Looking Back to Belly-Time

I love this post on FitPregnancy: 20 reasons you'll miss being pregnant

It's so true! I really did love my pregnancy. Aaron and I talked recently about it being some of the best times of our marriage - the anticipation and weekly changes were so fun. All the reasons listed are pretty right on, but here's my favorite one:

"#18 - Having pregnancy as an excuse - Forgot where you parked? That’s OK — you’re pregnant. Need to walk slowly? That’s OK — you’re pregnant. Just want to sit and daydream? Of course you do — you’re pregnant. Behavior that raises eyebrows in 'real life' seems universally excused for now."

A Broken Man

Last of my catch-up posts-

Aaron broke his leg!!!

He was playing in Turkey Bowl #3, caught the ball, cut, turned his ankle, which then broke his fibula clear through. Yikes! He spent a few hours in urgent care and then was put into a temporary splint. He was too swollen to cast, so he has been in an airboot ever since the accident last month.

It has been challenging, to say the least, for all of us. Aaron gets pretty frustrated with his situation (always having to elevate, using crutches, tripping over things, etc). I have had to do the vast majority of the housework (feeding, cooking, cleaning, etc) and take care of both of my boys. Aaron has adapted well to the crutches by now and he has become more self-sufficient. The timing was pretty poor with me going back to work, but we did get help from Mom and Dad P, thank goodness!

On the other hand, there have been laughable-it's-so-bad situations to come out of this. Example - we had booked a weekend vacation to Williamsburg following the break, which we couldn't reschedule. We went, with a rented wheelchair for Aaron, and found out 99% of the historic buildings don't have wheelchair access! Once we hopped over to Jamestown, however, we had full access to a Rascal. That baby was fast. I never thought I'd see the day...

A Few Recent Favs

Kai's Favorite Spot (2 mo)












Double-Chin Warning (2.5 mo)















A Boy and His Dog- please note that I do not condone this doggie jersey (around 3 mo)

Turkey in Albuquerque

Aaron as dragon, Teigen as Hiccup

This year our Towers clan traveled to Rio Rancho, NM (just outside Albuquerque) the week before Thanksgiving to visit Aaron's sister Ashley, her hubby Justin, and their two boys Teigen and Chase. We didn't really have turkey, but this was our Thanksgiving visit on a budget. We had lots of fun watching movies (How to Train Your Dragon rocks), playing with the boys (new cousins!), going to a museum (dinosaurs!), practicing zumba (good workout), playing Bunko (a little crazy), and eating good food (yum). Thanks for your hospitality, Ash!

Chase and Kai playin

Our Little Pumpkin, plus a Murder!

Our Halloweentime this year was pretty fun. My birthday is right around the end of October, so Aaron decided to throw me a Murder Mystery Party, "A Taste of Wine and Murder". (Thanks to my sis-in-law Ang for the game!) It was such a riot! We invited friends over to play the various parts in the game, each being a suspect. They were all such great actors and had fun costumes. At the end of dinner, we all had to guess who committed the murder. And our little Kai was a pumpkin for Halloween, both at the party and for a neighborhood trick or treat. The suspects:

Ralph Rottinggrape, Tiny Bubbles, and their Pumpkin
Marilyn Merlot, Bonny Lass,and Papa Vito
Hedy Shablee and Agent Bud Wizer
Suzie Martinelli and Otto Von Schnapps

A Name and a Blessing

Oct 17--

Our Kai Guy got his baby blessing at our home, surrounded by family and close friends. I was a bit apprehensive about having the blessing in our house, since it is typically done at church, but it was wonderful! Very intimate and special. Mom and Dad Towers and my brother Rob came into town for the event too! Both of Kai's grandfathers particpated - Dad T with a talk about blessings and Dad P with an opening prayer. We sang "Teach Me To Walk in the Light". Aaron gave the blessing as the circle of priesthood holders stood around Kai in a circle -- the spirit was very strong. Just to add humor, Kai let out two huge audible poops right at the end of the blessing; much snickering followed. We dined on various desserts afterwards and had a good time seeing everyone!

A few items from the blessing:

-Health
-Obedience and trust in parents
-Example to future siblings (!!!!)
-Follow Jesus Christ, especially in serving others
-Find joy
-Pursue education
-Serve a mission
-Marry and start a family

And my favorite line, "Never has a baby been so loved in all the world." So true! :)

Kai with Nana and Papa

Kai with Uncle Rob

Guess Who's Laughing...

Better Late than Never (2)

And here are the amazing annoucements (two different backs) that Shallyse created for us. Yes, I realize my son is 3.5 months now, but these babies will be in the mail soon. Better late than never!

Better Late than Never (1)

Sooooo, I've been out of blogging for quite some time now. In between feedings, changings, taking care of Aaron's broken leg, and other general busy-ness, I had to put it on hold. Now I am back at work part-time; this provides me the opportunity to be away from that sweet, heart-melting face and at a computer consistently. Hence, a few mintues to blog each week!

I wanted to direct you to Shallyse's blog about our maternity shoot (yes, I'm a little late I know!). She did a fabulous job with them, and some are now atop our staircase and near Kai's crib. Check out her other work at Shadeleaf Studios.

Also, the beautiful photos on this post were done by our dear friend Weston two weeks ago - just in time for the holidays!



Quick Kai updates: 3.5 months and so cute! He is rolling over back to side and tummy to back, laughing (!!), smiling, verbalizing a ton, and doing so much better at tummy time. He loves standing with support, bouncing, and being pulled from laying to standing. His left hand has become a permanent mouth fixture, often gagging himself. His eyes are bright and always watching the world around him. Love that kiddo!

Newborn Photos!

www.shadeleafstudios.com/Kai.exe (put the link in your browser bar)

Here is a slideshow of our little love. Now, to choose one...

Kai Updates: He is gaining weight - phew! 25th percentile weight and height (was also born 25th). Kai is more interactive and alert - much more fun! We've gotten a smattering of voluntary toothless smiles. First up-the-back poop last night (ick). As of today, he can grab a rattle and pull it to his mouth. We are slowly learning how to be parents, and things are getting much easier. We are loving it.

The First Few Weeks

Time has gone by super-slow lately - It feels more like a few months rather than a few weeks since Kai was born. He has been wonderful, snuggly, frustrating, and stressful all wrapped up in one. Everything in the hospital was a blur after the birth; we went home after 24 hours (although retrospectively we might have stayed the extra 24 hours they offered) of testing, bathing, nursing, and a little sleep.

The Bad - Breastfeeding:
The first night back at home with Kai was pretty stressful. Things began to pick up, but we were/are having lots of trouble with nursing. After 3 home visits with a lactation consultant, 8 visits to the pediatrician in 3 weeks, a nipple shield, a growth spurt, and thrush scare, a SNS, 2-hr schedules, forumula feedings, and a crash course in breast pumping, we still don't have it down. I was fairly devastasted to hear he was still losing weight at the end of week 1 after trying so hard to make breastfeeding work. At the advice of our MD, we started supplementing with formula (emergency food, our LC calls it) week 2. He began gaining weight. Once we felt confident he was gaining, I began trying to wean him off forumla and the shield during week 3. We found out Monday he was still not gaining enough weight, and forumula needed to be increased. Ugh! Now he is back on track, and we are working on reading his hunger cues again. Nothing prepared me for the craziness of nursing - way more stressful than childbirth. I promised myself I'll stick it out until 6 weeks and then re-evaluate. I find it sort of ironic too - we had the lowest intervention birth possible, but the highest intervention breastfeeding possible.

The Good - Everything else:
Besides nursing, having a baby is wonderful! We just couldn't be more in love with this small fry. He is very quirky - snorking, growling during breastfeeding, smacking, lip pursing, squeaking, screaming, stretching with "touchdown arms", etc. He loves to snuggle, loves being kissed and hugged, wakes up when he hears new voices, sleeps very peacefully, likes moving and walking with someone, and loves looking at everything. He is pretty strong - he could crawl up Aaron's chest the first week (still can) and he holds his head up for sustained periods of time already! His long legs are always bicyling and kicking. My favorite physical things are him are his super-soft fuzzy hair and his skinny little chicken legs. :)

Aaron has been so wonderful too - my prediction of his penchant for parenting was right on. He quickly became the soother/swaddler while I got busy with feeding our little love. Kai and Aaron have already cheered the Cougars through two football games, learned lots of fun tricks and games, and taken to nighttime calming/bottle feedings. Kai just loves his dad!

We have also been blessed with an abundance of support - family and friends have been so amazing. Thank you for the advice, meals, support, and love! This allowed us to survive the first few weeks.

And for a few pics of our squiggler:

Touchdown!















First Sponge Bath (Thanks, Metta!)












Grumpy Face












Content with Grandaddy

The Birth Story - Kai Joseph Arrives!

A week prior to the birth, I started having mild contractions during Aaron's and my nightly walks and after I went to bed. If I ate or sat on our bithing ball, the cramping usually subsided. I brushed them off as false labor since they felt like menstrual cramps, nothing crazy. We were losing some sleep - me from the cramping and Aaron from the anticipation. Still, I didn't want to get my hopes up, and I kept waiting for these menstrual-like cramps to change into more intense wave-like cramping involving my back and legs (as many people had talked about). Being worried about having a late baby, Aaron and I started trying some natural induction methods -walking, spicy food, massage/pressure points, watching The Notebook (to ellicit oxytocin), etc.

The night of August 22, Aaron did Bradley relaxation techniques with me to ease contraction pains before bed (simlilar menstrual-like cramping). I fell asleep, and Aaron noticed me start jerking in bed a lot. I woke up later around 2:45 am with what seemed like slightly more intense contractions. I remember being a little miffed I would get yet another semi-sleepless night, especially since I felt the "real deal" was imminent. I got onto the birthing ball to ease pain, and I started make audible noises. Aaron woke up to my moaning about 15 minutes into it. He asked if he could help me downstairs to eat something. After going downstairs, Aaron wanted to start timing the contractions; I thought this was the same thing as the prior nights, not the real deal, so I said no. At Aaron's insistence, we began timing the contractions for 1 hour. They were average 3.5 minutes apart, pretty consistent and strong. I was shocked! I started the night's mantra during this timing: It’s coming it’s coming… I would say as each contraction came on and peaked until Kai was born. We began furiously flipping through our Labor and Delivery folder to determine which stage of labor we were in.

After I conceded this might indeed be early labor, we decided to start baking our birth plan treats (Carrot Cake Cupcakes), fill the hospital bag with last minute items, and call the midwives. Aaron nervously called the midwives around 4 am and handed the phone to me right after a contraction. Since I was between contractions, I was very lucid and the midwife felt that it wasn't worth us coming to the hospital until things were much more intense. Look for increasing intensity, not time intervals, she said. Taking her advice, I got a hot shower. Meantime, Aaron was furiously vacuuming and baking, trying to stay busy as he heard my moaning. By 5:30 am or so, my contractions were definitely intensifying. I sat on the birthing ball for most of them, bracing my knees with my hands as each came. My shoulders were tense, and I was trying in vain to relax. My moans were low, since I knew this would help dilation along. I again concede this might be more than early labor, active labor at most I say. Getting worried, I insist on eating a peanut butter and banana sandwich, to prepare for a longer labor.

All of a sudden, I started getting shaky. Now I was really confused - shaking typically happens in transition labor (the very last part that is quick and super intense). This was all out of order! I hadn't even lost my mucous plug yet.

We decided to call Mom and Dad Palermo and Jennie, our doula, around 6 am. Jennie talked to me on the phone and noted that I had 5 contractions in the last 11 minutes. She urged me to call back the midwives and let them know things are intensifying. Soon after, I lost the mucus plug. Since this is all out of order and my contractions have not changed in type (to wave-like or involving my back/legs), I was still confused. We were nervous about going to the hospital too soon, only to be told to go home. We delayed calling midwives until the on-call shifts switch (7 am).

Around 7:15 am, we called again. A student midwife listened to me as I went through a few contractions and told Aaron I sound like I’m working hard, and we should come to the hospital to get checked. Aaron quickly showered, and we put everything in the car. As we went outside, a few of the neighbors saw me moaning loudly through a contraction while leaning on car. I told Aaron to hurry now, Drive really fast!! We got stuck in Chapel Hill commuter traffic, so the drive took 30 minutes. I was holding up all my weight with the handle above the car door, so as not to put pressure on my hips. Aaron gave me a priesthood blessing in the car, which calmed me down and gave me more resolve.

We arrive at the Women’s hospital right around 8 am, and I had another contraction at the door - moaning with my face in a towel this time. As I stood up, I noticed that my water had partially broken. Aaron hurriedly tried to get valet parking and noticed his pants are unzipped (but does nothing in his panic). In the meantime, someone took me up to Labor and Delivery and put me in a room. Aaron joined me as I get ready for the first cervical check. Don’t tell me I'm a 2, don’t tell me I'm a 2, I said in desperation. The student midwife says, Sweetie, I don't think you're a 2 from how you sound. She checks - You’re a 9! I burst into sobs with relief. The nurse put on a fetal monitor on, and it was kept on for the duration of the birth. They tried to take blood samples, but couldn’t get them all (I was still holding up all my weight on my hands) and gave up. No heparin lock either.

Jennie arrived around 8:15 am, and we braced for a few more contractions on the bed to get to 10 cm. Jennie was on my left, helping me keep my moans low, as they were starting to get higher, and put counter pressure on my low back. Aaron was on my right, telling me how great I am doing in my ear. I am praying out loud Heavenly Father, please help me, please help me... I got through a few more, with water coming out at each one, and asked for another check. Just a little lip, they say (this means only one spot on the cervix needs to move to reach full dilation). Following the midwife's advice, I leaned to my left to get rid of the lip. My water fully broke with a pop, and I felt Kai moving down and lots of pressure. The student midwife checked a third time, and I was a 10. She told me to wait to push until I felt the urge. I'm scared! I sobbed to Aaron. He encouraged me and told me we were almost there.

I didn't feel an overwhelming urge to push, just a lot of pressure. I decided to try pushing, sitting with my legs back and eyes closed. At first I was grunting, hyperventilating, as I pushed. The midwife told me to slow down and bear down for three breaths. I can’t! I yelled. You have to, she says. I told Jennie and Aaron to repeat her pushing instructions at the next contraction; I'd already forgotten them. With coaching, I forced myself to slow down and bear down.

The attending midwife asked me to grab my legs to make a "C" with my back. I can’t do it. I asked to squat. With Jennie under my left arm and Aaron under my right arm, I pushed myself up, squatted, and closed my eyes through the duration of the pushing contractions. Baby Kai was moving down a little more with each one. Aaron, with emotion in his voice, said the baby had dark hair. We’re going to meet our baby soon, he whispers. The midwife asked me if I want to touch the baby’s head. No! I say, as I am too focused. I felt myself stretching open, and I tried to slow down so as not to tear. Aaron and Jennie are getting really tired, but don’t say anything to me. My glasses were sliding off my nose from all the sweat on my face. Jennie was helping me focus on breathing, while Aaron was encouraging me. He noticed Kai's head was wrinkled, as the skull bones are overlapping in the birth canal, and Aaron got worried. It's normal, he's told.

After 25 minutes of pushing, Kai Joesph Towers arrived into the world, screaming. It was 8:43am on Aug 23, 2010. His due date! He was immediately given to Aaron, who announced It is a boy! and put him on my belly. Cord clamping was delayed, and Aaron cut the cord after it stopped pulsating. Baby Kai was weighed (7.97 lb) and received a Vitamin K shot.

The placenta came out within 5 minutes. The nurse pushed down on my lower abdomen for a fundal massage – very painful! I had two lacerations near the urethra ("two skid marks" the midwife said) and two lacerations deep in vagina, on the sulcus. The student stitched me up, but kept re-stitching and re-numbing with Lidocaine since she was doing incorrect stitching (ugh - not fun). In total, I had one hour and ten minutes of stitching, but it should have been closer to 20 minutes! Consequently, I had a hard time breastfeeding or focusing on Kai while all the stitching was going on.

Aaron texted Mom and Dad Palermo to come in the room and said Meet your new grandson! as they arrived. Lots of Skyping commenced - we talked to Mom and Dad Towers and Aaron's siblings. After a tender moment of reflection, I told Aaron his pants are unzipped; Oh yeah, I forgot to fix that, he mutters. Our nurse helped me start nursing Kai. After 5 hours of intense labor, only 45 minutes of which were at the hospital (25 of these were pushing), and about an hour of stitching, we are finally taken to the postpartum room. It was a unexpectedly quick birth - Aaron almost delivered him at home! Au naturale - but we didn't even have a choice!

Dear Baby Towers, Letter 3

Dear Baby T,

As our time tummy to tummy ends and we will soon meet you face to face, your dad and I feel a mixture of excitement and a little nervousness. Well, your dad is not really nervous, just me.

We are so excited to finally meet you! And we are excited for the birth - we have been preparing for some time now for a "marathon" of contractions and hard work. I hope that you are able to come into this world naturally and healthy. I am nervous about not having control over the labor process - basically, all of our preparations going out the window. I know this could happen based on circumstance, so, most important, we just want you to arrive healthy and happy.

Also, this pregnancy has been wonderful. I really can't complain about too much - you've been a joy to carry. :) I will miss it, miss protecting you like I am right now.

Last, I feel nervous about motherhood. We have been preparing so much for birth, but I'm not really sure how to prepare to be a mother. Your dad doesn't seem too worried though. You'll change everything - in a wonderful way. I hope I will be a good mother and a good example for you. I know I will make some mistakes, but I hope more good choices. Your dad is going to be awesome and lots of fun - not worried a bit about him! You couldn't have picked a better dad and role model. Plus, you have two great sets of grandparents, a loving extended family, and lots of friends.

Come soon so we can shower you with love!

All my love,

Mom

Quesadillas and Crumb Bars

A recent favorite - Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Quesdillas from Pioneer Woman. DE-licious! All grilling was done a la Foreman.

• 8 whole Flour Tortillas
• Butter Or Margarine
• 2 cups Grilled Pineapple, Sliced
• 3 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
• Salt And Pepper, to taste
• 3 cups Monterey Jack Cheese, Grated
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Sliced
• Cilantro
• 3 Tablespoons Barbecue Sauce

To grill pineapple: cut wedges, stick on skewers, and grill over low heat. Cut into slices. To pound chicken, place inside a Ziploc bag and pound with a mallet or large can to flatten to uniform thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper and Cajun spice (or cumin/cayenne, etc.) Grill, set aside, and slice into very thin slices. Slightly warm and toast tortillas on both sides. To assemble, sprinkle four browned tortillas with grated Monterey Jack. Arrange chicken slices evenly over the surface. Add pineapple slices and jalapeno slices. Sprinkle on cilantro. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top (yes please!). Add second browned tortilla on top of each one. Add to oven to warm, or back to skillet to warm, until cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into six wedges. Serve with sour cream, salsa, etc.


I read about these Blueberry Crumb Bars on yourhomebasedmom - they don't dissapoint. Super easy recipe Aaron and I pulled together in about 10 minutes. We made half this recipe, but I would not hesitate to do the whole thing and give away some as treats. Yummers!

•1 C white sugar
•1 tsp. baking powder
•3 C all-purpose flour
•1 C cold butter (2 sticks)
•1 egg
•1/4 tsp. salt
•Zest and juice of one lemon
•4 C. fresh blueberries
•1/2 C white sugar
•4 tsp. cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Cut in butte and add egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the top. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool before cutting into squares.

Updates on T: Almost 38 weeks now. We are full-term and T could come any day now! I am suprisingly feeling great. My weight gain plateaued, but could still go up later. I had my first contractions (!!) at the end of week 35, since then I've only had cramping, nothing crazy. No major swelling, backaches, or anything else. Can't complain a bit. I just keep dropping stuff square on my stomach - call me Homer....

A Class Prepared

Here is a pic of Aaron's and my Bradley childbirth class - more hippies who really really want to do natural childbirth. :) Notice the one night Aaron was missing (out of the 12), they took a picture!

The class was a great experience - glad we did it. It definitely helped both of us feel more confident about birth - heck, I listened to Aaron talking to our unwitting dinner guests about the amniotic sac the other night!

Only one couple has had their baby that we know of - the rest are due between Aug 1 and October. There has been talk of play groups...

Miracle

Miracle
Author: Jewel

listen!

do you hear it?
i do.
i can feel it.
i expect a miracle is coming.

it has set loose this retlessness
inside of me.
expect it.
dream about it.
give birth to it in your being.

know! something good
is coming down the line.
finding its way to you
like all things find
their way to god's children.

listen!


Miracle of love
Author: Unknown

Before you were conceived, I wanted you
Before you were born, I loved you
Before you were here an hour, I would die for you
This is the miracle of love

2 Wonderful Years

Or 4 years, counting all the pre-wedding dating...

4 years ago, Becoming friends at the FBI Acad., 2006














3 years ago, Ryan/Whit's Wedding, 2007
















2 years ago, Our Wedding, 2008
















1 year ago, Brazilian Amazon, 2009












Talking to Baby, 2010












Aaron and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary last Monday. To be fair, we were too busy to celebrate - we put it off until Saturday. Then Saturday, I was too busy to celebrate, so we put it off until this upcoming weekend. We'll have a date soon, I promise!

These last two years have been absolutely wonderful - with all the love, growth, bickering, companionship, and passion combined. I am madly in love with my husband. Plus he's super hot.

When we moved aside work on Saturday to eat Thai takeout over a couple of candles (the improvisation since the date got cancelled), we discussed good memories from the last year. For both of us, the pregnancy has filled this past year with some awesome moments - deciding to start a family, finding out it worked, seeing the first and second ultrasounds, feeling the first kick, folding all the super-cute yellow onsies. It's made our love for each other and our capacity to add another life to our home bloom.

Happy Anniversary Love!

Fears

Disclaimer: Sorry for so many pregnancy posts - it's becoming a hot subject nowadays at the Towers house.



I've started reading Birthing From Within, which I am intrigued by. So far, it is emphasizing mom-to-be empowerment for birth, coaxing the mother to trust her body and celebrate the process of pregnancy. Main theme so far is to Listen to your body and Trust your instincts as a mother.

This is just the sort of medicine I need right now. As the belly expands to new sizes, I find myself getting a little more anxious about the birth. "How am I supposed to get this baby out?" I find that I still have some fears about it, no matter how well studied I am, how many birth classes I've attended (9 so far), how many birth stories I've heard. It's the element of the unknown. Your body just takes over, so it's a bit nerveracking to relenquish control to it completely.

The book I am reading asks women to face their fears about birth. Here they are:

-Forced into medical intervention/drugs by circumstance
-Water breaking and no contractions start within the 24 hour window
-Emotional breakdown
-Perineal Tears (yick!)
-Not being able to handle pain
-Stalling contractions because I can't relax
-Super long, super hard labor
-The hospital (just has negative connotations)
-Breastfeeding, sortof - It's still a little weird to me
-Looking back and wishing we had done something differently

Things about birth I am excited about:

-Meeting Baby T
-Aaron meeting Baby T
-The awesome, lifechanging, empowering experiences Aaron and I will share
-Overcoming my fears
-Finding out the gender
-Picking out a name
-Feeling strong and womanly
-Amazing things my body can do
-The hormone rush/bonding
-Holding Baby T

What an awesome experience birth is. It is just so...important....and exciting...and nerveracking. All at the same time. You can't hear someone is in labor and not have some of those emotions. Now I need to face my fears and focus on my ability to do this.

I found this Mothering magazine article about labor pain as a nice end to my ramblings.

P.S. A new mom and dad came to talk to our birth class tonight, and she went into labor at 36.5 weeks. ACK! That's only a week away for me. Now I can't stop my brain from going into overdrive about all the work and preparations we have to do. I really need T to hold off until August.

Oh, and updates. 35.5 weeks. I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable these last couple of days - ligaments are holding up a lot of weight, and I can't breathe as well in some positions. But, all in all, still pretty good. T is currently anterior and head down, heartbeat in the 140's - yay!

You grow, I grow

As we watch Baby T grow bigger each day, Aaron has also been growing a garden in our tiny backyard. It's been a May-July project, and something we would like little T to participate in one day. I helped with the planning, but Aaron has put in the sweat, labor, sunburns, and frustrations. But, oh, when he has a squash or cucumber to show for it, he is so proud! The roster includes tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, zucchini, bell peppers, hablano peppers, and lots of herbs.

Our Square-foot Garden













We followed the square-foot gardening technique in the back, hung some flowers and a birdfeeder, and bought a small table/chair set from World Market. It's a perfect spot for breakfast. The arbor was a wedding gift from our dear friends Caroline and Joe; Joe built it as a backdrop for our nuptuals.

Arbor and Table/Chair Set - Yippee!












Hanging Plants and Birdfeeder













In the front, we planted some perennial and annual flowers, both in pots and in the ground. One flower plant bit the dust after an unfornate run-in with the window-washing staff at our complex, and another just never flourished (we think it was our poor choice of soil for that pot). We are learning some lessons for the next plantings. :)

Four Perennials in the front bed (not super-impressive - dead one is 3rd down)












Annuals in Pot on Front Steps (peeps love the red!)












Another pot on the front steps (FAIL)


Great job to Aaron, the Towers Green Thumb!

Now I can say we are "multiplying and replenishing the earth" :D

8 months later...

Here is the difference between our tiny Baby T embryo and our now 5 lb Baby T fetus...Crazy.

5 weeks (I don't even remember my belly like this!)















35 weeks (just 2 more weeks until full-term!)


Aaron and I have been busy working on setting up a little nook in the corner of our bedroom for the baby. The painting is from a local artist - Jesus holding a lamb - I love it. The shelf is for miscellaneous items and hanging clothes/toys. The crib was a gift from my parents and the afghan was a handmade gift from Aaron's grandmother. Aaron is planning on making a wooden base/holder for the changing pad, so it can stay on top of the crib as is. Behind this, we filled one our bookshelves with baskets and put in all the washed/folded baby clothes and cloth diapers. I still have yet to make the baby quilt and mobile - those are my last craft projects before T arrives. Not totally done, but close. Here is a sneak peak.

Reactions and Showers

I've been taking note of folks' reactions to the belly for the last couple of months. At over 7 months pregnant, people can definitely tell my "condition" from a ways off. I have noticed the warmth that other mamas and older women immediately show me, it's in those soft smiles of understanding. I have noticed that the college-aged young women tend to look uncomfortable - perhaps its a reminder of pregnancy scares, inevitable weight gain, or future responsibility for this demographic. Men are a mixed bag - some are very chivalrous, some avoid eye contact (maybe its that future responsibility bit again), some are just a little more kind. And, for both genders, I do love the talkers/advice givers; they ask about Baby T's due date, Baby T's gender, my readiness for parenthood, their own experience with pregnancy and childbirth. Children always have something candid and honest to say about Baby T - usually adorable. Pregnancy is really a whole different type of connection to the world around you; it evokes varied, but typically very happy, feelings for people. For this reason it is interesting being in my shoes - just to see other's react to Aaron and my decision start a family and to the huge step in life we are about to take.

In party news, we've been showered. A couple o' times. Some friends from my ward threw a baby shower for Aaron and I in mid-June, which was fabulous. In my hastiness to get ready, I forgot to plan for picture-taking, and, alas, I have no pictures (save for the awesome and artful cake Carolyn made)! It was really fun to hang out with good friends and start the Baby T collection of goods.















Aaron and I also hopped off to a recent family reunion (my Mom's side) in the Georgia mountains. It was great to get away to the small Bavarian-style village, hike to waterfalls, visit with family, eat eat eat, and, of course, gets lots of belly pats. My sweet aunts (with help of cousins) threw Aaron and I a surprise baby shower. Woohoo! Again, it was great to feel supported in this big step and get help with Baby T items.

See my basketball?


Both Aaron's and my work groups have also wanted to be involved. My work group took another pregnant work colleague and myself to dinner and got us a super-sweet baby gift. Aaron's work group is planning a small shower in a few weeks.

The generosity is amazing! Thank you to everyone who has helped us get ready for little T in some way. :)

Preggo update: 33 weeks, less than 50 days until Operation Stork. Baby T is moving all the time (or, I feel it all the time now). I am feeling great still, have not reached the dreaded 3rd Tri discomfort stage yet. I did my last pregnancy jog on Saturday (I had been slowing down and spacing out jogs since the end of 2nd Tri) - and paid for it the whole day! I could barely move from ligament pain. So, now just low impact aerobics are in order. Aaron is getting more excited as the time draws near. He just melts my heart when he talks to little T every night. T loves it too - I can tell from the kicking.

Operation Stork

A few updates on Operation Stork, as planned by the Towers. We have switched to a local midwives practice, which Aaron and I are pretty excited about. We felt that midwives would be more supportive of the natural, med-free birth we're hoping for and more likely to delay medical interventions. The switch was a little tough, mostly due to my worry that I would be making the decision based on overanalyzing/overworrying and since I had never gotten ObGyn care from anyone other than a MD. The midwives at this practice are more relaxed/warmer than doctors I've had, and though that is great, it is also unusual for me. We also looked into the local midwife-staffed birthing center, but it was full. Our practice is a bit of a compromise, since the midwives deliver in a tertiary care-level hospital, but only have a 10% C-section rate. We can breathe a little easier now. We developed our birth plan (never thought I'd be doing that!). We're taking Bradley classes (aka Husband-coached childbirth with emphasis on natural birth) through a childbirth instructor we really like-- Aaron has been great, btw. We decided we couldn't afford to pay for doula services, but we are planning on having a local volunteer doula attend our birth. We registered (ack, stressful!), including for cloth diapers (will update you once we start that adventure), and we are filling our tiny home with baby things. It's real, folks. Now, we are hurrying to finish preparations and waiting on that stork. Just two more months!

Rwandan Health Care

Lessons from and obstacles for Rwanda, one of Africa's poorest nations.

This article really struck me today - 1) it made me miss studying/working on international public health issues, 2) it got me thinking about the new US healthcare plan, and 3) it makes me appreciative that I have health care and am a healthy person/ponder my role in making the world healthier.

When I was a little kid, I used to answer "What do you want to be when you grow up?" with "First, a scientist. Second, I want to go around changing the world." I've been thinking about my mark on the world thus far and how I will show my child this by example. Have I accomplished anything with that second goal? Of course, raising a child well is one of the most important and most impactual ways to change your world. What about beyond that? Are Aaron and I really stretching ourselves?

Nip It and Flip It

Aar and I have exchanged many emails about toxic chemicals in the past few months. We have exchanged many emails about the dangers of giving birth in pitocin-happy hospitals. Frankly, we are becoming parents, and parents worry. So, when I happened upon this blog post, it rang quite true. The author's motto: Nip It and Flip It. Translation: Eliminate “the bad” and support “the good.” Please read this post if you need a reality check like us! :) Quote I liked:

“When you’re afraid of the dark, turn on the light. Instead of focusing on all the bad stuff in the world, flip your attention to the good stuff. Start a new flow of information that’s positive and hope inducing instead of negative and fear inducing. Focus on ways we’re making the world a healthier, cleaner, better place; on people cleaning up the oil spill, running greener factories, and helping people live better. There’s a whole lot more good in the world than bad, more kindness than hostility, more beauty than pollution. They just don’t make the headlines.”

Crafty Baby

I've been inspired by lots of folks in the blogosphere lately. My blog followings continue to turn in the "crafts for baby" direction, so I admire others' craftiness and dream of how domestic I will one day be. Ok, well, maybe not. But a girl can dream....

Here are some examples of my favorites:
Homemade Playdough
Washcloth Ducks
Tie-Dyed Onesie
Edible Flowers
Baby Blanket
Baby Sunsuit
Fruity Baby Hats
Lamb Pillows

If only I had a sewing machine. And more free time. And such talent.