Earth Day and giving back...

We celebrated Earth Day on Wednesday by doing crafts. we made coffee filter Earths using filters, magic markers and a squirt of water. They turned out really cool. . We talked about things we can do to keep our planet beautiful. And about reusing and recycling. Then we talked about how fortunate we were to live in a place where they have a warm, safe home, water and food.I tried my best to explain to them that so many children in other parts of the world don't have those basic things, and how fortunate and blessed we are to have them. They both really got it.. even Jack. Bella asked" Couldn't we send them some water so they won't be thirsty anymore?"

I decided to let them choose one charity they both wanted to donate to. And we talked more about how important it is to help others. I was going down a long list I found and stumbled onto charitywater.org I explained what they did to help people get clean water that they didn't have and they immediately said they would like to do that one. So we set aside a jar and once we reach our first goal of $50.00 I'll send it in. They both took $5 from their piggy banks and put it in the jar. They were really excited to be able to help out. It makes me so proud!
Also when going over charities we went onto locks of love I explained what it was and Isabella saw pictures of kids on there and kids around her ago who had donated hair to make wigs and she said she would really like to do that too. I told her she would have to grow her hair for a really LONG time. I didn't think much of it but then again today she said out of the blue. "Daddy we aren't going to cut my hair anymore I'm doing locks of love." So I guess she's REALLY serious about it! We will have to wait and see.

30 Things about me...

Since I'm bored and have nothing particularly interesting to write about.....

1. My middle name is Rebecca. It makes me laugh every time it just doesn't fit.

2. I love all shades of purple, it's my all time favorite color.

3. I like mobster movies, Casino being my favorite also a big fan of the Godfather.

4. I want a dog... but won't be getting one for a while since we will be renting once we move.

5. If I had one I'd name her Daisy, or Cosmo if it was a boy. :)

6. The best thing I make is fettuccine alfredo with spinach or broccoli YUM!!!

7.I wear earrings and eyeliner everyday unless I'm sick and can't get out of bed.

8. I love bumper stickers, I only have one on my car at the moment. I was sad to lose all my old ones when we sold our last car.

9. I love taking pictures.

10. I hate when people walk around the store or sit in a restaurant yapping away on cellphones.

11. I love little surprises like finding money in my coat pocket.

12. I really want to go to India.

13. I also would like to volunteer for the red cross.

14. I could spend hours in a good bookstore it's one of my favorite ways to spend a day.

15. I'm so excited to soon begin certification as a doula.

16. I want to help other women have the best birth experiences possible, at any cost.

17. Palm trees make me happy, they always make me think of going on vacation when I was a little kid.

18. At the moment I can't get enough of the black keys I listen to them constantly.

19. If I'm at home 90% of the time music is playing.

20. My daughter has one of the best personalities of anyone I've ever met... way beyond her age.She cracks me up daily but man is she FEISTY!

21. I have four tattoos. I want just ONE more!

22. I love road trips and just driving around random places.

23. I LOVE big sunglasses.

24. I love to color and do crafts with my kiddies.

25. I love checking out everyone's eye color.

26. I'm addicted to expensive fabric softener.

27. When I get nervous I tend to babble and go off in a crazy direction that makes absolutely no sense.

28. I love going to festivals and seeing my favorite bands play!

29. I love everyones quirks and imperfections I find endearing... too bad I can't see myself like this.

30. my "baby" is six years old!

THE END.

Being Crafty.

Out of all the toys my kids have there most favorite things are balloons!! They always end up getting one of those giant foil ones that takes up half the room at their Birthday. I always forget about them until 2 in the morning when I get up to pee and they scare me to death, floating around in a dark room. I can't tell you how many times I thought someone was in my house only to realize it was just a balloon.

We did crafts today, Bella got a HUGE box of arts and crafts supplies as a Birthday present from Grandma and Judy. Today we started out by making hand print butterflies... tomorrow we are going to work on something with either dinosaurs or fire trucks for Jack. Since those are his favorite things!


Also... Bella was doing free Makeovers today. Jack rocks pink eyeshadow David Bowie style. :P

They call me jaws.

It finally happened, ever since Noah's first tooth showed up it was always a thought in the back of my mind. three days ago, he was getting sleepy so I took him in our room to nurse him for a few minutes before his nap. This is the only way he will ever fall asleep, unless we are in the car. So I'm laying there half asleep myself I smiled down at him and then he smiles and tries to roll over on his belly. For some reason he really wants to try to nurse on his stomach. He tries to do this whenever he's on his side on the bed. As he does he tries to take my boob with him and he bites down.. hard. Oh man it HURT soooo bad!! In the pit of my stomach it hurt.I immediately screamed and pulled my nipple out of his mouth I was almost afraid to look, but it really didn't look all that bad, just a little red spot, but it did break the skin. I said firmly "Noah, you don't bite Mama that hurts!"
His whole face crumpled up and he dissolved into sobs and looked at me like I was the cruelest person in the wold. I hope that will be the first and last time I have to experience biting.

So the past couple days have been good. I sat down and made reward charts and chore charts for Isabella and Jackson. And I made a house rules chart. Josh laughed when he came in and saw all of it taped to the fringe door. He said "Oh Emily, that's cute see, you are domestic!" I had fun making them I used Isabella's magic markers and construction paper and stencils.

The kids were all excited when they saw them the next morning. I sat them down to go over the rules. Most of which they already knew but this was actually the first time I had written them down. They were more excited about getting a sticker for each day they didn't have a time-out and did all the things are their chore chart.

It was really warm and beautiful today so we spent a good part of it outside in the backyard playing. Then we took the kids over to my Mom's she offered to watch them so Josh and I cold go get something to eat. It was good just to get out! We went to our favorite Mexican place, then to Marble Slab, yum! Then we went back to pick up Noah, Bella and Jack were staying the night. They were getting ready to pick out their bedtime stories when we left. Mom said Noah hadn't slept the whole time we were gone so I was sure he would pass out as soon as we got home. It was already 8:30 and he normally he falls asleep around 8. Well, he fell asleep in the car but as soon as I went to take him out of the car seat he woke up. I tried to put him back down but within two minutes he was sitting up in bed screaming. SO... then I tried to nurse he was really fussy and wiggly and just generally had no interest so I just paced around the house, talking to him and jiggling him and rocking him until he FINALLY wore himself out and fell asleep About 10:45. I know he's teething his two bottom teeth are already in and I can feel one just about to break though on the upper left side so I'm sure that was a big part of it too. We were out of infants Motrin and I couldn't find the teething tablets. Plus we JUST transitioned him to his own room. Well, not really his own he shares with Jackson. He started off in the pack and play right next to our bed. He was up every couple hours nursing for MONTHS and it was just easier to have him with us. Most of the time he would end up splayed out in the middle of our bed sandwiched between Josh and I. He's done pretty well with it so far, he still usually wakes up about once a night to nurse but within 20 minutes nurses and then falls right back asleep. But, Isabella has been making up for Noah sleeping better. She was up at least three times last night. She's convinced the wicked witch of the west is under her bed! Whenever I get more than 5 hours of sleep straight I'm gonna throw a party!

I'm amazed...

It's amazing how things just fall into place sometimes... we were so sure that our only option for our move would be Atlanta. It was the only school that Josh applied to that had offered to wave full-tuition. We had both wanted Tallahassee. Florida State had always been Josh's first choice, but over a month ago they told him there just wasn't enough money to fund him at all.

We were both so disappointed but trying to make the best of it. I had been asking God to just put us where we needed to be, to guide us in the right direction. To help me to accept the transition to Atlanta. Fast forward to yesterday, Josh gets an email saying they still had a few openings left in funding and that he was at the top of there list. We were supposed to hear something in the next two or three days. But neither of us wanted to get our hopes up, we really didn't talk about it too much. Then at 6:30 this morning Josh bolts into the bedroom shouting "Emily, come here, come look at this!" I thought what now... I thought maybe Noah had done something cute while eating his breakfast that Josh wanted me to see. I was really half-asleep. Then I panicked and thought something was wrong. What if Noah was choking? so I bolted out of bed and ran in the kitchen to find Noah is his high chair happily munching away on his puffs then Josh pointed to the computer and told me to read. I nearly fell out of my chair. They had enough openings, he was offered a FULL-RIDE to FSU!! All tuition payed, a job on campus and funding!!!! It's a four year Doctoral program, and was the second best school he applied to. I was just in shock, I immediately burst into tears and cried like a baby. I couldn't even speak. It's just all seems so surreal. Josh just kept saying "I just can't believe it, it feels like a dream." It does, it really does. When we first got together we would always talk about how one day when we finally get out of here, one day when we move to "the beach", how great things would be.

That was nearly 8 years ago, since then we have gotten married, had 3 babies, moved apartments half a dozen times, Josh has worked as a waiter, telemarketer, in construction, and as a cook.He climbed has way back over 4 years ago and worked his ass off. He would be in class nearly all day, then would work until sometimes 11 or 12 at night. Sometimes we would barely even see each other. Now the day has come, it's finally all paid off. In just a few weeks he will graduate. Josh is in the Doctoral program at the school he's wanted to go to since he was a little kid. Pay off is so sweet. We finally made it. We're going to the beach! Well not exactly.. but an hour away and palm trees. I'll take it! :)

Pregnant in America.

I'm a huge fan of the Business of Being Born. I waited months for it to finally come out on Netflix and finally had the chance to watch it when I was 5 months pregnant with Noah. It really moved me. I truly believe the best and safest place to give birth in a normal low-risk pregnancy is with a Midwife, either at home or in a free-standing birth center.

I wanted desperately to have a Home birth but the only Midwife in our area didn't accept our insurance and paying out of pocket just wasn't possible. Then, at 30 weeks I almost switched over to the nearest birth center in Knoxville, but being over two hours away and being my third baby. I was worried things would move too fast and the last thing I wanted was to be stuck in rush hour traffic in labor. Or worse delivering on the side of the road! Guess it was a good call, labor was only a little over two hours long from the first contraction until he was born. We were only at the hospital 22 minutes before I had Noah. My Doulas who were coming from Asheville got there about 10 minutes after he was born.

The C-section rate is ridiculously high. I personally know far too many women how have them because their Doctor tells them this is what is best, that their baby is too big, that their pelvis is too small. That they have failed to progress. That it will just be easier that way. Most babies genetically are the perfect size to fit through the mother's pelvis. Rupturing the membranes, administering Pitocin and constant fetal monitoring are all standard in today's hospitals people don't even react to it anymore. Women are taught that labor are birth are something to be feared. Even in standard hospital birthing classes, at least the ones in my area. Very little time, was spent on relaxation techniques, such as Lamaze, the Bradly Method or Hypnobirthing. It's all about the hospital procedure, and what would qualify you to get a C-section. They passed around an epidural catheter and scalp electrode so everyone could see what they looked like.

I have had three very different births all in a hospital, two were natural, one a standard hospital delivery, with an Epi, Pitocin, Stadol, rupture of membranes, fetal electrode monitoring... the works!
When I asked in my last labor to walk around when we got to the hospital the nurse looked at my husband like we were insane. Luckily the labor was lighting fast and I didn't even need to. But I never realized the first time going into a hospital most times you will have to fight for a natural delivery. I would love to see a birth center in our area one day. Better yet a Doula available to any laboring or postpartum Mom who needs/wants one free of charge if you can't afford it. I know there are many amazing Doulas out there who work on a sliding scale and even provide services for free. Unfortunately not where I'm from.

I used to dream of working as a labor and delivery nurse. The more I learned about OB practices and hospital practices, the more I realized it would be the worst place to be if I wanted to see natural birth. Hospitals just aren't a good place for low-intervention natural birth. I would love to one day be able to participate in the birthing process, as a Doula, or maybe as a Midwife's assistant through a birth center or home birth. I have yet to see this movie yet but it looks amazing. I can't wait to watch it.

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A little bit about me.

So.. I'm new to the blogging world. I'm married to my best friend Josh and Mom to three kids! Our oldest Isabella is 6, Jackson is 3 and our baby Noah is almost 9 months! I have always been a writer and I thought being able to blog about things would be very therapeutic...and at times would maybe save my sanity! I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to stay home with my kids. I know how fast this time flies. I can't believe my baby girl is already 6. But, at times being in the house all day with a 6 year old, a toddler and a 9 month old I sometimes want to run from the house screaming. I'm also obsessed with anything and all things pertaining to pregnancy and natural birth. I was able to have a natural birth with two of my kids. I think Midwifes, Doulas, and Home births are absolutely amazing. I'm hoping to become a certified Doula in the next few months.

We have a lot going on right now! My husband is weeks away from finally graduating, he's getting a bachelors in Political Science and in Late July we will be relocating to Atlanta! He was just accepted to a 4 yr. Doctoral program. So we are all really excited about that! I'm so proud of him he has worked so hard to get where he is today. It will be a great thing for all of us.