Birth

I got a call around 7 yesterday evening (Thursday) from my friend S. She was trying to give me a pre-labor warning, but said it was really early, and maybe nothing...then at about 8:30 I got a text message saying "it will be tonight..." The "come now" call was at 9:54 and I was there by 10:05. A happy healthy baby girl was born at 10:57.

It was a beautiful, peaceful home waterbirth (a 3rd VBAC if you're counting), surrounded by family. In fact, the 8-year old big sister caught the baby with help of dad while her 2 brothers and sister (ranging from 2 to 11 I think) all watched. Music was playing, candles burning, and everyone so joyous. The mama was strong and glowing (and not a little surprised with the speed of the labor!).

Congratulations to the family. I am so blessed to have been witness to this amazing event...

Orchard and Biking

This weekend we went to an organic farm and picked peaches...




...and then tuned up our bikes (which haven't been touched since we moved, 18 months ago). We went for a little family cruise over to our favorite quick grocery - Fresh and Easy - to stock up on 1/2 price treats! Just call us the safety crew LOL:

Babywearing

Just found this amazing photo collection of "ethnic and simple" babywearing (example below).


Had to share. Look at the vibrant colors, the amazing carries, and how many siblings are carrying big toddlers!

Hmm. Feedback??

So on a particular forum I frequent, there's a post all about this fancy "hospital gown" a mama made herself for her birth. She said about it:

"I hate the standard hospital gowns so I teamed up with my friend 'Google' and found a pattern to make my own! I just hope the hospital doesn't burst my bubble and not let me wear it (since I'm having a photog spend the day w/ me while giving birth I want to look cute)."

And this is the picture:



Now, if you've ever read Robbie Davis-Floyd's Birth as an American Rite of Passage (oh heck, even if you haven't), you'll know where I'm going with this...but I'm trying to decide if I'm being a little psycho or not LOL.

See, the whole hospital-gown (whether given by them or made at home) really encourages you to be a patient. Birth is not an illness, not a disease, not something to be treated. The donning of the old gown helps imply that you are sick, and must dress the part. I don't care how pretty it may look - the addition of the ties and shoulder snaps means you're expecting IVs, wires, tubes, and other strange contraptions while birthing.

I know three times now, I've stripped to my own birthday suit for birthing...and I simply can't imagine somebody telling me to put on some strange garment like that. Of course, there's a lot about birthing in the standard American way I don't understand, but...

I'll stop now and wait to see what all my wise readers have to say. Obviously, it bugged me. Saddened me? Disappointed me? All true. You?


oh, and p.s. can I just say "not LET me wear it"??!!??!!?!! Whose birth? Whose body? Grrrr.

Walking - sideways!

Just took this video...but I keep forgetting that the video plays sideways when I hold the camera that way...sorry! Oh, and ignore the stupid commentary. Watch in silence.

Baby L's necklace

I get many comments and questions about Baby L's necklace...so I thought I'd just post about it :)

It is made of Baltic amber, which is supposed to contain analgesic properties. They are very popular in certain mama-circles to relieve teething pain (and the accompanying behavior). I'm on the fence about it. The day it arrived, I put in on Baby L, and within minutes he morphed from this whining, miserable creature into a slumbering baby! I was hooked. However, since then...not so sure it does much.

I do have a friend who said all crystals (and amber) should be recharged periodically in order to maintain their healing/soothing/etc. properties. This is done by removing the stone/amber from the wearer and placing it in the sun for a few hours. I need to try this again with Baby L's necklace.

Whether or not it works has actually become a secondary consideration for me. As my cousin commented, it's kind of Baby L's trademark now - and I must admit, I find it irresistibly adorable LOL.

So there's the lowdown. If you'd like one for yourself, I ordered from this store (cognac color)..and many of my friends have as well. In fact, I have one I wear, and Baby L actually has an anklet too (gifts from a friend). It is by far the cheapest I found...

Just a few cute pics of Baby L

I was trying to get a cute pic for my mom of L's new birthday clothes...amazing how many out-takes it took just to get these two (and yeah, I'm sparing everybody the not-so-goods)!

Adding a few more from this afternoon:

I guess it's official now.

I met with my friend and Licensed Midwife (that's one person LOL), S the other day. I have agreed to begin as her Jr. Midwifery Student in the fall! Since she's having a baby any day now, her client load will be very light - which is the only way I can even pretend to make it work right now.

Right away, I will be doing everything with S: attending prenatals two days a week, paperwork, blood draws, 36-week home visits, and attending births...pretty much trial by fire! We'll also spend time going over skills, I will be reading and memorizing and practicing what I can...

It is so surreal to me...and a little daunting, to be honest. Thing is, D does not have a flexible job, and we have three kids! I figure I can make it work, since the prenatals are on regularly scheduled days, and home visits have a 2-week warning. The girls will both be in school, and there is an after school program available. I will arrange something for Baby L, and D will pick the girls up if need be...

However, the births of course don't come on a pre-determined schedule! So...yeah. That's where I'm trying to figure something out. The other big problem is that we only have one car! Well, D has a work truck he uses, but it doesn't fit the three kids (besides the fact it's a WORK truck, not a cart-the-family-around truck). So...if I'm at a birth, he can't even go pick up the kids from other places! I HAVE to find someone who can come to the house for Baby L. Or I have to buy a small car. Ha ha ha ha

Anyway, that's the big news from here. Wish me tons of luck - with the arrangements in particular!

Happy Birthday, Baby L!

At 7:49 p.m. one year ago today, Baby L joined us...

The changes in just one year are simply amazing...besides walking and talking and signing, he eats, he plays, he giggles, he knows what he shouldn't be doing (and grins while shaking his head about it), he boogies to the music, and while frustrating in his lack of sleep and abundance of whine, he amazes us every day.

Happy birthday L. We love you so much.


For those of you who never read his birth story...here it is:

A little brother has joined our family! Born Wednesday night, at home in the tub, caught by daddy!

He was born at 41 weeks, after about 45 minutes of actual labor (I'd been having contrax for about an hour before that, every 12-15 min, but didn't really think much of them...). My water had broken early on Tuesday morning, 41 hours before labor kicked in! I'm sure that's partly why my contrax became so intense...I've never before labored with broken water.

Funny part to the birth story...one hour before I had him, I was sitting at the dinner table eating - of all things - BEEF STEW!! Not exactly your light pre-baby meal LOL

When contrax really set in, I got in the tub - they were one on top of another, with no break between. When I tried to get up to use the toilet, I almost had to fall back into the tub for any relief...

D was putting the girls to bed (it was about 7 p.m.) - then he came out and heard my vocalizations, got in the tub with me, and starting applying pressure to my lower back. Not long after this, he asked if he should call S to come. I agreed, so he made the call, and she arrived quickly.

I suddenly had an overwhelming urge to bear down, and checked to feel head - I was so surprised that it was already time! The feeling of his head moving down, pressing on my perineum, and emerging was so intense...I hadn't ever felt so connected to the actual birth of my other two. I helped ease the head, feeling the perineum stretch - I was sure it wouldn't fit, and was going to burst! Once his head was born, I just paused and felt his silky hair in the water, while waiting for another pushing urge. Again, I was so aware of the emerging shoulders and then body - unlike before. My dh caught him, and as I'd been on all fours, I stood and we passed the baby up to me.

Our girls came in and were watching me labor once it was obvious the baby was immenent - the elder (age 5) was drawing me pictures that said "I love you mom" on them And in between pushes, I could smile back and talk to them...it was the first time that I actually enjoyed pushing during labor, because it was the first time in this labor I was getting a break between contrax!

When the baby was born, the girls stripped and hopped into the tub with us, meeting their new brother. After a few minutes, I moved to our bed to birth the placenta (all of 5-10 minutes later) and rest.

There's the quick version...I have yet to write out the whole story.

If you haven't seen the pictures and would like to (warning, nudity!! but nothing too graphic), please click here. I hope you enjoy them. I love sharing these pictures of what birth can be...not scary, not medical, just part of family life.

Never mind - I lied.

So all that about Baby L sleeping so much better? Just a dirty little lie.
We did get those few nights of "better," but since I posted last Friday, it has been nothing short of horrid. He wakes every hour all night (occasionally we'll get a two-hour stretch), and will ONLY nurse. We've tried walking, patting, water, etc. with no luck.

We (Baby L and me) are now eating free of dairy, wheat, corn, soy and egg in an effort to isolate the offending food...still no improvement. I might have to go ahead and cut out all the other possibilities: berries, citrus, nuts, fish, nightshades (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant)...and I'm sure something else my sleep-deprived brain is forgetting.

On the bright side, he has been taking a few steps here and there - up to four, I think. He says "hi" and "hot," blows kisses, signs "all done," "more," "water," and "eat," and is an all around lovey baby when he's not whining or fighting sleep.

His birthday is tomorrow...it has been both the longest and quickest year! These last few months have been so difficult...and the poor girls are suffering a lack of quality mom-time because of it. I just keep reminding myself that it will get better...some day.

In other non-baby news, the girls have two more weeks of school, I will be signing them up for some creative classes at the local Art Center, and we will be in AK for the month of July (can't remember if I already posted that). School starts back up mid-August, so it will be a quick and busy summer. The girls will be in the same school next year - C officially a first grader (though in reality a second grader), and E in kindergarten!

E has spent a few hours in her new class as a visitor, and loves it. Since it's a Montessori Primary class, the students are 3-6 years old, in preschool and kindergarten. Most of the preschoolers are returning in the Fall. E will go one more day - next Wednesday for pizza day! I will drop her with C in the morning "car line" and pick her up after lunch. She's very excited about her new school :) C will return to the same class, but will no longer be the baby of the room, as 7 new first graders will join.

Off to clean. More soon. Please wish sleep upon us!

Quick updates

Baby L had been testing our patience something fierce the last month or so. He was always whining, fussy, waking every single hour all night, etc.

I finally went wheat and dairy-free in an effort to eliminate his horrible eczema (older friends will remember the fight with eczema and E...wheat was her trigger food). While his skin is still rough - it takes a while to heal - his behavior and sleeping have been SO. MUCH. BETTER. He did also cut his sixth tooth - the lower left-of-center one, which I don't doubt was also contributing.

Other things we're trying to help heal L's skin and improve sleeping and fussiness are a daily dose of pro-biotic powder and some chamomile tea with bay leaf...

In other news, an old friend from home was visiting the last two days. JE came Wednesday night and hung out through Thursday with us. Thursday night two wonderful friends watched all three kids so D and I could join JE and his wife S for dinner. It was a lovely treat for us to have a peaceful, adult dinner for a change - only the second time ever in over a year! And of course, such fun to catch up with an old friend...

The last exciting bit of news from here is that I've basically been invited to start apprenticing as a midwife-in-training. It is not something we can swing *quite* yet, with the three wee ones and D working the hours he does. However, it *is* now officially on my radar, and I will see what I can do to get the proverbial ball rolling...and maybe by the fall I can begin at least part-time with prenatal appointments and reading and CPR certification and all that stuff. I hope to meet with the LM (licensed midwife) in question next week and get more details.

I am thrilled :)

Very sad news about a friend

A young woman from my local AP mamas group died yesterday morning.

She was 5.5 months pregnant, and leaves behind two little girls, ages 1.5 and 3.

A pulmonary embolism was the cause of death.

The father returned home from a work day to his 3-year old saying, "mommy hasn't talked to me all day."

:(

p.s. this is NOT the same woman that has cancer...same group of mamas, different sad tale.

Slice of life, Bass-style

I was taking a picture of the little monkey below, and decided to get a quick shot of each of us - a little moment-in-time captured. So here we are in all our glory, 4 p.m. May 1, 2008:

E

L (that's blackberry face)

C (nice suit top, huh?)

D (he'll kill me when he sees this one)

and J
(ugh...why oh why am I posting this?? no shower...end of day, no-napping, feverish child...gimme a break!)

One of these days I really want to do a whole day-in-the-life (DITL) post. It won't be exciting, but perhaps a fun exercise?

May Day Fun

Sweet baby L napping (for 30 minutes. total. all day.):

The girls saw a baby bird falling from its nest in the saguaro. He can move just fine, walking all over the yard. At the moment, he is on the edge of our patio!

See mama bird watching from the fence (sitting on the concrete, where the pool fence intersects)? I didn't want to get too close, so yeah, lame picture. If you click on the photo though, you can really see her:

The nest:

Sweet, empathetic C really wanted to "do" something to help the baby birdie...so we put out bread and water in lids, just in case. Not sure what will happen to the little thing.

Last year, a similar looking bird drowned in the pool, obviously trying to fly from the nest. Then in the front yard there's a skeletal baby bird impaled in a cactus. Dangers of fledglings in the desert, I suppose...

Two-steppin' wheat/dairy-free green smoothie madness

So Mr. L took two steps today...naked, by the pool, chucking every single toy he could find into the water. Good thing the girls were actually in the water and happy to retrieve them all!

Speaking of Mr. L - his skin has become so red and irritated and itchy that I can no longer ignore the fact that he is reacting to something. Since we already went through this with E, I am assuming it is wheat...however, he has been eating lots of yogurt lately, so we're eliminating all wheat and dairy from his (and therefore from MY) diet. Hopefully in a week or so we'll see improvement.

As for the green smoothie part of my title...I've been playing with our Vita-Mix in full force lately. My last few "smoothies" have been simply awesome! I take a big handful or two of spinach (or any other green on hand - one day it was Romaine), blend with this pomegranate-blueberry juice from Fresh and Easy until it looks like plain juice. Then I add whatever fruit we have or need to use up. Today's combo was:

Spinach
Pomegranate-blueberry juice
a handful of green grapes
approx 1/2 an apple, including skin
some watermelon chunks
a banana
some ice cubes

I have made similar combos with spinach, pom-blue juice, mango, frozen berries...they have all been great! You could also add yogurt, flax, etc. to really up the punch.

Tonight for dinner I Vita-Mixed (is that a verb LOL) spinach, black beans, tofu, salsa, avocado, taco seasoning and cumin to make "refried beans" on tostada shells...again - yum!

I love that I can sneak these extra nutrients into my kids (for example, E won't touch avocado, though big sis and little bro both love it), and it tastes amazing...

Watch out Jessica Seinfeld...here I come!

My bathing beauties

After a little evening swim last night, the kiddos needed to warm up!

In other news...had a mellow weekend, went to a birthday party (bowling!) and fell in love with the hosts' house...enjoyed our mid-90s temperatures with a lovely breeze, and bought C some new-to-her jeans...in a size 8 *gasp*
I can't believe how big she is already...sigh.


Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Happy Monday!

Uber-excellent water usage

We got our water bill in the mail today. It's nothing new - just the same as every month for us. However, this time we paid attention to the gallons and to the "comparison" chart included. I was flabbergasted with the results.

Here's the scoop:

We are a family of five, with a pool and a hot tub...and we use cloth diapers and cloth pull-ups.

Our monthly usage is 4000 gallons.

Divided by people in household (5) and number of days in the billing month (29), that makes 27.6 gallons per person, per day.

The typical water usage in Mesa ranges from 80 to 180 gallons per person per day!

The chart from the city rates "excellent" at 30-80 gallons per person per day...so we are beyond excellent! We're supreme! We must be uber-excellent!

So how do we do it?

* If it's yellow, let it mellow! Do not flush the toilet after you pee...unless there are already a few pees in the pot!
A low-flow toilet uses ~3 gallons per flush! So if you pee say 7 times a day (?), but only flush twice, you've just saved 15 gallons! Now if you have four potty-users in your house, that's already 60 gallons saved. Something to think about.

* High efficiency washing machine. More expensive to start, but huge environmental impact.

* Dishwasher

* No grass in the desert landscape - in fact, we hardly ever water anything in our yard...now granted, our yard is ugly!

* Conscious use of water every time - sink, shower, hose, etc.

That's it! A bit of a bragging post, but hopefully something to get you thinking about where YOU can cut down on water use. Let me know any other tricks and tips you already use!

---------------------------------------
4/23/08 additional thoughts

Lest we seem like we're doing it all here...I was thinking this morning of some obvious fixes we can do to conserve more:

* Install low-flow shower heads and faucets. The new versions of these aerate the water, so you don't lose out on pressure, you just use less water. Both our showers are in need of new sprayers, so here's a good one for us to do.

* Replace old gazillion-gallon flushing toilet. One of ours is a new, low-flow, but the other one...yikes. You can also put a brick (or similar) in the tank to reduce water. We just haven't yet...

* Cut down on my shower time. I am guilty of hanging out in the hot water way too long. Does it get balanced out though since the kids don't bathe very often? LOL

* Get rid of hot tub we don't use.

Pacifica

Once upon a time, there was a small girl with bright white hair. When this little girl was small, she called her pacifier a "suck-suck," which sounded like "guck-guck" when she said it. Over time, the family renamed pacifiers "gukkies."

Well, this girl loved her pacifier so very much that when she was four years old, she still used it to sleep.


Her mom and dad were fed up with the over-use of this little plastic toy (and having nightmares of the dental bills to ensue), and encouraged her to stop the habit...so finally, on April 16, 2008, the little girl accepted her mama's challenge to sleep at night without her "gukky." She was rewarded the next day with a new dinosaur!

The next few nights, the little girl continued sleeping without the gukky, even when spending the night at her aunt's house!

With four nights of guk-free sleep, the family knew it was time to call in the Gukky Fairy. On Monday night, April 21, 2008, the little blond girl and her sister strung up all the gukkies in the house and hung them on the bedroom door:


In the morning, the little girl found this note:


...and this special PlasmaCar!


Woo-hoo! Celebration of a guk-free life at the Bass house!

Nice little co-sleeping article

Thought I'd share an article I was just sent.

See here!

Happy sleeping :)

BabyHawk!

(my son, not the baby carrier)

I can't believe he's already 11 months old. I'm not ready for my baby to be such a big boy :(

He has been signing lots lately - the ones he knows and uses are "milk (nurse)," "more," "eat," "water," and "all done."
He also uses these same signs for other things I haven't figured out yet LOL. I do find it fascinating though to watch how he obviously makes the connection between these signs and communication...

Baby L is also "free standing" now (not holding on), though not ready to take any steps yet. His poor lower legs and feet-tops are calloused from crawling on the tile and desert landscape. Walking should be a nice relief.