39 weeks ;)

i was planning on taking my 39 week pictures and posting this week but then our sweet babe came!!!!!!!!!

i had a hunch she would come early but i wasn't letting myself get TOO excited.

giving birth is the hardest. most beautiful. strongest thing i have ever done and it has scarred me for life in the best of ways. i will share our story soon.

for all you expecting mamas out there, i rented this documentary full of birth stories about 2 weeks ago and it got me super pumped. gave me a lot of peace and vision going into birth. plus they're australian so they're just fun to listen to.

35.5 weeks

it's gettin real over here. the belly is taking over.

i've got to say though, i feel really great over all

AND with the cooler weather blowing in i'm feeling newly energized and motivated.

random thoughts and happenings-

i've been obsessed with learning how to make my own loaf of crusty bread. probably has something to do with the fall.
our cold weather veggies are going in the ground this weekend.

we're slowly gathering up our homebirth supplies. i made a trip to the incontinent aisle this week to stock up on some very un-glamorous items :)

and today we have our home visit with the midwives to map out everything for the birth!!

31 weeks

doing a little backtracking - currently i'm 33 weeks (!!!)
little miss has grown quite a bit since these pictures.

you know that feeling you get when you go on a trip and then you wake up in the morning and the first few moments are spent remembering where you are?
ever since i got pregnant i've woken up feeling that way, remembering i'm pregnant.

but a few weeks ago i woke up and in those first drowsy seconds i thought, oh my, i have to give birth. :)
it's obviously something i've thought a lot about and prepared extensively for, but still, pretty surreal.

random- like most birth junkies, i'm a big fan of ina may. she always makes me chuckle because she's just so blunt and has a common sense approach to things. here are some of her pregnancy/birth tips:

• if you find you are complaining a lot, train yourself not to. it builds character. 
• in general, avoid swallowing anything that's not real food. 
• never lose your sense of humor. it's a gem. if you can't be a hero, you can at least laugh at yourself for being a chicken. 

pitter patter

little heart beats are so sweet :)

i'll admit, pregnancy comes with its own set of aches and pains and added pressures on the body that aren't, you know, super fun to deal with.
there are some many days when my grandpa could most definitely beat me in a standing up contest.

but i don't think it's a coincidence that it takes 9 months. there is so much to learn about sacrifice and suffering and doing it well. with joy.

and what an adventure it has been.
growing a little human is the strangest most fascinating experience.
she gets the hiccups, stretches, sleeps, follows heat against my belly and does somersaults.

30 weeks pregnant folks. she will be here soon. then the real adventure begins :)

mt. pisgah + asheville

this weekend we took off on a little impromptu camping adventure.

we headed to the mountains of asheville and thankfully found a campground with spots left.

when we checked in we were told to be careful because they just had to close a section due to too much bear activity. fabulous. ryan was thrilled.

i was really hoping there would be somewhere to go swimming or wading or something, but we got beautiful views instead. and ryan saw beavers which was the highlight for him.

the next day we drove into the city and discovered a huge art festival going on downtown.

spontaneous can be pretty successful sometimes :)

p.s. we are at 29 weeks!!

sweet saturday mornings + a video

music by jolie holland

i love waking up early on saturday mornings
bright, peaceful, no agenda
watering plants and drinking coffee
in minnesota we had a little routine of going to the farmers market
it was always buzzing with cheerful people, no matter how early

i really want to start a saturday morning family tradition, especially with little miss on the way
whether it be going out for donuts or staying in to make waffles

any ideas for saturday morning fun?
what were some of your traditions growing up?

goo ball // 25 weeks

well someone is starting to get impatient, that is for sure.  

now, i'm ready to beat people off with a stick until a good full 42 weeks if I have to :)

but i'm just so ready for this little goo ball to be in my arms!!

it's interesting, i never thought much about connecting with my baby inside the womb.

in those first weeks when pregnancy was so new, i was almost scared to acknowledge it for fear of losing it. but when my baby started growing so did the heart of a mother and that's something i've only just begun to understand. 

i think the same is true of any woman who has cared for a child and had them call her mother.

near far past present biological or adopted.

i am a mother. wearing my baby on the inside.

and i will never not be a mother again.

23 weeks

this post is a bit late as i'm 24 weeks now.

at any rate, little miss is growing like a weed.

i can tell her head from her bum now which she proudly pokes out on my right side.

i can make her kick on demand by poking around in her space, though i think i startled her the

 other day because her kick had a bit more tude than normal.

my husband got a gold star in our birthing class last week when he told everyone he would karate chop the doctor's arm if they tried to cut the cord prematurely, lol. 

(we're planning a homebirth, but in case of transfer)

what a guy.

value village is officially my favorite place to buy "maternity" wear.

so many cheap high waisted skirts i just can't help myself.

21 weeks

1. twenty-one week baby bump

2. being pregnant and in midwifery school at the same time

two of us are pregnant right now so we have lots of fun palpating bellies and listening to fetal heart tones.

God blessed our little socks off the other day. we found some of the expensive baby items i wanted gently used on craigslist for a tiny fraction of the price. not just stuff that would work, but the exact kinds i wanted and all. 

just a little reminder that he is faithful to provide and even mindful of the things we like

even our favorite colors and brands 

why am i so quick to write these experiences off as luck??

the holy spirit reminds me that i have a good father who knows me well.

mister or miss???

folks :)

i would like to introduce

~ Miss Hazel Sevin Peters ~

we are thrilled beyond words for our healthy baby girl :)

Hazel is a family name, my great aunt's name.

she and my uncle warren never had children of their own and always treated me like a grandchild.

Sevin, pronounced saveen, is an azeri word.

the command form of love.

we pray that love will flow freely and genuinely from her life and that others will be inspired and compelled to love God and love people more by being around her. 

kicks and wiggles

this babe is a MOVER. the kicks just keep coming and getting stronger and stronger. tonight while we were hanging out on the couch i had my shirt up over my belly (because that's how I waddle around the house these days) and we were entertained for a good few minutes watching my belly move as little thang tap danced around in there. i am SO aware that there is a little person growing inside my belly. i remember when i first started feeling kicks it was the craziest thing. it just felt so other than. like something with a mind of it's own was in there moving around.

my teacher told us a story today that i thought was just fascinating. when she was an apprentice she attended the birth of a woman who had been laboring for awhile. this particular woman had birthed with them before and normally went quickly, so the midwife decided to check the baby's position to make sure she hadn't turned breech. when the midwife went to feel for a head, she squealed and pulled her hand out. she quickly reassured everyone with a smile and told them that the baby was most definitely face down because she had just tried to suck on her finger.

insane :)

16 weeks

16 weeks along!

belts are heading north. waistbands are heading south.

my bladder wakes me up like clockwork every morning.

my belly button is starting to take the shape of an oval.

this week i've been extra tired and in curl up with a cozy blanket mode- what ryan and his family so sweetly refer to as a "soggy kitty" we don't use that expression in the redneck ghetto of houston, texas if you can imagine :)

something exciting- i'm almost positive i started feeling baby movements.

it feels like pressure, but in the form of kicks and wiggles. pretty certain it's baby :)

being pregnant is an adventure.

 i've read a zillion books and heard tons of birth stories but now i'm actually experiencing it for myself.

everything is new. different. amazing. a little crazy. sometimes uncomfortable. initially very uncomfortable. praise jesus that part is over :)

right now we have a cinnamon roll candle burning in our living room and i keep thinking ryan must be in the kitchen making pancakes. time for a little snack...

Progress

12 weeks, barely there

14.5 weeks, hello baby!

I'm not quite sure how all of that happened in a mere 2 weeks, but I do know that if we keep up this pace I am going to be large and in charge in no time.

Already I am...

waddling like a duck

holding my lower back

wearing leggings as pants

eating 15 meals a day

oh, and we made our first big baby purchase :-) a stroller.

I never thought I could fall so in love with a stroller.

We found it on super clearance and there was only one left, so it was surely meant to be.

1st Trimester Lifesavers

The first part of my pregnancy was not a pretty time to say the least.

I was nauseas 24/7.

I threw up almost every day.

I had no appetite, and when I did it was for things like hot dogs and pizza rolls.

That led to poor nutrition and feeling yucky and other lovely things that I won't mention here.

I had major indigestion every night while I was trying to sleep.

Every time I saw beautiful maternity photos of happy glowing women I scowled. scowled! how awful :/

Pretty much I spent 2 months with the stomach flu from Hades and was a big ole grouch.

I don't say this to complain and sound ungrateful for being pregnant. I say this because morning sickness stinks. And during that time in my life I found comfort reading other women's stories of just how much it stunk for them too and what they did to cope. So here are some of my personal tips and tricks.

1. lavender essential oil

I was VERY sensitive to smells in those first weeks. I developed the ritual of taking baths with lavender essential oil before bed. I cannot tell you how much this helped. Very calming and relaxing and gave me just enough relief to be able to fall asleep.

2. peppermint soap

I fell in love with this natural peppermint soap and use it as a body and face wash. The smell is super calming and peppermint is a natural way to fight skin problems.

3. mama bee's belly balm

Sometimes stretch marks are inevitable. But the more I read up on what other women did I found that those who started deep moisturizing early on had little to no stretch marks. I chose this because it is natural and cheap and still seems very high quality. Although this is my first choice from l'occitane, its a bit out of my price range. Coconut oil is also a great option if the smell doesn't bother you.

4. B6

50mg a day helps with nausea.

5. folic acid

Your daily dose is an any good prenatal vitamin but the thing is, you really need this in your system BEFORE you get pregnant. While your body doesn't store folic acid, any woman who knows she has a chance of getting pregnant should be taking folic acid so her body is prepped when that miraculous moment occurs. Folic acid helps prevent birth defects in baby's spinal cord that can occur in early pregnancy.

6. Bolthouse

These drinks were and continue to be a lifesaver! Early in pregnancy I had no desire to eat food. I was so nauseas that I couldn't feel hunger pains. If I could get one of these down in a day I atleast had some peace of mind that my body was getting nutrients. Also, Bolthouse makes awesome protein drinks which pregnant women need a lot of, cause protein makes the baby ;)

7. sunshine and exercise

This was not really an option for me until the end of my 1st trimester, but when it was it helped so. much. In the mornings I go out with my yoga mat and just stretch and soak up the vitamin D. In the evenings Ryan and I try to go on walks. Exercise just makes everything work better. It's a fact.

8. massage

For the love, buy one of these and put it in your husband's big strong hands (don't forget to add that part) and tell him this is his contribution to growing the baby. Mid 1st trimester it started feeling like I was growing a new set of hips (good thing, because the old ones did not inspire much confidence in the baby birthing dept. Thanks God for prepping pregnant women's bodies the way you do). As you can imagine, that made everything feel disaligned and out of wack. This was a necessity.

When you get pregnant, your body starts to increase in hormones equivalent to the amount of 100 birth control pills a day. That's a big deal. Those are some MAJOR changes. For me, morning sickness initially stole some joy out of being pregnant. I had to continually remind myself that I wasn't really sick, that my body was fine and that this was all a normal part of growing a baby. And then I had to give myself a break. Women who are pregnant and have other children, you are beasts and I have no idea how you do what you do. You are my inspiration.

I would love to hear the wisdom of other mamas out there or things that you know helped friends and family get through pregnancy. Please do share!

heartbeat

Today we had our first prenatal visit with a fabulous midwife.

Today we heard our baby's heartbeat for the first time.

The heartbeat our babe will carry around for the rest of his or her life.

One of the sweetest moments ever.

~

*written on Friday 4/6