Working on a new home.

A friend of mine contacted me the other day and offered to build me a website so I will be moving to my own domain www.urbanhippiemoms.com in a few days!


See you there!

Same thing, new name.

I decided to change the name of my blog...again.  I wanted it to be something that described more of who I am rather than what I did.  Many of the things I have been wanting to write have been complicated and didn't really fit in with the "simple life" moniker I had given myself.  I have been thinking about it for a while and then last night, it hit me.  For years, I have described myself as an "urban hippie".  That is, a person who appears mainstream on the outside but has the heart and soul of a hippie.  The momma part is pretty easy to figure out I think.

So here it is, here I am. Enjoy!

It's polenta, y'all!

Recently, my husband has fallen in love with grits. I, being a full blooded Southern girl, have always held the small grains near and dear to my heart. Surprisingly, we mainly eat them for dinner as a side dish to pork loin with some spinach or in a rendition of Shrimp and Grits.

This past weekend, Jacob was off for four days straight so by Monday we had used up our normal "weekend breakfasts" and decided on grits, cheesy eggs and sliced tomato.   We used Old Fashioned Speckled Yellow Grits from Logan Turnpike Mill in Blairsville, GA.  These take a little bit longer to cook than your normal grits and more water as well (I  used a 3 to 1 ratio- I don't know if this is correct- I lost the directions).  I also added butter and a little bit of half and half to add some more creaminess.

As per usual, there were plenty left over for a second meal.  However, left over grits aren't that awesome so I thought I would try something different and see if I could pan- fry them like little Southern polentas.  So I portioned them out into little ramekins with the intention of slicing them into rounds and frying them - kinda like breakfast sausage. It was going to be awesome--like a Southern version of the fried polenta that we served at Fogo de Chao.  I loved those things!

When I took the ramekins out of the fridge last night, I immediately knew that things were not going to go as I had originally thought.  When I had portioned out the grits, I immediately covered them instead of allowing them to cool and there was a lot on condensation - not good for frying.  So I tried to drain as much of the water out of them as possible and then sliced them into rounds. Then I placed them on paper towels to try to drain some more of the water out.  

You would think since I was born and raised in Georgia by two parents who were also born and raised in Georgia, then I would be a master at fryin' stuff up.  I'm not.  I suck at it.  I either put too much oil or not enough or let it get too hot or not hot enough. I try not to fry anything anymore. And not because it isn't good for us, but because I'm tired of the heartache and disappointment when I fail.  Oh - and the mess.  I hate the mess.

So I added some oil to a pan and allowed it to get hot and then began adding my grit patties.  The oil starts popping immediately so I know that A) there is still too much condensation left on the patties and B) it's too hot. The patties are sticking to the pan too much. So I break them up and just let them get brown - kinda like a hash

So for the next batch, I used less oil, turned the heat down and left them alone until they became unstuck from the bottom of the pan by themselves.  This is a method I learned about in my quest to make latkes for Hanukkah one year (I have yet to make some that I consider a success- edible, yes, but not near what my friend, Sarah's mother made the year I spent Thanksgiving with them and Hanukkah started the day after).  They browned up nicely but fell apart on the flip.  I tried patting them back into place with my spatula but to no avail.  Oh well. I will definitely try this again. But I will use a few different methods.  First, I will put the left over grits in a shallow pan and spread them to the desired thickness so that once cooled they can be cut like brownies. Secondly, I will allow them to cool completely before covering and refrigerating.  Third, I will limit the amount of oil and use the "slow and low" approach so that they can fully crisp up without burning. Last, limit the amount of messing with them in the pan.  This is a hard one for me. But, I think that they need to be fully cooked before flipped so that they don't fall apart.  Any other suggestions are gladly welcome.

So, in the end, we didn't end up with "Southern polenta" more like fried grits, but they were still good.

Happy New Year!

Today is my Monday.  Jacob is back to work and I am home with the boys.  It was nice having him home for four days without any real agenda.  We celebrated his birthday on Friday with a trip to the Georgia Aquarium.  Apparently, it is free admission for Georgia residents on their birthday.  Simply show your state issued ID or birth certificate at the will call window.  It was the first time we had been since Bobby was small.  And it was crowded.  And Bobby had no interest in any of the tanks.  He liked the play zone and the Dippin' Dots.  Oh yeah, and the little thing that you drop coins into that makes them spin down the chute.  We played that for a while.  Sigh.  Maybe in another couple years, we will be able to go and actually look at the fish. I also forgot to put my SD card back in my camera, so I couldn't even get any pictures. 

We had our friends over for dinner that night and watched a live stream of Phish's NYE run at Madison Square Garden. For NYE, we streamed the show again, but this time it was just the four of us and we had a blast having dance party in the living room.  The boys ( Trey, Mike, Page and Fishman) pulled an incredible prank as they closed out the year with Steam and ushered in the New Year with one of my favorite songs, Down with Disease. 

The rest of the weekend was spent catching up on sleep, watching movies, and just being generally lazy.  We did  hit Lowe's and the grocery store on Monday and Jacob took care of a few minor home repairs while I de- Christmased the house.  

I am excited for the New Year, though.  I have entered a new chapter of my life and want to do things that I have always wanted to do but never had the time because of a job.  Instead of "resolutions", I have a list of goals and tasks that I would like to accomplish.

The first is to begin working on my requirements to become a childbirth educator.  Since having Patrick, I have felt a need to help other women become knowledgeable about their choices.  I have fulfilled a little of this need by volunteering for Atlanta Birth Center's Social Media Team.  However, I want to do more, be more.  I've considered becoming a doula, but I don't know if it would be feasible to actually attend any births with two small children.  So I decided to work on the childbirth educator certification and if I decide in a few years to doula, then the transition should be easy.

The second is to become more physically active.  My biggest excuse used to be that I didn't have time (and I didn't- up at 5:30am to get ready for work, home at 6pm then dinner, bath, bed).  But now I have time.  Bobby is at school 3 half days a week so hitting the park with Patrick tied up on my back should be something that I can accomplish.  I also want to start practicing yoga again.  I loved my pregnancy yoga class that I attended while pregnant with Patrick and the same studio offers an 8pm class pretty much every night of the week.  Jacob has agreed that he will get home by 7pm at least one night a week so that I can go. 

My third is to organize my house.  This was on my list of things to do before Patrick arrived and only about a quarter of the things I wanted done were actually completed.  First on my list is to clean out our office and convert it into a play area for the boys.  I would like to have a dining room one day.  

The fourth is to learn how to use my camera that my inlaws bought for us last Christmas.  I'm thinking of taking a workshop or a continuing education class at Emory or GSU. 

So there it is.  My goals for 2012. I think that putting them out there (even though no one actually reads this) is the first step to insuring that they actually get done. What goals have you set for yourself this year?

That's What She Said

When I first became pregnant with Bobby, I joined the Babycenter Community (BBC), specifically the September 2008 babies board.  It was, like all birth boards, full of drama, catfights and crazy hormones. 


After the babes were born and some crazy, stalker/troll like shenanigans, a group of us split off into a private group so that we could openly share in each others lives. We "talk" to each other every day and share all our important ( and some not so important) life events with each other.   We laugh, cry, bicker, tease, fight and make up.  We give and take advice. We offer a shoulder to cry on and ear that will listen. We live all over the world. 


One of my favorite games we play, now that our September babes are fully vocal and do not yet know of innuendos, is "TWSS"

Just now he hit my nose and said "I banged you". TWSS

Yesterday, he wanted up into my lap..."I want in you"  TWSS

"I'm playin wis my balls!" TWSS

Sometimes it's fun to act like a teenage boy! 


What seemingly innocent yet inappropriate little gems have you caught your kids saying?

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The Birth of Robert "Bobby" Jacob Stenzel

My doula, Laura, suggested I write down Bobby's birth story, not only to record it but also to help complete Patrick's story and the journey I took to get there.

With Bobby, I had a much more laissez-fair approach to childbirth.  I read the standard pregnancy books, but nothing that focused on childbirth.  I knew I wanted drugs and figured that I didn't need coaching...women have been birthing babies forever- I didn't need to take a class to learn how.  I used an OB practice that had 6 physicians and used one throughout my entire pregnancy until the last month or so when he recommended that I visit with the other doctors in case one of them ended up delivering us.  At my 40 week appointment, I casually mentioned to the doctor I was seeing (not my own) that I was considering an induction if Bobby hadn't made his appearance by his due date.  She immediately scheduled me for September 8, 2008- four days after my due date.

I remember talking to my sister a few days prior to my induction.  She said to me, " well, I guess that means that you'll be a mom by Monday".  I hadn't thought of it that way and honestly, it freaked me out a little.

My induction was scheduled for 7:30 am Monday morning.  Jacob and I got up, I took a shower and did my hair and make-up and we headed  to the hospital.  When we got there, I changed into a gown and was hooked up to the monitor and given an IV with a Pitocin drip.  The doctor on call from my practice was not my doctor, but it was okay since I only saw him maybe 3 times throughout my entire labor.  I labored for a little bit but the contractions quickly became painful.  I got up to use the restroom and as I was walking back to the bed (with Jacob's assistance), my water broke.  Once I got back to the bed, I knew I would need an epidural so the anethesiologist was called and the drugs were quickly and uneventfully administered.  I continued to labor.  I honestly don't remember much.  I was put on oxygen at one point and made to lay on my side.  Bobby wasn't doing well either.  At about 5:15-5:30pm, the doctor recommended a c-section.  He said, "we can do one now before it's an emergency or we can wait until it is one".  We agreed.  How could we not when given those options?

I was taken into the operating room and Jacob was told to wait.  They almost forgot about him but thankfully he found us.  The anesthesiologist administered more pain medication and they began the procedure.  At 5:58pm, Bobby was born.   The doctors held him up above the curtain so I could see him and then began weighing, measuring, and cleaning him up.  Jacob stood next to me the whole time, holding my hand. We were both crying.  The epidural made it feel like I couldn't breathe, but I was told that it was a common feeling, I was actually breathing.  They started to take Bobby to the nursery.  I made Jacob go.  He didn't want to- he didn't want to leave me by myself, but I didn't want Bobby to be alone.  He was so small, he needed his daddy.  So Jacob went with him - he was the first of us to hold him.

Proud Papa

I was taken to recovery, where my mom and my mother in law came to see me.  Finally, Bobby was brought to me and I was able to hold him for the first time.  He was so small, so new, so perfect.

My life started that day. Our life. This wonderful, crazy, fun filled, exhausting life that I love so much.

A surprising thanks.

What a Thanksgiving week.  In retrospect, losing my job was a great thing especially considering all that I had to do this week. And surprisingly, none of it involved cooking! My sister came into town and with her the whirlwind that is her existence when she visits. She always tries to cram as many things as possible into her two regularly scheduled visits home (the other being 4th of July) and I have usually been able to bow out gracefully, spouting reasons of work and family pressures.

Not this time.

I was available full force and it was great.  It was my first (full) week as a Stay At Home Mom. At first, I was worried since Bobby would be out of school for the holiday- what would we do all week?  How can I keep us all from going crazy?

Enter- the whirlwind of the Goodsole family. All 5. My dear sister, Maggie and her husband Geoff, and their three children , Joshua- 12, Kathleen - 2.5, and Leighton -1 year.

It's funny how relationships change.  My sister and I used to fight  ALL.THE.TIME.  About everything, anything.  It's amazing what motherhood does, it soothes all past arguments- we are now joined together in solidarity in being a mother, a friend,a sister- someone who can relate - and considering we have both had 2 children in the past 3 years (both sets are 4 months and 4 days apart- how weird is that?) we are both going through similar changes in behavior and use each other as sounding boards on how to better discipline and parent our unruly  strong willed children. 

So this week of Thanksgiving, I am thankful for losing my job so that I was able to spend all the time I could with my sister and her children, and that my boys were able to play (and fight) with their cousins. That's what Thanksgiving is all about, right?

And it begins...

The holidays are upon us and with that means my home is about to get turned upside down for the next 2 months or so. As much as I enjoy the end of year festivities-- family get togethers, gift- giving, craft making, cookie baking.. part of me just wishes that it wasn't all necessary.  But then I see the look on my Bobby's face as I tell him about Santa and I know why I do it.  It's for him.  So that he grows up with the sense of wonder and merriment about holidays that a person carries throughout their life.

I'm big about tradition.  I want my boys to grow up having certain things happen every year. Thiings they can track and remember and hopefully carry on with their families.

I haven't carried on much from my childhood.  Mainly because some of the most memorable things were specific to my childhood of a child from a divorced family.  Like, we always went to my mom's on Christmas Eve - where Santa stopped by early since he knew that we lived with my dad.   and then drove through the neighborhood lights.  The neighborhood we grew up in always ( and still does- my dad still lives there) lined the streets with luminaries to guide Santa to our homes.  When we got home, we were allowed to open ONE present.  And it was new jammies - Christmas themed- to wear to bed (and for the next morning- of course).

Now, unless I can get my insta-neighborhood of over 400 homes to start the luminaries- I'm  out of luck on that one.  And with 3 different sets of grandparents all within driving distance- there is no telling where we will be driving from on Christmas Eve. BUT my kids will always wake up in their own home on Christmas morning.  My in-laws have asked us to stay with them every year since Bobby was born, but I won't do it.  I can't.  To me- it would break the magic of Santa - having the stocking- putting out the cookies.  and jammies- Christmas jammies- if only he liked to wear them.

Real Life

I lost my job today. 
It wasn't a glamorous one.  It didn't pay extremely well. But I liked it.  I met a lot of really good people. People who cared and who were fun to talk to.  I made life long friends.


 I did a good job. I worked hard. at least I thought I did.  


oh well.


I wasn't happy anyway.  I wasn't doing what I wanted to do.


So I have a chance now to do what I want. 


which is what?


The majority of my closest frieds have dreams, some of them lifelong, some of them recently realized.  One decided to become a lawyer, so she did and preceeded in kicking ass and killing it in law school so that she was hired before she knew if she had passed the bar.  Another wanted to be an archelologist, so she is. And another, that wanted to see the world so she took a job in Africa for 2 years. and another is fulfilling her lifelong dream of being a rock star. for realz.


recently I saw one of those shared pictures on facebook with an inspiring quote.  The one by John Lennon.

When I was 5 years old, my mom told me that happiness was the key to life.

When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I

wrote down “happy”. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment. I told

them they didn’t understand life.

This is how I have always wanted my life to be. Happy.  Now I have a chance to do something so that I am doing what I love.  I don't HAVE to work to to make it so ends meet. 

So now I begin a new chapter. A new part of my life where I find out what it is I really want to be when I grow up!

Here we go!

Fall Family Fun!

Oh. My. Word.


How come no one ever told me about Hot Pickled Okra?


I'm seriously addicted now, much to my dismay.  I've never been a fan of spicy food....until I had Patrick. Now, I add hot sauce to everything, kick the heat up on my Asian dishes, dump an incredible amount of wasabi into my soy sauce and now this.

This past weekend, we took an overnight trip to North Georgia.  We got up to Dahlonega in the early afternoon, checked into our hotel and then headed downtown to check out the shop and perhaps sample some of the local wine.
After a quick circuit, we discovered there was only one place doing wine tastings on that particular night, so for $10 a piece we were able to try 5 different wines.  Well, actually 10 since we each tried different ones.  For dinner, we ate at an "American Italian" (aka pizza and spaghetti) place.  Bobby was reasonably well behaved and Patrick went ape shit over the menu.  I'm not kidding.  I have never seen this baby get more excited over ANYTHING!

Dahlonega always holds a special place in my heart.  When I was a kid I used to go camping every summer with my dad's second wife's family (confusing enough?). The whole brood would descend on the town and pan some gold.


And that's just what we did the next morning.  Consolidated Gold Mine is the site of the largest hard rock gold mine this side of the Mississippi.  There's a guided cave tour where you learn about all of the awful chemicals the mining company used to extract the gold as well as the different ways the miners were either maimed or killed.  It was delightful!  Oh and there were bats, too!

In the cave where thousands of men died from cyanide and mercury poisoning!

Since we got there right when the place opened, we went ahead and panned for gold (which is included in your ticket price).  I'm using the Royal We that Jacob loves so much.  He did all the dipping and swirling and I kept an eye on Bobby and nursed the baby.

dip and swirl, dip and swirl

My dad and Karen also drove up and we all met for lunch at The Smith House.  I remember this place as comfort food heaven.  First of all, it's expensive. $18 for all you can eat, family style, Southern food.  And it was ...ehhh okay.  Maybe I've been spoiled, but if I'm going to spend $18 on collards and fried okra, that shit better be awesome.


Next we drove over to Jaemor Farms, which one of my friends told me about when I asked for an apple picking place.  While they do grow apples there, you can't pick them yourself.  I was a little disappointed in that but there was a corn maze.  Jacob was ridiculously excited for it.  That excitement quickly dissipated when Bobby refused to walk and he had to carry him.  Our afternoon stroll through some corn on a cool fall day turned into a death march while we tried to find the exit.  Other activities included an apple gun, a big tube slide and inflated bouncing ponies.There was also a large farmer's market where we were able to stock up on locally produced condiments and staples, as pictured above.  It was fun, but I don't think we will go back. I would love to find a place where we can leisurely meander through an orchard and lift up the boys so they can pull the apple from the trees themselves.  

Death March

And the butt the holds the fluff...

I realized that there are no recent pics of my new little nugget.  So here goes:

Fluffhead!

So, my newest obsession ...cloth diapers.  Who knew that wrapping fabric around my baby's tush could be so much fun?  It turns out both Jacob and I prefer prefolds and covers over the pockets.  I did end up getting a few more pockets and we use those for overnight diapers or as a quick change diaper for when we are out and about.  The laundry isn't hard at all and I actually like doing it.  Jacob even has our wash routine down and has been considerable help with making sure we always have clean ones.
One thing I think I like the most about cloth diapering is how it has pushed me to go more natural in other areas. I bought some coconut oil to use on Patrick's bum in case he gets a rash.  Moms on the different message boards I frequent constantly sing it's praises as being a cure-all and it's cloth diaper safe.  So I picked up a jar at a natural foods store.  That day I happened to come across an article that mentioned coconut oil as a treatment for eczema.  So I put some on Patrick's arms and feet which were still red and patchy.  I kid you not, in 3 days his inner elbows went from bright red to a light pink. and my ring rash is just about gone.  So I googled more uses for this wonderful oil (which is a solid oil and smells awesome!).  Apparently you can use this shit for anything! So I've portioned some out to keep up in our bathroom so Jacob can use it on his eczema and I can use it as a makeover remover and moisturizer.  I love this stuff!

Today I rearranged the dining room - which is our "kid room" and reorganized my changing table.  I have decided to phase out disposable wipes and use cloth wipes instead.  All of the baby washcloths that we got for Bobby are looking a little rough so I have designated these as butt wipes and bought some new, fresh wash cloths for faces and hands (we use a pouff in the bath tub).
So here is my table- it's a work in progress.  Any suggestions, tips or tricks are greatly appreciated.

I'm using a closed pail with a liner, but since I only have one liner sometimes it's an open pail with no liner :)
I also want to get some fun art or a picture or something to hang on the wall that Patrick faces when I change him so he has something interesting to look at (besides me, of course)

 Here are my baskets for wipes, wipe solution (water, a little bit of baby soap, tea tree oil and lavender oil) coconut oil, snappis, pins, etc. The drawers below hold extra elastics for my Fuzzibunz diapers, hats, extra wet bag and various other doo-dads.

 The top row of bins holds (L to R): prefolds and covers, pockets and inserts and then pull-ups and underpants for Bobby. I would love another dozen prefolds since I sent half of mine over to Karen's house and a few more fun covers.  Right now I have 4 white Bummis whisper wraps and 3 covers that are printed.  All of these get rotated between our house and Karen's.

 The bottom row of bins: onesies/ sleep sacks ect., receiving blankets, hand towels

So that's it! I love it and am kinda kicking myself for not doing this with Bobby! Oh well, I'll just have to have another one!

A pink Twilight

So last night we had the craziest twilight, it was pink. Since both my usual models were sleeping, I took some of Jacob.

Isn't he handsome!

My return...

Serial posting! 

Okay so with my last post I realized that I hadn't posted anything since April! Whew- what a whirlwind of a maternity leave it has been. I go back to work in 2 weeks!

We are doing well here though. Patrick is completely breast fed and will only get a bottle (or two) if I want to have more than one drink. And that bottle would be breast milk if I wasn't stocking my freezer to send to my step-mom's once I go back to work.

I really need to figure out how to get more per pumping session since right now I'm only getting about 2 ounces total. I ordered some supplements and it looks like I'm going to have to suck it up and smell like fake maple syrup (yuck!).

Bobby is handling being a big brother really well. We have our bad days but for the most part he is sweet to "his baby" and loves to kiss and tickle him. He has, however, figured out that he can do pretty much whatever he wants while I am nursing Patrick.

Which is what I am doing right now, so please excuse any typos. I'm using the blogger app on my phone so there is no spellcheck.

Taking the Plunge

So I have decided to switch over to cloth diapers for Patrick. we spent (and are still spending) so much money on diapers with Bobby and I'd like to avoid that with this baby- plus the whole "it's good for the environment" thing. I also think it will be better for Patrick's super sensitive skin. Poor baby has eczema in all his creases and I've noticed irritation on his front where the diapers sit.

Luckily, I have a few friends that cloth diaper that I was able to ask for advice. I also read every inch of DiaperJunction trying to figure out which route I wanted to go.

I settled on prefolds with covers as it was the cheapest way to get a 2 day stash. I also got a Kissaluvs AIO and a Fuzzibunz pocket diaper to try. I figure prefolds are versatile and I could use them in pockets should I decide I like those better.

I have a feeling I will like pockets better after I read more, but the dizzying array of inserts threw me. Plus each diapers costs at the minimum $12, so I am keeping my eye on craigslist to see if any good lots come up on some used ones.

I'm lucky that my step-mom is down with cloth diapering since she will be keeping both boys when I go back to work. I'm also looking forward to some awesome wool covers that she will most likely knit. I have a feeling cloth diapering will inspire some new projects for her. She actually wanted me to CD Bobby but I was working full time and there was no way I would have been able to keep up with the laundry.

The laundry is what scares me still... I know I will find a routine but I have a hard time keeping up with our regular laundry most weeks!

More to the story...

So I decided I need to add Bobby's birth story.  I think it would help to fully understand why Patrick's birth was so life changing...
So I'm working on it now and will post it soon.

In other good news, I've lost all my pregnancy weight plus an additional 5 pounds and  haven't even started exercising yet (except for some limited stretching).  I planned on starting on Monday when B goes back to school but this has motivated me to start sooner.  Since B is at my mom's for the night - I plan on doing some yoga in the morning before he gets home.  I've really missed yoga and have been doing the breathing / meditation when I nurse- it seems to help with my let down.  I've done a little stretching especially after nursing since my arms and shoulders are cramped up.

Now, I'm off to Target to replace the 3 burnt out lights in our kitchen.  Jacob put regular compact fluorescents in and they are so bright and they don't dim.  We definitely need to correct that.  Plus I need a pot for the calla lily  Maggie gave me.

The Birth of Patrick Owen Stenzel

I had been in pre-early labor all week the week before.  Tuesday I was adjusted and had regular contractions the rest of the evening but they went away once I got in the bathtub before bed.  I began drinking red raspberry leaf tea and taking Evening Primrose Oil per my midwife’s instruction.  Wednesday night was my final yoga class and everyone wished me luck that the baby would come over the weekend and I wouldn’t be back to kick off the next session.  Friday was the last day at the office.  I had decided to go ahead and start my maternity leave on my due date.  I was more than ready and so was Jacob.  He kept teasing me that I needed to go into labor because he was ready for a week off work.  Saturday, I got adjusted again and Liliana, my chiropractor, told me that she wouldn’t be surprised if I went into labor that night.  My body was ready too. That night, we went to Scalini’s, whose eggplant parmigana is famous for sending women into labor. It wasn’t very good, though and I only ate about half of my food. We drove home by the light of the “Supermoon” – the largest full moon for the next 18 years.  If that all of that did not send me to the hospital, then I don’t know what would. 

 I had contractions all night off and on.  They weren’t so painful that I couldn’t sleep through them, but I was definitely aware of them throughout the night.  So when I got up at around 5 to use the restroom and felt a small pop and a gush, I knew my water had broken.  I ran to restroom and woke up Jacob. My panties were wet and full of what could only be “bloody show”.  I immediately started having semi-regular contractions about 6-7 minutes apart and about a minute long.  I went ahead and got in the shower.  Jacob double checked the bag to make sure we had everything and texted my doula, Laura.   When I got out of the shower, my contractions had gotten stronger.  I called my midwife.  She told me to keep timing and when they got to be 4-5 minutes apart and 1 minute long to call her back. Jacob brought me some water and a piece of cinnamon raisin toast. I wasn’t hungry but I wanted to try and eat since I had barely eaten anything at dinner the night before.  Bobby woke up shortly after that so we called my parents to come get him.  After about 45 minutes, my contractions had gotten to be 4-5 minutes apart and Bobby was starting to be a handful so we decided to go ahead into the hospital and just have my parents meet us there.  As Jacob was packing up the car, I started feeling nauseous.  I hurried to the bathroom and threw up the half piece of toast I had managed to get down.

We got to the hospital and waited in the main lobby for my parents.  The hospital does not allow any child under the age of 18 in to the rooms during flu season.  And flu season lasted from October to May.  My parents arrived and scooped up the boy, gave me a kiss and wished me luck as Jacob and I headed up to the L&D.

When we got up to our room, I was contracting pretty regularly and had to use my yoga breathing to get through most of them.  My doula, Laura arrived shortly after that and then my midwife, Anjili.  She checked me to see how dilated I was.  I was only 1 centimeterL.  By this time I was hooked up to the monitor and my contractions were coming about 3-4 minutes – usually 2 back to back.  Anjili gave us the option of going home or staying and laboring at the hospital.  I knew I wouldn’t have a “time limit” by laboring there (and Jacob’s parents were on their way to our house) so we decided to stay. 

It was a good thing we did because I labored hard all day long.  My contractions were regular 2-3 minutes apart and always 2-3 back to back.  I changed positions frequently.  Sometimes laboring on the toilet or standing or just sitting on the side of the bed.   I started to have some pretty intense back labor and so I spent the next 2-3 hours on my hands and knees (on the bed) while Jacob and Laura used counter pressure on my hips and lower back.  In between my contractions, they grabbed quick bites of some sandwiches that my mom brought them

 Around 4ish, I was checked again and I was at 6 cm, 80% effaced and Patrick was in -1 position.   I continued to labor using my yoga breathing and sound to get through each set of contractions.   I moved to the birthing ball where I made a lot of progress and started to feel an urge to push.  So my midwife checked me and she said I was a “stretchy 8” and that if I had an urge to push, to go ahead and do so, just to let her or the nurse know if it felt like something was coming out.  I moved to the bed with Jacob behind me, but my labor slowed dramatically so I got back on the birthing ball and everything got right back into full swing.  At about 8pm, I moved back to the bed however this time I put the head of the bed all the way inclined and leaned against it so that Jacob and Laura could still use counter pressure on my hips and rub my lower back. I pushed when I felt the need for the next 2 or so hours and at around 10pm, Laura asked me if I wanted some direction, which I gladly accepted.  I pushed with each contraction for the next hour or so.  I could feel Patrick moving down the birth canal with each set of pushes.  I had a room full of cheerleaders, everyone telling me how great I was pushing. I kept going and it seemed to me that it was taking forever. I finally felt the “ring of fire” which describes how it felt exactly.  At this point I could hear Anjili telling Jacob to look and see Patrick.  Since I was facing backwards, Patrick was “face out” (he wasn’t posterior) and at that point the pushing was easy, within 3-4 pushes, he was out. Apparently with his hand up next to his face. I carefully turned around and pulled my little baby to me.  He was perfect. Patrick Owen Stenzel was born at 11:25pm on March 20,2011.   My mom, who I had completely forgotten was in the room, burst out crying with joy.  She never had a vaginal birth. It was her first as well. I held Patrick to me as he was wiped down and held him for the next hour and he started to nurse.  We had a little difficulty at first since he still had a lot of mucous in him. Once the cord stopped pulsating, Anjili had Jacob cut the cord. After about an hour, the nursery came down and gave him his bath in the room with Jacob helping the whole time.  They weighed and measured him- 9.3 lbs and 20 inches. Once Patrick was done getting cleaned up (and had cleared out a lot of mucous from crying), I was able to get him latched on quickly and he nursed like a champ.

The difference between this birth and Bobby’s was like night and day.  This was probably the single hardest thing I have ever done in my life, but also the most rewarding.  I couldn’t have done it without the preparations I made beforehand like finding a practice that supported my wishes for my birth, going to yoga and learning how to use my breath and sound to make it through the contractions and hiring a doula to help guide me through the more difficult parts of the labor.  Jacob was fantastic as well.  I know it hurt him to watch me be in pain, but he stayed by my side the entire time, whispering encouragements into my ear, holding me up as I doubled over during contractions, rubbing my back for hours at a time and even making sounds with me when I would  lose concentration and focus.   I am so proud of myself for being able to give birth to my son without a single medical intervention.  There was never even talk about having a hep-lock inserted.  I worked hard to get this birth and it was everything I wanted to be.  The feeling of satisfaction as I lay in the hospital bed, holding my new baby, going over the birth with Laura was incredible.  I had so many doubters such as my family and friends that wished me well, but always with the caution that it may not be able to happen.  The doctors that told me it couldn’t be done. Well it can and I did it.   And I got a beautiful baby boy out of it too. 

Officially Full Term!

That's right, folks!  I am 37 weeks today.  Whew.  I am R-E-A-D-Y!

Lately Jacob has been super duper helpful.  Last weekend, not only did he do all of the cooking, but most of the laundry and wrangling of Bobby.

This weekend I got the super nice surprise that he was off on Saturday.  I could've sworn he told me he had to work, but happily he was off.  It was another beautiful 70 degree day here so after my weekly visit to the chiropractor, we grabbed some sandwiches from a local market and headed over to Cabbagetown Park with Kat and Emma.

Saturday night Bobby had what I can only guess was a night terror.  At around 1:30 am he woke up just screaming- not calling for us or crying like when he has a bad dream- but full out screaming.  Jacob jumped out of bed and ran into his room. We could do nothing to console him or quiet him down.  His eyes were open and he was walking and talking.  He kept going on and on about how his sappys (pacifiers) were dirty.  He didn't want us to snuggle him or even lay in the bed with him.  Finally after about 20 minutes of talking softly to him and trying not to do something that would upset him, he calmed down.  It was scary!  He didn't remember it the next morning, just that he had a bad dream. He ended up sleeping with us- of course and as per usual lately, was glued to me all night so I got absolutely no sleep.  In the morning, my wonderful honey took Bobby downstairs and let me sleep until 9:15 ...it was beautiful.

We pretty much finished up getting ready for our new arrival. Sunday, we went to BRU and exchanged the mattress we recently bought that had a tear in it and then went to Kohl's and got Bobby some shorts and sandals.  A little early for that- you say?  It was 75 degrees on Sunday and they only shorts we had that fit Bobby were a pair of 18 month overalls.  They looked really funny with his tennis shoes.

I love shopping at Kohl's- everything is always on sale.  We took 2 ties back that Jacob got from my mom for Christmas that he didn't really care for so we had about $40 in merch credit plus I had $10 in Kohl's cash from shopping with my mom last weekend.  We got Bobby 5 pairs of shorts and a pair of sandals and ended up spending $10.  Not to shabby at all.

We also went to BJ's and got an Ipod dock to take to the hospital so I have some tunes to labor with and once we got home, I finished putting the nursery back into baby mode.  Then I went through some boxes of clothes and got out all the 0-3 month stuff.  It's all so tiny! I've really forgotten how little my Punky was when he was born.

a day off is never a day off

is it?
I took today off work just because.  Well, that's not really true.  I'm exhausted...every minute of the day.  I'm 35 weeks pregnant and so as you can imagine, I am not sleeping as well as a soon to be new mom should.  I am up constantly throughout the night to pee and if I try to limit my water intake before bed, I wake up parched and needing to down a glass of water which in turn makes me have to pee. It's  a never ending cycle.  To top it off, we have recently decided to keep the cats out of the bedroom at night.  We made this decision because the cats, namely Brody, were waking us up several times a night by laying on our heads or right next to our faces and purring really, really, really, loudly.  I know that it means that they (or rather, she) loves us, but we were getting absolutely no sleep.  and then coupled with the constant need to pee... you can guess how I would feel every morning.  So Covey is pissed.  She loves the bed and our bedroom has always been her "territory".  So she has taken to sitting outside our bedroom door and meowing over and over and over...We could lock her in our room as she isn't nearly as obnoxious as Brody but then she would cry to get out to eat, use the litter box, etc.
So we are stuck right now.  Hopefully, the change will be accepted. and even more hopefully, before the baby gets here.

So I am home today with the purpose of relaxing and catching up on sleep.


Yeah, right.  We visited Jacob's parents this past weekend, which was awesome, of course. We always have a blast there.  We went to the huge playground by their house on Saturday

and on Sunday, we went to downtown Greenvillle and hit the Children's Museum.  It's an excellent museum and if you are ever in Greenville - I highly recommend you taking your child (ages 2 to about 12) there.  All of the exhibits are hands on and interactive.  Hit the bottom floor last- as its the water exhibit and your child is bound to get soaked.

But I digress....

So because we went to Greenville, the laundry wasn't done, the groceries weren't bought and nothing was cleaned. So that's what I have been doing today. Instead of resting, I've been cleaning.

 BUT- my downstairs looks awesome!

Upstairs? not so much- but that can wait for the weekend.