Where to start?

Yikes! Has it really been so many months since our last post?! 

Honestly, life has been hitting us full throttle. When it comes to where my time is going…..it's been enjoying rocking babies, cooking meals, teaching school lessons, single parenting while the hubby is working 50-60 hours per week, working on our little business, teaching classes on living a life of wellness and somewhere in the mix trying to keep our family centered and growing towards God. 

Lots of changes are going on around here. Some I will reveal in the coming weeks. ;) Ha! 

First, thing I need to address is our sweet new addition to our family! Our laid back, happy sweet girl, Kyndall Jade! She has been a delight to our family and so easy going. She adores her siblings and laughs the most at her silly older siblings! 

Our family has adjusted well to the newest member. We were expecting some acting out and a bit of jealousy issues from Jude. Thankfully, God had mercy on this momma, and this has been the smoothest birth to new baby addition yet! All of the kids have taken to baby Kyndall so well! They love her to pieces and are great helpers! Jude especially has a soft spot for his baby. He lays next to her and talks and plays. He is always asking to hold her or help me. Super sweetness, I tell you! Makes this momma's heart swell! 

Watch for Kyndall's home birth story! I'll be posting that soon! Also, I have some fun fall make and take projects we did last month and working on a Christmas themed one now. 

There is some exciting stuff happening in our little family right now! It's too soon to let it all out, but you'll find out soon enough! 

Blessings to you my friends! 

Name Reveal!

It has taken us a long time to finalize this sweet girl's name. We are excited to share that our new arrival will be named…..

What is in my Home Birth Kit!

I've been pretty consumed with the end of this pregnancy the last 6 weeks or so. As I have entered the 3rd trimester, I have had more discomfort and contractions. This was all anticipated and normal. But honestly it has taken all my energy to just get through the days.

I've had to scale back on what I have been able to accomplish.

I am a huge planner and like my lists. I literally started buying my birth supplies around 30 weeks! I ordered my midwife required birth kit from the medical supplier and had it at my house by 32 weeks! All along I have been feeling like she is going to come early. That sent me into prepare for baby mode! 

(35 week picture)

I am 36 weeks along right now and so glad I am ready!

Last week we had a bad storm front come through and I started having contractions. Not the Braxton Hicks tightening, they were the real deal! Started low and in my back, then wrapped up my tummy. They literally took my breath away. When I was in tears through one and it had been the 6th in an hour I texted my midwife.

We tracked the symptoms all that evening and thankfully nothing came of them. It was a scare for us as I was only 35 weeks and 2 days. By Arkansas law I have to be 36 weeks to deliver at home. 

I did my best to lay still on my left side, drink tons of water and rubbed Lavender and Geranium essential oil all over my belly. 

The next morning I was still having irregular contractions when I was up and walking. The pressure was the worst when I tried to walk or stand. Since we were only 4 days out from being allowed to have a legal home birth, we decided it was best of me to go on bed rest until the 36 week mark.

Goodness, bedrest is not for the faint of heart! I have a lot of respect for the ones that have to do it for weeks or months.

Scott was great and fixed meals after long days at work. Took the oldest to soccer practice and a game. Grocery shopped late one night after he put the kids to bed. He was a rock star! A very tired rock star, but he was amazing! 

So blessed to do life with him! 

Now that we are in the clear to have this baby she has settled down a bit. I am still having occasional contractions and have needed to slow down. Talking with my midwife, I think I have relaxed as I'm not stressed about having a hospital birth anymore. Therefore, everything has slowed down.

Well, moving along….I thought I'd share what I have gathered for our little one's home birth! Maybe this might be helpful if you are planning a home birth in the future. 

Here are the check lists I was given to collect before the birth. This was just a starting point for me. Since we have done a home birth before I knew there were a few things I wanted in addition and a few things I wanted to change up.

We aren't doing a water birth. Last time we attempted it, but Jude came too fast. Not to mention it took up most of our little space we do have. Since we are expecting a short labor, we didn't think we'd have time to set up the pool and use it. 

I added a few items to the medical kit order. A baby shirt that says "Born at Home", raspberry tea, and Arnica 200cc.

The day my box arrived I posted this on Instagram!  It's exciting to start to get the baby necessities.

Improvise, Adapt and Overcome- Crib Assembly

This past weekend we took advantage of Scott's 3 day weekend and drove up to Branson to spend a couple days. This is the second year we have taken the kiddos to Silver Dollar City and it was so much fun! Brooklyn was finally tall enough to be able to ride a lot of the little kid rides. She even rode her first roller coaster! Proud roller coaster loving momma over here!

That's my brave 3 year old and myself in the third car back! You can barely see her head sticking up out of the car. But she did it!

We also took the kids to play mini golf for the first time. It was actually my first time at mini golf too. I was pretty surprised to find I wasn't to shabby either! The kids loved golfing with their own kid sized clubs, but we figured out we were a bit adventurous when we prepaid for 36 holes… At 5 and 3, they would have been good with only doing the first 9 holes. 

Ah well, live and learn!

During our weekend away we had a very small queen bed for myself, my 6 foot 4 inch husband, and our small 7 month old adorable baby. At home we still co-sleep with him, but we have a king so it hasn't been much of an issue. 

I know there are probably a lot of you who share a queen bed with a kid (or maybe even two!), I seriously don't know how you all do it! 

I hardly slept both nights we were out and vowed when we got home we were going to figure out the crib situation.

So yesterday we got out the crib that a friend of ours so graciously gave us! The crib was missing all the screws to attach the panels together. I had called Delta the crib company and inquired about replacement screws. I was told that they no longer carried that crib model and didn't make that particular screw size anymore.

Back to the drawing board I went and called a crib building company I found online that sold crib parts.

This route I actually found the correct screws we needed, but they were going to cost $67 for the screws and an additional $11 for shipping. 

Now I'm not sure if it's just me, but I was pretty sure I could figure something else out for a lot cheaper then $78! 

We still needed a crib mattress too, which was going to be $40 for one at Walmart. So I was pretty determined we could improvise and use different screws for quite a bit less. 

Baby Jude's Birth Story

Since I haven't posted since Baby Jude made his arrival, and we have been through so much since then, I will have to tell his story in several posts. I'll start with his Birth Story...

Psalms 139:13-14a "For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made"

Anyone who has welcomed a new baby into the family, whether your first or fifth, knows it takes a lot of energy and adjusting. Well we were no different. With all the planning I thought I could do to get ready and prepare helped, but didn't seem to make up for the lost sleep and energy.

We had an amazing homebirth attended by Carrie our wonderful midwife. The labor was only 4 1/2 hours from water break to delivery! I went from dilated to a 7 to Jude in my arms in a matter of 15 minutes! It didn't happen quite how I thought it would with soft music and candles. I thought I would be laboring and possibly birth in the kiddie pool.  I searched and searched for that pool and finally bought it online. Jude decided to come so quick that there was no time to fill the pool....he was delivered on the living room floor! Not the cozy homebirth I imagined, but definitely unique non the less!

Those last few weeks before Jude was born was extremely tough. He was sitting so low, my body seemed to ache all over. I was miserable...it hurt to lay down, walk, sit, and breath! lol I know it sounds pathetic....but really I was a mess! I was soooo ready to get our boy out!