Another Disney Day

In spite of the fact that I am very ready for Tate to join us, he apparently is not. So, I decided to squeeze in another Disneyland day with the munchkins. They were excited to get to go again and I was hoping that all the walking around might help to send me into labor a few days early. No such luck so far!

(Sorry that these pictures aren't any good. I just snapped a few with my phone and here's what I ended up with...)

Jake got picked to be one of the kids to go on stage for Jedi training. Addi, of course, had no desire to go on stage.

Why Home Birth?

If you didn't already know (and hardly anybody does), we are planning on having our baby at home. We have kept that bit of information to ourselves because most people don't understand why we would choose to do it that way this time around, and will think we're crazy for doing so. I know that many people feel like it is an irresponsible thing to do and I get that. Ironically, I now feel like it is the more responsible choice, but a few years ago, I certainly didn't. I thought that only people who were completely "out there" would choose to have a home birth. But, that was because I was completely uninformed and uneducated about anything outside of the "normal" maternity care and hospital birth. My first two births were both in the hospital, both with the pitocin, epidural, medical interventions, etc., and both were fine experiences. I didn't even consider that there might be a different or better way to do it. It's not like I had a horrible hospital experience that steered me in this new direction.

So, why in the world are we choosing to do it this way this time? This post would have to be way too long to really delve into the whole thing (because trust me, I have done my research), so I'm not going to try. But, suffice it to say that our thinking and beliefs regarding doctors, medical care, natural care, medicine, alternative medicine, etc. has gradually shifted over the last several years and we think totally differently than we did 5 and 7 years ago when we had Jake and Addi. I no longer blindly put my trust in the medical profession and no longer believe that they have all the right answers regarding the health of me or my family. Don't get me wrong, I am not anti-doctor. I think that they are skilled and necessary in certain situations. They are absolutely needed for emergencies, surgeries, etc. However, childbirth, for the most part, is not an emergency situation. Yes, there ARE times when it is an emergency situation, or when there are complications or known high-risk issues, and doctors and hospitals are essential for those times. But for the majority of women, giving birth is not an emergency, it is a natural process. And yet, for various reasons, in America, we have been conditioned to believe that it is an emergency situation all the time. (Homebirth is much more common and mainstream in many other developed countries.)

As I have gradually looked more into natural medicine and care, and researched more about the way our bodies work, I have become more and more amazed at the way God has created us; and He created a woman's body to know how to give birth. Looking back on my first two births though, I really didn't trust at all in God who created my body to do this amazing, miraculous thing, and I really didn't let my body do any of it. Instead, I put all my trust in the nurses and doctors. I got to the hospital, let them hook me up to all the machines and pump me full of whatever they wanted to pump me full of, laid in the bed, pushed when they told me to push (because I certainly couldn't feel when I was supposed to push), and was honestly pretty disconnected from the whole experience.

In the end, however, the result was a beautiful, healthy baby each time, and with relatively little pain. So, why wouldn't I want to do it that way again? Because I want to experience birth the way that God intended it to be experienced. And, yes, I know that's going to mean more pain. But I think and I pray that it will also mean experiencing something beautiful on an entirely different level. I have also come to learn that all of those little medical interventions that we blindly trust in and accept actually lead to more and more medical interventions (the c-section rate in America is up to a ridiculous 1 in 3 births, and in many cases is due to the side effects of common labor interventions), and these interventions result in less and less of how God actually designed our bodies to give birth. I would encourage you to look into how these normal, common medical interventions like pitocin and induction and epidurals interfere with what your body should naturally be doing. And, because it is changing what your body should naturally be doing, it can affect you and your baby in ways that you are not really aware of. This time around, I am choosing to trust that God's way and God's design is better than anything that modern medical technology has come up with, and to trust that He designed my body to know how to give birth with the best possible outcome.

So, the next question is, why not give birth naturally at the hospital rather than at home so that if there is some sort of complication or emergency, we are already at the hospital to deal with it? Well, personally, I think that giving birth totally naturally at a hospital would be extremely difficult. They have rules, protocol, insurance companies, and lawsuits to worry about. Yes, you can refuse the epidural, but being hooked up to monitors and laying in a bed (in the most unnatural possible position for giving birth) will not make that easy to do. You are not really given the freedom to ease the pain in other ways, and you are not given the freedom to refuse other medical interventions that are hospital protocol. For many reasons, a hospital is simply not conducive, in my opinion, to trying to have a natural birth.

That doesn't mean that I don't want a professional around to help me through it and to make sure things are going the way they should be going. Good midwives have had that training. They are the experts when it comes to "normal" births that are not high-risk and do not require the attention of specialists, because that is the focus of their training. They are knowledgable and experienced, and work with you to help your body do what it has been created to do. And, they also recognize if there is a problem that does need intervention - intervention that, yes, they are trained and prepared to deal with. They carry oxygen, medication to control hemorrhages, antibiotics, equipment for suturing, etc. And, they are also well equipped to recognize if there is a complication that could be better dealt with by getting you to a hospital. (Incidentally, the transfer rate to a hospital is extremely low, and the majority of those transfers are the result of the woman wanting an epidural, not because of a medical emergency.)

So, I can accept that you might think we are crazy for wanting to have our baby at home under the care of a midwife, but we believe that for us, it is the best option this time around (I am certainly not claiming that it is the best option in everybody's case). Granted, we have not yet done it and not yet experienced it, and maybe I will be singing a very different tune once we have. But for now, I am so excited and absolutely cannot wait to experience it.

Homeschooling Perks

It has been a very full week here - actually much busier than I prefer, but with a lot of fun activities. That is one of the huge benefits of homeschooling...the flexibility and time to do the things we want to do. What most students spend 30 hours a week at school doing (and then additional time doing homework at home), we can accomplish in a mere fraction of the time. I can speak pretty confidently about that because I used to be a teacher prior to having kids, and so I know firsthand how much wasted time there is in a typical classroom. That is not a knock on teachers. It is simply unavoidable when you are teaching a class of 20-35 students. Of course I am able to accomplish much more in a much shorter amount of time with my 2 students than with 30, and can then use the rest of the time to do whatever we want to do. And, although we are trying to stick to a regular daily schedule, I can choose to rearrange that schedule in any way that I want at any time that I choose. So, this is a big perk. Homeschooling is not always an easy path, but we believe strongly in its benefits (obviously...or we wouldn't have chosen it). And, believe it or not, as much we love the flexibility, it's not even at the top of our list of reasons for homeschooling. But, I digress...

This is what our week looked like outside of our regular "class time."

Mondays are nature days for us, and this week we headed to the tide pools and a little secluded cove by hiking around that point in the picture above with our small homeschool group. This year, we brought in an instructor (Mark Hay from Coast Live Oak School) who will join us once a month on our nature days. He teaches weekly nature classes to homeschoolers year-round, but we approached him about doing a private family class for our small group on just a monthly basis. We needed to tailor it more to our younger group and also didn't want to commit the time or money to something weekly. Fortunately for us, he agreed. Our nature days consist mostly of letting the kids just explore and discover, run around, and enjoy nature. But, it's also nice to have someone along who is extremely knowledgable and can teach them much more about God's creation than us moms can do. Plus, we are getting to learn right along with the kids, which is great.

The kids were learning to keep a close watch on the waves before trying to continue around the rocks.

Mr. Mark helping the kids around the rocks.

This is the private little cove that we ended up at and it was awesome. The kids then proceeded to turn the rocks into their castle, complete with a king and queen, princes and princesses.

Exploring the Tide Pools

Then Wednesday, we got to take a field trip to the Long Beach aquarium. (If anyone is interested, the homeschool group rate is only $6/person.)

Thursday, I took the kids to Disneyland (actually to California Adventure) and celebrated the fact that the Disney blackout days are over and they can again enjoy their new passes. I didn't particularly look forward to taking them on my own for the afternoon - what with being almost ready to give birth, swollen and uncomfortable - but I really want them to get to take advantage of the passes that they worked so hard for, and I wanted to try to get a special day in for them before the baby arrives. So, we went, and it turned out to be great. In fact, I might try to do it again one day next week if Tate has still not made his appearance. I warned the kids ahead of time that we would only stay for a few hours and would then have to come home and get some school work done. Their end of the deal was that they needed to show me that this would work, and that they could come home and not be too tired for school if they wanted to try to do days like this more often. It worked out great. We spent a few hours at CA Adventure, took advantage of the fact that most kids are in school and there were hardly any lines, had a great time, and came home and learned more about the first settlement at Jamestown!

And, lastly, on Friday, they started a couple of classes that we're trying out. Addi is enrolled in a 6 week art class, and Jake in a 6 week "Pre-Engineering with Legos" class (how cool is that?), and then they are both in the same Spanish class. That's for about a 3 hour block of time on Fridays. I had originally thought that that would be a great time for me to be able to get a few things accomplished on my own, but it looks like I'll be hanging out and helping in the classes instead. Oh well. So much for grocery shopping and running errands by myself.

And, yes, there's the rub...homeschooling, without a doubt, requires some sacrifice - sacrifice of my desires and time that I would sometimes love to have for me. I wish I could say that I love being with my kids constantly, but that is certainly not always the case. As I think I've mentioned pretty frequently, I am FAR from being the most patient, perfect mom. I lose my temper and get frustrated with my kids far more often than I would like to admit. But, when I start to feel sorry for myself because I am tired of my kids and "deserve" some "me time," I try to remind myself that, really, none of it is my time anyway. It is all time that God has given me with which I should be serving Him; and these little people that He has blessed us with are the people that He has put in my life to be serving right now. And then, I remind myself again of all the reasons that we have chosen this path for our family...but that is certainly a post for another day!

My Little Reader

Addi is turning into quite a little reader, just like Jake. Here she is reading a story about Adam and Eve...

Pink Pandas and Fireballs

Jake and Addi each had their first soccer game over the weekend. Addi got both of her wishes for soccer - she got a pink uniform, and her friend Kenzie is on her team. So, we should have a successful season ahead of us. They decided that they are going to be the Pink Pandas.

Jake somehow managed to end up with the EXACT same color of bright orange uniform that he had last year. Last year, his team name was Fireball Pumpkins. This year, they are simply, The Fireballs.

I couldn't believe it, but I had to miss Addi's very first game of the season. It happened that the games were both at the same time, and they are played in two different locations. So, Jay and I had to split up. Addi got to choose who would be there for her very first game, and that was, of course, a no-brainer. Jay would go with her, and I would go with Jake. I loved getting to be there for Jake, but I was also really disappointed to miss Addi's first game. Jay said that she was super cute out there though, running around and going after the ball. She was very excited because they won 4-1. They are supposed to have a half hour practice before the game, and then a half hour game, but apparently they had to call the game a little early because all the girls were too worn out!

Jake's team, on the other hand, lost the game 4-0. He was not happy about that. They each have to take turns sitting out a quarter, and Jake happened to be sitting out in the very first quarter when three of the goals were scored. He was very frustrated by this and said to me, "I need to be out there!" Yes, because THAT would have made all the difference in the world.

I also somehow ended up as Team Mom for both of the kids' teams. Nobody else was volunteering, and I figured that I was capable of putting together a snack schedule and planning a couple of pizza parties at the end of the season. I was then informed by my neighbor, Sarah, that for Addi's team, that meant that I also needed to make and provide matching bows/ribbons for all the girls on her team...because apparently ALL the little girls teams wear matching hair bows. So, the cute ribbons you see in the photo below in Addi's hair...nope, not my handiwork. Sarah did them for me!

That'd Be Alright

Jake decided that he needed to get some exercise to get himself in shape for soccer season. So, he asked to borrow the ipod and hopped on the elliptical trainer. He was getting his workout motivation from a little Alan Jackson, "That'd be Alright," not that you would be able to figure that out based on his singing. We were cracking up because he doesn't know most of the words, but when it would get to the chorus, he would belt them out at the top of his lungs, and with some sort of southern accent. He is pretty much tone deaf though and it was quite an entertaining show. Sorry for the dark video and the fact that I'm recording him from off to the side. I was trying not to let him see that I was recording so that he wouldn't stop his singing, so I couldn't adjust the lighting or my position. Sorry also for the sideways video...I don't know how to fix that.

4 Weeks To Go!

Well, we are finally in the homestretch...only 4 more weeks until the due date. Here is my one maternity photo to commemorate the entire 9 month pregnancy. I told Jay that I needed to have at least one pregnant picture of myself, and since I had actually dried my hair and it wasn't a mess or in a ponytail for about the first time in a month, I figured it would be a good day for one. Since my swollen feet and ankles are not captured in the photo, it's not a true representation of what I'm really looking like these days. I am always fortunate enough to get the big balloon ankles right around this time of the pregnancy and they stick with me right up until the end. Other than that though, and some pretty painful heartburn, I don't have too much to complain about. I'm still feeling really well overall and getting more and more excited for little Tate to arrive. Yes, I'm pretty certain that we have settled on the name Tate (no middle name yet). Jay and the kids have been calling him that for months, not wanting to consider any other options. I have been the one holding out, saying that I just wasn't yet convinced that that was the name. They talk about "Tate" all the time though, and it's so cute. I just can't switch it up on them at this point. And don't get me wrong, I love the name too. Plus, I happened to look up the meaning and it means, "He who brings happiness." I love that. Jay loves the fact that he already has a million nicknames for him, like "Tater Tot," "Po-tater," "Little Man Tate," etc.

We have done absolutely nothing to prepare for his arrival though. His room was pink until yesterday and actually probably would have stayed that way for quite some time, but Jake and Addi felt strongly that baby Tate's room needed to be baby blue. I threw out some other ideas, but they were convinced that a baby boy needed a baby blue room. We love that they are so excited and want to be so involved, so we took them to Lowe's and let them decide together on the perfect shade of blue. And then, we had them paint the room. Seriously. They painted Tate's room. Jay taped everything off and did all the edges and corners, but they mostly did the walls themselves and loved getting to be involved.

So now, the room is painted, and I suppose it's about time for me to start washing some blankets and onesies, getting some diapers to have on hand, pulling the stroller out, etc. Neither Jake or Addi came early, so I'm just kind of assuming that I won't be early this time either and that I have at least a few weeks to get things done. I'm sure the time will fly by and I just can't wait for this new little one to arrive. Last night, I was frustrated because I couldn't sleep at all. But, as I was laying there awake watching my stomach as Tate was doing some sort of gymnastics routine in there, I was again thinking about what a miracle he is and how amazing our God is. He has created this little life and allowed him to grow inside of me, and I am so incredibly grateful for that blessing and privilege.