reminded me that God is in control of when this baby comes and He knows my current energy levels and ability to get ready. We do have most of the supplies ready to go, so if things are a little cluttered when baby arrives then it will be born into an environment that it will see frequently in this home. :) I’m still going to purpose to be more diligent in keeping things tidy. I seem to be feeling a bit better these days, so I should be able to do more, even if it is slowly.
Well I better go, I have a baby to get ready for! :) Thanks for reading my random thoughts. :)
Posted in Pregnancy Issues/Back | 3 comments
[ Posted by Maggie
Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:56:11 GMT ]
Last week really made me get to thinking. There are so many things we learned last week, that I do not want to forget. Some were directly related to the fires, others just from being around a wonderfully godly family for about a week. So I thought I might make a list and share it with you. I’ll probably be working on it in pieces as it’s still hard to sit at the computer for too long, so forgive me if it appears a bit disjointed.
1. The Lord is merciful. Even during this, when people may be tempted to blame God, He was merciful, and His purpose was fulfilled, even if we don’t know what it is. Our pastor talked about this on Sunday. Lord willing, the sermon will be up on the web page soon. Check it out at http://www.grcbible.org/.
2. An evacuation list would be a good thing. We packed in less than an hour, and others had even less time than that. We remembered almost everything, but forgot some things that I would’ve been very sad if I lost.
3. Routine is good. The family we stayed with had morning and evening routines down pat. Complete with meals on time, Bible read morning and night, and singing during family worship at night. John and I are now working on our own family routine, at least for morning and evening. I’m not being too ambitious, but Hannah did great with the routine,and it may help all of us adjust to a new addition.
4. The peace of God really does surpass all understanding. Through all of this we were able to remain calm, trusting that He is in control. I can honestly say I was ready to start completely over with material possessions if the fire were to have made it to our home, even with the things I forgot. I would’ve been sad for a time and it would’ve been hard, but I was ready for it. The things in my home don’t seem quite so valuable anymore, they can be gone in an instant.
5. The Lord is merciful. I know I already said that. But God has saved me from so much more than the Witch Creek Fire that threatened our home. He has saved me from the eternal fire, He graciously chose to reveal Himself to me and the purpose of His Son. He gave me the wonderful gift of eternal life by allowing me to trust in Jesus’ blood to cover all my sins, I do not have to rely on my own good works to save my soul from Hell. And when I trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for the payment of my sins He gave me the Holy Spirit to help me in this life. The Holy Spirit kept me calm in the midst of chaos and it is through the Holy Spirit that I am able to do any good works. WOW, when I dwell on this it amazes me and makes me so thankful for so merciful a Savior.
6. Our lives need to glorify God in all things. We saw this lived out in our host family. Scripture poured out of their mouths through out the day, mom had a gentle and quiet spirit that her children responded to, dad was the spiritual leader and lead the family in devotions and prayer, mom kept the home joyfully and was pleased to provide meals for a very full table. I know this family would say they are far from perfect, and I know they are because they are on this side of heaven, but what a joy it was to be around them and see how they live their daily lives and what a privilege it was to be a part of that.
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[ Posted by Maggie
Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:33:26 GMT ]
I haven’t blogged for quite some time as it is uncomfortable for me to sit at the computer. However, I know many of you are praying and concerned about myself and my family at this time.
Monday morning we had to evacuate our home due to fires heading towards it. We praise the Lord that a neighbor called us well before the evacuation call so we could pack some things and get out in plenty of time. We went to stay with a friend that did not appear to be in danger, but then that night they were on alert of possible evacuation. They did not need to evacuate, but we decided to move further south-west, just in case. We arrived at our next friends’ home late Monday night and was able to get some sleep. At this point we were almost certain our home was gone or at least damaged.
Over the next few days we found out that our complex just missed the edge of the fire, but our neighborhood wasn’t so fortunate. While we waited to return home we were able to have a time of sweet fellowship with the family we were staying with. Hannah was able to play with the kids, we even went to the beach one day and the air was clean enough to play in the water some.
Yesterday we were able to return home. We left Hannah with the family, because we didn’t know what to expect. What we found was a very wind blown complex, but no major damage. When we went inside I had a mask ready, prepared for smoke at the least. The air was clean! Well besides the smell of dirty dishes that sat out for a few too many days, and a fridge that didn’t get cleaned out. We didn’t even lose our power during the whole thing, our central fan was still running and all the clocks had the right time.
I am so thankful for the Lord in all of this. Even when we didn’t think we had a home to go home to, we had peace that the Lord was in control and that His will would be done. I am thankful for His mercy to have spared our home from damage. So far no one we know has lost their home. This completely amazes me as the count is close to 1600 homes lost in San Diego county. Please pray for these people and those that have yet to be able to return to their homes.
Baby’s doing fine, we stayed close to our midwife through all of this, just to be safe. We are expecting the arrival of baby Gedeon in the next few weeks. The baby has dropped a little bit so I’m able to breathe a bit better. It’s been rough physically the past month or two, but everyone’s healthy. Well I need to tend to Hannah now and get going on cleaning up the kitchen! :)
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