Some thoughts about Father’s Day & an Interview with my Love On Fatherhood

The Pahls Family

Recently, BabyMori reached out to my super hunk of a husband, Chris, and asked him the question, “What does Fatherhood mean to you?”  I was excited to read what he wrote because I am constantly amazed at what an incredible Father he is.  We talked in our dating days about wanting two daughters, and now that we’re about to have four daughters, I would have 100 more babies with this man!  On that note, want to have at least 5 more, husband? Just saying… think about it:D

OJ4A2780

Father’s Day is one of those days that is bittersweet to me.  This will be the 8th Father’s Day that I mourn the loss of my Father and sister.  While I miss my dad tremendously, I can only imagine how much joy it would bring him to see the way my husband loves me and the way he fathers our daughters.  I know this is what he prayed for me when he first held me.  I imagine him rocking me to sleep and praying for me to have a husband who would love me and our children the way he loved my mother and me. I know that when he dreamt of having grandchildren, he dreamt of them being fathered by a man like Chris.  While I mourn the fact that my dad didn’t get to walk me down the aisle and give me away to Chris and mourn that he did not live to meet his grandchildren (he is about to have 9 now!) or embrace us as we welcomed our daughters and became parents, I know that the things he prayed over me were answered, and in more ways than I think he ever imagined.

IMG_7088.jpg

I miss my dad so much, especially on this day… But the joy that I feel when I see the smiles on the girls’ faces when they model a new dress for their father, or the way the girls soak up the way Chris teaches them how to play a new game or the way they hide and jump out to surprise him when Chris gets home for work… That joy and thankfulness trumps the pain that comes with not seeing my father today.  Chris preached at Church today, so he got there before we did.  When we walked into the sanctuary, the first thing they did was look around for their dad and then took off running for him as soon as they found him in the crowd.  That love they have for one another, that excitement they have as they run to their father and then watching the way he picks them up and embraces them, feeling that same excitement… It’s just so rich!

0-3

So, with that, here is an interview with Chris on what Fatherhood means to him.  Happy Father’s Day to all of you Father’s out there, and for all of you may be mourning any kind of loss of a Father, a spouse or a child, I pray you feel more joy than pain today and that you are overwhelmed with love and peace each and every day you mourn those losses.

2016-04-25 19.30.09

An Interview with BabyMori- What does Fatherhood mean to you?

“Fatherhood is, to me, a gift, a responsibility and a blessing all rolled into one. I get to experience what it is like to have my hands involved in molding and shaping a life, but am also being molded and shaped by my daughters. My eyes are constantly opened to new things around me, in my daughters and in myself.  Fatherhood has shown and is showing me just how compassionate I can be, but at the same time, has shown me and shows me just how truly selfish I am and can be all at the same time. Fatherhood is one of the most fun things I have ever done while also exhausting and frustrating. I think Fatherhood is amazing, but also a weighty responsibility that I want to continue to grow in and handle correctly.  My understanding of what it means to be created in the image and likeness of my Creator has been broadened beyond what I ever thought it would be.

0-47

On a related note, as a father to daughters, I will say that fatherhood has made me keenly aware of the way we, often unintentionally, belittle our female population. As we enter into the last stretch of pregnancy with our 4thdaughter, I am met with many comments about my lack of sons that are increasingly frustrating to me.  Many times the conversation goes this way:

Person – “Wow, your 4th child.  Do you know if it’s a boy or girl yet?”

Me – “It’s my 4th girl”

Person – “Wow, I’m sorry” or “You must have more patience than me” or “Still don’t have that boy yet?” or “Will try until you get a boy?”

IMG_7078Now, I understand where the line of questioning comes from, but this is often in front of or within earshot of my daughters.  I would love to take this opportunity to say that I absolutely love raising these little girls and in no way feel as though I was left out of something simply because I do not have a son, or that in some crazy way, these girls are of less value to me than having a son. I thank God for these 4 precious girls that I have been entrusted with and cherish the fact that I’m able to be part of their lives, and they a part of mine.  Sure, the novelty of raising a little boy is alluring and I enjoy entertaining the thought of having a little mini-me running around.  That novelty, however, pales in comparison to the blessing of this house that is filled with estrogen.  I want to see the gifts set before me and be diligent to raise strong, productive, useful, and joy filled women. I am planning a small bunker for myself for the future, though, and will be practicing my most intimidating facial expressions and death threats for the boys that will be knocking on my door.” -Chris Pahls.

0-42

To read more inspiring stories about Fatherhood, head over BabyMori and read more in their Journal Series.

Photos By Robyn Bunch, Courtney Unruh & Stephanie Pollock

 

International Family Day: An Interview With BabyMori – Inspiring Lives 14: The Importance of Family, Kindness and Accepting Loss


  • How did you and your husband, Chris, first meet? 

Chris and I will never stop laughing about how we met!  I’ll try and set up the scene. It’s 2004, we’re college freshman, I’m maybe hung over (because #college and I was into poor choices at this stage in my life:D) and I was dressed in what we will call ‘not my best look’. We were in our University Cafeteria, and I’m standing in front of a TV & and literally shoveling ranch dressing smothered cottage cheese into my mouth using a chicken strip as my utensil of choice when my friend came over and introduced Chris and I 😀 I knew him after that as Hot Art Student Chris and he knew me as That Weird Chicken Strip Girl 😀 We didn’t begin dating until two years later, and have been inseparable since, but to this day Chris will joke, “I can’t believe I married the chicken strip girl”. So, maybe not a love at first sight story but it makes for a good story and we will never stop laughing about it. Oh, and I’ve been working on my table manners and Hot Art Chris has only continued to get hotter and hotter:D

  • Life isn’t always kind to everyone. How do you both approach life with such positivity and love?

Chris and I both understand that you can’t take life too seriously.  We have learned to really value the good moments, as we understand it is these moments that will help get us through the more difficult times.  We both value kindness and try to remember that the person honking their horn at us maybe just found out they have cancer, or the mean lady in line at the coffee shop is maybe grieving the loss of her best friend.  We understand that people are hurting all around us and believe we are called to be kind and loving to all people at all times. We both share the belief that everybody has a story to tell, everyone’s story is very valuable and sometimes these stories really just need to be shared and listened to. 2016-04-20 09.17.39.jpg

  • You’ve both lost family in the past, something that can be so difficult to cope with. How has family helped you to find the light at the end of the tunnel?

Chris and I were dating when my father and 17-year-old sister were killed in a tragic car accident.  I kind of lost myself for a while.  I hurt in a way I didn’t know was possible and I was hurting even more deeply for my family, watching them grieve.  I know watching my family and I hurt the way we did was difficult for Chris. I remember Chris not really giving me advice when I was really hurting, but just trying to be there and listen to me when I needed it. He still tries to do this. Please do this for your friends experiencing loss. Just be there for them. Just listen to them. Just cry with them…

Chris lost both his grandparents in the same week and my water actually broke with our first daughter the morning of their funeral so we were unable to attend.  As strange as this sounds, we gained such interesting perspective through this.  Although we will all experience extreme sorrow on this earth, there is still immeasurable joy that happens alongside this sorrow as well. However, sometimes you have to choose which thing you’re going to give more attention to, the sorrow or the joy.

All of us will experience loss and difficulty but we also all get to choose how we respond and react to these difficult times and painful emotions.  After the loss of my dad and sister, I reacted in many ways. Some reactions were good, some were damaging, but in the end, with Chris’ love and support, I went back to school and became a therapist so I could walk alongside people who were going through their most difficult times and be a part of their healing process.  We have learned, though, that you don’t need any kind of special degree to walk alongside people and help; we can all do this every day.

We can take the time to visit with the person checking us out at our your local grocers, we can be kind and buy someone’s coffee behind us in line at the local coffee shop or simply compliment and encourage that sleep deprived mother trying to convince her toddlers why they don’t need that candy that they’re letting the world know they need… You’ll be amazed at the connections and relationships that will form around you if you take the time to do these simple things daily.  Listening to people’s stories and sharing ours can have so much power and impact on the world around us. Chris and I believe we were made for connection and community and these are ways we have learned to join together as a family and connect with others around us no matter what season of life we may be in.

  • Moments are so rare because they come and go so quickly. For you, what family moments will you always hold close?

When it pertains to loss, I will never forget the moment I held my father’s hands or touched my sister’s beautiful face and said goodbye to them for the last time as they laid in their caskets. I can’t help but cry and breathing sometimes becomes difficult when I think of this moment, knowing I wouldn’t see them or touch them in this life again.

However, when I think of this moment, I also begin to think of the many unforgettable memories that made saying goodbye to them so difficult.  I remember the first time I held Bethany in the hospital when she was born and being so excited to have another little sister.  She was such a spunky, compassionate and genuinely unforgettable person. I remember my dad sharing with me, shortly before he passed, the regrets he had as a father and asking me for his forgiveness while expressing his deep love for me as his first-born daughter. My mind is flooded with memories of family game nights, road trips across the country and so many of my dad’s corny jokes that I will forever be grateful for!

I have learned so much from my family and so much more in having to say goodbye to them. Their loss made me realize I will say goodbye to other loved ones before I’m ready to, so I am trying to be more aware of this and hold tightly to the happy moments, especially as a wife and mother.

When it pertains to my family, there are so many memories that will stay with me.  The moment Chris asked me to be his wife, the moment we promised to love one another even through the hardest of times, the moment we became parents and every moment we met each one of our daughters for the first time. Every time we welcome a baby, I look at him and feel the deepest emotion that I don’t even know how to describe.  It’s like, WE did this! You did this! I did this! This is our baby, this is our family.  I think about this feeling and treasure it deeply.

IMG_6767.jpgThere are so many moments, which might be considered mundane, that have become so precious and almost sacred to me because I have learned that forever is a lot shorter than it sounds. Making pancakes in the morning, singing songs in the bathtub, the girls crawling into our bed after they’ve peed in theirs:D  I know these moments are fleeting and I want to hold onto them as long as I can!

  • What does family mean to you and how do you enjoy the little moments?

To me, family is a gift.  I don’t necessarily deserve my family or this life of ours, and yet they have been given to me and I to them… And for that, I am so thankful. There are some days I almost can’t believe how blessed I am! Before we had children, I was such an extrovert.  Now, I’m happiest at home hanging out with our family! I love and look forward to the days where our calendars are empty and all we have to do is to hang out with one another! Movie nights, dance parties, baking and making meals together, playing outside, watching the girls play together… Even cleaning the house is so much more fun as a family! I know my family is a gift and I am so thankful and continue to grow more and more thankful!  I think the best way to embrace family is to understand that it truly is a gift and to try my best to act in a manner that reflects this gratitude.

  • Finally, what does motherhood mean to you?

Motherhood.  So much can be found wrapped up into the word Motherhood. Motherhood is one of the greatest gifts I have ever been given.  Motherhood is a huge responsibility, a new identity, a constant dance of evolving and adjusting. Motherhood brought with it new insecurities, new challenges, new opinions, new fears, new convictions, new emotions, new abilities, new passions, new hopes and aspirations, new relationships, new priorities… To me, there was almost my life before motherhood and my life after motherhood.  Motherhood is not the only thing that defines me, but it is a confounding element that has completely redefined me.

 

 0-73.JPG
Read more inspiring stories @ https://babymori.com/blogs/journal . Thank you for letting me share my heart @BabyMori!
 Photos by StephPollock & RobynBunch

 

 

More than just a Chalkboard

I get a lot of questions regarding our chalkboard. People are often curious where we purchased it, and I never tire of telling people we made it and letting them know they can easily make one for their homes as well! With the beginning of the school year being here, I thought it would be a good idea to refresh our little tutorial on our DIY chalkboard.

FullSizeRender (5)

When we bought this home, we were in our early days of home education and figuring out if we were really going to go for it or not. Full disclosure, I didn’t know I was going to be a home educating mother until I was one. We decided our dining room made the most sense to be a school room, but it was missing something… A huge chalkboard! 

This 1930’s beauty of a home has a lot of charm, but also plaster and lath walls. And I don’t know if you are familiar with these types of walls, but they aren’t the best to nail into. And when I started to look for chalkboards in antique stores, they weren’t really in our budget. So, Chris has the genius idea to make one that wouldn’t destroy our walls, was in our budget, and has held up wonderfully for a decade!  All we needed was some chalkboard paint and pine 1×2’s!  

FullSizeRender (3)

We got both from our local hardware store for less than $20!!! Chris measured and taped off the wall and rolled on about 3 coats of the chalkboard paint. The prices have gone up a bit since then, but these are the paints we used. Black Chalkboard Paint & Green. We had an idea of how big we wanted it so we knew what length of 1×2’s to get before we purchased them.  Then he just cut the sides to fit. Once the paint dried, he simply nailed the 1×2’s to the wall!  We’ve had friends stain their wood dark, use pallet wood or larger planks, use green chalkboard paint, paint the entire wall without framing it, make smaller chalkboards, etc.  

This proved to be a simple and affordable project that can easily be altered to fit your space and personal aesthetic. I’ve actually painted her green for several years and then went back to black, and maybe I will go back to green again some day. 

We have used this chalkboard as a centerpiece for our home education lessons, every birthday since we moved into the home in 2015, our home births, special anniversaries, baby announcements, going away and welcome home parties for friends, holidays, and even to celebrate an intimate backyard wedding we hosted for friends…Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

I feel like I can’t call this ‘just a chalkboard’  because it has been incorporated into creating so many special memories and holds so many dear moments for us in our home. When I imagine leaving this home, I get most emotional about saying goodbye to this space.

So many meals, special events, laughter, and valuable conversations shared with friends, so many teachable moments we shared with our children, things we learned ourselves as parents, even our oldest’s first portrait of me and our family was a chalkboard piece!

She nailed my, “I haven’t had any coffee yet” face 😀
Chris’ beard: Nailed it!

I hope this was helpful and that you’re inspired to create a special chalkboard in your home to be used for all kinds of memory-making moments and events!

Tidy up with some help from The Laundress

TL3

Has the weather been crazy for nice for you too?!  If so, you probably are feeling exactly what I’m feeling! That itch to clean up, declutter, minimize and refresh for the Spring season!  Fall has almost always been my favorite season, but I think Spring might be my new favorite!  Ok, maybe Fall is still my favorite.. But, there truly is just something SO refreshing about Spring. The breeze the curtains flowing in the breeze coming through the open windows, the sweet floral aromas, the girls playing outside, and the sounds of birds chirping! I am just really excited for Spring this year!

TL1

TL4

So, with Spring almost here, and the Spring cleaning/Nesting season around the corner, I’ve teamed up with one of my favorite companies to share with you some of our favorite products we will be using to dust those bunnies into shape!  If you don’t already use The Laundress‘ products, they’re lovely!

TL7

I never thought I would get so excited about cleaning and laundering.  For those of you who know me well, you probably didn’t know I had this in me either.  I can imagine my husband reading this and thinking, “So… You’re going to do the laundry today then, or at least fold the three clean loads unfolded in a gigantic pile on the basement floor, right?! Sorry Husband.  I love you boo!

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

They had me at non toxic and eco-friendly but their packaging is so very pretty, everything smells amazing AND these products really work!  AND did you know that 90% of “Dry Clean Only” products are actually washable at home?! The Laundress will teach you ALL the things!

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

I have used their Signature Laundry Detergent before and I think I have a goal to try out every Laundry product they offer. They have a ‘Just For Baby’ line and they’ve even teamed up with John Mayer to create an eco-conscious partnership where 50% of proceeds from sales go to the Montana Association of Land Trusts.

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

They have everything you need to clean every room, wash any item, they sell beautiful storage pieces, some of the prettiest brushes and brooms I’ve ever seen AND The Laundress will teach you all the cleaning and laundering tricks!  Check out their blog  here to learn even more!

Processed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 presetProcessed with VSCO with a6 preset3E673FA4-B4C6-407B-BBB1-6974582FCE79Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

No joke, these girls love cleaning everything but their room! They would scrub the floor, mop, sweep, dust, make my bed, load and unload the dishwasher, even take out the trash and you would only hear giggles! But if you ask them to pick up their room! You would think I’ve just asked them to walk on nails:D So funny!!!

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Weird confession time! I’ve never scrubbed my bathroom floor.  Please don’t judge me. We have fairly new tiles but I’m strangely excited to scrub the bathroom floor!??  This Laundress brush is perfect for our mosaic tiles and as strange as it sounds, the little ladies are getting some cleaning toothbrushes and we’re going to play Cinderella and clean these floors like they’ve never been cleaned before.IMG_0657

IMG_0602

Also, I feel the need to reiterate that having them scrub the floors with me is not some weird form of corporal  punishment!  They seriously love cleaning, as long as the room is detached from their bedroom:D

IMG_0601

l9

As a mother of 4 curious little ladies with a growing wardrobe of ‘delicate wash only’ apparel, I have had to learn a lot about home laundering delicates lately!  This wash & stain bar and I have been getting well acquainted and it’s lovely! I’ve used it on this very loved top, a few of Ada’s knitted bonnets and have a few dresses that have a date with this bar & brush this evening!  It works wonderfully and smells SO good! As we have added more babies, more stains and less time, their stain bar has become what feels like a necessity for me! I’ve never used a stain treatment that works as well as the stain bar!

l10.jpg

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

My husband actually likes their stuff so much that I am gifting him their Men’s Garment Care set along with some of their LeLabo detergents for Father’s Day this year!

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

So, there you have it! If you are looking for some new products that are non-toxic, eco-friendly, work great, smell amazing and, most importantly, look good in photos☺️☺️☺️ try The Laundress’ products and tell them Amanda said you would like their stuff:D

Q is for Quiche

Processed with VSCO with a6 presetFor those of you who follow us regularly, you know that the little ladies and I like to make and bake something new for each letter we’re learning in home school that week. This past week was Q and as it turns out, there aren’t a lot of foods that start with Q.  Quail, quail eggs, Quesedilla, Quince and Quiche were all I could think of. Probably there’s more, but this was my list.  We decided a quiche would be good, and while I love a sweet onion or delicious dill quiche, momma was craving something real sweet.  So, I googled dessert quiche and the first thing I saw did the trick!  We adapted this French Vanilla Quiche recipe from seriouseats.com and I’m SO glad we did!  Think, sweet vanilla custardy deliciousness baked into a good ol’ flaky pie crust just like grandma’s! Nomnomnomnomnom!

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Here’s what you need to make this little quiche baby!

  • 1 Pie crust. You can make your own or do what we did & get a refrigerated or frozen pie crust.  There will be enough custard for one deep dish crust or for two regular sized crusts.
  • 4 whole eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 cups half and half
  • 1 vanilla bean – I learned a little bit about vanilla bean shopping! I looked at 4 places and found that the Private Selection brand at our Dillons grocery store made the least expensive. 2 beans for $10.  I found 1 bean for $9 and the average price seemed to be 2beans for $16. But trust me, it’s worth it!  I’m sure you could use pure vanilla extract if you are unable to hunt down some vanilla beans, but scraping the vanilla from the beans makes you feel cool, and you can decorate the pie with the beans, so there’s that to think about too:D

And here’s what you need do with those ingredients to get this quiche baby ready to put in your mouth! P.S….Don’t eat babies. Eat quiche. We’re making quiche.

  1. Place your oven rack in the middle position and preheat your oven to 375°F. Place your pie crust into your 9-inch pie plate, tucking back edges of crust or making it real fancy nice!

  2. In a big ol’ bowl, whisk together eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until the color lightens up and is real nice and frothy, around 2 minutes. Whisk in flour, then your half and half, scrape all that vanilla goodness out of the vanilla bean and mix everything up real good. Prepare for your kitchen to smell amazing!

  3. Pour your delicious vanilla goodness into your crust. Place pie plate on rimmed baking sheet and bake until egg mixture is puffed and a light gold.  Cook for about about 55 minutes to 1 hour for the deep dish and about 30 minutes for two of the shallower pie crusts . Remove from oven, leave the room, tell your self no for 15 minutes (plenty of time to change into stretchy pants and get some coffee) and then come back, take a pretty picture, top with anything you might like (we did fresh sliced strawberries) and slice it up and eat that quiche!! It is so good warm or refrigerated a few hours later..and then a few more hours after that, a few more after that and even a little after that too!Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

    Enjoy friends!!!

Washable Rugs + Hopeful Missions

A couple months ago the girls were playing on our rug and I asked my husband, “How do you wash a rug? Wait, why has no one made a washable rug?!” We had one 5×7 rug and an entire house of hardwood floors, yet somehow the girls really only seemed to spill stuff on this rug!  Ok, the Mr. and I have spilled many a cup of coffee as well.. But! The idea of a washable rug seemed so genius to me!  I ended up googling washable rugs and found Lorena Canals! I had actually seen some of their lovely rugs on instagram, but wasn’t aware of their quality, their social mission or that they were WASHABLE!!! With a 4 year old, a 3 year old, an almost 1 year old, and a mom & dad prone to spilling many a beverage, this was like, YAAAAASSSS!

Processed with VSCO with a6 presetRugs that make sense

Lorena Canals rugs undergo an extensive handmade elaboration process based on the selection of the best raw materials, the use of natural dyes, the control of non-child labor in the production process and the compliance of quality and safety regulations for children when creating their products! Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Lorena Canals provides schooling for children in northern India

When someone purchases one of their rugs, they’re not only getting an awesome washable rug, but they’re also helping a child attend school!  Lorena Canals believes that education is the key to mobility and is vital in breaking the poverty cycle. Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Lorena Canals Sakûla project

In 2008 Lorena Canals built a Nursery in Haryana, the North of India, in order to help children who are in the streets without protection and security, create a safe place for them to be, and to provide one meal a day and the education they need. Right now, they are serving  104 children in their nursery and are hopeful to increase this number more and more every year!Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Processed with VSCO with a6 presetBaba Jodh Sachiyar public school

Lorena Canals has started collaborating with the Baba Jodh Sachiyar Public School, giving some of their benefits from product sales to finance the education of their students. Thanks to this, more than 10 children are schooled every year!

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset
I want one of these rugs in every room:D Now we can spill a cup of coffee, let the girls enjoy a snack on the rug and not feel stressed about spilling and ruining our rug!  They’re beautiful, comfortable, very convenient and purchasing one supports some wonderful missions!

Essential Oil Playdough Fun

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

In our home, we make a lot of playdough  In fact, we’ve never actually purchased playdough. Making playdough is super fun, super easy, super inexpensive, the girls love to help make it and there are endless possibilities of how you can incorporate learning into playdough play.

E9144A9B-833F-4A32-AED2-B0B1666B82EF.jpeg Without going into too much detail, essential oils & playdough can be used for some pretty amazing stuff!  While I’m mostly sharing this for the recipe, here are a few benefits!

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

We use playdough for both directive and non-directive play, to encourage imagination and creativity, build hand strength, master fine motor skills, strengthen bilateral coordination, to learn skills like counting and measuring, encouraging conversation and even for therapeutic properties like relaxing, reducing stress, anxiety, calming, grounding and reducing anger with the use of essential oils.

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

When you add essential oils that are used to stimulate, calm or balance to playdough, you’re creating a whole new play experience that has the ability to strengthen the mind, calm tempers and even strengthen the immune system.

Processed with VSCO with a6 presetWhen you get a chance, research how neural pathways work! It’s amazing how sensory tools like playdough and essential oils can work together to wire and rewire areas in our brain! Just amazing.

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

So, the way we incorporate playdough into our learning and our learning into our playdough is by by making and using it on rainy Mondays like today making or making it fit our theme for the week. We try and learn and master a new letter each week. We do crafts, read books, play games and make foods that correspond with the letter we’re learning that week.  Some of the ways we’ve done this in the past is Lavender scented, Lavender colored playdough for the week of L while listening to the song Lavender’s Blue on repeat for 2 hours:D

FullSizeRender (9)You can talk about how the playdough feels, how it smells, how it makes them feel, what they like and even what they don’t like about it. You can incorporate fun playdough tools, thrifted baking and kitchen items, pieces of nature collected outside and many household items to create lots of different ways to experience learning with playdough.

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

We’ve done this with lots of letters, colors, music and essential oil blends! We then practice making the letter we’re learning and mold the various items they can think of that start with that letter. I’m always amazed at some of the stuff they come up with… Each essential oil has different impacts on the mood. If we’re needing a little energy, citrus will help. If we need to calm down than lavender helps!

Get creative and have fun! When our letter was P, we made our own Peace essential oil blend, colored the playdough a bit pink, peach & purple (their idea) and the girls made pretend pregnant molds by pressing the dough into teaspoons (also their idea!):D.  They’re kind of still obsessed with all things pregnancy and birth🙌 They almost always make outfits for their barbies, creative foods and animals and they’ve even crafted playdough into jewelry.

Processed with VSCO with a6 preset

Plus, they’ll play for plenty long enough for you to snap some photos and edit them while enjoying a nice honey latte:D

d10.jpg

We’ve experimented with a few recipes and here is our favorite!

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 cups colored water

1 cup salt

1-2  tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

5-15 drops of essential oils of choice

Directions:

  1. You’re going to add all your ingredients, minus the essential oils, in a large saucepan and mix real good until combined.
  2. Once it’s mixed real good, place pan over medium heat. Use a spatula to stir until all your dough turns into a pretty ball. Sometimes we add a little more coloring in this stage until we get the color we want.
  3. As soon as you’re ball is formed, remove from heat and cool on parchment paper. NOTE: Don’t overcook as your playdough will get all dry and gross:( If it seems a little dry, rub your pretty playdough ball down with more olive oil. I usually add another tablespoon just so it’s good and moist. (Worst word ever, but I didn’t know what other word to use.)
  4. Once your playdough has cooled down, add your essential oils and knead until combined and as smelly good as you want.  Depending on the oils I use, sometimes 5 drops is enough and sometime I need 20.  Just play around with your oil blends until you get it how you want.
  5. Voila! Beautiful essential oil playdough! Store in an airtight container for lots of playdough fun! We store our playdough in thrifted air tight glass containers and keep our dough and utensils stored in pretty picnic baskets within their reach so they can take it out to play during free time, which is basically all day:D

Welcoming Ada Lynn

I feel like the only time I blog is when I have a baby, so most probably this will be my last one until next year:D Just kidding…but probably not☺️

Ok, so it’s taken me almost a year to finish writing this but here she is… Ada Lynn’s Birth Story!  Ada’s birth story is fun.  I kind of don’t even know where to begin.  I’ll start with the week before we met her.

Sunday morning, January 31, I woke up and felt that weird feeling we sometimes get when it’s close to meeting our babies.  I was nauseous and dizzy and couldn’t stop cleaning… I was nesting to the max! I called my midwife and she decided to come check on me.  Everything looked great, I was in good shape and I asked her to go ahead and check me just to see if I was dilated at all.  To our surprise, I was a 6.  I wasn’t having any contractions that I could feel so she just told me to let her know if I felt like I progressed further at all. OJ4A1832.jpgThursday, February 4th I felt great! Just very pregnant and very ready to meet our little lady.  We had an appt with our midwife and the whole drive there I just rubbed my belly and kept thinking about being a family of 5 and how excited Norah and Charlie were to meet their little sister!  Norah kept telling me she was going to catch Ada and pull her out during labor, and she was just so excited!!  At our visit, our midwife decided to check me since I tend to dilate pretty good before birth and I will never forget the look in her eyes:D She looked at me with these huge eyes and was like, “Amanda! Amanda! How are you not feeling these contractions?! You’re having one right now!” She then looked at her apprentice, looked back at me and was like, “Um, you’re dilated to a 9!”  What the what?! I was dilated to a 9, baby was at  a +1 station and I wasn’t feeling my contractions?!  SO weird.  Our midwife lives an hour from us and I remebber her laughing and was like, let’s head to your place and have a baby☺️

OJ4A1908.jpg

On the way back home, I started feeling my contractions but they weren’t painful at all. They just felt like I was flexing my abs. Our midwife told me to get home, eat some cucumbers to keep my blood pressure low and to take a bath to help slow down my contractions. I got in the bath and laid on my side so I could rest and prepare to meet our daughter.  There I was with my giant belly, my cucumbers, and a nice hot bath☺️ I maybe ate some chicken strips too😂 Very romantic 🥰

When our midwife arrived, I was fully dilated!!! Like a 10!!! Like, a full 10, 10! What?! How?! I thought I would at least feel some pain by this point?! I was not even feeling slight discomfort! Since I was fully dilated, we were sure we would be meeting Ada any moment.  Long story, short… We did not. We would fill the tub, drain the tub, repeat…I am pretty sure we tried every midwife trick there is as well.

We tried everything we could, even my favorite which was playing an intense game of tag with Norah and Charlie around the house. If you’ve never played tag with your children while dilated to a 10, I recommend it but also say proceed with caution.  Nothing we tried seemed to get my contractions strong enough. Like, I’m running around my house, in a robe, dilated to a 10, playing tag with the girls, but labor just wasn’t happening.  Most labor inducing techniques involve ripening the cervix but I was fully dilated so it was like…what the heck is happening?!  We decided the next step would be breaking my water… Welp, guess what?  This didn’t work either!… Like, that bag was so thick we couldn’t pop it. My midwife encouraged me to eat lots of oranges with as much pericarp during my pregnancy as I could to strengthen everything. We joked that I shouldn’t have eaten that many since apparently it worked.OJ4A1961.jpgOJ4A1974.jpg

After a day full of trying to induce labor, laughter, good conversation, delicious lattes made by Chris, surprise pizza’s sent from a sweet friend in Colorado (Thanks Lacee!) we decided to call it a night.  I remember Rebecca asking me what I felt like I wanted to do and just started crying because I was so tired and so confused…Chris held me…Reminded me of how strong I was and that I had this…Rebecca held me and whispered encouraging words to me and then everyone came over, laid hands on me and prayed.  It was amazing.  I felt such peace and security and the presence of the Lord in such a special way🧡

Rebecca, her team, our photographer, and one of my dearest friends all set up camp in the living room and said they weren’t leaving until Ada arrived.  A slumber party it was! Having that many people choose to stay with me and support me was such an incredible feeling.  I felt so loved!

OJ4A2497.jpg

One of my favorite things about our home birth experiences has been \ the wonderful atmosphere and comfort that I feel being in my home.  There was no rush, no other women needing tended to, and no other agendas to be met aside from my comfort & Ada and I’s health. At one point in the day we all got coffee and just hung out visiting by the birthpool:D Everyone involved had a wonderful sense of humor so the atmosphere just felt fun and relaxed the entire time. Rebecca’s team included her two oldest daughters, (she has 11 children! #Goals) and her apprentice.  Her girls played with our girls and braided their hair, and watching the incredible relationship that these teenage girls shared with one another and their mother makes me so excited for the relationship that my girls and I will share one day!😭🥰

OJ4A2069.jpgOJ4A2076.jpgOJ4A2084.jpgOJ4A2112.jpg

OJ4A2116.jpgOJ4A2320.jpgOJ4A2323.jpg

I mentioned above how badly Norah wanted to help or at least witness the birth of Ada and I wanted this so badly too, but it just didn’t happen. After such a long day, we decided that maybe it would be best for Norah and Charlie to go to their grandparents for the evening so Chris and I could get some rest and wake up ready to go.  I was super bummed because I so badly wanted to all be together as a family, but also felt like we needed to do it this way.  The next morning I woke up, still dilated to a 10 and was beyond ready to meet our little lady.

Just like the day before, we tried all kinds of things.  Rebecca asked what might be stalling labor and I jokingly told her it might be that the painters tape I still had on our windows in my bedroom from recently painting.  So my friend, our midwife, and I headed upstairs and took down all of the tape. I actually think that helped 😂

We decided it might be wise to try and encourage my water breaking.  Everybody huddled around my bed, I think at this point there were 8 of us, and my water broke! What I should say, is my water BURST! Like, sprayed me and everyone around me kind of burst.😂 Sorry about spraying you with birth fluids, friends😂😭  I remember laughing, and then getting a contraction that was like the mother of all contractions!  Up until this point, my contractions were painless. I would have a few minutes of some soft contractions followed by hours of nothing… It was emotionally so strange and draining because they would start to get a little more intense and I would think, “This is it!  Here we go!” and then nothing. But this contraction, I knew she was coming and FAST!

OJ4A2348.jpg

OJ4A2377.jpg

I asked for help getting down the stairs and back into the birth tub.  I got in and there was another good contraction.  I was on my hands and knees and reached down and could feel Ada’s head.  I remember being asked if I was able to change positions and not feeling like I could. I did just that though and rolled back. Now, this was my third labor and I feel like after all this work and being dilated to a 10 for so long pushing would be so easy, but I’ve never had to push like this.  Norah was 6 pushes, Charlie was 2 painless pushes, but this felt different.   It wasn’t that I was in any pain, I just couldn’t seem to push in a way that seemed to move Ada. Then, with every fiber in my being and and maybe a hint of some scrunting (you know the grunt/scream I’m talking about) I was able to push in a way that really moved Ada down.  Rebecca asked me to slow down.  OJ4A2412.jpgOJ4A2417.jpg

This is another area where I am so incredibly thankful for the extra time, care, consideration, and attention that you receive with a well-seasoned, very attentive midwife.  Rebecca had a hunch and thought maybe Ada might be trying to exit with a Nuchal hand.  She was crowing with her hand on her head with her elbow bent out wanting to exit at the same time as her head.  Think Burt Reynolds 1972 centerfold style.  She was just wanting to arrive with extra class, but this class is not so great for your lady parts, and we realized this was the reason my pushing felt so weird and uneventful..

Rebecca used her sweet skills and gently pushed Ada’s hand and arm back while having me slowly push and I am happy to say that no vagines were hurt or torn in any way during this delivery!!! Or in any of our home births! THANK YOU, Rebecca!!! Women will often experience fourth degree tearing in this situation and I am so grateful for the extra gentle and intentional care that allowed me to avoid that kind of trauma.  After this, I reached down and with one more push, pulled my sweet little Ada out and onto my chest!OJ4A2650.jpg

I then remember something really special. My mom was there with me when I delivered Norah and Charlie but timing was a little off on this one and it didn’t work for my mom to be there this time. Sorry Mom! However, a great friend was there with me.  I remember looking down at Ada and looking up and meeting eyes with her, both us with large tears streaming down our faces.  I remember looking at her as she birthed her son and held him for the first time and just feeling so proud of her and so amazed with her strength and the beauty of birth.  In that moment, I knew what she was feeling and there’s just something so special about it 😭 It was just a special moment I’ll never forget😭OJ4A2678.jpg

I will never forget the sensation or that moment when each one of my ladies first laid on my chest!  Reaching down and pulling your own baby up and out of yourself and onto your chest yourself is a sensation that is truly incredible! I exclaimed, “You’re here! You’re here!”  I remember kissing her, looking at her hands which were so small in comparison to her sisters, and looking into her face and just being in awe of how perfect she was.  Her pouty lips, her dimpled chin, her soft brown hair.  I remember looking  at Chris and smiling and having this funny sense of relief and while he didn’t say anything, in my head he was laughing and saying, “FINALLY!” 🥰 2 days of being fully dilated is a serious tease.😳OJ4A2707.jpgOJ4A2770.jpg

After cuddling with Ada for awhile, we got out of the tub and got settled in our bedroom. Our room was set up with all the necessities you might find in a hospital except it was our bedroom and the exact place I wanted to be. And no painters tape! 🥰🥰 By this time Norah and Charlie were back home with us. I was so bummed they weren’t there when I delivered but it all worked out beautifully. I was on the bed nursing Ada as the girls rushed in screaming, “She’s here! She’s here!”Norah jumped up onto the bed, put her hand on my cheek and said in the sweetest little voice, “I really wanted to pull her out… BUT YOU DID IT!” She gave me the biggest hug was just so proud! Her and Charlie got in bed with us and were so excited! I’ll never forget them smiling, and laughing, and cooing about how much they loved their new little sister and how cute they thought she was! Special doesn’t even begin to describe these moments😭OJ4A2844.jpgOJ4A2845.jpgOJ4A2852.jpgOJ4A2856.jpgOJ4A2884.jpgOJ4A2888.jpgOJ4A2923.jpgOJ4A2957.jpg

Then we all just got to cuddle up and love on one another while we watched and participated in taking Ada’s vitals. She was here, we were all together, all felt perfect. What a gift this is that I do not take for granted one bit.

OJ4A2973.jpgOJ4A2976.jpgOJ4A3003.jpgOJ4A3050.jpgOJ4A3039.jpgOJ4A3064.jpgOJ4A3105.jpgOJ4A3119.jpg
Ada Lynn. 21 inches. 7 lbs 4oz. Born in our dining room on February 5th, 2016 at 5:53pm.
Oh man, I am so thankful for this incredible family and for all if the incredible people who took part in loving and caring for us while we welcomed our sweet little Ada Lynn!OJ4A3188.jpg Thank you so much toTruly You Midwifery  and to everyone who prayed for us, encouraged us, supported and loved us throughout our pregnancy and welcoming Ada! 

Momma’s Favorite Lactation Cookies

One of my favorite ways to boost my milk supply has to be these lactation cookies! They are super delicious and every time I eat them my milk supply is awesome! I make them when I know I have to pump a little extra milk for my little lady.  I’ve tried a few recipes, but these are the best tasting and most effective ones I’ve tried. I’ve adapted this recipe from http://www.bellybelly.com.au/breastfeeding/lactation-cookies/.  I hope they work out for you. Worst case scenario, you just get to enjoy some delicious cookies:D  several people have asked for this recipe so here it is!

Prep time: approx. 15 minutes

Oven temp: preheat to 335-340F

Makes approx. 14-16 cookies, using a dessert spoon per cookie (double the recipe for more)

Recipe

1 cup self raising wholemeal flour (if you have plain flour, add 1/2 teaspoon baking powder. You could probably substitute with coconut or almond flour but I haven’t tried that yet)

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup brown sugar )

1 egg

2 tablespoons flaxseed meal

3 tablespoons of water

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons of brewers yeast – do not substitute with bakers yeast or any other yeast

1/2 teaspoon salt – use himalayan salt if possible

1 & 1/2 cups oats – organic, steel cut oats are best for you, but rolled oats are fine

1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips or your favorite cookie extras- you can alter this and add fruit, nuts, whatever your lactating self is craving 😂

 

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar, then add the egg and vanilla. Mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the flaxseed and water, let them sit for a few minutes before adding to mix. Add the dry ingredients (apart from the oats and your additional ingredients) and mix well again. Finally, stir in the oats and your additional ingredients. Spoon 2 tbsp sized scoops cookie dough balls and place them onto a lightly greased or lined baking tray. Bake the lactation cookies for around 10-12 minutes, depending on how soft/ crunchy you want them. I like mine super soft so I do 10 minutes. Remove from oven, take pretty picture and enjoy 😂😂

I hope these work wonders for you!

Charlie’s Birth Story

She’s here! She’s here!  Our beautiful Charlotte Reece was born January 2 at 2:21 pm weighing 7lbs 15oz and 20 inches long.  Based on how big my belly was, I was sure she was at least an 8lb baby, but she was just right!  Our sweet Norah is down for a nap and Charlie is snuggled up asleep as well.  As I look at my two beautiful daughters, and am overwhelmed with how blessed Chris and I are. We have joked since we were 20 years old about having two beautiful daughters we were once told Chris would give me, another story for another time, but they are here!!! We are SO in love!

I thought while the girls are sleeping, I could start to write about our home birth experience.  I am not exaggerating when I say it was one of the most incredible experiences of my life!  When Chris and I found out we were expecting baby #2, I knew that a home birth was the way I wanted to go.  I really struggled with Norah’s birth experience.  There were no actual complications, but a really long labor (30 hours) and an experience that was unfortunately fairly common, was full of joy and also trauma. I should share that a hospital is not a place I associate with comfort or care. While they are necessary and I am so grateful we have access to the care we do, I find it very difficult to feel safe or relaxed in that environment.  Any time I would tell the staff what I felt my body was telling me to do, they would tease me and have me do something different.  I won’t get into the trauma of our first birth here, but I walked away from that experience fully believing that if I had a provider who could truly advocate for us and be in an environment where I felt safe, our experience could be different.  And Charlie’s birth proved this big time for me.

I started looking for midwives right away, like the day I found out I was pregnant. Chris wasn’t sold on a home birth at this point but the more we researched and the more I stressed to Chris how badly I wanted a home birth, he decided we should do it.  We met with our midwives and decided home birth was going to happen.  Their values aligned with ours and I felt strongly that this was the way we were to go. The whole experience seeing a midwife vs. a Dr. was so different.  They gave us so much responsibility and ownership in the whole process.  We checked so many of our own vitals and levels, were given nutrition education, pre and post natal education, asked to follow a stricter diet, asked to take different vitamins and nutritional supplements, specific to my needs, and there was such an emphasis placed on our health and creating a healthier lifestyle than we even came close to experiencing with our first experience.   Everything was so natural, warm and comfortable.  All my checkups were done in a big cozy bed and I just felt so taken care of.

There were many times when I would ask my doctor or nurse a question and they wouldn’t have an answer or, after researching, I would discover many of the answers they gave me were inaccurate.  It wasn’t that I was being lied to, I was just being given the only information that they knew, which was not truthful. Our midwives gave us nutrition classes, birthing classes, pre and post-natal classes and the education aspect of this experience was so cool to me.

It wasn’t until about a month before we had Charlie that we decided to do a water birth.  The last 2 months of my pregnancy I had crazy back pain and our midwives thought that the water could provide some nice relief for me.  I’m so glad they suggested we do a water birth!   A few weeks before we were due, the lead midwife was going to be in Haiti and she would need to leave a week before my due date.  We talked about what we  might do and we decided she should go to Haiti and we would naturally encourage labor the day before she left.  At first I struggled with the thought of encouraging labor in any way because I wanted to do things “all natural” and this seemed to contradict this, but everything worked out well. (Coming in to edit this. Several years later, knowing what I know now, I grieve choosing to go about this and would advise if any provider tries to encourage you to be induced early for non medical, non necessary reasons, do not do it. We chose another midwife, the secondary midwife in this birth, for the rest of our deliveries and are so grateful we did so. Neither of us wanted to be placed in this situation and learned much from the experience. Being induced early without good reason or for convenience of the provider puts both the mother and baby in danger.)

Monday morning, December 31st, I was dilated at a 4, 95% effaced and Charlie was at station 0.  The plan was to go again Wednesday night to see how I was doing before Thursday, the morning we would encourage labor, but due to snow we decided we would just see them the next morning.   I could hardly sleep Wednesday night knowing we would meet our sweet Charlie the next day!

So, Thursday morning, Chris and I woke up early and made my labor encouraging milkshake which consisted of castor oil, chocolate ice cream and chocolate syrup.  For those of you who have never eaten castor oil, you’re not missing out on anything.  That stuff is funky.  I had read horror stories about the fun bathroom times that castor oil would give me, but I did not experience this.  I probably would have been sicker just eating at a salad bar:) I had a little bit of this concoction at 6:30, 7:30 and 8:30. Chris started juicing me a bunch of delicious fresh juices to drink during labor and I snacked away on crackers and sprite.

Our midwives arrived at 10am and I felt great.   The ladies came in with all their gear and were all set up by 10:30.   Here’s where the fun begins.

They put the tub in the dining room and set up shop in our bedroom which was so very cool.  Basically our bedroom was turned into a birthing/ recovery room.  I got all nestled in bed and felt so comfortable.  I was dilated to a 9!!! A 9 and I was experiencing 0 pain!!!  An 8 is usually when you hit transition and is considered the most painful/hardest stage of labor, yet I had no discomfort or pain at all?! I was still 95% effaced and Charlie was moving on down!  My water was broken and I started having contractions right away… Man, they were good! I guess I wasn’t expecting things to go so fast, but I didn’t mind.

I labored on the couch for a short while, walked around the house, and just hung out with everyone through the contractions.  We visited like it was any other day.  It was so cool and relaxing.  I was in active labor but I felt so comfortable.  There was no fear, no discomfort, just peace and relaxation.  There were no IV’s, no beeping machines, no chords, no hospital bedding, no unnecessary checks, no hospital smells,  no other patients for my nurses or doctor to tend to, no fall risk bracelets or big red bulky socks. Just our midwives and the people I wanted in that space with me. Our midwives laughed at me a lot and told me that I was the most positive person they had ever seen in labor.  I was just so very excited to be having this experience and so excited to meet our Charlie!

After about 30 minutes, I decided to get into the pool which felt AMAZING!!! I just hung over the side and rested through each contraction.  They were coming on stronger and stronger and lasting longer and longer, but still not super uncomfortable.  One of the big differences I experienced between our experiences with our midwife and Dr.’s and nurses is the way I was taken care of through the whole process.  At home, I was the only person being tended to. There were no other patients, no other agendas, no beds needed, no strangers in and out, and nothing conflicting with our birth. The only goal was to make sureI was cared for and as comfortable as possible while waiting for that beautiful babe to arrive. Rebecca rubbed my back through my contractions in the pool & whispered words of encouragement, while my mom rubbed my arms and played with my hair.  I like to be touched, but even more so during labor.  It’s hard to describe what the water did for my contractions but the ladies told me to ride my contractions out.  I rocked and floated through each contraction and it was like I just melted through them.

I got out of the pool and learned I had a cervical lip. It was adjusted and immediately I was adamant that I needed to use the loo… They knew what was happening but they let me get up and go to the bathroom anyway.  That’s when I realized I didn’t need to use the ladie’s room, just have a baby!  I told them I felt like I needed to squat, so I left the bathroom and came out and squatted on a C stool, an awesome stool used to help you deliver in a squatting position.  I squatted, pushed once and the ladies suggested I hop back in the pool.  Again, the water felt INCREDIBLE! I laid back and the ladies told me to push on my next contraction.  I bared down and there was Charlie’s head! I had no idea she would be here a push later!

While I was pushing, they were putting hot oil compresses that had been soaking in oils in a crockpot on my lady bits and asked me if it hurt anywhere.  They had me push very slowly through my first contractions which made them seem to disappear, like not hurt at all. Chris was by my side, holding my hand and was just so awesome the whole time.  I was anticipating lots of pain and being in the tub for a long time, but I was way wrong. Our midwives ensured that I was comfortable during the whole labor process. Surprisingly, I only felt very little pain and when I told them when and where I was experiencing discomfort, they just supported me so that I wasn’t hurting or stretching in a way that could cause me to hurt or tear.  The infamous “ring of fire” that I had heard so much about was nothing like I had imagined.  Like pretty much nonexistent.

There were also some other things they did to help assist my body,  like instead of administering pitocin to speed up contractions, they maybe suggested Chris twerk my nerps a bit to help produce natural oxytocin. No complaints there:D  Fun and effective:D  One more push and there she was! It was the most incredible feelings!  I felt the most insane rush of adrenaline and a feeling of joy that I can’t even describe! Norah had napped through my whole labor but woke up right as I began pushing.  My mom was holding her across from the pool so they could watch and when Charlie came out of the water, Norah held out her hands and yelled, “MY BABY!” It was SO cool.  I felt like I had just climbed Mt. Everest!

A perfect Apgar score and was, is, absolutely beautiful! After cuddling and nursing in the water for a while, Chris cut the chord and I delivered my placenta which was also very different from my hospital experience.  They took their time and it came out gently and pain free. We headed back to our bedroom to to check on Charlie’s vitals and I snuggled up and got all warm and watched as they weighed and measured our precious new babe.  It was so cozy.  Chris and I just kept smiling at each other and saying how awesome of an experience this was and how thankful we were! There was no stress, no fear, no anxiety, no discomfort…just so much peace and joy.   From the time my contractions started until we met sweet Charlie was right around 3 hours!

About 10 minutes after I was all cuddled in bed, I had to use the restroom.  I got a little scared because this was more painful than birth itself with Norah.  In fact, it hurt to sit down or go to the bathroom for 8 weeks after having Norah… However, I was surprised when I had absolutely 0 pain, tenderness or sensitivity! Had it not been for sweet little Charlie laying in my bed and my cute little jelly sack of a belly,  I didn’t feel like I had just had a baby at all!  I have had no pain or tenderness in my nether regions whatsoever since having Charlie!   Another thing I’m so grateful for is no back pain!  I had really bad back pain where I received the epidural with Norah that still hurts. It caused permanent damage for me and was a completely unnecessary procedure. I begged the staff not to give it to me with Norah and give me an explanation as to why I needed it and they said if I didn’t get it,  I would be too tired to push when it came time to push and then threatened a C-section or an epidural. We know so much more now, but we didn’t know how to advocate for  ourselves then. It’s hard to not feel sad when I think about Norah’s birth knowing what we know now, but all I can be is so grateful that we have learned what we have and get to choose to have different experiences now.

While I was resting, the ladies put together a basket full of diapers, wipes, gauze and goldenseal (used to help dry and protect the umbilical cord), arnica oil and olive oil (natural and great moisturizer, helps with bruising, and used on their bum to create a layer for the meconium so it doesn’t stick to their skin), thermometer, stethoscope, q-tips, baby blankets and anything else we might need for little Charlie.  This way, we had everything we needed easily accessible and ready for us to change Charlie and do our vitals.  Since we weren’t in the hospital, they taught us how to check both Charlie and I’s respiration rate, pulse, temperature, and other important vitals.  Another awesome thing the ladies did was take notes the entire time.  They noted when my contractions were and what they were like, all the important transitions and different things we said and did and different stages of labor. I thought that was neat that we get to have those kind of things recored as sometimes we miss those details ourselves.

Big sister Norah holding her little sister for the first time!

Charlie’s first bath in our kitchen sink:)

Getting those sweet little footprints

I am so thankful we got to have this truly redemptive experience.   I believe being trusted and supported along with the comfort I was provided  played a huge role in this experience as well. Thank you so much to everyone who encouraged us and prayed for us during our whole pregnancy and through this process.  Chris and I are so grateful for all of the encouragers in our lives!  Charlie is such a blessing and we are so excited to watch Norah grow into her new role as a big sister!

I also want to add that we fully understand that everybody’s circumstances are different and home birth might not be and does not have to be the experience for everybody. I so badly wish every mother could experience the birth she wants, in the environment she wishes for, with the care she deserves, and with the outcomes she dreams of.  We are all coming from different places with different stories, concerns, preferences, needs, options, and desires. This was a beautiful experience for us, but we do not share this as medical advice,  to push our preferences onto anyone else, nor discredit anyone else’s experiences or stories. Thank you for reading and celebrating with us!