Distractions

Recently, Nelson and I both had to retake the Oregon driving test, due to the fact that we have both been using Washington drivers licences for, oh, about a year longer than we are supposed to. In Washington, to get a new license, you simply show your current state license and it is assumed you can drive, they take your money, they take your picture, you're done. Not in Oregon. Nope, you have to take that test that you took at 16 all over again. So, yes, we both read the manual again (or skimmed it between nursing, reading stories, cooking, doing laundry, cleaning, listening to toddler stories, etc) and we both managed to pass the test, hooray! Strangely, we both got the EXACT same scores that we got at 16, which was weird. Mine was higher, which CLEARLY means I am the better driver!

Yeah right.

Anyway, one thing that stood out to me in the manual was this recommendation: You should not drive while distracted.

Actually, it didn't stand out really to me at the time. It flashed, screaming through my brain a few weeks later, during the following scenario:

We were running late to dance class, Jakiah was screaming at the top of his lungs, this was making my milk let down, starting to soak through my nursing pads, Kalaya was babbling to me about God-knows-what (mommy? Mommy. MOMMY?!!??), I was driving with my left hand, holding the pacifier over the rear-facing car seat in attempt to 'pacify' my screaming infant with my right hand, had my breakfast on the console, which I was trying to take bites of at stop lights (the car is about the only place I can get a meal some days, this was one of them), the story of Cinderella was blaring over the sound of the screaming baby, I had been up to nurse every 45 minutes the night before, I hadn't gotten to shower that morning, I had left my house in total chaos and we hit every. single. red. light.

Distracted?

ME????????

Clearly, DMV manuals are not written by mothers.

On a separate note:

If you go to get a new license picture taken 6 weeks after having a baby, you will look like you just had a baby in the picture, no matter how cute you manage to style your hair, do your make up or what shirt you are wearing. No DMV camera can hide the dark circles of 3 am feedings, or that extra little layer under your regular chin. Just sayin'.

Easter 2012

Easter was so fun with 2 little ones in the house! Granted, Jakiah didn't have a clue it was Easter,but I'm sure he sensed his sister's excitement and had a good time just the same!

We started out with the Palm Sunday egg hunt at our church on, duh, Palm Sunday. Unfortunately, Jakiah and I missed it, as we were out of town. But, nothing like home videos to let me see it!! She was timid, as she always is with large, noisy crowds, but managed to get plenty of eggs full of prizes and candy (candy taken away later....yup, we're still those parents) and got to choose an extra prize as well. I am told that she purposefully picked the carrot shaped bubble necklace because there were two, 'one for me and one for Elena!', which makes me think that some where, some how, we are doing something right raising this child! ; ) Good job sharing sweetie!!

Saturday evening before Easter, she dyed eggs, which she LOVED! However, trying to explain to a toddler that the eggs are supposed to be in the dye for 5 minutes to get the best colors is not very realistic. Nor is keeping the eggs in only one color! But, I let it go and she had a great time, though it was not very long and she didn't understand why we couldn't do it again Sunday!! But, fun for the most part. We then put out our basket with the empty eggs and talked about who was going to fill the basket and eggs, which she had been talking about ALL week!!

Sunday morning, we woke up and the eggs were hidden around the living room and there were surprises in the basket! Nothing fancy; Kalaya got some bubble toys, paint stuff and hair stuff. Her eggs were filled with bunny shaped crackers, bunny shaped organic 100% fruit snacks and organic whole grain Winnie the Pooh crackers. Yup, we're wild around here folks!! She also got a special Cinderella present too. Jakiah's basket has 2 toys, new baby wash (hey, California Baby stuff is expensive!!) and new pacifiers. : ) Kalaya loved looking for eggs and did it

very, very, diligently. As in, one at a time, take back to the basket on the table, open it, look at each thing, go find another egg, etc. Maybe next year we'll switch the hunt until after church.....

Church was fun for Mommy, I got to dress up TWO little ones this year! Kalaya wore her Easter dress from last year with a new sash. I chose blue, so that I could have a 'girl in a white dress with a blue satin sash'!! She had a hat and gloves, just for fun (can't beat $1 each! and now they're great for dress ups!) and new shoes too! Jakiah's outfit was so, so, SO cute, it is fun to dress up a little man too!!

Sunday afternoon was spent at Nelson's parents' house and we had a great time and ate GOOD FOOD! I didn't have to do a thing!!

Spring Break 2012

Another year with a spring break trip to the South! A little different from last year's trip....

A lot different actually. First off, I traveled with a 2 month old, rather than an almost 2 year old. BIG DIFFERENCE. And much less to pack on the plane. And, I was away from my daughter for a week.

A WHOLE WEEK!!

Up until that point, we hadn't been apart for even 24 hours yet. I think 18 was the most we'd ever been separated. Needless to say, it was a big change for both of us. The good news was that Daddy took the week off and did a ton of fun things with her; the Children's Museum, the zoo, the park, ice cream....but, most importantly, for the first time since January 25th, she got 100% all of the attention in her house. They had a great time and we kept in touch over phone calls and Skype, which I am so amazed by and so grateful for over and over again!

Jakiah was a champ on all of the flights, 2 each direction. He was perfectly content in the ring sling, would wake up to nurse and go back to sleep pretty quickly. He was fussed over and admired by everyone, but, who can blame them?? We had some minor fussy times, but they were easy to remedy. Just made sure we had plenty of diapers, extra clothes and everything was fine!

Our trip started in Alabama at my mom's parent's house. We arrived Monday afternoon and my mom was already there. This wasn't totally a pleasure trip, but it was wonderful for Jakiah to meet his great grandparents! They are starting the process of moving out of their home, to live in a retirement community. They've had some minor health issues lately and we will all have peace of mind once they are in the (beautiful, by the way!) new place they are planning to live in. But, the kids and grandkids have been helping them sort through what can go with them and what can't, and it's been challenging for everyone. Luckily, no fights or anything, but they have a lot of things and a lot of memories and it just won't all fit. So, mom and I helped with that for 2 days and then went to Georgia to visit my aunt, uncle and cousins, which was more focused on being fun!! Except for my poor VERY pregnant cousin, bless her heart, who let us stay at her house. She's very far along in her pregnancy with TWINS! Since we left, she is in the hospital on bedrest until the boys arrive. Hope our trip wasn't the cause! : (

(Did I mention she's naming her twins Fred and George??? It's so amazing!)

But, we spent a few days with family, introducing Jakiah, having lots of yummy meals and just sitting around catching up, exactly what I needed. It was (kind of) good to be away from Kalaya, only because I got to see what it's like to miss her!! I wish she could have gone too, but it costs for her to fly now and we just couldn't afford it. Plus, I don't think I'm brave enough to travel on the plane with an infant AND a toddler, even though they are both good flyers!! The trip was a lot of fun and the weather was GORGEOUS!! Warm, sunny and no thunderstorms!

Ma Ma and Pa Pa Price

Hard to say goodbye to their house..... : (

Aunt Sandy, who was GREAT any time I needed a break and offered to hold the baby!

Happy boy in summer clothes, playing at Ma Ma and Pa Pa's

2 Months

Mr. Jakiah is growing growing! At his 2 month appointment, he was just shy of 11 pounds and was 22 1/2 inches long! Right around the middle of the 'percentile' charts. He is getting more alert and aware of everything around him; he tracks the animals on his mobile, follows people when they walk by him, looks around constantly, and is becoming more interested in the world! He has also started smiling, which is so, so cute!! Just melts a mommy's heart! : )

His schedule is getting a little more regular, on most days. He eats several times throughout the day and wakes every 2-3 hours to nurse at night, sometimes more, sometimes less. He still sleeps best on a person, especially me, so some times it can get tiring, but we've figured out a routine. His best naps are the first ones of the day (usually around 11 or so) and his best nighttime sleep stretch is from around 8 until 2, usually waking at least once to nurse, but sleeps pretty well around that feeding. Luckily, he does tend to go back to sleep really well at night, really quickly, since he sleeps right next to me. Though, we do have some occasions where it's like 4:30 am and he just starts smiling and being all charming and wants to be awake with me (who can resist such cuteness??) but it's not too common.

He is now in 3 month size clothes and they are already getting tight again! Thanks to our good friend Jessica for all the great little boy hand me downs, they're getting plenty of use! He has huge blowouts about once a day, so we go through plenty of clothes : ) He's in size 1 diapers, when he wears his disposables at night. We've started cloth again during the day and I forgot how much money it saves and just how easy it is!

Kalaya is so smittin on her brother! She is constantly hugging and kissing him and wants to know what he's doing all the time. She thinks he's pretty special and so do we!!

Placenta Encapsulation: Part II (Guest blogger Daddy)

Somewhere in my obituary, when I die in February of the year 2100, I want it to mention that I cooked the innards of my wife and watched as she ate them.

Maybe not in the first paragraph, but perhaps between “He tried to be a good father,” and “Today the world mourns the death of the last of the Great Lovers.”

This is meant to be a companion piece, if you will, to Kelly’s description of the placenta encapsulation that we did after Jakiah’s birth. Our doula recommended that I share my experience, being the partner and non-devourer of said placenta (those may or may not have been her words exactly). You know, in case there are any partners who are reading this blog and thinking one or more of the following things:

A) My partner wants to do it, but I’m afraid.

B) I don’t like touching raw meat, let alone raw meat that came from my partner’s body.

C) YOUDIDWHATOHMYGODTHAT’SDISGUSTING – but like a car accident or Jersey Shore, I can’t look away.

D) I’m genuinely curious (or, I Have Been Instructed to Read This By A Person Who Shan’t Be Named But Is Carrying A Baby And/Or Lives With Me).

Whatever your mindset, allow me to share my experience with you. Even if you think it sounds terrible, you can tell your partner you read it, and maybe get some brownie points. And you know what brownie points get you, right? Yep, brownies. Mmm, brownies.

Anyway, somehow we hadn’t heard of placenta encapsulation before Kelly was pregnant with Jakiah (which is kind of weird since we’re non-practicing hippies), and even then it wasn’t until we took a Hypnobirthing class. Kelly did a good job describing what placenta encapsulation is, so I won’t bore you any more than I already have by rehashing it. Basically, you keep the placenta after the birth, take it home, cook it, crush it up, put it in pills, and ingest the pills. A tongue-in-cheek (placenta-in-cheek?) way of describing it would be socially acceptable cannibalism.

So after we (Kelly) did some more research on it, we (real we) decided to go all in and do it. The initial response from our parents was the best part of the decision – it was like we were 18 and telling them instead of going to college we were moving to Los Angeles to be musicians. “Oh…uh…right. You’re very talented sweetheart, but isn’t there anything else you’d rather do? Like, ANYTHING ELSE?” The only one of them who seemed unfazed was my dad. When we told him, the first thing out of his mouth was ‘Oh yeah, like mammals. Mammals do that. And you’re mammals.’ Clearly, my father is a scientist.

After Kelly had Jakiah, and subsequently the placenta, they took the latter to a freezer (which in my head looks just like Mr. Freeze’s lab in the mid-90’s Batman animated series) for safe-keeping. For some reason, it had to stay at the hospital longer than we did (we took Jakiah home after two days, but I couldn’t come back to get the placenta for a week). When I finally did come back, it was like a Monty Python sketch:

RECEPTIONIST: Hi, can I help you?
ME: Uh, yes. I’m here to pick up…um…a placenta.
RECEPTIONIST: (stops typing) A what?
ME: My wife had a baby last week and we left the placenta here. I mean, we couldn’t take it. So they told me to come back and get it. I think it’s here. I mean, I know it’s here, but I don’t know where. Maybe in a giant freezer or something.
RECEPTIONIST: (silence)
ME: Or maybe a small freezer. It wasn’t that big. The placenta, I mean. It was a regular-sized placenta. Maybe a regular freezer.
RECEPTIONIST: (silence)
ME: A placenta.
RECEPTIONIST: (silence, then) Let me call someone. Go ahead and take a seat.

I sat down in the lobby with a middle-aged woman who hadn’t heard the fumbling conversation earlier. And then,

LADY: Did your wife just have a baby?
ME: Yeah, a week ago.
LADY: My daughter is in labor now. Are you here to pick your wife and baby up?
ME: No, they went home a few days ago. I’m here to pick up my wife’s placenta.
LADY: (silence)
ME: Yeah, we’re doing placenta encapsulation. It’s this thing where apparently you take the placenta home and eat it or something.
LADY: (silence)
ME: I mean, not raw, you cook it first, with, like, lemons and ginger.
LADY: (silence, then) Oh. (more silence)

Then, a nurse comes out with the placenta in one of those blood-red hazard bags, holding it away from her body as far as her right arm will allow. I feel like she’s bringing me a bag of poopy diapers or a severed head.

NURSE: Here you go.
ME: Thanks!
LADY: (silence)
ME: (sprints out of the hospital)

I got home and we kept the placenta in the refrigerator for a while until our friend (and midwife-in-training) Sarah could come up and help me with the preparation. It was fun to pretend we were in a Sunny Delight commercial directed by Tim Burton (‘What do you guys want? We got OJ, Purple Stuff, my wife’s placenta – SUNNY D!’).

Sarah arrived at our house after a few days, and we got to work. First, we had to wash all the blood of the placenta, or at least as much of it as we could. I was tempted to make a joke about that scene in ‘Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday’ where the coroner eats Jason’s heart and then becomes Jason, and then I remembered that movie is horrible and no one would get the reference.

After washing, we stuffed it with lemons and ginger, and steamed it on the stove. The smell was admittedly weird (pla-scental!); not GROSS per se, but not something I’d like to smell on a daily basis (kind of like Cheerios or egg salad in that sense). When it was steamed up good, we cut it up into strips and baked it in the oven. Really, the whole cooking process wasn’t really that different from making dinner. So unless you hate making dinner, it’s no big deal.

After the strips were sufficiently cooked/hardened, they went in the food processor to be ground into a fine powder, and subsequently packed into small pill capsules. I think we ended up with something like 72 pills, which I think means Kelly’s placenta was pretty big. I’m still unsure of whether this is something to brag about or not.

All in all, it wasn’t weird. Or gross. It’s certainly not for everyone, but neither is eating red meat, or being a vegan.I would be happy to do it again, or assist someone else who is wanting to do it. Plus that way I can say I've handled your wife's lady-parts and it won't technically be inaccurate.

And if you're wondering, I didn't try one of the pills.

OR DID I?!?!?!?!

(No.)

Dance Class

For the last 10 weeks, Kalaya took her first dance class. She absolutely LOVED it, once she got used to it. It was more structured than Sports Class. She had to follow directions, listen to the teacher and, most importantly, mom and dad weren't supposed to stay in the room! This is a first for our child. (other than going to the church nursery)

For those that don't know, Kalaya is pretty timid about new experiences. That's putting in mildly. We had talked up dance class BIG time and she had been getting lots of practice at home with her special leotard, tights, tu tu and ballet shoes. But, when the first day came (pre-baby, thank goodness), she wasn't too sure. And, it took a couple of classes before she was completely ready to be in there without mom and dad. She's still working on following directions, but has made huge improvements! Now, as far as a future in dance, we're not so sure about that.....

The class is called Tiny Tutus and it is about a stereotypical girly as you can imagine! Lots of talk of princesses, fairies and lots of cute props like wands, tiaras and fair wings!

Her single favorite thing about the class?

Looking at herself in the mirror.

Seriously.

At least she has high self esteem, right??

This is how they start every class; each girl gets to 'dance' around the circle. Kalaya has one

traveling dance move and this is it!!

And, here is another example of her one move. And how mommy with the camera was a distraction. Note what the teacher is doing and how my child is not doing it...at all....

Gross motor skills are not her strength right now.....

But, all that matters is that we learned something and had fun, right??

Plus, I give her an A+ for cuteness, enthusiasm, and effort!

And, who doesn't love a little girl in a tutu and ballet shoes?!

I admire the teacher for thinking 2 year olds can line up....

Nice try Kalaya....

Good job being a 'mermaid'!

Actually following the teacher....

LEAPS AND BOUNDS from the first day of crying on the floor people!!!

Placenta Encapsulation

So, in our Hypnobirthing class, our teacher brought up the placenta and started a discussion. I had heard of people saving their placenta to bury it, but that's about it. I know that it's consumed in some cultures and by mammals. I had regretted not saving Kalaya's, mainly because it's a pretty amazing thing; we grow this awesome organ that supports the life of our child in the womb!! And then in our culture, we just...throw it away. Not that I think it should be put on display or something. But, it seems kind of, I don't know, dishonorable or something. In the Micronesan culture (which is where Nelson's dad is from), it is buried and a coconut tree is planted over it. I considered doing this with Kalaya, but we didn't own a home and I didn't know where we would plant it.

Anyway, back to our class. Our teacher brought up the idea of placenta encapsulation. Meaning, you process your placenta into pills and, yes, consume it. THEN she said that it's something you can do yourself or hire someone for. She mentioned several midwives in the area that do it for around $300. Another couple in the class spoke up and said that they had done it with their previous birth and that the mother's partner had actually done it herself at home and that it was fairly easy. The mother explained how much it help with post partum symptoms, including enhancing milk production, keeping baby blues away and helping with the fatigue.

I started looking more into it and found other friends who raved about it. I brought it up with Nelson and he was all for it; so for it, in fact, that he VOLUNTEERED TO DO IT!!! For those of you who know my husband, this is quite a big deal. The man barely even eats any type of meat and won't touch and that is raw. Yet, he was willing to cook and cut up an organ from my body. What a guy!!

A friend of ours is starting to study to be a midwife and had already completed the process for a friend and wanted to practice some more and offered to help Nelson for free. She already had all of the materials and came by after Jakiah was born to help.

Incase you are wondering, it is not difficult to take home your placenta. We simply added it to our birth plan and Nelson and our doula reminded the midwife after Jakiah was born. We picked it up a few days later and it was nicely bagged up in multiple layers of container and plastic. Though, the bio-hazard stickers make you feel kind of weird. And it's kind of weird to wrap your brain around seeing it thaw out in the fridge....still in the bag and sealed up though.

So, this is what you do. I forgot to take pictures at the end, but I found some online of the same thing. Here goes (note, all materials are used JUST for this, we didn't use our usual kitchen dishes and utensils and everything is clean and sterile):

First, you rinse, rinse, rinse, turning the placenta inside and out to remove as much blood as possible.

(yup, that was in me)

We chose to steam it the 'traditional way' with ginger and lemon.

Next, you steam it with the lemon and ginger, which helps cover the smell, which, incase you're wondering, is similar to turkey giblets cooking on Thanksgiving. The whole process is really more mental than anything else. (I think it was maybe 15 minutes on each side??)

At this point it started to look less like an organ and more like a piece of meat.

Then, you cut it into small strips and dry it in the oven for several hours, similar to beef jerky.

The 'J' is the chord, which we will bury and plant a tree over in our yard, along with the leftover material from the placenta. Kalaya's chord clamp will be buried with another tree, as that's the closest thing we saved.

Here's where I forgot to take pictures. You then pulverize the strips in a coffee grinder, and fill empty pill capsules (you can get them at Whole Foods, New Seasons, etc) and you're done!! I took 3 in the morning and 3 in the evening for several weeks and they made a BIG difference in my tired levels. At first I thought it was just mental, but one day I forgot to take them and WOW, it made such a difference!! And, within an hour of taking them, I felt so much more awake!!

I know this isn't for everyone, but many people asked about it and were curious!

PS. If you are interested, Nelson is more than happy to help partners process!!

Baby Smiles

Jakiah started smiling at around 5 weeks, here are some that we caught on camera. So sweet!!

Here's Kalaya around the same age, they sure look alike!! She had him beat in the cheek department at this point....

Munchkin Sports

So, this winter Kalaya got to take 2 different toddler classes. We are very blessed to live in an area with a FANTASTIC and more importantly INEXPENSIVE rec center. They have an insane amount of classes of all types and for all ages. This time around, we chose 'Tiny Tutus' and 'Munchkin Sports'. She has loved both of them and we've seen a lot of growth in her with both. She is learning to follow directions, listen to a teacher, cooperate and share.

Munchkin Sports is on Friday mornings. It's really laid back and just fun. It's basically free play with all different types of sports equipment (which they change out periodically), an activity to focus on 1 specific sport, a game (usually Red Light Green Light) and light 'coaching'. There are around 8 other toddlers in the class and it's very cute to watch! She started out by basically running around crazily, but now she follows the teacher and listens really well! A drastic change from the temper tantrum the first week, because she didn't want to 'stop' for the red light!!

Now we have to play it at LEAST 5 times every day. Every. where. we. go.

Thanks a lot Coach Kendall.

: )

So much fun equipment!

Lining up for Red Light Green Light

GREEN LIGHT!

High Fives at the other side

Find the right color!

Batter up!

Hula hoop

Mini free throw

Stamps on each hand?? Best part of the class!

And, remember to hydrate afterwards.

Dance class pictures next week!!