It's a girl!

She's perfect!

Happy Birthday???

It looks like today might be the day! Contractions woke me up at 2 a.m. and haven't slowed down much. We went in for a scheduled non-stress test and when she checked I was 5 cm and my bag of waters is bulging. So we are at the hospital right now getting settled in.

I have to say I am feeling GREAT! I feel like I should be at home but the doctor wanted us to go in in case my water breaks and things go quickly. I am handling contractions with the balance ball, deep breaths and this little acorn to focus on. So we'll see how long I can keep this up. I already miss Gracie like crazy! She and Nana are coming to visit with coconuts before I get too scary in here :-)

We'll keep this space posted with pictures of the baby as soon our little bean arrives and we have settled into the maternity ward. Wish me luck!

A Day for Labor?

Today is my due date. Labor Day. No baby yet so we are heading into the city to walk and eat oysters. It worked last time!

I recently found this video of Gracie on the day we took the pregnancy test nearly nine months ago. She was the first person that I told. I had tears in my eyes and I told her that she was going to be a big sister  and so this is how she greeted Ryan when he got home from work. An unforgettable moment.

We have our labor supplies ready.

A lavender sachet to help relax my mind and a massager for when Ryan's hands start going numb.

A Balance ball to sit on during contractions.

Coconut water (from a real young coconut, the bottled stuff just isn't the same)
Here is a list of its benefits during pregnancy and post labor.

Honey and nut butters

Energy Bars

We'll see if oysters and Bi-Rite help today!

Our Rocking Chair

We rubbed walnut oil and a LOT of love into our rocking chair this morning. My grandparents gave this chair to my mama when I was born and I was rocked for hours in it as a child. It still makes me drowsy when I sit in it for too long. Gracie was also welcomed into this world with this chair and rocked to sleep many times. It was so special to "give it a massage" with her for the new babe.

The Fussy Baby

An interesting article about colic. 

From Parenting.com

"Colic ranks high on the list of medical mysteries, but a new study out of Italy is helping us creep closer to a potential cure. After noting that colicky babies tend to have a lower amount of probiotics (healthy bacteria) in their digestive systems, researchers treated 90 colicky tots with daily drops of either a probiotic known as L. reuteri or simethicone drops (a standard treatment for gas). The result: A whopping 95 percent of the babies receiving the probiotic had fewer colic symptoms after one week, compared to just 7 percent of the infants on simethicone. While some docs in Italy now use this treatment, it's not yet common in the U.S. Still, L. reuteri is a safe probiotic currently found in many yogurts; with further testing, it and other strains of lactobacillus could become the colic treatment of the future here, too."

My theory is that maybe we wash babies, especially newborns, too much and too soon. I read of other cultures making sure they do not wash a newborn's hands. 

Does the vernix (the cheesy white substance that protects a baby's delicate skin from the amniotic fluid) have babcteria that if a newborn was allowed to suck on its "dirty" hands, the bacteria would help jumpstart bacteria growth in the gut? Does the amniotic fluid and/or birth canal also have bacteria that are beneficial? We have all heard of the danger of washing our hands too much with antibacterial soap. It is good to have some bacteria on our hands, on our bodies, in our bodies too.

Regardless, we had a crying baby that had to be walked outside, every night for hours to stop her crying. I am going to give #2 probiotics from the start. 

p.s. I promise not to name the baby #2. 

A Wonderful Resource

We installed the baby' carseat yesterday, facing the "wrong direction" Gracie would add. George (the sock monkey, and honey bunny (her most beloved) both rode in it today. Gracie noticed that I did not have the babies entirely buckled in. Good practice big sis. 

Then she held George's hand for our adventures today. More good practice big sis.

We headed into the city today (Ryan took the morning off since he worked all weekend) to one of our favorite baby shops--Natural Resources. This place is such a wonderful resource full of natural baby products. Gracie picked out a few birthday presents for the baby: a bird's eye maple teether from multiplemediums, a cherry teether from Camden Rose, and a baby sleepy frog from miYim. Nana gave her the large "sleepy frog" awhile ago and my dear friend and mama mentor, Anne, recommended matching gifts for the baby and big sis, so when we saw the itty bitty version of one of G's favorite animal babies, it was a no brainer.

We also bought a new changing pad from Naturepedic. It is made out of organic cotton and free of PVC and other chemicals in normal pads. When I look at how much diaper time (UGH!) that the baby spends on that pad is it well worth the investment. We multitask with our changing pad, using it as a co-sleeping pad in those first itty bitty days, as well as a play cushion with our much loved Selecta Musina wooden play gym (best baby toy ever!!!)

I had to get a couple of adorable  and warm newborn outfits from Under the Nile. Soft organic cotton, kimono style for ease in dressing a floppy newborn, and hand covers for those long but tiny nails. Under the Nile sets up a sale booth at the Green Festival and we always stock up there but I am so glad that Natural Resources carries this affordable, organic brand as well.

We picked up a reusable diaper pail bag and as I was washing the diaper pail this afternoon, the hose broke and a high pressure blast got me soaking wet. What is up with all of this water up the nose?!!?

More good practice I suppose.

Belly Love

29 weeks.

We are really looking forward to the new arrival in September! My energy is starting to wain so we are crossing our t's and dotting our i's. Plus my Braxton Hicks are so strong that I was starting to get worried I would go into early labor and wouldn't have everything "ready." I really should know better. This isn't my first pregnancy! 

We picked up the baby's car seat and Gracie is getting so excited to sit next to the baby. We were lucky to find the same one as her's which was tricky as it is a previous year's model. 

A friend gave us her moses basket and we love practicing with baby dolls. We are also looking into a baby hammock so that we get more rest this time (ha, ha) 

We are picking up a package of Tushies disposable newborn diapers for the hospital and those first meconium filled poos as well as more California Baby Super Sensitive products (body wash, lotion) which we also take to the hospital. No offense but they use the yuckiest petroleum products in the nursery, and on newborns! I guess that is why Johnson and Johnson, P&G, etc give them free samples. 

My mom is visiting this weekend so we will probably sort and wash some newborn neutral clothes. Maybe just a few pink things just in case. FUN! FUN! 

Belly Love

25 weeks!

We had a much better Ob appointment this week. The doctor (different one mind you) was impressed that Gracie kept kissing the baby during the sonogram. It was nice to hear how great of a big sister she is going to be because she is so kind and caring...but I already knew that.

Gracie: "Nooooowwww is the baby ready to come out?"

Brook: "No honey, we still have three more months."

Gracie: "Oh, I am just sooooo excited."

Brook: "I know honey. Me too."

I am the luckiest mama ever!

DIY Diaper Wipes

I am going to try, really try, not to use disposable wipes with the little one arriving in September. If we can do cotton diapers, we can do cotton wipes can't we? We have gone back and forth with Gracie but now we use some bumgenius flannel wipes with California Baby diaper spray at home and Nature Baby wipes for on the road. I really want to try to have a stockpile of these soaking and ready for the diaper changes to come.

There are lots of DIY wipe solutions out there but we are going to try this recipe (from SouleMama)

Diaper Wipe Solution:
1 Tsp baby castile soap
1 Tsp almond oil (jojoba oil) I may omit this for ease in washing with cloth diapers.
1 drop tea tree oil
1 drop lavender essential oil (may omit for newborn)
3/4 cup water
change everyweek

Tiny Toes and Tabbouleh

We had a fun morning seeing the baby for the first time. 21 weeks, 14 oz, and very active. This is the cutest profile shot which looks like he/she is blowing a bubble. Just like big sis.

It is a rainy day so to make it feel more like summer around here, we made a big batch of tabbouleh. My dad always had this in the fridge and I was really feeling his love today so maybe the little one is a boy? Wish you were here papa.

Tabbouleh:
I would double or triple this next time as I could eat it everyday!

2 bunches of parsley finely chopped
1 bunch mint finely chopped
1 cup bulgar wheat (pour boiling water over and rest for 15 minutes, then drain)
3 lemons
olive oil
3 roma tomatoes diced
1 cucumber diced
s+p

The perfect summer meal, especially for a picnic, would be this salad, falafel balls, hummus and marinated feta.