Maternity Photos- Baby Claire :)

Once again, my friend Jennifer totally exceeded my expectations! She took some awesome family photos this past Saturday and I just love how they turned out. She captured such sweet moments, and I'm so thankful that I actually have some GOOD pictures of being pregnant this time around. If you are looking for a photographer, look no further- not to mention she is really fun & one of the sweetest people you'll meet too :)

Whew!

Is it really only Thursday?! It seems like 2 weeks have passed since Monday...where to start??? Well, Ellie and I both got a terrible cold (maybe even a mild case of the flu according to my mom) on Sunday night. By Monday, I was completely out of it and getting dehydrated. I started having TONS of Braxton Hicks contractions and a few normal ones too, so my midwife asked me to come in to her office to get checked and make sure I wasn't in labor. When she checked me, she said that I was 2 almost 3cm and dilated and my cervix is SUPER thin- but not in labor yet. She told me that I needed to get better and basically lay in bed for the next few days to get my body healthy and ready to have this baby not being dehydrated. So, I had to stop watching kids this week and take some time to rest it up. I'm feeling great now, and there was nothing like a little scare like that to kick mine and Adam's butt's into gear to make sure that EVERYTHING is ready for Claire to come! It's a horrible feeling to feel so unprepared, and that's exactly where I was at on Monday. ANYHOO, we (Adam) has been making some great progress this week, and I just wanted to document where we were at!

BEFORE: Our tiny useless back patio- literally good for nothing except that storage closet
ALMOST AFTER: Still lots of finalizing to do in here, but it's coming along! Floors done, door & window installed, a few baseboards & fan. Can't wait to see the final product!

Claire's Crib: Isn't it SO tiny?! It made me laugh after we put it together :) But it's just perfect for our tiny space. By the way, my color scheme is gray & pink, and I think it already looks good together!

A view from our room

Claire's letters that will go above her crib :)

Me: Almost 37 weeks. Feeling huge, but it's so worth it.

Ellie came at 38 weeks and 2 days, so I'm hoping that her little sister will get the memo and come early too! That would be SO awesome. There is something about getting a nursery set up, and imagining a little baby in there that gets me feeling SO anxious, excited, scared, ecstatic, etc....I was so pumped about it last night! I'm so thankful for this amazing blessing that the Lord has given me already. I can't believe that she is already complete inside my belly and is just growing. I wish I could see what she looks like- I know I can get one of those 4D things, but I just wanna wait to see her in person :) Come baby come baby baby come come!

Crossing my fingers that she will be here next time I post...probably not....but I can always dream!

Love, K

Week 32

Can you tell Claire is totally on the left side of my body here?! Crazy.

I am so happy to be in my 32nd week of pregnancy. I'm big & sometimes uncomfortable, don't sleep very well, and at times can be "all touched out" (notice Ellie intrigued with my belly here), but I LOVE being pregnant! I love to feel Claire move and do her thing.

Some things to note:

1) I have not been as good with keeping up with my nutrition this time around- shame on me! But I'm all over it now! Lets get this baby healthy :)

2) I'm carrying WAY lower than with Ellie- which I really like. It feels different- I feel heavier- but it feels right.

3) I haven't gained as much weight this time around! Woo hoooo! I have gained 17 lbs so far, and only have 8 weeks to go- crossing my fingers for 6 weeks though :) If she comes when Ellie did, I'll only have 6 weeks. But we'll see...I still have plenty of time to pack on the pounds :)

4) I can't stop thinking about what she is going to look like. Will she look just like Ellie, or totally different?! I can't wait to meet her and find out!

5) I'm anxious/excited about the birth. I feel like I know what to expect, but I just wonder if I can hack it! Labor pain is pretty intense to say the least, but I think it's time for a major refresher on all the comfort techniques and little sayings I put in my mind before Ellie's birth like- "It's only a day of my life- I can do ANYTHING for a day".

6) All of Claire's clothes 0-12months have been washed, folded, organized, and are just waiting for her little body to crawl into!

7) I am still nervous about being a mom of 2. I told Adam last night that I feel like I have a really good routine down from the time my day starts to the time Ellie goes to bed, but that's about to all change once Claire comes. I have to redo the whole process! Whew! Pretty overwhelming to think about.

8) I have also started to re-explore my breastfeeding/sleeping routine method. Babywise or Demand Feeding? I kinda waivered and had my own style with Ellie. Sometimes I felt she needed a strict schedule and she was happier that way, and sometimes I felt like she just needed me there with her to help her fall asleep and just be cuddled. Hmmmm...we'll see!

9) Ellie still LOVES my belly. First thing she does when she wakes up is get into bed, pulls up my shirt and lays on my belly, rubs it, kisses it, says baby...and she needs a good 15 minutes of doing this in order to feel ready to get out of bed! It's so cute. The only part that's not as cute is when were out in public and she thinks it's fair game to pull up my shirt and rub my belly! Eek!

10) We have yet to start on Claire's room as you can tell. Hoping for this next week! I want to have everything done by Feb 10th so that I can just chill out and let my body relax and be ready for her to come.

- K

Nursery Fun

I am getting SO excited to start adding (well enclosing) our room for little Claire! I think I have the color scheme I want to work with, and I'm really gonna have to get creative because she is going to have a small room! It's like a 6 x 6 foot space....tiny! But, she is a baby, and it'll be perfect for her. I'm not super high tech & don't have a scanner to scan in our ultrasound pictures, but I wanted to post a picture of the picture (he he!) so you all could see our sweet little girl!

Claire (Enter Middle Name) Porter :)

Alright, so onto the nursery. Here is what I have come up with so far...there is still time to completely change the whole scheme, but I think I'm pretty set. Ellie's room is painted a really pretty purple and is very colorfully decorated...I'll post pictures of her room once it's clean!....so I wanted a different color for Claire and I'm SO LOVING yellow right now:

I'm pretty decided on pink and yellow. Very girly, and not purple like her sister :) Since it's a small space, I was thinking that I lighter color on the walls would really make it feel more open. Yellow here I come! With the husbands approval of course :) And I like accenting with the rich pink (is rich pink even considered an acceptable term?!?! ha ha! It is now...) I love it love it love it!

And once i saw this awesome wall decor, I was sold! I like it that the flowers pop out, and it's not just a wall sticker. I also think that it could add some nice character to the room...make it feel like less of a tiny box.

And now to the circle crib. The reason I am thinking of going this route is that it seems much more space efficient. Cribs are stinkin big and take up a lot of space in the room! So, I thought of this as a good alternative. Set this baby in the corner of the room, and not only will you have more space to walk around, but maybe I could even put an extra piece of furniture in the room now!

More ideas & photos of our space to come!.....til next time....

-K

It's another one of these!!!....

Yep, we're having another GIRL!!! I am soooooooooo excited :) I knew that I wanted a girl all along but couldn't bring myself to admit it in the case that it was a boy because I didn't want to feel disappointed...not that having a boy is less exciting AT ALL- it would probably be even more so because it would be new to me- BUT I just wanted Ellie to have a little sister :)

We are pretty decided that her first name will be Claire. Don't ask what her middle name will be...completely stumped! Any good suggestions that flow with Claire??? I just texted Adam a couple I though of, to which he responded, " I don't like either of them, keep trying." Bummer! So, help a girl out!

I am 20 weeks along as of Monday, and feeling great! I feel like this pregnancy is FLYING by. Which is a good thing :) I'm not the most patient person I know, and I'm already getting so anxious to meet my new little girl. I wonder all the time what she will be like, look like, how she will be different from Ellie,...all of that good stuff.

On another note, we decided to go with a Birthing Center this time around instead of the home birth route. Not because I feel uncomfortable doing it at home- one of the BEST ways to give birth if you are low-risk in my opinion- but because or insurance covers it! Woop woop! We paid all out of pocket last time, and that was quite the penny, so we are looking forward to just having this baby and not worrying about saving up a ton and stressing ourselves out :)

I would HIGHLY (did I say highly????.....ok, HIGHLY suggest you check out this birth center! It's so exciting that we finally have a birth center in the valley again, and I couldn't believe in the people that are working there any more than I already do. Not to mention it has all sorts of birthing classes, yoga, pregnancy message, ...all things pregnancy. So cool. It's called Blossom Birth Center and it's right across the street from Phoenix Children's Hospital- to appease those of you who start to hyperventilate at the thought of not giving birth at or near a hospital ;)

Well, once again, I am SO SO SO behind on posting. We have been doing ALL SORTS of home renovation, and are about to start adding on the extra room to our condo to make Claire's nursery :) Not to mention, Adam and I both had our birthday's recently, and my child is growing and changing SO much every day. I'm also doing a study called Mending the Soul, which is very intense & HARD to say the least, but I'm dying to write about things I'm learning and how God is working. He is so Good! Until next time friends....

Breastfeeding & the Family Bed

Disclaimer: Now, concerning breastfeeding, I do not mean to offend. I know that everyone comes from different places and circumstances which do not permit breastfeeding. This is purely my opinion on the matter. Take it or leave it :)

Breastfeeding has been one of the biggest joys & biggest struggles in being a mom thus far. Let me give you some background info....

Before having Ellie, I was SO set on breastfeeding. I knew that it was the simply the best for my baby. I wondered how anyone couldn't do it. It's giving your baby something so natural, so perfect, so nutritious to their tiny bones. To me, it didn't matter if I had leaky boobs (or that the one she favored would be a considerable amount bigger than the other! ha!), had to wear terrible nursing bras that were made to make no woman feel sexy, or just have the pure inconvience of always being "available" to my baby. It just felt so right. And as a matter of fact, not opinion, it IS so right. When you look at what is better for your baby, all the doctors/researchers/etc, all agree that the "breast is best".

All that to say, the first 2 months of my life after having Ellie were the absolute hardest. She just couldn't figure out how to latch on. She would cry so hard, I would pump and feed her the milk with a tiny tube that I taped to my finger, so she wouldn't get nipple confusion. Eventually after many long weeks of that, I gave in and gave her a bottle. Man did that make life easier! Meanwhile she still didn't nurse I proceeded to have SEVEN breast infections in EIGHT weeks! Talk about misery. Somewhere around when Ellie was 8 weeks, she finally latched on...I laughed, I cried, I called Adam at work, and laughed and cried all over again...it was exactly what I had been hoping and praying for! She has been a breastfeeding champ ever since then. She is now 11 months and still going strong. I love it that she is so interactive with me during the process of nursing...she will stop and smile, play with my hair, hold my hand,...bliss.

I have been reading so many articles on when to wean from breastfeeding. I definitely don't want Ellie to nurse til she's 2 or 3 by any means, but even the little I have tried weaning her doesn't seem to be sticking. And for some reason, it feels unnatural for me to just quit cold turkey. Ellie loves it! Some articles say that babies will wean when they want to, and to just let it happen naturally, but again, if that wasn't til she was 2 or 3 I think I would be a bit weirded out...I also have lots of friends whom I respect and love quit at a year and their babies seem to take to that wonderfully....hmm, decisions decisions! I have read that some mom's felt like they were robbed from sweet time with their babies when the doctor told them to quit at a year. They said that they weren't ready, and the baby didn't seem to be ready, and they really regret it. Do any of you who breastfed have any thoughts on this??? I'd love to know.

Ok, now to address the sticky part. I have heard a lot of women who either decide to not breastfeed because of the inconvenience, or they try for a couple of weeks and give up because it was "too hard". Since nursing Ellie, I have a huge passion about stuff like this. I always think, "Well, welcome to parenthood woman! It's hard. But don't you want to do the best thing for your baby?!...or is it more about you???". It just makes me wonder what the baby would say if it had a choice between momma's milk or the local formula farm. I am by no means saying that it's not hard work, and that it would be easy to give up when your nipples are raw and have sores all over them! Sheesh!!! That is some pretty terrible stuff....but just like anything else, things get better with time. So I guess my statement or rather, my challenge would be for ladies to stick it out with their babies. It's so so good for them. Or if you do wanna give up on having them on the breast, how about pumping?! As long as it's YOUR milk, you are doing wonders for that little soul! I know it's a very sensitive subject, and maybe I have it all wrong as to the reasons why most women don't do it, but I'm hoping that by posting this, my mind will be opened up and able to understand better from women who have experienced this first-hand.

P.S. Go made our bodies to produce milk, so why not use them for the purpose in which they were created? Why go against nature?!

Gollie! That was alot of writing....the Family bed will have to wait for another time. That's enough to chew on :)

Til next time,

Ultrasound

Random picture of my little painter ;)

I had my ultrasound today. Apparently I wasn't far along enough to see the baby or a heartbeat. I think I'm only 5 weeks along...all that was visible was a sac. Not gonna lie, it totally freaked me out. Just the mere thought that a baby could possibly not be in there is totally heartbreaking. The ultrasound techinician kept saying that at this time there is nothing to worry about and to just come back in a few weeks and we should be able to see something....I think the mom in me is what made me worried! I called my mom crying, and she said to not worry, it's totally normal to not see anything this early, and a few others confirmed the same thing also. I even typed it in on yahoo to see if others had experienced this too, and they had! Now I just need to calm down and trust in the Lord, and not get worked up over nothing! Hopefully in a few weeks, I'll have some great news and pictures of our little baby and it's little heartbeat :)

Then there were 4.....

I am sooooo happy to say that Ellie is going to be a big sister!!! I just found out a couple days ago that I'm pregnant! I think I'm about 5-6 weeks along, and my due date is probably around November 27th :) I have an ultrasound this week to give me an real due date though. Adam and I are SO happy and feel so blessed that the Lord has given us another life to love on! It is truly a gift. Nausea has totally set in, and I'm feeling a bit sick at the moment, but here is our life lately in pictures!

Adam and Ellie in her purple room
Isn't this the goofiest face??? She's so funny!

Ellie at the play area in the mall...she loves it!

Ok, I'm not a bad parent...Ellie loves doing stuff like this! She even gets our dogs leashes and puts them around her neck!....it sounds worse than it is! Ha ha!

Adam and I on Easter....we didn't snap any good family photos! Bummer.

New bookshelves...I love the way they fill up the corner.

My sis-in-law Amanda and I...she is past her due date and we are soo excited to meet baby Cole!

Adam, Ellie, my brother Jay, and niece Hana

Ellie & Hana....not sure why Ellie looks cross-eyed ;)

Ellie and daddy outside on the swing

Our new rug & Ellie watching her little show :)

I just LOVE this picture. This is so Ellie. Climbing on EVERYTHING all the time. She has superb balance. Not bad for a little girl!

Love, K

It's called Getting it Done!

Oh yes. Feelings of victory surround me. I have been doing a pretty darn good job of knocking things off my list. I'm still not nesting...don't care about the dirty baseboards, cleaning out the cabinets, and I'm pretty sure that Adam was the one to point out that our refrigerator needed to be cleaned...then he proceeded to clean it himself....maybe HE is nesting...is that possible? Ha ha!

So, here is the list o' victory thus far:

1) Made birthing plans (yes, you read that right, plans is plural). One for the hospital, just in case, and one for here at home. Although I'm pretty sure that my midwife & doula will do a rockin' job of doing what I ask..

2) I completed the crib skirt border! I'm a terrible sewer (spelling?), but it was pretty fool-proof.

3) Made my condensed version of baby-wise through the first month. :) It's about 3 pages long full of quick pointers to help me out.

4) Took my last set of maternity photos! Thanks Jennifer. You are awesome.

Here are some pictures to prove that they are Done!

These aren't in order (After)
Before (and I'd like to thank Steve & Sophie for being my reluctant models!)

This is the park where we took our photos..isn't the fountain awesome?! And we took these with our camera by the way...note the unprofessionalism :)

9 months pregnant, and still loving it! (Did you notice the beard??Not mine, silly...Adams!)

And lastly, the computer stuff.

Thanks for keeping me accountable everyone :-)

Love, Krystle

Wanna Come Along???

It has been a little harder to blog lately. My mind is so flooded with "stuff" that things are just not coming out clear. Thankfully the "Doula" post was pretty consistent so that you all could actually follow some of my thoughts (thanks for all of your sweet comments by the way!).

So, I have decided to invite you all along. I have lots of mini-projects to do before Ellie arrives. LOTS! I am going to try to get maybe 1 a day accomplished...we'll see! I'm sorry if some of them just aren't that exciting, but I feel like it would give me some good accountability to do it if I include you all :) Here is my first list to get through- We will try this for ONE week to see how good I am. I don't like making empty promises!

1. Make a Birth Plan just in case I have to go to the hospital.
Ok, don't pee your pants or anything, I KNOW how exciting this one is! I bet you all can't wait! ha!!!

2. Complete Ellie's room.
Find white rocking chair for under $100, sew final step for crib skirt, and organize a little more.

3. Condense Baby Wise Info for Weeks 1 & 2 after she is born.
Baby Wise is a book all about scheduling feeding/sleeping times. Another post that I'm sure will knock your socks off!

4. Complete last set of Maternity Photos.
Our awesome friend Jennifer is taking another round of photos for us this Saturday. I can't wait!

That would be 4 posts in a week! Wow. Can I do it????

Doula

Sometimes it seems that all of my schooling towards my nursing degree was a waste. I'm not a nurse- so what does that tell me? Anatomy & Physiology kicked my butt each time I took it. I even shot my anatomy book one day when Adam and I went shooting! It felt good. This has been something that has been really discouraging to me. It's mixed around with a lot of feelings of failure & self-doubt. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew that my efforts towards my degree were about to be prolonged even further! This was both good & bad. I was tired of the constant disappointment failing brought me & happy to get some relief for a while, but also sad that I had worked so hard for something that seemed like wasted time.

I think I may have found the solution though. A happy happy medium. Well, I say medium, but I have no idea really. Recently I have been thinking about becoming a Doula. Need a definition?

dou⋅la / [doo-luh]
–noun
a woman who assists women during labor and after childbirth

....that's a pretty simple definition, because I think they do much more. But that's the sweet & simple. Basically, they are a life-line in labor, delivery, and the transition time that follows. They give you support (emotional & physical), they can be an advocate for you and your partner in the delivery room, and be whatever you need them to be in that sensitive time of giving birth to your child.

Anyways! I went to a mini-doula training this past Saturday (thanks Leigh!), and it was so awesome. It just validated further that doing this career change is the right move for me. I am so passionate about the whole birthing process- the natural, simple process. I think it is so easily overlooked. I am planning on making the move to do this at some point in August after I have a few months of getting use to being a momma! I am going to attend a few births- then do a few of them for free for the brave people that trust me enough to hire me!- and then plan on doing it on my own soon after. I am so excited!

I have also thought about the possibility of becoming a home-birth midwife...but that is further in the future, so we will just have to sit on that for a while :)

Here is a picture of my last visit with my midwife Mary...she is awesome. Look at that massive belly!!
So, that's that, but I also wanted to give you all some pregnancy updates!

*As of right now, I am 36 weeks!!! She is safe to come anytime according to my midwife...Ah!
*I am feeling pretty large...ok VERY large. Sleep isn't the same. But I guess that's what you can expect when a large human is in your belly.
*I LOVE eating ice. Love it. Adam hates it. He thinks I am not a "polite-ice-chewer". Ha!
*I pee almost everytime I sneeze. Wanna hear something funny? I have an extra pair of underwear on my purse at all times "just-in-case". Gross.

Besides that, I am feeling WONDERFUL. Pregnancy has been a blast. A LONG adventure so far. But it's crazy that it's coming to an end soon. Am I ready? No. Somedays I think I am, but most days I feel like I am in un-charted territory (which I am), and it's pretty overwhelming. But hey, how many woman have done this and conquered? Too many to count. I think I'll be just fine...
I will leave you with a picture of me these days. If you see a hint of a double-chin...well, I'm just a little hungrier these days....

Alexa & I

Love, Krystle

Anxious

It's happening. I'm getting anxious for my baby to come. I still feel pretty patient, but I'm just getting excited. The thought of seeing her & holding her in my arms is so overwhelming. I remember seeing my little brother right after he was born, and I was so in love with him. I was just sobbing. I remember thinking, "How is it possible to have so much love for someone so fast?" I can't even imagine how it's going to feel to hold my very own daughter in my arms for the first time. Sigh....

I have been reading lots of birthing stories lately. Mostly of women who have decided to give birth at home. It's truly amazing. I can't help but wonder what my birth story will be like. I don't even like to think of it as a birth story actually, but more of a journey. It isn't something that starts and then ends. It's just the first chapter of the rest of your new life. I think that it all starts when you are in labor, going through the process with your baby already. There can be a lot of love wrapped up in all of the emotions of childbirth; the pain, the moments of rest, the frustration, the anxiety, the hope, the anticipation...all of it. That's one of the things that I'm actually looking forward to most. Call me crazy, but to think that I get to experience all of that knowing that my precious girl will be out of me, and that is the outcome of my efforts through that day or so that I labored is so empowering. I haven't talked about it much here on my blog except for when I originally announced that I was doing a home-birth. But it is something that I have become very passionate about. The natural-beautiful process. And don't get me wrong, it can be a beautiful process no matter how it is done; hospital, home, birthing center....but for me, it feels most natural to do it this way. Uninterrupted, all by myself (with Adam's love & support of course), feeling everything & using many many comfort measures/tools to calm & relax me.

I honestly can't wait.

When I picture Ellie, I think that she will have dark curly hair, blue eyes, and look like her daddy. But we'll see....

Anxiously waiting,
Krystle

Wall Art

I finished my first project for Ellie's room on Tuesday night. Working on a tight budget, I had to get creative, and I did this little number for only $15! I was so excited :) I asked Adam if he would make us dinner while I just crafted...and he said yes! Mr. Wife to the rescue. I love it when husbands are awesome like that. My next project is going to be a crib skirt...I have never done that before, so we'll see how that goes! Oh, and thank you guys for your sweet comments to my pictures :) You sure know how to make a pregnant lady feel attractive! You guys rock.

Steve was so cute & stayed in this box the whole time I crafted :)
I used embroidery hoops (which come in the wood color), and painted them white

This was some of the fabric I used...I wanted lots of variety

Then I put the fabric into the hoop and cut around it...SUPER easy.

And here they are! Cute little circles to put above the crib. Love it!

Happy Friday everyone! Adam and I are planning on chilling out this weekend and doing a lot of nothing. Sometimes you just need a break from doing things and living the adult life. Can I get an amen?! Being an adult can seriously suck sometimes. Go to work, come home, make dinner, clean the house, catch up on randomness, and by the time you are done, it's time for bed & the things that you actually WANTED to do, don't get done. So, with all that being said, we are going to hang out, NOT clean the house, NOT do the laundry, NOT make a huge dinner, and DO some things that we feel like doing- maybe watch a million episodes of the office, catch up on "husband & wife time" (ahem), watch movies, go on some walks, and go out to get ice cream.....sounds amazing. This all starts........right now.

Love, Krystle

They have arrived!

Pictures, Pictures, and more pictures!!!

Jennifer at www.jenniferlaurenphotography.blogspot.com sent me pictures today! I said that I would post them when they came, so I'm fulfilling my blogging duties to all of you readers...whoever you are.... (happily of course!). They all turned out soooooooo great! I can't wait for the next go-arounds when I am even bigger... I just love the desert scene. So fitting since we are in Arizona. It's nice to capture Arizona's beauty. A desert really can be beutiful!

P.S. I finished one project for Ellie's room last night :) Can't wait to post it...probably tomorrow. Hope everyone has a VERY happy Wednesday!

Love, Krystle