Five Flew Out of the Koo Koo's Nest

Remember this

2010-12-14T16:26:00.000-08:00

Remember when we were little and we used to watch these Disney sign alongs. Miss you

38 Week Baby Boy Belly

2010-06-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

My baby belly is 38 weeks. Do you know what that means??? A baby boy will be moving into our home in about 2 weeks. It's crazy! I've certainly had my moments of mixed emotions about all of it, but now, i'm mostly just excited. I can't wait to see him, to hold him, to smell him. Our little lover. Until then I suppose he will continue to torture me with rib kicks, side jacks, and cheap shots to the groin. Bruce Lee...is that you? I tell him daily that if he's too cramped in there, to just come on out. He's doesn't listen. Kids...what are you gonna do with 'em?

Please pardon the fact that I look absolutely wretched in the photos below. This is what I look like at the end of week when i've maxed about 3 hours of sleep 4 nights in a row. I know, I know, just wait until the bean arrives, right?

Here are a few behind-the-scene photos. What you all don't know is that it takes at least 30 minutes to get a shot that I will deem acceptible to post. MC says i'm a terrible model at which point I'll grab Maceo and try to bring some life into the session. MC is not amused because i'm usually keeping him from his nightly dose of Sportscenter or The Wire and Mewker is usually making his all too common "shoot me now" look. I, however, am quite entertained. Also, pardon my full-frontal wide-ness. I'm 38 weeks pregnant, i'm 38 weeks pregnant, i'm 38 weeks pregnant. (That's my current "living with the fat" mantra!)

We'll baby bean is due the first week of July. Any guessers on exactly when he will come knocking?

It's MY Birthday

2010-06-14T15:10:00.000-07:00

But it's hers too...

Happy 31st Birthday to my other half.
Love You,
Tats

Ps. Happy Flag Day!

Lost and Found

2010-06-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

This weekend with MC out of town I was in Ultimate Nesting Mode. Whilst cleaning the house top to bottom I found the following feminine ankle sock, known to the French as une socquette.

This dirty little thing was found in the upstairs bedroom which may have been inhabited by Cats or Juice around the last weekend in April.

Claim it here, or it gets the boot. And by boot i'm not referring to a winter shoe!

Love,
Tats

34 Weeks and 5 days

2010-05-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

Finally, a new shot of my ever growing belly! I must admit i'm feeling pretty big lately and by BIG, I mean uncomfortable, achy, barfy and tired. I can't believe that we will have a little mini-MC in about 5-6 weeks. We are really really excited to meet our little man, but i'd be lying if I said I didn't have one or two little moments of fear thinking of how drastically our life will change in 30 something days!

Me: "Sweetness, I don't know about this whole having a baby thing!"
MC: "Too late for that Baby..."
Me: (disapproving groan)

Sitting next to pigpen

2010-04-30T23:16:00.000-07:00

We Took a rode trip for Nats baby shower.

I somehow got to sit in the middle...to my left was pigpen, who btw went through two wardrobe changes during our 8 hour drive :)

Please notice my tidy space.

Lovingly, your sister

29 Weeks Huge

2010-04-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

Having officially been in my 3rd Trimester for 2 weeks now, i'm surprised that I still don't really feel pregnant. It's funny. I always daydreamed that pregnancy would be different somehow, that it would make me feel or act a certain way. When I open my eyes in the morning I feel like me...but then I try to move and I have no stomach muscles, and my back aches, and I step in front of the mirror and my body is 2 times bigger than normal and I say...humm, I guess I really am pregnant.

29 weeks...in 11 weeks, give or take, we will have a little baby boy. What a mind blowing concept! Hopefully he will have his daddy's blonde hair and stunning blue eyes and my long fingers and toes. We already know he's got super long legs...there was no way he was going to escape that trait, but its a good one.

We have a monthly check-up appointment next Tuesday and i'm proud to say that I have not gained a pound since that infamous last appointment when my doctor called me a fatty. We are really excited though because I was able to talk them into giving me my 30 week scan next Thursday morning. Caitlin will be in town and since she will be living in Japan when he is born, I thought it would be cool for her to come with. All you have to do is tell someone that a loved one is leaving for the military and they will do what they can to accomodate you. Umm Caitlin, I told them you were the pilot so you may want to brush up on your Aviator Lingo just incase they ask. Here's to hoping we get a good look at his face. I'm just dying to know what he looks like.

Progress at 25 Weeks

2010-03-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

Even though everyone thinks i'm tiny and I hardly look pregnant, i'm going to side with my good friend Aislinn, who thinks I TOTALLY look pregnant. Perhaps she's bias because she has felt and seen the little beans powerful moves more than anyone because he likes to show off while i'm at work...or maybe he is just showing off for the pretty lady? Regardless i'm in my 6 month and I feel huge and wobbly.

You can form your own opinion below.

(looking a little tired)

(how can you say that I don't look pregnant?)

(fun with kitty)

(i'm gross here, but look at Mew and MC...hilarious!)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day my lovely sisters. I hope you enjoy a cold Guiness for me. In celebration of this happy green day, I registered for this little beauty. Green and beautiful. It's a diaper bag, but so much more magical. Kinda like Mary Poppins bag of goodies...didn't she pull a lamp out of that thing? Now, if I can convince someone that spending almost $400 bucks on a diaper bag is a good idea...that will be magical. Sister's Gift...wink wink. :O)

And for Daddy...Let's stay in the green as well with this lovely Olive PPB Masculine Diaper Bag! Half as much, but twice as nice!

Photos courtesy of Petunia Pickle Bottom

Progress at 21 Weeks

2010-02-19T12:07:00.000-08:00

I think we've made some significant progress in belly size over the past few weeks. I love my growing baby bump, I don't love the cronic sciatica that is making me seriously consider a cane. Monday morning we get the "real" anatomy scan, so we will find out for sure if this little bumpkin is actually a girl...stay tuned for the dramatic reveal!

Happy Weekend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANNAH - BANANA

2010-02-17T13:36:00.000-08:00

I cant believe your 17! Hope you day is special.

xoxox -

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T12:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day My Lovely Sisters and Momma.

Hope it's FULL of Love!

xoxo

Birkram and tings

2010-02-09T00:25:00.000-08:00

Day 3 of bikram yoga! I hate every min of it, but come the next day I am determined to go again. For the past two weeks I have made a conscience effort to eat less and healthier and im starting to look, feel better. My skin is looking a little more even toned too.

So far Vancouver world is alot of work. I am exhausted, but it feels so good to plow through these shipments Rock-It Cargo Style. Seeing and hearing how happy our clients are is so rewarding. I cant wait to watch the games. From bobsleds, luge sleds, ski, snowboards, hockey sticks, clothing for games and opening/clothing ceremonies, media, staging, sound, tv trucks, video. Feels pretty cool to be a part of this world event.

I go home for a few days on Thursday night and I cant wait to see Dave, Hunti and Marley.

On a side note... the attached picture is of Papa in a bobsled...in a gift shop. It was so great to hang out with him last month.

Lots of love...

Changes

2010-02-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone and happy almost superbowl weekend! I hope everyone will have a fantastic superbowl sunday! We are having lots of friends over for the big game and we made the mistake of telling people they can bring their kids... so the other day i was counting how many kids we are going to have here, and it's going to be 12 adults and 6 kids... believe me, i feel a panic attack coming on... BIG MISTAKE. oh well what can you do? I'll keep you ladies posted on how that goes...
anyways i have big news, Kyle is lateraling over to Oxnard Police Department at the end of this month. They gave him a job offer last monday and he is very excited. Oxnard is a busier city with more clientele (AKA more crime and gang activity... hooray) and there is alot more opportunity for someone there that has there master's degree to work into upper management. They also have a full time gang unit and a full time SWAT team so he will be like a kid in a candy store.. and Kyle can't wait to see more action. Their scheduling is also great because he will be working 3/12 hour days instead of 4/10 hour days, the lucky guy is going to be having 4 days a week off! lol, must be nice...
Other than that, Kyle and i will be spending our 5th valentine's day together in Baton Rouge Louisiana next weekend for kyle's cousin's wedding... his mom was nice enough to buy us a couple of plane tickets when she found out we weren't going :)
also i sent out a text showing how i have dramatically lightened my hair... i don't think kyle recognizes me anymore :P
So that's it for us!!!
Sorry it's been so long
Love
Me

Timon of Athens...starring...

2010-01-30T10:54:00.000-08:00

Vanessa and Hunti

I know Ive been so bad at updating this thing! Found sometime on this rainy Vancouver morning. Last month Hunti's school studied Shakespeare and she was casted as Timon in the play Timon of Athens. She did so good. Here's a picture of her and one of her best friends from school.

Progress

2010-01-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

17 Weeks and Counting!

We have a doctor's appointment next week. I called yesterday and begged for the anatomy scan, I mean shit, half of my friends find out at 16 weeks what they are having. No Such Luck. Next week is just one of the little check in appointments and we won't have our anatomy scan until at least 20 weeks. Boo.

Anyone care to guess the sex? We are keeping fingers crossed for blue...but all signs point to pink! We shall see!!

After Birth: Courtesy of Wonderfullymadebelliesandbabies.blogspot.com

2010-01-22T06:57:00.000-08:00

This next bit of information is from one of many wonderful blogs that I follow. I found all of this information to be extremely interesting and informing, of course... :-)

Thank you, www.wonderfullymadebelliesandbabies.blogspot.com !!

We talk a lot about pregnancy and birth, but what about after baby comes? There are so many options to consider before baby even makes her arrival, from vaccination and circumcision, to breastfeeding and diapering, there are so many things to work through. This post will, hopefully, set you on a course to helping navigate all of the choices in early parenting that you will be faced with.

Immediately after birth, you will have some choices to make. These choices include circumcision, vaccinations, routine baby care, and breastfeeding. We will take a look at each of these and I will provide links to additional online sources after each one.

Cord Clamping
Cord Clamping tends to occur immediately after birth. Doctors want this to occur for a number of reasons: to hasten the birth of the placenta (traction on the cord stump), to finish a patient's care quickly, to be able to separate baby from mom to complete newborn assessment and routine procedures, and because they may fear jaundice as a result of delayed clamping. Let's address the last reason first because it is the only important one, the rest are only for convenience of the doctors: regular physiological jaundice results from delayed clamping, whereas other types of jaundice (premature, breastfed, or Rh) are not due to delayed clamping.

There are many reasons to WAIT (even if it is only for 2-3 minutes) to cut the cord. The blood in the placenta rightfully belongs to the baby, and babies not receiving this blood have the deal with the equivalent of a major blood loss or hemorrhage at birth. It is estimated that early clamping deprives the baby of 54 to 160 ml of blood, which represents up to half of a baby’s total blood volume at birth. To prevent anemia, the iron in the cord blood is vital to babies early health. Babies benefit from the increased oxygen available to them from cord-blood while waiting to take their first breaths. Earlier cord iclamping increases the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome. The last cord blood acts as a source of nourishment that protects infants against the breakdown of body protein.

For more information see below:
PubMed
Cord Issues
JAMA
Reuters

Erythromycin
This is the eye goop that they put in baby's eyes right after birth. Thisointment is an antibiotic given to prevent ill effects of Chlamydia, Syphilis, or gonorrhea, so if a mother knows she does not have these infections, she might choose to refuse this intervention all together. BTW, if you or someone you know is expecting to give birth in the next 4 months, you may want to doubly consider skipping this treatment because there is a shortage of the Erythromycin eye ointment that is normally used for newborns, so many birth facilities are using substitute ointments without warning parents that there are increased risks of the side effects associated with Erythromycin.

If a parent (mother or father) has an allergy to antibiotics in this class, a baby's risk for side effects/allergic reactions increases. The ointment does cause the eyelids to become red and puffy for about 12-24 hours, as well as blurring their vision. Risks include: Severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); bloody stools; diarrhea; stomach pain, as well as less severe reactions (blurred vision, skin irritation, peeling). The ointment is not supposed to sting the eyes. Many families who choose to have the erythromycin applied to their baby's eyes choose to wait for 2 hours postpartum, so that early infant/mother bonding can occur without inhibition of cloudy vision.

See below for more information:
Drugs.com
Clinical Trials

Vitamin K Injection
The vitamin K injection is a routine injection given to all newborns. This is because babies are born, for the most part, without Vitamin K, a component necessary for blood clotting, so that cells can divide and multiply during gestation. Historically, newborns began getting Vit K shots when circumcision and forceps deliveries became routine. Additionally, at that time they found that some babies suffered from HDN (blood clotting disorder - brain bleeds). We now know that there are two types of HDN:

Early onset "Classic" HDN (also called Vitamin K Deficiency Bleeding) occurs in the first week of life. It is an iatrogenic condition, meaning that it is caused by medical care:

premature clamping/cutting of the umbilical cord deprives babies of up to 40% of their natural blood volume, including platelets and other clotting factors
the use of vacuum extractor or forceps often causes bruising or internal bleeding, which uses up the baby's available clotting factors
the use of antibiotics inhibits the baby's generation of clotting factors

Late-onset HDN (true HDN) occurs in specific circumstances:

maternal medications interfere with vitamin K, such as anticonvulsants, anticoagulants, and antibiotics
infant antibiotic use
infant liver disorders (more prevelant when there is a history of liver disorders)
infant diarrhea, hepatitis, cystic fibrosis (CF), celiac disease, and alpha1-antitrypin deficiency

In these situations, if your baby is born by vacuum or forceps assistance, or if you are planning ton have your newborn circumcised before discharge, Routine Vit K is wise.

OTOH, the other side of the debate is that babies are born without Vit K for a reason. Levels are adequate by 8 days after birth (the same day that Jewish/Christian God said to circumcise Hebrew boys), but they continue to increase for the first six weeks of life.

Studies show that there is an increase risk of childhood leukemia in children who have received the vitamin K shot as newborns, erythrocyte aggregation, jaundice and kernicterus, flushing, sweating, a sense of chest constriction, peripheral vascular collapse, and nerve or muscle damage at the injection site.

Other options are to use oral Vit K drops throughout the first few weeks of life (to baby), or increase maternal diet of green leafy veggies or vit K supplement to transfer from breastmilk to baby.

See below for more information:
Administration of Vit K To Newborns
To Inject Or Not
Making Informed Choices

PKU
The Newborn Screening Test (aka PKU test) is an analysis of the baby's blood to look for evidence of certain genetic diseases or inborn errors of metabolism. The test is performed by collecting a blood sample from the baby onto special paper, which is then sent to a laboratory for analysis of red blood cells, hormones and metabolic by-products to assess whether the findings are outside the normal range.

This is "law" in every state (I believe, verification of your personal state is appreciated) although you have a right to refuse any treatment or test. Typically, baby is taken to the nursery, the heel is warmed with a heat pack, and then the nurse or doctor will perform a heel stick and collect blood samples from the heel. Alternatives are: to refuse the test outright, to require babies collection to be done in your presence, while nursing or soothing, or to use a more humane device.

There is low risk of infection, a small risk of nerve damage at the collection site, and the risk of the breastfeeding relationship being disrupted and/or emotional trauma.

See below for more information:
Newborn Screening Test
Medline Newborn Screening
March of Dimes Newborn Screening

Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is an option for every woman who gives birth. Breastmilk is the best nutrition for a newborn/baby. It is normal and natural, BUT many women encounter obstacles along the way because, even though it is normal and natural, it is not always easy. Some hurdles that might be encountered: nipple confusion, low milk production, inverted nipples, mastitis, tongue tie, high cleft, plugged ducts, and engorgement.

Nearly all breastfeeding hurdles can be overcome by support, lactation consultation, special attention or apparatus'/treatments, perseverance, and encouragement.

Breastfeeding success can be inhibited by: premature introduction of a bottle or pacifier, formula supplementation or introduction, medications of mom or baby, prematurity, or recovery (from cesarean or other surgery). Avoiding these situations, if possible, can greatly increase your breastfeeding success.

Benefits of breastfeeding to baby include:

Less chance of obesity - Longer periods of breastfeeding greatly reduce the risk of being overweight in adulthood as well as reduces the risk of adolescent obesity.
Healthy teeth, eyes, and ears - Formula-fed babies tend to run a higher risk of jaw misalignment and are more likely to need orthodontic work as they get older. Breastfeeding improves the development of facial muscles and the shape of the palate. Breastfeeding reduces the incidence of ear infections and vision problems.
Overall Health - breastfed babies have a reduced risk of severe upper respiratory infections, wheezing, pneumonia and influenza. They have less risk of diarrhea, gastrointestinal infections and constipation. Formula feeding carries a four fold increase in risk for SIDS.
Intelligence/Coping - breastfed babies tend to score higher on IQ tests and cognition testing. Breastfed babies also tend to be more vertical in the corporate world later in life. A recent study indicates that breastfed children cope better with stress later in life. The bonding rather than the breast milk is a likely explanation.
Later Life - Formula-fed babies have a raised risk of heart disease, juvenile/type 1 diabetes, and multiple sclerosis. Recent research indicated that breastfeeding can postpone allergies and asthma. Breastfeeding may also play a role in preventing digestive diseases, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, as well as childhood cancers including leukemia. Other studies indicate a reduce risk for both eczema, food allergy, and respiratory allergy--throughout childhood and adolescence.

Benefits to Mom:

Less Fatigue - women who nurse report being better rested, less stressed, and more content. This is because of a number of factors and include: no need to prepare formula/bottles, the ability to readily access nourishment for a child during nighttime feedings (which allows a woman to do this as second nature and not fully rouse), the hormone prolactin releases olfactorily, soothing a stressed mama and family members and promotes a feeling of overall well being.
Weight Loss - While nursing, you will burn an additional 500+ calories every day. So, unless you continue to "eat for two", the breastfeeding may help you loose weight. The 'spare tire' around a woman's waist is actually a 'milk store' a fatty deposit that nature gave women to sustain her milk production in hard times. Women who nurse tend to loose more of this spare tire, which would otherwise continue to be a 'problem area' throughout her life.
Uterine Health - The hormone oxytocin, which is released in your body during breastfeeding, helps the contraction of your uterus back to normal. Besides looking pregnant for a shorter time period after giving birth, this also means that you may have a shorter postpartum bleeding. Some studies suggest that this also reduces uterine risks later in life including prolapsed uterus, the rate/necessity of hystorectomies, and the like.
Cancers and Longterm Health- Some studies indicate that the risk of getting both breast and ovarian cancer is reduced through breastfeeding. Some studies even indicate of lower incidence of osteoporosis later in life among women that have breastfed.

Breastmilk contains:

Protein in breast milk is mostly whey, which is easier to digest than casein (main protein in cow's milk). Protein of breast milk has high amounts of amino acid taurine, which has an important role in the development of the brain and the eyes.
Fats - These fats are nearly self-digesting, since breast milk also contains the enzyme lipase, which breaks down the fat. Fat is the main source of calories for babies, something babies need to continue postpartum growth and development. Also, fat in human milk has large amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, important for brain development.
Vitamins and minerals - in human milk are bioavailable-meaning they get absorbed well. Breast milk contains substances that enhance the absorption of minerals and vitamins.
Stem Cells - Breast milk is the only adult tissue where more than one type of stem cell has been discovered. That is very unique and implies a lot about the impressive bioactivity of breast milk and the consequential benefits to the breastfed infant (see this article for more great information)
Immune boosters. breastmilk continually passes millions of white blood cells to baby to help baby fight off all kinds of diseases. Also, when mother is exposed to a germ, she makes antibodies to that germ and gives these antibodies to her infant via her milk. Breast milk also contains factors that prevent microbes from attaching, and a long list of other antiviral, antibacterial and antiparasitic factors.

"Even more amazing, if a baby contracts an illness that mom hasnot been exposed to previously, he will transfer this organism through his saliva to the breast, where antibodies are manufactured on site and then sent back to baby via the milk to help him cope. ... Mothers who wean their babies from the breast during the first and even second and third years of life often notice that their child becomes sick more than before, or for the first time." Examining the Evidence for Cue feeding of Breastfed Infants by Lisa Marasco and Jan Barger

Hormones and enzymes. Breast milk has lots of digestive enzymes, and also many hormones. These all contribute to the baby's well being.

See below for more information:

Dr. Sears on Breastfeeding

Womans Health

Vaccinations
Vaccinations definitely have benefits, and there are stark risks as well. This, like circumcision, is a touchy subject.

The wonderful thing is, there are options. Your options includeselective vaccination, delayed vaccinations, and no vaccinations.

Some things to consider when making your decision:

Immunizations provide long-term immunity, not lifetime immunity.
Breast-feeding protects the child from diseases (excluding pertussis) through the mother’s immunity. Some advocates of delayed vaccination state to wait until baby is weaned.
Vaccination protection: typically, the 1st shot in a series provides full immunity to 70% of the population. The 2nd shot in the series brings it up to 80% & the 3rd to 90% of the population.
All vaccines carry some risks, these risks are compounded the more vaccines a body recieves.
The polio vaccine has been shown to, in some cases, cause polio.
The mumps vaccine has been shown to, in some cases, cause meningitis, febrile convulsions and epilepsy.
The HPV vaccine has been shown to cause high incidences of: death, paralysis, thrombosis, lupus, blood clots, fainting, stroke, siezures, long term dissabilities, and there is a question as to, longterm, if it will cause infertility issues.
Questions as to vaccines correlating with the increased incidence of autism in developed countries routinely vaccinating.
Vaccines can cause allergic reactions/sensitivities to certain foods like eggs & gelatin as well as certain medications (antibiotics). While preexisting severe allergies to eggs, gelatin or antibiotics can result in severe deadly reactions to a vaccine containing these substances.
Consider the risks of contracting the disease in your decision to immunize your child. High risks include overseas travel, frequent plane or bus travel, day care or school, or your personal job exposure to vaccination diseases.

There are many options, and I recommend families reviewing the evidence for what is the best for their families.

See below for more information:

Center For Optimal Health

NVIC

Dr. Sears and Vaccinations

Circumcision
Circumcision is a very touchy subject for families. There are pros and cons on each side of the fence and has to be a subject/decision that families are confident in BEFORE it is performed. If, for any reason, there is dissension over circumcision, it is best to NOT have it done until all parties are in agreement. Culturally and religiously, there are arguments in favor of the procedure. As a routine surgery, the AAP discourages it.

Complications can arise, and do in about 3% of all circumcisions, and include: rash or irritation, poor cosmetic appearance, bleeding (hemorrhage) and/or infection, and complications due to faulty surgical technique (Buried penis (also called denudation - penile shaft buried below the surface of the pubic skin), Chordee (abnormal downward bend of the penis), Meatal stenosis (narrowing of the urine channel [urethra] at the top of the penis), Skin bridges (foreskin reattaching to the glans), and Penectomy (accidental partial or complete penile removal)).

It is a permanent procedure that cannot be reversed and is often times not covered by insurance. The procedure takes anywhere from 5-15 minutes.

The procedure- The baby is placed on his back with his arms and legs restrained and the penis and surrounding area are cleaned. A local anesthetic (e.g., cream applied to the skin, injection to the shaft or base of the penis) is used to prevent pain. Anesthetic cream takes effect in about 20-40 minutes. The injection takes less time to work, but the aftereffects may last longer. Sometimes the baby is given a sweetened pacifier to reduce stress (sweetie). The foreskin is pulled down (retracted) from the head of the penis and clamped in place using a metal or plastic ring. If a metal ring is used, the foreskin is cut off and the ring is removed. An antibiotic cream is applied and the penis is wrapped in loose gauze. Healing usually takes 5 to 7 days. If a plastic ring (called a Plastibell) is used, the foreskin is slit and wrapped back around the ring. A piece of thread (suture) is tied around the cut foreskin, pushing it into a groove in the plastic. This is left on the penis for 5 to 7 days, after which it falls off, leaving a completely healed circumcision. An antibiotic cream is applied to the penis.

There are DEFINITE benefits to leaving the prepuce intact, and would refer you to the video below for a full disclosure of that. Please take the moment to watch this video, whether or not you choose to circumcise, so as to be fully educated and make an informed decision about the process.

Several studies have been performed to find out if there is a medical benefit to infant circumcision. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says the benefits of circumcision are not significant enough to recommend circumcision as a routine procedure and that circumcision is not medically necessary.

A recent AAP report stated that circumcision does offer some benefit in preventing urinary tract infections in infants (which is easily treatable with antibiotics and occurs less often when the foreskin (prepuce) is left alone (not retracted to clean)). Circumcision also offers some benefit in preventing penile cancer in adult men. However, this disease is very rare in all men, whether or not they have been circumcised. Circumcision may reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases. Although a man's sexual practices (e.g., if he uses condoms, if he has more than one partner, etc.) has more to do with STD prevention than whether or not he is circumcised.

Study results are mixed about whether circumcision may help reduce the risk of cervical cancer in female sex partners, although this information is again skewed as to the male partners sexual practices as the cervical cancer is often a result of HPV.

Other arguements are social pressures: wanting a child to look like his father or male role model, not wanting a child to be made fun of growing up, wanting a child to 'fit in'. These arguments, IMHO, are not solid enough to base a decision to alter another persons reproductive organs on. No two penis' look alike, so the 'look like his father' argument is null and void - a child will have no issues with this discrepency as long as the father does not show any angst regarding his sons penis. The last two arguments are becoming a non-issue as more and more American males are not being circumcised. America, Canada, and the Middle East are the only locations where circumcision is prevelant, rate of incidences in the order listed.

Finally, taking into consideration all of the above information, we would be wise to think twice about the implementation of this procedure routinely.

See below for more information:

Family Doctor

-------

Well, I hope that the above information arms families with the starting point to begin to make the earliest choices for their children's healthcare. For more great reading, see below:

Parenting and Baby Care
Online Resources:

Books:

The Baby Book, Sears
Mothering the New Mother, Placksin
The Year After Childbirth, Kitzinger
You and Your Newborn Baby, Linda Todd
The Happiest Baby on the Block, Dr. Harvey Karp
The Year After Childbirth, Sheila Kitzinger
Your Amazing Newborn, Marshall and Phyliss Klaus

Breastfeeding
Online Resources:

Books:

The Nursing Mother’s Companion, Kathleen Huggins
*The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding, Anwar Fazal
The Breastfeeding Book, Sears
Nursing Mother, Working Mother, Gale Prior
So That’s What They’re For! Breastfeeding Basics, Janet Tamaro
The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers, Newman and Pitman

Maternal Support, PTSD, and Birth Trauma
Online Resources:

Post Partum Support International - for help postpartum
Depression After Delivery - for help postpartum
Solace For Mothers - support for traumatic birth
TABS - support for traumatic birth and PTSD
Birth Crisis - for birth healing

Books:

This Isn't What I Expected: Overcoming Postpartum Depression, Karen Kleiman
The Postpartum Husband, Sandra Poulin
The Mother-To-Mother Postpartum Depression Support Group, Sandra Poulin

My hope is that every woman can be confident of her educated decisions as a mother! Here's to full and informed consent (refusal).

Lil Peanut at 12 Weeks

2009-12-28T11:32:00.000-08:00

We had our First Trimester Screening Appointment on Christmas Eve. The doctors office was backed up when we got there and we very impaciently waited in the waiting room for over an hour! We were quite displeased with this, and I spent most of the time eating the crackers which were to accompany the baked brie I was to bring to the family holiday party. However, all the bad feelings disappeared as soon as we got to see our little Peanut. He was moving around so much, kicking and squirming like a little frog! It was so funny and so reassuring to see the little guy. The early stages of pregnancy are odd..I dont really have a belly yet (except after I eat), I am starting to feel less morning sickness and I can't feel it moving. And aside from the pre-pubecent acne that is now covering my mug and the love handles that just won't quite, I often wonder if I am pregnant at all?! But He (She)'s in there!! Here's our little guy...all 52 mm of him!

Like I said, I haven't changed too much (belly wise) but you can definately see a little difference in my waist line and my butt (which I just noticed!) Awesome.

7 Weeks 1 Day

12 Weeks 1 Day

Needless to say, I am exstatic to hit the gym today!

Our Christmas was awesome and Now pretty much everyone in our lives knows about the baby. It was cool to share with the Callahan Clan. They naturally were quite enthusiastic as they are the type that asks you on your wedding day when you will start trying for kids.

Hoping all of you had an awesome Christmas!

Love,

Christmas Crazy

2009-12-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

I think that it's safe to say that we all get a little coo-coo around the holidays. It's an overdose of food, drinks, money spending, and family all wrapped into one. Quite the cocktail if you ask me. Every year the holidays seem to catch me by surprise and it's safe to say for me, that this time of year i never learn from my past year mistakes. My greatest flaw, procrastination, leaves me to battle all of my fellow procrastinators every year at the stores. So why don't i start my shopping in October or some other time other than 2-3 days before Christmas?

1. Denial. There is something wired in my brain that refuses to let me believe that Christmas is a matter of importance unless it's only 2 days away.

2. Spending the money. Who wouldn't rather spend the money on themselves? Call me selfish but you all know it's true.

3. Procrastinator. Like i said before, this is just one of my many flaws.

4. I have no idea what to get anybody, and my lack of creativity is of no help to that whatsoever.

5. Time... Who has it anyways?

6. Wrapping the gifts....

So last night as i stood in line for 20 minutes at Ross i had a revelation. Who cares, oh well, i procrastinate and i always will. So long as it get's the job done, i will stand in lines for 20 minutes + surrounded by other stressed out crazy last minute shoppers, trying to cut in front of me all the while to the joyful sounds of screaming children and Christmas music (this makes quite the soundtrack...)

The good news is. You all make it worth it. Happy Holidays and i can't wait to see ya'll (as Caitlin would say)

Doula What?

2009-12-21T17:56:00.000-08:00

Well, it's almost official.

As many of you may already know, I feel my calling in life is to be a midwife. I know it seems rather out of the blue and random but I can't even begin to describe how passionate I am about encouraging women to have the birth of their dreams, when possible.

For now though, since we're moving to Japan and we are planning on starting a family in the next couple of years, becoming a doula is the next best thing for me to do.

I will begin the certification process immediately, starting with an extensive reading list and a Birth Doula Workshop in January in Alabama. I will then need to attend several births and birthing classes...

Some people may find it strange that someone who has never experienced child birth on a personal level would have any inclination to this career field. All I can say to that is this. Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed about having the ultimate birth experience. Weird? Maybe. :-) My Mom has inspired me to some degree by having all 5 of us girls naturally. I can remember with our youngest sister, while my Mom was laboring, she was getting our lunches ready for our school day. When she had a contraction she'd stop and work through it. Then a minute later it was like nothing had happened. It amazed me. She knew her body so well that they were able to stay at home for quite some time before needing to really get to the hospital to deliver. I do believe that the American culture has created a stigma of fear, terror and unmanageable pain to go along with natural child birth. Women have been birthing children for a millennia with the support of other women and a knowledgeable midwife. Of course I don't say all of this to discount the importance of Obstetricians!!

What is a doula?

The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves" and is now used to refer to a trained and experienced professional who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to the mother before, during and just after birth; or who provides emotional and practical support during the postpartum period.

Studies have shown that when doulas attend birth, labors are shorter with fewer complications, babies are healthier and they breastfeed more easily.

A Birth Doula

Recognizes birth as a key experience the mother will remember all her life
Understands the physiology of birth and the emotional needs of a woman in labor
Assists the woman in preparing for and carrying out her plans for birth
Stays with the woman throughout the labor
Provides emotional support, physical comfort measures and an objective viewpoint, as well as helping the woman get the information she needs to make informed decision
Facilitates communication between the laboring woman, her partner and her clinical care providers
Perceives her role as nurturing and protecting the woman's memory of the birth experience
Allows the woman's partner to participate at his/her comfort level

Why use a Doula?

Women have complex needs during childbirth and the weeks that follow. In addition to medical care and the love and companionship provided by their partners, women need consistent, continuous reassurance, comfort, encouragement and respect. They need individualized care based on their circumstances and preferences.

DONA International doulas are educated and experienced in childbirth and the postpartum period. We are prepared to provide physical (non-medical), emotional and informational support to women and their partners during labor and birth, as well as to families in the weeks following childbirth. We offer a loving touch, positioning and comfort measures that make childbearing women and families feel nurtured and cared for.

Numerous clinical studies have found that a doula’s presence at birth

tends to result in shorter labors with fewer complications
reduces negative feelings about one’s childbirth experience
reduces the need for pitocin (a labor-inducing drug), forceps or vacuum extraction and cesareans
reduces the mother’s request for pain medication and/or epidurals

Research shows parents who receive support can:

Feel more secure and cared for
Are more successful in adapting to new family dynamics
Have greater success with breastfeeding
Have greater self-confidence
Have less postpartum depression
Have lower incidence of abuse

Anyway... :-)

Please keep my endeavors in your prayers as I finally embark on a career journey that will ultimately affect the lives of many women and babies!

Holiday Office Party

2009-12-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

Santa Clause came to the office on Friday. Funny! I still look pregnant in this picture.... Huh?

We also had a Fortune Teller, and Charater Artist, a juggler, a henna artist and tHe Grinch...me made super cool ballon animals ;)

We had a raffell... some people won PLane Tickets, Ipods, Mastercards, Starbucks, In&Out....I scored with the leave early on a Friday.... The awesome thing is that I am on salary...aaaaand.... I never ever really stop working.... eeeh...but whos complaining. At least the day was filled with Cheese, shrimp, Mimosa's, Koo-Ka-Roo and cookies :) Oh I forgot to mention!!! In the white elephant game I won an awesome warm scarf from brookstone...and $15 I-Tunes... perfect stocking stuffer for Hunter :)

Informational of Another Variety

2009-12-20T10:35:00.001-08:00

September 2008 brought on a journey that my Aviator had been dreaming of forever. 13 months later, the United States Air Force made it official with that beautiful set of wings you see on his chest. From here on out it's going to be the real world. As soon as we get to Yokota, he'll be flying missions and deploying. The past almost 2 years have been cherished and will always be close to my heart as we started out lives together both as married folk and as an active duty military family.

I know I'm not exactly a hand model but I wanted to show off my new ring.. :-) As some of you may already know, the Aviator and I have had a very interesting time with my wedding ring/diamond from the very start... We started off with a beautiful tension setting engagement that was later on accompanied by a complimentary wedding band. After about a week of wearing the wedding band with the engagement ring, the diamond popped out and was lost forever, the day BEFORE we insured the ring........ Needless to say, it was very traumatic for us. We'd been married almost a full week when this happened and neither of us knew what to do next... So we waited a about a month and then called the jeweler that made the engagement ring and wedding band and explained what had happened, hoping that perhaps they had their own form of diamond insurance... That was a big fat negative... The only thing they could do was reset a new diamond for us at no cost. They felt terrible about it. So we eventually ordered a new diamond from Blue Nile that was absolutely the perfect one. We mailed the ring set to Montgomery, Alabama to have a new setting fashioned from the gold after I described to them over the phone what I'd like.. No more tension setting... This girl NEEDS prongs to sleep at night... :-) So upon delivery of the diamond, I drove to Alabama to hand deliver the diamond for the new setting... The new set the jeweler fashioned was beautiful. I couldn't even begin to describe how happy I was to just have my wedding ring back. That was almost 2 years ago. Since then, I've been keeping my eyes open for a heck of a deal on something that I absolutely loved, something that said "CAITLIN" all over it... We found it about 2 months ago at the mall in Little Rock, marked 70% down from it's original price. It was perfect. It still is. There was no centerstone and it was the perfect size. We waited and waited and waited. Then we went ahead and got it. :-) Here it is with my same diamond. We took it and my old setting to a local jeweler to have the diamond set and to have a wedding band made with the original one. It's so beautiful. We still look at it and check to see if there is a diamond still there... Old habits die hard... Ha ha... This one is insured... Ha ha... ha.... ha...

We went on a quick weekend trip to Chicago a couple of weekends ago. We met one of the Aviator's childhood friends and his wife up there for some sight seeing and food eating. :-) Here we are at The Bean at Millennium park... This was an amazing sight! You can see the entire city of Chicago in the its reflection! It's really neat!

This was taken by a really sweet couple from Denver... They said it was -40 degrees with windchill in CO so the 3 degree weather we were griping about was quite endurable for them... This is the SkyDeck at Willis Tower (formally known as Sears Tower). 108 stories up and 4-feet off of the wall makes for quite an exhilarating photo opportunity...

Aviator and I in the heart of it all. There is really nothing like being married to your best friend... He is the best travel buddy a girl could ever ask for!

Just wanted to throw this in here... We got a new camera a couple of weeks ago and it has a food setting... :-) Cool right? Kinda makes me feel like 'The 'OTHER' Pioneer Woman'... :-)

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas season! Don't forget why we celebrate it! Joy to the world!

The Hangover...

2009-12-14T16:15:00.000-08:00

Brunch
passed out erika
margaritas...
Jake & Frank
This basically paints a pretty good picture of how the night ended
Arriving at the ball
Wives: Dana, Sharee, Erika, and meKyle and the 3 Marines: Jake, Frank, and Brian
~ Last Saturday Kyle and I boarded an early flight at Burbank and headed to Vegas for the Marine Corp Ball that our friends the Panza's invited us to. We checked into the Hard rock Hotel which is where we would be staying and where the ball was being held. At the Hotel we met some of the guys whom our friend Frank had been in Iraq with and their wives. Everyone was totally awesome and we had the best time. This was my first time in Vegas that i actually got to party Vegas style, as in drunken debauchery until 5AM. We headed down to the ball for cocktail hour at 6, at 7 we were all seated and they had a very emotional presentation of the Marine Birthday cake and commemorated all of the Marine's who have given their lives. There was not a dry eye at our table. Frank and his buddies lost quite a few comrades during their time in Iraq. Then we had dinner, after which all hell broke loose and the partying went into full force :) We danced and drank and then went up to our rooms to party a little more and then went back to the bar and then it all get's a little fuzzy ;) Unfortunately the next morning check out was at 11 so needless to say, very hungover maybe even still drunk and very tired, we headed to a Mexican restaurant for brunch. $15 per person got you a brunch buffet and bottomless margaritas, needless to say i'm still hungover today, and had one of the best weekends of my life ;)

Long Time NO Blog!

2009-12-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

Since I've been so neglectant to the nest I've decided to fill you all in on the happenings of the last month and few weeks. Hope everyone had a great turkey day and i also hope that you are preparing for the smörgåsbord of holidays that are approaching.

~We had a great turkey day, we went to Brian and Tammy's house. Then the following Saturday we went to the USC game for Kyle's birthday. We started tailgating at 7AM for a 7 PM game, so you can imagine how that day went ;) We had a great time drinking beers and BBQ'ing . The Day ending fantastically with USC pulling it together to have a win over UCLA at the grand coliseum.

~ Last weekend our good friends Todd and Kelly got married at El Capitan. We stayed at El Capitan Canyons which is like an upscale campground that has canvas tents with hardwood floors, heaters, and queen sized beds, as well as cabins. The ceremony was beautiful and Kyle did a great job as one of the groomsmen.

~As soon as we got home from the wedding we knew we had to get our christmas tree up. So we packed Moto and Porter up in the truck and went to the nearest tree lot where we found the perfect one. Kyle is yet to put the lights up on the house, but i will be sure to post pictures of that as soon as he does.

~ Our adventures continue as we will be headed to Vegas this weekend for a Marine Corp ball. ( We were invited by Kyle's friend who is a veteran) I've decided to go ravishing in red for the occasion...

~ So there you have it!

miss you all and can't wait until New Year's!

I Don't Feel Like Dancin

2009-12-04T11:26:00.001-08:00

But you'd never know it! Check out the link below...let me preface it by saying "It's Hideously Awesome!"

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/OCTqbXsNqnX2EZaI

Happy Holidays!

Tallie

This is why

2009-12-02T12:37:00.000-08:00

This is why I dont blog tooo often. This is what my desk looks like, on a good day. Everysingle file you see represents a live shipment thats currently happening. On the left...is a pile of billing that you cant see. Behind me is pile that I need to file. Further left is a 5 inch pile of quotes that I am waiting for the client to pull the trigger on. Maybe one day Ill take a picture of my Olympic Binders. They are top secret and get locked up at night ;0) ooooo There are 3 of them. 3 inches filed with manuels and documents, quotes and PO's.

Carry On...

Jessica

2009-11-29T15:43:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning out my inbox this afternoon and I came across jessica's wedding pictures. I cant believe how beautiful you are, how grown-up you look. The first picture is my favorite... i remember this face when you were a little girl...your bright blue eyes, your chin, your happy cheeks. I see this same little girl in this picture.

You look like Natalie in the second picture :)

Love you

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T13:26:00.000-08:00

Now that's just gross.

Happy Thanksgiving Sisters! I am thankful for each and every one of you and thankful that I don't live on this far away planet.

Have a wonderful Day!

A day in the life of Moto

2009-11-24T14:30:00.001-08:00

Moto stared wistfully out the window as he watched his mom's car pull out of the driveway for a long day at school. However, it didn't take long for him to begin to find ways to distract himself from being left home alone with Porter. First, he goes upstairs where he finds curtain rod boxes and an old medical bag and he decides that these items did not belong upstairs, so he's going to do his mom a big favor by dragging them all downstairs to pile in the living room. Once he piled them up he decided he was curious as to what was in the medical bag, and after a few minutes he figured out how to unzip it and was excited to find a blood pressure cuff which would be his new chew toy. Moto was satisfied for only a little while however before his attention turned to the kitchen and all of the neat things on the counter tops that he could play with... First is the bag of shiny red apples, so he snatched the bag from the counter top and chewed them, licked them, and scattered them all over the place, his mom would later find them under the couch, in his curtain rod box pile, and upstairs. Once he was through with the apples he found a wedding gift that his mom and dad hadn't opened yet and decided to open it up for them... This one was one of his favorites, a silicone bake ware set that now has teeth marks imprinted on them and a spatula chewed in half... these things he also decided to place in his pile. Then he found a paper bag on the counter top which he chewed up and sprinkled like confetti all through out the house, the perfect touch to the big surprise he was going to give his mom when she got home. All the while Porter looked on horrified and amused all at once, but there was nothing he could do to stop his brother... Moto had such a long day that he needed a nap now, so he knocked all of the pillows off of the couch and layed down for an afternoon snooze.... What a busy boy.

(As cute as this story sounds, i was not amused when i got home...)

Crochet & Such

2009-11-19T07:53:00.000-08:00

Crochet... How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

There are at least a million different things you can do with a skein of yarn and a crochet hook... The opportunities to explore your creativity are endless. I was only recently that I discovered just how much I love this little yarn-craft. It started with simple little scarves... Then I began to search the internet for more fun ideas. I found hundreds of patterns that were written in a fashion similar to this...

Materials:

1 skein Caron Simply Soft in grey (or whatever color you prefer, but Bella's is grey)
5.5mm crochet hook
1 large-eyed needle (for weaving in ends)

Some pre-pattern info:
I imagine you can use most worsted-weights single-stranded and accomplish the same feat; however, most of us know that Caron is not your typical worsted weight, so I double-stranded the whole thing. It's not a bad result at all. Just play around with the yarn until you're able to get the proper size to fit over your head :)

To make it look more like Bella's hat, you would use a thinner yarn and more rows in between the BPdc's, adding more length as you go. I kind of like the chunkier look.

As always, please let me know if you find any errors in my pattern :)

Special Stitches:
FPtr: Yarn over twice, insert hook around the post (from the front side of your work) of the stitch indicated; yo and draw up a lp (4 lps on hk); yo and draw through two lps (3 lps on hk); yo and draw through two lps (2 lps on hk); yo and draw through two lps (1 lp on hk)
BPdc: Yarn over, insert hook from the back side of the work right to left around the post of the indicated stitch on a previous row; yo and pull up a loop (3 lps on hk); yo and draw through two lps (2 lps on hk); yo and draw through two lps (1 lp on hk)

Pattern:
Ch 3, join

R1: Ch3 (counts as 1st dc), 11dc's into loop, join. (12dc)
R2: Ch3, dc in top of ch3 (inc made), 2FPtr, [2dc in next st, 2FPtr] 3x
R3: Ch3, dc in top of ch3 (inc made), dc in next st, 2FPtr, [2dc in next st, dc, 2FPtr] 3x
R4: Ch3, dc in top of ch3 (inc made), dc in next 2 sts, 2FPtr, [2dc in next st, 2dc, 2FPtr] 3x
R5: Ch3, dc in top of ch3 (inc made), dc in next 2 sts, 2dc in next st, 2FPtr, [2dc in next st, 2dc, 2dc in next st, 2FPtr] 3x
R6: Ch3, dc in top of ch3 (inc made), dc in next 4 sts, 2dc in next st, 2FPtr, [2dc in next st, 4dc, 2dc in next st, 2FPtr] 3x
R7: Ch3, dc in top of ch3 (inc made), dc in next 6 sts, 2dc in next st, 2FPtr, [2dc in next st, 6dc, 2dc in next st, 2FPtr] 3x
R8: Ch3, dc in top of ch3 (inc made), dc in next 8 sts, 2dc in next st, 2FPtr, [2dc in next st, 8dc, 2dc in next st, 2FPtr] 3x
R9-R12: Ch3, 11dc, 2FPtr, [12dc, 2FPtr] 3x (work even)
R13: Ch3, 11BPdc, 2FPtr, [12BPdc, 2FPtr] 3x (work even)
R14-16: work same as R9
R17: work same as R13
R18: [Ch1, sl st] around

Bind Off.

This can be terrifying for someone that doesn't know what any of those symbols/abbreviations stand for... But after watching about 20 youtube videos, I was finally able to figure it out... So far I've made a HUGE blanket, several hats, a knit cell phone case, baby blankets, etc. The pattern you see above is for the hat pictured above... Courtesy of JennyHat. It's one of many patterns put together to replicate the hat that Bella Swan wears at La Push in the 1st Twilight movie. I started it last night. It is really simple after you understand what a FPtr is... :0)

This is a hat that I made last week... The pattern was pretty easy but sometimes I think I have a learning disorder for reading acronyms... :-) After frogging (rip-it, rip-it, rip-it apart) it like five times, I realized what I had been doing wrong... The hat is great but I don't care for how light-weight the yarn is... Even though I can wear is over my ears, it really doesn't keep any heat on my head. I think after the Bella hat, I'm going to try and cable knit... scary... :-)

2009 Christmas Ornament Exchange

2009-11-19T06:20:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist....

I signed up for this ornament exchange! This is the first time in my LIFE that I've ever done anything like this before! My swap partner is located in Portland, Oregon and I can't WAIT to see what kind of cute ornament I end up with!! Better get shopping/crocheting/knitting!! :0)

I will post pictures of the cool ornament I am sure to acquire!

The Great Adventure of the Infinite Soul Search-err?

2009-11-17T16:42:00.000-08:00

Where exactly are you supposed to leave your footprints before you die? What plan is there for us when we are just tiny little being's in the womb like little peanut. Life might be easier if we had been born with our own personal guide map and compass to show us the way. However We are born naked into families with siblings and parents and then we learn about the world as we experience it. All the while we take paths either by choice or fate, wrong or right, that will lead into our great adventures. Whether it means you are a mother, wife, sister, daughter, or superhero... All of which are equally important and trying roles in life.

I have spent so much time in my life trying to conjure up the meaning. I have decided to stop searching and be still and happy in my current state, given my curiosity does not get the best of me. i have decided to just let fate run it's course. The more i have searched, the more wrong turns i have taken. The greatest things in my life have come to me unexpectedly. What a wonderful world...

A little dose of philosophy if you will ;)

Little Booger

2009-11-17T13:55:00.000-08:00

Natalie: Babe! Peanut looks just like you!
MC: Yeah, just like my booger!

I'd like to introduce you to little Booger Callahan!

Age: 6 weeks 5 days

Due: July 8th, 2010

3D images of 6 week old embryo's are not that beautiful, but man, when I saw that heartbeat...Niagra Falls.

Remember When...

2009-11-16T11:41:00.000-08:00

Caitlin thought she was a Sherriff?

Awesome. Love you Caitlin!

The whole clan

2009-11-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

Daisy

2009-11-14T09:13:00.000-08:00

And I was feeling like I love you.
Like I remember you baby.

Like I am thankful but I am sorry
Like I am relieved but filled with remorse

Like I am forever grateful and never forgetting

There as a moment, just this week, when I felt panic. I had given my baby away!
Oh My God! What have I done

Then Lisa sent me a picture.

Is that my baby? … That was my baby
But I don’t recognize her anymore

Sometimes I lay on my belly… and remember when I couldn’t
Was I really pregnant? Oh My God!
Sigh….. Oh My God…the paths I have taken.

Pregnant, then empty, yet full, successful and strong

I miss her. I miss Lisa. They were my purpose during those days.

I drove to work this morning. The day after long drawn out meetings with the USOC
What could I possibly do with a baby? How could I have handled this work?

Driving to work 800 am. Vision of Daisy with a smile and a perfect red dress.
Feeling eternally grateful that Lisa and I found each other
And that she loved my baby before she was born. She dreamt about her, just as I had dreamt.

She lead her husband and didn’t give up even when personal life spiraled around her

I remember that first night. Lisa didn’t let go of Daisy. I wonder what she felt. Panic? Love? Fear?

As much as I wanted to gobble every moment with Daisy. I saw this women, now mommy, humbled with love and fear. Feelings I had known when I held baby Hunter for the first time. I understood….and I felt she deserved..to have and feel it too.

I pulled into the driveway at work….feeling so grateful. This women believed in me…when the world did not.
This women gave my daughter the deepest, most UNCOMPLICATED love when I could not… and here I was..living what I had prayed to be. .. Loving through her. Day dreaming of outrageously cute outfits. Picturing the smiles she must get from baby.. The Longing she must have to get home to her.

I saw your angel that day on the side of the street, I read your message
Believe Jesus… in bright primary colors

Thank you God. For giving your son, so I could be forgiven. So I could find Lisa. So that she could love my “once that was” baby.

There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t long for the “right” day.
And think of them(that I love) always…

Not too many tears any more…

600 lbs of Your Life: TDY EN ROUTE

2009-11-13T06:52:00.000-08:00

600 Pounds: A TDY EN ROUTE JOURNEY

Assignment night, as we all know, is full of emotions… Excitement, fear, anxiety, longing, hoping, anxiety, pride, anxiety… Did I mention anxiety?? This is the night that you and your Darling Husband will find out what’s next. And then it happens! The slide comes up on the screen with a goofy picture of your Husband that you never would’ve let him put up in public of him and then, in the blink of an eye, it’s there; a map of the USA with a little star somewhere on it. Another flood of emotion is welling up. Disappointment? Satisfaction? Confusion? You look at him and try to decipher if that was a true ‘fist-pump’ or if that was the mandatory kind…

This was a different scenario than the one we experienced. After training with the Navy for the Phase III or ‘Advanced’, as the Navy Aviators call it, we and the other Air Force Pilots from the class convened in a classroom at the ‘Wing’. At 1300 sharp all of us (‘us’ being the wives and their Pilot hubbies and the single Pilots) were sitting and waiting for one of the SSGTs to come and explain the order of operation to us. We waited anxiously for the Aviator’s name to be called. As soon as it was, we hopped out of our seats and were escorted to the desk of the Wing Commander. We sat down and stared at our options, C-130 H to Yokota Air Base, Japan. There it was, loud and clear! T-30 seconds and the decision was made.

This brings me to the next phase of this exciting time. Waiting. Then after you wait a while, you can expect to wait a little bit longer. Then, finally, DH gets a call from the squadron. There is a ton of paper work to sort through. There is one more stop before we can truly be on our way to Japan. This is going to be a TDY or Temporary DutY. The best part about this TDY is that it’s a TDY EN ROUTE, meaning the Aviator doesn’t have to report back to Texas and wait some more when he finishes training at the C-130 school in Arkansas. That also means that 1.) The government will move our household goods; furniture, décor, any personal property, etc to Japan for us while DH is going through the TDY and 2.) You’re allowed 600 lbs of ‘household goods’ to go with you to the TDY station. Sounds great right? It is pretty great! Then it starts to sink in… Have you ever weighed everything that you’d ever need to survive comfortably for 8 months without having to buy new things? Oh and did I mention that to get all of these 600 lbs to Japan they’ll need to fit into a 4’x4’x4’ crate? Don’t worry ladies, the 600 lbs does NOT include clothing and other ‘accompanied’ baggage. ☺

We can fast forward now to Arkansas. We are here and moved in to our rental home. It’s pretty curious for landlords to ask when the moving truck is coming. Smile and let them know you aren’t expecting a moving truck. The Aviator and I then hopped over to the local Aaron’s Furniture Rental and began picking out an assortment of furniture pieces to help make this house more of a home. This is where you can really have fun! Pick pieces that you might not normally buy and decorate you home with! It’s SO temporary! You can get zebra print if you’d like! But only if you’d really like… ☺ Anyhow, we get our furniture after a week of sleeping on an air mattress. You’re going to need to get over any germ phobias because chances are, unless you want to be sleeping on an airbed for 8 months, you are inevitably going to need to rent a mattress and bed frame for you and DH to sleep comfortably. Our first experience with this was just a couple of weeks ago. We rented a ‘lightly used queen mattress set’. Truth be told, looking at the thing, there wasn’t a blemish on it but once we assembled our bed; sheets, mattress cover, pillows, comforter, we could smell something we couldn’t see. It was very clear that the previous users were ‘in-bed smokers’. Oh let me tell you! It was horrible! I was so afraid that we’d never get that smell out of our pillows and thank the Lord for washing machines and dryers… We called the furniture place and they gladly exchanged it for us with a guarantee that the next one didn’t stink. Typically, these furniture rental places look at customers as a great big monthly payment and they’ll do just about anything to get things in to a certain budget you might require and if that means marking down a brand new sofa and love seat set then so be it! ☺

As we unpacked the boxes that filled our car for the drive up from Texas to Central Arkansas, we realized how huge our new kitchen was compared to the one in base housing in the previous two homes we’ve lived in. This brings me to the most important part of this story. What do you bring with you? How do you keep it under 600 lbs? Let me start first by saying that you need to think about where you spend the most time in your home. For me, it’s in the kitchen. I love cooking. I love trying new recipes but I love even more that my DH loves to eat! ☺ We realized also very quickly, that we had not packed cutting boards, enough bowls, baking wear, Tupperware, a toaster. It’s really not that big of a deal but we’ve already bought some more cutting boards and we’ve also just gone ahead and picked up $15 toaster! We should have taken much more time to pack our kitchen than we did.

So here is a little list for you to keep handy.

1. Kitchen
A. Pots & Pans
a. Omelet pan
b. Frying pan
c. Sauce pans of small, medium and large size
d. Stock pot
e. Griddle
B. Baking
a. 1 cookie sheet
b. 1 muffin tin
c. Anything else you think you might use while you’re TDY. Think about holidays you will be there for.
C. Dinnerware
a. Casual dining set. Not your fine China. If it’s going to risk getting ruined let someone else ruin it and pay for it… Not you. ☺
b. Casual flatware- Saran wrapping these items is a quick and easy way to pack them even in their holder.
c. Random glasses. Everybody has them. Not the set you registered for but the ones you’ve been saying are going to be given away. You can still do that but after you use them for 8 more months.
d. Placemats & cloth napkins – if you have them.
D. Appliances
a. Toaster
b. Microwave- just in case you’ll need one. You may even be lucky enough to not have to but if you’re going over seas you can’t pack it and send it to Japan. We’ll end up leaving ours here in Arkansas.
c. Coffee Maker
d. Hand-mixer- much smaller and easier to fit in to a car than my great big Kitchen-Aid mixer.
e. Any other small appliances you don’t think you can do without
E. Food Items
a. Dry goods- Pack well! I used Ziploc bags to store all of my flour, sugar, wheat, etc.
b. Spices- Same thing as the dry stuff. Ziploc bags just in case one cracks open in the box you won’t have to have your entire vehicle smelling like Tarragon.
c. Refrigerated items- we didn’t bring these with us. We did as others have done to us and gave them away or tossed them. If you have the forethought and a cooler available, I’d say save yourself a hundred bucks are bring your refrigerated things with you.
d. Anything else you think you’ll need.
2. Bedroom
A. Sheet sets
B. Towels- two sets only plus the shaggy towels for the dogs
C. Pillows.
Side Note: Space-Saver-Bags are the best! You vacuum all of the air out and you can fill the X-Large bag with a comforter, a few sheet sets and 4 pillows! This way you can have more room in your car for other things! ☺
3. Office
A. Computers and appropriate wiring
B. Printer-we are planning on ditching out current printer before we leave for Japan with intentions of purchasing one that can read our mind in Japan… ☺
C. Back-Up Hard-drive
D. Modem-Router
4. Hobbies
A. Sewing Machine
B. Any of your crafting things- I seriously considered packing my sewing machine away for 8 months. I don’t know what got in to me but I have used that thing more in the last 5 months than I have in the 2 years I’ve had it! I can’t live without it!! ☺
5. Misc.
A. Your current shower curtain and rings, just in case.
B. Dog beds
C. Books-great for weight and easy to ditch to make room for more important things to go in the ‘crate’.
D. A few photographs that you would love to look at everyday
6. Important Documents
A. Get an accordion file that has at least 12 slots in it.
B. Using masking tape, easy to remove, label each section;
Vet Documents
Car information
Orders
TMO papers
Medical
Wills/Last testaments
Passports
Bank information
All of this stuff will serve you very well to have around. We keep this file close to us at all times and everything is very carefully labeled and organized in case of an emergency.

Of course there is only so much I can suggest as far the 600 lbs goes. Just don’t wait until the last minute to get organized… ☺
Start now by making a list and seriously considering what needs to come with you and what you can live without for several months. It will pay off in the long run!

Good luck and Happy TDYing!

Sister Shoot!

2009-11-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

I recently used Jessica in a classy shoot. Good job Jess! I would really enjoy being able to do a shoot with all the rest; Natalie, Michelle, and Caitlin. Next time you are here or I am where you are just ask and you could score some hot pics like Jessica did! :D

Wheres Waldo

2009-11-10T21:11:00.000-08:00

awe to have a girl. This brought back memories of when we would take pictures of barbies and stuffed animals and spend hours carefully setting them up. Betcha cant find the surprise hidden inside. Hunter and I giggled for a solid 30 min.

David Gray

2009-11-10T09:32:00.001-08:00

Had the opportunity to see David Gray last night at The Orpheum Theatre. The songs he played from his new album were great, just as catchy as the old stuff. He played all my favorites, Sail Away, this years loving, Babylon. His last encore song (Please forgive me) had the entire theatre on their feet clapping and singing. It was so satisfying. Very intimate, small venue.

Opening act Lisa Hannigan, was great too! I am definitely going to get both of their most recent albums

P.S Taco Mexico / 1.25 Authentic taaaaco's open 24 hr. Perfect midnight snack. Im not going to tell you that i had 5

xoxo

Modeling Madness!

2009-11-09T21:16:00.000-08:00

Here is a shot from last weekends shoot. I've found modeling for my friend, an aspiring artist, to be quite fun. This picture is 60's inspired with a twist of American Indian. I will be posting more in the future. Hope you like it! :)

Yoga You? Yoga You!

2009-11-09T19:22:00.000-08:00

"Downward-dog"
This is my favorite. I haven't cracked my back like I did today in a very long time! To be honest, I didn't know what to expect from my first, ever yoga session. It was a small class and therefore very intimate. The instructor gave great directions. The breathing was my favorite part... I tend to be a bit of an intense person so learning how to breathe deeply is a great skill.

The Aviator received his 'multi-engine, commercial, instrument rating with private pilot privileges'. You'd have to ask him what all of that means but I can say that it's quite an achievement in the pilot world!

I think I need to take a warm bath... My muscles... Ow... :0)

Talented?

2009-11-09T17:05:00.000-08:00

There's something i've been keeping from you ladies for quite some time. It only takes me One Bite to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. I'm on my Third Bite...I think you can guess what that means.

Inagural Post

2009-11-09T16:12:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our little blog about our not so little family. There are Five of us sisters and this will be our way of sharing memories, funny stories, family gatherings, and the crazy happenings that occur when we fly back to the nest. Stay tuned for the fun.